Everyone knows about the superstar second basemen in the MLB: Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, etc. One player who does not get the recognition that he deserves is Jose Lopez of the Seattle Mariners. The fact that he plays on a sub par Seattle team is probably a big reason that many people do not know about him. He just turned 24 years old in November and he has been in the league since the age of 20.
Last year, in 159 games, he hit 17 home runs (same as Pedroia), drove in 89 RBIs (more than Pedroia), and had a .297 average (higher than Utley’s). So his stats are up there with the premier second basemen in the league and he should only get better. In 2007, in 149 games, he hit 11 home runs, had 62 RBIs and hit .252; which is an improvement from his 2006 statistics. Each year Lopez is improving his stats and it looks like he will improve on them again in 2008 and truly establish himself as one of the top second basemen in the league.
Fantasy Note: Jose Lopez is a great steal in the later rounds of a fantasy league draft and is only a little drop off from the top second basemen in the league.
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