Jarrett Hoffpauir fits the mold of another middle infielder already in St. Louis.

The minor league season may be just about wrapped up, but there are still plenty of rankings to reveal. This week we’ll take a look at the top second basemen in the minors. Chances are you probably haven’t heard of them; the depth at this position isn’t so great, mainly because the better fielders are usually shifted over to third base or shortstop—those prospects will be coming up in the next couple of weeks.

In fact, the dearth of talent at the second base position is so great, it was a challenge to come up with more than five quality players for you. So rather than just list a few guys who might become bench players if they’re lucky, I simply cut the list in half. Without further ado, here’s this week’s rankings!

1. Matt Antonelli, San Diego Padres

The Padres’ first-round pick of 2006, Antonelli has been called the best overall athlete in San Diego’s system. Although his defense isn’t spectacular—he was moved from third base to second base after last season—Antonelli’s bat is. There was some worry about his power after his professional debut last season, as he did not have a home run in over 200 at-bats. However, Antonelli showed off his power stroke this season, with 21 home runs combined between Single-A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio. His strike zone discipline is one of his best attributes and should only improve as he becomes better polished as a professional hitter.

2. Jarrett Hoffpauir, St. Louis Cardinals

Besides having a really cool last name, Hoffpauir is really good with the bat. He does have a bit of power—he hit 11 home runs in the minors this season—but he’s more of a contact guy in the vein of David Eckstein. Possessing great strike zone discipline, Hoffpauir will walk more than he strikes out, and he can handle pitches all over the strike zone much in the same way Ichiro Suzuki or Vladimir Guerrero can. Hoffpauir hit .323 between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this season with a .407 on-base percentage. He’s also good with the glove. He has soft hands, a strong arm and good range. Think Eckstein with more pop.

3. German Duran, Texas Rangers

A 2007 Futures’ Game alum, Duran had something of a breakout season this year and has emerged as one of the top positional players in Texas’ farm system. He finished out the season with a .300 average, 22 home runs and 84 RBI with Double-A Frisco, sporting a .525 slugging percentage. He finished as one of the top hitters in the Texas League, no small feat. With the glove, Duran has shown good range and solid hands after moving from shortstop to second base—a move that came about so he could focus more on his hitting and less on his defense, which was sub par at shortstop. That experiment seems to be a success.

4. Adrian Cardenas, Philadelphia Phillies

You may or may not remember Cardenas from this year’s Futures Game. He was taken in the supplemental first round of the 2006 draft as a shortstop out of high school, but he was moved to second base because he doesn’t really have the arm or the range to play shortstop at the major-league level. While he is solid defensively, Cardenas’ real skill is with the bat. He has a nice, compact swing that has drawn comparisons to Chase Utley. In fact, Cardenas is reminiscent of a young Utley on the whole. Utley also might be the cause of a future shift to the hot corner for Cardenas if he is to stay with the Phillies, but for now he projects as a second baseman. Though he has average speed, he is a very good base runner—he swiped 20 bags in Single-A Lakewood. He finished out the season with a .295 average, nine home runs and 79 RBI.

5. Nick Noonan, San Francisco Giants

Noonan performed well in the Rookie Arizona League after signing with the Giants out of high school after this year’s draft. In just 52 games, Noonan posted a .316 average while batting in 40 runs and smacking three homers. While he’s not really a power guy yet, he does make good contact and has excellent plate discipline; he projects as a two-hole hitter in the majors. Defensively, Noonan is solid. Like most on the list, he had to move from shortstop to second base because of his arm strength, but that doesn’t take anything away from his glove. Noonan also has good speed; he stole 18 bases and was only caught three times. It’s still too early to tell exactly how good he’ll be, but Noonan has a lot of upside.

Questions and comments may be sent to shannonmccarthy@sportsgrumblings.com