Unveiling the Top 100 Players Right Now
Brian Murphy
@Spokes_Murphy
Manny Randhawa
@MannyOnMLBYou know the next MLB season is right around the corner once it becomes time to rank the Top 100 Players Right Now. And that time is here.
MLB Network¡¯s production and research team has once again ranked the very best players in the Majors using a formula that differs from "The Shredder," which was used to determine the Network¡¯s rankings for the top 10 players at each position.
Here¡¯s a look at who just made the cut.
1) Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers (2024 rank: 4)
Any inkling of doubt as to whether Ohtani would be able to win a third MVP Award without being able to pitch was put to rest in resounding fashion when the two-way superstar made history during a season in which he was limited to designated hitter duties. In his first year with the Dodgers, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit at least 50 home runs (54) and steal at least 50 bases (59) in the same season. Overall, he hit .310/.390/.646 and posted the highest bWAR (9.2) by a full-time DH in MLB history. It all resulted in his third unanimous MVP Award as he enters the 2025 campaign looking to return to his two-way dominance.
2) Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees (2024 rank: 3)
Somehow, after a record-setting 2022 season in which he established a new AL single-season mark for home runs by smashing 62, Judge delivered an even better overall performance in ¡¯24. He eclipsed his 2022 offensive numbers in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (458), slugging percentage (.701, making him the first player to slug over .700 since 2004), OPS+ (223), walks (133) and total bases (392). He also launched an MLB-leading 58 homers. While Ohtani may be the best all-around player in the game, Judge is undoubtedly the most feared hitter.
3) Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals (2024 rank: 20)
Witt made a huge leap up this list from last year, jumping 17 spots all the way to No. 3. And for good reason -- the Royals¡¯ young superstar shortstop followed up a tremendous 2023 sophomore season with an MVP-caliber performance in ¡¯24. In his age-24 campaign, he led the Majors by hitting .332 and collecting 211 hits while posting a .977 OPS (171 OPS+) with 32 homers and 31 steals, marking his second straight 30-30 season. He did all of that while playing spectacular defense at short, winning his first career Gold Glove Award. He finished runner-up to Judge in AL MVP balloting.
4) Juan Soto, RF, Mets (2024 rank: 7)
There are many reasons to consider Soto one of the greatest players in the game, and among its most elite hitters. This offseason, we got 765 million more -- as in, a record 15-year, $765 million contract to join the Mets after a sensational 2024 campaign with the crosstown Yankees. He belted a career-high 41 home runs with a .989 OPS last season, finishing third in AL MVP voting and propelling the Yanks to the World Series for the first time in 15 years when he delivered a go-ahead three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS against the Guardians. Soto is one of eight players in MLB history with an OPS+ of 160 or better through his age-25 season (minimum 3,000 plate appearances through age-25 season) -- the others are Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, Tris Speaker and Rogers Hornsby.
5) Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers (2024 rank: 2)
Betts¡¯ 2024 season was limited by a broken left hand he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in mid-June. Still, he belted 19 home runs with an .863 OPS to go along with his customarily stellar defense at two positions, beginning the season at shortstop and finishing in right field. He earned his eighth All-Star selection, seventh Silver Slugger Award and MVP votes despite only playing in 116 games. Perhaps no player in the game with his caliber of offensive capability is as defensively versatile as Betts, who is entering his age-32 campaign in 2025.
6) Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets (2024 rank: 25)
Lindor is another player who made a quantum leap in the rankings, vaulting up 19 places to No. 6. He was the heart and soul of a 2024 Mets squad that made a surprising run to the NLCS against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers. Lindor got off to a slow start -- on May 21, he was hitting .198/.271/.349. But from there, he caught fire and never looked back, posting a .945 OPS with 26 home runs and 23 steals to complement his great defense at shortstop. He came up with huge hits down the stretch, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning of the penultimate game of the regular season to lift the Mets into the postseason.
7) Yordan Alvarez, LF, Astros (2024 rank: 8)
Alvarez entered last season having been limited by injuries over much of the first five years of his Major League career. But in 2024, he played in a career-high 147 games and hit .308/.392/.567 with 35 homers for Houston. The hulking slugger garnered his third career All-Star selection and continued to demonstrate why he is one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. Alvarez¡¯s quality of contact metrics suggest he was even better than his actual numbers show -- his .595 expected slugging percentage was nearly 30 points higher than the actual figure and ranked in the 99th percentile of qualified hitters.
8) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers (2024 rank: 5)
Freeman had a challenging year, and the challenges went way beyond the field. In early August, his son, Max, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barr¨¦ syndrome, and Freeman had to leave the Dodgers to be with him. Thankfully, doctors told Freeman and his family that Max would make a full recovery. On the field, he continued to produce, if not at the level he has in recent seasons -- he finished with an .854 OPS with 22 homers during the regular season. But then he hit one of the most memorable home runs in postseason history in Game 1 of the World Series, a walk-off grand slam that set the tone for a five-game Dodgers victory.
9) Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez, 3B, Guardians (2024 rank: 14)
Ram¨ªrez continues to be consistently excellent, and he turned in another prodigious offensive campaign in 2024, finishing fifth in AL MVP voting. He finished one double and one home run shy of becoming only the second player in MLB history to have at least 40 doubles, 40 homers and 40 steals in the same season. Had it not been for a rainout on the final day of the regular season, J-Ram might very well have joined Alfonso Soriano (2006) in that exclusive club. Heading into the ¡¯25 season, he is the premier third baseman in the game.
10) Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles (2024 rank: 34)
Henderson leapt 24 spots thanks to a huge season at the plate following a Rookie of the Year performance in 2023. He produced an .893 OPS with 37 home runs and 21 steals to finish fourth in AL MVP balloting. He also produced 9.2 bWAR, becoming just the fifth player this century to produce 9 or more bWAR in his age-23 season or younger. What¡¯s amazing is, Henderson actually slowed down in the second half of the season -- prior to the All-Star break, he had 28 homers with a .956 OPS. If he can keep up that level of production over an entire season, look out.
No. 11-No. 20
A pair of left-handers and a flamethrowing phenom who took the baseball world by storm last year have crashed the Top 100 party among the top 20.
Reigning Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal (No. 11) and Chris Sale (No. 20) join the list thanks to dominant performances in 2024. Skubal helped the Tigers reach the postseason for the first time in a decade by leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA and leading the Majors with 228 strikeouts. Sale, meanwhile, was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year after posting an MLB-best 2.38 ERA and leading the NL with 225 strikeouts.
They¡¯re joined by Paul Skenes (No. 15), who took home NL Rookie of the Year honors following a dominant debut season in which he pitched to a 1.96 ERA and struck out 33% of opposing batters.
Players in this group who made big jumps from the prior year¡¯s rankings include Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (up 39 spots) and D-backs star second baseman Ketel Marte (up 47 spots).
11. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers (2024 rank: no rank)
12. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies (2024 rank: 11)
13. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays (2024 rank: 52)
14. Kyle Tucker, RF, Cubs (2024 rank: 23)
15. Paul Skenes, SP, Pirates (2024 rank: no rank)
16. Ronald Acu?a Jr., RF, Braves (2024 rank: 1)
17. Corey Seager, SS, Rangers (2024 rank: 6)
18. Ketel Marte, 2B, D-backs (2024 rank: 65)
19. Zack Wheeler, SP, Phillies (2024 rank: 28)
20. Chris Sale, SP, Braves (2024 rank: no rank)
No. 21-No. 30
Newcomers in this group are star outfielders Jackson Merrill of the Padres (No. 24) and Jarren Duran of the Red Sox (27). Merrill finished second in NL Rookie of the Year Award balloting after posting an .826 OPS with 24 homers -- five of which were game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later, a record for a player 21 years old or younger (since at least 1961).
Duran, meanwhile, had a memorable year of his own, leading the Majors with 48 doubles and 14 triples while also stealing 34 bases for Boston. He was the MVP of the All-Star Game, launching a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the AL¡¯s 5-3 win.
A player who made a huge leap into this echelon is Brewers catcher William Contreras, who shot up 53 spots to No. 28 after helping the Brewers win an NL Central title by producing an .831 OPS with 23 home runs. He finished fifth in NL MVP voting.
21. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox (2024 rank: 32)
22. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres (2024 rank: 26)
23. Julio Rodr¨ªguez, CF, Mariners (2024 rank: 10)
24. Jackson Merrill, CF, Padres (2024 rank: no rank)
25. Corbin Burnes, SP, D-backs (2024 rank: 29)
26. Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees (2024 rank: 9)
27. Jarren Duran, LF, Red Sox (2024 rank: no rank)
28. William Contreras, C, Brewers (2024 rank: 81)
29. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres (2024 rank: 24)
30. Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros (2024 rank: 22)
No. 31-No. 40
Two players improved their rankings dramatically in this grouping -- shortstop Elly De La Cruz of the Reds (up 69 spots to No. 31) and third baseman Matt Chapman of the Giants (up 49 places to No. 38). And the Brewers¡¯ Jackson Chourio makes his debut on the list at No. 40.
