MLB Top 100 All-Streak Break Edition

1. Shohei Ohtani (DH/SP - Dodgers)

There's nobody in sports quite like Shohei Ohtani right now, the true unicorn of baseball as an elite weapon both on the mound and at the plate and rewarded as such with the largest contract in sports history last winter. Ohtani has won two of the last three MVPs as both his hitting and pitching continue have continued to get better with time, with a strong case as the best hitter in baseball while and simultaneously evolving into a legitimate No. 1 starter. Ohtani had a league-leading 1.066 OPS last season and has kept a similar pace this season, and he's got a 2.88 ERA over the previous three season on the bump. Now, with an injury forcing him to a temporary sole focus on hitting, Ohtani is in the midst of his best all-around season at the plate. The power is still as dangerous as ever, and he's seen his average rise to heights he hadn't yet seen while still drawing plenty of walks and stealing bases too. Ohtani's presence on the diamond is unlikely any the sport has ever seen, and taking the year off from pitching isn't enough to push him out of the top spot in baseball.

2. Aaron Judge (OF - Yankees)

Aaron Judge has been as incredible as ever more than halfway through the 2024 season, leading the league in HRs, RBIs, OBP, SLG, OPS and more in another breathtaking season somehow rivaling his record-breaking 2022. Judge's marks of a .306 average, 34 HRs, and 85 RBIs look straight out of a video game, and he's still the best hitter in baseball and one of the great players of this century now in the midst of his 9th season in the league. No player poses a more dangerous threat in the box and there's an argument to be made no outfielder in the league has a stronger arm than him, and he's well on his way to another MVP and potentially another historic HR chase once we get deeper into the season. The Yankees looked lost in his absence around this time a year ago, and he's one of the only things keeping their offense from a full sinkage this season and certainly benefiting from a fellow star in Juan Soto right above him. The only knock that an be found against Judge might come in pressure situations - his postseason numbers haven't been good and the two teams he's hit the worst against in his career are the Red Sox and Astros - though he'll have plenty more chances to right that ship in New York in his chase to deliver the franchise their long-awaited championship.

3. Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF - Braves)

Ronald Acuña Jr. was the best offensive player in baseball in 2023, rolling to an MVP behind one of the great offensive seasons the league has ever seen. Acuña became just the fifth member of the elusive 40-40 club with 41 HRs and 73 stolen bases that marked the second-highest single season total this century. Oh, and Acuña hit .337 with 41 HRs, 106 RBIs, and a league-best .416 OBP, numbers he would've won the MVP with anyway even if you take out the stolen bases entirely. Unfortunately for Acuña, a second torn ACL in four years ended his season almost two months ago, cutting it short after 49 games where he had already been struggling out of the gate. I'm not going to let less than a third of a season hurt Acuña's ranking much - what he has done in years past and last season in particular has been incredible - and the baseball world is hoping his dominance will return just as it did the first time he made this ACL recovery.

4. Bryce Harper (1B - Phillies)

An undisputed face of the generation, Bryce Harper continues to be one of baseball's great performers very much within a contending atmosphere in Philadelphia. Harper is pouring in another MVP-caliber season with a .983 OPS that would trail only his two MVP campaigns, and he's already matched his HR total from last season as the lead bat in th ePhillies' dominant first half. He's been a much-improved postseason performer since the move to Philly, and he's embraced his position as heart and soul of the city amidst their recent success. Harper remains one of the league's top talents, and he'lll be at the forefront of a Phillies team with championship expectations once again entering the postseason.

5. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS - Royals)

If you're starting a franchise with one guy in the league right now, there's not many guys you're going with over Bobby Witt Jr. The former top prospect didn't waste much time, growing into an All-Star caliber player by year two and a legitimate MVP candidate halfway through year three. Witt's .323 average ranks third in baseball at the All-Star break, and one of the game's few five-tool players is already doing a whole lot of everything across the diamond for a Royals team in the midst of a resurgent 2024. He leads the league in hits after leading the league in triples a year ago, with no weaknesses at the plate and already one of the league's best fielding shortstops. There's nothing Witt can't do, and at a newly 24 years old has some of the scariest potential we've seen still yet to hit his prime years. There's so much to love about Witt, who is already the clear-cut franchise cornerstone in Kansas City and should be an MVP candidate going forward for years and years to come.

6. Juan Soto (OF - Yankees)

It's been a roller coaster of a 2024 so far for the Yankees, but one of the few constants has been the production of Juan Soto. The Yankees got him this offseason hoping to bolster an otherwise uninspiring lineup, and he's done all he could to help the cause in his final year before a potentially historically large new contract. Soto has poured in another fantastic year at the plate, with an OPS at .985 and the league lead in walks, a terrific complement to Aaron Judge in the Yankees' lineup and in many ways the difference maker in keeping New York in contention. Soto's average had dropped off a bit in recent years but he's had it back over .300 for much of this year, and he's on pace for a career high in HRs at 23 just 94 games in. Whether he stays or not is another story, but Soto has certainly embraced life as a Yankee and done all he can to set himself up for a very exciting free agency this winter.

7. Corbin Burnes (SP - Orioles)

His name may not immediately come to mind when discussing the elite pitchers of this generation, but Corbin Burnes is quietly building a case for himself with a great run in Milwaukee and keeping that going in his first year in Baltimore. Burnes was the 2021 NL Cy Young winner and has an identical 2.43 ERA over his first 19 starts this season, a year that would make it five of the first seven in his career with an ERA under 3.00 if he keeps it up. Even in a down year for his standards Burnes still had the best WHIP in the NL a year ago, marking a fourth straight season in the top-10 in Cy Young voting and a good bet to make it five standing as the second-biggest favorite to bring it home here in 2024. The Orioles' new ownership became far more willing to swing big and spend some money and that opened the door for the big deal acquiring Burnes, and with all the injuries the rotation has endured it's tough to imagine where that unit would be without Burnes leading the way. Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a good seven years now, and still not even 30 years old is in line for a massive payday once he hits free agency this offseason.

8. Mookie Betts (2B - Dodgers)

Mookie Betts has been one of the very best in the game for some time now, and was putting together another MVP-caliber season before a broken hand cut his first half short. Betts got off to a blistering start to the year, leading the league in everything over the first few weeks before eventually coming down to Earth and still producing at a high level. You probably know this by now, but there's simply no weaknesses in Mookie Betts' game, able to hit for average to complement his power, a handful on the base-path, and an elite fielder, seamlessly making the transition from right field to the infield 10 years into his career. He finished second in MVP voting a year ago and that injury may have been the only thing keeping him from doing it again, but he'll hope to get the playoff numbers back where he wants them to be once the Dodgers get another crack at fixing the narrative later this year. Now 31, Betts is still one of baseball's top players, showing no signs of slowing down and still inventing new ways to improve his all-around game.

9. Gunnar Henderson (SS - Orioles) Gunnar Henderson has been on a fast-track to stardom since entering the league late in 2022, putting up solid numbers in very brief action that year, performing at an All-Star level en route to a Rookie of the Year in 2023, and now emerging as a legitimate MVP candidate in 2024. Henderson is exceptional at the plate, with marks of a .286 average, 28 HRs, and 63 RBIs here at the All-Star break this season, already matching his HR total from a year ago and currently ranking third in the league in that department. The scariest part of all this is that Henderson just turned 23 years old, so the sky really may be the limit for the former No. 1 prospect in baseball. The struggles against lefties have remained for Henderson, but he'll have plenty of time to sort that out and truly reach unstoppable heights if he does. As it stands, he's still one of the best hitters in baseball and a likely staple in the AL MVP race for many years to follow.

10. Tarik Skubal (SP - Tigers)

Elbow surgery costed Tarik Skubal the first half of his 2023 but when he made his return, it felt like a new star been born in Detroit. Skubal was really good with a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts over just 15 starts and 80.1 innings, and that's led into a huge 2024 that has him leading the Cy Young race in the AL all the way into the All-Star break. Skubal has been outstanding, posting a 2.41 ERA that leads all qualifying pitchers and delivering the type of season that the writing had been on the wall for after the potential he flashed down the stretch a year ago. Skubal's terrific fastball/slider mix helped get him to this point, and he's only recently added a changeup to his game that has really rounded out his arsenal. The Tigers have an ace on their hands, and the best lefty pitcher in the game at that, and if they keep him around he'll be at the face of this rebuild that finally seems to be assembling the right pieces together.

11. Gerrit Cole (SP - Yankees)

One of the great pitchers of the generation, Gerrit Cole finally got his Cy Young with a dominant 2023 campaign that led the AL in ERA and innings pitched plus a league-best mark in WHIP. Cole only recently made his debut on the field here in 2024 after an elbow injury suffered before the season, and there's little doubt he'll return to his dominant ways sooner than later after a bit of a slow start. Prior to this year Cole had been a workhorse his entire career, a consistent top-5 pitcher and a strikeout machine with five seasons with an ERA under 3.00 and continuing to pitch at his very best as he gets into his 30s. I'm not putting much of any stock in Cole's early struggles - he's still one of the game's elite arms and the stalworth of a strong Yankees rotation.

