The ultimate episode of the countdown will air on MLB Community on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, revealing the highest 10 gamers on the brand new record. And this 12 months, there may be some actual suspense.
The title of the No. 1 Participant Proper Now has not modified palms a lot. It belonged to Mike Trout eight occasions in 9 seasons from 2013-21 (Clayton Kershaw took it in 2015), earlier than Trout’s former teammate, Shohei Ohtani, took the baton in 2022 and ‘23.
In 2024, nonetheless, we might nicely see a brand new title. Trout is 32, and accidents have severely restricted his enjoying time over the previous few seasons. Ohtani definitely nonetheless has an argument for the highest spot coming off a sensational 2023, however the latest Dodgers star received’t be a two-way contributor this 12 months, as a substitute restricted to DH obligation (or maybe an occasional outfield cameo) whereas he rehabs an elbow harm.
That scenario opens issues up for a proficient discipline of challengers, a number of of whom may have an argument for his or her first No. 1 end. However who ought to take the crown?
Earlier than we get the official reply from MLB Community on Wednesday evening, we requested 5 MLB.com consultants to weigh in on this very query. Let the talk start …
DAVID ADLER, researcher/reporter
Adler’s private prime 5 record
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
4. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
3. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
2. Aaron Choose, CF, Yankees
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
Why is Acuña your No. 1?
I am not overthinking this one. The dude hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases final season. Acuña had a power-speed season the likes of which the sport of baseball has by no means seen, and in case you make historical past like that, you are No. 1. If I had been making this record in 2022, after Ohtani’s first two-way super-duper-star season, Shohei would’ve been my No. 1. If I had been making this record in 2023, after Choose’s 62 homers, Choose would’ve been my No. 1. The previous 12 months in baseball was the 12 months of Acuña. He has to prime the record.
How tough was this alternative?
The arduous half wasn’t selecting Acuña at No. 1. It was selecting who to go away out of the highest 5. And that was actually arduous. As a result of I wished Juan Soto (hardest at-bat in baseball), Freddie Freeman (most constant elite hitter on the planet), Corey Seager (prime canine on the World Sequence champs), Yordan Alvarez (unattainable to get out within the postseason) and Adley Rutschman (the one true celebrity catcher) all in there. And I needed to snub them. However even with out his pitching half, Ohtani was the most effective hitter within the American League final season, and he would’ve been a top-five participant in baseball together with his bat alone. J-Rod is an electrical power-speed star like Acuña, however one who additionally performs a Gold Glove-caliber middle discipline on prime of that. Betts was so good that he was difficult Mr. 40-70, Acuña, for NL MVP till the very finish of the season. And Choose did not hit 62 residence runs in 2023, however he did hit 37 in simply 106 video games — which is a 55-homer tempo if he’d performed the identical variety of video games that he did in ’22.
Who’s a candidate, from exterior your prime 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals. I am going simply exterior my prime 10 proper now to take one of many gamers I consider in essentially the most for the lengthy haul. Witt is knocking on the door of MVP degree, and he may smash that door down this season. He is precisely what an MVP seems to be like in baseball right now: a dynamic, game-changing all-around star. At 23 years outdated, he simply had a 30-49 season and was probably the greatest fielders within the league. Witt could be to shortstop what J-Rod is to middle discipline. The J-Rod/Witt debate could be the subsequent Acuña/Soto debate, or the subsequent Trout/Harper.
SARAH LANGS, researcher/reporter
Langs’ private prime 5 record
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
4. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
3. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
2. Aaron Choose, CF, Yankees
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
Why is Acuña your No. 1?
We’ve identified simply how dynamic Acuña is for his whole profession, and in 2023, he took that to the subsequent degree. He’s a unanimous reigning MVP who’s poised for one more stellar 12 months. He doesn’t must create one other new membership simply to have a historic 12 months and we all know how a lot he brings to the Braves every day. Extremely, his .596 slugging proportion final season ought to have been even greater primarily based on his high quality of contact, as exhibited by his .660 anticipated slugging. In different phrases, the otherworldly season we noticed final 12 months may have been even higher. Can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.
How tough was this alternative?
I feel I may make an argument for any of the gamers in my prime 5 as No. 1. Whereas the highest participant race is extra extensive open than it’s been shortly, the highest 5 to seven appears fairly set. What an unbelievable state of the sport, to have so many gamers with sturdy arguments as its greatest.
Who’s a candidate, from exterior your prime 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Juan Soto, RF, Yankees. This was a simple decide as a result of I wished to have room for him within the prime 5 this 12 months. After he has an MVP-caliber season in New York heading into free company, why wouldn’t the most effective pure hitter in baseball be the most effective participant?
WILL LEITCH, nationwide columnist
Leitch’s private prime 5 record
5. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
4. Corey Seager, SS, Rangers
3. Juan Soto, LF, Yankees
2. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
1. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
Why is Betts your No. 1?
