Baseball fantasy world: Three shortstops to consider

With the shortstop position being an offensive wasteland for many fantasy teams, Times staff writer Tim Hubbard identifies three players who could provide some help:

Jean Segura

SS | Milwaukee

The young Dominican has had no problem handling major league pitching, hitting .359 through Friday, second among all shortstops. Segura, who had a 50-steal season in the low minors, has stolen seven bases and should score plenty of runs hitting in front of Ryan Braun.

Jed Lowrie

SS | Oakland

Staying on the field had been Lowrie’s biggest issue in his first five years in the majors; he has never stayed healthy enough to log 400 at-bats in any season. The former Stanford standout has busted out of the box in 2013, leading all shortstops in average (.360) and runs (16), and is second in runs batted in (14). For fantasy owners, Lowrie forces a tough call: Hold onto him and hope he continues to have a career year or trade him while his stock is at its highest figuring another injury is just one takeout slide away?

Brandon Crawford

SS | San Francisco

Crawford may turn out like Ozzie Smith, but without the back flip: a shortstop whose defensive skills keep him in the lineup long enough for him to become an offensive force. Crawford, a career .235 hitter before this season, is swinging like he is back at UCLA, posting a .304 average with four home runs, matching his 2012 power output. However, hitting near the bottom of a National League lineup suppresses his fantasy numbers.