2011 SHORTSTOP CONSENSUS RANKINGS

[Trav The Ump]

Please rank your top-12 middle men using standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring rules (HR, BA, RBI, SB, R)

Feel free to provide commentary along with your picks.

Scoring will be done MVP style, your top SS will get 12 points.

If you want to give honorable mentions to those outside your Top 12, feel free. I'd also suggest you pick one dark horse who can shoot into your top 12 with the right luck etc.

After we receive enough votes, we'll post the results in a separate thread along with comparisons to other rankings systems.

Look forward to seeing everyone's lists and thoughts.

[Black Sox]

Here is mine...


12 Ramirez, Hanley ( guess will find out if down #'s due to problems with old manager )
11 Tulowitzki, Troy ( Love him, but 1st round?? Imagine he only hit 5 HR in Sept last year)
10 Reyes, Jose ( Just choose to get my speed elsewhere, price + Injury risk = no thank you )
9 Ramirez, Alexei ( Really like him solid with some upside )
8 Rollins, Jimmy ( No way!!)
7 Jeter, Derek ( you still have to pay too much for the name )
6 Andrus, Elvis ( Overated for what he really brings to the table )
5 Furcal, Rafael ( Nice player when healthy, but health is the key )
4 Drew, Stephen ( Solid with a little upside )
3 Castro, Starlin ( Defense doesn't count, unless he boots his way out of a job )
2 Desmond, Ian ( Solid counting stats )
1 Hardy, J.J. ( Little uptick with the move to Bal )

[deansdaddy]

Here's my take on SS for 2011

1.) Hanley Ramirez - Hanley comes off his worst season ever. Even so he still returned 1st Round value. In fact he is the only player likely to be drafted in the 1st round who has returned Top 15 value for 4 straight seasons. He's still the #2 player on my draft board regardless of format. You want consistency from your 1st round pick and even more so if you go the scarcity route. Hanley brings 5 cat production along with a history of good health.

2.) Troy Tulowitski - He was a sight to behold in September. He carried many fantasy teams to glory down the stretch last year, including my H2H Dynasty team, which almost won the league thanks to him. It's clear that when healthy he is a fantastic talent. But there is the rub. Health has been a factor. That is the only thing keeping him behind Hanley for at least one more year.
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3.) Jose Reyes - Bounced back nicely last year. No longer a first round pick and the days of 50 SB's are likely gone. Still, he will produce very good numbers for a SS and will help you across the board. I think if you draft him you can't expect more than last year's numbers. Health always an issue for him, but at least his legs looked good last year.

4.) Jimmy Rollins - I will start off by saying I will not be drafting Jimmy Rollins this year. He simply killed me in too many teams last year. I need a break from him. But that doesn't mean I don't think he is a buying opportunity for owners this year. His stock is down and he will cost you less than ever before. There is a big gap from the Top 3 SS's and for me the next wave starts with Rollins. If you miss out of the top guys, Rollins is a good name to use as a cue for when the next wave will start. Wait for his name to be called - then go ahead and draft someone else.
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5.) Alexei Ramirez - Okay, so it looks like Alexei is never going to be the stud we all thought he was going to be. Still he looks like he has settled into what he is, a quality SS who you can likely expect .280/80/18/70/15 from again this year.

6.) Derek Jeter - The Captain had a season to forget last year. That was followed up by tense off-season negotiations which culminated with Jeter taking a pay cut (he'll still make $17 million for three years guaranteed) and showing his frustrations with the public nature of the negotiations. But that is the past and Jeter seems motivated coming into the season. All eyes will be on him as he chases down 3,000 hits. The question for us is do we think Jeter can dial it up and stop the march of time for one more year or is last year a sign of of worse things to come. I think it's a combo of the two. He'll score over 100 again just like he did last year and I think it's a good bet he gets that batting average closer to .300 than last years .270. As for power and speed I think the safe route is to not plan for more than he gave us last year.
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7.) Stephen Drew - I have Stephen Drew higher than most will and freely admit I am willing to give him one more chance this year. I still believe he's got a chance to meet his expectations and finally you should be able to potentially turn a profit by rostering him. He has all the tools to be an elite player, he just hasn't put it together yet. Maybe Kirk Gibson can bring out the best in him this year. In any case, even his average season will provide you with decent production because unlike his brother he has managed to stay healthy.

8.) Elvis Andrus - He'll give you SB's and that's about it. But he'll give you at least 35+ with room for more if he could figure out a way to get on base more consistently. It would be great if you could draft him at a point that fit his production, but he always seems to go higher than I would have taken him, which I am perfectly okay with. If you do draft him, I suggest making a run at a JJ Hardy or Sean Rodriguez for your MI to try and make up for the lack of pop Andrus will give you.

9.) Rafael Furcal - Furcal is still a quality player when healthy. The problem is that health will likely continue to be an issue for him at this point. Still when he plays he'll be solid, just make sure if you draft him to be your No 1 you make contingency plans.

10.) Ian Desmond - He is a name to keep in mind this year if you want to wait at SS and like to draft for upside. He is the epitome of that this year for me. He has power and speed and if you draft him you are hoping he delivers a 20/20 season at a bargain price. He also makes a nice target as a MI for the above mentioned Andrus.

11.) Yunel Escobar - You could do worse than end up with Escobar as your starter. He has good pop for a SS and hopefully he can bounce back after a down season which saw him traded to Toronto. Maybe he'll get with the program this year and get back to being a .300 hitter. Good upside play this far down the list.

12.) Starlin Castro - The young SS will still be only 21 years old to start the season. He is going to be a good one for a long time, but the road will still be bumpy this year. The only thing I am sure of is he will steal more bases this year. I will give him this slot because his raw talent says he can produce and it could happen as soon as this year.

