Final 2022 MLB Position-by-Position Top 10 Rankings
Who are the 10 best MLB players at each position in 2022?
That's the simple question we set out to answer, and it required casting aside past performance, expectations and long-term projections.
In other words, name recognition and previous success don't mean anything here. We're just looking at how players performed in 2022.
For consistency, players are ranked at the position where they have played the most innings this year.
Let the debate begin!
Note:
Included in parentheses after each player's name is his ranking in
last month's version of this article, which can be found here.
Catchers
1 of 12
Top 10 Catchers
1. J.T. Realmuto, PHI (1)
2. Alejandro Kirk, TOR (3)
3. Adley Rutschman, BAL (5)
4. Will Smith, LAD (4)
5. Willson Contreras, CHC (2)
6. Sean Murphy, OAK (6)
7. Cal Raleigh, SEA (7)
8. William Contreras, ATL (10)
9. Salvador Perez, KC (NR)
10. Travis d'Arnaud, ATL (NR)
No. 1 Spot: With a .300/.362/.575 line since the All-Star break that includes 26 extra-base hits in 221 plate appearances, J.T. Realmuto remains at the top of the catcher rankings. The 31-year-old also leads the majors with a 41.5 percent caught stealing rate.
Biggest Breakout: Rookie Adley Rutschman has been every bit as good as advertised in his debut with the Baltimore Orioles. His 5.0 WAR in 108 games trails only Carlton Fisk (7.3 in 1972), Mike Piazza (7.0 in 1993) and Thurman Munson (5.5 in 1970) for the highest total in MLB history by a rookie catcher.
Toughest Omission: While he is hitting just .175 with a .574 OPS since the All-Star break, Jonah Heim is still having a solid overall season for the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old has a 96 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 15 home runs, 47 RBI and 2.3 WAR in 123 games.
First Basemen
2 of 12
Top 10 First Basemen
1. Paul Goldschmidt, STL (1)
2. Freddie Freeman, LAD (2)
3. Pete Alonso, NYM (3)
4. José Abreu, CWS (5)
5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR (4)
6. Christian Walker, ARI (10)
7. Nathaniel Lowe, TEX (8)
8. Luis Arráez, MIN (6)
9. Anthony Rizzo, NYY (NR)
10. Josh Bell, SD (7)
No. 1 Spot: A quiet month of September (95 PA, .241 BA, .724 OPS) has narrowed the gap between Paul Goldschmidt and the rest of the league's first basemen, but he is still a deserving choice for the No. 1 spot. The NL MVP front-runner is hitting .318/.404/.584 for a 181 OPS+ with 41 doubles, 35 home runs and 114 RBI.
Biggest Breakout: After a modest 18-homer, 72-RBI season last year, Nathaniel Lowe has taken another step forward in 2022. The 27-year-old is hitting .304/.357/.496 with 26 home runs and 3.1 WAR, and he has a gaudy .347/.401/.579 line in 277 plate appearances since the All-Star break.
Second Basemen
3 of 12
Top 10 Second Basemen
1. Andrés Giménez, CLE (1)
2. José Altuve, HOU (2)
3. Jeff McNeil, NYM (3)
4. Tommy Edman, STL (4)
5. Gleyber Torres, NYY (9)
6. Kolten Wong, MIL (NR)
7. Jake Cronenworth, SD (6)
8. Marcus Semien, TEX (8)
9. Jorge Polanco, MIN (7)
10. Gavin Lux, LAD (5)
No. 1 Spot: After hitting .218 with a 74 OPS+ in 210 plate appearances last year, Andrés Giménez has emerged as a bona fide star in 2022 for an upstart Cleveland team. The 24-year-old is hitting .303/.375/.479 with 46 extra-base hits, 19 steals and a whopping 6.9 WAR in 141 games.
Biggest Breakout: The biggest breakout undoubtedly belongs to Giménez, but how about Kolten Wong quietly posting a career year offensively? The 31-year-old has a 119 OPS+ with 43 extra-base hits, and he is batting .287/.373/.508 in 211 plate appearances during the second half.
