Hello everyone, welcome back to another edition of my positional dynasty rankings.
This week the spotlight shines on the top 50 dynasty shortstops for 2027 fantasy baseball. I have tackled a number of positions already, and if you missed a post, please look at the list at the bottom and catch up.
The top 16 or so shortstops are worth targeting early because they are young (well, most of them), hit for power, drive in runs and steal bases – in other words they offer something across the board. As we get deeper into the position, a lot of that balance disappears and most of the players offer one tool, though speed is pretty good from top to bottom.
As a group, the strength of this position, especially those ranked in Tier 1 and 2, is the stolen bases, runs scored and overall youth. Compared to second basemen, the shortstop position supplies more runs, power and steals, especially if CJ Abrams and Fernando Tatis are removed from the second base category. But when it comes to power, the corner infield and outfield positions are the place to go compared to this position outside the top 10 to 15 players.
Now, let’s get on with the rankings.
Just Missing The Cut
- Zach McKinstry, Tigers
- Edwin Arroyo, Reds
- Angel Genao, Guardians
Not much to really say about these three players. They are ready to step in if you have a rash of injuries at shortstop, but they all have holes that keep them from being ranked in the top 50.
NOTE: There were 134 players who appeared in at least one game at second base and 85 players who appeared in at least 10 games at the position. To be ranked, you have to appear in at least 10 games at shortstop. So you will not see any prospects ranked below unless they have appeared in 10 major league games at shortstop. Dynasty leagues are all different in how they treat prospects, so comparing a prospect’s value to a major leaguer’s value is something I don’t do here. If you need to know about prospects, please check out the great material Itch is producing.
Tier 5
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Cam Cauley | TEX | 24 |
| 49 | Denzer Guzman | LAA | 22 |
| 48 | Nasim Nunez | WSH | 26 |
| 47 | Jared Triolo | PIT | 29 |
| 46 | Ezequiel Tovar | COL | 25 |
| 45 | Gabriel Arias | CHC | 26 |
| 44 | Jose Fernandez | ARI | 23 |
| 43 | Joey Ortiz | MIL | 28 |
| 42 | Tyler Tolbert | KC | 29 |
| 41 | J.P. Crawford | SEA | 32 |
The Sleeper
Cam Cauley didn’t do much with the Rangers in his 58 at-bats this season, slashing .207/.281/.345 with one homer, one RBI and one steal. But in 93 games at Triple-A he stole 39 bases, hit 16 homers and slashed .276/.366/.470. I broke my rule by ranking him as a shortstop as he appeared in only two games there with the Rangers compared to 12 at second and 11 in center. But Corey Seager isn’t getting any younger, so there is a chance for him to break into the lineup as a utility player and get enough games at short to qualify there. He has great speed and could develop enough power to be useful in that department.
Speed, Speed And More Speed
There is one reason why Nasim Nunez is ranked here – his speed. In 147 games with the Nationals in 2026 he stole 49 bases and was caught only 10 times. But speed is all Nunez really has as he slashed .209/.291/.244. Will he steal 49 bases again? Maybe, but the likely scenario is 30 steals a season unless he can increase his OBP. But even 30 steals a season has value.
And More Speed
Like Nunez, Tyler Tolbert’s value is the speed he has on the bases, because stealing bags is basically his job. Tolbert appeared in 78 games for the Royals, but had only 130 at-bats. He finished the season with 22 steals in 26 attempts, one year after stealing 21 in 64 games for the Royals in 2025. Unlike Nunez, Tolbert can actually hit as he slashed .285/.347/.392 and his career slash line is .283/.340/.389. He is not going to hit for power, but he will steal bases and not kill your slash line.