12. Jacob deGrom (SP - Rangers)

Injuries have gotten to Jacob deGrom as much as any great pitcher we've seen in recent memory, but it's hard to forget the dominance we've seen that's enough to land him this spot even with so much time off the field. Tommy John Surgery costed deGrom almost all of his 2023 and what will likely be near the entirety of 2024 as well, the second time he's undergone TJS in the latest addition to his laundry list of injury history. But when deGrom is healthy, nobody is touching him. deGrom has only made 44 starts this entire decade, but he's got a 2.12 ERA in that span that follows back-to-back Cy Young awards with ERAs of 1.70 and 2.43 respectively. It's hard to say too much about deGrom since we simply haven't seen enough of him on the field, but there's no reason to think that when he does finally make that long-awaited return, we'll see that dominant version of him that captivated baseball back in his days with the Mets.

13. Kyle Tucker (OF - Astros)

Kyle Tucker has been a tremendous hitter for quite some time now, and he looked on his way to an MVP-caliber season before a shin injury that has kept him out of the last month and a half. At the pace he had been hitting, a solid sample size across 60 games, Tucker was on track for more than 51 home runs over an 162-game season. Tucker has thrived in the middle of this loaded Astros order over the years, an RBI machine with impressive power who has been raking at an All-Star level since the age of 24. Tucker is often the forgotten star amongst the numerous great hitters the Astros have had to offer over this run, but he'll get the respect he deserves here as one of the game's premier players.

14. Freddie Freeman (1B - Dodgers)

Freddie Freeman has been on a path to the Hall of Fame for a number of years now, and even now 34 years old has shown no signs of slowing down as one of the game's very best hitters. Freeman might be the best pure hitter in baseball, mixing average and power as well as anyone in the modern game and achieving the .300/.400/.500 slash five teams in the last eight seasons, a feat reached by only seven individuals over that span yet completed five times by Freddie Freeman. 2023 may have been Freeman's best season yet, hitting .331 with 29 HRs, 102 RBIs, and a .976 OPS, his best batting average over a full season and a .410 OBP that ranked third in the sport. He's done his thing again this season en route to a sixth straight All-Star selection, with Father Time yet to peek in as Freeman's legendary career continues. Freeman is moving deep into his 30s, but he's still one of the best hitters in baseball until further notice.

15. Yordan Alvarez (DH - Astros)

If you want to define "professional hitter", it's hard to find many better candidates than Yordan Alvarez, the Astros slugger that has been one of the league's most powerful and consistent hitters since the moment he stepped into the league. Alvarez entered the MLB in 2019, and he's got a career OPS of .967 with only one season below .900 - an .877 mark - and the third-highest OPS+ since that point behind only the likes of Aaron Judge and Mike Trout. So yeah, this guy rakes. He entered this season with ridiculous averages of 42 HRs and 123 RBIs per 162 games, and he's in the midst of another huge season good enough to earn him an All-Star start. He's been a fantastic playoff performer as well, hitting .295 with 12 HRs over 58 postseason games, highlighted by a ridiculous 1.487 OPS this past October. You won't find any flaws in Alvarez's offensive game, with power as dangerous as anyone in the game but not reliant enough on it to keep him from hitting .300. He's been a key cog in Houston's success, a menacing presence right in the thick of their order for what is now a sixth season in the league.

16. Corey Seager (SS - Rangers)

Corey Seager is coming off the best all-around season of his career in 2023, finishing second in MVP voting and helping lead the Rangers all the way to a championship in only his second year in Texas. Seager could do no wrong, hitting .327 to fall just short of the AL batting title plus 33 HRs, 96 RBIs, and a 1.013 OPS a year ago. He's fallen a bit under the radar this season having missed some time due to injury, but he's still been productive hitting at a .270 clip with 18 HRs and 48 RBIs, good for an .834 OPS. A 2-time World Series MVP before the age of 30, Seager has already proven more than enough over the course of the grind of a regular season and the major moments that make up a postseason, and he remains one of the elite hitters in baseball just as long as he can stay on the field.

17. Zack Wheeler (SP - Phillies)

Zack Wheeler has been bonafide ace and one of the best pitchers in baseball ever since joining Philadelphia in 2020, leading the league in bWAR and fWAR over that span with a number of Cy Young-caliber seasons in a Phillies uniform. 2024 might be Wheeler's best year, with a 2.70 ERA tied for the NL lead among qualified pitchers and his velocity showing zero signs of decline in his age-34 season. Wheeler still eats up righties and continues to ride a powerful fastball to big strikeout numbers, with a 5.44 strikeout/walk ratio last season that ranked among the best in baseball. He's also been a big-time playoff performer with a 2.42 ERA over 11 starts these last two postseasons, delivering in the important moments we've seen so many star pitchers fold under in years past.. Wheeler finds himself in the center of the Cy Young race once again, leaving no doubt Philly made the right move with the 3-year/$126M extension they gave him a few months ago.

18. Clayton Kershaw (SP - Dodgers)

Clayton Kershaw hasn't yet pitched this season, and maybe a full season workload is out of the range of possibilities now at 36 years old, but this is still one of the very best pitchers in baseball when he's ready to be out there. Kershaw hasn't slowed down one bit in any category besides durability, pitching to a 2.46 ERA over 24 starts last season after recording a 2.28 ERA and 0.942 WHIP in 22 starts the year prior. Kershaw's 1.063 WHIP last season was his highest in 13 years, a testament to the ridiculous consistency and dominance of a guy whose version of a 'down' year is anything with an ERA north of 3. The accolades speak for themselves with Kershaw, a 3-time Cy Young winner and 10-time All-Star, though the one knock continues to be his playoff performance, which didn't get any help from his disastrous lone outing last postseason. Kershaw's return will be a huge addition for Los Angeles and provide a much-needed backbone to the rotation, and he's likely to return the field soon after making just one more rehab start.

19. Rafael Devers (3B - Red Sox)

In an era where the Red Sox have seen plenty of stars come and go, Rafael Devers is the one guy they can hang their hat on and should have secured long-term. Devers is an animal at the plate, a certified Yankee killer that really broke through in 2019 and hasn't looked back since, already with three seasons of 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs and well on his way to another one this campaign. This season has looked like Devers' best yet, with a career-high .977 OPS thus far on a .295 average with 23 HRs and 61 RBIs, simply one of the game's best pure hitters carrying the load in this Red Sox lineup making an unexpected resurgence. Boston found something special in Devers and wasn't going to let that one get away, likely at or on the verge of the peak of his powers having already put together many years of tremendous success.

20. Jose Ramirez (3B - Guardians)

Jose Ramirez has been a model of consistency across his last nine seasons in the league, the perfect face of the Guardians reaping the rewards of sacrificing money for a better supporting cast. Ramirez is one of just four players that has had an OPS above .800 in each season since 2016, one of the game's very best hitters in the midst of another fantastic year earning himself a sixth All-Star selection and third start. A weak lineup around him certainly limited his production a bit last season, but with more protection in the order he's delivered with a .340 mark with RISP to give him 77 RBIs with his 23 HRs, tied for second in the league. Ramirez remains very much in his prime continue to deliver in the heart of the Guardians' order, still arguably the best third baseman in the game putting together yet another phenomenal campaign.

21. Paul Skenes (SP - Pirates)

Not many athletes have lived life like Paul Skenes over the past year, as all he's done is win the NCAA Championship, get drafted No. 1 overall, get called-up to the big leagues, dominate the big leagues, and be named just the fifth rookie All-Star starting pitcher in MLB history, all in the span of just about one year. Skenes was one of the best pitching prospects in recent memory and only had to wait about a month and a half into the season to reach the biggest stage, and he's been the best pitching in baseball since making his debut on May 11th. Over his first 11 starts Skenes is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and a 0.92 WHIP, as good a start as any athlete has had in recent memory as he's instantly stepped in as one of baseball's great pitchers. Skenes throws gas, with a fastball he's blowing by opponents plus a 'splinker' possessing ridiculous movement that has been making hitters look foolish all throughout his college and professional career. Skenes is already must-watch television every time he steps foot on the mound, as the sensation looks the part of baseball's next big thing just 11 games into his young career.

22. Jose Altuve (2B - Astros)

As far as dynasties or anything close to it goes, it's rare that they can survive as much roster turnover as we've seen the Houston Astros have. As far as who remains from the very beginning, it's Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. That's it. Altuve is now 34 years old and still playing at a tremendously high level, hitting over .300 once again en route to the 9th All-Star selection of his storied career. Altuve is still squeaking out hits any way he can to go with power that continues to amaze at just 5'6", and he continues to pose a threat on the base-paths as one of the best all-around leadoff hitters the game has ever seen. A true legend of the generation, Altuve continues to hit at an elite level and Houston's recent success has them right in the thick of the American League once again hungry for more.

23. Trea Turner (SS - Phillies) About a year ago at this time, not many players' stock had fallen as hard as Trea Turner's, suddenly an outcast in Philadelphia wondering if he could even make it through a year of the 11-year contract he had signed that offseason. That already feels like a funny story to look back on at this point, as with the help of the Philly fans he completely turned his 2023 season around and hasn't looked back since. Turner is fully back in his best version of himself, hitting .349 with a .941 OPS and snatching the NL's starting shortstop stop even while missing much of this first half with a hamstring injury. There was a slight bump in the road in his Phillies tenure, but he's regained star status since and is back to one of the league's best all-around players. If there's any evidence in the power of supporting a struggling player rather than dragging him down, look no further than the inspiring case of Trea Turner.

