While the 2nd basemen to target is a necessary evil like changing your underwear. This post, well, have you seen the top 20 shortstops for 2024 fantasy baseball? Dude, why did you not draft one of the glorious top top TOP guys? Did you show up late to your draft because they required you to wear pants? I’m hopeful that everyone rosters at least one shortstop prior to getting to the sleepers in this post, and likely two. Top shortstops are the bee’s knees, and bees have knees; I’m a scientist. This is a (legal-in-all-countries-except-Lichtenstein) supplement to the top 20 shortstops for 2024 fantasy baseball. The players listed have a draft rank after 200 on other sites. I love lots of top shortstops, but they’re not here because I didn’t see them after the draft price of 200. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2024 projections. Anyway, here’s some shortstops to target for 2024 fantasy baseball:
Jackson Holliday (NFBC 201, Yahoo 207) If he starts the year with the Orioles, he will be the greatest shortstop to ever play for the Orioles. Can’t even think of another one. Maybe #2 is…Kiko Garcia. But he was a big-time bat with years like 54/5/24/.247 in 417 ABs. It’s so funny to look at some team rosters from the 70’s and 80’s. There guys like Kurt Bevacqua having 114-game seasons and hitting one homer and stealing two bags, while hitting .253. People forget this when they say so-and-so isn’t a HOFer. Chase Utley isn’t a HOFer? In the 70’s, 2nd basemen hit one homer a year! Any hoo! I didn’t think Holliday would break camp with the club, but with new ownership, I’ve rethought that. Also: Jackson Holliday fantasy.
Vaughn Grissom (NFBC 241, Yahoo 265, ESPN 254) Gave you my Vaughn Grissom fantasy after his trade, and I need to draft him a lot of times, because I love him. People who are still drafting Trevor Story 70 picks before him are so cute. Their glass for Story is one third full and they see a full glass, and are drinking it up and ahh’ing so loud the casting director for the soft drink commercial hears them and thinks, “What a ham!” Also, I know Grissom is injured, but you’re gonna get to mid-April, he’s going to return and you’re gonna wonder why you were worried. Long season, don’t worry about Grissom’s injury.
Zach Neto (NFBC 294, Yahoo 312, ESPN 209) Ya know what’s funny in a non-funny way? If Neto is in drafts, and his price is a 200-ish draft pick, it’s too rich for people. If he were a minor leaguer, and called up the first week of the season, you’d drop $200-ish FAAB on him. Happily! You’d be so psyched to get him off waivers. He is one of the few prospects who has solid power, speed and hit tool for average, and no one apparently cares in drafts. He’s being projected by some to go 20/10/.250. Let’s see, some guys who are being drafted 100+ picks before with the same projections, plus or minus a little on average: Lane Thomas, Josh Naylor, Ian Happ, Realmuto, and Spencer Steer. And I love Naylor and Steer and don’t mind Thomas and Happ, but it shows you how undervalued Neto is.
Jose Caballero (NFBC 481, Yahoo unranked, ESPN 292) I’ve heard the stories about him hitting for more power. It’s prolly nonsense that we’ll laugh about when he has two homers through the first three months, but his draft price is also: Free, so what the heck?
Jackson Merrill (NFBC 368, Yahoo 379) I don’t mention another site’s ADP if it’s above 200, and ESPN has Merrill at 132nd overall! I checked twice that it wasn’t Merrill Kelly. It’s unfair to get down on others for ranking a guy too low, then again too high, but, what can I say, I’m unfair. 132nd overall!? I like Oppo-Tatcos, but c’mon. Any hoo! Just said the other day, “Itch said, “Supreme contact skills from the left side give Merrill a fantastic base from which to develop his game over the next decade. He struck out just 62 times in 114 games across two levels last year, posting a 111 wRC+ in High-A and a 104 in Double-A despite being 4.3 years younger than the league average age. Only person I like to imagine with better contact is my fist to Grey’s head.” What on earth? Most people are projecting Merrill for 12/8/.250-ish, but they’re honestly throwing darts at numbers. He could be 7/30/.280 or 20/20/.240 or somewhere in-between. Clearly worth a flyer though for upside. He was added to the shortstops rankings. He looks like an opposite-handed Tatis. Call him Oppo-Tatcos.” And that’s me quoting me and Itch!
Masyn Winn (NFBC 428, Yahoo unranked, ESPN 265) This goes back to my note for Neto. Holliday hasn’t had a bad month of games in the majors yet, so he’s flying off draft sheets. Winn, who is guaranteed a starting shortstop job, and just went 18/17/.288 in Triple-A, is barely an afterthought even in deep leagues. If Winn never debuted last year, he’d be drafted around 200th overall. Since he did debut? People think he’s the player who saw limited playing time in the final month? I don’t know, that’s just me guessing why everyone hates him. If anything, someone who comes up last year, should get a bump vs. someone who hasn’t seen the majors yet. They have experience in the majors. Less nerves, less time to adjust to the pitchers. Instead, everyone drafts the opposite. Less experience? The better!
