Shortstop is a Mess...

[jermhorse]

i think people are discounting theriot. he's more than likely going to be hitting 2nd is a fairly decent lineup, and can steal 40 bases or so. i wouldnt be surprised if he finishes the season ranked above the likes of furcal, renteria, young.

The Riot is flying low(underated) in my opinion as well.

[Sp_Da_Man]

SS is one of the deepest positions this year imo.

As long as your in a league where you don't start multiple SS & you miss out on the top five or six, I don't mind waiting.

Guys like Drew, Hardy, Peralta & Greene can be had pretty late & still give you solid production.

[Ender]

I think it is as likely that Theriot is playing part time as it is he steals 40 bases. This guy cannot hit and other than one hot month last year was just a black hole in that lineup. If Cedeno comes out and gets hot early I could easily see him stealing the job.

[Yoda]

Another overlooked SS is Khalil Greene. He hit 27 HR in 07 in a tough park and if he stays healthy, I can see him hitting 30 HR pretty easily (44 2B in 07). Health is the key for this kid though.

[Field]

I don't see it as a mess. It seems more like a tale of two different plateaus. There's 3 elite players and then a slew of guys who are pretty similar in value. If I don't grab any of the tier 1 players I'll certainly wait a real long time to grab my SS. I don't see any real advantage grabbing Tulo or Jeter in the 4th round at all.

[J.C.Fighter]

Looks like I'll try to snag Carlos Guillen again this year. I don't really like those later round SS's at all.

[BigLebowski]

i think people are discounting theriot. he's more than likely going to be hitting 2nd is a fairly decent lineup, and can steal 40 bases or so. i wouldnt be surprised if he finishes the season ranked above the likes of furcal, renteria, young.

I think the Brian Roberts trade rumors have scared many away from Theriot.

[High Heater]

i think people are discounting theriot. he's more than likely going to be hitting 2nd is a fairly decent lineup, and can steal 40 bases or so. i wouldnt be surprised if he finishes the season ranked above the likes of furcal, renteria, young.

The Riot is flying low(underated) in my opinion as well.

hes a great player to have in a large league i see him similar to a kelly johnson type value but different in SKILL SETS.

[GotowarMissAgnes]

After looking at my SS rankings, I really don't like what I see:

Tier 1: Hanley, Reyes, Rollins (all Top 8 and out of reach if you draft late in the 1st round)
Tier 2: Jeter, Guillen, Tulowitski, Tejada (all overvalued except Guillen)
Tier 3: Furcal, Young (Furcal is interesting, Young on the decline)
Tier 4: Greene, Renteria, Cabrera (I don't want any of these guys as my starting SS)
Tier 5: Hardy, Escobar, Drew, Peralta, Lugo, Theriot

- Thoughts on the tiers?
- I don't see any big rookies or unknown sleepers coming out of nowhere (unless you want to hitch a ride on Crosby )
- Guillen looks like a decent target for where he's being drafted
- Do any of those Tier 5 guys look interesting?
--- Hardy is only 25 (which I didn't realize)
--- Drew finished strong last year
--- Peralta put up decent numbers last year
--- What can Escobar do this year with Renteria gone?

WHAT TO DO???

Using the composite projections on MLB and Buser's data on what it takes to win, and a few other sources, I did a standings gain point look at SS. Here's what it suggests:

Yup, Tier 1 has the big 3, all projected to total 13-16 SGP over replacement.
Tier 2 is a little harder to draw a line. You could make an argument for Tulo and Jeter on their own (SGP of 7), with Guillen, Young, Furcal and Tejada all clustered between 4.5 and 5.5. Call them 2A and 2B.

Then, you have Greene, Peralta, OCab, Renteria, and Lugo clustered at 1-2 points in Tier 3.

There's about a point drop then to the next set, with some guys who could jump because of their youth or who have shown flashes of better play: Hardy, ACabrera, Drew, YEscobar, Theriot and YBetancourt.

I think the big question is if you get shut out of those top 9, do you grab one of the guys at Tier 3, more proven vets, but with significant weaknesses or in decline, or take a risk and grab one of the younger guys, less proven, projected to do less, but maybe more likely to give you a pleasant surprise. I might be inclined to grab two of those bottom guys and pair a power guy like Greene or Peralta with a speed demon to create a composite player that could be strong. Hate to waste a roster spot like that, but it could help you be competitive at this position.

[RyanK]

I dont know why you wouldnt want Renteria... hes 31 and last year was the first year he missed significant time

he should be at least .300-100-10-75-10 at least