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Kevin projects the top 10 fantasy baseball dynasty shortstops going into the 2029 MLB season. His top MLB shortstops to increase their fantasy values for dynasty leagues include Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, Gunnar Henderson, and more.
This is the fifth article of my offseason Dynasty Crystal Ball Series, where I project the top 10 players at each position for the 2029 season. In dynasty, it's important to understand the current value of players, but being able to project their value going forward is a way you can get ahead of the rest of your league mates.
We're looking at the shortstop position. This position has some of the most exciting young players in fantasy, but it also has a number of top prospects that will debut soon. Will the young stars be able to hold off these prospects in the rankings?
Let's take a look at how the shortstop position will look for dynasty in three years. A note about how I'm looking at positions for these rankings is that I'm giving my best assumption on what each player's primary position will be going into 2029, and only ranking them in one position. Check here if you missed any of the prior rankings: (Catcher), (First Base), (Second Base), (Third Base)
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No. 10: Colt Emerson, Seattle Mariners
Age in 2029 (Around Opening Day): 23.68
Colt Emerson feels like a little bit of an afterthought when talking about the elite shortstop prospects, but he really shouldn't be. His carrying tool is his really advanced hit tool, but he should have an overall well-rounded fantasy profile.
In his 19-year-old season (turned 20 in July), Emerson had a 129 WRC+ across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with 16 HRs and 14 SBs. He struck out only 17.5 percent of the time while only walking 11.8 percent of the time. Aram Leighton from Just Baseball highlights an adjustment he made at the plate in the middle of the season, which really led to him taking off in the second half.
Colt Emerson has been a monster since June 13th. That’s when he made an adjustment in the box.
Since then? He’s slashing .316/.419/.516, good for a 156 wRC+
How Emerson has become one of the best prospects in baseball: https://t.co/KJgHHwxKM5 pic.twitter.com/SkbcxGFAoy
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) August 22, 2025
With the Mariners looking to compete again in 2025, I think we'll see Emerson in the big leagues at some point this season. He should provide a strong batting average with solid power and speed numbers. His power numbers will likely increase a bit as well as he matures physically.
No. 9: Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age in 2029: 29.43
So, Geraldo Perdomo is just an elite baseball player now? He had 7.1 fWAR in 2025, which was second in the NL only to Shohei Ohtani. Coming into 2025, Perdomo was a good glove at shortstop who you were hoping to just get league-average offensive production out of.
However, he broke out in a massive way offensively in 2025. He had a 138 WRC+ with 20 HRs and 27 SBs. He's always had a strong approach at the plate, but he improved that even more as he walked (13.1 percent) more than he struck out (11.5 percent).
Perdomo's quality of contact isn't too impressive, but the expected stats do generally back up his breakout. He had a 90th percentile xBA of .279 and an 85th percentile xwOBA of .355. Given his lackluster quality of contact, I do expect some regression in the power department, but this is now a legit bat and should be valued as such in dynasty.
No. 8: Leodalis De Vries, Athletics
Age in 2029: 22.46
A.J. Preller- you are a crazy man for trading Leo De Vries. Most GMs have been holding onto prospects of De Vries' quality for dear life, but not Preller, as he traded him in a deal for Mason Miller at last season's deadline. This should not scare you one bit if you roster De Vries in dynasty. In fact, this might be a boost to his value as he'll be playing his future home games in a much better ballpark to hit in.
De Vries was the big prize of the 2024 J-15 class. Rather than letting him get acclimated in the DSL like many J-15 signings, the Padres threw him right in Low-A. He fared pretty well for a 17-year-old with a 116 WRC+ while only striking out 23.3 percent of the time.
His 2025 season generally followed suit, with him starting in High-A. However, the Jeff Passan Bomb dropped, and he was shipped off to the Athletics. Not sure if he got a little bit of extra motivation after being traded, but De Vries really started cooking in the Athletics organization. He got the bump to Double-A after a few weeks where he had a 144 WRC+ and five HRs in only 21 games.
He finished off his 2025 season with a 125 WRC+ across High-A and Double-A with 15 HRs and 11 SBs while only striking out 20.0 percent of the time and walking 12.3 percent of the time, an incredibly impressive season for an 18-year-old. He and this next player are really neck and neck for me. It will be interesting to see if either can break apart from the other in the coming years.
