Ranking the Top 100 MLB Players of the 2022 Season
From the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge to the New York Mets' Jacob deGrom and the Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner, our top 100 players of the 2022 MLB season come in all shapes, sizes, locations and positions.
Wins Above Replacement—via both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference—was the primary driving force behind these rankings, but we looked at much more than just those two data points. Full-season stats, partial-season surges, Gold Glove finalists, Silver Slugger finalists, All-Star honors, IL stints and the inescapable quests for 62 single-season home runs and/or 700 career home runs all factored into the mix.
Not surprisingly, the Astros and Dodgers tied for first place with nine representatives in the top 100. Both the Mets and the Blue Jays were close behind with eight each. And if you're a fan of the Nationals, Pirates, Reds, Royals or Tigers, well, we hope you'll still enjoy reading about the star players from the other 25 teams.
Just so we're clear, this should not be viewed as some sort of ranking of the top 100 players heading into the 2023 season. Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would rank much higher on that list, while some of the guys in this top 25 probably wouldn't crack that top 50. This is solely a ranking of who was best/most valuable in 2022.
Ten players who just missed the cut: Willson Contreras, Jake Cronenworth, Jhoan Duran, Logan Gilbert, Ian Happ, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Joey Meneses, Patrick Sandoval, Brady Singer and Brandon Woodruff
Nos. 100-96: N. Hoerner, C. Mullins, M. Chapman, M. Olson and J. Romano
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100. Nico Hoerner, SS, Chicago Cubs
.281/.327/.410, 10 HR, 20 SB, 60 R, 55 RBI
Unlike the All-Star Game, we imposed no "one player per team" rule in our top 100. But Hoerner sneaking in at No. 100 did keep the Cubs from getting shut out. After going homerless in both 2020 and 2021, Hoerner homered in his second plate appearance of this season and rather surprisingly became Chicago's MVP, leading the team in both batting average and stolen bases.
99. Cedric Mullins, CF, Baltimore Orioles
.258/.318/.403, 16 HR, 34 SB, 89 R, 64 RBI
Mullins had 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 2021, so this was a bit of a letdown of an encore performance. Still, he had a solid season at the dish and didn't commit a single error in more than 1,200 innings of work in centerfield. There's no chance Baltimore would've had a winning season without him.
98. Matt Chapman, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
.229/.324/.433, 27 HR, 83 R, 76 RBI
Despite the offseason move from Oakland to Toronto, it was business as usual for Chapman: fantastic glove work at the hot corner with enough power at the plate to not make you too upset about the mediocre batting average.
97. Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves
.240/.325/.477, 34 HR, 86 R, 103 RBI
Another Oakland transplant who helped carry his new team to the postseason, Olson racked up 34 home runs and 44 doubles while eclipsing the century mark in runs batted in for a second consecutive season. He started all but one game at first base for Atlanta and was good enough to keep those fans from missing Freddie Freeman.
96. Jordan Romano, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
5-4, 36 SV, 64.0 IP, 2.11 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.3 K/9
Romano's second season as Toronto's closer went every bit as well as the first. He did blow six saves, but he was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning or later 23 times and nobody's perfect. Romano now has a 2.03 ERA dating back to the start of 2020.
Nos. 95-91: S. Marte, S. Murphy, K. Schwarber, K. Wright and C. Javier
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95. Starling Marte, RF, New York Mets
.292/.347/.468, 16 HR, 18 SB, 76 R, 63 RBI
Marte missed the final month of the regular season with a fractured finger. Still, it was a solid start to his four-year contract in New York. He didn't steal bases at anywhere near the same rate as he did in 2021 (47 in 52 attempts), but the Mets don't do a whole lot of running in general. And he managed to provide a lot of value despite a major drop in that category.
94. Sean Murphy, C, Oakland A's
.250/.332/.426, 18 HR, 67 R, 66 RBI
In the face of a non-stop barrage of trade rumors, Murphy had a career-best season with the A's. He had 37 doubles in addition to the stats listed above, and he slashed his strikeout rate from 25.8 percent heading into the season to just 20.3 percent this year. It feels inevitable that he'll be on the move this offseason and that Oakland will fetch a pretty penny for him.
93. Kyle Schwarber, LF, Philadelphia Phillies
.218/.323/.504, 46 HR, 94 RBI, 100 R, 10 SB
In MLB history, two qualified hitters have finished a season with a batting average below .220 and a slugging percentage above .500: 2022 Schwarber and 2017 Joey Gallo (.209 AVG, .537 SLG). And let's just say Schwarber's defense isn't enough to make up for the poor batting average. But the man led the NL in home runs with six more than his closest challenger, so we can't not put him in the top 100.
92. Kyle Wright, RHP, Atlanta Braves
21-5, 180.1 IP, 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.7 K/9
All hail the power of run support. Atlanta scored at least three runs in 27 of Wright's 30 starts, enabling him to lead the majors in wins, even with a 3.19 ERA. In fairness, it's not like the Braves were routinely winning his starts by a score of 10-9. In his 21 wins, the opposition scored a combined total of 46 runs. But they sure did stake him to a lot of nice leads.
91. Cristian Javier, RHP, Houston Astros
11-9, 148.2 IP, 2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 11.7 K/9
Javier was solid through the first two-thirds of the season, but he hit another level over the final two months, posting a 1.33 ERA in his final 10 appearances. And that two-start stretch against the Yankees and Angels in the middle of the summer in which he went 14.0 IP with 27 strikeouts and just one hit (a Shohei Ohtani solo home run) allowed was *chef's kiss.*
Nos. 90-86: T. Ward, J. Musgrove, G. Springer, J. Springs and T. McKenzie
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90. Taylor Ward, RF, Los Angeles Angels
.281/.360/.473, 23 HR, 73 R, 65 RBI
It feels like it happened a decade ago, but during Los Angeles' 24-13 start to the season, Ward hit .385 and was on pace for about 50 home runs. A hamstring injury derailed his season for a while, but it's worth noting he heated back up down the stretch, hitting .353 with seven home runs over his final 36 games. If the Angels are finally going to get back into the playoff picture in 2023, Ward will be a big part of it.
