As you are getting ready for your upcoming fantasy baseball draft or auction, there are a few different ways that can help you determine where there is value or a drop off in talent at each position. One way is by grouping each position into tiers to separate different levels of projected performance. By setting up tiers, it will give you a good idea how many shortstops are at each level and what the chances are that someone in said level make it back to you for your next pick if you do not draft that position in the current round
Here is a look at the 2012 fantasy baseball tiers for shortstops.
Tier 1:
Troy Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez
I think Ramirez bounces back in 2012 and I would be happy to get him at the end of the first round in 14-16 team league drafts as his current average draft position is around 20 in mixed league formats.
Tier 2:
Jose Reyes, Starlin Castro, Elvis Andrus
Reyes is kind of in no-man’s land for me as I don’t trust him enough to rank him in tier 1 given the hamstring issues he has dealt with in his career but I have him more than a few points higher than Castro. Castro and Andrus should be relatively close in three categories with Castro having batting average upside and Andrus stealing more bases.
Tier 3:
Jimmy Rollins, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alexei Ramirez
Rollins is trending down while Cabrera is trending up, but I still think Rollins has another solid season in him for 2012. I am not ready to buy into Cabrera’s power outburst from 2011 so I don’t expect to own him this season as I don’t want to pay the price he is going to go for based on last season’s numbers. Ramirez has been very steady from season-to-season.
Tier 4:
Dee Gordon, Derek Jeter, J.J. Hardy, Ericky Aybar, Jhonny Peralta
Gordon should compete for the stolen base crown this season and I would much rather own steals with no power at a lace like shortstop than in the outfield. Jeter is slowly fading, but still contributes in batting average and runs scored in a powerful Yankees offense. Hardy’s power returned with a full season of health and he should be good for 20+ home runs again. Aybar has increased his stolen base total for four straight seasons. Peralta is the last shortstop at this point that can still get your 20 home runs.
Tier 5:
Ian Demsond, Stephen Drew, Yunel Escobar, Emilio Bonifacio, Alcides Escobar
Desmond offers 15 home run, 20 steal potential but he needs to get his batting average up. Drew is still trying to work through recovery from his fractured ankle from last July and could start the year on the disabled list. Bonifacio and Escobar both offer 20+ steals later in the draft.
If you are looking for 2012 fantasy baseball projections, check out the 2012 Fantasy Baseball Tools draft guide which is on sale now for $9.99.
