RADIO
Today we're looking at shortstops in this series, identifying five sleepers at each fantasy baseball position. You can check out the other fantasy baseball sleepers articles in the series if you've missed them:
- First Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Second Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Third Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Outfield Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Shortstop is one of the tougher positions for sleepers. Of the posts I've done so far, this is the least confident I feel about finding names that actually turn into useful fantasy players this season.
The good news is that the top of the shortstop position is elite, so your fantasy team will almost surely have a very solid option to anchor you at the position. I would recommend getting your hands on one of those top six or seven shortstops because there is a ton of fantasy goodness to be had there. The five names below are guys to stash on your bench or just keep an eye on early in the year. Let's get to it.
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Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
ADP: 224
Tovar is being drafted in all leagues right now with an ADP in the top 250. He is a top-two prospect for the Rockies (depending on what list you look at), and he is set to be the team's starting shortstop when the season begins. That plus the fact that the Rockies have very few decent hitter options means Tovar should get a ton of plate appearances this year, and will likely hit in the top three of the lineup as well.
The bad news is that Tovar does not have much power (30 homers in 822 PAs over the last two years). The good news is that he does not strike out much (16%) and steals a bunch of bases (41 steals in the last two seasons). In his brief time with the Major League club (35 PAs) last season, he hit just .212/.257/.333 with one homer, no steals, and a much worse 26% strikeout rate.
The smart money is on Tovar striking out less as he gets more Major League experience, but admittedly the ceiling is very low given his lack of pop and the bad offense he's a part of. Coors Field will still boost his batting average and he could certainly be a 30-steal guy this year.
Luis Urias, Milwaukee Brewers
ADP: 234
Urias was once a highly regarded prospect, but a lackluster Major League career thus far has knocked him down the fantasy ranks. Over the last two years, he has hit just .244/.340/.426 with 39 homers and six steals in 1,039 plate appearances. He's done very little positively for fantasy purposes, although his 26 PA/HR is better than the league average.
What's nice to see about Urias is his ability to make contact at a high rate (78% over the last two years) while barreling the ball at a decent rate (9.3% in 2021, 8.3% last year). That backs him up as a 25-homer candidate, and it could come with a decent batting average if things go right.
The most appealing thing to me about Urias is that he plays all around the diamond, so you can slide him around your fantasy roster when needed. Urias isn't going to win you any leagues this year, but he's better than his ADP suggests.
Oswald Peraza, New York Yankees
ADP: 291
There is a lot of action in Yankees camp around who will be the team's starting shortstop. Two of the team's top three prospects are shortstops, and both of them are vying for a job on the big league roster.
Yankees' Top Prospects 2023 (MLB.com)
| Rank | Player | Pos |
| 1. | Anthony Volpe | SS |
| 2. | Jasson Dominguez | OF |
| 3. | Oswald Peraza | SS |
| 4. | Austin Wells | C |
| 5. | Spencer Jones | OF |
| 6. | Everson Pereira | OF |
| 7. | Trey Sweeney | SS |
| 8. | Drew Thorpe | SP |
| 9. | Will Warren | SP |
| 10. | Richard Fitts | SP |
Peraza has the benefit of being on the 40-man roster and having already debuted in the Major Leagues, so that makes him the most likely guy to get the first crack at the job.
In the minor leagues over the last two years, Peraza has hit .282/.345/.466 with 37 homers and 72 steals. The profile is a speedy guy without a ton of power at this point in his career. He saw 57 Major League PAs last year and hit a solid .306/.404/.429 with one homer and two steals. There's a good chance Peraza gets a chance to see regular PAs in pinstripes, and his steals ability alone would make him a worthwhile fantasy asset.
Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees
ADP: 334
The more hyped player of the two Yankees we're talking about is Volpe, the team's top prospect on nearly every list you'll find. Volpe has posted a great .269/.380/.524 slash line in the last two years, making it as high as the AAA level. He has kept his strikeout rate under 20% and has walked a bunch (13%) while hitting 48 homers (23 PA/HR) and stealing 83 bases in 1,109 PAs.
The upside is outrageous with Volpe. Chances are he doesn't make the Opening Day roster but does debut and take a starting job by June. If you're in a league of depth, Volpe should probably be drafted and stashed, although I would consider him a fade in redraft leagues since he's typically going inside the top 300 now that some rumors have been swirling about him maybe making the team.
Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals
ADP: 346
Unlike the last two names, Garcia has a Major League job and should hit in the top three in the (bad) Nationals lineup. Garcia swings a ton, chases a ton, and does not draw walks. That is probably a bad sign for his batting average and on-base percentage, but it does give him the chance to hit enough homers, drive in enough runs, and steal enough bags to matter.
Garcia has power (45% hard-hit rate last year) and can hit the ball quite hard. He also profiles for 10-20 steals this year. If he can make a big step forward in plate discipline, you could really have something here. It's important to note that he's just 22 years old, so there is plenty of room and time for growth.
There you have it, five sleepers at the shortstop position. I hope this quick series is helping!
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