X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

Dynasty Shortstop Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

The shortstop position is usually one of the most exciting to choose from on draft day but the options are even more enticing in dynasty.

As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2021, fantasy baseball managers are poring over MLB free agency news and the latest rankings. That includes our constantly-updated dynasty rankings.

We've already gone around the infield with a look at first base, second base, and third base. Now, let's evaluate some notable shortstops.

Featured Promo: Get any full-season MLB and DFS Premium Pass for 50% off. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, Premium articles, daily Matchup Rating projections, 15 lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, Research Stations, Lineup Optimizers and much more! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Dynasty Shortstop Rankings

Ranking Tier Player Position
1 1 Fernando Tatis Jr. SS
2 1 Trea Turner SS
3 1 Francisco Lindor SS
4 1 Trevor Story SS
5 1 Wander Franco SS
6 1 Bo Bichette SS
7 2 Corey Seager SS
8 2 Xander Bogaerts SS
9 2 Tim Anderson SS
10 2 Javier Baez SS
11 2 Adalberto Mondesi SS
12 3 Carlos Correa SS
13 3 Gleyber Torres SS
14 3 Marco Luciano SS
15 3 Dansby Swanson SS
16 4 Marcus Semien SS
17 4 Royce Lewis SS
18 4 Bobby Witt Jr. SS
19 4 Didi Gregorius SS
20 5 Jazz Chisholm SS
20 5 CJ Abrams SS
21 5 Paul DeJong SS
22 5 Jake Cronenworth 1B/2B/SS
23 5 Austin Martin SS
24 5 Ha-Seong Kim SS/3B
25 5 Jeter Downs SS
26 6 Jorge Polanco SS
27 6 Willy Adames SS
28 6 Luis Garcia SS
29 6 Anderson Tejeda SS
31 6 Garrett Hampson 2B/SS/OF
32 6 Andres Gimenez 2B/3B/SS
33 6 Willi Castro 3B/SS
34 6 Amed Rosario SS
35 6 Miguel Rojas SS
36 6 Jonathan Villar 2B/SS
37 7 David Fletcher 2B/3B/SS
38 7 Tommy Edman 2B/3B/SS/OF
39 7 Nick Gordon SS
40 7 Xavier Edwards SS
41 7 Andrelton Simmons SS
42 7 Nico Hoerner 2B/3B/SS
43 7 Brandon Crawford SS
44 7 Mauricio Dubon 2B/SS
45 7 Chris Taylor 2B/SS/OF
46 7 Orlando Arcia SS
47 8 Joey Wendle 2B/3B/SS
48 8 Nick Ahmed SS
49 8 Elvis Andrus SS
50 8 J.P. Crawford SS
51 8 Ed Howard SS
52 8 Jorge Mateo SS
53 8 Carson Tucker SS
54 8 Noelvi Marte SS
55 8 Lucius Fox SS
56 8 Niko Goodrum 2B/SS
57 8 Jordan Westburg SS
58 9 Tetsudo Yamada 2B/SS
59 9 Kevin Newman 2B/SS
60 9 Leury Garcia 2B/SS
61 9 Tyler Wade 2B/SS
62 9 Wander Javier SS
63 9 Tim Beckham 2B/3B/SS/OF
64 9 Nick Gonzales SS
65 9 Thairo Estrada SS
66 9 Jose Devers SS

 

Preseason Thoughts

Does Lindor's move to the Big Apple and NL cause any movement at the top of the SS rankings? Not really. He may benefit from moving to a better lineup than the 2020 Indians who scored the sixth-fewest runs and posted the eighth-lowest team average. He's projected by RosterResource to slot in third in the lineup full-time, which should lead to more RBI opportunities. The question is whether he will approach the 20-steal mark, as ATC has him slated for 18 SB and he could run less if he doesn't see the leadoff spot at all. Nonetheless, he's just entering his age-27 season and is only behind Turner because of the speed difference.

As of this writing, Trevor Story is still in Colorado but his future with the team is now very much in doubt. Nolan Arenado chose to waive his no-trade clause just to get out of town and is now a Cardinal. Story could be on the move next if the team goes full rebuild, as it should. Even if he plays out 2021 as a Rockie, he'll be a free agent after the season and is unlikely to get a big payday to stay around. That puts an obvious dent on his value given the home/road splits that come with any player who makes his living at Coors Field half the time. It's no different for Story.

Career AB AVG HR RBI R SB wOBA WRC+
Home 1151 .304 84 232 219 32 .410 128
Away 1145 .250 50 143 156 48 .324 100

By this time next year, Story will likely fall behind Franco, Bichette, and others. For now, he still must be considered a top-five asset because of his elite power/speed production and immediate value.

