The calendar has turned, the baseball equinox has passed, and the Dynasty Gurus have emerged from their caves to present you with our annual positional rankings. Fortunately for all of us, the caves have internet access so we’ve been able to research, analyze, and debate these players to develop a set of composite rankings that will help you win your dynasty leagues one player at a time.

This year a team of gurus each submitted our rankings and we are proud to publish the composite results here and in our Discord channel. Over the next several weeks we’ll be publishing these lists by position, with separate prospect lists as well, broken down in easily digestible bites with summaries for each group of ten.  If you’d like to see the full rankings list, including the TOP 500 for OBP and top 100 FYPD all in one place, consider making a donation for access to the lists and to our Discord site.  And finally, be sure to listen to the weekly review of each position’s rankings on the Join the Ranks Podcast.

As a reminder, we rank for On Base Percentage (OBP) leagues and we are projecting the three-year impact each player will have on your dynasty roster.

Today we present the top ten shortstops!

#1 – #10

Well let’s keep this first one short and sweet. If you are graced with the opportunity to pick first overall in a dynasty league soon, then Bobby Witt Jr. is a great start. He literally checks all the boxes on a crucial dynasty position. If you wanted to go outfielder here I wouldn’t blame you, but it would be very hard to say no to him.

Coming in second on the shortstop list is none other than Mookie Betts. Now I just want to begin by saying that there was a decline in power production from Mookie in comparison to the previous two seasons. I realize that Mookie’s regular season was limited to 116 games due to injury, but at his home run pace he might have hit 25 with a completely healthy season, a pretty substantive drop in comparison to those previous two seasons where he hit 35 and 39 home runs. Do with that what you will. I know it is just one piece of the puzzle. Although I will say, I would not be surprised if he drops a few spots next season on the shortstop list.

Next let’s talk about Gunnar Henderson. After having a solid rookie season in 2023, Gunnar backed it up with an even better 2024. He increased his home run production by 10 bombs and doubled his stolen bases as well. He not only hit with more power but he also hit for a higher average. Gunnar is going to continue getting plenty of at-bats in the top of the Orioles lineup which means plenty of opportunities to score runs. 

Man, the shortstop position has some studs! Next up we have Elly De La Cruz. Last year he nearly doubled his stolen base totals, as he finished last season with 67. He might have been able to do that in 2023 had he not been demoted. He also boasted some solid power, hitting 25 bombs. Elly is here to stay.

Halfway through the top ten shortstops we have Francisco Lindor. Lindor had arguably his best overall season in a Mets jersey this past season. You can’t go wrong drafting Lindor around this area on the shortstop list. He has a ton of value in many league formats.

Coming in at six is none other than Corey Seager. Seager has played in Texas for three seasons, and every season he has had 30 or more home runs. He has struggled with injuries throughout his career. You can’t go wrong if you want to take Seager as the fifth or sixth shortstop off the list. The potential for injury is always a risk but when you have a healthy Seager it is hard to complain.

Gracing the seventh spot we have Willy Adames. Willy is coming off his best career season. Basically all across the board, Willy was better or very on par with his statistics season-to-season. With Adames being a power bat and signing a deal with the Giants, I am definitely worried about sustaining the power numbers we have been accustomed to seeing. All this to say, I have some question marks for Adames who finds himself in one of the more unfavorable ballparks for hitters.

The first thing that jumps off the page in regard to the underlying metrics for Trea Turner is that for the first time in his career, he was outside the top 10th percentile for base running run value. He has always been in the second percentile of the league, so this decline is worrisome, especially for someone who garners so much production with his speed. There are other worries about a player who passes the age of 30, but is isn’t enough worry for me to avoid drafting him.  There is still tremendous value there and I believe there’s plenty left in the tank.

Next, CJ Abrams. Abrams will get you solid production across the board so you definitely cannot go wrong taking a chance on him. I will say one negative thing about Abrams, the metrics are very mediocre at best. For instance, his barrel percentage of 6.9% was 199th of all hitters with 200 or more plate appearances, his average exit velocity of 88.2 mph was 221st. Honestly, there are no red metrics for Abrams on his Statcast page, which goes to show that sabermetrics are not the sole predictors of production. He has still been posting productive fantasy numbers the last two years. Abrams is so talented that I would not be surprised if he makes a significant jump in production over the next two seasons.

Finishing out the top ten shortstops, Oneil Cruz finds himself in the tenth spot. Here is another tale of a dynasty guy with much to love. He can hit for power, he showed last year that he can swipe bags, and he hits for a decent average. I would like to see Cruz clean up the strikeouts, limit chasing pitches out of the zone, and the high swing and miss rate. You can’t go wrong though with Cruz if you are building up a future dynasty team.

(Brett Cook)