The Best MLB Player at Every Position Right Now
As the Major League Baseball All-Star Game approaches, it makes sense to think about the best players matching up against one another in the Midsummer Classic.
The event will highlight at least one player from each team, but here, we're getting a bit more specific. This club we're putting together has the best players at every position right now.
This isn't about who has the best career resume, or who projects to be the best eventually. Let's just live in the moment instead, focusing on current performance and where that leads us.
We go through each position, including starting pitchers throwing with each hand, and the top reliever.
Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
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William Contreras is having the best overall season of any catcher in baseball. He is tied for the lead in fWAR (2.6) and holds the lead in wRC+ (137) as of Tuesday. Contreras is also second in RBI behind Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who could also make a solid case as the game's best.
Early returns on the 10-year, $140 million extension Will Smith signed with the Dodgers look good. He is having a season that certainly rivals Contreras'. They are tied for the fWAR lead, and Smith is right behind Contreras and Salvador Perez to rank third in wRC+.
June has not been exactly kind to Contreras, who on the season is slashing .307/.368/.467, but just .232/.246/.321 this month. He returned to the Brewers lineup Tuesday after sitting out a game to recover from a home plate collision.
But Contreras has done enough this season to surpass Perez as the game's top catcher for the moment.
First Baseman: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
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This one is tricky now that Bryce Harper is a full-time first baseman. Logic would dictate that Harper, a two-time NL MVP playing at the top of his game, is the best at the position.
But he's in a tight race with another former NL MVP in Freddie Freeman, who just barely edges him out. Freeman leads all first basemen in fWAR (2.9), a notch over Harper's 2.8. He is also the leader in wRC+ (160), once again getting the nod over Harper (152).
In a nutshell, these numbers show Freeman is slightly more valuable and better at creating runs than Harper this year, as much as it feels like we're splitting hairs between two great players.
The defensive advantage goes to Harper, who ranks third among first basemen in outs above average, which is a testament to how he's adjusted to the position change. But it's not like Freeman is hurting the Dodgers at first base, so his value at the plate has to be taken into consideration.
Harper will go down as the better player with the better career, but Freeman is the best first baseman right now.
Second Baseman: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Ketel Marte has taken over José Altuve's spot as the top second baseman this season. Altuve's still performing at a high level and not far behind him. It's just Marte's turn to take the top spot.
Arizona's second baseman leads all at the position with a 3.1 fWAR and is second in wRC+ (136). Marte is also tied for the lead in slugging (.504) and is second in home runs (14) among second basemen.
Defensively, Marte is also performing at an elite level, which, combined with his performance at the plate, shows his value. Marte is third among second basemen in outs above average (8), showing that he's really the complete package and the top performer at the position.
Altuve is one of two second basemen yet to commit an error, but his advanced defensive metrics are average at best compared to Marte's. This is what it looks like to unseat an all-time great, at least for now.
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Third Baseman: Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
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Alec Bohm leads all third basemen in batting average, was tied for the fWAR lead among his position peers until Tuesday, is top-six in each slash category and sixth in wRC+.
Maybe you prefer the power of José Ramirez and Rafael Devers, or the elite defense of Joey Ortiz. You still won't find a more complete third baseman right now than Bohm, though, which makes him a cut above the rest.
It took him a while to realize the potential he showed as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. Now, there is no doubt what he can be for this Phillies squad seeking its second World Series appearance in three seasons.
Admittedly, this is one of the trickier positions to decide, since there are so many good players performing at a high level. Devers' 152 wRC+ is nothing to sneeze at, nor are Ramirez' 18 home runs.
Bohm is excelling with the third-highest fWAR among third basemen, doing it on the NL's best team.
Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
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Conventional wisdom says this answer should be Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, or at least one of the well-compensated, usual suspects.
That is not the case in 2024.
It's not exactly a passing of the torch, since so many great shortstops are still playing in their prime. But the younger players have arrived and deserve some recognition here.
Gunnar Henderson leads shortstops in home runs by a mile with 22, compared to the next highest 14 from Seager and Paul DeJong from the Chicago White Sox.
Henderson also holds the slight edge over Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. in fWAR to lead all shortstops. With that, it should be no surprise Henderson also leads shortstops in run creation with a 168 wRC+.
Mookie Betts would factor into this conversation if he were a more natural shortstop and had not just landed on the injured list with a fractured left hand.
Still, Witt and Henderson should battle for years to come. Henderson currently holds a slight advantage.
Left Fielder: Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
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This position takes some critical thinking and comes down to what you value.
In left field, the best hitters are not the best fielders, and vice versa. If you're looking for the best-hitting left fielder this year, the San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar is the answer. He leads all left fielders in batting average, on-base percentage and wRC+, and his fWAR ties for the lead.
The downside of this argument is that he does not compare well to the game's best defensive left fielders, such as the Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho and the Orioles' Colton Cowser.
Those two are right behind Profar in fWAR, despite ranking outside the top 10 left fielders in batting average and on-base percentage. They are both slugging, but not quite like Profar, which illustrates where the value is placed.
For left fielders, the better hitters are typically considered the better players, and right now, that's Profar. Teoscar Hernandez and his 18 home runs deserve some recognition, but behind what Profar is doing.
