Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best players in baseball. MLB Network's "The Shredder" recently ranked its top 10 shortstops for the 2026 season, and Witt ended up at No. 1 overall.

The Shredder is not a perfect system, but it provides rankings based purely on statistics and data without any bias. From No. 2 No. 5, The Shredder ranked Corey Seager, Francisco Lindor, Gunnar Henderson and Mookie Betts in that order. From No. 6 to No. 10, it ranked Geraldo Perdomo, Trea Turner, Jeremy Pena, Elly De La Cruz and Zach Neto in that order.

While many of the placements on the list can be argued, it is difficult to refute Witt being at No. 1 overall. 

The 25-year-old has continued to improve throughout his time in the big leagues. He finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, earned a seventh place finish in MVP voting in 2023 and was the runner-up for the MVP award in 2024. His 2025 was not quite as productive as his 2024 campaign, but Witt still finished fourth in AL MVP voting.

In 2024, Witt earned a batting title with a .332 average. He also recorded a stellar .977 OPS to go along with 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

2025 saw Witt hit .295 with an .852 OPS. He stole more bases with 38, but hit less home runs with 23. It was still a tremendous season, but it will be interesting to see if Witt can  return to his extremely elite 2024 form in 2026. 

Either way, Witt is a superstar. If he continues to play like he did in 2025 for the rest of his career, Witt will find himself in the Hall of Fame someday.

At shortstop, Witt is also a terrific defender. He earned back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2024 and 2025. His range (outs above average) was in the 100th percentile in 2025. Witt is able to get to baseballs that many others would not be able to field. His sprint speed also being in the 100th percentile certainly does not hurt matters.

Witt's arm is not the best in baseball, but it is good enough to find all-around defensive success. It checked in at the 73rd percentile in 2025.

Between Bobby Witt Jr.'s impressive offensive and defensive prowess, it is not surprising to see why he is The Shredder's No. 1 shortstop for the 2026 season.