Latest MLB Position-by-Position Player Rankings, September 2024 Edition

Who has been the best of the best at each position on the diamond during the 2024 MLB season?

That’s the question at hand each month with our positional player rankings, casting aside previous performance and future expectations to focus solely on production during the current season.

With one month to go in the regular season, there is a significant sample size to pull from when assessing each position, though there is also still plenty of room for shuffling based on hot and cold streaks over the past month.

Let the debate begin.

Note: Included in parenthesis after each player’s name is where they ranked in last month’s version of this article, which can be found here.

Top 10 Catchers

1. William Contreras, MIL (2)
2. Cal Raleigh, SEA (4)
3. Salvador Perez, KC (6)
4. Adley Rutschman, BAL (1)
5. Yainer Diaz, HOU (9)
6. Austin Wells, NYY (NR)
7. Willson Contreras, STL (NR)
8. Tyler Stephenson, CIN (NR)
9. Will Smith, LAD (3)
10. Patrick Bailey, SF (7)

-The Milwaukee Brewers have the biggest division lead in baseball, yet the roster is lacking a bona fide superstar. Catcher William Contreras might be the closest thing the team has to a MVP candidate, and he is hitting .286/.362/.475 for a 130 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 20 home runs, 80 RBI and 3.9 WAR in 131 games.

-Rookie Austin Wells is hitting .318/.405/.546 with 12 extra-base hits and 22 RBI in 132 plate appearances since the All-Star break. The 25-year-old hit just .216 with a .687 OPS in the first half, but he has clearly turned a corner at the plate while also providing better-than-expected defense.

Top 10 First Basemen

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1)
2. Bryce Harper, PHI (2)
3. Freddie Freeman, LAD (3)
4. Christian Walker, ARI (4)
5. Pete Alonso, NYM (7)
6. Josh Naylor, CLE (5)
7. Michael Busch, CHC (6)
8. Matt Olson, ATL (NR)
9. Carlos Santana, MIN (9)
10. Vinnie Pasquantino, KC (NR)

–Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got off to a rocky start this season, hitting .229/.331/.348 in 136 plate appearances during the first month of the year, but he has put up MVP-caliber numbers since that point. In 453 plate appearances since May 1, he is batting .348/.415/.614 with 33 doubles, 24 home runs and 77 RBI.

-Slugger Carlos Santana keeps plugging along in his age-38 season, posting a 110 OPS+ with 24 doubles, 18 home runs and 56 RBI while playing on a one-year, $5.25 million deal. He has quietly racked up 319 home runs, 1,067 RBI and 37.7 WAR over 15 seasons in the big leagues.

Top 10 Second Basemen

1. Ketel Marte, ARI (1)
2. José Altuve, HOU (2)
3. Marcus Semien, TEX (3)
4. Luis García Jr., WAS (5)
5. Jonathan India, CIN (6)
6. Brandon Lowe, TB (10)
7. Andrés Giménez, CLE (7)
8. Brice Turang, MIL (4)
9. Nico Hoerner, CHC (9)
10. Brendan Rodgers, COL (NR)

-Despite playing just 12 games in August while nursing an ankle injury, Ketel Marte is still an easy choice for the top spot among second basemen. The 30-year-old has a career-high 156 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 30 home runs, 81 RBI and 5.9 WAR in 116 games, and he should show up on plenty of NL MVP ballots as long as he can put the injury issues in the rearview.

-Slugger Brandon Lowe has dealt with injuries issues throughout his career, but when healthy, he is as productive as any second baseman in the league. He has played in only 83 games this year, but with a 126 OPS+ and 16 home runs he has still made a major impact. Will the Rays move him this offseason with a $10.5 million club option looming?

