Fantasy Shortstop Rankings:

Time for my annual fantasy rankings. I’ll be posting one position per day as well as giving draft advice. My method is proven, having won my head to head fantasy league 3 straight years before teaching my fiancé how to play last season only to have her use my rankings against me and take the Championship. This year I’ll look to rebound from last year’s disappointing 2^nd place finish.

Two ways to look at drafting Short Stop. One way to go is spend a first round pick on Ramirez or Reyes or a late first early second rounder on Rollins. The other way to go is wait for a guy you can buy low on. Jeter and Tulo are going to be over-rated in your draft. Guillen is tough to peg. On one side, he’s switching to first base where the wear and tear on his body will be less plus he’s going to play in Detroit in what should be the best 1-9 lineup in baseball in 2008 so you could see where he might be over-rated. On the other hand, he’s been playing very well in Detroit for the last couple years without really being seen as a top flight SS. Guys lower on this list (Tejada, Young, Renteria) are bigger names who don’t put up nearly the numbers.

Name, Team	Remarks (# games)	Other
Hanley Ramirez, FLA	!SB, !BA, !R
Jose Reyes, NYM	!SB, !R
Jimmy Rollins, PHI	+PARK, !SB, +HR, !R
Derek Jeter, NYY	+SB, +R
Troy Tulowitzki, COL	+PARK, +HR, +R
Carlos Guillen, DET	+RBI	1B
Rafael Furcal, LAD	MED, +SB, -RBI
Michael Young, TEX	+BA
Miguel Tejada, HOU
Edgar Renteria, DET	!BA
Orlando Cabrera, LAA	+SB, -HR, +R
J.J. Hardy, MIL
Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE	-HR, -RBI, -R (45)	2B
Khalil Green, SD	MED, -PARK
Jhonny Peralta, CLE
Yuniesky Betancourt, SEA	-HR,
Ryan Theriot, ChC	+SB, -HR, -RBI,	2B
Julio Lugo, BOS	+SB, -BA, -HR
Jason Bartlett, MIN	-PARK, +SB, -HR, -RBI,
Brendan Harris, MIN	-PARK
Stephen Drew, ARI	-BA,
Yunel Escobar, ATL	+BA, -HR, -RBI, -R (94)	2B, 3B
Felipe Lopez, WAS	+SB, -BA, -HR	2B
Alex Gonzalez, CIN	+PARK
Bobby Crosby, OAK	-BA, -HR, -RBI, -R

In the key below, some notes:
+/- PARK means different things to different folks. In the pitcher lists, +PARK is one of the top 3 pitchers parks For position players, +PARK is one of the top 3 hitters parks. Anyone with a ! can carry your team for a week or two in that category. –BA should be seen as the kiss of death. These guys are not starters for a contending fantasy team. You’re better off taking a flier on a rookie than drafting one of these siphons.

KEY	Numbers based on last years stats
MED	History of medical issues or coming off injury
+PARK	Park is a serious advantage (top 3)
-PARK	Park is a serious disadvantage (bottom 3)
!HR	>37 HR
+HR	>30 HR
-HR	<10>
!RBI	>120 RBI
+RBI	>100 RBI
-RBI	<50>
!BA	>.330
+BA	>.305
-BA	<.250
!R	>110 R
+R	>100 R
-R	<55>
!SB	>35 SB
+SB	>15 SB