Every MLB Team's Best Position Player in 2023
With the 2023 MLB regular season winding to a close, now is the perfect time to highlight some of the individual standouts from each team.
Whether it's a club headed for the postseason or a team that has been out of the race for months, every team has at least a few standout players, and ahead we've highlighted each team's best position player during the 2023 season.
Offensive production, defensive metrics and the role he played in his team's success were all considered when selecting each team's pick, and while WAR stats are included, this is not simply a list of each team's WAR leader.
Tomorrow we'll highlight each team's best pitcher, but for now let's dive into the cream of the crop from the position player side of each team's roster.
Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Corbin Carroll
1 of 30
Stats: 133 OPS+, .281/.360/.503, 60 XBH (24 HR), 72 RBI, 106 R, 48 SB, 5.0 WAR
With all due respect to veterans Ketel Marte and Christian Walker, who are both having strong seasons, there is little question that Corbin Carroll has been the best player on the D-backs roster.
The 23-year-old has been the clear favorite in the NL Rookie of the Year race since May when Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman slumped after a hot start, and he should also show up on plenty of NL MVP ballots. His mix of power, speed and contact ability should make the eight-year, $111 million extension he signed in March a steal.
Atlanta Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2 of 30
Stats: 169 OPS+, .338/.418/.596, 75 XBH (39 HR), 100 RBI, 138 R, 67 SB, 7.9 WAR
There was a moment's consideration for Matt Olson and his franchise-record 52 home runs, but Ronald Acuña Jr. is the obvious pick.
The NL leader in OPS+ (169), on-base percentage (.418), hits (205), runs scored (138), steals (67) and total bases (361), he is also the first player in MLB history with a 30-homer, 60-steal performance. With one more home run, he will also become the fifth member of the exclusive 40/40 club.
Will all of that be enough to hold off Mookie Betts in the NL MVP race?
Baltimore Orioles: SS/3B Gunnar Henderson
3 of 30
Stats: 128 OPS+, .261/.328/.500, 62 XBH (27 HR), 80 RBI, 94 R, 9 SB, 6.2 WAR
The fact that the Baltimore Orioles have the best record in the American League and the choice for their best position player is a toss-up between 22-year-old Gunnar Henderson and 25-year-old Adley Rutschman speaks to how well-positioned this club is for long-term success.
Henderson has an .860 OPS with 15 doubles, 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 61 games since the All-Star break, and with that he has stormed into the lead in the AL Rookie of the Year race and overtaken Rutschman in most statistical categories. That said, there is still a case to be made that Rutschman is the single most important player on the roster.
Boston Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers
4 of 30
Stats: 131 OPS+, .277/.357/.519, 77 XBH (33 HR), 98 RBI, 89 R, 4 SB, 3.7 WAR
Rafael Devers is hitting .313/.405/.561 with 13 home runs in 57 games since the All-Star break, helping to balance a relatively quiet first half and erasing any question as to whether he should be the choice for the Boston Red Sox.
A tip of the cap to rookie Triston Casas, who looks like a future star, as well as offseason signing Justin Turner who has done an excellent job replacing J.D. Martinez as a veteran run producer in the middle of the lineup.
Chicago Cubs: 1B/OF Cody Bellinger
5 of 30
Stats: 135 OPS+, .310/.354/.537, 52 XBH (26 HR), 94 RBI, 89 R, 20 SB, 4.2 WAR
Three years after winning 2019 NL MVP honors, Cody Bellinger found himself non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers following a pair of disappointing seasons, and he entered free agency as one of the more compelling buy-low reclamation projects on the market last winter.
The Cubs rolled the dice with a one-year, $17.5 million deal, and he has been the team's best offensive player all season, posting the first 20/20 season by a Cubs player since Javier Báez in 2018. His ability to bounce between first base and center field has also provided significant additional value.
Will he land a $100 million deal in free agency?
Chicago White Sox: OF Luis Robert Jr.
6 of 30
Stats: 128 OPS+, .265/.316/.543, 74 XBH (37 HR), 79 RBI, 88 R, 17 SB, 4.9 WAR
After posting an .899 OPS and 26 home runs during the first half of the season, Luis Robert Jr. is hitting just .254/.292/.498 with 11 long balls after the break, but he is still a lay-up choice as the best position player on a disappointing White Sox roster.
