Ben Verlander’s top 10 MLB players for 2024: Nos. 10-6-ZoomTech News

As we draw nearer to the 2024 season, I have been revealing my prime 50 gamers in Main League Baseball on “Flippin’ Bats.” We have now reached the highest 10, the elite of the elite within the sport. 

As a reminder, this rating is just for the upcoming season.

With out additional ado, let’s dive into Nos. 10-6.

2023 stats: .263/.367/.490, 18 residence runs, 44 RBIs, 2.9 Wins Above Alternative

As my co-host Alex Curry put it, Trout is already a future first-ballot Corridor of Famer who most likely held the highest spot on lists like these for an excellent 5 or 6 years — when Alex was masking him every single day because the Angels’ dugout reporter. 

He is handled plenty of totally different accidents and been overshadowed on his personal crew by Shohei Ohtani over the previous few seasons, however I believe Trout is due for a bounce-back season when it comes to each well being and on-field manufacturing. He nonetheless deserves to be included in a top-10 checklist of MLB gamers and I consider he’ll remind us why in 2024.

2023 stats: .293/.407/.583, 31 residence runs, 97 RBIs, 4.6 Wins Above Alternative

There’s an argument for Álvarez being the most effective pure hitter in baseball. He is actually within the prime three. Some guys are simply totally different on the plate, and Álvarez is clearly one in every of them. The Astros have boasted one of many sport’s finest lineup for years, and nobody in it’s extra feared than Álvarez. 

What number of instances have we seen a crew usher in a left-handed reliever particularly to face the lefty slugger, just for Álvarez to hit one out of the park and make his opponent appear like a idiot? Two moments from the Astros’ 2022 World Collection run that followers maybe keep in mind fondest contain that precise situation. (Apologies to Phillies and Mariners followers.) And that is to say nothing of the numerous, many residence runs he hit in the course of the 2023 playoffs for Houston.

2023 stats: .331/.410/.567, 29 residence runs, 102 RBIs, 6.5 Wins Above Alternative

Freeman is Mr. Consistency to the purpose that I half anticipate him to nonetheless be on this checklist when he is 50 years previous and nonetheless close to the highest of the MLB leaderboards in hits, batting common and RBIs. It truly is exceptional how the now-34-year-old appears to simply preserve getting higher as he will get older. That is only a testomony to — and I’ve heard him discuss it — believing and trusting in his method. That’s a lot simpler stated than carried out. 

It is pure for hitters to really feel like they’ve to alter one thing up after they wrestle, even on the highest stage. However Freeman approaches each plate look with the boldness that his method works. It may be extraordinarily troublesome to keep up your manufacturing after you have modified groups, moved to the other aspect of the nation and superior additional into your thirties. Freeman isn’t solely doing all that — he is nonetheless bettering.

2023 stats: .275/.410/.519, 35 residence runs, 109 RBIs, 5.5 Wins Above Alternative

Soto is already a batting champion, a World Collection champion, and now the most recent potential Yankees savior — and he is nonetheless solely 25 years previous. One of many issues I am most excited for this upcoming season is to look at him hit at Yankee Stadium and hit back-to-back with Aaron Choose in that Bronx Bombers lineup. Soto was not himself at pitcher-friendly Petco Park throughout his 12 months and a half with the San Diego Padres, however he was nonetheless elite nearly in every single place else. 

Final season on the highway, Soto hit .307 with a 1.026 OPS. Total, he set a profession excessive with 35 residence runs. Anticipate that quantity to go up now that he is swapping out Petco for the brief porch at Yankee Stadium. I am predicting he’ll hit not less than 40 this subsequent season, particularly since Soto will probably find yourself hitting forward of Choose. Oh, and that is additionally a contract 12 months for Soto. He is primed for an enormous 2024, and I can not wait to look at.

2023 stats: .266/.320/.459, 26 residence runs, 76 RBIs, 3.4 Wins Above Alternative

One of many coolest tales in baseball final 12 months was how, amid a dismal begin to his first season in Philadelphia, Turner turned his 12 months round after Phillies followers organized a standing ovation for him at Residents Financial institution Park. That happened firstly of August, and that month, Turner had an unbelievable .333/.376/.685 slash line with a 179 OPS+. Within the second half of the season general, Turner hit .292 and slugged 16 of his 26 whole residence runs.

I believe, and Turner has hinted as a lot, that the strain of the primary 12 months of his large contract in Philadelphia and residing as much as his “Captain America” star flip for Crew USA within the World Baseball Basic performed an enormous think about his sluggish begin final 12 months. However that is all means behind him now.

Due to 4 quiet months to open the season, Turner completed with a .266 common, and anybody who has watched him over the previous decade is aware of that is not his sport. He is a high-average, high-contact, high-stolen base man whose bat additionally packs some pop. I consider his ultimate two months of 2023 are a extra correct preview of what he’ll produce in 2024, with 30 homers and 30 steals on the desk for this 12 months. 

Keep turned subsequent week as I reveal my prime 5 MLB gamers for the 2024 season! The order may shock you.

This is my full checklist up to now:

50. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
49. Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
48. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
47. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
46. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
45. Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
44. Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners
43. Cody Bellinger, free agent
42. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
41. Pete Alonso, New York Mets
40. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
39. Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
38. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
37. Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
36. Blake Snell, free agent
35. Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
34. José Altuve, Houston Astros
33. Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
32. Luis Arráez, Miami Marlins
31. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays
30. Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
29. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
28. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
27. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
26. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas Metropolis Royals
25. Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves
24. Rafael Devers, Boston Crimson Sox
23. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
22. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
21. Adolis García, Texas Rangers
20. José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
19. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
18. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
17. Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
16. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
15. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
14. Fernando Tatís Jr., San Diego Padres
13. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
12. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
11. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

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Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports activities and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Previous Dominion College earlier than he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round decide of the Tigers in 2013. He spent 5 years within the Tigers group. Observe him on Twitter @BenVerlander.

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