Top 10 Best Players in the AL West for the 2025 Season

Some of the best teams in the American League in recent years have come from the AL West.

From the dynasty Houston Astros; to the 2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers; to recent postseason teams in the last five seasons in the Seattle Mariners and the Athletics, there’s been no shortage of success in this division.

This all comes of the backs of some exceptional performances from an abundance of major league stars in the division, with 2025 being no different than years’ past.

It’s a well-rounded group of positional talent at the top heading into the upcoming campaign, with the entire division having representation in our rankings, including the consistently underwhelming Angels.

Here are the Top 10 players in the AL West for the 2025 season:

Who Just Missed the Top 10?

Wyatt Langford (TEX)

Langford is a name that is on his way to becoming a household name in not only the AL West but the MLB in general.

The 23-year-old posted a respectable rookie campaign where he hit 16 HR and 74 RBI while slashing .253/.325/.415 with a 110 wRC+.

However, the numbers weren’t spectacular at the dish and were aided by a second-half bounce back, meaning the lack of a full-season of above-average offense is main reason he’s not on this list quite yet.

Langford is already an elite defender with top-tier speed on the basepaths, so if his offense can click for a full season to the same degree we saw in the second-half of 2024, then he’s definitely a name to watch out for on this list in a years’ time.

Zach Neto, (LAA)

Then we have the infield cornerstone of the future in Anaheim in the 24-year-old shortstop, Zach Neto.

Neto improved mightily at the plate this season, jumping from an 88 wRC+ hitter to a 114 wRC+ bat in the span of a season.

He pairs this with great speed, capable of swiping 30+ bags, as well as quality defense, with 11 DRS in 2024.

If his offense continues to develop the way it has so far in the early stages of his big-league career, then he will have a strong case to crack the 2026 iteration of this list.

10. Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros

2024 Stats: 153 G, .238/.346/.393, 19 HR, 80 RBI, 117 wRC+, 3.4 fWAR

While Paredes is often considered a ballpark merchant when it comes to analyzing his success, we have to take that with a grain of salt.

It certainly plays a role in to why he may not be higher up on this list, but you can’t blame a guy for the environment he’s in, especially someone like Paredes who’s yet to hit free agency and choose his home ballpark.

Numbers are numbers no matter where you hit, and there’s no denying that Paredes has above average numbers at the plate.

He’s been above a 115 wRC+ the past three seasons, including having upside capable of posting totals above 130, as he did in 2023 with a 136 wRC+.

Paredes also seems somewhat of a lock for 20+ HR and 80+ RBI and an fWAR of in-and-around 3.0 in any given season.

He’s not a liability on defense either, with DRS and OAA totals no lower than -3 at any given position with upside in the positives in both metrics as well. The fact he can be versatile and play both corners as well as second base makes him even more valuable.

Hitting towards the Crawford Boxes in Houston will only stand help his offensive game, and for a run production merchant like himself, that impressive Houston lineup could also play a huge factor in a 2025 season that has the potential to mirror his top-notch 2023 campaign if all goes to plan.

9. Lawrence Butler, Athletics

2024 Stats: 125 G, .262/.317/.490, 22 HR, 57 RBI, 18 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR

After an incredible second-half to the 2024 campaign, Butler put together one of the best break out stories in all of baseball.

He elevated his game from a putrid 59 wRC+ in 2023, to a 130 wRC+ just a year later. He’s hitting the ball harder while also developing a better eye at the plate with higher walk rates and lower strikeout rates.

To go along with the strong offensive side of his game, he has strong enough base-stealing abilities to swipe double-digit bags in a season while also being a passable defender in the outfield (-1 DRS and 0 OAA in 2024), giving him more value than just simply his bat.

Now the caveat to why someone this strong offensively ranks so low on this list is the fact he’s only been in the league two seasons now and has really only been an excellent player for half a season.

However, due to mechanical changes in his swing in 2024, there’s no reason to believe that Butler was simply a one-hit wonder last year.

Getting out of the Oakland Coliseum, which Baseball Savant’s Park Factor ranked 24th for hitters, will also serve to improve his offensive game as well.

The signs point to Butler becoming one of the stars of major league baseball. And the A’s certainly seem to see that, extending him on seven-year deal this week.

8. Brent Rooker, Athletics

2024 Stats: 145 G, .293/.365/.562, 39 HR, 112 RBI, 11 SB, 164 wRC+, 5.1 fWAR

Now we move to Butler’s teammate in Sacramento in Rooker, who’s coming off one of the best seasons in MLB last year.

