Heading into the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, it is wise to try and select a shortstop who can hit with power. Remarkably, there were eight shortstops in 2019 that reached the 30 home run plateau. Here are the top five fantasy shortstops.
5) Jonathan Villar–Miami Marlins–Ranked first in fantasy among second basemen, Villar, a native of La Vega, Dominican Republic, also qualifies for the shortstop position, as he played 97 games for the Orioles there last season. The fact that Villar played all 162 games with the Orioles in 2019, could improve his fantasy status in 2020. Last season, Villar batted .274 with 24 home runs and 73 runs batted in.
4) Trevor Story–Colorado Rockies–No Major League Baseball player ever got off to a better start to his Major League Baseball career than Trevor Story. The native of Irving, Texas, became the first player ever to hit a home run in his first four Major League games in 2016, and finished the month with 10 home runs (tied for the most home runs ever in the month of April). In 2019, Story set career highs in runs scored (111), walks (58), batting average (.294), and on base percentage (.363). He also had 35 home runs and 85 runs batted in. The fact that Story had a career-high in walks, is showing fantasy owners that he is maturing as a hitter. The two-time all-star also has the luxury of hitting at the hitter-friendly Coors Field.
3) Marcus Semien–Oakland Athletics–The native of San Francisco, California felt mighty comfortable in northern California last year. In a breakout season, Semien played a lot, as he led Major League Baseball with 747 plate appearances. He also set career highs in runs scored (123), hits (187), doubles (43), home runs (33), runs batted in (92), walks (87), batting average (.285), on base percentage (.369), slugging percentage (.522), and total bases (343).
2) Xander Bogaerts–Boston Red Sox–There is no doubt that the Red Sox still have a solid batting lineup even without Mookie Betts. Xander Bogaerts of Oranjestad, Aruba is in the thick of it. The two-time all-star batted .309 in 2019 with career highs in home runs (33), runs batted in (117), doubles (52), walks (76), on base percentage (.384), slugging percentage (555), and total bases (341).
1)Alex Bregman–Houston Astros–Even though Alex Bregman spends most of his time at the hot corner, he still qualifies as a shortstop as he played 65 games there in 2019. Last season, Bregman had career highs in batting average (.296), home runs (41), runs batted in (112), runs scored (122), walks (119), on base percentage (.423), slugging percentage (.592), total bases (328), and sacrifice flies (eight).