Top 10 Third Basemen

1. José Ramírez, CLE (2)
2. Rafael Devers, BOS (1)
3. Matt Chapman, SF (4)
4. Alec Bohm, PHI (3)
5. Josh Smith, TEX (5)
6. Alex Bregman, HOU (NR)
7. Mark Vientos, NYM (10)
8. Manny Machado, SD (9)
9. Austin Riley, ATL (8)
10. Ryan McMahon, COL (7)

-This year’s Guardians lineup is the best supporting cast that José Ramírez has had in years. Thanks to the added protection, he has already logged the second 30/30 season of his career, hitting .276/.333/.531 with 31 doubles, 33 home runs, 104 RBI and 34 steals. The 31-year-old remains baseball’s most underappreciated superstar.

-The Mets have used six different Opening Day starters at third base in the last eight years dating back to David Wright’s final start in 2016, including former top prospect Brett Baty this season. It looks like they have found a long-term answer in Mark Vientos, who is hitting .276/.332/.540 for a 144 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 21 home runs and 57 RBI in 346 plate appearances after starting the year at Triple-A.

Top 10 Shortstops

1. Bobby Witt Jr., KC (1)
2. Gunnar Henderson, BAL (2)
3. Francisco Lindor, NYM (3)
4. Elly De La Cruz, CIN (5)
5. Corey Seager, TEX (6)
6. Masyn Winn, STL (7)
7. Willy Adames, MIL (NR)
8. Carlos Correa, MIN (8)
9. Zach Neto, LAA (NR)
10. Trea Turner, PHI (9)

–Bobby Witt Jr. is having an all-time great season at the shortstop position, hitting .341/.393/.609 with 185 hits, 39 doubles, 11 triples, 28 home runs, 95 RBI, 115 runs scored and 27 steals in an 8.7-WAR campaign. The 24-year-old leads all qualified hitters with a .393 average with runners in scoring position.

-After making his MLB debut last season less than a year after he was drafted, Zach Neto has taken a significant step forward this year, posting a 111 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 20 home runs, 66 RBI, 25 steals and 4.2 WAR in 131 games. The 23-year-old has also posted terrific defensive metrics (10 DRS, 1.1 UZR/150) at shortstop.

Top 10 Left Fielders

1. Steven Kwan, CLE (1)
2. Jurickson Profar, SD (2)
3. Teoscar Hernandez, LAD (5)
4. Riley Greene, DET (4)
5. Ian Happ, CHC (NR)
6. Jackson Chourio, MIL (8-LF)
7. Bryan Reynolds, PIT (3)
8. Tyler O’Neill, BOS (7)
9. Colton Cowser, BAL (10)
10. Brandon Marsh, PHI (8)

-Already one of baseball’s best contact hitters, Steven Kwan has taken his power production to another level this season, raising his slugging percentage by 70 points while more than doubling his career total with 13 home runs. The 26-year-old is hitting .303/.367/.443 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 41 RBI and 3.4 WAR while earning an All-Star Game start.

-Still the youngest player to appear in a MLB game this year, Jackson Chourio took his lumps over the first two months of the season, but he has looked the part of a superstar on the rise since the start of June. The 20-year-old is hitting .312/.359/.517 with 30 extra-base hits and 12 steals over his last 71 games, including a 449-foot blast off the scoreboard at American Family Field earlier this week.

Top 10 Center Fielders

1. Aaron Judge, NYY (1)
2. Jarren Duran, BOS (2)
3. Jackson Merrill, SD (5)
4. Brenton Doyle, COL (4)
5. Heliot Ramos, SF (3)
6. Byron Buxton, MIN (7)
7. JJ Bleday, OAK (6)
8. Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY (8)
9. Daulton Varsho, TOR (NR)
10. Jacob Young, WAS (10)

-The AL leader in home runs (51), RBI (123), on-base percentage (.464), slugging percentage (.725), OPS+ (227), total bases (342) and WAR (9.7), Aaron Judge is almost certainly on his way to a second AL MVP award in the last three years. Will he take down his own AL record of 62 long balls from 2022?

–Jackson Merrill has steadily bridged the gap to Paul Skenes in the NL Rookie of the Year race, hitting .326/.358/.630 with 22 extra-base hits, eight home runs and 31 RBI in 37 games since the All-Star break. The 21-year-old has also provided steady defense (-1 DRS, 9.2 UZR/150) while learning to play center field on the fly.

Top 10 Right Fielders

1. Juan Soto, NYY (1)
2. Anthony Santander, BAL (3)
3. Seiya Suzuki, CHC (4)
4. Wilyer Abreu, BOS (6)
5. Lawrence Butler, OAK (10)
6. Jake McCarthy, ARI (9)
7. Kyle Tucker, HOU (2)
8. Fernando Tatis Jr., SD (5)
9. Alec Burleson, STL (7)
10. Kerry Carpenter, DET (NR)

-In his first season with the Yankees, Juan Soto has already set a new career-high mark with 37 home runs while hitting .293/.422/.592 for a 181 OPS+ and tallying more walks (109) than strikeouts (94) in a 7.4-WAR campaign. Someone is likely going to give him $500 million this offseason. Will it be the Yankees?

-It looks like the Athletics have found a keeper in Lawrence Butler, who is hitting .254/.311/.502 for a 131 OPS+ with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 52 RBI and 12 steals in 347 plate appearances. The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft, the same year the team wasted the No. 9 overall selection on Kyler Murray.

Top 10 Designated Hitters

1. Shohei Ohtani, LAD (1)
2. Yordan Alvarez, HOU (4)
3. Marcell Ozuna, ATL (3)
4. Brent Rooker, OAK (2)
5. Kyle Schwarber, PHI (5)
6. Joc Pederson, ARI (6)
7. J.D. Martinez, NYM (8)
8. Giancarlo Stanton, NYY (9)
9. Jorge Soler, ATL (NR)
10. Andrew McCutchen, PIT (10)

–Shohei Ohtani has already become the sixth member of baseball’s exclusive 40/40 club with 43 home runs and 43 steals through 132 games, and he is on pace to become the first 50/50 player in the history of the sport. All signs point to him adding a third career MVP award to his trophy case, and his first without stepping onto the pitcher’s mound.

-Already one of baseball’s most productive hitters during the first half of the season, Yordan Alvarez is hitting .354/.444/.639 with nine home runs in 35 games since the All-Star break. With Kyle Tucker missing significant time, his production in the middle of the lineup has been even more important.

Quick note: The term “utility player” is not meant to be a slight in any way. In today’s game, it carries a different meaning than it did years ago when a utility man was generally someone at the end of the bench. The following 10 players are all essentially everyday guys, just without one set position. The versatility they provide is extremely valuable.

Top 10 Utility Players

1. Mookie Betts, LAD (4-SS)
2. Jordan Westburg, BAL (1)
3. Willi Castro, MIN (2)
4. Matt Vierling, DET (NR)
5. Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS (8)
6. David Fry, CLE (3)
7. Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (7-DH)
8. Spencer Steer, CIN (7)
9. Brendan Donovan, STL (5)
10. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, PIT (4)

–Mookie Betts is back to playing right field after missing 45 games with a fractured hand, but he opened the season playing primarily shortstop for the first time in his career. He has managed to pile up 4.3 WAR in just 89 games, and he is hitting .299/.393/.486 with 36 extra-base hits in 405 plate appearances.

-One of the best under-the-radar performances of 2024 belongs to Matt Vierling, who has a 108 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 50 RBI and 2.5 WAR in 119 games for the Tigers. The 27-year-old has split his time between center field (401.0 innings), third base (311.1 innings), right field (147.0 innings) and left field (67.0 innings) while serving as one of the top run producers in the Detroit lineup.

