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Shortstop fantasy baseball sleepers, targets to draft in the mid rounds. Potential 2025 fantasy baseball sleepers and undervalued SS to target in drafts.
Baseball is back! It's an exciting time for baseball as Opening Day is less than a month away, and spring training games are being played. At RotoBaller HQ, we have been producing high-quality fantasy baseball content and are back with more mid-round targets for your upcoming drafts. Today, we review the shortstop position. Shortstop is loaded with talent, especially in the elite tier. For fantasy managers who missed out on Bobby Witt Jr. and Elly De La Cruz, there is a plethora of shortstops that can provide a great return on value.
Below are some middle-round shortstops for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority mid-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2025 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2025 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more – available exclusively in our 2025 Draft Kit.
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Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is looking for a bounce-back season in 2025. Bichette had, by all accounts, a down year in 2024, hitting .225 with four home runs, 31 RBI, five stolen bases, and 29 runs scored. The veteran played in only 81 games last year due to a myriad of injuries, the largest being a calf strain that kept him out eight weeks and a broken finger on his right hand that ended his season prematurely in 2024.
The concern here for returning to his prior levels is that his home run and stolen base numbers have decreased annually since his 2021 breakout of .298/29/102/121/25. At only 26, there seems to be evidence that Bichette could recover the outstanding batting average and settle into a double-digit performer in both home runs and stolen bases.
Home run, Bo Bichette.
It was loud.
(vs. Bowden Francis) #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/VUcxSnlEol
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 19, 2025
His current ADP is 133, so Bichette is most likely a value play at the middle infield position in the 10th round as the 14th shortstop (RotoBaller SS15) off the board. ATC is projecting Bichette to have a little bit of a bounce back with a .274/.318/.419 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, 72 runs, and nine stolen bases over 599 plate appearances in 2025, making him a solid value pick at his current price tag.
-- Mike Carter - RotoBaller
Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards was a bright spot in an otherwise bleak Marlins season, slashing .328/.397/.423 with a homer and 31 steals in just 303 PAs. Edwards went 31-for-35 on SB attempts for a success rate of 89%, so he should keep the green light. The 25-year-old demonstrated a fantastic eye with a 22.5% chase rate and 10.9% BB% and strong contact skills with a 7.1% SwStr% and 17.2% K%. His .398 BABIP was probably too high to sustain, but his 28.4 ft./sec Statcast Sprint Speed, 26.5% FB%, and 22.7% LD% all point to a high-BABIP guy who should be able to outperform his .254 xBA again in 2025.
Xavier Edwards had a .397 OBP last season.
Among all players with at least 300 plate appearances, only four players had a higher OBP than Edwards:
Aaron Judge
Juan Soto
Kyle Tucker
Christian YelichHe got on-base at a higher clip than Ohtani, Vlad, Yordan and Witt Jr. pic.twitter.com/ImWnKa0swR
— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) February 8, 2025
Edwards projects as Miami's leadoff hitter, adding a healthy runs score total to his stolen bases and batting average. However, Edwards has zero power, as indicated by his 1.8% HR/FB, 89.1 mph average airborne exit velocity, 1.8% rate of Brls/BBE, and 102.7 mph max exit velocity. It remains to be seen if Edwards can work walks without the pop to keep pitchers honest, but he's still an intriguing upside pick at his ADP of 152.90. ATC projections are on board with Edwards racking up stolen bases and are projecting him with 36 for 2025.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar exploded on the fantasy scene in 2024, hitting .269/.295/.469 with 26 HR and six steals over 695 PAs. Tovar's plate discipline was atrocious, producing a 28.8% K% and 3.3% BB%, backed by a 19.2% SwStr% and 44.8% chase rate. Tovar's 45.9% FB% helped his HR total, but his 10.4% IFFB% was nearly as high as his 12.3% HR/FB. He won't repeat his .344 BABIP with so many fly balls.
Tovar's 93.1 mph average airborne exit velocity and 9% rate of Brls/BBE are more good than great, so power regression should be expected, too. Tovar's .233 xBA and .401 xSLG don't suggest much fantasy value, and his production was virtually the same at Coors (.277/.305/.468 in 346 PAs) as on the road (.261/.284/.470 in 349 PAs). His steals were a mirage, too, with a success rate of just 55%. Tovar projects as Colorado's leadoff man, but his profile is the opposite of what you want at the top of the order. Despite the shaky plate discipline, ATC projects Tovar to hit 22 home runs and steal nine bags, making him a solid pick at his current NFBC ADP of 123.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn posted a solid rookie campaign as a 22-year-old, hitting .267/.314/.416 with 15 homers and 11 steals over 637 PAs. It's easy to assume upside considering Winn's age, but he deserved none of his numbers. His .303 BABIP was propped up by a 22% LD% that will probably regress, and his .256 xBA suggests his batting average is due for a 10-point drop, even with the extra liners. His Statcast power indicators were awful, especially his 89.3 mph average airborne exit velocity, 3.7% rate of Brls/BBE, and .358 xSLG.
Winn has good wheels with a 28.8 ft./sec Statcast Sprint Speed, but 11-for-16 on SB attempts (69% success rate) should earn him a red light moving forward. Winn currently projects as the leadoff man in St. Louis, but it's difficult to imagine him keeping that role with such a limited offensive skill set. Winn's 162.88 ADP isn't too pricey, and ATC projects him to hit 13 home runs and steal 14 bags with a .256 batting average in 2025, making him a solid pick at his current ADP.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe posted an uneven season for fantasy managers in 2024, hitting .243/.293/.364 with 12 HR and 28 SB over 689 PAs. He went 28-for-35 on SB attempts for an 80% success rate, meaning he should continue to steal in 2025. He also shortened his swing, cutting his K% from 27.8% in 2023 to 22.6% last year and his SwStr% from 12.5% to 9.9%.
However, the new swing sapped his power by every metric. The 24-year-old's HR/FB fell from 15.2% to 8.8%, his average airborne exit velocity declined from 93.6 mph to 91.6, and his rate of Brls/BBE went from 9% to 3.9%. A lucky .303 BABIP (.259 in 2023) made his overall batting lines look similar, but Volpe was a much worse hitter last season. On the bright side, Volpe had a torrid postseason and saw his BB% increase from 6.1% in the regular season to 16.9% in the playoffs while posting a .407 OBP and 136 wRC+.
Anthony Volpe made some mechanical tweaks down the stretch in 2024 & saw improved results. Starting more squatted, the hands start lower, & his head moves less. It was just 82 postseason swings, but his bat speed was up 2 mph & HH% up 20% on 34 BBE. Something to watch in 2025 👀 https://t.co/bnhY3ihXbi pic.twitter.com/fzvRZKmyam
— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) February 7, 2025
Volpe is projected to hit at the top of the order for the Bronx Bombers, but he'll need to produce to keep that role. Volpe has upside at his current NFBC ADP of 140, and ATC is projecting him to slash .237/.299/.380 with 14 home runs, 77 runs, and 26 stolen bases across 613 plate appearances in 2025. If everything goes right, there is 20/20 potential for Volpe at an inexpensive price tag during the middle rounds of upcoming 2025 fantasy baseball drafts.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
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