X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Deeper Shortstop Draft Sleepers

Jamie Steed identifies late-round shortstop draft targets for deep fantasy baseball leagues. These SS are deep sleepers worth targeting on draft day.

This year could be the most fantasy friendliest for the shortstop position with six having an ADP of 25th or lower (according to current NFBC draft data) and nine with an ADP of 42nd or lower. You may be forgiven for thinking that you don't need to look deep into drafts for a shortstop.

While that might be true for your starter, if you don't take one of the top shortstops early in the draft, it's easy to panic, reach and overextend for one in the middle rounds. You still need to have a middle infielder for most leagues and with second base looking a bit thin, especially when compared to shortstop, it makes sense to use that spot for a backup shortstop, acting as a bit of insurance for your starter.

With that being said, here we take a look at some shortstops who should be considered as rosterable in deeper fantasy leagues or AL-only and NL-only leagues this year. To be considered, each player currently has an ADP of 500 or greater in NFBC drafts.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Jose Iglesias, Los Angeles Angels

ADP: 511

The Angels acquired Iglesias from the Orioles to fill the gap left by the free-agent departure of Andrelton Simmons. And while considered a 'glove first' shortstop, Iglesias has always been able to make contact at the plate and put the ball in play. That was evident more than ever last year with a .373 batting average in 39 games and a 11.3% K%. Given Iglesias has a career .278/.319/.381 slash line, it's no surprise he's not projected for more than 10 homers anywhere but he also has enough speed to chip in with some steals (he did get 15 in 2018).

Despite hitting at the bottom on the lineup, when he does get on base, Iglesias will have some serious offensive powerhouses coming up to the plate behind him and the projections for ~60 runs and ~60 RBI look attainable. There's little upside with Iglesias but he is a fine 'plug-and-play' option to cover any injuries that won't hurt your stats.

 

Jazz Chisholm, Miami Marlins

ADP: 527

Chisholm has officially beaten out Isan Diaz for the Marlins second base job, following a considerably better Spring as we can see when comparing the two below.

Player PA HR SB AVG OBP SLG
Chisholm 37 3 4 .273 .351 .545
Diaz 36 0 0 .069 .172 .172

As nice as Diaz's batting average is, it won't be enough to win the job. Chisholm did get a call-up to the Marlins last year and while he only hit .161 in 21 games, he still managed to hit two homers and steal two bases. Chisholm never hit for a particularly good average in the minors with a career minor league slash line of .255/.327/.462 in 315 games.

His power/speed profile was still evident with 56 homers and 49 steals which makes him an intriguing option this year. ATC projections have Chisholm hitting 12 homers and getting 10 steals in 89 games so if he does manage to get an everyday starting job, 18 homers and 15 steals are on the cards. You will likely have to endure a batting average below .240 but if you need some speed and power, Chisholm is a nice late-round pick.

 

Kevin Newman, Pittsburgh Pirates

ADP: 556

You may be surprised to hear that of all players with at least five plate appearances this Spring, Newman leads baseball with a .727 batting average (28 plate appearances). Newman has also yet to strikeout and has walked five times. He's put himself back into contention to be the Pirates' leadoff hitter, something he did to start the 2020 season with limited success. Following a 2019 season where he hit .308 over 130 games with 12 homers and 16 steals, Newman came back to Earth with a .224/.281/.276 slash line in 2020.

His xBA was .246 so he was a tad unlucky but he also failed to steal any bases (one attempt) and hit just one homer. In the 75 games played in 2018 and 2020, Newman has just one homer and no stolen bases so it's fair to believe that 2019 was a complete outlier. But if Newman does manage to continue his hot spring into the season and 2019 wasn't a complete fluke, he could be a 12 homer and 18 steal hitter with a .280 average and ok counting stats depending where he hits in the lineup.

 

Freddy Galvis, Baltimore Orioles

ADP: 566

Boring, thy name is Freddy Galvis. But don't confuse boring with useless as Galvis has provided some fantasy value for a few years now. Galvis was brought in to replace the earlier discussed Iglesias as the Orioles shortstop and his ability as a switch hitter should prevent any possible platoon. Galvis offers value purely with his consistency. Between 2015 - 2019, Galvis missed just 30 games in those 5 years, playing in all 162 games in 2017 and 2018. Galvis still featured in 47 games last year too, hitting 7 homers (equates to 24 homers over 162 games) to follow up the 23 homers he hit in 147 games in 2019.

