Who’re the 100 finest gamers in MLB proper now? MLB Community revealed its record by this 12 months’s High 100 Gamers Proper Now sequence, which reached its conclusion with the much-anticipated High 10 on Wednesday.
Beneath is a recap of the total record; click on right here for a team-by-team breakdown.
1) Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves (2023 rank: 25)In 2022, Acuña had a .764 OPS with 15 dwelling runs and 29 steals in 119 video games. He received a late begin, becoming a member of the Braves on the finish of April after recovering from surgical procedure to restore a torn proper ACL. What would we see in ’23?
Historical past. Any concern over Acuña’s proper knee evaporated when he put collectively a season for the ages, turning into the primary participant in AL/NL historical past to hit 40 or extra homers (41) and steal 70 or extra bases (73) in the identical season. He was named NL MVP in a unanimous vote, and along with his power-speed combo, he’s probably the most electrical participant within the sport as we speak.
2) Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers (2023 rank: 4)Betts will transfer to second base full-time this season after primarily taking part in proper discipline in his first 10 MLB seasons. The 31-year-old stays one of many premier all-around gamers within the sport, and he’s coming off his finest season since successful the AL MVP Award with the Purple Sox in 2018.
In 2023, Betts launched a career-high 39 dwelling runs with a .987 OPS to complete runner-up to Acuña in NL MVP balloting. He’s been such an excellent defender in his profession, together with in some transient stints at second, that he would possibly simply add some Gold Glove Awards from his new place to his already spectacular assortment of six.
3) Aaron Decide, CF, Yankees (2023 rank: 2)Like Betts, Decide can be altering defensive positions in 2024 — with the Yankees’ addition of Juan Soto, Decide will shift from proper discipline to middle.
Had it not been for a torn ligament in his toe that sidelined him for almost two months final 12 months, Decide might need taken a run at repeating the kind of historic MVP season he had in 2022, when he set an AL file with 62 dwelling runs. If Decide is wholesome, there’s no cause he couldn’t have one other monster marketing campaign on the plate in ’24. And he’s not only a one-dimensional slugging behemoth — since his first full season in ’17, solely Betts has racked up extra defensive runs saved amongst outfielders than Decide’s 57.
4) Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers (2023 rank: 1)On the heels of signing a file 10-year, $700 million contract, Ohtani received’t be pitching in his first season sporting Dodger blue on account of elbow surgical procedure he underwent final September. That’s possible why he’s not larger on this record going into the brand new season.
However Ohtani can be hitting, and with the best baseball expertise on the planet targeted solely on producing on the plate, we might see some really unbelievable numbers. Regardless of being restricted to 135 video games in 2023, Ohtani received his second unanimous AL MVP Award after launching 44 dwelling runs and posting a Main League-best 1.066 OPS whereas pitching to a 3.14 ERA with a 31.4% strikeout charge in 23 begins on the mound.
5) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers (2023 rank: 10)The No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 gamers on this record will possible be hitting 1-2-3 within the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup in 2024. Someplace in there can be Freeman, who stays the gold commonplace amongst first basemen. He turned in one other incredible season in 2023, ending third in NL MVP voting after hitting .331/.410/.567 with an MLB-leading 59 doubles, falling one shy of turning into the primary participant since 1936 with 60 doubles in a season.
6) Corey Seager, SS, Rangers (2023 rank: 33)Seager vaulted 27 spots over his rating final 12 months because of a profession 12 months that culminated in a World Collection title with the Rangers. Accidents have hampered him all through his profession, however though he performed in solely 119 video games in 2023, he belted a career-high-tying 33 homers and led the AL with 42 doubles whereas posting a .327/.390/.623 slash line. Seager was very almost a 7 bWAR participant regardless of lacking 1 / 4 of the season; if he can handle to remain wholesome, ’24 may very well be an MVP-caliber season for the 29-year-old after he completed runner-up for the dignity final 12 months.
7) Juan Soto, RF, Yankees (2023 rank: 12)Soto will go well with up for his third staff in three years when he dons Yankees pinstripes this season. That’s laborious to imagine for an exceptional younger hitter who has been in comparison with luminaries like Ted Williams. However pleasure abounds within the Bronx for Soto to hitch Decide and Giancarlo Stanton in New York’s lineup. Soto slugged a career-high 35 homers with the Padres final 12 months, main the Majors in walks for the third time in his six-year profession (132). Already a three-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a batting champion (2020), Soto enters his age-25 marketing campaign and a brand new chapter in his profession as one of many sport’s elite hitters.
