Fantasy : Short Stops, Who to take once ARod is gone : Fantasy Diamond Weekly

The Short Stop position is dominated by one man, Alex Rodriguez. His power and keen eye makes this man a threat to all pitchers. He has though stopped the base stealing but one cannot argue with that when ARod belts 57 homers and bats .300 on the season. However there is only one Rodriguez and he can't be picked to play on every team. Who do you take once this fantasy stud is gone?

1.Miguel Tejada(Oak)-Only thing different between Tejada and Rodriguez is the Home Runs. 57-34 respectivily. The RBI's are almost the same ARod had 142, Tejada 131. .300 BA for ARod, .308 for Tejada. These two are almost twins in respect to the numbers they put up.

2.Nomar Garciaparra(Bos)- Nomar lead this position in BA with a .310 mark. However we must always worry about injury.

3.Derek Jeter(NYY)-Stienbrenner was unhappy with the Golden Boy of New York. Although with numbers like these i dont see how he could be. 18 HR's 124 Runs scored swiping 32 bags in the process and havin the patience to hit for .298, not bad at all Jeter not bad at all.

4.Edgar Renteria(StL)-He is the top NL short stop and he finally decided to hit for a high average. BA of .305 with 22 stolen bases and 83 RBI's this guy will fill a slot in on any team.

5.David Eckstien(Ana)-He is the hero of overachievers everywhere. Who would have thought this guy would post the numbers he did last season. BA of .293 with 21 stolen bases, 107 Runs Scored and 63 RBI's.

6.Jose Hernandez(Col)-Remember Vinny Castillo back in the day. I sure do and if you watch Jose you should too. This guy strikes out more times than....I cant make comparison in fear of breaking international treaty laws. How he managed to bat .288 is a mystery in itself. 24 HR's 73 RBI's and 72 Runs, I would rather take Chris Woodward (See Tid Bits below). But this strictly up to you.

7.Jimmy Rollins(Phi)-Was it a Sophmore slump? If that was your first question then the second one is, Is he overrated? The answer to both of these are NO! Look for a comeback in Phi. Notice the lineup around him. If he doesnt shake it off this year, than i feel bad for Rollins he has potential.

8.Rafael Furcal(Atl)-Only beef I have with this kid is the lack of base stealing. Why has he not swiped 40 bags yet?

9.Orlando Cabrera(Mon)-Seems like most of those 25 steals came in September. Outside of that I dont see much up or down side to him.

10.Omar Vizquel(Cle)-All of his little Indian friends are gone yet he is still here and he still thrives. Nice middle to late round pick up. Always dependable.

Tid Bits

Rich Aurilia showed us last year that the 37 Home Run season was a fluke. Last Season was REAL. .257, 15 HR's 61 RBI's.

Chris Woodward is a former utility guy but is a big power sleeper with the potential to hit 20 home runs.

Carlos Guillen hit a pitiful .242 AFTER April. So get him and sell FAST if you want to take a chance.

Tony Womack should be stealing 40 bases, hell 60 bases. He has the speed for it but we have yet to see it on the base paths.

That does it for the Short Stops. In my next article I will cover the 3rd base position. I hope this shed some light upon the short stops, let you in on the nick nacks of the position. So until next time, take it easy and may peace be with you.

If you have questions, comments or just want to shoot the breeze email me.

scarface2171@yahoo.com
R.I.P. Harry Carry GO BRAVES!!