If we want to evaluate two MLB players, all we need to do is look at their WAR (Wins Above Replacement) mark.
Of course, it’s not a perfect model, but it’s the best way to determine how much a player contributes to his team’s success in all facets of the game: batting, running, and fielding, in the case of position players.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan tweeted the top five shortstops in WAR, considering both versions: Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.
“The best shortstops in MLB this season by average WAR (B-Ref and FanGraphs, minimum 75% of games played at the position): 1. Jeremy Peña: 2.8; 2. Dansby Swanson: 2.5; 3. Xander Bogaerts: 2.4; 4. J.P. Crawford: 2.4; 5. Tim Anderson: 2.0. Peña is a rookie, Swanson a free agent to be,” he tweeted.
The best shortstops in MLB this season by average WAR (B-Ref and FanGraphs, minimum 75% of games played at the position):
1. Jeremy Peña: 2.8
2. Dansby Swanson: 2.5
3. Xander Bogaerts: 2.4
4. J.P. Crawford: 2.4
5. Tim Anderson: 2.0Peña is a rookie, Swanson a free agent to be.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 13, 2022
If you thought that in the middle of June, Jeremy Peña would be the highest-ranked shortstop in terms of WAR, you deserve some kind of prize.
A Surprising Performer At The Top Of The Shortstop WAR Rankings
Not only has Peña been an asset offensively, with a .277/.330/.468 line, but he has also been good with the glove.
With the bat, he has contributed nine home runs, 26 runs, 27 RBI, and six stolen bases.
Of the five top-ranked shortstops in the season, only Bogaerts is a household name that one could have expected to be among the leaders in 2022, and perhaps also Anderson.
But Pena, Swanson, and Crawford qualify as surprises.
Swanson is playing for his next contract: the slick-fielding Atlanta Braves shortstop is slashing a cool .290/.355/.448 with seven round-trippers and nine stolen bases.
Crawford has leveraged some All-Star play at shortstop to his surprising WAR output.
All in all, the shortstop position has a few shocking stars in the first two-and-a-half months of the season.
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