![Francisco Lindor has been in the middle of trade rumors. [Image Source: Flickr | Rated R Superstar!]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2020/2/2/660x290/b_502x220x82/francisco-lindor-has-been-in-the-middle-of-trade-rumors-image-source-flickr-rated-r-superstar_2394377.jpg "Francisco Lindor has been in the middle of trade rumors. [Image Source: Flickr | Rated R Superstar!]")
With the regular season starting in less than two months, we have been taking a look at the projected starters at each position.
After going through all of the second basemen, let’s move on to the projected starting American League shortstops. As a subjective list, many of the players can almost be considered interchangeable as to where they are ranked. This is easily one of the most talented positions which made the ranking even more challenging.
Projected starting lineups were taken from Fangraphs.
Francisco Lindor, Indians
At the age of 26, Lindor already has two Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, and four All-Star appearances. He has finished 15th, sixth, fifth, and ninth in AL MVP voting the last four years. Lindor has hit at least 32 homers in each of the last three seasons, and his .284 batting average and .854 OPS are right along his career marks of .288 and .840 respectively.
"They haven’t offered me the right thing."
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) February 2, 2020
Francisco Lindor was blunt about his future, but says he would love to stay in Cleveland: https://t.co/MLEXFrgaXz pic.twitter.com/OYlFCT8LT4
Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
Bogaerts won his third Silver Slugger in the last five years in 2019 and finished fifth in AL MVP voting. The two-time World Series winner posted career-highs last year in home runs (33), RBIs (117), and OPS (.939). Still just 27 years old, he possesses an above-average range in the field.
Red Sox stars Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez have these odds to win the 2020 AL MVP award. https://t.co/yHnol7S1km pic.twitter.com/uGlvt8jDp7
— NESN (@NESN) January 28, 2020