89. Joe Musgrove, RHP, San Diego Padres
10-7, 181.0 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.2 K/9
Musgrove opened the regular season with 12 consecutive quality starts and was arguably the NL Cy Young front runner after two months. His next 14 starts (4.95 ERA) were nowhere near as effective, but he finished strong and had one heck of an impressive start in the win-or-go-home wild-card Game 3 against the Mets.
88. George Springer, CF, Toronto Blue Jays
.267/.342/.472, 25 HR, 14 SB, 89 R, 76 RBI
After an injury-riddled 2021 season, at least Toronto got what it paid for with Springer this season. He did still miss 29 games, but he was solid in the leadoff spot and in center field when he was available. And the 14 stolen bases were more than he had in the previous three seasons combined.
87. Jeffrey Springs, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
9-5, 135.1 IP, 2.46 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.6 K/9
Springs entered this season with a 4.73 career ERA, almost entirely in a relief capacity. He also spent the first month of this season in Tampa Bay's bullpen, but he was so good that he eventually secured a starting gig. He never lasted more than 6.0 innings, but in 16 of his 25 starts, he went at least 5.0 innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs.
86. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
11-11, 191.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8.9 K/9
McKenzie deserved so much better than a .500 record, but Cleveland scored two runs or fewer in 13 of his 30 starts. He had a 2.54 ERA over his final eight starts with just a 2-2 record to show for it. Good thing we've evolved beyond measuring a pitcher's effectiveness by his win total, right? (He did go 3-0 against the Astros and Yankees, though, with a combined line of 22.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 18 K in those three gems.)
Nos. 85-81: A. García, S. McClanahan, A. Kirk, L. Arraez and V. Guerrero
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85. Adolis García, OF, Texas Rangers
.250/.300/.456, 27 HR, 25 SB, 88 R, 101 RBI
Turns out García's 2021 breakout campaign as a 28-year-old rookie was no joke. He does strike out a ton, but he had 66 extra-base hits and stole another 25 bags. And he's got a cannon of an arm in the outfield, recording double-digit assists for the second consecutive season.
84. Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
12-8, 166.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 10.5 K/9
McClanahan was sensational into late-July, boasting a 1.76 ERA through his first 19 starts. At that point, he was averaging 11.8 K/9, and it was pretty much a three-horse race between him, Dylan Cease and Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young. But he kind of ran out of gas and dealt with shoulder/neck injuries the rest of the way. Still, it was a great sophomore year for the 25-year-old southpaw.
83. Alejandro Kirk, C/DH, Toronto Blue Jays
.285/.372/.415, 14 HR, 59 R, 63 RBI
Not many catchers can rack up three four-hit games in a single season, but Kirk is built different. There was a two-week stretch from late May into mid June in which he batted .489 with four home runs. Kirk was already playing on nearly a daily basis for the Blue Jays, but that's when he became a no-brainer for the All-Star Game. He also finished the season with more walks (63) than strikeouts (58).
82. Luis Arraez, 1B/2B, Minnesota Twins
.316/.375/.420, 8 HR, 88 R, 49 RBI
Arraez will forever be the answer to the trivia question: Who stopped Aaron Judge from getting a triple crown in 2022? The Twins infielder certainly made things interesting down the stretch, plummeting from a .355 batting average on July 9 down to just .313 by Sept. 9. But a season-ending nine-game hitting streak kept Arraez a few points ahead of Judge for the AL batting title.
81. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
.274/.339/.480, 32 HR, 90 R, 97 RBI, 8 SB
Compared to last season—when Guerrero hit .311 with 48 home runs, 111 RBI, scored an MLB-best 123 times and would have been the obvious AL MVP were it not for Shohei Ohtani—Guerrero had a substantial drop in production. But compared to the average first baseman in 2022, he was still doggone good. Wil this be the offseason that Toronto signs him to a very lucrative long-term extension?
Nos. 80-76: L. Castillo, W. Smith, E. Suárez, H. Kim and J. Quintana
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80. Luis Castillo, RHP, Seattle Mariners (traded from Cincinnati Reds)
8-6, 150.1 IP, 2.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10.0 K/9
Castillo missed the first month with a shoulder injury, making his season debut for a team that was already 18 games below .500. But he didn't let it affect him. He made 14 starts for the Reds with a 2.86 ERA. And then while in Seattle, he made seven starts (including the postseason) against teams that made the playoffs, going 47.0 IP with just seven runs allowed. Worth every penny.
79. Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
.260/.343/.465, 24 HR, 68 R, 87 RBI
Smith is one of the better hitting catchers (both for average and for power) in the bigs right now. And while the analytics don't much care for his impact on defense, he started behind the plate for nearly two-thirds of games for the team that led the majors in total runs allowed. That should count for something, right?
78. Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Seattle Mariners
.236/.332/.459, 31 HR, 76 R, 87 RBI
When the Mariners traded for Suárez and Jesse Winker in mid-March, it sure felt like they were trading for Winker and were willing to absorb Suárez's contract in order to make it happen. As it turns out, Winker was a bust this season while Suárez was the most valuable Mariner not named Julio Rodríguez. Sure, "Geno" led the team in strikeouts, but he also had the most home runs and RBI while putting in respectable glove work at the hot corner.
77. Ha-Seong Kim, SS, San Diego Padres
.251/.325/.383, 11 HR, 12 SB, 58 R, 59 RBI
With Fernando Tatis Jr. unable to play this season, Kim became the everyday shortstop for the Padres, almost by default. And while everyone kept waiting into August for news on when Tatis would return, his replacement had a remarkable season—especially in the field, where he committed just nine errors in 456 chances and was named a finalist for a Gold Glove.
