12 players who have risen into the top 5 at their position

Now in its 15th year, the latest edition of MLB Network's "Top 10 Right Now" series wrapped up on Wednesday night. One takeaway from the 2025 position-by-position rankings produced by The Shredder? There are noticeable shakeups near the tops of many lists.

Twelve players who did not rank inside the top 10 at a position last year not only made it onto a 2025 list, they jumped into the top five. Phenomenal rookies, breakout stars, bounce-back players -- their success in '24 was too good to ignore.

Here are the 12 players who have soared into the top five at their position, according to The Shredder.

Tarik Skubal, Tigers (No. 2 SP)
This is Skubal's first appearance on a "Top 10 Right Now" list, but he gave us a glimpse of what was to come at the end of the 2023 season when he recorded a 0.90 ERA and a 43:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his final five starts. That dominance was on display for all of 2024. The lefty led the Tigers to their first playoff appearance in 10 years and captured the American League pitching Triple Crown along the way. Besides his 18 wins, 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts, Skubal had the best strikeout-minus-walk rate among qualified AL starters (25.6%), and his +40 pitching run value was the highest in the Majors.

Jackson Merrill, Padres (No. 2 CF)
We haven't seen a position player this high on a "Top 10 Right Now" list immediately after their debut season since Yasiel Puig in 2014. However, Merrill deserves such a lofty placement. He was one of only 11 players to rank in the 94th percentile or better in expected batting average (.303), expected slugging percentage (.534) and expected weighted on-base average (.372). He was just 20 years old when he was named the Padres' Opening Day center fielder and despite never playing that position previously as a pro, he tallied 12 outs above average, tied for seventh-most at the position.

A Silver Slugger recipient, an All-Star and the runner-up in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, Merrill also displayed a flair for the dramatic as five of his 24 home runs were game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later. No other player had more than three such dingers last year.

Jarren Duran, Red Sox (No. 2 LF)
Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. Those are the only players who had more extra-base hits last season than Duran. His breakout season was headlined by 48 doubles and 14 triples. Duran led the Majors in each category and became one of 10 players in the Modern Era (since 1900) to reach those specific marks in a single season. The other nine are all Hall of Famers -- and they all did it before integration.

Boston's leadoff hitter also crushed 21 home runs -- not including his game-changing clout during the 2024 All-Star Game. He stole 34 bases, scored 111 runs and, with his stellar outfield defense, finished with 8.7 bWAR, fifth-most in the big leagues.

Cade Smith, Guardians (No. 2 RP)
What was the most valuable pitch in baseball last season? Skubal's four-seam fastball? Maybe Chris Sale's slider? Emmanuel Clase or Corbin Burnes' cutter? Those are all good guesses, but the correct answer is Smith's four-seamer, which produced a +28 run value. Batters could hardly touch the rookie's heater, hitting just .174 with a 39.9% strikeout rate, the highest in MLB (minimum 150 plate appearances ending on four-seamers).

Smith complemented that offering with a splitter that garnered a .175 opponents' batting average with a .228 slugging percentage. All told, Smith registered a 1.91 ERA over 75 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed only one home run, and his 1.40 FIP was the best among pitchers with at least 75 innings.

Chris Sale, Braves (No. 3 SP)
To this point, we've talked only about players who are "Top 10 Right Now" first-timers. Conversely, Sale was ranked as a top-10 starter every year from 2013-19. He peaked at No. 2 in '19. But then came an injury-filled four-year stretch in which Sale logged a total of 31 starts and 151 innings. He was traded from the Red Sox to the Braves ahead of the 2024 season and looked every bit like the Sale of old in his new home. The lanky lefty mirrored Skubal's AL success, claiming the NL Triple Crown and the Cy Young Award. Sale's 2.38 ERA was the best among qualified starters, and so was his strikeout rate (32.1%), K-BB rate (26.5%), FIP (2.09) and HR/9 rate (0.46).

Ian Happ, Cubs (No. 3 LF)
Happ was the No. 9 left fielder ahead of the 2023 season. His move up six spots gives the Cubs their highest-ranked player since catcher Willson Contreras and shortstop Javier Báez came in at No. 3 at their positions five years ago. Thanks to a five-year high in his barrel rate (11.7%), Happ tied his career high with 25 home runs last season. He also set personal bests with 89 runs and 86 RBIs. The switch-hitter continued to display great command of the strike zone with his 12.2% walk rate (94th percentile) and a 23.2% chase rate (84th percentile). He also earned his third consecutive Gold Glove.

Paul Skenes, Pirates (No. 4 SP)
The No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2023 and the game's top pitching prospect by the time he debuted in May 2024, Skenes lived up to every shred of hype as a rookie. He struck out 33.1% of the batters he faced and left opponents with a .198/.257/.295 slash line over 133 frames. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings in their first Major League season, Skenes' 1.96 ERA was the sixth-lowest in the Live-Ball Era (since 1920). He was named NL Rookie of the Year, was a Cy Young Award finalist and is on the cover of the MLB The Show 25.

