Top 10 Baseball Players in the World

It’s difficult to definitively rank the top 10 baseball players in the world, as the sport is played professionally in many countries and the level of competition can vary significantly. That being said, here are 10 players who are often considered among the best in the world;

Mike Trout (USA)
Mookie Betts (USA)
Christian Yelich (USA)
Nolan Arenado (USA)
Jacob deGrom (USA)
Shohei Ohtani (Japan)
Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela)
Rafael Devers (Dominican Republic)
D. Martinez (USA)
Freddie Freeman (USA)

Note that this list is subjective and based on the opinions of the person compiling it. There are many other talented players who could also be included on this list.

1. Mike Trout (USA)

Mike Trout is an American professional baseball player. Mike Trout was born on August 7, 1991 in Vineland, New Jersey. He achieves many accolades throughout his career. Some of his achievements include:

8-time Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star (2012-2019)
2-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (2014, 2016)
6-time AL Silver Slugger Award winner (2012-2013, 2015-2018)
3-time AL Hank Aaron Award winner (2014, 2016, 2019)
3-time AL Batting Champion (2012, 2014, 2018)
2-time AL RBI Leader (2014, 2018)
2-time AL Home Run Leader (2014, 2018)
MLB record for most wins above replacement (WAR) in a single season by a center fielder (10.5 in 2013)
MLB record for most WAR by a player through their age-27 season (72.8)

Mike Trout has also led the AL in runs scored four times (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018) and has been a key player on the Los Angeles Angels, helping the team reach the playoffs several times.

2. Mookie Betts (USA)

Mookie Betts is a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on October 7, 1992, in Nashville, Tennessee and grew up in Tennessee and Arkansas. Betts played baseball at John Overton High School in Nashville and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut for the Red Sox in 2014 and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league.

Betts is a versatile player who has played both the outfield and second base in his career. He is known for his strong offensive and defensive skills and has won numerous awards throughout his career, including the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2018. In addition to his offensive skills, Betts is also known for his speed on the base paths and has won a Gold Glove award for his defensive play in the outfield. Betts was traded to the Dodgers in 2020 and helped lead the team to the World Series title in 2021.

3. Christian Yelich (USA)

Christian Yelich is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Here are some of his achievements:

National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2018
Silver Slugger award winner in 2018 and 2020
National League batting champion in 2018 and 2019
Hank Aaron Award winner in 2018
MLB All-Star in 2018, 2019, and 2020
Gold Glove award winner in 2020

Yelich has also been a key player for the Brewers, leading them to the playoffs in 2018 and helping them make a deep postseason run in 2018 and 2019. He has consistently been one of the top offensive players in the league since joining the Brewers in 2018.

4. Nolan Arenado (USA)

Nolan Arenado is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Here are some of his achievements:

National League (NL) home run leader in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019
NL RBI leader in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
NL Gold Glove award winner at third base in 2013-2019
NL Platinum Glove award winner in 2013-2017
MLB All-Star in 2013-2019

Arenado has consistently been one of the top players in the league and is known for his excellent defense at third base. He has won the Gold Glove award every year since he was called up to the majors in 2013 and is a five-time Platinum Glove winner, which is awarded to the best defensive player in each league. In addition to his defensive skills, Arenado has also been one of the top power hitters in the league, leading the NL in home runs and RBIs multiple times.

5. Jacob deGrom (USA)

Jacob deGrom is a professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on June 19, 1988 in DeLand, Florida, USA. DeGrom has consistently been one of the best pitchers in MLB since making his debut in 2014, and he has won numerous awards and accolades, including two Cy Young Awards (awarded annually to the best pitcher in each league). In addition to his success on the field, deGrom is known for his calm and humble personality.

6. Shohei Ohtani (Japan)

Shohei Ohtani is a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on July 5, 1994 in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Ohtani is a two-way player, meaning that he both pitches and hits in games. He is known for his exceptional ability as both a pitcher and a hitter, and he has won many awards and accolades in his career. Ohtani is the first player since Babe Ruth to be a regular position player and a pitcher on an MLB roster. He is also known for his hard work and dedication to improving his skills.

7. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela)

Ronald Acuña Jr. is a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on December 18, 1997 in La Guaira, Venezuela. Acuña is considered one of the best young players in baseball, and he has already achieved many accomplishments in his young career.

In 2018, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year after hitting .293 with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs in 111 games for the Atlanta Braves.
In 2019, he was named to his first All-Star team after hitting .280 with 41 home runs and 101 RBIs in 156 games.
In 2020, he was named to his second All-Star team after hitting .250 with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs in 60 games.
In 2021, he won the Silver Slugger Award (awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position) after hitting .351 with 41 home runs and 101 RBIs in 137 games.

In addition to these individual accolades, Ronald Acuña has helped lead the Braves to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

8. Rafael Devers (Dominican Republic)

Rafael Devers is a professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on October 24, 1996 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Devers is a third baseman known for his strong bat and his defensive skills.

Rafael Devers has achieved a number of accomplishments in his young career as a professional baseball player:

In 2019, he was named to his first All-Star team after hitting .311 with 32 home runs and 115 RBIs in 151 games for the Boston Red Sox.
In 2020, he was named to his second All-Star team after hitting .263 with 19 home runs and 60 RBIs in 60 games.
In 2021, he won the Silver Slugger Award (awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position) after hitting .311 with 32 home runs and 115 RBIs in 151 games.

In addition to these individual accolades, Devers has helped lead the Red Sox to the playoffs twice in his career.

9. D. Martinez (USA)

J.D. Martinez is an American professional baseball player who currently plays as a right fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He was born on August 21, 1987 in Miami, Florida. Martinez attended Nova Southeastern University, where he played college baseball for the Sharks. He was originally signed by the Houston Astros as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Martinez made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Astros in 2011, and played for the team until 2013. He was then traded to the Detroit Tigers, where he played from 2014 to 2017. In 2018, Martinez signed with the Red Sox, where he has played since.

Martinez is a three-time MLB All-Star and has won several awards throughout his career, including the Silver Slugger Award and the Hank Aaron Award. He is known for his hitting ability and has consistently ranked among the top home run hitters in the league.

10. Freddie Freeman (USA)

Freddie Freeman is an American professional baseball player who currently plays as a first baseman for the Atlanta Braves. He was born on September 12, 1989 in Fountain Valley, California. Freeman attended El Modena High School in Orange, California, where he played baseball and football. He was originally drafted by the Braves in the 2007 MLB Draft.

Freeman made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2010, and has played for the team ever since. He is a four-time MLB All-Star and has won several awards throughout his career some of these are,

Silver Slugger Award (2013, 2020)
National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award (2020)
Hank Aaron Award (2020)
Fielding Bible Award (2020)

In addition to these awards, Freeman has also been named to the NL All-Star team in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2020. He has also won the Atlanta Braves’ Hank Aaron Award (given to the team’s most outstanding offensive player) in 2013, 2014, and 2020.

Freeman is known for his hitting ability and has consistently ranked among the top first basemen in the league. He has led the NL in home runs twice (2020 and 2021) and has also led the league in RBIs (runs batted in) twice (2013 and 2020). In 2020, he won the NL MVP award after hitting .341 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in just 57 games.

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