Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Troy Tulowitzki and Shortstops Who Will Dominate

Shortstops don't usually rack up points, but production (or lack thereof) from the middle of your infield can often make or break your fantasy season.

The position was incredibly deep in 2011, as 16 shortstops hit .279 or better, 13 stole at least 20 bases and 12 scored at least 70 runs. Given the amount of players who can contribute, you should probably turn your attention elsewhere in the first few rounds.

However, a few elite shortstops are worth an early selection. Here are the three players who will put up monster numbers in 2012.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

Although Tulowitzki has been slightly injury-prone, you can expect another big year from him. He's still playing half his games at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, and at only 27 years old, he's just now entering his prime.

Last year, Tulo cranked 30 homers, drove in 105 runs and crossed home plate 81 times himself. Now that Colorado has added some more offensive weapons (Michael Cuddyer, Ramon Hernandez, Casey Blake), look for his run production to increase.

Tulowitzki is definitely the best shortstop available, and he's the only one worth a first-round pick in a 12-team league.

Jose Reyes, Miami Marlins

Reyes hasn't been stealing as many bases in recent years compared to earlier in his career, but I'm still expecting him to get at least 35-40 this season. You can also count on him to hit over .300, as he won the 2011 NL batting title with a ridiculous .337 average.

While that average will likely drop some this season, he'll make up for it by increasing his run production. With guys like Hanley Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton batting behind him, Reyes will have plenty of scoring opportunities.

He's not worth a first-round pick, but he'd be a solid selection in the second round.

Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs

While some would put Jimmy Rollins or Hanley Ramirez here, I think Castro will be a top-three fantasy shortstop this summer. He was incredibly consistent last year, and at just 22 years old, we really have no idea what his ceiling is.

In 2011, he hit .307 with 10 stolen bases before the All-Star Game and .307 with 12 stolen bases in the second half of the season. Another encouraging factor was that his batting average on the road (.309) was virtually the same as at home (.305).

Castro is one of the best young stars in baseball, and I think he's definitely worth a second-round pick. I'm expecting him to be a top-20 fantasy performer in 2012.