We aren’t even halfway through baseball season, but plenty of players are making their marks on the game. Some players have stayed at the top of the leaderboard for position rankings while some new faces have emerged. Here are the top players at each position in the National League through the first third of the season. All statistics were at time of writing.
Catcher
1. Will Smith – Los Angeles Dodgers: Smith is the easy overall choice here. He is hitting .308 with eight home runs and has the 10th best OPS in the league at .932. He truly has a chance to be one of the most special hitting catchers for years to come.
2. J.T. Realmuto – Philadelphia Phillies: Despite a slow start to the year, Realmuto is doing his regular thing in Philly, hitting over .250. His pop is down just a bit, but he is still the leader in the clubhouse.
3-5: Sean Murphy (ATL), Willson Contreras (STL), William Contreras (MIL)
1st Baseman
1. Freddie Freeman – Los Angeles Dodgers: Another year, another great season for Freddie Freeman. He has the second-best batting average at .331 and has belted 10 home runs and driven in 35 RBIs. He could be in line for another MVP season.
2. Pete Alonso – New York Mets: Alonso is one of the best power hitters in the league and leads the MLB with 21 home runs. When he comes to the plate, there is a good chance the ball leaves the yard.
3 – 5: Paul Goldschmidt (STL), Matt Olson (ATL), Christian Walker (AZ)
2nd Baseman
1. Luis Arraez – Miami Marlins: It’s amazing that Arraez is still flirting with hitting .400 two full months into the season. His .392 batting average and .930 OPS are about the only fun things about the Miami Marlins currently.
2. Ozzie Albies – Atlanta Braves: For a small guy, Albies has incredible pop. His personality is as big as his game and will be a staple for years to come for the Braves.
3 – 5: Jonathan India (CIN), Nico Hoerner (CHC), Jake Cronenworth (SD)
3rd Baseman
1. Nolan Arenado – St. Louis Cardinals: Big surprise here? No. Arenado is having another big year at the plate and is trying to get the Cards back into the playoff picture.
2. Austin Riley – Atlanta Braves: One of my favorite players to watch in the whole game, Riley is a total slugger and at just 26, can be the face of the Braves for the next decade with his lengthy contract.
3 – 5: Manny Machado (SD), Max Muncy (LAD), Alec Bohm (PHI)
Shortstop
1. Xander Bogaerts – San Diego Padres: New uniform, same old Xander. He is hitting a bit below what his typical average in Boston was, but he has already belted 7 home runs and driven in over 20 runs. The Padres will be a postseason force and he will have plenty to do with it.
2. Dansby Swanson – Chicago Cubs: Another guy in a new uniform who is also loving his new environment. The Braves likely miss Swanson who is hitting .276 with six home runs.
3 – 5: Tommy Edman (STL), Willy Adames (MIL), Matt McLain (CIN)
Outfield
(So many outfielders now play all three positions so we will breakdown the top 10 general outfielders)
1. Ronald Acuna Jr. – Atlanta Braves: Acuna has made a massive return to the Braves after an injury-riddled last two seasons and he has been crushing the ball, hitting .331 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs.
2. Juan Soto – San Diego Padres: He may not be hitting the ball at his Nationals levels just yet but he is already in double-digit home runs and driven in 27 runs while leading a new era of baseball in San Diego.
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. – San Diego Padres: Tatis Jr. had to brush off his embarrassing suspension and while the boos pour down on him at opposing stadiums, he is hitting .263 with 11 home runs.
4. Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers: It’s been a tougher season than normal for Betts, but his power numbers are up, on pace for 40 home runs and about 100 RBIs.
5. Bryan Reynolds – Pittsburgh Pirates: There was lots of talk of Reynolds being on the move this offseason, but the team extended his contract and he has helped make the Pirates competitive.
6 – 10: Christian Yelich (MIL), Kyle Schwarber (PHI), Brandon Nimmo (NYM), Jeff McNeil (NYM), Corbin Carroll (AZ)
Starting Pitcher
1. Spencer Strider – Atlanta Braves: He is becoming one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and could be in line for a Cy Young. He already has over 100 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA.
2. Zac Gallen – Arizona Diamondbacks: Part of the Dbacks major success has been Gallen who has a 2.75 ERA. He is a legit number one pitcher who will be hoping to get a postseason start.
3 – 5: Mitch Keller (PIT), Merrill Kelly (AZ), Zach Wheeler (PHI)
Relief Pitcher
1. David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates: A great new name to keep an eye on, Bednar is in line to get some Cy Young votes this year if he keeps up his 1.13 ERA and .75 WHIP.
2. Josh Hader – San Diego Padres: It took a while, but Hader is finally adapting to his new role in San Diego. He has shut down opponents with 13 saves and a .85 WHIP.
3 – 5: Raisel Iglesias (ATL), Devin Williams (MIL), Camilo Doval (SF)