Wander Franco is the consensus top prospect in baseball for a second straight year. The only question is when he will actually debut given the fact he's still just 19 and didn't get the benefit of a minor-league season in 2020 to advance his progress. I rarely advocate making any player an absolute must-hold regardless of what type of offer another manager throws at you but this is an exception. His value will only get higher once he cracks the Rays' roster.

Who knows what kind of season-long totals Corey Seager might have put up over a full 162 games last year? He hit .307 with 15 HR, 41 RBI, 38 R in 52 games, ranking in the 95 percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, hard hit%, barrel%, and exit velocity. If not for an injury-riddled 2018 that lingered into early 2019, he might be considered the best offensive shortstop in the game for real-life purposes. Unfortunately, a complete lack of steals pushes him outside the top-five.

Tim Anderson might be the most perpetually underrated player in the game, at least from a fantasy perspective. His 2018-2019 statlines would put him at the top of the BA+SB cohort in Nick Mariano's EDV metric and he was on pace for a career-high HR output in 2020 before the season inexplicably ended after 60 games. There is some trepidation about his speed output with Tony La Russa in the dugout now. Although it's been a decade since La Russa managed in the majors, based on historical data, Jeff Zimmerman of Fangraphs concluded that we shouldn't worry too much.

The Marlins dealing away young budding ace Zac Gallen to Arizona seemed like another puzzling move in a history of trading away top young talent in order to see it thrive elsewhere. This wasn't a cost-cutting move, however, as Gallen was on a rookie deal and no other players were involved. This was a matter of the team replenishing its lack of infield depth and coveting prospect Jazz Chisholm to be the shortstop of the future. Chisholm wasn't impressive in his debut, batting .161 with a 30% strikeout rate in 56 at-bats. He's got plenty of natural power and should develop into a fantasy starter in the near future but it may not be just yet. The Marlins would love to see the pairing of Isan Diaz at second base and Chisholm at shortstop but this season it may be Jon Berti and Miguel Rojas turning two.

Anderson Tejeda is the player I'll be monitoring most closely this spring. The Rangers are clearly in a rebuild and are young across the diamond, with no projected starting position player over the age of 28. Early indications are that Isiah Kiner-Falefa will displace Elvis Andrus, although this intuitively makes no sense. Kiner-Falefa should inherit the super-utility role and Tejeda should get the chance to be the regular shortstop. He still has plenty of holes in his swing to fix but from a fantasy perspective, he shined enough to open some eyes with three homers and four steals in 75 AB.

Bobby Witt Jr. and CJ Abrams are top-10 MLB prospects that are still a year away or more from contributing. Nobody can safely say what to expect from Adalberto Mondesi except that he will steal a lot of bases given the chance. Witt could be replacing Mondesi this time next year or still waiting patiently. Abrams could find himself moved to the outfield permanently since SS might be blocked in San Diego for the next, say, 15 years.

 

Deeper Options to Watch

Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez are both in Cleveland but only one may get a starting job this year with the team re-signing Cesar Hernandez to man second base. Rosario offers speed and flashy glove skills but little else that should interest fantasy managers. His low on-base percentage will relegate him to the bottom of the order even if he sees regular playing time and he could get the red light when he does reach base based on his 66% success rate. He's not as bad as his 2020 numbers suggest but he may not reach his 2019 numbers either. Gimenez's MLB debut was eerily similar to Rosario, except that he stole eight bases while only being caught once. He offers more versatility and is three years younger, giving him the obvious edge in dynasty formats.

Nick Gordon is becoming a forgotten prospect. After landing on the top 100 list four years running, he's fallen off a bit and taken a backseat to younger blood. At a practically ancient 25 years old, Gordon might finally get a look late in 2021 but isn't guaranteed a long-term home. Their top infield prospect, Royce Lewis, was the #1 pick in 2017 and will be groomed to take over after Andrelton Simmons serves out his one-year contract. Gordon will have to beat out Jorge Polanco at second base or wait for a deal to be made. The Dee Gordon comp is too obvious but it's mostly fitting except that the younger Gordon doesn't have the same high-end level of speed.

