Updated MLB Position-by-Position Rankings 1 Month into 2023 Season
Who are Major League Baseball's best players at each position one month into the 2023 season?
That's the simple question we set out to answer, and it required casting aside preconceived notions and long-term projections.
That means established stars such as J.T. Realmuto, José Abreu, Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, George Springer, Julio Rodríguez, Sandy Alcantara, Aaron Nola, Corbin Burnes and Emmanuel Clase are nowhere to be found in this article.
In their places, early surprise standouts such as Jonah Heim, Patrick Wisdom, Jorge Mateo, Geraldo Perdomo, Jarred Kelenic, James Outman, Josh Lowe, Brent Rooker, Bryce Elder, Justin Steele and Yennier Cano are all prominently featured.
To put it simply, this is an overview of the top 10 players at each spot based solely on what they have accomplished this season. Past performances and future expectations did not play a part.
Let the debate begin!
Catchers
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Top 10 Catchers
1. Sean Murphy, ATL
2. Jonah Heim, TEX
3. Adley Rutschman, BAL
4. Elias Díaz, COL
5. Will Smith, LAD
6. Willson Contreras, STL
7. Cal Raleigh, SEA
8. Connor Wong, BOS
9. William Contreras, MIL
10. Salvador Perez, KC
No. 1 Spot: The blockbuster deal to acquire Sean Murphy during the offseason and subsequent six-year, $73 million extension he signed looks like the latest stroke of genius by the Atlanta Braves front office. The 28-year-old is hitting .287/.437/.628 with eight home runs and an NL-leading 183 OPS+ in 28 games.
Rising: Jonah Heim entered the 2023 season as something of an enigma after putting together a terrific first half (.781 OPS, 12 HR, 33 RBI) and a horrible second half (.589 OPS, 4 HR, 15 RBI) in 2022. The 27-year-old is hitting .294/.374/.588 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 25 games to start the year, and he could be headed for his first All-Star selection.
Falling: It was a lackluster first month for J.T. Realmuto, who is sporting a .294 on-base percentage and a 27-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 109 plate appearances. The 32-year-old started slowly last year as well before catching fire during the second half, so there's no reason to think he won't eventually round into form.
First Basemen
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Top 10 First Basemen
1. Yandy Díaz, TB
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
3. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
4. Freddie Freeman, LAD
5. Pete Alonso, NYM
6. Matt Olson, ATL
7. Vinnie Pasquantino, KC
8. Anthony Rizzo, NYY
9. Rowdy Tellez, MIL
10. Carlos Santana, PIT
No. 1 Spot: An on-base machine with some of the best contact skills in baseball, Yandy Díaz posted a 144 OPS+ last season, but he tallied just nine home runs in 558 plate appearances. The 31-year-old has found his power stroke this year with eight long balls in 29 games, and he is hitting .327/.432/.606 for an MLB-leading 194 OPS+ as a bona fide early AL MVP candidate.
Rising: After hitting .295/.383/.450 with 10 home runs and more walks (35) than strikeouts (34) as a rookie last season, Vinnie Pasquantino was a popular breakout candidate heading into the 2023 season. He has been one of the few bright spots on a bad Kansas City Royals team, posting a 148 OPS+ with 11 doubles, six home runs and 15 RBI while continuing to show an advanced approach at the plate.
Falling: It looked like the Houston Astros scored a major upgrade at first base when they signed veteran José Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million deal in free agency. Instead, the 36-year-old is hitting just .232/.267/.264 while still searching for his first home run in an Astros uniform, and his 49 OPS+ ranks 174th out of 178 qualified hitters.
Second Basemen
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Top 10 Second Basemen
1. Luis Arraez, MIA
2. Thairo Estrada, SF
3. Marcus Semien, TEX
4. Nico Hoerner, CHC
5. Jeff McNeil, NYM
6. Ozzie Albies, ATL
7. Brandon Lowe, TB
8. Ketel Marte, ARI
9. Jonathan India, CIN
10. Bryson Stott, PHI
No. 1 Spot: By hitting .438/.500/.551 during April, Luis Arraez enjoyed the best first month of the season from a batting average standpoint since Barry Bonds hit .362/.609/.812 back in 2004, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Could we see a legitimate run at a .400 average from a player with arguably the best hit tool in baseball?
