DeJong, who had three hits, a home run and six RBIs in his final Triple-A rehab game before making the journey from Memphis to Seattle, helped the slumping Cardinals avoid being swept by the Mariners for the first time in franchise history. Weve got a lot of depth on this team. Heres the top 10 Shortstops in MLB The Show 22. Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Whats not to love about the eighth-best shortstop in baseball? Tim Anderson is hitting his career stride at just the right time. Eldridge gets comparisons to Spencer Jones, the Yankees first-round pick last year out of Vanderbilt, as Jones is also 6-foot-7 and a left-handed hitter who was a two-way player in high school before an elbow injury pushed him to work full-time as a position player. Turner won the overall batting title; in a league with objectively better pitching. He has covered the sport since 2006 and prior to that was a special assistant to the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. video for Whats Wrong with Arsenal? Anderson is an exciting hitter as well, with 17 homers and 61 RBI in 2021. He would have won the MLB batting title if that was an award. 0:04. Vladdy naturally stole the show for the traveling circus Crawford can be error-prone, but his 2021 fielding percentage was still an impressive .981. That is yet to be seen, but his leadership and solid fielding will make him valuable to the Giants no matter what else he does. An All-Star for the first time in 2021, Anderson has hit over .300 in each of the last three seasons. Dont do this, coaches.) A combined .971 fielding percentage between the two teams last year makes Adames a promising young infielder. Brandon Crawford checks in at nine after one of the best offensive and defensive seasons at a loaded position in 2021. This is a guy who put in a lot of work this offseason. Whether you want to take a walk down memory lane or explore the next big thing, were ready to help you do it all and much more at Alot Living! Now with the Detroit Tigers, he has the chance to shine as a team leader and valuable infielder. He doesnt strike out, takes his walks, and since 2019, hes hitting over .300 with a 135 wRC+. Eligibility restrictions apply. Visa issues due to COVID-19 and elbow issues affected Didi Gregorious 2021 season, but he fits in well as part of a strong Phillies infield in 2022. video for Where does Jimmy Butlers Game 4 performance rank in NBA Playoffs history? Swing overhauls are not ordinary fixes, but there are teams that have had success in this department, and someone could decide to bet on Farmelos athleticism, speed, and hand-eye while figuring anything they can do to loosen him up at the plate will help. Hes only hit 14 homers and 54 RBI throughout his career. He had to wait until 2021, but he did it! I thought this was a good draft class in February and even with some injuries and disappointments (I have no idea what to do with Tennessee right-hander Chase Dollander, who lost his Friday night spot last weekend, at this point), its turning out to be as strong as expected. 2021 Stats: 130 G, .282/.364/.611, .975 OPS, 156 wRC+, 42 HR, 97 RBI, 25 SB, 11.4% BB, 28% K, 6.1 fWAR, -6 DRS, 2 OAA. Bryce Eldridge of James Madison High School (Vienna, Va.) has emerged as one of the top high school talents in the class, a 6-foot-7 first baseman with big power who also sits 91-93 mph as a right-handed pitcher. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays. The AL Gold Glove winner at shortstop in 2021, Crawford had the best offensive season of his career this season. The defense pair with the offense resulted in the 8th-best fWAR in all of baseball in 2021. While Story isn't quite as elite on the defensive end as 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Almost like it was on a timer. After predicting the games best starting pitchers, we now turn our attention towards shortstops. departed early from a game with trainers by his side, Breaking down 3 shortstops to consider deeper in your 2021 fantasy baseball drafts. Last year, Kyle Farmer made his first big impact in the majors as an everyday player after several years of journeyman work. The shortstop position is stacked heading into 2021. The defensive stats will reflect their time solely at shortstop. Even in his two seasons combined, hes only played in 143 games. His swing does get long and he made some weak contact as well that night, especially on pitches further away, and I think a pro environment will help him get more power from his legs rather than having him rely so much on his wrists. WebThere is no right answer, rn guys like Larkin, anderson, lindor, Wagner, turner are all viable shortstops, hell even a card like Andrew Velasquez is viable, the true meta SS has not been released yet but I think we all know who it is Tigers51 2 yr. ago Honus is meta SS 0 Acrobatic-Reaction-7 2 yr. ago The No. > Maybe its just the excitement of being back, DeJong