Ranking MLB positions: Which spots on the diamond have the most -- and least -- projected production?

A remarkable thing has happened each of the past two seasons in Major League Baseball: Shortstops have outhit third basemen.

In 2024, shortstops produced a .728 OPS compared to .701 for third basemen. In 2025, shortstops produced a .723 OPS compared to .705 for third basemen.

This may not seem like a big deal, but given the long lens of baseball history, this is a significant change in the game, one of the most under-the-radar developments in recent years. Baseball-Reference has positional hitting data going back to 1912, and only twice before 2024 had shortstops hit for a higher OPS, in 1922 (one point better) and 1933 (nine points better). In fact, third basemen usually hit much better; the historical average since 1912 is plus-53 points of OPS for third basemen. As recently as 2015, third basemen were 67 points better than shortstops.

This generation of shortstops, however, not only can field the position but also includes some of the best hitters in the game: Bobby Witt Jr. and Francisco Lindor and Gunnar Henderson and Trea Turner and Geraldo Perdomo and on and on. As Buster Olney recently wrote in his top 10 rankings at the position, "In the NFL, it's really hard to win without a good quarterback, and in MLB, few teams are satisfied with good-fielding, light-hitting shortstops anymore."

This is not the baseball that was once the norm. In 1977, the top slugging shortstops were Garry Templeton, Dave Concepcion and Bucky Dent -- with eight home runs apiece. Templeton was the only regular shortstop with an adjusted OPS above league average. Last year, there were 18, with 11 of them hitting at least 20 home runs.

This is all at odds with the traditional defensive spectrum. Bill James explained the spectrum in his first nationally published "Baseball Abstract" in 1982. The spectrum goes from the least demanding defensive position on the left to the most difficult on the right (excluding catchers, who have their own category): DH-1B-LF-RF-3B-CF-2B-SS.

"The defensive spectrum is not a theory; its existence cannot be reasonably be denied," James wrote. "Shortstops hit less than second basemen who hit less than center fielders who hit less than first basemen. That's a fact."

The more right on the spectrum, the less offense was required to fill the position. Excluding the brilliance of somebody like Mookie Betts, players usually move leftward on the spectrum as they age. Moving a player rightward on the spectrum is often a mistake. But while the defensive spectrum still exists, the differences in offense between positions have slowly contracted through the years.

In 1977, the OPS spread ranged from .811 for right fielders to .629 for shortstops. Here are the average spreads from the highest OPS to the lowest OPS for each decade:

1977-1979: .154
1980-1989: .126
1990-1999: 131
2000-2009: 119
2010-2019: 95
2020-2025: 82

In 2024, the spread was down to just 64 points, from .742 for designated hitters to .678 for catchers. This is why shortstops dominated the WAR leaderboard in 2025. If you're comparing, say, Jeremy Pena to Pete Alonso, you must make a positional adjustment because if Alonso had to play shortstop, he'd cost his team runs on defense. Alonso was the better hitter in 2025, but Pena -- a good defensive shortstop and a good hitter -- had the higher WAR. Of the top 10 position players in Baseball-Reference WAR, three were shortstops. Of the top 25, nine were shortstops. Of the top 100, 19 were shortstops.

It's no surprise then, as I rank the strength of each position across the majors, that shortstop is No. 1 with an exclamation point. The position has never been stronger.

For each position, we're going to give a grade based on how it compares to the historical strength of the position going back to 1977 -- 50 years of baseball. In making the evaluation, I looked at the tOPS+ of each position -- the OPS relative to the overall MLB OPS; where it ranked each among the other positions in OPS; and how many 4-WAR players there were at the position, which is essentially an All-Star-level performance. We'll also pick the best season for each position since 1977.

1. Shortstop

Historical grade: A+

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Bobby Witt Jr., Geraldo Perdomo, Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 75.4

Best year since 1977: 2024 (Witt, Henderson, Lindor, Elly De La Cruz, Zach Neto, Seager, Masyn Winn, Mookie Betts, Jeremy Pena, Dansby Swanson)

Current analysis: In his shortstop rankings, Buster provided a great stat from ESPN's Paul Hembekides, showing how much shortstop offense has improved over the past 50 years. In 1975, shortstops generated 6.0% of all offense across the majors. In 2025, they generated 18.4% of the offense. We've had star power before at the position -- think of the Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter/Nomar Garciaparra/Miguel Tejada group in the late 1990s and early 2000s -- but the depth today is incredible. And, no, teams are not sacrificing defense for offense. Have you seen Witt play shortstop? Or Winn? Or Pena? Or Neto? Or even our former right fielder, Betts? These guys can all pick it, as well -- or better -- than those light-hitting shortstops of the past.

