Shortstops

2011 Fantasy Baseball Position Tiers — Shortstops

1st Tier:  Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes

     Pretty much a no brainer to pick this tier, although some would question Reyes’ inclusion.  However, I’m leaving him up here because I see a rebound year in his future as he should be a healthy camper.  Decent pop and game-breaking speed leave him as a top option in my book.  The other two are easy to pick, despite Hanley’s down season last year.  I think the managerial change was good for him, as evidenced by his outstanding August (.359-6-13 with 7 SB) and he should, with his new attitude, return to top form.  And as for Tulo, what needs to be said?  So lo ng as he stays healthy, he will be an outstanding run producer for the Rox.

2nd Tier:  Alexei Ramirez, Stephen Drew, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Elvis Andrus, Rafael Furcal

     Players on the rise and players in decline is what we’ve got here in the second tier.  Rollins, Furcal, and Jeter have dropped in their usual levels of production and if they don’t mount comebacks, could find themselves droppin glower next year.  Still though, I have a feeling that Jeter will rebound this season, although not to the levels to which his owners have grown accustomed.  J-Roll and Furcal need to stay healthy if they’re  going to bounce back, but all three guys could still be solid options at this incredibly shallow position.

     Ramirez has shown solid growth and could be on his way to a 20-15 season if everything falls into place finally.  If he stays in the 2 hole of that White Sox lineup, this could just be that year.  Andrus is also on the verge of a breakout season after last year’s playoff run to follow up a decent season.  He’s got no power, but his 32 steals gives owners hope that there’s more to come.  He did have a solid OBP so I think that .265 average will make a significant climb this season. 

3rd Tier:  Starlin Castro, Yunel Escobar, Ian Desmond, Miguel Tejada, Asdrubal Cabrera, Marco Scutaro, Ryan Theriot, Mike Aviles, Alcides Escobar, J.J. Hardy, Jason Bartlett

     And the dropoff begins.  I suppose, when you read the next tier, that you could do worse, but there are plenty of what-ifs going on here.  Scutaro and Tejada are the veterans of the crew and both could have decent years, although nothing that I’m reaching for, by any means.  Theriot and Aviles are both a little more attractive here due to the fac tthat short is thinner than second, and Cabrera needs a rebound from an injury plagued 2010.

     I was never a big Bartlett fan to begin with and doubted his 2009 totals, only to be proven right last season.  Blame what you want on his injury, but I don’t see him doin gmuch better this season.  Good for some SBs?  Sure, but not much else.  I might be reaching a bit with Yunel Escobar, but I’m willing to give him a second chance after getting kicked in the ‘nads by him in 2010.  Hopefully he’s got the attitude in check and a full year in Toronto can bring him back to the potential we all once saw.

     We all know about Castro and his upside, and plenty of people will pay handsomely for it.  My concern is that he becomes the new Howie Kendrick and you end up paying for batting average and not much else.  He’s got no power and he’s shown very minimal base stealing skills in the minors.  Still, he’s only 20 years old, so, for me, he’s a wait and see kind of guy.  Personally, I’d rather take the chance and go cheaper on Desmond or Alcides Escobar.  I think Alcides has much better stolen base potential and he’ll get overlooked by many now that he’s with the Royals.  Desmond is right in the middle as he’s got more power than Escobar but not as much speed.  Both, I think, can be had for cheap and may pay decent dividends worth more than just third tier value.

4th Tier:  Erick Aybar, Alex Gonzalez, Cliff Pennington, Reid Brignac, Juan Uribe, Jhonny Peralta, Yuniesky Betancourt, Clint Barmes

     For power, you’ve got Uribe and Peralta, but you’re going to have to sacrifice batting average for sure.  You might think the same about Gonzalez, but don’t be fooled by his year end totlas.  17 of his 23 HR were back in toronto after a very hot start and he cooled down significantly once he landed in Atlanta.  Pennington has a little bit of a speed upside, but nothing I’d be freaking out about, and you know what you’re getting from barmes and Aybar.  The sleepers here are Brignac and Betancourt.  Betancourt has shown flashes of pop and a little bit of speed as well.  I think the Brewers and  hitter friendly Miller Park might be a nice change for him.  Brignac has always been a highly touted guy who’s had serious health problems.  Maybe this year, now that he’s got the job to himself, could be the one.

5th Tier and beyond:  Paul Janish, Jason Donald, Ronny Cedeno, Brendan Ryan, Alexei Casilla, Orlando Cabrera, Felipe Lopez

     Just a few names out there with mildly intriguing situations.  Janish has the inside edge on the job, but recently signed Orlando Cabrera could steal time from him.  Jason Donald qualifies here but will be battling Luis Valbuena for the second base job.  Cedeno has the job in Pittsburgh, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy production.  Same goes for Casilla in Minnesota.  And the rest…..well they’re the rest.