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Much like the wave of third basemen to sweep the league, we’ve had an equally impressive push of young shortstops. Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and Corey Seager are all 24-years-old, or younger, and are in the Top 30 in fantasy baseball rankings.
Who will be part of the next breath of fresh air to enter Major League Baseball?
In case you missed it, you can see our other columns on rising/falling prospects for catcher, second base and third base.
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Stock Rising
Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees
Torres’ 2017 season was cut short due to a UCL tear in his non-throwing elbow while sliding into home plate. Following Tommy John surgery, Torres says he’s now 100 percent. That’s great news for the Yankees and even better news for the fantasy baseball community.
Prior to his injury, Torres logged most of his at-bats in Double-A. He produced a .223 ISO and a .384 wOBA in 139 plate appearances. Then, Torres was promoted to the Triple-A affiliate. With only 96 plate appearances, Torres kept a consistent wOBA (.388) and increased his BABIP drastically (.295 to .426).
With Didi Gregorius as the current starting shortstop, Torres worked at second and third base, along with his shortstop role, in 2017.
Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays
In 2014, Adames was a member of the blockbuster trade that sent David Price to Detroit. Now, Adames is one of Tampa Bay’s top prospects and could contribute at the drop of a hat.
Last year, Adames spent the entire season in Triple-A. Even though the level of competition elevated from 2016 (Double-A), Adames’ stats stayed consistent. He averaged a 12 percent walk rate and 22 percent strikeout rate between the two seasons.
Adames also managed to contribute double-digit steals and home runs in back-to-back seasons.
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
Much like Adames, Tatis was also traded for a big-name starting pitcher. As a member of the Chicago White Sox, he was dealt for James Shields in 2016.
In 2017, Tatis spent most of his time in Single-A for the Padres. He hit 21 home runs and swiped 29 bags.
Tatis led all Single-A shortstops with a .239 ISO and a 14.5 walk percentage. All of this at the age of 18. His future will be bright and San Diego knows they have a star in Tatis. Extended playing time in 2018 for the major league club might be a stretch.
Stock Falling
Andres Gimenez, New York Mets
Like Tatis, Gimenez was 18-years-old during the 2017 baseball season. However, he did not excel the way Tatis did. The jump from rookie ball to Single-A did not bode well for Gimenez. His walk percentage decreased while his strikeout rate increased. Also, Gimenez ISO dropped .100 from 2016 to 2017.
Also, Giminez seems to be stuck behind another young shortstop in the organization, Amed Rosario.
Wander Javier, Minnesota Twins
There is plenty of competition in the Twins’ camp this season. This 19-year-old is stuck behind Nick Gordon (son of Tom Gordon) and Royce Lewis (first overall draft pick in 2017).
As for his numbers, Javier had a 10.6 walk percentage and 27.2 strikeout percentage in 2017 rookie ball.
However, the potential is certainly there. He hit four home runs and stole four bases in 41 games last year. It’ll just be a few years until he makes an impact in the MLB fantasy baseball world.
Franklin Barreto, Oakland Athletics
I’ve moved this guy back-and-forth on the three-up, three-down meter. However, unfortunately, he landed on the down side, for now. That’s due mostly to the strikeout numbers. Barreto was baffled in the majors last year and compiled a 43.4 strikeout percentage in 76 plate appearances.
Barreto has shown phenomenal talent with the A’s program. He swiped 30 bags in 2016 against Double-A competition. Barreto also belted 15 home runs against Triple-A talent in 2017.
Hopefully, he won’t stay on the “down side” for long.
