Shortstop

Yes, Shortstop is deep but after we look at the number of shortstops that will be rostered at various other positions, mainly Second Base, the depth evaporates very quickly. Once you move into the #20-to-#40 options, there are no shortage of question marks. Yes, you can address the position in the middle segment of your draft, just don’t totally ignore it because of the perceived depth.

  1. Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP – Tatis is coming off a 42 homer, 25 stolen base season. In his career he now has 81 homers and 52 stolen bases. He turned 23 years-of-age at the beginning of January. Enough said. OF-24
  2. Trea Turner, LAD – Turner is the consummate five-category package. The 20-40 potential is fueling his lofty status as a Top-3 overall pick, as it rightfully should. 2B-49 
  3. Bo Bichette, TOR – Yeah, he could be a bit more selective (K/BB 137/40), but when you hit 29 homers, score 121 runs, and are 25-of-26 in stolen bases, it becomes a rather moot point.
  4. Trevor Story, FA – Turner has now completed six years in the League. In three of those years, he has gone 20-20. The home/away splits have shown favorable results in the friendly confines of Coors Field. In 2022 we’ll see how friendly.
  5. Xander Bogaerts, BOS – There is no doubting Bogaerts is a top-tier player, but the bar was set very high with that stellar 2019 campaign. Maybe a tad too high?
  6. Marcus Semien, TEX – 2021 was an amazing season for the 31-year-old Semien. The question is, can he duplicate those outstanding numbers on a team that isn’t quite the same offensive force as the Jays? Probably not, but a repeat of that solid 2019 campaign will still provide great value in your 2022 middle-infield plans. 2B-147
  7. Francisco Lindor, NYM – 2021 wasn’t the year the Mets or Lindor envisioned. He struggled to stay on the field, missing most of the summer while dealing with a Grade Two oblique strain. When healthy, he struggled. Fueled by a strong September (9 HR-23 RBI) a return to form in 2022 is anticipated.
  8. Javier Baez, DET – Baez takes the term “free swinger” to the highest level and despite his tendency to swing at everything within a city block of home plate, that double-digit power and speed makes for an attractive option. The Tigers will enjoy and benefit from that 25-15 level of production as their competitive window begins to open. 2B-35 
  9. Tim Anderson, CWS – Over the past three seasons, Anderson is sporting a .321 BA. He’s a consistent double-digit power/speed threat with one 20-20 season under-his-belt. He has also walked a total of 47 times over that same three-year span. Most successful leadoff bats walk more than that in a single season. Tim Anderson is an anomaly, but a very safe and consistent anomaly.
  10. Jorge Polanco, MIN – The growth that we witnessed in 2019 was taken to a new and higher-level last year, as he slugged 33 homers, drove in 98 runs, and stole 11 bases. Is a repeat in the cards for 2022? 2B-120 
  11. Wander Franco, TBR – There is no denying that Wander Franco can flat out hit. There will be 30 home run seasons in his future. Does that future commence in 2022? 
  12. Jazz Chisholm, MIA – The sky-high potential we witnessed from Chisholm early-on in the 2021 season faded as the season wore on, but that power/speed potential can’t be denied. There’s a 20-20 season in his future, maybe a few. 2B-91
  13. Dansby Swanson, ATL – It has been slow yet steady growth for the 28-year-old Braves shortstop. It culminated in an outstanding 2021 where he hit 27 homers, drove in 88 runs and swiped nine bags. A new bar has been set, one that should be matched moving forward.  
  14. Jake Cronenworth, SDP – He qualifies at First Base, but in our game most Managers will be slotting him into either Second Base or the MI. After a solid 2021 season, is there more in the tank heading into 2022? 1B-24, 2B-94
  15. Luis Urias, MIL – 23 homers and 75 RBI with five thefts is one heckuva breakout campaign by the 24-year-old Urias. Who saw this level of production occurring? I think we can rule out the Padres. Toss in the multiple-position eligibility and his stock is assuredly on the rise. 2B-25, 3B-68 
  16. Carlos Correa, HOU – Correa heads into Free Agency and a potentially huge pay day. For the purposes of our game, he’s a solid option, but with the days of double-digit stolen bases clearly a thing of the past, is more valuable in the real game than ours.    
  17. Corey Seager, TEX – The last time Seager broke the 500 at-bat mark was 2017. That has to be concerning. Is a healthy Corey Seager a Carlos Correa clone or is it the other way around?
  18. Bobby Witt Jr., KCR – When you fell one stolen base short of a 30-30 season, split between Double and Triple-A, a spot on the big league roster beckons. A bright future for Bobby Witt Jr. is about to commence. Will the current lofty expectations (ADP-92) in NFC Leagues come to fruition in 2022?  
