The Shortstop is considered the infield captain and takes charge when balls are hit in the air, as well as communication among infielders.
For a Shortstop, it is crucial to be a strong, well-rounded defensive player.
A Shortstop must be able to field well, have good speed and range, and have a strong arm.
Playing Shortstop is the hardest position in the infield to play.
Being able to produce on offense is also mandatory, as well as being excellent defensively.
Scroll down for a breakdown of the top 10 Shortstops entering the 2023 MLB season.
The Top 10 Shortstops Entering The 2023 MLB Season
The MLB is filled with talented players at the Shortstop position.
However, some talented Shortstops had to be left off the top 10 list.
Willy Adames has excellent pop, recording 31 home runs and 98 RBIs last season, which both ranked second among Shortstops in the league last year. He also ranked ninth in WAR among SS last season. However, he only had a .238 batting average and struck out 166 times in 563 at-bats. Adames offers excellent power but his batting average and the number of times he strikes out leaves him off the top 10 list of Shortstops in the league.
Tim Anderson has played less than 125 games in each of the last four seasons. When he plays, he is a very reliable bat, hitting over .300 in four straight years but he is not reliable to stay healthy. If Anderson had a better track record of staying healthy, he would crack the top-10 list.
Oneil Cruz had an impressive final month of the season last year, but he was awful from June to August. He had a Statcast record for the hardest-hit ball. Unfortunately for Cruz, his ridiculous tools are undermined by shaky skills, such as striking out too much. In 87 games last season, Cruz had 45 runs, 77 hits, 13 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 54 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, a .233 batting average, and 126 strikeouts in 331 at-bats. Cruz has all the tools to one day be a star in the league.
We take a look at the top 10 Shortstops entering the 2023 MLB season.
Tommy Edman kicks off the top 10 list of Shortstops for the 2023 MLB season.
10. Tommy Edman
Tommy Edman won a Gold Glove award at second base in 2021. While second base may still be his best overall position, in 622 innings at Shortstop last season, Edman was elite as well.
He has stolen 30 or more bases in back-to-back seasons.
Edman has played over 150 games in each of the last two seasons.
Last year, Edman had 95 runs, 153 hits, 31 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 57 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, a .265 batting average, .324 OBP, .400 SLG, and .725 OPS.
He had a 6.3 WAR last season.
His numbers have been relatively the same in back-to-back seasons since he has played in over 150 games in each of the last two years.
Expect his 2023 season to replicate his 2021 and 2022 seasons as Edman remains quietly one of the better players at the position. Edman is in a good batting lineup and he will produce wherever he bats in the batting order.
He has good offensive numbers to go along with his elite defensive abilities.
Edman will have another very productive season and have a top 10 season among Shortstops in the 2023 MLB season.
9. Wander Franco
In what was supposed to be Wander Franco’s first full season in the big leagues, quad and hand injuries limited him to just 83 games last year.
The coveted prospect produced a 2.3 WAR in just over half a season.
In 83 games last season, Franco had 46 runs, 87 hits, 20 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 33 RBIs, a .277 batting average, .328 OBP, .417 SLG, and .746 OPS.
Franco is a contact machine and he will only be 22 years old when the 2023 MLB season starts.
He will have a big 2023 campaign.
Expect Franco to record over 75 runs, 170 hits, 30 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 75 RBIs, and to have around a .290 batting average.
Franco is a future star and will be among the best SS in the league for the foreseeable future.
If Franco can stay healthy, he will have a very good 2023 MLB season and be a top-10 Shortstop in the league.
8. Bo Bichette
Bichette had a ridiculous September last season, hitting seven home runs, recording 27 RBIs, 22 runs, 48 hits, a .443 batting average, and a 1.13 OPS in 28 games and 119 at-bats in September last year.
On the season, he had 91 runs, 189 hits, 43 doubles, 24 home runs, 93 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, a .290 batting average, .333 OBP, .469 SLG, and .802 OPS.
He ranked fourth in runs, second in hits, first in doubles, fifth in home runs and RBIs, and tied for 11th in stolen bases among Shortstops last season.
Bichette ranked fourth in batting average and OPS, sixth in OBP, and first in SLG among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 3.3 WAR, which ranked 12th among SS last year.
The Rogers Centre will be more hitter-friendly in the 2023 MLB season.
Right Center Field alley will be moving in from 375 to 357 feet.
Left Center Field will be moving in from 375 to 366 feet.
Center Field will move in from 400 to 397 feet.
