2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - Shortstops

Written by Matt Whitfield Wednesday, 23 February 2011 03:21

This year the theme for shortstop is positional scarcity. A decade ago the game was overflowing with great talent at the shortstop position. Now the only one left is Jeter and the cream of a much thinner crop resides in the National League with Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki. Shortstop is going to be a hit or miss position after the top eight this year, but there is good talent out there. Here are my projections for this year.

Tier 1

1. Hanley Ramirez - 27 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	589	125	33	67	35	0.301	0.400
2009	576	101	24	106	27	0.342	0.410
2010	543	92	21	76	32	0.300	0.378
PROJ	573	106	23	91	28	0.305	0.382

After a disappointing 2010 campaign, expect Han-Ram to post better numbers in 2011. Ramirez won’t touch his 2009 RBI total but he is a top 10 player out there, with a rare power and speed combo.

2. Troy Tulowitzki – 26 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	377	48	8	46	5	0.263	0.322
2009	543	101	32	92	2	0.243	0.377
2010	470	89	27	95	4	0.287	0.381
PROJ	550	94	28	100	9	0.301	0.383

As long as he stay healthy Tulo’s star will continue to rise. Tulo is a stud no doubt. Don’t hesitate to take him in the late first round – early second, and you can expect him to improve a little bit on his 2010 stats.

Tier 2

3. Jose Reyes – 28 Bats: Switch

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	688	113	16	68	56	0.297	0.358
2009	147	18	2	15	11	0.279	0.355
2010	563	83	11	44	30	0.282	0.321
PROJ	582	100	14	65	43	0.293	0.355

Reyes has become sort of a headache due to his leg ailments. He does have across the board appeal, though who should trend close to his 2008 numbers, if he can stay healthy. Draft him by all means, but make sure to play it safe and draft a solid backup.

4. Derek Jeter – 37 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	594	88	11	69	11	0.300	0.363
2009	634	107	18	66	30	0.334	0.400
2010	663	111	10	67	18	0.276	0.369
PROJ	605	100	13	63	15	0.285	0.366

Jeter had a disappointing year, by fantasy standards he has set in the past, but now he is armed with a contract that will guarantee him retiring as Yankee. So you can expect one more solid year before he starts to show real decline.

5. Jimmy Rollins – 32 Bats: Switch

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	556	76	11	59	47	0.277	0.349
2009	672	100	21	77	31	0.250	0.296
2010	350	48	8	41	17	0.243	0.320
PROJ	552	93	13	64	28	0.275	0.334

Much like Reyes, Rollins continues to be bitten by the injury bug, and you don’t what to expect from at this point. If he can stay healthy his numbers should trend towards his 2009 numbers. Until he can stay healthy you drafting Rollins a bargain not a star name.

6. Elvis Andrus - 22 ***Great Upside Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2009	480	72	6	40	33	0.267	0.329
2010	588	88	0	35	32	0.265	0.342
PROJ	605	92	3	42	40	0.282	0.345

There is a part of me that wanted to put Elvis in the top 5, but I wanted to make sure that his progression towards the elite is legit and there is no setback. He is potentially a two category monster hitting at the top of a very potent lineup in Texas.

7. Alexei Ramirez – 29 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	480	65	21	77	13	0.290	0.317
2009	542	71	15	68	14	0.277	0.333
2010	585	83	18	70	13	0.282	0.313
PROJ	568	85	17	74	13	0.287	0.321

The free-swinging Alexei is in a contract year and in his prime. He hasn’t show substantial growth or declined either, and he a notoriously know as a slow starter. He is as safe as they come because you know what to expect out of him and with SS not being so deep that’s a good thing.

8. Stephen Drew – 28 Bats: Left

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP
2008	611	91	21	67	3	0.291	0.333
2009	533	71	12	65	5	0.261	0.320
2010	565	83	15	61	10	0.278	0.352
PROJ	575	86	16	67	8	0.282	0.343

Drew is a solid player who will help you across the board and like Alexei Ramirez his stats are pretty steady and you know what you’re getting out of him. A huge year is not out of the question, but draft him for what he has always been and you won’t be disappointed.

