This article is part of our The Z Files series.
Welcome to the shortstop installment of "Tiers of a Clown". I've spent the previous six weeks presenting positional tiers with a twist. If you want to catch up, here are the links:
Conventionally, players are listed in descending order of overall ranking, with a perceived large drop in production delineating the tiers. While this approach is obviously useful, it ignores the more abstract notion of roster construction. To refocus the mindset away from "value" and more on what it takes to build a competitive roster, I'm breaking down each position by a characteristic and then ranking the constituents within each classification.
The key is the groups are subjective. If you choose to apply the process, you may come up with different classes, not to mention a different ordering within each. The idea is choosing a trait intrinsic to roster build. It could be related to risk, or a specific contribution, etc. There's no right or wrong, only what works for you.
With all the previous installments, I've offered a brief overview. Why stop now? Some positions are top-heavy, some deep. Shortstop is both as it's replete with quality and quantity. It's really an embarrassment of riches, with more on the way. What stands out most to me is the stability and reliability of the position. So much so in fact, there are fewer subsets at shortstop than any other group, as the volume of low-risk options dominates
Welcome to the shortstop installment of "Tiers of a Clown". I've spent the previous six weeks presenting positional tiers with a twist. If you want to catch up, here are the links:
Conventionally, players are listed in descending order of overall ranking, with a perceived large drop in production delineating the tiers. While this approach is obviously useful, it ignores the more abstract notion of roster construction. To refocus the mindset away from "value" and more on what it takes to build a competitive roster, I'm breaking down each position by a characteristic and then ranking the constituents within each classification.
The key is the groups are subjective. If you choose to apply the process, you may come up with different classes, not to mention a different ordering within each. The idea is choosing a trait intrinsic to roster build. It could be related to risk, or a specific contribution, etc. There's no right or wrong, only what works for you.
With all the previous installments, I've offered a brief overview. Why stop now? Some positions are top-heavy, some deep. Shortstop is both as it's replete with quality and quantity. It's really an embarrassment of riches, with more on the way. What stands out most to me is the stability and reliability of the position. So much so in fact, there are fewer subsets at shortstop than any other group, as the volume of low-risk options dominates the six. That said, there's a decent supply of speed specialists and upside candidates as well.
Here are the six classifications, followed by the players with individual and group commentary. Please keep in mind, the order of the groups is arbitrary, but the listing within each is a loose ranking of those named. A player found in an earlier group is not an indication unto itself he's "better" than someone included in a later group. Eligibility is based on the seven-game NFBC minimum with players included at all qualified positions. For example, Tommy Edman is listed below along with previously being discussed in the second base and third base pieces and will also be part of the outfield installment.
- Like a Rock: Solid, reliable, bankable
- Run Runaway: Stolen base contributors
- Show Me the Way: Like what I see, but I'm not completely convinced
- Put Me In Coach: Playing time questions
- All the Young Dudes: Up-and-comers
- You're No Good: One-time contributors, but I'm no longer interested
Like a Rock
| Trevor Story | First round stud |
| Francisco Lindor | Will shine wherever he plays |
| Xander Bogaerts | Still developing power with latent steals |
| Corey Seager | Back on track after TJS |
| Tim Anderson | Risky profile, but I'm convinced he's more fact than fluke |
| Dansby Swanson | Could lose some PA hitting lower in stacked lineup |
| Marcus Semien | Little of this, little of that |
| Didi Gregorius | Needs short right field to really flourish |
| Carlos Correa | Should rebound, but keep expectations in check |
| Jorge Polanco | Rodney Dangerfield's favorite player, he gets no respect |
| Gleyber Torres | Admittedly I'm bearish relative to the market |
| David Fletcher | Empty batting average, but still provides floor in that category |
| Paul DeJong | Plus power, batting average drain |
| Nick Ahmed | Nice source of late pop with some bags |
| Willy Adames | Can only stave off Wander Franco for so long |
| Andrelton Simmons | Assuming he finds home, slick glove will keep him in lineup |
Several of these shortstops are in the overall top 50, helping to establish a reliable foundation. Others are available later so they can help offset earlier risks. One way to apply this process is to predetermine how many risks you want to take, and how many rocks are necessary to buffer the potential downside.
A couple of these choices may seem curious, and they are. Specifically, Correa and Torres aren't likely deemed reliable by many. In the other positions I've had a separate designation for players of this ilk, but there just aren't enough of them here to warrant their own category. Instead, I'm injecting a bit of ranker's license and listing them above, with tempered expectations.
