MLB Top 50 Part II
It’s Part II of the Top 50 MLB Players in the Hobby list for 2024. If you missed 26-50, check them out here. Just a reminder this list is about a player’s current place in the hobby and does not include retired players or prospects who haven’t had a Topps rookie card yet.
25-15
25. Jose Ramirez (27)- Ramirez almost had a 40/40 season and took the Guardians to the ALCS. It’s a shame that he doesn’t get more attention but he’s on a rare quiet path to a first-ballot HOF induction. Unfortunately, it’s hard for those guys to get hobby attention.
24. Julio Rodriguez (8)- It’s a big slide for J.Rod. He’s had three straight years of slow starts, but the MVP-caliber finish never materialized to make collectors forget it. His cards have taken a big hit, but with another slow start likely, he might not have hit his floor.
23. Pete Alonso (14)- Alonso picked it up down the stretch but his path to the HOF is with 500 home runs and he needs to be banking 40 homer seasons to get there. His position on this list is tenuous.
22. Francisco Lindor (36)- Lindor’s position seems safe though. He’s cemented himself as a clear top-tier talent. I think that his position in the hobby has been hurt by not signing autographs in products in recent years much like Mookie Betts until recently.
21. Jackson Holliday (NR)- Holliday had a forgettable season. He’s still one of the top prospects in baseball and it takes a long time for collectors to move on from failed prospects as evidenced by people still taking flyers on Torkelson and Kelenic.
20. Max Scherzer (21T)- The first of the dominant veteran trio of HOF pitchers seems to be falling behind the other two just a smidge in popularity.
19. Justin Verlander (21T)- There is likely little Verlander can do to really change demand for his cards at this point. I think he drops off this list next year with a retirement announcement.
18. Clayton Kershaw (21T)- Kershaw still has a chance to improve his legacy if he makes a comeback. A few good postseason starts would have been the best thing for him.
17. Corbin Carroll (9)- Carroll was in danger of dropping off this list completely. Then he turned things around and looked like an MVP-candidate the last couple of months of the season. Most think his struggles were injury related and collectors are hopping back on the Carroll train.
16. Raphael Devers (19)- Devers keeps putting up All-Star stats, but he needs to jump up a level to prevent falling in the rankings.
15-5
15. Yordan Alvarez (16)- The stigma against DH keeps Yordan out of the top 10. Over the last three years, only Judge and Ohtani have a higher OPS. He’s decidedly not in their neighborhood in terms of hobby attention.
14. Freddie Freeman (11)- Freeman had another great year on his march to the HOF but his cards have been stagnant and there is still a premium for cards featuring Freeman as a member of the Braves compared to his Dodgers cards.
13. Jackson Chourio (NR)- Chourio started slow and came roaring back justifying the hype.
12. Jackson Merrill (NR)- Merrill was the least-heralded of the Jacksons coming into the season. He ended the year as the top one though. In any other year, Merrill would get more attention but he gets lost in the shuffle in an eventful baseball season. The fact he improved down the stretch is a great sign for his future.
11. Elly De La Cruz (13)- He just misses the top 10, but he is the most electrifying player MLB has seen in a while. He’s got clear room for improvement with cutting his strikeout rate. If he does gets that down to 25%, he’ll likely be in MVP conversations and in the top 5 of this list.
10. Mookie Betts (7)- Another ho-hum awesome year for Betts gets largely ignored. I blame the fact Betts hasn’t had autos in products since 2015 (until Leaf recently) for keeping him out of the top 5.
9. Bryce Harper (5)- Harper doesn’t get ignored like Betts. He has always been polarizing which keeps him from moving much higher than he was last year.
8. Ronald Acuna Jr. (4)- The injury hides the fact that he was playing poorly this year. He’s more than capable of moving back up, but I’m nervous as a Braves fan.
7. Juan Soto (6)- Soto moved to the Yankees and had a great year and I still moved him down a spot. He seems to have a disconnect with fans that I don’t quite get. He should be more people’s favorite player, but he’s just not despite great production.
6. Gunnar Henderson (10)- Henderson is only 23 and put up numbers that many All-Star veterans can only dream of. He’s great already and if he can improve more he’ll challenge for the top spot on this list soon.
The Top 5
5. Mike Trout (3)- Another injury-marred season keeps Trout sliding down this list. His three MVP wins and nine!!! straight top five MVP finishes keep him from sliding too far.
4. Bobby Witt Jr. (14)- Witt had a great 2024 and in non 50/50 years would have been an even bigger deal in the hobby. The future is bright for Witt and he seems ready to challenge for multiple MVP awards.
3. Paul Skenes (NR)- I thought folks buying Skenes cards last year were crazy. Then Skenes went and defied expectations and became a truly hobby-relevant pitcher. I still question what it will take for him to stay in the top 10, but I no longer question the fact he can do it.
2. Aaron Judge (2)- A player like Judge, a Yankees home run champ who is also personable, would normally merit the top spot. He’s stuck at second and that’ll have to be alright. Judge is going into his age 33 season. If he can produce like the last few years for two to three more years
1. Shohei Ohtani (1)- No question here. The crazy thing is his pricing was flat most of the season. If he comes back as a strong pitcher again, one wonders what the limits are for his market.
The Future
A big question I have after this exercise is what players could reasonably snag the top spot next year? Judge, Skenes, Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Elly De La Cruz are really the only six I can see snagging the top spot in the next couple of years but Ohtani would have to take a major step back or get injured or they’d have to set a significant record to do so.
Wrap Up
That’s my top 50. Who am I way off on? Who do you think could challenge for the top spot? Let me know in the comments.