Before we get to the ranking of baseball's best shortstops, a story about an All-Star second baseman.
A few years ago, the Houston Astros' staff encouraged batting champion Jose Altuve to be more patient at the plate. The staffers assured Altuve they weren't asking him to hunt walks, but they believed if Altuve could refrain from swinging at some really bad pitches, he would put himself in better ball-strike counts, draw a few more walks and compel opponents to throw the ball over the plate. In this way, he'd give himself a better chance to do damage when he did swing.