Top 20 MLB Prospects: Shortstops

Most MLB players likely played shortstop and pitched as a kid. As they progressed throughout their development in the minor leagues they met higher competition. Like little league, the cream of the crop here were able to stick it at the position where you want your most athletic infielder. However, you will see many of these players move from shortstop if they are able to play at the highest level. However, this is a list of the Top 20 dynasty prospects that play shortstop right now.

Top 20 Long-Term Shortstop Prospects

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres (20, Double-A) – Just watch.

2. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays (18, Rookie) – Only member of this list with an OPS over 1.000 and was 17 years old. Learned to walk more than strike out at a young age.

3. Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins (19, High-A) – The No. 1 overall pick showing more power than expected and has the skill set to be a Top 5 overall pick by 2022.

4. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays (21, Double-A) – Leads a long list of Jays prospects on this list but he has the best chance to be a true five-tool impact player.

5. Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies (22, Triple-A) – The third overall pick in 2015 is ranked with a disregard for the Rockies management of young talent.

6. Carter Kieboom, Washington Nationals (21, Double-A) – Destined for second base and underrated as a prospect relative to those ahead of him.

7. Jazz Chisholm, Arizona Diamondbacks (21, High-A) – Led this list in homers and his only flaw is his plate discipline. If you want to read more on Jazz, check out an article I wrote earlier this year:

8. Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers (21, Double-A) – Did not miss a beat in his promotion to Double-A, maintaining an identical .324 average and increasing his line drive rate to 31%. He could be destined for second base as well, but I see him as a 20/20 player that could hit .300.

9. Kevin Smith, Toronto Blue Jays (22, High-A) – 25 homers and 29 steals across two levels. This guy can ball. The Jays will need to find a place for him to play despite the presence of Bichette, Gurriel and Biggio. He might be underrated because of his boring name.

10. Luis Garcia, Philadelphia Phillies (18, Rookie) – Second among all shortstops in OPS with a Top 10 speed score and Top 10 line drive rate and Top 12 swinging strike rate (7%). The caveat is the BABIP was .418.

11. Taylor Walls, Tampa Bay Rays (22, Single-A) – Only minor league shortstop to steal 30 bases and hit .300 that is under the age of 30 (Everth Cabrera). 12.2% walk rate with K-rate under 15% - sleeper!

12. Xavier Edwards, San Diego Padres (19, Low-A) – OK, he has a limited sample size and no power. However, he’s walked more than he’s stuck out, has an extremely high batting average and on-base percentage, and is 22-for-23 on the basepaths in only 45 games. True 80-grade speed tool.

13. Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs (21, Single-A) – A 2018 first rounder, he tore through three levels last year with superior plate discipline and contact ability. He is the runner-up for fastest riser.

14. Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (20, Single-A) – A 6’6” shortstop gained considerable hype last year after hitting .286 with 14 homers and 11 steals while cutting down his strikeout rate.

15. Andres Gimenez, New York Mets (20, Double-A) – Solid floor player contributing in a scarce category.

16. Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals (18, High-A) – Similar player to Gimenez in the earlier stages of development.

17. Wander Javier, Minnesota Twins (20, Rookie) – Missed all of 2018 with a torn labrum, but has shown an excellent hit tool with stellar plate discipline to date with some upside in the power and speed departments.

18. Brice Terang, Milwaukee Brewers (19, Rookie) – Over 15% walk rate, 14-for-16 in steals in rookie ball. Is Orlando Arcia already looking over his shoulder?

19. Eddy Diaz, Colorado Rockies (18, Rookie) – Over two years at the rookie level, all he’s done is hit - .300 average, .400 OBP. He also walked way more than he struck out in 2018. Want to hear something absurd? He stole 54 bases in 51 games last year, and was only caught eight times. As expected, he hit zero homers.

20. Jordan Groshans, Toronto Blue Jays (19, Rookie) – The Jays first round draft pick profiles with a great hit tool and plus power.

Bonus - Marco Luciano, San Francisco Giants (17) – This kid has the potential to hit a bunch of homers. A lot of upside here but very young. The way they talk about him, it reminds me of a ceiling of Vladimir Guerrero…Senior.

Safest Stud - Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

The safest prospect on this list is someone who played in the Appy league at age 17. Enough said.

Boom or Bust - Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies

Sadly, Rodgers’ stock has lost some shine over the last year. He’s moved through the minors slowly and now is facing some stiff competition for playing time. The upside is enormous with his powerful skill set in Coors Field. However, with his stock taking a slight hit last year and the clear opportunity at Coors no longer a certainty at the moment, the variance of outcomes became larger.

Highest Upside - Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

Tatis has the upside of Manny Machado, and regardless of if the real Manny arrives in San Diego, Tatis should be up by mid-season. The Padres are exciting this year and this is the year they start to scare some other teams. Tatis is the cornerstone of the franchise. I’ll be looking to bet the over on San Diego wins this year.

Fastest Riser - Jazz Chisholm, Arizona Diamondbacks

Jazz paced the MVP of the Arizona Fall league last year and has shown elite power and speed. He is a superior athlete who, if he can control the strikeouts, can be an early round pick for years to come. I considered Jazz for the highest upside and also boom or bust title, but he settles here as someone that can shoot up the ranks if he continues his success from the second half of last year. I foresee him being one of the stashed prospects in 2020 redraft league drafts.