24. Mike Trout (OF - Angels)

When Mike Trout came into the league it didn't take long to realize this was an all-time talent. Not many players in the history of the game had the kind of start to their career that Trout did, who was on a historically good trajectory over his first 10 years to be one of the very best players to ever live. In every year from 2012-20 Trout finished in the top-5 in MVP voting but ever since then, it's been a constant battle with his own health that he hasn't been winning. The talent is still very much there - even in some shortened seasons he's never had an OPS under .850, but he hasn't missed less than 60 games over a full season since 2019, played just 82 a year ago, and has already missed 68 and counting this season and we're only at the All-Star break. It's hard to call these last few years anything other than disappointing, as the best player of the 2010s really hasn't had much of career in the 2020s, even while playing at such a high level when on the field. It's looking like another wash of a season for the Angels and as we've been doing for years now, we've got no choice but to look ahead to next year and hope for better luck.

25. Julio Rodriguez (SP - Mariners)

Julio Rodriguez burst onto the scene his rookie year in 2022 instantly emerging as a superstar in the making in Seattle, and followed that up with a 30-30 sophomore season that ended up landing him in the top-5 in MVP voting. It wasn't all roses a year ago for Rodriguez, as he got off to a very slow start and he really didn't fully catch fire until August, a month so dominant you'd have no idea how long he was slumping just by looking at the numbers. J-Rod has gotten off to a similar start to this season hitting .267 with 10 HRs and a .690 OPS, not bad numbers by any means but certainly not enough production to carry this Mariners offense the way they need. A terrific defender and one of the game's best hitters at his peak, Rodriguez has all the potential to be a face of baseball if he can string together some more consistency and put it all together over the course of a full season.

26. Max Fried (SP - Braves)

Max Fried has been a mainstay in Atlanta's rotation for the entirety of the 2020s, displaying tremendous consistency as a well above-average arm to place near the top of the rotation. Fried's 2.73 ERA ranks third in baseball since 2020 trailing only Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, and he's at a 3.08 mark this season while being named to his second All-Star team. Fried knows how to draw weak contact and has never been one to give up the big inning, and he throws a nasty curveball he can place perfectly that can really work its way into a hitter's head. In a contract year Fried has stayed healthy and looked sharp, setting him up for what should be a major new deal once he hits free agency this winter.

27. Adley Rutschman (C - Orioles)

Adley Rutschman hasn't wasted much time building a case for himself as the top catcher in baseball, vaulting himself into that discussion in his rookie year and likely holding that honor midway through his second. Now in year three, Rutschman has settled in as a really good hitter and a major reason for this Baltimore resurgence, putting together a second straight All-Star campaign in a year that should amount to even more production than the last. Rutschman feels like that rare breed of catchers that can go out and earn a Gold Glove on one side and put up numbers at the plate good enough to win an MVP, with he and Gunnar Henderson's call-ups back in 2022 almost immediately putting the Orioles back on the map. Only 26 years old, Rutschman is here to stay at the forefront of Baltimore's sudden turnaround.

28. Spencer Strider (SP - Braves)

It was devastating to see Spencer Strider's 2024 end just as soon as it had begun, though he's already shown enough through his first two seasons to earn such a high mark on this top-100. Strider had an impressive 2.67 ERA in his first full season as a starter, though his stuff may have been even better in 2023 as he led the league in strikeouts, and wins for that matter, even while his ERA rose to 3.86. Strider is generally a two-pitch pony, donning a wicked fastball and maybe the best slider in baseball, which would be a limitation to most starters but not when you've got the feel for it like Strider does. The advanced stats loved Strider this past year and suggest it shouldn't be long until he's pouring in Cy Young caliber seasons, though he'll have to wait until next season to prove it can be done after undergoing season-ending surgery after just two starts in 2024.

29. Emmanuel Clase (CP - Guardians)

Emmanuel Clase has begun to separate himself as the league's very best closer this season, dropping his ERA down to an almost unhittable 0.81 mark as he cruised into his third straight All-Star Game. Clase's 2023 was rather rough as he led the league in blown saves with 12, but heavy volume contributing to that considering he still led the league in saves with 44 and had an ERA of a still very respectable 3.22. It's all come together for Clase here in 2024, relying on his vastly improved cutter more than and seeing much higher strikeout totals as a result. The Guardians have been one of the big surprises in baseball this season and having such a shut-down arm to finish games has been a major reason as why, as Clase has gone from a well-documented trade candidate into a perfect fit for a Cleveland team poised to contend.

30. Marcell Ozuna (DH - Braves)

In a down year across the board for the Braves offensively, Marcell Ozuna has been the exception. Ozuna's 40 HR, 100 RBI, .905 OPS 2023 didn't quite get the buzz it deserved cause of all the production coming from the Braves' lineup, but people are starting to get the memo now as he's on track for an even better 2024 while the rest of Atlanta's order has largely fell into a 3.5-month slump. Ozuna earned his first All-Star selection since 2017 this season, hitting. 303 with 26 HRs and 77 RBIs plus a .960 OPS in what could be the best full season of his career. Ozuna blended into a lineup where just about everyone was a major threat a year ago, but doing it again when the protection around him just ins't there is really putting the league on notice. Even as he gets deep into his 30s, Ozuna is hitting as well as ever with numbers on pace to land him some real MVP votes even from the DH position.

31. Brent Rooker (DH - Athletics)

Brent Rooker got into the All-Star Game in 2023 as the Athletics' lone representative, yet somehow some way didn't make this year's cut despite a first half right up there with some of the MLB's best. Rooker showed great power down the stretch last season in a very unexpected growth after a very quiet start to his career, and he's polished off his offensive game here in 2024 and is now flying under the radar as one of the game's most powerful hitters. Rooker caught fire these last few weeks to bring his OPS up to .971, a historically good mark for an All-Star snub, and he's already closing in on his totals from a year ago with 21 HRs and 62 RBIs over his first 84 games. Rooker's emergence has added some long-desired energy into this Athletics lineup, and he's on a fast path into elite territory with this newfound balance of power and average.

32. Reynaldo Lopez (SP - Braves)

Reynaldo Lopez couldn't get it going early in his career as a starter, though his numbers began to pick up with a switch to the bullpen around 2021. Maybe it was a confidence thing, as that success has carried right into his second chance at a starting pitcher. His 1.88 ERA is the best in baseball by a good margin over the first half of the season, enough to earn him his first All-Star nod and quietly place him right in the middle of the Cy Young conversation. Lopez won't blow you away with his stuff, and the advanced metrics show that this start may be a little more on the flukey side plus a WHIP that is only 26th in baseball, but we're deep enough in the season to put real stock in his ability to keep opponents off the board. His emergence has been a blessing for Atlanta, a great story in his resurgence in his second starting stint in this league.

33. Chris Sale (SP - Braves)

Red Sox fans can’t be too thrilled with what’s happening with Chris Sale, who after years unable to stay healthy for them suddenly looks as durable as ever in a Braves uniform, back to his dominant ways and one of the game’s best arms. Needless to say it’s never been a matter of talent for Sale, a two-time Cy Young winner who remained a strong option when healthy these last few years, but it was worth questioning what was realistic for him now deep in his 30s with so much injury history. He’s answered the bell, leading the league in wins in an All-Star first half of the season, with his velocity back where he wants it to be and a lights-out change-of-pace slider, looking closer than further to his prime days earlier in his career. He’s also got the best ERA among qualified NL pitchers, one third of a three-headed monster in Atlanta that hasn’t missed a beat despite Spencer Strider’s injury. A healthy Sale is still lethal, making that acquisition a major steal for the Braves so long as he can stay on the field.

34. Ketel Marte (2B - Diamondbacks)

He's been operating in silence, but Marte has been one of baseball's elite second baseman for a good six years now, and he's putting together another big year that quietly has him in MVP consideration in the National League. Marte is a fantastic pure hitter, able to teeter around the .300 mark and hit for as much power as the best second baseman in the game and continuing to improve his game as he gets deeper in his career. Marte has also been exceptional in the two postseasons he's been a part of, with a .974 OPS over 21 games and putting the team on his back in last year's NLCS, hitting .387 in that 7-game series that sent them to the World Series. Arizona extended Marte for the long-haul in 2022, a move that is already paying off big time for one of the NL's top players.

  35. Francisco Lindor (SS - Mets)

Few players match great hitting with great fielding the way Francisco Lindor has for so many years, still an All-Star caliber option at the plate and one of the flashiest and most steady defensive shortstops in all of baseball. Lindor picked it up after a slow start to last season and finished in the top-10 in MVP voting, and he's on pace for very similar numbers this time around hitting .253 with 17 HRs, 52 RBIs, and a top-20 spot in WAR here at the All-Star break. Lindor's all-around hitting has admittedly tailed off just a bit since leaving Cleveland, largely attributed to a drop in average, but he's still consistently closing in on the .800 OPS mark and seemingly benefiting from his newly adopted role in the leadoff spot for the Mets.

36. Felix Bautista (CP - Orioles)

We won't see Felix Bautista here in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, but he was dominant enough over his first two seasons in the league to earn a spot on this list even after what will be a year-plus off the field. Bautista had an electrifying rookie year and took that to a whole new level last season, posting a 1.48 ERA with 33 saves in 56 appearances, arguably the best reliever in baseball with perhaps his biggest competition teammate Yennier Cano. There was a point last year where Bautista was receiving Cy Young buzz, blowing by hitters with a ridiculous combination of a fastball and splitter that each produced the highest swing and miss rate in the game among those respective pitches. Only time will tell whether Bautista can return to his unhittable ways post-Tommy John, and anything close to that sort of production would still provide one of baseball's strongest arms.

37. Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF - Padres)

No , Fernando Tatis Jr.'s career didn't end when he made a dumb young mistake and got busted for PEDs in 2021. Instead, it's been a really respectable response he's put together, taking accountability for his actions and doing his best to move on with his career and return to his prominent ways. He put together a solid 2023 and has looked even more like his old self this go-round, being named an All-Star starter with a first half hitting .279 with 14 HRs and a .821 OPS, catching fire late before an injury kept him out the very end of the first half. His fielding has also improved tremendously, leading all right fielders in defensive runs saved last season in his first year at the position. Tatis is doing his best to recapture the fire he had early in his career and re-establish himself as a face of the Padres franchise, and his 2024 thus far has been a great step towards doing so as he's working his way back into a definitively elite hitter.

38. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP - Dodgers)

The Dodgers' $325M man had a rough spring training and got rocked in his first major-league start, but once he got settled in has been all of what Los Angeles was hoping for when they gave him the largest international contract in baseball history. Since his disastrous first start, Yoshinobu Yamamoto hasn't allowed a run in six of his next eleven starts, quickly translating his curve and splitter into success and able to limit hard contact mixing in a well-commanded fastball into his arsenal. He is currently on the IL and won't be rushed back after the first real injury of his young career, and he'll be a staple of the Dodgers' rotations for so many years to come as he continues to adjust to the major leagues.

39. Shota Imanaga (SP - Cubs)

While all the attention went Yamamoto's way this offseason, Shota Imanaga slipped through the cracks and may have been the steal of free agency on a 4-year/$53M contract light years behind what the other Japanese sensation received. And Imanaga has been just as good if not better, bursting onto the scene with a lights-out start and a 0.84 ERA across his first nine starts. He'd come down to Earth eventually once his opponents settled in, but finishing the first half strong and earned an All-Star selection with an ERA still below 3. Imanaga's stuff has been largely unhittable this season, highlighted by a low-velocity fastball that has ranked as the most effective pitch in baseball by highest run value. Imanaga has been just what the Cubs dreamed of when they hauled him in from Japan, adding another elite arm to the rotation on a very reasonable deal.

40. Austin Riley (3B - Braves)

Like so much of this Braves lineup, Austin Riley is a star still yet to get it going this season all the way into the All-Star break, currently on pace for the lowest marks of his career across the board since all the way back in his rookie year. Riley has been a monster at the plate these last three seasons prior to 2024, with an OPS above .860 this season hitting better than any third baseman in baseball over that span. Even in a down year he's still got an OPS well above the league average, and the power started to pick up in recent weeks after what had been a particularly slow start to the season. Still only 27 years old there's no reason to view this as anything deeper than a bit of an underwhelming first half for Riley, who should be back doing his thing sooner than later in the heart of the Braves' order.

41. Matt Olson (1B - Braves)

We finally got the very best of Matt Olson last season, the leagues leader in home runs and RBIs by a landslide and hitting for average as well in a season good enough to land him 4th in MVP voting. Olson has always been a power machine, with 2023 a fifth straight full season of at least 29 home runs, but he’s had some issues keeping his average up that have begun to plague him once again this season. He’s sitting at a .229 mark in 2024, a drop of more than half a point from last season, and the power hasn’t quite been up to par with past years with only 13 HRs at the All-Star break. It’s the type of season a guy like Olson runs the risk of falling into with such a reliance on the home run in recent year, but still just 30 years old there’s reason to believe it’s just a first-half slump. And he’s still one of the best fielding first baseman in the game, with a bat that should only get better over the course of this year.

42. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B - Blue Jays)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looked ready to be one of the faces of baseball with such an electrifying 2021 at just 22 years old, and while he hasn't quite kept up with that trajectory, he's still a star in this league in the midst of another big year. Guerrero's 48 HRs, 111 RBIs, and 1.002 OPS from 2021 will be tough to ever replicate, but he remains the heart of the Blue Jays' order with an OPS north of .800 ever since and having just been named to his fourth consecutive All-Star team. Vladdy had gotten off to a slow start to this season but really picked it up as the first half came to a close, around the same time he appeared more open to trade talks with Toronto continuing to slide well below expectations. Guerrero is still only 25 with many great years ahead, one of the most intimidating forces at the plate and the AL's top first baseman through the first half of this year.

43. Christian Yelich (OF - Brewers)

The rebirth of Christian Yelich's career has been a joy to watch, as one of the stars of the late 2010s had looked done for just a few years later before a strong 2023 and even better 2023 have him fully back to being one of the NL's best hitters. Yelich's first half has been terrific - his .326 batting average is the same as in his MVP season back in 2018 - and he's mixed in some power as well with his leadoff production a huge reason for Milwaukee's continued success. He may not quite return to the levels he was at during his MVP candidacy, but Yelich delivered enough to earn All-Star starter status and his resurgence has made for one of the stories in baseball this past season and a half.

44. Will Smith (C - Dodgers)

As far as great catchers go, Will Smith's spot buried amongst so many stars in L.A. has often left him well under the radar in that department. That didn't stop him from landing a 10-year/$140M contract this offseason, the longest deal a catcher has ever gotten and third-most money-wise in MLB history. Smith has been a consistently excellent hitter these last four seasons, a power threat that can hit for average that could be on pace for career highs this season hitting .272 with 15 HRs and 55 RBIs at the All-Star break. He's also seen real growth in his play behind the dish, a position he didn't start playing regularly until college, going from among the league's worst in defensive runs saved to a mainstay in the top-10 in just a few years. Giving Smith a 10-year deal at age 29 speaks to how much the Dodgers value Smith, who will be a huge part of their future going forward as the youngest of their five All-Star hitters.

45. William Contreras (C - Brewers)

Contreras has evolved into one of the game's very best catchers these last three seasons, hitting at a high level and turning his defense around entirely after some early struggles. The Brewers have a track record fixing their catchers defensively, and Contreras become one of the league's best at framing pitchers soon after being traded from Atlanta to Milwaukee. Contreras was the starting catcher in the NL in this year's All-Star Game, an MVP candidate over the first couple months before coming down to Earth with a .286 mark with 11 HRs and 55 RBIs over his first 93 games. One of the best hitting catchers and now adding strong defense to his game behind the plate, Contreras is a very valuable asset for the Brewers, and their success these last two seasons can largely be attributed to his efforts.

46. Justin Steele (SP - Cubs)

It's been done quietly, but there haven't been too many pitchers better than Justin Steele these last three years, posting a 3.02 ERA since 2022 as one of the only consistent arms the Cubs have had in that span. Steele had put together a really strong last two seasons, and he's doing his thing once again in 2024 after missing the first month and change of the year with an injury suffered on Opening Day. Steele's ability to go deep into games has been especially critical with all the Cubs' bullpen woes, and his 0.95 WHIP ranks fourth in baseball and has been a huge indicator of his success this season. Steele still has more years of control remaining on his deal and could draw a lot of interest on the trade market these next two weeks, otherwise the intriguing duo of he and Shota Imanaga will lead Chicago for this year and perhaps many to come.

47. Zac Gallen (SP - Diamondbacks)

Since acquiring him in a straight swap for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the 2019 deadline, the Diamondbacks have gotten a clear-cut ace in Zac Gallen to insert atop the rotation. Gallen opened his career with two seasons of an ERA under 3.00, and he's finished in the top-5 in Cy Young voting these last two seasons including a league-leading WHIP in 2022 and his first All-Star appearance in 2023. He solidified workhorse status with what he did this past season, amassing 243 innings and hitting the 200-strikeout mark for the first time in his career, all while helping guide Arizona all the way to the World Series He hasn't been quite at his best this year and missed some time due to injury, though he's still provided a generally stable option with a few bad starts knocking up the ERA. Gallen's able to mix up speeds and master the low-velo fastball has guided him to a lot of success so far, and that should only continue once he really gets settled in in the second half.

48. Manny Machado (3B - Padres)

13 years in and Manny Machado continues to produce, still one of the faces of the Padres and premier 3rd basemen in the game. Machado was the MVP runner-up just two years ago, and with a career OPS of .824 and eight straight seasons with 30+ home runs, it's been a career of great consistency for the former top prospect. Machado got off to a slow start to this season but has picked it up quite a bit as of late, putting him back on pace for another big season in San Diego. He's also continued to excel as a fielder, now ranking 4th all-time among 3rd basemen in defensive runs saved, a bonus many of his hitting stature can't provide but a service he's added since the day he stepped foot in the major leagues. Machado keeps on delivering, and still only 32 years old this deep into his career should have a number of years to go playing at such a high level.

49. Alec Bohm (3B - Phillies)

Alec Bohm has been improving with each year since entering the league in 2020, culminating in an All-Star selection this season as a key contributor to Philadelphia's major first half success. Bohm leads the league in doubles and has enough power to land him a spot in the Home Run Derby, and he's continued to hit for average with a mark now teetering on .300. And maybe his most underrated attribute is his hitting with runners on, notching a ridiculous .344 average with RISP a year ago and following it up with a .323 mark so far this season. The Phillies have found something special in Bohm, who is still just 27 years old, and for a team with serious title aspirations they'll hope this development can translate into some key postseason hits.

