Ranking the top 10 shortstops in MLB: Is Witt, Henderson or Betts No. 1?

Spring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball.

As part of our 2025 MLB season preview, ESPN's Buster Olney is bringing back his positional ranking series, in which he surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position.

Today, we rank the best of the best at the premier infield position: shortstop.

The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2025 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career.

We will roll out a position per day over the next two weeks.

Here's the rest of the schedule: catchers , first basemen , second basemen , third basemen , corner outfielders (2/24), center fielders (2/25), designated hitters (2/26), starting pitchers (2/27) and relievers (2/28).

Juan Soto set a record with a $765 million contract this winter, and with the growing uncertainty about baseball's labor situation when the collective bargaining agreement expires in 22 months, it's hard to predict who might generate the same kind of bidding fervor as Soto.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr .

will very likely get a big contract, but probably closer to what Mike Trout got ($429.5 million) than Soto.

Kyle Tucker will also do very well in free agency next fall, as a multi-tool player who can hit for power, run and play strong defense.

But the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson might be the next player to move into Soto-like free agent status in his career, with so much lining up for him to get a mega-mega-megadeal, for a lot of reasons.

1.

He is 23 years old and already a preeminent player, having generated 6.2 WAR and 9.1 WAR in his first two full seasons.

He'll reach free agency when he is 27 years old.

2.

He is a phenomenal athlete -- a good shortstop now, but, barring injury, he should be able to move readily as he ages, to third or second or first base.

3.

He will presumably hit the open market not long after the next CBA is signed, which is when teams, flush with cash, are usually more aggressive.

Even if there is a prolonged labor fight, Henderson will likely reach free agency at a relatively young age.

(One caveat: If the next agreement includes any kind of salary cap-and-floor system that reduces the possibility for megadeals, Henderson could be the player most affected by that.

To date, the union has worked with a principle of never accepting a salary cap.) There is a significant difference between Henderson and Soto, though: The outfielder possessed a better command of the strike zone at a young age.

Last year, Henderson drew 78 walks and compiled 159 strikeouts.

Those numbers probably need to get closer for Henderson to draw those mega-mega-mega-offers like Soto did -- and they might.

Henderson is so young, and he's still learning.

The Orioles could try to get ahead of Henderson's free agency -- as the Royals did with Bobby Witt Jr .

-- by signing him to a long-term deal before he hits the market.

But keep in mind: Henderson is represented by Scott Boras, the agent who negotiated the Soto contract, and Boras almost always takes his clients into free agency, for maximum leverage and maximum dollars.

Henderson is, of course, among the Top 10 shortstops in baseball, based on feedback from evaluators: Continue reading this article and more from top writers, for only $11.99/mo.

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