Fantasy Baseball 2018 Rankings: Shortstop

The class of the group is easy to find and Trea Turner is the rising star of the group. He’s flashed elite stolen base ability piling up 81 thefts in his first 198 career games. With mid-teens power and potential to steal 50+ bags, Turner reminds us of the days when Carl Crawford and Jose Reyes were first round selections in the mid 2000s. Taking him with the 3rd overall pick presumes he’s going to get you close to that 20 home run plateau, but if you want this dynamic shortstop on your team, thats likely going to be the cost on draft day. I tend to lean towards power bats at the top of my draft boards, but Turner has a clear path to being the No. 1 player in fantasy.

Top Tier Bargains

Carlos Correa  – .288-94-30-111-12 per 162 games played | ADP: 13.3

Corey Seager – .305-102-26-82-4 per 162 games played | ADP: 32.3

As both players head into their 4th major league season, we’ve seen them blossom into fantasy studs at a typically thin position. They’re both great, but Correa is a first/second rounder while Seager can be had in the 3rd or 4th. Now that Seager has begun getting defensive work in spring training, it’s safe to assume he’ll be ready to rock on Opening Day.

Thanks, but No Thanks

It’s easy to say that Elvis Andrus‘ 20 home run campaign in 2017 was a fluke.. so I’ll just do that. Look, he’s a solid player, and bring a steady floor with 20+ steals and a handful of homers each season, but watching his HR/FB rate nearly double with the rest of his profile remaining steady, we’re doubtful of a repeat. He’s a solid player, but watching him push his way toward the fifth round (ADP of 63) is a bit to aggressive for us.

When the thing I like the best about a player is his ballpark, it can be tough to justify a top-100 pick. That’s the case with Trevor Story. he delivered 24 home runs last year to follow up a 27 homer year in 2016, but posted a K-rate north of 30% for the second straight season. Predictably, Story’s average bottomed out at .239 last season after putting up a .272 average the year before. We’ll pass on the slugging shortstop until he can cut down on the whiffs and snag Andrelton Simmons or Zack Cozart six rounds later.

Deep Thoughts

Tim Anderson (ADP: 229) offers some speed and Zack Cozart (ADP: 221) has some pop as a pair of deeper options to fill your shortstop or middle infield spot. We’re also optimistic on a bounce-back effort from Brandon Crawford, who struggle in 2017 after establishing himself as an underrated fantasy option in the years prior.

Shortstop Draft Rankings 2018