2012 Fantasy Baseball: MLB Shortstop (SS) Rankings

2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | Cheatsheet

Despite his lack of power, Elvis Andrus offers reliable fantasy value with a decent average and a nice amount of runs, and stolen bases. (photo by SD Dirk)

2012 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings Outlook:
With Hanley moving over to third base this season there is no argument and a clear cut one number option at shortstop this year. Troy Tulowitzki is a cut above the rest and should not only be the first shortstop taken this season but should be a top five pick. Troy had a stellar season as he hit over 300 while knocking in over 100 runs. For a position that does not yield too much power you cannot get much safer than Tulowitzki.

With Tulo in a league all by himself tier 2 brings three guys that will get you the bags and the a decent average. Andrus, Castro, and Reyes all can bat right around 300 and each produce 25 or more bags. At this point we feel as we should discuss why Reyes is 4th for our shortstops. In short, last season was a contract year for Reyes and we have seen it time and time again. Players tank the year after the big contract. Now tanking for a stud like Reyes is hitting just below 300 with 25 bags, but we highly doubt you are going to get the same 337 average and the homerun/rbi totals have not been there in the last few seasons.

Cabrera is just outside of the elite players but certainly has the upside. He is a guy to target in the middle of drafts as he has all the tools to be a great fantasy player.

Draft-Day Advice: Shortstops has historically been a thin position but with the decline of Jeter and Hanley moving over to 3rd base, it is even thinner. One would be wise to take one of the elite guys early if they can.

The following are our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, which are based on standard 5×5 scoring and take into account projected stats as well as upside and risk. Offensive categories include BA, HRs, Runs, RBIs, and SBs. Pitching categories are Wins, ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Saves. Although several players are eligible at multiple positions, they are listed at the position that they will most likely play the most in 2012. All leagues have different position eligibility requirements so be sure to check your settings before draft day.

Rank	Tier	Player	Tm	AB	H	AVG	HR	R	RBI	SB
1	1	Troy Tulowitzki	COL	537	162	0.302	30	81	105	9
2	2	Elvis Andrus	TEX	587	164	0.279	5	96	60	37
3	2	Starlin Castro	CHC	674	207	0.307	10	91	66	22
4	2	Jose Reyes	FLA	537	181	0.337	7	101	44	39
5	3	Asdrubal Cabrera	CLE	604	165	0.273	25	87	92	17
6	3	Jimmy Rollins	PHI	567	152	0.268	16	87	63	30
7	3	Dee Gordon	LA	224	68	0.304	0	34	11	24
8	4	Erick Aybar	ANA	556	155	0.279	10	71	59	30
9	4	Stephen Drew	ARZ	321	81	0.252	5	44	45	4
10	4	Alexei Ramirez	CWS	614	165	0.269	15	81	70	7
11	4	Derek Jeter	NYY	546	162	0.297	6	84	61	16
12	4	J.J. Hardy	BAL	527	142	0.269	30	76	80	0
13	5	Ian Desmond	WAS	584	148	0.253	8	65	49	25
14	5	Alcides Escobar	KC	548	139	0.254	4	69	46	26
15	5	Jhonny Peralta	DET	525	157	0.299	21	68	86	0
16	5	Jed Lowrie	HOU	309	78	0.252	6	40	36	1
17	6	Zack Cozart	CIN	37	12	0.324	2	6	3	0
18	6	Jason Bartlett	SD	554	136	0.245	2	61	40	23
19	6	Yunel Escobar	TOR	513	149	0.290	11	77	48	3
20	6	Rafael Furcal	STL	333	77	0.231	8	44	28	9