Last time, we looked at the youngster shortstops that have been left undrafted. Today, we will look at the older shortstops in the same situation. Some of these folks are still relatively young (two are 27 and one 28), so calling them veterans is a bit of a misnomer. Some of them would fit into the journeymen category. At any rate, these four shortstops represent what is currently available in most Yahoo leagues.

Unfortunately, shortstop is one of those positions where choices are limited. Often times, you simply have to look at who is getting regular playing time and go from there. All of these shortstops are currently their team’s primary regulars at the quarter pole. All statistics represent where they were at the quarter pole.

One thing is are clear by looking at this list. If you look at anyone other than Crawford from this list then you are likely crazy. I was shocked to see that so few owners had him on their rosters. We are talking about a guy that is on pace to hit 20 home runs and drive in around 80 RBI. That’s just crazy.

Romine became the guy in Detroit by default when Jose Iglesias went down for the season. Meanwhile, Yunel Escobar keeps plugging away in Tampa. It helps that he is a plus defender, and when we look at the plate discipline numbers we will see why they like him so much.

Again, you are nuts if you add anyone but Crawford if he is available. According to these numbers, he should be hitting about 20 points higher than he is. When you look at a shortstop hitting .270 with 20 home run power you snatch that up. Even if you say that Crawford will only hit ten home runs you still have to add him as a backup option before you add any of the other guys. After all, that is kind of player Stephen Drew is and there will probably be three or four teams bidding on him.

Out of the other guys, Escobar is the obvious choice. He will play every day in Tampa Bay and he is likely to regress positively. The only problem with Escobar is that he really doesn’t offer you power or speed, so you have to live and die on batting average. I just can’t imagine Romine or Mercer keeping their jobs for that long. You’d have to think that the Tigers and Pirates are actively scouring the world looking for anyone to replace them.

If you simply go by the production to date, Crawford should be a fantasy regular in most leagues. This is particularly true in leagues that add an on base element. A number of leagues are already including walks or OBP. If you are one of those leagues I would definitely give him a long look. Otherwise, you are probably not going to find what you are looking for here. I don’t think I’ve seen an ISO as low as Romine’s.

If I were to add a second guy from this list it would be Yunel Escobar. He is a decent enough hitter that you can survive up to week with him in the lineup while your regular is healing. Outside of a week or two you will probably need a better option. If neither of them is available then you are better off waiting for Drew.