Bryce Harper, Evan Longoria and MLB Stars Who Could Win 1st World Series Ring in 2023
The ultimate career goal for any MLB player is to win a World Series ring, and while some players find immediate success in the majors, others wait their entire career for the opportunity to win a ring.
With the 2023 MLB postseason field narrowed to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers, the list of players in position to win their first ring has narrowed considerably.
Ahead we've highlighted the most accomplished MLB players who could win their first ring in 2023, based on career WAR, focusing on players who have accumulated at least 20 WAR in their careers.
Let's start with a few honorable mention lists of position players and pitchers who have logged between 10.0 and 19.9 WAR without winning a ring.
Note: Jacob deGrom does not have a ring and would receive one this year if the Texas Rangers won it all, but he was not included since he will not be an active participant in the postseason.
Honorable Mentions: Position Players
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These position players have between 10.0 and 19.9 career WAR and have never won a ring:
- OF Tommy Pham, ARI (17.9 WAR)
- OF Nick Castellanos, PHI (14.1 WAR)
- 1B Christian Walker, ARI (12.6 WAR)
- OF Adolis García, TEX (11.2 WAR)
- OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., ARI (10.8 WAR)
- OF Robbie Grossman, TEX (10.0 WAR)
Honorable Mentions: Pitchers
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These pitchers have between 10.0 and 19.9 career WAR and have never won a ring:
- RHP Zac Gallen, ARI (17.0 WAR)
- RHP Jon Gray, TEX (14.8 WAR)
- LHP Martín Pérez, TEX (13.6 WAR)
- LHP Jordan Montgomery, TEX (12.5 WAR)
- RHP Merrill Kelly, ARI (12.4 WAR)
2B Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Career WAR: 24.4
Ketel Marte sort of feels like the Anthony Rizzo (CHC) or Jose Altuve (HOU) of this young Arizona Diamondbacks team---the veteran piece still in his prime who was around through some lean years before serving as a cornerstone piece on a contender.
He broke out with a 32-homer, 92-RBI, 6.9-WAR season in 2019, and has consistently been one of the best offensive second basemen in the majors when healthy in the years since.
The 30-year-old has been to the postseason just one other time, going 3-for-5 in a NL Wild Card Game victory over the Colorado Rockies in 2017 and then 4-for-12 with a home run in a three-game NLDS sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the second season of a five-year, $76 million extension, Marte will continue to serve as one of the faces of the franchise in the desert for the foreseeable future.
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RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
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Career WAR: 28.7
It looked like Zack Wheeler's promising young career might be derailed when he missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, then returned with a 5.21 ERA in 86.1 innings in 2017.
Instead, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball dating back to the start of the 2018 campaign, posting a 3.28 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 1,049 strikeouts in 1,007 innings over his final two seasons with the New York Mets and the first four seasons of a five-year, $118 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 33-year-old has a 2.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 48.2 career playoff innings spanning eight starts, and he has tossed a pair of quality starts so far this winter.
Since he was injured during the New York Mets run to the World Series in 2015, last year was the first time he pitched in the postseason.
1B José Abreu, Houston Astros
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Career WAR: 31.8
First baseman José Abreu was the only major offseason addition to a Houston Astros team that won the World Series in 2023, signing a three-year, $58.5 million deal as one of the top bats on the market last winter.
The Cuban defector didn't come stateside until his age-27 season in 2014 when he won AL Rookie of the Year honors, and he posted a 135 OPS+ with 243 home runs and 863 RBI in nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
He played in the 2020 and 2021 postseasons, going 9-for-28 in a pair of early exits by the South Siders, but this is his first trip to the ALCS.
The 36-year-old hit .237/.296/.383 for an 87 OPS+ with 18 home runs and 90 RBI during a disappointing regular season, but he went 5-for-16 with three home runs and eight RBI in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins.
RHP Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
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Career WAR: 32.0
One of the best homegrown pitchers in Philadelphia Phillies history, Aaron Nola just logged his seventh straight season with at least 2.0 WAR while making at least 30 starts for the fifth time in the last six years.
The 30-year-old finished 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 193.2 innings during the regular season in a slightly down year by his standards, and with free agency looming this offseason he had something to prove in October.
Strong starts in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K) and Game 3 of the NLDS (5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 9 K) have effectively boosted his free agency stock.
He is now 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 38.1 innings over seven postseason starts the last two years.
C J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
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Career WAR: 33.3
A three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, J.T. Realmuto is unquestionably one of the best catchers of his generation and arguably still the best two-way backstop in the game today.
The 32-year-old finished seventh in NL MVP voting last season when he posted a 130 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI, 21 steals and 6.5 WAR, and after a slow start this year he had another strong all-around season.
Similar to teammates Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, he played in the postseason for the first time in his career last year, and he hit a huge home run in Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.
With one home run each in the NL Wild Card Series and NLDS this year, he is once again making an impact in the middle of the Philadelphia lineup.
2B Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
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Career WAR: 41.8
A late-bloomer who didn't make the leap from solid everyday player to legitimate star until his age-28 season with the Oakland Athletics in 2019, Marcus Semien is now one of the faces of the Texas Rangers.
The 33-year-old has logged four 5-WAR seasons in the last five years, and he led all AL position players with 7.4 WAR in 2023 while hitting .276/.348/.478 with 185 hits, 40 doubles, 29 home runs, 100 RBI and 122 runs scored in 162 games.
He has racked up 13.1 WAR over the first two seasons of a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Texas Rangers, joining fellow free-agent signing Corey Seager to form baseball's best middle infield.
He reached the postseason with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but this is his first time advancing to the ALCS.
1B/OF Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
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Career WAR: 46.2
With 306 home runs, 46.2 WAR and a pair of NL MVP awards, Bryce Harper is on a Hall of Fame trajectory in his age-30 season.
The biggest missing piece in his career body of work is a World Series ring. He left the Washington Nationals the year before they won it all during the 2019 season, and last season was his first trip to the Fall Classic.
With a 1.765 OPS and three home runs in the NLDS, he is now hitting .285/.384/.633 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 28 RBI in 42 games across six different trips to the playoffs in his 12-year career.
The 30-year-old has nine home runs in 23 games during the playoffs the last two years, and after shining against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, he is swinging it as well as any hitter on the planet right now.
3B Evan Longoria, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Career WAR: 58.6
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 draft, Evan Longoria burst onto the scene two years later when he posted a 127 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 85 RBI in 122 games to win AL Rookie of the Year honors and help lead the Tampa Bay Rays to the 2008 World Series.
Now 15 years later, he is still searching for his second trip to the Fall Classic.
He has climbed all the way to 16th in career WAR among third basemen, and he has a 119 OPS+ with 342 home runs and 1,159 RBI in 1,986 career games.
The 38-year-old signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks during the offseason, and he posted a modest 93 OPS+ with 11 home runs in 237 plate appearances as a part-time player during the regular season.
He has been the starting third baseman and No. 8 hitter for each of the D-backs playoff games so far this October, and he has served as an invaluable veteran voice in a young clubhouse.
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