It's unlikely Galvis steals more than a handful of bases nowadays but a player with back-to-back 20+ homer seasons (or at least the equivalency) in a hitter-friendly ballpark should garner some interest in deep leagues. His batting average is around league average (between .241 and .263 in 2015-2019) and he averaged 65 runs scored and 63 RBI during his five-year stretch of consistency. You won't find a 20+ homer middle infielder this late in drafts and Galvis is unlikely to harm your ratios or batting average either.

 

Leury Garcia, Chicago White Sox

ADP: 610

Garcia has found himself in consideration for regular playing time after Eloy Jimenez ruptured his pectoral muscle and is expected to miss 5-6 months. Depending on what site you play on, Garcia might have additional position eligibility too as he split time at shortstop, second base and the outfield last year. His biggest fantasy asset is his speed, as he's been in the 85th percentile for sprint speed in each of the last four seasons, except in 2019 when he was in the 84th percentile.

The 2019 season is Garcia's only one with regular playing time when he featured in 140 games (618 at-bats) and he had a pretty productive year hitting .279/.317/.441 with eight homers, 15 stolen bases and scoring 93 runs. Without having elite speed, Garcia has stolen 56 bases in 480 career games so even if he only plays 120 games (assuming he fills in for Jimenez), that career mark averages out at 14 steals a season.

He'd likely hit ninth in White Sox order but that does mean Tim Anderson (who has a .331 batting average since 2019) bats behind him and their lineup is deep enough that he'd get a decent amount of RBI opportunities still. He's unlikely to play every day but in leagues with daily roster changes, Garcia can be a useful fill-in as someone who has hit between .270 - .279 in each of the last four seasons and has a 15 stolen base season on his resume as recently as 2019.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Christian McCaffrey4 mins ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt13 mins ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz46 mins ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman60 mins ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford1 hour ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi1 hour ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen2 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick2 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners2 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay2 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López2 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland2 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia2 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti3 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL3 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette3 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus3 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants3 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears3 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale3 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida3 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger3 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks3 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele3 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford3 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns4 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals4 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito4 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter4 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry4 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello4 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips4 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz4 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith4 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Max Scherzer4 hours ago

Day-To-Day After Getting Cortisone Shot
Lonzo Ball4 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Freddie Freeman4 hours ago

Likely Out Until Friday
Kevin Huerter4 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Willson Contreras4 hours ago

Taking First Day Off
Josh Giddey4 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton4 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale4 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant4 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal4 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II4 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons5 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young5 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser5 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo5 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud5 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Edouard Julien5 hours ago

Making First Start Of The Season
Isaiah Stewart5 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba5 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga5 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry5 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Dylan Crews5 hours ago

Not Starting Against Blue Jays
Jaylen Brown5 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault5 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere5 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn6 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro6 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions8 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans8 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders8 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear8 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins9 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL9 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä9 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway9 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys9 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal9 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy9 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith9 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Chris Godwin9 hours ago

Buccaneers Optimistic Chris Godwin Will Be Ready For Week 1
Josh Norris9 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams9 hours ago

Coleman Shelton Expected To Start Again In 2025
Brady Tkachuk9 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams9 hours ago

Rams Open To Drafting A Quarterback
Kyren Williams9 hours ago

Rams To Discuss Long-Term Deal With Kyren Williams
Aaron Rodgers10 hours ago

Signs "Pointing" Toward Aaron Rodgers Signing With Steelers
Brock Purdy10 hours ago

49ers Optimistic On Getting Extension Done With Brock Purdy
Jordan Spieth11 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp11 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim11 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood12 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau12 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole12 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith16 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment16 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka16 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov16 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov16 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes16 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Denver To Take A Running Back In The Draft
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Sami Valimaki1 day ago

Finishes Fourth At Texas Children's Houston Open
Christopher Bell1 day ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum4 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]