Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. Shortstop is the new second base, a fantasy wasteland where only six (!) players are projected to be drafted in the first ten rounds. Six, out of a hundred. That’s bad.

“Hello. I’m Derek Jeter, and you’re not.”

Worse, only five of those players are proven fantasy performers year after year, and even that is stretching the truth until it nearly breaks. Truth be told, there is one guy in this group (Hanley Ramirez) that has held up as a reliable fantasy stud. The rest are streaky, as in ‘Will Ferrell in “Old School”‘ streaky. (Tulo, we’re looking at you.) What is a fantasy manager to do once Hanley and Troy Tulowitzki are off the board? For starters, don’t panic, and for God’s sake don’t reach. Continue to take the best guy on the board, and see if one of these guys lands in your lap.

Jose Reyes, Mets
The late, great Sparky Anderson once said, “Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I’ll win a pennant every year.” You think he wouldn’t love to have Reyes this year, since he’s essentially auditioning for all of Major League Baseball? The Mets are so bogged down with money issues that there has even been speculation that they will have a hard time paying their players, which makes the likelihood of a contract extension to Reyes unlikely. Meanwhile, the shortstop of the Red Sox, Marco Scutaro, has a player option on his contract for next year, which the club could buy out for $1.5 million. Don’t think for a minute that Reyes doesn’t know this, and will bust his ass to get him some Carl Crawford money. Having said that, don’t bid the moon and the stars to get him. If he comes to you, great. If not, then take a look at…

Marco Scutaro, Red Sox
Reyes’ 2010 stat line was .282-83-11-54-30. Scutaro’s line was .275-92-11-56-5. Nearly identical in every category except steals, and he can be had 11 rounds after Reyes is off the board. If you play in a points league and Reyes is gone, take a deep breath, and remember that the next best thing is a mere 110 picks away. Scutaro is the textbook definition of a value pick, even if he spends the entire year in the 9-hole.

Derek Jeter, Yankees
Thanks to his worst year offensively since his rookie season, plus the embarrassing public back-and-forth with the Yankees for a new contract extension, Derek Jeter’s stock has never been lower, and he knows it. Jeter has spent spring training doing extra sessions with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long to work on shortening his swing, so look for him to play with an anvil-sized chip on his shoulder.

Rafael Furcal, Dodgers
Furcal’s 2010 stat line was .300-66-8-43-22…in 97 games played. Over a full season, that projects to .300-110-13-71-36. Not bad, and it can be all yours for the low, low price of a 16th round pick.

Starlin Castro, Cubs
He could probably use another year of seasoning, but Castro has the skills to be a Jose Reyes-caliber player. He batted .300 his rookie season (and remember, was only 20 years old) and showed occasional pop. If there is one thing he needs to work on – besides his defense – it’s his base stealing. He stole 10 bases, but was caught a whopping eight times. He certainly has the wheels to steal close to 30 bases if the Cubs gave him the green light, but he clearly needs to work on his timing and anticipating the off-speed pitch. (Ask Aubrey Huff about that last one; he stole seven bases last year, and wasn’t caught once.) He’ll make for a nice backup this year, but look for him to take a big jump in 2012.

Don’t believe the hype

Elvis Andrus, Rangers
Fantasy geeks love this guy, but the truth of the matter is that he’s the Juan Pierre of shortstops, only not as productive. He hit six homers in his rookie campaign but didn’t hit a single home run last year, and his caught stealing ratio (32 steals in 47 attempts, 68% success rate) is atrocious. Pierre, by comparison, was caught 18 times, but stole 36 more bases than Adrus did (79% success rate). Here’s perhaps the most damning stat of all: in our points league, Andrus was outscored last year by Jeff Keppinger, Juan Uribe and Yuniesky Betancort. Ow. If he cuts those caught stealings in half, he’ll be a useful shortstop for 5×5 leagues, but last we checked, speed only affects one of those five stats, while power affects the other four. Just sayin’.

Use him while you can

Juan Uribe, Dodgers
He’s playing second base this year. D’oh.

Below is our official ranking of shortstops.

