In preparation for our early mock draft, we go position-by-position with some preliminary rankings for Draft Day 2009. We continue here at shortstop.
Our rankings are based on position eligibility for next season, which requires 20 games at a position to be eligible. If a player has not played 20 games, his primary position will be defined as what position he has played the most games at -- unless it is a current AL player that will be classified as DH-only.
|
|||
RK | Player | TM | The thinking is as follows … |
1 | Hanley Ramirez | FLA | Shoulder questions are cause for concern but 30-30 shortstops are a real rare breed. |
2 | Jose Reyes | NYM | Power might never become elite, but he is as steady as they come at the position. |
3 | Jimmy Rollins | PHI | It must be nice having a 45-plus steal season qualify as an "off year," but he was an MVP. |
4 | Stephen Drew | ARI | He is just the third shortstop in history to hit 40 doubles, 10 triples and 20 homers. |
5 | Derek Jeter | NYY | Disappointing year should finally drop his Draft Day value down to a reasonable level. |
6 | J.J. Hardy | MIL | He might be reaching his ceiling in the eyes of many, but if he can extend those hot streaks ... |
7 | Troy Tulowitzki | COL | Improvement in the second half post-injury shows he wasn't a fluke as a rookie. |
8 | Jhonny Peralta | CLE | One of the few Indians to have a plus season by his standards. He earned his 2009 job. |
9 | Michael Young | TEX | He played injured and still will reach 150 games again. Reliability at this position is huge. |
10 | Miguel Tejada | HOU | We figured the power would rebound in Houston, but it was disappointing after quick start. |
11 | Yunel Escobar | ATL | A favorite sleeper on Draft Day 2008 wound up being a relative dud, but he will improve. |
12 | Orlando Cabrera | CHW | He's one of those who annually outperforms his draft position, but age is a factor now. |
13 | Mike Aviles | KC | This 27-year-old breakout can really hit, but you have to be cautious without a track record. |
14 | Edgar Renteria | DET | Unlike Cabrera, Renteria seems to underproduce his Draft Day value, but he can rebound still. |
15 | Rafael Furcal | LAD | He looked like a Fantasy MVP before his bad back cost him his season. He will remain a risk. |
16 | Ryan Theriot | CHC | A poor second half was an overdue market correction, but he does the little things well. |
17 | Jed Lowrie | BOS | Rookie proved to be an instant run producer, which portends big things for future. |
18 | Cristian Guzman | WAS | Rebound year was nice, but a lack of true pop or steals potential weighs him down still. |
19 | Bobby Crosby | OAK | We have just about given up on him ever reaching his potential, but at least he was healthy. |
20 | Khalil Greene | SD | He went from being an annual 30-homer shortstop to being an annual question mark. Flaky. |
21 | Brandon Wood | LAA | Power potential is immense, but you cannot guarantee the Angels will give him a full-time job. |
22 | Yuniesky Betancourt | SEA | Known for his glove, but that is what makes him valuable, full-time slap-hitting at-bats. |
23 | Brendan Harris | MIN | He has more pop in his bat than he showed this year, but Twins appear committed to him. |
24 | Clint Barmes | COL | He won't be the player he was before he fell down the stairs, but he proved to be solid again. |
25 | Nomar Garciaparra | LAD | Injuries will remain a weight on his value the rest of his career, but he can be decent in spurts. |
26 | Jeff Keppinger | CIN | We are not sure he has an everyday job next year. That is a nice hitter's park, though. |
27 | Jason Bartlett | TB | He was voted the playoff-bound Rays MVP this season, but it wasn't what he did at the plate. |
28 | Jerry Hairston | CIN | Speedy utility man will have value with his versatility and steals potential in Rotisserie leagues. |
29 | Julio Lugo | BOS | Boston career is over, but he should be able to find a full-time job somewhere this winter. |
30 | Marco Scutaro | TOR | One of the best utility men in baseball needs to be on this list. He is merely AL-only, though. |
31 | Nick Punto | MIN | Slap-hitting base-stealer won't ever play full-time, but his versatility comes in handy. |
32 | Maicer Izturis | LAA | We would rise him up this list more than a dozen spots if he had ever started a full season. |
33 | Erick Aybar | LAA | He has more steals potential than similar teammate, but he ranks behind him in experience. |
34 | Ben Zobrist | TB | Former opening day starter's power came around this season, so move him up if he will play. |
35 | Cesar Izturis | STL | His glove gets him at-bats and his steals are about all that gives him NL-only Rotisserie value. |
36 | Emmanuel Burriss | SF | Another slap-hitting base-stealer that would move up list if he was given a full-time job. |
37 | Ronny Cedeno | CHC | He is honestly a better speed-and-power shortstop talent than the one that starts in Chicago. |
38 | Aaron Miles | STL | If you need someone that can slap his way to .300, he is your man, but is he the Cards' man? |
39 | David Eckstein | ARI | If he doesn't play every day and lead off, there is little reason to own him in any format. |
40 | Jack Wilson | PIT | His days in Pittsburgh are over, so we think too his days as an everyday player will be, too. |
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball ranking questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Shortstop rankings in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.