I predicted Jacob Wilson, the Athletics' current shortstop, to be moved to second base in my second base crystal ball article, but they could easily be flipped.
No. 7: Jesus Made, Milwaukee Brewers
Age in 2029: 21.88
The Brewers' recent hit rate signing youngsters in the J-15 period is pretty startling. It's like hitting the lottery when you get one young stud in this fashion. The Brewers did this a couple of years ago with Jackson Chourio. Jesus Made appears to be the next big thing in the Brewers' pipeline (along with Luis Pena).
Made was the big DSL darling of the 2024 season. He had a 172 WRC+ with six HRs and 28 SBs while walking (18.1 percent) way more than he struck out (13.0 percent) as a 17-year-old. However, there have been many DSL stars that have quickly lost their shine when they came stateside.
This did not happen to Made as he quickly ascended through the low minors in the Brewers system, getting a taste of Double-A as an 18-year-old. He finished his debut stateside season with six HRs, 47 SBs, and a 128 WRC+ while only striking out 20.6 percent of the time and walking 12.8 percent of the time across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A.
Jesús Made for this moment 🎆
MLB's No. 5 prospect (@Brewers) slugs his first Double-A @BiloxiShuckers homer -- his first knock in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/JRLHS4LuGf
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 19, 2025
Made has a good chance to be my top non-debuted prospect this time next season (if he doesn't debut as a teenager in Milwaukee). Players who show this much upside at such a young age can't be ignored. The Brewers are aggressively pushing him, and he's continuing to meet the challenges.
No. 6: Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels
Age in 2029: 28.15
Zach Neto has to be one of the most underrated fantasy stars in all of baseball. He wasn't a huge prospect, plays for the Angels, and maybe isn't as good a real-life player, but I love his profile for fantasy.
Neto really emerged into a promising fantasy player in 2024 with 23 HRs, 30 SBs, and a 115 WRC+. He added more juice to the bat in 2025 with 26 HRs in only 128 games, along with 26 SBs and a 116 WRC+.
We're looking at a potential 30/30 player with a solid batting average. That's a guy every fantasy team wants, but he doesn't seem to get as much hype as some of the other stars on this list or the big-name prospects coming up to the majors soon.
No. 5: Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers
Age in 2029: 24.60
I'm obsessed with Kevin McGonigle in the batter's box. He's one of the best pure-hitting prospects I think I've ever watched. In 2025, as a 20-year-old, he had a 182 WRC+ with 19 HRs and 10 SBs across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A while walking way more than he struck out. He walked 14.9 percent of the time while only striking out 11.6 percent of the time.
His ability to make quality contact while not sacrificing anything in his approach is something that you basically only see from star players.
Since 2006 only 3 minor leaguers have posted an ops of at least .850 with 25 homers and a bb/k ratio of at least 1.2.
Kevin McGonigle: Age 18-20 (163 wRC+)
Wander Franco: Age 17-21 (155 wRC+)
Mookie Betts: Age 18-22 (151 wRC+)@bsblwithpeyton— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) November 17, 2025
Not sure how much more I can say about McGonigle. I think he is going to be awesome. He doesn't have the massive power-speed juice that some fantasy hitters are looking for, but he should get to 25-30 HRs at peak with double-digit steals and contend for batting titles.
In leagues that devalue speed or points leagues, he would probably be higher on this list. There is also some speculation that McGonigle could end up at either second or third base. He'll be really good anywhere, but I think he can handle short, and the Tigers don't have an obviously better option there in the short or long-term future.
No. 4: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
Age in 2029: 27.74
Did all of the Orioles' bats get a memo to have a down year in 2025? Even Gunnar Henderson, who was coming off a 2024 season when he was an MVP candidate, fell back to earth a bit in 2025. While he had his career high in stolen bases with 30, he only hit 17 HRs after hitting 28 and 37, respectively, in 2024 and 2025.
He still had a 120 WRC+ with solid under-the-hood metrics. It's likely the intercostal strain he dealt with early in the season sapped a bit of his power.