Eloy Jiménez (102 OPS+) and Andrew Vaughn (101 OPS+) are the only other players on the roster who have provided above-average offensive production, and Robert is also one of the best defensive players (5 DRS, 1.1 UZR/150) on the team.
Cincinnati Reds: IF/OF Spencer Steer
7 of 30
Stats: 118 OPS+, .269/.358/.458, 57 XBH (22 HR), 82 RBI, 69 R, 15 SB, 3.1 WAR
There is a case to be made that Matt McLain has done enough in 89 games worth of action to be considered the best position player on the Cincinnati roster this year, but fellow rookie Spencer Steer has been in the big leagues all season and has been a consistent middle-of-the-order producer.
The 25-year-old has also provided value with his defensive versatility, seeing time at first base (51 starts), third base (42 starts), left field (30 starts), second base (13 starts) and right field (two starts). Considering he played a grand total of nine innings in the outfield while he was in the minors, learning a new position on the fly while continuing to produce at the plate deserves some props.
Cleveland Guardians: 3B José Ramírez
8 of 30
Stats: 132 OPS+, .279/.354/.484, 64 XBH (24 HR), 78 RBI, 84 R, 26 SB, 5.0 WAR
With five top-six finishes in AL MVP voting in the last six years, José Ramírez remains one of baseball's most underrated superstars. He has posted his fifth 20/20 season, he is a strong defender at third base, and his AL-leading 21 intentional walks speak to the respect the rest of the league has for his ability.
First baseman Josh Naylor deserves a mention for his career year at the plate, while Andrés Giménez has followed up his breakout 2022 campaign with a 13-homer, 30-steal, 4.8-WAR season.
Colorado Rockies: OF Nolan Jones
9 of 30
Stats: 128 OPS+, .283/.370/.520, 40 XBH (17 HR), 54 RBI, 54 R, 16 SB, 3.4 WAR
Nolan Jones was a three-time member of the Baseball America Top 100 prospect list, appearing among the game's top up-and-comers prior to the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons during his time in the Cleveland organization.
The Rockies acquired him during the offseason in exchange for infield prospect Juan Brito, and he has put together a fantastic rookie campaign. The 25-year-old is hitting .309/.413/.603 with nine extra-base hits and eight steals in September, and he has secured his spot as a key piece of the team's 2024 plans.
Detroit Tigers: 1B Spencer Torkelson
10 of 30
Stats: 107 OPS+, .233/.315/.448, 62 XBH (29 HR), 84 RBI, 83 R, 3 SB, 0.9 WAR
Spencer Torkelson was expected to make an instant impact when he was taken No. 1 overall in the 2020 draft, and after a huge first full season in the minors, he broke camp with a starting job last year.
However, he hit just .203/.285/.319 with a 74 OPS+ in 404 plate appearances as a rookie, and he was briefly demoted back to the minors at the All-Star break. The 24-year-old has steadily improved as the 2023 season has unfolded, and among other telling metrics, his hard-hit rate has spiked from 41.8 to 51.5 percent this year.
Houston Astros: OF Kyle Tucker
11 of 30
Stats: 140 OPS+, .284/.368/.512, 64 XBH (28 HR), 108 RBI, 90 R, 28 SB, 4.7 WAR
Yordan Alvarez (104 G, 169 OPS+, 28 HR, 93 RBI) and Jose Altuve (80 G, 159 OPS+, 17 HR, 48 RBI) have both missed significant time to injury this season, though they have been among baseball's most productive offensive players when healthy.
On the doorstep of a 30/30 season, Kyle Tucker has been the team's most consistent producer this year, and he is hitting .365/.448/.613 over 176 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. With free agency looming after the 2025 season, extension talks could pick up this offseason.
Kansas City Royals: SS Bobby Witt Jr.
12 of 30
Stats: 119 OPS+, .277/.319/.493, 64 XBH (29 HR), 90 RBI, 88 R, 48 SB, 4.3 WAR
After a 20-homer, 30-steal debut, Bobby Witt Jr. has taken a massive step forward this year to cement his place as the face of the franchise for the Kansas City Royals.
