ESPN MLB

Positional depth is a cyclical phenomenon in major league baseball, but there's little doubt which spot on the field reigns supreme this season.

It's a second baseman's world. The rest of us just live here.

Second basemen are dominating the landscape in April. While Brian Roberts enjoys his big new contract in Baltimore, Boston's Dustin Pedroia is polishing his MVP plaque in a PlayStation commercial and slaying Goliath on behalf of Dunkin' Donuts. Ian Kinsler and Orlando Hudson both rode the cycle this month, and Chase Utley is poised to give Albert Pujols some serious MVP competition.

Heck, even Pirates outfielder Craig "Keystone'' Monroe (yes, that's his middle name), has a .536 slugging percentage in his first 30 at-bats.

This week's Starting 9 is devoted to second basemen who are off to impressive starts in 2009. The field is so deep that Felipe Lopez, Placido Polanco, Akinori Iwamura, Skip Schumaker, Rickie Weeks, Howie Kendrick, slow starters Dan Uggla and Brandon Phillips and the injured Chris Getz couldn't even earn a mention.

Chase Utley (seven homers, 20 RBIs, 1.142 OPS)

It's hard to tell what's more impressive: Utley playing 159 games and the entire 2008 postseason on a hip so sore it required surgery, or his ability to come back so quickly from an injury that was supposed to keep him out until May or even June.

Utley's fast start comes as no surprise to the Phillies' people, who saw him arrive at Citizens Bank Park each day at 9 a.m. and stay until 2 or 3 p.m. during his winter rehab sessions.

After hitting only eight of his 33 homers last year after the All-Star break, Utley is slugging at a .671 clip. His swing looks as compact and explosive as ever.

Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia's new left fielder, got a glimpse of Utley's mechanics when he received a copy of the team's World Series video after signing his three-year contract. Ibanez is a connoisseur of good hitting, and he was so impressed with one of Utley's postseason homers that he put the at-bat on "pause'' and replayed it two dozen times.

Still, Utley's swing ranks down on his list of attributes in Ibanez's estimation.

"Hands down, it's the way he works and prepares,'' Ibanez said. "He's one of the smartest players I've ever been around. There are no surprises for him when the game begins. His intensity and focus in all of his activities is really impressive. I had no idea.''

Ian Kinsler (seven homers, 20 RBIs, .674 SLG)

Kinsler made a big splash April 15 in Arlington when he became the first player in the modern era to go 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle in the same game. Kinsler kept his jersey from the game as a memento and donated his bat to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Kinsler leads the majors with 58 total bases, but he's just as happy executing the subtleties. In a recent win over Baltimore, Kinsler capped an eight-pitch at-bat against closer George Sherrill with a single. Michael Young followed with a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 5-4 victory.

Young and Kinsler are close friends as well as teammates, and Young is particularly gratified to see Kinsler's maturation as a hitter.

"He is a creature of habit now,'' Young said in an e-mail. "He does his same routine every day, no matter what. It takes some guys a while to figure out what works for them, and he has that now.

"I also love how, being the leadoff guy, he'll adjust his approach depending on the team's needs. If we need a kick-start, he'll be aggressive. If we need to slow down a little, he'll take a few pitches. It underscores what our offense is all about -- what can each guy do to win the game.''

Robinson Cano (.381 BA, 15-game hitting streak)

The manager is under fire, the bullpen ERA is stratospheric, the trainers are beleaguered and the Yankees just announced some price "adjustments'' for premium seats at the new ballpark. But they certainly can take comfort in the way their second baseman has come out of the gate.

Cano has a history of starting slowly and gradually finding his way. Entering this season, he had career batting averages of .237 in April, .271 in May, .314 in June and .344 in July.

Last year Cano hit .156 in the first month and was ripe for psychoanalysis. It didn't really matter if he put it on cruise control because of his new $30 million contract, or if he missed former Yankees coach Larry Bowa's guidance. When all was said and done, he failed to come close to his career standard of production.

To his credit, Cano left nothing to chance over the winter. He tinkered with his stance under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, and his pitch recognition and plate discipline have been better in April. Now let's see if Cano can beef up that 26-walk total of a year ago.

"He's a really good hitter who just had a bad year,'' said an American League general manager. When a guy with this much skill is a career .237 hitter in April, the law of averages says he has to get off to a good start eventually, right?

Aaron Hill (five homers, 20 RBIs, leads MLB with 36 hits)

Hill, Toronto's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, appeared ready for takeoff two years ago when he hit .291 with 17 homers, 78 RBIs and 47 doubles.

Things unraveled for Hill last year when he collided with teammate David Eckstein's elbow in late May. When Hill suffered from dizziness, nausea and other post-concussion syndrome effects, the Jays took the cautious approach and shut him down for four months.

This spring, Hill is back to being the player the Jays knew he could be. He's made some subtle adjustments at the plate -- holding his hands higher and closer to his body -- and he's using a 35-ounce, Troy Glaus-model bat and driving the ball to all fields with authority. At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, he's a strong guy in a compact package.

Hill was a shortstop at Louisiana State, and in the minors the Jays moved him to second base in hopes that he could form a long-term double-play combination with Russ Adams. Now Adams is in Triple-A, and Marco Scutaro and John McDonald are eligible for free agency in November. So Toronto management might entertain the possibility of shifting Hill back to short in 2010.

Brian Roberts (.423 OBP, eight doubles)

Other than switch-hitting, jump-starting Baltimore's offense from the leadoff spot, racing from first to third on singles, hanging in there on aggressive double-play takeout slides and doing the whole leadership-by-example thing, Roberts isn't much of a presence in Baltimore.

