Fantasy Baseball 2026 – Top 30 Shortstops (SS) for OBP Leagues
Last Update: January 14, 2026. Top 30 Shortstops (SS) with commentary. For full update log, please scroll all the way tf down.
You’re probably too young to remember this, but shortstops used to not be able to hit for shit. In fact, the Mendoza Line was named for Mario Mendoza, a shitty-hitting shortstop that played every day but had trouble carrying a .200 batting average. But then Cal Ripken Jr. came along and proved that 6’4″ dudes that slug over .500 can absolutely play the position well enough, and inspired a generation that included Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra, and the archetype of the all-field/shitty-bat shortstop pretty much died off completely. I suppose Jose Iglesias was that guy for a long time — he couldn’t even be league-average in Colorado — but even Iglesias had a 136 OPS+ (and a hit single) for the Mets in 2024.
Anyway, I don’t want to digress too much more. Since my 13-team league is weird and will start 13 shortstops, I rank the top 13, and eventually I will rank as many shortstop-eligible players I find fantasy relevant, and this list will update and change and see many additions over the next few weeks. Be sure to bookmark and save and come back!
All thirteen of these shortstops are good, but there are some brand names here that will be more expensive than just-as-good guys who will go later in the drafts. Read on to see who I mean!
Top 13 Shortstops (SS) for OBP Leagues
1. Bobby Witt Jr.
What an amazing start to his career. Bobby Witt Jr. has already led the league in hits twice, won a batting title, and led the league last year with 47 doubles. Witt was actually on a 70 SB pace(!) until June, and he blamed injuries for that, even though he didn’t have an IL stint all year. His OBP dropped from elite (.389) to merely excellent (.351). His bat is loud af and he’s got the best sprint speed in the business and he will be 26 years old in June. Bobby Witt Jr. probably hasn’t had his career year yet, making him a very very attractive #2 overall pick (presuming Ohtani is the first). Go get him.
2. Francisco Lindor
Did Francisco Lindor seal his Hall of Fame case in 2025? He’s got more bWAR than HOFs Joe Mauer, Tony Perez, David Oritz, and Fred McGriff, plus tons of dead white guys who are also in. Lindor submitted his third season in a row with 30+ HR and 100+ runs and 29+ SB. He’s a star star star star star star star, and there’s no reason to expect him to decline even though he turns 32 in June.
3. Gunnar Henderson
One step forward, two steps back, but that’s not unusual for young players like Gunnar Henderson who start their MLB careers at 21 and were excellent coming out of the gate. If you drafted Gunnar last year then you were likely disappointed with 17 HR and 68 RBI for the price you paid, even tho his 85 runs and 30 SB and .349 OBP helped your team. He’ll turn 25 in late June and he is still on the star path. Bid with confidence.
4. Corey Seager
After mashing at least 30 HR from 2022-24, Corey Seager hit 21 last year in 102 games. He’ll turn 32 by the end of April and he probably won’t slug .623 again like he did in 2023, but he’s kinda like the Chris Sale of fantasy bats, pretty close to elite on a per-PA basis. I’ll be monitoring his ADP because this dude absolutely hits the shit out of the ball and he has a very very good career 9.7% BB%.
5. Elly De La Cruz
Note the purple! In my personal spreadsheets that I’ve been using to prepare for my drafts the last few years, I have been changing the text color for strong-side platoon hitters to purple. Purple means the hitter is best deployed (and often is so by the team) vs RHP. Purple bats can be plenty useful in deeper leagues, but require a bit extra planning and mindfulness of opposing SP.
Turns out Elly De La Cruz was playing thru a left quad strain for most of the second half since late July, which could help explain 236/303/363 in the second half that came with less than half (12) of the stolen bases he had in the first half (25). He cannot hit LHP at all (236/276/342 last year), though he did have 5 home runs off them, and he’s not going to be platooned so keep that in mind. But Elly is so good and valuable (especially with the bags) that his 200 PA vs LHP shouldn’t deter you from drafting him at his ADP. That’s pretty much the only purple bat I’ll say that about because his stolen base totals could be ridiculous enough to lead your league almost all by himself. Plus Elly De La Cruz is a really really fun player and you should have fun with your fantasy team.
6. Geraldo Perdomo
Maybe you didn’t notice, but Geraldo Perdomo was 10th in the National League with an .851 OPS last year. To be sure, his .462 slugging percentage was aided by 33 doubles and 5 triples in addition to his modest 20 HR, which is probably the ceiling for his power, but .389 OBP and 13.1% BB% in 720 plate appearances is a huuuuuuge OBP anchor for your team in your OBP league. Geraldo is entering his Age 26 season, and while he may not have the Statcast power profile to hit more than 20 HR, he does not swing and miss like at all (98th percentile), nor does he chase much at all (96th percentile). He’s starting to look like he may have Jimmy Rollins’s career if he continues to lead off for 150+ games a year, perhaps with a bit less power and definitely a shitload more walks.
