The final episode of the countdown will air on MLB Network on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, revealing the top 10 players on the new list. And this year, there is some real suspense.
The title of the No. 1 Player Right Now has not changed hands much. It belonged to Mike Trout eight times in nine seasons from 2013-21 (Clayton Kershaw took it in 2015), before Trout’s former teammate, Shohei Ohtani, took the baton in 2022 and ‘23.
In 2024, however, we may well see a new name. Trout is 32, and injuries have severely limited his playing time over the past few seasons. Ohtani certainly still has an argument for the top spot coming off a sensational 2023, but the newest Dodgers star won’t be a two-way contributor this year, instead limited to DH duty (or perhaps an occasional outfield cameo) while he rehabs an elbow injury.
That situation opens things up for a talented field of challengers, several of whom could have an argument for their first No. 1 finish. But who should take the crown?
Before we get the official answer from MLB Network on Wednesday night, we asked five MLB.com experts to weigh in on this very question. Let the debate begin …
DAVID ADLER, researcher/reporter
Adler’s personal top 5 list
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
4. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
3. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
2. Aaron Judge, CF, Yankees
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
Why is Acuña your No. 1?
I’m not overthinking this one. The dude hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases last season. Acuña had a power-speed season the likes of which the game of baseball has never seen, and if you make history like that, you’re No. 1. If I were making this list in 2022, after Ohtani’s first two-way super-duper-star season, Shohei would’ve been my No. 1. If I were making this list in 2023, after Judge’s 62 homers, Judge would’ve been my No. 1. The past year in baseball was the Year of Acuña. He has to top the list.
How difficult was this choice?
The hard part wasn’t choosing Acuña at No. 1. It was choosing who to leave out of the top five. And that was really hard. Because I wanted Juan Soto (toughest at-bat in baseball), Freddie Freeman (most consistent elite hitter on the planet), Corey Seager (top dog on the World Series champs), Yordan Alvarez (impossible to get out in the postseason) and Adley Rutschman (the only true superstar catcher) all in there. And I had to snub them. But even without his pitching half, Ohtani was the best hitter in the American League last season, and he would’ve been a top-five player in baseball with his bat alone. J-Rod is an electric power-speed star like Acuña, but one who also plays a Gold Glove-caliber center field on top of that. Betts was so good that he was challenging Mr. 40-70, Acuña, for NL MVP until the very end of the season. And Judge didn’t hit 62 home runs in 2023, but he did hit 37 in just 106 games — which is a 55-homer pace if he’d played the same number of games that he did in ’22.
Who is a candidate, from outside your top 5, to be No. 1 in 2025?
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals. I’m going just outside my top 10 right now to take one of the players I believe in the most for the long haul. Witt is knocking on the door of MVP level, and he might smash that door down this season. He’s exactly what an MVP looks like in baseball today: a dynamic, game-changing all-around star. At 23 years old, he just had a 30-49 season and was one of the best fielders in the league. Witt can be to shortstop what J-Rod is to center field. The J-Rod/Witt debate can be the next Acuña/Soto debate, or the next Trout/Harper.
SARAH LANGS, researcher/reporter
Langs’ personal top 5 list
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
4. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
3. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
2. Aaron Judge, CF, Yankees
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
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