Shortstop pool is full of fantasy studs

Welcome to the wonderful world of shortstops, arguably the most talent-laden offensive position in fantasy baseball in 2022. The depth here leaves you with a conundrum as you prepare for your draft: Do you wait at this position or try to dive in as soon as possible? Waiting seems like a viable strategy because of the glut of great options. But waiting also means missing out on not only the best shortstops but some of the best players in all of Major League Baseball.

Here’s a closer look at this year’s top shortstop options.

Tier 1: Trea Turner, Bo Bichette

The question of who to pick at No. 1 overall has been a hot debate during draft season: Turner or Fernando Tatis Jr.? But with Tatis now slated to miss three months due to a fractured wrist, Turner, who was already considered the safer option, is the obvious call at No. 1 overall.

Injuries used to dog him, but after playing all 162 games in 2019, Turner played all but one game in 2020 and then 148 last year, split between the Nationals and the Dodgers. He has exceeded 30 steals in each of the past four full seasons and has an MLB-best .330 average since the start of 2020. Turner flashed more pop in 2021, hitting a career-high 28 homers and setting a career-high 46.2 hard-hit rate. His fantasy profile is boosted by his second-base eligibility and the Dodgers’ potent lineup.

Turner's 2021 campaign made him one of only six shortstops over the past 90 years to produce a 25-homer, 25-steal season with a .295 average or better. The other names on that list? Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez, Barry Larkin, Jimmy Rollins and Bo Bichette, who also achieved that feat last season. Bichette isn't the fastest or the strongest stortstop around, but he provides high-level production across the board in a lineup that ranked third in runs last year. He bopped 29 homers, went 25-for-26 in stolen bases and paced the AL with 191 hits in his first extended taste of the Major Leagues. Bichette crossed the plate 121 times, and the acquisition of Matt Chapman could help him best that number this summer.

Tier 2: Tim Anderson, Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Story, Francisco Lindor, Wander Franco

Anderson’s .322 average since the start of the 2019 season leads all qualified players. Although he missed nearly 40 games in 2019 and 2021, Anderson has finished with at least 17 homers and 15 steals in each of the past four full seasons.

Despite battling a sore left wrist throughout the second half of last season, Bogaerts was still stellar at the plate, notching 23 homers, 90 runs and a .295 average. He ranks inside the top five in runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs and batting average among primary shortstops since the start of 2018.

Story’s stat line may dip outside of the friendly confines of Coors Field, but he should still provide a useful mixture of power and speed. The 29-year old has totaled at least 24 homers and 20 steals in each of the previous three full seasons.

Injuries and slumps led to Lindor putting up career lows in many categories during his first year in New York. Yet his batted-ball metrics remained solid, including a career-best 44.1 hard-hit rate. Lindor looked like his old self over the season’s final month – nine home runs, .895 OPS – and still ended with 20 HRs and 10 steals overall. Lindor played in 96 percent of possible games from 2016-2020 and is only 28 years old, so it's fair to consider last season as just a blip.

Franco’s refined plate approach belies his age. The 21-year-old is always going to hit for a high average and has the wheels to log double-digit steals. After hitting seven homers in 70 games as a rookie, the question now is: How much power does he possess? Franco's 4.9 percent barrel rate leaves something to be desired.

Tier 3: Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Javier Báez, Fernando Tatis Jr.

Productive yet injury-prone, Seager and Correa share a bunch of similarities. Highly sought-after free agents during the offseason who are in the prime of their careers, each man makes a high amount of hard contact, had a sub-20 percent strikeout rate last year, can contribute 25-plus homers with a serviceable batting average, and probably won't steal any bases.

As long as you can withstand Báez’s streaky play and lots of whiffs – he owns a career 29.3 percent K rate – the dynamic middle infielder won’t leave you hanging when it comes to homers and steals. The new Detroit Tiger, who is also eligible at second base, has averaged better than 30 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the past three full seasons.

Even though Tatis was our early choice as the No. 1 overall player, there was plenty of injury risk following him into draft season after he suffered three left shoulder subluxations last year and then opted against offseason surgery. Instead, it's his left wrist that will keep him out for three months. In a perfect world, Tatis returns in mid-June and puts up 25 homers with 15-20 steals over the Padres' final 90 games. That's not a far-fetched projection; his 162-game average last season included 53 home runs and 31 bags. He finished near the top in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel percentage. Tatis has the immense upside to still be a top-10 fantasy shortstop in his age-23 season. But again, that's if everything goes according to plan. With his troublesome shoulder still looming, Tatis will still possess significant risk once he gets back on the diamond.

Tier 4: Bobby Witt Jr., Dansby Swanson, Willy Adames, Gleyber Torres, Amed Rosario

Witt's plate discipline improved from Double-A to Triple-A last year as his strikeout rate ticked down to 22.5 percent. If that sustains and he joins the Royals early in the season, Witt's 60-grade power and speed give him 25/25 potential to go along with a batting average that won't hamper your team too much.

Swanson set personal bests in runs (78), RBIs (88) and home runs (27) last season. The Braves’ lineup appears to be in a state of flux, but Swanson’s improved quality of contact over the past couple of years hints that he will remain a 20-homer player.

Adames was an entirely different hitter once he was acquired by the Brewers in May. His OPS increased by almost 150 points compared to his career line with Tampa Bay. He bashed 20 homers in 99 games with his new team, so what could he accomplish over a full year with the Brew Crew?

As his 7.8 percent barrel rate more than doubled his 2020 mark, Torres showed some signs of breaking out of his prolonged power drought last season. Although he may never obtain 30 HRs again, he is just 25 years old, recorded a career-high 14 steals in 2021 and holds eligibility at second base.

Rosario, who has outfield eligibility, will provide some help in all categories. He racked up 11 homers and a .282 average last season. He also went 13-for-13 in stolen bases, so maybe the Guardians will give him the green light more often this summer.