Remember the days when the young studs dominated the shortstop position? Nomar. A-Rod. Jeter. It was a beautiful time. Even thought the last 2 are still around, shortstop is still filled with young guys swinging big bats. The names may have changed, but you can still find some great hitters at what has traditionally been baseball's weakest hitting position.
- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins- Han-Ram has been the only challenger to King Albert's reign as #1 pick. That's how good he is.
- Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies- If you ran into the Tulo buzzsaw in October, I am genuinely sorry for you. He flat out went off.
- Jose Reyes, Mets- Always a risk to spend a lot of time injured, but he can sure motor when he does play.
- Derek Jeter, Yankees- Elite run production at the top of the Yankee's monstrosity of a lineup. If he can hit .300 again, he'll be golden. A BABIP 50 points lower than his career average makes that a distinct possibility.
- Alexei Ramirez, White Sox- He finished at the 4th best shortstop overall last year, after a horrendous first half.
- Elvis Andrus, Rangers- A great keeper option. Tremendous speed, and a high ceiling with being so young.
- Jimmy Rollins, Phillies- J-Roll's red hot start was ruined by numerous trips to the DL. He's still a very physically talented player despite his age and injury risk.
- Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks- Was a trendy sleeper pick that paid off last year. Could improve even further on last year's 80/15/60/10 line.
- Rafael Furcal, Dodgers- His speed is nice, but with the way the Dodgers played last year, his spot in that lineup doesn't mean much.
- Ian Desmond, Nationals- Not a very sexy pick. But if he improves just a small amount in his young age, it would bring a very solid line.
- Starlin Castro, Cubs- Was a very deserving ROY candidate last year. As long as he maintains his .300 average for a full season, he should see improvements across the board.
- Jhonny Peralta, Tigers- Detroit is starting to look like they could be loaded offensively, and Peralta is one of the reasons.
- Juan Uribe, Dodgers- Sure he will be at 2B the majorty of this year, but he should maintain his SS eligibility, and 20+ homers is hard to come by here.
- Marco Scutaro, Red Sox- The Sox may not pack as much punch as in the past, but having a guy at the top of their lineup pays major dividends to your runs category.
- Mike Aviles, Royals- The average is nice. The 32 RBIs and the fact that he plays for the Royals? Not so much.
