Shortstop Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

January 28, 2022

Shortstop (SS) preseason rankings for dynasty fantasy baseball leagues ahead of the 2022 season. Pierre Camus breaks down his ranks based on preseason value and projections.

Although redraft season for fantasy baseball is not upon us yet, dynasty leagues are always active. Those crucial preseason cut/hold decisions are being weighed in order to assess the keeper value of each player on your roster.

To help our readers make the most informed decisions, RotoBaller has updated dynasty baseball rankings, submitted by Brad Camara and myself. While the full rankings are available to Premium subscribers, I'm pulling back the curtain behind my positional rankings with some thoughts behind certain players.

It's time to cover the glamour position - shortstop. After reading up on the SS rankings, look for our breakdowns of first base, second base, third base, and outfield. Keep in mind that many players listed here also have eligibility at other positions but I'll primarily discuss those likely to have shortstop as their most valuable position.

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Dynasty Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Preseason Thoughts

Bo Bichette is getting a lot of love as a top-five pick in redraft leagues, as he should. If Tatis experiences issues with his shoulder again after rejecting surgery, Bichette could take over as the top shortstop. That goes for dynasty too, as both are 23 years old (Tatis is 10 months younger). If the Padres fail to make the postseason again, the roster could experience a shakeup and leave some uncertainty as to his ceiling going forward. Tatis might be the most talented player in the majors, pound-for-pound, but Bichette might simply be in a better spot to produce counting stats based on health and team context over the next 2-3 years.

The next great legacy player coming up this year is Bobby Witt Jr. Although shortstop is his natural position, he did play 10 games at third base in last year's Triple-A season. The Royals' infield is a puzzle waiting to be put together, with multiple players eligible to fill in at each position. Currently, RosterResource projects Nicky Lopez as the starting SS with Adalberto Mondesi holding down DH to keep him healthy and keep his declining glove off the field. That would slide Witt Jr. to third and add another position of eligibility. He's dripping with 30-20 upside and could easily come away with AL Rookie of the Year honors. Although his future value doesn't surpass Wander Franco (as if that's even possible), his power is already more developed and he should get more chances to run in KC, making his short-term fantasy value higher than Franco.

Just as his brother Kyle hangs up his cleats, Corey Seager has put down roots for the next decade. His 10-year, $325 million deal to join the Texas Rangers establishes him as a franchise player for years to come and ensures that Marcus Semien will stay at second base with the possibility of losing SS eligibility next year. When healthy, he is an elite offensive infielder with a career slash line of .297/.367/.504. The problem is that he has missed 239 games over the past four seasons, including a huge chunk of 2021 due to a hand fracture. He's nearly four years removed from UCL surgery and shouldn't come into this season bearing any worrisome health issues but the risk is always there. Despite their free-agent shopping spree, the Rangers' offense is still a far ways from matching the Dodgers. Health, consistency, and team context are the factors that keep Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado over Seager for me despite both being two years older.

Francisco Lindor didn't endear himself to Mets fans after hitting .230 and then giving them a big thumbs down for booing him. Maybe it was Javy Baez's idea but regardless, he's got some making up to do. He's still in the prime of his career and has the chance to bounce back strong. The additions of vets like Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Canha should lead to a higher team OBP and a bump in counting stats for Lindor. It might also take some pressure off him to live up to lofty expectations.

Noelvi Marte and Marco Luciano belong together as power-first prospects on the west coast who might eventually move to third base or a corner outfield spot. Marte should start this season at Double-A and has a chance to grow with an exciting young corps in Seattle that includes Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez by 2023. Luciano has bigger power but is coming up in a Giants franchise that hasn't had much success developing young bats recently and prefers to platoon players at nearly every position. The profiles nearly match but Marte is in a better position to succeed sooner.

Speaking of failed prospect development - the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unless you believe Cole Tucker is ready to put it all together and reverse his fortunes, it looks like Oneil Cruz will take his turn at shortstop. Cruz is a wiry 6'7" but still has massive power potential. We could see it come to fruition this season based on his very brief but impressive sample from the final moments of last season.

Deeper Options to Watch

Jose Barrero (formerly Jose Garcia) should be the Reds' primary shortstop by now but he hasn't done much to earn the job. In 117 Major League at-bats over the last two seasons, he's hit .197 with no homers, five RBI, and a 43-4 K-BB rate. He didn't chase quite as much last year but he needs to improve his contact rate further and learn to be just a little patient at times. He swung at the first pitch 41.3% of the time and had a 16.7% swinging-strike rate. Improvement is certainly possible but it may be time to lower expectations.

Ha-Seong Kim was a trendy sleeper in 2021 that didn't pan out. He failed to crack the everyday lineup and was very underwhelming when he did play with an expected slash line of .209/.265/.309. There's still promise here due to his speed, hit tool (it's there somewhere), a strong glove, and versatility. If Jurickson Profar struggles or Tatis hits the IL, Kim will have a shot to contribute so it's too soon to count him out.

Brayan Rocchio has a chance to get the call during the 2022 season and brings a solid hit tool along with decent speed. The ceiling is somewhat limited, however, and he may not be the long-term replacement for Francisco Lindor that the Guardians need. The same goes for Tyler Freeman, who will have limited usefulness in fantasy because of a low power ceiling. The long play in this infield is 20-year-old Carson Tucker, who was a first-round pick in 2020. Tucker has 55-grade raw power that he can grow into as he fills out his frame. It might take a couple of years but it's never a bad idea to look ahead in deeper leagues.

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