| 1 |
|
| Witt’s residence run manufacturing slipped in 2025, taking him out of consideration to go No. 1 total, however there’s nothing within the underlying numbers to recommend it is a long-term concern. He is nonetheless as protected of a guess as anybody on the draft board to contribute plus manufacturing throughout all 5×5 classes and the apparent option to be drafted first at this star-studded place. |
| 2 |
|
| De La Cruz minimize down his strikeout price in 2025 and gave the impression to be making a leap as a hitter till the ultimate two months, when his batting common and residential run output each cratered. Even presuming it was a blip led to by him taking part in via a quad harm, he is in all probability extra like a 40-steal man than a 60-steal man because of the affect of supervisor Terry Francona, making him a borderline first-rounder relatively than a decisive one. |
| 3 |
|
| One other borderline first-rounder is Lindor, who will get the sting over De La Cruz in Head-to-Head factors leagues due to his superior strikeout price and is as bankable as they arrive after what was kind of his third straight 30/30 season (technically simply 29 steals in 2024, however shut sufficient). He had a tough couple months whereas taking part in via a fractured pinky toe midseason, however he got here again round as soon as it healed. |
| 4 |
|
| It appeared like nothing might gradual Henderson’s rise to stardom, however then got here a humbling 2025 by which his residence run output was greater than halved. Nothing else was too out of whack for him — and actually, he set a brand new excessive with 30 stolen bases — so the facility slippage could have been the byproduct of a preseason intercostal pressure. Given his youth, pedigree and lack of any apparent pink flag, I am rating him for a rebound. |
| 5 |
|
| Turner’s 36 steals have been his most in seven years, and he gained a batting title for the second time. Clearly, he is nonetheless an impactful Fantasy participant at age 32. Whereas his energy output is just a little substandard for this vary of the rankings and he is unlikely to make it via a season completely unscathed, a second-round decide nonetheless appears applicable, significantly in 5×5 leagues. |
| 6 |
|
| In case you tuned out of the 2025 season early, then you definately missed the nice sigh of aid that was Betts’ ultimate 47 video games, seeing him decide up a pair additional miles per hour of exit velocity whereas slashing .317/.376/.516. It is attainable that the sturdy end is masking reputable decline for the 33-year-old, however given his lengthy historical past of excellence, it is extra seemingly that he simply wanted a while to regain his power after a prolonged sickness simply previous to the season. |
| 7 |
|
| Arguably essentially the most troublesome participant to rank for 2026, Perdomo positioned third amongst shortstops in 5×5 scoring and first in Head-to-Head factors with an out-of-nowhere breakthrough that noticed him greater than triple his earlier excessive in residence runs. The anticipated stats again up the efficiency, which simply acquired higher and higher because the 12 months went alongside, however the ability indicators (uncooked energy and velocity) are so missing right here that I’ve to suppose he’ll give one thing again. |
| 8 |
|
| If not for a few IL stints, Neto would have given shortstop one other 30/30 man to go along with Francisco Lindor, and since some individuals method Fantasy Baseball as if these are the one two contributions that matter, you may even see him elevated past this level in some drafts. However he’ll wrestle to maintain the batting common respectable and will fall quick in runs (due to his poor on-base expertise) and RBI (due to his questionable supporting solid). |
| 9 |
|
| Bichette predictably returned to kind after an injury-plagued 2024 and is just about a lock for a .300-plus batting common and .800-plus OPS, whilst he assessments free company this offseason. You will not discover a safer guess for batting common at shortstop, however as a result of Bichette now not steals bases and isn’t any higher than a B-minus for energy, he is decidedly second tier total. |
| 10 |
|
| Pena already had a sturdy basis as an athletic participant with high quality bat-to-ball expertise, however by angling the ball higher in 2025, he managed to enhance his energy output, which, in flip, improved his batting common. His stroll price is on the alternative finish of the spectrum from Geraldo Perdomo’s, which enormously limits his run-scoring potential even when he continues to bat leadoff, however he ought to venture equally to Perdomo within the different 5 classes. |
