November 29, 2016

Kelly TerBest analyzes three value performances at shortstop (SS) in 2016 and offers early thoughts on their 2017 outlooks.

Our review of the 2016 fantasy baseball season continues with a look at some of the best values at shortstop.

Value Shortstops in 2016

Aledmys Diaz, St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz wasn’t expected to be more than a bench bat going into this season, but an injury to Jhonny Peralta gave him an opportunity. Fantasy owners took note of his breakout campaign. Though the initially low expectations led to him being undrafted in many leagues, owners who snatched him up on waivers at the beginning of the season were rewarded with one of the best values in fantasy baseball.  Diaz was an All Star with a .300/.369/.510 season at the dish in 111 games, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 65. He also struck out just 60 times in 404 at-bats, which is pretty solid for a rookie. These numbers seem to jibe with those he put up in Cuba before he signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals in 2014.

Diaz’s strong rookie campaign raises expectations going into 2017. Fantasy owners can expect him to be picked up in middle rounds in drafts. He may be well worth it.

Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees

Didi Gregorius is still just 26, but it feels like he’s been around for a while, as he’s already on his third big league team. Fantasy owners thought we knew what to expect from the lefty swinging shortstop – a competent but light-hitting shortstop who plays solid defense. Gregorius wasn’t really high on any fantasy draft lists but he did manage to be drafted at an average draft position of #327 this year. I doubt many of those people were expecting a 20-homer season from a guy who hadn’t previously reached double digit homers. Gregorius slashed .276/.304/.447 and drove in 70 runs and hit 32 doubles in addition to those 20 bombs, all of which were career highs.

Whether this was an anomaly remains to be seen, but there is some realistic hope for a repeat on the power numbers, considering that he’s a lefty hitter in Yankee Stadium. He will certainly be drafted higher in 2017 than he was last season.

Chris Owings, Arizona Diamondbacks

Fantasy owners who have been waiting for Arizona’s Chris Owings to show flashes of the slugger he was in the minors got a glimmer of hope in the 25-year-old’s 2016 campaign. The doubles haven’t translated into many home runs yet, but Owings had an MLB-leading 11 triples to go with 24 doubles and five home runs. He slashed .277/.315/.416, which is much more in line with what he did in seven years in the minors. He was also extremely effective at swiping bases, stealing a career high 21 and only getting caught twice.

Owings was either undrafted or picked very late in deep leagues. Fantasy owners who picked him up got a nice boost in leagues that count stats like triples and stolen base percentage. And considering he played 49 games in center field in addition to 70 at shortstop, he provides some valuable fantasy versatility as well.

Without the eye popping numbers at the standard categories like home runs and RBI, Owings has a great chance of flying under the radar again going into 2017 fantasy drafts. His speed ability and trend of improvement gives him a chance of being even better in 2017 and savvy fantasy owners could find themselves with a nice value again.