Dynasty Shortstop Targets, Sleepers And Fades For 2024

Matt McLain, Reds

McLain had a 128 wRC+ (.290/.357/.507) with 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 400 plate appearances upon arriving in Cincinnati in May. He’s eligible at both second base and shortstop and the positional flexibility gives him even more value than his 2024 projection of 25 home runs and 20 stolen bases. McLain is most likely to accrue the most plate appearances in 2024 of the Reds’ glut of major league-ready infielders. Add in the great home ballpark and the fact that he’ll be 24 years old for most of the 2024 season, it’s a big arrow up.

— Dylan White

Elly De La Cruz, Reds

How high is your risk tolerance? This is the question you must ask yourself before drafting or trading for Elly. De La Cruz debuted in June and hit .307/.358/.523 over his first 21 games. The league adjusted and De La Cruz struggled over the final 77 games of the season, hitting .213/.284/.377 with a 34.6% strikeout rate. Despite these struggles, De La Cruz finished 20th overall among shortstops. He has explosive qualities that few players possess, with true 30-home run and 30-steal upside. Under the hood, De La Cruz showed growth over the final months of the season, as his rate of swings outside the zone steadily dropped and his contact rate rose. With the negative feelings around De La Cruz’s debut, the smart money is buying the dip heading into 2024. 

— Geoff Pontes

Francisco Lindor, Mets

Lindor has reached the point where he’s beginning to go underrated in dynasty leagues due to his age and some negative feelings after down 2020 and 2021 seasons. Lindor has record second and third overall among shortstops in each of the last two seasons since his down year in 2021. Entering his age-30 season, Lindor has multiple seasons left of elite production with true five-category contributions. His value remains consistent across a variety of scoring formats, whether it’s standard 5×5 roto, OBP and points. While Lindor may not have the same preseason helium of other names on this list, his production puts him among the elite at the position. 

— Geoff Pontes

Shortstop Sleepers

Matt Shaw, Cubs

We have Matt Shaw ranked ahead of Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa, and Willy Adames even before taking a major league at bat. After hitting .357/.400/.618 across three levels and reaching Double-A in his age-21 season, it seems clear that he will be an exciting combination of hitting ability, power and speed. It’s the latter—likely putting up 18 to 25 stolen bases yearly—that elevates him a tier above the solid veterans. 

— Dylan White

Colt Emerson, Mariners

Emerson was an advanced high school bat with a 60-grade hit tool in the Mariners’ Top 10 entering 2024. He ranks seventh on our FYPD list entering 2024 after he hit .374/.496/.549 across two levels. Despite a small sample size of 79 plate appearances with Low-A Modesto, RoboScout ranked Emerson’s performance even higher than fellow teenage phenom Ethan Salas. Emerson could eventually be a plus defender at third base if he’s unable to stick at shortstop. We ranked him No. 35 in our overall shortstop rankings. Adael Amador (No. 15) is the highest-ranked prospect yet to debut in the majors. Don’t be surprised if Emerson finds himself in that tier entering the 2025 season.

— Dylan White

Adael Amador, Rockies 

Amador’s bat-to-ball ability and advanced plate approach put him in rare company among prospects. Over his three seasons as a professional, Amador has showcased elite contact and approach metrics while showing solid underlying exit velocity data. Amador is rarely beaten in the zone, and avoids strikeouts as well as any prospect at the moment. He reached Double-A in 2023 and should return to the level to begin 2024. If Amador continues to hit to begin 2024, he could force his way to the Rockies active roster by mid-summer. Amador has the potential to be a long-term category winner in batting average. Think Luis Arraez with more power and speed. 

Colson Montgomery, White Sox 

Injuries have limited Montgomery over his first few professional seasons, but when the shortstop is healthy he shows some of the best batted ball data in the minor leagues. Montgomery has elite barrel control, which allows him to optimize his best contact. His underlying expected number like xWOBA (.408) and xWOBAcon (.433) rank among the best in the game, highlighting his robust offensive skill set. Back injuries have plagued Montgomery, adding an element of risk, but his price has yet to meet his value in the public space. 

Shortstops To Fade

Carlos Correa, Twins

Correa aggregated over 10 WAR with an wRC+ of 137 (37% more runs created per plate appearance than league average) in 2021 and 2022. Plagued by recurring plantar fasciitis, Correa’s bat took a large step back to below league average last year. He is still under 30 years old but we’ve seen these types of injuries significantly accelerate the fantasy decline of once-formidable hitters—see Kris Bryant and Albert Pujols— and there’s a reasonably high chance that Correa may be another one. It should be noted, though, that projection systems thus far foresee a bounceback and consider 2023 a blip. Don’t count on any stolen bases though—Correa hasn’t stolen a base in the major leagues since April 2019.

— Dylan White

Oneil Cruz, Pirates

As Dylan covered above, Cruz is an incredibly fun player to roster in fantasy. The potential upside for 30 home runs with a solid average and some steals is tantalizing. But is Cruz capable of reaching those heights in the coming years? In 2022, Cruz hit .232/.336/.422 with nine home runs and 11 steals over 55 Triple-A games. Not since his time at Double-A in 2021 has Cruz shown he can dominate competition. Coming off an injury and still plenty of swing-and-miss risk, Cruz is unlikely to return value in dynasty leagues for a few more years. 

— Geoff Pontes