MLB Network analysts spent the past month ranking players at each position as part of the annual “Top 10 Right Now!” series, which wrapped up this week.

But here in this space, we’re zooming out a little bit to rank … the positions themselves! At which spots on the diamond is the MLB talent pool the deepest? And which positions could use a boost from prospects, breakthroughs and pleasant surprises?

As we venture into 2024, here are the positions ranked from strongest to weakest:

1. Shortstops

After the historic free-agent shortstop classes of 2021-22 and 2022-23 (groups fronted by Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson, Trea Turner, etc.), we remain in a Golden Era at this position. Seager, Swanson and Bogaerts were three of the nine shortstops in 2023 to be worth 4+ Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference -- the most of any position player group.

Rising Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and the Orioles’ AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson (who split his time between short and third) joined that group, which also included the Mets’ Francisco Lindor, the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette and the Mariners’ J.P. Crawford. That list doesn’t even include the Phillies’ Turner, the Twins’ Correa and the Brewers’ Willy Adames (all of whom were in MLB Network’s Top 10). The continued development of the Astros’ Jeremy Peña, the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe and the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz, better health for the Red Sox’s Trevor Story and the Pirates’ Oneil Cruz and the chance for MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect -- the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday -- to man the position in Baltimore this year adds to the potential at this position.

2. Second basemen

We’ll stick with shortstop in our top spot, but the second sack is pushing it.

Last year, second base had eight players worth 4+ WAR ... and that didn’t even include Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts (8.3), who spent the bulk of his time in right field but is expected to be a full-time second baseman this season.

Adding Mookie to a cast that includes the Astros’ Jose Altuve, the Rangers’ Marcus Semien, the Braves’ Ozzie Albies, the Marlins’ Luis Arraez and the D-backs’ Ketel Marte makes this one of the stronger second-base groups we’ve seen in recent years. The 2023 emergence of the Reds’ Matt McLain (who figures to see a good amount of time at second in ’24) and the Twins’ Edouard Julien and the shift of the Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim to second (where he won the NL Gold Glove) adds to the outlook. Bounceback seasons from the Guardians’ Andrés Giménez and the Mets’ Jeff McNeil would take it to yet another level.

3. Third basemen

The back-to-back elections of Scott Rolen and Adrián Beltré improve third base’s representation in the Hall of Fame. But how’s the hot corner looking in the present tense?

Well, it’s pretty darn talented at the top, with the Guardians’ José Ramírez, the Braves’ Austin Riley, the Padres’ Manny Machado, the Red Sox’s Rafael Devers, the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado and the Astros’ Alex Bregman among the stalwarts at this spot. We can probably consider Henderson more of a full-time third baseman for Baltimore moving forward, and 2023 brought us an All-Star rookie season from the Rangers’ Josh Jung, an out-of-nowhere star turn for the Rays’ Isaac Paredes and -- finally -- enough health from long-touted Twins prospect Royce Lewis for him to make a major impact.

A big X-factor in the overall vibrancy of this position is the bat of free agent Matt Chapman, who is always great with the glove but whose MVP potential with the A’s gave way to lesser production with the Blue Jays. Overall, third base had seven guys worth 4+ WAR last year, and we should expect similar, if not better, this season.

4. Right fielders

Losing MVPs in Betts and Aaron Judge doesn’t help right field’s cause in this ranking. But adding Juan Soto, who shifts back to right field in the Bronx after a year in left in San Diego, offsets some of that blow.

Right field was responsible for providing the National League Most Valuable Player in the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., the NL Rookie of the Year in Corbin Carroll (who played all three outfield spots but ultimately settled in right), the fifth-place American League MVP vote-getter in the Astros’ Kyle Tucker and the AL Championship Series MVP in the Rangers’ Adolis Garcia. Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. returned from injury and suspension and had a strong transition to right field, including leading MLB in Outs Above Average at the position.

To eclipse the positions above it on this list, right field will need more young stars to emerge in 2024, with that group perhaps including the likes of the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker, the Brewers’ Sal Frelick, the Orioles’ Heston Kjerstad and the Red Sox’s Wilyer Abreu.

5. Relief pitchers

We had relief pitchers at No. 2 in this position ranking a year ago. It was a nod to the sick stuff and silly numbers being posted by an often-rotating assemblage of arms in a mercilessly efficient industry march toward outs.

Well, make no mistake that relievers still rule the pitching world in a modern game that puts great emphasis on the “Third Time Through the Order Penalty,” mid-game matchup advantages, velocity and spin. But it’s worth noting that there were half as many relievers with at least 40 innings and WHIP marks of 1.00 or better in 2023 (16) as there were in '22 (32), and the overall relief ERA jumped from 3.84 to 4.16.

This was partially, if not totally, related to the new rules environment, and it didn’t help that the Mets’ Edwin Diaz missed the entire season with an injury. But with so much anonymity and volatility in the relief ranks, we have no choice but to dock relievers a couple spots on our rankings.

