The shortstop position may be the thinnest of all in this year's fantasy baseball pool, and deciding when to take a shortstop could be an extremely important decision in your draft.
Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki are this year's top two shortstops and will likely be taken in the first two rounds of your draft, but there are concerns with both of them. Ramirez had a great 2013, but his struggles in 2011 and 2012 could definitely be red flags when it comes to using one of your early picks on him. Tulowitzki always puts up great numbers but is fairly injury prone.
If there are other top players on the board in the first two rounds, it is okay to pick them instead of Ramirez or Tulowitzki because of these concerns. Then again, it is also okay to take one of the two so you can shore up a weak position and have a deeper overall team.
Basically, when it comes to Ramirez and Tulowitzki, it depends where you are picking in your draft. If you have one of the first three picks in the draft, there are certainly better options to take in the first round. In the second round, they will probably both be off the board with you having one of the last picks.
Next on the list, however, is Ian Desmond. He has been incredibly productive and consistent for the Washington Nationals in pretty much every single offensive category. He will likely be taken in the third round but could possibly fall to fourth.
If you have one of the top two picks in the draft and have taken either Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera and a solid starting pitcher, grab Desmond with your pick in the third round. Despite his consistency, he is underrated and could provide 20-plus home runs AND steals.
Also, Jose Reyes will come off the board around the fourth round. While his speed could help you in terms of stolen bases, his other numbers from the past two seasons have been questionable and he may be a very risky pick.
If you have gotten to the fifth or sixth round without a shortstop, you can probably figure out which areas on your team are the strongest and which are the weakest. If you need runs and stolen bases, take Elvis Andrus. While he cannot hit for power, he will steal bases and cross the plate many times hitting in front of Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre.
The later middle rounds of the draft may be too risky to take a shortstop. Everth Cabrera and Jean Segura both had good seasons in 2013, but there is no telling as to whether or not those were flukes. Cabrera, in fact, was suspended for playing a role in the Biogenesis clinic.
Starlin Castro will also be available at this point, but he has not lived up to his potential so far.
When it comes to the later rounds of the draft, J.J. Hardy is a shortstop that may not hit for great average, but he will give you a huge boost in terms of power numbers from the shortstop position.
Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox has also been very consistent in the past few years and can give you fairly decent numbers in all categories.
The point when you should take a shortstop depends on two things: your position in the draft and what you lack on your team.
If you can take one of the top-tier shortstops without passing up a clearly better player and are not afraid of taking risks, go for Ramirez or Tulowitzki early on.
If you need certain categories, wait on specific shortstops like Andrus or Hardy that may be available in the middle or later rounds.