This preseason ranks at these positions can be found here. These two positions had some massive turnover from the start of the season.

Shortstop
1. Miguel Tejada, Astros (preseason rank: 2)
Tejada put together another really solid season in Houston flipping from a solid glove guy to a solid bat guy. Tejada's defense fell off a cliff this year with a -13.5 UZR, but his wOBA went from .313 to .344. He's never been much for taking walks and has a terrible approach at the plate, but he is the head of this crop of shortstops.

2. Brendan Ryan, Cardinals (preseason rank: NR)
Ryan took over for Khalil Greene mid-season and immediately became the best defensive shortstop in the division. He made up for a league average bat with amazing range and arm at short. His 10.7 UZR at short is one of the best numbers posted in baseball all season. If he can become more patient at the plate he could become a solid top of the order hitter, otherwise his glove will keep him in Tony LaRussa's lineup.

3. Ryan Theriot, Cubs (preseason rank: 3)
Theriot experienced a dramatic shift in his game in May when he clubbed 5 homers in a month. That led Theriot to become a pull hitter (I should say try to become) and his strikeout numbers ballooned while his walks went down. His wOBA fell to .318 and the reason he posted a WAR of 2.6 was because UZR liked his defense at short. Theriot's baserunning is still one of the worst things going in the game right now, he won't be the Cubs shortstop in 2011.

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4. Alcides Escobar, Brewers (preseason rank: NR)
This rank has a lot more to do with what I saw rather thank statistics. That and the next two guys are really poor baseball players. Escobar is touted as a defensive whiz that needs to develop his bat and from what I saw against the Cubs I agree. He was able to hit the Cubs pretty hard, but still got himself out sometimes. He has tons of natural ability at short and if he can ever learn to take some walks he can be a big time table setter for Braun and Fielder.

5. Paul Janish, Reds (preseason rank: 6)
Janish is one of the worst hitters in the game right now, his .275 wOBA is below ever replacement level. The fact that he played short for 82 Reds games this season speaks to how bad that team is, though his defensive rating at short supports letting him play. His 11.5 UZR boosted his WAR to 1.1 which made him valuable in half a season, though his bat would have been so bad over a full season that his WAR would drop.

6. Ronny Cedeno, Pirates (preseason rank: NR)
The former Cubs prospect moved from Seattle to the Pirates mid-season and he immediately became the starting shortstop. The thing is Ronny isn't very good, his bat is terrible and his glove at short is average at best. Have Cedeno as your backup utility infielder? A team could do worse since Cedeno can play short, second, and third but to have him as a starter isn't very smart.

Third Base
1. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs (preseason rank: 1)
Despite missing half the season Aramis remains the best in the division at third and one of the best in the game. He experienced a slip in defense this season that might have something to do with his injury, but his offense when healthy as superb as usual. His .392 wOBA was great and he would have been a 30 homer guy with about 110 RBI this season had he played the whole season.

2. Scott Rolen, Reds (preseason rank: 2)
Rolen's return to the NL Central made him immediately the second best third baseman in the division. Rolen is a bit older, and has some injury concerns but when he plays he is great on offense and defense. He doesn't have the homer power he used to, but his still puts up an OPS in the .800s. His defense consistently ranks among the best among third baseman and he is a fine addition to the Reds.

3. Casey McGehee, Brewers (preseason rank: NR)
For a guy who they Brewers took from the Cubs minor league system basically for free, McGehee cemented himself as their third basemen of the future with a brilliant rookie season. His .860 OPS and .367 wOBA are both great and help offset his slightly below average defense at third. Who knows if he can repeat his season again, but for right now he has the Brewers looking really smart.

4. Andy LaRoche, Pirates (preseason rank: 5)
LaRoche struggled for most of the season on offense, but seemed to put it together at the end of the year and his defense was really good. He ended up being a 2.6 WAR player despite only having a .731 OPS. The Pirates are the perfect situation for him to develop his offense more next season, and LaRoche looks like a future mainstay for the Pirates.

5. Mark DeRosa, Cardinals (preseason rank: NR)
DeRosa came over at mid-season with the idea that he would stabilize third base for the Cardinals and provide a solid bat to help Albert Pujols. The move ended up being a disaster as DeRo tore a tendon in his wrist the second day in St. Louis and posted a .696 OPS in 68 games. DeRo wasn't very good on defense at third base either posting a -6 UZR for the season. The Cardinals will have an interesting decision when it comes to DeRosa this winter.

6. Geoff Blum, Astros (preseason rank: 6)
Geoff, walk-off hits against the Cubs aside, isn't that good at baseball anymore. His bat this season was below replacement level, and his average defense at third was just that. Blum will most likely not be back next season, at least not starting, and the Astros can upgrade almost on accident at third next year.

Next up: Outfield

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