49. Carlos Correa (SS - Twins)

Aside from the bizarre saga of the 2022-23 offseason, Carlos Correa has flown largely under the radar ever since leaving Houston in 2021, even as his play hasn't missed much of a beat. He's in the midst of what would be his best season yet in Minnesota, earning his first All-Star appearance with the team hitting .308 with an .896 OPS right in the center of a quietly dangerous lineup when healthy. Still a terrific fielder as well, Correa has a ton to off on an everyday basis in what has been an impressive bounce-back from arguably the worst season of his career, earning his spot back in the top-100 still somehow just 29 years old. It's nice to see Correa doing big things in another jersey, and his big game prowess should bode well for an organization hoping to return to a second straight postseason.

50. Christian Walker (1B - Diamondbacks)

Christian Walker has stood as one of the best players never to make an All-Star team for a while now, though that seemed almost sure to end this season after a really impressive first half of hitting. Maybe it's just not meant to be, as Walker was snubbed yet again just weeks ago despite a first half putting him on pace for a career-year, hitting .264 with 22 HRs, 66 RBIs, and a .837 OPS playing in all 97 games thus far. He eclipsed the 30-HR, 100-RBI mark in 2023 though struggled in the playoffs despite their deep run, and he's been one of the best hitting first baseman in the game since his first full season in 2019. Walker probably won't ever get the respect he truly deserves, but that hasn't phased him yet and won't start now as he gets set to work off his huge first half.

51. Steven Kwan (OF - Guardians)

Steven Kwan flashed a ton of potential in a rookie year he hit .298 and displayed a ton of talent in the field, though he took a bit of a step backwards in 2023 in a disappointing sophomore campaign. Here in 2024, however, he's completely broken through, running away with the batting time right from the get-go and adding power to his game on the way to an All-Star start. Kwan has emerged into one of those guys that is just impossible to keep off the base-paths, with his .352 average leading baseball by a big margin and his .407 OBP ranking fourth in the league. And amidst this growth, he's remained one of the best fielding outfielders there is. Kwan's emergence has been a massive boost to the Guardians lineup and made them as dangerous as they've been in quite some time, with Kwan an on-base machine leading off and giving the heart of the order so many great chances to knock in some runs.

52. Cole Ragans (SP - Royals)

The transition to a full-time starting role has reached its apex in 2024 for Seth Lugo, stunningly one of the best pitchers in the AL in the first half of this season en route to the first All-Star Game selection of his career. Lugo has a 2.48 ERA so far across 20 starts, leading the league in ERA+ and putting him in the AL Cy Young mix in a growth nobody saw coming. Lugo's eight-pitch arsenal has made him largely unsolvable even as he works deep into games, a wider range of pitchers than anyone else can say they have. It's clear that Lugo is here to stay in a starting role, as the 3-year/$45M investment the Royals made is paying off big time as his arm has helped power them to an unexpectedly strong start.

53. Riley Greene (OF - Tigers)

Riley Greene has fit the billing as the top prospect the Tigers were hoping they had, and this season he's really taken that step forward as the backbone of this lineup and easily the most intimidating threat Detroit can send to the plate. Greene is quickly evolving into a do-it-all hitter, with a .271 average, 17 HRs, and 50 RBIs and an OPS all the way up to .866, also one of the most dynamic fielding outfielders in the game already with a knack for the highlight-reel plays. Greene is hoping to make this his first full season yet, and with the strides he's made he feels right on the verge of putting it all together, and when that day comes he'll be one of the game's best all-around hitters and a massive asset in the Tigers' future.

54. Logan Webb (SP - Giants) Logan Webb has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball over these last 3.5 seasons, never letting his ERA get above 3.50 and solidifying himself as the lone consistent option San Francisco has in their rotation. Webb finished second in Cy Young voting last season even with his name certainly falling under the radar as far as the league's best arms go, and that was actually his worst statistical season from 2021-23 with ERA's of 2.90 and 3.03 in the two years prior. And for a rotation that's been forced to mix around so many arms and so many bullpen days, Webb has been a workhorse at the top of that rotation. He led the league in innings pitched a year ago and leads the NL in that category this time around, and led the NL in walks/9 and strikeouts/9 in his big 2023. The Giants have loved what they've gotten out of Webb these last few seasons, as he's continued to carry a major burden and given San Francisco's pitching staff exactly what they need.

55. Salvador Perez (C - Royals)

Salvador Perez is one of those guys that just feels like he's been around forever, but that hasn't stopped the 9-time All-Star to continue to produce. Perez's power hasn't gone anywhere, and he's donning a .282 average this season that would be his highest mark in 11 years. Loyalty is a bit of a last art in baseball, but Perez has been with the Royals for the entirety of his 14-year career and after a brutal stretch of seasons for the team as a whole, it's great to see him at the forefront of this turnaround year. In an era being slowly taken over by this never-ending young talent, it's great to see a veteran like Perez still playing at such a high level.

56. Ranger Suarez (SP - Phillies)

Ranger Suarez has carried huge postseasons in 2022 and 2023 into a career year for the Phillies in 2024, easily his best season as a starter with his success a huge reason for what Philadelphia has been able to do. Suarez had a 1.62 ERA over seven starts these last two postseason and is 10-4 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.044 WHIP so far this season, putting him as the favorite to start the All-Star Game for much of this season and right in the thick of the Cy Young conversation. He's also one of the game's best fielding pitchers, as well as a fan favorite in Philadelphia throughout his emergence. As an arm you want to put out there in a major moment and now doing it over the course of a regular season, we're witnessing Suarez's emergence into one of the game's very best.

57. Kirby Yates (CP - Rangers)

It's been a dominant 2024 for Kirby Yates thus far, a career year up and down the board as one of the best relievers in all of baseball thus far. Yates has a blistering 1.05 ERA, 0.903 WHIP, and is 16/16 in save opportunities, doing all of this at the ripe age of 37 years old for the Rangers. Yates has quietly been one of the league's great relievers for some time now when he's stayed on the field, now in the midst of what should be his fifth straight full season with an ERA under 3.30. What Yates is doing in Texas has been special, and with Texas approaching a major decision on whether or not to sell at the upcoming deadline, Yates will undoubtedly draw a lot of interest from teams hoping to shore up their bullpen.

58. Logan Gilbert (SP - Mariners)

The Mariners have gotten a ton of consistency out of Logan Gilbert these last three seasons, in the midst of his best year yet being named to his first All-Star Game with a 2.79 ERA through 20 starts. He's leading the league in WHIP at 0.869, quietly putting together a Cy Young caliber season, so calmly shutting opposing offenses down with high strikeout totals and a ton of control in his delivery. Gilbert's strikeout/walk ratio isn't near the level of teammates George Kirby, but his 5.25 mark still ranked fifth in the MLB last season. In a crowded rotation full of effective arms, it's been Gilbert who has separated himself from the pack so far in 2024.

59. Bryan Reynolds (OF - Pirates)

Bryan Reynolds has been one of the game's more underrated hitters for quite a bit now, rewarded with an All-Star selection this year while on pace for maybe the best year of his career. The Pirates finally made the bold and rather unconventional (for them) move to commit to Reynolds long-term, and it seems to be paying off as he's remained their most dangerous hitter and is currently hitting .284 with 18 HRs, 61 RBIs, and an .834 OPS having played all 96 games for the Pirates this season. Reynolds' production seems destined to always fly under the radar, and all he can do is continue to hit as Pittsburgh continues to surround him with some much-needed protection in the order.

60. George Kirby (SP - Mariners)

From the moment he entered the MLB George Kirby has been a true hallmark of consistency, with ERAs of 3.39, 3.35, and 3.25 in his first three seasons, so poised in damage control and a really good a bet to keep an offense at bay on any given night. A major reason for that is his control, as Kirby won't walk many and had the best walks/9 and strikeouts/walks rate of any pitcher in baseball last season. As he continues to add breaking pitches and a splitter to his arsenal to complement his fastball, expect those strikeout numbers to continue to rise, as if the 9.05:1 strikeout/walk ratio that led the league by a mile a year ago wasn't scary enough. As Kirby continues to grow as a pitcher, I'd expect him to work his way into some Cy Young discussions sooner than later.

  61. Elly De La Cruz (SS - Reds)

Elly De La Cruz is as electrifying as they come, taking the league by storm with his incredible speed and ridiculous arm strength, and he's worked on polishing the rest of his game he's left no doubt why he was one of the top prospects in baseball upon his call-up. De La Cruz's 46 stolen bases before the All-Star lead the league by a mile, and he's making strides day by day with his hitting as he's unleashed even more power this season and made drastic improvements in his overall approach at the plate. De La Cruz has an OPS of .830 this season and has already long passed his HR total from last season in less games played, displaying all the tools at such a young age to be the next face of the Reds franchise. De La Cruz is the most menacing player on the base-paths in the sport and it's not even close, and as he continues to round out his offensive game he'll continue to wreak more and more havoc leading the way in this rising Reds lineup.

