Keeper League: Best Picks (SS)

Shortstops

1. Jimmy Rollins (keeper) - #4
   
2. Hanley Ramirez (keeper) - #1
   
3. Derek Jeter (keeper) - #7
   
4. Troy Tulowitzki (keeper) - #33
   
5. Carlos Guillen (keeper) - #15
   
6. Michael Young (keeper) - #5
   
7. Jose Reyes (keeper) - #2
   
8. Miguel Tejada (keeper) - #11
   
9. Rafael Furcal, The Usual Suspects - #38
   
10. Edgar Renteria, Howard’s Heroes - #18
    
11. Jhonny Peralta, Mercer AutoWreckers - #3
    
12. J.J. Hardy, Akron Pronks - #8
    
13. Orlando Cabrera, Those Guys - #9
    
14. Khalil Greene, Dunedain Rangers - #56
    
15. Yunel Escobar, Mercer AutoWreckers - #16
    
16. Stephen Drew, Cleveland Enforcers - #6
    
17. Ryan Theriot, Howard’s Heroes - #13
    

Analysis

Only one of the top 10 shortstops was undrafted, #10 Alexei Ramirez. Tulowitzki's precipitous fall-off was one of the toughest things to watch this year, since he was such a hot commodity in drafts. And while Furcal appears to have been a bad pick, a little extra analysis indicates that, if all shortstops were projected out for 162 game seasons, Furcal's pace would put him at the #1 spot, even above Hanley Ramirez. Still, his overall production this year was a disappointment, since only actual numbers count.

The best picks look to be Jhonny Peralta to the AutoWreckers, who drafted a great middle infield between Peralta and Pedroia, and the Enforcers' selection of Stephen Drew, a youngster who finally started to show some of why he was considered a can't-miss prospect not long ago. Khalil Greene stands out as the most disappointing pick, even more so because Drew was still available when Greene was taken. Between Zimmerman, Kendrick, and now Greene, the Rangers had a hard-luck draft.