Spring Training is the time for position battles. But here in this annual exercise, we’re going to pit the positions … in a battle against each other.
[Cue dramatic music here.]
Following MLB Network’s ranking of the Top 10 Players Right Now at each position, let’s take a look at which spots on the field are the deepest going into the 2026 season and which could use a pick-me-up from a comeback player, rising star or fresh prospect.
Here’s our rank of positions, from strongest to most vulnerable. (And we’ll include the MLB Network rankings, via “The Shredder,” at each position as a frame of reference.)
1. SHORTSTOPS
MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now: 1. Bobby Witt Jr., KC; 2. Corey Seager, TEX; 3. Francisco Lindor, NYM; 4. Gunnar Henderson, BAL; 5. Mookie Betts, LAD; 6. Geraldo Perdomo, AZ; 7. Trea Turner, PHI; 8. Jeremy Peña, HOU; 9. Elly De La Cruz, CIN; 10. Zach Neto, LAA
That top 10 is pretty stacked, but it runs much deeper. Last season, there were 19 shortstops who accrued at least three wins above replacement (WAR), per Baseball-Reference. That was a new record for a season! So if a team didn’t get at least solid regular production from its shortstop position last year, it was in the minority.
The position continues to trend upward with Jacob Wilson (ATH) and Colson Montgomery (CWS) both finishing in the top five of the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
And get this: Seven of the top 10 and each of the top five players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list are full- or part-time shortstops that could debut this year. That list includes the Pirates' Konnor Griffin (No. 1), the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle (2), the Brewers’ Jesús Made (3), the A’s Leo De Vries (4), the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt (5), the Rangers’ Sebastian Walcott (7) and the Mariners’ Colt Emerson (9). They won’t all stick at short, of course, but you get the point: The golden age of shortstops will not be stopping short anytime soon.
2. THIRD BASEMEN
Top 10 Right Now: 1. José Ramírez, CLE; 2. Max Muncy, LAD; 3. Alex Bregman, CHC; 4. Matt Chapman, SF; 5. Manny Machado, SD; 6. Junior Caminero, TB; 7. Bo Bichette, NYM; 8. Isaac Paredes, HOU; 9. Eugenio Suárez, CIN; 10. Austin Riley, ATL
With the top five on the Shredder list all in their 30s, the amazing emergence of the 22-year-old Caminero (45 homers, 28 doubles) last season takes the hot corner star pool to a new generation, and Bichette is bringing his adept bat to a new position in the infield. Interestingly, via FanGraphs, third base has more projected three-plus WAR players than any position player spot other than shortstop.
There is a shortage of real third-base stars beyond what is listed above, and some contending clubs have found the position difficult to fill this winter. Regardless, that’s a strong top 10. And the Mariners will be an especially intriguing team to watch here this season, as they’ve added All-Star Brendan Donovan (who is on the second base list) as a third-base option and also have their top prospect Emerson on the cusp of his big league arrival.
3. RIGHT FIELDERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Aaron Judge, NYY; 2. Juan Soto, NYM; 3. Kyle Tucker, LAD; 4. Corbin Carroll, AZ; 5. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL; 6. Fernando Tatis Jr., SD; 7. Seiya Suzuki, CHC; 8. George Springer, TOR; 9. Mike Trout, LAA; 10. Wilyer Abreu, BOS
The Shredder list was formulated before the Mets revealed this week that Soto will play left field. Taking a generational talent out of the mix affects the right-field ranking on this list, though the fact that players as talented and accomplished as Acuña and Tatis were only ranked fifth and sixth speaks to the relative strength of this position right now.
The above ranking doesn’t include Boston’s Roman Anthony, because he’s listed in left field -- where, like Soto, he could see more time this season. But in 2025, Anthony needed only 71 games with the Red Sox to accrue 3.1 bWAR before an injury prematurely ended his season. He was one of nine primary right fielders to be worth three-plus WAR, an increase from six players the year prior.
Though Anthony might indeed end up seeing more time in left this year, prospects or previously unproven young players like Dylan Beavers (BAL), Dylan Crews (WSH), Jac Caglianone (KC) and Owen Caissie (MIA) have the potential to augment the argument for right.
4. FIRST BASEMEN
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Freddie Freeman, LAD; 2. Nick Kurtz, ATH; 3. Matt Olson, ATL; 4. Bryce Harper, PHI; 5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR; 6. Rafael Devers, SF; 7. Yandy Díaz, TB; 8. Pete Alonso, BAL; 9. Michael Busch, CHC; 10. Willson Contreras, BOS
There were only six first basemen with three-plus WAR marks in 2023 and only four in 2024 (the fewest in a full season since 1964). That was grim. But 2025 saw a first-base bounce back, with nine players (including the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda, who is not on the Shredder’s list despite playing more games at first than teammate Díaz) meeting that standard.
