The Top 10 Shortstops in Major League Baseball for 2026
This position is so loaded with talent that even our honorable mentions include All-Stars. These are the top 10 shortstops in the game.
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There might not be any position more loaded than shortstop. It wouldn’t be crazy to apply the superstar label to any of the top eight names on this list, and even our honorable mentions are all coming off three-win seasons.
Shortstop is so deep that I feel the need to name some honorable mentions for the honorable mentions. You’ll find 14 shortstops featured below, and somehow that doesn’t even include players like CJ Abrams and Xander Bogaerts. If either of those guys played second base, you could make a reasonable argument that they belong in the top five.
But, of course, this isn’t second base. It’s shortstop. A position packed with so much talent that I can’t spend any more time writing about the guys who failed to make the cut.
These are Just Baseball’s top 10 shortstops in MLB for 2026.
The voting panel for Just Baseball’s 2026 position rankings comprised editors Ryan Finkelstein, Leo Morgenstern, Eric Treuden, and Joey Peterson, as well as Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton, Peter Appel, Peyton Ginas, and Jack McMullen.
Each panelist ranked players 1-15 and gave those outside of their top 15 a numerical score of 20. The list below reflects the average of those rankings – the lower the mean score, the better.
Honorable Mentions
- Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels
- Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
- Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
- Jacob Wilson, Athletics
Zach Neto is a 30-30 threat whose power-speed combo has helped him finish with upwards of 3.0 fWAR in both of the past two seasons, despite what Statcast considers poor range.
Interestingly, DRS suggests he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, so if you prefer DRS to OAA, we’re talking about a perennial All-Star instead of merely a very solid player. The best part is that he only just turned 25; Neto still has skills to grow into and plenty of time to do it.
There’s no question that Dansby Swanson is elite with the glove. The real question is whether he can hit well enough to compensate if his defense and baserunning start to decline in his thirties.
Swanson’s impact at the plate has hovered around league average during his three seasons in Chicago, though he has significantly underperformed his expected stats each year (.320 wOBA, .339 xwOBA from 2023-25). A version of Swanson that can contend for a Gold Glove, swipe 20 bags, and post a .340 wOBA isn’t just an honorable mention; he’s a top-10 shortstop in the game.
Masyn Winn is another guy whose ceiling hinges on what he can do with the glove. So far in his young career, different metrics have disagreed as to whether he’s elite or closer to average in the field. He has yet to show he can excel in any other area of the game (even his baserunning has been surprisingly mediocre), but if he can excel at shortstop, he’ll continue to be a very valuable player.
Switching things up, our last honorable mention is the bat-first Jacob Wilson. Unfortunately, he might actually be the most one-dimensional player on this list.
Wilson is a contact machine, capable of putting seemingly any pitch he swings at into play. It’s high-quality contact too, or at least as high-quality as it can be for a player with first percentile bat speed. In other words, Wilson does the best he can with the strength he has, but whether that’s enough to make up for poor discipline, below-average speed, and a work-in-progress glove remains to be seen.
10. Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants
- Average Ranking: 9.375
- 2025 Stats: 125 G, .225/.318/.421, 30 HR, 12 SB, 87 RBI, 108 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR
Willy Adames gave the Giants exactly what they signed up for in his first season by the Bay. Loud swings and misses will always be a part of his game, but he knows how to make a swing count (as evidenced by his 30 home runs), and he knows when to keep the bat on his shoulders (as shown by his 80 walks).
While homers and walks are the hallmarks of his game, he’s also a solid defender and a fine baserunner. The overall package is a player who has averaged 3.8 fWAR per 150 games over the last seven seasons and is only just entering his age-30 campaign.
9. Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros
- Average Ranking: 9.25
- 2025 Stats: 125 G, .304/.363/.477, 17 HR, 20 SB, 62 RBI, 135 wRC+, 5.7 fWAR
Jeremy Peña would have fit right in with our honorable mentions over his first three seasons, when he averaged just under 3.0 fWAR per year. In 2025, he took a massive step forward.