Rising: Nico Hoerner leads all NL second basemen and ranks second only to Marcus Semien in overall defensive value among players at the position. The 25-year-old is also hitting .304/.349/.400 for a 105 OPS+ with 11 steals and 23 runs scored as the leadoff hitter for a productive Chicago Cubs offense.
Falling: After posting a career-high 118 OPS+ in a 3.1 WAR season last year, Kolten Wong has seemingly forgotten how to hit after joining the Seattle Mariners via a trade during the offseason. He is batting .189/.274/.203, and his usual stellar defense has also taken a step backward, leading to him being a minus-1.1 WAR player in 23 games.
Third Basemen
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Top 10 Third Basemen
1. Matt Chapman, TOR
2. Max Muncy, LAD
3. Patrick Wisdom, CHC
4. José Ramírez, CLE
5. Josh Jung, TEX
6. Rafael Devers, BOS
7. J.D. Davis, SF
8. Austin Riley, ATL
9. Josh Rojas, ARI
10. Isaac Paredes, TB
No. 1 Spot: With free agency looming next offseason, Matt Chapman has picked the perfect time for a career year at the plate. The three-time Gold Glove winner leads the AL in batting average (.351), on-base percentage (.435) and doubles (15), and he has already racked up 2.0 WAR through 31 games as he looks to secure a lucrative payday.
Rising: Rookie Brett Baty only has 49 plate appearances under his belt, making it difficult to rank him ahead of guys who have been contributing all season. However, he is well on his way to crashing the top 10 and could steadily climb this list in the coming months. He is hitting .311/.367/.489 with four extra-base hits and appears to have a clear path to the third base job.
Shortstops
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Top 10 Shortstops
1. Jorge Mateo, BAL
2. Wander Franco, TB
3. Bo Bichette, TOR
4. Xander Bogaerts, SD
5. Geraldo Perdomo, ARI
6. Dansby Swanson, CHC
7. Tommy Edman, STL
8. Francisco Lindor, NYM
9. J.P. Crawford, SEA
10. Jeremy Peña, HOU
No. 1 Spot: In his first season as an everyday player last year, Jorge Mateo showed a nice mix of power (45 XBH, 13 HR) and speed (35 SB), albeit with a less than stellar .221/.267/.379 batting line. This year, he's hitting .321/.372/.595 for a 165 OPS+ with five doubles, six home runs and 11 steals for 1.7 WAR in 26 games.
Rising: Former top prospect Geraldo Perdomo has stolen a good chunk of playing time from veteran Nick Ahmed by hitting .409/.473/.636 with 10 extra-base hits in 77 plate appearances. Significant regression is coming given his absurd .500 BABIP and poor batted-ball metrics, but how much?
Falling: After signing a massive 11-year, $300 million deal in free agency and then putting on a show with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Trea Turner was my NL MVP pick going into the year. The dynamic power/speed threat is hitting just .259/.301/.393 with 10 extra-base hits and four steals through his first 32 games in a Phillies uniform.
Left Fielders
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Top 10 Left Fielders
1. Randy Arozarena, TB
2. Jarred Kelenic, SEA
3. Masataka Yoshida, BOS
4. Bryan Reynolds, PIT
5. Corbin Carroll, ARI
6. Ian Happ, CHC
7. Juan Soto, SD
8. Austin Hays, BAL
9. Edward Olivares, KC
10. Steven Kwan, CLE
No. 1 Spot: With back-to-back 20/20 seasons under his belt, Randy Arozarena has already established himself as one of baseball's best power/speed players. Now he is taking his offensive game to another level. The 28-year-old is hitting .325/.391/.590 with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 1.4 WAR in 30 games, and he has made improvements to both his strikeout and walk rates.
