Fantasy rankings: Best shortstops to draft

February 19th, 2020

Most would agree that shortstop is one of the deepest positions in the Majors today. The youth movement we’ve been watching for the past few years keeps adding more participants, as players like Trevor Story become more well rounded and others like Bo Bichette enter the scene.

With so many standouts to choose from, your team is likely to benefit from the position, as long as you prioritize drafting a shortstop within the first few rounds.

Here's a look at the top fantasy options at shortstop via MLB.com's 2020 rankings as Spring Training begins.

Lindor has solidified his spot as the top shortstop in baseball, and he appears primed for another outstanding campaign. Steamer projects him for 35 homers, which would be the second most of his career, and 95 RBIs, which would be a career high. If Lindor hits another 30 homers, he’d become just the third player with four straight 30-homer seasons while primarily playing shortstop, joining Alex Rodriguez (six straight, 1998-2003) and Ernie Banks (four, 1957-60).

Story gets it done offensively from pretty much every angle, and he’s projected for another 30-homer, 20-SB season in 2020. Turner dealt with injuries in 2019 and still managed to swipe 35 bags, fifth most in the Majors. Steamer projects him to return to the precipice of his 40-SB ways from 2017 and 2018, with 39.

If you miss out on one of those Tier 1 shortstops, there are still plenty of great options to fuel your team in 2020. Bogaerts broached the superstar conversation in 2019 and appears set for another strong year. He’s projected for 25 homers, which would be his fourth season with 20 home runs. Steamer has him coming down slightly from his .309 batting average in 2019, at .292, which is still solid.

Tatis’ rookie season was productive and fun to watch, but it was cut short due to injuries. He hit .317 with a whopping .410 BABIP, which was the highest among 241 players with at least 350 plate appearances. In other words, don’t be surprised to see that he’s projected for a lower batting average in 2020 -- but also don’t let that deter you. Steamer has him hitting .265, but still projects 30 homers from him. One thing to keep an eye on: his speed. Tatis had 16 stolen bases in 2019 and is projected for 23, but there’s reason to believe he could surpass that. His 29.3 ft/sec sprint speed was just shy of the elite threshold of 30 ft/sec and was sixth among qualified shortstops, which is quite the feat at a position that has many speedsters.

A year removed from receiving MVP votes, Báez is still a worthy pick, too. Steamer projects him for a .273/.313/.507 season, which is pretty similar to what he did in 2019. He’s projected for 32 homers and 100 RBIs on the dot, which would fall just short of his 2018 career bests (34 HR, 111 RBIs). One reason to be high on Báez? His expected stats, which are based on quality of contact plus strikeouts, were pretty similar in both 2018 and 2019, indicating he could replicate that ‘18 campaign: he had a .279 xBA in ‘18, .270 in ‘19, along with a .509 xSLG in ‘18 and .503 mark in ‘19.

Mondesi was a candidate for a huge season on the basepaths, but dealt with injuries, including a shoulder issue that ended his season and led to surgery. He has said that he’ll be ready to go for Opening Day, though, meaning he’ll get another chance at a 60-SB season. Steamer projects him for 49, which would be three more than last year, along with 20 homers.

2019 was another injury-shortened year for Correa, who’s played more than 110 games just once, in 2016. But his talent still makes him a great pick. Steamer projects 149 games played for him and a solid .273/.359/.519 with 33 homers and 105 RBIs. That’s certainly production worth drafting and hoping for.

Bichette got off to an exciting start in 2019, and there’s plenty more to come. He’s projected for a 22-homer, 75-RBI season with a .275 average -- a good season for a young player in what will be his first full year in the bigs.

Semien is on the heels of a career year that netted him third place in AL MVP voting. He was the only player to start every game in 2019. Though it seems unlikely to expect that again, he’s played 150-plus games in every healthy season he’s played in Oakland, which is all but 2017. Reliable, and steady. Steamer has him taking a bit of a step back from his 2019 campaign, but still knocking 25 homers with a .269 batting average.

Seager had a solid bounceback in 2019 after his 2018 season was shortened due to Tommy John Surgery. But even still, he did miss time with a hamstring injury, as durability continued to be a concern with him. He tied for the NL lead in doubles last year with 44, and he is projected for 39 this year. He may not be the player many expected when he won the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, but he’s still a good hitter when healthy.

Polanco put up a career-high 22 homers last year as the Twins set the all-time single-season record. Steamer has him falling just short of that in 2020, with 19 and 91 RBIs.

Tier 5 is a varied trio. Anderson led the Majors in batting average last year, yet walked just 15 times -- the fewest by any batting champ in the Modern Era (since 1900). Another reason to be cautious: his .335 average came with a .399 BABIP, so there’s reason to expect some regression. Steamer projects a .275 average for him and 26 walks, along with 21 homers.

Rosario had the best year of his young career in 2019, hitting .287 with 15 homers and 19 stolen bases. Steamer predicts another 15 homers, 20 bags and a .275 average.

Andrus is the elder statesman compared to the other two, at 31 years old. He hit .275 in 2019 and posted the second double-digit home run season of his career, with 12.