1. Hanley Ramirez, FLA
2. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
3. Jose Reyes, NYM
4. Derek Jeter, NYY
5. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
6. Alexei Ramirez, CHW
7. Rafael Furcal, LAD
8. Marco Scutaro, BOS
9. Elvis Andrus, TEX
10. Stephen Drew, ARI
11. Miguel Tejada, SF
12. Yunel Esobar, TOR
13. Starlin Castro, CHC
14. Ian Desmond, WAS
15. Cliff Pennington, OAK
16. Juan Uribe, LAD
17. Yuniesky Betancourt, MIL
18. Alcides Escobar, KC
19. Jhonny Peralta, DET
20. Alex Gonzalez, ATL

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Last up is the NL West.

1. Colorado Rockies (7)
Before I wax poetically about the youthful Rockies, I have an axe to grind about the television broadcasting crew of Drew Goodman, Jeff Huson and George Frazier. Those three form one of the most biased, nonobjective broadcasting teams in baseball history. I’m not kidding. The Rockies never get the same calls as their opponents do. The Rockies never get the national recognition like everyone else does. The Rockies are the greatest team to ever walk the planet and if they played a roster compiled of Jesus, Moses, God and the 12 apostles, Colorado should win 5-4 in extras nine times out of 10. If not, the Rockies beat themselves, because there’s no way Jesus and the gang were better. Don’t believe me? Just ask Goodman, Huson and Frazier. All right, now that that’s out of the way – the Rockies are a damn fine club and should leapfrog the Dodgers in the division this year. Their core – Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez – are all 27 years old or younger and that doesn’t include 26-year-old stud Ubaldo Jimenez, who is absolutely filthy when he’s on. Throw in key veterans like Todd Helton (a perennial .300 hitter) and Jeff Francis (who could win 15-plus games filling in for the departed Jason Marquis), and Colorado has the tools to make a deep run. The question is whether or not starters Francis and Jorge De La Rosa will keep their ERAs below 5.00 and the young offensive players can move forward in their development and not backwards. But outside of the ultra-annoying broadcast team, I love the Rockies from top to bottom this year and believe they can do some damage in 2010.

2. Los Angles Dodgers (12)
Dodger fans are probably thinking to themselves, “Hey clown face – nothing has changed. This is the same team that won 95 games last year, so what’s with this second place nonsense?” And they would be right to think that – I do have a clown face. But whether fans want to admit it or not, owner Frank McCourt’s divorce from wife and former CEO Jamie McCourt will have an affect on their club this season. In fact, it already has seeing as how the Dodgers’ spending was limited this winter. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake should keep L.A. competitive throughout the season and there’s likely to be a knock down, drag out fight between them and the Rockies for first place. But what happens when Kershaw, Billingsley, Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda and James McDonald start making trips to the DL? Ownership certainly isn’t going to spend money on replacements, so experienced players may have to step up and that usually spells trouble. Plus, if guys like Rafael Furcal, James Loney and Russell Martin don’t rekindle the magic they had earlier in their careers, Kemp, Ethier and Blake may find it harder to keep the club afloat by themselves. Don’t forget that Manny only hit .255 after taking a pitch off the wrist in late July last year, so his best days are likely behind him as well. Do the Dodgers boast the same roster as the one that was so successful last year? Yes, but the power has seemingly shifted in the division.

