Shortstop Overview

Shortstop Overview:  Gone are the days of shortstop being the deepest position in the MLB.  The elite years of Garciaparra, Rodriguez, and Jeter are long gone, and now we have two on top of the position.  Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki are miles ahead of the rest of the pack with injury riddled Jose Reyes behind them.  The lack of depth at the shortstop position is the reason I can justify having Ramirez and Tulo 2 and 3 on my big board.  If you miss on those player's I'd try to snag Alexei Ramirez as we all still wait on his monster season. 
Tier 1
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki

Tier 2
Jose Reyes

Tier 3
Stephen Drew
Derek Jeter
Jimmy Rollins
Alexei Ramirez


Tier 4
Elvis Andrus
Marco Scutaro/Jed Lowrie
Miguel Tejada
Ian Desmond
Starlin Castro
Rafael Furcal
Asdrubal Cabrera
Yunel Escobar

Tier 5
Jason Bartlett
Juan Uribe
J.J. Hardy
Orlando Cabrera
Alcides Escobar

Breakout: Asdrubal Cabrera
In 2009 Cabrera was a top Indian's prospect while batting .308 with 42 doubles as a 23 year old in 131 games.  The Indians had high expectations for him last season before he got injured trying to tag out a runner at 2nd base.  He will never wow you with any one stat, but without the shortstop position lacking depth, he can help in every category.  If he can stay healthy this season look for a .300 average with double digit home runs and steals.

Sleeper:  Jed Lowrie
Lowrie is a sleep because he is the only one on my list without a starting job this season.  Since he played 81 games his Rookie year in 2008, Lowrie has struggled with injuries.  This is the first season he is fully healthy, and even though Terry Francona says it is Marco Scutaro's job, it could be tough to keep Lowrie off the field.  Last year in 171 at bats Lowrie batted .287 with 9 home runs and 14 doubles.  He had 25 walks compared to only 25 strikeouts and was a very valuable asset coming down the stretch.  If Scutaro comes comes up with an injury or struggles out of the gate, keep Lowrie on your watch list.

Bust: Alex Gonzalez
If you think Gonzalez will ever put up numbers like last year, you're crazy.  Gonzalez smacked 23 home runs and had 88 rbi's last year between Toronto and Atlanta. If you think he will have numbers like that again, you are looking at a top 5 shortstop, which isn't going to happen.  Young players like Ian Desmond, Alcides Escobar, Elvis Andrus, and Starlin Castro, are much better options.