Editing Shortstop (section)

{{Short description|Defense position in baseball and softball}}
{{For|the album|Shortstop (album)}}
[[Image:Baseball SS.svg|thumb|right|The position of the shortstop]]
'''Shortstop''', abbreviated '''SS''', is the [[baseball positions|baseball or softball fielding position]] between [[second base|second]] and [[third base]], which is considered to be among the [[Defensive spectrum|most 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 the [[Batting order (baseball)|batting order]]. Today, shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. In the [[Baseball positions|numbering system]] used by [[Baseball scorekeeping|scorers]] 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 more [[Right-handedness|right-handed]] hitters in baseball than [[Left-handedness|left-handed]] hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to [[Pull hitter|pull the ball]] slightly. Like a [[second baseman]], a shortstop must be agile, for example when performing a [[Glossary of baseball terms#4-6-3 double play|4-6-3 double play]]. Also, like a [[third baseman]], the shortstop fields balls hit to the left side of the [[Infield#Baseball|infield]], where a strong arm is needed to [[Out (baseball)|throw out]] a [[Baserunning#The batter-runner|batter-runner]] before they reach the safety of first base.