ESPN published its mid-season update of “MLB Rank 2025,” listing the 50 players judged to have had the greatest impact so far this year while projecting their likely contributions over the campaign’s closing weeks. The ranking, compiled from ballots cast by 17 ESPN baseball analysts, places New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge at No. 1 for a second consecutive season, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. round out the top five. ESPN notes that the exercise weighs both first-half production and expected performance down the stretch, meaning several injured or underperforming stars from the preseason top-100 list—such as Mookie Betts and Ronald Acuña Jr.—do not appear. The network says the mid-August snapshot also underscores emerging trends, including a surge in high-impact young pitching and the growing offensive influence of catchers such as Raleigh and Dodgers backstop Will Smith.