MLB: A Look at the Youth at Shortstop to Build a Team Around
Once upon a time, shortstops in MLB hit at the bottom of the lineup and were great with the glove. That changed in the 90s with impact bats playing the position and has evolved in a big way in the current state of baseball as shortstop is a position held by the best batter on a number of teams.
If the team you support does not have a talented young shortstop, wouldn’t you like one for Christmas? Here is a ranking of shortstops I would choose to be under my team’s tree this year.
For the sake of blogger integrity (if such a thing exists), I will not let you know which team or teams in MLB are my favorite/s. I will however narrow it down for you and say none of the teams I support have an elite shortstop at the Major League level. In this era, it seems that elite play from your shortstop may not be a necessity to win in October but it sure is fashionable to build a great team around one. Like the kid who only wanted two front teeth for Christmas, all I want for Christmas is a shortstop who can hit for power and effortlessly turn two.
In the late 1990s, shortstop enthusiasts had their trinity of young superstars that would revolutionize how shortstop was played. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra were all I would argue franchise players in their prime. Prior to the best years of those three, great shortstop play was most famously defined by the defensive wizardry of Ozzie Smith in St Louis, who typically hit in the 8-spot during the Cardinals’ best seasons. Can you imagine Jeter, A-Rod or Nomah hitting 8th in the lineup? Actually, never mind. Let’s just say that shortstops in the current era are either lead-off stand-outs or middle-of-the-order threats that affect the box score in the batter’s box and on the diamond.
How are the rankings determined?
The rankings are based on which shortstop is the best to build a lineup and infield around:
- Overall play matters – That means batting and fielding. Just because Derek Carr has thrown more touchdowns than Andrew Luck this season, doesn’t mean as a talent evaluator I would say Carr is a more talented quarterback. Likewise, the rankings are based on complete ability and what a MLB team would want, not who produces more points for a fantasy team.
- Age + Potential matter – This is an exercise projecting value over a career, not who is the best in baseball right now. Getting the most years of a shortstop’s prime is considered.
- Contracts matter – If this is their last year before free agency versus three more seasons of club control, that is a factor.
- Majority of Games at SS – Even though a player can play SS (and there is one in particular I would trade almost anything to have playing SS on my team), for the purposes of this exercise, we are only counting players that play the majority of games at shortstop or project to in 2017.
Coming Soon
Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves – Diamondback fans are going to keel over in their air-conditioning watching Swanson lead the Braves back to their next appearance in the post-season. How a team could trade this talent is shocking and it would not surprise anyone if Swanson is on the last slide of this blog for Christmas 2017. A favorite for Rookie of the Year next season and projects to compete for MVP awards before too long.
Trea Turner, Washington Nationals – Despite playing more games at 2B and in the outfield, the 2016 Rookie of the Year runner-up should play mostly SS with the Nationals’ acquisition of Adam Eaton to patrol center field. In 73 games in 2016, Turner hit .342, with 13 HR and stole 33 bases in 39 attempts. No wonder Washington was not including him in any of their deals at the Winter Meetings.
Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers – Known for excellent defence, if Arcia’s bat can match his glove, the Brewers offense will be fun to watch once all of their outfield prospects arrive to the big club. Arcia’s slow start after his call-up in August has not dampened the organization’s enthusiasm for the best young player in their system as many view Arcia as the face of the franchise in the next season or two.
Too old (and defensive only) to be considered
Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers – Born five days into the 1990s, Iglesias was a highly coveted prospect once upon a time and he has hit .300 in two of the last four seasons. However, he is a shortstop in the Ozzie Smith mold. Iglesias provides spectacular Gold Glove quality defense but his soft-hitting means he is best suited for the bottom of Detroit’s lineup.
Andrelton Simmons, L.A. Angels of Anaheim – The best defensive shortstop in baseball, he augments that with decent hitting numbers and steals the occasional base. Born in the 80s (September 4, 1989) makes him too old to really be considered. Really?
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers – 24 stolen bases in 32 attempts is good. Slashing .299 / .359 / .438 is also good and higher than expected. However, like Simmons, Andrus is born in the 80s which leaves him on the outside looking in on this list.
