| 25 |
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| Inked not all that long ago to a $500 million contract extension, Vladdie put up another vintage season in which he hit for average, showed good pop, and answered the bell almost every day. He also logged almost as many walks as strikeouts. |
| 24 |
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| The 26-year-old Abbott this season rode his fastball-heavy approach to a sparkling 159 ERA+ and a 3.47 K/BB ratio in a qualifying number of innings. He also averaged 5.7 innings per start versus an MLB average of 5.2. The Reds can’t hit, but their rotation front is playoff-worthy and then some. |
| 23 |
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| The lefty Suárez just missed a qualifying number of innings, and over that span he registered a 3.20 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, and a 3.97 K/BB ratio. Suárez allowed only one unearned run in 26 starts this season. |
| 22 |
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| Was Bellinger the best trade addition by a contender last offseason? You can easily make that case. In 152 games for the Yankees this season, Bellinger had a WAR of 5.0 thanks to his power at the plate, useful baserunning, and plus fielding at all three outfield positions. |
| 21 |
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| Yes, some of the shine came off PCA’s offensive game in the second half of the season, but he still wound up with a 30-30 campaign as a 23-year-old. Crow-Armstrong also put together one of the greatest defensive seasons ever by an outfielder. |
| 20 |
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| It’s been one heck of a renaissance for Springer in his age-35 season. In 586 plate appearances, Springer slashed a robust .309/.399/.560 with 32 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts. He may be headed for a top 10 finish in the MVP vote for the first time since 2019. |
| 19 |
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| He’s a standout defender – maybe the best-fielding corner outfielder in MLB – and baserunner who this season put up an OPS of .814 (while playing half his games in run-suppressing Petco Park) and reached new heights in health and durability. It’s been a balanced effort in San Diego this season, but no one has more to do with their success than Tatis Jr. |
| 18 |
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| Fried turned out to be the ace the Yanks sorely needed after Gerrit Cole was lost to Tommy John surgery. In 32 starts and almost 200 innings, Fried pitched to a 142 ERA+ with a 3.07 FIP and a 3.71 K/BB ratio. |
| 17 |
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| Bregman’s first (only?) season in Boston has gone swimmingly outside of the quad strain that cost him more than a month and a half. At the plate, Bregman put up customary numbers – i.e., very good numbers – and his plus fielding at third base helped stabilize what pre-Bregman had been a flawed Boston infield defense. |
| 16 |
|
| Pivetta’s first season in San Diego turned out to be a career year. Across 31 starts, he boasted a sub-3.00 ERA and struck out 26.4% of opposing batters. Pivetta’s ERA+ for the season checks in at an impressive 149, and he backs it all up with an FIP of 3.49. In a Parents rotation that also includes Dylan Cease, Michael Kingand Yu darvishit’s Pivetta who gets the nod in the playoff opener. |
| 15 |
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| Hoerner remains one of the best defensive second basemen in the game today and a threat on the bases. This season, he’s paired those skills with a career year at the plate. He’s never going to be a home run threat, but Hoerner is among the best at making contact and hitting for average. As well, this season he’s made major strides at pulling the ball in the air with increased frequency. |
| 14 |
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| Shoulder woes carved four months out of Snell’s 2025 but, to repeat the premise above, this is about value now and through October. And in that regard Snell looks primed to be a force at the front of the Dodger playoff rotation. Since he returned from injury in early August, the two-time Cy Young winner has put up an ERA of 2.41 with 68 strikeouts and 17 unintentional walks in 52 ⅓ innings. |
| 13 |
|
| One of the leading sluggers in the game is coming off a career year at the plate. He topped 50 homers and drew at least 100 walks for the third straight season. That’s one heck of a walk year for the pending free agent, and he’ll aim to keep the elite “take and rake” production going as the Phillies try to make a deep October run. |
| 12 |
|
