Angels star Shohei Ohtani ranked No. 1 player in baseball for second consecutive year

Judge, Angels teammate Mike Trout, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts, and the San Diego Padres' Manny Machado rounded out MLB Network's top five. The rest of this year's Top 100 is listed here. 

Ohtani was an All-Star for the second time in 2022 and dazzled at the plate and on the pitching rubber. From the batter's box, Ohtani slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 RBI. Meanwhile, on the mound, Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts, placing fourth in the Cy Young voting. 

Heading into his sixth major league season, the 2023 campaign may be the most pivotal of Ohtani's career. It's not a secret that Ohtani is eligible for free agency at end of the season, so this might be the star's last hurrah with the Angels.

While the Angels and owner Arte Moreno are confident they can convince Ohtani to stick around, they'll have to fend off multiple suitors and pay a hefty price tag. 

The 2023 season has yet to kick off, but teams are still jockeying for position, already preparing to lure Ohtani to their city should he hit the open market. Recent reports suggest that Ohtani could command a ludicrous $600 million as a free agent.