Fake Teams 2013 Consensus Shortstop Rankings: Part 2

I published Part 1 of our 2013 Consensus Shortstop Rankings on Monday morning, so today I will take a look at Part 2 of our rankings. I will profile shortstops ranked 14 - 25 in our 2013 rankings, but there aren't many exciting players with the exception of Rockies shortstop Josh Rutledge.

Part 2 of our Consensus Shortstop Rankings includes a few guys who could put up some decent power numbers in Jed Lowrie, Josh Rutledge, and Jhonny Peralta; and a few guys who could challenge for the league lead in stolen bases if all breaks right for them in Everth Cabrera, Jean Segura and Dee Gordon.

Let's take a look at the Fake Teams Consensus Shortstop Rankings for 2013, followed by player profiles for shortstops ranked 14 - 25:

Rank	Player	Team	Ray	Bret	Jason	Craig	Score
1	Hanley Ramirez	LAD	2	1	4	1	104
2	Starlin Castro	CHC	3	2	1	2	104
3	Troy Tulowitzki	COL	1	3	2	3	103
4	Jose Reyes	MIA	5	4	3	6	94
5	Ben Zobrist	TB	6	6	7	4	89
6	Jimmy Rollins	PHI	4	5	5	10	88
7	Derek Jeter	NYY	9	9	6	5	83
8	Ian Desmond	WSH	8	7	8	9	80
9	Elvis Andrus	TEX	7	8	13	7	77
10	Asdrubal Cabrera	CLE	10	12	11	8	71
11	Danny Espinosa	WSH	12	10	9	12	69
12	Alcides Escobar	KC	15	11	10	11	65
13	Alexei Ramirez	CHW	14	14	14	13	57
14	J.J. Hardy	BAL	11	20	12	16	53
15	Josh Rutledge	COL	13	19	17	18	45
16	Zack Cozart	CIN	20	15	18	20	39
17	Marco Scutaro	SF	19	18	15	21	39
18	Jed Lowrie	HOU	18	22	19	15	38
19	Everth Cabrera	SD	23	13	22	19	35
20	Jhonny Peralta	DET	21	24	24	14	29
21	Erick Aybar	LAA	NR	25	16	17	26
22	Jean Segura	MLW	16	16	NR	NR	24
23	Dee Gordon	LAD	24	23	23	24	18
24	Stephen Drew	OAK	NR	21	20	NR	15
25	Ruben Tejada	NYM	17	NR	NR	25	14

Below are the player profiles for Fake Teams Consensus Top Shortstop Rankings for 2013, for shortstops ranked 14-25:

14. J.J. Hardy, BAL

Hardy hit 20+ home runs for the fourth time in the last six years, with the only two times he did not eclipse 20+ home runs being injury shortened seasons. Hardy hit .238-.282-.389 with 22 HRs, 85 runs and 68 RBI last season, maintaining his power despite a drop in BABIP from .273 to .253 and a drop in HR/FB rate from 15.7% to 10.0% last season. Hardy hits the long ball and benefits from playing his home games at Camden Yards, but appears to despise the free pass. His walk rate has dropped every year since 2009, but you aren't drafting him to walk. You are drafting him to hit home runs, score runs, and drive in runs, all at an above average rate for shortstops.

2013 Projection: He probably won't hit 30 home runs again, but he should be good for 20 - 25 home runs in 2013, with a batting average in the .260 range, assuming his BABIP normalizes, 80+ runs and 65-70 RBI. He should be drafted in the 12th-13th rounds in mixed leagues and 7th round in AL only leagues.

15. Josh Rutledge, COL

I own Rutledge in the UBA NL only keeper league, and am surprised I had the opportunity to grab him off the waiver wire last season. Rutledge filled in at shortstop for the oft-injured Troy Tulowitzki, hitting .274-.306-.469 with 8 HRs, 37 runs, 37 RBI and 7 stolen bases in 73 games. Like Hardy, he does not care for the free pass, preferring to swing the stick as much as he can. He is capable of putting up a 20 - 20 season as soon as 2013, as he is slated to be the Rockies starting second baseman, yet he will only have shortstop eligibility in most leagues. He did play 7 games at second base last season, so he will have second base eligibility in leagues requiring just 5 games played at a position.

2013 Projection: I see Rutledge hitting .270 with 18 HRs, 70 runs, 65 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 2013, and see himg being drafted in the later rounds of mixed leagues, and around the 9th-10th round in NL only leagues.

16. Zack Cozart, CIN

Cozart was a preseason favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, but some guy named Bryce Harper decided to take the league by storm and win the award instead. Cozart hit .246-.288-.399 with 15 HRs, 72 runs, 35 RBI and just 4 stolen bases last season. Many, including me, felt that he was capable of double digit steals last season, but manager Dusty Baker allowed him to run just four times last season. Another area where I see Cozart improving in 2013 is in the power department . If he can continue to hit fly balls at a 38% rate, with a slight bump in his HR/FB rate from 8.8%, we could see a 20+ HR season from him in 2013, especially when he calls Great American Ballpark home.

2013 Projection: I see Cozart hitting .255 with 21 HRs, 75 runs, 55 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 2013, and see him being drafted in the later rounds in mixed leagues, and around the 12th round in NL only leagues.

17. Marco Scutaro, FA

Scutaro had his best season as a major leaguer at the age of 36 in 2012, hitting .306-.348-.405 with 7 HRs, 87 runs, 74 RBI and 9 stolen bases. Scutaro is close to getting a 2-3 year deal from some team. I am not sure why. But that doesn't take away the fact that he has a .276 career batting average, and has average 80 runs scored over the last five seasons. That has value, and he could outperform his draft round in 2013, assuming he is drafted in one of the last few rounds of 2013 drafts.

