Fantasy Baseball 2012: Positional Draft Tiers—Shortstop

Here's a look at the five tiers of shortstop prospects for 12-team mixed Roto leagues. If you have means to do it, I highly recommend grabbing two stars from the first tier—especially if Hanley Ramirez is one of the acquisitions. Once his 3B-eligibility kicks in around April 20, Han-Ram's value will take another leap forward (assuming he's hitting well).

Any player from Tiers II and III would represent strong assets for the 2B and 2B-SS slots in 12-or 14-team leagues. Just make sure to emphasize value at every turn. 

Tier 1

• Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (the ultimate draft-day coup for holders of No. 7 slot)
• Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
• Jose Reyes, Marlins (a virtual lock for 105 runs/40 steals)
• Elvis Andrus, Rangers (one of the draft's best values -- think Round 5)
• Starlin Castro, Cubs
• Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians 

Tier 2

• Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
• Alexei Ramirez, White Sox (bankable source for 16 HRs, 70 RBIs, 81 runs, .275 BA)
• Derek Jeter, Yankees
• J.J. Hardy, Orioles
• Dee Gordon, Dodgers (45 steals/80 runs not out of the question)
• Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins (a three-category dynamo when rolling)
• Jhonny Peralta, Tigers
• Erick Aybar, Angels 

Tier 3

• Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays
• Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks
• Rafael Furcal, Cardinals
• Ian Desmond, Nationals
• Cliff Pennington, Athletics
• Alcides Escobar, Royals
• Sean Rodriguez, Rays (S-Rod's breakthrough season is drawing near)
• Marco Scutaro, Rockies (will have 2B-SS eligibility by mid-April)
• Jed Lowrie, Astros 

Tier 4

• Eduardo Nunez, Yankees (a potential gem if Jeter gets injured)
• Zack Cozart, Reds (sneaky-good source for 12 HRs/15 steals)
• Alex Gonzalez, Brewers
• Tyler Pastornicky, Braves
• Jason Bartlett, Padres
• Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Twins
• Jamey Carroll, Twins
• Reid Brignac, Rays
• Alexi Casilla, Twins
• Clint Barmes, Pirates
• Chase d'Arnaud, Pirates
• Mike Aviles, Red Sox 

Tier 5

• Nick Punto, Red Sox
• Brandon Crawford, Giants
• Jack Wilson, Braves
• Maicer Izturis, Angels
• Wilson Valdez, Reds
• Ryan Theriot, Giants
• Brendan Ryan, Mariners
• Miguel Tejada, Giants
• Edgar Renteria, Reds

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.