Center Fielder: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
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This is the easiest argument to make. Aaron Judge plays center field regularly now, and no one is better than him this season.
It's tough to argue against him. Judge is by far the fWAR leader (5.0) among center fielders. He also leads them in wRC+ (208), home runs (26), RBI (64) and every slash-line category (.302/.428/.687).
These numbers don't just lead the position—for the most part, they lead all of baseball. You can find better defensive options at center field. None of them would compare to Judge as an overall player.
Add that to the fact his team is sporting the best record in baseball, behind the best individual performance, and we're talking about the clear front-runner for AL MVP, which would be his second in three seasons.
Simply, there are no center fielders better than Judge right now because there is not a better player on the planet at the moment.
Right Fielder: Juan Soto, New York Yankees
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Juan Soto, like his outfield teammate in the Bronx, is another easy choice. There are other solid options, like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Tucker.
Yet they could only compete for the top spot if Soto wasn't so clearly outplaying them both. Soto leads right fielders with a 4.7 fWAR, well ahead of Tucker at second place (3.2) and Tatis' 2.4. His wRC+ (190) also leads right fielders, and he tops each slash line category for the position.
The Yankees have two of the game's best players, Soto and Judge, both playing at an MVP level, which really makes this team compelling.
The offensive numbers are off the charts, but even defensively Soto is holding his own. In the last two seasons, playing mostly left field in 2023 and right field in 2022, Soto was a poor defensive player, according to outs above average.
Right now, he's huddled in the top three with a solid crew of outfielders.
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
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We should be used to marveling at Shohei Ohtani by now, but it is still amazing to consider an All-Star-caliber pitcher could also be the game's best designated hitter while he recovers from surgery on his throwing elbow.
Ohtani leads all designated hitters in fWAR (3.7), wRC+ (180), slugging (.608) and is tied with Marcell Ozuna for the home run lead with 20. If that's not a compelling enough case, then consider this.
No other DH comes close to running the bases like Ohtani. They are in the lineup for hitting and generally do not get paid to steal bases. Yet Ohtani, as we know, is different.
He leads all designated hitters with 16 stolen bases, which ranks in the top across baseball. The next most stolen bases for a DH is five.
No disrespect to the DH, but the position is frankly beneath him unless he's recovering from surgery, which he is. It is also a luxury for the Dodgers to have an overqualified Ohtani adding everyday thump to their lineup without having to focus on pitching for a season.
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Glasnow wins a competitive field here, with Corbin Burnes and Tanner Houck also making compelling cases.
While Glasnow's 3.00 ERA ranks 12th among right-handed starters, his 2.48 xERA is the best. He also ranks fourth in FIP (2.67) and second in xFIP (2.34). And even though fWAR is not the perfect way to measure pitching, Glasnow ranks second in that category as well.
Perhaps most impressive is the 12.10 strikeouts per nine innings, which also leads right-handed starters. His 0.91 WHIP tops right-handers, too.
The advanced numbers don't lie, and they are kind to Glasnow in comparison to talented pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Logan Gilbert, and Jack Flaherty.
Signing Ohtani was arguably the biggest free agent move of the century, but the Dodgers going the extra mile by trading for Glasnow and signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto is paying dividends now. It gave them the best DH, who could eventually compete for the best right-handed starting pitcher.
For now, it's Glasnow.
Left-Handed Starting Pitcher: Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
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It has to be an elite player to get a White Sox on this list. Garrett Crochet has been one of the few redeeming qualities of the South Side's team this year.
Indeed, the White Sox are on a historically awful run in 2024. But their 24-year-old southpaw has been the best in a crowded field that includes the Philadelphia Phillies' Ranger Suarez and the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal, both Cy Young frontrunners in their respective leagues.
Crochet is not going to win the AL Cy Young, but he will be acknowledged here as the current best left-handed starting pitcher. He has combined to strike out 21 batters in his last two starts.
No one else has a better xERA (2.36), xFIP (2.44) or more strikeouts per nine innings (12.63). Crochet is also narrowly second in WHIP (0.90) and fWAR (2.6).
The dominance is clear, even on a team headed nowhere. Crochet is the diamond in the rough, so remember that when Skubal wins the AL Cy Young.
Relief Pitcher: Matt Strahm, Philadelphia Phillies
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Across the board, Matt Strahm has been the most dominant and impressive reliever. There is not a major stat line that would fail to support the argument.
Do you like traditional ERA? Strahm has the best (0.93). More into fielding independent pitching on the ERA scale? Strahm is the leader in that, too (1.33). How about if you adjust FIP for the ballpark (FIP-)? Strahm's the leader there as well (34).
Only Aroldis Chapman and Josh Hader have more strikeouts per nine innings, but Strahm has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Strahm also boasts the highest fWAR (1.3) among relievers. It's no wonder the Phillies are looking like the NL's best team. They found a way to tap into the potential of a former top prospect in Strahm, who struggled with consistency in his first seven big league seasons.
But since last year's breakout campaign with Philly, Strahm continues to establish himself as one of the game's top relievers. Right now, he's at the top.
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