Ten Most Expensive A.L. Second Basemen 2011
#
|
Player
|
$
|
Sal
|
+/-
|
CBS
|
LABR
|
TW
|
PK
|
2010
|
1
|
Robinson Cano
|
$32
|
38
|
-6
|
49
|
35
|
30
|
30
|
$33
|
2
|
Dustin Pedroia
|
$34
|
30
|
4
|
35
|
26
|
28
|
27
|
$15
|
3
|
Ian Kinsler
|
$30
|
29
|
2
|
29
|
28
|
29
|
28
|
$18
|
4
|
Ben Zobrist
|
$26
|
20
|
5
|
21
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
$18
|
5
|
Gordon Beckham
|
$8
|
19
|
-11
|
22
|
17
|
18
|
16
|
$10
|
6
|
Aaron Hill
|
$9
|
19
|
-10
|
20
|
17
|
19
|
18
|
$10
|
7
|
Chone Figgins
|
$1
|
18
|
-17
|
18
|
17
|
19
|
18
|
$19
|
8
|
Howie Kendrick
|
$23
|
18
|
5
|
19
|
15
|
19
|
19
|
$20
|
9
|
Brian Roberts
|
$4
|
17
|
-14
|
22
|
15
|
15
|
17
|
$9
|
10
|
Sean Rodriguez
|
$8
|
14
|
-6
|
15
|
12
|
14
|
11
|
$12
|
Average
|
$18
|
22
|
-5
|
25
|
20
|
21
|
20
|
$16
|
Not only is the $6 per player raise the highest pay bump in the A.L. this year, but it's also the biggest raise I've seen since I started dragging these charts out five years ago.
(Across the board, there was a big push on the top players' salaries. This year's A.L. catchers tied the previous $16 per player record. The top 10 A.L. players at every position except for third base got a $2 or more average raise. I'll have to tie a string around my finger and come back to this later.)
Six of the 10 hitters here got a raise of $5 or more and only Figgins and Kendrick took pay cuts. Given the aggressive stance of the market, you would assume that these hitters did much better in 2009 than they did in 2010.
Ten Most Expensive A.L. Second Basemen 2011 (in 2009)
#
|
Player
|
'09 $
|
Sal
|
+/-
|
CBS
|
LABR
|
TW
|
'10 $
|
'11 Sal
|
1
|
Robinson Cano
|
$27
|
20
|
8
|
22
|
16
|
21
|
33
|
38
|
2
|
Dustin Pedroia
|
$25
|
34
|
-9
|
40
|
32
|
30
|
15
|
30
|
3
|
Ian Kinsler
|
$26
|
36
|
-10
|
44
|
33
|
30
|
18
|
29
|
4
|
Ben Zobrist
|
$27
|
2
|
25
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
18
|
20
|
5
|
Gordon Beckham
|
$13
|
10
|
19
| |||||
6
|
Aaron Hill
|
$27
|
11
|
16
|
10
|
11
|
11
|
10
|
19
|
7
|
Chone Figgins
|
$28
|
23
|
5
|
24
|
23
|
22
|
19
|
18
|
8
|
Howie Kendrick
|
$16
|
15
|
1
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
20
|
18
|
9
|
Brian Roberts
|
$27
|
31
|
-4
|
35
|
31
|
27
|
9
|
17
|
10
|
Sean Rodriguez
|
$1
|
12
|
14
| |||||
Average
|
$22
|
22
|
0
|
19
|
16
|
16
|
16
|
22
|
The market wasn't paying for 2010; they were reaching even further into the past and paying for 2009.
Not all raises are created equal. More of the money flows to the top than it does to the bottom. Cano, Pedroia and Kinsler were the big beneficiaries here. In Figgins and Roberts' cases, the market isn't willing to bet on a return to their 2009 form.
As in the earlier charts, paying for the stars pays off. Only CBS' silly $49 bid prevents Cano from being a nearly break even proposition, while Kinsler and Pedroia actually turn a slight profit. A $30 season from a middle infielder? That's nice...particularly when half of the hitters here can't even crack double-digits in earnings.