Tier 4
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Matt McLain | CIN | 27 |
| 39 | Anthony Volpe | NYY | 25 |
| 38 | Masyn Winn | STL | 24 |
| 37 | Alika Williams | A’s | 27 |
| 36 | Xander Bogaerts | SD | 34 |
| 35 | Jose Caballero | NYY | 30 |
| 34 | Jacob Wilson | ATH | 24 |
| 33 | Colt Emerson | SEA | 21 |
| 32 | Carlos Correa | HOU | 32 |
| 31 | Nico Hoerner | CHC | 29 |
Depth Player At This Point
It is obvious at this point that Matt McLain is not going to duplicate his 2023 rookie season, when he slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 homers, 50 RBI and 14 steals in 89 games. Over the past two seasons he has a .204/.288/.339 slash line and averaged 15 homers and 45 RBI with 19 steals. The speed is still there. He still has some pop, but the slash line is simply not going to cut it. The fact he also plays shortstop to add to his speed gives him some value.
Don’t Sell, Yet
Anthony Volpe had a horrid 2026 season as he slashed .245/.321/.336 with only two home runs and 28 RBI in 70 games, though he did have 12 steals. This is the same player whose numbers were 19-72-18 in 2025 and was a 20-20 player as a rookie in 2023. His potential is still a player who can produce 20-20 seasons, but at the cost of a slash line that for his career is .225/.288/.374. The fact that he can also play second base is a bonus, but it is hard to bet a lot on him right now.
Great Upside Targets
Jacob Wilson is one of those players who could be under ranked here. As a rookie in 2025 he slashed .311/.355/.444 with 13 homers and 63 RBI to finish second in the ROY voting. Injuries limited him to 80 games this year, but he slashed .266/.298/.388 with seven homers and 37 RBI. His 162-game average is 14 homers and 72 RBI with a .288/.331/.411 slash line. However, he does not have the stolen bases that a lot of players ranked ahead of him have. But if the power develops a little more, he could offer more value than where I am slotting him now.
Colt Emerson entered the 2026 season as a top 15 prospect according to Baseball America, MLB and Baseball Prospectus. But his 69-game debut with the Mariners did not go well. He slashed .190/.246/.335 but he did hit eight homers to go with 23 RBI while splitting time at shortstop and third base. The tools are there for him to be a 20 to 25 homer player with 10 or so steals. The slash line is a mystery, but he is only 21 and there is a ton of potential in his game. If you are starting a team from scratch or rebuilding, Emerson is likely ranked too low here and easily slots in as a Tier 2 player. But I am always in win now mode and I am not quite ready to jump on the Emerson bandwagon.
Tier 3
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Mauricio Dubon | ATL | 32 |
| 29 | Willi Castro | COL | 29 |
| 28 | Dansby Swanson | CHC | 33 |
| 27 | Corey Seager | TEX | 32 |
| 26 | Willy Adames | SF | 31 |
| 25 | Brayan Rocchio | CLE | 26 |
| 24 | Ezequiel Duran | TEX | 27 |
| 23 | JJ Wetherholt | STL | 24 |
| 22 | George Lombard | NYY | 21 |
| 21 | Kaelen Culpepper | MIN | 24 |
The Old Dudes
When you are at this point of the rankings, you are looking for safe players for either depth or a last-ditch starter.
Dansby Swanson, Corey Seager and Willy Adames were all top shortstops at one time, or near the top. Now they are players who are decent but not the future of your dynasty team. Over the last three years Swanson has posted an OPS+ of 98, 102, and 90. His career slash line is .247/.316/.412 with a 96 OPS+. He has some decent power and can still steal bases, so he is a solid shortstop to have as your backup. But that is about it at this point.
Seager simply can’t stay on the field. He has played in 102 games in each of the last two seasons. The two previous seasons he played in 123 and 119 games. Only twice, in 2022 and 2016, has he appeared in more than 150 games. When he is on the field, he still helps your team (20 homers, 51 RBI this past year and 20/50 in 2025. But there is no way you can count on Seager not heading to the IL once or twice or three times a season.
