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Shortstops Outlook

March 30, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

SHORTSTOPS

Table: Do not bench list

Player	Team
Jose Reyes	NYM
Derek Jeter	NYY
Jimmy Rollins	PHI
Hanley Ramirez	FLA
Rafael Furcal	LAD
Miguel Tejada	BAL
Michael Young	TEX
Carlos Guillen	DET

UPPER ECHELON

Edgar Renteria, Atlanta Braves

Analysis: Renteria is difficult to bench, but because he's opening at the Philadelphia Phillies, it's impossible. The New York Mets, his next opponent, featured excellent pitching last year, but this year they have a depleted staff. Renteria hit more homers on the road, but he hit .298 at Turner Field. He also hit .306 versus Philadelphia and .302 against the Mets. Play him this week.

Julio Lugo, Boston Red Sox

Analysis: Lugo will have a great opportunity to start his Boston career as he will playing in the hitters' paradise of Kauffman Stadium. The stadium itself is only average for hitters; however, last season, Royals pitchers sported a 5.65 ERA at home. Against the weak pitching of the Royals he should have a solid start. Lugo hit .214 with two RBI and one home run against the Royals last season. Then he will be traveling to Texas to face the Rangers, whose pitchers posted a 4.51 ERA at home. Lugo did not face the Rangers last season. He should be played this week.

Orlando Cabrera, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Analysis: Two series at home to start the season await Cabrera. In the 300 at-bats he had at home last season, Cabrera hit .310 with 33 RBI and three home runs. He also stole 17 bases. He clearly feels more comfortable here than he did when he played in Boston two years ago. He did struggle against the Texas Rangers' pitchers last year, hitting .221 with seven RBI in 68 at-bats. He fared a little better against Oakland Athletics pitchers, hitting .262 with three RBI. Regardless, his home numbers suggest he will get off to a good start this season. Play him.

MIDRANGE

Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians

Analysis: Starting the season against the Chicago White Sox might not be what Peralta needs to get back on track this year. In 60 at-bats against them last season, he hit just .167 with one home run and four RBI. In his second series this week, he should do better against the Seattle Mariners. Last year, he hit .303 with one home run and three RBI in 33 at-bats against them. You might want to bench him during the first half of the week, but it's hard to do when he's at U.S. Cellular Field. He deserves strong consideration at home against the Mariners.

Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks

Analysis: Drew begins 2007 traveling to Colorado to face the Rockies at Coors Field. Although it wasn't the hitters' park it was last year, it still is among the best in the league. Drew hit .267 with three RBI in 30 at-bats against the Rockies last year. After facing the Rockies, Drew will travel to Washington to face the Nationals in one of the worst hitters' park. He hit only .250 with one home and three RBI in 16 at-bats against them last season. Their pitching is awful, however, so he could be played all week.

OTHERS FOR CONSIDERATION

Jason Bartlett, Minnesota Twins

Analysis: Bartlett will be starting his season at home against the Baltimore Orioles. In 20 at-bats against them last season, he hit .300 with one RBI. His second series will come against the White Sox, who he performed well against last year. In 41 at-bats, he hit .317 with one home run and six RBI. Consider him if you are stuck at the position.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

Analysis: The Rockies' top shortstop faced a Diamondbacks pitcher only seven times last season, getting on base four times, with two hits and two walks. A more telling stat would be his .269 average with only three RBI in 52 at-bats last season at home, which is where he will be facing the Diamondbacks. He will then make the trek to San Diego to face the Padres, whom he hit .250 against last season. He also had one home run and one RBI against them. While his numbers weren't great, Tulowitzki has the potential to be a solid contributor, but it might be too early in the season to use him.

Yuniesky Betancourt, Seattle Mariners

Analysis: In his first full season in the majors, Betancourt hit .285 with two home runs and 23 RBI at home. Away from Safeco Field he hit .292 with six home runs and 24 RBI. This week, he will be facing the Athletics at home (.273 with one home run and six RBI against them last year) and the Indians in Cleveland (.226 with an RBI against them last year). Betancourt isn't a horrible play but only consider him as a last resort.

Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Analysis: Zobrist will be stepping into historic Yankee Stadium to start the 2007 season. Against the Yankees last year he hit surprisingly well, posting a .292 average with four RBI in 24 at-bats. That was well above his .224 overall average. The second half of the week will see him return home, where he hit just .204 last season. He will also be facing the Blue Jays, who held him to a .059 average in 17 at-bats. He could be considered against the Yankees but he's more of a wait-and-see player.

David Eckstein, St. Louis Cardinals

Analysis: Eckstein will be playing his first series in St. Louis against the New York Mets. He was considerably better at home (at least average-wise), hitting .306 with nine RBI compared to .279 with two home runs and 14 RBI away. He also hit .400 with three RBI against the Mets last season. In his second series next week he will be traveling to Houston. Against them he hit .300 with one home run and four RBI last season. Eckstein could be considered to face either team this week but he would be a weaker play.

Bobby Crosby, Oakland Athletics

Analysis: Last year was not the kind of season Crosby was expecting. At home he hit just .236 with three home runs and 20 RBI, while away he hit .222 with six home runs and 20 RBI. His first series of 2007 will come against the Mariners, who held him to a .241 average with four RBI. He will then travel to Los Angeles to face the Angels. Against them he hit an abysmal .154 with one home run and five RBI. Crosby could be worth starting because of his potential but he should likely be benched for this week.

Khalil Greene, San Diego Padres

Analysis: Greene had a great discrepancy between his home and away stats. At home, he hit .210 with six home runs and 27 RBI. However, away from PETCO Park he hit .280 with nine home runs and 28 RBI in about the same number of at-bats. He will be starting this season against the Giants, whom he hit .254 with two home runs and eight RBI against last year. He will then return home to face the Rockies, who he hit .283 with two homers and seven RBI against last season. He could be worth a look against the Giants but against the Rockies he should be benched because of his poor home stats and the not-so-hitter-friendly venue.

Author Bio

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.