Ranking the Top 25 Shortstops of the 2024 MLB Season

It's time to put a bow on the 2024 MLB season with Bleacher Report's final positional rankings of the year.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Now it's time to finalize that exercise while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position.

Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order—this is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2024.

There were no specific qualifications for inclusion, though each player was only eligible to appear in these rankings at one position.

That notably excluded Mookie Betts, who technically played more innings at shortstop (531.1) than he did in right field (338.0), but he returned to the outfield to close out the season and that is where he has played the bulk of his career, so he will be included with the outfielders.

Now let's dive into the top 25 shortstops of the 2024 season.

These shortstops also received preliminary consideration but fell short of earning a spot in the Top 25:

Orlando Arcia, ATL
Bo Bichette, TOR
David Hamilton, BOS
Leo Jiménez, TOR
Zach McKinstry, DET
Kevin Newman, ARI
Max Schuemann, OAK
Edmundo Sosa, PHI
Trey Sweeney, DET

25. Paul DeJong, Chicago White Sox/Kansas City Royals

DeJong signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the White Sox and played his way into being a useful trade chip at the deadline when he was shipped to the Royals. He hit .224 with a .276 on-base percentage and 97 OPS+ in 482 plate appearances, but he slugged 24 home runs and provided passable defense.

24. José Caballero, Tampa Bay Rays

Caballero provided enough speed (44 SB) and defense to make up for his lack of offensive punch, as he hit .227/.283/.347 for an 80 OPS+ in 483 plate appearances. He probably fits best as a defensive-minded utility player, but the Rays value defense more than most clubs, so he saw extended action.

23. Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

Rocchio won an open competition during spring training for Cleveland's starting shortstop job and ended up starting 121 games as a rookie. The 23-year-old hit just .206/.298/.316 with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 36 RBI in 442 plate appearances, but he was a Gold Glove finalist on the strength of his elite defensive metrics (11 DRS, 9.1 UZR/150).

22. J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners

After posting a 133 OPS+ and 5.1 WAR in 2023, Crawford took a significant step backward this season while also missing time due to a hairline fracture in his right pinkie finger. In 105 games, he hit .202/.304/.321 for an 86 OPS+, though he was still a 2.7-WAR player on the strength of his defense (9 DRS, 10.6 UZR/150) and an 11.5 percent walk rate.

21. Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins

A Top 100 prospect during his time in the Tampa Bay organization, Edwards found his way into the Marlins' starting shortstop job after veteran Tim Anderson was released at the beginning of July. The 25-year-old hit .328/.397/.423 over 303 plate appearances with more stolen bases (31) than extra-base hits (18), and his contact skills and speed will continue to drive his value going forward.

20. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks

Injuries limited Perdomo to just 98 games, but he was still a 3.4-WAR player, improving on his breakout 2023 campaign when he earned an All-Star selection and tallied 2.3 WAR in 144 games. He hit .273/.344/.374 for a 101 OPS+ and produced elite defensive metrics (10 DRS, 8.4 UZR/150) after grading out as roughly a league-average defender the previous year.

19. Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres

After finishing 12th in NL MVP balloting during a 5.8-WAR season in 2023, Kim wrapped up his four-year, $28 million contract with the Padres by filling up the stat sheet with 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 47 RBI, 22 steals and 2.6 WAR in 121 games. He missed the end of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but he will still be one of the top shortstops on the market this winter.

18. Miguel Rojas, Los Angeles Dodgers

Rojas had the best season of his career in 2024, hitting .283/.337/.410 while setting career-high marks in OPS+ (113) and WAR (3.4) in 103 games. The 35-year-old has long been a solid defender and a respective clubhouse presence, but adding above-average offensive production to the mix made him a surprise standout for the Dodgers.

17. Tyler Fitzgerald, San Francisco Giants

Fitzgerald was an afterthought in the spring battle between Nick Ahmed and Marco Luciano for the starting shortstop job, but when both of those guys struggled, he took over as the starter at the end of June. The 27-year-old rookie hit .280/.334/.497 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 34 RBI and 17 steals in 96 games, and while his .380 BABIP and middling batted-ball metrics make him a clear regression candidate, that does nothing to detract from his stellar 2024 performance.

16. Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates

After a tantalizing debut in 2022 and an injury-shortened 2023 where he played just nine games, Cruz put together a strong first full season in the big leagues, posting a 113 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 21 home runs, 76 RBI and 22 steals in 23 attempts. However, he was moved to center field at the end of the year, and his poor defense (-9 DRS, -14.5 UZR/150) keeps him from slotting any higher in a ranking of top shortstops.

15. CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals

The 2024 season ended on a sour note for Abrams when he was optioned to the minors due to an "internal issue" after he was spotted at a Chicago casino at 8 a.m. on the same day he had an afternoon game at Wrigley Field. Prior to that, he had enjoyed a breakout season, earning his first All-Star selection while hitting .246/.314/.433 with 29 doubles, 20 home runs, 65 RBI and 31 steals in a 3.4-WAR season.

14. Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros

Peña is still chasing the magic that saw him win ALCS and World Series MVP during his rookie season in 2022, but he put together a solid all-around performance in 2024. The 27-year-old hit .266/.308/.394 for a 100 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 15 home runs, 70 RBI and 20 steals while also providing his usual standout defense (4 DRS, 0.0 WAR).

13. Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees

After a 3.3-WAR rookie season where he had a 21-homer, 24-steal offensive performance while also winning AL Gold Glove honors, Volpe did not take the massive step forward some were expecting, but he was again a 3.4-WAR player who provided power (46 XBH), speed (28 SB) and defense (6 DRS). He hit a memorable grand slam in the World Series and quietly slashed his strikeout rate from 27.8 to 22.6 percent.

12. Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs

The numbers don't jump off the page, but Swanson has logged back-to-back 4-WAR seasons since joining the Cubs on a seven-year, $177 million deal in free agency in December 2022. He hit .242/.312/.390 with 27 doubles, 16 home runs, 66 RBI and 19 steals, and he was a Gold Glove finalist after taking home the NL hardware in 2022 and 2023.

11. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins

Plantar fasciitis kept Correa sidelined for 51 games during the second half of the 2024 season, or he would have been a lock for a spot inside the Top 10 of these rankings. Even with all the time he missed, he was still a 3.7-WAR player, hitting .310/.388/.517 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 54 RBI in 86 games while earning his third career All-Star selection and first in a Twins uniform.

Stats: 124 OPS+, .295/.338/.469, 46 XBH (21 HR), 62 RBI, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR

A hamstring injury sidelined Trea Turner for 38 games during the first half of the season, and utility man Edmundo Sosa did an admirable job holding down the fort in his place.

However, the Philadelphia Phillies offense is different when Turner is playing to his potential.

Despite the injury, the 31-year-old was the starting shortstop in the All-Star Game, and he returned to action with a huge month of July when he hit .292/.340/.604 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI in 23 games.

Stats: 103 OPS+, .269/.295/.469, 75 XBH (26 HR), 78 RBI, 6 SB, 3.7 WAR

After a solid rookie season, Ezequiel Tovar took his game to another level in 2024, racking up an impressive 75 extra-base hits while also taking home NL Gold Glove honors.

Still only 23 years old, he has a chance to rival Troy Tulowitzki as the best homegrown shortstop in Colorado Rockies franchise history.

His .295 on-base percentage still leaves something to be desired, as do his 200 strikeouts and 28.8 percent strikeout rate, but the seven-year, $63.5 million extension he signed in March already looks like a steal.

Stats: 102 OPS+, .267/.314/.416, 52 XBH (15 HR), 57 RBI, 11 SB, 4.9 WAR

With a .174 average and 28 OPS+ over 137 plate appearances in 2023, Masyn Winn looked completely overmatched against MLB pitching, and the St. Louis Cardinals signed veteran Brandon Crawford last offseason as an insurance policy in case those struggles continued.

Instead, Winn was one of baseball's best rookies and a clear bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Redbirds.

His elite defense makes anything he produces at the plate icing on the cake, and he actually flashed more power than he showed in the minors with 52 extra-base hits and 15 home runs.

Stats: 113 OPS+, .249/.318/.443, 58 XBH (23 HR), 77 RBI, 30 SB, 5.1 WAR

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Zach Neto played just 48 games in the minors before making his MLB debut the following April.

His rookie season was derailed by injuries, but he flashed significant upside and showed enough to open the 2024 season as the unquestioned starter at shortstop.

