Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Draft Bust Candidates for 2025: Elly De La Cruz, Corey Seager, Trea Turner and More

It’s time for the second installment of my fantasy baseball draft bust series. 

We started with third basemen and now are going to cover shortstops. Here is my top-10 shortstop list for the season. 

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1. Elly De La Cruz

We’ll start off with De La Cruz, who is a top-10 fantasy pick for most people. He had a nice 2024 season, but I think he’s being overdrafted going into 2025.

In my top-10 fantasy shortstop story, I noted that he wasn’t a top-25 hitter last season, but is now being viewed as one of the 10 best options. He’s young and still improving, but I think there’s going to be at least four better fantasy shortstops in 2025.

In 160 games last season, De La Cruz had a .259 average and .339 OBP. That was an improvement from his rookie season (.235 average, .300 OBP).

He finished with 25 home runs, 76 RBIs, 67 stolen bases and 105 runs scored. He easily eclipsed all his rookie numbers, but he should have while playing 62 more games.

A lot of his fantasy value comes from stealing bases, but there were stretches last season where he wasn’t getting on base much, and it left him with very few fantasy points on a daily basis. He was great when he was hot at the plate, but there were too many ups and downs for my liking.

All hitters have their ups and downs, but because he lacks the power and has a lower average and OBP than most of the top-end fantasy shortstops, I’d much rather pass on De La Cruz and try to land someone else, or wait and take a couple players late in the draft.

I think De La Cruz will be a top-20 fantasy hitter, but that still means he isn’t going to live up to the preseason hype. He shouldn’t be a massive bust, unless he’s injured, but I do think he’s overvalued to begin the season.

2. Corey Seager

Seager is my No. 6 fantasy shortstop for 2025. My biggest gripe against Seager is his durability.

He hasn’t played over 125 games in either of the past two seasons, but he’s been a beast when on the field. He has 66 home runs and 170 RBIs over 242 games over the past two seasons, with a .303 average and .371 OBP to accompany those numbers.

The numbers are great, but if he’s not on the field for 40 or more games a season, he’s definitely a draft bust. Seager could become a draft bust regardless of where he’s drafted if he misses most of the season. I’m not advocating you don’t take Seager, I’m saying that you’re betting off drafting him later than most preseason lists have him at.

If you can land Seager a couple rounds after his ranking on most lists, then I’d be in favor of the move. But if you take him to be a top-end fantasy shortstop, you’re taking a pretty big risk. It could work in your favor if he’s healthy all season (which is why I have him ranked sixth) but if he’s injured and misses extended time, taking Seager when you did might derail your fantasy season.

3. Willy Adames

I’m just going to continue down my list apparently, because I had Adames ranked seventh after De La Cruz and Seager.

Adames delivered a career season in what was a contract year for him. In 161 games, Adames had a .251 average, .331 OBP, 32 home runs, 112 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 93 runs scored.

In his career, Adames has a .248 average and .322 OBP, so those numbers aren’t all that much different than the ones he posted last year. But he was coming off a 2023 season in which he hit .217 and got on base at a .310 clip. He set career highs in runs, home runs, RBIs and stolen bases in 2024.

Adames is 29 years old now, so it’s possible he’s just reaching his peak, and could at least replicate last season’s numbers for a couple more years. 

I have him ranked seventh, even though he was fourth among fantasy shortstops last year. So I already expect him to fall off a bit in his first season with San Francisco. His draft stock is really pretty respectable, but there’s also a chance he posts similar numbers to 2023 again and can’t even be a top-10 fantasy option.

I’m fine taking Adames to be my everyday fantasy shortstop, but I also would probably try to back him up with another option. You just never know how a player is going to adjust to a new organization and park, and coming off a career year and now having some financial stability, it’s possible Adames falls off a bit as a fantasy performer.

4. Trea Turner

I promise I’m done picking players off my top-10 list. Turner was my No. 8 fantasy shortstop for 2025.

The biggest reason I have Turner in this article is because of his durability. He’s coming off a 2024 season in which he only played 121 games. Turner is also 31 years old, and could now be on the back nine of his career.

In his time on the field last season, Turner had a .295 average and .338 OBP. Those line up with his career averages (.296 average and .348 OBP).

Turner isn’t the power threat a lot of the top-end fantasy shortstops are, topping out at 28 home runs in a season. He’s been between 21-28 home runs over the past four seasons. Turner has only topped 80 RBIs once - a 100-RBI campaign with the Dodgers in 2022.

Turner should hit near the top of a stacked Phillies’ lineup, and even the bottom of the order is pretty solid, so there’s a chance Turner enjoys a fine season if the bottom-of-the-order guys can somewhat consistently get on base. That’s why he was ranked among my top-10 fantasy shortstops.

But I also think Turner is overranked to start the season. I’d only really want to draft him if he falls a round or two. He’s a fine everyday option, but I just don’t view him like I do the other elite talents at the position. This is more a nod to the other options than it is a negative with Turner, but it leaves the Phillies’ shortstop as a bust candidate.

5. Xander Bogaerts

Bogaerts didn’t make my top-10 list, but definitely could be one by the end of the season. He’s being drafted near the top 10 at the position as well.

Bogaerts is coming off an 111-game season, so he has some durability issues as well. He had just a .264 average and .307 OBP, which are way off his career marks (.289 average and .352 OBP). 

He’s viewed as a bounceback candidate by many, but I think he’s being overvalued. Sure, if he gets in a full season, he should finish with more home runs (11), RBIs (44), stolen bases (13) and runs (50) than last season, but a lot like Turner, he doesn’t possess the power a lot of the other great fantasy shortstops do.

Bogaerts has topped 20 homers in any of the past three seasons, and has seen his RBI mark drop in each of the past three seasons. He’s a high-contact and OBP fantasy type player, and I simply do not see him finishing near the top 10 at the position.

He’s fine to draft in some deeper setups, but I’d only want him to be a backup option. I’d stay away from taking Bogaerts to be a bounceback player who is in my fantasy lineup every day.

There’s higher upside players available when Bogaerts is being picked, and a few other shortstops who I like more (check back soon for my draft steal candidate story for shortstops).