Second Base
2012 Overview: After looking at the rather destitute catching situation in the organization and the extremely strong first base spot, second base unsurprisingly falls somewhere in the middle.
Second year starter Darwin Barney was handed the job without competition to begin the year and managed to keep his job all season, playing in 156 games. In many respects, he was exactly the player that most Cubs followers and prospect hounds expected him to be. He played stellar defense, producing an incredible 13 runs above average with his glove. Among the 22 keystone men who qualified for the batting title, Barney tied Washington's Danny Espinosa for the league lead defensively. Unfortunately, among those same 22, Barney placed 21st in wRC+ as an appalling 75 (25% worse than an average MLB batter). While he somehow muscled out seven home runs, he floundered to a .254/.299/.354/.653 line, showing an inability to draw walks while his paltry .100 ISO set a career high for a full season. Still, on the strength of strong baserunning and elite defense, Barney's 2.5 WAR placed him 13th of 22 among qualified second basemen.
Adiran Cardenas and Blake DeWitt also both saw some time at 2B. While with the Cubs, DeWitt never showed any of the promise that made him a first round pick. He was completely incapable of hitting at Iowa and in Chicago. Similarly, Cardenas has proven to be a replacement player: a guy who plays very well in the upper minors but simply cannot match up with major league pitching. The future isn't completely dark for Cardenas though after a .300/.381/.461/.842 showing at Iowa in half a season. His thriving at AAA will continue to get him looks.
Fellow Iowa 2B Alfredo Amezaga and Matt Tolbert define organizational fodder as older minor leaguers without major league skill sets. Amezaga did an adequate job reaching base in 2012, but he lacked the power or speed to contribute much.
In contrast to the complete lack of talent behind Barney at the upper levels, Tennessee's Logan Watkins put together yet another strong campaign. The 2008 21st round pick showed a balanced, developed offensive approach for the second straight season with a 130 wRC+ over almost 600 AA plate appearances. Watkins continued to draw walks at a very high rate, earning a free pass on 12.9% of his trips to the plate. While this was an improvement, he walked at 10% over his previous two years at Peoria and Daytona, so it was hardly a fluke. His ISO also improved for the third straight season reaching a solid .141. Helping that ISO was a career high nine home runs. He set yet another career mark with 28 stolen bases, up from 21, 19, and 14 the previous three seasons. In reaching a .281/.383/.422/.805 line, Watkins announced himself as a player in contention for major league playing time as early as 2013. Although he has enjoyed consistently high BABIPs in his career - at least .330 each year - his offensive profile is well positioned to absorb a BABIP drop as he progresses with his ability to walk, steal bases, and hit for (some) power. He did just turn 23 this August, so he cannot afford to slip up.
Down in Daytona, Ronald Torreyes experienced one of the most precipitous drops in BABIP that I have ever seen. The former Reds farmhand who came to Chicago along with Travis Wood and Dave Sappelt in exchange for Sean Marshall followed a .374 BABIP in 2011 with a .268 total in 2012. His fantastic 2011 year was driven almost exclusively by his .356 batting average. Although that number dropped to .264 in 2012, his other abilities did show some improvement as his ISO jumped from .101 to .121, his walk rate rose from 4.6% to 6.8%, and he managed those improvements while maintaining his miniscule 6.1% strikeout rate. Torreyes has shown some ability to steal bases but at just 13 swipes in a full season, speed is unlikely to be a big part of his game. Regardless, the peripheral improvements keep Torreyes on the radar, as does the fact that he just turned 20 three months ago.
Two men split the second base job at Peoria: 2011 third round pick Zeke DeVoss and 2009 fifth rounder Wes Darvill. Despite power not being a major part of his game, DeVoss has displayed an off-the-charts ability to draw walks following a 19% in his short-season debut with a 14.1% total in his full-season debut. DeVoss also swiped 34 bags. Unfortunately, the switch-hitting former center fielder from Miami has a problem with strikeouts. While it is possible for a player like DeVoss to have a major league career, it's difficult for a player who has a 20%+ strikeout rate with only six home runs in his first 768 professional plate appearances. The speed and walking ability will need to carry him at every level. If he finds a way to continue getting on base at a .382 clip despite just a .249 batting average, he will stick around for a while.