Until this past season, Adames has been pretty healthy, playing in 139, 149, 161 and 160 games from 2022 to 2025. That allowed him to put up some great power numbers. This year he appeared in 121 games and hit 21 homers and drove in 51 runs. But he also slashed .230/.289/.424, compared to his career slash line of .243/.318/.438. He still has value with his power, but that is about all he is providing these days.
Solid, Not Spectacular, Numbers
Brayan Rocchio had a fine season for the Guardians, slashing .253/.313/.391 with 15 homers, 73 RBI and 20 steals. Among shortstops, the 15 homers ranked 15th at the position, the 73 RBI ranked fifth and the 20 steals tied for 12th. You could make an argument to rank him higher as this was a breakout season and he is only 26. But his breakout season still gave him a 99 OPS+, and I think this is about his ceiling. He’s a safe player to have, and there is nothing wrong with safe.
Breakout Season, Part 2
Ezequiel Duran appeared in my second base rankings at No. 13, and here he is again in the shortstop rankings. When Duran plays a full season, he produces some really nice numbers. In 2023 he appeared in 122 games and slashed .276/.324/.443 with 14 homers and 46 RBI. But in 2024 and 2025, he combined to play in 182 games and slash .237/.278/.309 with three homers, 34 RBI and 12 steals. Fully healthy this year, Duran appeared in 153 games and hit 17 homers with 83 RBI and 12 steals while slashing .260/.320/.419.
And he produced those numbers while playing 14 or more games at right field, center field, left field, second base, shortstop and third base. He even played three games at first base. His ability to play multiple positions, in addition to what he can do at the plate, make him a great target in dynasty baseball.
Upside Is There
In his rookie season, JJ Wetherholt hit 17 homers, drove in 51 runs and stole 14 bases while slashing .242/.339/.365. Despite his youth, he had only a 16.8 strikeout percentage to go with a 10.3% walk rate, so I think that slash line will significantly get better while also being a 20 homer player with 15 to 20 steals per year. The only downside is how much playing time will he get at short to remain qualified there past 2027 as he played in only 12 games at the position compared to 131 at second, where he was my sixth-ranked second baseman.
George Lombard reached the majors at the age of 21 and showed off his power by hitting seven homers in only 42 games to go with 22 RBI and a .237/.285/.699 slash line. He has always shown the ability to hit with power and while he had only two steals, he has speed. If you are going by pure upside, he could be ranked too low here. But I think his growth will be in stages and his best years are three or four years down the road.
Kaelen Culpepper doesn’t turn 23 until December and quickly flew through the Twins system to land in the majors this year. He is very good at making contact and drawing walks, leading him to slash .274/.328/.393 in 33 games with three homers, 11 RBI and one steal. While he played all of his games with the Twins at short, he can also play second and third base, giving him the upside of possible multiple positions to put him. He has solid power which could lead to consistent 15 to 20 homer seasons to go with 15 to 20 steals.
Tier 2
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Cooper Pratt | MIL | 22 |
| 19 | Trea Turner | PHI | 33 |
| 18 | Bo Bichette | NYM | 28 |
| 17 | Mookie Betts | LAD | 33 |
| 16 | Geraldo Perdomo | ARI | 27 |
| 15 | Javier Sanoja | MIA | 24 |
| 14 | Chase Meidroth | CWS | 25 |
| 13 | Cole Carrigg | COL | 24 |
| 12 | Brooks Lee | MIN | 26 |
| 11 | Francisco Lindor | NYM | 33 |
Room To Move Up
Cooper Pratt is a player who can be knocking on the door of Tier 1 at this time next year. Just turning 22 in August, Pratt slashed .281/.350/.368 with three homers, 34 RBI and 19 steals in only 228 at-bats (74 games). That translates to a nice 7-74-42 line over 162 games. His obvious strength is his speed, and playing for an aggressive team in Milwaukee, he will be allowed to use that tool a lot. The power is something that could be better, but he still has a lot of time to develop that part of his game. If he can reach 15 to 20 homers per year, he will be a major asset on your team. Out of the players in this tier, he may have the most upside. But I want to see it for another season.
