By Rowan Kavner
FOX Sports MLB Writer
The most powerful offense in baseball begins at the peak.
Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman have sparked the top of a deep Dodgers lineup that leads the majors in every slash-line category (.261/.337/.452). Freeman and Turner rank first and second, respectively, among MLB’s hit leaders this season, while Betts is the Dodgers’ leader in wins above replacement.
Together, they’re unquestionably one of the most formidable trios in the majors. But have they been the best?
The question is somewhat subjective, so let’s simplify it. Based on WAR — factoring in both FanGraphs’ (fWAR) and Baseball Reference’s (bWAR) versions of the stat — these are the teams that boast the most valuable position player trios in baseball this year.
A category of their own: Los Angeles Angels — Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Taylor Ward
Combined fWAR: 15.3 (Ohtani 7.9, Trout 4.8, Ward 2.6)
Combined bWAR: 15.1 (Ohtani 7.9, Trout 4.8, Ward 2.4)
Average: 15.2 WAR
Yes, this is meant to look at the top position player trios in baseball. And if we include only what Ohtani’s doing as a designated hitter, the Angels wouldn’t make the list. But we wouldn’t be offering a fair or complete picture without including the value Ohtani is adding as a pitcher, so we’ll separate the Angels here.
If you count Ohtani’s hitting and pitching WAR, the trio of Ohtani, Trout and Ward would rank as the fourth-most valuable trio in baseball this year. That’s rather remarkable considering that Trout has played in only 97 of the Angels’ 133 games, while Ward has played in 110. It also speaks to just how ridiculous a season Ohtani is having (again).
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5. Houston Astros — Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker/Alex Bregman
Combined fWAR: 14.4 (Altuve 5.0, Bregman 4.8, Alvarez 4.7)
Combined bWAR: 14.2 (Tucker 5.0, Alvarez 4.9, Altuve 4.3)
Average: 14.3 WAR
WAR calculations tend to vary slightly from place to place, with each valuing certain statistics over others in their attempts to measure a player’s value in all facets of the game. It’s a complicated stat that inevitably leads to varied conclusions all meant to provide an overall picture of a player (you can read a more detailed overview here). With that in mind, the Astros present an interesting case.
Baseball Reference has Tucker as a 5.0 WAR player, which would place him first on his team. FanGraphs’ version has Tucker worth 4.1 WAR, which would place him fourth. But regardless of the order in which you rank them — and which of the four you consider Houston’s top trio — it demonstrates the depth of high-level talent on the Astros that any three of Altuve, Bregman, Alvarez and Tucker can create one of the top trios in baseball.
4. Atlanta Braves — Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II
Combined fWAR: 15.2 (Swanson 5.6, Riley 5.4, Harris 4.2)
Combined bWAR: 15.0 (Riley, 5.7, Swanson 5.0, Harris 4.3)
Average: 15.1 WAR
There’s a reason Harris and Riley both received midseason extensions.
Harris didn’t make his MLB debut until May 28, and he already ranks in the top 30 in WAR among major-leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances this season. He has brought an incredible boost to an already playoff-bound club led by Riley, who is tied for third in the majors with 35 homers, and Swanson, who leads all major-league shortstops defensively, at 17 outs above average.
Baseball Reference and FanGraphs have a difference in opinion on whether Swanson or Riley is the Braves’ WAR leader, but either way, they’ve been two of the best players in baseball this season, and they each rank in MLB’s top 10 in fWAR.
3. New York Yankees — Aaron Judge, D.J. LeMahieu, Jose Trevino/Andrew Benintendi
Combined fWAR: 15.6 (Judge 9.1, Trevino 3.5, LeMahieu 3.0)
Combined bWAR: 15.4 (Judge 8.6, LeMahieu 3.8, Benintendi 3.0 KC/NY)
Average: 15.5 WAR
The Braves, Astros, Dodgers and Cardinals each have three players worth at least four WAR this year. The Yankees are the exception on this list, but when one player is performing at the level Judge is, it elevates the entire group to elite status.
By bWAR or fWAR, there’s not a Yankees player other than Judge in the top 30 in MLB. Even so, with Judge, a trio including LeMahieu and either Trevino or Benintendi is automatically top-three in the majors. This year, Judge has been two wins better than every other MLB player besides Ohtani (7.9 fWAR). As of Thursday, he has mashed 19 more homers than any other player in baseball.
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2. Los Angeles Dodgers — Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman
Combined fWAR: 17.6 (Betts 6.4, Freeman 6.0, Turner 5.2)
Combined bWAR: 15.4 (Betts 6.2, Freeman 5.0, Turner 4.2)
Average: 16.5 WAR
FanGraphs’ and Baseball Reference’s versions of WAR vary considerably on Freeman and Turner, with FanGraphs rating each of them about a full win better than Baseball Reference. Regardless, this might be the most balanced top three in baseball, particularly when it comes to offensive value.
All three Dodgers rank in the top 30 among qualified players in OPS. Betts has set a career high in homers (33), and neither Freeman nor Turner had missed a game through August. With his team holding a commanding lead in the NL West, manager Dave Roberts gave Turner his first breather of the year on Sept. 2 (much to the shortstop’s chagrin). Turner has a hit in every other game he has played this month and a total of 168 on the year. Freeman is the only major-leaguer with more (172 as of Thursday).
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They’re arguably the top trio in baseball … but they aren’t quite the most valuable, based on WAR. That group, as it turns out, resides in St. Louis.
1. St. Louis Cardinals — Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman
Combined fWAR: 19.1 (Goldschmidt 7.1, Arenado 7.0, Edman 5.0)
Combined bWAR: 21.0 (Goldschmidt 7.6, Arenado 7.4, Edman 6.0)
Average: 20.1 WAR
Goldschmidt and Arenado would win any duo honor this year. Add the contributions of Edman, and the Cardinals boast the most valuable trio as well. In fact, they’re the only team with three players worth at least six bWAR this year.
Even with their already spectacular résumés, Goldschmidt and Arenado are enjoying career years. Goldschmidt leads the NL in every slash-line category and has mashed 35 homers with an NL-best 109 RBIs. Arenado has a career-best 162 OPS+. Consider the additional defensive prowess of Arenado and Edman — they rank third and first in the NL, respectively, in outs above average — and the distinctive trio stands slightly above the rest by both bWAR and fWAR.
Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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