Top shortstops of the 21st century
You knew Derek Jeter would be No. 1, but did you think it would be this close?
No suspense here. My position-by-position rankings of the best players of the 21st century have arrived at shortstop, where Derek Jeter is No. 1.
You knew it, didn’t you? Who else but the Yankees captain and Hall of Famer would reign supreme?
Well, three possibilities come to mind. Jimmy Rollins, Miguel Tejada, and Troy Tulowitzki are the runners-up in my shortstop rankings, and they’re right on the heels of the frontrunner. All three are less than 35 points behind Jeter on my 1,000-point scale, putting them within 3.5% of his overall performance.
And yet it’s Jeter who leads this tightly bunched pack. My calculations are limited to the period since 2000, which eliminates the first five seasons of his career. That’s a shame, since he was awfully good between 1995 and 1999, batting .318 in 638 games, picking up a Rookie of the Year Award, and twice finishing in the top six in the balloting for the American League’s Most Valuable Player.
But Jeter continued to play outstanding ball in the new century, batting in the .300s in nine seasons since 2000, while making 12 All-Star teams and picking up five Gold Gloves in that span. He finished his career with 3,465 hits — sixth on the all-time list — with 2,658 coming after 1999.
Jeter accumulated 47.9 wins above replacement between 2000 and his 2014 retirement. That’s the most for any shortstop in the century, barely edging Rollins’s 47.6. His 2,658 hits and 2,210 runs generated are also No. 1 at the position, cementing his preeminence among all shortstops.
Jeter joins these previous winners in my rankings, which are based on a 10-part formula:
Two qualities — quality and longevity — are necessary to generate a strong score in my formula. A player needs to put up strong rates (such as batting average and BPO), while also racking up large totals (as in games played and hits). Click here for a detailed explanation of the rating process.
This category was open to any player who made at least 2,500 plate appearances from 2000 to 2020, spending at least 40% of his games as a shortstop. Seventy-four players met those standards. (Many, of course, also played other positions. Their total statistics are counted here, regardless of where they were located on the diamond during a particular game.)
My formula ranked all 74 from top to bottom, assigning the maximum score of 1,000 points to Jeter and 0 points to the last-place finisher. Everybody else’s score was determined by their relative performances.
Below are profiles of the 10 top-rated shortstops, followed by the rest of the standings (No. 11 to No. 74). Each profile includes a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few pertinent notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
1. Derek Jeter (2000-2014)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 47.9 total, 3.7 per 162 G, -10.7 defensive
Averages: .307 BA, .432 SLG, .791 BPO
Scoring: 2,210 R generated, 170 per 162 G
Totals: 2,109 G, 2,658 H
Notes: Do you remember how many MVP Awards Jeter won during his career? Two? Three? Four? The surprising answer is zero. He finished among the top 10 votegetters in eight seasons, yet never won. But none of that mattered when the 2020 Hall of Fame results were announced, showing Jeter with 99.7% support.
2. Jimmy Rollins (2000-2016)
Score: 975 points
WAR: 47.6 total, 3.4 per 162 G, 15.9 defensive
Averages: .264 BA, .418 SLG, .739 BPO
Scoring: 2,126 R generated, 151 per 162 G
Totals: 2,275 G, 2,455 H
Notes: Rollins peaked in 2007, when he was named the National League’s MVP. He was extremely fast, leading the NL in triples four times and stolen bases once. And he was smooth in the field, as evidenced by his four Gold Gloves. Only Jeter rapped more hits than Rollins among the century’s shortstops.
3. Miguel Tejada (2000-2013)
Score: 968 points
WAR: 43.9 total, 3.8 per 162 G, 5.7 defensive
Averages: .292 BA, .463 SLG, .740 BPO
Scoring: 1,964 R generated, 169 per 162 G
Totals: 1,881 G, 2,153 H
Notes: It’s commonly forgotten, but Tejada also has an MVP to his credit, winning American League honors with the Athletics in 2002. He was unexpectedly powerful for a shortstop, leading the AL in 2004 with 150 runs batted in. But these achievements are shadowed by his 2013 suspension for amphetamine use.
