Second base turned into an odd position; there were plenty of bargains to be had here, though, as with the other positions, the top tier players went for quite a bit above their sheet prices.
The $40s: Utley $42. Well, there is only one guy in this category, and it is Chase. I have the pleasure of watching him on a regular basis here in Philadelphia, and he truly is a special player. The funny thing is that I don't think he will improve very much, and he has never earned more than $35. Moreover, he continues to wear down at the end of the year; a player to have, but, in my opinion, $34-$35 has to be the limit.
The $30s: Phillips $34; Weeks $31. Phillips went 16th and Weeks 24th. If Phillips' power is for real, his earnings should stay around the mid-30s, unless that average tanks. Weeks is more interesting. I had him at $22 on the sheet, and it is not as though Uggla, Johnson and others weren't on the board. If you read the pundits, however, they predict he is a breakout candidate and they bid accordingly.
The $20s: NO ONE. The reason I mention this is that I had 3 2B on my sheet in the $20s - Weeks, Uggla and Johnson. Both Johnson and Uggla came later in the auction (6th round and 7th round), and fell in as bargains.
The $10s: Uggla $19, Johnson $17, Sanchez $14, Kent $13, Matsui $12. Surprises all, as each one went under my sheet value. I purchased Kent for $13, and, in retrospect, I'd rather have Johnson, Uggla or Sanchez (since none of them are 40 years old). I love Kelly Johnson, and if I had to pick a break-out candidate, he is the man. Uggla supplies big power, and if the average comes around a little bit, he could out earn his salary by a couple of dollars. Sanchez and Kent, well, they produce. I'm not in love with Matsui at $12; while Houston is a fun place to hit, that lineup has a lot of "odds and ends" in it, and Matsui's speed could suffer.
The best of the rest: Hudson $8, Castillo $8, Iguchi $2, Durham $2, DeRosa $3, Giles $4, Belliard $1, Burke $1, Kennedy $1, Fransden $1
Wow! Well, if you were wondering where all the bargains were, they were from the mid-tier of the second basemen down. Essentially, the auction went away from second basemen, and once I picked up Kent, I locked myself out of the position, so I could not price enforce. Now, Durham is on the decline, Burke is still a part-timer, Kennedy flopped last year and Giles is looking to rebuild his career. Fransden could be a starter at 3rd (ick) or 2nd (not so bad an ick). Iguchi should be a solid bargain, as should Hudson (trade risk), Castillo and DeRosa. Iguchi, Castillo, Hudson and DeRosa are likely to be the double-digit earners of this group, but don't be surprised if Giles, Belliard or Burke (with enough ABs) get there as well.
Analysis: Well, I locked myself up in the middle pretty quickly, and I was one of the few price enforcers in the room. Once the top five or six 2B went off the board, the auction steered clear, and many of these low prices came in the 9th-14th rounds. Sometimes, while drafting, you lose sight of the depth at certain positions, and, while my 2B are nice with Kent and Castillo at a combined $21, a Johnson and Iguchi combo would look a lot better in my opinion.
I've got a cold grinding me down, but I will try and hit SS and 3B before the end of the week!
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