Welcome to Bleacher Report's series of the 25 greatest players at each position in modern MLB history. Up first, the shortstop position.

The first step in this exercise was to decide what "modern" means for the sake of this discussion, and we ultimately settled on everything from the 1969 season forward.

That was the first year of the "Divisional Era" when each league expanded from 10 to 12 teams and those teams were split into two divisions. That also meant an expanded postseason format, with the ALCS and NLCS played for the first time that year after the playoffs had previously just been the World Series.

That gives us 54 years worth of players to consider for a spot in our rankings, but we didn't simply ignore what happened prior to 1969. A pair of top 10 lists were also created for the Dead Ball Era (Pre-1920) and the Pre-Divisional Era (1920-68).

Players were ranked throughout based on a combination of their overall body of work and their peak performance, with postseason success also taken into account.

Let the debate begin!

Top 10 Dead-Ball Era (Pre-1920)

Top 10 Dead-Ball Era

1. Honus Wagner
2. John Henry "Pop" Lloyd
3. George Davis
4. Bill Dahlen
5. Bobby Wallace
6. Jack Glasscock
7. Joe Tinker
8. Rabbit Maranville
9. Hughie Jennings
10. Dave Bancroft

Honus Wagner is the consensus choice for greatest shortstop in MLB history with 3,420 hits, 130.8 WAR and a career .328/.391/.467 batting line that included eight NL batting titles during his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"Pop" Lloyd is widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Negro Leagues history, and he was a contemporary of Wagner with a playing career that started at the turn of the century and ended with Hall of Fame enshrinement in 1977.

George Davis, Bobby Wallace, Joe Tinker, Rabbit Maranville, Hughie Jennings and Dave Bancroft are also enshrined in Cooperstown, while Bill Dahlen (75.2 WAR, eighth) and Jack Glasscock (62.0, 16th) both rank in the top 20 all-time for WAR among players who played primarily shortstop.

Top 10 Pre-Divisional Era (1920-68)

Top 10 Pre-Expansion Era

1. Ernie Banks
2. Arky Vaughan
3. Luke Appling
4. Joe Cronin
5. Lou Boudreau
6. Willie Wells
7. Pee Wee Reese
8. Luis Aparicio
9. Joe Sewell
10. Vern Stephens

Ernie Banks actually played more games at first base, but he compiled 55.0 of his 67.7 career WAR and won both of his NL MVP awards while he was still manning shortstop over the first nine seasons of his 19-year career.

With a .318 career average, nine All-Star selections and 78.0 WAR, Arky Vaughan is one of the most underrated shortstops in history. He was not elected to the Hall of Fame until 1985 when he was inducted by the Veteran's Committee.

Luke Appling, Joe Cronin, Lou Boudreau, Pee Wee Reese, Luis Aparicio and Joe Sewell all had Hall of Fame MLB careers, while Willie Wells was one of the Negro Leagues' biggest stars during the 1920s on his way to Hall of Fame induction as well.

Eight-time All-Star Vern Stephens earns the final spot ahead of Dick Bartell, Jim Fregosi, Travis Jackson, Rico Petrocelli, Phil Rizzuto, Maury Wills and others.

Nos. 25-21

25. Jay Bell

The consistent speed and defense of Rafael Furcal and the still-in-progress resumes of Trea Turner and Corey Seager also received serious consideration for the final spot, but Bell gets the nod as one of the best at the position during the 1990s. He shifted to second base later in his career, but racked up 32.4 WAR in 13 seasons before making the move. In 1993, he hit .310/.392/.437 and won a Gold Glove in a 6.2-WAR season.

24. Brandon Crawford

The starting shortstop on a pair of World Series winners, Crawford has three All-Star selections, four Gold Glove Awards and 30.8 WAR over 12 seasons spent entirely with the San Francisco Giants. His 99 OPS+ means he has been roughly a league-average hitter in his career, but there are some positive outlier seasons, including a Silver Slugger campaign in 2015 and a stellar 2021 season that earned him a fourth-place finish in NL MVP voting.

23. Andrelton Simmons

Simmons was the premier defensive shortstop of his era, winning four Gold Glove Awards and logging five seasons with at least 4.0 WAR on the strength of his glove work. His offensive game was built around his elite contact skills, and while he was never a true impact player offensively, he struck out just 461 times in 4,816 career plate appearances. The 33-year-old is currently a free agent.

22. Mark Belanger

Belanger was essentially the 1970s version of Simmons, winning seven of the 10 Gold Glove Awards for AL shortstops during the decade and eight total. He hit just .228/.300/.280 for a 68 OPS+, but still managed to appear on MVP ballots three different times on his way to 41.0 WAR in 18 seasons. A healthy advantage over Simmons in career defensive WAR (39.5 to 28.5) is the reason Belanger claims the higher spot in these rankings.

