WaiverSharks 2009 Preseason
Fantasy Baseball Rankings:
Shortstop
Okay guys - we know the 2009 Major League Baseball season is still a ways away, but we hope we can pry your eyes away from your woman’s annual holiday Victoria ’s Secret catalogue just long enough to go through our exciting Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings.
Ask anyone who has played the game of baseball and they will agree – Shortstop is probably the most important position, outside of your pitcher, on the field. So, more often then not – the demanding defensive skill-set required to man the Shortstop - SS position garners a less then adequate offensive bat. This would explain why Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes will generally fly off of 2009 draft boards faster then a flying hush puppy (shoe) hurled at George Bush.
The TOP 10
1) Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins – Still “numero uno” for Fantasy - SS
2) Jose Reyes, New York Mets – Monster year could be in store for Jose.
3) Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies – Solid #3
4) Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks – Breakout 2008 raises the bar for ’09.
5) Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies – 2008 1st half DL creates a bargain here.
6) Derek Jeter, New York Yankees – Declining numbers – but still worthy.
7) Johnny Peralta, Cleveland Indians – May gain 3B eligibility – enhancing value.
8) Michael Young, Texas Rangers – Always hits. But will he remain a Ranger?
9) J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers – Has pop in a tough to find power position.
10) Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles – Tejada aged 4 years the last 2 years.
The Next 10
11) Rafael Furcal, LA Dodgers – Rafael Furcal is the Ultimate MLB Shortstop Fantasy Baseball “Sleeper” – that everyone knows about!
12) Jed Lowrie, Boston Red Sox – Yeah we know - this is way too high a ranking for “Honest Jed” - right? But look at all the guys following our bold #12. Really, once the Top 15 or so SS are taken – step up and get ready to play that wacky fantasy game - “Who could be the next Aviles !”
13) Mike Aviles, Kansas City Royals – This guy could!
14) Khalil Greene, St. Louis Cardinals – We wouldn’t bet the farm on it – but a change of scenery – and getting out of Petco Parks Death Star dimensions should help Greene’s overall power numbers – now if he can just manage to bat .260
15) Yunel Escobar, Atlanta Braves – Yunel will lose some multi-position versatility this season – but is still a young SS worthy of some late round love.
16) Orlando Cabrera, Chicago White Sox – Orlando may not excite you – but he is relatively consistent year in and year out – and in an undeniably shallow group of fantasy stars – he shines just a little brighter then the rest of the pack.
17) Felipe Lopez, Arizona Diamondbacks – When the Reds traded away Felipe Lopez a few years back we thought they were nuts – but he certainly hasn’t lived up to his 2005 campaign. Let’s see what he can do in the desert.
18) Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants – Renteria’s return to the National League will hopefully give a boost to his mediocre single season stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2008.
19) Ryan Theriot, Chicago Cubs – We originally had mistakenly omitted "The Riot" But Fantasy mangers should definitely not make this mistake. Theriot is coming off his best season, and although he'll do squat for your power numbers - he was ranked in the leagues leaders for multi-hit games in 2008, and should net you 25 or more stolen bases.
20) Emmanuel Burriss, San Francisco Giants – Yeah Yeah we are aware of the Giants signing of old man Renteria – but if Burriss can either grab hold of an opportunity if the injury bug strikes – or find a full time gig elsewhere – he could conceivably steal 40 plus bags. Consider him a Ryan Theriot "Lite"
Shortstop Sleepers
21) Reid Brignac, Tampa Bay Rays - As of today there really is not a lot standing in the way of Reid Brignac getting a legitimate look next Spring Training. Neither Jason Bartlett nor Ben Zobrist possesses the upside of the talented Mr. Brignac.
22) Alcides Escobar, Milwaukee Brewers – Won’t start 2009 with the Brewers – but we could see the speedy Escobar called up during the year. He’ll need to utilize his speed - and improve his base stealing prowess if he wants to land a full time gig in the majors.
23) Christian Guzman, Washington Nationals - "The Guz" had one of his best seasons in 2008 - fittingly it was a contract year - (Shocking!) He'll be part of a mildly improved Nats line-up in 2009 - but we're sceptical of him repeating the numbers he pulled down last season.
24) Clint Barmes, Colorado Rockies – When “Tulo” fell to injury Clint stepped in rather adequately during the Rockies first half of the 2008 season. He currently hasn’t solidified a starting spot in the Rockies line-up. Jeff Baker appears ahead of him at second base – but as we all know 162 games is a marathon – and Barmes has proved that provided he avoids carrying too many groceries up his stairs – he’s a middle infielder who carries a decent stick.
25) Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers – Andrus won’t see the light of day at Shortstop in Texas as long as the Rangers have All-star Michael Young at the SS helm – but in a few years we could see the Rangers employ this speedster as their everyday man at short.
Note: The Rangers have convinced Michael Young to slide on over to the hot corner in an attempt to give Elvis Andrus a shot at winning the SS spot heading into Spring. After some intitial resistance - and a trade request it appears Young will try and grant the Rangers their third base wish. Hmmm...Stay tuned.
Dynasty League Potentials
Tim Beckham, Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays first overall selection in the 2008 MLB player draft is another solid shortstop - SS prospect. Beckham may actually be moved to the outfield down the road – but regardless he projects as a strong (5X5) five tools candidate in the future.
Gordon Beckham, Chicaco White Sox – Gordon Beckham (no relation to the above mentioned Tim Beckham) is bigger and more powerful then the younger Rays prospect – but he also is in danger of being moved to another position on the diamond when he eventually cracks the bigs – likely second or third base.
Carlos Triunfel, Seattle Mariners – The ultra talented Triunfel may still be a couple years away – but we felt a need to give the Mariners fans some ray of hope. He has an amazing arm – but again, like both the previously mentioned Beckham boys – it remains to be seen if he will stick as a Shortstop once his young body matures.
