Xander Bogaerts
After being voted in as the starting shortstop last year, Xander Bogaerts currently sits in fourth on the ballot at his position. That’s certainly no knock against Bogaerts, but rather a reflection on how stacked the position has become.
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His home run power has mysteriously disappeared following a 21-homer campaign, although it’s not as if Bogaerts is now only a singles hitter. He’s on pace to set a career-high in doubles and already has the most triples of his career with four. The .823 OPS Bogaerts carries would also be a personal best and he’s back to being in the batting title race, ranking seventh in the league with a .312 average.
Houston’s Carlos Correa is running away with the fan vote and deservedly so. The 22-year old has burst out with an MVP caliber season, posting a 3.9 WAR that ranks second among AL position players.
He won’t start, but Bogaerts has as much right as any other shortstop to earn a reserve spot. He leads the position in batting average and he’s second in OPS. He’s fourth with a 1.9 WAR, following behind Correa and a pair of defensive-minded shortstops having solid seasons at the plate.
Francisco Lindor is a distant second on the fan ballot. His production has fallen off dramatically in each month since a hot start in April, yet he’s nearly a lock to make the team with Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona selecting the reserves. If Tito can find room for a third shortstop, it should be Bogaerts.