ST LOUIS - Edgar Renteria 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 STL 150 562 156 32 1 16 94 76 63 77 278 346 423 21 13 2001 STL 141 493 128 19 3 10 54 57 39 73 260 314 371 17 4 2002 STL 152 544 166 36 2 11 77 83 49 57 305 364 439 22 7       Renteria reversed several years of decline with a fine season, batting .300 for the first time since 1996. He also won a Gold Glove... though it seems to me that he probably won it with his bat. I have never considered him a great defensive player, nor have many others (it was his first Golden Mitt). But he had a better year with at the plate than Orlando Cabrera or Rey Ordonez, sooo... Renteria's a good player, should have more solid seasons ahead of him but won't get any better.

SAN FRANCISCO - Rich Aurilia 32 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 SF 141 509 138 24 2 20 67 79 54 90 271 339 444 1 2 2001 SF 156 636 206 37 5 37 114 97 47 83 324 369 572 1 3 2002 SF 133 538 138 35 2 15 76 61 37 90 257 305 413 1 2       Aurilia had a disappointing season, but will play better this year. His numbers really weren't much worse than his career numbers, plus he was also hindered by having bone chips removed from his elbow in May. He played well in the postseason. He's not a good bet to hit 37 home runs again, but 20-25 is a reasonable expectation.       Have you ever noticed that lots of players have career years, then win a championship the following season? Aurilia was fantastic in 2001; even though he struggled in 2002, the Giants won the pennant. Gary Sheffield had a monster season in 1996, then struggled when the Marlins won the World Series in 1997. Tino Martinez had a career year in 1997, the one year that the Yankees didn't win. Lou Whitaker had his best season in 1983, and the Tigers won a year later; Dave Parker won an MVP in 1978, and the Pirates won in 79...       Is there anything to be learned from this? Hmmmm... maybe Miguel Tejada will struggle this season, and the Athletics will win the World Series.

PHILADELPHIA - Jimmy Rollins 24 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 133 470 129 28 11 12 67 69 49 55 274 341 457 24 7 2001 PHI 158 656 180 29 12 14 97 54 48 108 274 323 419 46 8 2002 PHI 154 637 156 33 10 11 82 60 54 103 245 306 380 31 13       He was the starter in the All-Star Game, but really didn't have a good season. He had a hot start, but slumped very badly at times. Still, as far as sophomore seasons go, it wasn't a disaster, and he was only 23. Rollins will continue to get better; he needs to concentrate on getting on base more often ahead of Philly's Big three.

MONTREAL - Orlando Cabrera 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 MON 125 422 100 25 1 13 47 55 25 28 237 279 393 4 4 2001 MON 162 626 173 41 6 14 64 96 43 54 276 324 428 19 7 2002 MON 153 563 148 43 1 7 64 56 48 53 263 321 380 25 7       When he drove in 96 runs in 2001, Cabrera hit cleanup for much of the season. It helped him get noticed, and he also copped a Gold Glove Award (which he richly deserved).       Now, Frank Robinson was a pretty good cleanup hitter in his day, and when he took a look at Cabrera, he decided to move Orlando down in the batting order. His performance at the plate didn't change much, but he drove in 40 fewer runs, and lost the Gold Glove. Cabrera's a decent player, an outstanding defensive shortstop who hits a little bit.

CHICAGO CUBS - Alex Gonzalez 30 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TOR 141 527 133 31 2 15 68 69 43 113 252 313 404 4 4 2001 TOR 154 636 161 25 5 17 79 76 43 149 253 303 388 18 11 2002 CHC 142 513 127 27 5 18 58 61 46 136 248 312 425 5 3       Gonzalez probably had his best season with the bat, which may not be saying much but it's something. He's a fine defensive shortstop, is fairly durable and consistent, won't improve in the future.

CINCINNATI - Barry Larkin 39 R/R and Felipe Lopez 23 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS LARKIN 2000 CIN 102 396 124 26 5 11 71 41 48 31 313 389 487 14 6 2001 CIN 45 156 40 12 0 2 29 17 27 25 256 373 372 3 2 2002 CIN 145 507 124 37 2 7 72 47 44 57 245 305 367 13 4 LOPEZ 2000 AA 127 463 119 18 4 9 52 41 31 110 257 303 371 12 11 2001 AAA 89 358 100 19 7 16 65 44 30 94 279 337 506 13 5 2002 AAA 43 173 55 11 2 3 35 16 29 37 318 419 457 13 0 2001 TOR 49 177 46 5 4 5 21 23 12 39 260 304 418 4 3 2002 TOR 85 282 64 15 3 8 35 34 23 90 227 287 387 5 4       At shortstop this year, the Reds have a great player whose career is almost over, and young player who... well, the jury is still out on what he is going to be.       I live in Toronto, and it was my humble opinion that Felipe Lopez is one of the best young players that the Blue Jays ever produced. His performance last year wasn't great, but was not bad for a 22-year-old shortstop; he also played extremely well at Syracuse after he was demoted at midseason. The strange thing is, that the Blue Jays went out of their way to badmouth Lopez after he was sent down. He was accused by management of not paying attention to coaches, of not learning from mistakes, of poor "dugout retention" and of learning too many bad habits from Raul Mondesi.       All of this may or may not be true; I just find it strange that the Jays would decide to publicly slander one of their own young players. After he was dealt to the Reds, both GM Ricciardi and manager Tosca opined that Lopez would never develop into a good player, and that they were ridding themselves of a major problem.       Well, the fact remains that Lopez is an extremely talented young player; he's 22 years old, has already had over 500 at bats in the majors, and has not embarrassed himself. Even though he struggled a bit last year, he was OK with the glove and showed very good power for a shortstop.       If the Reds are patient, then I think they are getting a pretty good young player. As for the other stuff, well, we'll see. The Jays are allowed to make decisions about what type of personalities they want on their club, and can't be criticized for dumping a potential clubhouse problem. But to give up on a talent like Lopez, they sure as heck better be right.

