EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSpring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2026 MLB season preview, ESPN's Buster Olney surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position as part of his annual positional ranking series.Today, we rank the best of the best relievers.The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2026 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. We will roll out a position per day over the next two weeks. Here's the rest of the schedule: starting pitchers (Monday), relief pitchers (Tuesday), catchers (Wednesday), second basemen (Friday), third basemen (Feb. 23), shortstops (Feb. 24), corner outfielders (Feb. 25), center fielders (Feb. 26), designated hitters (Feb. 27).Typically, there is a distinct learning curve for even the best college hitters as they adapt to the challenge of facing professional pitchers, sometimes requiring significant adjustments, swing concessions and years of repetitions. That's why the rookie season of A's first baseman Nick Kurtz was so shocking.After being drafted fourth overall in 2024 and starting the '25 season in the minor leagues, Kurtz wrecked major league pitching for 36 homers and an OPS+ of 173 in his first 117 games. He effectively spotted the rest of the league a month -- making his debut on April 23 -- and only Matt Olson accumulated more fWAR than Kurtz among first basemen in 2025.David Forst, the A's head of baseball operations, was asked the other day about the alterations that Kurtz made after being drafted to propel him to such a fast start in the big leagues."He hasn't had the time [in pro ball] to make adjustments yet," Forst said. "He's done the exact same thing in the major leagues as he did in college."This is not an exaggeration. In Kurtz's last season at Wake Forest in 2024, he posted a slash line of .306/.531/.763. His first season in the big leagues: .290/.383/.619.Kurtz turns 23 next month. Given the damage he did last year, and the promise for more of the same to come, where should he land among the accomplished list of first basemen that includes future Hall of Famers in Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper, star hitters such as Rafael Devers and Josh Naylor, and sluggers such as Pete Alonso and Olson?Evaluators love what they see in Kurtz.Top 10 first basemen 1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue JaysLast October, Guerrero ascended from mere stardom to being in the conversation for the best and most dangerous hitter in the game with how he dominated postseason pitching. Vlad Jr. decided to focus less on mechanics and more on the pitcher and wow, did that approach work for him in the playoffs: He hit eight home runs in 18 games, going 29-for-73 (.397) with 14 walks and seven strikeouts. This season's MVP race among Vladdy, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Kurtz, Bobby Witt Jr., Jose Ramirez and Julio Rodriguez could be a monster. 2. Matt Olson, Atlanta BravesOlson's consistent production is vaulting him into Hall of Fame territory. He needs just 12 more homers for 300 in his career and has at least 29 in seven of his 10 seasons. New Atlanta manager Walt Weiss is more inclined to rest players than Brian Snitker was, and Olson might be his most challenging conversation -- he has played every game over the last three seasons. There is so much to playing first base that no statistic fully captures the skills required, but Olson led all first basemen in defensive runs saved by far (17), and he was second in outs above average (nine). 3. Nick Kurtz, AthleticsKurtz's greatest adjustment might need to be made against left-handed pitchers because he is going to see a ton of them this year when opposing managers are trying to figure out a way to mitigate his power. Last season, his OPS versus right-handed pitchers was 468 points higher than versus lefties -- 1.153 to .685. But given his immediate impact and steady improvement over last season, he figures to get better over time against lefties. His impressive history also suggests he'll turn around last year's walk/strikeout numbers of 63/151 -- through his college years and first season of pro ball, he had 201 walks and 120 strikeouts. Kurtz has a special set of skills. 4. Pete Alonso, Baltimore OriolesAll of the conversation about Alonso's defense and baserunning -- overstated criticism -- have overshadowed his remarkable consistency with the Mets. "You just pencil him in for 35 homers and 110 RBIs, and you know he'll give you 155 to 160 games," one evaluator said. None of that is an overstatement -- Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs in every year of his career other than the COVID-shortened season of 2020, and he's driven in 463 runs over the last four years, or about 116 per season. And he's missed a total of 24 games in his first seven seasons. Time will tell whether the Mets' decision to not pay him was the right one, but undoubtedly, there will be a lot of moments in 2026 when they will miss him. 5. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles DodgersIf you polled opposing managers about who they would least like to see in the batter's box with the game on the line, Freeman would probably be among the first hitters named, even at age 36. He continues to excel, with a .295/.367/.502 slash line last season, and at this point, there's every reason to believe he'll have a shot at being the next -- and maybe last? -- hitter to reach 3,000 hits. He's got 569 to go, and given his understanding of opposing pitchers and his ability to hit to all fields, Freeman should continue to age well. He's got two years left on his Dodgers contract, and with Shohei Ohtani entrenched as L.A.'s designated hitter indefinitely, questions might emerge next season about where Freeman will finish his career. 6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia PhilliesDavid Dombrowski, the head of Philadelphia's baseball operations, kicked off a lot of conversation about what kind of player Harper is with the way he answered a question about Harper's production at the end of last season. Where does Harper actually stand? Well, his OPS+ last year was 129, meaning he was well above average, and in this era of dominant pitching, his on-base percentage of .357 ranked 26th among the 154 hitters who qualified for the batting title. Harper scored 72 runs in 132 games and accumulated 27 homers. He'll play this season at age 33, with Dombrowski's assessment providing the foundation for whatever narrative develops. 7. Josh Naylor, Seattle MarinersNaylor thrived after his trade to Seattle, posting an .831 OPS and going 19-for-19 in stolen bases over the last 54 games of the regular season -- and carrying that over into the postseason, when he hit .417/.481/.792 in the AL Championship Series. Early in free agency, the Mariners retained him on a five-year, $92.5 million deal. 8. Rafael Devers, San Francisco GiantsMembers of San Francisco's front office say they believe Devers will become a solid first baseman as he works with new infield instructor Ron Washington, and there has never been any doubt about whether he can hit. Even through his tumultuous 2025 season, Devers still finished with an OPS of 140, right in line with his career numbers, and he hit 35 homers. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts in his first full season in Oracle Park, where he had an uncharacteristic 59 strikeouts in 48 games and batted .234 -- numbers that suggest he might have been trying to muscle up in a pitchers' park. 9. Michael Busch, Chicago CubsWith the confines of Wrigley Field more friendly to pitchers and right-handed hitters most days, Busch hit 21 of his 34 homers on the road. But he was still really good at home, with a .356 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. With the Cubs' best hitters mostly right-handed, the team will need the left-handed Busch to thrive and balance out the lineup, especially if Pete Crow-Armstrong has another season of streaks. 10. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City RoyalsAfter a string of injuries, Pasquantino stayed on the field in 2025 and finished with 66 extra-base hits, 113 RBIs and a career-high 120 OPS+. He played 126 of his 160 games at first base last season but could have more time at DH in '26, as the Royals rely more on Carter Jensen behind home plate and Salvador Perez plays more games at first.Honorable mentionsJonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays: Aranda would be in the top 10 if not for an injury that cost him August and almost all of September last year. He finished about 80 plate appearances short of qualifying for a batting title, but the only hitter with at least 400 plate appearances who had a higher average than Aranda's .316 was Judge. Aranda had a wRC+ of 153, and among first basemen, only Kurtz was better.Ben Rice, New York Yankees: Part of the reason why Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks about the improvement in his team's roster over the last year is Rice's development, which has the team believing he's going to be an impact hitter in the seasons ahead. In his first full season, Rice generated a slugging percentage of .499, with an OBP of .337. His second-half slash line was .281/.352/.542, and lest you assume he's just another left-hander hitter exploiting the Yankee Stadium dimensions, his home/road splits were pretty even (.250/.336/.518 at home, .259/.338/.481 on the road).Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox: A tough hitter who has adapted well in his position shift to first base. His strikeouts spiked last year to a career-high 142, and his walk rate of 7.8 in '25 was a career low.Jorge Polanco, New York Mets: In the end, manager Carlos Mendoza could deploy Brett Baty -- or Mark Vientos -- at first, and Polanco could get a lot of run at DH. No matter where he plays, he should help the Mets' offense, coming off a season in which he had an .821 OPS.Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers: Torkelson made a lot of offseason changes that paid off in the first half of last season, when he hit 21 of his 31 homers and had an OPS of .826.Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers: Vaughn had a .308/.375/.493 slash line in 64 games for Milwaukee, and his walk-strikeout ratio shifted dramatically -- from seven walks and 43 strikeouts in his last 48 games with Chicago to 24 walks and 37 strikeouts with the Brewers.Christian Walker, Houston Astros: His offensive struggles were real (a 99 wRC+), but he continued to play well defensively and he hit 27 homers.
