Hello everyone. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m your host, Sean Huff, and welcome back to the Diamond Digest Top 10 Right Now series. This isn’t a podcast anymore, though I had a blast doing the four podcast episodes earlier this year.
I should explain why this is no longer a podcast. A confluence of factors, including limited availability of co-hosts and I myself having midterms, served to put the series in production limbo for a few weeks. During that time—rejoice—the lockout ended. Yet, with the lockout over, signings commenced. Spring Training started, and so did injuries. No longer were our rankings accurate, due to position changes and missed time for injuries.
We still have all of these lists, though. Here, I’ll present three lists per position. First, I will show the composite Diamond Digest list, the one counted down on the podcast series. Then, I will show my own list at the time of DD voting. Finally, to reflect what’s changed since then, I’ll provide my personal list knowing what’s known now.
Author’s Note: Asterisks in any list indicate a player is now ranked at a different position than they were initially.
Catchers
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Yasmani Grandal | Grandal | Grandal |
| 2 | Will Smith | Smith | Smith |
| 3 | J.T. Realmuto | Realmuto | Realmuto |
| 4 | Mike Zunino | Sean Murphy | Murphy |
| 5 | Max Stassi | Zunino | Zunino |
| 6 | Mitch Garver | Garver | Garver |
| 7 | Murphy | Stassi | Stassi |
| 8 | Willson Contreras | Omar Narváez | Narváez |
| 9 | Salvador Perez | Jacob Stallings | Stallings |
| 10 | Stallings | Adley Rutschman | Contreras |
First Basemen
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Guerrero Jr. | Guerrero Jr. |
| 2 | Freddie Freeman | Freeman | Freeman |
| 3 | Matt Olson | Olson | Olson |
| 4 | Max Muncy* | Muncy* | Paul Goldschmidt |
| 5 | Goldschmidt | Goldschmidt | Pete Alonso |
| 6 | Joey Votto | Alonso | Brandon Belt |
| 7 | Alonso | Belt | Ty France |
| 8 | José Abreu | France | Votto |
| 9 | Belt | Votto | Jared Walsh |
| 10 | Yuli Gurriel | Yandy Díaz* | Abreu |
Second Basemen
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Marcus Semien | Semien | Semien |
| 2 | Brandon Lowe | Lowe | Lowe |
| 3 | Ketel Marte | Marte | Marte |
| 4 | Ozzie Albies | Jose Altuve | Altuve |
| 5 | Altuve | Albies | Trevor Story* |
| 6 | Jake Cronenworth | Cronenworth | Albies |
| 7 | Jonathan India | Jorge Polanco | Cronenworth |
| 8 | Javier Báez* | Báez* | Chris Taylor* |
| 9 | Polanco | India | Polanco |
| 10 | Whit Merrifield* | Jeff McNeil | India |
Shortstops
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Tatis Jr. | Carlos Correa |
| 2 | Correa | Correa | Trea Turner |
| 3 | Turner | Turner | Corey Seager |
| 4 | Seager | Seager | Tatis Jr. |
| 5 | Xander Bogaerts | Wander Franco | Franco |
| 6 | Franco | Bogaerts | Bogaerts |
| 7 | Story* | Tim Anderson | Anderson |
| 8 | Francisco Lindor | Lindor | Lindor |
| 9 | Anderson | Bo Bichette | Bichette |
| 10 | Bichette | Story* | Brandon Crawford |
Third Basemen
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | José Ramírez | Ramírez | Ramírez |
| 2 | Rafael Devers | Manny Machado | Machado |
| 3 | Nolan Arenado | Yoán Moncada | Moncada |
| 4 | Machado | Devers | Devers |
| 5 | Matt Chapman | Alex Bregman | Bregman |
| 6 | Anthony Rendon | Rendon | Rendon |
| 7 | Moncada | Arenado | Arenado |
| 8 | Bregman | Chapman | Chapman |
| 9 | Kris Bryant* | Ke’Bryan Hayes | Josh Donaldson |
| 10 | Austin Riley | Riley | Riley |
Left Fielders
