TheBaseballStars

As TheBaseballStars submitted their votes for shortstop rankings, it became clear that there was some dissension among the ranks. Here is how some of the stars came to their conclusions.

1. Reyes, 2. Hanley, 3. Rollins: When it comes to shortstops, it’s no secret that Reyes is my guy. I’ve been a believer in Reyes from Day One, even through his injury plagued first two years. In my eyes Reyes is the one shortstop who changes the game, hence his No. 1 ranking in my book. His stolen bases are unmatched. He has more power potential than Carl Crawford and at times he can be almost impossible to get out. Hanley and Rollins are solid choices, but neither of them has replaced Reyes as the most dominant shortstop. I truly believe Hanley will be negatively affected by Miguel Cabrera’s departure. I know TheJon feels like he is the newer version of Alfonso Soriano, but until he actually proves he can do it without a big bat behind him, I’m going to keep in under Reyes. As for Rollins, I can see an argument for him being No. 1, but if he doesn’t hit 25 homers next year, he clearly will not be the best shortstop.

1. Rollins; 2. Ramirez; 3. Reyes: Obviously, you really can’t go wrong with any of these three guys. They’re all relatively young, have been largely injury free for the past two years and have the potential to get even better. That being said, I like Rollins of the three. He’s the only one who’s solidly in his prime (29), has shown the most power (only one to hit 30 in a season), is surrounded by the best lineup (only one better is the Tigers), plays in the most hitter-friendly park (best thing this side of Denver) and has the longest track record. I like Hanley next because he’s capable of going 30-30 and is more of a No. 3 hitter than Reyes, who’s essentially a leadoff guy no matter what.

1. Reyes, 2. Ramirez, 3. Rollins: I did rank Reyes ahead of Hanley Ramirez, but it was only after much deliberation and by the slightest of margins. There are two reasons why I selected Reyes as the number one. Like Newspaperman said, the departure of Miguel Cabrera is major. Pitchers won’t have to give him as many fastballs and there is nobody to knock him in consistently. Secondly, as good as he was the last two years, he still has no proved that those are the numbers he will produce year in and year out. Reyes’ second half swoon scared me. Hanley has the ability to dominate more categories, he just doesn’t steal as much. As far as Rollins goes, he just seems to always get off to a slow start. I think that his numbers are good at the end of every year, but I would rather have a player that produces all the way through.

1. Reyes 2. Rollins. Ramirez. Why does Newspaperman always feel the need to include The Jon in everything he writes? The Jon feels Reyes is going to be blah blah. The Jon says to use the corner stall in a men’s bathroom … The Jon says pink really brings out the color in Newspaperman’s eyes. Mention The Jon and you get famous. As you can tell Neswpaperman, The Jon went with Reyes first. Reyes can be a better Ichiro if he can ever get 200 hits combined with more steals. That is a big if, but it still puts him as No. 1. As for Rollins over Hanley, Rollins has a track record. You know you can get 190 hits, 30 steals and 20 homers from the guy. Hanley has warranted the ton of hype surrounding him, but it will take one more season of his output to push him past the more established Reyes and Rollins. Until then, Newspaperman will continue to reference The Jon in his posts and cry over his soap effigy he made of me after the private time he spends in the shower.