21. Édgar Rentería

Rentería delivered the walk-off hit for the Florida Marlins in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series when he was 21 years old, and 13 years later he won World Series MVP with the San Francisco Giants in the penultimate season of his career. In between, he was a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner who quietly racked up 2,327 hits, 294 steals and 32.4 WAR in a 16-year career.

Nos. 20-16

20. Tony Fernández

A .288 career hitter with a 101 OPS+ and 45.3 WAR to go along with five All-Star selections and four Gold Glove Awards, Fernández stands as one of the more underrated shortstops in recent history. One of the best shortstops in the AL during his prime in the late 1980s, he was still going strong in his age-37 season in 1999 when he hit .328/.427/.449 in 142 games and earned his final All-Star selection.

19. José Reyes

An explosive speed threat who led the NL in steals each of his first three full seasons in the majors with 60, 64 and 78 thefts, Reyes quickly developed into a staple on the left side of the Mets' infield alongside third baseman David Wright. He won the NL batting title in 2011 when he hit .337 and he tallied 37.5 WAR while finishing his career with 2,138 hits and 515 steals.

18. Xander Bogaerts
17. Francisco Lindor
16. Carlos Correa

It was tough to decide exactly where to slot this trio. All three have a chance to push for a top 10 spot in the coming years, but they are also still very much a work-in-progress as far as their final legacy is concerned.

Correa is the youngest of the group at 28 years old, and he also has the highest WAR (39.5) to go along with an impressive postseason track record that includes an .849 OPS and 18 home runs in 79 games.

From there, Lindor (36.6) has a slight edge over Bogaerts (34.9) in WAR, and he is also a year younger with a more well-rounded game as the far superior defender.

Nos. 15-11

15. Omar Vizquel

Vizquel is one of the best defensive shortstops in MLB history with 11 Gold Glove Awards, including nine in a row in his prime. Offensively, he was more of a compiler than a true impact player with 2,877 hits and 1,445 runs scored in 24 seasons accompanied by a middling 82 OPS+ and 45.6 WAR.

14. Dave Concepcion
13. Bert Campaneris

The 1970s were a thin decade at the shortstop position, and these two were the cream of the crop along with aforementioned defensive whiz Mark Belanger.

Concepcion was a staple at shortstop for the Big Red Machine, earning nine All-Star selections and winning five Gold Glove Awards. He finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting twice and tallied 2,326 hits and 40.1 WAR in 19 seasons.

Campaneris led the AL in steals six times and his 649 career thefts rank 14th on the all-time list as he set the table for the Oakland teams that won three straight World Series titles in 1972, 1973 and 1974. His 53.1 WAR ranks third among eligible shortstops not currently in the Hall of Fame.

12. Hanley Ramírez

Over his first five full seasons in the majors, Ramírez hit .313/.385/.521 while averaging 70 extra-base hits, 39 steals and 5.2 WAR. He won the NL batting title in 2009 when he finished runner-up in NL MVP voting before injuries caused him to lose a step later in his career and he developed into more of a middle-of-the-order slugger. His 38.0 career WAR doesn't quite stack up to some others on this list, but his prime was as good as anyone.

11. Miguel Tejada

During the seven-year stretch from his breakout season in 2000 through the 2006 campaign, Tejada hit .297/.351/.498 for a 121 OPS+ while averaging 37 doubles, 29 home runs, 116 RBI and 5.2 WAR. He won AL MVP in 2002 and was a six-time All-Star who finished his career with 307 home runs, 1,302 RBI and 47.1 WAR in 16 seasons.

10. Troy Tulowitzki

Stats: 1,291 G, 118 OPS+, 1,391 H, 225 HR, 780 RBI, 762 R, 57 SB, 44.5 WAR

Accolades: 5x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger

Peak performance was a major component of our rankings, and that's why Troy Tulowitzki was able to claim a spot in the top 10 over several others with a more impressive overall body of work.

He burst onto the scene in 2007 with 33 doubles, 24 home runs and 99 RBI in a 6.8-WAR rookie season for a Colorado Rockies team that made an unlikely run to the World Series. He played 155 games that year, but would top 140 just two more times in his career.

Over the next seven seasons, he hit .303/.378/.533 for a 130 OPS+ while finishing in the top 10 in NL MVP voting three times. However, he averaged just 112 games per season and twice failed to reach 100 games played.

In the end, he simply couldn't stay healthy long enough to make a run at all-time great status, but his 28 home runs, 98 RBI and 5.6 WAR per 162 games speak to just how productive he was when he took the field.

9. Nomar Garciaparra

Stats: 1,434 G, 124 OPS+, 1,747 H, 229 HR, 936 RBI, 927 R, 95 SB, 44.3 WAR

Accolades: 6x All-Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 2x AL Batting Champ

Nomar Garciaparra and Troy Tulowitzki share a lot of similarities in that both had elite peak performances that were cut short by injury. That said, Garciaparra was simply on another level before his career was derailed.

