Bobby Witt Jr. remains the shortstop standard Elly De La Cruz must chase

Writer Stephen Parello argues that Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. remains the gold standard at the position over Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz. Despite De La Cruz delivering a breakout 2026 campaign featuring career highs across the board and a 30-30 season, Parello asserts that Witt maintains an overall edge in raw production, advanced defensive metrics, and total value.

Parello highlights that Witt posted 7.0 fWAR compared to De La Cruz's 6.4 fWAR in 2026, while excelling defensively with 24 outs above average. However, the writer notes that De La Cruz closed the gap significantly with a dominant September performance and could potentially surpass Witt with an MVP-caliber season in 2027.