Second Base Availability

Yesterday, we took a look at the free agent catchers and third basemen about to hit the open market. Now, we will look to the keystone cornermen, a fancy literary term that allows me to delay writing just simply, second basemen. Our 2009 Free Agent 2B Class ranges from 29-41 in age, with some solid veterans and nice complementary pieces, a couple of whom exploded in the second half. There are, however, no overt stars in this class, no equivalents to Mark Teixeira or CC Sabathia at their respective positions. A couple of these players might even retire, so their free agent status would not likely matter too much, but without further ado, here they are:

Name                   Age        G             Slash       WPA/LI
Felipe Lopez             29      143   .283/.343/.387        -0.17
Orlando Hudson           31      107   .305/.367/.450         0.52
Mark Ellis               32      117   .233/.321/.373        -0.19
Jerry Hairston           33       80   .326/.384/.487         0.98
David Eckstein           34       94   .265/.343/.349        -0.70
Tadahito Iguchi          34       85   .232/.292/.306        -1.23
Ray Durham               37      128   .289/.380/.432         1.03
Mark Loretta             37      101   .280/.350/.383        -0.05
Damion Easley            39      113   .269/.322/.370         0.29
Mark Grudzielanek        39       86   .299/.345/.399        -0.04
Jeff Kent                41      121   .280/.327/.418         0.73

Lopez, the youngest of the group, had performed so poorly during the first 2/3 of the 2008 season that even the Washington Nationals cut their ties with him. He latched on to the St. Louis express and proceeded to hit .385/.426/.538 over his final 43 games. A poor fielder, registering -14 in the +- system this year and a -6 last year, Lopez could be a nice combo SS/2B player somewhere, but shouldn’t be starting for any team seriously trying to make a run to the playoffs. His stretch with the Cardinals was borderline incredible, but it appeared to be nothing more than regression taking full form, making up for his putrid production in Washington.

Hudson, the O-Dawg, is a very consistent performer both offensively and defensively. He is not going to OPS above .900, but he has shown improvement over the last few years and has posted an OPS of .817 in back to back seasons. Couple that with very solid defense–a +20 and +13 before this year’s -4–and you have a very good second basemen. If he can show his injuries are merely a figment of the past, he should command a nice-sized four year deal somewhere.

Mark Ellis had a terrible season with the stick, but was the second best fielding keystone cornerman in baseball this year, at +26. Now, that is a far, far distant second from Chase Utley’s +47, but Ellis is the real deal with the glove, posting a +13 in 2006, +19 last season, and this year’s +26. If anything, he is getting better on the field. He did manage to hit 12 home runs this season, and his .249 BABIP did not help his offensive statistics, so if he is going to regress and continue his solid defense, he will be quite valuable.

Jerry Hairston had an interesting season, as Dave mentioned not too long ago, as he posted an .871 OPS, much higher than any other season of his. Granted, it took place in just 80 games, but perhaps you can see how this guy continues to get work. He played all over the field in 2008, with average to above average defensive skills, and, in just 80 games, was worth one win above an average player. David Eckstein, on the other hand, is not very good offensively, and his defensive skills have been eroding. After a +2 in 2006, he posted a -14 and -12 at shortstop. He did manage a +2 at second base this year, so it might be time for the champion of grit to permanently move to second base if he wants a starting job.

Even at 37 years old, Ray Durham was still immensely productive with the bat. Being a switch-hitter at a relatively poor offensive position, with oodles of veteran presence to dish out to youngsters, Durham probably has another 2-3 years left before he hangs up his cleats. If he was producing OPS counts in the .650s it might be different, but he basically had the same season as Orlando Hudson this year, if not better. He isn’t a solid fielder, by any stretch, but he will definitely find a home, likely in extended backup duty.

Damion Easley is the kind of player who elicits “he’s still around?” reactions all across the country. He may be 39, and his overall numbers might not be that solid, but he has shown a knack for hitting lefties extremely well. This drastic split deteriorated a bit in 2008, so he might not look as valuable as he may be, but I am sure he will find a home for a one year deal to platoon and hit off southpaws.

This brings us to Grudzy and Kent, two players who have at least hinted at retirement. Both are old, poor fielders, and losing many steps offensively. Kent is still a scary player off the bench, but at 41 years old, what else does he have to prove? If he cannot field and he is posting a lower SLG than Ray Durham, the only thing productive about him is his reputation as the second baseman with the most career home runs. Grudzielanek played a less than stellar 86 games for the Royals, and with his below average defense, is not worth a whole lot anymore. If I had ultimate control of the baseball universe, Kent, Grudzielanek, and Easley would retire, Loretta would become a utility player in the National League, Hudson and Ellis would get the bigger deals of this group, Eckstein would move to 2B, and Iguchi/Hairston/Lopez/Durham would get backup roles, occasionally with extended duty.