De La Cruz made history (something he¡¯s not unaccustomed to) last year by becoming the first shortstop and the fifth player overall in MLB history to hit at least 25 homers and steal at least 65 bases in the same season (25 homers, 67 steals). He also became the youngest to do so, at 22 years old.
Chapman, meanwhile, had a bounce-back season at the plate after his offensive output had declined in the preceding years. He posted a .790 OPS with 27 homers and played his customarily sparkling defense at third base, winning his fifth Gold Glove Award.
In his rookie season, Chourio got off to a slow start but turned things around midseason. On June 1, he was hitting .207/.251/.323 with five homers. From there through the end of the season, he posted an .888 OPS with 16 homers to help Milwaukee win a division title. He then hit .455 with a pair of homers in the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets.
31. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds (2024 rank: 100)
32. Corbin Carroll, RF, D-backs (2024 rank: 18)
33. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves (2024 rank: 15)
34. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves (2024 rank: 13)
35. Trea Turner, SS, Phillies (2024 rank: 16)
36. Blake Snell, SP, Dodgers (2024 rank: 30)
37. Alex Bregman, 3B, free agent (2024 rank: 44)
38. Matt Chapman, 3B, Giants (2024 rank: 89)
39. Mike Trout, CF, Angels (2024 rank: 12)
40. Jackson Chourio, LF, Brewers (2024 rank: no rank)
No. 41-No. 50
Willy Adames parlayed a career year at the plate into a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants. He also crashed the Top 100 list at No. 41. The veteran shortstop belted 32 homers and drove in 112 runs for the Brewers in 2024.
A couple of players who are making their debut among the top 100 are left-hander Cole Ragans of the Royals (No. 43) and slugging outfielder Brent Rooker of the Athletics (46). Ragans enjoyed a breakout season for Kansas City in 2024, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting with a 3.14 ERA and 29% strikeout rate in an All-Star campaign.
Rooker was a late bloomer, but in ¡¯23, he slugged his way into the collective baseball consciousness, smashing 30 homers in an All-Star season. He topped that last year, when he launched 39 homers with a .927 OPS, over 100 points better than his ¡¯23 OPS of .817.
41. Willy Adames, SS, Giants (2024 rank: no rank)
42. Carlos Correa, SS, Twins (2024 rank: 68)
43. Cole Ragans, SP, Royals (2024 rank: no rank)
44. Max Fried, SP, Yankees (2024 rank: 48)
45. Framber Valdez, SP, Astros (2024 rank: 55)
46. Brent Rooker, LF, Athletics (2024 rank: no rank)
47. Marcell Ozuna, DH, Braves (2024 rank: 83)
48. Christian Walker, 1B, Astros (2024 rank: 58)
49. Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets (2024 rank: 37)
50. Logan Webb, SP, Giants (2024 rank: 42)
No. 51-No. 60
The arrow is pointing way up for most of the players in this group. Anthony Santander, Dylan Cease and Cal Raleigh all climbed 30-plus spots from where they ranked in 2024. Meanwhile, Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez, Riley Greene, Garrett Crochet and Emmanuel Clase made even greater leaps since they were outside of the top 100 last year. Hern¨¢ndez and Santander were two of the biggest bats on the free-agent market this offseason after bashing 33 and 44 homers, respectively.
Crochet, who was acquired via trade by the Red Sox in December, registered a 12.9 K/9 rate in 146 innings with the White Sox last year. And all Clase did was author one of the top seasons by any reliever, highlighted by a 0.61 ERA through 74 1/3 regular-season frames.
51. Logan Gilbert, SP, Mariners (2024 rank: no rank)
52. Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez, RF, Dodgers (2024 rank: no rank)
53. Anthony Santander, RF, Blue Jays (2024 rank: 86)
54. Riley Greene, LF, Tigers (2024 rank: no rank)
55. Dylan Cease, SP, Padres (2024 rank: 92)
56. Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox (2024 rank: no rank)
57. Emmanuel Clase, RP, Guardians (2024 rank: no rank)
58. Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles (2024 rank: 19)
59. Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners (2024 rank: 93)
60. Will Smith, C, Dodgers (2024 rank: 45)
No. 61-No. 70
Japanese aces Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga sit shoulder to shoulder in the rankings after successful debut seasons. Besides winning the World Series with the Dodgers, Yamamoto recorded a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts over a 90-inning span shortened by a shoulder injury. Imanaga, whose 21% strikeout-minus-walk rate was eighth-best among qualified starters, finished among the top five in the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year voting.
In a debut of a different sort, Michael King excelled in his first season both as a full-time starting pitcher and as a member of the Padres. He struck out 201 batters and had a 2.95 ERA. He¡¯s just in front of Hunter Greene, who had a 2.75 ERA across 150 1/3 innings and tied for the MLB lead with 6.3 bWAR.
