Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Sleepers, Breakouts, Values, and Bounce Back Candidates

The shortstop position is loaded with sleepers, studs, value options, and potential breakout players in 2025, allowing fantasy drafters to develop their offenses in different ways this draft season. Let's pinpoint a few players who could provide fantasy baseball managers with an edge over their competition.

Value: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

His success in 2023 between AAA and the majors outperformed his scouting report. His ADP (65 – 38th hitter) was higher heading into last season. I see a pullback in his batting average (in the .270 range) until his approach aligns with his previous success. The Reds gave him 50 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League (.240/12/4/12/1 with 21 strikeouts).

McLain was on a path to a 20/30 season with a high floor in runs and RBIs, but his recovery from shoulder surgery may lead to lower expectations in power. He will gain outfield eligibility in 2025. When doing my first run of the projections, he ranked first at second base by FPGscore and 12th at shortstop, similar to his March ADPs at each position (2B - 4th and SS - 10th) in the NFBC in early March.

Sleeper: Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Over the winter, Winn stated that he wanted to run more, with an eye on stealing at least 30 bags. His minor league resume supports his position. His average hit rate (1.554) doesn’t suggest a push over 20 home runs. Let’s go with a .270 batting average with 100 runs, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a floor of 30 stolen bases.

Comeback Player: Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox

Story comes into 2025 with an even more beaten-down profile, with more questions than answers in the fantasy market. His ADP (237) is well below his peak form from 2018 to 2020, when he ranked in the top 10 each year for hitters by FPGscore (10.00, 7.75, and 3.75 – strike season).

The Red Sox have him under contract for two more seasons, and they would love some return on their investment. Story has the tools to outperform his ADP by a wide margin, with minimal replacement cost if he fails. With positive spring reports, he could be a missing piece to a winning team in deep formats.

Bounceback Player: Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays

Bichette went from a foundation bat to last year’s bum in one easy season. Most drafters aren’t looking to throw him a life raft. In the end, his contact batting average was so out of line with his career resume that a return to a better hitter should be expected. Unfortunately, trusting him to be a 20/20 player feels more like a gamble than a reality.

The best reason to believe in a bounce-back season is that Bichette is in a contract year at age 26, a perfect time to get “paid” in free agency. The Blue Jays will hit him in the top third of their batting order, and he has the tools to be a top-six shortstop in 2025 with a rebound in power and a green light on the base baths.

Breakout Stud: CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals

Abrams doesn’t bring the electricity of Elly De La Cruz and Oneil Cruz entering 2025, but he does control the strike zone better. His power is coming, and he already has an impact season in steals (47) on his resume. I see a future .280/100/30/80/50 player when he adds more strength and bulk to his frame (he added 10 lbs. of bulk over the winter). He looks priced to pay off this season.

Value: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

Sleeper: Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Comeback Player: Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox

Bounceback Player: Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays

Breakout Stud: CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals

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