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Joey's SS fantasy baseball draft sleepers, busts, values for points leagues in 2025. His undervalued, overvalued shortstop picks for fantasy baseball drafts.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our series about fantasy baseball points leagues, focusing on shortstops who are undervalued and overvalued based on fantasy baseball ADPs.
The shortstop position is deeper than ever entering the 2025 fantasy baseball season. Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Elly De La Cruz are all going within the first two rounds of drafts. Then, shortstops like Trea Turner, Willy Adames, and Corey Seager go off the board shortly after. Each of those shortstops has an ADP inside the top 75.
However, there are plenty of values/fades to note at the position heading into drafts. So, let's dive in and examine the shortstop landscape this season. Be sure to check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball points rankings as well.
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Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
ADP: 160.0
There are reasons to be concerned with Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar this season, which explains why he is going this late in drafts. His chase rate (44.1 percent) and whiff rate (33.5 percent) both ranked in the bottom 8 percent of the league last year, and his 3.3 percent walk rate ranked in the bottom 2 percent. On top of that, he plays on a Rockies team that will likely struggle offensively.
However, Tovar is a fantastic value pick in a points league format at his 160 ADP. He hit 26 home runs with 45 doubles, four triples, 78 RBI, and six stolen bases last season. Those 45 doubles led the National League, and playing at Coors Field for half of his games should help him finish with 25-plus homers and 70-plus RBI in 2025.
Ezequiel Tovar hit 26 home runs for the @Rockies in 2024.
How will he follow that up this season? 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/DVAdBULGLn
— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2025
Tovar won't be the most exciting pick in drafts, but he has the potential to be a consistent fantasy option once again. He scored the sixth-most fantasy points at the shortstop position last year and has appeared in 310 of 324 games for the Rockies over the last two seasons.
Given that RotoBaller has him ranked 56 spots higher than his ADP, he is severely undervalued in points leagues.
Verdict: Undervalued
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
ADP: 131.3
It was truly a season to forget for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette in 2024. He dealt with multiple injuries throughout the year and winded up playing in just 81 games. In those 81 contests, Bichette had the worst-hitting season of his career. He hit .225 at the plate with four home runs, 16 doubles, 31 RBI, and five stolen bases.
Nothing about Bichette's 2024 fantasy season was great, but there are a couple of positives for him heading into the new season. Even though he didn't have the best season at the plate, his hard-hit rate (43.5 percent), expected batting average (.255), whiff rate (22 percent), and strikeout rate (19 percent) all ranked pretty well. On top of that, the two-time All-Star will be fully healthy entering Opening Day.
As a result, Bichette could certainly be a value pick at his 131.3 ADP. This is a player who has hit at least 20 home runs, totaled at least 175 hits, and driven in at least 70 runs in three of the past four years. If he can return to this type of hitter in 2025, he might be one of the best picks at the position this year. In a contract year, expect the shortstop to bounce back in fantasy.
Verdict: Undervalued
Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants
ADP: 74.7
The San Francisco Giants signed shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal this offseason. That deal comes after Adames had a career year with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. He hit .251 at the plate with 32 home runs, 33 doubles, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases en route to finishing as the fifth-best shortstop in points leagues.
However, the move to San Francisco hurts the shortstop's fantasy value for the 2025 season. Although the 29-year-old would have hit 31 home runs at Oracle Park last year, the Giants' home stadium has recently been known as a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Adames is also likely due for some regression after posting a .293 batting average and 18 home runs with runners in scoring position in 2024.
Newest @SFGiants shortstop Willy Adames ranks No. 41 in @MLBNetwork’s #Top100RightNow. pic.twitter.com/GngzJyc0vw
— MLB (@MLB) February 6, 2025
There's no doubt that Adames is coming off a fantastic year, but his 74.7 ADP is slightly too high right now. The Giants will struggle to score runs this season, and the shortstop ranked in the bottom half of the league in expected batting average (.243), average exit velocity (88.6 mph), hard-hit rate (40.7 percent), and squared-up rate (20.9 percent) last season.
Verdict: Overvalued
CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals
ADP: 72.7
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams has put up nearly identical stats in each of the past two seasons. In 2023, he hit .245 at the plate with 18 home runs, 64 RBI, 28 doubles, and 47 stolen bases. Then, he hit .246 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 29 doubles, and 31 stolen bases last year. Even though Abrams contributes solid numbers across the board, he isn't the best pick in points leagues at his ADP.
The 24-year-old won't put up big numbers in the home runs, doubles, or RBI categories, which is very important in points leagues. Abrams also ranked in the bottom half of the league in barrel rate (6.9 percent), launch angle sweet spot rate (35 percent), average exit velocity (88.2 mph), and chase rate (35.4 percent) last season.
Therefore, it's hard to spend a top-75 pick on a player who might not hit over 20 home runs or bring in over 70 runs in 2025. He'll be able to contribute solid steal numbers, but the potential low home-run numbers certainly hurt his fantasy value in points leagues.
Verdict: Overvalued
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels
ADP: 192.7
Despite a breakout campaign in 2024, Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto finds himself going extremely late in drafts. Part of the reason is that Neto might not be ready for Opening Day. He underwent shoulder surgery this past offseason, and there is no timetable set for when he could play in games.
Still, Neto is worth a selection at his 192.7 ADP. Last season, he hit .249 at the plate with 23 home runs, 34 doubles, 77 RBI, and 30 stolen bases across 155 games. That type of production is hard to find in the later round of drafts, making the Angels shortstop almost a must-draft in the 16th to 18th rounds.
Players age 25 or younger projected* in 2025 to have:
> 20 HR
> 20 SB
> 110 wRC+Zach Neto
Jackson Chourio
Julio Rodriguez
Bobby Witt Jr
Corbin Carroll pic.twitter.com/o6I3M3a1ZK— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) February 11, 2025
Now, there's a chance you will be without Neto for a couple of weeks to open the year. However, it's hard to pass on a shortstop who finished ninth at the position in points scored last season. Although his metrics didn't back up his strong 2024 season, you can't ignore what the 24-year-old was able to do at the plate.
Verdict: Undervalued
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