4. Troy Tulowitzki (2006-2019)
Score: 966 points
WAR: 44.5 total, 5.6 per 162 G, 17.1 defensive
Averages: .290 BA, .495 SLG, .836 BPO
Scoring: 1,317 R generated, 165 per 162 G
Totals: 1,291 G, 1,391 H
Notes: Tulowitzki emerged as a star in his first six seasons, batting .293, winning a pair of Gold Gloves, and three times finishing in the top 10 for MVP. A string of injuries followed, and he was never quite the same. Yet Tulowitzki still accumulated more WAR than all shortstops on this list but Jeter and Rollins.
5. Hanley Ramirez (2005-2019)
Score: 866 points
WAR: 37.9 total, 3.7 per 162 G, -8.9 defensive
Averages: .289 BA, .486 SLG, .865 BPO
Scoring: 1,695 R generated, 165 per 162 G
Totals: 1,668 G, 1,834 H
Notes: Ramirez arrived with the Marlins as the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 2006. He topped the league with a .342 batting average three seasons later, and the future seemed limitless. It actually proved to be a period of slow decline, as Ramirez batted .272 during the final 10 years of his career.
6. Rafael Furcal (2000-2014)
Score: 835 points
WAR: 39.5 total, 4.0 per 162 G, 15.0 defensive
Averages: .281 BA, .402 SLG, .746 BPO
Scoring: 1,537 R generated, 154 per 162 G
Totals: 1,614 G, 1,817 H
Notes: Furcal was no powerhouse at the plate. His .402 slugging average was the lowest among the century’s top 15 shortstops. But he was solid enough, posting a BA better than .290 in five seasons. And he was dependable in the field — one of only three shortstops in the top 10 who had a defensive WAR of 15.0 or better.
7. Jose Reyes (2003-2018)
Score: 834 points
WAR: 37.2 total, 3.2 per 162 G, 1.4 defensive
Averages: .283 BA, .427 SLG, .775 BPO
Scoring: 1,754 R generated, 151 per 162 G
Totals: 1,877 G, 2,138 H
Notes: Reyes showed flashes of exceptional ability. He topped the National League in 2011 with a .337 batting average. He also led the league in triples four times and stolen bases three times. But he mixed in several mediocre years, batting below .280 in seven of his 16 seasons, including the final four.
8. Michael Young (2000-2013)
Score: 793 points
WAR: 24.7 total, 2.0 per 162 G, -10.4 defensive
Averages: .300 BA, .441 SLG, .724 BPO
Scoring: 1,982 R generated, 163 per 162 G
Totals: 1,970 G, 2,375 H
Notes: Young did win a Gold Glove in 2008, though the numbers suggest that he generally was a defensive liability. But he was an outstanding hitter, leading the American League in 2005 with a .331 BA. He and Jeter were the century’s only shortstops with at least 2,000 hits and career BAs of .300 or better.
9. Nomar Garciaparra (2000-2009)
Score: 764 points
WAR: 23.8 total, 3.9 per 162 G, 2.4 defensive
Averages: .308 BA, .497 SLG, .829 BPO
Scoring: 1,043 R generated, 173 per 162 G
Totals: 979 G, 1,132 H
Notes: Garciaparra was an offensive machine. No other shortstop in this century posted a higher batting average or generated more runs per 162 games. His stratospheric .372 BA topped the American League in 2000. It’s unfortunate that these rankings lop off the best three-year stretch (1997-1999) of his career.