Rising: Heading into Friday's action, Masataka Yoshida had rattled off four straight multi-hit performances, and he was batting .446/.484/.804 with 10 extra-base hits in 62 plate appearances over his last 14 games. The 29-year-old has moved ahead of Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown as the early AL Rookie of the Year favorite thanks to his recent hot streak.
Falling: It's been slow going for Tyler O'Neill (STL) as he looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2022 season to return to the 6.1 WAR form he showed the previous year. He is hitting .228/.283/.337 with just six extra-base hits and a 34.3 percent strikeout rate through 99 plate appearances.
Center Fielders
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Top 10 Center Fielders
1. Brandon Marsh, PHI
2. Mike Trout, LAA
3. James Outman, LAD
4. Cody Bellinger, CHC
5. Brandon Nimmo, NYM
6. Jarren Duran, BOS
7. Jack Suwinski, PIT
8. Aaron Judge, NYY
9. Mike Yastrzemski, SF
10. Cedric Mullins, BAL
No. 1 Spot: Five years from now, it will be interesting to see who comes out ahead in the Brandon Marsh-for-Logan O'Hoppe trade between the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies last summer. Marsh, 25, is hitting .326/.413/.611 for a 178 OPS+ with 15 extra-base hits in 30 games in a breakout 2023 campaign.
Rising: Despite spending the first 16 games of the season at Triple-A, Jarren Duran has been one of the most productive center fielders in baseball. The former top prospect is hitting .417/.456/.683 with 12 extra-base hits in 68 plate appearances, and with stellar batted-ball metrics, his breakthrough looks like the real deal.
Falling: A healthy Jazz Chisholm Jr. was expected to be the centerpiece of the Miami Marlins offensive attack. Instead, he is hitting just .237/.293/.404 with 44 strikeouts in 124 plate appearances, though he has tallied eight extra-base hits and 11 steals. Can he return to the form he showed prior to a season-ending back injury last year?
Right Fielders
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Top 10 Right Fielders
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
2. Josh Lowe, TB
3. Alex Verdugo, BOS
4. Nick Castellanos, PHI
5. Mookie Betts, LAD
6. Adolis García, TEX
7. Kyle Tucker, HOU
8. Kris Bryant, COL
9. Hunter Renfroe, LAA
10. Matt Vierling, DET
No. 1 Spot: After showing diminished power in his return from a torn ACL last season, Ronald Acuña Jr. is once again playing like a serious NL MVP threat. The 25-year-old leads the NL in hits (44), steals (15), runs (29) and total bases (73), and he is hitting .355/.445/.589 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI and 2.1 WAR.
Rising: The No. 44 prospect on the Baseball America Top 100 list at the start of the 2022 season, Josh Lowe failed to stake claim to a starting role last year, and he opened this season without a clearly defined role. The 25-year-old is hitting .329/.389/.634 with seven doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI in 90 plate appearances.
Falling: Oft-injured star George Springer (TOR) has played in 31 of his team's first 32 games to open the year, but he is hitting just .210/.269/.290 with four extra-base hits in 134 plate appearances. With three years and $72.5 million remaining on his contract after this season, he'll be counted on to return to All-Star form.
Designated Hitters and Utility Players
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Top 5 Designated Hitters
1. Brent Rooker, OAK
2. Harold Ramírez, TB
3. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
4. Byron Buxton, MIN
5. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
The biggest offensive surprise of the 2023 season to this point is 2017 Minnesota Twins first-round pick Brent Rooker. The 28-year-old is hitting .316/.429/.684 with nine home runs and 22 RBI in 98 plate appearances, and he is doing it with little to no protection in the Oakland lineup.
Top 5 Utility Players
1. Taylor Walls, TB
2. LaMonte Wade Jr., SF
3. Connor Joe, PIT
4. Nolan Gorman, STL
5. Brian Anderson, MIL
This is something new I'm doing with this year's player rankings, combining everyone who does not have a regular position on the field to give standout utility players an opportunity to appear somewhere.