76. José Quintana, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals (traded from Pittsburgh Pirates)
6-7, 165.2 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 7.4 K/9
Quintana led the majors with a HR/9 rate of 0.4. And he was especially good at keeping the ball in the yard with St. Louis. After allowing a home run in his first inning after the trade, he did not give up another one in his subsequent 67.0 innings of work (including postseason). Who could have possibly predicted that after he allowed 12 home runs in just 63.0 innings pitched in 2021?
Nos. 75-71: J. Abreu, K. Gausman, S. Bieber, W. Adames and N. Cortes
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75. José Abreu, 1B, Chicago White Sox
.304/.378/.446, 15 HR, 85 R, 75 RBI
Abreu's power dropped off a cliff in his age-35 season, but he hit for average and stayed healthy, making him a unicorn compared to the rest of the White Sox. He was their most valuable hitter by a country mile, and it will be weird to see him in a new uniform in 2023 if they don't re-sign him. Sounds like they won't.
74. Kevin Gausman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
12-10, 174.2 IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 10.6 K/9
Gausman had some atrocious luck in the BABIP department. His was .363. No other qualified pitcher was higher than .328. But he walked just 28 batters in the entire season, so he had a strong year in spite of that misfortune.
73. Shane Bieber, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
13-8, 200.0 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 8.9 K/9
Bieber averaged 13.2 K/9 between 2020-21, so to see the 27-year-old sitting at 91.5 MPH on his fastball while not even averaging one strikeout per inning was surprising. But he was still mighty effective and darn near led the AL in innings pitched, falling just shy of Framber Valdez's mark of 201.1. He finished the regular season with 23 quality starts, and then made two solid showings in the postseason with a 2.03 ERA.
72. Willy Adames, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
.238/.298/.458, 31 HR, 98 RBI, 83 R, 8 SB
Along with Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo, Eugenio Suárez and teammate Rowdy Tellez, Adames was one of five players this season to hit at least 30 home runs while batting below .240. The Brewers shortstop ranks the highest of the bunch, though, because of his value added on defense. Among shortstops, only Corey Seager hit more home runs in 2022.
71. Nestor Cortes, LHP, New York Yankees
12-4, 158.1 IP, 2.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9.3 K/9
Through 10 starts, Cortes—who likely would not have opened the season in the Yankees starting rotation if Domingo Germán had been healthy—had a 1.50 ERA, emerging as the ace of what was at the time the best team in baseball. He wasn't as dominant over his final 18 starts, but he still had a 2.82 ERA and did not have a single nightmarish outing. People just kind of forgot about him while the Yankees fell apart and Aaron Judge got all of the spotlight, but Cortes had a great year.
Nos. 70-66: B. Bichette, J. Peña, F. Valdez, J. Soto and D. Williams
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70. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
.290/.333/.469, 24 HR, 13 SB, 93 RBI, 91 R
Bichette sure did turn a respectable season into a great one with an electric finish. Through August 31, he was batting .260 with 17 home runs. But the Blue Jays shortstop hit .406 and slugged .662 from September 1 onward, ending up with numbers not that far off from what got him a joint 12th-place finish in last year's AL MVP vote.
69. Jeremy Peña, SS, Houston Astros
.253/.289/.426, 22 HR, 11 SB, 72 R, 63 RBI
Peña's offensive numbers aren't as good as Bichette's, but he displayed a much better glove at shortstop and gets a bit of a boost for doing it all as the rookie that Houston trusted to replace Carlos Correa. He also gets a bit of a boost for being named the ALCS MVP. Frankly, I don't think we boosted him enough here. This rookie could easily rank in the top 50.
68. Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros
17-6, 201.1 IP, 2.82 ERA, 8.7 K/9
While Justin Verlander had what we assume to be a Cy Young season, Valdez was quietly of high quality for Houston—as in 25 consecutive quality starts from late April into mid September. As just mentioned moments ago, he led the AL in innings pitched, lasting into the seventh inning in 17 of his 31 starts.
67. Juan Soto, RF, San Diego Padres (traded from Washington Nationals)
.242/.401/.452, 27 HR, 93 R, 62 RBI, 6 SB
By Soto's 2021 MVP runner-up standards, it was a rough year. He hit .322 over the previous two seasons, so for him to hit .246 with the Nationals and then .236 with the Padres was stunning. Yet, because he's so patient with a great eye, he still led the majors with 135 walks and was one of just six qualified hitters to finish the season with an on-base percentage of .390 or better. And by some miracle/mistake, he was named a finalist for a Gold Glove in right field.
66. Devin Williams, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
6-4, 15 SV, 60.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 14.2 K/9
Trading away Josh Hader was a difficult, financially-necessitated decision for the Brewers. But getting to slide Williams' dominance from the eighth inning into the ninth inning was quite the silver lining. In 141.2 innings pitched since the start of 2020, Williams has a 1.84 ERA and has struck out 15.0 batters per 9.0 innings pitched. Let's give it another year before making any wild proclamations, but it's possible that Milwaukee replaced the former best closer in baseball with the new best closer in baseball.
Nos. 65-61: The Stars of the Los Angeles Dodgers Pitching Staff
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65: Evan Phillips, Los Angeles Dodgers
7-3, 2 SV, 63.0 IP, 1.14 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 11.0 K/9
64: Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers
16-1, 130.1 IP, 2.14 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 8.2 K/9
63: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
12-3, 126.1 IP, 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 9.8 K/9
62: Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers
15-5, 178.2 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 7.0 K/9
61: Julio Urías, Los Angeles Dodgers
17-7, 175.0 IP, 2.16 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 8.5 K/9
The Dodgers were an extremely good, 111-win team for a lot of reasons, but this quintet of pitchers may have been the biggest one.