ATLANTA - Rafael Furcal 25 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 ATL 131 455 134 20 4 4 87 37 73 80 295 394 382 40 14 2001 ATL 79 324 89 19 0 4 39 30 24 56 275 321 370 22 6 2002 ATL 154 636 175 31 8 8 95 47 43 114 275 323 387 27 15       Furcal's stock has dropped like a rock since his rookie season. We know that he is older than he first claimed to be... but that doesn't explain why his strikeout/walk ratio has declined so badly, or why he can't steal bases anymore. He's adequate, but his poor command of the strike zone and his poor base stealing record make him a poor candidate to bat at the top of the order.

NEW YORK METS - Rey Sanchez 35 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 KC 143 509 139 18 2 1 68 38 28 55 273 314 322 7 3 2001 KC-ATL 149 544 153 18 6 0 56 37 15 49 281 300 336 11 1 2002 BOS 107 357 102 12 3 1 46 38 17 31 286 318 345 2 2       The Mets have replaced one Rey with another, and got the better end of the deal. Rey Sanchez, like the departed Rey Ordonez, is a brilliant defensive shortstop. He's also a better hitter than Ordonez. And he also makes $5.5 million less than Ordonez. Wherever he goes, Sanchez is always a temporary measure, and the same will be true in New York. The Mets have a young shortstop named Jose Reyes who they think will be pretty good, and who may get a chance to play with the big club this year.

SAN DIEGO - Ramon Vazquez 27 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 124 405 116 25 4 8 58 59 52 76 286 367 427 1 6 2001 AAA 127 466 140 28 1 10 85 79 76 84 300 397 429 9 7 2002 SD 128 423 116 21 5 2 50 32 45 79 274 344 362 7 2       Vazquez was acquired from the Mariners before last season, and opened the year as the Padres' starting shortstop. Of course, nothing went as planned; Vazquez hit .149 in April, so the Padres decided they would rather play Deivi Criz at short. Vazquez hit much better the rest of the way, and played a lot of games at second base and a few at third. In the end, he hit as well as the Padres could have hoped, and enters the 2003 season as, once again, the starting shortstop.       If he continues to hit like he did last year, Vazquez will be around for a few years. He's not going to get much better, but he does enough things well to make him a useful player.

PITTSBURGH - Jack Wilson 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 121 482 136 27 10 7 82 50 50 66 282 352 423 3 6 2001 PIT 108 390 87 17 1 3 44 25 16 70 223 255 295 1 3 2002 PIT 147 527 133 22 4 4 77 47 37 74 252 306 332 5 2       Wilson is a good defensive shortstop with a dash of dazzle and a pinch of pizzazz. Together with Pokey Reese, he gives the Pirates outstanding defense up the middle. He doesn't put any runs on the board, but could stay in the league for awhile if he can keep his average over .250, like Rey Sanchez has done.

MILWAUKEE - Royce Clayton 33 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TEX 148 513 124 21 5 14 70 54 42 92 242 301 384 11 7 2001 CHW 135 433 114 21 4 9 62 60 33 72 263 315 393 10 7 2002 CHW 112 342 86 14 2 7 51 35 20 67 251 295 365 5 1       The Brewers were terribly confused last season. They had a shortstop in Jose Hernandez who put a lot of runs on the board; but he also struck out a lot, so they didn't like him and let him go. To be safe, they brought in Royce Clayton, who is a terrible hitter and who should blend in nicely with the mediocrity around him.

FLORIDA - Alex Gonzalez 26 R/R and Andy Fox 32 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GONZALEZ 2000 FLO 109 385 77 17 4 7 35 42 13 77 200 229 319 7 1 2001 FLO 145 515 129 36 1 9 57 48 30 107 250 303 377 2 2 2002 FLO 42 151 34 7 1 2 15 18 12 32 225 296 325 3 1 FOX 2000 ARI-FLO 100 250 58 8 2 4 29 20 22 53 232 302 328 10 4 2001 FLO 54 81 15 0 1 3 8 7 15 17 185 327 321 1 0 2002 FLO 133 435 109 14 5 4 55 41 49 94 251 338 333 31 7       Gonzalez opened the year as the regular shortstop, but had shoulder surgery in May that put him out for the season. He was replaced by Fox, who did a decent job filling in. Obviously, the Marlins would like Gonzalez to be their shortstop... though they can't ignore the fact that Fox last year probably played better than Gonzalez has in any year. Neither is a long term solution.

