X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Shortstop: Top MLB Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back, RotoBallers. I've already looked at the top 10 prospects for each MLB team, and now I'll be breaking down impact prospects by position. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 shortstops - MLB prospect rankings for the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Over the past two seasons, we have been gifted with some insanely fun shortstop rookies debuting in the big leagues. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa burst out onto the scene in the second half of 2015 while Addison Russell began to establish himself right from the beginning of the season. Last season, we got to watch dynamic youngsters like Corey Seager and Trea Turner turn in NL ROY and MVP-caliber seasons while Jose Peraza emerged as a talented speedster for the Reds.

This season, there are a couple guys at the top who could reach the big leagues, but no one looks quite as dynamic as the names we have seen in recent years. Dansby Swanson is a solid bat and he will be a franchise shortstop for Atlanta, but he is no Corey Seager or Francisco Lindor. In 2018, when guys like Gleyber Torres (who may see some time at the end of this season) and Brendan Rodgers debut will be a much more exciting season for rookie shortstops. But for now, there are still a couple names fantasy owners should familiarize themselves with so they can have a leg up on opponents in redraft leagues for the 2017 season.

Featured Promo: Get any full-season MLB and DFS Premium Pass for 50% off. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, Premium articles, daily Matchup Rating projections, 15 lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, Research Stations, Lineup Optimizers and much more! Sign Up Now!

 

Top 10 Shortstop Prospects for 2017 Fantasy Baseball

1. Dansby Swanson (ATL, MLB)
Stats: 145 PA, .302/.361/.422, 3 HR, 3 SB, 9.0% BB rate, 23.4% K rate
ETA: Opening Day
This is really quite the no-brainer. Swanson is the clear guy to own here in fantasy leagues. The Vanderbilt product has flown through the minors and has now reached the point in his career where he is ready to take over as the franchise shortstop for the Braves. His best skill from a fantasy perspective is his ability to consistently hit for a high average and his likely placement at the No. 2 spot in the Braves’ lineup this season. He does have a chance to post a 15/15 season as well, making him a very enticing buy for fantasy owners. If you are looking for a rookie shortstop to own, this is your guy.

2. Franklin Barreto (OAK, AAA)
Stats: (from AA) 507 PA, .281/.340/.413, 10 HR, 30 SB, 7.1% BB rate, 17.8% K rate
ETA: Early May
Barreto has put up some dazzling numbers throughout his minor-league career. He has twice now posted double-digit home run totals and has twice posted 25+ stolen bases in a season. He not only flashes an outstanding combination of power and speed, but he has also proven to be a consistent hitter, capable of making consistent contact and avoiding the punchout. He will not be pushing Marcus Semien out of shortstop just yet, but he may come up and move Jed Lowrie out of second base as early as this April. My money is on a May debut, but regardless of when he reaches the big leagues, he will be a fun one to watch and a worthy own in fantasy leagues.

3. Amed Rosario (NYM, AA)
Stats: 237 PA, .341/.392/.481, 2 HR, 6 SB, 8.0% BB rate, 21.5% K rate
ETA: Mid-May
Rosario’s name has shot up prospect lists and it’s easy to see why. He has turned himself into one of the most consistent hitters in the minors and still has a big frame that scouts see potentially developing some more power and speed. Evaluators already love his speed, particularly after he totaled 19 stolen bases in 110 games played this season. Rosario looks like the franchise shortstop for the Mets and with the struggles they have endured with finding consistent bats in their lineup lately (and the fact David Wright is almost guaranteed to get injured again), a spot in the infield could very easily open up for Rosario and he could begin to assist both fantasy owners and the Mets alike in the early goings of this 2017 season.

4. Willy Adames (TB, AA)
Stats: 568 PA, .274/.372/.430, 11 HR, 13 SB, 13.0% BB rate, 21.3% K rate
ETA: Early June
Much like Rosario, Adames’ name has started to emerge at the top of prospect lists. He put together the best season of his professional career at the highest level he’s ever reached and finally starts to be putting everything together as he lowered his strikeout rate, increased his walk rate and increased both his power and speed output. The Rays’ middle-infield depth might slow his path down to the majors just a tad, but he should be able to force his way into their lineup if he continues to rake at Triple-A to open up the season.

5. J.P. Crawford (PHI, AAA)
Stats: 385 PA, .244/.328/.318, 4 HR, 7 SB, 10.9% BB rate, 15.3% K rate
ETA: Early June
Frequent readers will know that I am no big fan of J.P. Crawford. I think he has done little to prove that he is going to be a productive fantasy shortstop in the majors outside of demonstrate an advanced, disciplined approach to the plate. And while Crawford appears to have one of the highest floors out there because of that approach, I just do not see him being a stud fantasy shortstop until he develops some more power and starts putting his speed to use on the basepaths. Regardless, this is not an overly deep season for rookie shortstops in baseball and if he does get a chance to debut, his high floor could be valuable to owners looking for at least a consistent batting average.

