Brandon Brown
Throughout the season, CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down just about everything. The latest news, a historical issue, thoughts on the future of baseball, all sorts of things. Last week we chose our favorite City Connect uniforms. This week we’re going to debate the best shortstop in the game.
Who is the best shortstop in baseball?
RJ Anderson: It still feels a little weird typing this, but I think the answer is Mookie Betts. He’s outperforming everyone else by far and has been a better defensive presence than I expected based on his limited experience at the six. There are some impressive young shortstops performing at a high level in the league – Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz and even CJ Abrams, to name a few – but I think Betts has them all beat by now.
Matt Snyder: Yes, I have to agree with RJ. It’s a cheat code to be able to move the best right fielder in baseball to second base and then, in the middle of spring training, declare him the shortstop and THEN have him play the way he played at short. It’s simply ridiculous. He would win MLB MVP right now if such a thing existed.
If we could remove Mookie from this, I think it would be a really fun discussion between Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr., while also having room to discuss when we could loop in Elly De La Cruz and also not rule out remaining stud Corey Seager after of a difficult month.
With Betts playing well over half of his games at shortstop, however, there isn’t really an argument I can see against him being the best shortstop in baseball.
Mike Axisa: It’s funny, when I first considered the question, Mookie didn’t cross my mind. I still think of him as an outfielder. He has to be the answer, right? He’s been off the charts this season and his record is as good as it gets. His defense is also improving. I wouldn’t say he looked uncomfortable earlier this year, but there were times when his inexperience showed and it wasn’t the most natural defense. Betts is improving on the field and has been very good overall.
Like RJ and Matt, my answer is Mookie. Among natural shortstops (i.e., unconverted outfielders), I would prefer Gunnar Henderson to Bobby Witt Jr. When they are that close, something like Henderson being a left-handed hitter and therefore having a platoon advantage more often (righties pitch about three times as many innings as lefties each year) is enough to get me moving in his direction. My favorite the shortstop is Elly De La Cruz. He’s electric. Looks like he’s putting it all together and he’s a lot of fun.
Dayn Perry: Honestly, I can support Betts, but we need some diversity in our responses. If I had confidence in Corey Seager’s health and durability, he would say so. I’ll go Elly De La Cruz instead. The tools are obviously extraordinary and this season he has been an elite combination of power and speed so far. His batted quality is excellent and he has also improved his discipline at the plate. I’m buying the hot start and going with the 22-year-old Reds star.