His average exit velocity (89.7 to 90.7 mph), hard-hit rate (38.6 to 45.5 percent) and barrel rate (8.7 to 11.3 percent) have all ticked up, and he has also made modest improvements to his strikeout and walk rates. However, the biggest improvements have come on the defensive side where he has gone from a liability (-18 DRS, -8.7 UZR/150) to only slightly below average (-4 DRS, -0.3 UZR/150) at shortstop.
Los Angeles Angels: DH Shohei Ohtani
13 of 30
Stats: 184 OPS+, .304/.412/.654, 78 XBH (44 HR), 95 RBI, 102 R, 20 SB, 6.0 WAR
It's not easy to put together a 6-WAR season as a position player without padding that total with defensive contributions, yet Ohtani managed to do it while playing exclusively designated hitter or pitcher where he logged -1.1 dWAR.
Despite the fact that his season ended prematurely on Sept. 3 with an oblique injury, he is still the AL leader in home runs (44), walks (91), on-base percentage (.412), slugging (.654), OPS+ (184) and total bases (325).
Los Angeles Dodgers: IF/OF Mookie Betts
14 of 30
Stats: 168 OPS+, .311/.410/.596, 77 XBH (39 HR), 103 RBI, 123 R, 13 SB, 8.1 WAR
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are both having MVP-caliber seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers, though both may wind up missing out on the hardware thanks to a historic season from Ronald Acuña Jr.
Betts holds the edge over Freeman in OPS+ (168 vs. 162) and WAR (8.1 vs. 6.3), and he has been ever more indispensable this season due to the defensive versatility he has provided. Aside from his usual stellar work in right field, he has also seen action at second base (420.0 innings) and shortstop (98.0 innings) and has posted strong metrics at both spots.
Miami Marlins: 2B Luis Arraez
15 of 30
Stats: 134 OPS+, .354/.394/.471, 43 XBH (10 HR), 69 RBI, 70 R, 3 SB, 5.0 WAR
Luis Arraez was hitting .383 at the All-Star break, and a potential run at a .400 average was shaping up to be a major story. He has "slumped" to a .315 average during the second half, but he still has a nice cushion over Ronald Acuña Jr. (.338) and Freddie Freeman (.336) to win the NL batting title—a year after he took home the AL batting title.
Slugger Jorge Soler also deserves a mention, as he has bounced back nicely from a disappointing first season in Miami to post a 127 OPS+ with 36 home runs while also earning his first All-Star selection.
Milwaukee Brewers: C William Contreras
16 of 30
Stats: 123 OPS+, .283/.361/.458, 52 XBH (17 HR), 74 RBI, 79 R, 5 SB, 3.3 WAR
The pick here would likely have been Christian Yelich just a few weeks ago, but he is hitting .192/.313/.266 with 32 strikeouts in 112 plate appearances over his last 25 games, and that has opened the door for William Contreras to earn the nod.
The 25-year-old has provided the middle-of-the-order run production the Brewers were hoping for when they acquired him during the offseason, and he has also been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. He ranks among the MLB leaders in pitch-framing, and he trails only Patrick Bailey (SF) and Jonah Heim (TEX) in overall defensive value among catchers.
Minnesota Twins: 3B Royce Lewis
17 of 30
Stats: 149 OPS+, .309/.372/.548, 22 XBH (15 HR), 52 RBI, 36 R, 6 SB, 2.4 WAR
The prospect fatigue was very real with Royce Lewis heading into the 2023 season, as he had seemingly been a part of leaguewide Top 100 lists for the past decade. It was largely since he went No. 1 overall in the 2017 draft, but a variety of injuries kept him from breaking through in the big leagues.
This year was actually no different, as he missed 36 games with an oblique strain, but since returning to the active roster on Aug. 15 he is hitting .295/.386/.607 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in 32 games. On a team that has been led by its pitching staff, Lewis has been the best position player on the roster by a sizable margin in the 58 games he has played.
