Top 10 Shortstops in Major League Baseball in 2025

Prior to the 2025 season, our editorial team sat down and ranked the top 10 shortstops in baseball. With the shortstop being one of the most talented positions in the sport, the depth of the ranking was undeniable.

Now that the 2025 season is over, we can look back and reflect on this list, reranking the top 10 shortstops in baseball. From rookie superstars to some surprising breakouts, this list has changed a lot since the beginning of the year.

One thing remains the same: the new wave of shortstop talent is arguably the best group of players to ever play the position simultaneously, and seeing how this group continues to develop remains very entertaining.

Our team of editors each voted on their own personal top 10, and their rankings were averaged to determine this list. You will also find next to each player’s name where they were ranked prior to the season, or if they were even ranked at all.

Who Fell Off the Top 10 From Our Pre-Season Rankings?

If you look back at our pre-season ranking of the top 10 shortstops in baseball, half of the players ranked failed to make our end-of-season list. Here are the players we thought would be a top 10 shortstop in baseball in 2025, who failed to meet expectations this year.

• No. 4 Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
• No. 5 Elly De La Cruz, Cincinatti Reds
• No. 7: Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants
• No. 9: Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
• No. 10: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

The two biggest names on this list were both considered top-5 shortstops in the game going into the year, with Mookie Betts and Elly De La Cruz.

De La Cruz was still an All-Star this season, but he fell off dramatically in the second half, posting a paltry .666 OPS and an 80 wRC+. After blasting 18 home runs in 97 games prior to the All-Star break, De La Cruz mustered just four home runs in his final 65 games played.

Look up at the end of the season, Elly still hit 22 home runs, scored 102 runs, drove in 86, and stole 37 bases. A 4.3 fWAR season is solid production from your starting shortstop, but it is a far cry from what he is capable of.

In 2024, De La Cruz was a 6.5-win player by fWAR. And with 14 OAA, he was one of the best defenders in the game. This year, his OAA dropped off to -3, the worst mark of his young career.

Still only 23 years old, this will likely just be a blip on the radar for the Reds’ franchise player. When we project forward and do our pre-season rankings in 2026, there is no doubt De La Cruz will find his way back on the list.

Meanwhile, Mookie Betts is not as much of a sure thing, as you have to wonder if we are starting to see some signs of decline for the now-33-year-old. With a career-worst 104 wRC+, Betts just had his worst season to date. And the 3.4 fWAR backs that up as well.

This is still Mookie Betts, one of the faces of Major League Baseball. He came on strong down the stretch and very well could be right back atop his position next year, but there may be a bit more pause with his struggles compared to Elly’s.

Carlos Correa fell off this list by virtue of changing positions once he was traded to the Astros, who do feature a top 10 shortstop on this list. Dansby Swanson had another 20-20 season with strong defense at short, but his 3.3 fWAR was his lowest since 2021.

Finally, Willy Adames just barely fell off our list, as he was our just-missed honorable mention.

Honorable Mention: Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants

After signing with the Giants this offseason, many people speculated whether or not Adames’ offensive production would take a hit due to the tough run environment in Oracle Park. However, Adames put together yet another impressive campaign.

This season, Adames slashed .225/.318/.421 while posting a 108 wRC+ and 4.0 fWAR. Not only is this impressive in its own right, but Adames also became the first Giant to hit 30 home runs in over two decades.

Although there were plenty of positive takeaways from his 2025 season, there are some drawbacks that kept him out of our top 10. For example, his wRC+ fell 12 points this season, and his on-base percentage followed a similar trend. With these dips, it made it difficult to fit Adames into our top 10 with some of the other performances we saw around the sport this year.

The Top 10 Shortstops in MLB in 2025

10. Jacob Wilson, Athletics (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 125 G, .311/.355/.444, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 121 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR

Before this season went underway, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. While this remains true, not many believed Wilson would become as good as he has this quickly, as his rise to the top has happened extremely quickly.

Wilson is one of the best contact hitters in the sport, as he constantly uses the whole field to his advantage. Thanks to this ability, Wilson struck out just 7.5% of the time during the 2025 campaign. His strikeout rate and chase rate both came above the 99th percentile in the sport, showing this skill.

Notably, Wilson showcased more power than we’ve seen from him in the past. When he was a prospect, he wasn’t projected to have much power, and he’s already beaten all of these projections. With 13 homers this season, Wilson surpassed his previous career high of seven, a mark he reached in the minors last season.

