Who is the best Shortstop in Baseball?

The future of Major League Baseball continues to look promising as an extensive list of talented stars have made their arrivals at the big league level. That includes a stellar group of young stars securing the shortstop position including Bobby Witt Jr of the Kansas City Royals as well as guys like Gunnar Henderson, and Elly De La Cruz. Each of these shortstops sit at or under 24 years old while none will be 25 at the start of the 2025 MLB Schedule. At the top of the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list is Witt Jr who is putting together a remarkable performance at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths.

The Royals 24-year-old shortstop is currently leading Major League Baseball in batting average while posting a .332 mark over 602 at bats on the season. In addition to that success Henderson currently leads all shortstops with 37 home runs while De La Cruz leads Major League Baseball with 64 stolen bases.

Joining those three young stars include Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets.

Here is a look at the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list:

Honorable Mention

Masyn Winn

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Just missing the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list is the St. Louis Cardinals 22-year-old shortstop Masyn Winn. Winn who appeared in 37 games last season has taken over the everyday responsibilities at shortstop for the Cardinals this season while continuing to improve each game.

Through 139 games played, Winn has posted a .271 batting average while ranking seventh among all shortstops with enough qualified at bats. To go along with the solid average, Win has posted 27 doubles, four triples, and 13 home runs while driving in 50 runs and scoring 73 times.

On top of the solid play at the plate, Winn currently leads all shortstops with a 2.2 Defensive Wins Above Replacement (DWAR) mark.

Anthony Volpe

Team: New York Yankees

Another stellar young shortstop coming up just short of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball is the 23-year-old New York Yankees Anthony Volpe.

Volpe, who is wrapping up his second full season in the majors, has seen his overall power numbers drop from 21 home runs to 11 home runs; however, his overall production has improved across his entire offensive stat line.

Through 149 games, Volpe has topped nearly every other statistic from last year improving hits from 113 to 148, doubles from 23 to 27, triples from four to seven and batting average from .209 to .246. In addition, the Yankees shortstop has posted 26 stolen bases while delivering strong defensive play in the field.  

Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings

10. Jeremy Pena

Team: Houston Astros

Sliding in at number 10 on the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list is the Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena. Pena has been an anchor for the Astros since taking over everyday duties for the Astros at shortstop back during the 2022 MLB season.

The former World Series MVP and Gold Glove Award winner has been solid for the Astros all season while setting career highs in hits (153) and runs batted in (69) while also pushing his batting average mark up to .270 over 567 at bats on the season.

To go along with those numbers the Astros shortstop has racked up 25 doubles, two triples, and 15 home runs while scoring 75 runs on the season.

9. Zach Neto

Team: Los Angeles Angels

A name to start monitoring around the top young shortstops in all of Major League Baseball is Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels. Neto, who will be 24 at the start of the 2025 MLB season is wrapping up his first full season in the majors after appearing in 84 games last season.

Over 146 games this season Neto has posted 31 doubles to go along with 21 home runs while driving in 71 runs on the season. The strong performance at the plate has landed Neto the seventh best Wins Above Replacement (WAR) mark among shortstops with a 4.6 mark.

Meanwhile the Angels shortstop has also ranked among the best defensively at the position while posting the second-best Defensive Wins Above Replacement (DWAR) at 1.9 on the season.

8. Ezequiel Tovar

Team: Colorado Rockies

When it comes to top defensive fielding shortstops its hard to look past the Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Tovar has posted an astonishing .987 fielding percentage good enough for second among the position while also posting a 1.9 Defensive Wins Above Replacement (DWAR) mark.

While his defense has been stellar, Tovar has also been great at the plate for the Rockies posting a .264 batting average on the year with 43 doubles, 24 home runs, and 73 runs batted in.

Currently the Rockies 23-year-old shortstop is ranked second among all shortstops in doubles, tied for sixth in home runs, fourth in hits (160), and eighth in runs scored (78) over 146 games played.

7. Mookie Betts

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s hard to imagine the type of season Mookie Betts would have put together for the Los Angeles Dodgers had it not been limited to injuries.

Betts who has appeared in just 104 games has still racked up a strong stat line including driving in the ninth most runs (69) among the position despite appearing in at least 19 fewer games than the current shortstop leaderboard. In addition to the 69 runs batted in, Betts has picked up 23 doubles to go along with 17 home runs while batting .297 on the season.

Meanwhile the Dodgers shortstop has added 14 stolen bases, and 70 runs scored to go along with the highest on base percentage mark (.385) among shortstops.

6. Corey Seager

Team: Texas Rangers

After signing the 10-year $325 million dollar deal with the Texas Rangers leading into the 2022 MLB season, expectations were set high for the talented shortstop.