Top 10 A.L. Second Basemen 2011
$
|
Player
|
$
|
Sal
|
+/-
|
CBS
|
LABR
|
TW
|
PK
|
2010
|
1
|
Dustin Pedroia
|
$34
|
30
|
4
|
35
|
26
|
28
|
27
|
15
|
2
|
Robinson Cano
|
$32
|
38
|
-6
|
49
|
35
|
30
|
30
|
33
|
3
|
Ian Kinsler
|
$30
|
29
|
2
|
29
|
28
|
29
|
28
|
18
|
4
|
Ben Zobrist
|
$26
|
20
|
5
|
21
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
18
|
5
|
Howie Kendrick
|
$23
|
18
|
5
|
19
|
15
|
19
|
19
|
20
|
6
|
Jemile Weeks
|
$17
|
R2
| ||||||
7
|
Robert Andino
|
$12
|
R3
|
2
| |||||
8
|
Maicer Izturis
|
$12
|
7
|
5
|
1
|
8
|
11
|
7
|
6
|
9
|
Chris Getz
|
$11
|
4
|
7
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
10
|
Brent Lillibridge
|
$11
|
R3
|
4
| |||||
Average
|
$21
|
21
|
0
|
16
|
14
|
14
|
14
|
$12
|
Wow...that's a lot of free talent up on that chart. The expert leagues all took a pass on Andino, Lillibridge and Weeks, and Rotoman saw all three of these guys as reserve picks only. CBS's early aggressiveness only hurts them on Getz and Izturis. Tout Wars "buys" Izturis (at a price where he's barely profitable) and the expert leagues and Rotoman all get their fair share of Getz.
Does CBS finally run out of money? Of course.
Next 10 (11-20) Most Expensive A.L. Second Basemen 2011
#
|
Player
|
$
|
Sal
|
+/-
|
CBS
|
LABR
|
TW
|
PK
|
2010
|
11
|
Alexi Casilla
|
$10
|
10
|
0
|
5
|
14
|
12
|
9
|
$6
|
12
|
Mike Aviles
|
$11
|
10
|
0
|
3
|
15
|
13
|
11
|
$18
|
13
|
Jed Lowrie
|
$7
|
10
|
-3
|
8
|
11
|
10
|
10
|
$8
|
14
|
Reid Brignac
|
-$1
|
8
|
-9
|
2
|
9
|
12
|
10
|
$9
|
15
|
Maicer Izturis
|
$12
|
7
|
5
|
1
|
8
|
11
|
7
|
$6
|
16
|
Dustin Ackley
|
$10
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
7
|
8
|
R2
| |
17
|
Mark Ellis
|
$2
|
5
|
-3
|
3
|
6
|
7
|
6
|
$13
|
18
|
Scott Sizemore
|
$11
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
7
|
8
|
R3
|
$2
|
19
|
Chris Getz
|
$11
|
4
|
7
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
$6
|
20
|
Jayson Nix
|
$1
|
3
|
-2
|
3
|
4
|
2
|
R3
|
$6
|
Average
|
$7
|
7
|
+1
|
3
|
9
|
9
|
6
|
$7
|
CBS's earlier free spending ways finally catch up with them, and they don't "buy" a single hitter in this market. LABR and Tout Wars split the goodies here in a hypothetical, four-way battle. LABR grabs Casilla, Aviles, Lowrie and Nix while Tout Wars gets Brignac, Izturis, Ackley, Ellis, and Sizemore.
Despite the fact that Rotoman doesn't buy a single player outright here (or on any of these other charts), his average price in this group makes the most sense to me. LABR and Tout gave these guys a $2 per player raise from what they earned in 2010? Really?
I don't mind the average price (breaking even on these types of guys on the whole is fine), but you don't want to pay $9 per player on the second tier. Everyone thinks that this is the year the Lowries and Ackleys of the world are going to earn $15-20, but rooks and emerging players seldom - if ever - make that kind of leap. Weeks did it, but only because of his legs.
The play this year is going to be paying more for the big four of Cano, Pedroia, Kinsler and Zobrist. The position looks risky after those four, and while some are going to be tempted to shell out big bucks for Weeks, I'd expect some regression for him in his first full Major League season.
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