Top 15 Fantasy Baseball Shortstops for 2010: Take Three

Shortstop clearly isn’t the shallow position that it used to be.  There are players with 40 SB potential available in the late rounds of your draft, so when you miss out on the top names it’s not as crippling as it once was.  Let’s take a look at how my rankings currently look, based on my projections:

1. Hanley Ramirez - Florida Marlins
2. Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
3. Jose Reyes - New York Mets
4. Jimmy Rollins - Philadelphia Phillies
5. Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
6. Alexei Ramirez - Chicago White Sox
7. Elvis Andrus - Texas Rangers
8. Everth Cabrera - San Diego Padres
9. Jhonny Peralta - Cleveland Indians
10. Stephen Drew - Arizona Diamondbacks
11. Jason Bartlett - Tampa Bay Rays
12. Yunel Escobar - Atlanta Braves
13. Erick Aybar - Los Angeles Angels
14. Rafael Furcal - Los Angeles Dodgers
15. J.J. Hardy - Minnesota Twins

Thoughts

• Hanley Ramirez is by far the best shortstop (and one of the best hitters) in the game, but after that the list is peppered with some question marks.
• Can Troy Tulowitzki repeat his 2009 success?  It certainly looks like his 2008 struggles were due to injuries, not inability, but what truly bumps him above the others is the speed he showed last season.  While he had never shown much stolen base potential in the past, he also hadn’t run very often either.  Last season he attempted 31 stolen bases, leading to his 20 steals.  While he may not run as often in 2010, the potential to go 30/15 makes him a tremendous option in any format.
• I’ve already compared Reyes and Rollins, deciding that Reyes was the better option for 2010.  You can read that comparison by clicking here .
• Everth Cabrera made a big jump on this list as I finished off my projections.  Hitting atop the Padres lineup is not an ideal spot, but he should be given ample opportunities to steal bases and score some runs (someone needs to score on that team, right?).  I’ve already discussed him in detail, which you can read by clicking here . 
• This is probably the last time you will be able to use Jhonny Peralta as a shortstop, having shifted to third base in ‘09, and it’s something that could prove worth the sleeper selection.  After hitting 20+ home runs in three out of four seasons, does anyone truly believe the 11 that he hit last season?  He should be significantly better, meaning you’d likely get your money's worth.  I wouldn’t draft him as the ninth shortstop off the board (right now his ADP is around 215, which would be the 17th shortstop taken), so that shows the value I think he’ll produce.  For more on him, check out my detailed look at him as a sleeper by clicking here .
• Why do people still believe in Furcal as a starting fantasy shortstop?  I certainly don’t see it and wouldn’t pay the price to get him, as I discussed over the weekend (click here to view).
• I know, Elvis Andrus is going to be hitting ninth, so that should decrease his value, right?  The Rangers aren’t the normal lineup, however.  While he may not have the opportunity to score as many runs as he would hitting in the number two hole, he still should hold plenty of value.  You can view more of my thoughts on him by clicking here .
• Erick Aybar is an option that doesn’t get much attention, but could potentially have value.  Granted, he has little power, but he should be given the opportunity to steal some bases and score some runs.  Is he a great option?  No, but I’d rather take the gamble on him as opposed to someone like Rafael Furcal thanks to the upside.

What are your thoughts on the rankings?  Who’s too high?  Too low?  Who was the biggest omission?

Make sure to place your order for the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here .

Make sure to check out our other early rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Second Basemen
• Third Basemen
• Shortstops
• Outfielders
• Designated Hitters
• Starting Pitchers
• Closers

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