The shortstop is the captain of the infield, requiring athleticism, a strong arm, good reach, and a high baseball IQ. If you can hit, or better yet, hit with power, you’re a coveted asset to both a major league organization and a fantasy team.
It is common for organizations to move drafted shortstops from high school or college programs to a more defensive position. Often this is done because the prospect may not be showing the range required for the position, in which case he may move to third or second base, depending on the strength of his arm. If they are athletic, they can move to center court to take advantage of their foot speed. There are other instances where a prospect is moved out of position due to a blockage in the majors. For example, with Carlos Correa entrenched in Minnesota, Royce Lewis began out of necessity to learn the outfield. In some cases, where we believe the player is not likely to make their shortstop debut in the majors, we have not included them here.
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Our leaderboards are targeted specifically for Dynasty Leagues, with a focus on balancing a variety of scoring formats. To achieve this, we focused on wRC+ as the main measure. Although wRC+ is inherently OBP oriented, we have taken both high and low batting averages into consideration when ranking players. The goal of these position rankings is to provide the best possible order based on a three to five year value, which means that older, more productive veterans are reduced and can be ranked alongside or even behind prodigious talents who have not yet debuted.
Keep all of this in mind when considering your team’s needs and league context. If you’re trying to compete in 2023, you should prefer JP Crawford over Cole Young (who we’ve ranked back-to-back) – but some of your league teammates, especially those not competing, would likely prefer Young in a trade.
Due to the depth of the position, we have listed 100 shortstops and added additional targets, crosses and fades.
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP
2. Bo Bichette, TOR
3. Bobby Witt Jr., KCR
4. Trea Turner, PHI
5. Gunnar Henderson, BAL
6. Corey Seager, TEX
7. Wander Franco, TBR
8. Oneil Cruz, PIT
9. Francisco Lindor, New York
10. Xander Bogaerts, SDP
11. Elly De La Cruz, CIN
12. Anthony Volpe, NYY
13. Carlos Correa, MIN
14. Dansby Swanson, CSC
15. Willy Adames, MIL
16. Vaughn Grissom, ATL
17. Jérémy Pena, HOU
18. Ezequiel Tovar, COL
A DW target: Having already made his MLB debut at age 21, due to his ability to defend and run from base, the ground for the Venezuelan is higher than his susceptibility to chase would indicate. Although his swing decisions are raw, he makes good contact and his bat trajectory leads to more power in the game than the underlying output speed data would imply. With all of his tools rated above average or better, having Coors Field as his home park, and hopes that he’ll be the team’s shortstop of the future, Tovar has the ability to be a solid contributor to a fantastic team, as from 2023.
19. Tommy Edman, STL
20. Jackson Holiday, BAL
21. Marcelo Mayer, BOS
22. Jordan Lawlar, ARI
23. Tim Anderson, ASC
24. Jackson Merrill, SDP
A GP target: Merrill was limited to 55 games in 2022 with a broken wrist and hamstring injury, but he reappeared in the Arizona Fall League and impressed there. Merrill combines advanced hitting feel with a solid plate approach and projectable power. He has a nice left-handed swing with the plate skills and projection to go with it. A full and healthy Merrill season could potentially lead to a significant rankings boost.
25. Royce Lewis, MIN
A fade GP: You’d be foolish to deny Lewis’ ability – it was on full display when he made his major league debut in 2022. However, injuries have limited Lewis in recent years. He will likely miss much of 2023 and you have to wonder how the litany of injuries has affected him. Lewis is an exciting player, but in which I hesitate to invest heavily. Although Lewis’ contact and power are above average or better, his approach is average. With multiple injuries to his lower half, you have to wonder how aggressive he will be as a baserunner going forward.
26. Amed Rosario, CLE
27.Nico Hoerner, CSC
28. Brooks Lee, MIN
29. Marco Luciano, SFG
30. Colson Montgomery, ASC
31. Noëlvi Marte, CIN
32. Oswald Peraza, New York
33. CJ Abrams, WAS
A DW fund: Still just 22, the former Padres top prospect has struggled in his major league career so far to impact the ball with real authority. Although his exit speeds have increased as he has matured, his chase rate is still well below average and he shows that he is susceptible to being exploited by major league pitchers (in 2021 in Double-A, his chase rate was less than 35% while last year his chase rates climbed in Triple-A and MLB, respectively, to 40% and 44%). Adding to the concern, his defense at shortstop has been well below average using Statcast OAA, meaning his bat has a lot to overcome for him to be a valuable player. Due to low walk rates, his OBP will never be high, which will also result in putting a lower cap on his base stolen totals despite having a 90th percentile sprint speed and base run ability above the average (over 40 stolen bases in less than 600+ plate appearances in the minor leagues).
