Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman with the Washington Nationals since 2005, had a distinguished baseball record at the University of Virginia before being drafted by the Nationals. He won several national awards as a collegiate player and he had a .393 average in his last year.
Robinson Cano, power hitting second baseman for the New York Yankees, was first signed by the Yankees in 2001 and he made his first appearance for them in 2005. Since that time, he has won six major awards: four Silver Slugger awards (2006, 2010-2012), two Gold Gloves (2010, 2012), and this year's World Baseball Classic's MVP award.
Dustin Pedroia, second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, has been with the team since they drafted him in 2004. Prior to being drafted, Pedroia played for Arizona State University. He spent his first two years with Boston in the minor leagues, playing both shortstop and second base. Pedroia was called up to the Red Sox on August 22, 2006 and he immediately proved that he was ready for the majors with his first hit. His first major league home run came just a few weeks later.
Kelly Johnson, second baseman and outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, was first drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2000 and he joined the Braves in 2005. He played in the outfield that first year, replacing injured regulars in the line-up. Johnson ended his first season with the Braves with a batting average of .241 with 9 home runs in 290 at bats.
Rickie Weeks, second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, was drafted by the Brewers in 2003. He made his first appearance in a Brewers uniform in 2005. Weeks showed great promise when he was in college, but he has yet to show the hitting and fielding skills he had in 2003 when he received the Dick Howser Trophy as the national collegiate player of the year. The Brewers have faith in him, however, and in 2011, they awarded him a four year contract extension.
Daniel Murphy, second baseman for the New York Mets, was drafted by the Mets in 2006. He had his first start in the majors in early August of 2008 when he replaced an injured Marlon Anderson for 49 games. Murphy ended his first season with a .313 batting average, 2 home runs and 41 hits. Last year was probably Murphy's best one, with 166 hits and 40 doubles for the season. The previous year, he had his highest batting average with .320 in 109 games.
Dan Uggla, second baseman for the Atlanta Braves since 2011, began his professional baseball career in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league teams in 2001. After five years in the minors, he was drafted by the Florida Marlins and became their second baseman. Uggla had a strong first season in 2006, batting .282 with 27 home runs and 172 hits in 611 at bats. The next season his batting average was low (.245) but he had 31 home runs and 155 hits in 632 at bats. Although he played well for the Marlins, they traded him to the Atlanta Braves after the 2010 season. In 2011, Uggla signed a five year contract with the Braves.
Brandon Phillips, second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, was first drafted in 1999 by the Montreal Expos and he played on their minor league teams until they traded him to the Cleveland Indians in 2002. Phillips played in only 11 games for Cleveland in 2002, but the following year he became their starting second baseman. In 112 games in 2003, Phillips batted only .208 with 6 home runs, 18 doubles and 33 RBIs. For the next two seasons, he played in the minor leagues, joining the Indians for only 6 games each season.
Alexei Ramirez, shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, began his professional baseball career in Cuba, playing for 7 years there. In December, 2007, he signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. Ramirez had a good first year with Chicago in 2008, batting .290 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs. In 2010, he won a Silver Slugger award. In his five seasons with the White Sox, Ramirez has had four seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 165 in 2010, 31 doubles in 2011, 21 home runs in 2008, and 20 stolen bases last year.
Ryan Howard, first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, was drafted by the Phillies in 2001 and he excelled in their minor league teams for his first three years after signing with them. In September, 2004, Howard was called up to the majors and in 42 at bats, he had 2 home runs and five doubles, ending his first partial season with a batting average of .282.