27-year old lefty swinging Kelly Johnson was signed as a free agent to take over as the D-Backs’ starting 2B in 2010. Johnson played in 106 games for the Braves last season and he was 68 for 303 (.224 avg, .692 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The Diamondbacks are hoping that Johnson can hit to his career norms of .264 with a .776 OPS. The D-Backs will need Johnson to hit as he is not a good defender at 2B as he is a converted outfielder. Johnson made 10 errors in only 84 games at 2B for the Braves last season but he did show good range.

29-year old righty swinging Ryan Roberts will likely be the D-Backs top utility man in 2010. He played in 110 games for the D-Backs last season and he was 85 for 305 (.279 avg, .783 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 7 homers, 25 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. It’s possible that Roberts could work himself into a platoon with Johnson. Roberts made 2 errors while playing in 57 games for the D-Backs at 2B while showing average range. He can play all over the field so he will likely get his fair share of P.T. in 2010.

25-year old switch-hitting Tony Abreu will also battle for a job on the bench for the Diamondbacks in 2010. He came over from the Dodgers in the Jon Garland trade last season. He played in 6 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 2 for 8 (.250 avg, .705 OPS) with 1 RBI. He didn’t make any errors while showing outstanding range in his only game at 2B for the Dodgers last season. Abreu has a nice upside as his minor league numbers showed last season. He played in 77 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 103 for 307 (.336 avg, .902 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 11 homers, 53 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C