- Honus Wagner is the best shortstop in MLB history.
- Willie Wells had a 151 wRC+.
- Robin Yount won two MVP awards.
The best shortstops in MLB history combined athleticism and stellar defence with elite production at the plate. Sticking at shortstop for 10-plus years requires durability and consistent performance.
15 Best Shortstops in MLB History, Ranked
| Rank | Player | Team(s) |
| 1 | Honus Wagner | Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees |
| 3 | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles |
| 4 | George Davis | Cleveland Spiders, New York Giants, Chicago White Sox |
| 5 | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |
| 6 | Arky Vaughan | Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 7 | Francisco Lindor | Cleveland, New York Mets |
| 8 | Willie Wells | St. Louis Stars, Chicago American Giants, Detroit Wolves, Homestead Grays, Newark Eagles, New York Black Yankees, Baltimore Elite Giants, Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns, Memphis Red Sox |
| 9 | Bill Dahlen | Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, Boston Doves |
| 10 | Corey Seager | Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers |
| 11 | Barry Larkin | Cincinnati Reds |
| 12 | Robin Yount | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 13 | Joe Cronin | Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox |
| 14 | Nomar Garciaparra | Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics |
| 15 | Hanley Ramirez | Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland |
Who Are the Greatest Major League Baseball Shortstops Ever?
1. Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner has 24.5 fWAR more than any other shortstop. Wagner, who is also fourth in wRC+, led the National League in OPS in eight seasons and claimed eight batting titles.
2. Alex Rodriguez
Playing 1,272 of his 2,468 career games at shortstop, I didn’t have to think twice about putting Alex Rodriguez in second place.
Rodriguez won three MVPs and had an OPS+ of 149 between 1996 and 2009. He averaged more than 41 home runs per season during that period.
3. Cal Ripken Jr.
Despite a World Series win and a pair of ALCS appearances, baseball betting odds made the Baltimore Orioles outsiders to reach the Fall Classic for much of Cal Ripken Jr.’s career.
Ripken was one of the best players in baseball, and has the third-most fWAR among all shortstops in MLB history.
Along with his famed durability, the 1978 second-round pick won two MVPs and was a 19-time All-Star.
4. George Davis
Sheer longevity earned George Davis fourth place in my rankings. Davis played 20 big-league seasons with a 132 OPS+ between 1893 and 1902.
5. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter enjoyed immense team success, winning five World Series as a New York Yankee.
He was an elite contact hitter with a career .310 batting average and won five Silver Sluggers and five Gold Gloves to go alongside his 14 All-Star nods.
6. Arky Vaughan
Eighth in fWAR and seventh in wRC+ among shortstops, Arky Vaughan was one of the best players in baseball from 1932 until 1943.
Vaughan was an All-Star nine times and won the batting title in 1935.
7. Francisco Lindor
There are 18 shortstops with more fWAR than Francisco Lindor, but the New York Mets star could be in the top five by the time he retires.
Lindor is one of the smoothest defensive shortstops in big-league history, and he has a 120 wRC+.
8. Willie Wells
Winner of a Triple Crown and a 10-time All-Star in the Negro Leagues, Willie Wells has the best wRC+ mark among shortstops to play over 500 games.
Wells had a 193 OPS+ between 1926 and 1931.
9. Bill Dahlen
I could have ranked Bill Dahlen higher due to being fifth all-time in fWAR at his position. Dahlen wasn’t a great hitter, though, with a career 108 wRC+. His 80 RBIs in 1904 are the only time he led the league in any statistical category.
10. Corey Seager
Corey Seager is one of four players in MLB history with multiple World Series MVPs. Injuries have kept Seager below 40 fWAR so far, but he’s got the ninth-best wRC+ and has two top-three MVP finishes.
11. Barry Larkin
A three-time Gold Glove winner and nine-time Silver Slugger, Barry Larkin amassed 70.5 bWAR and won the NL MVP in 1995. Larkin finished his career with 198 home runs and 379 stolen bases.
12. Robin Yount
Robin Yount was only an All-Star three times, but still managed to win a pair of MVP awards.
He’s 12th in fWAR among shortstops, and his career numbers were dragged down by some unproductive years in his early 20s and mid-30s. Yount had a 135 OPS+ between 1980 and 1989.
13. Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin was MVP in his age-23 season and received votes in nine other campaigns. Finishing his career with a .301 batting average, he had great contact-hitting skills and an excellent eye.
14. Nomar Garciaparra
Drafted in the first round in 1994, Nomar Garciaparra was AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 and finished as the MVP runner-up in 1998.
His peak was relatively short, with his defence declining by his late-20s, but he still managed to put up over 44 bWAR.
15. Hanley Ramirez
At his peak between 2007 and 2010, Hanley Ramirez was among the MVP favourites in the MLB betting markets.
Ramirez was on course to be one of the best shortstops in MLB history, but his production sharply declined with only 12.1 bWAR from the start of 2011 until his final big-league season in 2019.
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