Fan Rankings Home » MLB » MLB Top 10 Shortstops 2026 Rankings

Who is the best Shortstop in Baseball?

Shortstop is one of the most exciting and important positions in baseball, and it’s arguably the most loaded position in the sport, with veterans and rookies alike making their impact felt in 2026.

As a result, it’s the most competitive position to rank in the sport, and after the emergence of no less than three fantastic rookies in 2026, it’s safe to say that the future at shortstop is arguably brighter than it’s ever been. For now though, there’s still some veterans clinging to their top spot, making this star studded list a very interesting one.

Here is a look at the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2026 Rankings list:

Honorable Mention

Dansby Swanson

Team: Chicago Cubs

Dansby Swanson has been one of baseballs most consistent players in recent years, and while he’s exactly average on the defensive side this season, his bat continues to grow and improve. In his final two seasons in Atlanta, Swanson drove in 88 and 96 runs, and while he’s not been that player in Chicago yet, with 24 runs driven in across 35 games, he’s been clutch for the Cubs this season.

In recent years, Swanson has been a very good shortstop, but without the numbers to back it up, he simply finds himself on our honorable mentions list this after a good start to the 2026 campaign.

Zach Neto

Team: Los Angeles Angels

Zach Neto is already a top tier shortstop in baseball on the defensive side of the field, and after a career high in average and home runs a year ago, he’s certainly ascending in a big way. Early in the 2026 campaign, he has 6 home runs and 16 runs driven in, and while the average is down to .218, he’s a key piece of the future for the Angels.

With a .793 OPS a year ago, Neto has clearly figured things out at the plate, and if he can find the average again this season, the power numbers lend themself to him being a star of the future. For now, he’s just off this list, but with so many veterans ahead of him in their 30’s potentially taking a step back, it’s a matter of when, not if Neto takes the next step to becoming one of the games top shortstops.

Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2026 Rankings

10. Corey Seager

Team: Texas Rangers

From the moment he stepped foot in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Corey Seager has been one of baseballs most consistent players, and on the biggest stage, he’s gotten it done as well. In 2026, he’s hitting a career worst .206 with a .708 OPS, but given the 6 home runs and 17 RBI, he’s still clearly an impact bat for the Texas Rangers.

Across 11 full seasons and the start of 2026, Seager has an impressive 227 home runs, making him one of the best offensive shortstops the sport has ever seen. Ultimately, Seager, like many is ageing out, and at 32-years of age, he’s taken a step back in 2026, but if he can find his spark again, the power numbers will never go away.

9. Xander Bogaerts

Team: San Diego Padres

Xander Bogaerts career started red-hot in Boston, and while he’s out of the spotlight in San Diego, the production at the plate has not stopped. With an OPS of .781 in 34 games played, Bogaerts is a key piece of the Padres talented lineup, and with 20 RBI in that time, he could be on pace to break his career high of 117, set back in 2019 with the Red Sox.

Defensively, Bogaerts is a bottom three shortstop in the game, but with good production and consistency at the plate, he deserves a spot on this list. Only time will tell if he can get back to his best at the age of 33, but with a talented lineup around him, there’s flashes of Bogaerts being an elite level player once again in 2026.

8. Carlos Correa

Team: Houston Astros

Carlos Correa has consistently been one of baseballs best shortstops for a long time, and after reuniting with the Houston Astros last season, his impressive production has returned. The defense for Correa remains average, and given his injury history, that’s to be expected, but at the plate, he remains one of baseballs best overall hitters.

While he has just 3 home runs through 23 games, Correa has driven in 16 runs, and with a .787 OPS, that suggests the production should remain consistent throughout the year. At 31-years of age and currently sidelined, a long career is catching up to Correa, but when he’s healthy, he remains one of the leagues best players at the shortstop position.

7. Otto Lopez

Team: Miami Marlins

Otto Lopez is the first of many young players on this list, and after a career year of 15 bombs and 77 runs driven in a year ago, he looks to be settling in to the MLB level at 27-years of age. Already this season, Lopez has 4 big flies and 16 RBI, and with an OPS of .870, that suggests his production could even go up from a year ago, his second full campaign at the highest level.