After hitting .172 with a 64 OPS+ in 466 plate appearances last season as a glove-only utility player, Taylor Walls is hitting .290/.388/.580 for a 173 OPS+ with nine extra-base hits and five steals while making multiple starts at second base, shortstop and third base.
Right-Handed Starting Pitchers
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Top 10 Right-Handed Starting Pitchers
1. Sonny Gray, MIN
2. Gerrit Cole, NYY
3. Zac Gallen, ARI
4. Luis Castillo, SEA
5. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
6. Spencer Strider, ATL
7. Joe Ryan, MIN
8. Anthony DeSclafani, SF
9. Jacob deGrom, TEX
10. Bryce Elder, ATL
No. 1 Spot: With a revamped approach that has him throwing more cutters and fewer four-seam fastballs and sinkers, Sonny Gray is putting together the best season of his up-and-down MLB career. The 33-year-old is 4-0 with an MLB-best 0.77 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 35 innings through his first six starts.
Rising: It was easy to overlook Anthony DeSclafani heading into the year after he struggled to a 6.63 ERA over five starts during an injury-plagued 2022 season. Healthy once again, the 33-year-old has a 2.13 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and a terrific 30-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 38 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .201 average.
Falling: Kansas City Royals right-hander Brady Singer took a major step forward in his development last season, and he looked primed to join the ranks of the game's elite starters this year. Instead, he has struggled to an 8.49 ERA and 1.52 WHIP while allowing 36 hits in 29.2 innings over six starts.
Left-Handed Starting Pitchers
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Top 10 Left-Handed Starting Pitchers
1. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
2. Justin Steele, CHC
3. Eduardo Rodriguez, DET
4. Shane McClanahan, TB
5. Max Fried, ATL
6. Wade Miley, MIL
7. Framber Valdez, HOU
8. Drew Smyly, CHC
9. Martín Pérez, TEX
10. Julio Urías, LAD
No. 1 Spot: With an NL-leading 0.76 WHIP on the strength of a 41-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .175 opponents' batting average, Clayton Kershaw is proving he still has plenty left in the tank in his age-35 season. After he averaged 124 innings over the past two campaigns, staying healthy all season will be the key.
Rising: Justin Steele was a bright spot for a middling Chicago Cubs team last year, posting a 3.18 ERA with 126 strikeouts in 119 innings. The 6'2" southpaw has an NL-best 1.49 ERA through his first six starts this year, going 4-0 with a 0.96 WHIP while trimming his walk rate from 3.8 to 2.7 BB/9.
Falling: The Boston Red Sox were banking on a healthy Chris Sale to anchor their starting rotation this season. However, he has been knocked around to the tune of a 6.75 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a .280 opponents' batting average through six starts. The team still owes him the remainder of a $27.5 million salary this year and a matching figure in 2024.
Relief Pitchers
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Top 10 Relief Pitchers
1. Josh Hader, SD
2. Yennier Cano, BAL
3. David Bednar, PIT
4. David Robertson, NYM
5. Carlos Estévez, LAA
6. Félix Bautista, BAL
7. Josh Winckowski, BOS
8. Bryan Abreu, HOU
9. Gabe Speier, SEA
10. Alexis Díaz, CIN
No. 1 Spot: Aside from a rough patch during the second half of last season, Josh Hader has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball history throughout his career. The left-hander is a perfect 10-for-10 on save chances this season with a 0.64 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 11.6 K/9, allowing just four hits in his 14 innings of work.
Rising: A 29-year-old rookie who was acquired in the deal that sent Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins last summer, Yennier Cano has faced 43 batters this season and allowed just two hits and one hit-by-pitch. He has 16 strikeouts and zero walks in 14 shutout innings, recording two saves, five holds and 1.3 WAR in 11 appearances.
Falling: Plenty of relievers have worse numbers, but Ryan Helsley might be the most disappointing late-inning arm following his brilliant 2022 season. The hard-throwing right-hander has three blown saves in six chances and two losses, and his ERA (1.25 to 3.97) and walk rate (2.8 to 4.0 BB/9) have both gone from elite to middling at best.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Thursday's games.
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