34. Thairo Estrada, SFG
35. Ha-Seong Kim, SDP
36. Javier Baez, DET
37. Adalberto Mondesi, BOS
38. Leave Amador, COL
39. Masyn Winn, STL
40. Zach Neto, LAA
41. Jordan Westburg, B.A.
42. Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS
43. Brady House, WAS
44. JT Williams, NYM
45. Edwin Arroyo, CIN
46. Brice Turang, MIL
47. Addison Barger, TOR
48. Carson Williams, TBR
49. Bryan Rocchio, CLE
50. Luisangel Acuna, TEX
51. Orelvis Martinez, TOR
52. Colt Keith, IT
53. Ange Martinez, CLE
54. Joey Ortiz, BAL
55. Ronny Mauricio, NYM
A DW berth: Mauricio has been ranked pretty high in the industry for years, but hasn’t been able to fully manifest the tools into field production. The quality of contact, especially for a 21-year-old, is excellent. At Double-A last year, Mauricio’s contact rate, exit velocities and barrel rate were essentially the same as Gunnar Henderson’s. The biggest difference was chase rate, which is a pretty big flaw that Mauricio needs to improve. Even still, due to his raw power relative to his age, he should be an average league hitter at the top with above average power and some speed. There are quite a few similarities in his profile with Christopher Morel, but with even more risk.
56. Yiddi Cappé, MIA
57. Cole Young, MER
58. JP Crawford, SEA
59. Cristian Hernandez, CHC
60. Trey Sweeney, New York
61. Mikey Romero, BOS
62. Jose Salas, MIN
63. Eric Brown, MIL
64. Matt McLain, CIN
65. Michael Arroyo, SEA
A GP sleeper: A young, projectable infielder with advanced bat-to-ball skills and elite swing decisions, Arroyo is a high-potential flier you can pick up for very little in the Dynasty Leagues. Arroyo made his Dominican Summer League debut at age 17 and hit .314/.457/.484 in 49 games. Arroyo’s core competencies look long-term and point to a strong start in 2023 when he comes to the United States. Similar to Adael Amador in 2022, it’s worth betting on a young player with advanced plate skills.
66. Nick Gordon, MIN
67. Luis Rengifo, LAA
68. Liover Peguero, PIT
69. Eddinson Paulino, BOS
70. Kahlil Watson, MIA
71.Aeverson Arteaga, S.F.G.
72. Jordan Groshans, MIA
73. Michael Garcia, KCR
74. Jorge Mateo, BAL
75. Greg Jones, TBR
76. Osleivis Basabe, TBR
77. Dylan Moore, SEA
78. José Rodriguez, ASC
A DW berth: Based on data-driven analysis alone, Rodriguez is underrated in the fantasy industry. His minor league production, in concert with his ability to put the bat on the ball and steal bases, involves an average major league hitter with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases potential. Despite a free swing approach (a high chase rate), he finished extremely strong at the end of the year, improving on both sides of the ball. If he’s able to build on the way he finished, including being more intentional with his defense, Rodriguez could become a starter in a major league infield.
79. Lenin Sosa, CHW
80. Wenceel Perez, IT
81. Roderick Arias, New York
82. Max Muncy, CHÊNE
83. Denzer Guzman, LAA
84. Axel Sanchez, SEA
85. Ricardo Cabrera, CIN
86. Darell Hernaiz, CHÊNE
87. Cristian Santana, DET
88. Peyton Graham, IT
89. Ryan Kreidler, DET
90. Tyler Freeman, CLE
91. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, New York
92. Gabriel Arias, CLE
93. Victor Acosta, CIN
94. Joseph Tena, CLE
95. Jacob Amaya, MIA
96. Nasim Nunez, MIA
97. Xavier Edwards, MIA
98. Miguel Rojas, DAL
99. Kyren Paris, AAL
100. Cam Cauley, Texas
The Next Prospects: who will be the next to join the list?
1. Adrian Pinto, TOR (50/Extreme)
2. Kevin Made, CHC (45/High)
3. Pedro Ramirez, CHC (50/Extreme)
4. Eddys Leonard, LAD (45/skin)
5. Brainer Bonaci, BOS (45/skin)
6. Manuel Sequera, DET (50/Extreme)
7. Ignacio Alvarez, ATL (45/Extreme)
8. Matthew Lugo, BOS (45/Haut)
9. Leonardo Balcazar, CIN (45/Haut)
10. Jonathan Mejia, STL (50/Extreme)
11. Cutter Coffey, BOS (50/Extrême)
12. Jesus Baez, NYM (50/Extreme)
13. Leo Jimenez, TOR (50/Extreme)
14. Carlos Colmenarez, TBR (50/Extreme)
15. Cristofer Torin, ARI (50/Extrême)
16. Dyan Jorge, COL (50/Extreme)
17. Angel Genao, CLE (50/Extreme)
18. William Bergolla Jr., PHI (50/Extreme)
19. Danyer Cueva, TEX (50 Extreme)
20. Armando Cruz, WAS (50/Extreme)
21. Yendry Rojas, SDP (50/Extreme)
22. Manuel Beltre, TOR (50/Extreme)
23. Jonathan Ornelas, TEX (45/Haut)
24. Adinso Reyes, DET (50/Extreme)
25. Braden Shewmake, ATL (45/Haut)
