Fantasy Baseball: Shortstop Rankings

The first few sentences on shortstops are going to sound very similar to what was written yesterday on second basemen, but run with me here...

Shortstop is a shallow position this year. In past years, we've seen tremendous depth, power, and speed coming from this spot, but that has all changed. Players have aged or changed positions, and now there are definite breaks in the talent level. 

The top three here are head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd, and there is virtually no debate in the order. Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, and Jimmy Rollins are the leaders in the clubhouse. No one else gets close. 

Ramirez provides stats in all standard categories and should see an increase in his RBI if his move to the three-spot in the lineup is for real. Reyes doesn't possess the same power as Ramirez, but his speed and ability to get on base make him valuable to owners.  

Rollins actually spent time on the DL early in April. Still, he set a career mark in steals. His power dropped, but the injury likely hampered his ability to drive off his legs in his swing. 

Then, the bottom seems to fall out. 

Scarcity at this position sometimes drives owners to reach. The issue is, once outside of these three, the next five to 10 players are very similar in terms of producing in certain categories but not in others. 

When it comes to elite options, there are very few. Shortstop, though, is littered with potential in youth and serviceability in veterans.  

Here's how we rank them.

1. Hanley Ramirez

2. Jose Reyes

3. Jimmy Rollins

4. Rafael Furcal

5. Troy Tulowitzki

6. Michael Young

7. Mike Aviles

8. Stephen Drew

9. Jhonny Peralta

10. Derek Jeter

11. J.J. Hardy

12. Miguel Tejada

13. Ryan Theriot

14. Edgar Renteria

15. Jed Lowrie

16. Yunel Escobar

17. Christian Guzman

18. Khalil Greene

19. Elvis Andrus

20. Yuniesky Betancourt

Notes

* From an overall perspective, I only have the top three shortstops inside my top 50 in rankings. The rest fall outside, even if it's just barely.

* I know you're probably curious about the Jeter/Aviles piece here. Think about this: In 2008, Jeter went .300/11/69 with 11 steals. Aviles went .325/10/51 in 48 fewer games and added eight steals. Sure, it may not continue that way, but why pay a premium for Jeter if you can get the same production from Aviles?

* Furcal sits at fourth on this list and should finish close to that provided he stays healthy. There are just no guarantees of that. Furcal should be a lock for 25+ steals and 12-15 home runs under normal circumstances. I like him to hit close to .285 this year over a full season. Again, not elite, but he covers several key categories. He should score over 100 runs as well.

* Jed Lowrie could bring a pleasant surprise to fantasy owners this year. Lowrie qualifies at both shortstop and third base, but brings most of his value to short. He should beat out Julio Lugo for the starting job in Boston and has recovered from a late-season injury that caused his average to drop 50 points in August/September.

* I feel that if you can stack your team with a fair number of guys that can hit 20+ home runs, you're in for fantasy success more often than not. That's where Stephen Drew comes in. Drew hit .290 last year with 21 home runs.

With continued health, he should beat the home run total, even if the average were to drop slightly. He's providing the production on offense that isn't yet being seen from Conor Jackson in terms of power.

* Troy Tulowitzki is another young shortstop that struggled with injury last season. Tulo responded well after the break, hitting .418 in July and .330 in September. The multiple injuries were a drain on his power, but there isn't a reason to expect he won't be able to return to some of the form we saw in 2007.

* Want to talk hot and cold? Let's talk J.J. Hardy. Not one player frustrated owners more in the first two months of last season. He was supposed to mash around .290, but was tolling away at around .250 for April and May.

Then something clicked, and Hardy hit .283 for the season, including nearly identical first and second-half splits. Expect him to produce 25 home runs and 85 RBI to go with another season around .285. Just prepare to be frustrated at least once.

* I see Jhonny Peralta and Hardy as very similar players. Both should produce around the .280 mark, both should hit 20+ home runs, and both should drive in more than 80 runs. Peralta is looked on hesitantly sometimes, but you can get the production from him and be considered safe at the position.

* What are you getting with Edgar Renteria this year? I think a much better hitter. Renteria has struggled both years he's been in the American League, either with Boston or Detroit. He seems to flourish in the NL for some odd reason.

In his final three years with St. Louis, he hit .305, .330, and .287 with double-digit home runs. In Atlanta, .293 and .332 in two years. Contrast that with .276 and 100 strikeouts in Boston with only eight home runs and .270 in Detroit.

* Michael Young will slide to third to make way for uber-prospect Elvis Andrus. Young still retains SS eligibility and should be useful. He's consistently over .300 with near 200 hits. Quietly, his home run totals have dropped off, but he drives in runs. Was the .284 last season an aberration? I think he's closer to .300/15/90 again this season.

* As for Andrus, the kid can run. He stole 54 bases in AA last year and hit over .300 in each of the season's final three months. Still, Andrus is just going to be 20 this season. The Rangers are high on him, and speed certainly translates regardless of level. If nothing else, he's a one-category wonder.

Jason Grey of ESPN notes that he needs better plate discipline, but he should get on enough to merit consideration in deep leagues or AL-only formats.

* Missing from this list? Orlando Cabrera. He hasn't signed anywhere, and I've stopped hearing of any buzz regarding his being on a field. There's talk he may end up in Oakland, but there seems to be little pursuit for a guy that has been to the plate as often as anyone over the past two seasons. He seems to have a bad locker room reputation.

* Khalil Greene does get out of Petco this year, but does that make up for a guy that has cracked 125 games just once in the last four seasons? Is it worth enough of a bump in average to get him away from the .250 career number and .213 average last season? Let his 15 home runs go, and he can be someone else's headache.

What are your draft issues? Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Leave them here or send an email to [e-mail].