Angels' Shohei Ohtani Named Top MLB Player in ESPN's 2023 Rankings

Was this ever even a question?

Do no worry Angels fans, Arte Moreno is clearly not in charge of ESPN's 2023 player rankings or else our superstar would have only been between number five and ten. Instead, Shohei Ohtani tops some of the biggest names in the MLB and has been named the number one player heading into the new season.

Coming off a world tour in the WBC where Ohtani proved that nobody could stop him, these new rankings could not come at a better time. I feel like ESPN waited until after the championship game between Team USA and Team Japan to drop this list especially seeing that Mike Trout comes in at number two after Ohtani struck him out to bring Japan the gold.

Trout vs Ohtani lived up to the HYPE! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Z8aZAjpDRg

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 22, 2023

Other than Trout, the 28-year-old champion also ranks above Aaron Judge who won the NL MVP last season and also made history with his 62 home runs. Many have been arguing that he is the best player in baseball but it's hard to rank anybody above Ohtani after those WBC performances where he hit .435/.606/.739 and pitched a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts.

Coming at number four on the list is Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres after he signed his massive extension with the team. The star slugger compiled a magical season last year where he was the squad's only consistent offense and finished as an NL MVP runner-up.

However, none of these guys were able to rank above Ohtani and ESPN, just like us, is head over heels for the international superstar. Jeff Passan had a lot of praise for him in the standings.

"It shouldn't surprise anyone that Ohtani ranks first heading into the 2023 season," said Passan. "He is the most uniquely talented player in baseball history and it took a historic offensive season from Aaron Judge to prevent him from becoming a back-to-back MVP. Ohtani, still only 28, is both one of the most dominant starting pitchers and one of the most feared hitters in the sport, along with being one of the fastest runners. (And if he wanted to be an outfielder, coaches believe he could become an excellent defender, too.)"

Ohtani looks to record yet another historic season in what could be his last with the Angels and also finally make the postseason.