2011 Player Rankings: Shortstops
The 2011 class of shortstops is fortunate enough to have two of the most coveted players in fantasy baseball at the very top. It’s also unfortunate to be stocked full of mediocrity and uncertainty after that.
The follow is a list of the top shortstop options this season as complied by all of the RotoGraphs authors.
Tier 1:
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki
No surprises here. The kind of production these two provide from a generally weak position is what owners pay top dollar for. Few players in baseball, at any position, can match their overall talents. They shouldn’t go ahead of Albert Pujols, but a real case can be made for taking either number two in your draft.
Tier 2:
Jose Reyes
Derek Jeter
Alexei Ramirez
Stephen Drew
Jimmy Rollins
In past seasons Reyes and Jeter could make a case for Tier 1, but that time seems to have passed. Jeter’s counting stats should still be valuable, and Reyes will continue to steal bases if finally healthy. Ramirez has apparently bulked up a bit this offseason which will hopefully help his home run totals get into the 20-25 range again. Drew and Rollins are both very balanced players, contributing in any number of categories.
Tier 3:
Elvis Andrus
Starlin Castro
Ian Desmond
Yunel Escobar
Rafael Furcal
Asdrubal Cabrera
The younger players seemed to have fallen into this tier. Andrus, Castro, and Desmond could each end up in the second tier by years end. Andrus because of his steals, Castro because of his average, and Desmond because of his power. Furcal is Furcal, he’s been a steady producer at the position for years and years. Escobar seemed to come back to life a bit in Toronto. He’ll never run much, but should provide you with a decent average and double digit power.
Tier 4:
Alcides Escobar
Miguel Tejada
Jhonny Peralta
J.J. Hardy
Erick Aybar
Ryan Theriot
Juan Uribe
Jason Bartlett
Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Cliff Pennington
Reid Brignac
Marco Scutaro
Lots to go on here. Escobar’s value is going to rely on how many bases he steals. The Royals seems set on giving him the job, but if his OBP is under .300 as it was last season I don’t see him lasting the entire season. J.J. Hardy is a nice sleeper candidate. He’s not far removed from a very nice season and gets to play in a great hitters park in Baltimore. You’ll find power numbers from Uribe but little else, while Brignac provides sneaky double digit home run potential.
The rest:
Alex Gonzalez
Yuniesky Betancourt
Jed Lowrie
Clint Barmes
Alexi Casilla
Orlando Cabrera
Edgar Renteria
Ronny Cedeno
Omar Infante
Mike Aviles
The biggest wild card here to me is Jed Lowrie. The value you assess him all depends on how much playing time you think he gets. He hit nine homers in under 200 ABs last season, but couldn’t stay healthy. Personally, and other RG writers agree, I think he ends up playing more than Scutaro. The rest should only be owned in the deepest of leagues, otherwise they’re waiver wire fodder for a rainy day.
Please discuss the rankings in the comments if you’d like. I’ll try and get to as many questions as I can.
Erik writes for DraysBay and has also written for Bloomberg Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ehahmann.
No Mike Aviles love? If he stays healthy is it not possible that he duplicates 2009?
I agree. Especially if what was written proves true:
“Escobar’s value is going to rely on how many bases he steals. The Royals seems set on giving him the job, but if his OBP is under .300 as it was last season I don’t see him lasting the entire season.”
I realize Moustakas will be up at some point, but I think the playing time will be there if Aviles performs like he’s capable.
I liked Aviles more than most of our other writers. I assume you mean duplicate 2008. I doubt he hits .325 again, but I do like him as a sleeper.
As a proud Tulo owner, kinda felt insulted when I clicked to get to his page.
Hmm…not sure I get a couple of these rankings:
Peralta – with the bar set so low at the SS position, ahead of Andrus, Escobar, and Cabrera. As a 3B, there’s little to like, but 15, 23, and 21 HR over the past three seasons, along with 80+ RBI for three straight years (probably won’t change in DET’s lineup) gives him lots of value.
Lowrie – “couldn’t stay healthy.” Tough tag to put on a guy who’s really only had one injury (wrist). Not sure how the mono qualifies under the “injury risk” category.
I agree with you regarding Lowrie. The bigger issue for Lowrie, as set forth in the comment, is Scutaro’s health and playing time. I think Lowrie may wrest that job away at some point.
I would write about how many of the shortstops on this list Omar Infante actually out-earned in NL-only leagues last year, but I feel like I would be wasting my breath. I’m not a huge fan either, and in mixed leagues, he is definitely a lower tier option. Worse than a couple of the guys in Tier 4? No way.
Jeter’s case for tier 1 may have passed due to his age but Reyes? When healthy he can still be a game changer and capable of putting up tier 1 #’s. Funny how Tulo got a free pass after his god awful season prior to last year but Reyes (who’s playing for a contract) time as a tier 1 has passed???
Also show me why Andrus, who’s displayed no power whatsoever deserves tier 3 status while Pennington who in 80 less AB’s hit more HR’s, RBI’s, and only stole 3 less bases than Andrus….who by the way plays in a hitters ballpark.
Tier 1 you’re looking at a 5cat star in Hanley and 4cat monster in Tulo. Assuming this is all based on basic 5×5, Reyes only really gets you 2, maybe 3 if his average climbs up with added bonus in a 4th (HR) that you could argue for Tulo’s 5th (SB) as well tho. Not to mention they’re power hitters of the position just starting to get into their late 20s, and the Mets have been an extremely unfortunate organization of late. Injuries really only add to case of Reyes in the 2nd tier I feel, not build it.
I would have ranked alex gonzalez into tier 4. His upside (see 23HR) is worth moving up a tier.
No Jack Wilson or Brendan Ryan 😉
I definitely have both Aviles (even though he is 2B-only in most leagues) and Peralta higher than this. Peralta is often overlooked but he is pretty much a lock for .250-.260, 15-20 HRs and 80 RBI. Not too shabby. And I like Aviles for something like .300, 10 HRs, 80+ R, and around 20 SB.
What about Maicer Izturis?