5 Prospect Breakout Candidates: Shortstop

Zach's top shortstop fantasy baseball prospect stashes, sleepers and breakout candidates for 2025. These SS prospects have big upside if they get the opportunity.

Shortstop is one of the most exciting spots in all of fantasy baseball. Some of the most athletic players in the sport patrol the position and offer elite fantasy baseball from the top tier at shortstop. You'll have to pay a premium price to get those elite producers, but the position also has solid depth and a strong secondary tier of options.

One strategy for building some depth at shortstop into your roster or a way to pivot if you miss out on the elite options is to target a top shortstop prospect late in your fantasy baseball draft. Several of the top prospects at the position bring great tools and a high ceiling if they can earn their way into significant playing time.

If you're in a redraft league, these five options are worth watching closely coming into the season. You can either add them late in the draft or snag them when they are called up mid-season. These five shortstop fantasy baseball prospects should make an impact on your fantasy leagues in 2025. Be sure to also check out our 2025 fantasy baseball prospect rankings (redraft leagues) and longer-term fantasy baseball dynasty prospect rankings.

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Jacob Wilson, Athletics

Wilson is a great prospect, but what sets him apart from the options listed below is one thing - opportunity. While the other names on this list will have to battle for playing time and could start the season in Triple-A, Wilson is expected to be the Athletics regular shortstop this season and looks ready to produce meaningful numbers right away.

Wilson may come into the season a little under the radar after last season when he hit a mediocre .250 in his first 28 games in the MLB. He had two doubles and two triples but only a .281 wOBA in those games. Even though he didn't make must quality contact, he had a 9.7 percent strikeout rate, the fifth lowest by any hitter with at least 100 plate appearances.

He flashed his excellent plate approach and hit tool through his 53 games in the minors last year as well, hitting .433 with 28 doubles, seven home runs, and a .504 wOBA. This spring training, he looked ready to bring some of that power to his first full season with the A's:

Jacob Wilson is displaying newfound power in Spring Training after a transformative offseason.

MLB's No. 31 prospect crushed 2 roundtrippers Monday and leads the @Athletics in homers (4) and RBIs (12) this spring: https://t.co/WKavuIXdw3 pic.twitter.com/GGFtdNRw6b

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 18, 2025

With how good his batting average and contact rates are, his power doesn't have to be exceptional to make him worth a late-round pick. The Athletics in Sacramento should be a fun and productive lineup to grab a piece of, and their exciting young shortstop should have a good chance to flourish right out of the gate. His averages should be good enough to help your roster right away, and he should have strong counting stats especially if the power sticks around. He's a low-risk, late-round pick who brings good upside and unlike the rest of these options in this post has a clear path to immediate playing time.

Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks

Lawlar is in a unique place coming into 2024. He's a "post-hype sleeper" in some ways since he has been Arizona's "shortstop of the future" for a while, but he didn't play a single game in the MLB last year, so he's still very much a prospect. Before you think Lawlar's an old guy, though, remember he is just 22 coming into the season.

Last year, he only managed to play 23 games in the regular season due to a thumb injury and lingering hamstring issues. He hit .318 with a .409 wOBA, two homers, and six stolen bases in his limited work in the minor leagues, and he has demolished Triple-A with a .362/.438/.602 triple-slash when he has been available over parts of the last two seasons.

This spring training, Lawlar looks healthy and ready to put last year's injuries behind him. In his first 13 games, he hit .294 with a home run, four walks, and two stolen bases.

Hit tool ✔️
Run tool ✔️

MLB's No. 11 prospect Jordan Lawlar (@Dbacks) rockets a 104.9 mph RBI triple, showing off his 70-grade wheels: pic.twitter.com/P6DHfHFwxW

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 7, 2025

Lawlar needs playing time since he hasn’t been able to play more than 119 games in any of his three seasons since the D-Backs picked him No. 6 overall in 2021. He has primarily played shortstop, but the team just signed Geraldo Perdomo to a four-year, $45 million extension earlier this spring. He played 3B in winter ball, but Eugenio Suarez is locked into that spot coming into the final year of his contract.

