Welcome. Hopefully you’ve been following our 2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. If you haven’t we hope these AL Shortstop Profiles and Projections will help you in getting to know the 2019 player pool. Enjoy the read and look for links to our other profiles at the bottom of the page.
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2019 NL Shortstop Profiles
Nick Ahmed, Arizona Diamondbacks
After showing very little power during his minor league career and 800 or so MLB at-bats Ahmed busted out for 16 big bombs in 2018. He also tossed in 70 RBI and 61 runs scored. Not too shabby. Of course, also attached to his stat line was a .234 batting average and even more anemic .290 OBP. Ahmed’s HR/FB rate actually dropped from his 53-game 2017 season, so the mini power breakout is probably here to stay. Unfortunately so is that caustic batting average. Last year’s .234 was actually the highest batting average Ahmed has ever put up in a season with more than 200 plate appearances. You might be able to get away with streaming Ahmed in mixed leagues, but the solid depth of the shortstop position more likely limits his value to NL-Only formats. – Doug Anderson
Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers
After a promising little breakout in 2017, everything went south for Orlando Arcia in 2018; so much so that he actually got sent down for a little bit. I’d like to blame the struggles on BABIP, as you can see above it’s not a viable excuse. It also doesn’t explain the complete loss of power and why he ran less. At just 25, there’s a chance for a rebound in 2019, but the truth is that power outburst in 2017 looks like the outlier. He never hit for that type of pop in the minor leagues. Arcia’s certainly worth a late-round flier, but the above projection may be the most you can expect. In NL-Only leagues he is one shortstop with a bit of upward mobility, so taking a shot with your middle infield slot is not a bad idea. – Doug Anderson
Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs
Baez may be the most exciting player in baseball. I mean just watching him on simple tag plays is worth your money. Add to that a huge breakout 2018 season and fantasy baseball owners had lots of reasons to watch Baez last year. But in fantasy, we have to set aside last season and wonder if he can do it again. The answer is an easy yes… and no. That’s how perplexing it is trying to project Javier Baez. Even with all the tools, he does a lot of things wrong. Things that generally don’t lead to batting averages much over .250. In his defense, Baez toned down the strikeouts a bit to a manageable 25.9 percent in 2018. His walk rate, however, continues to dwindle falling from 5.9% to 4.5%. It’s like he just stopped listening to everyone about plate discipline and let his abilities take over. I have no doubt that will continue to be the case in the power department. Baez has wrist strength that has been compared to Gary Sheffield and even Hank Aaron. He’s also just 26 years old, so the speed will likely be here for a few more years. I just can’t buy him as a .290 hitter again though. He’s relied on BABIPs of .336, .345, and .347 over the last three years. He hits the ball hard so a nice BABIP is to be expected, but even a drop into the .315 range starts putting that batting average into the danger zone. Javier Baez is an elite talent. He will be valuable in 2019 fantasy baseball. I just doubt he’ll be worth what you have to pay (14th ranked player by Fantrax ADP) to roster him. – Doug Anderson
Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
At one time Crawford looked like a decent bet to top 20 HRs on an annual basis. But after 21 HRs in 2015, the power has settled down and he doesn’t offer enough in other areas to be a real asset. The Giants lineup doesn’t look like it’ll be doing any of their hitters any favors either. All in all Brandon Crawford is solid enough to roster in all formats, but he’s really just the shortstop you settle for. – Doug Anderson
Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals
DeJong didn’t quite repeat his great rookie season of 2017, but he certainly showed it was no fluke. DeJong’s average was higher in 2017, but that was mostly due to a .349 BABIP. DeJong actually seemed to take a few small steps forward in 2018, lowering his strikeout rate from 28.0% to 25.1% and raising his walk rate from 4.7% to 7.3%. He couldn’t quite repeat the power on a per fly ball basis (13.6 HR/FB), but he hit the ball harder than ever (38.7 Hard%). Now it’s just a matter of staying healthy. If he can get 140-plus games in DeJong could threaten 30 homers with a batting average somewhere in between the last two years. In early drafts, DeJong is looking like a value, going off the board with an ADP of 216, after other shortstops like Willy Adames, and Marcus Semien. If you don’t bite early on the shortstop position you could do a lot worse than “settling” for DeJong. – Doug Anderson
Erik Gonzalez, Pittsburgh Pirates
Jordy Mercer was not a good hitter. Erik Gonzalez is worse. You could roster him in an NL-Only league as he is the Pirates’ current starter. You could also leave it empty and have about the same result. Your call. – Doug Anderson
Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies
From pre-season fantasy darling to not even worth rostering after May. Needless to say, it was a tough season for Scott Kingery. There was nothing unlucky about it either as his BABIP, while a touch low, was still .291. No, the problem was a sub-par plate approach and a lot of soft contact. Heading into 2019, Kingery still carries some fantasy appeal due to his speed and double-digit pop, but until he shows he can hit for a respectable batting average, I’m only looking at him in NL-Only formats. – Eric Cross
Jose Peraza, Cincinnati Reds
Peraza teased us in 2016 with a .324 average and 21 steals in just 72 games in 2016. Then he fell back in most every area in 2017. Though the speed has not yet translated to the elite SB levels we were expecting, the rest of Peraza’s game blossomed in 2018. He cut the strikeout rate down a bit, bumped the walk rate up a bit, and reached double-digits for the first time in his career. Though Peraza likely approached his power ceiling last season most everything else seems sustainable and his success rate on 2018 SB attempts could lead to more in 2019. Peraza’s currently being drafted as the eighth shortstop on Fantrax. He fits right in with Jean Segura, Tim Anderson, and Elvis Andrus. Grab any one of that tier and you’ll be pretty happy at SS in 2019. – Doug Anderson
