Spring training starts up in less than two weeks, so it's a good time to look at some power rankings at all the different positions across Major League Baseball. MLB Network is in the midst of unveiling their annual Top 10 lists, and "The Shredder" just rolled out the top shortstops heading into the 2026 season.
Although it's an honor for any Philadelphia Phillies player to be named in the top 10 in MLB, shortstop Trea Turner coming in at No. 7 seems disingenuous. Turner was an MVP candidate in 2025, and it already seems to be forgotten just months later in this year's ranking. He's a top shortstop in the game. He may not be the best shortstop in all of baseball, but seventh-best feels far too low.
What's to make of The Shredder's short-sighted ranking of Phillies shortstop Trea Turner?
The Shredder is an annual ranking that MLB Network puts out around this time every year. It's a list compiled by the research team at MLB Network that considers past performance and also both offensive and defensive metrics. They also consider advanced statistics along with raw data from each player.
That rough formula then spits out a list that ranks Turner as the seventh-best shortstop in MLB.
Trea Turner is the No. 7 shortstop on @MLBNow's #Top10RightNow. pic.twitter.com/qAphUtTM25
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 30, 2026
Turner made it a point to change his hitting approach last season with the help of Phillies manager Rob Thomson, focusing on getting on base and not worrying about home runs. He made the necessary adjustments and was able to put together a campaign in which he hit .304 with an .812 OPS and a 121 OPS+.
Turner also had his career-low 16.7 strikeout percentage (in a non-shortened season). He was snubbed from the All-Star Game but still finished fifth in NL MVP voting. He won the NL batting title while stealing 36 bases, the fourth-most in the NL.
Turner also had a renaissance season on the defensive side in 2025. According to Statcast, after struggling in 2024 with -3 outs above average (OAA), he finished third-best among all MLB shortstops with 17 OAA and 13 runs prevented. Turner was shockingly not a finalist for the NL Gold Glove but clearly rose to another level at the position.
Here's the full Top 10 list, so you can decide for yourself:
- Bobby Witt Jr., KC
- Corey Seager, TEX
- Francisco Lindor, NYM
- Gunnar Henderson, BAL
- Mookie Betts, LAD
- Geraldo Perdomo, ARI
- Trea Turner, PHI
- Jeremy Peña, HOU
- Elly De La Cruz, CIN
- Zach Neto, LAA
Bobby Witt Jr. deserves to have his place among the top of this list, but having five other names in front of Turner doesn't seem fair or accurate, who had a career year on both sides of the ball. Phillies fans know what they saw, and his ranking deserves to be recognized the way it played out, and that's as one of the best players in all of MLB, not just shortstops.