One of the most interesting questions to answer in the middle of the baseball season is who will be the most improved player in Major League Baseball in 2024? Major League Baseball continues to entertain us with an influx of young stars and players who struggled one year but look like stars the next.
In other words, there are always players who show a significant amount of improvement over the previous year.
Best MLB Players in 2024
Honestly, we could spend all day arguing about who is the most improved player in Major League Baseball in 2024. There have been several players who have had great seasons and left their mark.
While we're sure to miss someone, we wanted to highlight five players who are among the most improved in MLB this season.
Reynaldo Lopez
No one expected Reynaldo Lopez to act this way. At 30, he’s put it all together and become one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. He wasn’t even a starting pitcher before the season started. Lopez started 33 games in 2019, posting a 5.38 on-base percentage.
He's started just 20 games total since then, only to become Atlanta's star pitcher, posting 7 wins and 3 losses with a 1.88 ERA through the first half of the season. That's the lowest ERA of any starting pitcher in the majors this season.
Not only is Lopez one of the most improved players in baseball this year, he's also a big Cy Young Award contender.
Mark Winds
Before the season, Francisco Alvarez of the New York Mets was a top prospect. But Mark Vientos is set to become the New York Mets’ star in 2024. Vientos has always had great power and impressive numbers in the minor leagues, though he has struggled to translate that into success in the majors when given the opportunity over the past two seasons.
However, when the Mets gave him the chance to be their everyday third baseman at the end of May, Vientos took it and ran with it. In just 51 games this season, Vientos has hit 12 home runs and 11 doubles while posting a .291 batting average and an .896 OPS. Had he played every day since the start of the season, he might have been a star, and the Mets might not have been as bad as they were in May.
Tanner Hawk
The Red Sox couldn’t be happier with what they’ve seen from Tanner Houck this year. The former first-round pick went 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA in 21 games he started last year. But it’s been a whole different story this year.
In the 19 games he played during the All-Star break, Hyuk has already surpassed last year’s total in innings, averaging 2.54. The contrast between last season and this one is almost too good to be true, helping make Hyuk a star. The best part for Boston is that Hyuk is only making $770,000 this year, so he’s also helping them avoid a luxury tax penalty.
Logan Ohope
Not only has Logan O'Hope been one of the most improved players in baseball, he's also a front-runner for Comeback Player of the Year this season. A torn upper lip cost him a significant portion of last season, putting his future somewhat in doubt.
However, the 24-year-old has hit for a .276 batting average with 14 home runs during the first half of the season. Despite being just a 23rd-round pick in the league, Ohope has proven to be one of the best hitting prospects in baseball. He has all but announced himself as the Angels’ future prospect, an organization that needs some good news.
Ronel Blanco
For Ronel Blanco, he started the season with a no-hitter, and somehow managed to continue that upward trajectory despite being suspended for 10 games in May. In his first 18 games, Blanco had 9 wins and 4 losses with a 2.56 ERA, which left him missing out on being a star.
This guy didn’t start playing baseball until he was 18 and didn’t make it to the major leagues until he was 28. Blanco hasn’t shown much promise in brief stints in the majors over the past two seasons. But he’s now a fixture in Houston’s lineup and one of the most improved players in baseball in 2024.
