| Shortstop Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
| 1 |
 |
Hanley Ramirez |
.332 |
125 |
29 |
81 |
51 |
|
Ramirez was the best player in the National League last season, showing an amazing blend of power and speed. The only question is whether he can keep it up with no Miguel Cabrera in the lineup to protect him.
|
| 2 |
 |
Jose Reyes |
.280 |
119 |
12 |
57 |
78 |
|
Baseball's premiere speedster, Reyes was having an MVP-caliber season before it was derailed by a horrible September. Still, he has enough speed, and just enough power, to catch Ramirez atop the shortstop rankings if things break right. |
| 3 |
 |
Jimmy Rollins |
.296 |
139 |
30 |
94 |
41 |
Last year's National League MVP figures to pick up where he left off. He has great speed and power, but Rollins has yet to hit .300 in a season even once in his seven-year career.
|
| 4 |
 |
Carlos Guillen |
.296 |
86 |
21 |
102 |
13 |
Guillen will make the switch to first base since the Tigers signed Edgar Renteria, but he'll bring his bat anyway. He hit at least .318 from 2004-06. And hitting in Detroit's powerful lineup, Guillen has a chance for 100-plus runs and RBIs.
|
| 5 |
 |
Troy Tulowitzki |
.291 |
104 |
24 |
99 |
7 |
|
If not for Ryan Braun's monster season, Tulowitzki would have run away with National League Rookie of the Year honors. With 15 homers and 61 RBIs after the All-Star break, "Tulo" is emerging as one of baseball's best offensive shortstops. |
| 6 |
 |
Derek Jeter |
.322 |
102 |
12 |
73 |
15 |
|
Jeter will continue to hit for a high average and score a lot of runs in New York's star-studded lineup. But his sharp drop in stolen bases (he had 34 in 2006) is a concern for fantasy owners.
|
| 7 |
 |
Rafael Furcal |
.270 | 87 | 6 | 47 | 25 |
|
Furcal is coming off one of his worst seasons as a big leaguer. But at age 30, he has a chance to bounce back. Prior to 2007, Furcal had four straight seasons with double-digit homers. And new manager Joe Torre loves to steal bases. Furcal could get back to 30 stolen bases this season.
|
| 8 |
 |
Miguel Tejada |
.296 |
72 |
18 |
81 |
2 |
|
Houston is hoping Tejada will return to MVP form after a disappointing season in lowly Baltimore. His power seems to be fading, and Tejada was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report. But he still might be capable of 100 RBIs and a high batting average. |
| 9 |
|
Edgar Renteria |
.332 |
87 |
12 |
57 |
11 |
|
Renteria was one of baseball's most underrated players in Atlanta the past two seasons. He could put up big numbers with the support he'll get in Detroit's stacked lineup. But Renteria was a disappointment the only time he played for an American League team. Playing for the Red Sox in 2007, Renteria hit just .276 with eight homers and nine steals.
|
| 10 |
 |
Michael Young |
.315 |
80 |
9 |
94 |
13 |
|
Young's power has disappeared, but he's still capable of hitting for power and will drive in runs batting in the middle of the Rangers' lineup.
|
| 11 |
 |
Orlando Cabrera |
.301 |
101 |
8 |
86 |
20 |
|
Cabrera will be hitting either first or second for Chicago, and should get plenty of stolen base attempts with manager Ozzie Guillen's aggressive style.
|
| 12 |
 |
Julio Lugo |
.237 |
71 |
8 |
73 |
33 |
|
Lugo bounced back from a disastrous first half (.197 average) to post solid numbers in the second half of 2007. His average should improve, and Lugo is a big-time stolen base threat.
|
| 13 |
 |
Ryan Theriot |
.266 |
80 |
3 |
45 |
28 |
|
Theriot will likely hold down the starting job in Wrigley again. He won't hit for power, and will likely post a mediocre batting average. But Theriot is capable of stealing 40 bases if he gets on often enough.
|
| 14 |
 |
J.J. Hardy |
.277 |
89 |
26 |
80 |
2 |
|
The 25-year-old Hardy is a good young hitter with solid power. But he might have a tough time matching his 2007 home run total. He hit 16 homers in his first 55 games last season, but just 10 HR over the final 96 games.
|
| 15 |
 |
Jason Bartlett |
.265 |
75 |
5 |
43 |
23 |
|
After a solid season with the Twins, Bartlett could end up batting lead off for an improving young Rays lineup. He has solid speed and has shown the ability to get on base consistently.
|
