Below are my initial shortstop rankings for 2014. This is an extremely risky position with no “sure things.” In general this is the position where you should get your speed when building your team. If, during your draft you get speed from other positions you could get power shortstops (i.e. J.J. Hardy in the 19th round in 12 team league) at an substantial discount.

Previous rankings: Catchers, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop Outfield part one and part two, Pitchers part one, part two, and part three.

1. Troy Tulowitzki – has only averaged 121 games since 2007 and only has eclipsed 144 games once in his career.
   
2. Ian Desmond – the safest player on the entire list; limited upside, but provides 20/20 with 25/25 upside.
3. Hanley Ramirez – will he have a .363 BABIP and 21.7% HR/FB rate again?; if he can stay healthy he has the skill set that could him the best fantasy shortstop.
   
4. Everth Cabrera – was ninth in the majors in stolen bases despite only playing in 95 games; if he plays a full year he could win you a category; reduced his strikeout rate nearly ten percentage points compared to last year, which makes his .283 batting average repeatable.
5. Jose Reyes – only ten stolen bases after returning from the DL with a gruesome injury; at the age of 30, will he return to 30+ stolen bases?; I will not own him on any team.
   
6. Jean Segura – after a great first two months of the season, Segura had a slash line of .261/.292/.354 with four home runs and 29 stolen bases (11 caught stealing); fantasy owners should expect this type of output next year, but will most likely go much higher than he should.
   
7. J.J. Hardy – very consistent power source
   
8. Andrelton Simmons – I didn’t see 17 home run potential because he never showed it in the minors, but is repeatable; has the speed for 15-25 stolen bases if given the green light.
   
9. Starlin Castro – unforgettable year that is most likely an outlier in an excellent career; don’t forget he’s still only 23 years old.
   
10. Jonathan Villar – if he’s the Astros starting shortstop Opening Day, he could steal 40+ bases.
    
11. Brad Miller – I may be too aggressive on Miller, but he has 15/15 upside.
    
12. Ben Zobrist – see second base rankings.
    
13. Elvis Andrus – his stolen base totals for his career are: 33, 32, 37, 21 and 42; looks safe for 30+ stolen bases that provides nothing else.
    
14. Asdrubal Cabrera – just turned 27, but he looked like 30 year old on the field; his age suggests he could rebound, but it’s looking more like his 2011 season is the outlier.
    
15. Jed Lowrie – see second base rankings.
    
16. Erick Aybar
    
17. Alexei Ramirez – one of the worst approaches in the game and will most likely not get 30 stolen bases again because he will not be on-base enough to get those opportunities.
    
18. Jordy Mercer – if he’s the Opening Day starter for the Pirates, Mercer is a top 11-13 shortstop.
    
19. Stephen Drew
20. Jimmy Rollins – only provided six home runs due to a low HR/FR rate (3.0%); however, the power upside is 10-13 home runs with 15-20 stolen bases.
    
21. Jhonny Peralta
22. Brandon Crawford
23. Alcides Escobar – with a .259 OBP I have no idea why Ned Yost batted him second in the lineup; I expect a rebound to a .290 OBP which should provide more stolen bases (25-30)
    
24. Adeiny Hechavarria
25. Yunel Escobar
26. Jose Iglesias – will never finish a season with a batting average greater than .303 again
    
27. Zack Cozart