New York Mets: SS Franciso Lindor
18 of 30
Stats: 114 OPS+, .250/.332/.454, 61 XBH (26 HR), 87 RBI, 99 R, 28 SB, 5.6 WAR
Slugger Pete Alonso may have gaudy power numbers, including a 129 OPS+ with 45 home runs and 112 RBI, but shortstop Francisco Lindor has been the best all-around position player on the New York Mets roster.
The 29-year-old is tied for the NL lead among shortstops with 26 home runs, he has posted elite defensive metrics (10 DRS, 7.7 UZR/150) at a premium position, and he even has a career-high 28 stolen bases en route to the third 20/20 season of his career. For the fifth time in nine MLB seasons, he has been a 5-WAR player.
New York Yankees: OF Aaron Judge
19 of 30
Stats: 162 OPS+, .257/.394/.577, 44 XBH (32 HR), 63 RBI, 71 R, 3 SB, 3.5 WAR
Aaron Judge has only played 97 games this season, and the Yankees have been a completely different team with him in the lineup, going 52-45 (.536) in the games that he has played compared to 24-30 (.444) without him.
The double-play combination of Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe have both been 3-WAR players, and they are also the only two players on the team that have been healthy enough to play more than 130 games.
Oakland Athletics: 2B Zack Gelof
20 of 30
Stats: 143 OPS+, .273/.341/.524, 32 XBH (12 HR), 26 RBI, 34 R, 12 SB, 2.3 WAR
First baseman Ryan Noda (128 OPS+, .375 OBP, 16.2 BB%) has provided elite on-base numbers and designated hitter Brent Rooker (125 OPS+, 26 HR, 60 RBI) was Oakland's lone All-Star representative this year, but rookie Zack Gelof immediately became the team's most productive hitter when he made his MLB debut on July 14.
A second-round pick in 2021, Gelof hit .292/.381/.503 over 909 plate appearances in the minors, and now he looks like one of the few long-term building blocks on an Oakland roster that is in a perpetual state of rebuilding.
Philadelphia Phillies: SS Trea Turner
21 of 30
Stats: 112 OPS+, .269/.320/.466, 63 XBH (26 HR), 75 RBI, 97 R, 28 SB, 3.6 WAR
Expectations were sky-high for Trea Turner in Philadelphia after he signed an 11-year, $300 million deal during the offseason, but he was hitting just .242/.296/.378 at the end of July in what was shaping up to be a wildly disappointing debut with his new team.
Since Aug. 1, he has caught fire, hitting .335/.379/.682 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 41 RBI in 43 games. That's enough for him to overtake Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and 2023 breakout star Bryson Stott on the Phillies roster.
Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds
22 of 30
Stats: 116 OPS+, .271/.334/.473, 58 XBH (22 HR), 77 RBI, 78 R, 12 SB, 2.6 WAR
For all the young up-and-coming talent that has appeared at the MLB level for the Pirates this season, it's still outfielder Bryan Reynolds who is the team's most consistent hitter and the de facto face of the franchise for the time being.
The Pirates locked him up with an eight-year, $106.8 million extension during their unexpected hot start, and he is the team leader in hits (144), doubles (33), home runs (22), RBI (77), runs scored (78), total bases (251) and most other offensive categories.
San Diego Padres: OF Juan Soto
23 of 30
Stats: 154 OPS+, .268/.405/.506, 62 XBH (32 HR), 100 RBI, 88 R, 11 SB, 4.9 WAR
Juan Soto was frequently scrutinized last season for being too willing to work a walk and not providing enough run production. This season, he has raised his slugging percentage 54 points while reaching the 30-homer, 100-RBI marks for the second time in his career, and he's done it while still maintaining his elite on-base numbers.
The value that Ha-Seong Kim has provided both offensively and defensively this season should not be overlooked, and he has a strong case to be the pick on a San Diego Padres roster that is loaded with star power.
San Francisco Giants: IF Wilmer Flores
24 of 30
Stats: 138 OPS+, .289/.357/.520, 44 XBH (22 HR), 57 RBI, 50 R, 0 SB, 2.6 WAR
The Giants love a platoon, and, as a result, only five players on the roster have tallied more than 400 plate appearances this season—Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr.