3. San Francisco Giants (15)
Watching the Giants on a nightly basis is like watching a unicorn, in all its mythical wonderment and greatness, frolic around an empty field for three hours, only to be intermittently beaten by some idiot caveman with a club. Only, the ironic thing is that the caveman doesn’t really know how to use the club, so he just flails at the unicorn for three hours until both of them tire out and collapse. San Fran’s pitching staff, in all its mythical wonderment and greatness, is outstanding, but its offense continues to be a cross between a used baby diaper and hot garbage. Reigning two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball and 25-year-old Matt Cain is a Cy Young-contender in the making. When his heads on right, Jonathan Sanchez can be equally frustrating to hitters and his ’09 second half (which included a no-hitter) suggests that he has a bright future. Barry Zito will never live up to his contract, but he was productive and reliable for the first time in a Giants’ uniform last year and fifth starter Todd Wellemeyer had a great spring. The problem is that GM Brian Sabean hasn’t a clue when it comes to positional talent. With exception of the fun-loving star-in-the-making Pablo Sandoval and future prospect Buster Posey, the Giants don’t have any hitters that will keep opposing pitchers up at night. The offseason additions of Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, as well as the re-signings of Freddy Sanchez and Juan Uribe should help, but all four of those players are complementary pieces on a good team. On the Giants, they’ll all be counted on as key contributors, which is a problem. This club won 88 games last year – more than any team that didn’t make the postseason. Their starting pitching, Sandoval and their bullpen are rock solid, but if the G-Men hope to make the playoffs this year, then guys like Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina, Edgar Renteria and Nate Schierholtz (who will finally have the opportunity to play full time) have to step up in a big way. We’ll see if Sabean did enough this offseason to give the Giants a shot.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks (19)
In Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, the D-Backs have an outstanding 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation but the problem is that Webb isn’t healthy. He hopes that his shoulder injury will heal soon and is targeting a late April return, but that might be a little optimistic. Edwin Jackson was a nice offseason pickup, but ‘Zona has to hope that he’ll pitch closer to his first half production of last year (2.52 ERA) and not his second half (5.02). If Webb returns quickly and Jackson pitches well, then the D-Backs have enough pitching to challenge anyone. But there’s a ton of question marks surrounding the rotation (outside of Haren obviously) entering the season. Offensively, youngsters Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds will supply plenty power, while the return of Conor Jackson and newly acquired Adam LaRoche should boost the offense as well. But the key might be outfielder Chris Young, who had a great September after being demoted to the minors earlier in the season to fix his swing. If his September production wasn’t an anomaly, then Arizona certainly has enough offense to compete for the Wild Card. I just don’t trust the pitching and for as good as the offense could be, the D-Backs have several hitters that struggle to get on base on a consistent basis. If Webb were healthy, I could envision this club finishing higher than this. But I don’t think they’ll get out of the gates strong and it could sink their season.

5. San Diego Padres (24)
For a team that was forced to cut costs, the Padres finished a respectable 75-87 last season. Adrian Gonzalez, Kyle Blanks, Chase Headley and Everth Cabrera comprise and solid offensive core, but the problem is that their starting pitching is beyond suspect after the club traded Jake Peavy to the White Sox last year. Mat Latos may soon assume the No. 1 role, but he his little big league experience and there’s just not an ace among Jon Garland, Kevin Correia and Clayton Richard. Those three can certainly eat innings, but none of them are the top of the rotation arm that the Padres need to replace Peavy. The bottom line is that the Pads could surprise this season, but if Gonzo is traded at the deadline like many expect, then San Diego will sink to the bottom of the NL West. And even if he isn’t dealt, the Padres might still fail to get out of the West basement due to their starting pitching (or lack their of).

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/27/2010-mlb-preview-nl-west/feed/ 3 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/06/2010-fantasy-baseball-rankings-shortstops/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/06/2010-fantasy-baseball-rankings-shortstops/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:14:59 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=35863

All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

Sometimes it pays to be patient when it comes to drafting certain positions in fantasy baseball. For example, waiting to snag your starting catcher until late in your draft makes sense. Landing a couple star players at weaker positions in the early rounds while waiting to select someone in a deep pool of first basemen can also be adventurous.

But choosing not to grab an elite shortstop in one of the first two rounds is about as smart as bringing a knife to a gunfight. You’ll be at a serious disadvantage because the talent pool after the top five players doesn’t level off – it drops off a mountain.

If you weren’t lucky enough to land one of the top picks in the draft, then you’ll probably miss out on Hanley Ramirez. Don’t sweat it – there are four other shortstops that you can target in one of the first two rounds in order to set yourself up with a great player at shortstop. Just make sure you snag one of the top five or else you could wind up pulling your hair out because you just can’t get enough consistent production out of your starting shortstop position.

Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Ramirez is in a class all his own. He’s a five-tool superstar that will give you 25-plus home run power, 90-plus RBI and 100-plus runs, all while stealing 25-plus bases and hitting anywhere from .320 to .340. The problem is, if you don’t have one of the top 2 spots in your draft you won’t have him on your roster this season.

Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
At a thin position, Tulowitzki is arguably the safest choice among shortstops. He returns to the same lineup in which he hit .297 last year with 32 home runs, 92 RBI, 101 runs and 20 stolen bases. Given his youth, there’s a great chance that he’ll wind up with similar numbers again this year and as long as he doesn’t suffer an injury like he did in 2008 (by far his worst season as a pro), then he’ll be a great addition to your lineup.

Jose Reyes, Mets
Don’t fall asleep on Reyes, who, before an injury-riddled 2009 campaign killed his fantasy value, was once a top 5 pick. Assuming his recent thyroid condition isn’t cause for concern (he might miss the start of the season, but should return shortly thereafter), then Reyes should hit around .290 with 100-plus runs, 10-plus home runs and 50-plus steals. We know he’s a risk given his injury concerns, but Reyes is a fantasy stud when healthy.

Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
Rollins was a huge disappointment at the start of last season, but those owners that stuck with him reaped the rewards after the All-Star Break. While his batting average (.250) was disappointing, Rollins still finished with 21 home runs, 100 runs scored and 31 stolen bases. His average should jump back up to around .275 this season and another 20-plus home runs with 35-plus steals are certainly not out of the question.

Derek Jeter, Yankees
While Jeter’s age (36) is a concern, there’s no denying his production. The Yankees’ shortstop continues to spit in the face of father time and is coming off an outstanding year in which he hit .334 with 18 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 107 runs scored. He might not hit as many dingers or steal as many bases this season, but Jeter should hit well over .300 again, score 100-plus runs in a potent Yankee lineup and blast 10-plus dingers in a hitter-friendly stadium. We know he’s aging, but would you pass on a .320 average with 100 runs, 12 dingers, 70 RBI and 20 stolen bases from your shortstop? We didn’t think so.

Below is our official ranking of fantasy shortstops. As we mentioned above, we highly recommend snagging one of the top 5 players or at the very least, make sure you land your starting shortstop before Alexei Ramirez comes off the board.

1. Hanley Ramirez, FLA
2. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
3. Jose Reyes, NYM
4. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
5. Derek Jeter, NYY
6. Ben Zobrist, TB
7. Jason Barlett, TB
8. Stephen Drew, ARI
9. Alexei Ramirez, CHW
10. Yunel Esobar, ATL
11. Elvis Andrus, TEX
12. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE
13. Rafael Furcal, LAD
14. Erick Aybar, LAA
15. Alcides Escobar, MIL
16. Everth Cabrera, SD
17. Miguel Tejada, BAL
18. J.J. Hardy, MIN
19. Ryan Theriot, CHC
20. Marco Scutaro, BOS
21. Jhonny Peralta, CLE
22. Orlando Cabrera, CIN

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/06/2010-fantasy-baseball-rankings-shortstops/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/10/13/lee-dominates-again-as-phillies-advance-to-nlcs/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/10/13/lee-dominates-again-as-phillies-advance-to-nlcs/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:48:09 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=26455

For the second time this postseason, Cliff Lee was dominant.

Lee allowed just one earned run over 7 1/3 innings on Monday, as the Phillies knocked off the Rockies in dramatic fashion to advance to the NLCS where they will face the Dodgers.

After the Rockies had jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the eighth, things looked bleak for Philadelphia heading into the ninth. Huston Street got two quick outs, but then got into trouble after Shane Victorino grounded into a fielder’s choice and then Chase Utley walked. Ryan Howard then doubled to deep right to score both Victorino and Utley, then Jayson Werth singled to center to score Howard.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Scott Eyre got two outs but then allowed two runners to get on base with singles. But Brad Lidge managed to strike out Troy Tulowitzki to end the game.

The Phillies will now advance to the NLCS to face a rested Dodgers team that made quick work of the Cardinals. It should be an evenly matched NLCS as both teams have pitching and a solid lineup from top to bottom.

