X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Shortstop Rankings (March)

Welcome to our final round of rankings. We've been guiding you throughout the offseason and it has all culminated to this. These rankings will be your guide in fantasy drafts, and while they shouldn't be seen as an end-all, be-all assessment, it's wise to have an understanding of where the market values the players you seek.

This round of rankings features seven of our experts. They are Brad Johnson, Max Petrie, Kyle Bishop, Nick Miriano, Harris Yudin (me), Jeff Kahntroff and Bill Dubiel. Here, we will take a look at shortstops. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading.

Editor's note: Just in case you've been living under a rock, be sure to also check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2016, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis: Shortstop (SS)

Tier One

Look, it's Carlos Correa all by himself. How lonely.

In a full, 162-game season, that equates to 633 AB, 36 HR, 23 SB, 111 RBI and 85 R to go along with a .279/.345/512 slash line. If you're thinking that a 35/20 season is pretty remarkable, you're right-- over the last three seasons, only Manny Machado (exactly 35 HR and 20 SB in 2015) has accomplished that feat, and it's only been done eight times over the last 10 seasons. The last player to accomplish it while manning one of the middle infield spots was Alfonso Soriano in 2005. No player in the history of Major League Baseball has ever gone 35/20 in his rookie season. Now, Correa didn't do it, but even just being on pace for such a stat line speaks to his potential as a superstar.

Even in the event of a regression, which is not uncommon for second-year players, Correa, who will be 21 pretty much all season, would still be pretty far ahead of his fellow shortstops. Troy Tulowitzki, a near unanimous No. 2, would have made the cut for the top tier if it weren't for Brad ranking him fourth.

Tier Two

Joining Tulowitzki in the second tier are youngsters Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Xander Bogaerts, as well as veteran Ian Desmond. Tulowitzki is a proven slugger with the best offense in baseball around him but a severe injury history-- he hasn't played 130 games since 2011.

As far as Lindor, Seager and Bogaerts go, they all have incredible upside and can contribute in at least four of the five major categories. We all ranked them somewhere between No. 2 and No. 6, with each player being ahead of the other two on at least one person's list. Personal preference will have to come into play here.

Desmond had a down 2015 season by his standards, but most shortstops will never sniff 19 HR in their best year. He has 88 HR and 79 SB over the last four years, and should benefit from a change in scenery (he will be playing left field for the Rangers). At age 30, his counting stats still hold a lot of value-- enough to reach No. 3 in Nick's rankings.

Tier Three

The major change here is the loss of Jhonny Peralta, who will be sidelined for at least a couple of months following surgery on his left thumb. This allowed Jung-ho Kang and Addison Russell to slide up in the overall rankings.

Kang was absolutely raking at the time of his knee injury in September-- .310/.364/.548 with 11 HR and five stolen bases in the second half of the season. He finished with 15 bombs in just 126 games, and could be in line for more than 20 in 2016. At his more natural position of shortstop, Russell produced at the plate in 2015. After making the move from second base, he hit .259/.315/.465 with eight homers, 29 R and 29 RBI in 185 AB. He also just became more comfortable as his rookie season went on. Post All-Star break, he slashed .259/.318/.427 with eight homers and 32 RBI. With added experience, Russell should develop into a very strong offensive shortstop in 2016. Brandon Crawford actually fell from No. 7 to No. 9 after four of the seven rankers dropped him down on their lists. I am expecting Crawford to regress from his 21-HR season, but should still manage 15 long-balls with a solid on-base percentage.

Tier Four

Tier four is home to several popular sleeper picks. Eugenio Suarez is shooting up draft boards, and understandably so, given the 13 homers, four steals and .280/.315/.446 slash line he compiled in just 372 AB last season. Marcus Semien has also seen his stock rise as a potential 15/15 player. Brad Miller could finally realize his own 15/15 potential in Tampa Bay at just 26 years old, Ketel Marte should steal more than 20 bases while maintaining strong rate stats, and Starlin Castro, now with the New York Yankees, should continue to produce at his more comfortable position of second base.

Tier Five

The fifth tier is headlined by two players expected to miss a good chunk of time to start the season. Peralta fell all the way to No. 18 due to his thumb injury, but he could provide decent value in the second half of the season, if healthy. Additionally, the news of Aroldis Chapman's suspension caused Jose Reyes' stock to plummet, to the point where Brad left him off of his rankings altogether. Reyes is almost guaranteed to be suspended at least 30 games, and he hasn't been that productive in recent years, anyway. Fantasy owners can also find a ton of speed here, with Alcides Escobar, Trea Turner and Alexei Ramirez.

Tier Six

As you can probably tell, I am much higher on Asdrubal Cabrera than are my fellow rankers. And no, it's not just because he will be a contributing piece for my Mets' much improved batting order.

