MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.

Shortstops always attract the spotlight. Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr. finished second in league MVP voting last year, with Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Merrill (as a rookie) also placing in the top 10. All of them factored prominently in past editions of MLB Pipeline's preseason Top 10 Shortstops rankings with the exception of Henderson -- who was our top-rated third baseman in 2023.

This year's Top 10 Shortstops group also should be packed with future stars. The position claimed 25 of the spots on our upcoming Top 100 Prospects list -- the most ever -- with the first 10 shortstops ranking in the upper third. The three best -- Carson Williams (Rays), Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks) and Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox) -- return from our 2024 rankings and should graduate to the Majors this season.

Williams, Lawlar and Mayer all were high school first-rounders in the 2021 Draft, as was Colson Montgomery (White Sox), who just missed the top 10. The 2023 prep class also features plenty of upside with first-rounders Colt Emerson (Mariners) and Aidan Miller (Phillies) and supplemental first-rounder Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) in the top 10, and Cooper Pratt (sixth round, Brewers) and Arjun Nimmala (first round, Blue Jays) climbing toward it.

The Top 10 (ETA)
1. Carson Williams, Rays (2025)
2. Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks (2025)
3. Marcelo Mayer, Red Sox (2025)
4. Sebastian Walcott, Rangers (2026)
5. Leodalis De Vries, Padres (2027)
6. Colt Emerson, Mariners (2026)
7. JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (2026)
8. Aidan Miller, Phillies (2026)
9. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers (2027)
10. Jacob Wilson, Athletics (2025)
Complete list ?

Top tools

Hit: Wilson (70)
The son of former All-Star Jack Wilson, Jacob led NCAA Division I in contact rate his final two seasons at Grand Canyon in 2022-23, striking out just 12 times in a combined 492 plate appearances (2 percent) and setting a school record with a .411 average in the latter year. His elite feel for the barrel immediately translated to pro ball. Wilson hit .401 with an 8 percent strikeout rate in 79 Minor League games to earn a quick promotion to the Majors, where he batted .250 with a 10 percent K rate last summer.

Power: Walcott (65)
Scouts were saying Walcott could become the best player ever from the Bahamas even before he signed for $3.2 million in 2023. He has exceptional bat speed and produces elite exit velocities for an 18-year-old, and some evaluators slap top-of-the-scale grades on his raw power. A South Atlantic League all-star in 2024, he topped the High-A circuit in triples (nine), extra-base hits (50) and total bases (192) while batting .261/.342/.443 as its youngest regular, then dominated during a five-game cameo at Double-A.

Run: Lawlar (70)
During his brief time in the big leagues in 2023, Lawlar produced a 30.0 feet/second sprint speed, which is Witt/De La Cruz territory. He has stolen 83 bases in 97 attempts (86 percent) in 244 games, and his quickness also is evident at shortstop.

Arm: Walcott, Williams (70)
Both Walcott and Williams feature plus-plus arm strength, with the separator being that Williams (who's three years older) makes more accurate throws. Some scouts preferred Williams on the mound when they saw him run his fastball up to 95 mph as a California high schooler.

Field: Williams (70)
Williams won a Minor League Gold Glove in 2022 and possesses all the tools to earn similar honors in the big leagues. He has smooth actions, range to both sides, quick hands and an exceptionally strong arm. He can provide web gems and also is reliable on routine plays, committing just nine errors in 113 games last season.

Superlatives

Highest ceiling: Williams
There are so many lofty ceilings on this list, but it's hard to pick against Williams, who could provide 30+ homers per season while winning Gold Gloves. He excelled as the second-youngest regular (age 21) in the Southern League last year, leading the Double-A circuit in runs (83), RBIs (69) and triples (six) while ranking second in slugging (.469), extra-base hits (46) and total bases (203), third in homers (20) and OPS (.821) and fourth in wRC+ (142).

Highest floor: Wetherholt
Wetherholt might have been the No. 1 overall pick last year if a severe hamstring injury hadn't hampered his final season at West Virginia. He topped NCAA Division I in batting (.449) as a sophomore and offers the best combination of hitting ability, power and strike-zone management of anyone on this list.

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Rookie of the Year candidate: Wilson
Wilson made his big league debut a year after going sixth overall in the 2023 Draft, immediately lost the next five weeks to a hamstring injury, then returned to start 27 of the Athletics' final 33 games at shortstop. Williams, Lawlar and Mayer all should be big league regulars by season's end, but Wilson may get an extra half-season of at-bats in the Majors.

Highest riser: McGonigle
Every one of our Top 10 Shortstops was highly regarded a year ago. Relatively speaking, McGonigle had the least fanfare, ranking seventh on our Tigers Top 30 after Detroit made him the 37th overall pick in the 2023 Draft. He raised his profile by slashing .309/.401/.452 with 25 extra-base hits, 22 steals and more walks than strikeouts (46 vs. 28) in 74 games between two Class A stops at age 19 before breaking his right hamate in August.

Humblest beginning: Williams
These guys signed for a combined $45,270,800 in bonuses and none of them exactly had a humble entry into pro ball. Williams was the lowest-ranked Draft prospect of the eight draftees (No. 41 on our 2021 Draft Top 250) and received the smallest bonus (a below-slot $2.35 million at No. 28 overall) of the 10 shortstops.

Most to prove: Lawlar, Mayer
Lawlar and Mayer have showed impressive skills but not much in the way of durability as pros. Lawlar played just 23 games in 2024 because of thumb and hamstring ailments and has totaled just 244 contests in four seasons, only one of which hasn't been shortened by injury. Mayer has played in just 272 games, losing time to wrist (2022), shoulder (2023) and back (2024) maladies.

Keep an eye on: Konnor Griffin
Signed for $6,532,025 as the ninth overall pick last July, Griffin had the highest ceiling of any player in the 2024 Draft. Gatorade's national baseball player of the year, he's a potential 30/30 player who can offer plus defense at shortstop or win Gold Gloves in center field. He'll make his pro debut in April.