I would not be too concerned about Henderson moving forward. He's still an elite dynasty asset in a loaded position. I'm projecting him to be a half step behind the top three, but he could easily be back here if he hits for power like he did in 2024 and runs as he did in 2025.
No. 3: Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
Age in 2029: 22.92
The consensus top prospect in baseball had one of the most impressive debut seasons from a high schooler that I can remember. The scouting report on Konnor Griffin as a prep prospect was that he was a freak athlete with elite power and speed tools. However, there were questions on whether his hit tool would be good enough to reach his full potential.
He answered those questions and more while putting those electric tools on display. As a 19-year-old, he was unstoppable across three levels (Low-A, High-A, and Double-A). He had a 165 WRC+ with 21 HRs and 65 SBs while only striking out 21.7 percent of the time.
Konnor Griffin finishes the season slashing .337/.418/.542 with 21 HR and 65 SB.
The last minor league player to have a .330+/20+/60+ season was Tom Romano way back in 1982.pic.twitter.com/3j8jZvWu0I
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 14, 2025
What was even more impressive was that he improved as he faced more advanced pitching. He had a 156 WRC+ in Low-A, a 170 WRC+ in High-A, and a 175 WRC+ in Double-A.
Griffin is a truly special talent, and it wouldn't shock me if he's even higher on this list. Hopefully, the Pirates will give their fans and fantasy players what they want and not mess around with Griffin's development in the minors and get him to Pittsburgh ASAP.
No. 2: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
Age in 2029: 27.21
I think it's safe to say Elly De La Cruz became a fantasy superstar in 2024. He claimed to be the fastest man in the world, and he looked like it on the bases as he stole 67 to go along with 25 HRs and a 119 WRC+. There were still clear flaws in his game to improve on, most notably his 31.3 percent K-rate, but the power and speed that he provided were amazing.
In the first half of 2025, it looked like De La Cruz might be taking his game to the next level. He had a 128 WRC+ with 18 HRs while cutting his K-rate down to 24.3 percent. However, things really fell apart in the second half as he only had an 80 WRC+ with four HRs.
There were questions about whether De La Cruz was dealing with an injury or if he just hit the regression wall hard. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed after the season that he was dealing with a quad strain since late July. While De La Cruz didn't miss a game, it was clear the quad was affecting him, most evident in the fact that he only stole 12 bases in the second half.
Given this reported injury, I'm giving De La Cruz a little bit of a pass for his rough second half of 2025. He's still a super elite dynasty player. If he can maintain his improved plate skills (25.9 percent K-rate in 2025), he becomes even scarier with his power-speed upside. Hopefully, he can heal up and challenge the number one guy for the top spot in 2026.
No. 1: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
Age in 2029: 28.78
There are only two players in fantasy right now that you can expect more consistent elite production from than Bobby Witt Jr. Both of them are out of this world and over 30- Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
The dynamic shortstop has been a fantasy star since he got called up to the majors in 2022. He has had at least 20 HRs and 30 SBs in each of his major league seasons, including two 30/30 seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Bobby Witt Jr. is the first player in MLB history with 15+ homers and 25+ SB in each of his first 4 seasons https://t.co/qtCDTeOhM4
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 27, 2025
However, over the last two seasons, his elite fantasy production has been matched by his emergence as an elite hitter (and player). His 150 WRC+ between 2024 and 2025 is fifth in the league, and he has the second most fWAR in baseball (only behind Judge).
There are really no flaws in Witt's game. You can maybe make the argument that De La Cruz or Griffin has a higher 95th percentile ceiling outcome, but Witt has already reached such immense highs that you have to predict him to be at the top of the shortstop mountain for years to come.
Honorable Mentions
- Eli Willits, WSH
- Trea Turner, PHI
- Jeremy Pena, HOU
- Bryce Rainer, DET
- Roch Cholowsky, College (UCLA)
Shortstops I'm Projecting At Another Position
- Sebastian Walcott, TEX (3B)
- J.J. Wetherholt, STL (3B)
- Aidan Miller, PHI (3B)
- Colson Montgomery, CHW (3B)
- CJ Abrams, WSH (2B)
- Luis Peña, MIL (2B)
- Jacob Wilson, ATH (2B)
- Bo Bichette, TOR (2B)
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