Peter Appel’s Top 100 MLB Players for 2024

Welcome to my top 100 list for the 2024 season.

The game of baseball is different from any other sport, but at the same time, we can draw similarities from the game of football.

How does one compare a defensive end to a quarterback? The quarterback is the most critical position in football, so that’s typically not a fair comparison. And yet, we see plenty of lists comparing the two on a top 100 list.

Baseball is not so different from any sport due to the player’s role. It isn’t easy to correctly evaluate a hard-throwing closer’s worth compared to a speedy outfielder’s. If we wanted to do that as accurately as possible, I’d point you towards the WAR leaderboards.

What’s the fun in that? This list is subjective, but these are the top 100 players in baseball right now.

I had the privilege of interviewing Joe Posnanski, the inspiration behind this list. He created the Baseball 100, a list of all-time top 100 baseball players. He used Tom Tango’s WAR calculations, among other stats, to list the greatest players in baseball history.

As one can imagine, his list isn’t a WAR leaderboard. I used my formula to create this list. If I told you the formula, I might have to kill you. That’s an ode to Mr. Krabs from Spongebob, not a threat, just so we are clear.

My favorite quote from the interview with Joe is, “By the numbers, Ichiro didn’t compile the stats to be a top 100 player. But how is Ichiro Suzuki not one of the most impactful players in baseball history?”

Ichiro compiled 3,000 hits in his career, but he had over 1,000 in Japan before he came over as a 27-year-old. He wasn’t a top 100 player in MLB history in WAR or most statistics, but Joe felt he was a top 100 player. That’s his opinion, and I love him for that.

An all-time list is different than a current list. Their careers are over, while some players on this list are just starting. You may see some players that need more service time compared to others, but they rank higher on this list.

I’m looking forward to 2024, while appreciating the player’s career. I value consistency over a long period. That’s greatness, in my eyes. Some players on this list have yet to have the privilege of developing a career, but I believe they have an incredibly bright future if they appear.

I’m optimistic about health. I weighed each player’s injury concerns with a “glass half full approach.” I also didn’t dock a player if they are scheduled to miss time this season. Gerrit Cole may miss time with an elbow injury this year, but it’s not certain. I’m not going to drop him in the rankings because of that. Players who will miss the entire season (Sandy Alcantara, Shane McClanahan, etc) won’t be on this list because we know they won’t be on the field in 2024.

On that note, you might notice that pitchers are ranked a bit lower. In modern-day baseball, pitchers drop like flies. I hate it so much; the injury bug is my least favorite thing in baseball. Gerrit Cole, the most dependable pitcher in baseball, went down with an elbow injury.

I hope every pitcher stays healthy, but it’s not realistic. Due to this, if a pitcher and hitter are close, I go to the hitter above the pitcher.

Last thing: if a player still needs to play a major league game, they aren’t on the list. Players like Wyatt Langford, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, and others could vault themselves into the top 100 by season’s end, but that’s for next year.

Currently, no player without MLB service time is on this list.

This is my list. Feel free to disagree, and I welcome any criticism. Here’s my Twitter page; my DM’s are open. I welcome your hateful messages.

Just know I’ll fight to the end of time to prove my list is flawless.

Top 100 Players in MLB