Since then, Corey Seager has put together back-to-back solid seasons with the Rangers including posting at least 30 home runs in each season including 30 home runs through 123 games played this season. Despite playing in just 123 games this season, Seager has driven in 74 runs, picked up 24 doubles and scored 68 runs while missing time.

The strong play at the plate has landed Seager with the fourth best WAR mark in baseball at 5.0 on the season trailing only Francisco Lindor, Gunnar Henderson, and Bobby Witt Jr. 

5. Elly De La Cruz

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Rounding out the top five on the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list is the Cincinnati Reds sensational shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The Red shortstop is a game changer at the position while using exceptional speed to improve his play at the plate, on the base paths as well as in the field.

De La Cruz who has posted a 4.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) mark over 147 games this season has swiped an MLB league leading 64 stolen bases on the season while helping the Reds shortstop to score 98 times on the year.

To go along with that success, De La Cruz has added 33 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs while driving in 69 runs on the season all while being just 22 years old.

4. Francisco Lindor

Team: New York Mets

Once classified as one of the best shortstops in all of baseball, Francisco Lindor has continued to put together a strong career resume while topping the 30-home run mark for the fifth time of his MLB career.

Lindor who is 30 years old now has posted 304 doubles and 246 home runs over his career while driving in 765 runs. Over 148 games played this season, Lindor has posted a .271 batting average to go along with 103 runs scored, 39 doubles, 31 home runs while also driving in 86 runs.

In addition, Lindor has been aggressive on the base paths picking up 27 of 31 stolen base attempts for a New York Mets team that has continued to fight for an MLB playoff spot.

3. Willy Adames

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

One MLB shortstop that may often get overlooked among the best in baseball is the Milwaukee Brewers Willy Adames. Adames, who is a few years older at 29 than the current youth movement of MLB All-Stars at the position, has been solid since taking over full-time role with the Brewers.

Since the start of the 2021 MLB season, Adames has racked up 107 home runs over that stretch while posting at least 24 home runs in each of the four seasons. That same success has continued this season as Adames ranks second behind just Gunnar Henderson in home runs among shortstops with 32 on the season.

In addition to the home runs, Adames has added 30 doubles on the season and a career high 143 hits over 571 at bats while scoring a career high 87 runs. In addition, the Brewers shortstop currently leads all shortstops with 109 runs batted in on the season.

2. Gunnar Henderson

Team: Baltimore Orioles

When it comes to the top two shortstops in all of Major League Baseball it simply comes down to Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. While Witt Jr gets the slight edge, the Baltimore Orioles shortstop has been equally impressive after winning the AL Rookie of the Year last year and leading all MLB shortstops with 37 home runs this season.

Even more impressive is the fact Henderson is just 23 years old this season while putting together All-Star caliber performances night in and night out.

To go along with leading all shortstops in home runs, Henderson ranks second with an 8.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) trailing just Witt Jr. In addition, Henderson has scored 113 runs on the season to go along with 28 doubles, seven triples while driving in 87 runs on the year.

1. Bobby Witt Jr.

Team: Kansas City Royals

In at number one on the Top 10 MLB Shortstops 2024 Rankings list is the Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. If it wasn’t for Aaron Judge, Witt Jr would be the favorite to take home his first AL MVP Award after compiling a loaded stat sheet all season.

The Royals 24-year-old shortstop has all the tools to be successful including a power bat, great vision at the plate, speed as well as good defensive metrics. All those things have been on display this season as Witt Jr currently leads all shortstops with 122 runs scored while leading Major League Baseball with a .332 batting average.

In addition, as the final few weeks of the season has arrived, Witt Jr trails only Judge in Wins Above Replacement while posting a 9.0 mark on the season. To go along with those numbers Witt Jr has added 43 doubles, 11 triples, 332 home runs while also stealing 29 bases on the season.

Sunday Umoh

Sunday Umoh is the visionary founder and CEO of Fan Rankings LLC, a platform that merges sports passion with technology to create an engaging and interactive space for fans worldwide. With a background in Information Science and Systems and experience as a Software Engineer, Umoh has built a brand that blends analytical insights with emotional connection, offering unique coverage of Football, Basketball, MMA, and Boxing. A graduate of Morgan State University and a former collegiate Track and Field athlete, Umoh previously gained attention for his impactful Washington Wizards blog, fireerniegrunfeld.com. His journey exemplifies how technology can amplify sports fandom, with Fan Rankings setting a new standard in sports media, providing a community for fans to connect, debate, and celebrate their favorite teams and athletes.

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