Aranda (146 OPS+) and Busch (147) broke out in big ways, and of course Kurtz had an absolutely monster rookie year very much befitting the traditional power expectations of this particular position. Meanwhile, Devers brought his productive bat to the position, Guerrero had a locked-in October that seemingly has him back on the MVP trajectory, Spencer Torkelson (DET) returned to 30-homer output, and Vinnie Pasquantino (KC) got there for the first time. Ben Rice (NYY) and Kyle Manzardo (CLE) both had productive first full seasons, Alec Burleson (STL) won a Silver Slugger (as a utility player, but with a lot of starts at first), etc. So there were a lot of positives.
Keep an eye here on Reds prospect Sal Stewart as he gets settled and on White Sox acquisition Munetaka Murakami, who is bringing his big power over from Japan.
5. RELIEF PITCHERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Aroldis Chapman, BOS; 2. Mason Miller, SD; 3. Edwin Díaz, LAD; 4. Cade Smith, CLE; 5. Andrés Muñoz, SEA; 6. Garrett Whitlock, BOS; 7. Matt Strahm, KC; 8. Adrian Morejon, SD; 9. Josh Hader, HOU; 10. Jason Adam, SD
You know that relief pitching has become prominent on the MLB stage, but, to put a number to it, 49 pitchers had at least 40 innings and an ERA+ at least 50% better than league average last season. That was the third-most in history, behind only 2017 (54) and 2012 (53).
That said, when we reach for higher impact, the numbers dwindle considerably. You can set the parameters anywhere you want, but, just for illustration, let’s set a minimum of 54 innings (or at least one inning for every three team games) and an ERA+ of at least 200 (twice as good as league average). That only leaves us with 10 relievers in 2025 -- one of the lowest totals in recent memory (and tied for 17th overall). Adam (SD), Chapman (BOS), Díaz (LAD), Jhoan Duran (PHI), Adrián Morejón (SD), Andrés Muñoz (SEA), Tyler Rogers (TOR), JoJo Romero (STL), Matt Svanson (STL) and Abner Uribe (MIL) were the only ones to meet that particular standard.
Basically, the quantity of quality relievers is as high as it’s ever been. But true, durable, dependable studs are in relatively short supply. This is exacerbated by teams leaning heavily on their best relievers when they go on deep October runs, creating some hangover effects the following year.
6. LEFT FIELDERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Jarren Duran, BOS; 2. Roman Anthony, BOS; 3. Cody Bellinger, NYY; 4. Riley Greene, DET; 5. James Wood, WSH; 6. Ian Happ, CHC; 7. Yordan Alvarez, HOU; 8. Kyle Stowers, MIA; 9. Jackson Chourio, MIL; 10. Brandon Marsh, PHI
Again, Anthony is listed here … right behind his teammate Duran. The Red Sox aren’t helping our assessment of positions with their bloat of talented outfielders and some uncertainty as to how many games they’ll play at each position. But we forgive them.
Anyway, if Anthony is primarily a left fielder, he’s as good a candidate as anyone to be a first-time All-Star in 2026, following the emergence of Wood and Stowers as first-time All-Stars last year. And in Wyatt Langford (TEX) and Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), that’s two 24-year-old left fielders who had OPS+ marks more than 25% better than league average last season (though Langford could potentially shift to center this season).
Where left field falls short, for now, is in superstardom. The other outfield corner has six players projected by FanGraphs to be worth at least four WAR this season, whereas left field has none. But again, this young crop could change that.
7. CATCHERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Cal Raleigh, SEA; 2. William Contreras, MIL; 3. Will Smith, LAD; 4. Drake Baldwin, ATL; 5. Alejandro Kirk, TOR; 6. Gabriel Moreno, AZ; 7. Yainer Diaz, HOU; 8. Sean Murphy, ATL; 9. Iván Herrera, STL; 10. Shea Langeliers, ATH
We’re coming off a 2025 season in which Raleigh hit 60 homers and finished a close second in the AL MVP race, while Baldwin was the NL Rookie of the Year, Contreras helped lead the Brewers to the best record in baseball and Smith hit the go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series. So there are impact catchers in the league, and the Shredder list does not include guys like Dillon Dingler (DET) and Hunter Goodman (COL) coming off breakout years.
That said, there’s a reason Baldwin coasted to such a prominent spot on this list so quickly. It remains really difficult to find catchers who can deliver the total package while suiting up regularly. Raleigh and Smith were the only catchers worth four bWAR last year, and the 2025 season was the fourth straight in which catchers, as a whole, had an OPS of .700 or below.