"He's a little guy, but he plays like a big guy,'' Orioles manager Dave Trembley told The Baltimore Sun.

Roberts is in a good place mentally right now. After weathering numerous trade rumors, he signed a four-year, $40 million contract in February that assures he'll stick around through age 36.

Better yet, Baltimore might not be such a grim place in a year or two. The Orioles have a slew of potential difference-makers on the way in Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta et al, and Roberts, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis have been a potent threesome at the top of the order. They rank first in the majors among 1-2-3 combinations in OPS, on-base percentage, batting average, runs, hits, doubles and RBIs.

Freddy Sanchez (.598 SLG, 14 extra-base hits)

Sanchez doesn't steal bases or hit home runs, and that 15-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season tells you all you need to know about his lack of interest in working a count. But he sure has a flair for collecting base hits.

It was evident three years ago when Sanchez hit .344 and outlasted Miguel Cabrera for the batting title. Last year Sanchez missed time with a lingering shoulder problem, back spasms and blurred vision in his right eye, and he started off in such a funk that he needed a post-All-Star Game tear to raise his on-base percentage to .298.

Now Sanchez is healthy again and spraying line drives on pitches at the shins or six inches off the outside corner. His batting average on balls in play, or BABIP, is .426, so there's an element of luck involved. But he still drives defenses crazy with his ability to find holes.

"He's got an uncanny knack of getting the barrel to the ball,'' said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "When he's good, he can get the barrel to just about anything in any part of the zone or outside of the zone and use the whole field. He's been in that mode since the start of the season.''

Orlando Hudson (.326 BA, .408 OBP)

Hudson has come back to earth with a recent 2-for-18 mini-slump, but it's still been an April to remember.

On April 13, he became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle since Wes Parker in 1970. Hudson singled, doubled and homered from the right side against Randy Johnson, then sealed the deal with a triple from the left side against reliever Brandon Medders.

While Manny Ramirez's negotiations were hogging the headlines in February, the Dodgers quietly signed Hudson for a cost-efficient $3.38 million guaranteed salary. Hudson fits well in any clubhouse because of his energy, positive outlook and non-stop chatter. Like Derek Jeter, he makes it a point to call his manager "Mr. Torre.''

Before the year is through, Hudson's most notable contribution in Los Angeles could be with his glove. With Rafael Furcal at short and Hudson at second, the Dodgers have one of the rangiest middle-infield combinations in the game. The improvement is particularly noticeable given all the grounders that found holes with an aging, immobile Jeff Kent playing second a year ago.

Luis Castillo (.370 BA, .433 OBP)

Castillo arrived in camp this spring looking like a motivated player, with good reason. He was labeled a bust for his performance in the first year of a four-year, $25 million deal, and the Mets made him readily available all winter. Castillo was also ticketed for the No. 8 spot in manager Jerry Manuel's batting order after hitting second for most of last season.

The prognosis wasn't good when Mets fans booed Castillo during introductions in the inaugural game at Citi Field. There was even speculation that he might be benched after a 1-for-10 start. Ten whole at-bats?

Then Castillo rallied, going 4-for-4 in Florida and beating out the game-winning hit in the game that featured Gary Sheffield's 500th home run. At 36, Castillo isn't the same guy who stole 62 bases and won two Gold Gloves in Florida. But his legs look stronger, and when the foundation is solid, he can have an impact turning double plays and slapping the ball on the ground.

It's understandable if Castillo is tentative while running at times because of his history of leg problems. But one scout would like to see a little more consistent effort down the line.

"He still dogs it at times,'' the scout said. "He still runs fairly well, but I've seen him hit a fairly slow ground ball to the infield and run a [time of] 5.2 [seconds] down the line. It's more or less a routine play. But if he ran hard, he might force the defense to make a mistake. Maybe it's only one mistake a week, but sometimes that leads to a big inning and gets your club an extra couple of runs and an extra couple of wins.''

Asdrubal Cabrera (.323 BA, .436 OBP)

Cabrera is quickly turning into the player the Indians hoped he would be when they acquired him from Seattle three years ago in a trade for Eduardo Perez. Yep, the "Baseball Tonight'' guy.

Back when Cabrera was playing Triple-A ball for the Mariners at age 19, the scouting reports said defense would be his ticket to the majors. "Cabrera won't be an offensive force, but he's a switch-hitter with some bat control and an all-fields approach,'' Baseball America wrote two years ago.

Could he be more? While September stats can be deceptive, Cabrera hit .416 in the final month last year, and he's shown improved plate discipline with 13 walks in April.

The Indians credit a newfound devotion to conditioning for Cabrera's improved strength and better range in the field. Management suggested that Cabrera get himself in better shape last winter, so he went home to Venezuela and got down to business.

"He's dramatically reshaped his body and taken his strength and conditioning and nutrition to a new level,'' said Indians GM Mark Shapiro. "He was challenged to do it, but he's the one who took responsibility and accountability for it. No player can have that done for him.''

Others of note

Alberto Callaspo, Royals: He's given manager Trey Hillman a .367 batting average and several Web Gems at second base. Callaspo also broke a 441 at-bat homerless streak, the longest in the majors, with a solo shot against Tigers rookie Rick Porcello last week.

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: He's Boston's catalyst, but that .826 OPS is only 13th-best among second basemen. Just give him time.

David Eckstein, Padres: "He's a pest,'' said Pirates pitcher Zach Duke, who means it as a compliment. "Even if you make a good pitch, he always seems to put it in play or find a hole.'' Eckstein is hitting .306 with only six strikeouts in 87 plate appearances.

Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN.com. His book "License To Deal" was published by Rodale. Click here to order a copy. Jerry can be reached via e-mail.