Top 40 Shortstops In Keeper Dynasty League

Onto the Shortstop Rankings for a Deep (ish) Keeper or Dynasty League (original post here.)

1. Hanley Ramirez – FLA Marlins – 25 - Number one pick in fantasy this year, and probably for the next 5 years.  Any decrease in speed should be off-set by an increase in power.

2. Jose Reyes – NY Mets – 25 - At some point he’ll develop power, until then just enjoy the ride.  The first two picks really need no explanation at all.

3. Troy Tulowitzki – COL Rockies – 24 - This is where the explanations begin:  Tulo isn’t the most talented offensive shortstop left on the board, but he does play in Colorado. His glove-work will help keep him on the field throughout the worst o’ slumps.

4. Stephen Drew – ARI Diamondbacks – 26 – Drew has better offensive potential than Tulo and is starting to come into his own.  This may be Drew’s break-out year, and ranking Drew and Tulowitzki is a coin flip.

5. Alexei Ramirez – CHI White Sox – 27 - Ramirez is a popular pick this year, and he brings a rare power/speed combo to the table. He’s a free swinger, and while I woudln’t go out of my way to pick him in a one year league; he has solid long-term value.

6. J.J. Hardy – MIL Brewers – 26 - Hardy brings much needed power to a light hitting position. At 26, Hardy is just starting to enter his power prime.  Expect improvement.

7. Jimmy Rollins – PHI Phillies – 30 - Rollins had a terrible year last year, but he managed to save it by stealing a shit-tonne of bases.  The speeds slowly going to fade away, so Rollins needs to prove he return to his 20-30 HR days.

8. Rafael Furcal – LA Dodgers – 31 – Furcal’s starting to get up there in age and he’s pretty gosh-darn fragile.  I’m assuming 31 is his actual age, but who knows. He’s still performing at an efficient level, and there shouldn’t be a drop off for another couple years.  Nice Power/Speed combo.

9. Jhonny Peralta – CLE Indians – 26 - Peralta is a masher and after his disastrous 2006 season, he’s continued to improve.  He’s pretty much a lock for 20+ HR, and should continue to improve.  His batting average no longer kills him, so he’s a nice bet for your starting SS.

10. Yunel Escobar – ATL Braves – 26 - I probably have Escobar higher than most, but with an eye like Escobar’s — there’s something there.  Escobar posted damn-near as many walks as he did strike-outs, and while his batting average was sub-.300, he’ll push it up and over that mark to stay in 2009. Escobar isn’t a power guy, nor is he a speed guy but he is going to be the SS for a young, talented, Braves team.  With the amount he gets on base, he’ll be scoring plenty of runs with Franceour, Schafer, Heyward, and the harem of minor-league talent in Atlanta.

11. Elvis Andrus – TEX Rangers – 20 - Speed, Speed and more Speed.  He’ll develop the rest in due time.  The stolen bases should keep him rosterable during the slow maturation process though.

12. Derek Jeter – NY Yankees – 34 - I haven’t the fondest clue as to how much Jeter has left in the tank, let alone how long he’ll stick at shortstop.  While he’s there, he’ll provide a little bit of everything.

13. Brandon Wood – LA Angels – 24 - Does he stick at short? Does he cut down on those strike-outs? Wood has all of the potential in the world, but unless he cuts down on those K’s, he’ll be one of the biggest busts of the century.

14. Alcides Escobar – MIL Brewers – 22 – Escobar’s got a great glove, that’ll keep him in any line-up.  He’s currently blocked by Hardy at SS, but Hardy will be the one to move.  Milwaukee has enough talent in the pipe-line to trade Matt LaPorta, so there’s no reason to believe that Escobar won’t be a run scoring machine.

15. Jed Lowrie – BOS Red Sox – 24 - I’m not a believer, and I’m not sure how long he’ll stick at the shortstop position.  If he sticks, he’ll provide great value from a hard to fill position.

16. Michael Young – TEX Rangers – 32 - Young’s shortstop eligibility is gone after this year.  I’m not sure where to rank him based on this.  He’ll probably log between 10 and 15 games at Shortstop this year, so he could potentially maintain his eligibility. He’s got a great team, and a great ballpark which leads  me to believe that he’ll remain useful for a few more years.

This is where the fun begins, as we’re getting into the guys that aren’t guarenteed a job, or are old as dirt.  Either way, expecting more than 2 seasons out of them is asking a lot.  If you’ve got a feeling — go with it!

17. Mike Aviles – KC Royals – 28 - Is Aviles a late-bloomer or a bust waiting to happen.  Aviles just keeping the seat warm for Moustakas.

18. Miguel Tejada – HOU Astros – 34 - I’m not sure what’s left in the tank, even if he avoided jail time.  He’s probably got about 2 years left of being somewhat rosterable. The solid Astro’s line-up should at least keep his counting stats up.

19. Khalil Greene – STL Cardinals – 29 - I’m tempering my man-crush on Khalil in the keeper rankings.  Greene has the potential to really move up these rankings, and he’s still young enough to contribute for 4 or 5 more years.  I’d definitely recommend taking a flier on Greene this year.

20. Ryan Theriot – CHI Cubs – 29 – As high as I am on Greene, I’m equally as down on Theriot.  I am not a believer, and after this year he may well be without a job.  There’s potential here, but I’m not buying the hype.  The solid line-up really saves him from a free-fall.

21.  Felipe Lopez – ARZ Diamondbacks – 29 - I like Lopez a good bit this year, and he has a whole lotta potential buried inside — somewhere.  If he’s allowed to run, he’ll fit somewhere between Wood and Jeter.

22. Jason Barlett – TAM Rays – 29 - Barlett’s in a solid line-up and has improved quite a bit since he was traded away from Minnesota. Tampa has a prospect line-up waiting to fill Barlett’s shoes.  If Brignac fails to man up, Bartlett will have a few years to put up stats before Beckham gets to the show.

23. Orlando Cabrera – OAK Athletics – 35 - You might get more than a couple years out of Cabrera. He seems like the kind of player that just wont go away.  He’ll be production for at least 2009, and he might be worth a pick if you think he’ll play at a high level into his late 30s.

24. Edgar Renteria – SF Giants – 34 - Renteria falls into the same category as Cabrera, and while there’s still a few prospects out there — I’d rather take someone like Renteria to contribute the next couple years while I wait to draft a SS prospect.

25. Erick Aybar – LA Angels – 25 – Aybar is a nice little mixture of speed and average.  I’m fairly high on Wood, because of his potential.  Aybar doesn’t have the potential, but he probably has a solid shot at sticking at SS even if Wood starts producing.

26. Absdrubal Cabrera – CLE Indians – 23: I like Cabrera, and he should develop into a solid every day second basemen.  He’s got the potential to be above average, but there’s also a bit of risk associated with him.  He’s got the job however, so he’s one of the safer choices under 25 years old.

27. Yuniesky Betancourt

28. Clint Barmes

29. Chin-lung Hu

30. Alberto Gonzalez

31. Brendan Harris

32. Nick Punto

33. Reid Brignac

34. Emmanuel Burriss

35. Alberto Callaspo

36. Nick Punto

37. Brent Lillibridge

38. Marco Scutaro

39. Jerry Hairston Jr.

40. Cody Ransom

The back end of these rankings needs work, but if you’re in a league this deep — you’re probably pretty knowledge about fantasy baseball.