Fantasy Baseball: SS Rankings (Roto)

Time to round out the infield with my SS rankings. While traditionally not a position with high fantasy expectations, shortstop is currently so loaded with young talent that it’s actually the most well represented infield spot in the early rounds of drafts. Specifically, there are 7 players coming off the board within the first 36 picks. At the same time the difference in ADP between the 7^th SS taken (Story) and the 9^th (Russell) is almost 90 picks so the drop-off between tiers is fairly extreme.

If you’ve checked out any of my other positional ranks this year you’ve noticed I’m trying out a new format. Instead of tiered commentary I’ve broken down my analysis into two sections; overall draft approach to the position and thoughts on individual players. Hope you enjoy the new setup and as always I’d love to hear your feedback.

Note: I’m using a combination of Yahoo and ESPN positional eligibility which cumulatively will be more lenient than some individual sites so a few players you see here may not actually be SS eligible in your league. Additionally, I’m including players who are expected to gain SS eligibility in-season.

C | 1B | 2B| 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Player	Rank	League	Team
Manny Machado	1	AL	Orioles
Carlos Correa	2	AL	Astros
Trea Turner	3	NL	Nationals
Corey Seager	4	NL	Dodgers
Xander Bogaerts	5	AL	Red Sox
Trevor Story	6	NL	Rockies
Francisco Lindor	7	AL	Indians
Jonathan Villar	8	NL	Brewers
Jean Segura	9	AL	Mariners
Addison Russell	10	NL	Cubs
Troy Tulowitzki	11	AL	Blue Jays
Aledmys Diaz	12	NL	Cardinals
Eduardo Nunez	13	NL	Giants
Elvis Andrus	14	AL	Rangers
Brad Miller	15	AL	Rays
Marcus Semien	16	AL	A's
Jose Peraza	17	NL	Reds
Javier Baez	18	NL	Cubs
Dansby Swanson	19	NL	Braves
Brandon Crawford	20	NL	Giants
Didi Gregorius	21	AL	Yankees
Tim Anderson	22	AL	White Sox
Jedd Gyorko	23	NL	Cardinals
Asdrubal Cabrera	24	NL	Mets
Orlando Arcia	25	NL	Brewers
Zack Cozart	26	NL	Reds
Matt Duffy	27	AL	Rays
Alcides Escobar	28	AL	Royals
Chris Owings	29	NL	D'backs
Jorge Polanco	30	AL	Twins
Freddy Galvis	31	NL	Phillies
Danny Espinosa	32	AL	Angels
Andrelton Simmons	33	AL	Angels
Ketel Marte	34	NL	D'backs
Jordy Mercer	35	NL	Pirates
Jose Iglesias	36	AL	Tigers
J.J. Hardy	37	AL	Orioles
Adeiny Hechavarria	38	NL	Marlins
Erick Aybar	39	NL	Padres
J.P. Crawford	40	NL	Phillies

Positional Strategy

• Get one of the top 7 guys.
  • This seems obvious, but I feel like many owners are still reluctant to invest such a high pick on a few of these players, particularly Villar and Story.

• If I wait I’m looking for speed not power.
  • Speed is scarce this year yet SS seems to have several viable options.
    • Nunez, Peraza, Andrus, Anderson

• I generally don’t want the low average power guys like Miller or Semien.
  • Of course this depends on how you construct your roster, but personally I find it more effective to target that skill set with a different position.

• Don’t overlook safety/stability.
  • Gregorious and Cabrera are two players going outside the top 250 that are plenty usable.
    • They’re ideal late picks if your primary SS is a younger/riskier option (Swanson, Anderson, etc…).

Player Notes

• Francisco Lindor and Xander Bogaerts are so good.
  • This isn’t analysis, just a reminder to not overlook the fact that neither of these guys has a clear weakness in their game.

• I’m all in on Trevor Story.
  • Power and speed are the sexy categories in roto and there’s a legitimate chance Story’s combined total in these two areas will approach 50.

• Don’t reach for Jean Segura.
  • I don’t doubt he’s a productive player, but I’m not paying for last year’s numbers.
  • The team/ballpark change leads me to believe we see a noticeable reduction in both homers and steals.

• Who is the real Eduardo Nunez?
  • Don’t expect 15+ homers again especially now that he’s playing in the worst possible park for right-handed power.
  • Lineup and playing time concerns make me think we get about 70% of last year’s production.