Fantasy Baseball: Breakout Players and Sleeper Second Basemen
Last fantasy baseball season, the second base provided many speed-favoring players while lacking that one bat with a high five-category skill set. Matt McLain fits that profile this year. Here are some other winning options at second base in 2025:
Deep Sleeper: Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox would love for Campbell to seize their starting second base in spring training, but his bat has been cold over his first nine games (2-for-21 with three runs, four walks, and nine strikeouts). Boston must solve their dilemma at third base (Will Rafael Devers concede the position to Alec Bregman?). If not, the Red Sox will give Bregman starts at second base, blocking Campbell from starting in the majors.
Last year, over three levels of minor league baseball (High A, AA, and AAA), Campbell hit .330 over 430 at-bats with 94 runs, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. His success screams foundation bat in the majors, but he only has 70 at-bats of experience at AAA. He has the approach to bat leadoff for the Red Sox. I sense that Campbell is a half-season away from being fantasy-relevant, putting him in the buy-and-hold category in deep formats.
Deep Sleeper: Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers
Typically, the fantasy market wouldn't get too excited about a second baseman earning at-bats at first base. Keith has the power and tools to deliver 30+ home runs and earn a middle-of-the-order opportunity in the Tigers' starting lineup. His second base qualification helps his fantasy value in 2025 while relying on home runs and RBI production to earn his fantasy keep.
I don't expect Spender Torkelson to disappear from the equation for Detroit at first base, and the Tigers gave the second base job to Gleyber Torres over the winter. Keith comes off a quiet first year with Detroit, but his bat should be much better in 2025.
Value: Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies
Based on his 12th ranking at second base in the high-stakes market, Bryson Stott is the least attractive potential starting option for his position in shallow fantasy leagues. When writing the second base player profiles. I ranked him sixth at the position, with the hopes that he beats his 2023 season (.282/78/15/62/31 over 585 at-bats).
His bat flashed more home run upside earlier in his minor league career, and Stott has back-to-back seasons with over 30 stolen bases. The Phillies will hit him lower in the batting order, lowering his chances to score runs. I see 25+ home runs in his profile in the near future.
Sleeper: Andres Gimenez, Toronto Blue Jays
After smashing 32 home runs between 2022 and 2023 over 1,048 at-bats, Gimenez lost his power feel at the plate last season (nine home runs over 583 at-bats). He has 80 steals on his resume over the past three years, upping his fantasy floor. His average hit metric painted a high ceiling in home runs from 2021 to 2024, suggesting that Gimenez will hit close to 20 home runs this season.
His ADP is almost identical to Bryson Stott's, putting both players in attractive ranges in drafts. Gimenez doesn't take many walks, but he has a better chance to move up in the batting order.
Breakout Player: Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles
Based on talent, pedigree, and potential lineup opportunity, Holliday is an intriguing player to follow in 2025. His bat was overmatched early last season, but his overall production with Baltimore translated to an 80/15/70/15 player if given 550 at-bats. His walk rate screams leadoff job for the Orioles. His swing path produced too many ground balls in his rookie season.
The eye test paints him as an impact player with a high floor in five categories once Holliday gets accustomed to major league pitching. In the 2026 fantasy season, he should get drafted in the first four rounds, meaning that his bat was a winning investment this season.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.