Rose Colored Glasses?
When it comes to Bo Bichette, I will come straight out and say I’m biased toward him as he is one of my favorite players. That said, I think there is still a lot of good years ahead for him. He only turns 29 on March 5 and is coming off a year in which he slashed .260/.312/.390 one season after slashing .311/.357/.483. His 2024 season was a dud, but take away that season and his OPS+ from 2019 through 2025 (minus 2024) was 126. He is not going to steal a lot of bags, but I think there is still a lot of production left in him at the plate.
Tough Bar To Clear
Geraldo Perdomo exploded for 20 homers and 100 RBI in 2025 with 27 steals and a .290/.389/.462 slash line and a 138 OPS+. That set a pretty high bar for him to try to duplicate in 2026, and he fell very short of that bar. This past season Perdomo slashed .262/.370/.377 – numbers more in line with his career slash line. He also had only nine homers and 59 RBI. Those are more in line with his career 162-game average of 10 homers and 64 RBI. The one area in which Perdomo didn’t fall short of his 2025 season were the 21 steals he had. He is not a bad shortstop to have on your team, I just don’t think he is going to replicate 2025 again.
An Aggressive Ranking
Javier Sanoja broke out at 23 with a .295/.333/.458 slash line with 32 doubles, 11 homers, 69 RBI and 11 steals in 144 games while playing 10 or more games at five different positions. He is primarily a third baseman, but he played enough games at short to qualify at short, second, left field and right field as well. His lack of walks limits the ceiling, but his exceptional contact skills should allow him to maintain a strong average and a decent OBP. If he can add just a little more power, he can be a consistent .285-.300 hitter with 12-15 homers and steals. In a dynasty league, that’s an extremely useful player.
Chase Meidroth went from five homers and a .649 OPS in 2025 to .276/.350/.415 hitter with 16 homers, 31 doubles and 90 runs scored in 2026. He also had a massive platoon split, hitting .350/.431/.592 against lefties versus .247/.318/.347 against righties, which is the main concern. But if he improves against right-handers, Meidroth can be a 15 to 18 homer guy with lots of runs scored and a solid slash line.
Cole Carrigg has a great combination of athleticism, speed and positional versatility as he can also play center field. In 93 games he hit 12 homers with 53 RBI and 11 steals while slashing .279/.341/.477. He has the potential to be a 20-20 player, but that is the key word – potential. He is not there yet, but I like his ceiling, even if that ceiling comes down a bit to 15 homers and 20-plus steals per year. That is still a very valuable player at the shortstop (and center field) spots.
Solid Production
Brooks Lee spent the majority of the season at third base but he appeared in 48 games at short, and that makes him a valuable player to add thanks to the versatility to go with his skill. Lee appeared in a career high 156 games and hit 24 homers with 83 RBI while slashing .253/.300/.428. At a position where power drops off quickly the deeper you get into the position, those homers and RBI are nice to have at that position. I don’t think Lee is going to make another big leap in his home run production after jumping from 16 in 2025 to the 24 he hit this year, but he should remain in the 25 range to go with 75 to 85 RBI every year for a number of years.
Been Spoiled
Francisco Lindor has been very good for a very long time. His career OPS+ is 119 and his 162-game average is 30 homers, 89 RBI and 22 steals. So 2026 was a rough season for those with Lindor on their roster as he had 21 homers, 49 RBI, three steals and slashed .225/.309/.423 in only 105 games. That is simply not a typical Lindor season. He turns in a few days, so his best days are behind him. But I don’t think 2026 was the beginning of the end for Lindor. Just last season he hit 31 homers, drove in 86 runs and had 31 steals while posting numbers of 33-91-29 in 2024. That is not the distant past.
