Top 25 Short Stops
2012 Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings – Top 25 Shortstops
Many people have asked us when is the best time to draft Derek Jeter – read our top 25 shortstops and find out
1. Troy Tulowitzki .306 BA, 28 HR, 102 RBI – He led the position in RBIs and tied for the lead in homers despite missing games because of a hip injury. Expect even better numbers this season.
2. Hanley Ramirez .288 BA, 24 HR, 91 RBI – He had an off year last season after going number one in most drafts. Expect 2010-like numbers and don’t hesitate on taking him late in the first or early in the second.
3. Starlin Castro .311 BA, 12 HR, 74 RBI – Chicago has something special in Castro. He lacks power but does everything else very well. Expect “Star”lin to be just that.
4. Asdrubal Cabrera .274 BA, 23 HR, 82 RBI – I wouldn’t expect another 25 jacks from him this season but the numbers will still be worthy of a top 5 ranking. He’s a second-tier shortstop that you should grab if available in the fifth round.
5. Jose Reyes .322 BA, 9 HR, 66 RBI – If healthy Reyes could easily hit over .300, hit 15+ homers, drive in 70 and get you 35-40 steals in his new threads. Playing beside HanRam won’t hurt either.
6. Elvis Andrus .275 BA, 4 HR, 65 RBI – He’s a two-category beast with areas to improve on. He’s young, but definitely worth the pick with his steal (37 in 2011) and runs (96 in 2011) output.
7. Jimmy Rollins .264 BA, 15 HR, 64 RBI – This former National League MVP is beginning to see a drop off in his overall output but he’s still going to produce for you. He’s fading but he’s still worth the top 10 ranking.
8. Alexei Ramirez .277 BA, 14 HR, 71 RBI – He’s a serviceable shortstop that is good for 15+ home runs, 80+ runs, 70+ RBI and a handful of steals.
9. Jhonny Peralta .294 BA, 18 HR, 79 RBI – He’s a viable option once the top tier is gone. You can expect his usual power along with the strong RBI output (86 in 2011 and 81 in 2010).
10. J.J Hardy .273 BA, 23 HR, 74 RBI – The new Oriole flourished at Camden Yards hitting 30 home runs a season after finishing with just six.
11. Derek Jeter .290 BA, 11 HR, 63 RBI – He’s getting up there in age (38) but hitting second in one of the leagues strongest lineups will help his numbers.
12. Yunel Escobar .291 BA, 12 HR, 60 RBI – He hits for average and will hit about a dozen homers for you but he hasn’t been the player many people had expected.
13. Erick Aybar .263 BA, 10 HR, 63 RBI – He’s a good guy to have once the top 10 guys are off the board. He had career highs in home runs (10), doubles (33), stolen bases (30) and runs scored (71).
14. Dee Gordon .296 BA, 4 HR, 52 RBI – He spent the first half of the season in the minors but found his way to the show by season’s end. In just 224 at-bats he hit .304, had 34 runs and stole 24 bases.
15. Stephen Drew .262 BA, 14 HR, 61 RBI – Even before the broken ankle his numbers were on the decline. He’s playing for a contract this year so you may see a jump in his numbers.
16. Ian Desmond .267 BA, 9 HR, 57 RBI – He took a step back in 2011 but I expect numbers closer to those of 2010.
17. Emelio Bonifacio .283 BA, 8 HR, 53 RBI – He’s quick and he can get on base. Bonifacio is worth the late-round pick if you’re looking for a backup at this position.
18. Jed Lowrie .249 BA, 7 HR, 49 RBI – He’s a good utility guy worthy of your selection late in the draft.
19. Rafael Furcal .270 BA, 9 HR, 45 RBI – He’s a lock to get hurt this year but when he plays he won’t hurt you.
20. Jason Bartlett .262 BA, 8 HR, 43 RBI – He should have no problem hitting .260 and stealing around 20 bases.
Honorable Mentions for SS – Clint Barmes, Alex Gonzalez, Alcides Escobar, Zack Cozart, Cliff Pennington, Trevor Plouffe
