RADIO
The Next Wave
You've heard a lot already about Addison Russell, Corey Seager, and Carlos Correa. They are the next wave of super star shortstops here to save us from the lack of depth at the position. If you pay attention to prospect lists, you may have even heard of Francisco Lindor.
It's not that surprising that Lindor isn't getting the same attention as Russell, Seager, or Correa in fantasy circles. He has much less power than the trio, and we all know hitting bombs is what excites people. However, Lindor still has a big prospect pedigree. He was drafted in the first round of the June 2011 draft for a reason.
The Numbers
Last year between three levels of the minors Lindor hit .277/.337/.394 with 14 HR, 71 RBI, 92 R,and 30 SB. To put that in perspective, Alcides Escobar was one of the most valuable fantasy shortstops last year while hitting .285/.317/.377 with three HR, 50 RBI, 74 R, and 31 SB. Replicated stats in the majors would certainly place Lindor among the upper echelon.
However, we need to pump the breaks a little. While those numbers are very impressive, they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Most of the stats were accumulated at Low-A and Double-A ball. It's also worrying that Lindor got caught stealing 22 times in 52 attempts.
The Opportunity
Lindor does have some things going in his favor. First and foremost, while Jose Ramirez has been a serviceable shortstop, he's not exactly lighting up the offensive scoreboard. Although Lindor could use some more seasoning, the Indians would be much better served taking the chance on his upside than sticking with Ramirez.
Lindor has totaled at least twenty stolen bases in every season he's played. He will need to work on his caught stealing percentages before he gets the call to play with the big boys, but that will come as he builds more confidence. Don't be shocked if Lindor is the Indians every day shortstop by the middle of this year.
Finally, the Indians offensive lineup isn't as bad a place to be as some would lead you to believe. Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes are emerging stars. Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana should have better years going forward than they did last year. The addition of Brandon Moss should certainly help the offense too.
The Outlook
So what sort of player does Lindor project to be? Elvis Andrus with a little more pop strikes me as a good comparison for his ceiling. His floor is similar to late-career David Eckstein with better speed.
When your floor is a league average shortstop you must be a pretty special player. That projection wouldn't quite put Lindor in my top five going forward, but it would certainly put him in my top 10. Just don't expect top 10 production as soon as he is activated.
In my start up dynasty league this year, Lindor was drafted in the 19th round. That seems about right for him in a league where you have both the SS and MI position. Just make sure to pair him with someone older like J.J Hardy who won't cost much and can man for a year while Lindor develops.
