Fantasy Baseball: Shortstop

Today, Burga and I will finish off the infield and take a look at shortstop. This was a position that once sent 5 of it's kind to the American League team at the All-Stars game (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejeda, and Omar Vizquel). The turnover of new top shortstops has arrived, and they reside in the National League. Let's see what we've got.

Burga’s Rankings
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki
Jose Reyes
Jimmy Rollins
Elvis Andrus
Derek Jeter
Stephen Drew
Alexei Ramirez
Raphael Furcal
Alex Gonzalez

• Similar rankings again between Average Joe and I. We both have Hanley ranked over Tulo, but you’ll see plenty of owners choosing Tulowitski as the first short shop off the board. Tulo’s slight injury history and inconsistency throughout the year makes him more of a 1A to Hanley.
• Jose Reyes is healthy and in a contract year, so the makings of a big year might be in order. Batting atop the Mets order, a lot of his production depends on how players like Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran respond this year. Upside of over 100 runs and 50 steals, making him a great play at Shortstop.
• Derek Jeter is as consistent as they come, and although he’s getting up in age he still plays in a loaded Yankee lineup and a hitter-friendly park. Look for him to continue his success and consistent reliability throughout the year.
• Furcal got off to a scorching start last year, scoring 16 runs and 8 steals in April. The Dodger’s face offensive struggles ahead, but batting in front of talented guys like Ethier and Kemp he should get plenty of chances to be a good fantasy shortstop with solid numbers across the board.

Average Joe's Rankings:
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki
Jose Reyes
Derek Jeter
Jimmy Rollins
Stephen Drew
Elvis Andrus
Alexei Ramirez
Rafael Furcal
Starlin Castro

Key Points:
• If Tulowitzki plays like he did at the end of last season, it will make the best shortstop debate more clear. Hanley had a down year for his standards, but should still be your first choice. And Reyes had a nice bounce back year, so look for him after that.
• Jeter and Rollins had down years. Rollins was injured, while Jeter had the lowest average of his entire career. Expect their numbers to bounce back a little, but be careful; Jeter is out of his prime, and Rollins’ numbers have dropped significantly since his career year in 2007.
• Alexei Ramirez is a solid shortstop and player. He’s averaged 18 home runs and a .283 average in his 3 years in the Big Leagues. He’s only 29, so he’s got some good years ahead of him.
• If Rafael Furcal can stay healthy, you should be able to rely on him for some solid numbers. But it appears his best days are behind him, somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s only played 2 full seasons in his 5 year stay in Los Angeles.
• This guy could suffer from the sophomore slump, but Starlin Castro put together a solid season in 2010. Keep an eye on him in the future. He might go undrafted, but if he’s hanging around late and you need a shortstop, take a gamble.