Pic of the Week

Yankees second baseman
Rob Refsnyder levitates over
Res Sox baserunner Alejandro De Aza.

The keystone ballet. This is from a stolen base, not the usual double play, but the principle is pretty much the same: Second basemen have to be adept at getting clear of base runners.

Plays like this -- or with more collision than this -- are a on reason why young second basemen have a relatively high rate of failure to develop as hitters. Another might be that second base is where shortstops lacking a slight amount of athleticism wind up.

Certainly Brian Dozier developed quite nicely as a hitter after moving to second base. So did Craig Biggio, who is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next weekend in Cooperstown.