MLB Projections: Top 10 Shortstops for the 2020 Season
#3 – Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
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Xander Bogaerts is not the best defensive shortstop in this MLB Projections list, he is, however, arguably the best hitter of the bunch. At least he was in 2019.
Last season, X inserted himself in the conversation of the best offensive shortstop in the game after slashing .309 / .384 / .555. What’s more, he set career highs in the following categories…
- 2B – 52
- HR – 33
- RBI – 117
- OPS – .939
- TB – .341
He’s a 2x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, and finished 5th in the AL MVP voting last season.
Defensively, however, Bogaerts was pretty atrocious last season. He placed last among all shortstops with a minimum of 1000 innings at the position in DRS with -21. He’s only featured a positive DRS once in his career, in 2013 when he played shortstop for just 52.2 innings.
Thankfully, X’s bat will make up for a lot of his defensive mistakes. Defensively, it can’t get worse than 2019 and the only way to go now is up.
#2 – Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
Carlos Correa’s injury history is troubling, especially considering that much of his time was spent on the IL last season because of back issues. That typically doesn’t bode well for a young player.
He is, however, so good when he’s on the field, that he lands in the 2-spot in this ranking. He’s a threat for somewhere between 25-30 HR when healthy and 75-100 RBI. What’s more, he’s an on-base machine, reaching in close to 36% of at-bats.
Using these numbers, it’s hard not to imagine that Correa won’t continue to get better. He’ll have to stay healthy, however, which has not been the case for him yet.
#1 – Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
There is no better shortstop in the game than “Mr. Smile,” Francisco Lindor. The 4x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger award winner has also received MVP votes in each of the last 4 seasons. What’s more, he’s done it all with a nice smile.
Lindor is a career .288 / .347 / .493 hitter who also happens to be a top-10 defensive shortstop. In fact, he’s the 6th best defensive shortstop in baseball, according to FanGraphs’ defensive rating. And what’s more, he’s tied for 7th with 9 DRS.
Lindor has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time now, which is quite baffling. Why any team would want to part ways with Lindor is baffling. That said, whoever gets him will be lucky to have him.