Top-10 Dynasty Baseball Shortstops for 2025: Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz, Oneil Cruz, Zach Neto and More

Let’s dive back into my dynasty baseball series where I rank the top-10 players going into 2025.

We have covered catchers, starting pitchers and outfielders so far, and will now be discussing shortstops.

Here are the links to the top-10 redraft rankings for 2025: third basemen, first basemen, closers, designated hitters, second basemen, shortstops, outfielders, catchers and starting pitchers.

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1. Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt is the clear cut No. 1 dynasty shortstop going into 2025, even though there’s some other really good players nipping at his heels.

He’s just 24 years old and is coming off his best season yet. Witt had a .332 average and .389 on-base percentage across 161 games. As if that wasn’t enough, he had 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and 125 runs scored.

He’ll be a fixture atop the Kansas City lineup for years to come, and he’s got a chance to be the top fantasy hitter every season. I think he’s the No. 1 dynasty player in the game right now.

2. Gunnar Henderson

Henderson is my No. 2 guy and is 23 years old. He too is coming off his best season in his young three-year career.

Henderson has a .281 average, .364 OBP, 37 home runs, 92 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 118 runs scored last season - you should be able to see why an older Witt gets the top spot over him.

Henderson still has lots of room to grow, and the sky is really the limit for him. If he can post another similar season to 2024, he’ll be right there with Witt for the top dynasty SS spot. Right now, Henderson is probably a top-five dynasty option, and a top-10 one at worst.

3. Elly De La Cruz

I’m not as high as others on De La Cruz, but his long-term outlook is very strong as just a 23-year-old. 

In 160 games last season, De La Cruz had a .259 average, .339 OBP, 25 home runs, 76 RBIs, 67 stolen bases and 105 runs scored. He’s not quite up to the level of Witt or Henderson, but his age at least places De La Cruz near those two guys.

I’m not a huge fan of all the strikeouts with De La Cruz, but the all-around numbers are too good to pass on any further. He should be a long-term fantasy star, whether that be in Cincinnati or with another team.

4. Mookie Betts

Betts is easily the oldest player (32) on this list to this point, but he’s performing so well that it offsets him being a bit older than most. When healthy, he’s one of the top fantasy hitters in the game.

In 116 games last season, Betts hit .289 and got on base at a .372 clip - and that’s a down season by his standards nowadays. He hit 19 home runs and drove in 75 runs.

The only thing you really have to worry about with Betts right now is durability. He’s played in 135 or more games in all but four seasons during his 11-year career though, so I look at 2024 as an outlier. Betts still has a couple years of great fantasy value left, and that makes him a fine option in dynasty leagues, but is probably someone I’d only roster if I was competing.

5. Francisco Lindor

Lindor is 31 years old, but again, his current value is high enough to justify taking him fairly early in a dynasty league startup draft, or paying a decent price to obtain him in an ongoing league.

In 152 games a season ago, Lindor had a .273 average and .344 OBP, with 33 home runs, 91 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and 107 runs scored.

I think Lindor’s long-term value went up when the team signed Juan Soto this offseason. As long as Lindor can stay on the field, he’s got the chance to deliver big numbers for several more seasons. Again though, he’s a player only contending dynasty teams should probably be rostering.

6. CJ Abrams

I’m a bit higher on Abrams than most. Him being just 24 years old has a lot to do with my reasoning.

He already has three MLB seasons under his belt, and has been pretty consistent when on the field. Abrams has either a .245 or .246 average in his seasons, while increasing his OBP in each season (.314 last year). He had 18 homers and 47 RBIs in 2023 before 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 2024, and that came in 13 less games.

He was demoted to the minor leagues as a disciplinary measure at the end of last season. If Abrams has used that as a learning point and can lock in moving forward, he’s got the chance to be one of the top shortstops in the game.

7. Oneil Cruz

Cruz got in his first full season in 2024, and it was a pretty productive one. He hadn’t played over 90 games in a season before that, and he’s about to start up his fifth MLB campaign.

In 146 games last year, Cruz had a .259 average and .324 OBP. He slugged 21 home runs and drove in 76 runs, while also stealing 22 bases and scoring 72 runs.

There’s a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, but his all-around numbers make him a good option moving forward. He’s just 26 years old, and I don’t think he’s come close to his peak yet - Cruz could shoot way up this list with a big showing in 2025.

8. Corey Seager

Seager comes in No. 8 for me. He’s 30 years old, but has some durability issues fantasy owners need to be worried about.

Seager hasn’t played over 125 games in either of the past two seasons. When on the field, he’s starred, combining for 66 home runs and 170 RBIs in that span.

He’s a bit of a gamble because of the durability issues, but when on the field, Seager is one of the best in the business. I’d only roster Seager if I was a contending team though.

9. Trea Turner

Turner is in a similar boat to Seager, but also is a year older (31). 

He doesn’t have the big power numbers like Seager, but Turner still can top 20 homers and get 75 or more RBIs if he’s on the field for close to a full season. He’s had some inconsistencies in his average over the years, but is a career .296 hitter with a .348 OBP, and those are the numbers you like seeing.

I think he’s passed his peak, but I also think he’s got a few big seasons left in him. Add him to the list of dynasty shortstops to roster if you are contending, not rebuilding.

10. Zach Neto

Neto nabs the final top-10 spot for me. He’s nearly 24 years old and has shown some promising things over his first two MLB seasons.

In his first full season in 2024, Neto played 155 games and had a .249 average and .318 OBP. He hit 23 home runs and drove in 77 runs, while stealing 30 bases and scoring 70 runs.

I don’t think he’s scratched the surface on the type of hitter he could one day be. Being on the Angels means his long-term outlook isn’t the best, but it means LA could build around him. In time, I expect Neto to emerge as one of the top shortstops in the game, and the Angels to surround him with better hitters and talent.

Honorable Mentions

Unfortunately, there’s too many good, young enough shortstops in the MLB that I couldn’t include any big-time prospects in my top-10 list. There’s several players to keep an eye on though.

The closest players to making my top 10 were: Willy Adames, Jeremy Pena, Bo Bichette, Anthony Volpe, Masyn Winn and Ezequiel Tovar.

Some other intriguing names to keep an eye on are: Carson Williams, Leodalis De Vries, Colt Emerson, Jordan Lawlar and Sebastian Walcott, among many others.