HOUSTON - Julio Lugo 27 R/R or Jose Vizcaino 35 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS LUGO 2000 HOU 116 420 119 22 5 10 78 40 37 93 283 346 431 22 9 2001 HOU 140 513 135 20 3 10 93 37 46 116 263 326 372 12 11 2002 HOU 88 322 84 15 1 8 45 35 28 74 261 322 388 9 3 VIZCAINO 2000 LA-NYY 113 267 67 10 2 0 32 14 22 43 251 308 303 6 7 2001 HOU 107 256 71 8 3 1 38 14 15 33 277 322 344 3 2 2002 HOU 125 406 123 19 2 5 53 37 24 40 303 342 397 3 5       There were a number of competitors for the starting shortstop position in Houston last season, but Lugo persevered and held onto the job. He really didn't play any better than he did in 2001, and he also missed the final six weeks of the season after breaking his wrist.       In the spring, the Astros had toyed with the idea of giving an job to Adam Everett, a young shortstop who can field but can't hit. They thought they could teach him to hit but decided they would rather use veteran Jose Vizcaino instead. Vizcaino is a better player than either Lugo or Everett, but it seems that the Astros would rather use him all over the field than at one position.       Heading into 2003, Lugo, Vizcaino and Everett will all battle for jobs again. I think it is safe to say that none of them will be with the Astros three years from now.

LOS ANGELES - Cesar Izturis 23 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 132 435 95 16 5 0 54 27 20 44 218 253 278 21 11 2001 AAA 87 342 100 16 3 2 32 35 10 22 292 310 374 24 9 2001 TOR 46 134 36 6 2 2 19 9 2 15 269 279 388 8 1 2002 LA 135 439 102 24 2 1 43 31 14 39 232 253 303 7 7       Izturis was a popular addition in Los Angeles and he played some solid defense at short, but the uncomfortable reality is that he had a horrendous season at the plate and was a prime offender in the Dodgers' unproductive lineup. The Dodgers will give him every chance to keep the job in 2003, but he has to hit better. He will certainly hit at least a little better than he did last season, but I remain unconvinced that he can post an on-base percentage over .300.       Izturis batted 135 times in the leadoff slot. At first glance, you would think that Jim Tracy needs to be committed, using Izturis that often in the leadoff spot. Strangely enough, Izturis batted .290 with a .343 on-base percentage when batting leadoff; he batted .218 when batting second, .199 when batting eighth and .120 when batting ninth. Perhaps he gets extra motivation from batting at the top of the order... nevertheless, I don't recommend batting him leadoff, at least not until he proves he stay disciplined when batting at the bottom of the order.

ARIZONA - Tony Womack 34 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 ARI 146 617 167 21 14 7 95 57 30 74 271 307 384 45 11 2001 ARI 125 481 128 19 5 3 66 30 23 54 266 307 345 28 7 2002 ARI 153 590 160 23 5 5 90 57 46 80 271 325 353 29 12       Womack has been the shortstop in Arizona for three straight seasons now. He doesn't really do anything well; he doesn't hit for a good average or get on base, doesn't have any power, and is no longer an effective base stealer. And he's a real bad defensive shortstop. There are lots of players in the minors who can provide more than Womack... but Brenly seems comfortable with Womack's consistent mediocrity and veteran presence. Womack had better hope that Johnson and Schilling stay healthy, because he'll lose his job as soon as the DBack's stop winning.

COLORADO - Juan Uribe 23 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 A 134 485 124 22 7 13 64 65 38 100 256 314 410 22 5 2001 AAA 74 281 87 27 7 7 40 48 12 43 310 340 530 11 8 2001 COL 72 273 82 15 11 8 32 53 8 55 300 325 524 3 0 2002 COL 155 566 136 25 7 6 69 49 34 120 240 286 341 9 2       How bad was Juan Uribe in 2002? He was worse than Neifi Perez! I didn't think much of him before the season began, but I admit that he was even worse than I expected. Of course, he was only 22 years old... the Rockies, faced with an alarming lack of talent, are apparently going to give him another chance at short. Uribe will play better, but he is so far away from being a quality player that it will hardly matter.

SHORTSTOPS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Alex Rodriguez	11 Cristian Guzman	21 Deivi Cruz
2 Nomar Garciaparra	12 Alex Gonzalez (CHC)	22 Royce Clayton
3 Derek Jeter	13 Barry Larkin	23 Alex Gonzalez (FLO)
4 Miguel Tejeda	14 Rafael Furcal	24 Julio Lugo
5 Edgar Renteria	15 Chris Woodward	25 Cesar Izturis
6 Rich Aurilia	16 Jose Valentin	26 Tony Womack
7 Jimmy Rollins	17 Carlos Guillen	27 Angel Berroa
8 David Eckstein	18 Rey Sanchez	28 Ramon Santiago
9 Omar Vizquel	19 Ramon Vazquez	29 Rey Ordonez
10 Orlando Cabrera	20 Jack Wilson	30 Juan Uribe