By Greg Fox
Rotowhine.com Assistant Editor
January 31, 2008
Each week leading up to the 2008 major league baseball regular season, Rotowhine.com will dissect the top players in both the American and National League at each key fantasy position.
Top 15 Shortstops - National League
The list of National League shortstops is as eye-popping as it has been since the glory days of Rabbit Maranville. The top five guys are monsters at the position, the top two of whom deserve consideration with the first two selections in your drafts. Of course we’re referring to Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes. Get one of these two on your roster and you will need corrective surgery to remove the grin from your face. Reyes was awful for a good part of the 2007 season and still finished with 78 steals and 119 runs scored. This author’s right hand is actually trembling as he is writing about Ramirez’ exploits last season. Suffice it to say his fantasy season was one of legend. The more we stare at reigning MVP Jimmy Rollins’ freakish numbers, the more I think we’re clinically insane for not having a guy who blasted 30 homers, drove in 94, stole 41 and scored 139 times at the top of this list, but he’s our #3. In real life, Troy Tulowitzki is probably better than all three. On fantasy fronts he’s also no slouch and is the #4 man on our list. As a rookie, he delivered 24 homers, 99 RBI and 104 runs scored and promises to run more this year. If Tejada can keep himself out of the slammer after allegedly lying to federal investigators in 2005, he should have a solid year as a member of the Astros. After Tejada there is still good talent left over, including the consistent Rafael Furcal, Yunel Escobar, Khalil Greene and potential breakout candidate Stephen Drew. But once you get below J.J. Hardy at #10, it gets ugly. Let’s see if the Whine Cellar can makes heads or tails of this.
1. Hanley Ramirez, FLA
2007 5×5 Stats: .332 BA, 125 R, 29 HR, 81 RBI, 51 SB
Age: 24 (12/23/83)
It will be interesting to see what kind of effect the absence of Miguel Cabrera will have on Ramirez. He could conceivably bat third which could limit his steal chances but increase his RBI total. Regardless, he is an offensive machine with no ceiling. Thirty homers and 50 steals are within reach.
2008 Projections: .317 BA, 118 R, 27 HR, 92 RBI, 46 SB
2. Jose Reyes, NYM
2007 5×5 Stats: .280 BA, 119 R, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 78 SB
Age: 24 (6/11/83)
We can’t imagine how good Reyes’ numbers would be if he ever learned how to hit. He is a gazelle who loves to run in any situation, but he must lead the world in popups. However, Reyes is a player with a dedication and hunger to get better and that’s what we expect he will do. Barring any leg injuries, the steals should remain where they are and we’d be surprised if his peripheral numbers didn’t approach what he did in 2006.
2008 Projections: .286 BA, 123 R, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 76 SB
3. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
2007 5×5 Stats: .296 BA, 139 R, 30 HR, 94 RBI, 41 SB
Age: 29 (11/27/78)
An argument can easily be made for Rollins being the top pick in any draft. I’m sure he’d be insulted to know he wasn’t included in the discussion with Ramirez and Reyes, but he probably should be. The fact that he plays half his home games in Philly is not exactly a hindrance. We expect him to come back to earth a bit, but you can do a lot worse with a late first/early second round pick.
2008 Projections: .285 BA, 122 R, 23 HR, 76 RBI, 34 SB
4. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
2007 5×5 Stats: .291 BA, 104 R, 24 HR, 99 RBI, 7 SB
Age: 23 (10/10/84)
It is nearly impossible to have better all-around tools than Tulowitzki. Playing half his games in Colorado doesn’t hurt, but he would be terrific no matter where he played. Expect Tulowitzki to bat in the two hole, which could keep his RBI total below 90. His batting average and stolen bases should rise as he has committed himself to being more aggressive on the basepaths.
2008 Projections: .308 BA, 110 R, 25 HR, 90 RBI, 13 SB
5. Miguel Tejada, HOU
2007 5×5 Stats: .296 BA, 72 R, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 2 SB
Age: 31 (5/25/76)
Tejada comes to the National League following a prolific 10 years with Baltimore and Oakland. An ironman who had played all 162 games for six straight seasons before missing significant time in ‘07. Should bat in the heart of a mediocre Astro order, but should still be able to put up strong overall numbers. Keep close tabs on Tejada as there is a remote chance that he could be sent away for lying to federal investigators in ‘05.
2008 Projections: .303 BA, 95 R, 26 HR, 96 RBI, 5 SB
6. Rafael Furcal, LAD
2007 5×5 Stats: .270 BA, 87 R, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 25 SB
Age: 30 (10/24/77)
Furcal has been around forever, yet he is only 30 years old. Back and ankle issues have limited his aggressiveness in recent years, but a healthy Furcal could make for a nice value pick in the middle rounds. Having Joe Torre as his manager could motivate him back to 35 steals and well over 100 runs.
