So lets round off the points league view of the infield with the SS rankings for 2017. As with the other middle infield position SS is a fairly deep position compared to previous years but in this format doesn’t feel as deep as it does for roto leagues. The reason for that is that points leagues devalue steals slightly compared to the premium that roto places on them and SS is the position most dominated by speed. However, there are still a ton of decent options who can hit for average and bat high enough in the order to give you those extra points from runs and RBI.
Currently we are going division by division as we preview the season having covered the AL Central, NL West and NL East.
C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP |RP
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| Rank | Player | Team | Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manny Machado | BAL | 3B/SS |
| 2 | Carlos Correa | HOU | SS |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor | CLE | SS |
| 4 | Corey Seager | LAD | SS |
| 5 | Aledmys Diaz | STL | SS |
| 6 | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | SS |
| 7 | Jean Segura | SEA | 2B/SS |
| 8 | Jorge Polanco | MIN | SS |
| 9 | Jonathan Villar | MIL | 3B/SS |
| 10 | Troy Tulowitzki | COL | SS |
| 11 | Alcides Escobar | KC | SS |
| 12 | Eduardo Nunez | SF | 3B/SS |
| 13 | Brandon Crawford | SF | SS |
| 14 | Jose Peraza | CIN | SS/OF |
| 15 | Dansby Swanson | ATL | SS |
| 16 | Elvis Andrus | TEX | SS |
| 17 | Zack Cozart | CIN | SS |
| 18 | Orlando Arcia | MIL | SS |
| 19 | Trevor Story | COL | SS |
| 20 | Andrelton Simmons | LAA | SS |
| 21 | Addison Russell | CHC | SS |
| 22 | Tim Anderson | CWS | SS |
| 23 | Didi Gregorius | NYY | SS |
| 24 | Asdrubal Cabrera | NYM | SS |
| 25 | Marcus Semien | OAK | SS |
| 26 | Brad Miller | TB | 1B/SS |
| 27 | Jose Iglesias | DET | SS |
| 28 | Jedd Gyorko | STL | 2B/3B/SS |
| 29 | Jordy Mercer | PIT | SS |
| 30 | Chris Owings | ARI | SS/OF |
Strategy
- Manny Machado is the top option here and the only first round consideration and someone I am definitely looking at in the second half of the round given that he has the flexibility to fit in at either third or SS
- There is a group of three in Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Corey Seager who will be one by the end of round 3 at the latest and unless one of those three falls to me at the back end of round 3 I am probably going to look elsewhere given the positional depth
- The Aledmys Diaz, Xander Bogaerts, Jean Segura group could see some value and I actually think Diaz will come as the best value because people may tend to value him as a power guy and naturally assume he strikes out a ton which isn’t the case
- Jorge Polanco will be a great value and with the positional depth is a guy I am targeting everywhere in points because of his all around talents. He should go late in drafts but I think he can return top 10 production. This is a guy I am definitely grabbing if I get Machado in the first round
- Jonathan Villar through Elvis Andrus is all kind of one big group so once again if this is your tier you are targeting look for the value which is likely to be Escobar or Crawford
- Oswaldo Arcia, Trevor Story, Addison Russell and Tim Anderson scare me from a strikeout point of view and I especially don’t foresee many scenarios where Story or Russell return draft day value in points leagues
