Shortstop, abbreviatedSS, is thebaseball or softball fielding position betweensecond andthird base, which is considered to be among themost demanding defensive positions. Historically, the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of thebatting order. Today, shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. In thenumbering system used byscorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.

More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any other position, as there are moreright-handed hitters in baseball thanleft-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency topull the ball slightly. Like asecond baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example when performing a4-6-3 double play. Also, like athird baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the left side of theinfield, where a strong arm is needed tothrow out abatter-runner before they reach the safety of first base.

Doc Adams of theKnickerbockers created the concept of the shortstop position, according to baseball historianJohn Thorn andBaseball Hall of Fame researcher Freddy Berowski.^[1][2] In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players. The only infielders were the players covering each of the bases; if there were more than eight players, extraoutfielders were sometimes used. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield because of the balls' light weight. Adams's shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders and throw to the three infielders.^[1][3] The position, more of a fourth outfielder than an infielder, was also then called "short fielder" (a term still used in soft-pitch softball for the 10th player).^[4]

With the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased.^[1] However,Dickey Pearce, primarily of theBrooklyn Atlantics, is credited as the first to have played the shortstop position as it is played now.^[5] Adams had a long playing career with the Knickerbockers: he remained a player with the team until 1860.^[6]

Unlike thepitcher andcatcher, who must start every play in a designated area (the pitcher must be on thepitcher's mound, with one foot in contact with thepitcher's rubber, and the catcher must be behindhome plate in thecatcher's box) the shortstop and the other fielders can vary their positioning in response to what they anticipate will be the actions of the batter and runner(s) once the play begins.^[7]

The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side. Because right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball more toward third base, a shortstop will generally move closer to third base if the batter is batting right-handed, and more toward first base if the batter is batting left-handed. A shortstop typically has a strong throwing arm, because he has a relatively long throw to first base, and often has less time in which to make a throw, given that theground balls he fields have often traveled relatively far. A shortstop must also be extremely agile, because balls hit to or near the shortstop position are usually hit harder than to other infield positions.

Shortstops are required tocover second base indouble play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman or first baseman. They also cover second when a runner is attempting astolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting because the infield will respond to a left-handed batter by shifting toward first base, resulting in the shortstop being the infielder who is closest to second base. Shortstops also must cover third at various times, including the rotation play; the latter occurs when there are runners on first and second and asacrifice bunt is attempted toward third base, requiring the third baseman to move in away from third base in order to field it. Shortstops generally are given precedence on catching pop-ups in theinfield as well, so they end up calling off other players many times, although on deep pop-ups they generally fall back when called off by anoutfielder. They often become the cutoff man on balls to any part of the outfield that are being directed towards third base and all balls to left and center field that are destined for second base. Depending on the system the shortstop may cut balls from left field heading home; however, this is usually the job of the third baseman.

The emphasis on defense makes the position unusually difficult to fill. Historically, a strong shortstop did not have to be a good hitter. Some of the weakest hitters in Major League Baseball have played the position, includingMario Mendoza, for whomGeorge Brett popularized the eponymousMendoza Line to describe a batting average below .200. Since the 1960s, however, such mediocre hitting has become rarer as teams increasingly demand players with ability to both field and hit.^[8]

In practice, a marginal fielder as a shortstop who hits well can be moved to almost any other position, especially second base or third base, whether early in their careers (examples: George Brett andMike Schmidt were both tried early in their careers as shortstops)^[9][10] or later due to diminishedfielding range, slower reflexes, weaker throwing arms, increased risk of injury, or co-existence with another dominant shortstop, as withErnie Banks,Cal Ripken Jr.,Alex Rodríguez,Michael Young, orMiguel Tejada.

The year in which the player was inducted is given in brackets after his name.

1. John Henry Lloyd andWillie Wells were elected for their play in theNegro leagues.
2. George Wright was elected as a pioneer, but also starred as a shortstop in the 1860s and 1870s.
3. Robin Yount started his career as a shortstop, and moved to theoutfield where he played his last nine seasons. (Besides winning the MVP award as a shortstop in1982, Yount also won the award as acenterfielder in1989.)
4. Ernie Banks played shortstop for the first half of his career and first base for the remainder.

1. Ozzie Smith: 621 (San Diego Padres, 1980)
2. Glenn Wright: 601 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1924)
3. Dave Bancroft: 598 (Philadelphia Phillies/New York Giants, 1920)
4. Tommy Thevenow: 597 (St. Louis Cardinals, 1926)
5. Iván DeJesús: 595 (Chicago Cubs, 1977)
6. Cal Ripken Jr.: 583 (Baltimore Orioles, 1984)
7. Whitey Wietelmann: 581 (Boston Braves, 1943)
8. Dave Bancroft: 579 (New York Giants, 1922)
9. Rabbit Maranville: 574 (Boston Braves, 1914)
10. Don Kessinger: 573 (Chicago Cubs, 1968)

Source:^[11] (does not list teams)

1. Donie Bush: 425 (Detroit Tigers, 1914)
2. Hughie Jennings: 425 (Baltimore Orioles [National League], 1895)
3. Joe Cassidy: 408 (Washington Senators, 1905)
4. Rabbit Maranville: 407 (Boston Braves, 1914)
5. Dave Bancroft: 405 (New York Giants, 1922)
6. Eddie Miller: 405 (Boston Braves, 1940)
7. Monte Cross: 404 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1898)
8. Dave Bancroft: 396 (New York Giants, 1921)
9. Mickey Doolan: 395 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1906)
10. Buck Weaver: 392 (Chicago White Sox, 1913)

1. Mike Bordick: .9982 (Baltimore Orioles, 2002)
2. Cal Ripken Jr.: .9956 (Baltimore Orioles, 1990)
3. Omar Vizquel: .9954 (Cleveland Indians, 2000)
4. Rey Sánchez: .9941 (Kansas City Royals, 2000)
5. Rey Ordóñez: .9938 (New York Mets, 1999)
6. Omar Vizquel: .9933 (San Francisco Giants, 2006)
7. Omar Vizquel: .9931 (Cleveland Indians, 1998)
8. J. J. Hardy: .9923 (Baltimore Orioles, 2012)
9. Tony Fernández .9919 (Toronto Blue Jays, 1989)
10. Rey Sánchez: .9915 (Kansas City Royals, 2001)

• Cal Ripken Jr.: 12
• Phil Rizzuto: 8
• Lou Boudreau: 6
• Ozzie Smith: 5
• Luke Appling: 4
• Luis Aparicio: 3
• Ernie Banks: 3
• Travis Jackson: 3
• Pee Wee Reese: 2
• Arky Vaughan: 2
• Dave Bancroft: 1
• Joe Cronin: 1
• Derek Jeter: 1
• Rabbit Maranville: 1
• Joe Sewell: 1
• Alan Trammell: 1
• Robin Yount: 1

Source: baseballreference.com

• Gold Glove award winners:List of Gold Glove Award winners at shortstop
• List of Gold Glove middle infield duos