10) Alexei Ramirez, White Sox
The Cuban defector Ramirez put up another solid season last year. He batted .269 with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs. Ramirez was also second in the AL in assists and 5th in putouts last year.
9) JJ Hardy, Orioles
Playing for his third team in three years, Hardy had his best season since 2008 last year. He batted .269, slugged a AL shortstop best .491, hit 30 home runs, and drove in 80 runs. Hardy also led AL shortstops in range factor, which is putouts plus assists divided by games played. Basically, its how many defensive plays he averaged per game.
8) Jhonny Peralta, Tigers
Peralta made his first All Star team last year in his first full season with Detroit. He batted .299, slugged .478, and had a OBP of .345. Peralta also hit 21 home runs and had 86 RBIs. 2011 was the fourth 20 plus home run season for Peralta.
7) Derek Jeter, Yankees
The Yankees captain Jeter hit his 3000th hit last season and is capping off a Hall of Fame career. He batted .297 with a .355 OBP last season and had 61 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. The 12 time All Star is now 21st alltime in runs and 20th alltime in hits.
6) Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
2007 MVP Rollins had a bounceback year from an injury plagued 2010 season. J-Roll batted .268 and hit 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, and was 10th in the National League with 30 stolen bases. Rollins has won 3 Gold Gloves during his career and is the active leader for stolen bases during a career by a shortstop.
5) Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians
Cabrera had a breakout year in 2011 making his first All Star team. Cabrera batted .273, slugged .460, hit 25 home runs, and stole 17 bases. Cabrera also led AL shortstops with 92 RBIs last year and won the Silver Slugger award.
4) Elvis Andrus, Rangers
One of the best, if not the best defensive shortstop in baseball. Andrus has been a key player in two straight World Series teams. Last year, Andrus batted .279 with a .347 OBP, and had 60 RBIs. Andrus was 5th in the AL with 37 stolen bases last year. He also was 3rd in assists and 2nd in putouts by a AL shortstop in 2011.
3) Starlin Castro, Cubs
About the only bright spot for the North Siders, Castro had his first All Star season last year. He was 6th in the NL with a .307 average, led the league with 207 hits, was 5th in triples(9), and 9th in doubles(36). Castro also hit 10 homers, 66 RBIs, and stole 17 bases. He led the NL in putouts and assists by a shortstop, but he also led the league in errors by a shortstop.
2) Jose Reyes, Marlins
New Marlin Reyes had his of his best seasons with the Mets last year. He won the batting title with a .337 average, and led the NL in triples with 16. He was 8th in on base pct. with .384 and slugged .493 last year. Reyes also was 6th in steals with 39 and 8th in hits with 181. Reyes has made four All Star teams and finished 11th in MVP voting in 2011.
1) Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
There is no doubt that Tulo is the best shortstop in baseball. He is a great defender, and a pretty good hitter as well. Tulo was 10th in BA(.302), 10th in OBP(.372), and 6th in slugging pct.(.544). He also hit 30 home runs, was 5th in RBIs with 105, 9th in doubles with 36, and 8th in total bases with 292. Tulo won his second straight Gold Glove and finished 8th in MVP voting. That marks the third straight season he's been in the top ten in MVP voting.
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