Thanks to his performance this season, Wilson started the All-Star Game for the American League, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by an A’s shortstop since 1974. While he currently ranks 10th on our shortstop rankings, he could fly up with another big season next year.

9. Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels (Preseason: Honorable Mention)

2025 Stats: 128 G, .257/.319/.474, 26 HR, 26 SB, 62 RBI, 116 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR

Since he was selected by the Angels in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the expectations surrounding Neto have been high. This year, Neto surpassed all of these expectations, moving from a preseason honorable mention to our number nine shortstop in baseball.

After showing signs of breaking out last season, Neto followed it up with an even better campaign. He set new career-highs in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wOBA, wRC+, and a range of other numbers.

Neto became one of just four shortstops to finish the 2025 campaign with more than 25 home runs, as he finished third among shortstops in this area. Neto saw the most extreme change in his barrel rate this year, which shot from 8.4% to 14% in 2025.

Every year Neto has been in the big leagues, he’s taken a step forward offensively. If this trend continues, don’t be surprised to see Neto near the top of this list in a few years.

8. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles (Preseason Rank: No. 2)

2025 Stats: 154 G, .274/.349/.438, 17 HR, 30 SB, 68 RBI, 120 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR

To put it lightly, this year was quite underwhelming for the Orioles, as they slipped to the bottom of the American League East after a few dominant seasons. As for Gunnar Henderson, he put together another very nice season at the top of their order.

For all four years of his career, Gunnar Henderson has finished with at least a 120 wRC+, and this streak continued once again in 2025. While he didn’t hit for nearly as much power as last season, Henderson still managed to finish sixth in the sport in fWAR among shortstops.

Although he’s most well-known for his bat, Henderson has quietly developed as one of the best baserunners among all MLB shortstops. He stole 30 bases for the first time in his career, finishing as one of seven shortstops to complete this feat.

Unfortunately, due to Henderson’s small dip offensively, he slides down our top 10 list from his preseason ranking. However, with a fully healthy season in 2026, he’ll rebound back to the top in no time.

7. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 139 G, .311/.357/.483, 18 HR, 94 RBI, 134 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR

After taking a step back offensively during an injury-riddled 2024 campaign, Bo Bichette came out swinging this year, and he rebounded massively. Bichette was one of the biggest pieces of the Blue Jays’ offense during their division title run, allowing the team to take a serious step forward.

For the fourth time in his career, Bicette posted an fWAR at or above 3.8, a number that put him inside the top 10 for shortstops. Also, Bichette’s 134 wRC+ was his new career high for a full season.

Bichette’s wRC+ also ranked third in baseball, finishing behind only Geraldo Perdomo and Bobby Witt Jr. on the leaderboard. Bichette also finished only three hits shy of leading the sport, as he made plenty of regular hard contact.

With Bichette set to enter the free agent market this offseason, he couldn’t have asked for a better time to rebound at the dish. Knowing his offensive toolset, he could become one of the highest-paid infielders in the sport in no time.

6. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (Preseason Rank: No. 6)

2025 Stats: 102 G, .271/.373/.487, 21 HR, 50 RBI, 138 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR

When looking for the most consistent hitter in major league baseball, it’s hard not to immediately look towards Rangers’ shortstop Corey Seager. After signing a 10-year, $325 million deal, Seager has been one of the best hitters in the sport year after year.

Despite fighting to stay on the field, Seager repeated his consistency once again in 2025. He over 20 homers for the sixth season, recording yet another 4.0 fWAR season along the way. Seager was also able to raise his walk rate to 13% this year, a mark he’s never touched in his career.

Among shortstops with at least 100 plate appearances, Seager tied Geraldo Perdomo for the highest wRC+, showing more proof as to why he’s regarded as one of the top shortstops in the sport.

After being ranked as our sixth-best shortstop before the season, Seager unanimously finds himself here once again. If he repeats his incredible offense over a healthy 2026 campaign, look for him to move up this list.

5. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies (Preseason Rank: No. 8)

2025 Stats: 141 G, .304/.355/.457, 15 HR, 36 SB, 69 RBI, 125 wRC+, 6.7 fWAR

Similar to Corey Seager, Trea Turner has quietly become one of the most reliable hitters in the sport. Every day he’s in the lineup, it seems like the Phillies can count on him, as his production is regularly among the top of the sport.

