By Jonah Drew

*To clarify, while 2024 is absolutely baked into these lists, they are far from the sole factor. These lists are meant to be a projection of how I believe these players will perform in 2025.

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Bobby Witt unequivocally put up an MVP caliber season last year and if it weren’t for yet another historic campaign from Aaron Judge, he would have won the award. One could even make the argument that 2024 Bobby Witt Jr. was the best season of any shortstop in baseball history, that’s how insane it was. The 24 year old posted a 10.4 fWAR, slashing .332/.389/.588 with 32 homers and 32 stolen bags, just an unreal statistical season. I will spare you the laundry list but Bobby Witt Jr. is in the upper echelon is in just about every single predictive offensive metric. Oh by the way, he is also the best defender at the most valuable position on the diamond, posting a 99th percentile, 16 outs above average. He’s also the fastest man in baseball by sprint speed at 30.5 ft/s because why not right?!. Bobby Witt has been progressing exponentially and if he can continue to improve, I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say he could be the greatest shortstop in the history of this game.

2. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

For some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on, I feel like Corey Seager is being overlooked heading into 2025. I feel like people are forgetting that Corey Seager is a year removed from being a consensus top 5 player in baseball when he posted a 1.013 OPS in 2023 en route to a World Series ring and a World Series MVP. 2024 just wasn’t his year, he dealt with injuries, he dealt with egregious batted ball luck, and the Rangers as a whole just didn’t have it. Yet still, he posted an .865 OPS and 4.5 fWAR in just 123 games. While those stats are far from shabby, his peripherals lead me to believe that 2024 Seager is about to return. He posted quality of contact numbers that were nearly identical to that of 2023, including a .390 xwOBA and a .561 xSLG. Despite losing a step, Seager is still fabulous with the glove, posting a +4 fielding run value and 6 outs above average. Seager is elite, no way around it and I would not be shocked to see Seager spearhead another Rangers playoff run in 2025.

3. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

I really do not like the way the Dodgers are handling Mookie Betts, I don’t think he is a shortstop and to just throw him there out of “necessity” when not only do you have a solid SS on the roster in Miguel Rojas, but you also have an infinite amount of resources to go out and acquire somebody. With that out of the way, Betts posted a 141 wRC+ with a 4.4 fWAR. Due to injuries, Betts was not able to rack up counting numbers like he normally does, posting just 19 homers and 16 steals. What makes Betts so great is his hit tool, he whiffs below 15% of the time and only strikes out 11% of the time, all of this while walking at an 11.8% clip. Mookie Betts has been one of, if not the most consistently elite player in MLB and I see no reason why that continue in 2025.

4. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

2024 was the best year of Francisco Lindor’s criminally underrated career as he spearheaded a long awaited culture change in Queens. From a numerical standpoint, Lindor slashed .273/.344/.500 with 33 bombs and 29 stolen bases. While these numbers are spectacular, they would have been significantly better if Lindor hadn’t started off the season with a dismal month of April. Lindor’s predictive metrics actually suggest that he got unlucky as he posted a .283 xBA, a .528 xSLG, and a .379 xwOBA, all of which are elevated from their baseline counter parts. You can’t talk about Francisco Lindor without praising his dazzling glove. Lindor posted a 99th percentile 16 outs above average and and a 96th percentile fielding run value. Lindor was elite in 2024, but it was far from his 100th percentile outcome, watch out if Lindor fixes his early season woes.

5. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

I refuse to let what Gunnar Henderson did in 2024 be glossed over. It is absolutely not normal for 23 year old shortstops to post 8 win seasons for contending teams, in fact it is absolutely freakish. The left handed shortstop slashed .281/.364/.529 with 37 homers and 21 swipes. His quality of contact was also tremendous as he posted a 53.9% hard hit rate, landing him in the 97th percentile, he also posted an average exit velocity of 92.8 MPH, landing him in the 94th percentile(Unsuprising as the two go hand in hand). He also has very good plate discipline, especially for a hitter his age. Henderson only chased 23.2% of the time and he walked 10.8% of the time. I can’t possibly overemphasize the fact that this is borderline unheard of for someone his age, unless your well, Bobby Witt Jr.

6. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

Elly is an absolute freak of nature, and watching him play baseball is truly a euphoric experience that is rivaled by few. The scariest part of it all is that this is the worst Elly De La Cruz is ever going to be. In his age 22 season, De La Cruz posted a .259/.339/.471 with 25 home runs, and let’s see 67 STOLEN BASES, good for a 118 wRC+. He’s also elite with the glove, he posted 15 outs above average which only accounts for range, meaning it excludes his absolute cannon for an arm that lands him in the 91st percentile. As hard has he throws, he hits harder, he posted an average exit velocity of 91.8. If you know me you know that I am just about as analytically driven as they come, but when it comes to Elly De La Cruz there is something that can’t be quantified, there is an element of excitement that can only be felt through actually watching him play. No word describes Elly quite like the word electric.

7. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins

What Carlos Correa did in 2024 should not be overlooked. He was limited to just 367 plate appearances and yet, he still posted a 4.3 fWAR, for reference that is above an 8 win pace. Correa slashed .310/.388/.517, good for a 155 wRC+. Correa posted an absurdly balanced season, as I said, he posted a 155 wRC+, but he also posted a spectacular 74th percentile fielding run value. He didn’t chase, he didn’t whiff, he didn’t strikeout, and he walked at a good clip, everything you want out of a swing/take profile. His 90th percentile xwOBA of .358 suggests that he will continue to rake. Full transparency, I do worry about his health long term and that is really the only reason he isn’t higher on this list.

8. Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants

Willy Adames made himself some serious cash in 2024. If you told me that coming off of a .717 OPS campaign in 2023, Willy Adames would sign a 7 year 218 million dollar deal with the San Francisco Giants, I would likely have called you a madman. In 2024, Adames posted a .251/.331/.462 with 32 slams and 21 swipes. He is also plays solid shortstop defense, he posted 68th percentile range and a 75th percentile arm in 2024. With Adames, you have to be able to accept a mid 20s strikeout rate because in exchange he gives you a double digit walk rate and 30ish homers. Willy is a well rounded slugging shortstop who will rack up WAR.

9. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies

Trea Turner has not played to the level of his peak in the years before he made the move to the city of brotherly love. In the 2 years before coming to Philly, Turner posted 6.4 and 7.1 win seasons respectively, in the 2 subsequent season he has posted 4.2 and 3.9 win seasons. Both of those metrics are very respectable, but not peak Trea Turner level. Turner swings a lot, posting a 54% Swing rate and a 34% chase rate which limits his walk rate and on base percentage. Stolen bases are also a hallmark of Turner’s game but 2024 was the first full season of his career in which he did not swipe 20+ bags and for and for an aging 31 year old that is alarming. I know this may sound very negative so I want to emphasize that Trea Turner is still a valuable player, hence why he is ranked as a top 10 player at a stacked position.

10. Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs

Dansby plays the shortstop position as well as just about anybody. Swanson posted 18 outs above average, good for the 99th percentile and a 97th percentile fielding run value. Swanson is a relatively average hitter, he posted a 99 wRC+ in 2024 but he usually lives in the 100-110 area with the best season of his career coming when he posted a 117 wRC+ in 2022 with Atlanta. He also has taken an uptick in his aggressiveness on the basepaths, tallying a career high 19 stolen bases this past season. A creme of the crop defender at a premium position who pulls his weight at the dish and adds value on the base paths? Yea I’ll take that out of my shortstop every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Sources

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant

Fangraphs