2008 Projections: .283 BA, 102 R, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 34 SB
7. Yunel Escobar, PIT
2007 5×5 Stats: .326, 54 R, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 5 SB
Age: 25 (11/2/82)
Escobar, who is also our #4 second baseman, is a polished hitter for a 25-year old. He drives the ball to all fields and has the ability to swipe 10-15 bases. A breakout is on the horizon for this Bobby Cox favorite and there is no better time than the present
2008 Projections: .303 BA, 87 R, 17 HR, 64 RBI, 10 SB
8. Khalil Greene, SD
2007 5×5 Stats: .254 BA, 89 R, 27 HR, 97 RBI, 4 SB
Age: 28 (10/21/79)
No shortstop swings harder than the stubborn Greene, who has produced mixed results throughout his career. Last year was easily his best as well as his healthiest as he nearly topped the 100 RBI mark. Depending on where he bats in the Pods’ order, he could again flirt with the century mark.
2008 Projections: .264 BA, 87 R, 25 HR, 89 RBI, 6 SB
9. Stephen Drew, ARZ
2007 5×5 Stats: .238 BA, 60 R, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 9 SB
Age: 25 (3/16/83)
Unless for some reason he’s buried in the eight-hole, Drew has breakout written all over him. Like his brother, he has a pretty stroke and is capable of batting .280 with 20+ home runs and a few steals. Look for him in the late rounds.
2008 Projections: .277 BA, 71 R, 19 HR, 73 RBI, 8 SB
10. J.J. Hardy, MIL
2007 5×5 Stats: .277 BA, 89 R, 26 HR, 80 RBI, 2 SB
Age: 25 (8/19/82)
Owners who were patient with Hardy enjoyed an enormous first two months of the 2007 season. He was ghastly after the all-star break, but still finished with solid overall numbers. The real Hardy should hit around .270 with a respectable number of homers. Beware of him potentially sliding down to the dreaded eight-hole in the Brewer lineup.
2008 Projections: .272 BA, 73 R, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 4 SB
11. Ryan Theriot, CHC
2007 5×5 Stats: .266 BA, 80 R, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 28 SB
Age: 28 (12/7/79)
Theriot is a speed burner, thus a commodity in fantasy leagues. His value will be determined by where he will bat in the Cubby order. We believe he’ll begin the year batting second, but a slow start could change that. We’re a little apprehensive, but he should find a way to steal 30 bases.
2008 Projections: .272 BA, 79 R, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 32 SB
12. Felipe Lopez, WAS
2007 5×5 Stats: .245 BA, 70 R, 9 HR, 50 RBI, 24 SB
Age: 27 (5/12/80)
It starts getting a little dicey with Lopez. Just two years removed from a 44-steal season and three years removed from a 23-homer, 15-steal campaign, but the problem is that his days in Washington are likely numbered. He’ll have to fend off the hot-hitting Ronnie Belliard to hold down the second base job and he is behind Cristian Guzman at short. It may be wise to look elsewhere.
2008 Projections: .254 BA, 68 R, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 21 SB
13. Alex Gonzalez, CIN
2007 5×5 Stats: .272 BA, 55 R, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 0 SB
Age: 31 (2/15/77)
After Lopez, there is a freefall to Gonzalez. A terrific fielder and an adequate enough hitter, but he will probably be mired at the bottom of the order and is not a threat to steal.
2008 Projections: .260 BA, 55 R, 15 HR, 56 RBI, 1 SB
14. Cesar Izturis, STL
2007 5×5 Stats: .258 BA, 31 R, 0 HR, 16 RBI, 3 SB
Age: 28 (2/10/80)
Chalk this one up to the ol’ pathetic lineup syndrome. Izturis, who couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag, may find himself leading off for a decrepit Cardinal lineup. All that means is that he will be exposed for the weak hitter he is, but it will afford him the opportunity to possibly steal 20 valuable bases.
2008 Projections: .263 BA, 69 R, 2 HR, 35 RBI, 18 SB
15. Jack Wilson, PIT
2007 5×5 Stats: .296 BA, 67 R, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 2 SB
Age: 30 (12/29/77)
Tough call between Wilson and Hall-of-Famer Omar Vizquel for the final spot on this list, but Wilson finds a way to bat second for the Bucs on a regular basis. He actually tore it up late in the ‘07 season and posted the second best batting average of his career.
2008 Projections: .275 BA, 65 R, 10 HR, 54 RBI, 3 SB
Coming Monday (Feb. 4): Jeff Andriesse breaks down the Top 15 American League third basemen.