Darvill has a much different background. The 2009 fifth rounder hails from British Columbia and has a much bigger frame (6'2", 175 lbs.) than DeVoss. Unfortunately, the production hasn't been there for Darvill. He has shown no power, little speed, and a complete inability to get on base thus far in his career. It's too early to give up on a player who just completed his age-20 season and made his full-season debut, but some pieces need to show themselves this season.
Rounding out the organization is perhaps the most exciting member of this group, Boise's Gioskar Amaya. Amaya turned 20 last week, but just finished his third year of at least 50 professional games. He has progressed nicely in his young career, producing a very strong stint this year with a 147 wRC+ (.298/.381/.496/.877) that showcased the diversity of his skill set. He swiped 15 bases, erupted for eight home runs despite having just one total entering the year, and walked in 10.4% of his plate appearances. He did suffer an uptick in his strikeout rate up to 20.5%, but the other skills make that increase palatable.
Down in Daytona, Ronald Torreyes experienced one of the most precipitous drops in BABIP that I have ever seen. The former Reds farmhand who came to Chicago along with Travis Wood and Dave Sappelt in exchange for Sean Marshall followed a .374 BABIP in 2011 with a .268 total in 2012. His fantastic 2011 year was driven almost exclusively by his .356 batting average. Although that number dropped to .264 in 2012, his other abilities did show some improvement as his ISO jumped from .101 to .121, his walk rate rose from 4.6% to 6.8%, and he managed those improvements while maintaining his miniscule 6.1% strikeout rate. Torreyes has shown some ability to steal bases but at just 13 swipes in a full season, speed is unlikely to be a big part of his game. Regardless, the peripheral improvements keep Torreyes on the radar, as does the fact that he just turned 20 three months ago.
Two men split the second base job at Peoria: 2011 third round pick Zeke DeVoss and 2009 fifth rounder Wes Darvill. Despite power not being a major part of his game, DeVoss has displayed an off-the-charts ability to draw walks following a 19% in his short-season debut with a 14.1% total in his full-season debut. DeVoss also swiped 34 bags. Unfortunately, the switch-hitting former center fielder from Miami has a problem with strikeouts. While it is possible for a player like DeVoss to have a major league career, it's difficult for a player who has a 20%+ strikeout rate with only six home runs in his first 768 professional plate appearances. The speed and walking ability will need to carry him at every level. If he finds a way to continue getting on base at a .382 clip despite just a .249 batting average, he will stick around for a while.
Darvill has a much different background. The 2009 fifth rounder hails from British Columbia and has a much bigger frame (6'2", 175 lbs.) than DeVoss. Unfortunately, the production hasn't been there for Darvill. He has shown no power, little speed, and a complete inability to get on base thus far in his career. It's too early to give up on a player who just completed his age-20 season and made his full-season debut, but some pieces need to show themselves this season.
Rounding out the organization is perhaps the most exciting member of this group, Boise's Gioskar Amaya. Amaya turned 20 last week, but just finished his third year of at least 50 professional games. He has progressed nicely in his young career, producing a very strong stint this year with a 147 wRC+ (.298/.381/.496/.877) that showcased the diversity of his skill set. He swiped 15 bases, erupted for eight home runs despite having just one total entering the year, and walked in 10.4% of his plate appearances. He did suffer an uptick in his strikeout rate up to 20.5%, but the other skills make that increase palatable.
2013 and Beyond: It's a bizarre group. Barney's offensive profile is poor, but his defensive expertise could make him a valuable trade chip this summer. Watkins has been trending up as he approaches a major league debut and could find himself auditioning for the 2014 job this summer. Both Torreyes and DeVoss face important years: struggles could force them off of the prospect map while some growth could have them heading toward Chicago in the next year or two. With all of that said, Amaya's full-season debut is the thing to watch at this position. He could have the skill set to burst onto the prospect scene.
Overall Perception: Frankly, it's not a terribly exciting position, but it should nonetheless be interesting to follow in 2013. Any of the four best players mentioned above - Watkins, Torreyes, DeVoss, and Amaya - have the chance to lay claim to the "second baseman of the future" title with a strong year. But it still seems unlikely that there is an impact player in the bunch.
Final Rating: 3.0
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