Ranking Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and the Top 25 MLB Players for 2024
Kerry Miller@@kerrancejamesRanking Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and the Top 25 MLB Players for 2024

Before the 2024 MLB season officially gets underway bright and early Wednesday morning, we have one final order of business:
Ranking the top 25 players in the majors.
B/R's Joel Reuter has been knocking out the position-by-position rankings left and right (as well as third and catcher and everywhere else) over the past few weeks. You should really go read those, too. Here are his center field rankings from Tuesday, where you can also find every other position published thus far.
But while he's had to grapple with where to slot the various not-great options from Oakland, Colorado and Washington throughout the series, we're just covering the best of the best here—a list so chock full o' talent that you're going to see the list of honorable mentions in a second and immediately throw a fit about guys who missed the cut.
Please keep in mind, though, in order to argue someone needs to be on the list, you need to also argue who should be removed. And good luck with that part.
The ranking is based predominantly on how dominant these players were in 2023, though there is a decent amount of projecting involved, especially in the cases of injury or guys who really surged to the finish line over the final few months of last season.
Honorable Mentions
Gerrit Cole (RHP, New York Yankees): Would be top-10, but he's already hurt.
Mike Trout (OF, Los Angeles Angels): Would be top-10, but he's always hurt (He's not currently injured, just to be clear. However, sportsbooks should let you wager on whether he'll land on the IL before Memorial Day.)
Adolis Garcia (OF, Texas Rangers); Pete Alonso (1B, New York Mets); Luis Robert Jr. (OF, Chicago White Sox): Sensational sluggers who just missed the cut.
Blake Snell (LHP, San Francisco Giants); Zac Gallen (RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks); Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers): Godspeed to the Rockies trying to get hits in this division.
Jose Altuve (2B, Houston Astros); Bo Bichette (SS, Toronto Blue Jays); Manny Machado (3B, San Diego Padres); Rafael Devers (3B, Boston Red Sox): Would gleefully take any of these infielders on my squad but simply ran out of room in this top 25.
Nos. 25-23: Corbin Burnes, Francisco Lindor and Austin Riley

25. Corbin Burnes, RHP, Baltimore Orioles
2023 Stats: 10-8, 193.2 IP, 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 3.5 bWAR
Spoiler alert: There are only three pitchers in our top 25. With Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom all on the shelf to start the season (and Ohtani not pitching this year), we're in a weird spot as far as star power on the mound is concerned.
But maybe Burnes can follow in Blake Snell's footsteps by winning his second Cy Young in a different league after getting traded from the Brewers to the Orioles. He finished top-eight in the NL vote in each of the past four years and led the league in WHIP last season—even though it was his worst WHIP since 2019 when he was still mostly in a relief role. He could be the exact missing link that gets Baltimore to the World Series.
24. Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets
2023 Stats: .254/.336/.470, 31 HR, 98 RBI, 31 SB, 6.0 bWAR
Kind of lost in the shuffle of the Acuña/Betts race for NL MVP and the Mets having an horrible year, Lindor had one heck of an individual campaign. Not quite as great as what he did with Cleveland back in 2018, but 31 homers, 31 stolen bases and more than 31 doubles is nothing to sneeze at.
Both Acuña and Julio Rodríguez also reached those three plateaus in 2023, but the only other instance of such a season more recently than 2011 was Lindor's former teammate José Ramírez getting there in 2018.
23. Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
2023 Stats: .281/.345/.516, 37 HR, 97 RBI, 5.9 bWAR
Remember when Riley signed that massive contract extension around the 2022 trade deadline before limping to the finish line, triple-slashing .224/.331/.393 from August 1 onward and going just 1-for-15 at the dish in the NLDS loss to Philadelphia?
Fortunately for Atlanta, he bounced back in a big way in 2023 and would have been a more serious candidate for NL MVP were he not playing alongside two even better candidates. And in last year's NLDS loss to Philadelphia, he certainly wasn't the one to blame, going 6-for-17 with two dingers.
Nos. 22-20: Marcus Semien, Zack Wheeler and Kyle Tucker

22. Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers
2023 Stats: .276/.348/.478, 29 HR, 100 RBI, 122 R, 14 SB, 7.4 bWAR
We used to have the Even-Year Giants. Now there's Odd-Year Marcus Semien. The Rangers second baseman finished third in the AL MVP voting last year, as he also did in each of 2019 and 2021 while with Oakland and Toronto, respectively.
To be clear, though, Semien hasn't played poorly in the even years. As far as Baseball Reference is concerned, he was Texas' MVP during that 94-loss campaign in 2022. He was also one of the better A's in both 2016 and 2018. So even if there was anything projectable with the notion that he plays his best in odd years, Even-Year Semien is still easily one of the best second basemen in the majors.
21. Zack Wheeler, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
2023 Stats: 13-6, 192.0 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 4.3 bWAR
Look no further than the three-year, $126 million extension Wheeler signed with Philadelphia for evidence of how darn valuable he has been. It's a little surprising the team didn't go just a little bit higher to get his average annual value ($42M) above that of both Scherzer and Verlander at $43.3 million to make him the highest-salaried player not named Ohtani. But still, high praise.
What's wild is the extension came on the heels of his worst season in the City of Brotherly Love. Wheeler had a sub-3.00 ERA three seasons in a row before ballooning a bit to 3.61 this past year. Yet, still, kind of an obvious move for the Phillies to lock him up through 2027.
20. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
2023 Stats: .284/.369/.517, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, 5.4 bWAR
Between the José Altuve and Yordan Álvarez injuries and the slow starts by Alex Bregman and José Abreu, the baseball community seemed to finally realize in 2023 something the fantasy baseball community had known for a few years: Kyle Tucker is pretty doggone valuable.
Though Ohtani winning AL MVP was a foregone conclusion, Tucker, 27, finished fifth in that vote last year for practically carrying Houston to the AL West crown. Unfortunately for the Astros, he vanished in the postseason, batting .150 with just one RBI in those 11 games. But that's just added motivation to be even better in 2024.
Nos. 19-17: Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll

19. Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Baltimore Orioles
2023 Stats: .255/.325/.489, 28 HR, 82 RBI, 100 R, 10 SB, 6.2 bWAR
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Henderson's AL Rookie of the Year campaign is that it came in spite of a brutal start. In mid-May, he was batting .170, on pace for maybe 15 home runs if he was lucky. Baltimore was winning in spite of him, not because of him.
From June 1 onward, though, he was the star of the show, posting an .856 OPS over his final 100 games, operating at a 162-game pace of 37 home runs, 110 RBI and 181 hits. If we look back at these rankings at the end of the year and end up way off on Henderson, it's probably not going to be because he was overvalued at No. 19.
18. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
2023 Stats: .276/.319/.495, 30 HR, 96 RBI, 97 R, 49 SB, 4.4 bWAR
As a rookie in 2022, Witt had one of the quietest 20-homer, 80 RBI, 30-steal campaigns imaginable, only amounting to 0.9 bWAR and a fourth-place finish for AL ROY, because his OPS (.722) wasn't great and because his defense was a bit of a disaster. But after bouncing Witt back and forth between short and third in 2022, the Royals simply planted him at shortstop last year and his value went through the roof.
He looked so much more comfortable, both in the field and at the plate, quickly blossoming into the sensation Kansas City knew he could be. And now the Royals want to actually accomplish something with him, signing Witt to a massive extension and adding a lot in free agency this offseason to make sure he doesn't remain a one-man show on a 106-loss team.
17. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2023 Stats: .285/.362/.506, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 116 R, 54 SB, 5.4 bWAR
It's coincidental that we ended up with these three young stars back-to-back-to-back in the top 20, but this trio of not-old-enough-to-rent-a-car phenoms provides a good reminder that baseball's future is quite bright.
Carroll had a phenomenal rookie year, with 30 doubles and 10 triples in addition to everything listed above. He was also a key part of that D-backs run to the NL pennant, especially in sweeping the first two series against the Brewers and Dodgers.
It's a good thing they got him on that eight-year, $111 million contract last spring. Had they waited until this offseason to try to make that happen, his AAV might've doubled.
Nos. 16-14: José Ramírez, Adley Rutschman and Matt Olson

