Ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, here are Audacy Sports' rankings of the top 10 shortstops in baseball right now:
10. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: 7
2022 Statistics: .290/.333/.469 with 24 home runs, 93 RBIs, 41 walks, .802 OPS, -16 defensive runs saved, -7 outs above average and 4.5 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 25
Bichette's underwhelming defensive metrics suggest that his long-term future may not be at shortstop. But his offensive production -- he hit .337 with a .921 OPS after the All-Star Break in 2022 -- will force the Blue Jays to find a place for him to occupy. He edged out Tim Anderson for the final spot on this list.
9. Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
Willy Adames is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Harry How/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: Not Ranked
2022 Statistics: .231/.298/.458 with 31 home runs, 98 RBIs, 49 walks, .756 OPS, nine defensive runs saved, 10 outs above average and 4.7 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 27
Adames is going to strike out at a pretty high clip for a shortstop, but he's got excellent pop and is one of the slicker defenders at the position that the sport has to offer. Adames can become a free agent after the 2024 season, and even if the Brewers are contending, they figure to get some calls on him in advance of the trade deadline.
8. Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals
Tommy Edman is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Jeff Curry/USA Today)Ranking Last Year: Not Ranked
2022 Statistics: .265/.324/.400 with 13 home runs, 57 RBIs, 46 walks, .725 OPS, six defensive runs saved, 11 outs above average and 5.6 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 28
Edman won a Gold Glove Award at second base in 2021, and that may still be his best overall position. But his defensive metrics in 622 innings at shortstop this past season were elite as well. Edman's positional flexibility and ability to steal bases (he's stolen 30 or more in back-to-back seasons) make him one of the game's best-kept secrets.
7. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays
Wander Franco is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Mark Blinch/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: 8
2022 Statistics: .277/.328/.417 with six home runs, 33 RBIs, 26 walks, .746 OPS, zero defensive runs saved, zero outs above average and 2.3 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 22
Quad and hand injuries limited Franco to only 83 games in what was supposed to be his first full season in the big leagues, but he still showed enough to intrigue us. Long the most coveted prospect in baseball, Franco produced 2.3 WAR in just over half of a season, so you can imagine what he'll be capable of over a full year.
6. Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
Dansby Swanson is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: Not Ranked
2022 Statistics: .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 49 walks, .776 OPS, nine defensive runs saved, 20 outs above average and 6.4 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 29
The former No. 1 overall pick put everything together in what turned out to be his final season with the Atlanta Braves, turning in a career year at the plate and capturing his first Gold Glove Award. Can Swanson match the best campaign of his career after signing a seven-year/$177 million deal to join the Cubs?
5. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
Corey Seager is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: 3
2022 Statistics: .245/.317/.455 with 33 home runs, 83 RBIs, 58 walks, .772 OPS, -4 defensive runs saved, four outs above average and a 4.5 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 29
Bruce Bochy is in at manager, while Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney have joined the starting rotation. Still, the best bet for a top-heavy Rangers team to reach the postseason would be for Seager to put together an MVP-caliber campaign. There's no reason that 2022 shouldn't be the best season of the former World Series MVP's career.
4. Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
Xander Bogaerts is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: 4
2022 Statistics: .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBIs, 57 walks, .833 OPS, five defensive runs saved, five outs above average and 6.1 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 30
Bogaerts may not ever hit in a lineup better than the 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, but the 2022 Padres have a chance to be pretty damn special at the plate. Bogaerts landed an 11-year/$280 million deal from the Padres, which will allow him to join a lineup that already includes Juan Soto and Manny Machado, and will get Fernando Tatis Jr. back from a PED suspension relatively early in the season. Interestingly, Bogaerts -- who has -50 defensive runs saved and -34 outs above average in his career -- was excellent in the field in 2022. It will be interesting to see if he grades out as well defensively in his first season in San Diego.
3. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
Carlos Correa is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Brad Rempel/USA Today)Ranking Last Year: 1
2022 Statistics: .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs, 64 RBIs, 61 walks, .834 OPS, three defensive runs saved, -3 outs above average and 4.4 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 28
After one of the strangest free-agent stints in MLB history, Correa is back with the Twins on a six-year/$200 million deal. For a minute there, it seemed like Correa would join the New York Mets and shift to third base. Instead, he'll remain at shortstop in Minnesota, where his defensive metrics saw a noticeable dip after he won the Platinum Glove with the Houston Astros in 2021.
2. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
Trea Turner is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Destiny Lugardo/Phillies Nation)Ranking Last Year: 2
2022 Statistics: .298/.343/.466 with 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 45 walks, .809 OPS, -1 defensive runs saved, zero outs above average and a 6.3 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 30
Turner joined the defending National League Champions this winter, signing an 11-year/$300 million deal that will put him in red pinstripes for the remainder of his career. He's already led the senior circuit in stolen bases twice, and it will be interesting to see how much he takes advantage of new rules that should incentivize more action on the basepaths.
1. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Francisco Lindor is is one of the best shortstops in baseball right now.(Elsa/Getty Images)Ranking Last Year: 6
2022 Statistics: .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs, 107 RBIs, 59 walks, .788 OPS, -2 defensive runs saved, 13 outs above average and 6.8 WAR
Age During 2023 Season: 29
Lindor had an uneven first season with the Mets -- at least by his standards -- but rebounded to serve as the catalyst for one of the best regular seasons in franchise history during his second campaign in Flushing. Still only 29, Lindor could put himself firmly in the Hall of Fame discussion with a few more seasons like 2022.
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