Ah, prospects. Everyone’s favorite subject. They represent all that is good in the world and hope for a better tomorrow. This week we’ll be focusing on the next generation of shortstops. While nearly every club has a promising young star developing at the difficult position, these next select few should be the ones to make a significant impact this season.

In the fantasy world, it’s important to be one step ahead of the competition and if we know who the next contributors will be, you’re likely ahead of the pack. When it comes to prospects, we want to know who’s going to help us win a championship now and how soon they’ll start contributing.

So without further ado, here are this year’s top five prospects at shortstop for redraft leagues (not dynasty), with a couple of honorable mentions thrown in. There are plenty of promising options after the clear-cut number one, so if you miss out on him, keep an eye out for the rest of these studs.

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Top 5 Fantasy Baseball SS Prospects

Jackson Holliday (SS – BAL) | ADP: 172

The son of Matt Holliday easily sits atop the list. The young phenom possesses every tool you want a player to have. He torched minor league pitching as a teenager last year and all signs point to early success. It just comes down to how the Baltimore Orioles choose to deploy him. The way the game has shifted the past few years, Holliday should be in the lineup on Opening Day. Organizations are finally realizing wins in April count just as much as they do in September and now are rolling out their talented youth earlier than ever.

Jackson’s ranked as the top overall prospect in baseball and deserves to be drafted in fantasy leagues accordingly. However, it should be noted that Holliday is still growing into his body and he may not produce much in the power department yet. 15-18 home runs are likely his ceiling to begin his career as he matures and continues to grow throughout the season.

Zach Neto (SS – LAA) | ADP: 347

The Angels shortstop is a bit of a stretch as a prospect but considering he was drafted just two years ago, I’m including him on this list. I like Neto not only because he shares his name with one of my favorite characters on Narcos, but because he can do a bit of everything on the baseball field. Neto tore up Minor League pitching, producing nearly a .400 average and .820 slug before earning his call-up this past year.

While his numbers weren’t optimal in the Big Leagues, plenty of blame can be placed on an unlucky .272 BABIP. Neto did hit for nearly a .260 average over his first 200 plate appearances and collected a handful of home runs and steals. The Angels don’t currently have a better option at shortstop and with the organization finally moving on from David Fletcher, an experienced Neto could be a solid producer for your MI (middle infielder) spot.

Jordan Lawlar (SS – ARI) | ADP: 374

Lawlar may not be given as early of an opportunity as the following two players, but he has a higher ceiling. The future shortstop for the NL defending champs had dealt with his fair share of minor injuries already, but few are better when healthy. The former No. 6 overall pick in the draft, Lawlar has the tools and abilities to eventually become a top-30 player in fantasy. He may not earn Bobby Witt or Corbin Carroll status but it could be close, and 30 steals and 20 homers are well within reach. As well as a .275 batting average. Lawlar’s legs are his greatest asset, totaling 76 stolen bases on 87 attempts in the Minor’s. He won’t turn 22 until mid-summer but if given the opportunity, he could rival all the top prospects for rookie of the year.

Masyn Winn (SS – ATL) | ADP: 442

Winn is another exciting young rookie who will likely start on Opening Day. Like many promising prospects, Winn exhibits excellent power in the box and speed on the base paths. He clubbed 18 homers and stole 17 bases in Triple-A before earning his call-up last season. He also keeps his strikeouts below 20%. Winn’s introduction to playing with the big boys last year was highly forgettable but with a bit of experience under his belt, he may be this year’s Ezequiel Tovar.

Marco Luciano (SS – SF) | ADP: 506

Luciano is another tantalizing young prospect who could perform from Day 1. Similar to Neto and Winn, Luciano has the ability to help out in multiple ways, but will likely start at the bottom of the lineup. Unlike the other prospects on this list, Luciano has been in the Giants system for quite some time. Despite being just 22 years old, his name has regularly been featured on the top 100 prospects list.

Injuries and strikeouts have held the young Dominican back but early evaluators are still salivating over his arrival. If he can live up to expectations, Luciano could turn a final pick in the draft into a middle-round value. However, the strikeouts are still too high to ignore, so you’re probably better off taking a wait-and-see approach on the youthful shortstop.

Honorable Mentions:

Colson Montgomery (SS – CHW) | ADP: 532

Montgomery is outrageously patient at the dish, recording an OBP near .500 last year in the Minor Leagues. He’s probably a year away from becoming a regular fantasy producer but he’s worth keeping an eye on in Spring Training and throughout the early part of the year.

Brayan Rocchio (2B, SS – CLE) | ADP: 552

While his ceiling isn’t as exciting, there’s a good chance Rocchio plays enough to make an impact. The switch-hitting infielder hits to all fields and steals bags. He rarely struck out in the Minor Leagues (12.3% Ks Triple-A in 2023, 13.8% Ks Triple-A in 2022) but did have a tough time in his first taste against Major League pitching. Rocchio racked up an unsightly 31.4% K rate over 86 plate appearances.

Obviously, it’s a small sample size, and Cleveland’s known for their low K-rate, so there’s a good chance he figures it out and becomes a decent regular. Rocchio will likely hit near the bottom of their lineup, limiting his fantasy appeal, but in extremely deep or AL-Only leagues, he’s not a bad option.

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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.