SS 2008

There are three big time short stops and then it gets tricky. The big three can go in any order you like. It would be really nice to snag one of them. SS turns out to be a not-so-bad position in 2008 going 16 deep in my opinion. After that, you take a chance on Stephen Drew possibly late and THAT IS IT.

1- Jose Reyes 3.73 (Mets) .280/12/57 in 2007. Jose swiped 78 bases and scored 119 runs. Reyes also had 36 doubles and 12 triples. He got caught stealing 21 times. He does need to work on that. What I like most about Jose is his SO/BB ratio at 78/77. What I don't like about Jose is his sissy outfit and man-purse when I saw him at the all-star parade in Pittsburg two years ago. All-in-all, Jose had a down year. Look for him to bounce back.

2-Jimmy Rollins 4.03 (Phils) .296/30/94 in 2007. He also had 41 steals and 139 runs. Jimmy had 38 doubles and 20 3-baggers. He also doesn't strikeout much with 85 but he doesn't walk too much either with only 49 last year. This was two straight impressive years for Rollins. Can he keep up that pace? It all got him the NL MVP in 2007.

3-Hanley Rameriz 3.83 (Marlins) .332/29/81 in 2007. He added 51 steals and 125 runs. 2008 will only be his third big league season. He drastically reduced his strikeout totals in 2007 at 95 from 128 in 2006. On top of the 29 homers, Rameriz added 48 doubles and 17 triples. He loses Cabrera in the lineup which has to hurt his run production.

4-Derek Jeter (Yanks) .322/12/73 in 2007. The picture above tells you why he's ahead to Tulowitkzi. In the ladies getting position, he's by far #1. The Yankee captain swiped 15 and scored 102 times. Jeter will give you over 600 ab-bats, play everyday, and be consistent. His SO/BB ratio isn't great at 100/56 which is pretty consistent with previous years.

5-Troy Tulowitkzi (Rockies) .291/24/99 in 2007. He also scored 104 runs but only had 7 steals and was caught stealing 6 times. Strikeouts are a big concern at 130 to only 57 walks in his rookie season. If he makes contact more, watch out.

6-J.J. Hardy (Brewers) .277/26/80 in 2007. Hardy doesn't walk much, but doesn't strikeout a lot either (77). He started red hot and cooled off throughout the season. He's got plenty of pop hitting behind him. Hopefully Cameron or Weeks can get on base more in front of him.

7-Edgar Renteria (Tigers) .322/12/57 in 2007. Moving to the Tigers will put him over 100 runs for sure if he can stay healthy. I'd put him lower in this order if he was playing for a different team. Granderson should get on a lot ahead of him and he loves to shoot the ball to the opposite field.

8-Miguel Tejada (Astros) .296/18/81 in 2007. Tejada is only this low because of the legal issues he's faced with this season. It'll be interesting how it effects his play. He's another guy that doesn't SO with 41 walks and only 55 Ks in '07.

9-Michael Young (Rangers) .315/9/94 in 2007. He'll give you 40 doubles and be pretty consistent. Young is a safe pick. His power numbers are way down though.

10-Julio Lugo (Red Sox) .237/8/73 in 2007. This is a guy I look for the biggest bounce back in 2008. He did have 33 steals in a dreadful season on '07.

11-Orlando Cabrera (White Sox)

12-Khalil Greene (Padres)

13-Rafael Furcal (Dodgers)

14-Yunel Escobar (Braves)

15-Jhonny Peralta (Indians)

16-Ryan Theriot (Cubs)