Fantasy Baseball 2013 Head-to-Head Points League Rankings: Shortstop

On Tuesday, I released my top 20 second basemen in Head-to-Head Points leagues. Today I do the same, giving you my top 20 shortstops. (Go here for my top 20 first basemen, and here for my top 20 catchers.)

With Troy Tulowitzki out for most of 2012, Jose Reyes predictably won the points' crown with 468 points. Thirty-four-year-old Jimmy Rollins was next in line with 436 points, while three others -- Ben Zobrist, Derek Jeter and Marco Scutaro -- topped 400 points. Starlin Castro was only five points away from 400, and you'd certainly find Tulowitzki among the 400-point group if healthy.

Eleven shortstops stole 20 or more bases in 2012 (down from 13 the year before), but I see the opportunity for three or four more to join the club. You're not going to find much power at short (only five shortstops had 20 or more home runs), but since there's a lot of speed to be found up and down my top 20, I don't see the need to draft one of the elite guys early (although it's a nice luxury). I think short is a little deeper than second this year, so you can get away with waiting a little longer.

As a reminder, scoring in points leagues is one point for every base, run, RBI, walk and stolen base, and minus-one point for every strikeout.

Here are my top 20 shortstops in H2H Points leagues:

*Jurickson Profar, my No. 15 second basemen, would be No. 16 among shortstops if eligible.

Reyes moves from the NL East to the AL East and doesn't lose any value in my mind. He's still my No. 1...Tulowitzki averaged 457 points from 2009-2011, but the injury bug bit him hard in 2012. If you think he plays in 140-plus games, grab him early...Zobrist is one of my favorites. I think he reaches 20/20 for the first time...Rollins continues to produce, but his strikeout rate climbed from 9.4% to 13.7%. I think his power comes down some, so he's behind Zobrist...Hanley Ramirez had a nice 2012, but it was nowhere close to the Hanley of old. I think he has a shot at 25/20, but his strikeout and walk rates are headed in the wrong direction...Castro, who turns 23 in March, is a hits' machine, but I haven't seen anything to suggest his power is about to take off. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts to offset his low walk totals...Andrus is close behind Castro. He stole 21 bags in 2012 after averaging 34 his first three years. Last year was a fluke. He'll get back to 30...Hardy is a surprise at No. 8, but he's averaged 348 points the last two years. You can trust the power...Cabrera is close behind Hardy. He won't hit as many home runs as Hardy, but he makes up for it with modest speed...Alcides Escobar stole 35 bases in 2012 and I'm confident he'll steal 30 more. In roto leagues, I like him better than Andrus...Jeter is the shortstop you want if you miss out on the top 10...Aybar stole 20 bases for the third straight year in 2012, and I expect that trend to continue. I think he sets a career high in runs as well...Scutaro was my No. 11 second basemen. I think he's solid minus the power...Desmond went 25/20 in 2012, but he won't go 20/20 in 2013. His 20.3% career strikeout rate is a big problem......Alexei Ramirez gives you a little bit of everything. He is what he is. I don't see more than 12 home runs...Peralta hit .239 in 2012 after hitting .299 in 2011. I think he hits .265 and gives you 15 home runs with 60 runs and 70 RBI...Simmons could easily beat this ranking, but there will be a lot of ups and downs...Cozart had a disappointing 2012, but he has the chance to go 15/10...Yunel Escobar isn't liked by many, but he's always had a high BB/K, making him useful in points leagues...Lowrie is an annual sleeper special. I'd dream bigger.

You can follow me on Twitter at @akantecki.