Who was baseball’s past shortstop over the past five seasons, Corey Seager or Trea Turner?
We might as well flip a coin.
Seager hit more home runs over the 2020-2024 half-decade: 127 vs. Turner’s 108. Seager also posted a better slugging average: .530 vs. 492. And he drew more walks: 225 to 180.
But Turner played more games: 643 vs. Seager’s 540. Turner also had a higher batting average: .300 vs. .287. And he stole many more bases: 120 to 8.
If we opt not to use the aforementioned coin, how do we choose between them? My system uses the five-year overall base values for both players, comparing the bases that they reached (through hits, walks, hit batters, stolen bases, and sacrifices) with the number that an average batter would have attained under the same circumstances.
The result, as you might expect, is virtually a dead heat.
Seager posted an OBV of plus-313 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers over the half-decade. Turner countered with an overall value of plus-312 for the Washington Nationals, Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies.
That’s a difference of one base in five years.
Today’s rankings encompass all big-league players who made at least 1,400 plate appearances during the past five seasons — and who spent at least half of their time at shortstop.
Rounding out the top five behind Seager and Turner are Bobby Witt Jr., Francisco Lindor, and Gunnar Henderson. It should be noted that Witt and Henderson accumulated their impressive values in just three seasons, given that both were rookies in 2022.
Look below to see the half-decade’s top 10 shortstops. Each is listed with basic stats for 2020-2024: games, home runs, runs batted in, batting average, and overall base value.
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1. Corey Seager (G 540, HR 127, RBI 351, BA .287) — OBV +313
2. Trea Turner (G 643, HR 108, RBI 356, BA .300) — OBV +312
3. Bobby Witt Jr. (G 469, HR 82, RBI 285, BA .288) — OBV +254
4. Francisco Lindor (G 658, HR 118, RBI 386, BA .259) — OBV +237
5. Gunnar Henderson (G 343, HR 69, RBI 192, BA .268) — OBV +184
6. Xander Bogaerts (G 616, HR 79, RBI 282, BA .290) — OBV +178
7. Carlos Correa (G 563, HR 85, RBI 300, BA .273) — OBV +133
8. Willy Adames (G 643, HR 120, RBI 386, BA .243) — OBV +127
9. Trevor Story (G 364, HR 56, RBI 193, BA .249) — OBV +92
10. Dansby Swanson (G 678, HR 100, RBI 365, BA .255) — OBV +91
