MLB Top 100: #70-61
Welcome back to to the countdown of my top 100 players in Major League Baseball! To find #80-71, click here or at the link at the bottom of the page.
70. Mike Trout (34), 2024 rank: #36
2024: 126 PA, 10 HR, 14 RBI, 6 SB, .220/.325/.541, 139 wRC+, -1 DRS, 0 OAA, 1.0 fWAR
Mike Trout is easily the hardest player to rank because I still believe he can be one of the three best players in the game when healthy. It felt criminal putting him at #36 last year, and feels even worse dropping him as low as #70 this year. However, he simply has not been able to stay on the field, and durability goes a long way with me. On top of that, Trout is simply not the defender nor base stealer he once was, so he’ll have to put together a big season at the plate to re-establish himself as a cornerstone in today’s game. I don’t have any doubts in my mind that he can do it though. Before going down to injury early last season, he was arguably the best hitter in baseball and was on pace for at least an All-Star caliber season.
69. Will Smith (30), 2024 rank: #38
2024: 544 PA, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 1 SB, .248/.327/.433, 111 wRC+, -4 DRS, 2.7 fWAR
Dating back to 2020, Will Smith’s production has declined year to year which may be of some concern, but as he’s entering just his age 30 season, Will Smith is still one of the premier catchers in baseball. Since the start of 2022, Smith has been a top five offensive catcher in the game, both by OPS and wRC+, and has also caught the third most innings in that time frame and at an above-average level. Team success is one of the last factors when determining player rankings, but there is something to be said about Will Smith’s role as a catcher on a team as successful as the Dodgers. A solid backstop is instrumental to building a dynasty like the Dodgers, and Smith has no problem carrying that responsibility.
68. Shota Imanaga (32), 2024 rank: N/A
2024: 173.1 IP, 2.91 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 21.0 K-BB%, 3.0 fWAR
Unless your name is Paul Skenes, a solid rookie campaign isn’t quite enough to really establish yourself as an elite starting pitcher, but Shota Imanaga came really close to doing so. With another season in line with his 2024 numbers, we very well could be talking about Imanaga as a top ten pitcher in the game, if he’s not already. He comes in on this list as the 25th highest ranked starting pitcher which seems a bit low based off of last year, but as I have stated before, longer track records bode well for my rankings. Imanaga just simply hasn’t proven that he is going to do that year in and year out here in the states yet. He’s certainly capable of doing so, I just have to see him do it. However, Imanga’s 2024 was good enough for a top ten finish in ERA, WHIP, BB%, and K-BB% among qualified starters.
67. Michael King (30), 2024 rank: N/A
2024: 173.2 IP, 2.95 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 19.0 K-BB%, 3.9 fWAR
In his first full season as a starter, Michael King did not disappoint. Since August of 2023 when he transitioned to starting, King has been one of the premier starters in the game. In that time frame, minimum 200 innings, King ranks third among starters in ERA, sixth in FIP, 11th in K-BB%, and 11th in fWAR. In his first full season as a starter, King was a top 15 pitcher by ERA, FIP, K–BB%, BAA, and fWAR. Now that we know King can handle a starter’s workload, I like for him to take another step forward in 2025. He’s a very complete pitcher, possessing the skills to both miss bats and limit damage through his wide arsenal and ability to work deep into games.
66. Justin Steele (30), 2024 rank: #47
2024: 134.2 IP, 3.07 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 17.7 K-BB%, 3.0 fWAR
Although he only has one 30 start season under his belt to this point, Justin Steele has quietly been one of the better starters in baseball when healthy. Steele started 24 games in 2024 and it was his third straight season with a sub-3.20 ERA and sub-3.25 FIP. In that time frame, Steele owns the eighth best ERA among qualified starters, ninth best FIP, and 15th highest fWAR. The workload is seemingly Steele’s only concern to this point in his career as he’s been very consistent when on the mound. The injuries haven’t even kept Steele off the mound for very long as he has delivered at least 24 starts in each of the last three seasons. A couple of seasons in a row in which he can start 30+ games would really help to push Steele into a top ten starting pitcher conversation for me.
65. George Kirby (27), 2024 rank: #74
2024: 191.0 IP, 3.53 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 20.1 K-BB%, 4.2 fWAR
George Kirby has really become the poster boy for pitchers that fill up the strike zone and limit walks at an elite level. In his three seasons as a big league starter thus far, the highest BB% he has yielded was 4.1 in his rookie year. Since he debuted, no other qualified starter has a lower BB%. Despite working in the zone at a very high rate, Kirby still does a great job at limiting damage and inducing whiffs. He has logged a 20.0 or higher K-BB% in each of his three seasons while also sitting roughly league-average in the batted ball department. He also ranks 11th in fWAR among starters since 2022. Kirby has been nothing short of consistent in his career, and stands to only get better entering his age 27 season.
64. Pete Alonso (30), 2024 rank: #52
2024: 695 PA, 34 HR, 88 RBI, 3 SB, .240/.329/.459, 122 wRC+, -3 DRS, -8 OAA, 2.1 fWAR
Pete Alonso has certainly been one of the most prolific power hitters in the game since he debuted in 2019. Since then, only Aaron Judge has hit more home runs, while Alonso only trails by six. While he has one of the most powerful bats in the game, he fails to hit for high average and get on base at a high rate such as the best hitters in the game like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, so there is a cap on how high he can rank on this list considering he provides slim to none on both the base paths and defensive side of the ball. However, we are still talking about a lifetime .854 OPS and .266 ISO, along with the potential for 40+ home runs year in and year out. He’s only entering his age 30 season, so he should have at least a handful of productive offensive seasons left ahead of him.
63. Jacob DeGrom (37), 2024 rank: N/A
2022-2024: 105.1 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 0.79 WHIP, 37.2 K-BB%, 4.1 fWAR
Jacob DeGrom is basically in the same category as Mike Trout - generational players that are the best at their craft when healthy. Both are in similar stages in their careers and both also have recently been great when they were on the field. As you can see from the statline above, DeGrom hasn’t even come close to logging a full season’s worth of innings over the past three years combined. However, in that same time frame DeGrom owns the lowest FIP, xFIP, WHIP, and BAA, along with the highest K% and K-BB% among starters with at least 100 innings. The distance between DeGrom and second place in K-BB% is the same distance between second place and 12th place. In his ten innings of healthy work in 2024, his numbers fell right in line with his career numbers, so he’s primed for a great season if he’s healthy.
62. Brent Rooker (30), 2024 rank: N/A
2024: 614 PA, 39 HR, 112 RBI, 11 SB, .293/.365/.562, 164 wRC+, -1 DRS, -2 OAA, 5.1 fWAR
2023 was arguably Brent Rooker’s breakout season, but 2024 was really when baseball fans were introduced to just how good Rooker is at the plate. Rooker ranked top ten among qualified hitters in home runs, SLG, OPS, ISO, and wRC+. Since the start of 2023, he is also a top ten hitter by home runs and wRC+. He ranks so closely to Pete Alonso because they are essentially the same player, but he receives the slight bump over Alonso because of his elite 2024 campaign. Not much to provide in terms of baserunning or defense, so I like for Rooker to slot in right here despite the offensive prowess.
61. Cole Ragans (27), 2024 rank: N/A
2024: 186.1 IP, 3.14 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 20.5 K-BB%, 4.9 fWAR
Cole Ragans is almost certainly a player that I expect to move up into the top 50 next year with a 2025 performance that falls in line with his last two seasons. Since he was traded from the Rangers to the Royals in July of 2023 and converted to the starting rotation, Ragans has been a top five pitcher in baseball according to ERA, FIP, BAA, K%, and fWAR, and is a top 15 pitcher by K-BB% and WHIP. Entering his age 27 season, it feels like Ragans is at the point of his career where he should be in the AL Cy Young conversation at the beginning of each season. He has shown that type of consistency and upside this early on in his days as a starter and there is nothing suggesting that he should take a step back.
