Mastersball Fantasy Forum

Please rank your top-10 SHORTSTOPS using standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring rules (HR, BA, RBI, SB, R)

Feel free to provide commentary.

Scoring will be done MVP style, your top 3b will get 10 points.

Hanley
Tulo - I believe he is a real star in the making
----------------
Rollins - no longer a 30/40 guy, but 20/30 is still real nice
Jeter - you know what you'll get, unless this is the year he finally gets old
----------------
Reyes - would have been in the tier above if he'd had the chance to show his legs are OK
Alexei - I wouldn't be surprised if he hit 25 HRs, I wouldn't want to count on it either
Bartlett - I like him but last year's power was a mirage 300 AVG 25SBs is a reasonable expectation
Andrus - If things break his way 40 steals seems acheivable
------------------
Asdrubal - next year he's a tier or 2 higher
Tejada - consistent and good
-------------------
Yunel Escobar, Stephen Drew, Ryan Theriot, Everth Cabrera and Marco Scutaro finish out the top15

AllstonRockCity wrote:Hanley
Tulo - I believe he is a real star in the making
----------------
Rollins - no longer a 30/40 guy, but 20/30 is still real nice
Jeter - you know what you'll get, unless this is the year he finally gets old
----------------
Reyes - would have been in the tier above if he'd had the chance to show his legs are OK
Alexei - I wouldn't be surprised if he hit 25 HRs, I wouldn't want to count on it either
Bartlett - I like him but last year's power was a mirage 300 AVG 25SBs is a reasonable expectation
Andrus - If things break his way 40 steals seems acheivable
------------------
Asdrubal - next year he's a tier or 2 higher
Tejada - consistent and good
-------------------
Yunel Escobar, Stephen Drew, Ryan Theriot, Everth Cabrera and Marco Scutaro finish out the top15

Looks about right but I'd go with Drew over Tejada at #10

1) Hanley Ramirez- Looking over his shoulder at...
2) Troy Tulowitzki- He can still go 30-15 pretty easy, squint a little (and with a less-atmospheric BABIP from Hanley) and that starts to look familiar.
3) Jimmy Rollins- He is what he is at this point...the third best fantasy shortstop
4) Derek Jeter- See #3, insert fourth
5) Jose Reyes- Just trade him to the White Sox already so that he can actually play.
6) Alexei Ramirez- Big drop from 5 to 6, but he's the best of the rest
7) Miguel Tejada- Still decent power and good BA
8) Yunel Escobar- Um, SS gets thin fast, no?
9) Jason Bartlett- May not hit double digit HRs again
10) Marco Scutaro- Runs and RBI should make up for lack of speed

Since the next five are practically interchangeable with 7-10, here they are...Andrus, E. Cabrera, A. Cabrera, Drew, Furcal.

1. Hanley Ramirez - I'm worried about a speed decline, but his other numbers are so solid that he's still obviously the best shortstop.
--------------------
2. Jimmy Rollins - I think Rollins could be a pretty solid value buy this year compared to Tulo or Jeter.
3. Troy Tulowitzki - Am I the only one that's super skeptical of last year? The ISO and the SB totals almost have to regress in some capacity, and then what do we have? A good but not great shortstop, that's what.
4. Derek Jeter - His aging decline was very nicely masked by New Yankee Stadium last year (Jeter's inside-out swing is absolutely perfect for right field there), and I expect that masking to continue for the most part. I don't believe he'll steal 30 bags again, though. In other words, don't bid on last year's value.
--------------------
5. Jose Reyes - A game-changer in every sense of the idiom. He likely either ends up in the top 2 or 3 shortstops or off this list completely in terms of final value, so the hedge is to buy him somewhere around #5-#7. I think it's much easier to bid on him in an auction where (hopefully) you can control the timing of when his named is called after you see if you've made a mistake and need the upside. In a draft, he probably goes too high for you to know one way or the other, and that makes it a much tougher decision.
6. Jason Bartlett - I find myself believing more and more as the days pass by. It's possible he ends up being the savviest value of all the lower tiered shortstops.
7. Alexei Ramirez - Not quite the stud we'd hoped for, but he's still quite solid.
--------------------
8. Asdrubal Cabrera - Steady and with some mild upside.
9. Miguel Tejada - I keep hoping the decline happens every year so I'll look smart for passing him up. And every year he bests me. May the fantasy gods smite you, Miguel!
10. Marco Scutaro - I pick him over Stephen Drew or Yunel Escobar mostly because of the very nice line-up he'll be in.

Honorable Mentions:
Stephen Drew - I still like him, and there's always a chance he performs into the 5-7 range. There's also a chance that he has solid earning value after coming off a craptastic season. But boy oh boy is he mercurial, and that's a legitimate risk.
Yunel Escobar - Solid, but he has little upside in my estimation.
Alcides Escobar - In a few years, I think he'll have low double-digit homerun upside. But not yet. In the interim, enjoy his speed and don't expect too much else. He needs to learn how to take a walk, too.

1 hanley

2 tulowitzki
3 rollins

4 jeter
5 reyes

6 alexei ramirez
7 miguel tejada
8 yunel escobar
9 jason bartlett
10 Asdrubal Cabrera