Ranking the projected starting National League shortstops in 2019

Baez/s breakout 2018 season saw him finish as the runner-up to Christian Yelich for National League MVP. In 160 games, the 26-year-old went on to hit .290 with 34 homers, 40 doubles, nine triples, 21 steals, and a league-leading 111 RBIs. To nitpick, he did walk just 29 times compared to 167 strikeouts in what has been an issue for him throughout his career. He can play all over the infield but should start the year at shortstop with Addison Russell suspended.

After just 26 games in 2018 before having to undergo Tommy John surgery, Seager will look to revert back to his 2016-17 seasons. In those two seasons, he combined to hit .302 with 48 home runs and 73 doubles. Last year, he was at .267 with two homers prior to the injury. The 24-year-old has shown above-average range in the field during his major league tenure.

The 25-year-old Turner did not miss a single game last year. He ended the season with a .271 average, 19 homers, 27 doubles, 103 runs, and a National League-leading 43 stolen bases. He has an impressive ratio of 124 steals while only being caught 25 times in his career. He has graded as an above-average fielder according to defensive metrics.

The 26-year-old Story made his first All-Star team in 2018 and finished eighth in National League MVP voting. In 157 games, his impressive year consisted of a .291 average with 37 homers, 42 doubles, 27 stolen bases, and 108 RBIs. While he still struck out a lot (168 times), it was 23 less times than the previous year despite 95 more at-bats.

Segura has hit at least .300 for three straight seasons and now joins the Phillies after spending the last two years with Seattle. In 144 games last year, the two-time All-Star batted .304 with 10 homers, 29 doubles, and 20 steals. It was the sixth-straight season he had at least 20 stolen bases (was caught 11 times in 2018 though). Turning 29 on March 17, he performs well in the field at shortstop.

The 25-year-old DeJong was the runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year in 2017. While his offensive numbers weren't quite as stellar as the the previous year, he still hit 19 homers and 25 doubles while batting .241 in 2018. He was a defensive stalwart for St. Louis in 2018 and committed just 12 errors in 111 starts at shortstop.

A Gold Glove winner each year from 2015-17, Crawford continued to possess a stellar glove while providing adequate offense. In 151 games last year, the 32-year-old went on to bat .254 with 14 home runs and 28 doubles. It was the fifth-straight season that he has reached a double-digit home run total.

Peraza is someone who puts the ball in play the majority of times as he had just 29 walks and 75 strikeouts in 683 plate appearances last year. He went on to bat .288 with 14 home runs, 31 doubles, and 23 steals. The 24-year-old can be error-prone (22 in 2018) but still makes plays many at his position cannot.

Just 23 years old, Rosario started showing his potential late last season. In August and September, he batted .284 with five home runs in 54 games. During his 100 appearances before that, he mustered just a .237 average with four homers. Rosario has been inconsistent in the field although that could easily change with more experience. He was rated as the #8 prospect according to Baseball America heading into the 2017 season.

With the addition of Manny Machado, it is unclear how the Padres' infield will shape up as FanSided lists Urias as their second baseman. Urias made his MLB debut in late August of last season and played in 12 games going 10-48 (.208) with two homers. The 21-year-old is the #31 rated prospect according to Baseball America and has a .298 average and .406 on-base percentage in 123 Triple-A games.

Turning 29 on March 15, Ahmed won his first Gold Glove last season in what was a superb year in the field. He has yet to hit for a high average (.234 in 2018, .229 for his career), but he did show more pop in his bat last year finishing with 16 home runs and 33 doubles.

The first overall pick in the 2015 draft, the 25-year-old Swanson hasn't yet put it all quite together in the big leagues. In 136 games last year, he batted .238 with 14 homers, 25 doubles, and 10 stolen bases. He did cut his errors in half though with 10 after committing 20 in 2017.

While Arcia regressed offensively last year compared to his 2017 season, he did post a .959 OPS and hit three long balls in his 34 postseason plate appearances. During the regular season, the 24-year-old hit .236 with just three homers and 16 doubles. His OPS fell more than 150 points from .731 in 2017 to .576 in 2018. He shows impressive range but has also made 35 errors over the last two seasons.

Getting ready to enter his third big league season, Riddle has thus far proven to be a player who doesn't provide much on offense but is reliable in the field. The 27-year-old appeared in 102 games last year and batted .231 with nine homers and 10 doubles. He doesn't walk much leaving him with just a career .279 on-base percentage.

The 27-year-old Gonzalez has received 275 plate appearances over the past three seasons with the Indians. Over that time, he has a career .263 average with five home runs and 16 doubles. He owns a .267 average and has hit 20 long balls in 209 games at Triple-A. Gonzalez has played all over the infield in both the majors and minors.