Our free agent primer series rolls right along with a brief preview of the two middle infield positions, second base and shortstop. It’s always difficult for teams to find legitimate, star-quality talent up the middle, and this year’s free agent class is no exception. It’s so much of a mess that we’re only going to rank the top five for each position.
At second base, there’s no Robinson Cano this year. Hell, there’s not even an Omar Infante. The best options at second base are bench players and fallen stars.
1. Emilio Bonifacio. So, it’s come to this. Bonifacio isn’t an every day player, but he can play all three outfield positions, second, third, and in a pinch, short. When he gets on base, Bonifacio has fantastic speed – he’s swiped at least 25 bags in each year since 2011. However, you’re getting no pop and a middling batting average, making him a limited, though still useful, player.
2. Rickie Weeks. The star-crossed Rickie Weeks era came to an end in Milwaukee this winter, but he actually went out with a strong .274/.357/.452 line in 121 games. The 32-year old split time with Scooter Gennett at second, and hit lefties very well to the tune of .256/.361/.504 with seven of his eight homers on the season. Moving into a platoon role with another club in 2015 could help Weeks stay healthy and productive as well.
3. Mark Ellis. The 37-year old Ellis made a ridiculous $5.2 million for the Cardinals in 2014, and struggled to a .180/.253/.213 line in 73 games, falling below Kolten Wong and later, Daniel Descalso on the depth chart. However, his history will likely give him another shot with a different team in a bench role for the 2015 season.
4. Ramon Santiago. Santiago is 35 now, and he had a pretty good offensive year coming off the bench for the Reds, hitting .246/.343/.324 in 75 games. He can play second, short, and third, and will grab hold of a bench job with some team this winter.
5. Jonathan Herrera. Herrera played all four infield positions this year for the Red Sox, though you can’t put too much faith in the 1 1/3 innings he logged at first base. However, he’s never even sniffed being an average hitter in his career, and his .263/.324/.329 career line is influenced by spending five years as a Rockie. If you need a guy that can fill in for a couple of days in a pinch, but don’t expect much more than that. He’s the quintessential replacement player.
Meanwhile at shortstop, the class is a little stronger, bolstered by a legitimate star in Hanley Ramirez and a couple of other starters.
1. Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez is *the* guy in the infield this season, with all due respect to Pablo Sandoval. When healthy, he’s a true five tool talent and one of the best players in baseball. The problem is…he’s rarely healthy anymore. He’s spent time on the DL in three of the last four seasons, and his once formidable speed has begun to fade. We saw glimpses of the Hanley of old in 2013, when he carried the Dodgers to the NL West crown after hitting .345/.402/.638 with 20 homers and ten steals in just 86 games. In 2014, his numbers fell across the board – .283/.369/.448 with 13 homers and 14 steals. He’s still an incredibly valuable player, and will likely be in line for a nine figure deal, but he won’t get nearly as much money as he may have a couple of years ago.
2. Jed Lowrie. Lowrie was plagued by injuries early in his career, but he put together a pair of reasonably healthy seasons for the A’s since being dealt by Houston before the 2013 season. He’s not much of a defender at short, and will probably need to move off of the position sooner rather than later, but is still a decent enough hitter and will get a multi-year contract this winter.
3. Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera has become a depreciated asset. He still has power, though he hasn’t come close to approaching the 25 bombs he hit in 2011. He’s still a good hitter, though his OBP hasn’t been within 20 points of his .330 career mark over the past two season. His defense is…well, maybe calling it “adequate” is best. He can play both second and short, and his ultimate home is probably at second base. Cabrera isn’t anywhere near the player the he was a couple of years ago, and Cleveland missed the opportunity to sell high on him – but at least they got something instead of nothing for him.
4. Stephen Drew. Speaking of depreciated assets…Drew’s stock went into the toilet in 2014. He didn’t accept Boston’s qualifying offer, and didn’t sign with a team until the Red Sox brought him back after the Draft in June. Then, he hit a middling .176/.255/.328 with the Red Sox, was dealt to the Yankees, and somehow hit an even worse .150/.219/.271 in the Bronx, killing any hope at him possibly being the successor to Derek Jeter at short. Drew will get a job in 2015, but I highly doubt he’ll get a multi-year deal, and he’ll be lucky if he even makes a third of the $14 million qualifying offer the Red Sox tendered to him one winter ago.
5. Clint Barmes. Barmes missed significant time for the Pirates in 2014 because of a groin strain, and while he was out, Jordy Mercer took a solid hold of the shortstop position. Barmes has never been much of a hitter, as his career .246/.295/.380 line indicates, but has always been an above average glove at both second and short. He’ll be 36 in March, but Barmes should easily catch on with a team out there looking for a solid glove off the bench, a role filled so well by Brendan Ryan in recent years.