16. José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
2023 Stats: .282/.356/.475, 24 HR, 80 RBI, 87 R, 28 SB, 5.1 bWAR
After a 2022 campaign in which Jo-Ram posted a 1.073 OPS in 202 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, he was drastically less reliable in those situations in 2023 with an OPS of just .708 in 200 opportunities.
As a result, he had 46 fewer RBI and only finished 10th in the AL MVP after placing top-six in five of the previous six years. He's still extremely valuable, though, and maybe Cleveland bounces back a good bit from last year's 76-86 disappointment if its star third baseman gets back to delivering in the clutch on a more regular basis.
15. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles
2023 Stats: .277/.374/.435, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 84 R, 4.3 bWAR
There are plenty of ways to try to convey Rutschman's value added on the diamond. In his two seasons, he has posted an .808 OPS while showcasing great glove work behind the plate, playing in just about every game, whether at catcher or DH.
Where you really see his value added, though, is in Baltimore's night-and-day transformation into a contender. Since calling up the switch-hitting catcher, the O's have gone 168-116 (.592 win percentage) compared to 194-392 (.331) in the four-plus years before he came to their rescue. That's no coincidence.
14. Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves
2023 Stats: .283/.389/.604, 54 HR, 139 RBI, 127 R, 7.4 bWAR
Since the beginning of 2020, only Aaron Judge (147) has more home runs than Olson's 141. And when Olson was hot last year, mercy. He had 10 home runs in the span of 13 games in the second half of June, another run of 11 dingers in 17 games that began in late July and then a 10-game stretch with eight home runs in September.
Olson led the majors in both home runs and RBI, playing in all 162 of Atlanta's games for the second consecutive season. Suffice it to say, the Braves are holding up just fine at first base during life after Freddie Freeman. (Though, Freeman does rank higher on this list.)
Nos. 13-11: Spencer Strider, Fernando Tatis Jr., Trea Turner

13. Spencer Strider, RHP, Atlanta Braves
2023 Stats: 20-5, 186.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 3.4 bWAR
The top pitcher on this list checks in at No. 13, fresh off a campaign with a 3.86 ERA. What a time to be alive.
But Strider was unlucky to allow that many runs last season. Among the 45 pitchers who logged enough innings to qualify for an ERA title, he had the highest K/9 by a mile and a WHIP that ranked in the top 20 percent, ending up with a 2.85 FIP more than a full run below his ERA.
Basically, the expectation is he'll reel in that ERA in 2024—if he hasn't already somewhat wasted his regression to the mean in that department by tossing 18 scoreless innings thus far in spring training.
12. Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, San Diego Padres
2023 Stats: .257/.322/.449, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 91 R, 29 SB, 5.5 bWAR
At the plate, Tatis was a far cry from what he used to be before the injury and the PEDs suspension. It got overlooked a bit as he did still have 25 home runs and 25-plus steals, but he entered 2023 with a career OPS of .965 only to land at .770 last season.
Granted, Ronald Acuña Jr. had a very similar experience when he returned from injury in 2022 (.925 OPS before; .764 OPS that year) before having a historic 2023 season, but it's something to keep an eye on.
Tatis pretty well made up for that drop in OPS, however, by becoming one of the most valuable defenders in baseball. After three years of replacement-level defense at shortstop, he moved out to right field and became a Platinum Glover. Per FanGraphs, he was worth 29 defensive runs saved, with no one else in the majors faring better than 23.
11. Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia Phillies
2023 Stats: .266/.320/.459, 26 HR, 76 RBI, 102 R, 30 SB, 3.4 bWAR
The full-season marks for Turner's first year in Philly—the batting average and on-base percentage, in particular—were rather disappointing. He was a career .302 hitter with a .355 OBP in his first eight seasons, both of which were down about 35 points in the first year of his $300 million mega-contract.
At least he finished quite strong, though. He was sitting at .236/.289/.367 through his first 108 games before suddenly snapping out of that funk, exploding for a .339/.391/.677 triple-slash, homering at a 162-game pace of 55 the rest of the way.
Maybe he finally found the right cheesesteak joint in early August, but he'll be an incredibly strong candidate for MVP if he can replicate those two months for the next six.
Nos. 10-9: Julio Rodríguez and Bryce Harper

10. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Seattle Mariners
2023 Stats: .275/.333/.485, 32 HR, 103 RBI, 102 R, 37 SB, 5.3 bWAR
So far so good on that ginormous contract Rodríguez signed two summers ago. Not only has he been great for the Mariners, but by finishing seventh in the 2022 AL MVP vote and fourth last year, Rodríguez has already driven up the price of the eight-year club option portion of his contract from $200 million to $240 million, with the possibility of climbing to $350 million if he continues to be this good for the next half-decade.
His full-season numbers were solid, but remember that run in mid-August when he had four consecutive games with at least four hits? (Well I sure do, because he was on my opponent's roster that week in a fantasy baseball matchup that almost cost me a spot in the playoffs. Gee thanks, J-Rod.)
That four-game stretch was at the epicenter of a seven-week inferno in which Rodríguez had a 1.125 OPS with 162-game paces of 64 home runs and 55 stolen bases. Seattle was barely a .500 team at the start of that, but the M's were alone in first place in the AL West by late-August. Shame they couldn't maintain it.
9. Bryce Harper, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
2023 Stats: .293/.401/.499, 21 HR, 72 RBI, 84 R, 11 SB, 3.7 bWAR
In a year of high-profile position changes, Harper's transition to first base was probably an even bigger deal than Tatis moving out to right field or Betts getting a lot of reps as a middle infielder. Not only did it solve the Phillies' problem of losing Rhys Hoskins in spring training, but it also allowed them to routinely keep—and, in the postseason, exclusively keep—Kyle Schwarber at DH as opposed to letting him lumber around in left field with the worst defensive metrics in baseball. (Tatis saved 29 runs in RF. Schwarber cost 21 runs in LF.)
And Harper was actually...kind of good at first? Between the regular season and postseason, he logged over 400 innings there with only one error committed, making a couple of really impressive plays, no less. Kind of a no-brainer decision for the Phillies to plan on keeping him there for the foreseeable future.
That move to first base sparked something in his bat, too. He was batting almost .300 through July 20, but his launch angle was all out of whack, hitting a very un-Bam-Bam-like four home runs in his first 63 games. But in the same number of plate appearances (273) from July 21 onward, he mashed 17 taters with a 1.001 OPS.
Perhaps a third MVP campaign forthcoming?
Nos. 8-7: Yordan Álvarez and Freddie Freeman

8. Yordan Álvarez, DH/OF, Houston Astros
2023 Stats: .293/.407/.583, 31 HR, 97 RBI, 77 R, 4.6 bWAR
There are only three players with at least 30 home runs and 95 RBI in each of the past three seasons: previously-discussed Matt Olson, soon-to-be-discussed Shohei Ohtani and this designated crusher for the Astros.
What's really impressive about Álvarez landing in that exclusive club is we are still awaiting his first fully healthy season. Olson has missed a grand total of six games during that three-year stretch. Ohtani got shut down late last season, yet he appeared in all but 39 games for the Angels since the beginning of 2021. But Álvarez has missed an average of 31 games per year during that time—this after appearing in just two games in 2020.
But when he's able to play, not many have been better, boasting a .958 OPS since the start of 2021.
And those are just his regular season numbers. In 40 games played over the past three Octobers, Álvarez is at 11 home runs with a 1.057 OPS, including six consecutive multi-hit games in the 2023 ALCS.
7. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023 Stats: .331/.410/.567, 29 HR, 102 RBI, 131 R, 23 SB, 6.5 bWAR
Speaking of games missed, this 34-year-old has a grand total of nine DNPs since the beginning of 2018, finishing top nine in the NL MVP in each of those years, including winning it in 2020.
Freeman set a new career-high with 90 extra-base hits in 2023, 59 of which were doubles. That matched Todd Helton's mark of 59 two-baggers from 2000, which was the most in a single season since both Charlie Gehringer and Joe Medwick went for 60+ in 1936.
At some point, there are going to be diminishing returns, right? First base isn't exactly the most physically demanding position on the diamond, but how much longer can Freeman realistically be one of the best in the business?
Well, we assume for at least one more year, as putting him in the top 10 was not a remotely difficult decision.
Nos. 6-5: Juan Soto and Corey Seager

6. Juan Soto, OF, New York Yankees
2023 Stats: .275/.410/.519, 35 HR, 109 RBI, 97 R, 12 SB, 5.5 bWAR
Unless you're a Yankees fan, it's still really off-putting to see Soto in pinstripes, isn't it?
Well, get used to it for at least six or seven months, and get used to seeing him on base in front of Aaron Judge, giving his now partner-in-crimes against opposing pitchers way more opportunities for ribbies. (I mean, how ridiculous is it that Judge has 99 home runs since the beginning of 2022, but only 206 RBI?)
In each of his six seasons in the majors, Soto has posted an on-base percentage north of .400. And while the "Imagine what he'll do with that short porch in right field" dreams didn't really pan out with Anthony Rizzo, maybe they will with Soto. At any rate, getting the heck out of Petco should do wonders for his slugging, as he had an .827 OPS at home compared to a 1.026 OPS on the road in 2023.
Whether the addition of Soto will be enough to get the Yankees back to the postseason and maybe even into the World Series for the first time since 2009 remains to be seen. But I'd be willing to bet an irresponsible amount of money that by adding Soto, they get their run total up from last year's 673 disaster much closer to their 884 average from 2017-19.
5. Corey Seager, SS, Texas Rangers
2023 Stats: .327/.390/.623, 33 HR, 96 RBI, 88 R, 6.9 bWAR
A big part of Seager ranking in the top five is not listed above: postseason prowess.
It wasn't until 1955 that a World Series MVP was first awarded, but a few months ago, Seager became just the fourth multi-time WS MVP in history, joining Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson on that list.
Decent company there, eh?
But it's much more than that, of course. Despite missing more than a month of action with a hamstring injury, he came oh so close to winning a batting title, and his 1.013 OPS was second only to that of Shohei Ohtani.
Notably, that's including a bit of a rough final two weeks of the regular season, and a hit-or-miss stretch of a couple weeks after he came back from the injury. From mid-June through mid-September, there was a 72-game stint where he was on a 162-game pace for 56 HR and 142 RBI with a 1.120 OPS.
Pretty wild that he finished second for AL MVP while appearing in only 119 games, but that's how dominant he was.
Nos. 4-3: Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts

4. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023 Stats: .304/.412/.654, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 102 R, 20 SB, 10.0 bWAR
The tricky part in figuring out where to rank this two-time AL MVP is that—at least for this season—he's not the two-way unicorn we've come to know and love.
Ohtani is merely going to be a very, very good hitter.
One who led the AL in home runs and OBP and led the majors in both slugging and OPS last season.
A hitter who we assume isn't going to be providing any value to the Dodgers' defense in 2024, even though there has been some recent scuttlebutt about the possibility of him playing in the outfield. (What is he going to do, drop-kick the ball into the infield? Why would they risk his surgically-repaired-and-still-healing arm on outfield duties? If you're hurting for outfielders, maybe give Mookie Betts a try? He might be decent out there. Tough to say.)
Basically, for one year, we probably need to view Ohtani as peak, mid-2000s David Ortiz, when he was a perennial top-five MVP candidate, an indispensable member of a constant World Series contender, but never quite the most valuable player in the league.
3. Mookie Betts, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023 Stats: .307/.408/.579, 39 HR, 107 RBI, 126 R, 14 SB, 8.3 bWAR
There have been some versatile greats in MLB history. Stan Musial made at least 300 starts at each of first, left, center and right over the course of his Hall of Fame career. For Pete Rose, it was 500+ starts at each of first, second, third, left and right, plus an occasional appearance in center.
Going from an outfielder to a more or less full-time middle infielder at the age of 30, though, is pretty darn unique, and goes to show just how gifted Betts is.
After spending a good chunk of last year at second base, the Dodgers' plan is to use Betts as the primary shortstop this year. Will be a fun experiment to watch unfold, but no good reason to assume the six-time Gold Glover won't continue to thrive in that role.
And no matter where he's at in the field, we're also talking about a six-time Silver Slugger who hit a career-best 39 home runs last year.
Nos. 2-1: Aaron Judge and Ronald Acuña Jr.

2. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
2023 Stats: .267/.406/.613, 37 HR, 75 RBI, 79 R, 4.5 bWAR
The question with Judge has never been talent. Since the beginning of 2017, he has a .993 OPS. Only Mike Trout (1.032) has been better in that department. And despite only playing in 808 out of a possible 1,032 games, Judge has hit 23 more home runs (253) than the second-best players on that list.
Rather, the question with Judge is health, as he has missed at least 30 percent of four of the past six seasons.
If he's able to play a nearly full season, there's an excellent chance he'll hit at least 50 home runs while winning another MVP trophy—especially with Ohtani now in the NL, and especially now with all of the chances to drive in Soto.
And, well, he already missed a chunk of spring training with an abdomen injury, so here we go again. Let's for now assume a reasonably healthy campaign, which should be good enough for a top-two ranking.
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves
2023 Stats: .337/.416/.596, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 149 R, 73 SB, 8.2 bWAR
It has been almost six full months and it's still hard to process what Acuña did last season.
No one in MLB history had ever put up at least 29 home runs and 53 stolen bases in the same season, and he went out there and racked up 41 and 73, respectively.
Sure, it was easier to steal bases in 2023 than it had been in a long time, resulting in Corbin Carroll (25 and 54) and Bobby Witt Jr. (30 and 49) also having very impressive HR/SB combo meal seasons. But for crying out loud, Acuña founded the 30/55 club, the 35/60 club and the 40/70 club in one fell swoop.
He made history, and then he took a couple victory laps around that history.
To compare that feat to another sport, no one in NFL history has ever had 1,400 rushing yards and 900 receiving yards in the same season, but in how emphatically he bypassed the "never in the same season" HR and SB marks, Acuña just had the equivalent of roughly 1,925 rushing yards and 1,275 receiving yards.
Who knows if he can come anywhere close to repeating it, but it was a magical enough season that there wasn't any reason to look elsewhere for this No. 1 spot.
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