Dobrow: Player Rankings - Player Rankings: Chasing sparse seconds and lefties

Stats through May 16
Chase Utley may or may not be running at full speed and pivoting at full pivotosity during his current rehab, and he may or may not come back this week as the guy who was one of the game's five best players between 2005 and 2009. Thus it feels both premature and weird ranking the league's second basemen in his absence -- and what a sad-clown group it is. Utley on one leg or Omar Infante? Utley denying the existence of a broken rib even as bones visibly protrude through his jersey, or Bill Hall? Gimme Utley. I believe.
As for left-handed starters, the pool is equally shallow, at least while a handful of candidates struggle with injury (Johan Santana, Brian Matusz) and bad-at-pitching-ness (Francisco Liriano, John Danks). While it's still hard to justify contracts like the one the Phillies handed to Cliff Lee -- not because he's not great, but because he's 32 -- we live in a supply-and-demand world. You can either pay what the market will bear, or you can be the Pirates. That's how it works.

Batters 1. Rickie Weeks, 2B - Milwaukee Brewers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 6 Forget the beautiful, beautiful bat. The advanced fielding metrics I don't entirely understand now paint him as merely substandard on defense, as opposed to anvil-handed and barbarous. Baby steps, man, baby steps. Key Stats: 163 AB, 7 HR, .301 AVG, 14 RBI, 25 R, 5 SB 2. Robinson Cano, 2B - New York Yankees Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 5 This is largely a legacy ranking based on his 2010 performance and the possibility that he'll start accepting walks again. The Yankees know from experience that the world doesn't need another Mariano Duncan. Key Stats: 147 AB, 9 HR, .286 AVG, 25 RBI, 21 R, 3 SB 3. Ben Zobrist, 2B - Tampa Bay Rays Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 1 He counts as a second baseman; the other keystone-capable utility folk, like Martin Prado, do not. Why? Because it's my column and I can qualify if I want to. Zobrist plays most positions well; his defense-minded keepers in Tampa would have it no other way. Key Stats: 149 AB, 8 HR, .289 AVG, 27 RBI, 31 R, 5 SB 4. Dustin Pedroia, 2B - Boston Red Sox Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 11 The struggles against off-speed stuff aren't a problem, boosters say, because he's confident enough to battle through them. But what if he's not? What if all the "laser show" boasts mask a deep reservoir of self-disgust and longing? Hug him, stat. Key Stats: 155 AB, 2 HR, .245 AVG, 10 RBI, 21 R, 7 SB 5. Dan Uggla, 2B - Atlanta Braves Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 14 He'd rank higher on a list that doesn't assess the ability to move laterally. It still says here that his mashiness is a perfect fit on a Braves squad that hasn't had a righty bopper since Andruw Jones aged 15 years between the end of 2006 and the start of 2007. Key Stats: 163 AB, 7 HR, .202 AVG, 15 RBI, 19 R, 1 SB 6. Brandon Phillips, 2B - Cincinnati Reds Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 2 The four-category fantasy deliciousness has upped his profile, perhaps undeservedly. In the real world, Phillips' sure-handedness afield and cagey baserunning are tempered by his impatience at the plate. Reality bites. Key Stats: 146 AB, 5 HR, .322 AVG, 26 RBI, 26 R, 2 SB 7. Howard Kendrick, 2B - Los Angeles Angels Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 3 The OBP and SLG have spiked in 2011, a mere five years after we expected them to. How psyched must the Angels be that their injury problems have given them a reason to shift him off second? "No, Howie, it's totally temporary. Honest." Key Stats: 168 AB, 6 HR, .310 AVG, 17 RBI, 29 R, 4 SB 8. Ian Kinsler, 2B - Texas Rangers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 7 Wait a second -- the deal was that if he could manage to stay healthy for more than three series at a time, he'd ascend to a higher pinnacle of distinction. Yet here we are, a quarter of the way through a healthy season, and he hasn't. I feel gypped. Key Stats: 152 AB, 5 HR, .250 AVG, 17 RBI, 26 R, 7 SB 9. Neil Walker, 3B - Pittsburgh Pirates Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 4 He's a second baseman like a cat is a tree. That said, a switch hitter on an OBP self-improvement tear and without pronounced lefty/righty splits is an asset -- an asset like a chest of dimes is an asset. Key Stats: 151 AB, 5 HR, .278 AVG, 22 RBI, 26 R, 2 SB 10. Brian Roberts, 2B - Baltimore Orioles Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 10 As recently as last September, Roberts was a run-creating gnat. There's nothing wrong with him that a pep talk and a new spine won't cure, so give him the benefit of the doubt until the MRI says otherwise. Key Stats: 163 AB, 3 HR, .221 AVG, 19 RBI, 18 R, 6 SB 11. Kelly Johnson, 2B - Arizona Diamondbacks Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 20 Eesh. This position thins out fast. Johnson? He's got some power and he'll take a walk. That counts for something, slow start notwithstanding. Key Stats: 147 AB, 4 HR, .184 AVG, 7 RBI, 16 R, 6 SB 12. Jonathan Herrera, 2B - Colorado Rockies Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 13 In a limited look-see, he hasn't embarrassed himself, his team or his family. In conclusion, we should shorten these lists to ten players when the shallowness of the positional pool demands it. Key Stats: 120 AB, 2 HR, .292 AVG, 8 RBI, 15 R, 4 SB extracted from cbssports.com

