‘Fantasy Gold’ Hanley Ramirez No. 1 in NESN.com’s Fantasy Shortstop Rankings

by NESN Staff | Mar 24, 2010 | 6 Min Read

Hanley Ramirez’s outstanding contributions in all five offensive fantasy categories are sure to whet your palate. But if you’re not lucky enough to draft in the top two, missing out on him isn’t the end of the world.

Shortstop is a position where elite speedsters are available long after the first round, and you might consider Brewers’ youngster Alcides Escobar or Padres’ sophomore Everth Cabrera — who could each swipe 30 or more bases — if the rest of your team is sufficiently stocked with power.

But as you’ll see in the shortstop rankings below, homers are hard to come by once Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins is off the board.

See our position-by-position rankings here: C
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300

Name Team 2009 Stats 2010 Projection Notes
Hanley Ramirez Marlins .342 AVG, 24 HR, 106 RBI, 101 R, 27 SB .332 AVG, 27 HR, 103 RBI, 102 R, 31 SB May be the only player in baseball capable of a .300 average, 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, 100 runs and 30 stolen bases — the definition of fantasy gold.
Troy Tulowitzki Rockies .297 AVG, 32 HR, 92 RBI, 101 R, 20 SB .289 AVG, 28 HR, 97 RBI, 99 R, 19 SB You can safely assume that Tulo's dismal 2008 season was an anomaly, and pick him with confidence in the second round.
Derek Jeter Yankees .334 AVG, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 107 R, 30 SB .307 AVG, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 100 R, 25 SB Unlikely to match MVP-caliber 2009 effort, but is the last of the safe shortstop picks in the upper tier.
Jimmy Rollins Phillies .250 AVG, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 100 R, 31 SB .272 AVG, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 106 R, 27 SB Concerns of an ongoing collapse should be allayed by his second half: .272 average and 14 homers in 323 at-bats.
Jose Reyes Mets .279 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 18 R, 11 SB .301 AVG, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 100 R, 33 SB Reyes has loads of upside, but health concerns and Citi Field's dimensions eat into his draft-day value.
Elvis Andrus Rangers .267 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 72 R, 33 SB .278 AVG, 7 HR, 56 RBI, 83 R, 42 SB Think of him as the shortstop version of Chone Figgins, with a bit more pop in his bat and better lineup support.
Jason Bartlett Rays .320 AVG, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 90 R, 30 SB .291 AVG, 11 HR, 57 RBI, 81 R, 22 SB A mature approach and revamped swing led to 2009 breakout, but expect some regression based on .364 BABIP.
Stephen Drew Diamondbacks .261 AVG, 12 HR, 65 RBI, 71 R, 5 SB .277 AVG, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 80 R, 6 SB Lowly .288 BABIP and 6.3 percent home run/fly ball rate indicate that Drew did not perform to his ability last season.
Asdrubal Cabrera Indians .308 AVG, 6 HR, 68 RBI, 81 R, 17 SB .305 AVG, 10 HR, 64 RBI, 81 R, 17 SB Last shortstop on the board who is likely to bat over .300 and contribute double-digit homers and stolen bases.
Yunel Escobar Braves .299 AVG, 14 HR, 76 RBI, 89 R, 5 SB .303 AVG, 17 HR, 77 RBI, 86 R, 5 SB Improved his fly ball percentage last season, and building on that effort could bring his home run total closer to 20.
Alexei Ramirez White Sox .277 AVG, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 71 R, 14 SB .269 AVG, 14 HR, 64 RBI, 74 R, 12 SB Unpolished approach tempers his batting average, but double-digit homers and swipes are hard to pass up.
Erick Aybar Angels .312 AVG, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 70 R, 14 SB .306 AVG, 6 HR, 61 RBI, 79 R, 23 SB Underrated ability to hit over .300 and steal 20-plus bases makes him a fine alternative if the upper-tier shortstops pass you by.
Alcides Escobar Brewers .304 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 20 R, 4 SB .287 AVG, 4 HR, 57 RBI, 77 R, 31 SB Remember Andrus as the fantasy shortstop version of Chone Figgins? Escobar could be Andrus Lite.
Rafael Furcal Dodgers .269 AVG, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 92 R, 12 SB .274 AVG, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 71 R, 10 SB Furcal can no longer get away with a 50-plus percent ground ball rate, because his speed is diminishing with age.
J.J. Hardy Twins .229 AVG, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 53 R, 0 SB .271 AVG, 22 HR, 69 RBI, 78 R, 1 SB The Twins thought highly of Hardy's potential to rebound from a terrible 2009, and his pop makes him stand out among the remaining shortstops.
Everth Cabrera Padres .255 AVG, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 59 R, 25 SB .265 AVG, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 67 R, 39 SB Cabrera was unprepared for the bigs last season, and may still need more Triple-A  seasoning, but his speed is very enticing.
Ryan Theriot Cubs .284 AVG, 7 HR, 54 RBI, 81 R, 21 SB .288 AVG, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 76 R, 18 SB Might be the last shortstop on the list with enough upside to be considered as a fantasy starter
Maicer Izturis Angels .300 AVG, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 74 R, 13 SB .293 AVG, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 66 R, 13 SB Won't start for the Angels, but could fill in at three infield positions, or pinch-run.
Orlando Cabrera Reds .284 AVG, 9 HR, 77 RBI, 83 R, 13 SB .288 AVG, 11 HR, 63 RBI, 79 R, 11 SB The last reliable 10 homer, 10 stolen base candidate on the board, though he's clearly on the downslope of his career.
Marco Scutaro Red Sox .282 AVG, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 100 R, 14 SB .271 AVG, 8 HR, 53 RBI, 80 R, 8 SB Should post a decent average and score runs in droves in the Boston lineup, but don't forget 2009 was a career year.
Juan Uribe Giants .289 AVG, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 50 R, 3 SB .267 AVG, 15 HR, 58 RBI, 53 R, 3 SB Terrific pickup for the Giants last year could continue to provide pop, while starting the year at second and later backing up Edgar Renteria at short.
Brendan Ryan Cardinals .292 AVG, 3 HR, 37 RBI, 55 R, 14 SB .275 AVG, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 58 R, 11 SB Could start the year on the DL, but his solid average and stolen-base potential makes him a worthy backup.
Cliff Pennington Athletics .279 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 27 R, 7 SB .261 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 55 R, 18 SB If you need some late-round steals out of your backup shortstop, Pennington's your guy. Otherwise, look for upside elsewhere.
Alex Gonzalez Blue Jays .238 AVG, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 42 R, 2 SB .251 AVG, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 60 R, 1 SB Broke out of a funk and hit .284 with five homers in 148 at-bats after midseason trade to Boston.
Ian Desmond Nationals .280 AVG, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R, 1 SB .263 AVG, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 45 R, 13 SB Likely to overtake Cristian Guzman and become starting shortstop as part of Nationals' youth movement.

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