said of his notable homer history in his first games back at the MLB level. He showed tremendous improvement in the field in 2021, with his errors dropping encouragingly, and the best fielding percentage of his career at .977. Caraway may not end up in school, but if he does, I think hell follow that same path, performing for three years and making everyone ask why he wasnt drafted higher as a high schooler. Peter is the Co-Founder and Director of Content Strategy of Justbaseball.com and the Co-Host of the Just Baseball Show. Or is he closer to a .850 OPS that he posted solely with the Brewers? Hes won four Gold Gloves, finished seventh at the position in DRS last year, and finished eighth overall in outs above average. Hes in the top ten for fielding percentage over the past five seasons, and he commits minimal errors. (This is a good thing.) See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. The Indians Andres Gimenez and the Tigers Willi Castro were bumped up a few spots from last weeks update. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today). McLain and De La Cruz are in Triple-A, and theyre competing with each other to stay at shortstop. Farmelo fouled off at least ten pitches, most of this off Eldridge, in Wednesdays game, having Pedroia-like at-bats where hed fall behind early and then just keep fouling off pitches close to the zone until he got something he liked. Pauly looked good today, and that was a big homer for insurance there, manager Oliver Marmol raved. Trevor Story is arguably the most elite shortstop in the league today, and MLB The Show 20 made sure to show it. A .813 OPS and a league-leading 184 punchouts last year prohibits him from landing on whats probably our most stacked top-10. Carlsons program, which has held the coveted 8 p.m. Lars Nootbaar homered on the games first pitch, Nolan Gorman broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run smash and DeJong gave the Cardinals breathing room with his seventh-inning clout. Void in ONT. The bat was the problem in the early goings, but he had a 124 wRC+ from June 1st on, so well throw away those bad two months in a new environment living up to a $341 million contract. Its the part after the strong starts that has tended to trip up DeJong in the past, but he is hoping he is immune to that happening now with a new-and-improved plate approach that certainly yielded stellar results on Sunday. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. The Texas Rangers bet a load of money on former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, but they got a solid hitter. If Newman doesnt deliver, the Pirates could go with Cole Tucker or Diego Castillo, who are both younger than Newman. A surprise run to the 2021 ALCS followed, but another last-place finish preceded the December 2022 departure of another star, Xander Bogaerts. March 9 update: Xander Bogaerts has made strides with his balky right shoulder. Hes solid defensively, and when healthy, is one of the better offensive shortstops in the game. He homered in that first game back with the Cards in Washington last July, but more struggles followed. Entertainment. In 70 games, he hit .288 with 18 doubles, a 12% strikeout rate, and was a 2.5 WAR player. WebShortstop Active Player Contracts | Spotrac Transactions Shortstop Contracts A real-time, sortable list of active MLB contracts including total value, guaranteed money, and complete salary breakdowns. However, he shows promise that could give the Pirates reason to stick with him. The Yankees acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Texas Rangers just one season after he acclimated himself to the role of shortstop. Hes about a 40 runner with a plus arm, so third is the ideal position for him, although Im sure he could handle second or at worst right field. He hit one homer in 56 games with Class A Short-Season Aberdeen during his summer debut in 2019, then missed most of the 2021 season with a non-throwing shoulder issue, but maybe that .449 slugging percentage he posted in the 35 games he appeared was a harbinger of things to come. Bichette needs to tamp down on his errors in 2022 and, if he can improve his accuracy in the field, he can be sure of sustained success in the major leagues. 