Top 10 Shortstops Under 30

December 28, 2008

All Positions: C / 1B / 2B / SS / 3B / CF / OF

Top 10 Shortstops Under the age of 30
No. Player Pos. Comments Age Org Lvl
1 Hanley Ramirez SS Followed .400 wOBA in '07 with .394 rate in '08; much improved patience (7.4% BB vs. 13.3%) 24.8 FLA MLB
2 Jose Reyes SS Returned to '06 form (.356 wOBA) in '08 (.351 vs. .329 in '07); 20% LD, but only .317 BABIP 25.3 NYM MLB
3 J.J. Hardy SS Coming off most productive yr of career (.283/.340/.478); wOBA increase in each MLB season 26.2 MIL MLB
4 Troy Tulowitzki SS Injuries, struggles made for an '08 season Tulo may like to forget: .310 wOBA vs. .360 in '07 24.0 COL MLB
5 Yunel Escobar SS Decreased K% (12.4 to 10.6) and increased BB% (7.6 to 10.1) from 1st full season to 2nd
25.9 ATL MLB
6 Stephen Drew SS After '07 struggles (.296 wOBA), went .348 in '08; IsoP up 79 pts, but BB rate down 3.5% 25.6 ARI MLB
7 Jimmy Rollins SS Big power drop after MVP year (.160 IsoP in '08 vs. .235 in '07); BB rate up to 9.3% from 6.3% 29.9 PHI MLB
8 Jhonny Peralta SS IsoP up each season since '06 struggles (.128 in '06, .160 in '07, .197 in '08); .343 wOBA 26.4 CLE MLB
9 Tim Beckham SS No. 1 overall pick in June's draft had .287 wOBA in 189 PA; low contact: 21.7% K, .251 AVG 18.7 TB R
10 Gordon Beckham SS/2B This Beckham had more success in pro debut: No. 8 pick went .394/.468/.652 in AFL (78 PA) 22.1 CHW A
Honorables: Brandon Wood (LAA), Jed Lowrie (BOS), and Mike Aviles (KC).
* Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it within a five-year period
** Ages are as of November 1st, 2008
*** Level is the highest level the player has reached
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Questions about this list can be directed toward Adam Foster at .