Is anyone else fucking pumped for fantasy baseball?!?! We are excited to announce our fantasy baseball rankings. Keep your eyes open each day for a new position that we will dig deep into, examining who we feel is the best options. Todays rankings will examine the position of shortstop, which is probably the best its been in an extremely long time. Our next blog will consist of our 1b rankings, but for now feel free to critize, comment or shit on our picks. Enjoy!
1) Franciso Lindor
In Lindors 3 full major league seasons, he has statistically improved in almost every category. His slugging percentage, runs, homers and rbis continue to increase and things shouldn’t change for the 25 year old. Lindor has improved his patience at the plate with walk numbers rising. Although Lindor will most likely miss opening day, he is a staple for consistency topping 158+ games in each of his 3 seasons while leading all players in plate appearances in 2 of them. He is a safe bet as the top ss and should make a solid run at MVP.
2) Alex Bregman
The 2nd spot goes to another 25 year old on the rise. Bregman has 2 full seasons under his belt, last year breaking out. He has been relatively healthy, topping 155 games in first 2 full seasons. Bregman has the luxury of slotting himself in a potent AL lineup. Bregmans full potential was shown in just a short span. He led the AL in doubles and was top 6 in obp, slg and ops. He also has shown great plate discipline with an outstanding 96 walks. Bregmans numbers may not peak higher than last years, but a duplicate season will make owners extremely happy. With Correa injury last year he handled the ss position making him position eligible at 2 spots.
3) Manny Machado
The Machado sweepstakes have resulted in a monster deal in beautiful San Diego. Manny brings an astounding skill set to a desperate franchise. Like the top 2 guys in this section, Machados health has been almost unheard of in todays game. Missing only 11 games in the past 4 seasons, Machado has proven he will stay healthy while providing fantasy owners with top tier production. He set career highs in huge categories last year (average, slg, ops, obp, rbis) as well leading the league in hard contact rate which should transition well into Petco. It’s hard to believe Machado will be entering his 8th season but he should continue to flourish as the all around great player he is.
4) Trea Turner
Turner slides into the 4th spot which many people will disagree with. Multiple injuries in his young career as well as no Bryce Harper to take pressure off of him worry me a bit but nonetheless we are looking at a top premier ss in the league. Those who drafted Turner last year were expecting something unrealistic but his numbers still paid off. What makes Turner special is his ability to touch all statistical categories. He led all NL ss in hits, walks, RS and sb last year. His most important category he led in was at bats which resulted from him appearing in every game last year. If Turner can raise that average and limit his strikeouts, with his skillset of speed and power we are possibly looking at the best fantasy ss. You can’t go wrong with any of these top 4 guys at the deep position.
5) Javier Baez
Remember the days when the ss position was weak? Those days are long gone. The NL runner up to the MVP lands in the 5th spot. Baez broke out in all major categories last year. He led the NL in RBIs and increased his SB to 20+. A repeat season is not out of question for “El Mago”. We would like to see him work on his plate discipline. His walk rate is extremely low and he ks more often than not. Nonetheless he should be drafted amongst the top at this position. His multiple position eligibility is sexy as well.
6) Trevor Story
Here’s another 26 and under SS who ranked amongst the top last season. We all know the story with Trevor (see what I did there). Hot start to 2017 season with a horrific second half. I was pleading with everyone to stay away due to his high ADP last year and boy was I wrong. Story took 2018 by storm leading the NL in long balls and ops. Playing his home games in the best hitting park in the country needs to be taken advantage of by owners. Hes posted modest numbers on the roads but we draft him for his monster Coors numbers. I feel very comfortable with Story at the 6 spot.
7) Carlos Correa
The top 6 options all posted great numbers throughout the season. Here is where things take a slight drop. Correa who was being drafted early 2nd round last year disappointed owners. Injuries hurt his season and have killed his draft stock. At the young age of 24 Correa has already posted 3 20+ home run seasons to go along with an above average obp. If Correa gives us a full season he can finish as a top 5 ss. Whats not for certain is if he can pan out a full season which hasn’t happened since 2016.
8) Xander Bogaerts
The Boston ss struggled in 2017 but bounced back heavily last season. Bogaerts set career highs in homers, obp and ops. I am chalking the 2017 season up to a hand injury that plagued his stats. His 2018 numbers should be a good indication of his ceiling. Batting in the middle of a deadly Red Sox lineup has benefitted him and will continue to moving forward. He will supply in most statistical categories and is a great value if you miss out on the upper esculant talents.
9) Corey Seager
In pains me to place Seager here but I can’t take any chances on him this season. Seager is coming off of Tommy John and hip surgery. Spring training will be a good indicator of how he is feeling but a heavy workload of 140+ games looks out of the question. Seager possesses a skill set that scouts drool over. He has a insane contact rate and is well beyond his years in matureness at the plate. He supplies in the run department and is always getting on base. Throw out his injuries and he’s up there with the bests. With how deep the position is, there is no reason to reach for a guy coming back from major injuries.
10) Gleyber Torres
The hype was real for Torres and he proved he can hang with the big dogs. It almost feels like a crime placing him this far down but that speaks to the volume at the position. I also factor in such a small sample size but couldn’t argue with anyone drafting him before a couple of the names above. Gleyber came out hot as could be, eventually cooling off and ultimately having his season end with a hip injury. We look at the 22 year olds stats and are impressed but we need to realize most of his at bats came from the 9 hole. He is projected to slide up a few spots which will further increase his production. His current ADP is too high for my liking but preaches to his special baseball abilities.
11) Jean Segura
Segura has averaged over 300 the past 3 seasons, leading the NL last year. Good source of runs and has got on base frequently the past few years. Will benefit from a friendly hitters park.
12) Adalberto Mondesi
In his short MLB span, Mondesi flashed solid power and stupid speed. The sample size is small but 50+ sb is not out of question. Needs to work on taking pitches and strike out less. Only 22, Adalbertos future looks bright
13) Jose Peraza
The young man in Ohio improved his hard contact rate and fly ball rate tremendously. His career average (282 ba) resembles who he is and will supply 10+ homers each year. What I like the most is his aggressive nature on the base paths notching 20+ in each of his 3 years. Will benefit from a better supporting offensive cast than last years.
14) Tim Anderson
Anderson has some flaws to his game like his strikeouts and inability to draw walks but he makes up for it in several other categories. Anderson was the only shortstop other than Lindor, Baez and Story to post a 20/20 season last year. If you play in a deep league and whiff on the top guys, Anderson could be yours will average value.
15) Jurickson Profar
The veteran shortstops are a thing of the past with yet another youngster cracking the top 15. If it were not for his multiple position eligibility, Profar would might not be placed here. He finally delivered on some of that hype as a prospect with a 20 homer and 10 stolen base season. He supplied heavily in the run department so hopefully we can see a repeat of last year’s numbers moving forward.