  62. Jarren Duran (OF - Red Sox)

It wasn't long ago that Jarren Duran was being booed off the field and having his major league status questioned day in and day out, making what he's done in 2024 all the more impressive and a far greater story. Duran has in many ways been the heart and soul of the Red Sox's surprise first half, one of the inspiring voices on the roster and the perfect leadoff hitter who can get on base, steal, and hit for solid power as well doing all the little things to help his team succeed. There were reasonable doubts regarding his fielding early in his career, but he's wiped those away in what has been a major boost to an otherwise woeful Red Sox defense. Duran leads the league in triples, is third in doubles, and fifth in stolen bases, doing everything he can to give the heart of Boston's order the most optimal chance to drive in runs. Duran's growth has been a blessing for the Red Sox, and much of what can be pointed to for Boston's upstart first half.

63. Ryan Helsley (CP - Cardinals) The Cardinals have gotten another big year out of Ryan Helsley, enough to garner his seconfd All-Star selection in three years as their clear-cut closing pitcher. Helsley's 32 saves lead baseball, stringing together 30 consecutive saves after blowing one on Opening Day in the most dominant stretch a reliever has had this season. He can still throw as hard as anyone in baseball right now, even as he's elected to rely on the slider a lot more and pitch from behind his opponents rather than just overpower them with heat. Helsley admittedly hasn't felt as comfortable with his fastball as in, say, 2022, but he's still been the best closer in the NL in this first half and has room to grow as well.

64. Luis Castillo (SP - Mariners) Luis Castillo was a huge trade deadline splash when the Mariners acquired him in 2022, and he's continued his impressive play - albeit quietly - since his arrival. Castillo is coming off likely his two best seasons yet, notching a 2.99 ERA in 2022 and a 3.34 ERA with 219 strikeouts in a second straight All-Star campaign in 2023, finishing in the top-5 in Cy Young voting for the first time in his career. Only one of Castillo's eight MLB seasons have finished with an ERA north of 4, a staple of consistency that puts him in great company within Seattle's outstanding rotation. It's so difficult to rank their top three pitchers with how similarly consistent they've been, though Castillo has been a bit more erratic this season and that's what separates him at least for the time being.

65. Tyler Glasnow (SP - Dodgers) It's always been a matter of health for Tyler Glasnow, with the talent always apparent but just never able to give the Rays enough innings to get the most from him. The Dodgers were hoping a change of scenery could help fix that, and he's already a good two starts away from a career high in innings pitched, earning his first All-Star selection along the way in a clean first half of the season. In a Dodgers rotation dealing with all sorts of absences, Glasnow of all people has been their stable arm with a 3.47 ERA that the advanced stats predict should be even better, plus an NL-best 0.927 WHIP and the third most strikeouts in baseball to this point. So far the gamble Los Angeles took on Glasnow is paying off, and it should as long as he stays on the field, though they could very well take a more conservative approach down the stretch this season to make sure he's at his best for the postseason.

66. Pete Alonso (1B - Mets) Since the moment he entered the league in 2019, no player has hit more home runs than Pete Alonso. He wasted zero time establishing himself as one of baseball's premier sluggers, hitting a league-leading 53 HRs in his rookie year and not missing a beat since. He's hit an average of 41 HRs in his three full seasons since and been an RBI machine too, also remaining remarkably durable having missed just 24 games since making his debut five years ago. The only negative with Alonso's growth has been his ability to average, as it's become a liability in his game over the last 1.5 seasons after it initially looked like a strength hanging over the .260 mark in each of his first three full seasons. The average returning to where it was doesn't seem overly likely, and it is many ways just an added bonus for the tremendous power Pete Alonso provides, enough to change a lineup completely and why he's already a Home Run Derby great.

67. Justin Verlander (SP - Astros)

We haven't seen much of Verlander in 2024, but everything he's done in his magnificent career is enough to give him the benefit of the doubt on a ranking like this. Verlander is now 41 years old, so expecting full seasons out of him going forward is probably a bit too much to ask, even as he's largely stayed healthy throughout his long career aside from the two extended Tommy John Surgery absences. Verlander had a strong 2023 with a 3.22 ERA between the Mets and Astros, and that came after perhaps the best year of his career as a 39-year-old in 2023, winning his third Cy Young with a career-best 1.75 ERA. Verlander looked good in last year's postseason as well, a welcomed sign after some playoff struggles in years past, posting a 2.95 ERA over three starts for the Astros. The future Hall-of-Famer should return at some point in the second half of what is now his 20th MLB season, and it'll be a huge boost to Houston's rotation to get him back in the mix prior to the postseason.

68. Marcus Semien (2B - Rangers)

Marcus Semien has been among the class of the second base position across what is going on a decade now, finishing 3rd in MVP voting in 2021 and 2023 and playing a vital role in Texas' championship run a year ago. Semien has been outstanding at the plate and long stood as one of the league's best fielding second baseman, an ultra-valuable combination that consistently puts him near the top in WAR year in and year out. This season hasn't been quite as productive from a hitting standpoint, but he still did enough to earn a third All-Star selection in fours years hitting .242 with 13 HRs and 51 RBIs. Semien broke the second base record for HRs in 2021 and had 29 HRs and 100 RBIs with a .276 mark this past season, though it may be his other-worldly durability that may be his best attribute. Over the past seven years Semien has only missed 13 games, a mark of availability right up there with the best in sports. Even in a bit of a down year, Semien still ranks second in WAR among his position.

69. Seth Lugo (SP - Royals) The transition to a full-time starting role has reached its apex in 2024 for Seth Lugo, stunningly one of the best pitchers in the AL in the first half of this season en route to the first All-Star Game selection of his career. Lugo has a 2.48 ERA so far across 20 starts, leading the league in ERA+ and putting him in the AL Cy Young mix in a growth nobody saw coming. Lugo's eight-pitch arsenal has made him largely unsolvable even as he works deep into games, a wider range of pitchers than anyone else can say they have. It's clear that Lugo is here to stay in a starting role, as the 3-year/$45M investment the Royals made is paying off big time as his arm has helped power them to an unexpectedly strong start.

70. Blake Snell (SP - Giants) Blake Snell can be defined by his two dominant Cy Young seasons that made him the first pitcher to ever win that award in both leagues, or you could go a different direction and focus on the other seven years of his career, where he's never made an All-Star team and struggled to establish himself as a true No. 1 pitcher between the Rays, Padres, and now Giants. Snell was lights-out in 2023 for the Padres, virtually unhittable in the second half en route to an NL-best 2.25 ERA and his second Cy Young in five years. After a move to San Fran he simply hasn't been able to follow it up, posting just a 6.31 ERA at the All-Star break, a mark that was actually in the 9s only two starts ago before a couple nice outings helped bring it down a bit. We saw a similar trend after his first Cy Young, an even more dominant campaign than in 2023, as his ERA dipped to 4.29 the next year and reached 4.20 in 2021 in his next full season. This season has been a bit of an exception, but even in Snell's lesser years he's still a serviceable option, as he's never posted an ERA north of 4.30 prior to this year. There's not a great explanation for the trends Snell goes through, though not many players are more dominant than Blake Snell at his best, already in legendary territory joining Verlander, Kershaw, Scherzer, and deGrom as the only active players with multiple Cy Youngs.

71. Tanner Scott (CP - Marlins) In a completely disastrous first half of 2024, maybe the only player on this entire Marlins roster you could point to and say is having a good season is closer Tanner Scott. There haven't been many chances at closing out wins for Scott, but he's made the most of what he's gotten with a 1.34 ERA and 14 saves over 39 appearances and 16 save opportunities. That came after a strong 2023 as well, where he reached a 2.31 ERA and logged the most innings of any closer in a pivotal role in Miami's big year. With the Marlins now in the midst of a dumpster fire of a year, there's a real good chance Scott is gone after the deadline, and would be a significant addition to whatever bullpen scoops him up.

72. Raisel Iglesias (CP - Braves)

Since all the way back in 2016, there's not many relievers that have put up better and more consistent numbers than Raisel Iglesias. He was in the midst of an unusually down year in 2022 before a trade to Atlanta completely flipped the switch back for him, as he's posted a 2.04 ERA ever since the trade in the best stretch of what was already an impressive career. Iglesias falls into the category of best players to never make an All-Star team, snubbed again this season with a 2.02 ERA having converted on 22 of 24 save attempts. The Braves' bullpen has been a major strength these last 2.5 seasons, and the 34-year-old Iglesias continues to be a major reason why.

73. Yandy Diaz (1B - Rays) Yandy Diaz was the AL batting champion last season, a very steady and reliable option atop the order for Tampa Bay across their overachieving regular season. He took a big step forward in 2022 and completely broke through in 2023, roundng out his all-around game with a .330 clip, 22 HRs, 78 RBIs, and career highs across the board. While he hasn't quite replicated that success he's remained an above-average option to open a lineup with, hitting at a .273 mark with decent power. It's hard to expect a repeat of his huge 2023 season anytime soon, but the Rays know what they are getting out of Diaz and shouldn't be anything but pleased.

74. Kyle Bradish (SP - Orioles)

Injuries have riddled Baltimore's rotation this season, with none more damaging than Kyle Bradish's Tommy John. Bradish broke out in 2023 with a 2.83 over 30 starts in just his second year in the league, establishing himself as the ace in the Orioles' resurgent season and finishing 4th in AL Cy Young voting. He carried that over into an even better start to 2024, though that came to an abrupt end just 8 starts in for what Baltimore desperately hopes is only a bump in the road on a long and productive career. As Bradish began to base his arsenal around a slider and sinker it's done wonders for his ability to hit his spots, and that slider had been growing into one of the best pitches in baseball around the time his 2024 was suddenly cut short.

