Who is the most overrated MLB player? The 2025 Major League Baseball season is fast approaching and there will be a litany of breakout players making names for themselves this summer. There are however plenty over overrated players whose name recognition or contract doesn’t align with their on-field value. Here, we’re looking at the most overrated MLB players by position in 2025.
SP: Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
An All-Star selection in 2021, Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta earned his place as a front-line starter following the 2022 season. While he only pitched in 222.1 innings from 2021-’22, he compiled a 3.08 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and just a 5.6 H/9 with a 3.39 SO/BB ratio and an 11.4 K/9. The past two seasons have seen Peralta in a downward slide. He’s kept himself on the mound (339.1 IP), but his H/9 (7.3), HR/9 (1.4) and ERA (3.77) all ballooned. It got even worse in 2024, with Peralta recording a quality start in just 33.3 percent of his starts. Heading into his age-29 season and coming off a career-worst K-BB rate (18.2 percent), Peralta looks a lot more like a mid-rotation starter now.
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Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
A three-time All0Star selection and two-time Gold Glove Award winner, J.T. Realmuto has been one of the best catchers in MLB for years. However, the signs of a steep decline have been evident well before his age-34 campaign this season. While Realmuto’s pop time (1.85 seconds, 97th percentile) remains elite, he finished in the 30th percentile for Catcher Framing (-3) and placed in the 20th percentile for Blocks Above Average (-2) last season. Not only has he taken a considerable step backward defensively, but Realmuto has also seen his OPS fall from .814 (2018-2022) to .757 over the last two seasons. Entering the last year of his contract – $23.875M salary – this is potentially his last in Philadelphia.
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First Base: Pete Alonso, New York Mets
MLB free agency did a nice job serving a reminder that Pete Alonso isn’t quite as valuable as his name recognition might suggest. He finished sixth among first basemen in OPS (.788) last season, narrowly beating out Josh Naylor (.776) and Michael Busch (.775). Alonso also brings negative value as a base runner – 3rd percentile Baserunning Run Value – and he finished 26th among first basemen with 400-plus innings played in Total Runs Saved (-3) while placing in the 11th percentile for Fielding Run Value. With a sub-.230 batting average over the last two seasons and an OPS that has steadily declined over the last three years, Alonso won’t produce like a $30 million player in 2025.
Second Base: Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres second baseman Luis Arraez is a three-time All-Star selection and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner who has won the battle title in three consecutive years. Yet, he also feels like one of the poster boys for the most overrated MLB players. Defensively, he placed in the 1st percentile for Outs Above Average (-13) last season and he’s arguably been the worst defensive second basemen over the last two years. Arraez also brings minimal value on the basepaths – 9 steals and 27th percentile Fielding Run Value – while ranking 15th at his position in fWAR (1.1) since 2023. Arraez’s high batting average is largely empty calories, with everything else he does reducing his impact. There’s a reason San Diego is moving him to first base in 2025.
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Shortstop: Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
Evidently, the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets dodged a bullet with Carlos Correa. He played in just 86 games last season, with nagging plantar fasciitis in his right foot sidelining him for months. He did finish the year with a .905 OPS and 14 home runs in 319 at-bats, but Correa also finished with -3 Defensive Runs Saved. Over the last two seasons, the Twins’ star ranks 13th among shortstops in fWAR (6.1), behind the likes of Dansby Swanson, Ha-Seong Kim and J.P. Crawford. Entering his age-30 season, it might only get worse from here.
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Third Base: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
In previous years, Colorado Rockies third baseman Kris Bryant would’ve made the list of most overrated MLB players. However, he’s fallen off to the point where he is no longer an option. So, the next man up is Manny Machado. The days of being one of the best third basemen in MLB seem long behind him. Turning 33 in July, Machado ranks seventh at his position in OPS (.790) over the last two seasons which is a steep drop-off from his .881 OPS from 2020-’22.
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He also tailed off defensively, ranking 14th among third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (6) over the last two seasons with a -1 Outs Above Average (38th percentile) this past year. Unfortunately for the Padres, his $39 million average annual salary (2027-2033) doesn’t kick in for another two years, so the return on investment is going to get a lot worse.
Left Field: Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners
Randy Arozarena has a decorated major-league career – 2023 All-Star selection and 2021 AL Rookie of the Year – with a reputation for being clutch in October (ALCS MVP in 2020). However, entering his age-30 season, Arozarena just hasn’t been quite as good as his reputation would suggest. Before being traded to the Seattle Mariners midway through the 2023 season, he slashed just .211/.318/.394 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Even after landing in Seattle, he still recorded a sub-.740 OPS.
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After an electrifying start to his MLV career, posting a .275/.359/.479 triple-slash line in his first two seasons with the Rays, his production has dipped considerably. From 2022-’24, Arozarena slashed .246/.341/.420 (.761 OPS)., with his slugging percentage dropping each season. While a 117 OPS+ over that span makes him an above-average hitter, he ranked in the 4th percentile for Fielding Run Value (-8) last season and has a -12 Outs Above Average total in the last two years. Because of it, he ranks 12th among left fielders in fWAR (5.0) since 2023 which is narrowly ahead of Luke Raley
Center Field: Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles
Just a few years ago, Cedric Mullins seemed to be emerging as one of the best players in baseball. As a 26-year-old, he earned an All-Star selection and finished ninth in AL MVP voting with a .878 OPS, 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases. After hitting 30 home runs in 602 at-bats that season, the Orioles’ center field has just 49 home runs in his last 1,456 at-bats.
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It’s been just part of a continued decline that started well before he turned 30 years old. After slashing .258/.318/.403 with a .721 OPS in 2022, Mullins now has a .305 OBP and .233 batting average in the last two seasons. To make matters worse, he ranked 22nd in Defensive Runs Saved (-5) last season among center fielders with 700-plus innings played. Because of it all, Mullins ranks 19th in fWAR (4.2) at his position since 2023. That’s barely ahead of TJ Friedl (4.1) and behind Jose Siri (4.4).
Right Field: George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays
A four-time All-Star who is still tied for the MLB record with most home runs (five) in a single World Series, George Springer’s production has fallen off a cliff in recent seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Now heading into his age-35 campaign, Springer is coming off a combined .240/316/.389 triple-slash line with a .705 OPS over the last two years.
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During that two-year stretch, Stringer ranked 41st among right fielders in OPS and 34th in wRC+ (100), even worse than Lane Thomas (105) and Matt Vierling (104). As for his defense, Springer ended last season in the 3rd percentile for Baseball Savant‘s Arm Value (-3) and placed in the 23rd percentile for Fielding Run Value. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, they still owe him nearly $50 million total over the next two seasons.