Best player projections for every MLB team in 2024

Whether it’s a championship contender, playoff hopeful or rebuilding club, each team has its share of special players worth watching. But who will every team’s No. 1 player be in 2024? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the Steamer projections on FanGraphs.

While there are some free agents who could shake up the list depending on where they land, these are the current top projected players for all 30 teams in 2024 by Wins Above Replacement.

Blue Jays: Kevin Gausman (4.3 WAR)
The late-blooming Gausman has developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball in his 30s, posting a 3.10 ERA, a 2.79 FIP and a 5.03 K/BB ratio over the past three seasons. After finishing third in the American League Cy Young race in 2023, Gausman could have another big year in store. He’s projected for 4.3 WAR, tops among AL arms.

Orioles: Adley Rutschman (5.8 WAR)
Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, has lived up to the hype over his first two seasons, playing a pivotal role in the O’s turnaround. The catcher is projected to rank fifth among position players in WAR, with 20 homers and a 130 wRC+.

Rays: Yandy Díaz (4.4 WAR)
Díaz broke out in 2023, winning the AL batting title with a .330 average and posting career highs in homers (22) and OPS (.932). Steamer doesn’t think a dropoff is coming — Díaz’s projected 144 wRC+ is the seventh best in MLB.

Red Sox: Rafael Devers (4.7 WAR)
A career .280/.343/.510 hitter, Devers has recorded 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBIs in three of the past four full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign). Steamer sees him reaching both of those plateaus again in 2024, projecting the 27-year-old for 36 homers and 103 RBIs to go with a 134 wRC+.

Yankees: Juan Soto (6.7 WAR)
With Soto joining Aaron Judge in the Yankees’ lineup, the Bronx Bombers have two of the four position players projected for at least 6 WAR in 2024. Steamer views Soto as the best hitter in baseball, projecting him for an MLB-leading 171 wRC+ with 39 homers, which would be quite an impressive platform year before the 25-year-old reaches free agency next offseason.

Guardians: José Ramírez (5.2 WAR)
Ramírez has finished sixth or better in the AL MVP race five times since 2017, ranking third in MLB during that span in WAR (39.7, per FanGraphs) behind Mookie Betts and Judge. The Guardians star is projected for 27 homers and 23 steals, which would mark his sixth career 20/20 season, as well as the best WAR total among third basemen (tied with the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson).

Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. (4.8 WAR)
Witt and Ronald Acuña Jr. were the only two players in baseball to reach both the 30-homer and 40-steal marks in 2023, and they’re the only two players Steamer projects to accomplish both feats in the upcoming season as well. It’s not something that has been done often. Entering 2024, there are just three players — Bobby Bonds (four times), Barry Bonds (twice) and Alfonso Soriano (twice) — with multiple…