Fantasy Shortstop 10-17

Jul 26, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) is tagged out at first base by Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss (37) in the third inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The number before each shortstop’s name represents their overall rank in the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

#192 Xander Bogaerts Boston Red Sox (also 3B eligible)

I wrote about Xander Bogaerts in the article called Fantasy Third Base 18-25.

#197 Jhonny Peralta St. Louis Cardinals

I drafted Jhonny Peralta already as a backup to J.J. Hardy in a league of mine in case Hardy’s power does not rebound, and I feel pretty safe that at least one of them will come though.  I trust that most of his numbers are fairly sustainable except for the fact that his HR total should be closer to 15.  Peralta had a HR/FB of 12.4% in 2014, which was his best since 2008.

#204 Elvis Andrus Texas Rangers

I am pretty indifferent between Andrus, Escobar, and Segura, so I would just draft the one that is on the board the longest if you want stolen bases at shortstop.  My guess is that Elvis Andrus will have the highest price tag of the bunch, so he is the one that I would recommend the least of the three.

#212 Alcides Escobar Kansas City Royals

Alcides Escobar does two things very well.  He played every game and he stole 31 bases in 2014.  In his four years with the Royals, Escobar has played in at least 155 games every season.  His fantasy scope is limited, but he serves a valuable purpose fulfilling the role as a SB specialist in a weak position.

Interestingly enough, Alcides Escobar has never had a consistent batting average in five years in MLB as a starting SS with averages of .235, .254, .293, .234, and .285.  He may be improving a bit at the plate, but he could just as easily slide back into the .250 range.  Regardless, Escobar is on your team for cheap SB’s and not much more.

#233 Danny Santana Minnesota Twins (also OF eligible)

Danny Santana’s rookie season is most notable for his insane .405 BABIP.  There is more than just BABIP to calling someone “lucky” or projecting that they regress to the mean, but Santana’s BABIP was so absurdly high that it will likely be significantly lower in 2015.  Regardless of his luck in 2015 with infield hits, bloopers, and other balls in play, Santana should easily repeat his counting stat line of 70/7/40/20 because he only played 101 games in 2014.

#234 Jean Segura Milwaukee Brewers

Again, Jean Segura is a great choice if your goal at shortstop is to save your pick/budget for elsewhere and acquire steals.  Like Chris Davis, I think Jean Segura is almost guaranteed to fall in between his 2013 and 2014 seasons.  That means I think Segura could end up with 30 steals and a .270/.310/.370 slash line.  Feel free to pull the trigger on a speedy shortstop once the first one (likely Andrus) is gone.

#247 Ben Zobrist Oakland A’s (also 2B and OF eligible)

I wrote about Ben Zobrist in the article called Fantasy Second Base 18-25.

#254 Asdrubal Cabrera Tampa Bay Rays (also 2B eligible)

I wrote about Asdrubal Cabrera in the article called Fantasy Second Base 18-25.