7. Mookie Betts — (SS only!)
Fantasy players should note that Mookie Betts is no longer the 2B/SS/OF Swiss-army knife he’s been in years past, with 148 games at shortstop, just one game in right field, and no games anywhere else on the field. Though Mookie remains very difficult to strike out, the power metrics on his Statcast had the blues last year and now that he’s entering his Age 33 season eligible for only one position, he’s a lot less appealing that he was the last few seasons. Like Lindor, he’s a future Hall of Famer, but unlike Lindor, idk if Mookie will be worth the same ADP he’s used to.
8. Willy Adames
In my opinion, his strong history of DDBB% underrates Willy Adames, tho I understand why those in batting average leagues would be less enamored. He’ll be entering his Age 30 season in a better lineup than he was last year (thanks Rafael!) and he’s been a mini-horse, with at least 160 games each in the last two seasons. There may be prolonged slumps and fallow stretches of the season, but the home runs will come, and so will the counting stats that come with the home runs. The 90+ runs he’s scored in each of the last two seasons are proof that he gets on base and helps your team even when he’s slumping.
9. Trea Turner
So Trea Turner will be 33 in June. He’s averaged 139 games a year in his three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, and has gone from 26 home runs to 21 home runs to 15 home runs last year. Turner has had between 88 and 102 runs scored and between 62 and 76 RBI and stolen at least 30 bases twice. He has a not-great career 6.8% walk rate but he’s also a lifetime .297 hitter with a .304 batting average last year. We’ll see where his ADP is but a bet on a 33 year-old shortstop is a bet on him staying healthy enough to accumulate 600 plate appearances and fighting off regression to the mean for one more season.
10. Jeremy Peña
Jeremy Peña missed time with a rib fracture in June and finished the season on the IL with a left oblique strain in September, but he delivered a very valuable season with 5.7 fWAR and 5.6 bWAR in 125 games. Of course, that shit doesn’t matter in fantasy, but it came with an 304/363/477 slash with 17 home runs and 62 RBI and 68 runs batting a lot of games leading off for the Houston Astros. Peña has a 5.2% career walk rate, and had a very bad 3.8% BB% in 2024, so he needs to continue to hit for a respectable average to not kill you in OBP, but his xBA have always been above-average if not good. Entering his age 28 season, he may have a tad bit of upside left with a very bankable floor. It’s almost like Jeremy Peña made the Astros forget about Carlos Correa so much that they went and traded for Carlos Correa.
11. Zach Neto
Zach Neto turns 25 in January having already established himself as a two-time 20/20+ bat in his two full seasons in MLB. His BB% is 6.2% in 1485 career plate appearances with a .316 OBP, so he may not score as many runs as a leadoff hitter could. Still, even if he strikes out a lot and doesn’t walk that much, he hits the ball pretty hard and that’s one heck of a floor he’s laid down for himself.
12. Bo Bichette — (SS and eventually 3B, probably)
Where in the world is he going to play?!?! The New York Mets signed Bo Bichette even tho they already have shortstop covered by Francisco Lindor and second base covered by Marcus Semien, so it sounds like he’ll be manning third base, and Bo’s xHR in Citifield would’ve been four less than his actual. Since he’ll almost certainly gain multi-positional eligibility, he should move up this list a few spots but gee whiz what a weird weird signing. The lol Mets keep lol’ing.
There seems to be an air of disappointment hanging around Bo Bichette, despite submitting a season that was worth 3.8 fWAR in 139 games. Idk if we will see a fantasy season like he had in at Age 23 in 2021, and I definitely do not care for his BB% (and he’s had bad years with his BB%), and the SB are almost non-existent these days (just 4 last year). That said, his Statcast says that Dante Bichette‘s kid is still the same guy who has posted OPS+ of at least 120 in five of the last six seasons. He’s about to enter his Age 28 season and has posted 98th percentile and 99th percentile xBA in two of the last three seasons. This could be the season where Bo Bichette wins a batting title.
13. CJ Abrams
Over three full big league seasons of 600+ plate appearances apiece, CJ Abrams has had pretty much the same season each year. He’s had 18 to 20 home runs, 79 to 92 runs score, and 60 to 65 RBI. He stole 47 bases in 2023, and 31 apiece in the last two seasons and while his career 5.3% BB% is not very good at all, he often bats lead off for the Nationals. CJ Abrams helps in every category but on-base percentage. Going into his Age 25 season, maybe we can expect some improvement?