Historical context: We give the slight edge for best season to 2024 over 2025, mainly because Witt was a little better at the plate and Henderson was much better, with both producing historic seasons of over 9.0 WAR.

Here's another way to gauge the offensive improvement of shortstops: From 1977 to 2017, shortstops ranked eighth or ninth among the nine positions in OPS in every season except one. In 2018, for the first time, shortstops hit better than the MLB average OPS. In 2024, they nearly outhit first basemen, trailing by just eight points of OPS (.736 to .728). Generation Shortstop.

2. Catcher

Historical grade: B

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Cal Raleigh, Alejandro Kirk, Will Smith, Patrick Bailey, William Contreras

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 50.7

Best year since 1977: 1977 (Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, Ted Simmons, Jim Sundberg, Johnny Bench, Thurman Munson, Joe Ferguson, Gene Tenace, Butch Wynegar, John Stearns)

Current analysis: Maybe it's time to show a little more respect to catchers. With a lot of help from Raleigh, catchers had their best collective offensive season since 2014, with a tOPS+ of 95, better than the historical average of 92.

After ranking last in OPS in every season but one from 2015 to 2024, catchers climbed ahead of center fielders and second basemen in 2025. The position is relatively youthful as well, with only two of the top 11 catchers older than 28 this past season (and those two were 30). Players such as Drake Baldwin, Hunter Goodman and Shea Langeliers had breakout seasons while Kyle Teel and Francisco Alvarez could be next on that breakout list.

Historical context: Catchers had an above-average OPS in just one year of our study: the first one. That year featured four Hall of Famers in their prime in Fisk, Carter, Simmons and Bench; a near-Hall of Famer in Munson, who was the 1976 AL MVP; one of the greatest defensive catchers ever in Sundberg; and an all-time underrated player in on-base machine Tenace, who had a .415 OBP that year. Depth included longtime stalwarts such as Bob Boone, Steve Yeager and Darrell Porter. The position may once again be on the upswing, but don't expect the 1977 level again.

3. Designated hitter

Historical grade: B

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, Yordan Alvarez, George Springer, Brent Rooker

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 43.3

Best year since 1977: 1991 (Frank Thomas, Paul Molitor, Chili Davis, Harold Baines, Brian Downing, Jack Clark, George Brett)

Current analysis: Remarkably, DHs had slipped below the league-average hitter in 2017 and 2020, ranking seventh in OPS both seasons. Led by Ohtani's dominance and Schwarber's big power numbers, DHs posted the highest OPS the past two seasons. (It helped that Aaron Judge got 253 plate appearances as a DH as well.)

There are still some overall depth issues at the position though as many teams refuse to employ a full-time DH, but the return of a healthy Alvarez will help in 2026 -- although Mike Trout, Seiya Suzuki and Rafael Devers may end up spending more time in the field than at DH.

Historical context: For most of the years of our study, only the AL used the DH -- often to mixed results. Prior to the past two seasons, only in 1983 and 1991 had DHs posted the highest OPS -- and it often ranked fourth, fifth or sixth. The position was usually the home for old hitters on their way down, although 1991 featured a second-year Thomas and Molitor, who moved to a full-time DH role that season. Two more Hall of Fame DHs would follow in Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz, but teams generally still prefer to use the DH slot to rotate in position players to give them a day off from the field.

4. Left field

Historical grade: C+

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Juan Soto, Riley Greene, Cody Bellinger, Jackson Chourio, Kyle Stowers

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 54.0

Best year since 1977: 2002 (Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, Jacque Jones, Brian Giles, Garret Anderson, Melvin Mora, Pat Burrell, Luis Gonzalez)

Current analysis: Left field was flailing a decade ago, falling all the way to seventh in OPS in 2016, but it has improved since then, up to fourth in 2025, even though many teams still use left field as sort of a dumping ground -- only 10 players batted 500 times strictly as left fielders last season.

Soto moving to left creates a clear No. 1 at the position for 2026 while Wyatt Langford, Bellinger, Jarren Duran and Tyler Soderstrom were strong two-way performers in 2025. Langford (24 years old in 2026), Soderstrom (24), James Wood (23) and Chourio (22) -- if he doesn't get more games in center -- provide a bright future for the position as well.

