Keeper Conundrums: Second Base

All this week, I’ll be looking at potential keepers at each position that you may be on the fence about. Now, a look at some second basemen.

Dustin Pedroia
Odds are you drafted Pedroia in the second round, or maybe the third round if you got lucky. With a serious foot injury on everyone’s mind, owners may be forgetting the fantastic season Pedroia was having before he got hurt. How will his injury affect his next season? We really can’t say for sure, so he may end up being a gamble on draft day.
Crude 2011 Projection: .300/.385, 18 HR, 15 SB
Verdict: Keep. The foot may decrease his stolen bases, but he’s still a stud.

Martin Prado
If you look away from his counting stats, Prado’s numbers are almost identical to 2009. It doesn’t feel like it, but Prado is still young and just entering his peak. He’ll be playing in a good lineup next year, so he could score 100 runs again without breaking a sweat.
Crude 2011 Projection: .310/.355, 17 HR, 5 SB
Verdict: Keep. He should be plenty healthy by spring, so I’m not worried about him.

Ben Zobrist
Want to know just how good Zobrist was in 2009? Even in a down year, Zobrist was a three win player this year. Impressive. Zobrist stayed on rosters this year thanks to good counting stats, and shortstop eligibility. He won’t be SS eligible next year, so what do we make of him? Can he bounce back?
Crude 2011 Projection: .275/.390, 14 HR, 20 SB
Verdict: Keep. He’s an OBP stud, and that’ll help the rest of his numbers. Still a very good second baseman.

Gordon Beckham
He was a disappointment early, but a stellar July and August gave everyone hope. He caught the injury bug late this season, but he’ll be fine next year.
Crude 2011 Projection: .275/.340, 12 HR, 5 SB
Verdict: Cut. He’s got upside, but you can do better for what he’ll cost you.

Rickie Weeks
Weeks finally made good on the potential everyone saw early in his career. While he still hasn’t cut back on the strikeouts, his counting stats are ridiculous, making him one of the best players at his position.
Crude 2011 Projection: .265/.350, 26 HR, 13 SB
Verdict: Keep. The RBI’s and Runs he provides your team are tremendous.

Eric Young (Jr.)
EYJR is one of the fastest players in major league baseball, but the Rockies don’t seem to want to give him a chance.
Crude 2011 Projection: .265/.330, 0 HR, 15 SB
Verdict: Cut. I love me some EYJR, but the Rockies won’t let him play enough to make him worth owning.

If you have a second basemen you’re on the fence about, leave it in the comments. If I see a player showing up in the comments multiple times, I may do a writeup on them for next week.