Micro Conference: Shortstop

Like catcher, shortstop used to be primarily a defensive position with any offense coming out of the 6 hole considered a bonus. That's changed in the past couple of decades although it seems like maybe it's making a comeback with the pedestrian production generally seen at the shortstop position in DMBL this year.

Over in the Diamond Conference, there's a clear top tier of All-Star candidates at shortstop. The same could be said in the Micro Conference, which includes Allentown, Blue Ridge, El Paso, Erie, Hillsborough, Livingston, Marietta, Philly, Poovey Farms, Rockland.

Last year's All-Star starter, Fernando Tatis, Jr. of El Paso, is known for his offense but not just because his 18 errors leads all DMBL SS. His power numbers lead Micro SS, including 20 HR, 53 RBI, 38 EBH and 152 total bases, with his .492 SLG just edging Boegarts. Blue Ridge's recent trade of Francisco Lindor will likely mean for time at SS for Bo Bichette but he's still likely to appear on the ballot at DH. Otherwise, his 151 total bases would be 2nd to Tatits at SS but he's only played 12 games there.

Xander Bogaerts already has a batting title on his resume and continues to put up consistent seasons for Poovey Farms. He leads Micro SS in runs (53), OBP (.374), OPS (.864), and has a healthy lead in RC (52.5) and RC/27 (6.6). He also leads the group in fielding percentage (.993).

Tim Anderson is known for his free-swinging style and that's led to a .305 batting average that leads Micro SS. His 5.3 RC/27 trails only Boegarts but his 40.0 RC ranks 3rd behind Bogaerts and Tatis. Surprisingly, Philly's Ronald Torreyes and Livingston's Carlos Correa match Tatis with 5.0 RC/27 but trail farther behind in RC (37.6 and 34.3, respectively) and other categories.