Rogers Centre is going to be even more hitter-friendly moving forward.
Per sources, here are the expected new dimensions.
RCF alley moving in from 375 to 357(!) feet.
LCF 375 to 366.
CF from 400 to 397.
Lines expected to stay same at 328.#BlueJays— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) January 21, 2023
This will help Bichette’s offensive numbers go up in the 2023 MLB season.
Another bonus for Bichette is he bats second in a very good lineup with George Springer batting first, Vladimir Guerrero batting third, and Alejandro Kirk batting fourth.
Expect Bichette to record over 95 runs, 190 hits, 40 doubles, 95 RBIs, and to hit around 30 home runs.
While he may not be the best defensively, he makes up for it with huge offensive production.
Bichette will have a strong offensive year and have a top-10 season among Shortstops.
7. Bobby Witt Jr
Bobby Witt made a splash in his rookie campaign last year, showing how much potential he has.
He was able to play in 150 games as a rookie, which will help him take a huge step forward in his second year.
Last season, Witt had 82 runs, 150 hits, 31 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 80 RBIs, a .254 batting average, .294 OBP, .428 SLG, and .722 OPS.
He ranked ninth in runs, eighth in hits, tied for sixth in doubles, third in triples, ninth in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and second in stolen bases among Shortstops last season.
Witt ranked 11th in batting average, 16th in OBP, ninth in SLG, and 10th in OPS among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
With his rookie year under his belt, Witt will be more disciplined at the plate in his second season, which will improve his offensive numbers.
He will bat second in a much improved Royals batting lineup, which will also help his offensive numbers.
Expect him to have over 90 runs, 160 hits, 35 doubles, five triples, 25 home runs, and 85 RBIs, and to improve his batting average to over .260 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Witt will improve upon his rookie season and have a strong 2023 campaign and he will have a top-10 season among Shortstops.
6. Dansby Swanson
Dansby Swanson was the starting Shortstop for the Atlanta Braves last season but he will start at Shortstop for the Chicago Cubs in 2023 after signing a seven-year deal worth $177 million.
The former number-one overall pick of the 2015 MLB draft put together a career year at the plate and won his first Gold Glove award last season.
Nico Hoerner at second base and Swanson at Shortstop form one of the best double-play duos in baseball.
Swanson has played in 160 or more games in two straight seasons.
Last season, Swanson had 99 runs, 177 hits, 32 doubles, 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, a .277 batting average, .329 OBP, .447 SLG, and .776 OPS.
He ranked second in runs, fourth in hits, home runs, and RBIs, tied for fourth in doubles, and tied for sixth in stolen bases among Shortstops last season.
Swanson ranked seventh in batting average and OBP, eighth in SLG, and sixth in OPS among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 5.7 WAR, which ranked second among SS last season.
Swanson is expected to bat leadoff in an offense that is not as potent as Atlanta’s batting lineup was last season.
Expect his offensive numbers to dip a tiny bit but he will still produce offensively and be one of the best defensive Shortstops in the league.
Swanson will have a strong first season with the Chicago Cubs and he will have a top-10 season among Shortstops.
The Top 5 Shortstops Entering The 2023 MLB Season
Now, we get to the top-five Shortstops in the MLB.
Corey Seager kicks off the top-five list of Shortstops entering the 2023 MLB season.
5. Corey Seager
Corey Seager set a career-high with 33 home runs in 2022 but struggled with batting average. He had a .245 batting average last season but his xBA was about 40 points higher and looking deeper, data shows he was one of the players that were most burned by infield shifts… which as you know will be banned in the 2023 MLB season.
He played in 151 games last season.
Seager had 91 runs, 145 hits, 24 doubles, 33 home runs, 83 RBIs, a .245 batting average, .317 OBP, .455 SLG, and .772 OPS last year.
He ranked tied for fourth in runs, ninth in hits, tied for 15th in doubles, first in home runs, and sixth in RBIs among SS last season.
Seager ranked 15th in batting average, 10th in OBP, sixth in SLG, and seventh in OPS among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 4.1 WAR, which ranked 10th among SS last season.
Expect Seager to post similar numbers to his 2022 season but dramatically improve his batting average to over .270.
Seager will once again have a very good season and be among the best Shortstops in the league.
4. Carlos Correa
After one of the strangest free-agent stints in baseball history, Carlos Correa is back with the Minnesota Twins on a six-year/$200 million deal.