Turner just wrapped up a tremendous 2025 season, where he took his game to a level of play we haven’t seen from him since 2021. Turner registered his third season with at least 6.0 fWAR, making him one of four shortstops with at least 100 plate appearances to do this.

Turner also took home his second career batting title, putting him in an exclusive club that not many hitters have reached. He also remained one of the best defensive shortstops in the sport, as his OAA graded out in the 99th percentile.

With Turner being such an elite hitter, defender, and runner, it’s no question that he comes in at number five on our top 10 shortstop rankings.

4. Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 125 G, .304/.363/.477, 17 HR, 20 SB, 62 RBI, 135 wRC+, 5.7 fWAR

After making waves in MLB for the first time during the 2022 season, Jeremy Pena has regularly been a league-average hitter. However, this year was completely different, as he took his game to a whole new level in the absence of Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman from the Astros’ lineup.

Pena registered career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wRC+, and fWAR. In fact, Pena’s previous career highs in the majority of his offensive categories weren’t even in the same ballpark as his numbers during the 2025 campaign.

Pena’s step forward offensively wasn’t just a good story for him, as it was crucial to the Astros’ lineup. After losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, Pena’s stride forward made up for a lot of these losses, which really held the team together.

Pena went from being unranked preseason to being ranked our number four shortstop in the sport, an incredible jump from just one season. Pena will be a name to keep a close eye on in 2026 as we look to see if he can replicate this successful season once again.

3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (Preseason Rank: No. 3)

2025 Stats: 160 G, .267/.346/.466, 31 HR, 31 SB, 86 RBI, 129 wRC+, 6.3 fWAR

Last year was a tremendous campaign for Francisco Lindor, as he found himself as the runner-up for the National League MVP award. Lindor replicated this in 2025, as he turned in yet another elite season for the New York Mets.

For the second time in the last three years, Lindor found himself in the 30/30 club, while also posting an fWAR above 6.0. In fact, Lindor has homered 30 times or more in each of his last three years, becoming the second time in his career he’s done this.

Lindor did all of this offensively while remaining one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. His OAA of 5 graded out in the 90th percentile. With Lindor possessing value on all sides of the ball, there’s no question he’s one of the three best shortstops in baseball.

If Lindor can reach the 30-homer mark again next season, it’ll be the first time in his career that he’ll do this in four straight seasons. Lindor is set for another dominant campaign in 2026 as the Mets seek revenge.

2. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks (Preseason: Unranked)

2025 Stats: 161 G, .290/.389/.462, 20 HR, 27 SB, 100 RBI, 138 wRC+, 7.1 fWAR

Geraldo Perdomo just went through one of the biggest rises we’ve seen in recent memory, as he went from a solid everyday shortstop to one of the best in the sport in just one season.

The Diamondbacks look like geniuses for extending him a few seasons ago, as he’s become a truly spectacular player.

Perdomo beat his previous career highs in almost every single metric. Arguably, the most impressive of these came with his power numbers, as Perdomo slugged 20 homers. His previous career high in homers was 6, which really speaks to the surge he had.

Perdomo also registered a 7.1 fWAR season after never recording more than 2.3 fWAR in a single season, a truly incredible rise. Just like Lindor, Perdomo also played an elite shortstop, as his OAA ranked in the 88th percentile.

For Perdomo, this year was a dream offensive season. From posting career highs all across the board to becoming our number two-ranked shortstop, it’s time we give Perdomo his flowers for a fantastic season.

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (Preseason Rank: No. 1)

2025 Stats: 157 G, .295/.351/.501, 23 HR, 38 SB, 88 RBI, 130 wRC+, 8.0 fWAR

Of course, the unanimous number one shortstop in the league is still Bobby Witt Jr. Witt posted another tremendous season on all sides of the ball, proving once again why he deserves the top spot on this list.

Witt was the only shortstop in baseball this season to post an fWAR of 8.0, a number that also put him inside the top three for all position players. Witt also led baseball in hits with 184, the second most he’s had in a single season.

Witt did all of this while also remaining one of the best all-around players in baseball. He nabbed 38 stolen bases, finished first in baseball in OAA, showing the diversity of his playstyle.

It speaks volumes to Witt’s level of play that this season was somehow considered a down year for the 25-year-old. With Witt still being one of the most dynamic players in the sport, there’s no question that he’s our top shortstop.