Toughest Omission: In his first season as an everyday player, Thairo Estrada is hitting .267/.328/.414 for a 108 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 19 steals and 2.1 WAR in 135 games. The 26-year-old has a chance to be a long-term piece in San Francisco with club control through the 2026 season.
Third Basemen
4 of 12
Top 10 Third Basemen
1. Nolan Arenado, STL (1)
2. Manny Machado, SD (2)
3. José Ramírez, CLE (3)
4. Austin Riley, ATL (4)
5. Rafael Devers, BOS (5)
6. Alex Bregman, HOU (6)
7. Yandy Díaz, TB (9)
8. Matt Chapman, TOR (8)
9. DJ LeMahieu, NYY (7)
10. Eugenio Suárez, SEA (10)
No. 1 Spot: In his second season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Nolan Arenado has career highs in OPS+ (154) and WAR (7.8) while hitting .293/.359/.537 with 41 doubles, 30 home runs and 100 RBI. He is also playing his usual stellar defensive third base while chasing a 10th straight Gold Glove.
Biggest Breakout: With a 14.0 percent walk rate and .398 on-base percentage, Yandy Díaz has been one of the most underrated players in baseball this season. His 140 OPS+ is tops on the Tampa Bay Rays roster, and his 3.2 WAR trails only Shane McClanahan (3.9) and Jeffrey Springs (3.6) among his teammates.
Shortstops
5 of 12
Top 10 Shortstops
1. Xander Bogaerts, BOS (2)
2. Francisco Lindor, NYM (4)
3. Trea Turner, LAD (1)
4. Carlos Correa, MIN (6)
5. Dansby Swanson, ATL (3)
6. Willy Adames, MIL (8)
7. Nico Hoerner, CHC (7)
8. Bo Bichette, TOR (NR)
9. Corey Seager, TEX (5)
10. Amed Rosario, CLE (9)
No. 1 Spot: Poised to opt out of the final four years and $80 million of his current contract this winter, Xander Bogaerts has been a model of consistency over the last five seasons with an OPS+ between 128 and 139 every year. He is hitting .309/.380/.456 with 5.6 WAR in 146 games this year.
Biggest Breakout: Finally healthy for a full season, Nico Hoerner has emerged as a building block for the retooling Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old is hitting .285/.331/.411 with 35 extra-base hits and 19 steals, which coupled with his stellar defense (11 DRS) has made him a 4.4 WAR player in 129 games.
Toughest Omission: Rookie Jeremy Peña has fallen off a bit after a red-hot start to his MLB career, but he is still having a strong all-around debut. Despite a sub-.300 on-base percentage, he has 20 home runs and 4.4 WAR in 131 games, and his 15 DRS are tied for first among all shortstops.
Left Fielders
6 of 12
Top 10 Left Fielders
1. Steven Kwan, CLE (1)
2. Randy Arozarena, TB (4)
3. Ian Happ, CHC (2)
4. Andrew Benintendi, NYY (3)
5. Mark Canha, NYM (9)
6. Jurickson Profar, SD (6)
7. Kyle Schwarber, PHI (5)
8. Joc Pederson, SF (7)
9. Christian Yelich, MIL (8)
10. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., TOR (10)
No. 1 Spot: In a lot of other years, Steven Kwan would be the front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year honors, but he's likely headed for a third-place finish behind Julio Rodríguez and Adley Rutschman. The 25-year-old is hitting .302/.376/.403 for a 126 OPS+ with more walks (61) than strikeouts (56) and 5.5 WAR for the AL Central champions.
Biggest Breakout: Former top prospect Jurickson Profar tallied 3.2 WAR in 684 career games entering the 2022 season, and he has more than doubled that total this year with 3.3 WAR in 147 games with the San Diego Padres. Still just 29 years old, he should have plenty of suitors in free agency if he decides to decline an $8.3 million player option.
Toughest Omission: Alex Verdugo is hitting .285/.333/.414 for a 106 OPS+ with 39 doubles, 11 home runs and 74 RBI for the Red Sox this year. But below-average defense in the outfield has undercut some of his overall value, and his 1.4 WAR leaves him well short of earning a spot on this list.
