Fantasy Baseball 2010 Rankings: Shortstops

The FanHouse staff has had some time to ponder over our initial fantasy baseball rankings (which you can view by clicking here), so now it's time for the updated version -- no drawn out tables, just down and dirty rankings. We will elaborate on significant moves after the ranks.

When our first set of rankings (link above) came out, we had Jimmy Rollins second, Troy Tulowitzki third, and Jose Reyes fourth. We then spent a little back-and-forth time debating the merits of each elite shortstop, and now we have a shuffle at the top of the SS rankings. There's nothing necessarily wrong with Rollins, but we moved Tulo and Reyes ahead of him. That speaks more to the two younger guys than to Rollins, but if you can land any of the top five, be happy.

1. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
2. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
4. Derek Jeter, Yankees
5. Jose Reyes, Mets

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6. Alexei Ramirez, White Sox
7. Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks
8. Ben Zobrist, Rays
9. Yunel Escobar, Braves
10. Jason Bartlett, Rays
11. Elvis Andrus, Rangers
12. Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians
13. Miguel Tejada, Astros
14. Alcides Escobar, Brewers
15. Erick Aybar, Angels
16. Ryan Theriot, Cubs
17. Rafael Furcal, Dodgers
18. Everth Cabrera, Padres
19. J.J. Hardy, Twins
20. Orlando Cabrera, Reds
21. Marco Scutaro, Red Sox
22. Cliff Pennington, A's
23. Luis Valbuena, Indians
24. Jhonny Peralta, Indians
25. Edgar Renteria, Giants
26. Cristian Guzman, Nationals
27. Juan Uribe, Giants
28. Willie Bloomquist, Royals
29. Alex Gonzalez, Blue Jays
30. Nick Punto, Twins
31. Ian Desmond, Nationals
32. Maicer Izturis, Angels
33. Julio Lugo, Cardinals
34. Jerry Hairston Jr., Padres
35. Jack Wilson, Mariners
36. Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins
37. Cesar Izturis, Orioles
38. Ronny Cedeno, Pirates
39. Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals
40. Brendan Ryan, Cardinals
41. Bobby Crosby, Pirates
42. Adam Everett, Tigers
43. Tommy Manzella, Astros
44. Jed Lowrie, Red Sox
45. Craig Counsell, Brewers
46. Brendan Harris, Twins
47. Reid Brignac, Rays
48. Ramon Vazquez, Pirates
49. Paul Janish, Reds
50. Mike Aviles, Royals

• There are three really good young talents that could be fantasy forces in 2010. We already got the full Elvis Andrus experience last year, when the Rangers youngster stole 33 bases in 480 at-bats. He played 145 games, so any gains in his performance will need to come from getting on base more (.267 average, .329 OBP), not increased playing time.

• Next up is Alcides Escobar, who had a nice little 125 at-bat run at the end of last season, hitting .304. What he didn't show much of is his steal potential, but he did steal 42 bases in Triple-A last season. He brings you all the speed potential of Andrus, wrapped around a better batting average and a much nicer draft price.

• Finally, we come to Everth Cabrera. He threw up a very Andrus-like season, mixing great speed (25 SBs) with a low-end average (.255) in 377 at-bats. He has the highest steal upside of the bunch, and it wouldn't surprise me to top 50 steals this year, making him a bargain-basement pick in 2010. Everth, Alcides, and Elvis ... the next batch of great shortstops?