Hub World

Last time we took a look at what I believe are the top third basemen in the league. This time around, we’ll look at the shortstops, packed with some of the brightest stars in the league. This one was tough, having to leave some good candidates off. While the top was pretty easy to place, the middle and end of the list could go a few different ways.

Let’s start with some honorable mentions. First: Javy Baez. He should be playing mostly short in Detroit, but he does tend to play second quite a bit. Still a great player, his FLD% is pretty low among the league best, and struck out an abysmal 184 times last season. Maybe he’ll hit his stride on his new team. Next: Marcus Semien. The 31 year old is coming off an outrageously good 2021 – only problem? He doesn’t play shortstop anymore. That honor goes to a guy we’ll see here in a bit. He did play all 162 games in the past two full seasons in 2019 and 2021, and was really damn good both years. Finally: Wander Franco. There is no denying the potential for a transcendent career for the 20 year old phenom. I would certainly love if my team had him. But with only 70 games under his belt, I’m hard pressed to call him top 10, even if in those 70 games he sure as hell looks top 10.

With those out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff:

10) Dansby Swanson: Doesn’t it still feel like yesterday that the Vanderbilt alum went first round to the Diamondbacks? Now here we are, 6 years in to his career, and he’s a world champion. While he hasn’t quite been the level of star many of us thought he would be, Swanson has strung together some solid seasons up the middle in Atlanta. His bat won’t blow you away, although 27 bombs and 33 doubles in 2021 is promising, but his glove is still one of the best in the MLB. The whole “defending champ” thing cements him here at 10 for me.

9) Francisco Lindor: Let me just get this out of the way: Lindor was ATROCIOUS since going to the Mets last year. Which is unfortunate, since he was EASILY one of, if not the best young shortstop in the game. So what happened? It may be a bit harsh to drop him off all the way down here at 9 after one bad year, but this was not just a bad year. It was a borderline meltdown of a year for Franky. He still has .300 with 35 bombs somewhere in there, and his glove is probably still the best of any shortstop – he’s still a .980 fielder on his career. Hoping to see a big bounce back season for the 28 year old.

8) Trevor Story: After all of the hype about his recent big signing with the Red Sox, I initially had the 29 year old WAY higher on this list. But after looking a little deeper, an unfortunate reality crept in: Story isn’t some incredibly young phenom – he’s a very solid, hyper athletic shortstop. He’ll go for 20+ bombs and 20+ steals, he’ll play high level defense, he’ll make your team better. One small caveat: in Boston, he’ll play second base. Home/road splits are another concern for the former Rockie, but I think he’ll benefit from two things: Fenway Park, and not having to play shortstop anymore. He’ll be able to place more emphasis on his bat, so I don’t expect a regression. In fact, we may see his best season yet.

7) Tim Anderson: People tend to forget about this guy when it comes to discussing elite shortstops. Why is that, I wonder? The White Sox aren’t some obscure team nobody talks about anymore, it’s actually quite the opposite. And it’s not like people don’t know who he is, he’s won a Batting Title before and is always in discussion for how he plays the game (electric, for the record.) So what is it? Honestly, I think people just forget he plays shortstop. Maybe it’s because he’s a bit weaker with the glove as a career .962 fielder – but that’s not the draw here. Tim is consistently one of the game’s best bats. He finished with an average over .300 for the third year in a row, snuck 17 balls over the fence, and still grabbed 22 steals in 2021. He can do it all, and deserves more recognition.

6) Corey Seager: There’s one major concern that always pops up when I think about the younger (and better) Seager: injuries. He misses a TON of games. Which is a shame, because the talent levels are off the charts. A career .973 fielder, the athleticism in the field separates him from a lot of other guys. And at the dish, he’s always a threat. He doesn’t strike out much compared to his peers at the position, and is capable of going gap to gap with power consistently. His ludicrous potential keeps him this high. Hopefully with good health and a change of scenery in Texas this season, we’ll see that superstar reassert himself as one of the game’s best.

5) Carlos Correa: You may love him. You probably hate him. But he is still in the discussion among the best, and has been for a long time. He’s another guy that you blinked and boom: he’s in year 8. Another one who has a better BB/K ratio than most of his peers, he’s a bat who is a power threat in every plate appearance, and a Gold Glove defender. There’s not much to be desired when it comes to on the field performance here. Maybe a few more steals – something he’s seemingly abandoned the last few years. We’ll see how the change of scenery treats him in Minnesota this year, and I’ll refrain from making any jokes about the Minute Maid Park scandal.

4) Xander Bogaerts: How good is Xander? Good enough to still be the Red Sox starting shortstop after they landed one of the most coveted free agent shortstops of the off-season. Another “does it all” guy. Elite defender, stays healthy, can hit for power, very high average, Silver Slugger, All Star, the list goes on and on. The Red Sox have one of if not the best middle infield – hell, you could probably just say infield as a whole at this point. That lineup will pump out runs, and Xander will play a huge role in that.

3) Bo Bichette: In a few years, the three spot may be too low for Bo. This kid is a STUD. He had 191 hits last year, 60 of which were for extra bases. He showed promise in his first two short seasons, and proved his talents last year, missing only 3 games on the season. 29 bombs and 25 steals as a 23 year old, while maintaining a .298 average? Are you kidding me? This is another of the best middle infields in baseball, between him and Semien. He can even field at a decently high level, and is among the most athletic players in the league. Toronto is in good hands for a long, long time.

2) Fernando Tatis Jr.: Surprised? While Tatis is easily the biggest name nowadays when it comes to “star-power”, as he has debatably become the face of baseball, he does not come without his flaws. VERY high strike out numbers, poor fielding, and poor off field choices are among that list. But to say those flaws aren’t worth the positives would be insane. The 23 year old may have some developing left to do, but his presence is going to be felt for a very, very long time. He managed to hit 42 bombs last season despite missing over 30 games, and finished third in the MVP voting. He swipes bags, he hits doubles, he drives in runs, he brings stadiums to their feet, he brings eyes to the sport. Hopefully his wrist injury, from crashing his motorcycle of all things, doesn’t slow him down to much this season.

And 1) Trae Turner: This was actually the easiest choice of them all. Turner is without a doubt the best shortstop in the league currently. He established his pedigree in his first 6.5 years in Washington, and cemented it last season finishing with the Dodgers. This kid is simply different. Maybe the most athletic player in the league, one of the best defenders in the field, multiple seasons stealing 30+ and 40+ bags, he almost had 200 hits last season despite missing two dozen games or so – this is the wonder boy of the MLB. Unless we see some regression here and some serious progress from some other young stars, the 28 year old silky smooth Trae Turner is the guy for a while. Watch out for yet another monster year.

And there we have it: my look at the best shortstops in the MLB, right now. No list this time to compare my opinion to, just me. Will probably be that way moving forward. What position should we look at next? Stay tuned to find out.