Making the Grade: Ranking Shortstops in the AL Central

Sep 28, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop

(11) celebrates with Cleveland Indians first baseman

(36) after Ramirez scored during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The AL Central fields some of the most talented young shortstops in the game, but how well will youthful potential translate to big league production in 2015?

While the AL Central projects to be one of the most competitive divisions in all of Major League Baseball, the division lacks significant star power at some of the game’s premier positions.

Betsided

And shortstop is no different.

Aside from 2014 All-Star Alexei Ramirez, no shortstop in the AL Central has appeared in the All Star Game. None has ever won a Gold Glove and Ramirez, again, is the only Silver Slugger winner in the group.

But there is talent.

The division does field young shortstops with a lot of potential, including the Indians’ Jose Ramirez, the Twins’ Danny Santana and the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias. None of these guys are likely to blow fans away with MVP-like performances, but each is solid in all aspects of the game. They can all hit, play defense and change games with their speed.

This piece highlights the shortstops who occupy the division and ranks them, from 1-5, in reverse order from least productive to most productive.

Next: No. 5

No. 5: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

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While Jose Ramirez has the potential to be an incredible difference-maker for the Tribe this season, his 84 career games in the big leagues make it difficult to anoint him as anything but the last-ranked shortstop in the division. 

Known more for his glove than his bat, Ramirez was a significant piece in Cleveland’s late-season surge in 2014. He brought stability to the middle of a defense that was plagued by mistakes. Ramirez committed just four errors in what was his first extended big league opportunity last year, splitting time between second base and shortstop. His .983 fielding percentage and 4.13 range factor was a enormous improvement upon anything Cleveland has seen since Omar Vizquel.

Offensively, Ramirez was better-than-advertised for the Tribe. Despite hitting better than .300 in four of five seasons in the minors, the 22-year-old shortstop has always projected as an average – at best – hitter. But he hit .262/.300/.346 from the dish, giving manager Terry Francona a switch-hitting speedster he could plug in at the top or bottom of the order. With questions surrounding the health of Jason Kipnis and Michael Bourn, Ramirez might also be the Indians’ only real base-stealing threat in the lineup.

Fortunately for Ramirez, he has shown an ability to play second, third or shortstop early in his career. Despite his youth, Ramirez is really a temporary piece at shortstop, as he will soon give way to the inevitable call-up of prized prospect Francisco Lindor.

Though the Tribe has still given no indication of a timetable for Lindor’s debut, Ramirez is auditioning for another job – whether that is with the Indians or another team is yet to be determined.

Next: No. 4

No. 4: Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals

Mar 11, 2015; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop

(2) warms up prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Alcides Escobar has had an up-and-down career with both the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers. 

Breaking into the league for an extended stay in 2009, Escobar hit .304 with five extra-base hits in 38 big league games. He followed up that performance, though, with a .235 average in his first full major league season. Escobar put together a breakout campaign in 2012, his second season with the Royals, as he hit .293/.331/.390 with 42 extra-base hits and 35 stolen bases.

Again, he followed up that promising campaign with a pedestrian .234 season at the dish.

He rebounded well in 2014, batting .285 while playing in all 162 games for the Royals. He hit 42 extra-base hits, stole 31 bases and tallied a career-high 74 runs scored.  His first postseason appearance, then, ended with a .292/.303/.415 mark as he helped the Royals reach the World Series for the first time since 1985.

Given that trend, the 28-year-old shortstop is due for another dip in production this season.

He will be hitting full-time out of the leadoff spot — though David Hill of KingsofKauffman.com disagrees with the strategy — for the first time in his career, as most of his time has been spent in the bottom third of the lineup. Manager Ned Yost turned to Escobar to fill the role last season in the midst of the team’s playoff run more out of necessity, but Escobar doesn’t fit the typical bill of an everyday leadoff hitter. While he has stolen 114 bases over the last four seasons, he posted a below average .317 on base percentage last season. He swings at a lot of first pitches and doesn’t walk nearly as much as one would expect.

But Yost trusts his durable shortstop and will rely on him – at least for the time being – to set the table for the young boppers behind him. It proved to be a brilliant strategy during the playoffs, but whether that plan is successful for an entire season remains to be seen.

Next: No. 3

No. 3: Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers

Mar 10, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop

(1) dives and throws to first base during the first inning of a spring training baseball game at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Like both Ramirez and Danny Santana, Jose Iglesias hasn’t played enough big league games to make any sort of conclusion about his value. He has just 145 career games under his belt and, until Opening Day, Iglesias hadn’t played a regular season game since 2013. 