The 22-year-old Skenes is poised to dominate in 2025 and beyond. He is just the second starting pitcher to make The Shredder's top 10 following his rookie year. The first was former Marlins phenom José Fernández, who was the No. 5 starting pitcher in 2014.

Emmanuel Clase, Guardians (No. 4 RP)
It's not surprising to see multiple members of the Guardians' bullpen -- unquestionably MLB's best 'pen in 2024 -- among the top five relievers. It is a little surprising, however, that Clase is even eligible for this article since he has been perhaps the game's top reliever since 2021. But after top-five finishes in '22 and '23, Clase was not among the "Top 10 Right Now" heading into last season. That came after the right-header turned in a 3.22 ERA -- more than double his career mark to that point -- and saw his year-to-year K/9 rate drop from 9.5 to 7.9.

So, how did Clase respond? By being just about perfect. Clase allowed only five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings last year, and his resulting 0.61 ERA tied for the third-lowest in a single season (minimum 50 IP). He led the AL in saves for the third straight year and became the first reliever in 16 seasons to be named a Cy Young Award finalist.

Brendan Donovan, Cardinals (No. 4 2B)
The versatile Donovan spent nearly twice as many games in left field last season (105) as he did at second base (53), but he gets a nod at the keystone position for the second time in three seasons. He was the No. 7 second baseman heading into 2023.

One of the best contact hitters in the league, Donovan's strikeout and whiff rates have been above the 90th percentile in each of the past two seasons. In 2024, his K rate was a career-low 12.4% (97th percentile) while his whiff rate was 15.1% (94th percentile). Although he doesn't make a ton of damaging contact, Donovan tends to get the most out of his swings, as evidenced by his 35.2% squared-up rate. That ranked sixth in the Majors among qualified hitters. Overall, he collected 14 homers, 51 extra-base hits and a 112 OPS+ across 652 plate appearances.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees (No. 5 3B)
This is Chisholm's first appearance on a "Top 10 Right Now," list and it may not have been possible without the trade that brought him to the Yankees on July 27. On that date, Chisholm owned a .249/.323/.407 slash line through 101 games with the Marlins, good for a 97 OPS+. But he went from below average at the plate to well above it with New York, slashing .273/.325/.500 with 11 dingers and 18 steals in just 46 games. Chisholm finished with 24 homers and 40 stolen bases, making him one of four players -- along with Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz and José Ramírez -- to reach the 20-40 plateau. Chisholm also excelled at a new position, registering 8 OAA at third base with the Yanks.

Mason Miller, Athletics (No. 5 RP)
All of the dark red on Miller's Baseball Savant page really tells the story of just how overpowering he was last season. The second-year flamethrower had the best strikeout rate among relievers last season at 41.8% over 65 innings. Fifty-three of his 104 K's came on pitches clocked at 100 mph or faster. In the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), only Aroldis Chapman has racked up more triple-digit strikeouts in a single season.

But Miller does more than throw gas; he mixes in a power slider that is a tremendous secondary pitch. In 92 plate appearances ending on Miller's slider, opposing hitters struck out 47 times and had an xBA of .098.

Riley Greene, Tigers (No. 5 LF)
Tarik Skubal garnered many of the headlines during the Tigers' ascent in 2024, but don't overlook the club's rising star in the outfield. Greene, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 Draft, compiled 5.4 bWAR last year, which trailed only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the aforementioned Duran among primary outfielders. From 2022-23, Greene recorded 16 home runs and a 108 OPS+ through 754 at-bats. He then bashed 24 homers and had a 133 OPS+ in 512 at-bats this past season. Greene is the first Tigers' position player to crack the top five at any spot since Miguel Cabrera (No. 2 1B) and Ian Kinsler (No. 5 2B) in 2017. Even greater accomplishments might be in the 24-year-old's future.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Here is a rundown of the players who were among The Shredder's "Top 10 Right Now" at their position between Nos. 6 and 10 after not appearing on any of last year's lists.

No. 6: Tyler Fitzgerald, Giants (2B); Matt Chapman, Giants (3B); Eugenio Suárez, D-backs (3B); Edwin Uceta, Rays (RP)

No. 7: Brandon Lowe, Rays (2B); Jackson Chourio, Brewers (LF); Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays (CF); Cole Ragans, Royals (SP); Tanner Scott, Dodgers (RP)

No. 8: Elly De La Cruz, Reds (SS); Steven Kwan, Guardians (LF); Garrett Mitchell, Brewers (CF); Kerry Carpenter, Tigers (RF); Kirby Yates, Dodgers (RP)

No. 9: Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers (1B); Taylor Ward, Angels (LF); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (CF); Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays (RP)

No. 10: Austin Wells, Yankees (C); Gleyber Torres, Tigers (2B); Framber Valdez, Astros (SP); Raisel Iglesias, Braves (RP)