Among qualified hitters, Rooker ranked second in the division and seventh in the entirety of MLB in wRC+ at 165.

For context the only hitter to rank above him in the AL West was the great Yordan Alvarez. Then, along with Alvarez, the only other hitters in baseball to post higher totals then him were Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Bobby Witt Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Not bad company to be amongst by any means.

Along with his stellar wRC+, Rooker lead the division in homers and RBI, sat second in both OPS and SLG, third in fWAR and fifth in AVG.

The biggest drawback of his game is that he’s a full-time DH, eliminating a full side of the game from his repertoire.

We’ve seen how he ranked amongst the league’s best at the plate in 2024, and held his own against another full-time DH in the AL West that ranks higher than him on this list. However the “show me more” argument does play a factor here in why he’s outside the top five conversation as well, as it’s still only been one good season in 2023 and one elite season in 2024.

There’s no reason to believe Rooker can’t continue to follow up his phenomenal 2024 season with similar production in 2025, with much of the same arguments for Butler coming into play here. The A’s also awarded him with a healthy extension this winter and he too gets to benefit from getting out of the Coliseum which could further unlock his offensive capabilities.

7. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers

2024 Stats: 159 G, .237/.308/.391, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 99 wRC+, 4.2 fWAR

The 2024 season was less than ideal for Semien, but I guess the same could be said for nearly the entirety of the Texas Rangers organization after a disappointing season as a whole last year.

However as rough as last season might have been for the veteran second baseman, this is still a perennial MVP contender at the plate, who just a year ago was finalist for the award for the third time in his career.

He’s been a lock for 20+ HR and 70+ RBI in the post-COVID era, and has more often than not been a an above average hitter in the eyes of wRC+, posting totals no lower than 107 in four of the last six seasons.

Semien pairs that high-upside offense with world class defense at second (10 DRS and 19 OAA in 2024) and well above average speed on the basepaths (81st percentile sprint speed).

He’s never gone back-to-back seasons as below average hitter since breaking out in 2019, and with how the narrative has switched in Texas after some quality additions were brought through the door this winter, that trend looks likely to continue for Semien.

6. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2024 Stats: 153 G, .295/.350/.439, 20 HR, 22 SB, 65 RBI, 127 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR

Altuve is one of the more interesting players to rank in a list like this. Is he the 7.0+ fWAR player he once was in his prime MVP seasons? No.

However, there’s a lot of value to be had in a guy that can consistently hits near .300 with 20+ homers, wRC+ totals above 125 and OPS totals in the ballpark of .800.

To get a bit more specific, last season marked the 10th season in of his 14-year career where he’s hit .290 or better, posted a .790 OPS or higher and recorded a wRC+ above 120.

His speed adds another area of intrigue to his game, as even in his mid-30s, he found a way to return to 20+ SB status for the first time since his aforementioned 2017 MVP season.

His track record and safe offensive profile, makes him a great candidate to be a 20+ HR and 60+ RBI bat in the leadoff role for the Astros in 2025.

Then his move away from second base and more into a left field role in 2025 could also add some defensive value back to his game, after a what was a poor fielding season with a -13 DRS and -8 OAA, setting him up for more versatile success in the latter stages of his career.

5. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

2024 Stats: 153 G, .220/.312/.436, 34 HR, 100 RBI, 11.1% BB%, 117 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR, +13 Framing Runs, 26% CS%

When discussing the elite run producers in MLB today, it’s imperative that Raleigh is a part of that conversation.

The 28-year-old followed up a 30 HR and 75 RBI season in 2023, with a 34 HR and 100 RBI season in 2024.

And while he may’ve struck out at a rather high 28.0% clip in 2024, he mitigated that by drawing his fair share of walks, with an 85th percentile BB% of 11.1%.

When you pair all this with his outstanding 98th percentile framing and 88th percentile CS-rate, you suddenly have one of the best two-way contributors in all of baseball.

All of this lead to the Raleigh posting the highest fWAR in the entire AL West last season, which also placed him within the Top 15 positional players in all of baseball in this metric, tied for 14th.

He’s found ways to improve virtually across the board both offensively and defensively every season of his career, making it easy to foresee yet another strong campaign from one of our top ranked catchers for 2025.

4. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners

2024 Stats: 143 G, .273/.325/.409, 20 HR, 24 SB, 68 RBI, 7 OAA, 116 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR

We stay in Seattle when it comes to our No. 4 spot in the AL West with the $209 million man and former AL Rookie of the Year in Rodríguez.

