Here at the TDG Headquarters, we’ve been busy looking for “The Next Big Thing.”  Just like you, we want to know who’s going to be the prospect that will become the core of our fantasy team, or be the trade piece that lands us the players who put us over the top. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a team of prospect prognosticators and developed a set of tiered rankings for each position. And once they’re all posted, we’ll wrap up with our Top 200 Overall Prospects, putting it all together.

Be sure to listen to the Join the Ranks podcast for more discussion about these prospects.

Today, we bring you the shortstop prospect tiers 1 through 3, which include prospects #1 – 24.

Tier 1

Prospect fatigue on Jordan Lawlar has even got to me, as I forgot just how good he was in 2023 when he posted a 20HR/36SB season with a 126 WRC+ across Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. The contact rates are not ideal, but this is a guy who can produce in all five categories if he can stay healthy. Assuming good health, he should be able to provide a meaningful spark to the Diamondbacks at some point in the 2025 season (Joe Juliette)

The shortstops roaming the prospect land are drying up faster than a drop of rain in the desert. It’s tough to dive into one of these tiers, unless it’s one of the top two. Kristian Campbell’s value really does rise above the rest due to his proximity to the major leagues and his skill at the plate. In 2024, he was a true power/speed threat with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases. You aren’t going to find too many of those sitting around for the taking, so if you’ve got the shot to grab him, pay up and ride his prospect roller coaster. Leodalis De Vries is more of a poor man’s Campbell. De Vries has the power and speed as well, but his bat is still very much a work in progress. Last year, he hit .237/.361/.411 at Single-A Lake Elsinore, while providing glimpses of the dual threat with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases. The rest of his profile looks great considering he was just 17 years old during the season. Much like De Vries, Sebastian Walcott has shown those same dual threat skills, as he made it up to Double-A Frisco as an 18-year-old. To read more about his early career, be sure to check out his Prospect Spotlight article from last year. Carson Williams may have the best power and speed in this tier, but they are overshadowed by his 28.5% strikeout rate at Double-A Montgomery in 2024. The strikeout rate was down from 31.4% in 2023 and if he can further decrease it, he will possibly leapfrog everyone in this tier and head right to the top. (Brian Labude)

This is the top of the position with Leodalis De Vries and Kristian Campbell offering two different ends of the minor league spectrum. Campbell is close to major league ready and could make it to Boston this year. He was the best hitter in the minors last season and the results should continue to propel his momentum into 2025. On the flip side, De Vries was just 17 years old and playing at Single-A Lake Elsinore all season in 2024. He showed a good power and speed base for such a young prospect at an advanced level, as he launched 11 home runs and swiped 13 bases. He held his own to the tune of a 116 wRC+. If he continues to see progress, we may be looking at the next superstar shortstop, who is on track to debut at 20 years old. (Daniel Labude)

Tier 2

This tier produced one of the more lengthy and robust debates among the Gurus. Jesus Made or Emil Morales, that is the question. The answer, a resounding stalemate with heels dug in tighter than the clowns squeezing into those tiny cars at the circus. I’m in Morales’ camp. He played in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2024 and had possibly one of the best seasons in recent memory there. He hit .342/.478/.691, with 14 home runs, 11 doubles, and 12 stolen bases. His 46.9% contact rate was his only real blemish on the season. Jesus Made also played in the DSL and slashed .331/.458/.554, adding six home runs, nine doubles, and 28 stolen bases. His contact rate was much better than Morales, sitting at 71.7%. A lot of the time, it’s so difficult to glean anything from the DSL. With Morales’ season and his having a much more projectable frame, I like his transition stateside to be more sustainable and successful than Made’s. It is truly splitting hairs though, as these two could really move into the top tier this time next year, with great seasons at Rookie-ball and beyond. (Brian Labude)

My two favorite prospects in this tier have to be Felnin Celesten and Jesus Made. Both are still pretty raw and at the lower levels of the minor leagues, but the duo have shown great promise with their hit tools at this stage. Celesten dominated the Complex League with a 150 wRC+ and started to show off the high-end dual-threat potential he is projected to have, as he hit three home runs and stole five bases over 32 games. He added 17 extra-base hits and smashed his way to a .352 batting average. Big things are around the corner for him, if he continues to get bigger and stronger leading to more noticeable in-game power. Made has all the tools to be the next top prospect in baseball. If everything clicks in his stateside debut, he could see the pinnacle of the prospect world as the overall number one prospect. Reports of his exit velocities in the DSL, coupled with high contact rates for a 17-year-old, make the potential a likelier outcome than most have at this stage. (Daniel Labude)

Kevin McGonigle is not your average exceptional hit-tool prospect. At just 20 years old, McGonigle has put forth a 112 MPH max exit velocity. That is harder than any ball hit by Jackson Merrill, Jackson Chourio, and *checks notes* Nolan Gorman last year. Suffice it to say, McGonigle has real power. Combining this underlying power with one of the best hit tools (88.5% contact rate in 2024) in the minors makes McGonigle one of my favorite prospects. It was this hit-tool and advanced approach that allowed McGonigle to walk at a 14.0% clip with only a miniscule 8.5% strikeout rate. McGonigle still needs to translate these flashy numbers to game power, as he only produced 6 HRs last season. This may be an even bigger challenge after a hamate injury in August ended his season, as hamate injuries can sap power for some time. He is not the fastest runner but has shown a willingness to take bases at the lower levels. Taken together, if the power shines through, I see McGonigle as a safe bet for 20HR/10SB at the MLB level, with incredible ratios and the potential to have seasons that spike to 25HR/20SB. (Joe Juliette)

One player McGonigle passed in my rankings this year was Colt Emerson. They both have a similar profile, as strong hit-tool (84.0% contact rate in 2024 for Emerson) and approach bats. At Single-A Modesto, Emerson even pulled the same trick as McGonigle by walking more than he struck out. However, this trend did not continue as he got to High-A Everett, where Emerson struggled for the first time as a professional. After a season marred by injuries, I do expect a bounce-back from Emerson. I question just how much power Emerson will get to, with just four total HRs in 2024. At 19, he has already grown into his frame quite a bit, so it’s unsure how much projection is left. At 19 years old, he is one of the youngest in his class, so there is still plenty of time for Emerson to translate strong exit velocities to game power. (Joe Juliette)

Some may be surprised to see our ranking on JJ Wetherholt both here and in the FYPD rankings. As a group, we were less impressed with his 2024 than consensus. There is surely promise in the bat, as he combines a strong approach with solid contact rates (83.8% at Single-A) and good EVs. He makes hard contact consistently, producing a 90th percentile EV (104.5 mph) at Single-A Palm Beach last year. I am skeptical of the top-end power, as he reportedly produced a max EV of only 111 mph with metal bats in college. So, why are we low on him? While we still see him as a solid prospect, Single-A, especially late in the season, is not a true test for a 21-year-old. Especially concerning was that he only produced 2HR/2SB at the level across 126 ABs, bringing his fantasy ceiling into question. Still, he projects to be a safe MLB regular who will consistently impact the ball. (Joe Juliette)

Tier 3

I’ve got ice here that I’ll be selling to an Eskimo shortly, but first, how about to you? Marcelo Mayer isn’t the flashy, power/speed bat that entices most dynasty owners. What he does though, should definitely put him on your radar. He hits the ball and he does it at an elite level. At Double-A Portland in 2024, he slashed .307/.370/.480, while hitting eight home runs, 28 doubles, and stealing 13 bases. Neither his power nor speed have developed as originally hoped, but he should make it to the major leagues sooner than later and be a decent bat, especially for deep leagues. Joendry Vargas was the 2023 version of Jesus Made and Emil Morales. He was one of the top hitters to play at the DSL in 2023 and then came stateside in 2024. He stayed fairly consistent at the plate between the Complex League and the DSL. He hit .303/.406/.493 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases, over 38 games. He will look to cement his dynasty value as a potential top tier prospect during the 2025 season and has the best chance of doing so among the other players here. Colson Montgomery is one of the players I am avoiding in this tier until we can gauge the new crop of coaches for the Chicago White Sox organization. He did hit 18 home runs, but it was at the expense of his contact rates. They fell to near a career low at 74.2% in 2024. Only his pro debut season was lower. Brandon Winokur shows up again in the shortstop rankings, after also being in the outfield rankings. Check out my spotlight article on him for a more in-depth look at his potential breakout 2025 season. (Brian Labude)

In this tier, I think the standout may be Arjun Nimmala of the Toronto Blue Jays. His bat continues to be extremely raw and that showed up in a big way in 2024, as he struggled tremendously for much of the season. He was even sent down from Single-A Dunedin to the Complex League to work on his hitting. When he returned to Single-A though, he was lighting the world on fire. After his return, he hit .265/.331/.564, with an .894 OPS, 13 home runs, 14 doubles, and five triples, all of which culminated in a 145 wRC+ over 53 games. He was one of the best power hitters at Single-A, smashing 16 home runs overall on the season. For many, it was probably a shock to see his in-game power shine so early in his minor league career. The glaring issue was his contact rate of 70%, to go with his 30% strikeout rate. Those two might make for a tough climb up minor league levels. However, if he can start improving on his contact and strikeout numbers, his raw talents could start shining even more. He is definitely a name I am watching to see if the progress comes this season. (Daniel Labude)

A massive season put Angel Genao onto the fantasy map in 2024. Slashing .330/.379/.499 across Single-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County with 10HR and 25 SBs, Genao provides an exciting blend of strong ratios, power, and speed. I have heard whispers that he is closer to 6’ than the reported 5’9” he is currently listed at, making the power projection much juicier. If he continues his pace at Double-A Akron next season, expect the helium to ignite. Aidan Miller had a similar season to Genao, posting a 133 WRC+ across Single-A Clearwater, High-A Jersey Shore, and Double-A Reading. The Double-A sample is negligible at 22 ABs but shows where the Phillies plan on starting him in his age 21 season. Miller feels like a safe bet to reach the MLB as one of the Phillies top prospects and should be a fantasy-friendly profile with a strong power projection and a willingness to run. Adding to this is a solid 77.7% contact rate in 2024. Whether he sticks at shortstop is a looming question, but for fantasy, this is not exactly a negative given the shallowness of third and second base. To continue using Genao’s breakout season as the standard, Jett Williams did quite the opposite in 2024. Injuries limited Williams to only 148 ABs this season, and he produced only a 62 WRC+ in his 101 ABs at Double-A Binghamton. Interestingly, the Mets chose to push Williams at the end of the season to Triple-A Syracuse, where he broke out in a tiny 30 AB sample. It was encouraging to see Williams at the Arizona Fall League until he injured his ankle. It sounds like he should be back to start 2025, and the Mets seem keen on pushing him as quickly as they can. I am willing to brush the 2024 season aside for Williams and believe that his approach and speed provide a solid fantasy floor. His ability to impact the ball at 5’5” and stay healthy are the major question marks, but the Mets trust in him has me excited about what he could provide at the MLB level as soon as 2025. (Joe Juliette)