MLB’s top-5 shortstops: Mookie Betts edges three young stars?

For most of my lifetime, the 1990s was considered the golden era of shortstops in MLB history. At one point in 1996, the shortstop position featured Cal Ripken Jr., Ozzie Smith, Barry Larkin, Nomar Garciaparra and Alan Trammell and my FOX Sports colleagues Derek Jeter and Álex Rodríguez. 

But we might be in a new golden era now. And it may be even better.

The aforementioned 1990s list includes five Hall of Famers as well as arguably the most talented shortstop of all time in Rodríguez. But look at the current crop of shortstops in today’s MLB. 

This list of stars is so expansive, we can break it up into two generations. On one side, you have the veterans: multi-time All-Stars Trea Turner of the Phillies, Corey Seager of the Rangers, Francisco Lindor of the Mets and Carlos Correa of the Twins. Bo Bichette is a few years younger, but we can throw the Blue Jays shortstop (and two-time All-Star) in this list, as well. 

And as if this list needed any more star power, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts has somehow made an incredibly difficult transition from superstar right fielder to everyday shortstop while still hitting at an MVP level over the first month of this season.

But what gets me most excited is this current batch of up-and-coming star shortstops. Guys like Elly De La Cruz of the Reds, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals, Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, Oneil Cruz of the Pirates, Anthony Volpe of the Yankees and CJ Abrams of the Nationals. Take a look at both halves of that list again and try to convince me that the best MLB position talent-wise right now isn’t shortstop. We’re talking about some of the top young players in all of baseball alongside World Series MVPs and future Hall of Famers.

That is why it felt wrong to only include just one shortstop in my Team of the Month for April, even though the whole purpose of the exercise is to choose the best at every position. And Betts, who is my player of the month, certainly deserves that honor. 

But I wanted to give some shine to some of the other star shortstops shining brightest right now. So, without further ado, here are my top-five shortstops in 2024 thus far.

5. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
.314/.378.543, 4 HR, 19 RBIs, 31 runs, 10 doubles, 5 triples, 12 stolen bases

Witt’s combination of power and speed is what made him the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 draft and the Royals’ prized prospect entering his MLB debut on Opening Day of 2022. But his defense has taken a massive step forward since a shaky rookie campaign, making the 23-year-old Witt one of the most well-rounded shortstops in the league. He also draws rave reviews as a teammate, including from Royals pitcher Michael Wacha during a recent appearance on “Flippin’ Bats.”

4. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
.274/.351/.563, 10 HR, 24 RBIs, 26 runs, 3 triples, 6 stolen bases

Henderson is cementing himself as a bona fide superstar in Baltimore, and recently as of Monday was tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 10. The Orioles’ ownership change has likely increased the chance that they can sign at least the foundational pieces of their young core to long-term deals, a group in which the 22-year-old Henderson obviously belongs. It’s early, but he has the opportunity to become an all-time great for a city and franchise plenty familiar with legendary shortstops.

3. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
.343/.392/.460, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 27 runs, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases

The real Trea Turner has fully arrived in Philadelphia — the one who has been an MVP candidate, not the one who struggled for a majority of 2023 before that incredible standing ovation. Turner brings a rare combination of power, contact and speed that puts him among MLB’s best and turned him into a World Baseball Classic hero. Despite Turner turning 30 last year, the tools are not going anywhere — and neither is he.

2. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
.271/.377/.551, 8 HR, 19 RBIs, 27 runs, 7 doubles, 19 stolen bases

Welcome to the biggest reason I made this list. De La Cruz narrowly missed out on my Team of the Month, but he deserves some love for the April he just had. The former top prospect struggled in 2023 after his electric first few weeks in the majors. Now, he is fully breaking out into the star I expected him to become. Way too many people wrote him off after the end of last season, which never made sense to me. How could you disregard a 22-year-old that talented, with every tool you could possibly want in an MLB player? De La Cruz is currently on pace for 40 home runs and almost 100 stolen bases. Even one month at that pace is incredible. Add in how he throws across a diamond at triple-digit speeds, and how can you not love watching this guy play baseball?

1. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
.356/.463/.575, 6 HR, 27 RBIs, 32 runs, 10 doubles, 8 stolen bases

We have come to pretty much expect Betts to hit like this, which is absurd in and of itself. Consider that he’s a 31-year-old superstar on a massive contract yet making an extremely difficult and abrupt transition to shortstop, where he’s not only playing solid defense but still hitting like this. While it’s easy to realize that we are watching an all-time great baseball player, it is also such a privilege.

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Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him at @BenVerlander.

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