Here are the best MLB players at each position this season

As we get closer to spring training, it’s a good time to ask yourself: “Who is the best player at each position in baseball?”

That may be a difficult question to answer given the tremendous talent in the game today. Luckily, MLB Network is running its annual “Top 10 Players Right Now” series, which concluded this week.

“The Shredder” was in the top 10 at every position in the 2024 campaign. You can find those lists for each location here. But who emerged as the best of the best in each situation? Here’s a look.

Starting Pitcher: Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Cole finally won that elusive Cy Young in 2023, thanks to a sensational campaign in which he led the American League in ERA (2.63), adjusted ERA (165), innings pitched (209) and percentage of runners left on base (80.4%). Led. , among other categories. The 33-year-old right-hander is a version of the throwback pitcher on the mound, surpassing the 200-inning mark for the sixth time in 2023. His four-seam fastball, which averaged 96.7 mph, was the most valuable pitch, in terms of career value, in all of baseball through 2023.

Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
It didn’t take long for Rutschman to take his place at the top of the list, did it? After finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, he finished in the top ten in AL MVP voting last year, hitting .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs. Rutschman, who turns 26 this month, actually had bad luck: According to Statcast, his expected batting average was 15 points higher than his actual batting average, and his expected wOBA of .373 was significantly higher than his actual wOBA. Was. Of .352. He also ranked in the top 10% of qualified hitters in walk percentage (13.4%) and strikeout percentage (14.7%).

First baseman: Freddy Freeman, Dodgers
Freeman remains the gold standard for first basemen thanks to another stellar season in 2023. In his age-33 campaign, he posted a typical .331/.410/.567 offensive line (161 OPS+). He led the majors in doubles for the second year in a row and the third time in four years, and became the first player to score 60 in a season since 1936. The 2020 NL MVP finished third in the 2023 MVP voting, and he remained as durable as ever, appearing in 161 games and playing in all but 11 of his team’s games since 2018.

Second base: Mookie Betts, Dodgers
The game’s best second baseman has won six Gold Glove Awards in right field. And if it weren’t for a record-breaking year by Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., he would have won his second MVP award in 2023. Bates was primarily a second baseman in the minor leagues and then transitioned to the outfield. Exceptional upon joining the Red Sox. Now, he will be back full-time in the other bag and, based on what we have seen in his recent short stint there, he will perform very well. At the plate last year, the 31-year-old put together his best season since winning American League MVP in 2018, posting a .987 OPS and hitting a career-high 39 home runs.

Shortstop: Corey Seager, Rangers
Injuries have played a part in Seager’s career so far, but although he only played 119 games last season, it was the best offensive season of his career. In just 536 plate appearances, the 29-year-old slugger led the American League with 42 doubles, hit 33 home runs (equivalent to last year’s total of 116 fewer at-bats) and hit .327/.390/.623. Despite missing a quarter of the year due to hamstring and thumb injuries, he came in second to Shohei Ohtani in MVP voting. If he plays 150 games next season, watch out, we could see some really impressive numbers.

Third base: Austin Riley, Braves
With names like Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson in the same lineup, Riley could easily fly under the radar in the Braves constellation. However, he has played a key role in Atlanta’s success in recent years, including helping the Braves win the World Series in 2021. Riley has generated 18.6 bWAR over the past three seasons, the most among third basemen. In that span, he averaged 36 home runs and an OPS of .878.

Left field: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
Álvarez has firmly established himself as one of the game’s elite hitters. As a rookie in 2019, he hit 27 home runs in only 87 games to win the AL Rookie of the Year award. He was injured in 2020 and played only two games during the pandemic-shortened season. Injuries have been a problem for Alvarez, who has never played more than 144 games in a season so far in his young career. But he’s just entering his age-27 season, and over the past three years, he’s averaged 34 home runs with a .292/.385/.573 line.

Center field: Aaron Judge, Yankees
Judge has spent most of his career in right field, but he has 120 games of experience in center since his major league debut in 2016. With the addition of Juan Soto to the Bronx Bombers’ lineup, Judge has now moved to center. Given his defensive ability, the concern about the move lies less in his ability to play his position and more in the toe injury that sidelined him for two months last season. Yet, now that Judge is at center, he tops the list of the best players at that position, and why not? Despite being limited to 106 games in 2023, he hit 37 home runs with a 1.019 OPS. And two years ago, he had a historic season in which he hit 62 home runs, setting a new American League record. He remains one of the most feared hitters in the game, if not the most feared.

Right field: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
It’s hard to top the first 40-70 season in American/National League history. That’s exactly what Acuña accomplished last season when he hit 41 home runs while stealing 73 bases in an unprecedented performance. In addition to steals, the reigning Old Circuit MVP led the Major Leagues in hits (217), runs scored (149) and on-base percentage (.416). Acuña’s combination of power and speed is unmatched in the game today, and any questions about his durability after tearing his ACL in 2021 were answered when he played 159 games for Atlanta last year. He is still only 26 years old, which means we may see him reach even greater heights in the near future.

Reliever: Devin Williams, Brewers
When Williams took over from Josh Hader as Milwaukee’s closer following the trade that sent Hader to San Diego in 2022, he had big shoes to fill. And he’s been up to the task last year, posting a 1.53 ERA with a 37.6% strikeout rate and 36 saves. Over the past three seasons, Williams had a 1.97 ERA in 173.1 innings for the Brewers, using his devastating changeup to baffle opposing batters. Over that span, his opponents hit just .147 against Williams’ signature pitch, which he used about 58% of the time in 2023.