Seattle Mariners: JP Crawford fantasy baseball advice

You may have noticed throughout the offseason, but I’m pretty invested in Mariners shortstop JP Crawford. As baseball approached, there is also one other thing that comes with it, and that’s fantasy baseball.

Even though the season is about a month away, a lot of us are already planning for our drafts. There is always an added aspect to it as it’s nice to have members of the team that you root for on your team.

Let’s take a look at the fantasy impact that Mariners shortstop JP Crawford could have for the upcoming baseball season.

One of the biggest differences between actual baseball and fantasy baseball is the effect that defense can have on a player. We all know that JP Crawford is all about that defense, but the production at the plate can be a little lacking.

Should you draft JP Crawford for your fantasy baseball team this year? Before you make your decision, it’s time to go over a couple of important items to help you make your decision. We will be using Fantasy Pros, since they combine rankings from a few different sites.

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Where is JP Crawford ranked?

Oof. Not good news here. Depending on where you play, he is ranked nearly 400th overall. That’s not good news for anyone, and you pretty much have your answer already. Unless you are playing in an insanely deep league, you likely aren’t going to be grabbing him for the upcoming season. I touched on it earlier. If defense could play a part in fantasy baseball, he would be ranked hundreds of spots higher. Unfortunately, it just isn’t set up that way, and he sits around 400th.

Where is JP Crawford ranked amongst shortstops?

The news here is just as bad as the last section. He is the 44th shortstop eligible player. From reading that, you might think “wait, there are not 43 better shortstops, even in fantasy”. You would be right. There aren’t. There are 43 players who are eligible in fantasy to play shortstop though. Guys like Alex Bregman, Manny Machado, and Ketel Marte are all eligible there.

Who is going to get drafted around JP Crawford?

I don’t think you are going to be anywhere near JP Crawford, even by the end of your draft. If he hits like the stud Andrelton Simmons, in that case, he would be worthy of drafting. At his current ranking, you are going to see guys like Jose Iglesias, Elvis Andrus, and Joey Wendle get drafted a bit before him. If you really want Crawford, take him as soon as you see those guys start to go.

Should I draft JP Crawford for my fantasy baseball team?

The answer is a clear no, based on what we have seen from him and the depth of the position. There are too many players that are either eligible there or are just that much better than the Mariners Gold Glove winner. Maybe you think he can be a .270 and 15/15. Then he can be a later-round pick at shortstop. There are many better players to bet on this year, so JP Crawford is an easy pass for a shortstop.

I sure hope he proves me wrong and finishes in the top 100. Keep him on your watchlist for now.

Follow Chris on Twitter here.