Matt Johnson
Who is the best player in baseball at each position?We’ve officially wrapped up our MLB positional rankings series ahead of the 2026 season, working from catcher to closer and looking at the 10 best players at each spot. Now it’s time to put it all together with a list of the best players in MLB at every position.
Let’s dive right into our list of the best MLB players by position right now ahead of Opening Day 2026. Of note, as we’re concluding our position-by-position series, you can find an attached link below each spot with the top-10 list at that position.
Catcher: Cal Raleigh, 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 envision a time soon when a backstop could take home the honor. The Seattle Mariners catcher led the majors in home runs (60) with the fourth-best OPS (.948) and the third-most RBI (125), and he ranked second in fWAR (9.1). Just for good measure, he was also a top-five pitch framer. Even with some regression likely, Raleigh has a shot to win both the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award at catcher in 2026.
Related: Best MLB Catchers 2026
First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is coming off a postseason where he put up 29 hits, 15 RBI and 8 home runs with a .397 batting average and a 1.289 OPS for a team that came one out 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 in the last two seasons, and he tied for the fourth-most Defensive Runs Saved at first (eight) this past year. He’s a superstar who just proved he can carry a team in the postseason.
: Related: Best MLB First Basemen 2026
Second Base: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
At a time when second base is thinner and weaker than in previous years, Arizona Diamondbacks‘ All-Star hitter Ketel Marte is setting the standard for the position. After winning NLCS MVP in 2023, he’s earned All-MLB First Team selections and the Silver Slugger Award in each of the last two seasons at second base. That’s thanks to a position-leading 147 wRC+, .911 OPS, 143 RBI and 54 home runs, with the second-best batting average (.287) and third-highest walk rate (11.7 percent) in that two-year span.
Related: Best MLB Second Basemen 2026
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr, Kansas City Royals
It didn’t take long for Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to prove he’s one of the best MLB players. He showed flashes of it over his first two seasons, but the MVP-caliber play happened in the last two years. From 2024–25, Witt has won the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award at shortstop both seasons, and that’s come with All-Star nods and All-MLB First Team selections. Among all shortstops in the last two years, Witt ranks first in batting average (.312), wRC+ (150) and OPS (.915), with the third-most home runs (55) and the second-most runs scored (220) and stolen bases (68).
Related: Best MLB Shortstops 2026
Third Base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez is the gold standard right now at third base. The Cleveland Guardians star has won six Silver Slugger Awards, made the All-Star Game seven times, and been named to the All-MLB First Team at third base in the past two seasons. Even as a 32-year-old in 2025, he still put up 30 home runs with 103 runs scored and set a career-high in stolen bases (44), all with his highest batting average (.283) in the last five years. Among his peers at the hot corner over the last two seasons, Ramirez is first in runs scored (184), batting average (.292), wRC+ (147), fWAR (12.4), steals (70) and OPS (.903), and he’s second in RBI (174) and home runs (62).
Related: Best MLB Third Basemen 2026
Left Field: Juan Soto, New York Mets
The New York Mets are moving Juan Soto to left field for the 2026 season. While it won’t do much to erase the fact that he’s not good defensively, it does make him the top player in left field now. Still only 27 years old, Soto’s resume since 2019 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 performed like an MVP down the stretch, putting up a 1.005 OPS with 34 home runs and a .282 batting average from June through September, and he’s one of just four players in all of baseball with 200-plus RBI and 200-plus runs scored combined in the last two years.
Related: Best Left Fielders in MLB 2026
Center Field: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
What’s particularly remarkable about Julio Rodriguez is that he boasts a career .800 OPS across his first four seasons despite being a slow starter nearly every year. For whatever reason, the Mariners center fielder gets off to cold starts and then he heats up in the summer. Putting up 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 through September, he could make a serious bid for AL MVP.
Related: Best MLB Center Fielders 2026
Right Field: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
It’s simply a treat to watch New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge play baseball. He’s delivered a better four-year run than Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mickey Mantle during their best four-year peaks. It’s why Judge has earned three AL MVP awards since the 2022 campaign, including this past season when he led the majors in batting average. Judge is the only player in baseball with 250-plus RBI and 250-plus runs total over the last two seasons—a stretch where he also leads the sport in batting average (.326), walk rate (18.6 percent), home runs (111) and OPS (1.152).
Related: Best MLB Right Fielders 2026
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is probably 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 exclusive 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) in the last two years with the third-most RBI (232) and the fourth-most steals (79).
Related: Best Designated Hitters 2026
Starting Pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
No player has ever won the AL Cy Young Award in three consecutive seasons. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is good enough that he might make history in 2026. Over the last two seasons, the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner has the second-lowest ERA (2.30), the highest fWAR (12.6), the second-best strikeout rate (31.2 percent) and K-BB rate (26.7 percent), the third-lowest batting average allowed (.199), and the lowest WHIP (0.91) among starters with 300-plus innings pitched. There’s a reason he shattered the arbitration record ($32 million), and why he’ll eventually become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.
Related: Best MLB Pitchers 2026
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 MLB trade deadline in 2025. In half a season with the club, he posted a 0.77 ERA with a .096 batting average allowed and a 54.2 percent strikeout rate in 23.1 innings pitched. Over the last two seasons, Miller boasts a .148 batting average allowed (first in MLB) with the third-lowest WHIP (0.89) and the highest strikeout rate (43.1 percent) among relievers. Putting Miller’s 32.9 percent K-BB rate into perspective, it is the same number as the 13th-highest strikeout rate in MLB over the last two seasons.
Related: Best MLB Closers 2026
