We’ve long taken for granted that shortstop is the cream of the fantasy crop. But while it probably remains so at the top end, things are looking shakier at the six from a fantasy perspective than it has in years — a combination of the old guard slipping a bit and the new guard struggling to find its footing. Shortstop can’t be described as shallow — no infield position really can at this point, not even third — but the talent feels unusually concentrated toward the top.
At arguably no other position — save maybe outfield, just due to sheer volume — is it so imperative to come away with a top-tier option in your drafts this spring. Land one of those five-category contributors early, and all will be well. Wait or miss out, on the other hand, and you could find yourself sweating bullets. Let’s dive in.
Top tier
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
Witt Jr., Betts and Turner are no-doubt first-rounders. Lindor is a strong 30/30 candidate and source of counting stats who’s being undervalued in drafts right now. Henderson has a monster ceiling, and could play himself into the first round this time next year. Seager comes with some injury risk, but he’s among the best pure hitters in the game and is a worthy selection once the five-category guys are gone. Take any of those options at their current price and I have no qualm with you — you’re getting a very strong fantasy asset, and you no longer have to worry about navigating the minefield to come.
Where I do quibble, however, is with the last two names on this list, neither of whom I think are worthy of their current ADPs. Bichette’s steals have totally dried up, and we don’t have a compelling reason to think they’ll come back in a big way — he stopped running well before last year’s quad strain. Given his 20-homer power, that puts a lot of strain on the profile, and the Jays’ middling lineup figures to once again dampen his counting stats. It brings me no joy to be totally out on De La Cruz, who’s a blast to watch and has the highest ceiling of anyone on this list. But he hit .191 in the second half last year and was getting benched against lefties; given the infield logjam in Cincy right now, I simply can’t get on board with a second- or third-round price.
Middle class
C.J. Abrams, Washington Nationals
Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds
Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates
Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants
Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres
Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals
Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
There are still names I like here, but they come with substantially more risk (McLain, Volpe) or substantially lower upside (Bogaerts, Swanson, Hoerner). McLain, Abrams and Cruz are the three names I’d be genuinely excited about here as my starting shortstop: McLain is a 25/25 candidate whose defense gives him a leg up on playing time amid Cincy’s infield logjam; Abrams made real gains at the plate and wants to run like crazy; while Cruz has Francisco Lindor But Even Bigger upside if he can finally stay healthy and consolidate the early gains he showed before breaking his leg last year.
Beyond that, though, casting any of these other guys as your shortstop feels like you’re wishcasting or conceding something. Guys like Volpe, Estrada and Adames have their uses, but they’re better cast as MI options, players who will help your fantasy team but will also cost you in other areas — or just not offer a ton of upside. If you don’t prioritize addressing this position within the first 12 or so guys off the board, the options start drying up fast.
Sleepers
Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox
Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros
Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles
Vaughn Grissom, Boston Red Sox
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels
Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels
Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks
Tim Anderson, Miami Marlins
Just about every other position has at least one or two players in the sleepers tier that I feel confident about penciling into my lineups this season. These sleepers, on the other hand, are true sleepers — you can dream on how it might work, but you also have to acknowledge the very real chance that it doesn’t. It says a lot that Holliday, who’s literally never played a Major League game, might be the safest bet of the bunch, and even he doesn’t project for game-changing power or speed at this stage of his career. Story could well go 20/20 this year, but he also could get hurt and miss four months. Pena is just a year removed from being on top of the baseball world, and there’s a chance his offseason swing changes allow him to get back on track, but last season was awfully ugly. I’m out on Grissom, who I don’t think does enough damage at the plate and isn’t a good enough defender to stick at second base long-term. Anderson looked like his usual self before last year’s knee strain, but you can’t ignore his age or how ugly it was when he came back from the IL.
The options I feel best about, guys like Rengifo, Garcia, Tovar and Neto, are just … not that exciting. We’re talking about 15-18 homers and 10-12 steals in a best-case scenario — save for Garcia, who should at least give you speed — and all of them have the chance of backsliding considerably. I’m fine stashing them on my bench, but it’s hard to feel truly good about them as starters even as your MI.
Category helpers
Runs: Swanson, Bogaerts, Anderson, Tovar
Home runs: Adames
RBI: Adames, Swanson, Correa
Steals: Volpe, Estrada, Garcia, Edman, Story
Average: Grissom
