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Later-round shortstop (SS) fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts predictions for 2026. These cheap SS draft values with upside make for great late-round picks.
Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of our late-round fantasy baseball values and sleepers series. Today, we discuss the shortstop position and have five later-round shortstop fantasy baseball sleepers and values. Spring training games are being played, and we are getting closer to some of the biggest fantasy baseball draft weekends. With that in mind, here at RotoBaller, we are back with more late-round sleepers to help you win your drafts including Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, JJ Wetherholt, Colson Montgomery, Masyn Winn.
Below you will find our favorite late-round targets for 2026 drafts. The later rounds are where you can shoot for the moon and select players with league-winning upside, take a chance on an injured star, or even an emerging top prospect. If fantasy managers miss out on taking a top 12 shortstop in their upcoming fantasy drafts, we have some late-round options who could pay off and be a tremendous value. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will these hitters provide a big return on their draft day cost? Read on to see our takes.
The five SS fantasy baseball outlooks for 2026 below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. Be sure to save 30% on any MLB Package today to start reading all of our in-depth 2026 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more. Let's win some leagues in 2026!
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Later-Round Values: SS Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Kevin McGonigle, SS, Detroit Tigers
Entering the 2026 season, the consensus top two prospects in baseball are Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin and Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle. In 88 games across three levels last season, McGonigle slashed an impressive .305/.408/.583 with 31 doubles, 19 home runs, 10 steals, and more walks (59) than strikeouts (46).
On floor alone, you can make a case that McGonigle has a higher floor than any prospect in the game today. However, that's not to say the ceiling isn't high, too. McGonigle is a phenomenal pure hitter who posted an 82% contact rate, a 14.9% walk rate, and an 11.6% strikeout rate last season. He's also shown above-average to plus power and enough speed to be a 15-20 steal threat as well.
Even if he's not on Detroit's opening day roster, fantasy managers can expect McGonigle to be up with Detroit for the majority of the 2026 season and make a strong run at the American League Rookie of the Year award. He's one of the top rookie hitters to target in fantasy drafts this season, with an NFBC ADP of 301 heading into upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.
-- Eric Cross - RotoBaller
Konnor Griffin, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin is the consensus top prospect entering the 2026 season and has a path to make a major impact for fantasy baseball much earlier than expected. The Pirates selected Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Prep School. The 19-year-old made his professional debut last season but quickly progressed through the Pittsburgh system, leaving the door open for the 2026 debut.
Griffin began his campaign with Low-A Bradenton and held a .338/.396/.536 line with nine home runs and 26 stolen bases across 50 games. He was then bumped up to High-A, where he showed similar upside, posting a .325/.432/.510 line with seven home runs and 33 stolen bases across a 51-game stint. The Pirates then rewarded their budding superstar with a 21-game stint at Double-A, where he would post a .960 OPS with five home runs and six swiped bags.
Konnor Griffin has nine batted balls this spring.
Four of them have an EV of 104.8 mph or higher. pic.twitter.com/ZvkA45gOFS
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) February 25, 2026
Earlier in January, the Pirates formally invited Griffin to big-league spring training, suggesting he will be given a legitimate opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. With Pittsburgh eyeing to compete with a strong rotation led by reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and the additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, Griffin would bring another potent bat to this lineup.
The 19-year-old possesses immense upside across the five standard categories and would see his ADP skyrocket if he were to make the Opening Day roster. For now, he is a top high-upside pick at his 183 ADP on NFBC drafts.
-- Andy Smith - RotoBaller
JJ Wetherholt, 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
With the St. Louis Cardinals in a full rebuild, we should see plenty of their prospects get a shot this season, headlined by their consensus top-10 overall prospect, JJ Wetherholt. It was an impressive 2025 season for Wetherholt, who racked up 28 doubles, 17 home runs, and 23 steals in 109 games with a .306/.421/.510 slash line.
