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Welcome to our final round of rankings. We've been guiding you throughout the offseason and it has all culminated to this. These rankings will be your guide in fantasy drafts, and while they shouldn't be seen as an end-all, be-all assessment, it's wise to have an understanding of where the market values the players you seek.
This round of rankings features seven of our experts. They are Brad Johnson, Max Petrie, Kyle Bishop, Nick Miriano, Harris Yudin (me), Jeff Kahntroff and Bill Dubiel. Here, we will take a look at shortstops. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading.
Editor's note: Just in case you've been living under a rock, be sure to also check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2016, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.
2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis: Shortstop (SS)
Tier One
Look, it's Carlos Correa all by himself. How lonely.
In a full, 162-game season, that equates to 633 AB, 36 HR, 23 SB, 111 RBI and 85 R to go along with a .279/.345/512 slash line. If you're thinking that a 35/20 season is pretty remarkable, you're right-- over the last three seasons, only Manny Machado (exactly 35 HR and 20 SB in 2015) has accomplished that feat, and it's only been done eight times over the last 10 seasons. The last player to accomplish it while manning one of the middle infield spots was Alfonso Soriano in 2005. No player in the history of Major League Baseball has ever gone 35/20 in his rookie season. Now, Correa didn't do it, but even just being on pace for such a stat line speaks to his potential as a superstar.
Even in the event of a regression, which is not uncommon for second-year players, Correa, who will be 21 pretty much all season, would still be pretty far ahead of his fellow shortstops. Troy Tulowitzki, a near unanimous No. 2, would have made the cut for the top tier if it weren't for Brad ranking him fourth.
Tier Two
Joining Tulowitzki in the second tier are youngsters Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Xander Bogaerts, as well as veteran Ian Desmond. Tulowitzki is a proven slugger with the best offense in baseball around him but a severe injury history-- he hasn't played 130 games since 2011.
As far as Lindor, Seager and Bogaerts go, they all have incredible upside and can contribute in at least four of the five major categories. We all ranked them somewhere between No. 2 and No. 6, with each player being ahead of the other two on at least one person's list. Personal preference will have to come into play here.
Desmond had a down 2015 season by his standards, but most shortstops will never sniff 19 HR in their best year. He has 88 HR and 79 SB over the last four years, and should benefit from a change in scenery (he will be playing left field for the Rangers). At age 30, his counting stats still hold a lot of value-- enough to reach No. 3 in Nick's rankings.
Tier Three
The major change here is the loss of Jhonny Peralta, who will be sidelined for at least a couple of months following surgery on his left thumb. This allowed Jung-ho Kang and Addison Russell to slide up in the overall rankings.
Kang was absolutely raking at the time of his knee injury in September-- .310/.364/.548 with 11 HR and five stolen bases in the second half of the season. He finished with 15 bombs in just 126 games, and could be in line for more than 20 in 2016. At his more natural position of shortstop, Russell produced at the plate in 2015. After making the move from second base, he hit .259/.315/.465 with eight homers, 29 R and 29 RBI in 185 AB. He also just became more comfortable as his rookie season went on. Post All-Star break, he slashed .259/.318/.427 with eight homers and 32 RBI. With added experience, Russell should develop into a very strong offensive shortstop in 2016. Brandon Crawford actually fell from No. 7 to No. 9 after four of the seven rankers dropped him down on their lists. I am expecting Crawford to regress from his 21-HR season, but should still manage 15 long-balls with a solid on-base percentage.
Tier Four
Tier four is home to several popular sleeper picks. Eugenio Suarez is shooting up draft boards, and understandably so, given the 13 homers, four steals and .280/.315/.446 slash line he compiled in just 372 AB last season. Marcus Semien has also seen his stock rise as a potential 15/15 player. Brad Miller could finally realize his own 15/15 potential in Tampa Bay at just 26 years old, Ketel Marte should steal more than 20 bases while maintaining strong rate stats, and Starlin Castro, now with the New York Yankees, should continue to produce at his more comfortable position of second base.
Tier Five
The fifth tier is headlined by two players expected to miss a good chunk of time to start the season. Peralta fell all the way to No. 18 due to his thumb injury, but he could provide decent value in the second half of the season, if healthy. Additionally, the news of Aroldis Chapman's suspension caused Jose Reyes' stock to plummet, to the point where Brad left him off of his rankings altogether. Reyes is almost guaranteed to be suspended at least 30 games, and he hasn't been that productive in recent years, anyway. Fantasy owners can also find a ton of speed here, with Alcides Escobar, Trea Turner and Alexei Ramirez.
Tier Six
As you can probably tell, I am much higher on Asdrubal Cabrera than are my fellow rankers. And no, it's not just because he will be a contributing piece for my Mets' much improved batting order.