J.T. Riddle, Miami Marlins
Some players have value solely based on opportunity. That is the case here with Riddle. The Marlins starting shortstop gains NL-Only value due to expected every day playing time, but there’s not a lot of intrigue here. – Eric Cross
Amed Rosario, New York Mets
When you look at the overall stat line, you might not be overly impressed. But then you might look at how Rosario ended the season and gain some interest in the young shortstop for 2019. From August 1st on, Rosario hit .284 with five home runs, 15 steals, and 37 runs scored. At the very least you should be able to expect 20-plus steals from Rosario in his third full season along with a batting average that won’t kill you. And in an improving New York Mets lineup, he may be able to push for 150 R+RBI as well. A good value pick at the SS position. – Eric Cross
Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
This is one profile that will definitely change. Russell will serve a 40-game suspension to start the 2019 season. The above projection assumes he will resume his role as the Cubs starting shortstop. That is far from a given. So far the Cubs have no cut ties, but that’s a possibility. Outside of the personal issues, Russell has failed to live up to expectations on just about every front. He showed some pop in the 2016 season, but the 95 RBI were mostly the result of a great lineup in front of him. Evidently, pitchers have made an adjustment in the way they pitch Russell and he has failed to counter. Russell makes plenty of contact he pulled the ball a career-low 30.6 percent of the time in 2018 and combined that with another career-low 33% fly ball rate. You don’t hit for power that way. Addison Russell is still young and could turn things around, but in his current situation, he’s nothing more than midseason waiver wire fodder in mixed leagues. – Doug Anderson
Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yeah, you know about the Tommy John surgery that cost Seager almost all of the 2018 season. Did you know he also had hip surgery in August? Remember when he missed the 2017 NLCS with a strained back muscle? Yet, after this wasted season, he’s still being drafted the No. 6 shortstop in early Fantrax drafts. There’s no doubting Seager has a solid bat, but he doesn’t have elite power and offers no speed at all. Corey Seager could very well return the value on his current ADP, but shouldn’t we expect some kind of discount with his extensive injury history? I’ll be all over Seager if he falls a bit further, but for me, the risk outweighs the reward at his current cost. – Doug Anderson
Jean Segura, Philadelphia Phillies
Despite missing a chunk of the 2017 season, Segura has remained remarkably consistent over the past three years. He’s been over 10 home runs, 20 steals, and a .300 average in each season over that span. Now a member of the Phillies, he should get a few extra cheapie home runs moving from Safeco/T-Mobile to Citizens Bank. He even increased his contact in 2018, especially on pitches in the zone, and trimmed 3.8% off his K%. The Phillies were one of the least aggressive teams running the bases in 2018, putting the 20-steal mark in peril for Segura. That said, he’s got a good shot at a 15/20/.300 season hitting in the two-hole for Philadelphia. That puts him squarely in the top-10 at the position, with a nice floor and even a little ballpark-influenced upside. – Nathan Dokken
Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies
What a complete and total breakout 2018 was for Trevor Story. He teased us a little in a fine rookie year in 2016, but things went sideways in 2017 as the strikeouts were just too much to overcome. Story cut almost 9.0 percent off his strikeout rate in 2018 and even decided he could steal a base; or more accurately 27 of them. Was this just a career year or was 2018 just the case of a shortstop entering his prime? If he can sustain the contact gains, there’s nothing in his peripherals that says Story played over his head last season. The one real question is whether he continues to run in 2019. Story is not a small man. Expect a small step back in speed, but Story still looks like one of the top three fantasy options at shortstop for the near future. – Doug Anderson
Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves
We’re now two full seasons into Dansby Swanson’s career and there hasn’t been a ton of fantasy intrigue. Will there ever be? Maybe. But for now, he can’t be counted on as anything more than a low-end NL-Only option due to his low batting average and minimal power/speed contributions. – Eric Cross
Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
At this point, we have a solid baseline of what to expect from Trea Turner. He’s one of the top speed threats in the game, capable of exceeding 50 steals in any given season and adds in double-digit pop to go along with it. His mix of speed and contact skills are tailor-made for the top of the order, and with a solid lineup behind him, eclipsing 100 runs can be banked upon if he can play another full season. The one concerning trend is the downward trend of his batting average. He might not hit .342 again, but with his contact skills, I don’t expect the average to continue to fall. This is one of the top fantasy shortstops in the game and a rock-solid choice in the first two rounds on draft day. – Eric Cross
Fantasy Baseball Rankings
Mixed League Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | TOP 300
AL-Only Rankings : C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | TOP 300
NL-Only Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | TOP 300
Fantasy Baseball Player Profiles & Projections
American League: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | TOP 350
National League: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP | TOP 350
Enjoying these 2019 NL Shortstop Profiles? For more great rankings, strategy, and analysis check out the 2019 FantraxHQ Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. We’ll be adding more content from now right up until Opening Day!
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