Xavier Edwards makes the Gordon brothers look like Aaron Judge in comparison to his overwhelming lack of power but he might be able to beat both in a foot race. Any tool that ranks 80/80 has to pique your interest but especially speed considering how rare a commodity it has become. Edwards hasn't reached Double-A yet but he's hit well over .300 at every stop in the minors so far and had a minuscule 8.8% strikeouts rate at High-A in 2019. It's unsure where his future home lies, both in terms of position and franchise, but he is a name to watch in 5x5 leagues.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Dynasty Baseball Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Garrett Mitchell15 mins ago

Unlikely To Be Activated
Carlos Correa21 mins ago

Could Return This Weekend
Adam Wainwright35 mins ago

Done For The Season
Christian Watson47 mins ago

Not Medically Cleared
Aaron Jones1 hour ago

Limited Again Tuesday
Saquon Barkley1 hour ago

Making Progress From Ankle Sprain
Luis Robert Jr.1 hour ago

Season Over Due To MCL Sprain
Ketel Marte2 hours ago

Feeling Better, Returns Against White Sox
Yandy Díaz2 hours ago

No Yandy Diaz For Rays
Randy Arozarena2 hours ago

Out For Rays On Tuesday
Torey Krug2 hours ago

Expects To Be Ready For Season Opener
Matt McLain2 hours ago

Out For Rest Of The Season
Filip Chytil2 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Artemi Panarin2 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Logan Couture2 hours ago

Unlikely To Play Opening Night
Easton Cowan3 hours ago

Impresses In Preseason Debut
NJ3 hours ago

Cory Schneider Announces Retirement From Hockey
Ilya Mikheyev3 hours ago

Leaves Practice Early Tuesday
Christian Watson5 hours ago

Plans To Play Against Lions
David Montgomery5 hours ago

Lions Optimistic About David Montgomery's Week 4 Status
Luis Robert Jr.7 hours ago

Season Could Be Over
Max Scherzer7 hours ago

Takes Another Step Forward
Rasmus Dahlin11 hours ago

Pleased To Link Up With Connor Clifton
Kailer Yamamoto11 hours ago

Posts Pair Of Power-Play Goals
Jakob Chychrun11 hours ago

Nets Two Goals In Win Over Toronto
Sean Couturier11 hours ago

Plays His First Game Since 2021
Jordan Eberle12 hours ago

Hopes To Remain In Seattle
Jakob Pelletier12 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Kyren Williams15 hours ago

' Production Capped By Poor Play-Calling
Tutu Atwell16 hours ago

Makes The Most Of Week 3 Defeat
Brandon Crawford19 hours ago

Expects To Play In Season Finale Sunday
Ja'Marr Chase19 hours ago

Wrecks Rams, Closes Buy-Low Window
Patrick Sandoval19 hours ago

Exits Early Monday With Right Oblique Tightness
Jon Gray19 hours ago

Exits Early Monday With Right-Wrist Tightness
Joe Burrow19 hours ago

Guts Out Calf Issue In Close Victory
A.J. Brown20 hours ago

Explodes For 131 Yards Against Tampa Bay
D'Andre Swift21 hours ago

Gashes Buccaneers For 138 Total Yards
Mike Evans21 hours ago

Snags Touchdown In Loss
Minnesota Timberwolves21 hours ago

Trevor Keels Signs With Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors21 hours ago

Rodney McGruder Joins Warriors
Atlanta Hawks21 hours ago

Chris Silva Joins Hawks On Exhibit-10 Deal
Julius Randle22 hours ago

Should Be Ready For Training Camp
Joe Burrow24 hours ago

Officially Active On Monday Night
Puka Nacua1 day ago

Active Against Bengals
Alvin Kamara1 day ago

Reinstated From Suspension
Brandon Aiyuk1 day ago

Seen At Monday's Practice
Deebo Samuel1 day ago

Held Out Of Monday's Practice
David Montgomery1 day ago

Listed As Limited
Christian Watson1 day ago

Listed As DNP Monday
Jaylen Waddle1 day ago

Still In Concussion Protocol
Joe Burrow1 day ago

Optimism Surrounding Joe Burrow's Monday Night Status
Garrett Mitchell1 day ago

Could Return Tuesday
Rafael Fiziev1 day ago

Suffers Knee Injury To Cut Main Event Short
Rafael Fiziev1 day ago

Mateusz Gamrot Victorious After Rafael Fiziev Suffers Knee Injury
Michelle Waterson-Gomez1 day ago

Dominated In TKO Loss
AJ Fletcher1 day ago

Drops To 1-3 In The UFC
AJ Fletcher1 day ago

Bryan Battle Submits AJ Fletcher For Second Straight Finishing Win
Ryan Blaney1 day ago

