by Mike Harmon

Updated: January 22, 2008, 8:09 PM EST 6 comments

add this RSS blog email print

However, expectations were low for shortstops across the board at the plate. Ripken, Jr. changed the landscape upon his arrival to Baltimore, and we later saw Alex Rodriguez and a host of others emerge as strong fantasy options.

As we rapidly approach spring training 2008, there's been massive turnover atop the leaderboard. No longer are we arguing whether Derek Jeter or Miguel Tejada should top the rankings (They appear on the list, but lower than in years past). Fans and fantasy owners are being introduced to a new crop of emerging superstars. Owners will clamor to snap up these five-tool heroes in the opening rounds.

Are you backing Ramirez, Reyes or Rollins? See, the three R's do come in handy.

Let's begin the list in Arizona with a former first-round pick.

15. Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks

Drew entered the 2007 season with great expectations following a successful introduction to the National League in 2006. He batted .316 in 209 at-bats with 25 extra-base hits and 23 RBI. Drew's numbers ramped up during the 2007 season in accordance with his total number of at-bats. However, he experienced the customary growing pains in his first season as an everyday player and saw his batting average drop precipitously (down 78 points from 2006).

Owners can be encouraged by the fact that Drew improved his contact rate and his walk rate over his 2006 totals. That portends to a dramatic increase in his numbers across the board as he matures. This 2004 first-round pick has tremendous upside and will undoubtedly conquer his 2007 home struggles (he batted just .218 at Bank One Ballpark).

14. Orlando Cabrera, Chicago White Sox

General manager Kenny Williams overhauled a White Sox roster that disappointed fans and fantasy owners for the second straight year since winning the 2005 World Series. One of the moves involved veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who is coming off a stellar 2007 campaign. The veteran shortstop set new career marks with his .301 batting average, 101 runs scored and 86 RBI. He also stole 20 bases, his third consecutive year with at least 20 steals.

Cabrera joins a White Sox team that pushes to score runs by any means under manager Ozzie Guillen. As such, fantasy owners can expect Cabrera to race past 20 stolen bases this year. He'll challenge his scoring mark of 2007 and may just top his run production at the plate while playing at U.S. Cellular Field.

13. Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians

Peralta didn't experience a huge overall improvement in production, but he did help fantasy owners by hitting eight more home runs than he did in 2006. Those who had anticipated growth in his batting average mark watched, as he struggled out of the gate with a .227 batting average with 24 strikeouts. He proceeded to hit .336 in May and noticeably cut his strikeout rate. Unfortunately, that improvement was fleeting. Peralta fanned 146 times in 574 at-bats (one per 3.93 at-bats) to mitigate his gains in the potent Cleveland offense. I expect more of the same in 2008: solid power numbers (20-25 home runs and 75-85 RBI) with a batting average hampered by a propensity to overswing.

San Diego shortstop Khalil Greene stayed healthy and had a career year in 2007, but his production could be more consistent. (Steve Dykes / Getty Images)

12. Edgar Renteria, Detroit Tigers

Renteria joins his fourth team in the past five years, as he claims the shortstop role in the potent Detroit lineup. He comes off an injury-shortened season that included the first disabled list stints of his career. Renteria batted .332 to establish a new career high, and he stole double-digit bases for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

Barring another injury or some unforeseen circumstance, Renteria will achieve his third 100-run season in the past four years with double-digit home runs and steals, 70-80 RBI and a batting average in the .290-.300 range. He represents a potential draft-day steal coming out of this lineup in the hitter-friendly parks of the AL Central.

11. Khalil Greene, San Diego Padres

Following three solid seasons that were beset by injuries, Greene played in 153 games and formed a potent duo with Adrian Gonzalez in 2007. As a result, he established new career marks in runs scored (89), home runs (27) and RBI (97). Unfortunately, Greene has not yet reached a consistent level of production through the course of a full season.

He batted .163 in May and .205 in July to off-set three strong months during which he batted .279 or better (.304 in August with 19 RBI). One component of his splits is particularly disturbing. Greene hit .216 at PETCO Park as opposed to .288 on the road. In fact, his career batting average at home is a lowly .228, a full 52 points lower than his road mark. Fantasy owners may cringe during the Padres' homestands, but Greene is a terrific option on the road with solid overall totals.

10. Miguel Tejada, Houston Astros

The Astros rolled the dice on Tejada as the results of the Mitchell Report came to light and news of a possible Department of Justice investigation surfaced. Tejada faces deportation if found guilty of lying to prosecutors. It's obviously a huge gamble, but the returns could be huge if Tejada takes the field in hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park.

Tejada saw his streak of consecutive games played end because of a fractured left wrist in 2007. He participated in 133 games, his fewest number of games played since 1998 in Oakland. Tejada drew the ire of fans as a result of his seven home runs and 41 RBI prior to his injury. He rebounded with a terrific month of August during which he hit .300 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. That's the Tejada who won an MVP award in Oakland, and the player that the Houston brass and fans and fantasy owners are hoping to see in 2008.

9. J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers

Hardy experienced a "June swoon," a rough month during which he batted .220 to bring his batting average down following a strong .325 batting average in May. He also hit three home runs in June after slamming 15 home runs in the first two months of the season. Hardy produced marginally better numbers in July and really hit his stride in the final two months of the year (.286 with eight home runs and 20 RBI).

The disparity in home runs between the first and second halves of the season can be attributed somewhat to back issues that appeared in late June. However, his ability to play through the injury and produce solid batting average and RBI numbers portends to big things in the future.

8. Carlos Guillen, Detroit Tigers

Following years of toiling as a part-time player in Seattle, Guillen became a fantasy force upon his arrival in Detroit. Since joining the Tigers in 2004, Guillen has averaged 20 home runs and 94.6 RBI with a strong .311 batting average in three full seasons (he played in only 87 games in 2005). Fantasy owners can expect huge production from him once again in what promises to be one of the league's highest-scoring offenses.

Guillen will open the season as the starting first baseman for the Tigers. However, most owners who draft Guillen will slide him into their shortstop and middle infield slots. Enjoy the multi-position eligibility while it remains available.

7. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers

Furcal struggled in his second season with the Dodgers, registering a career-low .270 batting average and his lowest stolen base total since his shortened 2001 campaign (He stole 22 bases in 79 games). However, Furcal batted an impressive .298 at Dodger Stadium where he also stole 18 of his 25 bases.

As Furcal is not a huge power threat, the stolen base and batting average categories are where he impacts fantasy lineups. I expect a more consistent effort in the average department as the youthful Dodgers mature at the plate. Furcal will hit more in line with his .284 career average. Therefore, the biggest area of concern for those fantasy owners looking in Furcal's direction this season is the stolen base column. Joe Torre hasn't been the most aggressive manager on the basepaths in the past. However, he's had the luxury of a veritable run-scoring conga line with the star-studded Yankees lineups of his tenure. I anticipate more running opportunities for Dodgers players this year, as Torre seeks to put pressure on opposing pitchers and create advantageous situations for his young hitters.

6. Michael Young, Texas Rangers

Young is a player to track in early drafts to gauge how far he slips given the emergence of a number of new superstars at the position. I suspect that he may drop a tad too far as owners obsess on his 2007 power totals. Remember, the Rangers struggled as a team. Hank Blalock was injured. Mark Teixeira saw his production slowed before a move to Atlanta, and Sammy Sosa emerged as the team's top home run slugger.

Despite hitting his fewest number of home runs since 2002 (nine), Young still drove in 94 runs to lead the Rangers and rapped out 200 hits for the fifth consecutive year (201). He possesses a lifetime .302 batting average and has averaged 96.75 RBI while playing in all but 11 games during his past four seasons. I anticipate a strong bounce-back year from this former batting champion.

5. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

"The Captain" retains his place among the league's elite shortstops as a result of his durability, consistency and placement at the top of one of the top lineups in baseball. Jeter topped 200 hits for the third straight year in 2007 and recorded the ninth season with a batting average of .309 or better (He hit .322). He's reached double-digit steals and home runs in 12 consecutive years and scored 102 or more runs in 11 of 12 full major league seasons (he missed 43 games in 2003).

The lone downside to Jeter's stat line is the fact that his home run total has dropped in three consecutive years. His 12 home runs in 2007 marked his lowest total in a full season of play since 1997. Owners will have to decide between the consistent totals demonstrated above and the potential upside of the young challengers at the position.

4. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

Fantasy owners and Rockies fans were certainly thrilled with the fact that Clint Hurdle stuck with his young shortstop through his early-season woes at the plate. Tulowitzki batted .244 during the month of April with two home runs and 10 RBI. Although he didn't find his power stroke until June, Tulowitzki broke from his April woes with a .303 May batting average. He proceeded to bat .298 from May 1 until the end of the year and ripped 22 home runs with 77 RBI.

As you would expect, Tulowitzki dominated opposing pitchers at Coors Field, where he batted .326 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. He acclimated quickly to major-league pitching in 2007, and a run to 30 home runs with 120 RBI is in his sights in a loaded lineup alongside Brad Hawpe, Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday. The lone hole in his resume from 2007 was a high-strikeout rate. That will improve as he matures (He turned 23 in October).

3. Jose Reyes, New York Mets

Reyes opened the 2007 season with a frighteningly high and unsustainable level of production. He batted .356 with 26 runs, 18 RBI, seven stolen bases and a robust 1.038 OPS. Reyes then produced a largely uneven campaign and scuffled terribly in September. He batted .272 or worse in four of six months of play, including a weak .205 batting average with five stolen bases when it counted. With that said, Reyes still put forth a phenomenal year with 119 runs scored, 78 stolen bases and a solid .280 batting average.

Although Reyes saw his average dip precipitously in the second half (56 points below his first-half totals), there were signs of growth inside his numbers. Reyes improved his walk rate for the second straight year, as he matures into an all-around hitter. He's recorded 190 or more hits in three straight years while averaging 85 stolen base attempts (67.3 successes per year).

2. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies

The outspoken veteran shortstop earned the National League MVP award in 2007, as he helped lead the Phillies to a playoff berth. Rollins established new career marks in runs scored (139), home runs (30), RBI (94) and batting average (.296). In fact, Rollins slammed 88 extra-base hits, including 38 doubles for his fifth consecutive season with at least that many doubles.

Fantasy owners had always received solid production across the board from Rollins and coveted his normally sizable stolen base total. The arrival of Ryan Howard in Philadelphia jumpstarted Rollins's overall production, and his two-year home run total alongside Howard nearly matched his first five major league campaigns. There's absolutely no reason to suspect that Rollins can't approach his gaudy 2007 numbers this year. Although those owners in leagues counting triples really shouldn't bank on him speeding around the turn for 20 three-baggers.

1. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

Ramirez turned more than a few heads with his phenomenal 2006 season. This undrafted free agent and former Boston Red Sox prospect elevated his game to the elite level as a five-tool contributor in 2007. Ramirez ranked third among shortstops in stolen bases with 51 and second in home runs with 29. His .332 batting average tied Renteria for the top slot. The frightening fact of the matter is that Ramirez stands to get even better in 2008.

He dramatically improved his contact rate, striking out 33 fewer times than he did in 2006 while hitting 12 more home runs. Ramirez made these improvements while remaining a top-notch speed threat. At age 24, he'll produce another big year in a Florida offense that will work the basepaths to generate runs.

Next: Third Basemen