1. Jose Reyes - The complete shortstop! Where did the power come from? It was the highest slugging percentage he ever had in professional baseball. I would have no problem picking this stud anywhere after pick 3.
2. Hanley Ramirez - Should be fun watching he and Reyes battle it out for supremacy at SS for years to come. Has got the potential to hit more HRs than the current #1, as evidenced by his .558 second half slugging percentage. I love watching this guy play as there aren't many players running out ground balls as hard as this guy does.
3. Jimmy Rollins - Every year Rollins starts off the season hitting like Manny Alexander and ends it with solid Rollins-type numbers. He is a great candidate to trade for in late June/early July as most guys get frustrated with his .250 average. The power was a nice surprise, but I think 18 to 20 HRs is more likely.
4. Rafael Furcal - Another typical "Rafeal Furcal" year. You can pretty much pencil this guy in for .290/15/60/110/35. The spike in OBP is a nice sign...
5. Felipe Lopez - I kept waiting for this guy to fall apart last year, especially after the trade to Washington, but he showed us that '05 was no fluke. I would be weary of him though, as Washington's lineup is pathetic and their ballpark is nothing like Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
6. Edgar Renteria - If you are looking for consistency at SS, I would probably draft Renteria ahead of Lopez. Lopez offers a little more speed and upside, but you have to love the fact that you can count on .290/15/70/100/20 from him every year.
7. Stephen Drew - If you've read any of my other NL rankings, you know how I feel about the Diamondbacks this year. At the center of the youth movement there is Stephen Drew. He has a nice short, compact swing and the ball just jumps right off his bat. And he is playing in the right park for that power. A starter in NL only leagues, draft as a back-up in mixed leagues and don't be surprised if he is starting for you by the All-Star Break.
8. Omar Vizquel - After Drew, its pretty much crap shoot at SS. Vizquel's not a bad draft pick if you need SB or average, but that's about it. Makes for a decent back-up in NL and mixed leagues.
9. Khalil Greene - We keep waiting for this guy to bust out, but he continues to disappoint. He'll only help in HRs and RBIs and is a category killer in BA.
10. David Eckstein - This guy is great example of how being good at baseball doesn't necessarily translate into being good at "fantasy" baseball. I would love to have him on my ML team, just keep him away from my fantasy team.
If Bill Hall or Freddy Sanchez are eligible, draft accordingly.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
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2 comments:
Dom the Baseball Don,
In your ranking of ss how could you leave out an up and comer like J.J. Hardy of the Milwaukee Brewers? The first month of the season he had 4 H.R.'s in 89 AB's. That comes out to 1 H.R. for every 22 A.B.'s. That seems to be pretty good for a young s.s. Otherwise I like your rankings for s.s.
Hi big game james - I had a feeling someone was going to bring up good ole James Jerry...But in my opinion, Hardy has been a little overhyped. I look at his minor league statistics and there is nothing to get excited about. Slugged .402, BA of .272, doesn't steal bases, doesn't hit home runs etc. And what we've learned in his first two major league seasons is that he is injury prone as evidenced by his shoulder and ankle injuries in consecutive years. You can take a flier on him as a back-up in NL only leagues, but I just don't see that much upside. Now if we were drafting on defense, its a different story. If I am missing something, please let me know. Thanks.
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