With the start of the regular season only a few days away, it’s not too late to get a little extra advice for your upcoming fantasy draft. Of all the positions to fill spots in for on your fantasy baseball team, the keystone is undoubtedly one of the hardest to fill. Solid second basemen are hard to come by, especially ones that can hit for power, bring in a decent number of RBIs, and most importantly; stay healthy. To keep all you fantasy warriors out of the cellars on your leader board, here are the Top-five sleeper picks to help ease the impending frustration that is your second baseman slot.
 

1.  Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

This pick probably doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to most of you; however, Howie Kendrick is still off of the radars of even the savviest of fantasy managers. Kendrick is on the low tier of the Top-25 list for second baseman, mostly for the sake of his teammates: Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Mark Trumbo. With all of those power hitters receiving all of the attention, any numbers Kendrick puts up over the next few years will be seen as quiet. Take last season for example: .287/8/67. Not bad at all. So far this spring training, Kendrick is leading all second baseman with a .467 average, paired with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Expect a lot of runs from him if he gets on base. Be sure to keep an eye on him around the 10th or 11th round.

2.  Jemile Weeks, Oakland Athletics

Last season was a rough year for Jemile Weeks, but then again, it was only his sophomore year. The "sophomore slump" bit Weeks hard in the early going, which moved him to a reserve spot for late-inning games. If you watched the Oakland Athletics at all last season, you’d know they played quite a few. Despite hitting well this spring (.370/1/6), Weeks is a slight risk to take as there are plenty of infielders in the Athletics arsenal who have all been hitting incredibly well. The one advantage Weeks has over most of his teammates is his speed. If he gets on base, expect him to swipe at least 25 bags this season. And with the A’s hitting as well as they are, expect those stolen bases to turn into runs as well. Keep an eye out for Weeks around the 12th or 13th round.

3.  Chris Getz, Kansas City Royals

In case you were wondering, the Kansas City Royals do have a second baseman, and his name is Chris Getz. Now that that’s cleared up, the thing you should know about Getz is that he’s hands down one of the most-overlooked assets to a fantasy baseball roster. Last season he platooned quite a bit with Yuniesky Betancourt; however, this season he’ll be a one-man wolf pack. In 2012 he went .275/0/17 with three triples in only 189 at-bats. This spring, Getz has almost eclipsed his regular season totals: .392/1/9 with three stolen bases and an OPS of .956 in 51 at-bats. If you can get an every day guy to put up these numbers regularly, you’ll certainly be hoisting a trophy come season’s end. Look for Getz in the 12th or 13th round.
 

4.  Daniel Descalso,  St. Louis Cardinals

In years past, one would think that even needing to draft Daniel Descalso would be a waste of time. The times have certainly changed. Descalso is off to an unbelievable start, living up to most of the reputation and potential that scouts saw in him years ago. Despite winning a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 and being the every day second baseman the last two seasons, Descalso’s bat finally decided to wake up this Spring Training as he is hitting an unprecedented .339 with two home runs and six RBIs. He’s also swiped three bases as well. The one thing to look at with these numbers in Spring Training is that they eclipse his averages for the last two years in Florida. If he’s still available in the 16th or 17th round, pick him up.
 

5.  Daniel Murphy, New York Mets

Daniel Murphy is the epitome of a quiet Irishman. He was so quiet that very few even know who he is and who he plays for, but more importantly, very few realize he hit .291 in 156 games. While he doesn’t pack a lot of pop, Murphy is more than capable of getting over 150 hits in a season. And when there’s hits, and David Wright hitting after you, there will surely come runs and a few stolen bases. That is, as long as he and Wright come back from injury in a relatively short time frame. Injury or not, don’t count Murphy out. Pick him up in the 16th round or later if he’s still available.