8. SECOND BASEMEN
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Ketel Marte, AZ; 2. Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY; 3. Nico Hoerner, CHC; 4. Brendan Donovan, SEA; 5. Marcus Semien, NYM; 6. Jose Altuve, HOU; 7. Gleyber Torres, DET; 8. Xavier Edwards, MIA; 9. Brandon Lowe, PIT; 10. Brice Turang, MIL
Only six second basemen were worth three-plus bWAR last season -- Chisholm, Edwards, Hoerner, Marte, Semien and Turang. That was the lowest total in a full season since 2015 and less than half as many as we had as recently as 2021 (13).
A big name to watch here is that of Jackson Holliday (BAL) if the 22-year-old is able to bounce back from a broken hamate bone. Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt is expected to make an impact at the position this year, and the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft, Travis Bazzana, should debut with the Guardians at some point soon. But overall, second base is lighter than elsewhere in the infield right now.
9. STARTING PITCHERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Tarik Skubal, DET; 2. Paul Skenes, PIT; 3. Zack Wheeler, PHI; 4. Chris Sale, ATL; 5. Cristopher Sánchez, PHI; 6. Garrett Crochet, BOS; 7. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD; 8. Hunter Brown, HOU; 9. Max Fried, NYY; 10. Hunter Greene, CIN
While the two-time AL Cy Young winner Skubal and the reigning NL Cy winner Skenes are an obvious 1-2 punch, in any order, at the top of this list, we can certainly quibble with where certain guys land on the rest of the list. Still, the fact that Wheeler could rank so prominently while he’s currently rehabbing from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery or that Sale could rank so high despite only pitching 125 2/3 innings last year says a lot about the state of starting pitching.
Every year, we see even some of the best teams in MLB resorting to bullpen games on the October stage because it’s so hard to get through a full year with a healthy starting stash. Only 52 starters qualified for the ERA title last year. While that was more than 2021 (39), 2022 (45) and 2023 (44), it was fewer than any Modern Era season prior to the pandemic (which undoubtedly had a lingering effect on the injury rate in the ensuing years).
So if you love and respect the tradition of starters setting the tone, here’s hoping some of the young guns slotted in for Opening Day rotation spots -- Nolan McLean (NYM), Trey Yesavage (TOR), Bubba Chandler (PIT), Andrew Painter (PHI), etc. -- can make their mark this season.
10. DESIGNATED HITTERS
Top 10 Right Now: N/A
MLB Network doesn’t rank the DHs, but we feel pretty safe in assuming Shohei Ohtani (LAD) would front that particular list and Kyle Schwarber (PHI) would be second.
Former MVPs Mike Trout* (LAA), Christian Yelich (MIL), Giancarlo Stanton (NYY) and Andrew McCutchen (free agent) have all shifted to DH duties, as has postseason hero George Springer (TOR). So the position is fulfilling its promise to extend careers (viva the DH!). A healthy season from Yordan Alvarez* (HOU) and another big one from the likes of Brent Rooker (ATH) and Yandy Díaz* (TB) would further ensure it lives up to its billing.
*Trout, Alvarez and Díaz were all primarily DHs last year, though they appear at positions on the field on the Shredder lists.
Still, there’s no denying the move to the universal DH has watered down the crop some. Last year, DHs produced a .756 OPS -- a slight increase from 2024 (.742) but still one of the lowest this century.
11. CENTER FIELDERS
Top 10 Right Now: 1. Julio Rodríguez, SEA; 2. Wyatt Langford, TEX; 3. Byron Buxton, MIN; 4. Jackson Merrill, SD; 5. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC; 6. Andy Pages, LAD; 7. Trent Grisham, NYY; 8. Daulton Varsho, TOR; 9. TJ Friedl, CIN; 10. Oneil Cruz, PIT
Returns to All-Star standing for both Rodríguez and Buxton last year, as well as the All-Star breakout of Crow-Armstrong, were welcome developments in center field last year. It should surprise no one if Merrill shakes off some sophomore struggles/injuries to assert himself as he did in his triumphant 2024 rookie year. And as mentioned above and shown in the rankings, Langford figures to get more time in center this year, if not move there outright, and he’s a star in the making. Jakob Marsee (MIA) made a huge impact in the season’s last two months.
But center field is short on depth and consistency. The seven center fielders with three-plus WAR seasons last year (Harrison Bader, Buxton, Crow-Armstrong, Grisham, Pages, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rodríguez) made for the lowest full-season total since 1962, when there were 10 fewer teams!
This year, we’ve got our eye on Luis Robert Jr. (NYM) hopefully making the most of his change of scenery and on well-regarded prospects like Justin Crawford (PHI) and Chase DeLauter (CLE) making the most of what should be ample opportunity on contenders.