Pitchers 1. Jaime Garcia, SP - St. Louis Cardinals Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 4 Those still waiting for him to fall apart oughta find a new pet cause. It's like a bunch of college do-gooders refusing to leave the Dean's office until the university divests its oil and defense holdings. Don't hold your breath, kids. Key Stats: 52.1 IP, 5-0 W-L, 0 SV, 1.89 ERA, 48 Ks, 12 BB 2. Clayton Kershaw, SP - Los Angeles Dodgers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 14 Most 23-year-olds have no responsibilities other than mining the gems lodged in their nostrils; Kershaw has been charged with leading a major-league staff. His shoulders are as broad and sturdy as the ocean is salty and contaminated. Key Stats: 59.0 IP, 5-3 W-L, 0 SV, 2.75 ERA, 64 Ks, 20 BB 3. David Price, SP - Tampa Bay Rays Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 23 He's pretty OK at pitching, but did you see the clip of his batting-practice dinger? Forget that he cleared the fence -- his loop around the bases, which featured headfirst slides and somersaults, was the revelation. He appears to enjoy his job. Key Stats: 62.2 IP, 5-3 W-L, 0 SV, 3.59 ERA, 52 Ks, 10 BB 4. Cole Hamels, SP - Philadelphia Phillies Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 24 Line from an actual reader e-mail about Cole Hamels, who I think is effin' terrific: "More often than not his poor outings are because of his lack of mental focus and mental toughness." Really? And this is evident to the untrained eye how? Dumbass. Key Stats: 53.2 IP, 4-2 W-L, 0 SV, 3.19 ERA, 56 Ks, 12 BB 5. Jon Lester, SP - Boston Red Sox Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 20 If there's a nit to pick, it's the walk totals. But in the context of Lester's overall ferocity, that's a small nit, like a lower-phylum parasite that just can't be bothered to leech. Key Stats: 57.2 IP, 5-1 W-L, 0 SV, 3.28 ERA, 58 Ks, 24 BB 6. Cliff Lee, SP - Philadelphia Phillies Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 64 There's been talk that he throws too many strikes, that he'd be better served by baiting hitters to swing at crud. Isn't that like saying an elite batter should try not to make so much solid contact, because line drives sometimes get caught? Key Stats: 58.2 IP, 2-4 W-L, 0 SV, 3.84 ERA, 68 Ks, 13 BB 7. Brett Anderson, SP - Oakland Athletics Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 53 His mantra is less "ommmmmm" than "stay healthy stay healthy stay healthy stay healthy." Would you rather have the Phillie Phour or Oakland's Cahill/Anderson/Gonzalez/McCarthy quartet and $60 million to spend? That's a legit question. Key Stats: 60.0 IP, 2-3 W-L, 0 SV, 3.3 ERA, 47 Ks, 16 BB 8. CC Sabathia, SP - New York Yankees Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 41 When pundits rhapsodize about his tendency to "put the team on his back," they mean it literally. The guy's torso is three times the width of a surfboard and just as long. If necessary, he could be used as a flotation device. Key Stats: 59.2 IP, 3-3 W-L, 0 SV, 3.47 ERA, 50 Ks, 21 BB 9. Gio Gonzalez, RP - Oakland Athletics Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 88 He got a mulligan -- a literal one -- for last week's outing against the Rangers, who pummeled him for 7 runs in 3 innings. It started to rain, the game got called and the ugly stats went bye-bye like water down the drain. Lucky dude. Key Stats: 43.2 IP, 4-2 W-L, 0 SV, 2.68 ERA, 41 Ks, 20 BB 10. C.J. Wilson, SP - Texas Rangers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 33 He added a limiting-walks component to his "str8-edge" persona -- a good thing, because we wouldn't want kids to look at him and think, "He's cool, accountable and substance-free, but he just gives it away. I'm gonna model myself after A.J. Burnett instead." Key Stats: 61.1 IP, 4-2 W-L, 0 SV, 3.38 ERA, 50 Ks, 22 BB 11. Ricky Romero, SP - Toronto Blue Jays Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 40 Next, on Dateline Minutes: Are Americans biased against ace-lite hurlers who pitch in Canada, or do the Jays just need to hire a better PR guy? Key Stats: 51.0 IP, 3-4 W-L, 0 SV, 3.35 ERA, 51 Ks, 18 BB 12. Zach Britton, SP - Baltimore Orioles Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 11 Too soon? The K/BB numbers are worrying, but he's outpitched the other candidates (Buehrle, Sanchez and De La Rosa) for the slot. Just like the Orioles decided he was ready, so too did we. Hooray for happenstance. Key Stats: 52.0 IP, 5-2 W-L, 0 SV, 2.42 ERA, 29 Ks, 16 BB