Historical context: As Bill James once pointed out, left fielders were historically of two types: slow, plodding sluggers who couldn't play right field, or speedy players who didn't have the arm to play center field. The slow sluggers have mostly been phased out of the game or at least out of the outfield -- no team would play a Greg Luzinski or Adam Dunn in the field these days -- but those sluggers often helped left fielders to the second-highest OPS (11 different times).

While 2004 -- when Bonds posted an OPS over 1.400 -- is the only time left fielders posted the highest OPS, I'm giving the edge to 2002 for the best year. Bonds hit .370/.582/.799, good for 11.7 WAR. Ramirez won the other batting title, hitting .349/.450/.647. Jones played left field that year and hit .327. Pujols qualified as a left fielder and hit .314 with 34 home runs. Giles had an OPS over 1.000. All told, seven left fielders each had a WAR over 5.0.

5. Right field

Historical grade: C

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Kyle Tucker

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 57.7

Best year since 1977: 1998 (Vladimir Guerrero, Brian Jordan, Sammy Sosa, Bobby Abreu, Paul O'Neill, Larry Walker, Derek Bell, Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez, Shawn Green)

Current analysis: Right field ranked second in WAR among all positions from its top 15 players in 2025, but it takes a major hit in 2026 with Soto moving to left field. The top five remain strong, with Judge leading the way as he aims for a fourth MVP award and third in a row, but the depth quickly falls off after the top group.

Only nine players batted 500 times exclusively as right fielders in 2025, so a lot of teams were platooning or moving players in and out. Right fielders tied first basemen for best OPS in 2019 -- Cody Bellinger won the MVP that year and the position also included MVP runner-up Christian Yelich -- but have ranked third each of the past three seasons.

Historical context: Right field has ranked first or second in OPS in 29 of the past 49 seasons, including ranking first in four of the five seasons from 1977 to 1980 -- an era that included Dave Winfield, Dave Parker, Ken Singleton, Jack Clark, Dwight Evans, Reggie Jackson and Reggie Smith. That's probably the best span of multiple seasons, but how good was right field in 1998? Gonzalez won the AL MVP award after leading the AL with 157 RBIs and bashing 97 extra-base hits -- and yet finished ninth in WAR just among right fielders. Wild times.

6. Third base

Historical grade: C

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Jose Ramirez, Junior Caminero, Alex Bregman, Manny Machado, Maikel Garcia

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 55.6

Best year since 1977: 2016 (Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Kris Bryant, Adrian Beltre, Kyle Seager, Nolan Arenado, Justin Turner, Jose Ramirez, Evan Longoria, Anthony Rendon)

Current analysis: Third base had an amazing run in the mid-2010s and into the early 2020s, so it's not surprising the position is a little weak right now as that group aged out of the league or got older. It's also concerning that six of the top nine third basemen in 2025 were older than 30.

Caminero is a rising star after blasting 45 home runs in his age-21 season, but the minor league pipeline is especially bare. Sal Stewart was the only third baseman in Kiley McDaniel's ranking of the top 100 MLB prospects, and he's likely to play first base for the Reds. Certainly, some of the prospects currently playing shortstop might eventually shift to third base, but the position is banking on 30-somethings Ramirez, Bregman and Machado to remain stars in 2026.

Historical context: Third base has historically ranked fifth or sixth in OPS, often flipping with center fielders, but in good years it can edge higher. It has twice finished second in OPS, in 2016 and 2022, but that list of stars in 2016 is impressive. Bryant won the NL MVP while Donaldson won the AL MVP the year before (and finished fourth in 2016). Beltre is already a Hall of Famer while Machado, Ramirez and Arenado are all likely to get there in the future with Longoria a possibility. Six third basemen finished in the top 10 of MVP voting in 2016 and 10 had at least 4.0 WAR.

7. Center field

Historical grade: C

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Julio Rodriguez, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Daulton Varsho, Byron Buxton, Jackson Merrill

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 53.3

Best year since 1977: 1992 (Kirby Puckett, Kenny Lofton, Devon White, Andy Van Slyke, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Finley, Marquis Grissom, Brett Butler, Ray Lankford, Mike Devereaux)

Current analysis: Center field is at an interesting moment. On one hand, I feel defense at the position is better than ever. Crow-Armstrong is a defensive genius and Ceddanne Rafaela may be even better and J-Rod is wonderful and Varsho catches everything and guys like Jacob Young, Victor Scott II and Myles Straw are in the majors only because of their amazing defense.

