RealGM Analysis
Shortstops
Tier 1: Francisco Lindor, Trea Turner, Trevor Story, Alex Bregman
Tier 2: Javier Baez, Fernando Tatis, Gleyber Torres, Xander Bogaerts
Tier 3: Adalberto Mondesi, Manny Machado, Jonathan Villar, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Carlos Correa
Tier 4: Corey Seager, Tim Anderson, Elvis Andrus, Amed Rosario
Tier 5: Jean Segura, Jorge Polanco, Didi Gregorius, Paul DeJong
General Thoughts:
Shortstop has become what first base used to be – a position of offensive firepower. For those not old enough to remember, shortstops used to barely swing better sticks than catchers. Fast forward to 2020, and you should see 14-15 shortstops go in the top 100 picks. Granted positional versatility plays a key part here (i.e. 2B and 3B who are also eligible at SS), but the metamorphosis the position has undergone is remarkable.
Tier 1 contains three first round players in Lindor, Turner and Story, with Bregman not falling out of second rounds of drafts. The drop to tier 2 is minimal, as Baez and the rest of this group should go in rounds 3-4.
Adalberto Mondesi returns to the Royals healthy and ready to swipe bags at a league setting pace. He leads the tier 3 group, who should come off the board in rounds 4 – 7. Bo Bichette is the upside play out of this group. He flashed well over the last few months of 2019, and look for him to take a huge step up this year.
When Corey Seager falls into tier 4, you know the position has incredible depth. The tier 4 group provides serviceable starters, while tier 5 comprises fringe fantasy starters and solid depth.
Strategy:
It’s very hard to go wrong at shortstop this year due to the unprecedented depth at the position. Whether you address the shortstop position early, or you wait until several rounds in, just make sure that you’re not reaching for a player before his value.
Other Positional Rankings
