It was a slow start to Tim Andersons career. Humblest Beginning: CruzCruz was the only top 10 shortstop not to receive a seven-figure bonus when he turned pro -- though he just missed by receiving $950,000 from the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. If you average out his career numbers over 162, hed be hitting .298 with a .871 OPS, 26 homers, driving in 93 runs, peppering 42 doubles, and striking out around 18% of the time. Bryson Stott, a 2019 first-rounder from Nevada-Las Vegas who's now a leading Rookie of the Year candidate, just missed the list. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres. A top prospect in the Yankees' farm system once upon a time who was sent to Oakland in the Sonny Gray trade, Mateo bounced around a bit before finally getting a chance at an everyday job in Baltimore. De La Cruz started playing baseball in Sabana Grande de Boya, a town with a population of 34,283 in the southeast region of the Dominican Republic. The Reds didnt invite De La Cruz to minor league spring training in April 2021. We look at every advanced analytic we can to make our lists, but we include intangibles not typically found in the numbers. Sacramento State won 8-4. The 22-year-old hit .282/.364/.611 with 31 doubles and an NL-leading 42 home runs. He opted out of the final two years of his contract to test the free-agency waters once again, and his age and two-way production make him a prime candidate for a massive long-term deal or another short-term, high AAV contract. Playing in the first season of a six-year, $140 million deal, Bez was unquestionably a disappointment. In the academy, I wasnt making the cuts during tryouts, and thats why I wanted to go back home.. Hes ready.'. 1 prospect and the No. Anderson missed most of June with a groin strain, then his season ended early in August when he underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his hand, so it's tough to slot him any higher in these rankings. The 27-year-old posted a 112 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 31 home runs, 98 RBI and 4.4 WAR in 139 games, and his month-by-month splits were among the most consistent of any player during the 2022 season. [66] Lindor is just the seventh shortstop ever, and the first since Hanley Ramirez (2009), to put together such a streak. I knew that (not getting cut) meant you had the opportunity to play in a higher league.. But when De La Cruz finally got his opportunity at the Reds post-draft camp in July, the Reds quickly found out how good of a prospect they had. They gave me everything. In De La Cruzs first live batting practice at the Reds post-draft camp in the summer of 2021, he stood in the batters box on Field 3 facing a pitcher with a 98 mph fastball. He hasnt played a full season outside of 2021, but his 2021 was very solid. When hes on the field, hes well worth it. [30] In the 2016 MLB postseason, Lindor's seven multi-hit games broke the record for most ever for a player less than 23 years old. He just stands out.. Terry Pluto", "Mets acquire four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor & RHP Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland", "Cleveland & New York Mets complete six-player trade", "Francisco Lindor has a 10-year, $341 million deal with the New York Mets, source tells ESPN", "Francisco Lindor reacts to getting booed by home crowd for first time in his career", "New York Mets star Francisco Lindor settles spat with 3 HRs to down New York Yankees", "Se arm la pelea! He hit .277/.328/.417 for a 117 OPS+ with 29 extra-base hits in 344 plate appearances when healthy, and his 2.6 WAR was still good enough to tie for the sixth-highest total on the Tampa Bay roster. Turner won the overall batting title; in a league with objectively better pitching. Haas hit .323 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs. In order to take the next step, he'll need to drastically improve on his 3.9 percent walk rate and .289 on-base percentage, but even as it stands, the list of Gold Glove-caliber shortstops with 20-homer power is a short one. The Vilorio family told him, Do not leave. Hes the best bat at the position, and one of the best bats in baseball period. They treated me like a son, De La Cruz said. [53], Lindor struggled with the 2020 Cleveland Indians. [65] On June 1, he became the second player in Mets history to record an RBI in a streak of ten consecutive games, joining Mike Piazza (1999). The Indians drafted Lindor in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2011 MLB draft. Xander Bogaerts checks in at number five, and since he entered the league as a 20-year-old in 2015, hes punished pretty much every baseball thats entered his strike zone. The 34-year-old hit .298/.373/.522 while setting career highs in OPS+ (141), home runs (24), RBI (90), runs scored (79), total bases (252) and WAR (6.1), earning his third All-Star selection in the process. And hes the runaway fan favorite in Chicago. Whats not to love about the eighth-best shortstop in baseball? Another