The Rest of the Best Fantasy Baseball Shortstops for OBP Leagues
Since my 13-team league also has a Middle Infielder (MI) slot, at least the first few guys below will be rostered, and a few more will make sufficient bench pieces, and a few more after that will be decent fill-ins when your guy is hurt. I’m going to need to know these names on Draft Day and you should, too.
14. Xavier Edwards — (2B/SS)
Zero power but a good batting average and average BB% give Xavier Edwards a good OBP, and he should give you the kind of stolen bases to rank among the league leaders. He was bad vs LHP last year (.564 OPS) but decent the year before (.762), so I don’t want to prematurely purple a hitter going into his Age 26 season. The 2B/SS flex is useful, too.
15. José Caballero — (2B/3B/SS/OF)
José Caballero (or Joey Cowboy in English) has pretty much zero power and hits lefties better than he hits righties, but that’s not why I’m rostering him. Two consecutive seasons of 40+ stolen bases (and he led the American League both times) and all that sweet-ass eligibility? Gimme gimme gimme. His walk rate was 5.6% in 2024, but DDBB% the year before and last year, so I’m going to assume that was an aberration. Mr. Cowboy is very underrated in super-deep leagues like the one I play in, so he’s a target for me.
16. Dansby Swanson
Dansby Swanson will turn 32 in February and his Statcast says he’s still hitting the ball pretty hard and still has wheels. He even stole a career-high 20 bases last year to go with his 24 home runs, and he’s hit at least 20 home runs in four of the last five years. Dansby’s walk rate has some variance to it, as it was 7.3% last year and DDBB% in 2023, but his career rate of 8.7% is about average and a good baseline.
17. Xander Bogaerts
Entering his age 33 season, Xander Bogaerts is a modest accumulator at SS who appears to have taken advantage of the new SB rules to nab double-digit stolen bases the last three years in a row. The BB% league-average now and the isolated slugging has cratered since his prime. I don’t think he’s a top 15 fantasy shortstop right now.
18. Ha-Seong Kim
Ha-Seong Kim is going into his age 30 season, and he’ll probably never hit 20 home runs or even slug .400, and his days of multi-eligibility positions may be behind him, but he brings a tidy DDBB% and DDSB while playing every day (most seasons) with no platoon splits. If you have an extra middle infield slot in an OBP, you can do a heck of a lot worse. A full season with the supporting cast of the Atlanta Braves sure won’t hurt his R/R.
19. Trevor Story
I’m sure you were very happy with the production from Trevor Story considering where his ADP was and to be sure, 91/25/96/31 and playing 157 games indeed looks like a comeback. But his 5% BB% was easily the worst of his career and as good as his counting stats were last year, it was still some league-average hitting with a 101 wRC+, and his last very good season was the pandemic season in Colorado. It’s been a pretty underwhelming tenure in a Red Sox uniform so far and he’s entering his Age 33 season. Trevor Story should be a good accumulator if he plays 150+ games again, but I think he’s a name brand I’m hesitant to pay full price for.
20. Masyn Winn
Turns out a botched surgery on his right knee from when Masyn Winn was in high school had been bothering him this whole time, despite winning a Gold Glove. September surgery apparently “alleviated the pain almost immediately,” a very encouraging sign. Masyn will turn 24 in March and if we think the knee had been holding him back this whole time, then maybe we’ll see his game take a leap forward. His career 6.5% walk rate says he’s not quite leadoff material but if the rebuilding Cardinals go back to batting him first more often like they did in 2024 and his sprint speed rebounds with a healthy knee, then he could be a nice source of runs and bags.
21. Carlos Correa — (3B/SS)
Going into his Age 31 season, Carlos Correa doesn’t have as loud a Statcast as he used to, but he’s also just one season removed from a 905 OPS, albeit in limited playing time. He’s almost always mashed, and with his career 10.3% walk rate setting a strong foundation of hitting, Carlos Correa still young enough to have another productive season in him, and the SS/3B will help.
22. Colson Montgomery
Colson Montgomery could already be a decent compiler with all the playing time the Chicago White Sox will give him. He kinda smells like Willy Adames with 25+ HR power and a strong BB% that you can’t find in his OBP because his batting average is so bad. This looks like a very good and very cheap source of power.
