Top-25 MLB players at midpoint of season

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25448399-ranking-mlbs-top-25-players-after-3-months-2026-season

1. SHOHEI OHTANI, RHP & DH, Los Angeles Dodgers 

296/.412/.542, 18 HR, 50 RBI, 6 SB

79.2 IP, 1.58 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 0.90 WHIP, 9.7 K/9

Were it just the hitting or just the pitching, Ohtani would probably check in somewhere in the Nos. 10-15 range. But the fact that he's simultaneously doing both at an elite level is just an unfair fight in any sort of player ranking conversation. Both PCA and Schwarber are having great seasons, yet both are extreme long shots for NL MVP in Ohtani's rearview mirror. This might be his magnum opus.

2. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

99.0 IP, 1.45 ERA, 1.84 FIP, 0.77 WHIP, 13.3 K/9

Misiorowski's starts have become appointment television unlike anything in recent years. Sure, Paul Skenes' starts were a big deal over the past two seasons, but you weren't making sure to watch those games because of the possibility of witnessing the fastest pitch in MLB history. And just as preposterous as the velocity is the longevity, as Misiorowski has reeled off nine consecutive quality starts with a cumulative line of 61.0 IP, 26 H, 4 ER, 12 BB, 87 K. Those are video game numbers, and I dare say no one is going to be mad about him making the All-Star team this year.

3. Cristopher Sánchez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies

117.0 IP, 2.00 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.5 K/9

On Tuesday night, Sánchez went seven scoreless innings in a win over the Pirates. Could that have been the beginning of another outrageous run of doughnut-posting dominance, like his month of May with 39 scoreless innings pitched? Sánchez almost won the NL Cy Young last year, finishing first runner-up to Paul Skenes. He may be in the same boat this year, though, if The Miz stays healthy.

4. Yordan Alvarez, DH/OF, Houston Astros

.314/.428/.618, 26 HR, 60 RBI

For a while there, it looked like Alvarez was going to flirt with breaking Aaron Judge's AL record of 62 home runs in a single season. He had 11 through his first 26 games and got to 20 in game No. 56 before tapering off a bit over the past month. He did hit No. 26 in grand salami fashion on Tuesday night, though, raising his already MLB-best OPS a few more points in the process. Perhaps that was the beginning of another big surge for the AL MVP favorite.

5. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs

.284/.373/.515, 18 HR, 46 RBI, 20 SB

After homering in just one of his first 19 games, PCA caught fire for a 49-game stretch with 16 home runs, 12 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.054. That was a 162-game pace of 53 home runs and 40 stolen bases—not much unlike the heater he was on through the first 92 games of last season, pacing at 44 homers and 48 swipes. On behalf of Cubs fans, here's hoping he can keep that going into the second half this time around.

6. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

.294/.367/.479, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 28 SB

Witt recently missed a week of action after a scary-looking knee injury. But that knee looked just fine on Tuesday when he went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs—albeit fittingly in a 10-4 loss for the last-place Royals. Witt started slow on the slugging front, not hitting his first home run until his 28th game. Since then, he has operated at a 162-game pace of 37 home runs and 58 stolen bases.

7. Kyle Schwarber, DH, Philadelphia Phillies

.256/.369/.583, 30 HR, 55 RBI

Schwarber hit 187 home runs over the past four seasons with the Phillies, or roughly 47 per year. He has been one of the best sluggers in the sport for some time now. Yet, he presently has career-best marks in both slugging and OPS, and is on pace to surpass the NL-best 56 home runs that he hit in 2025. The magic number among Phillies fans is 58, as in Ryan Howard's franchise record when he won NL MVP 20 years ago. Schwarber might break that record.

8. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics

.276/.421/.516, 19 HR, 64 RBI, 7 SB

It's clear at this point that playing home games at Sutter Health Park / Las Vegas Ballpark is akin to playing home games at Coors Field in the 1990s. But even taking that inflation factor into consideration, Kurtz has been some kind of special barely 200 games into his MLB career. He entered July leading the majors in both walks drawn and runs batted in and might be the top challenger to Yordan Alvarez for AL MVP.

9. Cam Schlittler, RHP, New York Yankees

104.0 IP, 2.08 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 10.6 K/9

Schlittler had a rare rough outing on Tuesday night against the Tigers. Not only did he allow multiple home runs in a start for the first time this season, but he was shelled for four of them. Prior to that, though, he was leading the AL in ERA, FIP, K/BB, WAR and probably a few other acronyms of note, well on his way to starting for the American League in the All-Star Game.

10. Mason Miller, RHP, San Diego Padres

34.2 IP, 0.78 ERA, 0.42 FIP, 0.84 WHIP, 17.1 K/9

It's always tough to know where to rank closers, as they end up pitching one-third as many innings as starters. However, anything worse than top 10 would feel disrespectful here, as Miller's FIP is the lowest in MLB history for a season with at least 30 innings pitched. He has struck out 50 percent of batters faced this season and has yet to allow a home run or blow a save. We're definitely in "2003 Eric Gagne" territory here, and we'd be surely talking about the possibility of a Cy Young if he were in the American League.