All-Decade Team: 2nd base

When deciding to select a Wild Things All-Decade Team, I knew there would be two positions where some extra thought would be required before settling on a starter. One is shortstop, where there are three deserving players. The other is second base.

Only one player (Michael Parker) was the Wild Things' second baseman for two full seasons. Ryan Ellis did play in three seasons, but only half a season in 2003 and just one game in 2004. Kyle Werman missed a chunk of one season because of a shoulder injury and left during his second year to become a college coach.

There is a variety of guys who have played second base for the Wild Things. There are the fan favorites (Werman and Phil Butch). There was Ellis, a slick fielder who had more range than any Wild Things second baseman and might be the best fielding position player Washington has ever had. There was Blake Woods, who was here for only half a season but batted .378 with 10 doubles and 14 stolen bases. There was Brian Stoecklein, who had had an excellent year with the bat in 2004 (.295, 21 doubles, 10 home runs, 43 RBI) and was better defensively than the Wild Things expected.

Then you could consider Lance Koenig, who had a team-record 125 hits in 2005. Koenig, however, played more games at catcher during his career than at second base, so I'm not going to consider him a second baseman. Plus, Koenig's fielding eliminated him from consideration.

There's also Parker, who had a very good season in 2009, as his .298 batting average, 75 runs and 22 doubles each were the second-best totals by a Washington second baseman. However, Parker's average dropped by 40 points in his second season in the Frontier League and his defensive range was only average.

Scott Lawson, the starter last season, also has a strong case for a spot on the team. He carried Washington offensively for much of the season and delivered some clutch home runs. His defense was excellent as only Ellis prevented more runs from scoring than Lawson. The only drawback with Lawson is he had what has to be considered the worst baserunning year of any Wild Things player in their history.

Choosing a starter comes down the slick-fielding Ellis, Stoecklein or Lawson. Though Lawson had to do more for his team to win, Stoecklein's bat gives him a slight edge. Stoecklein's offensive numbers also dwarf those of Ellis, so the starting nod goes to the former California University standout who is the only Wild Things second baseman to be named all-league.

All-Decade Second Baseman: Brian Stoecklein (2004)