The Rockies’ slugger has hit a whopping 14 home runs in September to go along with 34 RBIs, a .351 average and 1.407 OPS.
Thanks in large part to Tulowitzki’s stunning recent performance, the Rockies have been able to pull back into the playoff race, something Rockies fans have grown accustomed to over the past few seasons.
Though the crop of shortstops in the major leagues isn’t as dynamic as it was when the likes of Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada and Omar Vizquel were in their primes, Tulowitzki and Florida’s Hanley Ramirez have stood out above the rest as the game’s elite.
But Tulowitzki, who is looking to lead his Rockies to the postseason for the fourth time in franchise history and the third time in the last four years, is better than Ramirez.
Tulowitzki leads all big league shortstops with a .325 average, .980 OPS, 26 home runs and 89 RBIs (in just 110 games). Ramirez is second in average (.301) and OPS (.856), third in homers (21) and fourth in RBIs (76).
Defensively, it’s nearly impossible to tell who is better, because different statistics tell different stories. Tulowitzki, for instance, leads all major league shortstops with a 5.21 range factor, while Ramirez is 18th (3.98). Then again, Ramirez’s 6.2 zone rating ranks fourth, while Tulowitzki ranks 21st. Tulowitzki owns a .984 fielding percentage to Ramirez's .971.
Therefore, one can really only judge the pair based on offensive production — of which Tulowitzki has the clear advantage, despite playing 30 less games in 2010.
Ramirez has the speed — he leads all shortstops with 31 steals — but Tulowitzki isn’t too far behind, having reached double digits in each of the past two seasons.
For my money, there’s no shortstop more valuable than the man who wears No. 2 for the Colorado Rockies.
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