MLB The Show 21 ratings: Predicting the best shortstops

4. Trea Turner

As I mentioned, the shortstop position is incredibly deep and ranking them is no easy feat for Sony San Diego. I’m going with Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner next. The 27-year-old has shown improvement in each season since his debut in 2015 and last year’s shortened season was his best yet.

In 59 games, Turner hit .335 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. He’s not the most powerful of the bunch, but he’s a solid player. Since the start of 2019, Turner ranks sixth among MLB shortstops in FanGraphs win above replacement.

Turner’s biggest problem is he’s not a flashy name. He’s never been voted as an All-Star or won any major award. You could make the case that other shortstops — that’s how talented and deep this position is — but Turner is emerging as one of the league’s breakout stars and he’s just now entering his prime.

His steady improvement makes him a worthy candidate for one of the game’s highest ratings among shortstops. He began MLB The Show 20 with an 87 overall rating. I can’t see him jumping to the top among the position, but a solid upper 80s, low 90s overalls seems reasonable.

Rating prediction: 89 overall

Honestly, the shortstop position is so deep and talented that a lot of the players at the top are interchangeable with where they could be ranked. You could easily make the case that Trea Turner or Xander Bogaerts is the second-best shortstop in the league. I think the thing that will separate their ratings in MLB The Show 21 is the defensive metrics.

MLB The Show 21 takes the field on April 20, 2021. It will be available for PlayStation and, for the first time ever, Xbox consoles.