The team optioned Lawlar to Triple-A to start the season hoping to get him regular at-bats. If he's healthy and as productive as his upside has shown, though, it won't take long for him to find a place to make an impact at some point this season. He has a higher ceiling this year than Wilson, but the fact that he'll start in Triple-A and has so much injury risk keeps him from ranking higher for redraft leagues.

Marcelo Mayer, Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox "core four" may be down to a terrific trio after they traded Kyle Teel to the White Sox this offseason, but the remaining prospects look ready to make an impact in 2025. Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer have impressed throughout their rise through the minors, and all could either start the season with the team or be just a call away in Worcester at Triple-A.

Mayer has definitely looked ready to contribute this spring training. In his first 18 games, he hit .333 (11-for-33) with five walks, two triples, and a home run.

Marcelo Mayer is raking this spring

The @RedSox's No. 3 prospect is 11-for-29 with 10 RBIs after this triple 👀 pic.twitter.com/3oQjIS1X60

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 19, 2025

The Red Sox moved him to 2B and 3B in different games this preseason as well, so even if Trevor Story does stay healthy and fill SS, Mayer could push through at other spots in the infield.

The only reason he isn't higher on this list is Boston's crowded roster, which may keep him from starting the season in the MLB. Mayer hasn't played at all in Triple-A yet, hitting a solid .307 with eight home runs and 13 stolen bases in 300 at-bats in the minors last season, but all those games were at Double-A Portland.

Boston may let him play every day in Worcester to start the season, but he looks ready to make an immediate impact when he gets his chance to rake at Fenway.

Hyeseong Kim, Los Angeles Dodgers

Kim will also look to make an impact as a mid-season call-up since the Dodgers sent him to Triple-A before heading to Tokyo for their season-opening series against the Cubs. Kim will likely play 2B when he arrives and will bring more value in that spot, but he also has shortstop eligibility in most formats.

Over the last four seasons, Kim has been outstanding for the Kiwoom Heroes. He hit over .300 in each of those four seasons with at least 25 stolen bases each season as well. He didn't typically show off a ton of power but did hit a career-best 11 home runs in 127 games in 2024.

In his first look at MLB pitching this spring, Kim went 6-for-29 (.207) with a home run and two stolen bases.

Hyeseong Kim crushes his first #SpringTraining homer 💪 pic.twitter.com/rgXYIe5YYB

— MLB (@MLB) March 1, 2025

He was sent to Triple-A to keep working on the swing adjustments that the Dodgers made on his arrival in the States, but once he gets used to his new swing, the Dodgers are hopeful it will add a little more pop to his already strong hit tool. He will be a good source of runs and stolen bases if he gets the chance to be an everyday part of the Dodgers lineup, so be ready to add Kim and plug him in at SS or whatever other spot you need a boost in when he arrives.

Brice Matthews, Houston Astros

Like some other names on this list, Matthews could end up having more value at another position besides shortstop. If Jose Altuve can transition to the OF smoothly, Matthews could end up getting a chance as the team's everyday 2B next to Jeremy Pena. Matthews played 2B, SS, and 3B the last few seasons in the minors and Winter League, so he could end up being a mid-season call-up for Houston depending on how the season goes.

He may get lost a little bit in the shadow of the newly-acquired Cam Smith, who is expected to make the roster out of camp, but he could also have an impact at some point this season after an impressive year in the minors last year.

He was the Astros first-round pick in 2023 and started 2024 in High-A, where he hit six homers with a .450 wOBA in 21 games before moving to Double-A. He played 42 games in Double-A with nine homers and a .397 wOBA before finishing the season with 12 games at Triple-A.

In total, he hit .265 with 15 home runs and a .398 wOBA, and he also added 32 stolen bases in 41 attempts.

This spring training, he went just 3-for-16 (.188) but did have a double, a triple, and a pair of walks. According to Jon Morosi, he also made a great impression defensively.

Infielder Brice Matthews, 2023 1st-round pick from @HuskerBaseball, has impressed Astros officials during spring training, especially on the defensive side. I wouldn’t be surprised if he debuts in the majors this year. @MLBNetwork @MLBPipeline @B1Gbaseball

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 19, 2025

His numbers indicate he still needs more time at Triple-A since he had a low average and high strikeout rate at that level. However, if he has a strong start and gets the call to the majors, his blend of power and speed could make him a great midseason pickup for your fantasy squad. Keep a close eye on him to start the season with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

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