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Fantasy Baseball 2015: Shortstop Is Most Shallow Position

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By @BPiv_Sports

Troy Tulowitzki

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Drafting a fantasy baseball team is all about finding the best value with each pick. With the eigth-overall pick, do you follow the trend and pick a hitter, or select the best pitcher on the board? Everyone answers that question differently. It’s all about your strategy and how you construct your team. One thing to take note on is how shallow the shortstop position is. You either need to draft a top name early, or wait for a young player late.

While there aren’t many 2015 rankings out in January, ESPN’s Tristan H. Cockcroft is constantly updating his. As of Jan. 9, he had Troy Tulowitzki atop his shortstop rankings. Ian Desmon, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Starlion Castro round out his top five. Only Reyes finished in the top 40 in ESPN’s Player Rater at the end of the 2014 season.

Another glaring point is that four of those five are 29 or older. You only need one year of production from these players, but there is still the huge injury risk older players carry with them. And with shortstop already shallow, trying to find a replacement at any point in the season could be difficult.

The next five names in the rankings are Xander Bogaerts, Alexei Ramirez, Elvis Andrus, Javier Baez and Erick Aybar. Four of the top-10 players are 26 or younger, with Borgaerts and Baez starting the season at 22. There has been a huge influx of younger players making a big impact on the game, so you can select a young shortstop later on and revel when they outperform their ADP.

If you decide to draft a shortstop early, be aware of the big risk-reward tag they carry. It’s best to wait on a shortstop and draft other positions — like first base, outfield and starting pitching — with more value.

Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports blogger for Rant Sports. He also contributes to the MLB, NFL and Pro Wrestling sections. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.

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