player slowed by injury in 2022, Franco missed time with a quad strain and a fractured hamate bone, ultimately suiting up for just 83 games. Now, De La Cruz is one of the brightest young stars in MLB. His defensive metrics (3 DRS, 4.6 UZR/150) helped make him a 4.3 WAR player and an emerging star for a Kansas City Royals team on the rise. Like the second baseman, the shortstop is around the center Then in 2020, De La Cruz began to worry that his baseball career was about to end. Shortstop. In tournaments, De La Cruz said he usually played against kids with rich parents. Those players had more resources, nicer equipment and a better shot to get noticed. Abrams owns a career .343 average in pro ball, though the pandemic and injuries have limited him to 76 games. Can he rebound from a 93 OPS+ and 0.8 WAR in 127 games? The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers standout got off to a slow start, but he eventually rounded into form and slugged a career-high 33 home runs while posting a 119 OPS+ with 24 doubles, 83 RBI, 91 runs scored and 4.0 WAR in 151 games. The The Indians promoted Lindor to the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League on July 21, 2014. The Texas A&M baseball team named junior shortstop Hunter Haas its Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player for the 2023 season. Dave Concepcin was considered tall for his position in the 1970s at 6-foot-2. Barry Larkin was a 6-foot shortstop. [69], At the end of the season, Lindor was announced as the 2022 winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position. A good shortstop must be athletic with quick lateral movement. Loer is the second player LSU has added from the portal for next season, joining South Carolina transfer shortstop Michael Braswell. He showed the offensive potential in 2020, putting up a 111 wRC+. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. He also stole 25 bases in 130 games. Originally a Texas Rangers prospect, Urias spent five seasons in the Mexican League before rejoining affiliated ball in 2019. Hes just not top-3 caliber. Now, De La Cruz, 21, is a unique player with as much potential as anyone in baseball. Tatis saw some time in the outfield late in the year in an effort to rest his shoulder, and with top prospect CJ Abrams expected to arrive at some point in 2022, his long-term future could be in the grass. Torres might have seen his days as a shortstop come to an end when the Yankees decided to shift him to second base in September. ET. Baseball's top prospect took some time to find his footing, but he finished with a 129 OPS+ and 30 extra-base hits in 308 plate appearances, ripping off a 43-game on-base streak along the way. The cream of the current crop comes primarily from three sources. The transition stateside was a bumpy one in 2021. The new Minnesota Twin Carlos Correa checks in at No. Many expected veteran Hanser Alberto to steal the majority of playing time at second base. While the team has enjoyed a fruitful season from Orlando Arcia, he is nowhere near the player Tim Anderson can be when he is healthy. Florida baseball is back on college baseball's biggest stage. He had a full-ride scholarship offer in place with the Florida State Seminoles baseball team, but chose to sign with the Indians for $2.9 million in August. Noelvi Marte (Mariners), Marco Luciano (Giants) and Orelvis Martinez (Blue Jays) all were high-profile signings from the 2018 international class. [56], On January 7, 2021, the Indians traded Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets for Amed Rosario, Andrs Gimnez, Josh Wolf, and Isaiah Greene. The problem here is durability. At spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, De La Cruz sprints from the outfield of Field 3 to home plate. Now, De La Cruz, 21, is a unique player with as much potential as anyone in baseball. I could talk about all the defensive stats he led in, but can we just talk about his throwing arm for a second? You cant show me anything he does poorly on a baseball field. Welcome to our official positional rankings for the 2022 MLB season! Now, they look for the next star, This is an opportunity that Ive earned, De La Cruz said. In 2019, Lindor was again an All-Star and won his second Gold Glove Award at shortstop. Francisco Lindorawards, championships and honors, World Junior Baseball Championship (United States), Cleveland Guardians first-round draft picks, Liga de Bisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, American League (AL) Rookie of the Month Award, Cleveland Indians award winners and league leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico, "Cleveland Indians top prospect Francisco Lindor is ignoring the hype: 'I don't want to be God', "Lindor: 'This will be an out-of-this-world experience', "The Indians' better man: Francisco Lindor appreciates game after childhood journey", "New wave of shortstops could be dominant for years to come", "World Series 2016: Francisco Lindor's favorite players growing up a who's who