X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

Deeper Shortstop Draft Sleepers

Jamie Steed identifies late-round shortstop draft targets for deep fantasy baseball leagues. These SS are deep sleepers worth targeting on draft day.

This year could be the most fantasy friendliest for the shortstop position with six having an ADP of 25th or lower (according to current NFBC draft data) and nine with an ADP of 42nd or lower. You may be forgiven for thinking that you don't need to look deep into drafts for a shortstop.

While that might be true for your starter, if you don't take one of the top shortstops early in the draft, it's easy to panic, reach and overextend for one in the middle rounds. You still need to have a middle infielder for most leagues and with second base looking a bit thin, especially when compared to shortstop, it makes sense to use that spot for a backup shortstop, acting as a bit of insurance for your starter.

With that being said, here we take a look at some shortstops who should be considered as rosterable in deeper fantasy leagues or AL-only and NL-only leagues this year. To be considered, each player currently has an ADP of 500 or greater in NFBC drafts.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Jose Iglesias, Los Angeles Angels

ADP: 511

The Angels acquired Iglesias from the Orioles to fill the gap left by the free-agent departure of Andrelton Simmons. And while considered a 'glove first' shortstop, Iglesias has always been able to make contact at the plate and put the ball in play. That was evident more than ever last year with a .373 batting average in 39 games and a 11.3% K%. Given Iglesias has a career .278/.319/.381 slash line, it's no surprise he's not projected for more than 10 homers anywhere but he also has enough speed to chip in with some steals (he did get 15 in 2018).

Despite hitting at the bottom on the lineup, when he does get on base, Iglesias will have some serious offensive powerhouses coming up to the plate behind him and the projections for ~60 runs and ~60 RBI look attainable. There's little upside with Iglesias but he is a fine 'plug-and-play' option to cover any injuries that won't hurt your stats.

 

Jazz Chisholm, Miami Marlins

ADP: 527

Chisholm has officially beaten out Isan Diaz for the Marlins second base job, following a considerably better Spring as we can see when comparing the two below.

Player PA HR SB AVG OBP SLG
Chisholm 37 3 4 .273 .351 .545
Diaz 36 0 0 .069 .172 .172

As nice as Diaz's batting average is, it won't be enough to win the job. Chisholm did get a call-up to the Marlins last year and while he only hit .161 in 21 games, he still managed to hit two homers and steal two bases. Chisholm never hit for a particularly good average in the minors with a career minor league slash line of .255/.327/.462 in 315 games.

His power/speed profile was still evident with 56 homers and 49 steals which makes him an intriguing option this year. ATC projections have Chisholm hitting 12 homers and getting 10 steals in 89 games so if he does manage to get an everyday starting job, 18 homers and 15 steals are on the cards. You will likely have to endure a batting average below .240 but if you need some speed and power, Chisholm is a nice late-round pick.

 

Kevin Newman, Pittsburgh Pirates

ADP: 556

You may be surprised to hear that of all players with at least five plate appearances this Spring, Newman leads baseball with a .727 batting average (28 plate appearances). Newman has also yet to strikeout and has walked five times. He's put himself back into contention to be the Pirates' leadoff hitter, something he did to start the 2020 season with limited success. Following a 2019 season where he hit .308 over 130 games with 12 homers and 16 steals, Newman came back to Earth with a .224/.281/.276 slash line in 2020.

His xBA was .246 so he was a tad unlucky but he also failed to steal any bases (one attempt) and hit just one homer. In the 75 games played in 2018 and 2020, Newman has just one homer and no stolen bases so it's fair to believe that 2019 was a complete outlier. But if Newman does manage to continue his hot spring into the season and 2019 wasn't a complete fluke, he could be a 12 homer and 18 steal hitter with a .280 average and ok counting stats depending where he hits in the lineup.

 

Freddy Galvis, Baltimore Orioles

ADP: 566

Boring, thy name is Freddy Galvis. But don't confuse boring with useless as Galvis has provided some fantasy value for a few years now. Galvis was brought in to replace the earlier discussed Iglesias as the Orioles shortstop and his ability as a switch hitter should prevent any possible platoon. Galvis offers value purely with his consistency. Between 2015 - 2019, Galvis missed just 30 games in those 5 years, playing in all 162 games in 2017 and 2018. Galvis still featured in 47 games last year too, hitting 7 homers (equates to 24 homers over 162 games) to follow up the 23 homers he hit in 147 games in 2019.

It's unlikely Galvis steals more than a handful of bases nowadays but a player with back-to-back 20+ homer seasons (or at least the equivalency) in a hitter-friendly ballpark should garner some interest in deep leagues. His batting average is around league average (between .241 and .263 in 2015-2019) and he averaged 65 runs scored and 63 RBI during his five-year stretch of consistency. You won't find a 20+ homer middle infielder this late in drafts and Galvis is unlikely to harm your ratios or batting average either.

 

Leury Garcia, Chicago White Sox

ADP: 610

Garcia has found himself in consideration for regular playing time after Eloy Jimenez ruptured his pectoral muscle and is expected to miss 5-6 months. Depending on what site you play on, Garcia might have additional position eligibility too as he split time at shortstop, second base and the outfield last year. His biggest fantasy asset is his speed, as he's been in the 85th percentile for sprint speed in each of the last four seasons, except in 2019 when he was in the 84th percentile.

The 2019 season is Garcia's only one with regular playing time when he featured in 140 games (618 at-bats) and he had a pretty productive year hitting .279/.317/.441 with eight homers, 15 stolen bases and scoring 93 runs. Without having elite speed, Garcia has stolen 56 bases in 480 career games so even if he only plays 120 games (assuming he fills in for Jimenez), that career mark averages out at 14 steals a season.

He'd likely hit ninth in White Sox order but that does mean Tim Anderson (who has a .331 batting average since 2019) bats behind him and their lineup is deep enough that he'd get a decent amount of RBI opportunities still. He's unlikely to play every day but in leagues with daily roster changes, Garcia can be a useful fill-in as someone who has hit between .270 - .279 in each of the last four seasons and has a 15 stolen base season on his resume as recently as 2019.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF