Top 10 Baseball Players Not Currently in MLB
It’s practically a given that the best baseball players in the world will be on an MLB roster – or at least an MLB injured list. Right?
The last year has seen a remarkable confluence of factors conspire to keep several players who were on top of the baseball world a year ago on the outside of looking in. Some of those factors were of their own doing. Others are more complicated.
Here’s a closer look at the 10 best players not currently in the best league in the world.
10. Dong-Ju Moon
Last year, Moon reportedly became the first Korean pitcher known to throw 100 mph — as a 19-year-old. Speed isn’t everything, and Moon’s struggles with command led to a slow start this season in the KBO. His talent is undeniable, however. Moon was tabbed to start one of the Seoul exhibition games against the Padres in March and allowed one run in two innings.
9. Coby Mayo
A consensus top-30 prospect in baseball, Mayo is among a handful of Orioles prospects thriving at Triple-A Norfolk, still waiting for the call. His 1.003 OPS (through Sunday) and a slew of 110-mph hits will eventually reverberate loud enough to be heard in Baltimore. The 22-year-old infielder simply needs an opportunity that hasn’t presented itself yet.
8. James Wood
The Nationals’ newly minted number-1 prospect has shown a knack for hitting the ball to all fields at Triple-A, where he has 10 doubles, eight stolen bases, and a .430 on-base percentage through Sunday. At 6-foot-7, the 21-year-old outfielder will be bringing his tall talents to D.C. before long.
7. Ju-Hyoung Lee
An acrobatic outfielder, Lee slashed .483/.516/.655 in seven games before falling victim to a hamstring injury in April. The 23-year-old had a .897 OPS last year, better than fellow KBO outfielder Jung Hoo Lee — who’s now a San Francisco Giant.
6. Junior Caminero
The 20-year-old shortstop got a seven-game cup of coffee last year with the Tampa Bay Rays but was back at Triple-A to start the 2024 season. Caminero, a consensus top-10 prospect, is now hitting .324 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 17 games to start the season at Durham.
5. Julio Urías
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Julio Urías #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Urías is among the best pitchers not currently with an MLB team. Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
The free agent pitcher recently pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in Los Angeles. His career is at least on hold while MLB contemplates making him the first player suspended twice under its domestic violence policy. Urías is 60-25 with a 3.11 ERA in a career that began in 2016 and is less than a year removed from major league competition — an easy inclusion on this list.
4. Paul Skenes
The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, it’s a small wonder the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t found a job for Skenes on their major league staff. He’s blowing triple-digit fastballs past Triple-A hitters to the tune of a 0.99 ERA in seven starts (27.1 innings).
3. Munetaka Murakami
A standout at last year’s World Baseball Classic for the championship-winning team from Japan, Murakami has continued to hit this year in NPB. At 24, he’s shown a knack for power (eight homers) and drawing walks (28 in 29 games) in his seventh professional season in Japan, with a .443 on-base percentage.
2. Roki Sasaki
Another star to emerge from Japan’s WBC run last year, Sasaki is dominating NPB again in 2024. He has a minuscule 1.64 ERA through his first five starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines. His 2022 perfect game set him on a course for MLB that hasn’t swerved since.
1. Wander Franco
Franco remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of his legal case in the Dominican Republic, where he allegedly maintained a relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Franco was an All-Star just last year at age 22, with the potential to become one of the game’s great shortstops as he aged into his prime.
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