The numbers speak for themselves:

1997: 123 OPS+, .306/.342/.534, 85 XBH (30 HR), 98 RBI, 122 R, 6.6 WAR
1998: 140 OPS+, .323/.362/.584, 80 XBH (35 HR), 122 RBI, 111 R, 7.1 WAR
1999: 153 OPS+, .357/.418/.603, 73 XBH (27 HR), 104 RBI, 103 R, 6.6 WAR
2000: 156 OPS+, .372/.434/.599, 75 XBH (21 HR), 96 RBI, 104 R, 7.4 WAR

During that time, he won 1997 AL Rookie of the Year, finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting four times, and won the AL batting title in 1999 and 2000, all before his age-27 season.

After an injury-plagued 2001, he returned with two more elite-level seasons in 2002 and 2003 before falling off dramatically. He would play just 506 games from his age-30 season until his retirement.

8. Jimmy Rollins

Stats: 2,275 G, 95 OPS+, 2,455 H, 231 HR, 936 RBI, 1,421 R, 470 SB, 47.6 WAR

Accolades: 3x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger, 2007 NL MVP

The Philadelphia Phillies had a run of seven straight losing seasons before Jimmy Rollins took over as the team's starting shortstop in 2001. During his 14 years in that role, the club enjoyed 10 winning seasons, reaching the playoffs five times and claiming a World Series title in 2008.

Granted, those rosters were loaded with star players, but it's no coincidence that his rise to prominence lined up with the team's return to relevance.

He hit .296/.344/.531 with 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 home runs, 94 RBI, 139 runs scored, 41 steals and 6.1 WAR in one of the most impressive stat-stuffing seasons in recent memory on his way to NL MVP honors in 2007.

7. Alan Trammell

Stats: 2,293 G, 110 OPS+, 2,365 H, 185 HR, 1,003 RBI, 1,231 R, 236 SB, 70.7 WAR

Accolades: 6x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger

The gap between the top seven players in these rankings and everyone else is a wide one, and Alan Trammell was finally recognized as part of that elite upper tier when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 2018.

With nine seasons of a 110 OPS+ or better, he was part of a game-changing wave of impact offensive players at shortstop led by Cal Ripken Jr. that came at a time when the position had previously been dominated by light-hitting, defensive-minded players.

He won World Series MVP in 1984 and enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons ever by a shortstop in 1987 when he hit .343/.402/.551 with 34 doubles, 28 home runs, 105 RBI, 109 runs scored, 21 steals and 8.2 WAR.

He played his entire 20-year career in a Detroit Tigers uniform and later managed the team for three years following his retirement.

6. Barry Larkin

Stats: 2,180 G, 116 OPS+, 2,340 H, 198 HR, 960 RBI, 1,329 R, 379 SB, 70.5 WAR

Accolades: 12x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 9x Silver Slugger, 1995 NL MVP

With Ozzie Smith and Cal Ripken Jr. at their best during the 1980s and the young wave of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra not coming along until the latter half of the decade, it's fair to call Barry Larkin the best shortstop of the 1990s.

It's a true coin toss between Alan Trammell and Larkin for the No. 6 spot in the rankings, with Larkin holding a slight edge offensively and Trammell a slight edge defensively, though both were well-rounded players.

Larkin ultimately got the edge thanks to his 1995 NL MVP win when he hit .319/.394/.492 with a career-high 51 steals in 56 attempts. The Reds would endure a 14-year postseason drought following their NL Central title that season.

It took him three years on the ballot to earn Hall of Fame induction in 2012.

5. Robin Yount

Stats: 2,856 G, 115 OPS+, 3,142 H, 251 HR, 1,406 RBI, 1,632 R, 271 SB, 77.4 WAR

Accolades: 3x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, 2x AL MVP

Robin Yount was a shortstop for the first 11 seasons of his 20-year career before he shifted to center field, and his four highest single-season WAR totals came during his time as a shortstop, so he fits this conversation the same way Ernie Banks did on the Pre-Expansion list.

Just 18 years old when he took over as the Milwaukee Brewers starting shortstop in 1974, he was a 5-WAR player by the age of 22, and he developed into a bona fide superstar during the 1980s.

He won his first AL MVP in 1982 when he hit .331/.379/.578 with 46 doubles, 12 triples, 29 home runs, 114 RBI, 129 runs scored and 14 steals. His 10.6 WAR that season is the third-highest single-season total ever by a shortstop, behind only Cal Ripken Jr. (11.5, 1991) and Honus Wagner (11.5, 1908).

