MLB Network officially revealed its list for the Top 100 Players of 2024 and some familiar names stood out.
Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Trey Turner and Bryce Harper are the five players representing the Phillies on this year’s list.
This is two places below the seven players included in the list in 2023. The two players missing this season are Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins (who is now with the Brewers).
This puts them in a respectable fourth place overall. They are tied with the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Mets and Orioles with five players. The five clubs sit behind the Braves, who have an impressive nine, and the Astros and Dodgers, who are tied with seven.
Let’s take a look at the current Phillies on the list and where they rank:
Kyle Schwarber – No. 57
Schwarber didn’t necessarily have a bad year in terms of production, so why did he drop 13 spots from 2023? Sure, you can look at his .197 batting average and find the argument there, but Schwarber’s efficiency – especially when batting leadoff – helped the Phillies tremendously. He had a career-high 47 home runs, second best in MLB behind the Braves’ Matt Olson (54).
JT Realmuto – No. 46
Realmuto’s numbers declined slightly last season, which coincides with him falling to 46 on the list, after finishing 29th last year. Still, he is the third catcher behind the Dodgers’ Will Smith (No. 45) and the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman (No. 19).
The best asset a player has is his availability. Realmuto played in 135 games and during that time had 20 home runs, stole 16 bases (the most by a catcher) and hit .252.
Jack Wheeler – Number 28
Wheeler made a nice jump in the rankings, moving up seven spots and was considered the third-best pitcher on the list (Shohei Ohtani was listed as the designated hitter). He trails only the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (No. 9) and the Braves’ Spencer Strider (No. 17).
While Wheeler had solid numbers in the regular season, going 13–6 with a 3.61 ERA, his postseason numbers were spectacular. He went 3–0 with a 1.95 ERA in 27.2 innings. He had 35 strikeouts during that span, the second-most in the playoffs, and the lowest WHIP, 0.72, among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched.
Trey Turner – Number 16
That Turner is so high on this list after such a slow start to 2023 makes the second half of last season all the more impressive. Turner, previously ranked 11th overall, dropped only five places. It makes you wonder where he would have been if he had had any kind of stability in the first four months.
Bryce Harper – No. 11
Harper jumped six places on the list from her previous ranking (No. 17) in 2023. However, you can certainly argue why Harper should have earned a spot in the top 10.
Yes, Harper was sidelined for the first month of the season due to Tommy John surgery, but that didn’t hurt his numbers. He bounced back in record time, earning a new position at first base and not missing a beat offensively. And, of course, his postseason statistics speak for themselves, batting .286 with 12 hits, five home runs, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.
This is the 12th consecutive season that Harper has made the list. The only other player in the league to receive this honor is Mike Trout. In those 12 seasons, Harper has finished outside the top 25 only twice – in 2013 (No. 54) and 2020 (No. 33).
Take a look at the top 10 here:
10. Julio Rodriguez, CF, Mariners
9. Grete Cole, SP, Yankees
8 .Yordan Alvarez, LF, Astros
7. Juan Soto, RF, Yankees
6. Corey Seager, SS, Rangers
5. Freddy Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
4. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
3. Aaron Judge, CF, Yankees
2. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
1. Ronald Acuna Jr., RF, Braves
You can see the complete list here.
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