Center Fielders
7 of 12
Top 10 Center Fielders
1. Aaron Judge, NYY (1)
2. Mike Trout, LAA (3)
3. Julio Rodríguez, SEA (2)
4. Michael Harris II, ATL (5)
5. Brandon Nimmo, NYM (7)
6. George Springer, TOR (6)
7. Byron Buxton, MIN (4)
8. Bryan Reynolds, PIT (9)
9. Cedric Mullins, BAL (10)
10. Michael A. Taylor, KC (NR)
No. 1 Spot: Entering play Friday, Aaron Judge was the American League leader in on-base percentage (.425), slugging (.696), OPS+ (213), home runs (61), RBI (130), runs scored (130), walks (106), total bases (384) and WAR (10.4). What more really needs to be said?
Biggest Breakout: Considering he had not yet played above the High-A level when the season began, it's fair to say Michael Harris II has far exceeded expectations as far as his 2022 contributions are concerned. The NL Rookie of the Year favorite is hitting .305/.344/.531 with 49 extra-base hits, 20 steals and 5.3 WAR in 109 games.
Toughest Omission: If only Luis Robert could stay healthy. The 25-year-old has played in roughly one full season's worth of games (166) over the past two years, and he has racked up 5.8 WAR during that span. Alas, it's tough to include him on this list when he hasn't even played 100 games this year.
Right Fielders
8 of 12
Top 10 Right Fielders
1. Mookie Betts, LAD (1)
2. Juan Soto, SD (2)
3. Kyle Tucker, HOU (3)
4. Starling Marte, NYM (4)
5. Taylor Ward, LAA (7)
6. Hunter Renfroe, MIL (6)
7. Adolis García, TEX (5)
8. Anthony Santander, BAL (9)
9. Teoscar Hernández, TOR (10)
10. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (8)
No. 1 Spot: On a Los Angeles Dodgers roster loaded with star power, Mookie Betts is the team leader in home runs (35), runs scored (114) and WAR (6.2) as he is likely on his way to another top-10 finish in MVP voting.
Biggest Breakout: Even with a dip in production since the All-Star break, Taylor Ward has still been one of the biggest breakout players of the 2022 season. The 28-year-old has a 136 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 3.9 WAR in 129 games. He was a minus-0.5 WAR player through his first 159 MLB games prior to this year.
Toughest Omission: With a 129 OPS+ and 2.2 WAR in 102 games, Lars Nootbaar has quietly been a key contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. The 25-year-old has an .868 OPS with 10 home runs in 61 games since the All-Star break.
Designated Hitters
9 of 12
Top 10 Designated Hitters
1. Yordan Álvarez, HOU (1)
2. Shohei Ohtani, LAA (2)
3. Bryce Harper, PHI (3)
4. Albert Pujols, STL (4)
5. Eloy Jiménez, CWS (NR)
6. Daniel Vogelbach, NYM (5)
7. Trey Mancini, HOU (7)
8. J.D. Martinez, BOS (8)
9. J.D. Davis, SF (NR)
10. Luke Voit, WAS (9)
No. 1 Spot: Slugger Yordan Álvarez has done nothing but rake since winning AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2019, and he is hitting .304/.407/.614 with 37 home runs and 6.5 WAR this season. Beneath those surface-level numbers, he has also made significant strides in his walk rate (plus 5.9 percent) and strikeout rate (minus 5.6 percent).
Biggest Breakout: With a 134 OPS+, five home runs and 23 RBI in 50 games with the New York Mets, Daniel Vogelbach has quietly been one of the best pickups of this year's trade deadline. The 29-year-old has a 123 OPS+ with 17 long balls on the year.
Toughest Omission: His 28 home runs and 75 RBI are nice, but Giancarlo Stanton missed the cut due to an ugly .208 average and .292 on-base percentage in what has been the worst season of his MLB career.