While the defense is just about average with Lopez posting a DWAR of 0.1 this season, he has flashed a top tier bat, and with the average of .333 leading all shortstops, he’s found a way to impact the game for Miami in different ways. Ultimately, he’s not the most well rounded, and likely doesn’t have the potential to climb this list, but for a Marlins team looking for production, he’s clearly producing at a very high level.

6. Gunnar Henderson

Team: Baltimore Orioles

In 2023, Gunnar Henderson’s finished his first full season in Major League Baseball, and since then, he’s been the face of a young, ascending Baltimore Orioles team. Last year however, he had one of his worst seasons at the top level, but in 2026, the power is clearly coming back, as he’s already blasted 9 bombs in his first 35 games.

On the defensive side, Henderson has been just about an average player, but with an OPS of .713 and the power numbers clearly coming back, Henderson may settle in as a top tier shortstop in the league. Of course, he needs to do it consistently over a full season, but right now, the potential is there for him to finish 2026 even higher on this list.

5. Colson Montgomery

Team: Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have been searching for impact bats for years now, and in 2026, it appears they’ve got several, with shortstop Colson Montgomery making his presence known on the South Side immediately. After hitting 21 home runs and driving in 55 runs in 71 games a year ago, the 24-year old has picked up where he left off, with an .840 OPS already early in 2026.

In 36 games played, Montgomery already has 9 home runs and 23 RBI, and with the rare combination of speed, power and contact, he could be the future face of the White Sox franchise. Sure, other veterans have the track record, but in terms of young players bursting onto the scene, there’s few in baseball more exciting than Montgomery.

4. Kevin McGonigle

Team: Detroit Tigers

Rookies in 2026 have seemingly made an immediate impact at the MLB level, with the likes of Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto and others all getting adjusted rather quickly. Perhaps the player getting it done as quick as any in the field is Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who has already made himself the Tigers most valuable piece for the future.

In the first 35 games of his career, McGonigle is hitting .308 with an .869 OPS, and while there’s a chance he can’t keep that up in his rookie campaign, he’s showed no signs of slowing down thus far. This, combined with MLB’s third best DWAR at 0.7 suggests that he can keep that up, and with 2 big flies and 16 RBI already, it appears as though the Tigers have a star to lean on for years to come.

3. Elly De La Cruz

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Elly De La Cruz burst onto the scene in 2023, and with his intriguing blend of speed, power and defense, many believed it was a matter of when, not if he’d be a top tier player in Major League Baseball. With 10 home runs, 25 RBI and an OPS of .880, De La Cruz is on pace to shatter some of his career highs this season, and with the Reds putting the right talent around him, something special appears to be brewing in Cincinnati.

With a DWAR of 0.2, the speedy superstar is a fine defender, and while there could be improvements, given what he brings at the plate and the chaos he causes on the base paths, he’s still the face of the Reds franchise. At 24-years of age, the future is bright for Elly, and with the power, the speed and defense all coming on consistently in 2026, this may be his coming out year as a top tier star in Major League Baseball.

2. CJ Abrams

Team: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals haven’t been able to capitalize on the haul they received for Juan Soto years ago, but in CJ Abrams, they’ve certainly found a superstar in the middle of their lineup alongside James Wood. While he’s yet to show his full potential, it appears as though we may be seeing it in 2026, as Abrams leads all shortstop’s in baseball this season with a very impressive .911 OPS.

On top of that, the power has come too, as Abrams has 8 home runs in just 35 games after posting 18, 20 and 19 over his past three full seasons. Defensively, Abrams ranks near the bottom of the league in DWAR at -0.2, but with the power coming along, if he can become just an average defender again, he could be lined up for his first All-Star selection in 2026.

1. Bobby Witt Jr.

Team: Kansas City Royals

When Bobby Witt Jr. arrived at the Major League Baseball level, he was seen as a potential five-tool player, and quickly, he showed off every single one of those tools, becoming the consensus No. 1 shortstop in baseball a year ago. This season, he’s continued to play at a very high level, as he’s hitting .287 with a .792 OPS early in the season, and while both of those are below his career average, it shows just how high the bar has been set.

On top of that, he’s shown solid power with 3 home runs and 16 runs driven in, but with a DWAR of 1.0, he leads all of baseball on the defensive side of the ball, the area he’s dominated most in since arriving at the MLB level. While there’s been some hitters outplaying Witt at the plate this season, given the all around package and the slow start he had in 2025, there’s no denying that he’s the top SS in the sport, and will be for a very long time to come.