Run, Runaway
| Trea Turner | Five-category guy, sure, but drafting Turner requires bigger focus on power and less on bags for next several rounds |
| Adalberto Mondesi | 70 steals is plausible outcome. So is 25 |
| Jonathan Villar | Still confident he finds full-time job, but maybe little less so than a month ago |
| Tommy Edman | Also adds four-position eligibility mentioned in prior articles |
| Andres Gimenez | Should play a lot, but risky to rely on him for targeted steals |
The general notion here is these are the players you count on to provide a foundation of stolen bases, and accordingly you should adjust the manner in which you construct the rest of your offense. Personal research has revealed winning teams fare much better in HR and RBI than SB. Many draft Turner or Mondesi and don't want to waste their bags, so they add another significant stolen base contributor. The problem is this usually ends up backfiring, giving you too many steals with a deficiency in homers and RBI. There's nothing wrong with starting with a bunch of pilfers early, so long as the ensuing category focus is elsewhere until the proper balance is attained.
Show Me the Way
| Fernando Tatis | Underlying metrics suggest late swoon not as bad as slash indicates, but can't draft top five until I see a full season |
| Bo Bichette | Need more than 340 PA to rank in top 20, especially since SB are unclear |
| Javier Baez | Simply can't be as bad as last season… can he? |
| Ha-seong Kim | My translation is quite encouraging, but need to see it, particularly power |
| Empty batting average, or will he run? I'm skeptical based on SB% success rate. | |
| Miguel Rojas | One of the quietest .888 OPS seasons ever. If he were 25 instead of 31, story would be different |
The Tatis and Bichette calls may be met with some dissent, but my justification is I don't need to incur the risk as there are safer options. Perhaps Tatis' ceiling is a couple inches higher than Mookie Betts' or Mike Trout's, but I'll take their track record. Similarly, I'd rather jump the ADP on a couple of safer player than Bichette or take a pitcher in the middle of the second round. The top of the draft is so loaded, risks can be avoided. I'm very intrigued by Kim, though I wish the Padres didn't have Jake Cronenworth slated to be a super-utility guy, since Kim is earmarked for second base which is perhaps Cronenworth's best position.
Put Me in Coach
| Willi Castro | Earned starting role but many still feel future is as utility infielder |
| Chris Taylor | Will Gavin Lux break camp at the keystone? |
| Jake Cronenworth | Looks like he could be super-utility |
| Joey Wendle | Quiet source of steals |
| Leury Garcia | If Andrew Vaughn and Nick Madrigal break camp as regulars, Garcia relegated to reserve IF/OF |
| Elvis Andrus | All over him in AL-only, just can't fathom he remains a reserve |
It follows that an extensive group of "Rocks" would leave a limited number of shortstops with playing-time concerns. There are 27 players already covered. Second base may not be as talent-laden, but it's also deep with viable late options. As such, it won't be necessary to even consider these names until the reserve in a mixed league composed of 15 or fewer teams. Other than Andrus, they're all eligible somewhere other than shortstop, cementing their potential as reserves.
All the Young Dudes
| Jazz Chisholm |
| Jeter Downs |
| Wander Franco |
| Anderson Tejeda |
| Jose Garcia |
| Royce Lewis |
| Jeison Guzman |
| CJ Abrams |
| Marco Luciano |
| Bobby Witt |
| Gabriel Arias |
These prospects are listed by the probability I feel they'll play and contribute in a redraft league. Admittedly this is not my area of expertise, so take the list with that in mind. I suppose the noteworthy pick is Franco, as I'm not convinced Tampa Bay will start his clock any time soon. It's not because dealing Blake Snell dampens their chances, it's more that Adames is capable and the Rays may want to see Franco play at a level above High-A, especially since he missed winter ball with biceps inflammation and shoulder soreness.
You're No Good
| J.P. Crawford |
| Jose Iglesias |
| Mauricio Dubon |
| Amed Rosario |
| Niko Goodrum |
| Orlando Arcia |
| Luis Urias |
| Brandon Crawford |
| Joe Panik |
OK, maybe "no good" is hyperbolic, but I'll take advantage of any chance I get to watch a Linda Ronstadt video. As I've done with the other positions, these are recognizable names others may select in a mixed league. Tracking them helps me plan for the end game, since everyone drafted from this group pushes someone I like more up the board.
And that's a wrap. We'll cover outfielders after the New Year. Speaking of which, Happy New Year and thank you kindly for another year of frequenting one of the longest-running, and perhaps only, 52-weeks-a-year fantasy baseball columns out there. As always, I'm happy to talk about the tiers in the comments.