Good but not great (and definitely not elite)
Aledmys Diaz, St. Luis Cardinals – Not often mentioned with the elite shortstops, Diaz is a hard-hitting shortstop that hit .300 and 17 home runs in just over 400 at-bats this season. His defense (16 errors in 104 games) and 4-for-8 on steals are the two biggest reasons he’s not on everyone’s radar as far as best shortstops.
Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox – He needs some coaching to refine his contact and defense (strikes out and had 14 errors) but there are plenty of tools as far as speed and power to suggest that he can be a contributor on a good team. It looks like he will have a chance to grow alongside some similar mid-20s aged talent imported by his general manager at the recent Winter Meetings.
Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies – A thumb injury cut his season short but Story hit 27 home runs in 97 games. You can give credit to the thin air in Denver but not a lot of people have hit 1 HR every 3.59 games, even in Colorado. The power comes with a price however as he strikes out more than 1 in 3 at-bats and his defense is middle of the pack.
Marcus Semien, Oakland A’s – Moneyball made Oakland famous for taking value anywhere they could find it. Semien can mash (hit 27 home runs – tied for most among SS this season although with almost 200 more at-bats than Trevor Story) but his play in the field is always an adventure. He cut his errors down 40% from last year, but only because he made 35 in 2015.
Shortstops – The Force at Third
Jonathan Villar, Milwaukee Brewers – He is not long for this list if he is long for Milwaukee because without question, Orlando Arcia is the future at Robin Yount’s old spot. Villar showed some versatility playing 2B and 3B this season and led the majors in 2016 in stolen bases with 62 (in 80 attempts). Of course, he also led the majors in times caught stealing with 18. Despite striking out 1 in every 3.39 at-bats, Villar seems to be a decent hitter both with on-base and power (19 HR).
Alex Bregman, Houston Astros – Like Villar, Bregman needs a position to play as Houston’s current shortstop won’t be moving any time soon. The second overall pick in the 2015 draft played multiple games at SS, 2B, 3B and in the outfield and his bat is a luxury that the Astros can hit him second in the lineup.
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles – Shortstop eligible as he appeared in 45 games as a shortstop in 2016 but played 114 games at 3B. If he ever plays more games at SS than 3B, he moves to the top of this list as back-to-back top 5 finishes in AL MVP voting the last two seasons show.
Our Top Five
Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox – Above average for a shortstop in every area (contact, power, baserunning, fielding) but not outstanding in any one. For the bargain price of $650,500 this season, his production far outstripped his more highly compensated teammates Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Having just turned 24 during the playoffs, the best may yet be to come for Boston fans.
Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs – The Cubs have to feel lucky in hindsight that 22 year old Russell came to them from Oakland in 2014. It is possible to see Gold Gloves in his future for his defense and in 2016, he showed surprising power hitting, 21 HR with 95 RBI. Russell seems like the type of player just scratching the surface and he will have a few seasons batting behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo in the lineup (although it would not surprise me to see him lead off or hit second eventually) to add to his offensive game.
Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians – There won’t be many series where the other team has the edge at shortstop on Addison Russell but in this past Fall’s World Series, Lindor would be rated as the better shortstop by most experts. It is easy to envision Lindor with a 20-20 season in the near future and his defense is exceptional. Lindor is a big reason why Cleveland represented the AL in the World Series in 2016.
Corey Seager, L.A. Dodgers – Although a reader commented and called me out on predicting Seager would hit .375 in leading the Dodgers to a World Series title in 2021, I would not put it past him. Kris Bryant was a good call for the NL MVP but Seager should be a strong candidate going forward and he just completed his rookie season. He is not the stolen base threat or defensive wizard that some of his competition for top shortstop is but he projects to be the best hitter and ideal to hit second in a tough Dodgers lineup.
Next: Cleveland Snags Encarnacion
Carlos Correa, Houston Astros – The heir apparent to Jeter as far as iconic shortstops leading their teams to the playoffs. If the Astros can fulfill their promise in the next few seasons, Correa will be the player at the center of the action. While his stats seemed so much better in 2015 when he won Rookie of the Year, his WAR in 2016 was 5.9 compared to 4.1 in 2015. Given the nearly 50% increase in games, the nearly 50% increase in WAR seems to be accurate.