Right-Handed Starting Pitchers
10 of 12
Top 10 Right-Handed Starting Pitchers
1. Justin Verlander, HOU (1)
2. Sandy Alcantara, MIA (2)
3. Dylan Cease, CWS (4)
4. Max Scherzer, NYM (5)
5. Alek Manoah, TOR (7)
6. Zac Gallen, ARI (6)
7. Tony Gonsolin, LAD (3)
8. Shohei Ohtani, LAA (8)
9. Shane Bieber, CLE (NR)
10. Yu Darvish, SD (NR)
No. 1 Spot: In his return from Tommy John surgery, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander has put together one of the most dominant seasons of his career. In 27 starts, he has gone 17-4 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 175 strikeouts in 170 innings, and his third Cy Young win could be forthcoming.
Biggest Breakout: With a 3.91 ERA and 226 strikeouts, Dylan Cease took a significant step forward last year, and he has made equally large strides in 2022. The 26-year-old has a 2.06 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 179 innings, and his .188 opponents' batting average is the lowest among qualified AL starters.
Toughest Omission: Since the list of deserving omissions here is a long one, let's just lay out the next 10 in alphabetical order: Corbin Burnes (MIL), Luis Castillo (SEA), Gerrit Cole (NYY), Cristian Javier (HOU), Triston McKenzie (CLE), Joe Musgrove (SD), Drew Rasmussen (TB), Spencer Strider (ATL), Logan Webb (SF), Kyle Wright (ATL).
Left-Handed Starting Pitchers
11 of 12
Top 10 Left-Handed Starting Pitchers
1. Julio Urías, LAD (2)
2. Max Fried, ATL (3)
3. Shane McClanahan, TB (1)
4. Framber Valdez, HOU (4)
5. Tyler Anderson, LAD (6)
6. Nestor Cortes, NYY (5)
7. Martín Pérez, TEX (7)
8. Carlos Rodón, SF (8)
9. Clayton Kershaw, LAD (9)
10. José Quintana, STL (NR)
No. 1 Spot: With Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler both missing significant time this year, Julio Urías has become the anchor of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation. The 26-year-old is 17-7 with an NL-best 2.17 ERA and an 0.96 WHIP in 170 innings as he has made at least 30 starts for the second year in a row.
Biggest Breakout: Signed to a one-year, $8 million deal during the offseason, Tyler Anderson has exceeded even the wildest expectations with a breakout season at the age of 32. The journeyman starter has gone 15-4 with a 2.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 173.2 innings.
Toughest Omission: Here are the next 10 left-handed starters in alphabetical order: Reid Detmers (LAA), Cole Irvin (OAK), Eric Lauer (MIL), Jordan Montgomery (STL), Robbie Ray (SEA), Patrick Sandoval (LAA), Blake Snell (SD), Jeffrey Springs (TB), Justin Steele (CHC), Ranger Suárez (PHI).
Relief Pitchers
12 of 12
Top 10 Relief Pitchers
1. Edwin Díaz, NYM (1)
2. Emmanuel Clase, CLE (2)
3. Ryan Helsley, STL (3)
4. Jason Adam, TB (4)
5. Evan Phillips, LAD (6)
6. Devin Williams, MIL (7)
7. Daniel Bard, COL (NR)
8. Jhoan Duran, MIN (8)
9. Félix Bautista, BAL (5)
10. Andrés Muñoz, SEA (NR)
No. 1 Spot: Armed with a fastball that averages 99.1 mph, a devastating slider and the best intro song of any closer in baseball, Edwin Díaz has been next-level dominant this season. The free-agent-to-be has struck out 116 of the 229 batters he has faced while posting a 1.35 ERA and nailing down 31 of 34 save chances.
Biggest Breakout: There are a ton of worthy candidates here, but let's go with St. Louis Cardinals flame-thrower Ryan Helsley. The 28-year-old has nine wins, 18 saves and seven holds in 52 appearances, and he has limited the opposition to a 1.28 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and a minuscule .130 batting average.
Toughest Omission: With more than 200 active relievers across the league at any given time, narrowing the list to just 10 inevitably left a ton of deserving omissions. Here are the next 10 in alphabetical order: Bryan Abreu (HOU), Scott Barlow (KC), Anthony Bass (TOR), Brock Burke (TEX), A.J. Minter (ATL), Adam Ottavino (NYM), Jordan Romano (TOR), Paul Sewald (SEA), Ryne Stanek (HOU), Erik Swanson (SEA).
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Thursday's games.
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