‘In what world does that make sense?’ MLB players weigh in on top 100
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Buster Olney
Most of the MLB players given a preview of our Top 100 player ranking were polite, and some were even deferential, suggesting they didn’t feel qualified to assess the relative strengths of the players across the broad spectrum of Major League Baseball.
It’s a fair concern — for the players and for us as writers and rankers. We are not perfect, which is why we presented our list to current players for feedback over the past few weeks. We work daily to evaluate the work of players, and in this case, we want to know what they think — to give unvarnished opinions about how we ranked the best players in the sport.
And once niceties were set aside — and with some players feeling more comfortable speaking on the condition of anonymity — it became clear that many of them believe that ESPN’s ranking is constructed too heavily on hype, rather than actual achievement.
“You have [Roki] Sasaki” — the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ rookie pitcher who’s ranked No. 60 — “over J.T. Realmuto?” asked one player, who called attention to Realmuto’s nearly decade-long standing as one of the best catchers. “In what world does that make sense?”
Weighing possibility over production seemed to be the biggest concern across the board when we spoke to 15 MLB players about our ranking.
“I’m not going to call out anybody by name, but there are guys on this list who have had a good two months over players who had good years,” Pittsburgh Pirates veteran outfielder Tommy Pham said. “You’re basing [a ranking] on two months? I can’t get on board with that.”
Longtime reliever Adam Ottavino was also surprised by this fact, pointing to Francisco Lindor and Elly De La Cruz being ranked back-to-back at No. 16 and 17, respectively.
“I feel like there’s a huge separation in actual production at this moment between Lindor and De La Cruz,” he said. “I know [De La Cruz’s] ceiling is insane and he’s so fun to watch, but he’s just not anywhere close to Lindor yet, in my mind.”
Tangible major league production was a sticking point for players, and so was position.
“Paul Skenes has amazing stuff,” said another player about the fifth-ranked young Pirates pitcher. “But he’s ahead of Francisco Lindor? Like, a shortstop who plays every day and just finished second in the NL MVP race?”
Andrew McCutchen, playing in his 17th year in the big leagues with Pittsburgh this season, believes that you cannot fairly rank position players and pitchers on the same list because the demands of their work are so completely different.
“Shohei [Ohtani] hits and he pitches, and you have him at No. 1,” McCutchen said. “But you guys have Paul Skenes at [No. 5], but Paul Skenes doesn’t hit. That skews the list for me. … To me, that’s like ranking offensive and defensive [NFL] players on the same list. It doesn’t work.”
Ottavino, now back with the New York Yankees, found it interesting that you don’t see as many pitchers mixed in near the top of the list — outside of Ohtani, who is expected to return to a two-way role at some point this season. There are just three starting pitchers in the top 20.
“Position players are out there day in and day out,” Ottavino said. “But you see Chris Sale at No. 32, and you see him behind Brent Rooker, a DH. Rooker is a great player, but I just feel like a true ace has so much impact.”
Veteran infielder Manny Machado felt similarly, making the case for Tarik Skubal (No. 10) and Zack Wheeler (No. 9) to be higher on the list, saying, “Zack is the No. 1 pitcher in the league right now, by far.”
Ottavino also noted how players’ rankings on our list do not match with how positions are valued in the free agent market.
“First baseman, first baseman, first baseman,” he said, noting players near the top of the list. “And yet the market doesn’t value first baseman.”
Max Fried, No. 27 on our list, just signed a deal with the Yankees for $218 million this winter. Longtime New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, ranked just a few spots behind Fried, got a third of that after struggling to come to terms on a deal all offseason.
When looking at position players and where they should rank, Ottavino favored those who bear a wider range of skills, saying, “I would have Gunnar [Henderson] higher than some of these others because of overall impact.”
Maybe no major league player has as much impact as Aaron Judge, who ranked fourth on our list. Multiple players were surprised that the star slugger wasn’t No. 1 or No. 2.
“I like Bobby Witt [Jr.]‘s skill set, and he did some great things last year,” McCutchen said of the young Kansas City Royals star who secured the second overall ranking. “But what Judge did for a couple of years running, it’s hard for me to put [Witt] above him.”
“You’ve got Judge as the fourth-best player?” Pham exclaimed. “Am I tripping here?”
Hearing his teammate, McCutchen added, “The people who put together these lists think this game is easy.”
Well, I responded, I did bat over .300 in junior varsity and pitched a scoreless inning with my slowball in Little League. (No, I didn’t actually say that to these two players who have almost three decades between them in the majors.)
“Look at Judge’s numbers,” Pham continued. “Judge can’t be that low. With all due respect, everybody above him on the list is a great player — Mookie [Betts], Bobby, Ohtani is a unicorn. But Judge had a Barry Bonds season last year.”
And Pham isn’t wrong — Judge’s adjusted OPS+ of 223 in 2024 is the highest ever for a right-handed hitter.
“See?” Pham said. “I can’t work with this.”
Machado agreed, saying that “It should be 1, 4, 2, 3.” Translated: Ohtani, Judge, Witt and then Betts.
“There is a lot of hype around Paul [Skenes],” the San Diego Padres third baseman continued, perusing the list. “But he is nasty. I’m glad we missed him last year.”
Seeing his former teammate Corey Seager at No. 21, Machado said, “I don’t know why Seager is so low. I love Seager.”
There were a number of big-name stars whose rankings players were surprised to see.
Atlanta Braves infielders Matt Olson and Austin Riley were looking at the list together outside the Braves clubhouse when they saw fellow teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. was No. 20. While Acuña is recovering from a second ACL tear that sidelined him for the majority of the 2024 season, he’s not far removed from a 2023 campaign that saw him hit 41 homers and steal 73 bases en route to the National League MVP Award.
“That’s a little tough,” Riley said of the ranking.
Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout was someone who players we spoke to last year about our list thought was ranked far too low at No. 19. They were equally surprised by his ranking of 33rd this year.
“I said it last year, too, but Trout is too low,” Olson said. “And Sale is too low.”
Riley took issue with Teoscar Hernandez‘ ranking at No. 53, after a season in which he won the Home Run Derby and helped the Dodgers win the World Series. Perusing, Riley turned to Olson, who’s ranked No. 41, and said, “You’re too low.”
“I think once you get past No. 30, it’s a free-for-all,” he said.
Their teammate Marcell Ozuna, who carried Atlanta’s offense at times last season as it dealt with injuries, slotted in at No. 78 on our list, which didn’t make sense to Olson.
“If he’s going to be that low, you’re going to say it’s a discount for being a DH and not playing the field,” he said. “But if that’s the case, Yordan [Alvarez] can’t be at [No. 7].”
And yes, Juan Soto‘s placement one spot down at No. 8 caught the attention of a few players.
“Are you f—-ing kidding?” asked one.
Please tell us how you really feel.
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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