of star infielders", "Montverde Academy grad Francisco Lindor gets first MLB hit with Cleveland Indians", "Montverde Academy baseball complex named after former player Francisco Lindor", "Cleveland Indians sign top pick SS Francisco Lindor, No. [25] He finished the 2015 season with a .313 batting average, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and 22 doubles in 99 games for the Indians. At 35, Crawford is a new hitter. Baseball 18', "Francisco Lindor named American League Player of the Week for first time in his career", "Francisco Lindor is named co-AL Player of the Week", "Francisco Lindor's historic game saves Indians from an embarrassing loss: The Indians blew an 8-0 lead before Lindor came to a rescue", "Lindor, Gennett power way to top May honors", "Indians whack 11 doubles, wallop A's 153", "Francisco Lindor drives in 7 runs, Corey Kluber returns in style as Cleveland Indians beat Royals, 93", "A career night from Francisco Lindor dooms Royals, Junis in loss to Indians", "Lindor rompe marca de carreras en Grandes Ligas", "Oh baby! Crawford belongs to a more exclusive club now. If you recall, Abrams was acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade last August. Lindor was named to the All-IBAF Juniors Team in his position at short-stop. 2021 Stats: 130 G, .282/.364/.611, .975 OPS, 156 wRC+, 42 HR, 97 RBI, 25 SB, 11.4% BB, 28% K, 6.1 fWAR, -6 DRS, 2 OAA. However, his 11.9 Defensive Value Metric led all shortstops, and he tallied 9 DRS and a 7.6 UZR/150 at the position. Peter is the Co-Founder and Director of Content Strategy of Justbaseball.com and the Co-Host of the Just Baseball Show. [20] Lindor began the 2015 season with Columbus. Weve got to get him out of here. Sports reporter, Kansas City Star, 2002-09 Writer, Baseball, Baseball Prospectus Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus Member, Baseball Writers Association of America Nicky hit .300, stole 22 bags, and led all of baseball in Outs Above Average last year. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position. We put a lot of focus on the bat and how we think theyll perform in 2022. B allparks are filled with fans. However, an injury to Adalberto Mondesi opened the door for Lopez to step into the starting shortstop job, and he thrived on both sides of the ball. Interestingly, none of our top 10 shortstop prospects is a college product. Then he pretends the baseball he's holding is a basketball and euro-steps around a few cones like hes about to slam dunk the ball. De La Cruz was still a long way from becoming a pro, and he was thinking about quitting. We will use some advanced baseball jargon in this article. With every home run swing, the pendant with his mother's photo twirled around his neck as he powered 400-foot line drives over the fence in center field. De La Cruz will likely play mostly shortstop and third base for the Reds. Written by Mark Bailey Last updated on October 4th, 2022 KEY POINTS The shortstop is the main position in the infield, located between 3rd and 2nd base. The White Sox scooped him up two days later as a replacement for the injured Tim Anderson, and he hit .271 with a 116 OPS+ in 43 games with the South Siders. While he made only 11 more miscues in his final 114 games, detractors were quick to point to his error total when arguing that he did not belong among the game's elite. Hes a top-seven shortstop due to his elite defense, base running, leadership qualities, and an above-average bat. 1. [60] Lindor went 3-for-4 with two home runs off of Nationals starter Joe Ross, accounting for all five RBIs in the Mets' 5-1 victory on June 19. His 162-game average would have been 48 home runs and 31 stolen bases. The brother of my coach offered me a chance to live with him because he would provide food for me and train me, De La Cruz said. [37], In Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS versus the New York Yankees, Lindor became the third shortstop in major league history to hit a grand slam in the postseason. But its not just that. Two qualified shortstops in Major League Baseball had an OPS over .900 last year; Fernando Tatis Jr., and Trea Turner. WebFrancisco Miguel Lindor Serrano (born November 14, 1993), nicknamed "Mr. Then they signed me.. 2021 Stats: 159 G, .298/.343/.484/. LSU baseball has added another player from the transfer portal for next The only players ever to accomplish that double are Barry Larkin, Alex Rodriguez (not in the same season) and Jimmy Rollins. Francisco Lindor normally checks in near the top of the list, but a down 2021 drops him to a respectable seventh on our list. 2021 Stats: 144 G, .295/.370/.493, .863 OPS, 130 wRC+, 23 HR, 90 RBI, 5 SB, 10.3% BB, 18.7% K, 5.2 fWAR, -5 DRS, -9 OAA. Advanced analytic we can to make our lists, but we include intangibles not found... Still a long way from becoming a pro, and he tallied 9 DRS and a better to! Whats not to love about the eighth-best shortstop in baseball period, Lindor struggled with 2020. 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