Flores leads the team in OPS+ (138), home runs (22) and total bases (198), and he has done it while splitting his time between first base, third base and designated hitter. The 32-year-old is hitting .318/.377/.558 in 170 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, though he has also fared well against righties with an .837 OPS in 256 trips to the plate.
Seattle Mariners: OF Julio Rodríguez
25 of 30
Stats: 132 OPS+, .285/.342/.495, 67 XBH (30 HR), 99 RBI, 96 R, 36 SB, 5.4 WAR
Julio Rodríguez jump-started what had been a good-not-great follow-up to his stellar rookie campaign by hitting .429/.474/.724 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI over 23 games in August.
Shortstop J.P. Crawford also deserves a mention for what has been easily the best season of his career. The 28-year-old has a 129 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 16 home runs, 57 RBI, 88 runs scored and 4.7 WAR. That five-year, $51 million extension he signed prior to the 2022 season is shaping up to be a steal.
St. Louis Cardinals: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
26 of 30
Stats: 123 OPS+, .269/.364/.451, 53 XBH (25 HR), 78 RBI, 85 R, 11 SB, 3.5 WAR
Despite not matching his 2022 NL MVP level of production, Paul Goldschmidt still leads the St. Louis roster with 3.5 WAR, and he has put together another strong all-around season as he continues to add to a potential Hall of Fame resume.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado leads the team in home runs (26) and RBI (93), but he is hitting just .268/.317/.461 for a 111 OPS+ and his defensive metrics (2 DRS, -1.1 UZR/150) are not what we've grown accustomed to during his 10 straight Gold Glove wins.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1B Yandy Díaz
27 of 30
Stats: 150 OPS+, .323/.402/.507, 53 XBH (20 HR), 73 RBI, 90 R, 0 SB, 4.5 WAR
Anyone who thinks this has been a breakout season for Yandy Díaz wasn't paying attention last year when he hit .296/.401/.423 for a 142 OPS+ in a 3.4-WAR season, though he has taken his power production to another level.
The 32-year-old ranks among the MLB leaders in batting average (.323, fifth) and OPS+ (150, eighth), and with 61 walks and 91 strikeouts in 575 plate appearances, he has some of the best contact skills of any player in baseball.
Texas Rangers: SS Corey Seager
28 of 30
Stats: 176 OPS+, .333/.394/.640, 72 XBH (31 HR), 92 RBI, 84 R, 2 SB, 6.8 WAR
Despite only playing in 108 of 151 games for the Texas Rangers this season, Corey Seager has been an offensive juggernaut, racking up 72 extra-base hits in 490 plate appearances and leading the AL with a .333 batting average.
Marcus Semien is having another terrific season at second base and Adolis García has been an RBI machine in the middle of the lineup, but Seager has simply been on another level this year. The 29-year-old might have given Shohei Ohtani a legitimate run for his money in the AL MVP race if he had managed to stay healthy for the entire season.
Toronto Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette
29 of 30
Stats: 122 OPS+, .304/.336/.474, 49 XBH (19 HR), 67 RBI, 59 R, 3 SB, 4.0 WAR
An inconsistent overall season from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a second-half drop-off from Matt Chapman makes shortstop Bo Bichette a relatively easy pick as the best position player on the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
He ranks in the top 10 in the AL in batting average (.304, third) and hits (159, sixth), despite missing 25 games during the second half, first with right patellar tendinitis and then with a right quad strain. He has also gone from a terrible defensive shortstop (-16 DRS, -27.6 UZR/150) to a legitimate plus with the glove (3 DRS, 5.7 UZR/150) in the course of a year.
Washington Nationals: OF Lane Thomas
30 of 30
Stats: 114 OPS+, .271/.317/.467, 62 XBH (25 HR), 80 RBI, 94 R, 19 SB, 3.2 WAR
The deal to acquire Lane Thomas from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jon Lester at the 2021 trade deadline is shaping up to be one of the best in recent franchise history. The 28-year-old outfielder has improved across the board this year after a solid 2022 campaign, and he is one steal away from a 20/20 season.
The pick here might have been Jeimer Candelario, had he not been traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline. The bargain signing had a 125 OPS+ with 30 doubles, 16 home runs, 53 RBI and 2.9 WAR in 99 games prior to that trade.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.
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