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.