Of those who are currently eligible at shortstop, Cabrera is one of two players with at least 80 HR and 50 SB over the last five seasons-- Desmond is the other. This is largely a result of Cabrera's breakout 2011 season, during which he smacked 25 homers, swiped 17 bases, drove in 92 runs and scored 87 more. But even following that season, Cabrera has been one of the more consistent offensive shortstops in baseball. Over the last two years, he is sixth in home runs among current shortstops, ninth in runs and eighth in runs batted in.

Now, these stats obviously don't account for Carlos Correa, Corey Seager or Francisco Lindor-- all of whom reached the Majors last year -- but it still shows that owners can rely on Cabrera to compile counting stats. His rate stats -- career .267/.329/.412 -- are not terrible, but are mediocre enough to keep him out of the SS1 range. Still, he is more valuable than Escobar, Ramirez, Elvis Andrus, Erick Aybar and Jean Segura-- all of whom own similarly mediocre rate stats but possess little to no power. Cabrera can be counted on for 15 HR, seven steals, 80 R and 70 RBI, and can be had in the last round of deep mixed leagues.

As far as the rest of the tier goes, there's not a whole lot of appeal for mixed leagues. I'm personally not touching J.J. Hardy, even in the deepest of AL-Only Leagues. He hasn't reached double-digit home runs since 2013, and his rate stats have dropped to abysmal levels-- .219/.253/.311 in 2015.

Tier Seven

Not much to see here, especially for mixed leagues. These players either bring very little to the table, or they are not the starting shortstop for their respective teams. Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford is one name to keep an eye on, though, given the Phillies' lack of talent and his maturity as a hitter.

 

Shortstop Tiered Fantasy Baseball Rankings (March)

Ranking Tier Name Brad Max Kyle Nick Harris Jeff Bill
1 1 Carlos Correa 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 Troy Tulowitzki 4 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 2 Francisco Lindor 2 5 4 4 4 4 4
4 2 Corey Seager 3 4 5 5 3 5 3
5 2 Xander Bogaerts 6 3 3 6 5 3 5
6 2 Ian Desmond 5 6 6 3 7 6 6
7 3 Jung-ho Kang 9 7 7 7 6 9 8
8 3 Addison Russell 8 9 9 9 9 8 9
9 3 Brandon Crawford 12 8 11 8 8 13 7
10 4 Eugenio Suarez 7 12 8 10 14 14 11
11 4 Marcus Semien 11 11 10 11 15 10 10
12 4 Brad Miller 14 10 13 15 11 7 12
13 4 Ketel Marte 10 13 12 14 12 15 14
14 4 Starlin Castro 15 14 15 13 10 17 13
15 4 Elvis Andrus 16 15 14 12 17 11 15
16 5 Alcides Escobar 18 18 17 18 20 12 18
17 5 Trea Turner 19 22 19 25 13 16 16
18 5 Jhonny Peralta 13 16 21 16 23 18 34
19 5 Jed Lowrie 17 20 16 20 26 28 17
20 5 Jose Reyes - 17 18 27 22 25 19
21 5 Alexei Ramirez 20 24 25 23 19 19 20
22 6 Erick Aybar - 19 27 30 21 24 21
23 6 Jean Segura 31 23 32 17 18 23 22
24 6 Jose Iglesias 28 27 24 31 27 20 25
25 6 Asdrubal Cabrera 27 34 30 19 16 31 26
26 6 J.J. Hardy 23 21 26 21 39 22 32
27 6 Eduardo Escobar 22 29 23 26 32 29 24
28 6 Javier Baez - 26 31 22 28 21 31
29 7 Andrelton Simmons 29 25 22 32 31 30 23
30 7 Jimmy Rollins 25 28 20 36 29 27 28
31 7 Wilmer Flores 26 30 28 35 25 26 27
32 7 Didi Gregorius 24 33 33 24 30 - 29
33 7 Jedd Gyorko - 36 34 29 24 - 34
34 7 Zack Cozart 21 31 37 - 38 32 30
35 7 Adeiny Hechavarria 30 32 29 34 33 33 32
36 7 Jonathan Villar - 39 - 28 34 - 38
37 7 J.P. Crawford - 38 35 33 35 - 35
38 7 Jose Ramirez - 37 - - 36 - 33
39 7 Jordy Mercer 32 35 37 38 40 - 37
40 7 Tyler Saladino - 40 36 37 37 -
41 7 Nick Ahmed - 41 - - -

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Homers Twice, Drives in Three
Brice Matthews

Joining Astros
MLB

White Sox-Guardians Postponed on Thursday
Brandon Aiyuk

Likely to Begin Season on PUP List, but Not Ruled Out for Week 1
Jameson Williams

Not in the Team's Long-Term Plans?
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Micah Parsons

Plans to be Present for Start of Training Camp
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Ikem Ekwonu

Next Up for Extension in Carolina?
Jalen Thompson

Heading into Last Year With Cardinals?
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Najee Harris

Suffers Eye Injury in Fireworks Mishap
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF