If third base is the place it’s a must to fear about most (and when you’ve learn my third base methods, you already know it’s), shortstop is the place it’s a must to fear about least. That comes with a caveat, however it will not apply to 90 % of you.
Granted, shortstop has had a repute for being probably the most star-studded place in Fantasy for darn close to a decade now, however it hasn’t at all times been deep to the purpose that you may’t actually mess it up. That is the way it stacks up now, although. Along with all of the early-round standouts remaining kind of in good standing, Mookie Betts and Geraldo Perdomo have unexpectedly joined the ranks of the elite, Zachary Neto and Jeremy Pena have taken a big step ahead, and Bo Bichette and Trevor Story have shaken off previous accidents to regain their place of prominence. By my depend, there are 15 shortstops who can be passable starters in any format, together with a handful of others with that very same type of upside.
- Place Methods: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
- Place Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
About that caveat, although: The drop-off thereafter is steep. In case you take a look at my shortstop rankings, Nos. 21 and 22 are Carlos Correa and Otto Lopez, who aren’t precisely world beaters and are in all probability finest drafted on the different positions the place they’re eligible (third and second base, respectively). After them, I’ve merely clumped collectively a bunch of prospects with an out of doors shot at making the opening day roster, reasoning that such a big gamble can be higher than settling for bottom-of-the-barrel manufacturing.
To be honest, most drafts will not make it that far. Perhaps in some 12-team Rotisserie leagues, a pair groups must gamble on one these prospects to fill their additional center infield spot, however they could be keen to take action. Prospects are thrilling, in spite of everything. In something deeper, although, the drop-off will come into play, and it will harm all of the extra as a result of a lot of the competitors may have a real standout on the place.
Nonetheless, you do not have to attempt that onerous to keep away from that destiny, even in such a league. You simply must be aware of it. You additionally must be aware when weighing whether or not to take a second shortstop that the waiver wire could also be missing in them afterward. For as many studs as have gathered right here, it is a place with a excessive barrier to entry, so there will not be as many add-ons over the course of the season.
You see what I am speaking about? The Studs right here run far deeper than at another infield place. In case you’re conversant in my Tiers, then you definitely’ve seen me divide this group into smaller ones, however tiers are meant to slender your focus at every place. These articles, in contrast, are meant to provide the broad strokes, and the actual fact is that I might be thrilled to have any of those 11 as my beginning shortstop. So when you’re in a 12-team league that makes use of commonplace Head-to-Head lineups with no center infield spot, just about everybody will get a stud. And when you’re the one who would not, then you definitely’ll need to accept Jeremy Pena or Trevor Story, who themselves carried out like studs final yr. How do you mess that up?
Properly, not every little thing goes proper for each participant, after all, and as I’ve already talked about, so many shortstops are draft-worthy that the waiver wire is never abounding in them. So who represents the likeliest misses right here that would go away you scrambling midseason? They’re largely accounted for in the price. Clearly, drafters are cautious of Geraldo Perdomo’s out-of-nowhere breakthrough and weary of Corey Seager’s steady accidents. Would you imagine they’re amongst my favorites to draft, although? I really feel like the price accounts for the danger after which some, recognizing that Perdomo carried out extra like a second-rounder final yr and Seager frequently does on a per-game foundation. That is by far the most recent Seager has ever been drafted, which is extra reflective of purchaser fatigue than a lack of ability. I’ve to benefit from that.
And typically it is as a center infielder as a result of I already grabbed a shortstop in Spherical 1 or 2. I am not afraid to double up like that in a Rotisserie league. However I feel it is also telling that Perdomo and Seager are the 2 of those 11 who stand out most in a factors league, the place the penalty for lacking is not as extreme as a result of the shortstop pool is not stretched as a lot. Maybe my factors league sensibilities have helped to form my notion of them.
So who am I much less smitten by drafting? Actually, Francisco Lindor’s damaged hamate bone places a damper on his draftability. All the primary round-caliber bats would must be gone earlier than I gambled on him having no lingering results when he returns in April, which places him extra like twenty fourth in my rankings. In the meantime, I feel Zach Neto’s price ticket fixates on his residence run and stolen base totals whereas ignoring every little thing else and would not account for the draw back inherent to his poor plate self-discipline. I do not thoughts anybody else’s price, although. Bo Bichette may be a little bit underrated, in actual fact, provided that he is anticipated to achieve third base eligibility a couple of week into the season.
