No manager in the World Baseball Classic will have a better job than Edwin Rodriguez, who gets to pick Team Puerto Rico's shortstop from a group that includes Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Javier Baez.
Nobody has a tougher job either. Because making that choice is going to feel like picking a favorite among your children -- although ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez, who has deep roots in Puerto Rico, thinks Rodriguez's choices will be clear.
"It's about La Bandera Puertorriquena -- the flag," Perez wrote in a text. "Lindor is the best defensive shortstop in the AL. He's a Gold Glove and Platinum Award winner. The Astros have no issues with Correa playing third base. If Correa complains about it, that will not sit well with Puerto Rican teammates and fans, and that is one road he doesn't want to take. The best team is with Lindor at shortstop and Correa at third base."
And Baez at second, despite his background at shortstop -- a position more rich in great young players than at any time since Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Miguel Tejada were early in their respective careers.
In Part V of our series ranking the top 10 position players, here's how the shortstops stack up, based on the input of evaluators throughout baseball.
1. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
Even in the first minutes after the Indians lost the World Series in a wrenching Game 7, Lindor seemed able to apply the internal equilibrium that is his governing dynamic. He has panache and flair that might remind you of another Indians' shortstop, Omar Vizquel. But he also stays in the moment with a distinctive joy for the game that is apparent day after day, as he produces.
Lindor has the speed and on-base ability to bat first in a lineup, and he has the pop to hit third, if necessary. Just 257 games into his big league career, he has a .306 average and an OPS of .810. He virtually matched those numbers in his run through the postseason, hitting .310 with an .820 OPS. He was fourth in defensive runs saved last season, second in the AL behind Andrelton Simmons, and was named the Platinum Glove winner as his league's best defender.
2. Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
The great unknown about all young players is how they will adapt as pitchers search for their weaknesses and challenge them with different sequences. What the rest of baseball learned about Seager in his rookie season is that he seems to be a savant at making adjustments. He constantly faced the best left-handed relievers but was competitive against lefties, batting a respectable .250 with 20 extra-base hits in 196 at-bats, and he immediately demonstrated an ability to drive the ball to all fields, as his 2016 spray chart shows. Only 13 major leaguers had a higher rate of hard-hit balls last season, and you've probably heard of the players who led in that category -– David Ortiz, Freddie Freeman, Mike Trout, Matt Carpenter, Miguel Cabrera. Seager had 71 extra-base hits among 193 hits, with 54 walks and 105 runs scored, good enough to place him third in the NL MVP voting at age 22.
Despite the industry expectation that Seager's size will eventually force his move to third base, Seager played as steadily at shortstop as some Dodgers' evaluators thought he would. Given the Dodgers' four-year, $64 million investment in Justin Turner, Seager figures to be L.A.'s shortstop -– and at the top of this list –- for quite a while.
3. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
There was enormous focus on Correa going into last season, when he was 21 years old, and he had a very productive first full season through some injuries. "I think he learned a lot about himself," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He had to adjust his swing through some injuries. He learned how to hit with the game on the line. I think he found some areas to get better, but knows even more today how productive he can be."
This is how evaluators continue to see him –- as a future MVP who is going to put up big-time power numbers. "A huge upside," one official said.
Over time, Correa probably will hit the ball in the air more often. Last season, his rate of groundballs to flyballs was 1.83, 20th-highest in the majors.
4. Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
His omission from the All-Star team last year was probably the most glaring, because he is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the National League and has developed into a major run producer.
His wRC+ has mostly risen steadily throughout his career:
2011 - 68
2012 - 81
2013 - 93
2014 - 101
2015 - 114
2016 - 107
5. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Because he started in the World Series shortly after his 21st birthday and has been around awhile, it's easy to forget that Bogaerts is still very early in his journey through the major leagues and just 24 years old. Like Jose Altuve, he seemed to apply more patience in his at-bats last season, and he did even more damage. His walks climbed from 32 in 2015 to 58 last year, and his home run total jumped from 7 to 21. He also won his second Silver Slugger Award. Pitchers do not like to throw him fastballs, for sure: Only 15 major leaguers saw a lower percentage of that pitch last season.
The conversation about a long-term contract will probably begin in earnest this summer in Boston. Because Bogaerts has more than three years of service time, he is eligible for free agency after the 2019 season -– and his agent is Scott Boras, who almost always takes his clients into free agency. If the Red Sox don't sign him to a long-term deal, Bogaerts is on track to finish his age-27 season just before hitting the market -– and he will get paid big dollars.
6. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
David Ross tells a great story about Russell's confidence from the shortstop's first spring training with the Cubs. Russell is quiet, and as he and Ross watched the Cubs play an exhibition, a middle infielder failed to get an out on a ground ball.
"Do you make that play?" Ross asked, and before the dugout echo of Ross' last syllable dissipated, Russell volleyed: "Yes."
The Cubs' front office believed him, of course. They traded for him, cleared the path at shortstop by moving Starlin Castro and, last season, Russell had a .321 on-base percentage, 21 homers and 95 RBIs. He has 81 postseason at-bats, got a top-10 MVP vote and was the shortstop for a world championship team -- Addison Russell turns 23 years old later this month, with many great days ahead of him.
He crushed it in hitters' counts last season:
1-0 1.322 OPS
2-0 2.518 OPS
3-1 1.250 OPS
Those numbers suggest that he anticipated fastballs and took advantage when he got them, and his struggles when he fell behind in the count indicated he has more work to do. But he has demonstrated the confidence to make those adjustments.
7. Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
Based on the percentage of evaluators who listed him relatively high in their top 10s, Turner made an incredibly strong impression with his 2016 performance, although most of it came while he served as a temporary center fielder for Washington. Turner will return to his natural position full time in 2017.
Last season, Turner hit .379 when leading off innings, with a .405 on-base percentage. He tied for 10th among all major leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances in wRC+ -- a metric that reflects runs created –- and with a rate that was just behind Kris Bryant and just ahead of Anthony Rizzo. In just 73 games for the Nationals, he had 33 steals, 35 extra-base hits and 53 runs.
From one evaluator: "If he can play an average shortstop on defense, his speed and bat will move him up the list."
8. Jean Segura, Seattle Mariners
As he joins the Mariners, Segura will switch from second base back to shortstop following his outstanding 2016 season. Last year, he led the National League in hits, scored 102 runs, accumulated 68 extra-base hits and stole 33 bases, finishing 10th among all middle infielders in fWAR at 5.0. His plate discipline improved significantly, with his rate of swinging at pitches outside the zone dropping from 38.6 percent to 31.4 percent. The Arizona Diamondbacks faced the reality that if Segura's production surge continued, they wouldn't be able to sign him once he becomes a free agent after the 2018 season -– and if it dipped, then his trade value would dry up.
So the Diamondbacks moved him to the Mariners, who have top 10 players at three infield positions. (Spoiler alert: Kyle Seager is among the top 10 third basemen.)
9. Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays
In his first full season with the Blue Jays, Tulowitzki fared just about the same as he did after joining Toronto in 2015, hitting for power with a relatively light on-base percentage -- .318. But Tulowitzki, 32, continues to be an excellent defender, and with Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista now having moved along to other parts of the world, Tulowitzki will need to play an important role in the Toronto lineup.
10. Andrelton Simmons, Los Angeles Angels
One evaluator summed up the industry’s view on Simmons: "Below-average offense," he wrote, "with way above-average defense." Way above. Since Simmons broke into the big leagues at the outset of 2012, these are the MLB leaders in defensive runs saved:
Simmons - 131
Jason Heyward - 92
Nolan Arenado - 84
Alex Gordon - 78
Manny Machado - 75
The next-best shortstop on that list is Brandon Crawford at 61.
That's way, way above average. And Simmons will chip in some hits -– he batted .281 last season -– and some occasional pop.
Honorable mention
Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees: A left-handed hitter, he has steadily improved on offense, learning to drive the ball and take advantage of Yankee Stadium dimensions, and he's a good defender. "He might be the best all-around Yankee player right now," one evaluator said.
Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals: The Royals won the World Series with Escobar hitting leadoff in 2015, but after a while, his inability to get on base forced his move out of that spot in the K.C. lineup.
Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds: Once again, he'll be one of the bigger names available in trade, the first veteran whom contenders will consider if they lose a shortstop to a long-term injury. A strong defender, Cozart will be eligible for free agency after the upcoming season.
Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves: His impact for the Braves was immediate last season, in his first 38 games. Atlanta went 23-15, and in that time, he hit .302 and seemingly solidified the infield.
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers: He had his best offensive season at age 27, batting .302 (.362 OBP) with 31 doubles, seven triples and eight homers. He has seemingly worked through the malaise that affected him a few years ago.
Adeiny Hechavarria, Miami Marlins: He makes Web Gem-worthy plays all of the time.
Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies: He may well have been the NL's Rookie of the Year if he hadn't debuted the same year as Corey Seager and if he hadn't missed all of August and September. He had 52 extra-base hits in his first 97 games.
Aledmys Diaz, St. Louis Cardinals: A tremendous rookie showing cut short by injury.