6. Kevin Newman (PIT, AA)
Stats: 268 PA, .288/.361/.378, 2 HR, 6 SB, 9.7% BB rate, 9.0% K rate
ETA: Early June
Think Diet Dansby Swanson. Newman is basically a step down from the Braves’ shortstop across the board, but he still looks to be a solid big-league regular for the Pirates in the near future. He is a consistent hitter who avoids striking out, commands the strike zone and can steal a base when the opportunity presents itself. He is not likely to hit .310 with 15 homers and 20 stolen bases like Swanson, but Newman could easily hit .280 with 5-10 home runs and steal 10-15 bases. It may not sound great, but like Swanson, he has a high floor which is always valuable for fantasy owners in search of reliable production.

7. Gleyber Torres (NYY, A+)
Stats: 581 PA, .268/.349/.413, 11 HR, 22 SB, 10.2% BB rate, 20.5% K rate
ETA: Mid-August
If you want the shortstop prospect with the highest upside, look no further than Gleyber Torres. The 20-year-old shortstop has demonstrated to scouts that he not only possesses a ton of speed and a disciplined approach, but that he has some untapped power that started to come out last season. Scouts now believe he has the potential to be a 20/20 threat at the big-league level. Now with a full season of Advanced Class-A under his belt, Torres is likely to open the 2017 season with Double-A Trenton and could find himself on the big-league roster by the end of the summer and having a major impact on fantasy teams in the midst of a playoff races.

8. Richard Urena (TOR, AA)
Stats: 132 PA, .266/.282/.395, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3.0% BB rate, 14.4% K rate
ETA: Early August
Urena has had better seasons in the past, and he hit well enough before arriving at Double-A, but for whatever reason he struggled when he arrived at New Hampshire. After blasting eight home runs and swiping nine bags at Class-A Advanced, Urena could not muster either in his 30 games played and also struggled to find consistent hits. But this is a guy who has hit 15 home runs in a season back in 2015 (in only 91 games as a 19-year-old) and who has shown before that he has plenty of offensive upside. Both Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis are prone to injury and should either of them find themselves on the DL for an extended period of time late in the season, Urena could receive the promotion. Fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on him because if either of the middle-infielders are hurt and Urena starts hitting like he did a season ago, he could be a valuable sleeper prospect to own.

9. Nick Gordon (MIN, A+)
Stats: 493 PA, .291/.335/.386, 3 HR, 19 SB, 4.7% BB rate, 17.6% K rate
ETA: Early August
Gordon is not the most dynamic prospect from a fantasy perspective, but he is a shortstop who may get a chance for solid playing time late in the 2017 season. The Twins aren’t exactly loaded with middle-infield depth and a possible trade of Brian Dozier at the deadline could move Jorge Polanco over to second and open up a spot for Gordon who will likely spend most of this season at Double-A. He should prove valuable enough to warrant owning in redraft leagues if owners are in need of some batting average and stolen base help in the playoffs.

10. Mauricio Dubon (MIL, AA)
Stats: 269 PA, .339/.371/.538, 6 HR, 6 SB, 4.1% BB rate, 13.4% K rate
ETA: Early August
Dubon’s Double-A numbers don’t really do him justice as his whole season numbers looked quite a bit better. Between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, Dubon combined for 30 stolen bases and hit well over .300 with only 17 more strikeouts than walks. He is a speedy prospect who could provide owners with a fair amount of steals and a solid average if he is given playing, which is possible given his ability to play multiple positions and solid bat. He could be a solid bat to own for teams in slightly deeper leagues.

 

More Top MLB Prospects & Rookies




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

WIN MORE IN 2024

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Alexis Diaz fantasy baseball closers rankings draft sleepers waiver wire pickups

MLB Closers and Saves: Fantasy Baseball Depth Charts

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief... Read More


Do These Prospects Matter for Fantasy Baseball?