23. Jacob Wilson
The son of former All-Star Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, Jacob Wilson was the 6th overall pick by the now-Homeless Athletics in 2023 and had an excellent rookie season hitting 311/355/444 while making the All-Star team like his old man and placing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. However, his fantasy baseball value is pretty much all driven by his 90th percentile batting average supported by his 99th percentile whiff rate and 100th percentile strikeout rate. That’s fantastic in batting average leagues, and he will need to continue hit over .300 to push his OBP up if he continues to post 5.2% walk rates. It’s a relatively highish floor for such a young player with almost no power, but that lack of power caps a relatively lower ceiling.
24. Otto Lopez — (2B/SS)
Otto Lopez is going into his Age 27 season having taken a step forward from his 2024. Otto is hard to strikeout and looks to be a pretty decent batting average hitter and he has some wheels that helped him steal 15 bags last year and 20 the year before. With a wRC+ of 90 for his career so far, he is not a league-average hitter nor is he a league-average bases-on-baller, but the positional flex and stolen bases helps in deeper leagues with middle infielder slots.
25. Zach McKinstry — (SS/3B/OF)
Zach McKinstry will be 31 in April, and he had a heck of a career year last year, making the All-Star team and winning the Silver Slugger award as a utility player with a 771 OPS that was like 120 points higher than his career-best. With his positional flexibility and DDSB, McKinstry has a lot of value in deeper fantasy leagues, but his walk rate has never been exceptional and his .438 slugging last year was propped up by 11 triples. He’s an overachiever, and overachieving baseball players tend to have a fun but short window of productivity.
26. Josh Smith — (1B/3B/SS/OF and probably eventually 2B)
*Beware of purple!
Josh Smith will be 29 in August, and was a very useful Swiss Army knife in deeper leagues last year, what with his handy positional flexibility and his near-DDBB% and leading off for the Texas Rangers for 398 plate appearances. However, Josh Smith cannot hit LHP at all. In fact, he’s so bad against them that his .224 slugging managed to be like 50 points lower than his OBP. Thing is, the Rangers already need caddies for Joc Pederson and Evan Carter so Mr. Smith may see more time against left-handers than is good for him, and the arrival of Brandon Nimmo could put an end to his leadoff days.
27. Ezequiel Tovar
I mean if Ezequiel Tovar leads off for the Colorado Rockies the entire season, you’ll get decent counting stats but that will come with a piss-poor BB% that results in a OBP under .300, and 700 PA of that will be a black hole of suck. In this case, the suck is twofold because the sucky OBP will suck your overall OBP downward.
28. J.P. Crawford
J.P. Crawford had 354 PA leading off for the Seattle Mariners last year and if the team does that again for any stretch of time in 2026, he will be a sneaky good add off the waiver wire with the DDBB% he’s posted every year since 2022. In years past, J.P. Crawford as been more or less the best hitter available that is often available on the wire, at least in my league.
29. Joey Ortiz
Joey Ortiz will turn 28 years old in July and 2026 will be his third full MLB season. Ortiz had a pretty good real-life season in 2024 when he ate a lot of innings at shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers with an 11% walk rate for a 3.2 fWAR, but last year, that walk rate got slashed in half and he hit a few less home runs. He was also not good at all versus RHP, slashing 206/259/278 for a 537 OPS.
30. JJ Wetherholt
The St. Louis Cardinals have been shopping Brendan Donovan around the league and once that happens, JJ Wetherholt is expected to take over second base, ideally by Opening Day. Since Masyn Winn is the everyday SS in St. Louis, Wetherholt will have to learn the position on the job while also learning to hit MLB pitching, but the rebuilding Cardinals will give him all of the space to do so. In the meantime, his DDBB% in the minors says there will at least be an OBP floor if he struggles. Wetherholt will likely move way up this list once/if Donovan is traded and the Cardinals declare JJ the starter.
31. Anthony Volpe
Anthony Volpe been performing maintenance for a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder…has this been the source of his troubles all this time? Volpe’s October surgery means he won’t be able to swing a bat for four months (which is February), and dive on a ball for six months (which is April). He’ll turn 25 later in April and between recovering from a shoulder surgery and uninspiring counting stats and a below-average BB%, his fantasy future is very very cloudy right now. He’s a gamer of a ballplayer, tho, averaging at least 157 games played in his three MLB seasons.
Where are the rest of your Fantasy Baseball 2026 rankings by position?
Stay tuned! I’ll be adding all the positions and updating them throughout the winter. Don’t forget to bookmark this page and stay tuned for updates throughout the offseason until Opening Day!
UPDATE LOG
- November 21, 2025: Top 13 Shortstops posted with commentary.
- January 6, 2026: Top 24 Shortstops posted with commentary.
- January 14, 2026: Top 30 Shortstops posted with commentary.
Cover Image Credit: public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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