Short Stop Sleepers

Published: 2^nd Feb 12 7:49 am

by aaronprice
aaronprice

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We all know that after Tulo and Reyes come off the board the SS position turns into “what ifs” and “what’s the difference”. You can find yourself trying to split hairs between an aging Jimmy Rollins and an injury prone J.J. Hardy. Or maybe you’re buying into the hype of a repeat Asdrubal Cabrera break out or thinking Jeter’s got one more descent year. Well, after the dust settles and the first 10 to 12 SS comes off the board, there are a few viable options left at the position if you’re willing to go outside the box.

Zack Cozart ADP 243.42, 68.2%

The 26 year old SS finally got the call up to the big leagues last year, but was sidelined with an elbow injury eleven games into his rookie campaign. In two AAA seasons (2010/2011), Cozart hit .282/.333/.441 with 24 HR and 39 SB in 876 AB’s. Cozart has posted a solid ISO (.144) rating throughout his minor league career and belted 17 HR in the 2010 season. Cozart looks to have the inn on the job once spring training opens up. He is a great depth option at SS in 2012 and could even break into your fantasy line up with his power /speed combo. A short stop that hits .265 with 15 HR and 15 SB is pretty valuable.

Tyler Pastornicky 313.30, 1.2%

The Braves seem content to enter the season with Pastornicky as their everyday shorts stop. Pastornicky went through AA/AAA last year totaling 7 HR, 65 R, 45RBI and 27 SB. He has a little bit of pop in his bat with an A+/AA/AAA ISO of .115, but where he is going to make his hay is on the base paths. He should easily approach 20 steals in 2012 with 6-8 HR. This 22 year old SS makes for a solid depth play and could step in and produce should one of the “safer” options falls of a cliff or get injured.

Eduardo Nunez ADP 278.15, 0.9%

The super utility man for the Yankees has some great value, especially if you decide to draft Jeter or A-Rod. He has great position eligibility with SS/3B and in a partial season last year, 309 AB’s, Nunez hit .265/.313/.385 with 5 HR and 22 SB’s. Imagine if he could get 500-600 AB’s in 2012, you are looking at 8-12 HR 35-40 SB short stop. Nunez should improve his BABIP (.287) from last year leading to a higher average, so a .280-.290 is definitely a possibility.

If on draft day you decide wait on short stop, don’t worry, there are some Gems to be uncovered. Any one of these options could show up in a big way during the 2012 season. If I were to rank this group, I would go Cozart, Nunez, and then Pastornicky.

All ADP position information obtained from mockdraftcentral.com

Aaron Price, follow me on twitter at @baseballrantman

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