6. First basemen

It was as if first base made a major Trade Deadline acquisition when Bryce Harper debuted at the position last July. He added a jolt of star power to a spot that has traditionally gone to big, burly sluggers but had, strangely, seen its power productivity fade of late.

Now, with Harper, the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, the Braves’ Matt Olson and the Rays’ Yandy Díaz all coming off .900+ OPS seasons, first base is bouncing back. Pump it up with the Mets’ Pete Alonso walloping in his walk year, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shaking off his puzzling recent track record and/or the Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt more closely resembling his 2022 MVP form, and it would further add to the allure of the position. Prospects to watch here in '24 include the Guardians’ Kyle Manzardo and the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel (who famously debuted in his Draft year in '23).

7. Catchers

Though light-hitting tandems remain the catcher concoction on a lot of clubs, the outlook is improving here quite a bit.

Adley Rutschman’s first full season with the Orioles (4.3 WAR) cemented his stud status, and young Gabriel Moreno (4.3) was instrumental in Arizona’s ascension. The Brewers’ William Contreras had his first full season as a regular and, like his brother Willson with the Cardinals, turned in an OPS+ more than 20% better than league average. Astros rookie Yainer Diaz was worth 3.2 WAR in a part-time role, and this year he’ll be the regular behind the dish. The Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, the Rangers’ Jonah Heim and the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk continued to mature. Perhaps this will be a breakout year for highly touted prospects-turned-regulars like the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz, the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez, the Giants’ Patrick Bailey and the Guardians’ Bo Naylor. Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 Draft, could take over the position in Pittsburgh.

Add the above guys to a position group that includes the established likes of the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto, the Dodgers’ Will Smith and the Braves’ Sean Murphy, and the catching position has more starting stability than it has in some time. Actually, there were 19 catchers with at least 400 plate appearances last season -- the most since 2014.

8. Starting pitchers

The pitch clock solved the pace issue, but, alas, there is no magic bullet that can fix the fractured state of starting pitching. You don’t need us to tell you that the role has changed drastically, diminished by usage patterns and the injury rate.

Last year, there were 35 complete games ... or only six more than in the 60-game COVID season of 2020. There were 1,683 quality starts ... or 185 fewer than in the strike-shortened 144-game season of 1995. Teams are giving guys more rest (the 1,988 starts on five days’ rest was by far the most ever) to work fewer innings.

Yes, the game still has a number of starting studs. There are established aces like the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, the Astros’ Justin Verlander and the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler, as well as emerging ones like the Cubs’ Justin Steele, the Mariners’ George Kirby and the Royals’ Cole Ragans. However, the declining overall impact of the position puts it much lower on this list than we’d like it to be.

9. Center fielders

Whether it’s good for his durability remains to be seen, but Judge’s shift back to center field sure is good for this position’s power ranking.

The problem is that center field really, really needed that boost from Judge. Last season, there were only three center fielders -- the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez, the White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. and the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger (who of course is now a free agent) -- who contributed a 4+ WAR season. That was the fewest in a full season since 1966!

Health for the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Twins’ Byron Buxton and a season for the Braves’ Michael Harris II that more closely resembles his 2022 NL Rookie of the Year output would help get center field get back on track. The Tigers’ Riley Greene, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Nationals’ Dylan Crews and the Brewers’ Jackson Chourio are some of the youngsters capable of upgrading the position.

10. Left fielders

MLB Network’s No. 1 left fielder -- the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez -- logged 65% of his games at DH last season. Among those who actually spent the majority of their time in left last season, Soto was the only player worth 5+ WAR ... and he’s moving back to right.

If you’re having trouble reading between the lines (or reading the rankings), what we’re saying is that left field just isn’t as stacked as other spots on the field.

But that’s not to say that it’s desolate, either. Rookies Nolan Jones (Rockies), Evan Carter (Rangers) and Matt Wallner (Twins) made big impacts on their ballclubs last season. Brandon Nimmo will spend more time in left after the Mets’ acquisition of Harrison Bader, and the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds and the Rays’ Randy Arozarena are proven, impact players at the position. But it is lacking the same depth of stars as other spots.

11. Designated hitters

Teams generally tend to use the DH spot as a rest mechanism in which players rotate in and out to get a day off from the grind of playing the field.

That’s both smart ... and unhelpful to the DH position’s ranking here. Only 17 players logged even 300 plate appearances as a DH last season, and only eight of those 17 had an OPS of at least .800 (and one of those eight was Harper, who figures to see more time at first this season). Considering the only job of the DH is to produce with the bat, we find this track record troubling, though at least strong bounceback seasons from current free agents J.D. Martinez (.895 OPS) and Jorge Soler (.830) aided the cause.

Thankfully for you DH devotees, Shohei Ohtani fulfills the role of true, everyday DH -- and he fills it substantially.