With out litigating final 12 months’s MVP debate once more — both alternative would have been wonderful, you actually couldn’t go flawed — I’m undecided it’s actually appreciated that Betts, with out having any motive in Spring Coaching to suppose he’d be doing so, performed 86 video games within the infield final 12 months and was simply nice at it, prefer it was 2012 once more and he was again in Low-A Lowell. He’s the personification of that Previous Faculty “ballplayer” whereas additionally excelling in each superior metric conceivable. I feel he can do something. Together with, ultimately, most likely fairly quickly, successful a World Sequence MVP Award.
How tough was this alternative?
Nicely, Acuña did one thing nobody in baseball has ever achieved earlier than final 12 months. Soto is principally Ted Williams. Should you extrapolated Seager’s stats from final 12 months to a full season (moderately than simply 119 video games) he’d have been higher than everybody right here. Julio may put collectively a complete season like his final two months and have or not it’s one of many best seasons of all time. Fortuitously, Shohei isn’t pitching this 12 months, so I may remove him, however he’ll be again subsequent 12 months, complicating this even additional. So yeah, it was a tough alternative, and I’m not accounting for the truth that I used to be being chased by alligators after I made it.
Who’s a candidate, from exterior your prime 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Jackson Holliday, SS, Orioles. The straightforward reply is Shohei, however let’s see how his rehab goes. Holliday is 9 years youthful than the reigning AL MVP, by the best way … and I’m wondering if he’ll be on this record by the top of the season.
Petriello’s private prime 5 record
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, LAD
4. Aaron Choose, CF, NYY
3. Julio Rodríguez, CF, SEA
2. Mookie Betts, 2B, LAD
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, ATL
Why is Acuña your No. 1?
It’s not as a result of he simply went 40/70, to be clear, as a result of whereas that’s clearly spectacular, the foundations had been modified final 12 months to make base stealing a lot simpler than it had ever been. It’s as a result of Acuña did one thing much more unbelievable than that, which is to chop his strikeout price down from one 12 months to the subsequent by nearly as a lot as anybody ever has, and he hardly sacrificed energy to do it – his slugging proportion went up by 183 factors. The actually scary factor for everybody else is that Acuña is just 26 years outdated … and there’s appreciable motive to suppose that 2024 wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime peak 12 months, and that he could possibly be even higher in 2025.
How tough was this alternative?
Very. Arguably more durable than it’s been in a few years. I wrote about this in January, stating that Mike Trout’s long-running reign had lastly come to an finish, and what ought to have been a seamless handoff to Ohtani ended as quickly as Ohtani injured his elbow and have become a DH-only participant in 2024. (It’ll most likely be Ohtani once more in 2025 if we expect he’s going to pitch.) For all the niceties about Acuña I simply mentioned above, Betts’ transfer to second base may make all of his offensive firepower look much more spectacular.
Who’s a candidate, from exterior your prime 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres. I wished to say Juan Soto, as a result of he’s Juan Soto – you already know, twenty first century Ted Williams – and there’s loads of excessive expectations to see how his 12 months with the Yankees will go as he enters a probably historic free company. However Soto’s protection is nicely beneath common, and the quick porch within the Bronx received’t assist him as a lot as you’d suppose. As a substitute, let’s go along with somebody who, not that way back, was talked about in the identical breath as Acuña and Soto: Tatis, who noticed his star dim with harm and suspension points that value him all of 2022. His 2023 return was extra good than nice on offense, however his transition to the outfield was spectacular defensively, and he’s nonetheless solely 25 years outdated. Now with a full 12 months of post-absence play again beneath his belt, even slightly extra offense makes him a 30/30 participant with a Gold Glove.
Simon’s private prime 5 record
5. Juan Soto, LF, Yankees
4. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
3. Aaron Choose, CF, Yankees
2. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
1. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
Why is Betts your No. 1?
One, he has been an elite participant for a very long time now, with no indicators of slipping. Since his first full season in 2015, he leads all place gamers in FanGraphs WAR; in case you lower it off at any 12 months since then, he stays within the prime three, together with tied for first this previous season. Two, he does all the things at a excessive degree. And three, whereas his protection in proper discipline had slipped from elite to strong to about common over the previous a number of seasons, Betts’ transition to enjoying primarily second base (after a formidable check run there in 2023) provides him a shot to wield an above-average glove at an up-the-middle place. In my thoughts, that places him atop an especially aggressive group.
How tough was this alternative?
Fairly tough. A number of gamers have an inexpensive argument for being No. 1 — and some of them didn’t even land in my prime 5, Ohtani included. Acuña, particularly, is at most a tiny bit behind Betts. If he comes near repeating his 2023 success, he’s doubtless within the prime spot a 12 months from now.
Who’s a candidate, from exterior your prime 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles. For the reason that day he debuted within the Majors (Might 21, 2022), Rutschman is tied with Rodríguez for sixth amongst MLB place gamers in fWAR. That’s what you get when you’ve gotten a catcher who’s a plus each offensively and defensively — a kind of participant that doesn’t come round too typically. So there isn’t particularly far for Rutschman to go to achieve the No. 1 dialog. If, at age 26, he can take yet another step ahead with the bat, he’ll do exactly that. Given Rutschman’s glorious anticipated stats final 12 months, that’s hardly out of the query.