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John Flanigan looks at five shortstops from the National League with fantasy baseball sleeper potential for the 2022 season.
Between the late bloomers or young risers, there’s some intriguing value outside the top options at the shortstop position this season.
Here are five shortstop sleepers from the National League to consider in drafts this season.
Prepare for your last-minute drafts with our complete breakdown of the top sleepers for 2022 fantasy baseball!
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Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
For the most part, Francisco Lindor had a forgettable first season in orange and blue. Defensively, he was as advertised, but Lindor never truly settled in at the plate as a member of the New York Mets.
Lindor finished the year with a .230/.322/.412 slash-line, 101 OPS+, and .734 OPS, which were all career-low marks. Additionally, he hit just 16 doubles, 20 home runs, three triples, and had 63 RBI.
Lindor’s biggest struggles came in the first half, but he looked a bit like himself following the All-Star break. He hit nine of his 20 homers during the second half and saw his OPS rise from .698 to .813 over 38 games. He also added 25 RBI and posted a 141 OPS+ over the final 30 games.
Overall on the season, Lindor actually posted a career-high hard-hit percentage (44.1%) and increased both his launch angle and barrel percentage (8.2%). While he certainly struggled at times, much of his decline could be due to some bad luck.
While it’s just spring training, Lindor has gotten off to a red hot start thus far in Mets camp. Six of his 10 hits have been for extra bases, four home runs, and two doubles, he has 11 RBI, and the thirteenth-highest OPS (1.182) in baseball.
After a bit of a fall-off at the plate, Lindor’s value has dropped a bit in drafts this season. The people writing him off after one bad campaign are crazy. Lindor looks locked in and ready for a monster bounce-back season at the plate.
Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies
Rodgers was once one of the top prospects in baseball. After numerous injuries, he was finally able to show his true colors in the bigs last season. Rodgers had 21 doubles and 15 home runs with 102 OPS+ and .798 OPS over 102 games.
The youngster showed solid plate discipline, striking out just 84 times and posting strong strikeout (20.2%) and whiff rates (23%). As he did throughout the minors, Rodgers displayed a balanced approach at the plate.
Taking a deeper look at his numbers, Rodgers had some interesting home and road splits. While he hit more doubles, only three of his 15 home runs were at home, and he posted a higher OPS on the road.
Those results figure to change over the course of a full season. Coming off a strong campaign and with the Rockies still rebuilding, Rodgers should see every opportunity for guaranteed playing time.
The 25-year-old has loads of potential heading into this season, and if he can just stay healthy, the sky’s the limit.
Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
Adames was finally able to show his true colors at the big league level after being traded to the Brewers. He broke out at the plate and performed well enough to finish 16th in National League MVP voting.
In 99 games with the Brew Crew, Adames hit 26 doubles, 20 home runs, and had 58 RBI. While the slugger struck out 105 times (28.1% K-rate), he also posted a .366 OBP, 135 OPS+, and .886 OPS over that span.
His 44.7% hard-hit percentage increased by 4% from the previous season and finished up in the 72nd percentile. Adames also saw his barrel percentage (11.4%) and both his maximum (112.5 MPH) and average (89.5 MPH) exit velocities finish in the top 1% of the league.
While he was with the Rays, Adames performed significantly better on the road than at home. He reportedly had a hard time seeing the ball at Tropicana Field, even testing out glasses at one point during his tenure.
That certainly appears to be true as Adames performed up to his minor league form once he came to the Brewers. Now heading into a full season away from the Trop, Adames could be looking at a breakout year at the plate.
Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
Brandon Crawford has always been a wizard with the glove up the middle, but last season he really stepped things up with the bat for the NL West champion Giants.
During the 2021 season, the veteran middle infielder was named to his third career All-Star team and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. He appeared in 138 games and posted a .373 OBP, 141 OPS+, 6.1 WAR, and .895 OPS.
Crawford struck out just 105 times and posted career bests with 30 doubles, 24 home runs, and 11 stolen bases. His career-highs at the plate were likely a product of him barreling up the ball a whole lot more.
Crawford saw a 2.1% increase in his barrel percentage which led to an increase in his exit velocity and hard-hit percentage. He also posted his highest flyball rate (28.7%) since way back in 2014.
Additionally, Crawford was a more disciplined hitter, posting a career-high walk rate (10.2%) and his lowest strikeout (19.1%) and chase rates (27.9%) since his other MVP-esque season in 2016.
It’s definitely fair to expect a bit of regression from the 35-year-old Crawford heading into this season. However, even with a bit of a decline, he should remain a relatively reliable middle infield option in the later rounds of drafts.
Jonathan Villar, Chicago Cubs
Jonathan Villar has always been one of my favorite players to watch. Watching him up close and personal as a member of the Mets last season made me appreciate the way he plays the game even more.
Villar signed with the Mets in more of a bench bat-type role and ended up being much more than that. With an injury-plagued team, Villar quickly slid into an everyday role and filled in tremendously.
Villar ended up posting a .322 OBP, 102 OPS+, and .738 OPS over 142 games played. He popped 18 doubles, 18 home runs, and two triples, and added 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts along the way.
Villar came to an agreement on a one-year deal with the Cubs earlier this month. With his switch-hitting abilities and defensive versatility, Villar figures to see plenty of playing time on David Ross’ club.
While his advanced metrics are nothing to write home about, Villar offers an intriguing power/speed combo that fantasy owners should love. Obviously, you shouldn’t be running out to grab Villar early on, but he could make for an intriguing option in the later rounds.
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