For a short period, it seemed like Correa would join the New York Mets and shift to third base.
However, he will remain at Shortstop in Minnesota, where his defensive metrics saw a noticeable dip in 2022 after he won the Platinum Glove with the Houston Astros in 2021.
Playing in Minnesota saw Correa’s offensive numbers take a dip as well after playing in Houston, which has one of the best lineups in the league.
He played in 136 games last season with the Twins.
Correa had 70 runs, 152 hits, 24 doubles, 22 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .291 batting average, .366 OBP, .467 SLG, and .834 OPS last year.
He ranked 11th in runs, seventh in hits, tied for 15th in doubles, tied for sixth in home runs, and 12th in RBIs among Shortstops last season.
Correa ranked third in batting average, second in OBP and SLG, and first in OPS among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 5.4 WAR, which ranked third among SS last season.
Expect Correa to post similar offensive numbers as last season but he will improve defensively in his second season with Minnesota.
Correa will once again have a strong campaign and have a top-five season among Shortstops.
3. Xander Bogaerts
Xander Bogaerts may not ever hit in a lineup as good as the 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, but the 2023 Padres have an excellent lineup themselves.
Bogaerts’ 11-year/$280 million deal with the Padres will allow him to join a batting lineup that has Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and when the suspended Fernando Tatis Jr returns, which is expected in late April.
He graded out very well in the 2022 MLB season and It will be interesting to see if he can continue to play well defensively with his new team.
He played in 150 games last season with the Red Sox.
Bogaerts had 84 runs, 171 hits, 38 doubles, 15 home runs, 73 RBIs, a .307 batting average, .377 OBP, .456 SLG, and .833 OPS last year.
He ranked seventh in runs, fifth in hits, third in doubles, 13th in home runs, and ninth in RBIs among Shortstops last season.
Bogaerts ranked first in batting average and OBP, fifth in SLG, and second in OPS, among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 5.7 WAR, which ranked first among SS last season.
Expect Bogaerts to improve his offensive numbers in 2023, as he is playing in a much better batting lineup.
Bogaerts will have a stellar 2023 campaign and be one of the best Shortstops in the league once again.
2. Francisco Lindor
By his standards, Francisco Lindor had an uneven first season with the New York Mets in 2021.
He rebounded to serve as the catalyst for one of the best regular seasons in Mets history in his second year with the team.
Lindor is only 29 years old and could put himself in the Hall of Fame discussion with a few more seasons like his 2022 season.
He played in 161 games last season with the Mets.
Lindor had 98 runs, 170 hits, 25 doubles, five triples, 26 home runs, 107 RBIs, a .270 batting average, .339 OBP, .449 SLG, and .788 OPS last year.
He ranked third in runs, sixth in hits, 12th in doubles, tied for fourth in triples, third in home runs, and first in RBIs among Shortstops last season.
Lindor ranked eighth in batting average, fifth in OBP and OPS and seventh in SLG, among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 5.4 WAR, which ranked fourth among SS last season.
Expect Lindor to replicate his 2022 offensive numbers in the 2023 MLB season.
On top of producing offensively, Lindor is excellent on defense.
He will once again have a superstar-type season and be among the top Shortstops in the league in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
1. Trea Turner
Trea Turner signed an 11-year/$300 million deal with the defending National League Champions, Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason.
He has already led the NL in stolen bases twice and Turner will take full advantage of the new rules that should incentivize more action on the bases.
Turner will bat leadoff for the Phillies. Philadelphia may not have as great of a lineup as the Dodgers had last season but the Phillies have a very formidable batting lineup, which will be even better when Bryce Harper returns, which is unlikely to occur until around the All-Star break.
He played in 160 games last season with the Dodgers.
Turner had 101 runs, 194 hits, 39 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, a .298 batting average, .343 OBP, .466 SLG, and .809 OPS last year.
He ranked first in runs and hits, second in doubles and RBIs, tied for sixth in triples and eighth in home runs among Shortstops last season.
Turner ranked second in batting average, and third in OBP, SLG, and OPS, among Shortstops that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He had a 4.9 WAR, which ranked sixth among SS last season.
Despite a change of scenery, Turner will still have an excellent season.
Batting leadoff for the Phillies may decrease his RBI total but all his other batting stats will remain roughly the same or improve from his 2022 campaign.
He ranked top 10 in every offensive category among Shortstops last season.
Turner is an excellent all-around player and he will have the best season out of any Shortstop in the league, a position that has a ton of talent.
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