Fantasy Baseball Top 15 Shortstops for 2011: Keeper Leagues

A lot of the shortstop talent is on the younger side, but how do players like Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter fit for those in keeper leagues?  Of course the rules of the league will determine things, but if it is a long-term keeper league, they certainly fall.

On the flip side, are there any younger players that should be on your radar?  Let’s take a look at how it all shakes out:

1. Hanley Ramirez – Florida Marlins
2. Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies
3. Jose Reyes – New York Mets
4. Elvis Andrus – Texas Rangers
5. Starlin Castro – Chicago Cubs
6. Alexei Ramirez – Chicago White Sox
7. Jimmy Rollins – Philadelphia Phillies
8. Derek Jeter – New York Yankees
9. Stephen Drew – Arizona Diamondbacks
10. Alcides Escobar – Kansas City Royals
11. Ian Desmond – Washington Nationals
12. Jhonny Peralta – Detroit Tigers
13. Nick Franklin – Seattle Mariners
14. J.J. Hardy – Baltimore Orioles
15. Juan Uribe – Los Angeles Dodgers

Thoughts:

• At 32 years old, Jimmy Rollins is the oldest of the top grouping of shortstops, which helps to knock him down a few spots as it is.  Throw in that his production has declined the past few years and it is impossible to consider him a top five option for those in long-term keeper formats.  He should still be good, hitting atop a high-powered offense, but expecting him to return to the days of 120+ R would probably be a mistake.  Can he even stay on the field enough to generate that type of production?
• I prefer Andrus to Castro, but those two are probably going to be debated about for a long time to come.  They are very similar players, so go by your preference there.  Both figure to bring a good average, a ton of stolen bases and the ability to score some runs.
• Derek Jeter is on the downside of his career.  I don’t think anyone is going to argue that fact, but he should still have a few years left in him.  If he sticks at SS or not may be a different story, but for now he’s still a viable option for all formats.
• There are some good young shortstops in the minor leagues, but unfortunately there aren’t many who are close to making an impact at the Major League level.  That makes it difficult to rank them extremely highly, because how long are we going to have to sit on them before they pay dividends?  Plus, there has already been talk of Wilmer Flores and Christian Colon being forced off the position.  Obviously your format is going to play a major impact on the rankings.
• Nick Franklin is the only prospect who brings enough upside potential to be considered a top 15 option for those in keeper leagues.  He has very little standing in his way of earning a full-time job and showed 20/20 potential at Single-A in ’10.  He’s going to open the year in the minors, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reach Seattle by mid-year.

What are your thoughts on the rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

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Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 30 Outfielders
• Top 30 Starting Pitchers
• Top 15 Closers
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

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