Top 10 American League players for the 2023 MLB season

Spring training is right around the corner! The Locked On Podcast Network’s MLB hosts voted for the top 10 American League position players for 2023.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball players have shown up at camp in Arizona and Florida, donning their spring training attire, throwing and catching balls in the sun, and answering questions from writers about their expectations. for the upcoming season, which means it’s time for all the preseason rosters to come out.

The MLB hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network conducted a poll and ranked their top 10 American League position players for the 2023 season.

There was a list of position players that were ranked by each host and then counted and this was the order they came up with. (Feel free to debate among yourselves.)

The five players who narrowly missed the cut were: Carlos Correa (11), Jose Altuve (12), Wander Franco (13), Bryon Buxton (14), Bo Bichette (15).

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10. Adley Rutschman, Receiver, Baltimore Orioles

Rutschman was the first pick in the 2019 amateur draft and finished second in the 2022 Rookie of the Year voting behind our No. 5 player. Rutschman hit .254/.362/.445 with 13 home runs, 35 doubles and 42 RBIs in 113 games. He won’t be surprised when he sees this young phenom appear on similar rosters before he starts the regular season.

9. Kyle Tucker, outfielder, Houston Astros

Tucker had a strong 2022 season that matched his career high of 30 home runs in 2021. He also hit 28 doubles and drove in 107 runs in 150 games. He made the American League All-Star team for the first time, received a few MVP votes and won a Gold Glove. He recently lost to the Astros in arbitration, but that’s more than likely setting him up for an extension of contract.

8. Rafael Devers, infielder, Boston Red Sox

Devers had a strong 2022 season hitting .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs and 42 doubles in 141 games and was rewarded for it when the Red Sox signed him to a 10-year/$313.5 million extension beginning in 2024. An American League All-Star for the second straight season in 2022 and also garnered a few MVP votes.

7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., infielder, Toronto Blue Jays

Guerrero Jr. has lived up to his name thus far and in 2022 he continued to be a great player for the Blue Jays hitting .274/.339/.480 in 160 games with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs. It was a bit of a downfall from his spectacular 2021 campaign when he led the AL and MLB in seven categories and finished second in AL MVP voting, but Guerrero Jr. is

6. José Ramírez, infielder, Cleveland Rangers

Ramirez finished fourth in 2022 AL MVP voting thanks to a strong performance in which he hit .280/.355/.514 with 29 home runs, 44 doubles and an AL-leading 97 RBIs. . He, too, played in a career-high 157 games and was intentionally walked a league-high 44 times. Look for Ramirez’s numbers to improve in 2023 with the shift ban. He hit the ball up the middle 50% of the time in 2022. With the new ban, Ramirez will likely see a lot more singles instead of ground outs.

5. Julio Rodríguez, center fielder, Seattle Mariners

Rodriguez was voted AL Rookie of the Year in 2022 and for good reason. He hit 28 home runs and drove in 75 runs while hitting .284/.345/.509 with 25 doubles and 25 stolen bases and helped lead the Mariners to their first playoff appearance since 2001. He’s the real deal and it should be exciting. to see what he can do in his second campaign in 2023.

4. Yordan Alvarez, designated hitter/outfielder, Houston Astros

Álvarez had the best season of his career in 2023. He hit 37 home runs while hitting .306/.406/.613. He drove in 97 runs, hit 29 doubles and finished third in AL MVP voting. He also chose to end his season on a high note by winning the first World Series ring of his career. He looks for him to be one of the leading candidates for AL MVP in 2023.

3. Mike Trout, outfielder, Los Angeles Angels

Trout, a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate, will always appear at the top of these lists, and for good reason. He had a rebound season in 2022 after appearing in just 39 games in 2021 due to injury. In 2022, he returned to form by playing in 119 games and hitting .283/.369/.630 with 40 home runs and 80 RBIs. He also made the All-Star team for the tenth time in his career and finished in the Top 10 of AL MVP voting.

2. Aaron Judge, outfielder, New York Yankees

Judge, the reigning AL MVP, had a landmark season in 2022. And it wasn’t just his 62 home runs that set a new AL record, but his other statistics as well. He led the Majors in runs scored (133), RBIs (131), OBP (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111), OPS+ (211), and total bases (391). Oh, and he almost won the Triple Crown thanks to a .311 batting average.

1. Shohei Ohtani, pitcher/designated hitter, Anaheim Angels

Ohtani, like his teammate Mike Trout, will always be on these lists and will always be in the running for AL MVP because he’s not only a two-way player, but he’s a very good two-way player. He hits well: He hit .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs. And he pitches well: He went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts. He finished second in AL MVP voting in 2022 and finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.