Speeding Penalty Costs Him Big At Texas
Francisco Alvarez1 day ago

Dealing With Finger Contusion
Ketel Marte1 day ago

Absent From Lineup On Monday
Mike Trout1 day ago

Season Is Over
William Byron1 day ago

Earns Sixth Win Of Season At Texas
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Secures Third Straight Top-Five Finish At Texas
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Late Wreck Ruins Tyler Reddick's Race At Texas
Chase Briscoe1 day ago

Delivers Big Value At Texas
Kyle Busch1 day ago

Championship Hopes Take Big Hit After Texas Wreck
Ross Chastain1 day ago

Overcomes Throttle Issue To Finish Second At Texas
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace "Gave it Away" At Texas, Finishes Third
Chris Buescher1 day ago

Has Another Strong Points Day At Texas
Kyle Larson1 day ago

On Playoff Hot Seat After Wrecking At Texas
Adam Fantilli1 day ago

Registers Two Assists In Preseason Debut
Trevor Van Riemsdyk1 day ago

Trevor van Riemsdyk Sustains Apparent Hand Injury
Travis Konecny1 day ago

"Banged Up"
Andrei Vasilevskiy1 day ago

Battling Minor Injuries
Mika Zibanejad1 day ago

Suffers An Upper-Body Injury
Kyle Palmieri1 day ago

Set For Re-Evaluation This Week
Deandre Ayton2 days ago

To Portland A Possibility?
Damian Lillard2 days ago

Bulls, Raptors Expressing Interest In Damian Lillard
Tim Hardaway2 days ago

Pacers Reportedly Not Interested In Tim Hardaway Jr.
Buddy Hield2 days ago

To Dallas?
Francisco Alvarez2 days ago

Removed Early On Sunday
Luis Robert Jr.2 days ago

Replaced During Sunday's Game
Yandy Díaz2 days ago

Yandy Diaz Leaves Early Sunday
Ricardo Ramos2 days ago

Submitted Early At UFC Vegas 79
Charles Jourdain2 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Two
Marina Rodriguez2 days ago

Scores One-Sided TKO Win At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige2 days ago

Falls Short Against Another Top-10 Opponent
Bryce Mitchell2 days ago

Returns To Win Column At UFC Vegas 79
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Feels Good About His Car at Texas
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

a Very Strong Option at Texas
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Pegged as Favorite to Win at Texas
Carson Hocevar3 days ago

Looks Impressive Again at Texas
Zane Smith3 days ago

Slow In Practice and Qualifying at Texas
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

in Downgraded Equipment for Texas
Luis Arraez3 days ago

Suffers Injury On Saturday
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Will Start 25th At Texas
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

The Top Value Play On Sunday At Texas
Ricky Stenhouse Jr3 days ago

.'s Struggles At Texas To Continue This Weekend
Joey Logano3 days ago

Makes For A Nice Bounce Back Play At Texas
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Wins Pole At Texas Motor Speedway
Clayton Keller3 days ago

Ready To Become 100-Point Player
Nicklas Backstrom3 days ago

Feeling At 100 Percent
3 days ago

Chauncey Billups Backs Scoot Henderson To Become A "Star"
Josh Green3 days ago

Aims To Become A Bigger Defensive Presence
Josh Hart3 days ago

Set To See Minutes As Power Forward
Cade Cunningham3 days ago

Jaden Ivey Believes Cade Cunningham Will "Shock" People
DeMar DeRozan3 days ago

Ready To Shoot More Threes
Marcus Morris3 days ago

Sr. Set To Remain A Starter In New Season
Jaden McDaniels4 days ago

Timberwolves Desire To Extend Jaden McDaniels
Boston Celtics4 days ago

Celtics Signing Lamar Stevens As Bench Piece
Frank Ntilikina4 days ago

Could Be Limited At Training Camp
Jayson Tatum4 days ago

To Play More Point Guard In 2023-24?
Damian Lillard4 days ago

Suns Considered Dark Horse To Facilitate Damian Lillard Deal
Donovan Mitchell4 days ago

Not Expected To Sign An Extension Next Summer
4 days ago

Amen Thompson Is Ready To Go For Training Camp
Mateusz Gamrot4 days ago

Seeking Victory In Seventh UFC Appearance
Rafael Fiziev4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In Win Column
Michelle Waterson-Gomez4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
AJ Fletcher4 days ago

Set To Showcase On Main Card
Bryan Battle4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 79
Ricardo Ramos5 days ago

Set For First Fight In Over A Year
Charles Jourdain5 days ago

Hoping To Bring UFC Record Above .500
Marina Rodriguez5 days ago

Gets A Rematch At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige5 days ago

Enters UFC Vegas 79 On Two-Fight Win Streak
Bryce Mitchell5 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back After First Career Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP