Ranking the Top 50 MLB Players Right Now
Which MLB players make you switch channels just to catch their at-bats? Who do you search the highlight videos for the next morning? Everyone has their favorite players, but there are some who are definitely hotter than others. So who are the best right now?
While former stars like Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are heading off to retirement, there are plenty of young players ready to take their place.
Making a Top 50 list is never easy, but it’s especially tricky in a league as big and diverse as Major League Baseball. To make the cut for this list, players needed to hit or pitch in enough games in 2016 to qualify for their respective leaderboards – which eliminated a lot of recently-called-up prospects and injured players.
In general, players with a consistent body of work over the last several seasons were given more weight than someone who made a lot of noise over a short period of time this year.
However, players who fell off dramatically from last year’s performance weren’t necessarily given a pass just because of their past accomplishments. These are the top 50 players right now – the future of baseball – and there’s no way to know whether someone who had an abysmal season in 2016 will bounce back next year.
One thing is certain: some of the best players in the league have been excluded from this list. Combining pitchers and hitters into one list forces a lot of cuts, so keep that in mind if your favorite player has been snubbed.
With that explanation out of the way, let’s get started on the top 50 players in MLB right now:
Next: The Top 50 Right Now: #50 and #49