8) Yordan Alvarez, LF, Astros (2023 rank: 9)There are few sights scarier for a pitcher than Alvarez strolling to the plate. The 26-year-old has firmly established himself within the highest echelon of Main League hitters. Though he’s missed vital time on account of damage — he has but to play in additional than 144 video games in a season — Alvarez owns a profession OPS of .978 with 129 dwelling runs. After successful the 2019 AL Rookie of the Yr Award, he completed third in AL MVP voting in ’22, and it’s laborious to not envision an MVP Award or two in his future.
9) Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees (2023 rank: 37)It appeared as if it was solely a matter of time earlier than Cole would win a Cy Younger Award. Whereas it in all probability took longer than he would’ve hoped, the workhorse right-hander lastly received that honor for his super 2023 marketing campaign. The 33-year-old turned in an AL-leading 2.63 ERA and an MLB-leading 0.98 WHIP. He additionally eclipsed 200 innings pitched (209) for the sixth time in his profession. The six-time All-Star seems to be on the peak of his powers heading into the ’24 season.
10) Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners (2023 rank: 16)J-Rod had a sluggish begin on the plate in 2023, however when he received going, he made historical past within the season’s second half. After hitting .249/.310/.411 previous to the All-Star break, Rodríguez’s bat caught hearth — on his approach to posting a .941 OPS with 19 homers and 15 steals the remainder of the best way, Rodríguez set an AL/NL file (since 1901) by amassing 17 hits over a four-game span. He’s additionally the one participant in AL/NL historical past to hit at the very least 25 homers and steal at the very least 25 bases in every of his first two seasons, becoming a member of the 30-30 membership with 32 homers and 37 steals final 12 months.
We see some massive risers on this group, with 4 gamers leaping at the very least 20 spots over final 12 months. Matt Olson’s 54-homer marketing campaign has him up 30 locations, teammate Spencer Strider rose 48, Adley Rutschman moved up 22 and Bobby Witt Jr. took a quantum leap by vaulting 72 spots up the record. Accidents have pushed Mike Trout out of the highest 10 — the three-time MVP hasn’t performed in 150 or extra video games since 2016, and he posted the bottom OPS of any full season in his profession final 12 months.
11. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies (2023 rank: 17)12. Mike Trout, CF, Angels (2023 rank: 3)13. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves (2023 rank: 43)14. José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians (2023 rank: 8)15. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves (2023 rank: 20)16. Trea Turner, SS, Phillies (2023 rank: 11)17. Spencer Strider, SP, Braves (2023 rank: 65)18. Corbin Carroll, OF, D-backs (2023 rank: no rank)19. Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles (2023 rank: 41)20. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals (2023 rank: 92)
There are some massive movers on this group, as nicely — Marcus Semien jumps 25 spots over final 12 months, Manny Machado falls 19 locations, Luis Robert Jr. leaps a whopping 59 spots and reigning NL Cy Younger Award winner Blake Snell lands at No. 30 after not being ranked within the prime 100 in any respect in 2023. Semien bounced again from a quite pedestrian ’22 marketing campaign, main the AL in hits (185) and runs scored (122) whereas posting an .826 OPS with 29 homers. Machado’s inventory falls after his OPS fell greater than 100 factors from his .898 mark in ’22. Robert lastly confirmed what he can do over a full season, launching 38 homers with an .857 OPS. And Snell led the Majors with a 2.25 ERA and struck out 31.5% of batters he confronted.
21. Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers (2023 rank: 46)22. Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros (2023 rank: 23)23. Kyle Tucker, RF, Astros (2023 rank: 30)24. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres (2023 rank: 5)25. Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets (2023 rank: 21)26. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres (2023 rank: 26)27. Luis Robert Jr., CF, White Sox (2023 rank: 86)28. Zack Wheeler, SP, Phillies (2023 rank: 35)29. Corbin Burnes, SP, Orioles (2023 rank: 27)30. Blake Snell, SP, free agent (2023 rank: no rank)
Reigning AL Rookie of the Yr Gunnar Henderson crashes the High 100 get together at No. 34 after a sensational debut season during which he posted an .814 OPS with 28 homers for the Orioles. Cardinals stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt had down years on the plate, falling out of the highest 10 and into the 30s. Zac Gallen jumped 38 spots after ending third in NL Cy Younger Award voting. Different main risers on this group are Yandy Díaz (received the AL batting crown by hitting .330), Adolis García (launched a career-high 39 homers earlier than slamming eight extra within the postseason) and Randy Arozarena (elected to first All-Star staff, hit 23 homers with a .789 OPS).
31. Zac Gallen, SP, D-backs (2023 rank: 69)32. Rafael Devers, 3B, Purple Sox (2023 rank: 19)33. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals (2023 rank: 6)34. Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles (2023 rank: no rank)35. Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays (2023 rank: 34)36. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals (2023 rank: 7)37. Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets (2023 rank: 31)38. Yandy Díaz, INF, Rays (2023 rank: 98)39. Adolis García, OF, Rangers (2023 rank: 99)40. Randy Arozarena, LF, Rays (2023 rank: 62)
Veteran right-handers Sonny Grey and Kevin Gausman, who completed second and third, respectively, in AL Cy Younger Award voting final 12 months, break into the highest 50 after not being among the many High 100 in 2023. One other right-hander, the Giants’ Logan Webb, received an enormous increase — shifting 55 locations up the rankings — after a runner-up end in NL Cy Younger Award voting. A pair of NL East catchers noticed some dramatic swings, with the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto falling 17 spots and Sean Murphy taking pictures up the record by 37 spots. Luis Arraez vaulted 20 locations over the prior 12 months’s rankings — it’s superb what flirting with .400 for a lot of the season en path to a second straight batting title will do. And Alex Bregman fell 20 spots after a robust, although not spectacular, season on the plate for Houston.
41. Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays (2023 rank: no rank)42. Logan Webb, SP, Giants (2023 rank: 97)43. Luis Arraez, 2B, Marlins (2023 rank: 63)44. Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros (2023 rank: 24)45. Will Smith, C, Dodgers (2023 rank: 42)46. J.T. Realmuto, C, Phillies (2023 rank: 29)47. Sean Murphy, C, Braves (2023 rank: 84)48. Max Fried, SP, Braves (2023 rank: 36)49. Sonny Grey, SP, Cardinals (2023 rank: no rank)50. Michael Harris II, CF, Braves (2023 rank: 53)
Cody Bellinger’s massive bounce-back season following three down years on the plate lands him within the prime 100 as soon as once more after he was absent from the record in 2022. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fell considerably from his top-20 standing after his energy numbers continued to say no from his profession 12 months in ’21. Xander Bogaerts’ first season in San Diego was strong, however maybe not as productive as he would have hoped — he falls within the rankings by 21 spots. Two pitchers who joined the record after being unranked final 12 months are starter Pablo López and nearer Josh Hader. D-backs slugger Christian Walker jumps 30 spots after belting 33 homers and successful his second straight Gold Glove Award at first base. Brewers nearer Devin Williams additionally positive factors massive after one other sensational 12 months, going from No. 82 to No. 59.
51. Cody Bellinger, CF/1B, free agent (2023 rank: no rank)52. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays (2023 rank: 18)53. Xander Bogaerts, SS, Padres (2023 rank: 32)54. Luis Castillo, SP, Mariners (2023 rank: 67)55. Framber Valdez, SP, Astros (2023 rank: 56)56. Pablo López, SP, Twins (2023 rank: no rank)57. Kyle Schwarber, LF, Phillies (2023 rank: 44)58. Christian Walker, 1B, D-backs (2023 rank: 88)59. Devin Williams, RP, Brewers (2023 rank: 82)60. Josh Hader, RP, Astros (2023 rank: no rank)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom the Dodgers signed to a 12-year, $325 million contract out of Japan, debuts at No. 61. There are extra gamers on this group that had been unranked final 12 months than had been ranked, with ghost fork grasp Kodai Senga, breakout left-hander Justin Steele, veteran second basemen Ketel Marte and Ozzie Albies, and Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford making the record. Among the many returning gamers, Justin Verlander drops 48 spots after a season during which he was merely “good” versus “phenomenal” like he was in 2022, when he received his third profession Cy Younger Award. Shortstops Dansby Swanson and Carlos Correa additionally noticed vital drops following below-average offensive campaigns.
61. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers (2023 rank: no rank)62. Justin Verlander, SP, Astros (2023 rank: 14)63. Kodai Senga, SP, Mets (2023 rank: no rank)64. Justin Steele, SP, Cubs (2023 rank: no rank)65. Ketel Marte, 2B, D-backs (2023 rank: no rank)66. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves (2023 rank: no rank)67. Dansby Swanson, SS, Cubs (2023 rank: 39)68. Carlos Correa, SS, Twins (2023 rank: 22)69. J.P. Crawford, SS, Mariners (2023 rank: no rank)70. Brandon Nimmo, LF, Mets (2023 rank: 54)
Christian Yelich will get into the High 100 because of a robust season on the plate following three substandard seasons for the 2018 NL MVP. There are a number of newcomers on this group, significantly amongst younger pitchers, with the Orioles’ Kyle Bradish and the Mariners’ George Kirby showing for the primary time. George Springer’s inventory fell after a tough 12 months on the plate (102 OPS+), and celebrity Mets nearer Edwin Díaz fell 29 locations after lacking the 2023 season on account of damage.
71. Bryan Reynolds, CF, Pirates (2023 rank: 60)72. Christian Yelich, LF, Brewers (2023 rank: no rank)73. Kyle Bradish, SP, Orioles (2023 rank: no rank)74. Tyler Glasnow, SP, Dodgers (2023 rank: no rank)75. George Kirby, SP, Mariners (2023 rank: no rank)76. George Springer, CF, Blue Jays (2023 rank: 49)77. Josh Lowe, RF, Rays (2023 rank: no rank)78. Isaac Paredes, INF, Rays (2023 rank: no rank)79. Max Muncy, INF, Dodgers (2023 rank: no rank)80. Edwin Díaz, RP, Mets (2023 rank: 51)
The brothers Contreras — one a newcomer to the record and one who returns 9 spots decrease than in 2023 — are ranked No. 81 and No. 82. Quite a lot of gamers who had been unranked final 12 months have made the record on this echelon, together with Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones (20 homers and 20 steals in 106 video games), Cubs proper fielder Seiya Suzuki (.842 OPS, 20 homers) and left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who helped the Rangers win the primary World Collection title in franchise historical past after being traded from St. Louis to Texas.
81. William Contreras, C, Brewers (2023 rank: no rank)82. Willson Contreras, C, Cardinals (2023 rank: 73)83. Marcell Ozuna, DH/OF, Braves (2023 rank: no rank)84. Seiya Suzuki, RF, Cubs (2023 rank: no rank)85. J.D. Martinez, DH, free agent (2023 rank: no rank)86. Anthony Santander, RF, Orioles (2023 rank: no rank)87. Nolan Jones, LF, Rockies (2023 rank: no rank)88. Ha-Seong Kim, 2B, Padres (2023 rank: no rank)89. Matt Chapman, 3B, free agent (2023 rank: 75)90. Jordan Montgomery, SP, free agent (2023 rank: no rank)
Montgomery’s rotation mate in Texas final season, Nathan Eovaldi, breaches the High 100 because of an All-Star marketing campaign in his first 12 months with the Rangers. Dylan Stop, who has been the topic of commerce rumors this offseason, falls 37 spots on the heels of a season during which his ERA doubled over 2022, when he completed runner-up in AL Cy Younger Award balloting. Younger catchers Cal Raleigh and Gabriel Moreno be part of the record, as does a pair of younger Reds — Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz are two members of an thrilling younger core in Cincinnati.
91. Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Rangers (2023 rank: no rank)92. Dylan Stop, SP, White Sox (2023 rank: 55)93. Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners (2023 rank: no rank)94. Gabriel Moreno, C, D-backs (2023 rank: no rank)95. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins (2023 rank: no rank)96. Josh Naylor, 1B/OF, Guardians (2023 rank: no rank)97. Triston Casas, 1B, Purple Sox (2023 rank: no rank)98. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Rangers (2023 rank: 70)99. Matt McLain, INF, Reds (2023 rank: no rank)100. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds (2023 rank: no rank)
