# Who is the best MLB player born in 1997?

> MVPs, batting champions and World Series heroes share this birth year with steady regulars who earned a single Gold Glove or All-Star nod. Sluggers, aces and closers all start on equal footing.

*By YPB Team · Published November 9, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-mlb-player-born-in-1997*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Yordan Alvarez** — score 1000/1000
   Cuban slugger for Houston who won the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year, the 2021 ALCS MVP and the 2022 World Series.
2. **Jesús Luzardo** — score 740/1000
   Left-hander born in Lima, Peru, who pitched for Oakland and Miami before joining Philadelphia in 2025.
3. **Shane McClanahan** — score 698/1000
   Tampa Bay left-hander who started the 2022 All-Star Game for the American League.
4. **Ronald Acuña Jr.** — score 525/1000
   Venezuelan outfielder for Atlanta who was the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year and the unanimous 2023 NL MVP after the first 40-homer, 70-steal season.
5. **Jeremy Peña** — score 525/1000
   Houston shortstop who as a rookie in 2022 won a Gold Glove and was named both ALCS MVP and World Series MVP.
6. **Triston McKenzie** — score 525/1000
   Lanky right-hander who was a regular in the rotation of Cleveland's 2022 AL Central champions.
7. **William Contreras** — score 525/1000
   Venezuelan catcher who won Silver Slugger Awards in 2023 and 2024 and was named MVP of Milwaukee's 2026 World Series win.
8. **Steven Kwan** — score 525/1000
   Cleveland left fielder who won Gold Gloves in each of his first three seasons, 2022 through 2024.
9. **Michael Soroka** — score 444/1000
   Canadian right-hander who was an All-Star and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting with Atlanta in 2019.
10. **Vinnie Pasquantino** — score 444/1000
   Kansas City first baseman who debuted in 2022 and returned from a broken thumb to play in the Royals' 2024 postseason.
11. **Josiah Gray** — score 444/1000
   Washington Nationals right-hander from New Rochelle, New York, who was named an All-Star in 2023.
12. **Bryson Stott** — score 444/1000
   Philadelphia second baseman who hit a grand slam in the 2023 NL Wild Card Series and played in the 2022 World Series.
13. **Brandon Marsh** — score 444/1000
   Outfielder traded from the Los Angeles Angels to Philadelphia in 2022 who played in that year's World Series.
14. **Brendan Donovan** — score 444/1000
   Utility player who won the inaugural NL utility Gold Glove in 2022 with St. Louis.
15. **Víctor Robles** — score 444/1000
   Dominican outfielder who won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals.
16. **Luis Arráez** — score 345/1000
   Venezuelan contact hitter who won batting titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 with Minnesota, Miami and San Diego.
17. **Nico Hoerner** — score 345/1000
   Chicago Cubs second baseman who won the 2023 NL Gold Glove at second base.
18. **Ryan Mountcastle** — score 345/1000
   First baseman who hit 33 home runs as a Baltimore rookie in 2021.
19. **Camilo Doval** — score 345/1000
   Dominican closer who led the National League with 39 saves for San Francisco in his 2023 All-Star season.
20. **Luis Robert Jr.** — score 0/1000
   Cuban center fielder who won a Gold Glove in 2020 and hit 38 home runs in his 2023 All-Star season with the Chicago White Sox.
21. **Kyle Tucker** — score 0/1000
   Outfielder who won the 2022 World Series and a Gold Glove with Houston and led the American League with 112 RBIs in 2023.
22. **Ozzie Albies** — score 0/1000
   Second baseman from Curaçao who won Silver Slugger Awards in 2019 and 2021 and the 2021 World Series with Atlanta.
23. **Austin Riley** — score 0/1000
   Atlanta third baseman from Memphis who won the 2021 World Series and signed a 10-year contract extension with the Braves in 2022.
24. **Josh Naylor** — score 0/1000
   Canadian first baseman who was an All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024.
25. **Logan Gilbert** — score 0/1000
   Seattle right-hander who was a 2024 All-Star and led the American League in innings pitched that season.
26. **Ke'Bryan Hayes** — score 0/1000
   Third baseman, son of former big leaguer Charlie Hayes, who won the 2023 NL Gold Glove at his position with Pittsburgh.
27. **Lars Nootbaar** — score 0/1000
   Outfielder, long with St. Louis, with a Japanese mother who played for Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic champions.
28. **Cole Ragans** — score 0/1000
   Left-hander traded from Texas to Kansas City in 2023 for Aroldis Chapman who became a strikeout leader in the Royals' rotation.
29. **Dustin May** — score 0/1000
   Right-hander who won the 2020 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tags: sports, baseball, players, mlb, 1997