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2016 AL East Rankings by Position: Second Base

By Nate Wardle

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October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) is out at second as Chicago Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro (13) throws to first in the fifth inning in game three of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) is out at second as Chicago Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro (13) throws to first in the fifth inning in game three of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /

2. New York Yankees – Starlin Castro, Dustin Ackley, Rob Refsnyder, Pete Kozma

The only addition to the starting second basemen in the AL East puts the New York Yankees at number two. Last year, there were some issues among the many players who played second base for the Yankees, and they finished last in the end of the year rankings. So, the Yankees traded one of those second baseman, Brendan Ryan along with Adam Warren, to the Chicago Cubs for Castro.

Castro has been very durable in his career, which will be big for the aging Yankees, playing in 120 games in each of his six seasons in the majors and in more than 150 in four of them. He is also a very good hitter. Castro averages 10 home runs a season and had a slash line of .265/.296/.365 in 2015, numbers all below his career average. He added 69 RBIs and 52 runs for the Cubs.

Castro came into the league at age 20 and is already a three-time All-Star. Castro used to be a guy who stole 20 plus bases, but has not stolen more than five in each of the last two seasons.

Castro is not a good defender, as he has been near the major league lead in errors in each of his seasons. However, his offensive abilities make up for that. The one knock on Castro over the last few years has been his attitude and lack of focus. If this is an issue for the Yanks, it could be a major issue due to the nature of the New York Yankees. But, Castro’s consistent play still makes him the second-ranked 2B heading into 2016.

I already discussed Ackley and Refsnyder in my first base rankings. Second base is Ackley’s primary position, but I expect Castro to start as many games as he is healthy enough to do so in pinstripes.

Next: Off a breakout season in 2015 ...

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