Both Kershaw and Gonsolin missed about 25 percent of the season, but that duo plus Anderson and Urías was an absolute gauntlet, when healthy. Four pitchers logging at least 125 innings, each with a sub-2.60 ERA is simply unheard of in today's game. But this quartet pulled it off, racking up a combined 60-16 record for it.
(You could easily argue that Urías belongs a good 10-15 spots higher than this, but we thought it'd be fun to lump them all together, considering their mutual success kept any individual Dodger from standing out as a Cy Young candidate.)
And how about Phillips just dominating out of nowhere?
He entered 2022 with a career ERA of 6.68 and really should not have been any sort of factor in high-leverage situations in a bullpen that featured Craig Kimbrel, Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson. But Phillips was masterful, allowing just three earned runs over his final 54 innings pitched.
Nos. 60-57: S. Kwan, D. Bard, Y. Darvish and P. Alonso
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60. Steven Kwan, LF, Cleveland Guardians
.298/.373/.400, 6 HR, 89 R, 19 SB
If Julio Rodríguez hadn't run away with AL Rookie of the Year, Kwan would've had a great case for becoming Cleveland's first ROY since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990. There's minimal power in his bat, but he hits for average, he's a great runner, he has a solid glove and he hardly ever strikes out. He'll be fun to watch for the next decade.
59. Daniel Bard, RHP, Colorado Rockies
6-4, 34 SV, 60.1 IP, 1.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 10.3 K/9
As far as Baseball Reference is concerned, Bard was the most valuable relief pitcher of the 2022 season. He converted 34-of-37 save opportunities, allowing multiple earned runs in just one appearance. And he certainly looked fantastic when juxtaposed with Colorado's woeful starting rotation.
58. Yu Darvish, RHP, San Diego Padres
16-8, 194.2 IP, 3.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 9.1 K/9
His strikeout rate isn't quite what it used to be, but with an ERA and WHIP like that, who cares? Darvish had one disastrous outing in mid-April, after which he had a 2.79 ERA. He finished the season with 25 quality starts, logging at least 6.0 innings pitched in each of his final 23 appearances.
57. Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
.271/.352/.518, 40 HR, 95 R, 131 RBI
No one could compete with Aaron Judge in the home runs department, but Alonso kind of quietly tied him for the MLB lead in RBI. Through three seasons that weren't truncated by the pandemic, the Polar Bear has 130 home runs and 345 runs batted in. At some point before the end of 2024, the Mets need to figure out how they are going to be able to pay for one of the best sluggers in the sport.
Nos. 56-51: The Injured Stars We Couldn't Justify Putting in the Top 50
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56. Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox
.301/.339/.395, 6 HR, 50 R, 13 SB
Anderson was batting .356 at the time of his first injury (groin), but never quite got back into that groove before suffering a season-ending hand injury in early August. He did enough in the first half to be named an All-Star for the second straight year, though.
55. Lance McCullers Jr., RHP, Houston Astros
4-2, 47.2 IP, 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9.4 K/9
McCullers making his season debut in mid-August and immediately thriving for Houston was quite the "rich getting richer" example. He missed more than four months with a flexor strain in his pitching forearm, but you wouldn't know it from his triumphant return, going at least five innings and allowing three or fewer runs in each of his eight starts.
54. Matt Carpenter, DH, New York Yankees
.305/.412/.727, 15 HR, 37 RBI
After failing to make it to the Rangers' MLB roster, Carpenter took the world by storm for about two months. He hit .360 with 13 home runs in his first 30 games after signing with the Yankees. That's a 162-game pace of 70 homers, by the way. Were it not for a broken foot, he might have ranked second on the team in home runs.
53. Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
.224/.306/.526, 28 HR, 51 RBI, 6 SB
Buxton was the king of April, mashing six home runs in his first 10 games played. But, naturally, he missed six games along the way and ended up not playing at all in September. In eight career seasons, he has lasted more than 92 games just once. He's fun to watch when he's healthy, though.
52. Bryce Harper, DH, Philadelphia Phillies
.286/.364/.514, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 11 SB
Despite dealing with a UCL injury that limited him solely to DH duties after the first week of the season, Harper caught fire at the beginning of May, hitting 12 home runs in the span of 29 games and making a big push for NL MVP before a broken thumb knocked him out of commission for two months.
51. Jacob deGrom, RHP, New York Mets
5-4, 64.1 IP, 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 14.3 K/9
The biggest partial-season star was deGrom. He had the WHIP and K/9 combination of a flame-throwing closer, but while maintaining that dominance into the sixth inning of most of his starts. He did allow nine home runs in 11 starts, though, including three solo shots in the pivotal game against Atlanta in late-September. But every home run felt like an outlier in an otherwise phenomenal run.
Nos. 50-46: A. Bregman, C. Seager, C. Walker, C. Burnes and A. Pujols
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50. Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros
.259/.366/.454, 23 HR, 93 RBI, 93 R
After homering in each of Houston's first two games of the season, Bregman batted .203 with four home runs over a span of more than two months. From mid-June onward, though, he was back to his usual self with a .902 OPS over his final 94 games played. Had he been able to do that for the entire season, he'd maybe be No. 10 instead of No. 50.
49. Corey Seager, SS, Texas Rangers
.245/.317/.455, 33 HR, 91 R, 83 RBI
Texas paid $325 million to get Seager's .297 career batting average. Instead, the Rangers got a .245 hitter who mashed a career-best 33 home runs. Bit of an unexpected trade-off, but a fine one if he can more or less keep it up for another nine years.
48. Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
.242/.327/.477, 36 HR, 94 RBI, 84 R
Much like Seager, Walker's batting average was nothing special, but he did hit seven more home runs than in any previous season. And that batting average did get a lot better over the final two months of the regular season. Walker entered play on August 6 hitting .199 for the year, but he hit .315 and had a .906 OPS the rest of the way. He's a dark-horse candidate for the 2023 NL MVP.
47. Corbin Burnes, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
12-8, 202.0 IP, 2.94 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.8 K/9
The only substantial difference between 2022 Burnes and the 2021 version that won the NL Cy Young was a jump in home runs allowed. He gave up just seven last season, but that spiked to 23 this year. Still, he led the NL with 243 strikeouts, allowed fewer hits on a per-inning basis and managed to post a sub-3.00 ERA in spite of those additional round trippers. And he just turned 28 a few days ago, so he should be good for a while.
46. Albert Pujols, DH, St. Louis Cardinals
.270/.345/.550, 24 HR, 68 RBI, 42 R
This was the toughest placement in the entire top 100. Pujols had just 351 plate appearances, spent minimal time in the field and was one of the least valuable baserunners in the majors this season. He was also darn near unplayable into mid-July. But "The Machine" hit 20 home runs (in 181 ABs) in St. Louis' final 75 games, surging to 703 career home runs. It was easily one of the five biggest storylines of the season as everyone rooted for him to join the 700 club.
Nos. 45-41: L. Webb, M. Pérez, C. Correa, Z. Wheeler, Z. Gallen
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45. Logan Webb, RHP, San Francisco Giants
15-9, 192.1 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 7.6 K/9
Webb was a breakout star for the 107-win Giants one year ago. But while the team plummeted to a .500 record, their 25-year-old right-hander was just as good, if not better than he was last season. His strikeout rate did drop from 9.6 K/9 to 7.6, but everything else stayed about the same despite a nearly 30 percent uptick in innings pitched. With Carlos Rodón likely to sign elsewhere this offseason, Webb should enter 2023 as the Giants' ace.
44. Martín Pérez, LHP, Texas Rangers
12-8, 196.1 IP, 2.89 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7.7 K/9
We kept wondering if the 2012-21 version of Pérez would ever show up and tank an impressive season, but it never did. Yes, there was the occasional five-inning, six-run dud, but Pérez gave the Rangers 23 quality starts and should be in line for a massive raise after making the most of this one-year, $4 million deal.
43. Carlos Correa, SS, Minnesota Twins
.291/.366/467, 22 HR, 64 RBI, 70 R
Sixteen games into the season, it looked as though the Twins had set $35.1 million on fire. Correa was batting .167 with just one home run while striking out in 33 percent of plate appearances. But he was much better the rest of the way, racking up 39 multi-hit performances by the end of the season.
42. Zack Wheeler, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
12-7, 153.0 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 9.6 K/9
Wheeler made 11 starts this season in which he went at least six innings and allowed either zero or one runs, plus two shorter scoreless outings late in the regular season when he was ramping back up for the postseason after a month on the IL. Teammate Aaron Nola had a slightly better and definitely healthier season, but Wheeler was quite the 1B to Nola's 1A. He has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the course of the past three seasons.
41. Zac Gallen, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
12-4, 184.0 IP, 2.54 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 9.4 K/9
Gallen had a 1.14 ERA through his first seven starts, including two against the Mets and one against the Dodgers. And then after 10 weeks of being just OK, he channeled his inner Orel Hershiser en route to six consecutive scoreless starts and a 41.1 IP shutout streak. In late September, he added one heck of a gem against the Dodgers, allowing just two hits in eight innings with a career-best 13 strikeouts. When he's on, this 27-year-old is a no-doubter Cy Young candidate.
Nos. 40-36: B. Nimmo, D. Varsho, M. Semien, A. Manoah and K. Tucker
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40. Brandon Nimmo, OF, New York Mets
.274/.367/.433, 16 HR, 102 R, 64 RBI
For Nimmo, the potential was always there. It was just a matter of staying healthy and getting consistent playing time. And in his contract year, it finally happened. On a per-162-game basis, his 2022 season matched up pretty closely with his career norms. He just played in 151 games for a change. Can't wait to see what kind of five-year, $120 million deal he gets in free agency.
39. Daulton Varsho, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
.235/.302/.443, 27 HR, 16 SB, 79 R, 74 RBI
To the chagrin of fantasy baseball players, the novelty of Varsho as a catcher/outfielder appears to be gone, as his most recent start at catcher was on June 9. Even for just an outfielder, though, Varsho's combo of 27 home runs and 16 stolen bases was impressive. He did a lot of that damage late in the season, too, hitting nine home runs and stealing eight bases between Sept. 3 and Oct. 3. Could be an even bigger leap coming from him in 2023.
38. Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers
.248/.304/.429, 26 HR, 25 SB, 101 R, 83 RBI
Semien infamously did not homer until Texas' 44th game of the season, before which he was batting .193. Over the subsequent 118 games, however, he had 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases and an OPS of .816. What originally looked like a nightmare of a seven-year, $175 million contract turned into a pretty solid first year for Texas. We shall see how the now 32-year-old middle infielder holds up over the next six years, though.
37. Alek Manoah, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
16-7, 196.2 IP, 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 8.2 K/9
For the second straight year, Manoah led the AL in batters hit by pitches. But the budding ace also ranked third in the AL in ERA and fourth in innings pitched. In each of his 31 starts, he held the competition to four earned runs or fewer, finishing the season with 25 quality starts. Unfortunately, that success didn't carry over into the postseason, thanks in part to the aforementioned HBPs. (Manoah pegged Julio Rodríguez twice, and he came around to score both times.)
36. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
.257/.330/.478, 30 HR, 25 SB, 107 RBI, 71 R
Tucker's batting average dropped 37 points from last year's breakout campaign, but he did hit 30 home runs for a second straight season and became even more of a weapon on the basepaths. He was the only player in 2022 with at least 30 homers and at least 25 stolen bases. Add "at least 107 RBI" to the list of accolades and he joins 2016 Mookie Betts and 2018 Trevor Story as the only members of that club in the past decade. (And while it didn't factor into the rankings, the two home runs in Game 1 of the World Series were pretty awesome.)
Nos. 35-31: A. Rutschman, R. Devers, M. Harris, S. Strider, M. Scherzer
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35. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles
.254/.362/.445, 13 HR, 70 R, 42 RBI
In just 113 games played, Rutschman racked up a 5.3 fWAR and a 5.2 bWAR, making him one of 27 players who were worth at least 5.0 wins above replacement this season according to both websites. Honestly, I'm not sure why the rookie backstop rated that highly. That batting line is nothing special, and he tied for the AL lead with eight errors committed at catcher. But there's no denying he was a big asset for the Orioles. They went 62-47 in games in which he made at least two plate appearances, compared to 21-32 in all other contests.
34. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox
.295/.358/.521, 27 HR, 84 R, 88 RBI
Speaking of guys who were highly valuable despite leading the AL in errors at their position, Devers was a borderline AL MVP candidate prior to his hamstring injury. He was batting .324 with 22 home runs through his first 87 games played, but hit just .248 with five home runs over his final 54 contests. All eyes are on Boston this offseason as they try to extend Devers before it's too late.
33. Michael Harris II, OF, Atlanta Braves
.297/.339/.514, 19 HR, 20 SB, 75 R, 64 RBI
Now, this rookie is worth a combined 10.1 WAR on FanGraphs and Baseball Reference in 114 games played I can fully appreciate. If anything, Harris feels undervalued, given how potent he was at the plate and how much range he had in centerfield. It's little coincidence that Atlanta's season turned on a dime after it called up this 21-year-old star. Had he played a full season, he might have landed in the top 10.
32. Spencer Strider, RHP, Atlanta Braves
11-5, 131.2 IP, 2.67 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 13.8 K/9
If Harris doesn't win NL Rookie of the Year, it'll be because he finishes first runner-up to this teammate. Strider was just plain filthy on the mound, striking out 38.3 percent of batters faced. He started the season in a long-relief role, but finished it neck-and-neck with Max Fried for the title of "ace of the defending world champions."
31. Max Scherzer, RHP, New York Mets
11-5, 145.1 IP, 2.29 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.7 K/9
Scherzer made two separate trips to the IL, missing nearly two months of action with an oblique injury. Because of those nine or so missed starts, the highest-salaried player in the majors only checks in as the eighth-best starting pitcher. But "Mad Max" was quite dominant when healthy, per usual. In eight of his 23 starts, he went 7.0 innings, allowing either zero or one run.
Nos. 30-26: R. Helsley, J. McNeil, X. Bogaerts, T. Edman and A. Riley
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30. Ryan Helsley, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
9-1, 19 SV, 64.2 IP, 1.25 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 13.1 K/9
As great as that 1.25 ERA looks, it's actually a disappointment compared to where Helsley sat for most of the season. Through his first 14 appearances, he had a line of 16.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 27 K, and it wasn't until late August that his ERA first crept above 1.00. He had four blown saves on the season, but two were the result of inherited runners scoring, while one of the others was an unearned run after the should-have-been final out of the inning struck out swinging before getting to first base on a passed ball. That's pretty much what it took to score on Helsley this season.
29. Jeff McNeil, 2B/OF, New York Mets
.326/.382/.454, 9 HR, 4 SB, 73 R, 62 RBI
McNeil was something of a star from a bygone era, leading the majors in batting average and excelling in the field at multiple positions, all while only occasionally homering or stealing a base. He now has a career batting average of .307 and the 30th-best fWAR among hitters with at least 2,000 plate appearances in the past half-decade. He's the type of guy who might go undrafted in fantasy baseball, but who would easily be one of the first 50 players off the board if trying to win an actual championship on the field in 2023.
28. Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
.307/.377/.456, 15 HR, 8 SB, 84 R, 73 RBI
Bogaerts' impending player option seemed to be all anyone could talk about this season, and maybe that had an adverse effect on his slugging. Three years removed from hitting 33 home runs and 52 doubles, he finished with 15 and 38, respectively. But he still hit the ball well, keeping his batting average north of .300 for just about the entire season. He also had by far the best defensive season of his career.
27. Tommy Edman, 2B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
.265/.324/.400, 13 HR, 32 SB, 95 R, 57 RBI
Last year, it felt like the advanced metrics did not properly appreciate how good this Gold Glove recipient was. This year, they might have over-corrected, rating Edman and his .400 slugging percentage on par with Mike Trout and Justin Verlander. But this middle infielder did have another fantastic campaign—especially on the basepaths—even if it did fly well below the radar in St. Louis with Albert Pujols chasing 700 home runs while Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt battled each other for the NL MVP.
26. Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
.273/.349/.528, 38 HR, 90 R, 93 RBI
In 61 games played from late May through the end of July, Riley batted .350 and had a 1.107 OPS, mashing at a 162-game pace of 56 home runs and 133 RBI. Had he maintained that success after the Braves signed him to a 10-year extension in early August, he would've been the NL MVP and an obvious choice for the top five on this list. As is, he ended up with 38 home runs and 39 doubles in an excellent campaign.
Nos. 25-21: T. Turner, E. Clase, J. Altuve, J. Rodríguez, E. Díaz
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25. Trea Turner, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
.298/.343/.466, 21 HR, 27 SB, 101 R, 100 RBI
Most of the guys in this quintet weren't exactly on fire early on. In Turner's case, he hit just .250 with seven extra-base hits in Los Angeles' first 27 games. He did manage to pick up 20 RBI along the way, but he was much more potent over his next 133 games, batting .307 with 57 extra-base hits and 23 stolen bases. This free-agent shortstop is about to become a very, very rich man.
24. Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
3-4, 42 SV, 72.2 IP, 1.36 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 9.5 K/9
While most closers these days try to strike out the side, Clase is more of a Mariano Rivera, happy to let you make contact with his vicious cutter for either a broken bat or a harmless groundout. The Guardians' 24-year-old closer has a 1.33 ERA since the beginning of last season, allowing one home run for every 110 batters faced.
23. Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros
.300/.387/.533, 28 HR, 18 SB, 103 R, 57 RBI
At the end of April, Altuve was hitting .167 and was working his way back from an IL stint for a hamstring injury. His absence/poor play was a big reason Houston got out to a sluggish 11-11 start to the season. Once he did return, he hit .310 and slugged .554 over his final 132 games played, while also stealing more bases than he did in the previous three seasons combined. (And the Astros went 95-45 the rest of the way.)
22. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Seattle Mariners
.284/.345/.509, 28 HR, 25 SB, 84 R, 75 RBI
J-Rod became a household name when the Mariners centerfielder won the Home Run Derby, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg for the man who is going to be named AL Rookie of the Year in a few days. Rodríguez had a rocky start to the year and made two brief trips to the IL in the second half of the season, but from May 1 onward, he hit .297 with a .905 OPS and had 162-game paces of 41 home runs and 100 RBI.
21. Edwin Díaz, RHP, New York Mets
3-1, 32 SV, 62.0 IP, 1.31 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 17.1 K/9
Díaz is one of the aforementioned closers who tries to strike out the side. And he frequently did so, whiffing an outrageous 50.2 percent of batters faced this season. From May 27 through the end of the regular season, Díaz logged 43.1 innings, allowing 19 hits, nine walks and three runs with 84 strikeouts and no blown saves.
Nos. 20-16: F. Lindor, D. Swanson, J.T. Realmuto, C. Rodón and M. Fried
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20. Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets
.270/.339/.449, 26 HR, 16 SB, 98 R, 107 RBI
Any Marlins fans in the audience will be shocked that Lindor is merely No. 20 on the list. In 19 games against Miami, he triple-slashed .329/.384/.671 with seven home runs, recording a hit in all but one of those contests. He was good against most opponents this season, but he especially bludgeoned the Marlins.
19. Dansby Swanson, SS, Atlanta Braves
.277/.329/.447, 25 HR, 18 SB, 99 R, 96 RBI
Just so we're clear: Swanson ranking ahead of Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts on this list doesn't mean we think he's destined for a bigger payday than those guys in free agency. He was simply a little bit better in 2022 than each of those other shortstops, providing career-best value both at the plate and in the field.
18. J.T. Realmuto, C, Philadelphia Phillies
.276/.342/.478, 22 HR, 21 SB, 75 R, 84 RBI
A catcher joining the 20 HR/20 SB club is darn near uncharted territory. Prior to Realmuto, the lone exception to the rule was Ivan Rodriguez, when he won AL MVP in 1999. And when you're in a two-man club with "Pudge" at his peak, you're clearly doing something well. Realmuto put up similar hitting numbers in both 2018 and 2019, but the addition of the stolen bases pushed him to a new level—one that should include a top-10 finish for NL MVP.
17. Carlos Rodón, LHP, San Francisco Giants
14-8, 178.0 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.0 K/9
Among qualified starting pitchers, Rodón had the highest strikeout rate in the majors, as well as the lowest FIP (2.25). Not only was he lights out for the Giants, but he made a career-high 31 starts and was still throwing gas and spinning filth late in the year. He made five starts in September with a 2.03 ERA and a 15.5 K/9. He'll opt out of the 2023 portion of the two-year deal that he signed last offseason and should get a massive five-year, $160 million type of contract somewhere.
16. Max Fried, LHP, Atlanta Braves
14-7, 185.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 8.3 K/9
Fried started slowly against the Nationals and Reds, but he was on point after that, posting a 2.27 ERA over the course of his final 28 starts. He's nowhere near the strikeout artist that teammate Spencer Strider was this season, but he walked roughly one batter for every six innings pitched and allowed one home run for every 15 innings pitched. That's how you keep the damage to a minimum at all times. (Fried is also a Gold Glove finalist after winning the award in both 2020 and 2021.)
Nos. 15-11: F. Freeman, A. Nola, A. Giménez, M. Betts, D. Cease
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15. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
.325/.407/.511, 21 HR, 117 R, 100 RBI, 13 SB
Freeman just barely missed out on what would have been the first batting title of his impressive career. However, he did lead the majors in both hits and doubles and led all NL players in both runs and on-base percentage. Suffice it to say, his first year in Los Angeles was a dandy.
14. Aaron Nola, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
11-13, 205.0 IP, 3.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 10.3 K/9
Nola just posted one of the greatest losing records in MLB history. He averaged an MLB-best 8.1 strikeouts per walk and a little better than 6.1 IP per start. Yet, for the third consecutive season, he posted a .500 or worse record, making 10 quality starts that resulted in either a loss or a no decision. Heck, he went at least seven innings 15 times and only had a 5-5 record to show for it. #KillTheWin
13. Andrés Giménez, 2B, Cleveland Guardians
.297/.371/.466, 17 HR, 20 SB, 66 R, 69 RBI
One year ago, Giménez was so ineffective at the dish that he got sent back down to Triple-A for nearly three months. He ended up with a .218 batting average and was barely a replacement-level player. So, color us surprised that Giménez legitimately might have been Cleveland's MVP, providing Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base in addition to the rock-solid numbers listed above.
12. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
.269/.340/.533, 35 HR, 117 R, 82 RBI, 12 SB
From May 17 through June 1, Betts went on a one-man crusade against any pitcher who dared to stand in his path. In 16 games, he batted .413 and slugged .952 with nine home runs. (That's a 162-game pace of 91 homers.) He had six three-hit performances and looked completely unstoppable. But a cracked rib that sent him to the IL in mid-June turned him back into a mortal, hitting .266 with 18 home runs over his final 82 games. Still, strong numbers and a great glove in right field, per usual.
11. Dylan Cease, RHP, Chicago White Sox
14-8, 184.0 IP, 2.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 11.1 K/9
In 23 of his 32 starts, Cease went at least 4.2 innings and allowed either zero or one earned run. That includes a 14-start streak of that ilk in the middle of the season that brought his ERA from 4.24 all the way down to 1.96. He later added a one-hit shutout in what at the time was a pivotal AL Central game against the Twins. He did walk an MLB-high 78 hitters, but he did an excellent job of stranding runners and limiting damage.
Nos. 10-6: M. Trout, J. Ramírez, J. Verlander, Y. Alvarez and N. Arenado
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10. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
.283/.369/.630, 40 HR, 85 R, 80 RBI
Remember when everyone was freaking out about Trout's possibly career-ending "rare back condition," and then he came back and triple-slashed .308/.370/.686 with 16 home runs in his final 40 contests? The three-time AL MVP only played in 119 games, but he still was one of just four players to reach 40 home runs.
9. José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
.280/.355/.514, 29 HR, 20 SB, 90 R, 126 RBI
Ramírez was the king of RBI early in the year, driving in 28 runs within Cleveland's first 20 games. Maintaining that pace was never going to be possible, but he was fantastic all season long with ducks on the pond. In 319 plate appearances with men on base, Ramírez hit .330 with a 1.027 OPS. And he is at least going to give Matt Chapman a run for his money for the AL's Gold Glove at third base.
8. Justin Verlander, RHP, Houston Astros
18-4, 175.0 IP, 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 9.5 K/9
It's hard to believe Verlander pitched as poorly as he did in both Game 1 of the ALDS and Game 1 of the World Series, because he entered the postseason having allowed just 13 earned runs in his previous 15 starts. He led the majors in both ERA and WHIP, incredibly having arguably the best season of his career at the age of 39.
7. Yordan Alvarez, OF/DH, Houston Astros
.306/.406/.613, 37 HR, 95 R, 97 RBI
For a little while there in July, Alvarez made a serious run at joining Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the two-horse race for AL MVP. While he never quite got there, the Astros DH did have a phenomenal season, posting the best OPS among players not named Judge. He had five multi-homer games, including hitting three solo blasts against Oakland on Sept. 16.
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
.293/.358/.533, 30 HR, 73 R, 103 RBI
One month into the season, it was pretty much a toss-up between Arenado and Manny Machado for NL MVP. Unfortunately, he went straight from hotter than the sun for 23 games (.361 AVG, 7 HR) to cold as ice for 24 games (.182 AVG, 2 HR) and never quite made it all the way back into that MVP race, as teammate Paul Goldschmidt ran away with it. Yet, for the sixth time in his career, Arenado hit at least .285 with 30 home runs and 30 doubles and is certain to finish top-eight in the NL MVP vote for the sixth time. Pencil him in for a 10th Gold Glove, too.
Nos. 5-1: S. Alcantara, M. Machado, P. Goldschmidt, S. Ohtani and A. Judge
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5. Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins
14-9, 228.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 8.1 K/9
Once upon a time, 228 innings pitched with a 2.28 ERA were practically par for the course. But pitching that many innings with an ERA that low is quite rare nowadays. In the past quarter century, the only pitchers to pull it off were Clayton Kershaw (three times), Felix Hernandez (twice), Greg Maddux (twice), Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jake Arrieta and now Alcantara. This Marlins ace was the first to do it since 2015, and he'll surely win the NL Cy Young for it.
4. Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
.298/.366/.531, 32 HR, 100 R, 102 RBI, 9 SB
Including the postseason, in games where Machado either homered or recorded multiple hits, San Diego went 48-21—a 162-game pace of 112.7 wins. In all other contests, the Padres went 47-58—a 162-game pace of 72.5 wins. While he didn't lead the majors in WAR, no player was more singularly responsible for his team's success. And if he keeps hitting well next year while Juan Soto has a bounce-back year and while Fernando Tatis Jr. eventually returns to action, the Padres ought to be doggone good in 2023.
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
.317/.404/.578, 35 HR, 106 R, 115 RBI, 7 SB
Aaron Judge's quest for an AL Triple Crown was all the rage, but Goldschmidt was very much in the running for an NL Triple Crown into late August. Through 125 team games, "Goldy" was batting .339 with 33 home runs and 105 RBI, leading the NL in both batting average and RBI while trailing Kyle Schwarber by just two home runs. Even though he sputtered to the finish line with a .235 average, two home runs and 10 RBI in his final 33 games, he never lost his stranglehold on his impending NL MVP trophy.
2. Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
.273/.356/.519, 34 HR, 90 R, 95 RBI, 11 SB; 15-9, 166.0 IP, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 11.9 K/9
Both at the plate and on the basepaths, Ohtani wasn't quite as impactful this year as he was en route to winning last year's AL MVP. But his pitching stats improved at least as much as his batting stats declined. One year removed from almost leading the majors in home runs, Ohtani almost led the majors in K/9. He should finish top three for both AL MVP and AL Cy Young.
1. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
.311/.425/.686, 62 HR, 133 R, 131 RBI, 16 SB
You surely know all about the 62 home runs and probably about how close Judge came to winning a Triple Crown, but did you know he became just the second player in the past two decades with at least 130 runs and 130 RBI in the same season, joining 2007 Alex Rodriguez in that club? It's something both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig accomplished eight times in their respective careers, and if the Yankees are able to win the bidding war to keep Judge in pinstripes, they're hoping this will also be just the first of many such campaigns.
