Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 NL Shortstops in 2010

by Ray Guilfoyle on Sep 28, 2009 9:00 AM EDT in Baseball Comment 4 comments

Arizona Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew connects for a triple as San Diego Padres catcher Eliezer Alfonzo waits for the ball in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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7 months ago: Arizona Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew connects for a triple as San Diego Padres catcher Eliezer Alfonzo waits for the ball in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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I compared the Phillies Jimmy Rollins to the Rockies Troy Tulowitzki on Saturday. Today I look at the top 10 NL shortstops for 2010 with their stats through 9/26/2009. You may be surprised with a few of my rankings.

Player	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	KO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
Ramirez, Hanley SS FLA	560	100	195	41	24	105	58	97	26	0.348	0.414	0.554
Tulowitzki, Troy SS COL	521	94	150	24	30	86	69	110	18	0.288	0.368	0.537
Rollins, Jimmy SS PHI	647	96	158	40	20	75	41	69	30	0.244	0.289	0.411
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM	147	18	41	7	2	15	18	19	11	0.279	0.355	0.395
Escobar, Yunel SS ATL	498	84	149	26	14	74	54	59	4	0.299	0.377	0.440
Tejada, Miguel SS HOU	603	76	186	44	13	81	18	48	5	0.309	0.337	0.449
Cabrera, Everth SS SD	358	57	93	18	2	31	44	84	24	0.260	0.344	0.366
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC	582	79	167	20	7	53	47	91	21	0.287	0.344	0.375
Drew, Stephen SS ARI	503	68	130	27	12	60	49	83	5	0.258	0.321	0.431
Furcal, Rafael SS LA	594	91	159	28	9	45	58	87	10	0.268	0.333	0.377

The Marlins Hanley Ramirez is a no-brainer as the top shortstop in the NL, or for all of baseball for that matter. Like I said on Saturday, there is plenty of speed at the shortstop position in 2009 and 2010, lead by Jimmy Rollins, the Mets Jose Reyes, the Padres Everth Cabrera and the Cubs Ryan Theriot. A couple guys not included in the top 10 are the Brewers Alcides Escobar, the Nationals Christian Guzman, and the Giants Juan Uribe.

There are 3 guys on this list that can give you 20-20 seasons in 2010, HanRam, Tulo and J-Roll. It remains to be seen how healthy the Mets Jose Reyes will be in 2010, as most of his value lies in his ability to steal bases. If Reyes cannot give an owner 35 stolen bases, he will probably stay in the top 5-6 NL shortstops. If he can return to the guy that steals 50-60 bases, he can jump to number 2 on the list.

A guy that I have my eye on is the Padres Everth Cabrera, who I have written about previously. I think he can steal 50 bases in a full season with the Padres in 2010. The Padres love his defense, and have already given him the green light to steal.

The Dodgers Rafael Furcal has disappointed roto owners in 2009. I traded him for closer Kevin Gregg in the UBA league. Furcal has only stolen 10 bases in 2009, a big dropoff from the usual 25-30 he gave owners in the past. He does help in 5x5 leagues, as he has scored 91 runs this season, even though his OBP is only 0.333.

Another shortstop who has disappointed roto owners in 2009 is the Diamondbacks Stephen Drew. After hitting 70+ extra base hits in 2008, I jumped on his bandwagon, thinking he could be a top 3 shortstop in 2009. He rewarded me with a 12-60-.258 season.

WOW! I just noticed Jimmy Rollins OBP this season. .289!!! That. Is. Pitiful. I may re-consider his ranking come March 2010.

Poll

Who should take over Rollins spot as the number 3 shortstop in the NL in 2010?

Jose Reyes

58 votes

Yunel Escobar

18 votes

Everth Cabrera

11 votes

Stephen Drew

14 votes

101 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Reyes

Reyes is going to be an ultimate boom-or-bust pick.

I don’t know if I can safely making an argument full of sincere conviction until I see him in Spring Training. That being said, I think I would rather roll the dice on him than Rollins. Some of these Mets guys are going to be GREAT bargains next year.

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by Bryan Everson (The Royalty of Roto) on Sep 28, 2009 3:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Drew

Many missed calls, but Drew strikes me as one. Pundits were going all Viagra and pushing him into the 5th/6th round.

In NL only, I’d probably take him as the 5th best SS. That upside will eventually show up, right?

by faketeams on Sep 28, 2009 6:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Looks about right...

But I’d switch Reyes with Rollins and drop Cabrera to 10th and if Alcides lives up to the potential…look out

by Ha_v_oc on Sep 28, 2009 10:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

surprising

the the D-backs are considering trading him in the offseason. Maybe he and his brother have the same passion for the game.
Cabrera may be a bit high, but he could lead the league in SBs in 2010. Heck, Michael Bourn discovered how to hit in 2009 and has close to 60 SBs.

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on Sep 28, 2009 10:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs