Fantasy Baseball 2010 Shortstop Rankings: Pre-Camp Version

Hanley Ramirez fantasy baseball shortstop rankings 2010

As we roll through the infield of our incredibly early, yet still fun, fantasy baseball positional rankings for 2010, we next stumble to the shortstops. Remember, these are the composite rankings from the four FanHouse fantasy baseball staffers and we have included every player who is eligible in fantasy baseball at this position (regardless of whether or not he'll actually play short this season).

It's no surprise who sits atop the ranks, though he is a different animal from a few years ago. You can see the transition Hanley Ramirez underwent last season from looking at a few stats. His runs decreased from 125 to 101. His RBI increased from 67 to 106. His stolen bases decreased from 35 to 27 as his attempts dropped from 47 to 35. See what's happening? Ramirez is becoming a run producer instead of a table setter. That doesn't make him any less valuable, just valuable in a different way. You aren't getting 50 steals ever again, but you'll get 100 RBI instead of 65-80. If last season's .342 average is any indication, Ramirez is definitely comfortable in the middle. He's also definitely a top-three fantasy baseball performer.

Player	Team
1. Hanley Ramirez	Marlins
The drop in home runs was a result of Ramirez's HR/FB rate normalizing, but there's still potential for it to go back up. He is only 26, after all. He'll hit 30 bombs again real soon. Unanimous No. 1
2009: .342 AVG, 24 HR, 106 RBI, 101 R, 27 SB
t2. Jimmy Rollins	Phillies
Suffered through a slow start and a wretched June before picking up the pace in the second half. He had a .288 average with 15 bombs, 20 steals and an .844 OPS after July 2. Avg: 2.5; Best: 2; Worst: 3
2009: .250-21-77-100-31
t2. Troy Tulowitzki	Rockies
Speaking of slow starts, Tulo had an OPS of less than .725 for both April and May, but each month thereafter saw an OPS of over 1.000. Avg: 2.5; Best: 2; Worst: 3
2009: .297-32-92-101-20
4. Jose Reyes	Mets
The possible reward here is huge, as Reyes was a consensus top-five pick last season before the hamstring injury. If he's fully healthy, he'll return to the ranks of the elite. Avg: 4; Best: 4; Worst: 4
2009: .279-2-15-18-11
5. Derek Jeter	Yankees
Just when he appeared to be regressing -- with a full season career-low .771 OPS in 2008 -- Jeter came through with one of his biggest seasons ever. He'll turn 36 this year, but he's not done. Avg: 5; Best: 5; Worst: 5
2009: .334-18-66-107-30
6. Alexei Ramirez	White Sox
He won't hurt you in any one category and his third full season in America will yield greater returns than before. Avg: 6.5; Best: 6; Worst: 8
2009: .277-15-68-71-14
7. Ben Zobrist	Rays
He just needed a chance to play everyday in order to display the power and speed combination, but you can expect a drop in average. Avg: 7.5; Best: 7; Worst: 9
2009: .297-27-91-91-17
8. Stephen Drew	Diamondbacks
A huge 2008 second half left fantasy owners clamoring for big things from the 26-year-old shortstop, but he disappointed in a big way. It's a new year, though, and we know he has ability. Avg: 7.75; Best: 6; Worst: 9
2009: .261-12-65-71-5
9. Jason Bartlett	Rays
Prior to last season, Bartlett had never shown anything resembling home run power and was mostly in the lineup for his defense. Inexplicably, he transformed into a great hitter at age 29. Expect regression across the board. Avg: 8.75; Best: 7; Worst: 10
2009: .320-14-66-90-30
10. Yunel Escobar	Braves
Last season was steady, incremental improvement from 2008. As Escobar enters his prime, there's reason to think he's capable of more. Avg: 9.5; Best: 9; Worst: 10
2009: .299-14-76-89-5
11. Miguel Tejada	Orioles
Still clinging to productivity. He'll turn 36 this year and it will be interesting to see how much he regresses due to age and a return to the AL East. Avg: 12.25; Best: 12; Worst: 13
2009: .313-14-86-83-5
t12. Elvis Andrus	Rangers
The Rangers weren't expecting much offense from the 20-year-old rookie last year. He'll steadily progress as he grows more comfortable in the big league batter's box, but it's going to be a few years before he's worth more than cheap speed in fantasy. Avg: 12.75; Best: 11; Worst: 14
2009: .267-6-40-72-33
t12. Asdrubal Cabrera	Indians
His BABIP was really high at .362, but his rate of hits on balls in play has always been in the .330-range. Expect similar numbers to last season. Avg: 12.75; Best: 11; Worst: 14
2009: .308-6-68-81-17
14. Ryan Theriot	Cubs
You know what you're going to get from Theriot. He'll hit for a solid average, score some runs and steal around 20 bases. Avg: 14.25; Best: 11; Worst: 19
2009: .284-7-54-81-21
15. Rafael Furcal	Dodgers
As the steals dwindle, so, too, does Furcal's fantasy value. Avg: 16.5; Best: 11; Worst: 22
2009: .269-9-47-92-12
t16. Alcides Escobar	Brewers
Big upside for the future, but you likely aren't getting any power just yet. Do expect lots of steals, though. Avg: 17.5; Best: 15; Worst: 21
2009: .304-1-11-20-4
t16. Orlando Cabrera	Reds
He'll play on his fifth team in four years, but with a return to the NL and in a hitter's park will mitigate natural age decline. Still, there's little upside. Avg: 17.5; Best: 15; Worst: 21
2009: .284-9-77-83-13
t18. Erick Aybar	Angels
Value would spike if he could up his sub-par steal percentage (was caught seven times in 21 tries last year). Avg: 17.75; Best: 16; Worst: 19
2009: .312-5-58-70-14
t18. Everth Cabrera	Padres
Pretty one-dimensional at this point, but it's always nice to get near 40 steals from your middle-infield spot. Avg: 17.75; Best: 15; Worst: 22
2009: .255-2-31-59-25
20. Marco Scutaro	Red Sox
A career year at 33? Even in a better lineup, expect a regression to the mean for Scutaro. Avg: 18.5; Best: 17; Worst: 21
2009: .282-12-60-100-14

21. J.J. Hardy, Twins
22. Jhonny Peralta, Indians
23. Edgar Renteria, Giants
24. Cliff Pennington, A's
25. Juan Uribe, Giants
26. Cristian Guzman, Nationals
27. Luis Valbuena, Indians
28. Ian Desmond, Nationals
29. Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins
30. Willie Bloomquist, Royals
31. Alex Gonzalez, Blue Jays
32. Nick Punto, Twins
33. Julio Lugo, Cardinals
34. Maicer Izturis, Angels
35. Jerry Hairston, Padres
36. Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals
37. Cesar Izturis, Orioles
38. Jack Wilson, Mariners
39. Ronny Cedeno, Pirates
40. Brendan Ryan, Cardinals
41. Bobby Crosby, Pirates
42. Tommy Manzella, Astros
43. Adam Everett, Tigers
44. Jed Lowrie, Red Sox
45. Brendan Harris, Twins
46. Craig Counsell, Brewers
47. Reid Brignac, Rays
48. Mike Aviles, Royals
49. Ramon Vazquez, Pirates
50. Khalil Greene, Rangers