SS - 2011

[MTUCache]

I hadnt really thought about it but it looks like if you dont get a SS in the first round you may as well not worry about the position.

Well... that's kind of where I'm at odds. I do still think there is value in the falling veterans out there (Reyes/Rollins/Jeter), I just doubt that they'll be there at the value that I'll assign to them because there will be at least a handful of owners in every league who still think they're top-flight SS (based on distant history). Of course, it doesn't do you much good if you pay a premium (however slight) to get one of these three and then have to back them up with one of the lower-tier kids anyway because of durability issues.

I'm already itching to get some projections put together and start some mocks... Maybe I'm over-reacting here, but I really think that this is going to be one of the critical issues that makes or breaks teams during next years' drafts. Once some of the offseason transactions are under way and we start getting a look at rosters it'll become a lot clearer, but for right now I'm think that there's no other spot on the field with this kind of scarcity. Just about every other position (except maybe RP) has a very gradual decline from the top- to bottom-tier guys.

[ramble2]

This is a good topic. Going into this season I had a hard time with 3B; I just couldn't pull the trigger in my draft on anyone, because there was just never a good value to be had. I ended up scrapping together a decent composite 3B from the waivers and trades (e.g., grabbed Headley and rode him, then rode Callaspo, etc.). But 3B is looking better going into next season.

Looking at SS in 2011 I'm already gearing up for a similar strategy. Waiting, waiting, and waiting in the draft, unwilling to pull the trigger on a guy too early, and just seeing what falls to me. 2B looks better, but SS is in a transition year. The upside is that hopefully some good cheap SS options will emerge, and that those of us on this site will be in a great position to grab them early.

Personally, the SS I would most avoid is Jeter. He'll fall in the drafts and may appear to be a good value. But those of us who've had him on our team know that he's just been dropping like a rock. Very recently he's picked it up a little, but I think it could ugly next year. He's my 'avoid-at-all-costs' SS next year, almost certain to underperform cost.