10. Francisco Lindor (2015-2020)
Score: 738 points
WAR: 28.4 total, 5.9 per 162 G, 9.4 defensive
Averages: .285 BA, .488 SLG, .834 BPO
Scoring: 781 R generated, 163 per 162 G
Totals: 777 G, 896 H
Notes: If I revisit these rankings in five years, Lindor could well be the century’s No. 1 shortstop. He’s rising that quickly. Every other player in the top 10 played at least 200 more games than Lindor, and five surpassed him by more than 1,000 games. Yet his numbers for the first six years of his career have already placed him in their company.
Everybody else
11. Edgar Renteria (2000-2011): 706 points
12. Trevor Story (2016-2020): 700 points
13. Carlos Correa (2015-2020): 679 points
14. Jhonny Peralta (2003-2017): 675 points
15. Carlos Guillen (2000-2011): 674 points
16. Elvis Andrus (2009-2020): 664 points
17. Asdrubal Cabrera (2007-2020): 649 points
18. Orlando Cabrera (2000-2011): 629 points
19. Xander Bogaerts (2013-2020): 627 points
20. Andrelton Simmons (2012-2020): 610 points
21. J.J. Hardy (2005-2017): 595 points
22. Juan Uribe (2001-2016): 583 points
23. Yunel Escobar (2007-2017): 561 points
24. Jean Segura (2012-2020): 534 points
25. Starlin Castro (2010-2020): 520 points
26. Marco Scutaro (2002-2014): 519 points
27. Jose Valentin (2000-2007): 507 points
28. Alexei Ramirez (2008-2016): 503 points
29. Ian Desmond (2009-2019): 498 points
30. Jack Wilson (2001-2012): 487 points
31. David Eckstein (2001-2010): 486 points
32. Javier Baez (2014-2020): 484 points
33. Omar Vizquel (2000-2012): 483 points
34. Brandon Crawford (2011-2020): 481 points
35. Rich Aurilia (2000-2009): 478 points
36. Erick Aybar (2006-2017): 470 points
37. Marcus Semien (2013-2020): 460 points
38. Didi Gregorius (2012-2020): 458 points
39. Cristian Guzman (2000-2010): 457 points
40. Julio Lugo (2000-2011): 429 points
41. Stephen Drew (2006-2017): 428 points
42. Jed Lowrie (2008-2019): 417 points
43. Jason Bartlett (2004-2014): 385 points
44. Alex Gonzalez (2000-2014): 357 points
45. Felipe Lopez (2001-2011): 337 points
46. Clint Barmes (2003-2015): 326 points
47. Zack Cozart (2011-2019): 315 points
48. Alcides Escobar (2008-2018): 310 points
49. Jonathan Villar (2013-2020): 302 points
50. Jose Iglesias (2011-2020): 301 points
51. Ryan Theriot (2005-2012): 271 points
52. Khalil Greene (2003-2009): 259 points
53. Jose Hernandez (2000-2006): 239 points
54. Neifi Perez (2000-2007): 234 points
55. Alex Gonzalez (2000-2006): 230 points
56. Adam Everett (2001-2011): 228 points
57. Freddy Galvis (2012-2020): 214 points
58. Deivi Cruz (2000-2005): 199 points
58. Cesar Izturis (2001-2013): 199 points
60. Mike Aviles (2008-2017): 193 points
60. Royce Clayton (2000-2007): 193 points
62. Tony Womack (2000-2006): 191 points
63. Brad Miller (2013-2020): 185 points
64. Jordy Mercer (2012-2020): 179 points
65. Yuniesky Betancourt (2005-2013): 167 points
66. Alex Cora (2000-2011): 144 points
67. Brendan Ryan (2007-2016): 143 points
68. Cliff Pennington (2008-2018): 135 points
69. Bobby Crosby (2003-2010): 124 points
70. Adeiny Hechavarria (2012-2020): 121 points
71. Angel Berroa (2001-2009): 117 points
72. Ramon Santiago (2002-2014): 81 points
73. John McDonald (2000-2014): 21 points
74. Ronny Cedeno (2005-2014): 0 points