Top 30 Shortstops To Own In Dynasty Leagues

(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

We featured the Top 25 Catchers, Top 30 First Basemen, and Top 30 Second Basemen in dynasty leagues so far this week — today, day four of our positional dynasty rankings will continue the basepath to shortstop.

Tier One

1. Trea Turner (Washington Nationals, 24)

2. Carlos Correa (Houston Astros, 23)

3. Francisco Lindor (Cleveland Indians, 24)

Tier Two

4. Corey Seager (Los Angeles Dodgers, 23)

5. Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers, 29)

6. Jean Segura (Seattle Mariners, 28)

7. Bo Bichette (P) (Toronto Blue Jays, 20)

8. Fernando Tatis Jr. (P) (San Diego Padres, 19)

Tier Three

9. Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox, 24)

10. Kevin Maitan (P) (Los Angeles Angels, 18)

11. Javier Baez (Chicago Cubs, 28)

12. Brendan Rodgers (P) (Colorado Rockies, 21)

13. Didi Gregorius (New York Yankees, 27)

14. Amed Rosario (New York Mets, 21)

15. Royce Lewis (P) (Minnesota Twins, 18)

Tier Four

16. Andrelton Simmons (Los Angeles Angels, 28)

17. Orlando Arcia (Milwaukee Brewers, 23)

18. Paul DeJong (St. Louis Cardinals, 24)

19. Jorge Polanco (Minnesota Twins, 24)

Tier Five

20. Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks, 24)

21. Dansby Swanson (Atlanta Braves, 23)

22. Franklin Barreto (P) (Oakland Athletics, 22)

23. Trevor Story (Colorado Rockies, 25)

24. Jose Peraza (Cincinnati Reds, 23)

25. Carter Kieboom (P) (Washington Nationals, 20)

26. Jorge Mateo (P) (Oakland Athletics, 22)

27. Freddy Galvis (San Diego Padres, 28)

28. Tim Beckham (Baltimore Orioles, 28)

29. Willy Adames (P) (Tampa Bay Rays, 22) / Nick Gordon (P) (Minnesota Twins, 22)

30. Tim Anderson (Chicago White Sox, 24)

Way Too Deep Prospects

In keeping with three rookie level players that I don’t own, but keep an eye on for now. For shortstops, I’m cheating a bit, with two of the three already fairly well-known names that just haven’t left the Rookie-level yet — I’m looking at Wander Javier, Delvin Perez, and Jhoander Saez.

Brennen’s Notes:

• Eduardo Nunez (he’ll be on 3B) and Marwin Gonzalez (he’ll be on OF) will not appear quite yet. While players may carry multiple positions, these “super utility” players will be placed in the position for which they played the most time last year. Alex Bregman did not make this list as barring another injury to Carlos Correa, it is unlikely he would get enough reps at shortstop moving forward.
• Bo Bichette v. Fernando Tatis Jr. will be a debate in the community for years and I relish at taking part in it. My initial rankings here have Bichette ahead because given how far out both are from the majors, my early rankings for them are based on who I think is the safer (not necessarily highest ceiling) player. Bichette’s 70-grade hit tool (while still putting up serviceable steals and home runs) does just that. Before the year is over I will write up a more in-depth analysis of this comparison (as I’m sure it’ll be a frequent question). For now, if you own either, be happy that you do.
• Kevin Maitan at #10 is a stretch given his rather rocky introduction to affiliated baseball last year (at age 17), I admit it. Nothing went right for Maitan for all the hype and pedigree, but 42 games at his age still leave much room for growth given his initial reports. A year ago he would have been a top-five pick in a prospect draft – while his value has dropped, his decline is overstated. He has reportedly shed weight in the fall and is back on track with the Angels’ staff. The upside is too great, even with the added risk — a full season in 2018 will help clarify who Kevin Maitan is as a player.
• Amed Rosario is probably the most undervalued shortstop on my list. He has the pedigree and minor league track record to be much higher, but his underwhelming introduction into the MLB (after not getting called up until August) has depressed his value. A pre-season injury will likely further depress his value. While it may not happen this year, I can see Rosario as a 10/30 shortstop with a .300 batting average (if he can keep his strikeout rate near the mid-teens rate he had in the minors). Buy low, buy now.
• I’ll go ahead and lump all of Tier Four in with one another. They are a group of players who create above average production but lack the value their counterparts have because of their spot in the lineup.
• My ranking of Royce Lewis at 15 is purely based on a small sample size of 239 plate appearances and his pedigree (First Overall Pick in 2017). He did well and I still think this ranking is too low. If he continues to do well throughout 2018, expect that he will shoot up my rankings.
• Ketel Marte has the biggest shot to move up this list. He’s fast and nearly quadrupled his walk rate (now at 11.4%) this past year, sparking a rise in his weighted on-base average back to the level of his rookie year (as did his slugging percentage (.395)). At 24 Marte should be able to win the starting shortstop position out-right and make an impact with where he is valued.