75. Sonny Gray (SP - Cardinals)

Sonny Gray never quite lost it even with an underwhelming start to the 2020s as he got into his 30s, but he's created a second life for himself with two big years in Minnesota and now a strong season in St. Louis as well. Gray was fantastic last season with a 2.79 ERA that landed him second in NL Cy Young voting, and he's been rock solid this year as well even as a recent slide has brought his numbers up a bit. Even at age 34, Gray continues to provide a steady arm, a feat the Cardinals had been seriously lacking in years past but gave Gray a big-time deal to help make happen.

76. Nathan Eovaldi (SP - Rangers)

For a guy with a resume as polished as Nathan Eovaldi, it's amazing he continues to slip under the radar the way he does. Eovaldi has been a rock-solid starting pitcher for a good seven years now, though it's his postseason prowess that has really elevated his career. Eovaldi played a major role in Boston's 2018 championship run with a 1.61 ERA across six starts, and five years later did the same with the Rangers with a 2.95 ERA over six more starts, both of which coming in his first seasons with the team. You don't hear his name much in the regular season but he'll still deliver, with an ERA below 4 in all but one season since 2018 and currently sitting at a career-best 2.97 ERA in 16 starts this season. There's not many guys you'd trust more taking the bump in a big moment than Eovaldi, and the veteran remains a very solid option in the midst of one of his best seasons.

77. Ozzie Albies (2B - Braves) It's still a work in progress for Ozzie Albies to return to his form from huge 2021 and 2023 campaigns, struggling at the plate and certainly feeling the loss of Acuña at the top of the order as much as any Atlanta hitter. The power is there for the 5'8" Albies - he hit 33 HRs last season with an OPS of .849, but it's yet to come together this season as he's hit just .258 with 8 HRs and a .722 OPS. It's been a year of slumping stars for the Braves and Albies has fit right in, but Albies has for some time now been one of the league's rare second baseman able to hit for that sort of power, even as 2024 hasn't gone as planned. An effective combination of speed and power, Albies should return to form sooner than later, one of the many Braves hoping for a rest and bounce-back on the flip side of the All-Star break.

78. Evan Phillips (CP - Dodgers) When the Dodgers claimed Evan Phillips off waivers in August of 2021, few could've expected that move would amount to much, let alone be a relevant point of discussion in a top-100 list three whole years later. In typical Dodgers fashion, however, Phillips instantly became one of the league's most dominant relievers, with the best ERA in baseball since that moment after dominant 2022 and 2023 seasons and another strong year budding here in 2024. He's had a heavy strikeout rate as a Dodger with an impressive sweeper leading his arsenal, and the addition of a cutter to his game has helped keep the hitters honest helping close the gap between his sweeper and fastball. Los Angeles found a gem in Evan Phillips, and he remains a key contributor to their bullpen and a guy they've grown to love to rely on in high-leverage moments.

79. Devin Williams (RP - Brewers)

The Brewers liked enough of what they saw from Devin Williams to commit to him as their full-time closer, and the move paid off as he went from one of the league's premier relievers to just as effective in a closer role. Williams has kept getting better as his young career has continued to move along, posting a 2.50 ERA in 2021 and a 1.93 ERA in 2022 as the set-up man both seasons, and that grew into a 1.53 mark with 36 saves in 40 opportunities as the closer a year ago. Williams has been as consistent a reliever as any so far, already a two-time All-Star and two-time NL Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year winner looking unphased in his transition to a larger role last season. He hasn't pitched yet this season after suffering stress fractures in his back during spring training, and a return over the next few weeks would be a major boost to an already sound Brewers bullpen.

80. Kevin Gausman (SP - Blue Jays) Kevin Gausman had struggled with consistency across the majority of the 2010s, but he's found a nice rhythm these last three year with a 3.16 ERA from 2020-23. Gausman has been more erratic this season with an ERA up to 4.50, but he was one of the AL's best pitchers just last season, finishing third in Cy Young voting with the AL lead in strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA. Riding the wave of a dominant splitter, one of the very best pitches in the sport, he's always a good bet to rack up K's, posting the best strikeout/nine mark in the AL last year and the best strikeout/walk ratio the year before. Even while this season hasn't gone as planned for Gausman or the Blue Jays as a whole, top-10 Cy Young voting finishes in each of the last three seasons is enough to earn him a spot on the list.

81. Cody Bellinger (OF - Cubs) The clock was ticking Cody Bellinger after hitting .165 and .210 respectively in 2021 and 2022, but it was a 1-year prove-it deal signed with the Cubs that sparked his complete rejuvenation beginning last season. The former MVP hit .307 with 26 HRs, 97 RBI, and an .881 OPS in 2023, returning to his powerful ways at the plate as the big dog in an otherwise uninspiring Cubs lineup. His numbers aren't nearly on track this season but they remain solid, hitting at a .269 clip with some power still there in the first year of a 3-year/$80M contract he signed last offseason. Bellinger has snapped out of the slump that just about did him in earlier in the decade, and he looks like he can be one of the best hitters in any given lineup even while not quite at the MVP level he once was.

82. Garrett Crochet (SP - White Sox)

It's hard to find the light in a 27-71 season for a team with playoff aspirations not all that long ago, but Garrett Crochet is the exception. The 25-year-old didn't take over as a starter until this season, putting up good numbers out of the 'pen in '21 and '23, but the move into rotation has been a blessing for he and these White Sox as he's posted a 3.02 ERA with a league-leading 150 strikeouts across his first 20 career starts. He's all of a sudden solidified himself as a building block for the franchise and simultaneously a valuable trade candidate, with so much young talent being tapped into and giving the White Sox at least one prized possession to work with. Crochet wasn't just the White Sox's mandatory All-Star rep - he earned his spot - as he's found his rhythm and ran with it, allowing no more than three runs in each of his last 14 starts. Finding that consistency even with a heavy reliance on the K, Crochet looks on his way to many years as one of the league's great pitchers.

83. Framber Valdez (SP - Astros) Framber Valdez has emerged as a rock-solid arm in Houston's rotation for the entirety of the 2020s, a stable option to go deep in games and a top-11 Cy Young finisher in three of the last four years. One of the best ground ball pitchers in baseball, Valdez is still working to rediscover the sinker that he struggled to find down the stretch in 2023, and he's always been good with damage control never prone to allowing many HRs. He was, however, roughed up this last postseason, and he got off to a rough start to this season before finding his rhythm leading up to the All-Star break. In an Astros rotation that always seems beat up, Valdez has been a steady and reliable option that has largely avoided much time off the field with 31 starts in each of the last two seasons and on pace for a very similar mark again in 2024.

84. Mason Miller (CP - Athletics)

Back in 2018, Mason Miller had a 7.16 ERA at DIII Waynesburg University. Now in 2024, he's one of the most dangerous relievers in all of baseball, just days removed from an All-Star Game appearance and one of the best and most unexpected first halves of any player in the league. It was the discovery of Type 1 Diabetes that changed the entire trajectory of Miller's career, as figuring out how to adjust to that realization turned him into a dominant pitcher in a year's time, and he's continued on that path to get to where he is today. Miller might be the hardest thrower in baseball right now, posting a 2.27 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 33 appearances, recording 15 saves for an A's team that seems to have struck gold with the rookie right-hander largely unknown heading into the season. While his future in Oakland is unknown, wherever he may be he'll remain one of the league's most intimidating forces and a scary sight to see emerge from the bullpen.

85. Kodai Senga (SP - Mets)

The Mets had to be very pleased with how Kodai Senga panned out in his rookie year, notching a sub-.300 ERA with a strong strikeout rate plus an All-Star appearance in year one of his 5-year/$75M contract. He looked the part of a No. 1 starter in his lone MLB season to date, enough to keep the Mets' rotation afloat even after dealing away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. It was the mix of a "ghost forkball" brought over from Japan and a heavy velocity fastball that helped make Senga so effective, making it money well spent on the gamble New York took signing a guy already 30 years of age at the time of his rookie year. Senga still hasn't pitched this season due to a shoulder strain, but the Mets will welcome his return to work towards the efforts of their playoff chase.

86. C.J. Abrams (SS - Nationals)

The Nationals have gotten the breakout season from former top prospect C.J. Abrams that they've been hoping for, named the franchise's only All-Star this season in a big next step forward in his growth. He showed a lot of promise in his first full year in 2023, and he's put more of it together this time around with an .831 OPS, already causing problems on the base-path and building off the solid power he displayed last season. One of the prized pieces of the Juan Soto return, Abrams already looks like the biggest threat in the Nationals' lineup and a really strong five-tool player. There remains a ton of potential yet to be unlocked with Abrams, who is still just 23 years old and looks like a perennial All-Star going forward this early in his career.

87. Alex Bregman (3B - Astros)

One of the biggest names of this incredible Astros run and one of the only ones that’s been there from the very beginning, Alex Bregman comes in at No. 87 now in the midst of his 8th season in the league. Bregman exploded with monster years in 2018 and 2019 and though he hasn’t quite replicated that sort of production since, he’s continued to put together strong campaigns and had 25 HRs, 98 RBIs, and an .804 OPS in 161 games last season. Bregman has been an above-average glove his entire career as well, seamlessly making the switch from middle infield over to 3rd as he entered the league. His 97 postseason games played rank second among active players behind only Jose Altuve, and his 19 playoff HRs are tied for sixth on the all time list. Bregman continues to put together impressive seasons, as in many ways the glue to these Astros teams over the years, and it’s been a major reason why they’ve been able to stay at the top of the American League as long as they have.