| Turang is already an established needle-mover, what with his excellent defense at an up-the-middle position and his base-running. This season, though, he’s found a higher tier offensively relative to past seasons. That’s made him one of the most valuable players on MLB’s best team. He’s also made big strides in terms of quality of contact, so this new offensive level of his may be sustainable. We already know the fielding and speed on the bases are for real. |
| 11 |
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| Yamamoto’s been healthy in this, his second season in MLB, and the results have followed. In 173 ⅔ innings, he authored an ERA of 2.49 with 201 strikeouts and a K% of 29.4. He also racked up 18 quality starts and gave the Dodgers a dose of stability in the rotation that greatly helped them fend off the Padres in the NL West. |
| 10 |
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| The most underrated starting pitcher in MLB? That’s a subjective notion, of course, but it does feel like Peralta doesn’t get enough attention. This year, he’s been better than ever. In addition to topping 200 strikeouts for the third straight season, Peralta in 2025 has a sub-3.00 ERA, an ERA+ of more than 150, and a WAR of 5.6 that leads baseball’s best team. |
| 9 |
|
| The ruthlessly consistent Ramírez has turned in yet another stellar season. He played in 158 games and churned out an OPS+ of 137 with 30 homers, 44 stolen bases, and quality defense at the hot corner. This is what he does — every year, it seems. |
| 8 |
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| A groin strain laid up Greene for more than two months, but he pitched like a true ace when healthy this season. Greene and his high-90s fastball put up a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts, and he had a 5.08 K/BB ratio and struck out 31.4% of batters he faced – the latter a figure that would’ve ranked second to only Pull Skubal had Greene had qualifier status. He’s a dominator. |
| 7 |
|
| In terms of WAR, Rodríguez is fresh off the best season of his four-year career. He enjoyed a nice rebound at the plate this season and played in 160 games while also remaining a standout defender in the critical position of center field and adding big value on the bases. He remains among the most well rounded players in baseball today. |
| 6 |
|
| Crochet had major durability and stamina concerns when as a member of the White Sox he converted from a reliever to a starter in time for the 2024 season. The stuff was never in doubt, and neither was his capacity to dominate hitters. Well, this season Crochet kept up the dominance, and he also led MLB in innings pitched during the regular season. That’s a true ace at the front of the Boston rotation. |
| 5 |
|
| Sánchez has emerged as the playoff ace the Phillies need in the absence of Zack Wheeler. He may be the biggest threat to Paul scenes in the NL Cy Young race, as Sánchez this season topped 200 strikeouts and 200 innings while posting a 2.50 ERA with a 2.55 FIP. That’s elite, to state the obvious. |
| 4 |
|
| Skubal is the best pitcher in the American League and the best pitcher in the postseason, and on his able shoulders the Tigers‘ playoff hopes rest. Over the last two seasons, Skubal has put up an ERA of 2.30 with 469 strikeouts in 387 ⅓ innings. |
| 3 |
|
| Raleigh’s a durable catcher who frames pitches well and also tamps down on the running game. This season, though, he took his already impressive power game and elevated it to new heights. Raleigh now owns the single-season home run record for catchers and switch-hitters, and he even put some heat on Aaron Judge‘s American League record. What a season. A 60-homer catcher was wildly unthinkable until Raleigh’s 2025 campaign came along. |
| 2 |
|
| The best hitter in baseball remains the best hitter in baseball. He’s a strong candidate to repeat as AL MVP — and win that particular piece of hardware for the third time in his career — thanks to another dominant season at the plate. In 2025, Judge churned out another OPS+ north of 200 and the highest WAR in the majors. |
| 1 |
|
| It of course remains to be seen how the reigning champs deploy the two-way superstar in the playoffs. No matter how that plays out, Ohtani remains one of the leading power threats in the game — he’s the first to log consecutive 50-homer seasons since Sammy Sosa in 2000-01. The 2025 campaign also occasioned Ohtani’s return to the mound after he didn’t pitch at all in 2024 after he recovered from elbow surgery. He hasn’t been quite his peak self as a pitcher, at least in terms of outcomes, but it won’t be a surprise if he works important innings in October. We know what he’s likely to do with the bat. |
