MLB Fantasy Baseball: 2011 N.L. Only Top 10 Shortstop Rankings

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Here’s an early look at the N.L. only 2011 shortstop rankings.

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies: It’s really a toss-up between Tulo and HanRam. They are both five-category players. I prefer Tulo because of his ballpark and lineup.

2. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins: Han-Ram is 1-A. He should post a higher SB total than Tulo, but fewer HRs and RBI. You can’t go wrong either way. I just fear that he won’t see as many good pitches without a strong supporting cast.

3. Jose Reyes, New York Mets: Reyes wasn’t the superstar he used to be, posting a .282-83-11-54-30 line, but that’s not the important part. He stayed healthy. A year later I expect him to take another step forward, especially if the Mets lineup featuring Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, Angel Pagan and Ike Davis can avoid the injury bug.

4. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies: You know the National League is deep at shortstop when the fourth-ranked SS could be No. 1 in the American League. J-Roll dealt with injuries last year, but I believe he still has what it takes to be an elite fantasy shortstop.

5. Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks: Drew has four straight seasons with at least 60 RBI. He also hit .278 with 83 runs, 15 HR, and a career-high 10 SBs. He finished strong hitting .300 with 38 runs, 11 HR, 30 RBI, and 4 SB in 217 at-bats from August to October. The youngsters will press him for the top five, but for know it’s his spot to lose.

6. Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals: Desmond’s was a model of consistency as he went .255-31-6-36-8 in his 271 first half ABs and .283-28-4-29-9 in his 254 second half ABs. He’s clearly a cut below the top five, but remains a solid option this year.

7. Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs: Castro is another youngster that posted a solid rookie season, as he hit .300. He only scored 53 runs in 125 games though, and was thrown out (eight) nearly as many times as he was successful (10) stealing bases.

8. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers: Furcal is great when he is in the lineup. He provides a spark for the Dodgers and his fantasy teams alike. Unfortunately, staying healthy is next to impossible for Furcal. Make sure you have a solid backup plan.

9. Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers: Uribe has 2B/3B/SS eligibility, which makes him a valuable option. He doesn’t score many runs or steal many bases, but he has decent pop and is a solid RBI guy.

10. Alex Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves: Gonzalez hit 23 home runs last year, but struggled (.240-27-6-38-0) in 72 games with Atlanta. He’s not your ideal shortstop, but he can give you a boost in home runs and RBI.

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MLB Fantasy Baseball: 2011 N.L. Only Top 10 Shortstop Rankings

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