In case it went unnoticed, it is worth mentioning that 2009 was the greatest year for power-hitting out of the second-base position in the history of baseball. Last season, four second basemen hit 30 or more home runs and nine trotted around the bases at least 20 times.

No other previous season had more than two 30-homer keystone sackers. You would have to go back 10 years to 1999 to find the only other time in major league history when more than five second basemen reached the 20-home-run plateau; that year seven second basemen hit 20-plus round-trippers.

The advice for fantasy owners, then, is not to become enamored with a player because of his power numbers at second base. Home runs at the position are hardly a distinguishing characteristic. Sagacious owners will look at additional stats to find the best second basemen. The fact that there are hardly a dozen second basemen worthy of a starting gig in a fantasy lineup puts further pressure on owners to draft well at this position.

Chase Utley is the clear-cut No. 1 second baseman in the majors. He is a career .295 hitter and has averaged 101 RBIs over his five full seasons in the majors. No second baseman has come close to crossing the plate as many times or driving in as many runs as Utley has since he became an everyday player in 2005.

Ian Kinsler appears to be an all-around star when he can stay healthy. He has played more than 130 games in a season one time, and that was just last year. He reaped the rewards for maintaining his health in 2009 by setting career highs in homers, ribbies and steals. He also set a career low with a horrendous .253 batting average.

Dustin Pedroia and Brian Roberts are not flashy players, but they do a lot of things well. Pedroia is a career .307 hitter who has led the American League in runs scored for the past two seasons. He has averaged 16 home runs, 77 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases since 2008.

Roberts is similarly productive. He is also amazingly consistent. Over the last five seasons, Roberts averaged 13 home runs, 64 runs batted in, 99 runs scored and 37 stolen bases. Both Pedroia and Roberts could slip to the fifth round, where they would be good value picks.

Ben Zobrist seemingly came out of nowhere last year to blast 27 home runs with 91 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Zobrist actually showed signs of stardom prior to 2009. Rays manager Joe Maddon played Zobrist in four 2008 World Series games following a regular season in which he hit a dozen home runs in 198 at-bats, a better at bat-to-home-run ratio than he had in 2009.

A player that is apt to fall through the cracks to the middle rounds is Seattle's Jose Lopez. Only Aaron Hill had more home runs and more RBIs than Lopez did in 2009. His career .271 average does not sparkle, but he can build on a breakout 2009 this year in the newly revamped Mariner lineup.

Rickie Weeks is commonly seen as a potential sleeper this year. Milwaukee's second baseman has never lived up to his hype, in large part because of his inability to stay on the field. Even when he is healthy, he is nothing more than a fantasy backup. He is a career .247 hitter with a lifetime best of 46 RBIs. Only once has he stolen more than 20 bases, and he has never scored 90 runs. Owners ought to avoid the temptation to pick Weeks anywhere before the end of the draft.

My second base rankings for 2010 are as follows: 1. Chase Utley, Phillies; 2. Ian Kinsler, Rangers; 3. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox; 4. Brian Roberts, Orioles; 5. Robinson Cano, Yankees; 6. Aaron Hill, Blue Jays; 7. Ben Zobrist, Rays; 8. Brandon Phillips, Reds; 9. Dan Uggla, Marlins; 10. Jose Lopez, Mariners.

11. Howie Kendrick, Angels; 12. Orlando Hudson, Twins; 13. Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks; 14. Rickie Weeks, Brewers; 15. Martin Prado, Braves; 16. Mark Ellis, Athletics; 17. Clint Barmes, Rockies; 18. Chris Getz, Royals; 19. Kaz Matsui, Astros; 20. Freddy Sanchez, Giants.