From 2022-24, Peña hit just well enough to let his glove do the talking. This past year, he led all AL shortstops in on-base percentage and wRC+. The result was his first All-Star appearance and a fair number of down-ballot MVP votes.
If we were confident Peña could reproduce that performance, he’d be higher on this list (though, honestly, only by a few spots). The problem is that there wasn’t enough of a change in his plate discipline or batted ball data to suggest he will remain one of the best offensive shortstops in the league. Still, sitting between Willy Adames and Mookie Betts on any list isn’t a bad way to enter your age-28 season…
8. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Average Ranking: 7.375
- 2025 Stats: 150 G, .258/.326/.406, 20 HR, 8 SB, 82 RBI, 104 wRC+, 3.4 fWAR
I know you’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating that Mookie Betts was a full-time shortstop for the first time in his career in 2025. He was 32. He was already a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He moved up the defensive spectrum in his 12th big league campaign.
And he was good at it!
Unfortunately, the offensive production was not what we’re used to seeing from Betts. After putting up a 146 wRC+ over his first five seasons with the Dodgers, Betts needed a red-hot September just to bring his full-season numbers up above league average.
Considering his track record, I think it’s safe to presume Betts will bounce back in 2026. But even if he doesn’t, the version of Betts the Dodgers got last year was still (at least arguably) a top-10 shortstop in the game.
7. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
- Average Ranking: 7.25
- 2025 Stats: 162 G, .264/.336/.440, 22 HR, 37 SB, 86 RBI, 109 wRC+, 4.3 fWAR
No one would be shocked if Elly De La Cruz turns out to be the best shortstop in the National League in 2026. At least I wouldn’t.
The 24-year-old already has one 6.6-fWAR season under his belt. If he can combine his phenomenal stolen base and OAA numbers from 2024 with his improved plate discipline from 2025, while also tapping into more of the prodigious raw power he showed off as a prospect, De La Cruz can be a superstar.
His powerful arm and blazing speed give him a solid enough floor, but who am I kidding? No one wants to see De La Cruz’s floor when we’ve spent so long dreaming about his ceiling.
6. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Average Ranking: 6.625
- 2025 Stats: 161 G, .290/.389/.462, 20 HR, 27 SB, 100 RBI, 138 wRC+, 7.1 fWAR
Geraldo Perdomo was hard to rank. At this time last year, he wasn’t even in the conversation for an honorable mention. From 2023-24, he slashed .258/.349/.366 with nine home runs and a 100 wRC+ – and that was a massive improvement from his rookie season, when he posted a pitiful 59 wRC+ in 148 games.
Then, in 2025, a brand new Perdomo emerged, seemingly out of thin air. He was a superstar, leading MLB shortstops in OBP and wRC+ and leading NL shortstops in fWAR. His reward was a Silver Slugger and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting.
As if his offensive showing wasn’t impressive enough, Perdomo also produced the highest OAA of his career and finished with positive DRS, OAA, and FRV totals for the first time.
The question now, as I’m sure you know, is what can we expect from Perdomo in 2026? How much of his breakout was sustainable? His placement ahead of Betts and De La Cruz on this list should tell you that we’re pretty confident he tapped into something real. However, it will take another year of star-caliber performance for him to earn a spot in the top five.
5. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
- Average Ranking: 5.375
- 2025 Stats: 141 G, .304/.355/.457, 15 HR, 36 SB, 69 RBI, 125 wRC+, 6.7 fWAR
Trea Turner won the NL batting title in 2025, for the second time in his career. Unlike the player who won the NL’s batting title the two years prior, Turner is so much more than his batting average.
Now in his mid-thirties, Turner remains one of the fastest players in the sport, a skill that complements his contact skills nicely. He’s also got some pop in his bat, and while he only hit 15 home runs last year (his lowest total ever in a full season), he supplemented those homers with 31 doubles and seven triples. He also used his wheels to turn plenty of his singles into RISP situations.
Even by the most conservative metric, Turner’s defense improved in 2025. It seems unlikely he can maintain that trend as he enters his mid-thirties, but if nothing else, it’s a good indication that he’s not going to need to move off shortstop in the near future. That’s great for Turner and the Phillies, because a player who can post a 125 wRC+ and steal 30 bases while handling himself at shortstop is a very valuable player indeed.
4. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
- Average Ranking: 3.75
- 2025 Stats: 102 G, .271/.373/.487, 21 HR, 50 RBI, 138 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR
If only Corey Seager could stay on the field. Over the last three years, he has a 152 wRC+, 25 DRS, and 7 OAA. That’s been good for 15.0 fWAR, fourth among primary shortstops.
Unfortunately, he’s only played 344 out of a possible 486 games. His average of 6.5 fWAR per 150 games in that span is elite, and it’s just such a shame that injuries have prevented him from showing off the full extent of his greatness.
One could easily make a case for Turner over Seager, especially after the year Turner just had. But the thought of the numbers Seager could put up in a full, healthy season is just too tantalizing. It may not be pragmatic to rank such an injury-prone player this high, but it’s a lot more fun to rank players on pure talent.
3. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
- Average Ranking: 3.25
- 2025 Stats: 154 G, .274/.349/.438, 17 HR, 30 SB, 68 RBI, 120 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR
Gunnar Henderson is already a Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger, an All-Star, and a top-five MVP finisher, and somehow, I’m not fully convinced we’ve seen him put it all together yet.
Henderson hit 37 home runs in 2024. He stole 30 bases in 2025. He produced 12 DRS between third base and shortstop in his rookie season. His arm strength is well above average, but he’s yet to use it to his advantage.
It might sound like hyperbole, but Henderson has the skills to be not just good but great at everything. Everything.
The player he’s been through his first three MLB seasons is already a star, but his ceiling is just as high as that of the player ranked first on this list. Being the third-best shortstop in baseball is nothing to scoff at, but Henderson can dream even higher.
2. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
- Average Ranking: 2
- 2025 Stats: 160 G, .267/.346/.466, 31 HR, 31 SB, 86 RBI, 129 wRC+, 6.3 fWAR
Francisco Lindor finally returned to the All-Star Game in 2025; he made the AL All-Star team in each of his first four full seasons but had yet to earn a nod since he joined the Mets in 2021.
Of course, that’s not to say Lindor wasn’t one of the NL’s best shortstops from 2021-24 – he absolutely was – but he has simply been so good since the 2024 All-Star break that he forced the league to take notice.
A strong second half two years ago helped him finish second to Shohei Ohtani in NL MVP voting, and a strong first half in 2025 earned him that long-awaited NL All-Star nod. He only earned down-ballot MVP votes this past year, but really, you could make a case he was once again as valuable as any NL player not named Ohtani.
Lindor has been an all-around stud for more than a decade at this point, and somehow, he’s still in his prime. Shortstop is the first position we’ve ranked in which both of the top two players were unanimous, and Lindor’s excellence is one-half of the reason why.
As for the other half…
1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
- Average Ranking: 1
- 2025 Stats: 157 G, .295/.351/.501, 23 HR, 38 SB, 88 RBI, 130 wRC+, 8.0 fWAR
Bobby Witt Jr. is baseball’s preeminent five-tool player. He can hit 30 home runs, steal 30 bases, bat .300, and do it all while playing the best shortstop defense in the league. Not yet 26, he’s already writing a strong Hall of Fame resume, with a batting title, two All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and two top-five MVP finishes.
Aaron Judge remains the AL MVP favorite for now, but Witt is eight years younger, and his day is going to come eventually. The Royals have him under team control through 2030, and there’s no one I’d rather have on my team for the next five years. Witt isn’t just the best shortstop in baseball – he’s the future of the game.
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Leo Morgenstern is one of the managing editors for Just Baseball. He is also the managing editor at Jays Centre. His writing has appeared all over…