Witt Jr.'s WAR Is UNREAL, But Three Other AL Central Shortstops Are Quietly Dominating MLB

Holy smokes, Seattle, you gotta hear about this. While we're here bleeding green and blue, watching our Mariners battle, something absolutely wild is happening over in the American League Central. The Chicago White Sox, of all teams, are somehow MLB's most unlikely surprise through the opening third of the 2026 season. I'm talking homering, winning, and a firm grasp, for now, on the AL's second wild-card spot. They've already stacked up 29 wins heading into Friday's game against the Tigers. Think about that, people: in 2024, they didn't hit their 29th win until August 12! But don't let those 29 wins fool you, the division itself is still a mess. The real story here, the one nobody's talking about, is the absolute BANGER collection of shortstops lighting up the Central.

The AL Central's Secret Weapon

Yeah, I know, I know. The AL Central is still the weakest division in baseball. Smallest payrolls, tiny home crowds, and a measly 6.1% chance to win the World Series collectively, per Baseball-Reference.com. It's a wasteland, right? Except for one, crucial, mind-blowing detail: this division suddenly boasts the finest collection of shortstops in the entire big leagues. And these guys could actually spark a divisional renaissance! Of course, Bobby Witt Jr. from Kansas City leads the charge. He's the best position player in the sport, period. Fangraphs has him sharing the MLB lead with Shohei Ohtani at a ridiculous 3.5 Wins Above Replacement through Thursday's games. He's #1 in WAR for position players, end of story.

But Witt isn't alone. Get this: Detroit's Kevin McGonigle, a 21-year-old ROOKIE who just debuted this year, is already among the sport's top 15 players with his 2.4 WAR! The kid's rocking a .291/.394/.422 slash line while splitting time at short and third. He's got a 10-year vet's eye, one of only eight regulars in MLB with more walks (33) than strikeouts (31)! And Baseball Savant says he's one of the top three value-add baserunners in the game. McGonigle is ranked #9 in Fangraphs' WAR among position players. This is insane!

Montgomery's Pop and Rocchio's Resurgence

Then there's Colson Montgomery for those surprising White Sox. This dude has become the shortstop with the most pop in the league. He and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson lead all MLB shortstops with 13 homers this season, and Montgomery did it in 24 fewer at-bats! While his streaky power is legit, Fangraphs actually rates him twice as good a fielder as a hitter, with a 7.9 fielding rating, best for any MLB shortstop not named Bobby Witt. He's got a 2.1 total WAR and makes every play, sitting at #25 among position players in WAR.

And don't sleep on Cleveland's Brayan Rocchio. For years, prospect gurus loved him, but his previous MLB cameos were... not great (a .600 OPS in 2023, .614 in 2024, .630 in 2025). But this year? He's bumped his OPS nearly 200 percentage points to a .298/.379/.421 slash line! He's mastered the strike zone, chopping his strikeout rate in half and boosting his walk rate from 5.7% to 9.3%. Add in nine stolen bases, and Rocchio is leading the Guardians in WAR, just ahead of future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez! He's #31 in WAR among position players. Four dudes in the top 31, all from the "weakest" division! If the Twins ever call up 23-year-old Kaelen Culpepper, who's tearing up Triple-A with 11 homers, 11 steals, and an .811 OPS, this whole division could be overflowing with elite talent.

It's a wild ride, folks. These shortstops are making the White Sox's quixotic quest for a playoff berth seem almost real. As for our Mariners, they pulled off a gritty win today, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6. Every win counts, especially when you see what's brewing out there!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.