Updated Shortstop Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series continues with a view of shortstop through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel.

The position is well-stocked with useful starters, but as you get deeper, the H2H negatives will get exposed more. Near the top, you can tolerate strikeouts from a Trevor Story, but there will not be enough total bases and run production to offset the Ks as you get deeper into the field. There is a lot of power and speed here, but you will have to decide how much you want to pay to offset the downsides as you consider who you may want to target, especially in an auction.

There are three guys in a tier by themselves at the top. If you do not grab a starter by the fifth tier you are really asking for trouble this season.

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Shortstop Tiered Ranks - H2H Points Leagues (March)

In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was recently named the #1 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season. You can see his secret sauce below! Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.

Rankings Analysis – Top Tiers

Tier One

The first tier is an exclusive one, but not everyone agrees on who should be ranked first among the star-studded trio of Alex Bregman, Francisco Lindor and Manny Machado. Even though Lindor is going to start the season on the injured list, Nick veers away from the pack and has him tops at the position. Either this is the kinda stuff that will make Nick a No. 1 accuracy ranker again, or will just put him third in 2019 behind JB and Bill. Nick seems to be less concerned than the others about a slow start once Lindor returns to action.

The points output could be lessened some for Manny Machado, who unanimously now appears in the bottom spot of the first tier. Playing outside Camden Yards for a full season will not boost his offensive game, especially in points formats. But he does not quite fall out of anyone’s Top 20 here, and he is ranked just ahead of Lindor overall for JB. The six-spot overall divide on Lindor between Nick and JB shows that a consensus of experts is not quite on the same page when it comes to recovering from an injury. Every player heals their own unique pace, and if you go with Nick’s estimation, you are taking a risk, but one that could pay off handsomely if not much time is missed and Lindor starts hot upon his return.

Tier Two

All of our experts unanimously have Trea Turner as the leader of the second group, with Nick clearly ahead of our other panelists by at least eight spots in the overall ranks. Turner will not hit leadoff, though, so that could mean a slight decrease in steals and maybe an uptick in RBIs. It’s something to keep in mind when making a close decision between Turner and another player. Nick is also a bit higher on Trevor Story than the rest of the group. The strikeouts are an obvious concern, but there is enough speed and power, plus the Coors factor, to balance things out. But Mariano is less forgiving to Javier Baez, who also fans at an alarming rate. Nick has Baez 53^rd overall, 13 spots behind JB.

Tier Three

Bill is lower than the rest of the group on Jean Segura, who has moved to Philadelphia. His contact rates have continued to improve, though, and the shift to a friendlier hitter’s park can only help his outlook. Nick prefers Gleyber Torres the most in our group. He can seemingly only get better after a very impressive age 21 season and he is playing in a very comfortable home park. Bill is incredibly low on Aldaberto Mondesi, ranking him an astonishing 194^th overall. Looks like Bill may not expect much from the speedster except the steals and there is not enough else otherwise for him to join the fantasy conga line to his steals.

Rankings Analysis – Middle Tiers

Tier Four

We are getting an inclination that Bill is either punting steals or is just skeptical on some of the speed specialists, as he has Jonathan Villar at 160 overall, over 50 spots lower than the rest of the panel. Maybe he also has his 2017 flop of a season still fresh in mind instead of how he played after moving to the AL last year. Nick seems to have less confidence than the rest that we will continue to see more power from Elvis Andrus or that his speed will return. Nick does not seem to be a believer in the versatile Jurickson Profar either, but the power and speed combo is very enticing. As with Andrus, some are skeptical about power remaining part of the profile. He also was not caught on any stealing attempts last season. Andrelton Simmons does not get enough respect, but Bill is giving it to him here. He is also the lowest on Tim Anderson, who has the power and speed but also a big gaping hole in his bat and he is still learning how to take a walk. All of our experts have Amed Rosario in the 180s, as the upside is apparent. He was much less of a H2H headache over the final two months of 2018, when the good really started to outweigh the negatives.

Tier Five

Nick is less impressed with Marcus Semien than the rest of the guys, although the power/speed combo is pretty reliable. Paul DeJong is a concern with his K/BB rate, but Mariano seems to believe he will improve in those regards. Eduardo Escobar improved his walk rate last year and impressed with power enough for JB and Bill. Joey Wendle is one of my favorite value guys. He does strike out a lot but can potentially compensate well enough in other areas. Ketel Marte makes good contact and will maintain playing time despite Arizona’s recent addition of Adam Jones. His 28 games played at SS last year keep him in the mix at the position, and you’ll enjoy his versatility at this point.

Rankings Analysis – Lower Tiers

Tier Six

Asdrubal Cabrera is very serviceable at this point in any format, but Bill is not buying in. He is also not a fan of Lourdes Gurriel, likely because the amount of strikeouts was so high last year while he did not walk and failed to sprinkle in a few extra steals like he did in the minors. JB is willing to take on Willy Adames more than the rest of the panel. There will certainly be struggles to get on base at times despite the pop and speed combo. Johan Camargo may not qualify at SS in some leagues, but if he does, there is some on-base promise for middle infield depth by this point.

Tier Seven

If you take Didi Gregorious here, you should get him back in July or August, according to the latest reports. I stash him for the stretch run by this point, why not? Niko Goodrum offers an alluring dual package of pop and speed, but the strikeout numbers are definitely a big negative. Scott Kingery has not played well in the spring and that could hurt his outlook for playing time. Bill seems to have the most confidence that Troy Tulowitzki has a little bit left. He is also the most optimistic on Nick Ahmed, who is more known for his defense, but can provide some power. JB is the highest on Kike (Enrique) Hernandez, as he trimmed his strikeout rate last season. Brendan Rodgers has so much potential, but his path to playing time is blocked by Story In Colorado.

Tier Eight

Freddy Galvis will continue to play while Devon Travis recovers from a leg injury. Tim Beckham did look pretty good in Seattle’s opening series and still has some promise when you get this deep at the position. You will likely not see Bo Bichette until later in the year, if at all this season. Jose Iglesias will play regularly for a month or so to start the season for Cincinnati, and there is some speed there, but not much else.

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