Top 15 starting National League shortstops, including Trevor Story

The runner-up for NL MVP in 2018, Baez gets a slight edge over Trevor Story due to Story’s numbers taking a sharp decline on the road. Moving to shortstop full-time last year, Baez looked marvelous in the field and continued to produce at the plate. He doesn’t draw many walks, but he has combined to hit .286 with 63 homers, 78 doubles, and 13 triples over the last two seasons.

Story made just eight errors at shortstop as he was a finalist for a Gold Glove, won a Silver Slugger, and finished 12th in NL MVP voting last year. He strikes out a ton, but still nearly hit .300 each of the last two seasons. He has 80 doubles and 72 homers over the last two years.

Despite playing just 84 games last year, Tatis Jr. finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting due to a marvelous season at the plate. He’s got work to do to become a better defender, but in 372 plate appearances, he hit 22 home runs with a .969 OPS.

The 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, Seager had a solid 2019 after Tommy John surgery limited him to 26 games in the previous year. He hit a NL-leading 44 doubles to go along with 19 home runs and an .817 OPS. Another year removed from the surgery may help Seager come closer to his offensive numbers from 2016-17.

Turner finished 10th in the NL with a .298 batting average, eighth with 37 doubles, and second with 35 stolen bases in 2019. He has now stolen 157 bags over the last four years. The 26-year-old has scored 199 runs and connected on 38 homers since 2018.

A first-time All-Star in 2019, DeJong was also a Gold Glove finalist due to his excellent work in the field last year. While he batted just .233, he was still extremely valuable at the plate, hitting 33 homers, 31 doubles, and scoring 97 runs.

Winner of a Gold Glove in each of the last two seasons, Ahmed is a wizard with the glove. He’s also made major strides at the plate, where he once presented no threat whatsoever. Last year was his best season on offense, ending with 19 homers and a .753 OPS.

After back-to-back 20th-place finishes in AL MVP voting with the Yankees in 2017-18, Gregorius just couldn’t find his stroke in his 344 plate appearances last year after coming back from Tommy John surgery. He did hit 16 home runs, but finished with just a .718 OPS. Another year removed from surgery has Philadelphia hoping he can reach his previous heights.

In his first full season in the big leagues, Newman excelled, finishing eighth in the NL with a .308 batting average. He also struck out less frequently than anyone in the league as he went down on strikes once per eight at bats. The 26-year-old can also play second base in a pinch, although the defensive metrics consider him fairly average at both positions.

One of the most highly-rated prospects in 2017, Rosario is still trying to find his way in the big leagues. He hasn't been bad, with a .287 batting average, 15 homers, and 30 doubles. He just hasn’t made all that much of an impact (especially on defense where at times he struggles), but he’s still just 24 years old.

Throughout his career, Rojas has been a sure-handed shortstop for the Marlins. He also makes sure to not have wasted at bats as he’s struck out in just 12.4 percent of his career plate appearances. He doesn’t possess much power, but he did hit .284 with 29 doubles last year.

Playing for both the Blue Jays and Reds in 2019, the 30-year-old Galvis finished with career-bests in homers (23), RBIs (70), and OPS (.734). He’s never been one to draw many walks though, as he’s never had an on-base percentage higher than .309. Galvis has never been one to make a lot of errors, but he doesn’t have the range of the better shortstops in the MLB.

The first overall selection in 2015, Swanson has been fairly mediocre in his big league career as he enters his fourth full season. He’s cut down on the errors, but after a solid start in 2019, he hit just .204 without a home run after the All-Star break.

Unfortunately, Urias may miss the beginning of the regular season after undergoing hamate bone surgery. The 22-year-old drew 25 walks in 249 plate appearances last year with the Padres, but he hit just .223 with a .326 slugging percentage.

According to SB Nation, with the Giants recent signing of Wilmer Flores, Mauricio Dubon or Donovan Solano can shift to shortstop against left-handed starters with Flores manning second base. Now 33 years old, Crawford (a three-time Gold Glove winner) has regressed in the field and hit a miserable .228 last year.