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Mike Trout* | Trout* | Tyler O’Neill |
| 2 | Giancarlo Stanton* | O’Neill | Jesse Winker |
| 3 | Winker | Stanton* | Joey Gallo |
| 4 | O’Neill | Taylor* | Nick Castellanos* |
| 5 | Gallo | Winker | Mark Canha |
| 6 | Taylor* | Gallo | Bryant* |
| 7 | Eloy Jiménez | Canha | Michael Brantley |
| 8 | Randy Arozarena | Brantley | Jiménez |
| 9 | Christian Yelich | Jiménez | Yelich |
| 10 | Canha | Kyle Schwarber* | Arozarena |
Center Fielders
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Bryan Reynolds | Byron Buxton | Trout* |
| 2 | Luis Robert | Reynolds | Ronald Acuña Jr.* |
| 3 | Buxton | Robert | Buxton |
| 4 | Cedric Mullins II | Brandon Nimmo | Reynolds |
| 5 | George Springer | Mullins II | Robert |
| 6 | Starling Marte* | Springer | Nimmo |
| 7 | Nimmo | Marte* | Mullins II |
| 8 | Trent Grisham | Grisham | Springer |
| 9 | Cody Bellinger | Bellinger | Grisham |
| 10 | Harrison Bader | Bader | Bader |
Right Fielders
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | President – Updated |
| 1 | Juan Soto | Soto | Soto |
| 2 | Acuña Jr.* | Acuña Jr.* | Bryce Harper |
| 3 | Mookie Betts | Harper | Betts |
| 4 | Harper | Betts | Aaron Judge |
| 5 | Judge | Judge | Kyle Tucker |
| 6 | Tucker | Tucker | Marte* |
| 7 | Castellanos* | Castellanos* | Michael Conforto |
| 8 | Teoscar Hernández | Conforto | Hernández |
| 9 | Conforto | Hernández | Avisaíl García |
| 10 | Mitch Haniger | García | Robbie Grossman |
Designated Hitters
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Yordan Álvarez | Álvarez | Muncy* |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | Ohtani | Álvarez |
| 3 | J.D. Martinez | Martinez | Ohtani |
| 4 | Nelson Cruz | Cruz | Stanton* |
| 5 | Franmil Reyes | Alejandro Kirk | Martinez |
| 6 | Gavin Sheets | Sheets | Schwarber* |
| 7 | Kirk | Reyes | Cruz |
| 8 | Seth Beer | Yoshi Tsutsugo | Luke Voit* |
| 9 | Daniel Vogelbach | Vogelbach | Kirk |
| 10 | Tsutsugo | Beer | Austin Meadows* |
Starting Pitchers
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Jacob deGrom | deGrom | deGrom |
| 2 | Corbin Burnes | Burnes | Burnes |
| 3 | Gerrit Cole | Brandon Woodruff | Woodruff |
| 4 | Max Scherzer | Cole | Cole |
| 5 | Walker Buehler | Buehler | Buehler |
| 6 | Zack Wheeler | Scherzer | Scherzer |
| 7 | Shane Bieber | Bieber | Bieber |
| 8 | Woodruff | Wheeler | Sandy Alcantara |
| 9 | Robbie Ray | Alcantara | Charlie Morton |
| 10 | Lucas Giolito | Morton | Logan Webb |
| 11 | Aaron Nola | Webb | Giolito |
| 12 | Max Fried | Giolito | Ray |
| 13 | Webb | Ray | Wheeler |
| 14 | Luis Castillo | Carlos Rodón | Rodón |
| 15 | Kevin Gausman | Nola | Nola |
| 16 | Lance Lynn | Gausman | Gausman |
| 17 | José Berríos | Nathan Eovaldi | Eovaldi |
| 18 | Rodón | Lance McCullers Jr. | Castillo |
| 19 | Chris Sale | Castillo | Urías |
| 20 | Morton | Julio Urías | Berríos |
Relief Pitchers
| Rank | Diamond Digest | Personal – December | Personal – Updated |
| 1 | Josh Hader | Liam Hendriks | Hendriks |
| 2 | Hendriks | Hader | Hader |
| 3 | Emmanuel Clase | Raisel Iglesias | Iglesias |
| 4 | Iglesias | Ryan Pressly | Devin Williams |
| 5 | Blake Treinen | Clase | Pressly |
| 6 | Pressly | Giovanny Gallegos | Clase |
| 7 | Williams | Jonathan Loáisiga | Gallegos |
| 8 | Loáisiga | Williams | Loáisiga |
| 9 | Garrett Whitlock | Collin McHugh | Treinen |
| 10 | Kenley Jansen | Treinen | Taylor Rogers |
What do you think of our lists? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @Diamond_Digest!
Featured Image: @Angels / Twitter