TIER 3

9. Yunel Escobar – 28 *Sleeper Alert Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP
2008	514	71	10	60	2	0.288	0.366
2009	528	89	14	76	5	0.299	0.377
2010	497	60	4	35	6	0.256	0.377
PROJ	534	79	13	65	9	0.281	0.355

Escobar needed a change of scenery to the hitter friendly confines of Toronto after the rocky divorce with Atlanta. In a full season in Toronto Escobar should be able to recoup some of his lost offense. He is a solid sleeper with bounce back potential and could easily break the top 10 this season.

10. Ian Desmond – 24 *Sleeper Alert Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP
2009	82	9	4	12	1	0.280	0.318
2010	525	59	10	65	17	0.269	0.328
PROJ	550	70	14	67	24	0.279	0.344

This guy has shown steady growth in his second year, and should continue to grow as long as his defensive doesn’t land him on the bench. He was 15hr-25sb guy in the minors, and that’s what you should expect out of him this year.

11. Rafael Furcal – 33 Bats: Both

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	36	34	5	16	22	0.357	0.439
2009	150	92	9	47	12	0.269	0.335
2010	97	66	8	43	8	0.300	0.366
PROJ	475	77	7	45	18	0.280	0.342

Furcal is the best example of risk/ reward player. When he was healthy he managed All-Star caliber numbers, but he was a regular on the DL, and his skill set has started to decline. Could he put up 2009 like numbers? Sure, but I am not buying it till I see some consistency off the DL.

12. Starlin Castro – 21 **Good Upside Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2010	463	53	3	41	10	0.300	0.405
PROJ	576	85	6	44	19	0.288	0.408

Only the one of 4 players in the past 50 seasons to bat .300 in 20^th year. His star is rising and the Cubbies see him developing as a 15hr-20sb type player. He’s worth a mid-round selection but as always be aware of the sophomore slump, though I expect a small step forward in the right direction.

13. Asdrubal Cabrera – 25 **Good Upside Bats: Both

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	352	48	6	47	4	0.259	0.346
2009	523	81	6	68	17	0.308	0.361
2010	381	39	3	29	16	0.276	0.326
PROJ	525	78	6	50	18	0.285	0.345

Forget about Cabrera’s wrecked last season, this guy has shown good upside. If he can stay healthy he a return to 2009 form at the least is possibility. He is late round pick up who could be a steal that late.

14. Erick Aybar – 27 *Okay Upside Bats: Both

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	346	53	3	39	7	0.277	0.314
2009	504	70	5	58	14	0.312	0.353
2010	534	69	5	29	22	0.277	0.306
PROJ	556	73	4	51	20	0.283	0.344

Much of Aybar’s stats are tied to where he is hitting in the lineup. If he hits top of the order, then this projection is the minimum of what he can do. Remember this guy was a .300 hitter/40sb in the minors.

TIER 4

15. Marco Scutaro – 35 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	517	76	7	60	7	0.267	0.356
2009	574	100	12	60	14	0.282	0.409
2010	632	92	11	56	5	0.275	0.333
PROJ	545	80	8	52	5	0.272	0.325

Marco was able to stay relatively productive despite playing with a lot of pain, at the advanced age of 35. He should be a decent source for runs but not much of anything else, and with growth and emergence of Jed Lowrie Marco’s days in Boston could be very well numbered. Proceed with caution and tread lightly

16. Juan Uribe – 31 Bats: Right

Year	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG.	OBP.
2008	324	38	7	40	1	0.247	0.296
2009	398	50	16	55	3	0.289	0.329
2010	521	64	24	85	1	0.248	0.310
PROJ	505	61	18	70	2	0.255	0.317

Even though Uribe hit 24 homers last year, his move to Dodger Stadium will cause homer totals will decrease. His average won’t help you and he is extremely streaky. With his versality at 2^nd, 3^rd, and SS. He is a great bench player who is a great play during his hot streaks.

Other Notables

Jason Bartlett – 31

Alcides Escobar – 24

Alex Gonzalez - 34

Reid Brignac – 25

J.J. Hardy – 28

Yuniesky Betancourt – 29