More of a compiler in the later years of his career, Yount ranks in the top 50 all-time in games played (2,856, 17th), hits (3,142, 20th), doubles (583, 22nd), total bases (4,730, 36th) and runs scored (1,632, 40th).

4. Ozzie Smith

Stats: 2,573 G, 87 OPS+, 2,460 H, 28 HR, 793 RBI, 1,257 R, 580 SB, 76.9 WAR

Accolades: 15x All-Star, 13x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger

Ozzie Smith is the greatest defensive shortstop baseball has ever seen.

Whether you're a fan of the eye test or prefer advanced metrics, his work with the glove is unparalleled at arguably the most important defensive position on the diamond. That has helped vault him to legendary status.

Speed was his biggest weapon offensively, and he stole at least 30 bases in 11 different seasons on his way to 22nd on the all-time list with 580 steals, and he was by no means a liability at the plate with a respectable .262/.337/.328 career line.

He never hit more than six home runs in a season, yet he delivered one of the most memorable home runs in postseason history with his walk-off blast in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS that was the first left-handed home run of the switch-hitter's career after more than 3,000 plate appearances.

It's difficult to compare his career to others because it is heavily weighted toward the defensive side of things, but his 76.9 WAR speaks for itself.

3. Derek Jeter

Stats: 2,747 G, 115 OPS+, 3,465 H, 260 HR, 1,311 RBI, 1,923 R, 358 SB, 71.3 WAR

Accolades: 14x All-Star, 5x Gold Glove, 5x Silver Slugger

It has become a popular contrarian move to call Derek Jeter overrated, and all the time he spent in the spotlight playing in the largest media market in the country no doubt contributes to those sentiments, but the numbers back up his status as one of the best to ever do it.

He is one of only two players in MLB history with a .300 average, 3,000 hits, 500 doubles, 250 home runs, 250 steals, 1,000 RBI and 1,000 runs scored in his career, with the other being the legendary Willie Mays.

On top of that, he also hit .308/.374/.465 with 200 hits, 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 61 RBI in 158 career playoff games, winning World Series MVP honors in 2000 and taking home five rings in seven trips to the Fall Classic.

Did he deserve those five Gold Glove Awards? No, but that doesn't take away from his ultimate legacy as a well-rounded offensive player, an impressive stat compiler and one of the greatest postseason players of all time.

2. Alex Rodriguez

Stats: 2,784 G, 140 OPS+, 3,115 H, 696 HR, 2,086 RBI, 2,021 R, 329 SB, 117.6 WAR

Accolades: 14x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 10x Silver Slugger, 3x AL MVP

We may never see another shortstop like Alex Rodriguez.

A LeBron James-esque "Chosen One" who was selected No. 1 overall in the 1993 draft, he made his MLB debut a year later at the age of 18. By 20 years old, he had already won his first AL batting title with a 9.4-WAR season playing alongside Ken Griffey Jr. in 1996.

He had already piled up 38.1 WAR when he departed in free agency and signed a record-shattering 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers ahead of his age-25 season. He led the AL in home runs three years in a row in Arlington before he was traded to the New York Yankees.

It was during his time in Texas that he later admitted to using PEDs, which has tarnished his legacy to the point that despite his gaudy career numbers, he received just 34.3 percent of the vote in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2022.

Just taking into account what he did in Seattle before his alleged cheating began, he was already a generational talent who eclipsed anything Derek Jeter ever did during his time with the Yankees. The PED use is enough for me to keep him out of the No. 1 spot, but ignoring him entirely would be a disservice to his immense contributions to the game throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

1. Cal Ripken Jr.

Stats: 3,001 G, 112 OPS+, 3,184 H, 431 HR, 1,695 RBI, 1,647 R, 36 SB, 95.9 WAR

Accolades: 19x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 8x Silver Slugger, 2x AL MVP

Aside from Ernie Banks in his prime, the shortstop position was not where you looked to find impact offensive players before Cal Ripken Jr. came along and slugged 28 home runs as a 21-year-old rookie in 1982.

In fact, when he hit 34 homers in 1991, he joined Banks, Vern Stephens and Rico Petrocelli as just the fourth shortstop in history to eclipse 30 long balls in a year.

The Iron Man was a model of consistency both offensively and defensively throughout his career, playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games while continuing to produce All-Star numbers year in and year out.

He won AL MVP in 1983 when the Orioles won the World Series title and again in 1991 when he hit .323/.374/.566 for a 162 OPS+ with 46 doubles, 34 home runs, 114 RBI and 99 runs scored. His 11.5 WAR that season is tied for the highest single-season mark ever by a shortstop.

Alex Rodriguez cost himself a shot at the top spot in these rankings with his PED use, but Ripken is far from No. 1 by default, as he is unquestionably one of the greatest players to ever play the game and a deserving pick for the title of top modern shortstop.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.