Positional thoughts for the upcoming season, giving the lows and highs of players to watch heading into your fantasy baseball drafts.
Tier One is really a great core of young talent for shortstops.
Carlos Correa is the clear choice, as he has the potential for 30 home runs and a high OBP. Honestly, I would draft
Francisco Lindor and
Corey Seager over
Trea Turner, simply because you're relying on Turner's speed. Either way, you really can't go wrong with any player listed among the Tier One shortstops.
Manny Machado has made is clear during the off-season that he wants to return to shortstop. However, for now, he's still going to be the every day third basemen for the Orioles (with SS eligibility). Machado had a dismal start to the season in 2017, but found a nice groove by the end of year. He finds himself just outside the Top Tier looking in, but could change by the end of the month in May.
Didi Gregorius slugged a career high 25 home runs for the Yankees last season, which is a total he'll reach again in 2018. The Angels have both
Andrelton Simmons and
Zack Cozart on the roster, with Cozart shifting over to third base - carrying over his SS eligibility from the Cincinnati Reds.
Tier Four has some nice plug-and-play pieces, with the likes of
Paul DeJong and
Jorge Polanco. Both players could find themselves as 20/20 type players with a full season of playing time.
Although
Tim Beckham is listed in Tier Five to start the season - a fresh start in Baltimore ignited his game late last season. Perhaps some of that magic can carry over to 2018.
Orlando Arcia gave the Brewers a nice showing in 2017 - with the hopes of becoming more of a top-of-the-order hitter in 2018.