And now, my second Top Three

Two entries on the same day - whoa!

Anyhow, here's my Top Three Shortstops in Baseball:

3: Derek Jeter. If this was based strictly on the ability to make clutch plays from Labor Day onwards, he might be on this list all alone (as much as I hate the Yankees). Solid defense, good power, very good average, makes big plays. I'm not convinced he'd be quite as good on a lesser team, though. Jeter is probably the best complimentary player in baseball, and if I have built a team that I thought was just one player away from winning it all, I'd want him on my team.

2: Nomar Garciaparra. Nobody will ever hit .400 again. But if it happens, it'll probably be Nomar who does it. He hits for power, average, and the same thing that keeps him from hitting .400 is what makes him so dangerous - Nomar can (and does) hit balls way out of the strike zone. Better dicipline would get him on base with walks more and cut the at-bats down. Nomar would be at the top of the list except for his defensive flaws: he makes plays no other shortstop could possibly make but he's prone to throwing the ball away (of course some of those throws would be base hits against a different shortstop). His range is amazing.

1: Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod has it all. He'll probably break Aaron's home run record if he stays healthy (of course, Bonds might have it by then). He hits for average, power, and he plays an excellent defense. His only flaw is that he's got terrible taste in teams - had he not just gone for the money, he'd probably have been the difference in Seattle last year and he'd have a ring today.

Granted, this list doesn't have any NL guys on it, but I don't get to see them all year.