88. Brandon Nimmo (OF - Mets)

Brandon Nimmo has been really solid at the plate for a while now, and came as close as he ever has to his first All-Star team this year behind a big first half. Nimmo has quietly been a staple of consistency amidst years of turmoil for the Mets, in the midst of what would be his sixth season in seven years with an OPS north of .800 on pace for a career high in HRs and RBIs. Nimmo has been exceptional with RISP this season hitting .341 with a .456 OPS, guiding him to a 63 first half RBIs already on the brink of a career best and also displaying some of the best power of his career. And Nimmo, as always, remains so good at drawing walks, ranking 8th in baseball in what always provides a nice boost to his OPS. Fielding is also a strength, moving over to left with Bader coming over and continuing to defend well above the league average. Nimmo is already the longest-tenured Met, and having signed an 8-year extension in 2022 seems like he's here to stay as he puts together another strong year.

89. J.T. Realmuto (C - Phillies)

J.T. Realmuto is still up there with the game's best catchers even working his way into his 30s, remaining one of the league's best behind the dish and a really good hitter even beyond a catcher's standards. Realmuto's career-high 130 OPS+ from 2022 took a dip a year ago, largely due to a suddenly sizable decrease in home vs. road performance, and he was on pace for a similar 2024 - albeit shoring up the home/away splits a bit - before knee surgery ended the first half of his season. Realmuto should be back in the fold imminently for Philly, coming into the year defending eight straight years with an OPS above .760. Even if he can't quite reach that mark, he'll still be one of the game's best all-around catchers and a valuable asset for the Phillies down the stretch.

90. Kyle Schwarber (DH - Phillies) Not many guys exemplify the three true outcomes the way Kyle Schwarber does, consistently a league-leader in home runs and walks but a pretty good bet to go down on strikes if neither of those are in the cards. Schwarber's past two seasons have epitomized it to a tee, hitting .197 with 47 HRs in 2023 and posting 46 HRs and a .218 average in 2022, leading the league in strikeouts both years. This season has actually been a positive step towards those efforts with an average up to .249 at the All-Star break, still striking out a ton but also third in the league in walks trailing only Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, a big reason why he's on pace for the best OPS of his career. At this point you know what you're going to get out of Schwarber and most teams will take it, and his postseason prowess is an added bonus for a guy with no shortage of big game experience over his first 9.5 seasons.

91. Tanner Houck (SP - Red Sox) It's been an exceptional turnaround season for Tanner Houck, flipping the worst year of his career into the best and going from a low-end starter into the top dog on a playoff-caliber team. Houck's 5.01 ERA a season ago ignited understandable doubts on his future in the rotation, but he reinvented himself largely thanks to a much-improved splitter that ranks as the most valuable pitch in baseball based on run value. That's opened up a lot more flexibility for Houck, and he's had more command in his pitching as a whole to allow them to have so many outings where he's just mowing down opponents. Houck has been one of the best pitchers in baseball thus far this season, and he'll have to keep that going if Boston is serious about competing for the playoffs.

92. Teoscar Hernandez (OF - Dodgers)

The Dodgers have squeezed some of the best out of Teoscar Hernandez in his first year with the team, as he's put together an All-Star campaign and capped off his big first half becoming the first Dodger to ever win the Home Run Derby. Hernandez has big a really strong hitter for some time now, a real power threat with 25+ HRs in his last four full seasons and well on his way to doing it again this year. His overall hitting numbers were a bit down a year ago, but in the midst of a prove-it year deal in Los Angeles, he's got the OPS back over .800 for what would be the fourth time in five years. The Dodgers are getting their money's worth on the 1-year/$23.5M deal they handed Teoscar last offseason, and finishing strong at the dish could have him on his way to a nice long-term contract when he hits free agency again next season.

93. Anthony Santander (OF - Orioles) Much of the Orioles' recent success has come from their influx of young stars, though the one constant in their order through their dark days into this resurgence has been Anthony Santander. He still flies well under the radar as far as power hitters go, but Santander has feasted off the long ball these past few years and is doing it yet again this season. His 24 home runs here in 2024 trail only Judge, Ohtani, Henderson, and Ozuna, though he's still having the same kind of trouble rounding out his hitting with the average a concern and a struggle to produce walks. Nevertheless, Santander has the consistent power that any lineup would be delighted to have, making him such valuable protection in a talented Orioles order and a well deserved first-time All-Star this season.

94. Jurickson Profar (OF - Padres)

For a guy that was on the brink of being out of the league a year ago, it's pretty damn special to see Jurickson Profar crack the top-100 in what's been an MVP-caliber first half for the former top prospect. Profar was released by the Rockies last August and latched onto San Diego late last season, where he looked like a better version of himself and earned a one-year deal to stay with the team. All he's done since is tear it up at the plate, hitting .305 with 14 HRs and an .870 OPS en route to a stunning starting selection in the All-Star Game, finding himself in MVP conversations in a twist nobody saw coming in his second stint with the Padres. This is on pace to be Profar's best season to date, and by a sizable margin, and only time will tell whether this was a fluke of a start or he's turning a corner in the second half of his career.

95. Luis Robert Jr. (OF - White Sox)

Amidst the dark days of the 2023 season up on the North Side of Chicago, rising slugger Luis Robert provided perhaps the lone bright spot in an otherwise brutal season. A 2024 that began on the sideline hasn't come close to replicated that success, but Robert has still flashed his potential as a great hitter and is still easily the most dangerous weapon in the White Sox's lineup. Chicago has been expecting big things out of Robert for a while now - he signed a 6-year extension before stepping foot on a major league field - and he hit .264 with 38 HRs and an .857 OPS over 145 games a year ago in his first (nearly) full season in the league. Even with a .236 average his power and much improved walk rate still has him at an OPS over .800 this season, and he remains the most prized possession in a White Sox's order with not much else to write home about. Robert should continue to be a dangerous hitter for years to come, though a sizable drop in average has spurred such a drop-off from last season.

96. Josh Naylor (1B - Guardians) Josh Naylor is quietly in the midst of stringing together three good seasons in a row in Cleveland, this time rewarded with an All-Star selection for the first time in his career. Naylor has evolved into an RBI machine these past two seasons, specializing in hitting with RISP with those contributions going a long way in the Guardians' 2024 success. In 2023, Naylor hit .308 with 17 HRs and 97 RBIs over just 121 games, highlighted by a ridiculous .363 clip with RISP. This season the average has gone down as a whole, but he's hitting a still strong .316 with RISP, putting him at 70 RBIs at the All-Star break and in great position to run through the 100-RBI threshold for the first time in his career.

97. Dylan Cease (SP - Padres)

Dylan Cease took a step back from his huge 2022 and largely struggled throughout last season, though he's looked a bit more like himself this season while still prone to the occasional blowout. The advanced stats suggest Cease is a stronger pitcher than his numbers give him these last 1.5 years, and he's been one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game currently ranking second in baseball at the All-Star break. Durability has also been a strength for Cease, who has remarkably still never missed a start in his career as a consistently reliable option wherever he's been. The Padres are still waiting on the regression to the mean that would work in Cease's favor, as he's got an ace's ceiling still hoping to fully return to his 2022 ways.

98. Triston Casas (1B - Red Sox)

It was a rookie year filled with promise and success for Triston Casas in 2023, and he looked to be carrying that right into a big 2024 before a rib injury cost him most of his first half. It was a tough setback for Casas given the trajectory he was on, but in the grand scheme of things shouldn't get in the way much of what he's going to accomplish. Casas was one of the best rookie hitters we've seen in some time last season, finishing with 24 HRs and an .856 OPS over 132 games at just 21 years old in a year that had future superstar written all over it. Casas should return at some point after the All-Star break and add a powerful bat to the heart to the Red Sox's order, and it shouldn't be long until Boston offers him the long-term extension he's waiting for to cement the rising star as one of the cornerstones of this franchise.

99. Jordan Westburg (3B - Orioles)

Jordan Westburg might not be getting the buzz that some of the Orioles' other young stars generates, yet he's been a tremendously valuable asset as well in the midst of his first full season. 2023 qualified as Westburg's rookie year after being called up in late June, but he's an All-Star in his first full MLB season here in 2024. Westburg is hitting .271 with 15 HRs, 50 RBIs, and an .814 OPS, acclimating to the big leagues fast as an important asset in Baltimore's youth movement. There's still so much room for improvement for the 25-year-old Westburg, one of the many young talents that look like perennial All-Stars in Baltimore.

100. Alec Burleson (OF - Cardinals)

Alec Burleson has been one of the league's most underrated players in this 2024 season, putting up terrific numbers at the plate and helping keep this Cardinals lineup where it needs. While their big names hitters have struggled to find a rhythm, it's been Burleson's contributions at the top of the order that have really helped make up for it. He finished the first half with a bang to leave him hitting .288 with 17 HRs and 53 RBIs going into the All-Star break, stats up to par with a number of Midsummer Classic participants for a guy still 25 years old with less than a full season under his belt upon entering this season. St. Louis looks to have found a good one in Burleson, who they'll look to going forward as one of their top young hitters already proving more than capable of producing at the highest level.