When you think of deep positions in fantasy baseball, the obvious ones -- outfield, first base and starting pitcher -- come to mind.

Second base? Not so much.

That has certainly been the case the last couple of years, though. When I was researching all of the positions for a (ridiculously early) top 100 overall, eight of the top 80 were second basemen. That matches the total at first base. (I'm counting only the players whose primary position is first or second, not all eligible players at each position.)

Our eighth-ranked second baseman in 2012 is the Brewers' Rickie Weeks, who batted only .269 with 49 RBI last season, but hit 20 home runs. In 2010, Weeks had 29 homers, 83 RBI, 11 steals and 112 runs scored.

Our No. 7 second baseman is the Braves' Dan Uggla, who hit 36 homers and scored 88 runs last season, and has averaged 32 homers, 91 RBI and 98 runs in his six-year career.

A player who just missed the cut in the top 100 (which will be unveiled shortly; please hold your applause until the end) is the Angels' Howard Kendrick. Our No. 9 second baseman batted .285 with 18 homers, 86 runs and 14 steals last year.

Without further delay, our top second basemen ...

Note: All players are ranked at the positions at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2012, not all positions at which they are eligible. ... Stats are from 2011.

Rank, player, team R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Robinson Cano, Yankees 104-28-118-8-.302
2. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox 102-21-91-26-.307
3. Ian Kinsler, Rangers 121-32-77-30-.255
4. Brandon Phillips, Reds 94-18-82-14-.300
5. Chase Utley, Phillies 54-11-44-14-.259
6. Ben Zobrist, Rays 99-20-91-19-.269
7. Dan Uggla, Braves 88-36-82-1-.23
8. Rickie Weeks, Brewers 77-20-49-9-.269
9. Howard Kendrick, Angels 86-18-63-14-.285
10. Dustin Ackley, Mariners 39-6-36-6-.273
11. Neil Walker, Pirates 76-12-83-9-.273
12. Danny Espinosa, Nationals 72-21-66-17-.236
13. Jemile Weeks, Athletics 50-2-36-22-.303
14. Jason Kipnis, Indians 24-7-19-5-.272
15. Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks 61-8-61-21-.246
16. Kelly Johnson, Blue Jays 75-21-58-16-.222
17. Daniel Murphy, Mets 49-6-49-5-.320
18. Brian Roberts, Orioles 18-3-19-6-.221
19. Gordon Beckham, White Sox 60-10-44-5-.230
20. Omar Infante, Marlins 55-7-49-4-.276

Last three out: Marco Scutaro, Rockies; Jose Altuve, Astros; Darwin Barney, Cubs.

Eligibility notes: Zobrist could play a lot at first base and in the outfield, but he primarily was a second baseman in 2011. ... Arizona's versatile Ryan Roberts should be eligible here, but we have him ranked No. 12 at third base.

Key stats: In the last two seasons, Cano has norms of 29 homers, 114 RBI and 103 runs. He gets the nod over Pedroia because of his power.

PREVIOUS: Catchers, first basemen

NEXT: Shortstops

Second base has one more player in the top 70 overall than the hot corner, and six players at second are ranked in our top 42.

A player who has averaged 31 homers and 88 RBI the last two seasons is ranked ninth at the position (Aaron Hill), followed by a former stud in Chone Figgins and a promising Pirate who hit .296 with 12 homers and 66 RBI as a rookie in 2010 (Neil Walker).

Somewhere Ryne Sandberg is smiling.

On to the rankings:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Robinson Cano, NYY: 103-29-109-3-.319
2. Dustin Pedroia, Bos: 53-12-41-9-.288
3. Ian Kinsler, Tex: 73-9-45-15-.286
4. Dan Uggla, Atl: 100-33-105-4-.287
5. Brandon Phillips, Cin: 100-18-59-16-.275
6. Chase Utley, Phi: 75-16-65-13-.275
7. Rickie Weeks, Mil: 112-29-83-11-.269
8. Brian Roberts, Bal: 28-4-15-12-.278
9. Aaron Hill, Tor: 70-68-68-2-.205
10. Chone Figgins, Sea: 62-1-35-42-.259
11. Neil Walker, Pit: 57-12-66-2-.296
12. Gordon Beckham, White Sox: 58-9-47-4-.252
13. Kelly Johnson, Ari: 93-26-71-13-.284
14. Howie Kendrick, LAA: 67-10-75-14-.279
15. Jose Lopez, Col: 49-10-58-3-.239
16. Juan Uribe, SF: 64-24-85-1-.248
17. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Min: ROOKIE
18. Omar Infante, Fla: 65-8-47-7-.321
19. Mike Aviles, KC: 63-8-32-14-.304
20. Bill Hall, Hou: 44-18-46-9-.247

Preseason top 100 players (8): Cano (11), Pedroia (22), Kinsler (33), Uggla (41), Phillips (42), Utley (55), Weeks (56), Roberts (66).

Short hops
Cano set career highs in home runs, RBI and OPS (.914) last season and tied his career best in runs. ... We had Utley ranked second at second and No. 18 overall, but bumped him to No. 6 and 55, respectively, because of concerns about his right knee. He has been receiving cortisone injections in the knee and was limited to 425 at-bats by injury last season. ... Uggla has averaged 31 homers, 91 RBI and 100 runs in his five-year career, and his stats could improve in Atlanta. ... The D-Backs’ Johnson was awful in 2009, but set career highs in homers, RBI, runs, steals and OPS (.865) in 2010. ... Keep an eye on the Rockies’ Lopez, who had 25 homers and 96 RBI in 2009. If he beats out Eric Young Jr., he could be a late-round steal playing half of his games at Coors Field. ... Another possible late-round bargain is Uribe, who posted career bests in homers and RBI last season. ... A name outside the top 20 to remember: Sean Rodriguez of the Rays. He had nine homers, 40 RBI, 13 steals and 53 runs in 343 at-bats in 2010, his first full big-league season, and he should be more of a regular in 2011. ... Martin Prado is expected to be the Braves’ starting left fielder, but is much more valuable at second. If you are playing him at second, consider him among the top 10 on the above list. ... The Rays’ Ben Zobrist will be ranked on our list of the top outfielders and is eligible at second after playing 58 games there in 2010. He would be ranked 15th on the above list, ahead of Kendrick, but behind Prado and the players ranked 1 to 13.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2010 season. ... Players are listed only at the positions at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2011.

THIS WEEK: Catchers, Sunday; first baseman, Tuesday; second baseman, today.

NEXT WEEK: Shortstops, third basemen and designated hitters.