New baseball season, new great crop of players, and of course, the similar core of greats that have held down their positions for years. A new wave of talent is coming to the majors, so you might need a refresher for who is at the top. Here are our 2025 National League rankings for the best players at each position.
Catcher
Will Smith – Dodgers: Smith has been the premiere NL catcher for a few years now and that hasn’t changed. He’s one of the few backstops that can hit in the middle of the order and still provide great defense. His .971 OPS is impressive.
William Contreras – Brewers: He’s emerged as one of the best catchers in the league with his bat and glove.
Carson Kelly – Cubs: He’s having a breakout season with the second-best WAR amongst NL catchers.
First Baseman
Freddie Freeman – Dodgers: While he’s been battling some injuries, there is still no one as consistent as Freddie Freeman and after he had a clutch World Series, there is no doubt he is number one.
Bryce Harper – Phillies: It’s impressive that Harper has transitioned into an everyday first baseman and his bat is still one of the most feared in baseball.
Pete Alonso – Mets: The Polar Bear’s power is no joke. His 11 home runs put him near the top of the league and he’s a perfect middle of the order bat.
Second Baseman
Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks: I consider Marte one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. His consistently hits around .300, his current OPS is over .930 and he just flat-out hits.
Brendan Donovan – Cardinals: Donovan has slowly been emerging as a young star, and he really blossomed this year. Donovan leads all second basemen in WAR in the NL.
Nico Hoerner – Cubs: He’s following up his 2024 breakout season with an even better 2025 and is a part of a very fun Chicago team.
Third Baseman
Manny Machado – Padres: He’s been at the top of this list for a very long time. It baffles me that he doesn’t have an MVP yet but he’s once again near the top of the list in WAR, hits at a high average and plays nearly perfect third base.
Austin Riley – Braves: Riley is a masher and a real good one at that. He drives in a ton of runs and has been a stable man at third for ATL.
Matt Chapman – Giants: He leads the NL in WAR at third and while his average fluctuates, it’s his glove that puts him over the top as the best defender at third in the league.
Short Stop
Mookie Betts – Dodgers: No changing my mind on this one and it’ll probably stand for a few more years. Multiple MVP winner, three-time World Series champ. Betts can do it all and he does it in the big moments that makes him one of baseball’s best.
CJ Abrams – Nationals: He was the biggest part of the return in the initial Juan Soto trade, and he’s lived up to the hype. Abrams steals bags, hits home runs, and hits for average.
Geraldo Perdomo – Diamondbacks: A new addition to this list, Perdomo is emerging as a top short stop and holds the highest WAR at the position.
Left Field
James Wood – Nationals: Another big piece in the Soto deal, Wood is the best option in left. He has 16 home runs; he leads the league in WAR and he flat out rakes. He is a centerpiece for Washington for many, many years to come.
Lars Nootbar – Cardinals: Nootbar has been knocking on the door and now finally breaks through on the list. He has an incredible glove and backs it up with a very good bat.
Seiya Suzuki – Cubs: He is quietly having an excellent career with Chicago since coming over to the states and that has continued this year with a power surge.
Center Field
Pete Crow-Armstrong – Cubs: It feels like we’ve been waiting for him to blossom into a superstar and this year it’s happening. He has a WAR over 3, he has 15 jacks and 50 RBIs and is putting new life into a Cubs team that could be in the pennant.
Jackson Merrill – Padres: He was my pick for Rookie of the Year last season. There are few players who are more exciting, from his clutch bat to his excellent glove, there’s a reason SD locked him up.
Jung Hoo Lee – Giants: Lee was injured early into his rookie year but now he is showing what he’s capable of and the Giants are liking their investment. He is an on-base machine and loves to hit doubles.
Right Field
Kyle Tucker – Cubs: Chicago traded for Tucker this offseason and it’s proved to be a wise decision. He is hitting for both average and power and his WAR is through the roof.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – Padres: A no-brainer given how good he has been the last few years. Tatis plays a great right field but more importantly he is one of the best bats in the league.
Juan Soto / Corbin Carroll: It was IMPOSSIBLE to leave one of these guys off the list. Soto just signed the richest contract in MLB history but is having a down year. Carroll is one of the best young stars in the game who is truly 5-tool player.
Designated Hitter
Shohei Ohtani – Dodgers: There is really nothing left to type here.
Kyle Schwarber – Phillies: He is going to mash home runs and strike out a ton. He is in a perfect ballpark to hit 40+ home runs and that’s really all you can ask from your designated hitter.
Marcell Ozuna – Braves: He isn’t nearing the home run total that a guy like Ohtani has, but he still has a respectable WAR and will hit upwards of 25 home runs.
Starting Pitcher
Zack Wheeler – Phillies: He has been the best starter in the National League for over a year now, and that hasn’t stopped this year as he leads the NL in quality starts. Wheeler is a legit front of the line ace.
Paul Skenes – Pirates: He’s been the most impressive player to enter the majors for a calendar year at this point. He is baffling big-league hitters on a regular rate and embarrassing all-stars. He has a .92 WHIP.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Dodgers: The investment has paid off for LA as he leads the NL in WHIP and his ERA is lowest in the league at 1.97.
Bullpen
Robert Saurez – Padres: He stepped into the role for Tanner Scott who left for LA and has been brilliant, racking up 18 saves already to this point.
Tanner Scott – Dodgers: Speak of the Devil. He has some of the nastiest stuff in the bigs and it has translated well in LA’s bullpen. He will be up there with the strikeout leaders.
Edwin Diaz – Mets: When the trumpets blast, you know Diaz is jogging in to save the game. The Mets closer has rebounded after a shaky 2024 and is back to being one of the best.