Overview

• ESPN gathered more than 60 baseball experts to condense its preseason top-100 into a performance-and-projection-driven midseason top-50 after roughly four months of 2025 play.
• Judge vaulted from fourth to first spot with a .336/.444/.687 slash line through 109 games, edging two-way star Shohei Ohtani into second place.
• Breakout seasons fueled huge climbs for Cal Raleigh (from 86th to fourth) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (unranked to seventh) while Mookie Betts and Yordan Álvarez dropped out of the top 50.
• Analysts took issue with placements such as Nick Kurtz over Freddie Freeman and noted that relievers were entirely absent due to limited innings skewing WAR-based valuations.
• Injury setbacks shaped the list as Ronald Acuña Jr.’s calf strain and Brandon Woodruff’s recent return timeline influenced omissions and downward moves.