The Los Angeles Dodgers had seven players featured in ESPN’s top 100 MLB players list for the 2024 season, led by Mookie Betts (No. 4), Shohei Ohtani (No. 5) and Freddie Freeman (No. 9).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (No. 45), Will Smith (No. 46), Tyler Glasnow (No. 64) and Walker Buehler (No. 100) were also included in the rankings.
The Dodgers and New York Yankees are the only teams to have at least three players ranked within the top 10. L.A.’s seven total selections were second to only the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros (eight each).
Dodgers ranked by ESPN for 2024
Mookie Betts, No. 4
Betts is coming off a stellar season that saw him bat .307/.408/.579 with 40 doubles, 39 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 96 walks over 152 games that resulted in a second-place finish in National League MVP voting.
Betts now looks to replicate that success as he transitions to shortstop on a regular basis during the 2024 season.
Shohei Ohtani, No. 5
Ohtani won a second American League MVP Award for his contributions as a two-way player. He hit .304/.412/.654 with 26 doubles, eight triples, 44 home runs, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 599 plate appearances across 135 games for the Los Angeles Angels.
As a pitcher, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.06 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine in 132 innings pitched (23 starts). He won’t take the mound for the Dodgers this season but should continue making an impact at the plate.
Ohtani is the only player in MLB history to twice win the MVP in unanimous fashion.
Freddie Freeman, No. 9
Freeman batted .331/.410/.567 with 59 doubles, 29 home runs and 102 RBI while eclipsing the 200-hit mark for the first time in his career. Freeman broke the Dodgers franchise doubles record and Los Angeles records for extra-base hits and runs scored, among other accolades.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, No. 45
Yamamoto has yet to throw a pitch in the big leagues, but is coming off a season that saw him go 17-6 with a 1.21 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 24 games for the Orix Buffaloes.
The right-hander won the Eiji Sawamura Award (equivalent to MLB’s Cy Young) and Pacific League MVP for the third consecutive year.
Tyler Glasnow, No. 64
Glasnow went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 1.08 WHIP and 12.2 strikeouts per nine in 120 innings pitched over 21 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays last year.
He missed nearly the first two months of the season due to a left oblique strain, but managed to stay on the field the rest of the way. The Dodgers are confident Glasnow’s health troubles are behind him and he will be an ace for the pitching staff.
Walker Buehler, No. 100
Buehler missed all of 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery but should rejoin the Dodgers rotation at some point during the first half of the regular season.
In parts of six MLB campaigns, Buehler owns a 46-16 record, 3.02 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.04 WHIP and 9.7 strikeouts per nine over 638.1 innings pitched (115 games; 106 starts).
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