1:23. With a slash line of .271/.312/.357, eight home runs, and 53 RBI in 2021, the expectations on Kiner-Falefa to perform at the plate will be high, and his 20 stolen bases last year provide even more value to his new team. Bo is a quickly-improving defender that hits the ball harder on average than any other shortstop not named Fernando Tatis Jr. Bos gonna be a staple in this list for the next decade. Its that time of year, as the injuries among pitchers are starting to pile up and lay waste to draft rankings. For my money, hes the second or third best bat at the position, but the defense is ultimately what keeps him from being any higher. We give an extra bump to elite defense, and well dock a player if the defense is well-below average. USA TODAY. Jorge Mateo is part of a young squad of shortstops for the Orioles. He brings solid leadership and has earned the respect of his teammates. I feel on time and ready to hit. First one out. This years cover athlete for MLB The Show 21 is no other than Fernando Tatis Jr. Is Valheim coming to PS5 or Xbox Series X? The 26-year-old posted a 102 OPS+ with 37 Vladdy naturally stole the show for the traveling circus that was the Dunedin/Buffalo/Toronto Blue Jays, but Bo led the American League in hits while hitting .298 with a .828 OPS, 30 doubles, 29 homers, and 102 RBIs. The veteran Jose Iglesias has bounced around the majors throughout his 11-year career, but hes found a place this season with the Rockies. Last year, he led the National League in batting average, hits, and total bases. 8 to No. His profile is similar to Jordyn Adams from 2018, but Adams, who went 17th overall to the Angels and has not performed well above Low A in his career, had a simpler swing. Not sure how long hell be out hopefully its just those 10 days but those types of injuries tend to linger. I could talk about all the defensive stats he led in, but can we just talk about his throwing arm for a second? Bogaerts has spent his entire career in the Red Sox organization, so he brings familiarity and leadership to the table in addition to his abilities as an infielder and batter. The way each shortstop fits in with the team as a whole brings a unique dynamic. Web10. It was between Javier Baez and Wander Franco for the tenth spot, but Francos potential as a glove-first player who could win a batting title tipped the scale. While the defense hasnt been great so far, hes one of the greatest athletes weve ever seen, and I think itll improve in no time. The Pirates have a young slate of shortstops, led by Kevin Newman. Jack Flaherty, whose three runs allowed in six innings on Sunday gave the Cardinals the kind of quality start they badly needed, feels DeJong is finally poised to be a sustainable difference-maker for St. Louis. Lets talk defense because he struggled last year with the throwing errors. Meanwhile, Lindors .978 fielding percentage was impressive last year. Swanson also had a near-perfect .982 fielding percentage during the Braves championship season and, as a veteran who has played his entire career with the team, he is emerging as a leader who could play almost every game in 2022 as he did in 2021. He's the author of "Smart Baseball" (2017) and "The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves" (2020), both from William Morrow. 7. Hes top 10. If you average out his career numbers over 162, hed be hitting .298 with a .871 OPS, 26 homers, driving in 93 runs, peppering 42 doubles, and striking out around 18% of the time. 9. Heres a ranking of all 30 starting shortstops in the major leagues, taking statistics and intangibles into account. If he can improve in the field and at least sustain at the plate, hell have more opportunities to be joyous in 2022. Just Baseball's rankings of the top shortstops in baseball. Eldridge is committed to Alabama and might get dinged for the high school first base profile, but given the recent history we have of similar players in Jones and centerfielder James Wood (a second-round pick in 2021 who got a first-round bonus), I imagine Eldridge will still go in the back half of the first round. Fernando Tatis Jr is already the best shortstop in the world at 23 years old. Youll see stats such asWAR,OAA,fWAR,DRS, etc. It was a slow start to Tim Andersons career. Fernandez, who died this past February at the age of 57, is in a class of 2021 Stats: 125 G, .230/.322/.412, .734 OPS, 103 wRC+, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 10 SB, 11.1% BB, 18.3% K, 2.7 fWAR, 4 DRS, 20 OAA. video for When should Pirates fans buy into this team? He was outstanding in 2019, but that is the only season of Semiens eight-year career in which he recorded an above-average OPS+. Key fact: 37.5 career bWAR with Blue Jays, first among shortstops. Crawford has re-engineered his bat, and the glove is elite. If Mondesi could stay healthy, hell lead the league in stolen bases. This was tough! Injuries and illness rattled him in '20, and his batting average plummeted to .197 in 2021 and .157 in 22. With a .306 batting average in 2021, Seager brings some much-needed power, even if he only hit 16 home runs and 57 RBI and has become a solid doubles hitter. Trea Turner is an integral part of the Los Angeles Dodgers stellar infield in 2022. The top of the draft seems to be coalescing a bit, at least in tiers of players. (with WWEs Corey Graves). The New York Mets made one of the splashiest moves of the entire offseason when they acquired Francisco Lindor in a trade with the Cleveland Indians, who received a couple of Mets shortstops Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario along with a package of prospects.