HM:

Jhonny Peralta - This will likely be the last year we write about Peralta as a SS. Still has some pop and he should play everyday putting 80 rbi's and 20 hr's within reach. Not bad for a late round SS.

J.J. Hardy - I have drafted Hardy twice already this year (as a MI both times) and am hoping the move to Baltimore helps revive his power numbers. Hopefully he can put last year's wrist problems behind him and give us 20 dingers again.

Asdrubal Cabrera - I think Cabrera has a good chance to prove he can be the player he showed us in 2009. He will be counted on by the Indians to be a table setter and should provide double-digit steals and a decent AVG.

[Mickey4081]

1. Ramirez
2. Tulowitzki
3. Reyes
4. Rollins -a headache as of late but i'm betting there is another highly productive season left from this former early round pick.
5. Alexei
6. Jeter- solid reliable player who is not quite finished yet.
7. Andrus
8. Drew
9. Desmond
10. Castro
11. Furcal
12. Escobar

[cwk1963]

1. Tulowitzki - I believe his power is still growing and in Coors Field that would be something to see. He steals enough and his BA is high enough to put him on the top.
2. Ramirez - I know this is the magical age 27 season but his HR total has fallen two years in a row now. His BA is fueled by a career .350 BABIP. There has to be a correction sometime, doesn't there?
3. Reyes - Like Ryan said, 50 SB are likely gone but 30-40 ain't a bad consolation prize.
4. Alexei Ramirez - In a good park and I see a 20/20 year coming.
5. Rollins - Younger than The Cap'n and will hit more HR and get more SB if he's healthy. Will sacrifice the BA.
6. Jeter - At this point the only thing he has a leg up on Rollins is BA. Will bounce back a bit but his elite years are behind him.
7. Drew - I'd like to see him hit 20 HR again. Supposedly will run more this year.
8. Desmond - 15/15 is in the cards.
9. Furcal - Health is a concern but you pretty much know what he'll do.
10. Hardy - I'll take the HR here and hope he does better with a new lease on life in a good park.
11. Castro - Can already hit for average now we have to see if the power develops. Will have to improve his SB% or his chances might be curtailed.
12. Peralta - May not hit 20 HR again but 15 is possible.

[AllstonRockCity]

1 Tulo - if he stays healthy this year, he's not injury prone in my book, if he doesn't then he is
2 Hanley - right there with Tulo, attitude problem?
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3 Reyes - just needs to stay healthy
4 Ramirez - i don't know where he will hit in CHI's order, i assume towards the bottom, but it won't matter
5 Rollins - last year has to scare you
6 Jeter - how long can he keep it up?
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7 Drew - i expect this is the last time he will be ranked this low
8 Nishioki - I don't think he's going to hit 300, but i think he'll be damn close and play every day, and steal bases
9 Andrus - lots of SB potential
10 Furcal - there's something about guys older than me who's primary asset is speed with mounting injury concerns
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11 Desmond
12 Hardy
Perralta Escobar Castro

[deansdaddy]

All Rock does well to throw T Nishioka's name out there. In my mind he's a 2B - so I forgot to include him.

Make sure to check ahead of time where he qualifies in your league. Some will only have him at SS to start the year. It is more than likely he starts at 2B for MIN - and his lack of pop would play better there. Still I think he can hit .300 and steal 20 bases and think I'd slot him in at 12 just ahead of Castro if I had to.

[Skin Blues]

12 - H. Ramirez
11 - T. Tulowitzki
10 - J. Reyes
9 - A. Ramirez
8 - D. Jeter
7 - S. Drew
6 - T. Nishioka
5 - J. Rollins
4 - S. Castro
3 - E. Andrus
2 - M. Tejada
1 - R. Furcal

Elvis Andrus is way over-rated, from what I can see, and Miggy is getting absolutely no love for his solid, steady performance. If push came to shove in a draft, I'd be very tempted to flip their rankings.

[AllstonRockCity]

The thing with Elvis is that he is so young, its easy to see lots of growth happening.

I think we have seen his floor, its his ceiling that has people tempted.

He is still 22 years old and hitting between Kinsler and Hamilton can't hurt.

[deansdaddy]

bump

[Bodhizefa]

1) Hanley Ramirez - It'd be interesting to see what he could do if he actually cared a bit more to hone his massive talent. But as is, he's still plenty plenty good.
2) Troy Tulowitzski - I don't think he's eclipsed Hanley just yet. He's still a bit of an injury risk.
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3) Jose Reyes - He gets a tier all by himself because he's better than those below him without a rebound to year's past. But he'd be even better and very close to the top Tier if he has a great contract year. I'm banking on him working hard for the money.
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4) Alexei Ramirez - He's good, but I don't think there's too much upside from last year.
5) Derek Jeter - He's not toast just yet. I think he rebounds a bit from his somewhat poor (for him) 2010.
6) Stephen Drew - He's still due for a good all-around season. There's a little bit of a breakout possibility here, too.
7) Jimmy Rollins - Can he have a batting average rebound? Can he play more than 120 games? I think he can, but I'm not paying too much to find out.
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8) Elvis Andrus - I feel he's still got a boatload of untapped potential. I like him to be a
9) Starlin Castro - He's had a great Spring thus far, and I expect he'll probably be a very steady producer. I don't think he's a star yet, though.
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10) Ian Desmond - He's got stolen base upside from last year, and I think he can do better in Runs and RBI as well.
11) Jed Lowrie - I think he's got an awful lot of potential at a very weak position.
12) Rafael Furcal - He's still pretty productive.

Runner-Up: Miguel Tejada - He's solid and boring at this point. I could see taking him in the bottom tier if you're risk averse.

EDITED: I took out Nishioka since he's a second baseman for sure now. Oops