The 23-year-old ended up being the most productive player on the Los Angeles Angels roster, putting together a quiet 5-WAR season while showcasing the power, speed and defense to be a rising star.

An early extension would make a ton of sense for the Angels this winter if Neto is willing to talk.

Stats: 118 OPS+, .251/.331/.462, 65 XBH (32 HR), 112 RBI, 21 SB, 3.1 WAR

Willy Adames had the best offensive season of his career in 2024, setting career-high marks in hits (153), doubles (33), home runs (32), RBI (112), runs scored (93), stolen bases (21) and total bases (282) while helping the Milwaukee Brewers claim the NL Central title.

The 29-year-old now hits free agency as the clear top shortstop in this year's class, and one of the top overall players available this winter.

Adames will almost certainly be joining the $100 million club before the start of the 2025 season.

Stats: 145 OPS+, .278/.353/.512, 51 XBH (30 HR), 74 RBI, 1 SB, 5.0 WAR

Despite playing in only 123 games, Corey Seager still finished with his third straight 30-homer campaign, and he has now tallied 104 home runs and 15.7 WAR over the first three seasons of his 10-year, $325 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

The 30-year-old looked like the top player at the position entering the 2024 season on the heels of World Series MVP honors and a runner-up finish in AL MVP balloting, but a wave of young talent at the position has given him some serious competition for that top spot in the years to come.

Stats: 119 OPS+, .259/.339/.471, 71 XBH (25 HR), 76 RBI, 67 SB, 5.2 WAR

Few players in the game today bring more electricity to the baseball diamond than Elly De La Cruz, with his rare combination of size (6'5", 200 pounds), speed (MLB-leading 67 SB, 100th percentile in sprint speed), power (25 HR, 91.8 mph exit velocity) and raw defensive tools (98th percentile in range, 90th percentile in arm strength).

His MLB-leading 218 strikeouts and 29 errors speak to the work he still needs to do refining his overall game, but at 22 years old, he is one of the most dynamic young players in the sport and the face of the franchise for a Cincinnati Reds team on the rise.

Stats: 138 OPS+, .273/.344/.500, 73 XBH (33 HR), 91 RBI, 29 SB, 7.0 WAR

Francisco Lindor was hitting .195/.268/.362 through his first 44 games when he was shifted into the leadoff spot in the New York Mets lineup on May 18.

From that point forward, he hit .304/.374/.554 with 31 doubles, 26 home runs, 70 RBI, 82 runs scored and 23 steals in 495 plate appearances over his final 108 games.

If not for Shohei Ohtani, he would be a serious contender for NL MVP honors. And three years into his 10-year, $341 million contract, Lindor looks like the clear face of the franchise for the Mets.

Stats: 159 OPS+, .281/.364/.529, 75 XBH (37 HR), 92 RBI, 21 SB, 9.1 WAR

What would Gunnar Henderson do for an encore after winning 2023 AL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously with a 6.2-WAR debut?

The answer was put together one of the best seasons ever by a shortstop in his age-23 season, racking up 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs and 21 steals while settling in nicely as the everyday shortstop after bouncing between there and the hot corner as a rookie.

Henderson had a .956 OPS with 28 home runs and 63 RBI at the All-Star break, so there is still room for improvement if he can maintain that level of production over a full season.

Stats: 171 OPS+, .332/.389/.588, 88 XBH (32 HR), 109 RBI, 31 SB, 9.4 WAR

Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in MLB history to record multiple 30/30 seasons while leading the Kansas City Royals to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent memory as they went from 56-106 to 86-76 en route to a trip to the ALDS.

He won the AL batting title (.332) and led the AL in hits (211), and he did it with limited protection around him in the Royals lineup, quickly making his shiny, new 11-year, $288.7 million extension look like a stroke of genius by the front office.

On top of all of that, Witt also made significant strides defensively, going from a liability in 2022 (-18 DRS, -8.7 UZR/150) to slightly below average in 2023 (-6 DRS, 0.2 UZR/150) to winning AL Gold Glove honors in 2024 (2 DRS, 2.3 UZR/150).

The 24-year-old has arrived as one of the faces of baseball, and he should be the leading candidate for the No. 1 spot in these rankings for the foreseeable future.

Note: All WAR totals in this article reflect Baseball Reference WAR calculations.