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

Offseason Movement: The biggest move the Rockies made this offseason was trading outfielder Matt Holliday to the A’s in exchange for pitchers Huston Street and Greg Smith, as well as outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Street takes over for Brian Fuentes, who signed with the Angels. Colorado also added pitchers Jason Marquis and Alan Embree, as well as outfielder Matt Murton.

Top Prospect: Dexter Fowler, OF
Fowler is destined to start the season in the minors, but the Rockies hope that he’ll become a middle of the order hitter and flash some pop in due time. He has tons of speed, but he’s an unpolished player overall, and one that will need time to mature. With a current rash of outfielders already on the big league roster, Colorado isn’t likely to rush Fowler or Carlos Gonzalez, the latter being acquired in the Matt Holliday trade.

The Big Question: How will the rotation look without Jeff Francis?
Nobody will confuse Francis with Cole Hamels, but at least the Rockies could usually count on 13-plus wins from the 28-year old starter. But Francis underwent arthroscopic surgery in the offseason to repair his labrum and clean up the rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He’ll likely miss the entire 2009 season, which leaves the starting rotation awfully thin. Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez are solid, but after them are Jason Marquis, Greg Smith and Jorge De La Rosa/Franklin Morales. Maybe the the Rocks will get lucky and one will surprise, but this is a weak rotation on paper.

Outlook: Without Matt Holliday in the middle of their lineup, the Rockies will probably play more small ball this year. Hopefully promising youngster Troy Tulowitzki can put his injury-plagued 2008 season behind him and bounce back to his 2007 form. Colorado will rely on him and Ryan Spilborghs to set the table at the top of the lineup, while hopefully getting some pop from Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton. The starting pitching is a huge question mark, which is why the Rockies will likely struggle again in 2009. But even though this club is far removed from its World Series team in 2007, there is some hope on the horizon in the form of several promising prospects.

Projection: 4th NL West

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

Before your 2009 fantasy baseball draft kicks off this year, do yourself a favor and repeat this three or four times to yourself: I will draft a shortstop in the first nine rounds.

Not unlike third basemen, the shortstop position is weak this season. After Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins come off the board in the first two rounds, you’re left with roughly eight shortstops that will give you adequate to good production this season. We project those eight shortstops to be selected anywhere between the fifth and ninth round in standard mixed leagues, which is why we suggest nabbing one before the conclusion of the ninth.

The good news is that in a 12-team league, you’ll definitely have the opportunity to land one of the big three (Ramirez, Reyes, Rollins) or scoop up one of the eight adequate-to-good shortstops that we’re referring to. The bad news is that shortstops can start flying off the board quickly and if you’re selecting in a snake draft, you could wind up on the wrong end of the spectrum when the run starts.

That’s why to be safe, you will draft a shortstop in one of the first nine rounds because you don’t want to be the guy that’s trying to figure out whether or not Edgar Renteria will bounce back now that he’s in the NL again, or having to choose between Orlando Cabrera’s consistent .280 batting average and Khalili Greene’s 25-plus home run potential. (Side note: If you do wind up being that guy come draft day, it might be wise to select two shortstops back to back and hope you catch lightning in a bottle with one of them.)

Obviously you still want to be smart on draft day; we’re not advising you to take Derek Jeter in the third because you’re spooked about failing to grab a shortstop before the ninth round. But taking one of the top 11 shortstops a round early might not be a bad idea considering what you’ll be left with later on.

After Ramirez, Reyes and Rollins come off the board, here are the eight shortstops we’d suggest taking before the ninth round ends:

Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks
In his third season with the D-Backs last year, Drew was only the third shortstop in major league history to finish with 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 10 triples in 2008. At 26 years old, his ceiling is sky high right now as he enters the prime of his career and there is no doubt that he’s one of the bright young stars in baseball. If he builds off the success he had last year, Drew could easily hit 25 home runs, knock in 75 RBI, score 100 runs and chip in five stolen bases. He probably won’t sniff the .300-mark in terms of batting average, but he should be right around .290.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Tulowitzki exploded onto the scene in 2007, helping the Rockies make a World Series appearance and setting a record for most home runs (20) in a season by an NL rookie shortstop. But injuries destroyed what was supposed to be a promising second season in 2008 and he obviously fell short of expectations. Still, he hit .300 over the second half of the season last year and he should once again build on his promising young career. He has the potential to hit 20-plus home runs, knock in 80 RBI, score 90 runs and add 10 stolen bases along with his .290 average. Tulowitzki is a star in the making and definitely one of the better young shortstops in the game.

Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox
Potential could be the one word to describe the Sox’s young shortstop. Ramirez has 20-home run and 20-stolen base potential and he could easily average .290 and score 100 runs. The one thing to keep in mind about him, however, is that last year was his breakout campaign and he could regress in ’09. Still, with Orlando Cabrera moving on in free agency, Ramirez will get every opportunity to build on his rookie performance and should have plenty of fantasy potential hitting in front of Carlos Quentin in the two-hole.

Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians
With most of the Tribe hitters taking a step back in ’08, Peralta came through with a fine season. If Travis Hafner is healthy again this year, Peralta will move back to the third or fifth spot in the order (he was hitting cleanup in Hafner’s absence last season) and should hit 25-plus home runs. He does strike out a lot and his average will probably teeter around .275, but he’ll also give you 80-plus RBI and score 100-plus runs. There’s talk of him moving to third base this year so keep an eye on that, but he’ll still qualify as a shortstop in all leagues.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Tried and true – Jeter is more than capable of giving you quality production day in and day out. At 35 years old, his numbers are definitely on the decline but that doesn’t mean the veteran will crash and burn in 2009. He might not hit 20 home runs or steal 20 bases this year, but you can probably bank on 15 dingers and 15 swiped bags. Just don’t overvalue him, because there’s no doubt someone will based on name recognition alone.

Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers
Obviously he’s a major injury risk, but if he’s healthy there’s no reason to believe Furcal can’t pick up where he left off in April of last year when he hit .367. He also returns to familiar stomping grounds after re-signing with the Dodgers, and he should have every opportunity to top 15 home runs and swipe 35-plus bases. Some owners will look at his name and take a pass given his age and injury concerns, but Furcal could be worth the risk come draft day, especially depending on how far he falls.

J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers
If you can put up with Hardy’s streaky production, he’s liable to blast 25 home runs, drive in 75 RBI and bat around .280. Depending on how your first five or six rounds turn out, the addition of Hardy could give you a boost in the power department without killing your team’s overall batting average. Not a lot of owners will jump at the opportunity to select him, but Hardy is an underrated player and after hitting 20-plus home runs the last two seasons, he looks like a reliable option.

Michael Young, Texas Rangers
Some owners might choose to go with a young sleeper like KC’s Mike Aviles over an aging vet like Young, but keep in mind how good the Rangers’ offense was last year. Young has the potential to hit .300 with12 dingers, knocking in 82 RBI and scoring 102 runs at the top of Texas’s lineup. Aviles might hit .300 again with 10-plus home runs, but it’s doubtful he brings what Young does to the table in terms of RBI and run production.

Here is our official ranking of shortstops. Remember that all of these players qualify for your middle infield position, so don’t fall asleep and miss out on taking a potential sleeper or consistent veteran shortstop in later rounds.

1. Hanley Ramirez, FLA
2. Jose Reyes, NYM
3. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
4. Stephen Drew, ARI
5. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
6. Alexei Ramirez, CHW
7. Jhonny Peralta, CLE
8. Derek Jeter, NYY
9. Rafael Furcal, LAD
10. J.J. Hardy, MIL
11. Michael Young, TEX
12. Mike Aviles, KC
13. Miguel Tejada, HOU
14. Yunel Escobar, ATL
15. Orlando Cabrera, OAK
16. Elvis Andrus, TEX
17. Edgar Renteria, SF
18. Jason Bartlett, TB
19. Ryan Theriot, CHC
20. Khalil Greene, STL
21. Jed Lowrie, BOS