  19. Chris Taylor, LAD – Taylor reupped on a four-year $60 million dollar deal with the Dodgers. The roster flexibility combined with the double-digit power and speed makes for a solid if unspectacular investment. 2B-46, OF-89
  20. Brendan Rodgers, COL – The third overall pick in the 2015 draft seems to be turning a corner. 15 home runs to go along with 51 RBI in only 387 at-bats is a good indicator that better and much more productive days are in his future. 2B-81
  21. Willy Adames, MIL – A very safe and boring 25 home runs, 70 RBI, with a handful of stolen bases. He should do one thing that many of the shortstops in the #20-to-30 range won’t do. He won’t hurt you.
  22. Gleyber Torres, NYY – The 2018 debut was strong. 2019 was even better. The past two years…..not so much. What happened to the player we once viewed as an elite level talent? It’s time Torres spent time analyzing the swing and making the adjustments required to revert to his pre-Covid-19 form.
  23. Eugenio Suarez, CIN – Suarez is one of the safest bets in the game to hit 30 home runs. He’s also one of the safest bets in the game to hit for a .210 BA. Set your expectations accordingly. 3B-104
  24. Nicky Lopez, KCR – The contact skills are solid (.300 BA/.365 OBP). He’ll steal 20-plus bases and score 80 runs. He is void of all power. If you can find a way to make that work, you won’t pay a high price (234 ADP) to get it done.  
  25. Brandon Crawford, SFG – Crawford got caught up in the Giants 2021 euphoria and enjoyed a career season. He set new single-season highs in home runs (24), RBI (90), Stolen bases (11), and BA (.298). It’s a fair bet that the 35-year-old veteran reverts to his pre-2021 form.
  26. Andres Gimenez, CLE – He has everything the Guardians are looking for in a player. He’s young with significant upside potential, and under team control until the 2025 season. The 54/11 K/BB ratio is a pretty good indicator that there is still work to be done, but that speed/power combination is oh so enticing. 2B-25 
  27. Amed Rosario, CLE – Rosario upped his game last year and, in the process, did something quite unexpected. He took a free pass before September.
  28. Josh Rojas, ARZ – The speed/power potential is very intriguing. The question is will he hit enough to hold down a full-time job. He should get every opportunity in Arizona to do just that. 2B-55, OF-52
  29. Oneill Cruz, PIT – The power-speed combination is worthy of our attention.  If nothing else, it will be fun to watch the 6’7” Cruz playing in the middle-infield.
  30. Didi Gregorius, PHI – When healthy, Gregorius is a Top-20 shortstop. The problem being he hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the field since 2018. Bryson Stott as a handcuff could be a prudent approach.  
  31. J.P. Crawford, SEA
  32. Giovanny Urshela, NYY – 3B-96
  33. Joey Wendle, MIA – 3B-107
  34. Miguel Rojas, MIA 
  35. David Fletcher, LAA – 2B-142
  36. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, TEX
  37. Jonathan Villar, FA – 3B-97
  38. Edmundo Sosa, STL – 2B-25
  39. Kyle Farmer, CIN
  40. Nick Ahmed, ARZ 
  41. Gavin Lux, LAD – 2B-27
  42. Paul DeJong, STL
  43. Jeremy Pena, HOU
  44. Elvis Andrus, OAK
  45. Jose Barrero, CIN
  46. Ramon Urias, BAL – 2B-32
  47. Ha-Seong Kim, SDP – 2B-21, 3B-23 
  48. Jose Iglesias, BOS
  49. Tyler Wade, LAA – 3B-27, OF-25
  50. Geraldo Perdomo, ARZ
  51. Ronald Torreyes, PHI – 3B-50
  52. Andrelton Simmons, FA
  53. CJ Abrams, SDP
  54. Bryson Stott, PHI 
  55. Pedro Leon, HOU
  56. Gabriel Arias, CLE
  57. Cole Tucker, PIT
  58. Willi Castro, DET – 2B-91
  59. Kevin Newman, PIT
  60. Jeter Downs, BOS
  61. Harold Castro, DET – 2B-33
  62. Niko Goodrum, DET
  63. Oswald Peraza, NYY
  64. Thairo Estrada, SFG
  65. Danny Mendick, CWS – 2B-28
  66. Alcides Escobar, WAS
  67. Royce Lewis, MIN
  68. Sergio Alcantara, CHC – 2B-22
  69. Mauricio Dubon, SFG – 2B-20, OF-27 
  70. Luis Rengifo, LAA
  71. Nick Maton, PHI – 2B-21 
  72. Oswald Peraza, NYY
  73. Taylor Walls, TBR
  74. Vimael Machin, OAK
  75. Andrew Velazquez, LAA
  76. Kyle Holder, COL 
  77.  
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