In October, the positional series focused on 2025. Now, even though we are only one month further into the off-season, we are already shifting our focus to 2026. If you want to check out the 10 takeaways from 2025 for fantasy baseball relating to shortstop, you can check that out here.
For those who are dynasty-focused, you can even check out this series over on Pitcher List, looking at the 2025 season from a dynasty perspective. For those already shifting toward 2026, this article is for you. This breaks down elite picks at the shortstop position as well as a high-level view on sleepers, busts, prospects, and off-season headlines for fantasy baseball managers to follow.
The Elite Fantasy Baseball Picks
Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals
Bobby Witt Jr distanced himself from the rest of the pack in 2026. The 25-year-old shortstop put together another outstanding season for Kansas City. In 157 games, Witt hit .295 with 23 homers, 38 stolen bases, and a 130 wRC+.
Witt’s consistent five-category contributions are what put him in a tier of his own. His hit tool is excellent, and even after experiencing regression from 2025, Witt still finished with the ninth-highest batting average in baseball. He is as close to a lock for a 20/30 season as there is. Witt will see some positive regression to his home run totals in 2026 and should be considered the top shortstop in fantasy baseball.
Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds
Whether or not Ellly De La Cruz is an elite real-life fantasy baseball player is still up for debate. For as high as the highs are, as far as the home runs go, De La Cruz still posted just a 109 wRC+ in 2025. His aggressive approach makes him prone to cold spells, which was apparent in the second half of 2025 when Elly slashed just .236/.303/.363.
For all of the potential negatives, De La Cruz still is a very good fantasy asset and has the potential to finish as the best player in fantasy any given season. Last season, he hit 22 homers and stole 37 bases. He has elite speed and game-changing power. There are going to be safer options to take (Francisco Lindor being one), but De La Cruz is sure to be one of the first shortstops drafted in 2026.
Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Candidates
Ezequiel Tovar – Colorado Rockies
Ezequiel Tovar’s value pendulum swung too far to one side last off-season. Tovar had an excellent 2024 season in which he hit 26 home runs. After being highly drafted, Tovar regressed while dealing with injuries in 2025. Limited to only 95 games, Tovar hit .253 with nine home runs and a 78 wRC+.
Entering 2026, Tovar projects to be a sneaky value as his pendulum swings the other way. Under the hood, there was still a lot of good in Tovar’s profile. He improved his barrel rate, maintained an elite line drive rate, continued pulling the ball in the air at a high rate, and even improved his chase and whiff rates. His plate discipline is still a concern, but Tovar has significant upside playing his home games at Coors Field.
Ha-Seong Kim – Atlanta Braves
Ha-Seong Kim never really got a chance to settle in out in Tampa. Injuries limited Kim to just 24 games with the Rays, in which he hit .214 with two home runs. After landing in Atlanta, Kim really seemed to settle in. His batting average improved to .253, and he added another three homers. In 48 games total, Kim hit five homers and stole six bases.
He continued to show off elite contact skills and even posted the highest exit velocity of his career. His increased exit velocity can be attributed to increased bat speed and could lead to more home runs for Kim in 2026. Assuming Kim stays in Atlanta, he appears poised to slot in as the team’s everyday shortstop. With a full off-season of health and preparation, we could see Kim bounce back to the 17/38 season he posted with the Padres in 2023.
2025 Seasons to be Wary Of
Geraldo Perdomo – Arizona Diamondbacks
Geraldo Perdomo defied the critics throughout the 2025 season. Every time it looked as if he was coming back down to earth, he caught fire again. Perdomo finished the season with 20 homers, 27 stolen bases, and a .290 batting average.
While Perdomo should continue finding success, fantasy baseball managers should be wary of how high they draft him in 2026. The main reason is the likely regression to his home run and stolen base totals. Perdomo’s barrel rate was only 6.2% and his hard hit rate ranked in the 11th percentile. Despite stealing 27 bases, Perdomo also finished with a sprint speed in the 44th percentile.
Moving forward, Perdomo profiles as more of a 15-homer, 20 stolen base player with a good batting average. He will still be a useful fantasy asset, just likely not an elite one.
Trevor Story – Boston Red Sox
After playing only 163 games in his first three seasons with Boston, Story finally stayed healthy and played in 157 games in 2025.
Durability is the first thing to be wary of, as Story has a history of injuries and turns 33 in November. Projecting Story for more than 140 games in 2026 is likely a mistake.
On top of that, nothing in Story’s profile really supports a 25-homer, 31-stolen-base season. His pulled fly ball rate and bat speed are both below league average. He does not hit the ball very hard, and his chase and whiff rates were both below the league average.
His success and name value are likely to push him up draft boards in 2026. Fantasy baseball managers should be wary of picking him too high.
Prospects Set to Make a Fantasy Baseball Impact
Kaelen Culpepper – Minnesota Twins
Kaelen Culpepper has turned into one of my favorite prospects in baseball. Already this off-season, I put out a detailed prospect breakdown on Culpepper for Pitcher List, which you can check out here.
For now, those focusing on 2026 should know that there is a good chance Culpepper makes his Major League debut next season. The 21st pick from the 2024 draft was dominant in 2025. Across two levels, he hit .289 with 20 homers and 25 stolen bases.
With the Twins suddenly in rebuild mode, Culpepper could be fast-tracked to the Major Leagues. He may not be in the elite tier of prospects, but he will certainly be fantasy relevant with five-category upside once promoted.
Konnor Griffin – Pittsburgh Pirates
Konnor Griffin potentially making his Major League debut next season, speaks to how impressive he has been. Like Culpepper, Griffin was also a first-round pick in 2024. However, unlike Culpepper, Griffin was taken out of high school. The ninth overall pick has quickly ascended prospect ranking lists and now finds himself at the top.
Griffin showed everything Pittsburgh could have wanted and more. He hit .333 with 21 homers and 65 stolen bases. He showed a strong ability to play both shortstop and center field last season and is clearly on the fast track to the Major Leagues. Griffin seemed to get better with each promotion in 2025 and could easily find himself in Pittsburgh in 2026. His upside and talent make him worth taking a late-round flier on in your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
Pay Attention to the Off-Season
What happens in Toronto?
Most people are assuming that Bo Bichette will be back. This is especially true after Toronto’s deep playoff run. However, he is a free agent after this season. If Bichette goes elsewhere, the team would be forced to pivot with no obvious answers internally.
This could accelerate the timeline of top prospect Arjun Nimmala, but he only made it to High-A last season. Bichette’s landing spot is worth monitoring, as is the fallout of what could happen if he signs elsewhere.
Is Anthony Volpe locked in as the starting shortstop?
The early reports are that Anthony Volpe underwent shoulder surgery that could keep him sidelined to start the 2026 season. The expectation is that Volpe will be the team’s starting shortstop as soon as he is healthy, but that is far from a guarantee.
Volpe struggled again in 2025, slashing just .212/.272/.391. Through three seasons, Volpe owns a career 85 wRC+. The starting shortstop on the Yankees is always going to be valuable and relevant for fantasy baseball managers. Paying attention to what moves the team makes this off-season could shed light on how they feel about Volpe’s future.
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