We have already ranked Paul Goldschmidt as the best first baseman, and Jose Altuve as the best second basemen in our inaugural position rankings for the 2018 MLB Season, and now it’s on to the shortstop position.
1. Manny Machado-Baltimore Orioles
Machado isn’t usually known as a shortstop, yet he is number one on our list. The Orioles are starting to play Manny at Shortstop, slowly easing him in, and he was such a good third baseman so I have no doubts that he will translate well to Short. With a stat line of .259/35/95, he never ceases to amaze with the bat, but that isn’t it. He is an amazing fielder too! Mr. Miami is a 2-time gold glove and a 1-time platinum glove. His .967 fielding average is his worst since 2015, and he won Gold Glove that year! If Manny can continue his clutch fielding, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be on the top of this list for years to come.
2. Carlos Correa-Houston Astros
Carlos was just another reason the Astros were so good last year. His stats were remarkable, even after being injured for a long period of time. His stat line looked like .315/24/84. His fielding is also remarkable! A .978 fielding percentage is really good and fell just shy to the eventual winner in Andrelton Simmons. The former first overall pick shined in the postseason. Being surrounded by the likes of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and George Springer will do that for you I suppose. So needless to say Carlos Correa should be a top 5 shortstop for years to come.
3. Francisco Lindor-Cleveland Indians
Francisco Lindor is the cornerstone for the Indians right now. Lindor had a stat line of .273/33/89. Lindor paired up with Carlos Ramirez last year and made up an amazing infield. He is truly a five-tool player in my opinion. He won the Gold Glove award, Platinum Glove and had his first all-star birth all in 2016. Last year he continued his ways with another all-star birth and, he won the Silver Slugger award for the American League shortstops. If Mr. Smile can continue his ways and continue leading the Indians to the playoffs, I have no doubt that he will be battling Carlos Correa for the top shortstop for the rest of their careers.
Trea Turner-Washington Nationals
Trea Turner isn’t the best of hitters. Triple T gets you with his speed and fielding. Last year he had a total of 46 stolen bases, 1 more than his RBI total! Trea finished his 2017 campaign with a stat line of .284/11/45. Like I said, not a great hitter but he improves every year. His fielding really impresses me, a .979 fielding percentage was just .03% below the eventual winner in Brandon Crawford. Trea Turner is still really young, at the age of 24. He can continue to grow and be in the contention of top shortstop with Correa and Lindor for years to come
Corey Seager-Los Angeles Dodgers
Rounding out the top 5 is the Dodgers shortstop, Corey Seager! Seager is another really young shortstop. At the age of 23, he is a year younger than both Francisco Lindor and Trea Turner and he is the same age as Carlos Correa. Corey has an older brother named Kyle Seager who plays 3rd base for the Seattle Mariners, and I already think Corey is better. Corey Seager finished last season with a stat line of .295/22/77 which helped out tremendously, leading to an NLCS victory versus the Chicago Cubs. His fielding is bad either. He also has a .979 fielding percentage. The Charlotte, North Carolina born has already won his fair share of awards. Seager is a Rookie of the year, 2-time all-star and, a 2 time Silver Slugger. Just like the 3 above him, I believe Seager can continue to grow at such a young age and I think he is very deserving of cracking Couch Rider Reports Top 5 shortstop rankings.
Keilan Dyer is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter