Shortstop has three of the best players in fantasy at the top of it – including who I feel is the clear No. 1 overall pick.
But if you don’t grab one of them, fear not – the position is deep this year as it is every year.
There is something for everyone at the position, and depending on your approach to your draft and taking on risk, you can find value up and down the draft board.
As always, when it comes to rankings, tiers are the best way to go about them, as it allows you to group a set of players so that you know when you need to take a specific player at a position before that tier runs out.
We’ll take a look at shortstop ADP based on FantasyPros composite ADP and break them down into tiers for you so you know when to grab the guy who you like.
We should note that these tiers are based on a 12-team standard roto league, so adjust accordingly for your league scoring.
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Tier 1: Three of a Kind
For me, Turner is by far the 1.1 in drafts, but he shouldn’t, under any circumstances, fall below the third pick. He has the elite, league-winning speed that you need, and he’s a true five-category stud.
If you could guarantee me that Tatís won’t hurt his shoulder, he’s the clear No. 1 overall pick. Right now, he’s second or third for me. He has the highest pure upside of anyone in fantasy.
Maybe Bichette’s a Tier 2 guy, but he’s a top-five pick for me this year. He gives you elite across-the-board production in a great lineup with a great skill set. Don’t overthink it.
Tier 2: Six Men and a Baby
- Marcus Semien (2B,SS – TEX)
- Xander Bogaerts (SS – BOS)
- Tim Anderson (SS – CWS)
- Trevor Story (SS – FA)
- Wander Franco (SS – TB)
- Francisco Lindor (SS – NYM)
- Corey Seager (SS – TEX)
There are a lot of intriguing players in this tier. We can start with Semien, who just had a career year in Toronto. He’s not only getting a park downgrade (even with the humidor), but also a massive lineup downgrade. He’ll still be good, but not MVP-level good.
Bogaerts is underrated every single year, and he’ll likely be underrated again. He not only offers a fantastic floor, but he provides a great ceiling, too.
Anderson has proven over the last couple of years that he’s turned into a hell of a player and not a flukey BABIP-driven one. Being in this lineup only boosts him more. More steals would be nice to see.
Where will Story land? Will it matter? His ADP will likely climb once he finds a home. Take advantage of that now.
Better in real life? Ignore that nonsense. Franco is going to be a fantasy stud and a soon-to-be first-round pick. Added boost this year in OBP leagues.
Lindor reminds me of Adam Jones (OF) from years past. Safe profile. Good, not great, production across the board. Looked like himself in the second half last year. I’m buying.
Texas isn’t my favorite landing spot for him, but they’ve improved their lineup. He’ll produce, but maybe a slight downtick for him.
Tier 3: Veteran Presence
- Adalberto Mondesi (SS,3B – KC)
- Javier Báez (SS,2B – DET)
- Carlos Correa (SS – FA)
- Jorge Polanco (SS,2B – MIN)
I won’t take Mondesí. I get the appeal, but I like players who are good at baseball.
What’s not to like about Báez? The end-of-year numbers are always there for him, though there are ups and downs en route to the production throughout the season. I prefer him a lot more in season-long roto leagues.
Correa’s ADP should climb up once he signs, too. The injuries seem to be behind him, and landing in a lineup like the Yankees would be a big boost for him.
Polanco improved mightily last year with his power, and there’s nothing about his underlying numbers that suggest you shouldn’t buy into what he did.
Tier 4: The Clear Upside … and Downside
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (SS,2B – MIA)
- Bobby Witt Jr. (SS – KC)
- Willy Adames (SS – MIL)
- Dansby Swanson (SS – ATL)
- Jake Cronenworth (1B,2B,SS – SD)
- Chris Taylor (UTL – LAD)
- Gleyber Torres (SS,2B – NYY)
- Brendan Rodgers (SS,2B – COL)
Chisholm is so exciting and talented. He should be the face of the franchise in Miami, but it’s hard to ignore the second-half numbers and the high variance that comes along with drafting him. He could be an early-round contributor or end up in Triple-A in a couple of months.
Witt is interesting. He has a ton of hype around him, and his ADP is reflecting that. I expect him to be good, not great, his rookie year. He’s a fade for me at this price.
If Adames is the player we saw after the deal that sent him to Milwaukee last year, we are a tier low on him here. And you know, the profile doesn’t suggest that he’s far off.
Swanson’s boring. Boring is OK, though. And he has the flow, which automatically gives him a higher value. Don’t argue facts.
Cronenworth backed up his 2020 performance in 2021. He still feels oddly underrated.
Another high-floor player who saw his power rebound in a big way. The Dodgers will play Taylor all over the place daily.
Is it possible that Torres is at a spot where he could return value for the first time in his career? He’s living off his 2019 production still, but managers have finally soured on him enough where I’d take the shot at him in a deeper league.
I’m higher on Rodgers than most when it comes to projecting his power and stolen bases. He’ll replace some of Trevor Story’s production and the numbers finally started to click for him in 2021.
Tier 5: Mixed Bag
- Eugenio Suárez (3B,SS – SEA)
- Brandon Crawford (SS – SF)
- Luis Urias (2B,SS,3B – MIL)
- Amed Rosario (SS,CF – CLE)
- Gavin Lux (2B,SS,OF – LAD)
- Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT)
- Gio Urshela (3B,SS – MIN)
- Nicky Lopez (SS – KC)
Suárez should benefit from the designated hitter in the NL. The Reds have a logjam in the infield, so he should see regular time at third base and DH. I don’t love the profile, though.
All of the Giants are being undervalued this year. I don’t expect a true repeat performance for Crawford, but that’s baked into the draft price.
We’ve been waiting for the Urías breakout, and after looking like it was going to be known as the Trent Grisham (CF – SD) trade, Urías evened it up last year with a big breakout season. Can he finally repeat the underlying metrics for a full season?
I don’t know what we are expecting from Rosario at this point. Maybe 12 steals?
Lux was a 70 FV prospect, and those aren’t given out lightly. He had a nice stretch last year and finally put together some of that potential at the big-league level. It’s not his final chance, but we are getting pretty close to it. I’m still in one last time on him, but Freeman signing could complicate things.
Cruz’s ceiling is sky-high. Chris Towers made the comparison to minor league Aaron Judge (OF – NYY), and honestly, I don’t hate it.
So Urshela fell off, no? 2021 was a weird year for a lot of Yankees and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rebound to .280 with 20 homers. He’ll be on a short leash and a free agent signing could complicate matters.
If you’re drafting Lopez in a standard league, you messed up your draft.
Key Takeaways
- Shortstop is deep, and if you land any of the first three, you build a great foundation for your squad that allows you to go in multiple directions moving forward.
- I make my living in Tier 1 and Tier 2. I like locking in the across-the-board production that these guys give. I want power and speed from my shortstop.
- I don’t find myself taking a lot of Tier 3 or Tier 4 guys, mainly because of the way my drafts fall. I end up with Adames at times, and I have more shares of Rodgers than I know what to do with.
- I don’t mind the idea of pairing Crawford and Cruz if you decide to wait. You have a player whose sky is the limit, and if he doesn’t hit, you get an overlooked veteran with a fantastic floor in Crawford.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