On top of that, Wetherholt had nearly as many walks (72) as strikeouts (73), and his 154 wRC+ was the ninth-best mark in the minor leagues for those who made at least 400 plate appearances. While not one single tool stands out for Wetherholt, he's above-average or plus across the board offensively.
JJ Wetherholt with his first spring home run.
A run at a 20/20 rookie season is possible.pic.twitter.com/z1ud4jTqh6
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) February 27, 2026
In 2025, he registered an 80% contact rate, 14.6% walk rate, and a 14.9% strikeout rate while consistently showcasing his plus power and above-average speed all season. The 23-year-old has a recent NFBC ADP of 239, which aligns with his RotoBaller overall ranking of 243.
With at least 500 plate appearances in the majors this season, Wetherholt could make a strong run at a 20/20 season with a good average and OBP as well, making him a solid pick at his current ADP in upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.
-- Eric Cross - RotoBaller
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox
Following a couple of underwhelming stints in Triple-A where he flirted with the Mendoza line and fell off top 100 prospect lists, Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery was called up to the South Side last July. He took a couple of weeks to adjust, then proceeded to mash 21 homers and slug .529 in just 284 plate appearances.
However, the contact issues that cast a shadow over Montgomery's upper-minors prospect status also manifested, as he hit just .239 and struck out over 29% of the time. The power is backed up by robust Statcast metrics, such as a 14.5% Barrel rate, strong 27% Pulled AIR rate, and elite bat speed (77 mph). Montgomery doesn't offer much foot speed, which may mean rotisserie league managers will have to make up both batting average and stolen bases elsewhere.
The White Sox improved the lineup via free agency by adding Munetaka Murakami and Austin Hays, so the runs scored and RBI should be serviceable. Montgomery primarily started at shortstop but also played 12 games at third base, so he may be multi-eligible on some platforms. This is a solid power-focused infielder option who could slug his way to a breakout with some positive hit luck variance.
ATC projects Montgomery to slash .218/.296/.405 with 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and 61 runs with a 94 wRC+ across 550 plate appearances. Montgomery is ranked 196th overall in the latest RotoBaller rankings, but has an NFBC ADP of 212, making him a value pick at his current ADP for 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
-- Michael Cecchini - RotoBaller
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
After a productive first full major league season in 2024, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn took a step back in 2025. He hit .253/.310/.363 with nine home runs, 51 RBI, 72 runs, and nine stolen bases (129 games). It was a season disrupted by injuries, with a back issue sending him to the injured list early in the season and a serious knee injury ending his year early.
The good news is that Winn's surgically repaired knee seems to be fine, and he's been partaking in spring training without limitations. He'll need to be at full health to squeeze out every last drop of fantasy value. Winn shouldn't have any playing time issues, with the Cardinals set to continue looking to the future. It's the volume that will determine how much value Winn provides fantasy teams.
He scored 85 runs in 2024 (150 games) and was on a similar pace last year. Until we see some progress at the plate, Winn's 2024 is about the best fantasy managers can hope for. At a position containing multiple stars early in the draft, Winn is more of a depth option who won't harm your fantasy teams.
ATC projects Winn to slash .252/.305/.378 with 13 homers, 72 runs, and 14 steals in 2026. His recent 269 NFBC ADP makes him a bargain heading into upcoming fantasy drafts, as RotoBaller ranks him more favorably at 249 overall.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Who Should I Draft Tool
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Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? We have lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats and projections, ADPs, and news -- enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy baseball rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy baseball managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's roto leagues (rotisserie) scoring, or points leagues scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are two small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at, including recent trending player names who are seeing increases or decreases in their draft values. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Baseball Tool
Not sure who to draft? Use our free Who Should I Draft tool.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? We have lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats and projections, ADPs, and news -- enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy baseball rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy baseball managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's roto leagues (rotisserie) scoring, or points leagues scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are two small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at, including recent trending player names who are seeing increases or decreases in their draft values. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts:
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