But how many stars do we have at the position? Only Rodriguez, Crow-Armstrong, Buxton and Rafaela topped 4.0 WAR in 2025. The position has ranked eighth in OPS in 2021, 2022 and 2025. There is youth here as J-Rod, PCA, Merrill, Rafaela, Andy Pages and Michael Harris II all played 2024 at age 24 or younger, but it would be nice to see a couple big hitters emerge. The defense gives the position a high floor, but I can't go higher than a "C" until we get more offense.

Historical context: Long the sport's glamour position, it was never more glamorous than in 1992. You had Hall of Famers (Griffey, Puckett, Robin Yount). You had defensive wizards (White, Van Slyke). You had speedsters galore -- seven center fielders stole at least 40 bases, with Grissom and Lofton leading their leagues. A young Juan Gonzalez led the AL with 43 home runs, although he didn't crack the top 10 in WAR at the position (and would move to right field the following season. You had Lenny Dykstra and Deion Sanders creating their unique brand of excitement and future stars Bernie Williams and Sammy Sosa on their way up.

8. Second base

Historical grade: C-

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Ketel Marte, Nico Hoerner, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Brice Turang, Brendan Donovan

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 47.2

Best year since 1977: 2016 (Jose Altuve, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, Brian Dozier, Ian Kinsler, DJ LeMahieu, Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Murphy, Jason Kipnis, Ben Zobrist)

Current analysis: Second basemen hit rock bottom in 2025, finishing with the worst OPS of the nine positions for the first time in a full season since 1996. Hoerner and Turang are superb all-around players and Marte is one of the best hitters in the game, but the star status at the position has slipped as former MVPs or MVP contenders such as Altuve and Marcus Semien are in their mid-30s.

The good news is the position appears to be on the upswing, so I'm thinking the position improves in 2026. Luke Keaschall and Jackson Holliday are young players on the rise. JJ Wetherholt, the No. 7 overall prospect, will likely end up at second base for the Cardinals while Kevin McGonigle, the No. 2 overall prospect, might end up at second for the Tigers. All could be impact players this season.

Historical context: Second basemen have generally been below-average hitters, reaching a tOPS+ of 100 just nine times -- and higher than 102 just once, in 2016, when it surged to 108 and second basemen had the fourth-highest OPS. Altuve won the batting title and finished third in AL MVP voting while Murphy hit .347 and led the NL in slugging percentage and OPS and finished second in NL MVP voting. LeMahieu won the other batting title, Cano hit 39 home runs and had 7.3 WAR, Dozier belted 42 home runs (one of just five 40-homer seasons by a second baseman) and Altuve and Segura topped their leagues in hits.

9. First base

Historical grade: D+

Olney's top 5 for 2026: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Olson, Nick Kurtz, Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman

Top 15 combined WAR in 2025: 50.4

Best year since 1977: 2009 (Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Prince Fielder, Derrek Lee, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Kendrys Morales, Ryan Howard)

Current analysis: First base had a slight bounce-back in 2025 after its weakest tOPS+ showing in 50 years in 2024. It still finished behind DH in OPS, with just four first basemen reaching 4.0 WAR. With Freeman (3.5 WAR in 2025) and Bryce Harper (3.1) entering the decline phases of their Hall of Fame careers, the top-10 at the position is a little soft, even with the emergence of potential superstar Kurtz.

The biggest problem, however, is the lack of depth, with 11 teams receiving fewer than 20 home runs from what should be a power-hitting position. The outlook in the minors is bleak as well, with only Ralphy Velazquez (Guardians) and Bryce Eldridge (Giants) cracking the top 100 prospects.

Historical context: First base topped the OPS rankings in 38 of the 49 seasons since 1977, including every year but one from 1992 to 2017. Yes, first basemen ruled in the steroid era. Its historical tOPS+ is 118, but it last reached that in 2017.

The peak of 125 was reached three times: 1987, 1997 and 2009. That 2009 group was especially impressive: Pujols won the NL MVP with 9.7 WAR. Teixeira led the AL with 39 home runs (tied with fellow first baseman Carlos Pena) while Fielder and Howard tied for the NL lead with 141 RBIs. Nine first basemen hit at least 34 home runs and you had on-base machines in Youkilis and a young Votto. Lance Berkman and Todd Helton had OPS totals over .900 and couldn't even crack the top 10 in WAR. There was one current Hall of Famer in Helton, three future Hall of Famers in Pujols, Cabrera and Votto, a player with 50 career WAR in Berkman, former MVP winners in Howard and Justin Morneau, and Paul Konerko with 439 career home runs. Nick Johnson had .426 OBP that year -- and finished 22nd in WAR among first basemen. The position was absolutely stacked.