These MLB Stars Need to Be in the Next Backyard Baseball

Last year, the teams at Playground Productions and Mega Cat Studios finally brought back the beloved Backyard Sports series, releasing the original Backyard Baseball and Backyard Soccer. We know the tandem is currently working on a new mainline Backyard Sports game, and with the MLB season starting soon, we put together a list of players from all 30 MLB teams that should be in the game.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Ketel Marte

Marte is coming off of one of his best seasons as a pro. He made his second All-Star team, finished in third for MVP voting, and won his first Silver Slugger award. Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo would be fun, youthful picks, but we’ll go with the proven vet for the D-Backs.

Athletics – Brent Rooker

Pickens are slim for the Athletics. That said, the big righty won a Silver Slugger last year and made the All-Star team in 2023. With ten more homers and 32 more RBIs than anyone else on his squad, Rooker is an easy choice.

Atlanta Braves – Chris Sale

We aren’t going to have many pitchers to keep the roster in line with Backyard Baseball 2001 and 2003; however, it would be silly not to include last year’s Cy Young winner. True, Atlanta has several great young position players, but we can’t look past Sale’s 18 wins.

Baltimore Orioles – Gunnar Henderson

The former Rookie of the Year was a shoo-in for this spot. Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Jackson Holliday would make it on several other teams, but Henderson is the obvious pick.

Boston Red Sox – Jarren Duran

Some might’ve expected Rafael Devers in this spot, but Duran provides a little bit of everything for the Backyard Baseball franchise. He can hit. He can steal bases. And most importantly, he plays in the outfield, a position group this list is lacking thus far.

Chicago Cubs – Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong fits the young, exciting player we need a lot of in this list. Plus, the dude has a rocket of an arm, so he could probably pitch for you in a pinch. That’s very important in Backyard Baseball.

Chicago White Sox – Luis Robert Jr.

The White Sox lost 121 games last year and Garrett Crochet left for the Red Sox during the off-season. Robert Jr. is basically the only option left, though that doesn’t mean he’s a bad one.

Cincinnati Reds – Elly De La Cruz

De La Cruz is the obvious choice, but it’s worth noting that he used to pitch while growing up in the Dominican Republic. Of course, you’ll want to use him sparingly, but having his speed on the base paths alongside Pete Wheeler will be a sight to behold.

Cleveland Guardians – Jose Ramirez

Emmanuel Clase was also up for consideration but it’s tough to imagine anyone else besides J-Ram taking this spot. He’s coming off of his sixth All-Star nod and fifth Silver Slugger win.

Colorado Rockies – Ezequiel Tovar

We’d love to go with a throwback pick here and give it to Charlie Blackmon. Sadly, Chuck Nasty retired after the 2024 season, so we’ll go with Tovar. The young shortstop is an excellent fielder with a solid bat.

Detroit Tigers – Tarik Skubal

Like we said in Chris Sale’s entry, if you win the Cy Young, you’re probably making this list. Skubal won 18 games, struck out 228 batters, and kept a 2.39 ERA in 2024.

Houston Astros – Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez has had stronger seasons than 2024, just not much stronger. He’s coming off his third straight All-Star selection and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting. Plus, Alvarez was, at worst, mildly involved in the Astros sign-stealing scandal as he was just a rookie in 2019 and has continued to get even better.

Kansas City Royals – Bobby Witt Jr

Some of these are so obvious, it’s almost not worth talking about. Witt Jr. won nearly every award he could and while he didn’t win MVP, he finished in second. He’s also only 24.

Los Angeles Angels – Mike Trout

Look, Trout only played in 29 games in 2024, so you might want to skip over him. However, he’s still incredibly popular and is a three-time MVP. Plus, he threw a no-hitter during his junior year of high school.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Shohei Ohtani

It’s Shohei. What else do you need to know?

Miami Marlins – Sandy Alcantara

Like the White Sox, Miami has few options. We’ll choose the guy who is likely the team’s best pitcher as another option on the mound. Alcantara missed the entire 2024 season, but when he’s playing well, he’s a Cy Young contender, having won the award in 2022.

Milwaukee Brewers – William Contreras

This roster needs a few catchers. Thankfully, the Brewers have Contreras who is one of the top players at the position. He made the All-Star team, finished fifth in MVP voting, and won a Silver Slugger in 2024. Not bad for a 26-year-old.

Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton

Buxton has struggled to stay healthy over the last few years and might end up going down as a modern-day “what could have been” player. Still, he’s great when healthy and recorded a 99 MPH fastball as a senior in high school.

New York Mets – Juan Soto

It feels wrong to not include someone from the 2024 Mets team that nearly made the World Series, but Soto signed the largest contract in professional sports history this offseason. With every apology to Francisco Lindor, Soto has to be the pick.

New York Yankees – Aaron Judge

The reigning AL MVP led the league in WAR, OBS, home runs, and RBIs. You can’t ask for much more out of a power hitter.

Philadelphia Phillies – Bryce Harper

Harper isn’t the exciting, young prospect he was with the Nats, but he is a two-time MVP and plays first base, a position this list is lacking. On top of that, Harper played catcher in high school and college, giving him the versatility Backyard Baseball craves.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Paul Skenes

There isn’t a hotter, young name in the MLB right now. The reigning Rookie of the Year is essentially a lock to win a Cy Young or five during his pro career. Oh, and he played catcher in high school.

San Diego Padres – Jackson Merrill

Merrill couldn’t win Rookie of the Year because Skenes was red-hot, but he did make the All-Star team, win a Silver Slugger, and finish in ninth in MVP voting. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are all also worth a shout, but we’ll go with the Padres’ young gun.

San Francisco Giants – Heliot Ramos

Matt Chapman was the Giants’ best position player in 2024, so he should be here. However, we want to go with another young player full of potential. Ramos became the first homegrown Giant to make the All-Star since Chili Davis in 1986. Here’s hoping San Francisco can keep him in-house long-term.

Seattle Mariners – Cal Raleigh

This was a close race between Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. The young centerfielder is quickly becoming a fan favorite, but our list needs another catcher. Raleigh is one of the best in the biz.

St. Louis Cardinals – Masyn Winn

We hate to keep beating this drum, but Winn was originally signed to the Cards’ farm team as a two-way player. And while he’s become a pure hitter and a great shortstop, Winn can still throw gas.

Tampa Bay Rays – Brandon Lowe

With Isaac Paredes being traded during the season, Lowe gets this spot by default. That doesn’t mean the former All-Star didn’t have a solid 2024 season, there just aren’t a ton of great options. We did consider Jose Caballero for his speed, for what it’s worth.

Texas Rangers – Wyatt Langford

This spot should probably go with Corey Seager. He had an excellent 2024 and is a five-time All-Star nomination. However, we have to go with the hype around Langford. During his rookie season, Langford hit an inside-the-park home run and hit for the cycle.

Toronto Blue Jays – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Blue Jays fans might be annoyed that their team hasn’t locked up its franchise player yet, but we don’t have to worry about that. He’s coming off his fourth All-Star selection and second Silver Slugger award. It’ll be fun to see how big his contract is next season.

Washington Nationals – CJ Abrams

The 24-year-old shortstop made his first All-Star team in 2024. The Nats also weren’t very good, making it easy to go with potential over everything else.