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2025 Shortstop Sleepers for Fantasy Baseball

Sleeper articles are much more enjoyable to write than bust articles. Nobody wants to see any Major League player fail. Feel-good stories are always better than disappointments. First base has already been handled with both sleeper and bust articles going live on Fantrax. Shortstop sleepers are up today. With the position feeling as deep as ever, several options are going late in drafts that fantasy managers should prioritize taking. These low-cost options could help take your fantasy team to the next level.

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2025 Shortstop Sleepers for Fantasy Baseball

Zach Neto – SS, LAA

Zach Neto’s fast ascent to the Major Leagues prevented him from generating much hype as a prospect. The Angels selected Neto 13th overall in the 2022 draft and he appeared in just 48 Minor League games before earning his promotion. Lackluster results his first season kept his fantasy value low entering 2024. All Neto did was hit 23 home runs with 30 stolen bases, but is still not getting the kind of attention he deserves in fantasy circles. In early drafts, Neto is being taken as the 17th shortstop off the board around pick 170. This makes him a great sleeper option for those looking to wait on the position.

Neto is flying under the radar mainly because he does not do any one thing at an elite level. Xavier Edwards is being taken above Neto specifically because he has elite speed. This is compounded by Neto lacking the name value of other players (Xander Bogaerts and Oneil Cruz, for example) and the Angels lacking the success of other teams (Anthony Volpe and the Yankees is a great example). When you pull up a player’s Baseball Savant page, fantasy managers love to see red. The more red the better. Neto does not have much of any red making him a player most fantasy managers are looking to fade.

Although there is not anything Neto does at an elite level, he does a lot of things really well. Neto has plus speed and is a great base stealer. With the way the stolen base rules are set up, Neto could easily steal 30 bases again in 2025. This gives him an instant floor for fantasy baseball. Neto’s power also plays better than the metrics suggest. Neto does a great job of getting to his pull side especially on fly balls. His pull rate on fly balls ranked 38th in baseball last season. His barrel rate sits around the league average but improved down the back half of 2024.

The general perception of Neto is that 2024 was his ceiling. Why? How many hitters reach their ceiling in their first full professional season at age 23? Since 2010, there have only been 11 hitters to reach 20/30 seasons at age 23 or younger. Neto joins a list with Elly De La Cruz, Corbin Carroll (twice), Mike Trout (twice), Bobby Witt Jr (twice), Ronald Acuna Jr, Julio Rodriguez, and CJ Abrams. That is a pretty elite group of names to be a part of. The perception on all of those players has been that they will continue building off an already elite fantasy season as they get more comfortable at the Major League level. Why is it any different for Neto?

Last season, again his first full professional season, Neto finished as the ninth-best shortstop in fantasy baseball. His draft price of SS17 is one of the biggest steals this year. While evaluating his weaknesses is an important part of scouting, they should not overshadow the upside he presents fantasy managers. Neto is a lock for a 20/20 season, and it would not be a surprise to see him go 25/35 next year. Neto is a great pick and is somebody I am comfortable slotting right in as my starting shortstop in 2025.

Carlos Correa – SS, MIN

Carlos Correa is somebody who feels older than he is. Correa has been around since the 2015 season making him feel almost as old as players like JD Martinez. However, Correa will be only 30 years old for the majority of the 2025 season. Correa is younger than guys such as Aaron Judge, Ketel Marte, Corey Seager, Trea Turner,  and Francisco Lindor. Although each of those players feels much younger than Correa. A weird off-season back in 2023 as well as health issues, have drained much of the fantasy value associated with Correa’s name. The part of Correa that has gone unnoticed is his elite offensive production when healthy. The distaste for the “old toy” has gone too far this year. Correa is going as SS25 in drafts and is a great sleeper pick entering 2025.

The biggest thing to look for when players enter their 30s is a decline in skill. Correa has shown none of that. He has maintained great sweet-spot percentages, a strong barrel rate, and some of the best exit velocities in the sport. His whiff and chase rates have grown better with age making Correa one of the most complete offensive profiles in the sport.

Carlos Correa PLV

Injuries limited Correa to 86 games and 367 plate appearances. However, if you prorate his stats across 600 PA, the numbers are impressive. For starters, Correa hit .310 last year. Yes, part of that was due to an inflated BABIP, but it is impressive nonetheless. Over 600 PA, Correa would have been on pace for 23 homers, 90 runs, and 88 RBIs. Correa posted a 155 wRC+ last season. This ranked eighth in all of baseball amongst hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. The only hitters Correa trailed were Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Yordan Alvarez, Bobby Witt Jr, Vladdy Guerrero, and Brent Rooker. Those players are all being taken inside of the top 70 picks in drafts. Correa is being taken outside of the top 250.

Correa is a perfect sleeper pick in the sense he will outperform his ADP. Even in 86 games, Correa finished as the SS20 in fantasy which is higher than he is going now. Durability could continue to be an issue moving forward but reports are that Correa is ahead of where he was with his last case of plantar fasciitis and he should be ready to go in 2025. The hope from fantasy managers is that Correa can stay healthy for 130+ games in 2025. Correa is not a perfect sleeper pick in terms of his limited upside. Correa does not steal any bases, which ultimately caps his fantasy value. Even his strong season in 2022 only led to a finish as the SS12. He should not be the only shortstop you take in drafts, but Correa is a great sleeper pick late that is going to outperform his ADP.

Trey Sweeney – SS, DET

The path to the Major Leagues has not been a simple one for Trey Sweeney. Drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2021, Sweeney was quickly overshadowed by Anthony Volpe. A trade to the Dodgers seemed to open up some playing time, but then Mookie Betts shifted to the infield, blocking him once again. Finally, an opportunity opened up after a trade to Detroit, and Sweeney got his chance at the end of last season. His production was pedestrian, but he was part of the youth movement that helped Detroit get back to the Postseason. Now, Sweeney projects to get the bulk of playing time with the Tigers in 2025 and should be considered the team’s starting shortstop. However, fantasy managers seem to be ignoring Sweeney in drafts. His draft price of SS41 outside of the top 600 picks makes him virtually free and a prime sleeper candidate.

Do fantasy managers really think that Javier Baez is going to get significant playing time in 2025? Baez’s contract has been a disaster since the moment he signed it. Baez posted an 89 wRC+ in his first season with Detroit and has followed that up with wRC+ seasons of 63 and 43. In no exaggeration, Baez has been one of the worst offensive players in baseball. Even Baez’s defense has taken a step back and is unlikely to get better in his age-32 season. Sweeney will likely lose some at-bats against left-handed pitching but Detroit knows better than anybody that he represents their best chance to win. A starting shortstop going outside of the top 40 at the position is illogical.

Outside of just being the starter, Sweeney presents a significant upside. Between the Minor and Major Leagues last year, Sweeney hit 19 home runs with 22 stolen bases. Standing at 6’3”, Sweeney has plenty of power upside which is represented through his batted ball data. The sample size is small (79 batted balls), but the results are noteworthy. Sweeney posted an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph, a barrel rate of 8.9%, and a swing speed of 74.1 mph. Only 31 other players in baseball had numbers in all three of those categories similar to Sweeney. He also posted a sprint speed in the 73rd percentile and should steal 15-20 bases next season.

Sweeney is not a perfect profile. There is significant swing-and-miss concerns, which could negatively impact his batting average. However, risk is relative to price. Fantasy managers have a chance to draft Sweeney at the very end of drafts. His cost is virtually nothing making this a low-risk investment. A starting shortstop at the back end of your draft with 20/20 potential is virtually unheard of. Sweeney is a great sleeper pick to make heading into your 2025 drafts.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.

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