Tier 1
| RANK | PLAYER | 2026 TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Colson Montgomery | CWS | 25 |
| 9 | Jeremy Pena | HOU | 29 |
| 8 | Otto Lopez | MIA | 28 |
| 7 | Konnor Griffin | PIT | 20 |
| 6 | Gunnar Henderson | BAL | 25 |
| 5 | Zach Neto | LAA | 26 |
| 4 | Kevin McGonigle | DET | 22 |
| 3 | CJ Abrams | WSH | 26 |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | KC | 26 |
| 1 | Elly De La Cruz | CIN | 25 |
If Only…
When it comes to Colson Montgomery, the one phrase that attaches to him is “if only.” If only he could not kill your batting average. If only he wouldn’t kill your OBP. Those are valid “if only” statements, because Montgomery slashed .197/.282/.403 this season with a massive 35.6% strikeout rate. Ouch. But Montgomery also does one thing very, very well – hit homers. And his power is why he lands in this tier. In 71 games as a rookie in 2025, he hit 21 homers and drove in 55 runs. This year he walloped 31 homers and drove in 87 runs. Overall, his 162-game average is 38 homers and 103 RBI. That is hard to pass up.
Yes, he has to at least return to his 2025 slash line of .239/.311/.529 to justify this ranking. But the power is there and is not going to go away, and that is the biggest reason for him being ranked 10th.
The “Old Men” Of The Tier
Jeremy Pena burst onto the baseball scene in 2022 when he slashed .253/.289/.426 with 22 homers, 63 RBI, and 11 steals to finish fifth in the ROY voting. In 2023 his home run and RBI count fell to 10 and 52, but then increased to 15 homers and drove in 70 runs while stealing a career high 22 bases in 2024. In 2025 he slashed .304/.363/.477 with 17 homers, 62 RBI and 20 steals to go with a 135 OPS+. This season he was limited to 112 games, but he managed to hit 22 homers and drive in 56 with 12 steals while slashing .277/.325/.477. He is not a spectacular player, but he hits with power, drives in runs and can steal bases. That is a pretty solid shortstop.
Otto Lopez is one year younger than Pena, and if he didn’t play for the Marlins, he would be a much better known commodity to have on your team. This past year he slashed .305/.349/.437 with 11 homers, 71 RBI and 34 steals. In 2025 he had 15 homers, 77 RBI and 15 steals with a .246/.305/.368 slash line. I am buying his progress over the last two years, and while he is a little older than some players ranked below him, I think he has great value over the next three to four years. He doesn’t mash the ball, but his steals are a great tool and I think he can still add a little more power to his game.
Still Only 20
Konnor Griffin won’t turn 21 until April 24, yet he already showed us glimpses of the talent he has in his 80 games with the Pirates. Griffin finished his rookie campaign with a .272/.324/.404 slash line with six homers, 33 RBI and 23 steals. Over 162 games that is 12 homers, 67 RBI and 47 steals. Griffin may not provide as much power as some of the other shortstops in this tier, but he has great speed and enough gap power to drive in a lot of runs while helping you with AVG, SLG and OBP.
Looking To the Past To Predict The Future
When it comes to Gunnar Henderson, I am looking a little into the past to rank him this high and say he will be a stud going forward. From 2023-24, Henderson averaged 33 homers, 87 RBI and 16 steals with a .269/.346/.510 slash line and 141 OPS+. But the last two seasons have seen Henderson drop to a .248/.328/.420 slash line and OPS+ of 111 with an average of 21 homers, 64 RBI and 20 steals.
Those are still nice numbers, but not close to what he did to start his career when he was ROY in 2023 and eighth in MVP voting and then fourth in MVP voting in 2024. He is only 25 and thus not even entering his prime. I believe Henderson can and will return to the level of play he had in 2023 and 2024.
Great Power-Speed Combo
Zach Neto is not going to carry your offense when it comes to his slash line, but if you are looking for a player who can hit homers and steal bases, Neto is your man. Over the last three seasons he has hit 23, 26 and 27 homers and stolen 30, 26 and 24 bases. His OPS+ over those three years has been 112, 121 and 118. Strikeouts have always been a problem as he had a 30.5% strikeout rate this year and for his career it sits at 26.5. But Neto saw his walk rate jump to 9.9% compared to his previous high of 6.5% in 2024. Those walks help Neto boost his OBP to a career-high .330.
