Who is the best player in baseball at each position? We've officially finished our MLB positional rankings series ahead of the 2026 season, working from catcher to closer and looking at the 10 best players at each position. Now it's time to make a list of the best players at each position in MLB.
Let's take a look at our list of the best MLB players by position just ahead of Opening Day 2026. Note, as we conclude our position-by-position series, you can find an attached link below each position with a top 10 list at that position.
Catcher: Cal Raley, Seattle Mariners
If Cal Raleigh couldn't win MVP last season after having the best season ever by a catcher in MLB history, it's hard to imagine a time when a backstop would take home the honor. The Seattle Mariners catcher led the way in home runs (60) with the fourth-best OPS (.948) and third-most RBI (125), and he was second in fWAR (9.1). For good measure, he was also a top five pitch framer. Despite the potential for some downside, Raley has a chance to win both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award at catcher in 2026.
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First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is coming off a season where he had a .397 batting average and 1.289 OPS with 29 hits, 15 RBIs and 8 home runs for a team that was one step away from winning the World Series. While his offensive production during the regular season has been a bit sporadic in recent years, he still boasts the highest OPS (.903) and wRC+ (154) among first basemen over the past two seasons, and he tied for fourth-most defensive runs saved at first (eight) last year. He is a superstar who has proven that he can carry a team in the postseason.
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Second base: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
At a time when second base is thinner and weaker than in years past, Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star hitter Ketel Marte is setting the standard for the position. After winning the NLCS MVP in 2023, he has earned an All-MLB First Team selection and a Silver Slugger Award in each of the last two seasons at second base. That's thanks to a spot-leading 147 wRC+, .911 OPS, 143 RBIs and 54 home runs along with the second-best batting average (.287) and third-highest walk rate (11.7 percent) over that two-year span.
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Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
It didn't take long for Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to prove he was one of the best MLB players. He showed glimpses of it in his first two seasons, but MVP-caliber play occurred the last two years. As of 2024–25, Witt has won a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award at shortstop both seasons, and it came with All-Star nods and an All-MLB First Team selection. Among all shortstops over the past two years, Witt ranks first in batting average (.312), wRC+ (150) and OPS (.915), with the third-most home runs (55) and second-most runs (220) and stolen bases (68).
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Third base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez is the gold standard at third base right now. The Cleveland Guardians star has won six Silver Slugger awards, made the All-Star Game seven times, and has been named to the All-MLB First Team at third base each of the past two seasons. Even as a 32-year-old in 2025, he hit 30 home runs with 103 runs batted in and set career highs in stolen bases (44), along with his highest batting average (.283) over the past five years. Among his teammates at the hot corner over the past two seasons, Ramírez ranks first in runs (184), batting average (.292), wRC+ (147), fWAR (12.4), steals (70) and OPS (.903), and he is second in RBI (174) and home runs (62).
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Left field: Juan Soto, New York Mets
The New York Mets are moving Juan Soto to left field for the 2026 season. While this won't do much to erase the fact that he isn't good defensively, it does make him a top player in left field now. Still only 27, Soto's 2019 resume includes a World Series title, an NL batting crown, a Silver Slugger Award in six consecutive seasons and four selections to the All-MLB First Team. He consistently performed like an MVP, posting a 1.005 OPS with 34 home runs and a .282 batting average from June to September, and he is one of four players in all of baseball with over 200 RBIs and over 200 runs scored over the past two years combined.
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Center Field: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
What's particularly noteworthy about Julio Rodriguez is that he has boasted a career .800 OPS in his first four seasons despite starting slow almost every year. For whatever reason, the Mariners center fielder starts out cold and then gets hot in the summer. Establishing a .900 OPS with a .290 batting average, 45 RBI, 18 home runs and 13 steals allowed him to earn All-MLB First Team honors in 2025 for the first time in his career. He's also excellent defensively in center field, and if we ever get a year where he performs well at the plate from April to September, he could make a serious bid for AL MVP.
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Right field: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Watching New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge play baseball is a treat. He has had better four-year performances than Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mickey Mantle during their best four-year peaks. That's why Judge has earned three AL MVP awards since the 2022 campaign, including last season when he led the Majors in batting average. Judge is the only player in baseball with more than 250 RBI and more than 250 runs scored over the last two seasons – a stretch where he also leads the game in batting average (.326), walk rate (18.6 percent), home runs (111) and OPS (1.152).
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Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is likely going to become just the second player in MLB history to win NL MVP in four consecutive seasons. In related news, doing so would put him in special company with Barry Bonds as the only two players in baseball history to win MVP five times. Ohtani has made the All-MLB First Team in six consecutive seasons, and he ranks second in OPS (1.025), wRC+ (176) and home runs (109) over the past two years, along with the third-most RBIs (232) and fourth-most steals (79).
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Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
No player has won the AL Cy Young Award in three consecutive seasons. Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal is so good he could make history in 2026. Over the past two seasons, the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner has the second-lowest ERA (2.30), highest fWAR (12.6), second-best strikeout rate (31.2 percent) and K-BB rate (26.7 percent), third-lowest batting average (.199) and lowest WHIP. (0.91) among starters who have played more than 300 innings. There's a reason he broke the arbitration record ($32 million), and why he'll eventually become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.
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Closer: Mason Miller, San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres gave up one of the top prospects in baseball to acquire closer Mason Miller at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. In half a season with the club, he posted a 0.77 ERA and a 54.2 percent strikeout rate in 23.1 innings while allowing a .096 batting average. Over the past two seasons, Miller has boasted a .148 batting average (first in MLB), with the third-lowest WHIP (0.89) and the highest strikeout rate (43.1 percent) among relievers. To put Miller's 32.9 percent K-BB rate into perspective, that's the same number as the 13th-highest strikeout rate in MLB over the past two seasons.
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