Pic of the Week

Andrelton Simmons makes a barehanded catch of
a popup after bobbling it Wednesday.

There are few, if any, shortstops who can match Andrelton Simmons in the field. And that's saying something.

Simmons figures to draw some MVP support this year. He is, as Baseball Reference figures WAR, the fourth best player in the American League. A lot of that value is in his glove, of course, but he's also having his best season at the plate.

But this is truly a golden age of shortstops. Twenty years ago we had Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra all breaking in more or less simultaneously. Today we have an even bigger wave of young star shortstops: Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Xander Bograrts, Trea Turner, Addison Russell -- all 24 or younger. More than a third of teams (including the Twins with Jorge Polanco) have a regular at the position younger than 25.

Simmons is 28 now. That makes him something of an old man in this crowd.