2013 Projection: I see Scutaro hitting .280 with 6 HRs, 70 runs, and 50 RBI in 2013, and I see him drafted in the later rounds of most 2013 drafts. Assuming he signs in the NL, he is a late round pick in NL only leagues.

18. Jed Lowrie, HOUS

Lowrie might be the only guy on this list that is more injury prone than Troy Tulowitzki, but he is productive when healthy. The problem is he plays for the Astros. To give you an idea how injury prone he is, last year he played in 97 games, and that was a career high. But, in those 97 games, he hit .244-.331-.438 with 16 HRs, 43 runs and 42 RBI. He hits fly balls at a 50% clip, so if he could stay healthy enough to garner 600 at bats, he could approach 30 HRs, and be a mini-Tulo. He doesn't strike out a ton (16.8%) and walked at an 11% rate last season, so a breakout is a possibility, assuming good health.

2013 Projection: Assuming good health might be a stretch, but Lowrie has plenty of pop. I will project him to hit .255 with 20 HRs, 65 runs, and 70 RBI in 2013. I see him being drafted in the mid-late rounds in mixed leagues and the 13th round of AL only leagues.

19. Everth Cabrera, SD

Cabrera offers owners one category and he puts up elite numbers in that category. Last season, Cabrera played in just 115 games, hitting .246-.324-.324 with 2 HRs, 49 runs, 24 RBI and 44 stolen bases. To put his speed into perspective, he played in 40 less games than Michael Bourn, yet stole two more bases than Bourn last season. Cabrera is set to be the Padres Opening Day shortstop, despite claims that Logan Forsythe will compete for the starting shortstop job in 2013.

2013 Projection: I see ECab hitting .250 with 3 HRs, 75 runs, 40 RBI and 50 stolen bases in 2013, and see him drafted in the later rounds of mixed leagues and around 10th-11th round in NL only leagues, because there is always someone like me who will reach and draft him too early.

20. Jhonny Peralta, DET

Peralta had the worst year of his career in 2012, but it was still a pretty decent year for the Tigers shortstop. Peralta hit .239-.305-.384 with 13 HRs, 58 runs and 63 RBI. His RBI total ranked 9th, and his home run total ranked 10th, among all qualifying shortstops in 2012 in a down season for him. Peralta offers owners with solid power from the shortstop position with the ability to score and drive in 60-70 runs per season.

2013 Projection: I see Peralta hitting .255 with 15 HRs, 60 runs, and 65 RBI in 2013, and drafted in the 17th-19th rounds in mixed leagues and 14th round in AL only leagues.

21. Erick Aybar, LAA

Aybar was the subject of plenty of comments in Part 1 of our Shortstop rankings on Monday morning. Aybar had the second best season of his career last season, hitting .290-.324-.416 with 8 HRs, 67 runs, 45 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Among everyday shortstops, Aybar ranked 4th in batting average (.290) and only seven other shortstops stole more bases than he did last season.

2013 Projection: I see Aybar hitting .275 with 10 HRs, 70 runs, 50 RBI and 20+ stolen bases in 2013, and see him drafted in the later rounds in both mixed and AL only leagues in 2013.

22. Jean Segura, MIL

Segura had his first taste of major league pitching at the end of the 2012 season, playing in 45 games, hitting .258-.315-.325 with 19 runs, 14 RBI and 7 stolen bases. Segura was traded to the Brewers in the Zack Greinke trade last season and should be the Brewers starting shortstop come Opening Day 2013. Segura has the bat and speed to be a valuable fantasy shortstop in 2013. He stole 33 bases in 94 AA games last season, so his speed is his biggest tool for fantasy purposes.

2013 Projection: I see Segura hitting .270 with 5 HRs, 65 runs, 40 RBI and 25+ stolen basses in 2013, and he is a late round pick in mixed and NL only leagues.

23. Dee Gordon, LAD

Gordon is one of the fastest players in baseball, but he struggled in a big way at the plate last season, hitting just .228-.280-.281 with 1 HR, 38 runs, 17 RBI and 32 stolen bases in 87 games. Gordon has been mentioned in trade rumors the last few days, so there is a chance he is traded this offseason, and that is a good thing since the Dodgers plan to keep Hanley Ramirez at shortstop in 2013. Gordon certainly has some work to do at the plate, and in the field, but if he ever puts things together, he could steal 50+ bases .

2013 Projection: I see Gordon hitting .240 with 60 runs, 30 RBI and 40 stolen bases in 2013. I see him going undrafted in mixed leagues, and a late, late round pick in NL only leagues.

24. Stephen Drew, FA

Drew is a highly sought after shortstop this offseason, so he should land a starting job somewhere over the next few days/weeks. Drew struggled to return from him terrible ankle injury, and when he returned, he hit just .223-.309-.348 with 7 HRs, 38 runs and 28 RBI in 79 games last season. A far cry from his breakout 2008 season. We may have seen the best from him back in 2008. If we only knew.

2013 Projection: I see him hitting .250 with 14 HRs, 70 runs, and 55 RBI in 2013, and see him as a late round pick in mixed leagues and a 15th-17th round pick in "only" leagues.

25. Ruben Tejada, NYM

Tejada has zero power, but the bat was surprisingly good last season. Tejada hit .289-.333-.351 with 1 HR, 53 runs, 25 RBI and 4 stolen bases in 2012. His batting average benefitted from a .339 BABIP, so we can expect the batting average to drop some next season. Another reason to expect his batting average to take a hit in 2013 is the 30% line drive rate last season.

2013 Projection: I see Tejada hitting .265-.270 with 70 runs, and 40 RBI in 2013, and see him going undrafted in mixed leagues, and drafted in the last couple rounds in NL only leagues to the owner who decided to fill his last few pitcher slots before shortstop.