TOP 10 Shortstops 2026

9. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

Elly is one of the most fascinating archetypes for a player the league has to offer. If you were to look at him through a broad overview, he's a league average bat with elite speed, and elite arm, and elite exit velo's. But we all know how high the ceiling is here for Elly. He has shown great barrel rates, and been the full package-borderline five tool player in 2024. The issue that has plagued Elly his entire MLB career is the swing and miss in his game. Now, he cleaned up his swing and miss by 5% in 2025, but seemingly at the cost of his offensive output. I think he might just need to stomach the strikeouts in exchange for trying to pull more flyballs. He had success in 2024 also in part to his launch angle, but he pulls flyballs at a rate that's near the bottom of the league. For the raw power that he posseses, he should really try to lean into that, because his glove and baserunning are already elite.

8. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Trust me, this hurts more than you could know. I know I am not supposed to show bias, but I will make it clear that I am a fan of Mookie Betts. That being said, he falls to my number 8 shortstop. Part of it is that the position is loaded with talent, because I still see Mookie as a top 50 player in the sport, but there was noticeable regression in 2024. Not the kind of regression that implies that it was an off-year, but the kind of regression you see when players naturally age. His barrel rates and exit velos are dropping, which by itself isn't that worrysome. But as the year went on, he got slightly worse, and worse, to a barely league average bat by xwOBA. He still provides solid value with his glove and baserunning, but if age is starting to play a part in his bat skills, I wouldn't be shocked if it also starts to play a part in those parts of his game as well. That all being said, he still has an elite plate approach, squares up the baseball more than anyone in the sport, and well, he is Mookie Betts. I am just projecting if he has. a repeat year of 2024, he will likely finish as the number 5-8 shortstop in the sport, but if the regression gets worse... (I will be sad.)

7. Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros

This kind of came as a shock to me, but Pena might be one of the most underrated players in the sport. In 2024, Pena offered elite defense with 8 OAA, a 97th percentile sprint speed, and an .840 OPS. That is the kind of production all 30 MLB teams would take in a heartbeat. Now, if you look under the hood, you will see there are quite a few flaws to his game. He has some chase to his game, which hurts is walk rate, and he also doesn't really hit the ball all that hard. However, he has improved a little in these areas year after year, and if he continues that trend, he is going to put up a very impressive year. Besides Alvarez, this kid needs to be looked at as the face of the Astros.

6. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies

This one could probably burn me the hardest, but I have Trea Turner as my number 6 shortstop. He, to me is the experiened veteran version of Jeremy Pena. Arguably the fastest player in the sport, elite defense with 17 OAA, and a solid .812 OPS. The reason I like 2026 for Turner is 2025 was sort of a down year for the Phillies as a whole. Turner has also slightly gotten better the past 3 years with his bat, and I would assume that trend would continue at least a little bit in 2026. If he brings the same approach that he had in 2025, but with a potentially better Phillies lineup around him, I would expect his overall value to go up.

5. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks

I take it back, Perdomo is the most underrated player in the sport. His WAR totals the past few years, are amung the best players in the sport. To put it simply, he walks more than he strikes out. That in itself is going to provide immense positive value to your team. He doesn't whiff, he doesn't chase, he just. gets. hits. He also pairs it with a well above average glove, great baserunning, and it makes sense that my formula was head over heels for Perdomo. He has the potential to even be the number 3 shortstop in 2026, thats how high i see both his ceiling and floor. One of the more impressive things about his 2025 season that skyrocketed him up here was hitting 20 homers. Why is that? Well oldheads, close your ears, but his launch angle was way better than it had ever been in his career. Why is launch angle important though? Well, for a player like Perdomo, who isn't known for his power, put simply, he needs to not hit groundballs. If you are a player who hits the ball hard, groundballs aren't the worst thing in the world, but for a guy like Perdomo, it makes sense why is xwOBA was so low. However, Perdomo is elite at squaring up the baseball, which can be argued is just as important as barrel rates. So, Perdomo improving his launch angle, resulted in more line drives and flyballs, both in which have a better chance for hits, extra base hits, and homeruns. Not only was he hitting more flyballs, he was pulling them too, which is how you get 20 home runs. Sorry for the little lesson in launch angle, but it goes to show how you can go from a league average player, to a top 5 player at your position, by just adjusting one small area of yout game.

4. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

I would consider myself a Corey Seager enthusiast. I draft him every year in Fantasy Baseball. If you know the jist about Corey Seager, you know why that isn't always the greatest idea. The deal has always, and most likely continue to be until he retires, the injuries. Seager has only gone over 600 PA in his career 3 times. But damnit, as long as this guy is this good at baseball, I will continue to rank him high. When he is on the field, he reminds you that he is one of the best at the position. Last year, was a down year for Seager in terms of production and playtime. He still put up a .840 OPS, .400 xwOBA, and 4 OAA. A down year, mind you. I'm not worried about age here besides injuries, because his bat speed hasn't dipped, nore has his defense. A fully healthy Seager season would easily be an MVP candidate, it's just whether or not we get that full season.

3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

You know Lindor is good, so here's something different to ponder: Is Lindor better in New York than he was in Cleveland? The production has been a little more consistent for the Mets, and he had a solid shot at the 2024 NL MVP. 2025 was more of the same for him production-wise, but he ended his 2025 season red hot, with a rolling xwOBA of .437. The Mets will have a better lineup around Lindor for 2026, so another MVP chase wouldn't be ridiculous to suggest. But you get the jist of Lindor. Gold glove caliber defense, and elite production, year in, year out. However, I see the ceilings being higher for the 2 guys in front of him.

2. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

Something people need to come to terms with is that Gunnar is RIGHT behind Witt in these rankings. The gap between these two is minimal. I like Gunnar's bat more, but Witt's glove is better. Witt gets the edge by being more consistent, but anything can happen in 2026. If 2025 was a down year for Gunnar, then I feel more than comfortable having him at 2. He has the bat speed, the barrel rates, the exit velo's, but he's also an underrated baserunner with 30 stolen bases last season. Gunnar is young, and has all the raw talent in the world, and if 2026 is an improvement for the Orioles, which lineup-wise it should be, I think Gunnar will bounce back.

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

With how loaded the shortstop position is, it is shocking how there is a consensus #1, but it's true. Many people would take Witt over Judge, and it honestly makes sense. He has the xwOBA that Judge puts up, but pair it with an 100th percentile OAA and sprint speed, AND he's only 25?!  I shouldn't have to tell you why Bobby Witt is a good baseball player. Everyone knows he is, and if you don't, well then you need to watch more baseball.

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