Major stars align at short
Young wave of shortstops set to begin golden era
SAN DIEGO They’re the leaders of the new school, seizing control of the game of baseball and challenging our imagination.
A new era of dominant shortstops converged Tuesday at Petco Park at the 87th All-Star Game, an event in which they’re expected to be fixtures for the next decade or two.
They hail from Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Florida and North Carolina.
They range in height from 5-11 to 6-4.
And not a single one of them is older than 25.
These five shortstops, all playing in their first All- Star Game, looked at one another in awe during the pregame introductions. It was as if they were still in disbelief that this position has become so ridiculously talented, two of the game’s best young shortstops — Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros and Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants — weren’t even invited.
The position is overflowing with greatness, resurrecting the glory days of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra.
Except these guys might be better.
“I came up in a generation with Jeter and Nomar,” said Ian Desmond, the former shortstop who made the All-Star Game as a Texas Rangers outfielder. “This is like the next phase of that. Shortstop is pretty strong right now, there’s no doubt about that.
“I think people are starting to realize it’s not about size. This is no knock at (Francisco) Lindor, but he’s not a 6-4 shortstop. I think that mold has kind of shifted.”
Lindor, the 22-year-old from Puerto Rico, is the smallest of the freshman class at 5-11, joining fellow All-Star pledges Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox, Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Addison Russell of the Chicago Cubs and Aledmys Diaz of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“They’ve come in and have taken the game over,” said Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who has played 45 games at shortstop this season in place of injured J.J. Hardy and hopes one day to return full time to the position. “It’s unbelievable what they’re doing. Baseball is back being fun again, with everyone enjoying themselves and bringing back the flavor.
“And I’m telling you, they’re here to stay.”
These young All- Star shortstops, with the exception of Russell, are hitting in the middle of their respective lineups. And with the exception of Diaz, who leads the National League with 15 errors, they’re legitimate Gold Glove candidates.
And we’re not even talking about Crawford or Correa or Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who has 21 homers and 57 RBI.
“I look around, and I can’t believe I’m here,” said Diaz, who defected from Cuba in 2012. “It means so much to me, because there are so many great shortstops, so much young talent, and I’m one of them.”
Really, of all the players on hand Tuesday, no one was more unlikely to get an All- Star invitation than Diaz.
This is a kid who opened the season in the minors and was called up only when two Cardinals shortstops, Jhonny Peralta and Ruben Tejada, got hurt and outfielder Tommy Pham went on the disabled list.
Anyone in baseball could have had him last season. He was designated for assignment last summer by the Cardinals and sat for three days in a Tulsa hotel room waiting to be claimed off waivers. One year later, he’s an All-Star. “It’s unbelievable,” Diaz said. “I didn’t know what my future was. I kept waiting for somebody to claim me on waivers. When no one claimed me, I changed my approach. I knew I had to work harder.”
Diaz went to work and has hit .315 with 13 homers and 48 RBI, forcing the position moves of veterans Matt Carpenter to second base and Peralta to third.
“That’s an unbelievable story,” Seager said. “I never knew that.”
Seager, the younger brother of Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, had the opposite path to stardom. He was the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2012, entered the year as baseball’s top prospect and opened the season as the leading contender to win the NL rookie of the year award.
The only real surprise is just how good Seager is at 22, becoming the youngest position player to make the All-Star team in Dodgers history. He became only the fifth player in the last 60 years to hit .300 with at least 20 homers and 60 RBI in his first 100 career games. He’s on pace to become the first Dodgers rookie since Jackie Robinson to lead the club in hits, runs and homers.
“To me, the best defensive shortstop in the league is Brandon Crawford,” Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said, “but Seager might be the best young shortstop I’ve ever seen. He’s a stud. You stand next to him, this kid is an athletic specimen.”
Yet, you ask Seager who’s the best in the game, and he’ll take Lindor, Cleveland’s finest shortstop since future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel, only with a better bat.
“He’s my favorite to watch,” Seager said. “He’s so good on both sides. I like the way he plays, like the way he carries himself. He’s my favorite to watch, for sure.”
You won’t get an argument from Machado, who’s in awe of Bogaerts’ ability, but he will take Lindor, too.
“I love my man Lindor,” Machado said. “I just love watching him play. He brings that Gold Glove-caliber defense, he can hit and he brings flavor to the game, too. What’s not to love?”
Lindor says he and his shortstop peers are honored by the accolades, but please, he says, it’s far too early for any comparisons. Come on, Jeter is going to the Hall of Fame. Rodriguez has hit 695 home runs. And Garciaparra was a six-time All-Star and twotime batting champion.
“We don’t try to say that we are the next great generation of shortstops like those guys,” Lindor said. “We’re just enjoying the ride, and whatever happens, happens. But I will say we’re having a lot of fun.”
At 23, Bogaerts still munches on Animal Crackers and is inseparable from his PlayStation. At work, he’s hitting .329 with 32 extra-base hits and 56 RBI.
“He’s going to be so great, because he’s so hungry to be great,” Red Sox All-Star David Ortiz said.
The Cubs will tell you the same about Russell. He plays brilliant defense, and although he bats at the bottom of order, he still has 11 home runs and 51 RBI.
“He’s still only 22 years old, and you look at him and it’s like he’s 30 years old and has been in the league a long time,” Cubs AllStar third baseman Kris Bryant said. “Anytime the ball’s hit to him, he’s going to make the play, and his bat has come a long way.”
Just part of the power-hitting, slick fielding, 25-and-under shortstop club.
“Such a young group of guys at one of the premier positions on the field,” Bryant said. “All offensive shortstops. It’s cool to see a little different type of player.”
And all together Tuesday, enjoying the infancy of the shortstop renaissance, in the epicenter of the baseball universe.
“Get used to it,” Machado said, “because they’re going to be around a long, long time.”