While his offensive ability is still in question, there is no denying the fact that Iglesias can play defense. He has just five career errors at shortstop in 378 attempts, good for a .987 fielding percentage. Sporting a 3.59 career range factor at the position, Iglesias combines with second baseman Ian Kinsler this season to field one of the best defensive middle infields in all of baseball.

Acquired to replace Jhonny Peralta during his 50-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs in the Biogenesis scandal, Iglesias hit .303/.349/.386 in time split between Boston and Detroit back in 2013. He impressed so much, in fact, that Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski declined to make Peralta a qualifying offer in the offseason and penciled in Iglesias as the everyday shortstop.

Unfortunately for Iglesias, his 2014 season ended before it could begin. Stress fractures in both of his shins ended his season in the spring, so Iglesias has not played meaningful games in more than a year. He will likely get most of his at-bats at the bottom of the Tigers’ lineup in 2015, hitting in front of Rajai Davis and Kinsler, who man the top of the order.

If he continues to reach base at an average clip, Iglesias could really be a difference-maker for the Tigers, as his speed makes him a nightmare on the base paths.

Next: No. 2

No. 2: Danny Santana, Minnesota Twins

Sep 26, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins short stop

(39) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Santana quietly put together one of the most impressive performances by a shortstop in 2014, but was widely overshadowed by the production of fellow rookie Jose Abreu – and the fact that Minnesota was irrelevant for much of the season. 

In his first big league season, Santana played both shortstop and centerfield, with a majority of his time actually coming in the outfield. Despite the movement, he hit .319/.353/.472 in 101 games. He clubbed 41 extra-base hits, including 27 doubles and seven triples, and stole 20 bases. Debuting for the club in May, Santana got off to a rock-solid start in the big leagues, posting a .375 average in the first month of his career.

He never hit below .271 in any month during his rookie campaign and saved arguably his best performance for the final month of the season. Santana hit .337/.358/467 in September, stealing eight bases without being caught. He finished the season posting the third-highest batting average on balls in play (0.405) since 1961, only topped by Reggie Jefferson in 1996 (0.408) and Rod Carew in 1977 (0.408).

He is the perfect leadoff hitter, whose on-base ability and speed make him a nightmare for opposing pitchers. Minnesota, however, does expect some regression this season, as general manager Terry Ryan said last fall:

"Historically my gut tells me that it’s not sustainable because he didn’t put up those kinds of numbers in the minor leagues. If you’re going to be true to yourself and what you know has happened with historically 95 percent of the players, you’ve got to expect a little bit of a back-off of those numbers, but that would be plenty good enough."

At 24 years old, Santana is now locked in as the Twins’ everyday shortstop. He posted a 3.47 range factor at the position in 2014, committing just two errors in 120 attempts (.983 FPCT). He’ll be faced with his first full season at the position and, with that, will likely endure a number of hiccups throughout the season.

Despite all that, evaluators still expect Santana to put together another impressive performance in 2015.

Next: No. 1

No. 1: Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox

Sep 23, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop

(10) hits a double in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Atop the youthful list of shortstops is AL Central staple Alexei Ramirez. 

Now 33 years old, Ramirez earned his first All Star Game appearance in 2014 and won his second Silver Slugger Award. He is the one player on this list with more than 1,000 big league games to his name, and he has posted a career slash line of .276/.314/.404.

Ramirez his .273 on an average White Sox team a year ago, clubbing 15 home runs and driving in 74 RBIs. His production fell of significantly as the season progressed, however, and was punctuated by an atrocious .209/.240/.330 showing in September. His .282 average before the All Star break fell because of a .262 post-break showing, as he was bounced around the lineup, hitting in seven different spots throughout the season.

He was an absolute force against the Tribe last season, hitting .299 to go along with four home runs in 67 at-bats, including a walk-off blast against John Axford last April.

Defensively, Ramirez continues to show off a fairly consistent glove. He owned a 4.31 range factor last season while committing 15 errors (.976 FPCT) in 158 games.

While Ramirez may not be the most talented shortstop in the division, he has put together a rather consistent career. Now, Ramirez has the luxury of hitting in a lineup stuffed with the likes of Jose Abreu, Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche. With those names in the middle of the order, Ramirez will have a greater chance to produce than he has over the last several season.

The White Sox know what to expect from their 33-year-old Cuban middle infielder and, for now, that’s good enough to make him the best option in the AL Central.

Next: Ranking the Third Basemen