2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Oct 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar (2) follows through on his solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Angels won 11-10. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports /

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstop Overview

As I mentioned earlier in the week when reviewing the second basemen, the middle infield positions have gone from positions of near-wasteland value to positions of depth in fantasy baseball, and shortstop more than possibly any other position has seen a drastic change in the last two seasons. A full half-dozen of the top 15 list were not even in the majors for the 2013 rankings

That amount of youth does bring a lot of energy into the position, but it also adds a lot of volatility to lists like this! Ranking the shortstops was seriously the most difficult position ranking I had to do, and I had twice the outfielders and starting pitchers to rank. Right now, there’s a very clear top tier that is 3-deep. Correa, Tulo, and Xander are clearly a cut above at the position. Then you have some intriguing question marks with high upside – how long may Reyes be suspended for his off-season domestic incident, where the offense for Lindor suddenly came from in his rookie season and is it sustainable, what to expect from Russell, where will Desmond land, is the huge power of 2015 from Crawford for real, what is to be expected from Seager, when should we expect to see Kang at full strength, etc.

After that group there is a drop, but unlike in the past where that drop turned into a group where you wanted nothing to do with the players after the drop, the guys after that drop still have the talent to at least provide your fantasy team with some semblance of upside, and that doesn’t even mention two guys I’m very intrigued by in 2016 – Ketel Marte of the Mariners and Zack Cozart of the Reds, neither of whom even cracked the top 15.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstop Rankings

More from Tomahawk Take

In my rankings this year, I’ll post first my rank, then the player’s name and team, followed by the PR rank for the position in 2015, and lastly, any other positions the player will be eligible at in 2016, based on 20-game eligibility.

1. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros, 2
2. Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays, 7
3. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox, 1
4. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians, 5
5. Ian Desmond, free agent, 13
6. Jose Reyes, Colorado Rockies, 4
7. Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers, 40
8. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs, 28, 2B
9. Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants, 6
10. Jean Segura, Milwaukee Brewers, 8
11. Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates, 9, 3B
12. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers, 3
13. Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals, 10
14. Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals, 16
15. Erick Aybar, Atlanta Braves, 11

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Braves Shortstop Highlight

Coming off of one of his best seasons, many Braves fans will be blind to the offensive value that Aybar brings to the team because he replaced such a fan favorite in Andrelton Simmons. He doesn’t have Simba’s glove (who does, though?!), but he does have offensive production that exceeds what Simmons has provided. His fantasy value last season was really accomplished in a very average season for Aybar, so there is some upside in his ranking on the list above, especially if he’s allowed to run. Aybar still does have some skills on the base paths, and he could be one to steal 20+ bases if he’s allowed to do such, though that’s not something that has typically been in manager Fredi Gonzalez‘s wheelhouse.

Tomahawk Take Fantasy League Announcement

Last season, the Tomahawk Take staff put together two leagues each on Yahoo and ESPN. We had a lot of fun in those leagues, and there was great participation from writers and readers alike. We’ve decided to do the same thing this year. However, we’re going to have things set up a little more ahead of time.

This season, we will have two leagues on each site again, the size of each depending on the interest in each, however, the maximum for each league will be 14, so first come, first serve until the league fills up. We will have one rotisserie league and one head-to-head league on each site. I made a mistake in setting up one league last season, and that won’t happen this year – each league will have daily add/drop moves available. If you are interested in any of the leagues, please email me at gopherben@gmail.com and indicate in your email whether you would prefer ESPN or Yahoo and whether you would prefer roto or H2H. Thanks!

Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated With Offseason Additions

That’s your break down of the shortstops for 2016. Like it, love it, hate it? Comment below, and let’s talk about what you think for 2016!

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