The Final Four
If told to throw the names of Kevin McGonigle, CJ Abrams, Bobby Witt and Elly De La Cruz into a hat and whichever name you draw is the player you get at shortstop, I think most people would be perfectly happy with the ultimatum.
I have made many mistakes during my many years of playing in dynasty leagues, like trading away numerous top prospects for established stars to help me win now. But one of the best moves was to not trade Konnor Griffin or Kevin McGonigle. I talked about Griffin above, and I get to pair him with McGonigle is in several of my leagues. All he did this season was win the AL ROY award after slashing .278/.376/.430 with 18 homers, 72 RBI and 12 steals. He had a 7.1 WAR and an OPS+ of 126. His chase percentage of 19.6 ranked in the 98th percentile while his Whiff% and K% ranked in the 89th and 88 percentile while his BB% ranked in the 94th percentile. Playing in Comerica Park doesn’t help his power, but he should hit more homers as he develops a little more strength.
CJ Abrams appeared in the second basemen rankings at No. 2 and here he comes in at No. 3 at this natural position of shortstop. I’ll just repeat here what I wrote about him last week: Abrams had a great overall season, hitting 33 homers, driving in 106 runs (both career highs) and stealing 34 bases while slashing .261/.336/.497. But there were some warts to the season as he had three great months and three horrible months.
From March through May, he slashed .294/.391/.542 with 12 homers, 47 RBI and nine steals. But from June through the rest of the season he slashed .241/.302/.471 with 21 homers, 59 RBI and 25 steals. However, those stats were inflated by the month of July in which Abrams hit 10 homers, drove in 23 runs, stole six bases and slashed .348/.408/.742. So, is the real Abrams the one from March through May and in July or the one we saw in June, August and September hitter? In weekly head-to-head leagues, consistency is important, and Abrams is a bit too up-and-down for me to rank him higher.
Bobby Witt Jr. did not have his best season, but I guess one gets spoiled when he finished seventh, second and fourth in the MVP voting from 2023-25. Witt slashed .281/.359/.441 this season with career lows in homers (18) and RBI (54). So the numbers show Witt didn’t live up to past seasons. But his strikeout rate was within his career average while his walk rate (10.6%) was 3.4% higher than his career average. His Average EV, Hard Hit%, and Line Drive% were better than his career averages and his Ground Ball% was basically equal to his career average. So nothing jumps out to point to why the power numbers dropped other than the fact that he went to the IL in July with a lower back strain and also suffered an MCL sprain in June. Witt should be fully healthy in 2027 and back to producing the numbers he always has.
Elly De La Cruz finally had the breakout season people have been waiting for after finishing seventh in the ROY voting in 2023 and eighth in the MVP voting the following season. De La Cruz hit a career high 30 homers, drove in 79 runs and stole 30 bases while slashing a career-best .283/.365/.515 to finish with an OPS+ of 142. De La Cruz still struck out a lot (27.5%) but he finished with a career-high 11.3% walk rate. Meanwhile, his Statcast numbers were absurd as he ranked in the 91st percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, Avg. EV, Barrel%, Hard Hit% and Bat Speed. There really isn’t anything De La Cruz can’t do in the batter’s box and on the bases.
Thank You
I know some of you will agree with this list for the most part and others will strongly disagree, but no matter what, thanks for reading. Come back again next week when I unveil the Top 50 Dynasty Third Basemen for 2027 Fantasy Baseball.
If you missed my previous posts, you can find them here:
Top 50 Dynasty Relievers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 100 Dynasty Starting Pitchers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 50 Dynasty Catchers for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 50 Dynasty First Basemen for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
Top 50 Dynasty Second Basemen for 2027 Fantasy Baseball