Top 10 Right-Handed Starting Pitchers

1. Zack Wheeler, PHI (2)
2. Hunter Greene, CIN (7)
3. Logan Gilbert, SEA (4)
4. Paul Skenes, PIT (5)
5. Jack Flaherty, LAD (6)
6. Seth Lugo, KC (1)
7. Corbin Burnes, BAL (3)
8. Dylan Cease, SD (8)
9. Ronel Blanco, HOU (9)
10. Hunter Brown, HOU (NR)

-The five-year, $118 million deal that Zack Wheeler signed with the Phillies prior to the 2020 season has turned out to be one of the most successful nine-figure deals ever given to a pitcher. Since the start of that contract, his 23.7 WAR leads all pitchers, and he could be on his way to winning a long-awaited first Cy Young Award with a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 160.2 innings.

-The next 10 who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: Erick Fedde (STL), Luis Gil (NYY), Tyler Glasnow (LAD), Tanner Houck (BOS), Michael King (SD), Reynaldo López (ATL), Bryce Miller (SEA), Aaron Nola (PHI), Brady Singer (KC) and Logan Webb (SF).

Top 10 Left-Handed Starting Pitchers

1. Tarik Skubal, DET (1)
2. Chris Sale, ATL (2)
3. Cole Ragans, KC (4)
4. Framber Valdez, HOU (NR)
5. Garrett Crochet, CWS (5)
6. Shōta Imanaga, CHC (6)
7. Ranger Suárez, PHI (3)
8. Max Fried, ATL (9)
9. Tyler Anderson, LAA (7)
10. Cristopher Sánchez, PHI (10)

-The Tigers opted to hold onto Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, and now they could have their first Cy Young winner since Max Scherzer in 2013. The 27-year-old made a strong return from flexor tendon surgery last year, and this season he currently sits atop all three AL pitching Triple Crown categories, going 15-4 with a 2.58 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 160.1 innings.

-The next 10 who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: Andrew Abbott (CIN), Nestor Cortes (NYY), Andrew Heaney (TEX), Yusei Kikuchi (HOU), Sean Manaea (NYM), David Peterson (NYM), Carlos Rodón (NYY), Blake Snell (SF), Justin Steele (CHC) and Ryan Weathers (MIA).

Top 10 Setup Relievers

1. Griffin Jax, MIN (4)
2. Hunter Gaddis, CLE (1)
3. Ryan Walker, SF (NR)
4. Jeff Hoffman, PHI (6)
5. Cade Smith, CLE (3)
6. Matt Strahm, PHI (7)
7. Jason Adam, SD (NR)
8. Tyler Holton, DET (9)
9. Alex Vesia, LAD (5)
10. Bryan Hudson, MIL (2)

-With a 1.69 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and a 77-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 58.2 innings, Griffin Jax has been lights out at the back of the Twins bullpen. The 29-year-old has eight saves and 21 holds in 61 appearances, and he has limited opposing hitters to a .171/.219/.257 line and only 10 extra-base hits in 226 plate appearances.

-The next 10 who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: Dylan Floro (ARI), Kevin Ginkel (ARI), Tim Herrin (CLE), Daniel Hudson (LAD), Joe Jiménez (ATL), Justin Martinez (ARI), David Robertson (TEX), JoJo Romero (STL), Tayler Scott (HOU), Ryan Thompson (ARI)

Top 10 Closers

1. Emmanuel Clase, CLE (1)
2. Raisel Iglesias, ATL (4)
3. Kirby Yates, TEX (2)
4. Tanner Scott, SD (6)
5. Ryan Helsley, STL (9)
6. Mason Miller, OAK (8)
7. Andrés Muñoz, SEA (7)
8. Robert Suárez, SD (3)
9. Carlos Estévez, PHI (5)
10. Chad Green, TOR (NR)

-Closer Emmanuel Clase is having an all-time great season at the back of baseball’s best bullpen in Cleveland, converting 40 of 43 save chances with a 0.71 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and just 35 hits allowed in 63.1 innings. He throws his cutter 81.1 percent of the time and averages a blistering 99.5 mph with his signature pitch.

-Veteran Chad Green took over as Toronto’s closer when Jordan Romano underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery at the beginning of July. The 33-year-old has converted all 16 of his save opportunities while logging a 1.61 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and .174 opponents’ batting average in 44 appearances.