There’s no denying that 2024 was a down year overall at the plate for the 23-year-old center fielder. However, with back-to-back seasons above a 125 wRC+ in both 2022 and 2023, with some MVP consideration in the latter year, it’s easy to see the potential he holds.

Then when you look at how Rodríguez bounced back in the second-half of last season, he’ll be entering the 2025 season on a high note. In the first-half, he was very average looking, batting .267 with a .690 OPS and a 105 wRC+. When the second-half rolled around though, Rodríguez came to play, hitting .285 with an .818 OPS and 136 wRC+.

His 25+ stolen base capabilities, as well as the above average defensive side of his game, emulated in a his 3 DRS and 7 OAA in 2024, makes him one of the most well-rounded entities in baseball.

If he can carry his momentum from the second-half of 2024 into 2025 and put together a full season of production at that caliber of play, there’s no denying he could return to a near 6-win player again.

3. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

2024 Stats: 29 G, .220/.325/.541, 10 HR, 14 RBI, 139 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR

One of the most debated names in baseball ranks third on our list of Top AL West players in Mike Trout.

There’s no denying that when Trout is on the field, he’s still one of the best talents our game has today, as was recently made evident by his 139 wRC+ and .867 OPS in his short 29-game stint in 2024.

And from a wider lens, this is still a three-time MVP, 11-time All-Star and nine-time Silver Slugger, who’s hasn’t hit below a 130 wRC+ or .850 OPS since his rookie season, and has nine seasons with 6.0 fWAR or higher.

The issue has simply been staying on the field, as the 33-year-old Trout has just one season in his last four where he’s played in over 100 games, and even then he missed 43 that year, appearing in 119 contests in 2022.

The first-ballot Hall-of-Fame talent he continues to show when he’s available is definitely enough to keep him high on this list. However, even though he might be the most talented player on this list, the the more widespread availability of the two names ahead of him is enough to push him to third.

Perhaps his move to right field in 2025 will be enough to protect his body moving forward, but if this isn’t the case and the injuries persist, it’s hard to see him ranking this highly moving forward, even with his sterling resume.

2. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

2024 Stats: 147 G, .308/.392/.567, 35 HR, 86 RBI, 168 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR

One of the most feared in hitters in our game, one of the the league’s best left-handed bats, and one of the Top Designated Hitters in MLB is next on the list in Yordan Alvarez.

Alvarez has yet to post a season below a 137 wRC+. He’s also been a 30+ HR and 85+ RBI hitter the last four seasons, and his his expectational .877 OPS mark 2021 was the worst of his career.

He ranked first in the division this past season wRC+, AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS and second in homers and RBI.

Alvarez also deserves more recognition for the unbelievable eye he has at the plate. In 2024 he struck out just 15.0% of the time, walked at a nearly 11% clip (10.9%) and posted a 90.7% in-zone contact rate (Z-Contact%).

And to further put a cherry on top of his game, his 19.2 combined fWAR in the past four seasons, falls just outside the Top 10 in all of baseball in that span, as he sits 11th. Not bad for a primary DH.

The fact that he’s a DH will always be a bit of hinderance to him when making rankings like this, but by no means does that mean his game should be taken lightly. He’s seemingly a lock for another season at the very least a 3.5 FWAR, 150 wRC+, 30+ HR and 80 RBI season in 2025.

1. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

2024 Stats: 123 G, .278/.353/.512, 30 HR, 74 RBI, 140 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR

Seager tops our list of top positional players in the AL West heading in 2025 for a multitude of reasons.

This is a hitter who’s never had a below average season at the plate in his big league career by wRC+ standards. Looking more recently, he’s been below a 140 wRC+ just once in the last five seasons, with a 117 wRC+ posting in 2022.

Seager’s current tenure in Texas has seen him come into his own as an elite power hitter as well. He’s belted 30 or more home runs in the last three seasons, while posting 94th percentile hard-hit rates or higher in the last two.

He pairs this with a patient approach at the plate, posting above-average 72nd percentile strikeout and walk rates in 2024.

Then there’s the defense where, if you can believe it, one of the best shortstops in the game grades out quite well. In 2024 Seager posted 4 DRS and 5 OAA.

At his peak we’re talking about an over 6-win player, and at his lowest (disregarding the outlier 60-game COVID-shortened campaign) he’s an over 3.5-win player. The fact he’s been able to keep up this pace for the entirety of his decade long MLB career so far, makes him the perfect name to top this list.