Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr. lead new era of shortstops

ARLINGTON, Texas — Plantar fasciitis prevented Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa from participating in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, but he still made the trip and used his time wisely — by getting better acclimated with two young superstars who share his position, Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson.

“Bobby and I are in the same division, so we’re always talking,” Correa said. “Gunnar was one of the guys I was most looking forward to meeting because I just wanted to see what kind of guy he is. He’s down to earth; you can tell he’s a hard worker. He’s going to inspire a lot of kids to play the position.”

Nearly a decade ago, Correa was a precocious two-way force at shortstop, joining the likes of Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Trea Turner for what felt like a golden era at the sport’s most exciting position. Now, while that group remains in the thick of its prime, Major League Baseball seems to be entering into another shortstop renaissance. Henderson and Witt have emerged as the faces of it.

The two competed in the Home Run Derby, played in the Midsummer Classic and will probably spend these next two-plus months challenging New York Yankees All-Stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto for American League MVP.

Both were in high school five years ago.

“I think the game is in great hands,” Correa said, “especially on the shortstop side.”

Henderson, less than three weeks removed from his 23rd birthday, finished baseball’s first half with a .286/.373/.584 slash line, 28 home runs and 6.1 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, trailing only Judge for the major league lead. Witt, who turned 24 in mid-June, is slashing .323/.369/.558 with 16 homers and 22 stolen bases. His 5.7 fWAR ranks third.

The last time two 25-and-under shortstops finished a season ranked within the top five in position-player fWAR was 1998, when Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra did it. The 2024 season could see as many as three — Cincinnati Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz, still only 22 years old, ranks sixth with 4.4 fWAR. Thinking about that trio made Texas Rangers All-Star Marcus Semien, a former shortstop who was the AL’s starting second baseman, harken back to the days of A-Rod, Garciaparra, Derek Jeter and Miguel Tejada.

“It’s special,” Semien said. “That’s the way the game should be.”

Henderson and Witt grew up 700 miles apart but ran into one another, and at times played alongside each other, on the high school showcase circuit in the summers leading up to the 2019 draft.

“It seems like, even since high school, his swing hasn’t really changed much,” Henderson said of Witt, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Kansas City Royals. “I’m sure he’s made some adjustments, but it just seems like he had a really good swing since high school.”

Henderson’s journey was slightly different. He fell to the Baltimore Orioles with the No. 42 pick largely because his swing needed work, prompting industrywide concern about whether he would hit consistently.

“I knew he was capable of doing this,” Witt said of Henderson. “It was just a matter of time before this happened.”

Henderson rose to become MLB’s No. 1 overall prospect and claimed the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously for an Orioles team that won 101 games. He has since matched last year’s home run total in 55 fewer games, displaying significantly more power to the middle of the field and triggering a 142-point OPS increase from 2023 to 2024.

Witt has made a similar jump — on the heels of a 30-homer, 11-triple 2023 season that saw him finish seventh in MVP voting. His batting average is 47 points higher than his .276 mark last season and he has nearly matched his 2023 fWAR total with two-plus months left.

“The maturity level, too, is so high,” Turner, the National League’s starting shortstop on Tuesday night, said. “I don’t know them personally, but just from the outside looking in it seems that way. They’re also the pillars of their franchise, which is a big weight to carry. But I think they expect that from themselves.”

What impresses Correa is that they have layered their hitting prowess atop elite defense and game-changing speed. Witt (with 27 outs above average and 71 stolen bases since the start of 2023) is more pronounced in those areas, but Henderson (six outs above average and 14 stolen bases in 2024) is flashing those elements this year too.

“We’re seeing a different type of talent at shortstop now,” Correa said. “Back in the day it was defense, offense, but they’re taking it to another level. That’s exciting to see. I’m going to be watching from my couch one day and I’m going to be enjoying it. I enjoy it right now, I admire them very much, and I let them know. It’s just fun to watch.”