Back again ladies and most notably then gentleman who are using this to help with their fantasy drafts. Today we convene to assess the state of what is known as fantasy baseball?s second most critical position right behind catcher. It?s hard when looking at shortstops because you?d expect to be looking for highly coveted steals, yet only four of this year?s top ten stole more than 15 times. It leaves a hard decision for fantasy owners because you are not going to get everything you want out of your shortstop, so you?ll have to learn to settle with this group. The challenge is deciding which player is the best fit for you to ?settle on? for your squad. 1. Michael Young ? Age: 29 ? 2005 Stats: 114 Rs/24 HRs/91 RBIs/5 SBs/.331 AVG It was hard and then easy to put Young in the top position. Conventional wisdom would say that Miguel Tejada owns the top spot, but for reasons we?ll get into later, I don?t think that should be so. I fret thinking about putting a 5 stolen base player at #1, but looking back Young stole 12 bags in 2004 and 13 in 2003, so the potential is there definitely. To find what?s most attractive about Young you just have to look at last year?s stat line. Finishing a full 10 points above everyone else in the AL batting title, and coming in at 2nd in the entire majors seems like a plus. Young is also one of three shortstops to score over 110 runs in each of the last two years (the others being named Jeter and Rollins), a direct result of hitting at the top of one of baseball?s best lineups. It?s hard to find a chink in this guy?s armor because he?s also probably good for 20-25 HRs and 90+ RBIs. If you have a shot at Young at 10 or after, he?s well worth the pick. 2. Miguel Tejada ? Age: 29 ? 2005 Stats: 89 Rs/26 HRs/98 RBIs/5 SB/.304 AVG Pay close attention to the wording of this next sentence: Miguel Tejada has the potential to be the best fantasy shortstop every year. I say ?potential? because it?s true. Tejada is loaded with talent and when he has that ?spice for life? thing going for him, watch out. The problem is the Tejada has found out two years into his contract with the Orioles that it?s harder to be so enthusiastic when you?re losing. He?s going to consistently be out there every game, but don?t count on Tejada giving it his all every single at bat. He is the only shortstop who I consider a lock for 100 RBIs, but past that his value is deteriorating. Miggy is going to give you a .300 batting average, he?ll push for 30 home runs and scoring 100 runs is not out of the question. The simple fact of the matter is that when Tejada is in his current state, he is still great, but he?s not quite Michael Young. Drafting Tejada is never a bad idea, because if he finds his groove again he?ll return to his status as a top 10 fantasy player. 3. Jimmy Rollins ? Age: 27 ? 2005 Stats: 115 Rs/12 HRs/54 RBIs/41 SB/.290 AVG Still just 27, Rollins has five full seasons under his belt and is really just now hitting his stride. The thing about Jimmy is that he?s consistently been out there for 154 or more games a season showing his durability, but the real thing to look at is that he just keeps getting better every season. This year, Rollins brings a hit-streak that is 36 games and counting. He?s going to do something for you every day he?s in the lineup. It?s quite a lineup too, one of the best in baseball. With Rollins? 40 stolen base potential and the crew he has behind him, 120 runs is not at all out of the question. Expect this year for Rollins to take another step closer to becoming a .300 hitter while maintaining decent HR and RBI numbers for a shortstop. Really this guy is going to give you everything you want out of a shortstop. He will be an elite source of stolen bases and runs, a high average guy and still will give production at the other two categories. See Rollins available in the 30s in your draft? Then grab him now! 4. Derek Jeter ? Age: 31 ? 2005 Stats: 122 Rs/19 HRs/70 RBIs/14 SBs/.309 AVG Gosh, it seems like Jeter has been around for ages, and it?s true he has been (ten years to be exact). When he ends his career a little while down the line, Jeter will be a first ballot hall-of-famer and not just because of the intangibles. This is a guy who boasts a .314 career batting average. Not only that, but hitting at the top of the Yankees lineup (#2 now with Damon) Jeter a perennial threat to score 120 runs. To go along with the batting average and runs, he should get somewhere in the region of 20 home runs and 75 RBIs based on past seasons. While his 20+ steal seasons are probably behind him, Jeter is still going to swipe 15 bags. Make no mistake, even with ten years of experience, Jeter isn?t in the twilight of his career quite yet (no matter how badly I wish he was). Simply put, while Jeter probably isn?t elite anywhere past runs scored, he is solid in every category keeping him easily in the top 5 of his position. 5. Jose Reyes ? Age: 22 ? 2005 Stats: 99 Rs/7 HRs/58 RBIs/60 SBs/.273 AVG Some may question putting Reyes so far back on this list, but give me a second to justify myself. I had Jose Reyes on my team last year and I can testify to the fact that his is nothing more than (and probably won?t ever be more than) a .270 hitter. Even with a newly stacked Mets lineup, Reyes won?t be on base enough to take full advantage. This young man boasts (is that the right word in this situation?) a terrible .300 OBP. If he were a better hitter, Reyes could be the next Rickey Henderson; he could have 100 steals and score 120+ runs easily. Sadly, he is no Rickey Henderson and those numbers are out of the realm of possibility for Jose Reyes. Even though he produces steals at an elite level, Reyes doesn?t do much else, lowering his value in my mind. 6. Rafael Furcal ? Age: 27 ? 2005 Stats: 100 Rs/12 HRs/58 RBIs/46 SBs/.284 AVG Furcal burst onto the scene in 2003 and has yet to put up numbers quite as good as that year. Don?t expect this to be the repeat of 2003 either though because Furcal left Atlanta in the offseason to go the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that sadly does not have a 50 home run hitter like Andruw Jones was to him in Atlanta. Furcal will still have a good offense behind him and I?m optimistic that he has another 100 run season this year and a .280 or better batting average. Furcal?s greatest value lies in his potential to steal 40 bases again this year, a rarity these days. His home run and RBI numbers are nothing special, and they shouldn?t improve with his more to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark. He is going to be a relatively valuable commodity once again this year, but there isn?t a great deal that is separating Furcal from someone like Julio Lugo (#10). 