There's a saying in fishing that nobody wants to finish 2nd, but when Kevin VanDam's at the absolute top of his game, which he is right now, that's about the best any other pro could hope to do in the BassFan World Rankings.

VanDam's won four times in the past two seasons, has more Top 10s than a watermelon has seeds, and currently enjoys a 40-point lead in the Rankings.

And 40 points is massive, especially when you consider that the 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-ranked anglers are separated by less than 1 1/2 points.

VanDam will fish only two more events this year that affect his rank, so he's

a virtual lock to again end the season ranked No. 1. Which brings us back to that 2nd-place cluster, and the question, Who will end the year ranked 2nd?

Last year it was Skeet Reese, but Reese over the past few weeks has slipped to 4th.

Todd Faircloth is now ranked 2nd, and Andy Morgan – the only FLW Tour pro in the Top 4 – is ranked 3rd.

Below 4th-ranked Reese, there's a 10-point gap between him and 5th-ranked David Dudley.

Faircloth, Morgan and Reese will each fish two more events that'll affect the Rankings. In the case of BASS pros Reese and Faircloth, it's the final two Bassmaster Elite Series events at Lake Erie and Oneida. Morgan will finish out this week at the Detroit River and next month at the Forrest Wood Cup.

Although it's impossible to predict which angler will end the year ranked 2nd in the world, it's fruitful to examine how each angler got to his current position. What follows is thus a brief look at the 2-year records of Faircloth, Morgan and Reese.



As evidenced by the table above, and how closely the three anglers are clustered in the Rankings, there isn't a notable separation between them. For instance, although Reese had his memorable run of Top 10s during February, March and April of 2007, he's also posted five finishes worse than 40th. Since the Elite Series fields about half as many boats as the FLW Tour, a 50th-place BASS finish is comparable to a 90th- or 100th-place FLW Tour finish.

Faircloth hasn't put together a run like Reese's, and likewise has posted five finishes worse than 50th, but has won twice in the past 2 years (vs. one win for both Reese and Morgan), and is heavy in low-20s and teens finishes.

Morgan's numbers are likewise strong – five FLW Top 10s out of 15 events and a win.

The Plus/Minus Factor

While the side-by-side finish table is certainly one way to look at performance records, it's difficult (at least on the surface) to see how Morgan stacks up against Faircloth and Reese.

The table below shows a plus/minus factor for each angler as another comparison. The target number is the Top 10% of the field, and the plus/minus is the measure of how many spots ahead or behind of that benchmark each pro finished over the prior 2 years. The data's relevant, since finishing in the Top 10% of the field earns bonus points in the World Rankings.

Morgan's total plus/minus is the most impressive. He finished in the Top 10% in 40% of the events he fished. He's followed by Reese, then Faircloth. And although Faircloth's plus-minus "total" is comparatively weak, remember that he's won twice in the past 2 years, and wins are rewarded heavily in the Rankings system, beyond the standard Top 10% bonus.

Notable

> For more about how the BassFan Rankings work, click here, then scroll to the bottom of the page.