Lesser, however doubtlessly viable, choices: Xander Bogaerts, SD; Otto Lopez, MIA; Anthony Volpe, NYY
Once more, Pena and Story mainly carried out like studs final yr, and you might make a compelling case for together with them there now. I simply assume each overachieved, so I am grouping them extra in step with my expectations. Pena might lose about 30 factors off his batting common whereas Story might lose … properly, every little thing. He is amongst my bust picks for 2026 — and maybe the one I am most assured in. His ADP would not appear to account for the truth that he averaged simply 54 video games over the earlier three years, and even when he manages to remain wholesome once more, his dreadful plate self-discipline will make for a variety of outcomes.
Willy Adames and Danby Swanson are extra like flooring performs, however they’re nonetheless awfully good, with Adames being a close to lock for 30 homers and Swanson for a mixed 40 homers and steals. Between the 2, I am extra interested in Swanson due to the 4 rounds’ distinction for no purpose that I can discern. A yr in the past, we had been drafting him about 40 picks earlier, and two years in the past, about 70 picks earlier. He is the identical participant now that he was then.
I mentioned on the prime that there are 15 shortstops who can be passable starters in any format, however together with Wilson would make it 16. The rationale I left him out of the preliminary depend is that I feel he makes for a much better starter in factors leagues, the place his microscopic strikeout charge retains him from shedding as lots of his hard-earned factors as different shortstops, and you may see from his point-per-game common the impact that it has. Whether or not he can repeat final yr’s 13 residence runs, even, is honest to marvel given his batted-ball profile. His 5×5 worth is usually driving on his batting common, which is probably the most troublesome class to maintain from one yr to the subsequent.
*minor-league stats
I mentioned there have been a handful of shortstops past the highest 15 with the upside to be passable starters in Fantasy. I already lined one in Jacob Wilson. The opposite two I had in thoughts had been Xavier Edwards and Colson Montgomery, who’re each handled extra as specialists in a 5×5 context, with Edwards offering stolen bases and Montgomery offering residence runs. That could be the almost definitely final result for every, however we now have seen extra from them previously. Edwards was about twice as prolific on the bottom paths as a rookie two years in the past whereas additionally delivering an elite batting common. Montgomery wasn’t only a fairly good supply of energy as a rookie final yr however homered 21 instances in 71 video games, which prorates to 48 over 162. Edwards is at the least acknowledged as having a excessive flooring (albeit one higher suited to second base, maybe), however Montgomery’s 29 % strikeout charge makes him a bottom-out case within the minds of many. Truthful sufficient, however at Choose 176, the reward in all probability outweighs the danger.
Most of this group is comprised of the numerous prospects who’ve been floated as opening day potentialities, with Konnor Griffin, JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, Colt Emerson and Jett Williams being amongst them. Wetherholt deserves particular distinction as a result of I do not see how the Cardinals deny him a job after buying and selling away each Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan this offseason. He deserved to be up final September, truly. In case you’re questioning why he’d change Arenado or Donovan when neither was enjoying shortstop for the Cardinals, then that makes now an excellent time to let you know that quite a lot of these shortstop prospects will not truly find yourself being shortstops within the majors, with the most typical transition being to second or third base. For what it is value, Griffin, the No. 1 general prospect, will leapfrog Wetherholt for prime precedence if it turns into clear he has a job for the Pirates. ADP already places him there.
I haven’t got a lot curiosity in Ezequiel Tovar, Carlos Correa or Masyn Winn at this level, however others would disagree. Tovar could possibly be an inexpensive supply of energy, I suppose, however the general manufacturing can be fairly hole. Ha-seong Kim makes for a positive stash in deeper leagues as a man who might carry out at a 15-homer, 30-steal tempo when he returns from a damaged finger in Could.
*minor-league stats
Shortstops are base-stealers far as a rule, so it might be faster to checklist those who do not issue within the class. Corey Seager is probably the most notable, which is a second purpose why a Rotisserie participant could also be hesitant to draft him (with the primary being accidents). Mookie Betts and Willy Adames contribute solely a modest complete whereas Jacob Wilson, Colson Montgomery and Carlos Correa are good for successfully zero.