7. Felipe Lopez ? Age: 25 ? 2005 Stats: 97 Rs/23 HRs/85 RBIs/15 SBs/.291 AVG As mentioned in the recent second basemen article, Lopez has eligibility at two premium positions (2B/SS). I can say without a doubt that Lopez was a strong candidate for sixth on this list and was even considered at 5. His production around the board is very balanced and he is sure to be a valuable contributor to your team. The reason he is so low is because of his body of work. I know this is hard to believe, but I just have trouble putting too much trust into Reds players. This is not to say Lopez will drop off even a bit this year, but until he proves his worth season after season like Rafael Furcal, I can?t advise taking Lopez over him. Keep an eye on Felipe though because he has flown under the radar in a lot of drafts I?ve been in (I?m the proud owner of him in two leagues). 8. Johnny Peralta ? Age: 23 ? 2005 Stats: 82 Rs/24 HRs/78 RBIs/0 SBs/.292 AVG Peralta, like Lopez, played his first full season last year and was quite impressive. He isn?t the slightest threat to steal bases, but Peralta should be able to deliver in every other category. This is no joke, Peralta should be the best power hitter at this position behind Miguel Tejada and may surpass him in due time. The question is how quickly this will happen, how fast the learning curve will be. I think there?s still plenty of time for Peralta to become this next elite slugging shortstop. In the meantime he should up his power numbers slightly this season and maintain his batting average and run total. Of course, nothing could be sweeter for Peralta then developing while hitting in front of Travis Hafner. Johnny should see plenty of nice pitches, and his ability to capitalize will mean good things for your fantasy team. Still, you can?t put too much trust in a guy who has only produced for one year. I played it safe in the league I drafted Peralta in and picked up Edgar Renteria (#9) later in the draft. 9. Edgar Renteria ? Age: 30 ? 2005 Stats: 100 Rs/8 HRs/70 RBIs/9 SBs/.276 AV Last year was a season to forget for Renteria, but this year should be one to remember. No doubt Edgar wants to reaffirm his status as one of the better shortstops in the league and that will coincide with his return to fantasy productivity. He played through injuries in Boston and never got comfortable. I?m not joking when I say that I think he will be more comfortable playing in Atlanta which has more comparable weather to his native Columbia. The pressure will be lower and Renteria should thrive. While he may not match last season?s career-high run total, every other category should increase. If I had to make a projection for Renteria I would go with 90 Rs/12 HRs/75 RBIs/15 SB/.285 AVG. This should be good enough for the fantasy owner looking for shortstop production on the cheap. Even better, Renteria will probably be the 10th shortstop off the board (or later even). 10. Julio Lugo ? Age: 30 ? 2005 Stats: 89 Rs/6 HRs/57 RBIs/39 SBs/.295 AVG Rounding out the top 10 is Julio Lugo, a player who lies in the shadows. Nobody saw his 39 stolen bases coming last year, and if you were on the receiving end of those cheap steals, you?re probably quite grateful. I don?t expect this year to be a repeat of last, but don?t overlook the fact that he has finally found a comfort zone in Tampa Bay. What I worry about is BJ Upton who will soon be forcing the Devil Rays to play him. This could potentially take at bats away from Lugo, lowering his fantasy value. He should repeat his power numbers (6HRs/57RBIs). I also expect Lugo to finish with 80 runs again and somewhere near a .290 batting average. The thing I see going down is the stolen bases. Never before was Lugo such a force on the base paths. His steal total should go down to somewhere around 30, and at category where production is so scarce, this significantly lowers Lugo?s value. Don?t necessarily stay away from Lugo, but by no means should you target him either. 11. Bobby Crosby 12. Clint Barmes 13. Mark Ellis 14. Nomar Garciaparra 15. Carlos Guillen 16. David Eckstein 17. Juan Uribe 18. Omar Vizquel 19. Orlando Cabrera 20. Bill Hall Sleepers & Keepers: Sleeper Material: You?ll be hard pressed to find somebody underrated in the top 10. We?ve already gone over the hidden value of Felipe Lopez in past articles. I feel Edgar Renteria will sneak up on people because when he is fully healthy he is a high caliber fantasy shortstop, and I really think he is healthy. Clint Barmes slips by a lot of owners, and is rated low by Yahoo! but don?t forget what he did at the beginning of last year. In deeper leagues Omar Vizquel is a cheap source of steals while not hurting you tremendously in any other category. Also in deeper leagues take a look at JJ Hardy, the second-year shortstop in Milwaukee. His numbers don?t initially jump out at you, but he hit .308 after the all-star break last year and showed good power with 8 HRs and 31 RBIs in that period as well. Keeper Material: You?ll be surprised to hear that I don?t see Jose Reyes as all too great a keeper, but I think he?s reached close to the ceiling of what he?ll be able to contribute. I get the feeling that Michael Young doesn?t have too much tread on the tires yet even at 29 and he?s a good keeper, as is Jimmy Rollins who is just right now entering his peak seasons. 23-year-old Johnny Peralta out of Cleveland has a really bright future and should soon take over for Miguel Tejada as the premier source of power at shortstop. Bobby Crosby seems firmly entrenched in Oakland and has many good years ahead of him. Also don?t forget old friend, sleeper candidate JJ Hardy who is still just 23. As always I hope this advice comes in handy for you prospective fantasy owners. Soon we?ll tackle the outfield and pitchers, so keep your eyes open, the articles are coming.