The 2023 fantasy baseball season has been highlighted by the promotion of nearly two-dozen top prospects to the major leagues to impact fantasy rosters. This week's edition features one player who was called up as the piece was being written. Will these strong performers join the ranks of those who have moved to the majors... Read More


clayton kershaw fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

articles report test

this is a test


Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome back! It's Week 24 of our fantasy baseball Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups series! There are just two precious weeks left, and every start is becoming more and more important as most of the fantasy baseball world is in playoff matchups. If you've made it this far, there's a good chance you don't really... Read More


Aaron Nola - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Starts & Sits for MLB Week 23 - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers! Big week in fantasy leagues as we approach the end of the season and playoffs! As always, we are here with our starting pitcher starts and sits series to help you set those winning lineups for the week ahead! For those who are not familiar, RotoBaller puts out a weekly grid of... Read More


Gunnar Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Prospects, Draft Sleepers

Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome to Week 24 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters. We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform,... Read More


Brayan Bello - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Yo, it's Jon Anderson, continuing to run the show here in terms of late-summer fantasy baseball writing. There are just two weeks left of streaming pitchers, so let's make it count! This weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column aims to identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy baseball week,... Read More


Fantasy Baseball Week 24 Injury News and Updates: Tyler Glasnow, Ozzie Albies, Starling Marte, Anthony Rizzo, Zack Wheeler

September is now more than half over. The baseball season is slowly coming to a close. At this point, fantasy players are pushing for their league titles or just playing for pride. Major League Baseball teams continue to do the same and injuries continue to happen, now with the dreaded term "done for the season"... Read More


Joe Musgrove - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/17/22)

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/17/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Today's MLB slates are split up as is the norm for September baseball. Half the guys I think will play will not, so you have to be as flexible as Gumby to play MLB DFS in September, but that also means that there is a lot of money out there should you dare to dive... Read More


Max Fried - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/15/22)

Happy Friday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


Robbie Ray - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, Draft Sleepers

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/16/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Fridays are big MLB DFS days and offer a nice respite from the NFL, who command our attention on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays. This slate, like most Friday slates, is a big one as all MLB teams are in action today and 28 of those teams are on tonight's 14-game DFS slate. This was a... Read More


kyle farmer fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

There are only two weeks left of fantasy baseball! It's going to be very sad when the season comes to an end, but the impending end of the season means that these are the most important, and therefore most fun weeks of the year – for those of you still competing, at least. I have... Read More


TODAY’S MOST VIEWED PLAYERS

rotating JS ad test

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

test publish 5 mins in future

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Updates for Aaron Rodgers

Warning: Undefined array key "amp_post_template_footer" in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the... Read More


derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


Justin Jefferson - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS Prop Picks for Monkey Knife Fight - Monday Night Football

Welcome to NFL Monday Night Football, where we have two games scheduled between the Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles and the Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills.  Monday's games mean our friends at Monkey Knife Fight are offering some fantastic props for us to play once again! The good people at Monkey Knife Fight offer some... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Week 2 Updates for Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins, D'Andre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram

Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for running backs in Week 2, as of September 17. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Week 2 including D'Andre Swift, Najee Harris, Alvin Kamara, J.K. Dobbins, and more. The fantasy football season may be just getting underway,... Read More


michael pittman jr. fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL WRs: Week 2 Updates for Michael Pittman Jr., Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, Allen Lazard, Julio Jones

Welcome to Week 2 of the fantasy football season and the Saturday edition of our WR injury reports! Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for wide receivers in Week 2 as of September 16th. The injury statuses for various NFL wide receivers are up in the air for Week 2, including Michael... Read More


justin herbert fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports for QBs: Week 2 Updates for Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones

Below you will find our updated fantasy football injuries report for quarterbacks in the days before Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season as of Friday, September 16. There are a few NFL QBs dealing with injuries, including Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, and Mac Jones. Being up-to-date on NFL injury news can give... Read More


Trey Lance - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 2

Every week, I share some of my favored choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus... Read More


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, Draft Sleepers

Week 2 NFL Pick Em Selections for No House Advantage

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is underway and that means our friends over at No House Advantage have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. No House Advantage is a unique DFS prop picks site where you do not have to play against the house to... Read More


Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 2: Greg Dortch, Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk

Week 1 made some things come to light as we got some clarity on some murky situations. Unfortunately, many of our WR targets for DFS last week were victims of this. Robert Woods finished the game with one reception for 13 yards, as the Titans used the rookie receivers much more than him. Brandon Aiyuk... Read More


Carson Wentz - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Thunder Dan's NFL Betting Picks for Week 2: Top NFL Player Props Bets

Football season is back! Whether you like to bet game totals, sides, or player props, I have something in here for you, and try to cover a little bit of everything! This year, I started my own free sports betting newsletter, and the good people here at RotoBaller are allowing me to share my picks... Read More


Fantasy Football IDP Injury Reports For NFL Defensive Players: Week 2 Updates for T.J. Watt, Jamal Adams, Jalen Thompson, Ed Oliver

T.J. Watt owners, you know the feeling... I had T.J. Watt in my home league last season. He was constantly checking out of games early with nagging minor injuries, but he must have led every IDP manager who started him to the playoffs. I went back to the well and drafted him early this year.... Read More