Stalwart Bauxite AWeb posted this in another thread just a while ago:
" ... even a declined Scutaro is one of the top 10-15 SS in the majors, unles his defense evaporates. Not exactly a great position in MLB right now."
Maybe we were all spoiled by the Jeter/A-Rod/Nomar "trinity" a few years ago, following on the heels of a Larkin/Ripken era launch that really started us down the road to higher shortstop-as-productive-hitter expectations. But is it true that short is a weak position in the major leagues right now? Let's see ...
Going to the Hall of Fame: Derek Jeter
Potential All-Star: Jason Bartlett, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alexei Ramirez, Erick Aybar, Elvis Andrus
Solid, productive: Marco Scutaro, Adam Everett
Replacement: Nick Green, Cesar Izturis, Nick Punto, Yuniesky Betancourt
Overall, I'd say we have one Hall of Famer -- whether you like it or not, that's where Jeter is headed; three young guys who could eventually be "trinity"-class shortstops in Andrus, Cabrera and maybe Ramirez; a couple of guys who are nice solid players, including Scutaro; and four who are really just placeholders right now. Yes, yes, Scutaro and Everett are very differnt kinds of players, and Scutaro is almost inarguably the more valuable of the two, but hey, we've only got four categories listed!
Anyway, that's not bad at all, I think. The current class of shortstops is right about where it should be.
Okay, arguments welcome and invited ...
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20090917130431182