The top 10 shortstops of the 2026 MLB season so far

It wasn't too long ago that we seemed to be entering into a golden age at the shortstop position, as a fleet of freak athletes with practically unheard-of combinations of size, speed and skill all broke into the Majors at roughly the same time. So far in 2026, however, it must be said: The six is down pretty bad.

To be sure, a lot of that is bad luck, with injuries striking everyone from Francisco Lindor to Corey Seager to Jeremy Peña. But Lindor and Seager were struggling before they landed on the shelf, and even the stars who have stayed healthy — Trea Turner, Gunnar Henderson — haven't played up to their usual standards.

All of which makes attempting to rank the best shortstops in baseball right now a tricky proposition. There is a silver lining, though, as a new crop of young stars has begun to emerge this season. Here's our top 10, taking into account only a player's production in 2026.

10. Jacob Wilson, Athletics

It's grimly fitting that our list begins with someone currently on the IL, as Wilson sprained his shoulder a couple of weeks ago and only recently began swinging a bat again. Before the injury, though, he was building nicely on his breakout 2025 campaign, with his usual blend of elite contact skills and rock-solid defense. The lack of top-end power or speed limits the ceiling here, but his floor is higher than all but a handful of shortstops, and he's still only 24.

9. Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

It's been a bumpy introduction to life in the Majors for Griffin; turns out it's not easy navigating the best pitchers on the planet as you're about to turn 20 years old. But even though the bat has yet to make good on his stratospheric hype — he's chasing and whiffing at the sort of sky-high rates you'd expect for someone so young and inexperienced — his physical tools are already undeniable. He's built like a linebacker at 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, and yet he also brings top-of-the-scale speed that has already allowed him to wreak havoc on the bases. It feels like we're seeing Griffin at his floor right now, and I can't even imagine how high the ceiling goes.

8. Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

It's been a long and winding road for Rocchio, who arrived in Cleveland to great fanfare back in 2023 but struggled to hit enough to hold on to an every-day job. So far this year, though, he's looking like the two-way stud the Guardians thought they'd be getting, even if his offensive numbers are inflated a bit. He's always been a great defender, and if he can keep the gains in his K and walk rates, he's going to be a good player for a very long time (even if, like Wilson, he's more floor than upside due to his lack of physicality).

7. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

It says something about Henderson's outrageous talent that, even in a year in which just about everything's gone wrong for him at the plate, he's still been the seventh most valuable shortstop in the league by fWAR. When you're as big, strong and outrageous of an athlete as he is, you've got more margin for error than most, and even amid an alarming spike in K rate he's still tapping into every bit of his considerable raw power. His track record suggests the contact will come back around, and when it does, this is the definition of a five-tool player.

6. Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers

Maybe this is a bit higher than McGonigle deserves, based strictly on his statistical production to date. But if you watch him for just a few innings, you'll come away thinking he's a future MVP candidate, a preternaturally gifted pure hitter who's held up defensively at short better than most expected. The bat-to-ball ability here is outrageous; not many players can avoid sacrificing contact for pull-side power, which is how a guy who's 5-foot-9 on his tallest day can still do a ton of damage at the plate. He's been a life-saver for an otherwise moribund Tigers offense, and he's just getting started at age 21.

5. Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox

We knew Montgomery had pop, and sure enough he's tied for the league lead at his position with 12 homers. The pleasant surprise has been how good he is as a defender, despite a bulky frame and below-average foot speed. If he can keep that up — and he can make just enough contact to get all of his power into games — he's going to make quite a few All-Star teams. I had my doubts about his K rate as a rookie, but doing it again as a sophomore (after the league has had time to adjust) suggests he's very much for real.

4. CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals

Abrams has been the best offensive shortstop in baseball so far this season, and it hasn't been particularly close. He's finally put it all together and made good on the potential he showed as a top prospect, showing much-improved plate discipline that's led to much-improved quality of contact. So why is he stuck at No. 4? Because, quite frankly, he's not a shortstop — at least not defensively. Abrams is one of the very worst defenders at the position, and he has been for years now. Once he gets bumped to second or third — like, say, at the trade deadline — he'll be much better off.

3. Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins

Lopez showed signs of breaking out down the stretch last season. But even his most ardent supporters couldn't have seen this coming: Never the biggest guy, he's suddenly hitting the ball much harder much more often, with career highs in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. And the fact that he's done so without sacrificing his elite K rate is awfully impressive. We know the speed and defense are going to be there; if he's going to be a 20/20 candidate with a great batting average moving forward, Miami has itself a good one.

2. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

This is the Elly we've been waiting to see. He still hits the ball on the ground too much, but he's made just enough strides with his approach at the plate to allow all of his ridiculous physical gifts to shine. He's also tightened things up a bit at shortstop, cutting back on the mental mistakes that plagued him earlier in his career. The fact that he's finally figured out how to hit left-handed pitching is just the cherry on top. He may not ever hit his absolute ceiling, but that has more to do with just how high that ceiling is than anything; really, he's only No. 2 on this list because of his insane the guy ahead of him is.

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

It somehow feels like Witt Jr. still isn't adequately appreciated, maybe because he's had the misfortune to share a league with Aaron Judge. If you were starting a team tomorrow, though, he'd probably be the guy you choose. Witt Jr. can truly do it all, the definition of a five-tool player: He can make contact and hit for power, he's a demon on the bases and he's emerged as definitively the best defensive shortstop (and one of the best defenders overall) in the sport. There simply are no nits to pick, except for the teammates around him.

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