Of those who are currently eligible at shortstop, Cabrera is one of two players with at least 80 HR and 50 SB over the last five seasons-- Desmond is the other. This is largely a result of Cabrera's breakout 2011 season, during which he smacked 25 homers, swiped 17 bases, drove in 92 runs and scored 87 more. But even following that season, Cabrera has been one of the more consistent offensive shortstops in baseball. Over the last two years, he is sixth in home runs among current shortstops, ninth in runs and eighth in runs batted in.
Now, these stats obviously don't account for Carlos Correa, Corey Seager or Francisco Lindor-- all of whom reached the Majors last year -- but it still shows that owners can rely on Cabrera to compile counting stats. His rate stats -- career .267/.329/.412 -- are not terrible, but are mediocre enough to keep him out of the SS1 range. Still, he is more valuable than Escobar, Ramirez, Elvis Andrus, Erick Aybar and Jean Segura-- all of whom own similarly mediocre rate stats but possess little to no power. Cabrera can be counted on for 15 HR, seven steals, 80 R and 70 RBI, and can be had in the last round of deep mixed leagues.
As far as the rest of the tier goes, there's not a whole lot of appeal for mixed leagues. I'm personally not touching J.J. Hardy, even in the deepest of AL-Only Leagues. He hasn't reached double-digit home runs since 2013, and his rate stats have dropped to abysmal levels-- .219/.253/.311 in 2015.
Tier Seven
Not much to see here, especially for mixed leagues. These players either bring very little to the table, or they are not the starting shortstop for their respective teams. Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford is one name to keep an eye on, though, given the Phillies' lack of talent and his maturity as a hitter.
Shortstop Tiered Fantasy Baseball Rankings (March)
| Ranking | Tier | Name | Brad | Max | Kyle | Nick | Harris | Jeff | Bill |
| 1 | 1 | Carlos Correa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | Troy Tulowitzki | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Francisco Lindor | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Corey Seager | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Xander Bogaerts | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | 2 | Ian Desmond | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | Jung-ho Kang | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| 8 | 3 | Addison Russell | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | 3 | Brandon Crawford | 12 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 7 |
| 10 | 4 | Eugenio Suarez | 7 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
| 11 | 4 | Marcus Semien | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | 4 | Brad Miller | 14 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 12 |
| 13 | 4 | Ketel Marte | 10 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | 4 | Starlin Castro | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 13 |
| 15 | 4 | Elvis Andrus | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 15 |
| 16 | 5 | Alcides Escobar | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 18 |
| 17 | 5 | Trea Turner | 19 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 13 | 16 | 16 |
| 18 | 5 | Jhonny Peralta | 13 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 23 | 18 | 34 |
| 19 | 5 | Jed Lowrie | 17 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 26 | 28 | 17 |
| 20 | 5 | Jose Reyes | - | 17 | 18 | 27 | 22 | 25 | 19 |
| 21 | 5 | Alexei Ramirez | 20 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| 22 | 6 | Erick Aybar | - | 19 | 27 | 30 | 21 | 24 | 21 |
| 23 | 6 | Jean Segura | 31 | 23 | 32 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 22 |
| 24 | 6 | Jose Iglesias | 28 | 27 | 24 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 25 |
| 25 | 6 | Asdrubal Cabrera | 27 | 34 | 30 | 19 | 16 | 31 | 26 |
| 26 | 6 | J.J. Hardy | 23 | 21 | 26 | 21 | 39 | 22 | 32 |
| 27 | 6 | Eduardo Escobar | 22 | 29 | 23 | 26 | 32 | 29 | 24 |
| 28 | 6 | Javier Baez | - | 26 | 31 | 22 | 28 | 21 | 31 |
| 29 | 7 | Andrelton Simmons | 29 | 25 | 22 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 23 |
| 30 | 7 | Jimmy Rollins | 25 | 28 | 20 | 36 | 29 | 27 | 28 |
| 31 | 7 | Wilmer Flores | 26 | 30 | 28 | 35 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 32 | 7 | Didi Gregorius | 24 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 30 | - | 29 |
| 33 | 7 | Jedd Gyorko | - | 36 | 34 | 29 | 24 | - | 34 |
| 34 | 7 | Zack Cozart | 21 | 31 | 37 | - | 38 | 32 | 30 |
| 35 | 7 | Adeiny Hechavarria | 30 | 32 | 29 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 |
| 36 | 7 | Jonathan Villar | - | 39 | - | 28 | 34 | - | 38 |
| 37 | 7 | J.P. Crawford | - | 38 | 35 | 33 | 35 | - | 35 |
| 38 | 7 | Jose Ramirez | - | 37 | - | - | 36 | - | 33 |
| 39 | 7 | Jordy Mercer | 32 | 35 | 37 | 38 | 40 | - | 37 |
| 40 | 7 | Tyler Saladino | - | 40 | 36 | 37 | 37 | - | |
| 41 | 7 | Nick Ahmed | - | 41 | - | - | - |
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