Yankees slugger Aaron Judge |
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The MLB regular season is roughly 75 percent complete. Plenty has changed since the start of the season, but one constant is New York Yankees superstar outfielder Aaron Judge.
On Tuesday, ESPN updated its top-50 player rankings. Judge, who was fourth on the World Wide Leader’s initial 2025 rankings of baseball’s best players in early April, claimed the top spot.
Los Angeles Dodgers DH/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts rounded out the top four on the April list.
Just over four months later, Judge edged Ohtani for No. 1. ESPN shared the article with the fully updated rankings on X (formerly Twitter).
2. Shohei Ohtani
6. Paul Skenes
12. Juan Soto
ESPN MLB experts give their in-season update for baseball’s top 50 players ⬇️ https://t.co/A4y9km2Kuj
— ESPN (@espn) August 12, 2025
Judge is raking again this season, posting 37 HRs and 87 RBI with an impressive .336 BA through 109 games. It’s fair to wonder where the spiraling New York Yankees (63-56 through Monday) would be without his production.
Ohtani, meanwhile, hasn’t done anything to drop down in the rankings; it’s just hard to argue with the numbers Judge is putting up. The 31-year-old Dodgers star has 42 HRs and 78 RBI and a .284 batting average in 117 games. Plus, he has a 2.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Among the biggest risers on ESPN’s list are Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (86th in April to fourth) and Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (unranked to seventh).
For Betts and Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez, 2025 hasn’t been as kind. Both fell from the top 10 to outside the top 50 altogether.
The most important games of the season are still to come, and that’s where Judge and Ohtani could add a few more bullet points to their already impressive resumes.
Jackson Weber
Jackson Weber is a sports writer with a BComm in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph. While he has focused primarily on NHL coverage in recent years, he brings strong knowledge and passion for the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Following all four major leagues year-round, Jackson delivers honest, opinion-driven stories on the biggest topics in sports
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