The Top 10 Fantasy SS of 2009

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These weekly posts of mine have been based on a rotisserie format using a traditional 5×5 scoring system to keep things simple.

Personally I prefer more statistics in my leagues (which is why I was the commissioner in one of my leagues), but in order to reach the most readers we will just stick with the basic. But, feel free to either e-mail me or leave a comment in this post if you have specific questions. If I don’t reply to the comment, then ping me in an e-mail, too!

We will go around the horn in this series after skipping the pitcher’s position.

And remember, just because a player had a good fantasy season in 2009, it doesn’t mean he will have another one in 2010 and beyond. Sometimes you need to look into the player’s past and see if he is showing signs of decline over a few years.

Please Note: The 5×5 stats listed below are as follows in this order Runs/HR/RBI/SB/Ave and the number in parenthesis is the player’s age

10 — Orlando Cabrera (34) Angels/Twins

83/9/77/13/.285

Not a bad line for a 34 year old SS, but his inability to hit double digits in HRs or steal 20 bases prevents him from placing higher than 10^th.

9 — Marco Scutaro (33)  Blue Jays

100/12/60/14/.282

His 100 runs scored shows off his on base ability in 2009 and being with the Red Sox should keep those numbers from dropping much. That being said, he may be only an honorable mention next year.

8 — Jimmy Rollins (30) Phillies

100/21/77/31/.250

Hi average took a major hit in 2009 or he’d be higher on this list. He did not have the typical J-Roll sort of year, but 21 bombs and 31 stolen bases is very nice out of the SS position in any fantasy league not to mention his 100 runs scored and 77 RBI. Not sure he can continue stealing 30+ bases, but he should hit 20 or more HRs in 2010 with 100+ runs again in this line up.

7 — Asdrubal Cabrera (23) Indians; also qualifies at 2B

81/6/68/17/.308

Aside from him being 7^th on this list, the fact that he qualifies at 2B would place him higher if this list wasn’t stat driven. His 17 stolen bases and above .300 average place him here on this list.

6 — Yunel Escobar (26) Braves

89/14/76/5/.299

If I remember correctly, injuries kept Escobar on the bench a little bit in 2009 or he might have had a line that looked more like this: 100/20/90/10/.305 which would have placed him in the top 5 on this list.

5 — Miguel Tejada (35) Astros

83/14/86/5/.313

He may not be able to hit 20 HR anymore, but his ability to hit over .300 with both runs and RBIs in the 80’s is still worthy at this position. All bets are off though if he moves to 3B unless he still qualifies at SS in your league in 2010.

4 — Jason Bartlett (29) Rays

90/14/66/30/.320

He had a career year in 2009, but I don’t think it will continue into 2010. I feel that his average will once again dip just below .300 and he may not steal 30 again or score 90 times in 2010. Either way, he was well deserving a # 4 ranking for 2009!

3 — Troy Tulowitzki (24) Rockies

101/32/92/20/.297

The only thing keeping Tulo from the 2^nd spot was a future hall of famer who had another great year at age 35 in Jeter. This is the type of production you should come to expect from him moving forward in the mold of the great Cal Ripken, Jr. Heck, he might even hit 100 RBIs with an average slightly over .300 next year!

2 — Derek Jeter (35) Yankees

107/18/66/30/.334

The Yankees captain had another (arguably) MVP caliber season and with 30 stolen bases at his age is an added bonus. I’m not sure he’ll come close to 20 HRs again, but the rest of those numbers can definitely be repeated with a slightly lower average (about .310).

1 — Hanley Ramirez (25) Marlins

101/24/106/27/.342

The only surprise here is that he didn’t go 30/30, but then again, knowing he was moving to the number 3 slot in the batting order probably took away that chance, but 20/20, 100/100 while hitting over .340 is great for any positional player! I don’t see him getting knocked off his # 1 perch any time soon!

Honorable Mentions:

Maicer Izturis (28) Angels; also qualifies at 2B

74/8/65/13/.300

Erick Aybar (25) Angels

70/5/58/14/.312