Sleeper Candidates: Second Basemen

George Bissell and Dave Shovein break down their favorite sleeper candidates at the keystone heading into 2025.

The nebulous “sleeper” label has evolved into all-encompassing shorthand in the fantasy baseball lexicon to highlight undervalued players heading into draft season. Every fantasy manager seems to have a different interpretation. The Buzz is sticking with the more traditional historical definition by classifying sleeper candidates as mostly unheralded or unproven players (or aging veterans that are being similarly overlooked) that are currently flying under-the-radar (typically late-round selections) but have a real chance to emerge next season as impact fantasy contributors. George Bissell and Dave Shovein provide in-depth breakdowns of their biggest fantasy sleepers at second base including: Caleb Durbin, Hyeseong Kim, Juan Brito, Jeff McNeil, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Curtis Mead.

Caleb Durbin, Brewers

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (30) Bissell: (25) Shovein: (NR)

The league-wide uptick in stolen bases diminishes some of the appeal here, but Caleb Durbin’s inclusion as the centerpiece of last month’s high-profile Devin Williams trade with the Yankees signals that Milwaukee’s front office believes he’s on the precipice of contributing at the highest level either as an everyday second baseman or a versatile super-utility specialist. The 24-year-old speedster registered a strong .275/.388/.451 triple-slash line with 10 homers and 31 thefts, while also logging time at five different defensive spots, across three minor-league levels in New York’s system prior to establishing a new Arizona Fall League record with a staggering 29 stolen bases in just 24 contests on the fall circuit. From a raw projection standpoint, Durbin doesn’t offer much in terms of over-the-fence pop, but that shouldn’t be an obstacle to his emergence as a viable fantasy contributor, especially in deeper mixed leagues, since he blends borderline elite bat-to-ball skills — striking out just 111 times (9.1 percent) in 1,216 minor-league plate appearances over the last four seasons — with above-average speed. There’s a wide range of potential outcomes in the batting average department, but its’ easy to envision him reaching double-digit homers with at least 30 steals in an everyday role. That feels like a sleeper candidate. – George Bissell

Hyeseong Kim, Free Agent

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (NR) Bissell: (NR) Shovein: (29)

I’ll admit that we’re digging deep into the bag of tricks with this one, but early drafters in Draft Champions and other super deep formats could wind up getting rewarded handsomely here. The 25-year-old was posted by the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization in early December and has until the end of the week to ultimately decide on an MLB team – assuming that he does decide to make the jump. The Angels have been the team most closely associated with him so far, but there are apparently two other teams that have expressed interest and/or submitted offers as well. While Hyeseong Kim produced the best power output of his career in 2024 (11 homers and 75 RBI), he projects more as a three-category player in the big leagues. With as late as he’s going off the board though, that’s perfectly fine – especially since batting average and stolen bases are very difficult categories to grab late in the draft. He’ll slowly start to rise up the draft board if he ultimately does sign with a big-league club, but as long as he lands a full-time role he’ll still absolutely smash that draft spot. – Dave Shovein

Juan Brito, Guardians

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (41) Bissell: (39) Shovein: (36)

Personally, I’d prefer to roll with Thairo Estrada as my primary sleeper at the position, but he feels like more of a clear-cut bounce-back candidate than a throwback sleeper candidate after signing last month with the Rockies. I’d also throw my hat into the ring for Blue Jays designated hitter Will Wagner, especially if Toronto’s front office doesn’t bring in any additional veteran competition to threaten his role. However, I’m feeling compelled to highlight Juan Brito in this space since he appears to be flying completely under-the-radar heading into the 2025 campaign. The 23-year-old hasn’t been a highly regarded prospect in recent years, but he appears to have the inside track to Cleveland’s starting second base spot after batting .256/.365/.443 with 21 round-trippers and 13 steals across 652 plate appearances last year at Triple-A Columbus. He doesn’t make a ton of hard contact, but he’s displayed excellent plate skills in the upper minors, which give him a chance to survive at the highest level. The batted ball profile doesn’t scream fantasy superstar, but he’s probably being undervalued if he’s going to play every day for the Guardians. If the batting average winds up being palatable, he offers enough power-speed potential to merit consideration in deeper mixed leagues. – George Bissell

Jeff McNeil, Mets

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (NR) Bissell: (NR) Shovein: (27)

I know, I’m going back to the well with the old and boring types. What can I say, I like under-valued assets that are going to beat their draft spot. While Ronny Mauricio is lurking, Jeff McNeil will still open the season as the Mets’ starting second baseman against right-handed pitching barring any further major additions from the free agent market (Alex Bregman?). While not a major source of power, McNeil saw his exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate all improve during the 2024 season, and in turn posted his best ISO (.146) since the 2019 campaign. He’s a good bet for 10-15 homers with a handful of steals, a solid batting average and what should be strong counting stats hitting in a loaded Mets’ lineup. That’s more than enough to return a profit as his current ADP (430) – and there’s certainly room for him to grow from there. He’s not the type of pick that’s going to win you a league single-handedly, but anytime that you can bank profit after pick 400, it’s a step in that direction. – Dave Shovein

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pirates

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (NR) Bissell: (NR) Shovein: (26)

Sticking with the theme of old and boring types, enter Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The long-time super-utility specialist appears to be locked into an everyday role in the Pirates’ infield to start the 2025 season and also seems likely to function as their leadoff hitter. Given that lineup placement, he’ll be a major asset in runs scored and stolen bases while still flirting with double-digits in home runs. The only category that he’ll hurt you in is RBI, but after pick 350 everyone is going to have some sort of downside someplace. Kiner-Falefa also gets the added benefit of having three positions of eligibility (2B/SS/3B) heading into the 2025 season and that added flexibility is a major asset – especially in deeper fantasy leagues. He works much better as a late middle infield option or even a bench bat, but don’t sleep on Kiner-Falefa’s potential productivity on draft day. – Dave Shovein

Curtis Mead, Rays

2025 Rankings: The Buzz (46) Bissell: (40) Shovein: (NR)

Fantasy managers searching for a true dark horse candidate at the keystone in extremely deep mixers should strongly consider Curtis Mead, who should benefit tremendously from Tampa Bay’s move to George M. Steinbrenner Field’s hitter-friendly dimensions, which should allow a few more of his fly balls to clear the fences. The 24-year-old former top prospect’s consistent track record of hard contact at the minor-league level has yet to translate to the big leagues over the last two years as he’s struggled to a .244/.300/.312 triple-slash line with two homers and two steals in 224 plate appearances over 62 games. His path to playing time is extremely complicated entering spring training, but Mead has an opportunity to beat out Eloy Jiménez for right-handed at-bats between second base and designated hitter with a strong showing in Grapefruit League action. The potential fantasy superstar ceiling probably isn’t happening for Mead, but if he takes a legitimate step forward at the plate in Tampa Bay’s newfound hitter-friendly environment, he’s going to make a five-category impact in deeper mixed leagues. – George Bissell