61. Christian Yelich, LF, Brewers (2024 rank: 72)
62. Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers (2024 rank: 21)
63. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers (2024 rank: 61)
64. Shota Imanaga, SP, Cubs (2024 rank: no rank)
65. Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies (2024 rank: 57)
66. Steven Kwan, LF, Guardians (2024 rank: no rank)
67. Michael Harris II, CF, Braves (2024 rank: 50)
68. Byron Buxton, CF, Twins (2024 rank: no rank)
69. Michael King, SP, Padres (2024 rank: no rank)
70. Hunter Greene, SP, Reds (2024 rank: no rank)
No. 71-No. 80
AL Cy Young Award runner-up Seth Lugo checks in at No. 74, two spots ahead of 2023 NL Cy Young finalist Zac Gallen, who tumbles 45 spots from last year. Two of the newest Yankees, Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams, are also found here. Williams didn¡¯t make his 2024 debut until late July because of a back injury, but he did record a 1.25 ERA over 22 regular-season appearances. However, he wasn¡¯t quite as dominant as Athletics closer Mason Miller, who struck out 41.8% of the batters he faced.
The bottom of this group features two of the longest-tenured catchers in the game, Salvador Perez and J.T. Realmuto. Perez returns to the Top 100 Players Right Now after a two-year absence while Realmuto makes the list for the eighth straight year.
71. Tyler Glasnow, SP, Dodgers (2024 rank: 74)
72. Cody Bellinger, CF, Yankees (2024 rank: 51)
73. Seiya Suzuki, RF, Cubs (2024 rank: 84)
74. Seth Lugo, SP, Royals (2024 rank: no rank)
75. George Kirby, SP, Mariners (2024 rank: 75)
76. Zac Gallen, SP, D-backs (2024 rank: 31)
77. Devin Williams, RP, Yankees (2024 rank: 59)
78. Mason Miller, RP, Athletics (2024 rank: no rank)
79. Salvador Perez, C, Royals (2024 rank: no rank)
80. J.T. Realmuto, C, Phillies (2024 rank: 46)
No. 81-No. 90
There are a bunch of players in this range who are coming off breakout campaigns. That includes burgeoning stars such as Mark Vientos, Bryce Miller and Lawrence Butler. And then there is Jurickson Profar, whose breakout season came in his 11th year in the Majors. The Braves¡¯ new outfielder set career highs across the board during his age-31 season, earned a Silver Slugger Award and received his first All-Star selection. Luis Arraez is just in front of Profar here. The Padres infielder slipped 40 spots from last year¡¯s rankings despite winning a batting title for the third consecutive season.
81. Mark Vientos, 3B, Mets (2024 rank: no rank)
82. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins (2024 rank: 95)
83. Luis Arraez, 1B, Padres (2024 rank: 43)
84. Jurickson Profar, LF, Braves (2024 rank: no rank)
85. Isaac Paredes, 3B, Astros (2024 rank: 78)
86. Willson Contreras, C, Cardinals (2024 rank: 82)
87. Bryce Miller, SP, Mariners (2024 rank: no rank)
88. Justin Steele, SP, Cubs (2024 rank: 64)
89. Kerry Carpenter, RF, Tigers (2024 rank: no rank)
90. Lawrence Butler, RF, Athletics (2024 rank: no rank)
No. 91-No. 100
The No. 100 player is also the game¡¯s No. 1 prospect. Roki Sasaki has the skills to be one of the league's best pitchers this season. The same goes for the player directly in front of him on this list, Jacob deGrom. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has thrown only 105 1/3 innings over the past three seasons due to injuries, but the projections believe he can still be elite. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, top-10 players two years ago, now find themselves next to each other in the 90s. They are on the back end of their decorated careers while 2024 rookies Masyn Winn, James Wood and Wyatt Langford all appear to have a bright future.
91. Brandon Nimmo, LF, Mets (2024 rank: 70)
92. Ian Happ, LF, Cubs (2024 rank: no rank)
93. Dansby Swanson, SS, Cubs (2024 rank: 67)
94. Masyn Winn, SS, Cardinals (2024 rank: no rank)
95. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals (2024 rank: 33)
96. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees (2024 rank: 36)
97. Wyatt Langford, LF, Rangers (2024 rank: no rank)
98. James Wood, LF, Nationals (2024 rank: no rank)
99. Jacob deGrom, SP, Rangers (2024 rank: no rank)
100. Roki Sasaki, SP, Dodgers (2024 rank: no rank)