| 11 |
|
| For the second straight 12 months, what seemed to be a breakthrough season for Abrams finally met with catastrophe, seeing him hit .217 with a .633 OPS within the second half. Whereas that subsequent leap should still but come, seeing as he solely lately turned 25, his ultimate stat line the previous three years has held fairly regular. Would you like Jeremy Pena, or would you like 10 extra steals and a batting common 30-50 factors decrease? |
| 12 |
|
| Shortstop has developed sufficient Fantasy standouts that it is getting more durable to see the glass half full with Seager, significantly since he is a nothing for steals at a place the place you’d prefer to safe some. That is not such a difficulty in Head-to-Head factors leagues, the place he ranks 4 spots increased, however even there, the all-too-frequent accidents might actually put you in a bind. Solely as soon as previously 5 years has he lasted even 125 video games. |
| 13 |
|
| To remind you ways abruptly the “video games performed” tally might change, although, look no additional than Story, who equaled a profession excessive with 157 after averaging simply 54 in his first three years with the Crimson Sox. The ensuing manufacturing, whereas not fairly like his heyday in Colorado, was not so dissimilar to Zachary Neto. Story is not as bankable, although, significantly with him anticipated to decide out and check free company. |
| 14 |
|
| Considerations about Adames leaving Milwaukee for San Francisco gave the impression to be validated after the primary couple months, however a midseason rally introduced his numbers kind of according to the place they have been throughout his first two years in Milwaukee. So in the long run, his 2025 was much less a disappointment than his 2024 was an aberration, and you need to proceed to anticipate a couple of .230 batting common with 25-30 homers yearly. |
| 15 |
|
| Swanson is about as vanilla of a decide as you may make at shortstop, reliably delivering the form of numbers that will not win you the league however actually will not lose it for you both. I am speaking a couple of batting common within the .240-.250 vary, 20-plus homers, 15-plus steals, and someplace within the neighborhood of 80 runs and RBI. There is no larger testomony to shortstop’s depth than having such a participant rank solely fifteenth. |
| 16 |
|
| Placing bat to ball constantly is not usually sufficient to supply a excessive batting common within the fashionable sport, not with a Baseball Savant web page as blue as Wilson’s, however his one bizarre trick is that scrapes out simply sufficient residence runs to offer that top contact price tooth. He nonetheless wants extra vetting within the majors, after all, however should you consider him as a extra helpful but additionally extra risky Luis Arraez, you are heading in the right direction. |
| 17 |
|
| After being eaten alive by strikeouts throughout a tumultuous two years at Triple-A, Montgomery arrived midseason with a house run binge that by no means actually abated, seeing him go deep 21 instances in simply 71 video games. The implied upside is not unfounded and will actually command your consideration on Draft Day, however Montgomery was performing a little bit of a tight-rope stroll between his inflated strikeout price and pull-air tendencies. It would not be stunning for his batting common to dip beneath .200. |
| 18 |
|
| Edwards is the primary multi-eligible shortstop featured right here, and as such, he’ll extra seemingly be drafted to man second base, the place he ranks fifteenth for me. The flexibility might be of some use in deeper leagues, although, and he’ll even be a useful pickup in builds the place you’ve got uncared for batting common and stolen bases (although he is extra good than nice at each). |
| 19 |
|
| Now solely a shortstop (and a reasonably good one because of a change in defensive method), Bogaerts is much less helpful than when he had second base eligibility, significantly since he is clearly on the downswing offensively. He could have extra batting common upside than, say, Otto Lopez, however he is angling for the same 15-homer, 15-steal final result. |
| 20 |
|
| Correa ranks just one spot increased at third base, the place he is additionally eligible, which ought to point out to you that the expertise at shortstop does taper off in deeper-league contexts. It is a toss-up the place you’d truly play him in leagues the place the query is price asking, however for nonetheless lengthy he is wholesome, he ought to ship a reasonably good batting common with a modest residence run complete. |
