Who has the most complete team heading into the MLB playoffs?
SHORTSTOP
American League
Boston Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts +2
Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor +5
Houston Astros: Carlos Correa +4
New York Yankees: Didi Gregorius +3
Minnesota Twins: Jorge Polanco +1
BREAKDOWN: One of my favorite positions to rank so far. The American League shortstops are going to be a fun group to watch this postseason. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa are both superstars already and Didi Gregorius and Xander Bogaerts are in the making but even Jorge Polanco is a pretty solid option at short. Between Lindor and Correa, both young all-stars are at the top of their class. The Puerto Ricans are two of baseball’s brightest young stars and it could easily be a toss up for whose better. I rewarded Francisco Lindor +5 for staying healthy the whole season and for also having that clutch factor I talked about with his teammate, Jose Ramirez. Correa is a big time hitter but there’s just something about Lindor. He gets the big, important hit..time..after..time..after..time. We saw it in the postseason last season and I have a strong feeling we’ll see an encore performance in 2017. AL East fans know how amazing Didi Gregorius and Xander Bogaerts have been this season but Twins fans know that Polanco can hold his own as well. Didi is clutch, impressive in the field and has made the transition from Derek Jeter look easy. He receives +3 for being, in my opinion, the third best shortstop in the league, leaving Bogaerts with +2 and fourth place honors. Polanco hit cleanup for a Minnesota team that leads the league in runs since August but that still leaves him in last with +1.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks: Ketel Marte +1
Chicago Cubs: Addison Russell +3
Colorado Rockies: Trevor Story +2
Los Angeles Dodgers: Corey Seager +4
Washington Nationals: Trea Turner +5
BREAKDOWN: Another fun toss-up between Trea Turner and Corey Seager for the top shortstop option in the NL but if I had to choose one of them for my team in the playoffs, I would want Trea Turner. He is so damn fast man. Seager is a stud but Turner gets +5 for 46 stolen bases this season and he missed a decent portion due to injury. Seager is a better overall hitter but once both men get on, Turner has the advantage with his ability to steal any base. Addison Russell was an important member in the Cubs’ World Series run last season and he will have to do so again if they want to go back-to-back. Trevor Story definitely has some serious power, gaining +2 for belting 24 home runs this season. We all remember when he set a record last season when he hit seven home runs in the first six games of his rookie season and to again hit over 20 home runs is impressive, leaving Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks to get +1 by default.