Can You Identify These Current MLB Stars From a Photo of Their Face?

By: Daniel Yetman
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Identify These Current MLB Stars From a Photo of Their Face?
Image: Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III

About This Quiz

You might recognize all these players from their batting stance or number, but do you think you can name them from their face alone? 

There are so many young players currently in the league that was difficult to select only 40 stars for this quiz. However, we tried to include players who have consistently proven themselves as elite rather than one season wonders. 

When you think about the best player over the past ten years, who do you think of? If you were looking at the decade before last, many people would say Albert Pujols. However, since then Mike Trout seems like the logical choice. He's already taken home the MVP award twice and is the front-runner for 2019. The lowest he's ever finished in the MVP was fourth. How's that for consistency?

When it comes to pitchers, it's pretty easy to make a case for Clayton Kershaw being the best in the league since 2010. He's won more than 20 games twice, has never had a losing record, and has a career 2.41 ERA through 12 seasons. Oh, and did we mention he won the Cy Young three times and the MVP once?

Ready to see how well you can guess the names of all these MLB players? Then what are you waiting for?

JT Realmuto
Wiki Commons by Ian D'Andrea
Which of these catchers do you see here?
J.T. Realmuto
Yadier Molina
Buster Posey
Russell Martin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

J.T. was one of the Phillies' premier pickups before the 2019 season along with Bryce Harper. He hasn't disappointed so far with his new club. At the time of writing, he was hitting .280 with 19 home runs through 118 games.

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Tommy Pham
MLB Network via Youtube
Which of these players is this?
Jay Bruce
Manny Machado
Rhys Hoskins
Tommy Pham
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tommy Pham has put up at least 20 home runs the last three seasons and has a combined 53 stolen bases since 2017. He has a career OPS of .849 split between his time with the Cardinals and Rays.

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Rhys Hoskins
Wiki Commons by Ian D'Andrea
Can you name this young Phillies slugger?
Rhys Hoskins
Jay Bruce
Manny Machado
George Springer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rhys Hoskins is only in his second full season in the MLB, but he's already made an impact with the Phillies. In 2018, he hit 34 home runs with 96 RBIs. His 2019 home run total may have taken a small step back, but he's still sitting on a .854 OPS through 120 games.

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Jay Bruce
Wiki Commons by Mevins31
Any idea who this face belongs to?
Jay Bruce
Manny Machado
Trey Mancini
George Springer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jay Bruce has broken the 100 RBI barrier twice in his career. He has also hit more than 20 home runs every year since 2008 except for 2014 and 2018. Since getting traded to the Phillies, he has hit .250 with 10 home runs.

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Juan Soto
Wiki Commons by D. Benjamin Miller
Can you name this young superstar?
Juan Soto
Trey Mancini
George springer
Charlie Blackmon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Through his first two seasons, Soto has had at least 70 RBIs and 22 home runs. He's still only 20 years old, so expect him to continue to get better over the next few seasons. It's hard to believe he could potentially still be in the league in 2040!

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JD Martinez
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Who was the 2018 AL RBI leader?
J.D. Martinez
Trey Mancini
George Springer
Charlie Blackmon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

J.D. Martinez hit a career high 130 RBIs in 2018. He also finished the year with 43 home runs. For most players, that would also be a career high, but Martinez hit 45 home runs in 2017 with the Tigers and Diamondbacks

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Trey Mancini
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Do you recognize this solid AL hitter?
George Springer
Jose Altuve
Alex Bregman
Trey Mancini
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Trey Mancini has quietly been putting together a solid career with the Orioles. Through his first 119 games in 2019, he already has a career-high .877 OPS and 29 home runs. Since 2016, he's averaged an OPS of .806.

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Alex Bregman
Wiki Commons by D. Benjamin Miller
What's the name of this Astro star?
Alex Bregman
Charlie Blackmon
Jose Altuve
George Springer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Alex Bregman elevated his game from good player to elite in 2018 when he finished with 103 RBIs and 31 home runs. He's already broken the 30 home run barrier through 120 games in 2019 with a career-high .970 OPS.

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Paul Goldschmidt
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
What's the name of this perennial MVP candidate?
Paul Goldschmidt
Kyle Schwarber
Bryce Harper
Mike Trout
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Paul Goldschmidt has been one of the most consistent National League hitters since 2011. How does a career .917 OPS sound? He's been having a bit of a down year in 2019, but is still on pace for more than 30 home runs.

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Kyle Schwarber
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Do you know the name of this hard hitter?
Freddie Freeman
Kyle Schwarber
Bryce Harper
Pete Alonso
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kyle Schwarber is your classic slugger. You can pencil him in for about a .230 batting average and 30 home runs per season. He missed almost all of the 2016 season, but since then he's hit at least 26 home runs per year.

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Bryce Harper
Wiki Commons by Cathy T
Which of these players recently signed a $300 million contract?
Bryce Harper
Mike Trout
Freddie Freeman
Pete Alonso
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bryce Harper had his most dominant season in 2015 when he took home the NL MVP award. He finished the year with a .330 average, 42 home runs and a staggering 1.109 OPS. His career .866 was enough to snag him a $300 million contract with the Phillies.

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Rafael Devers
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
He came into the league as a 20 year old and has been dominant ever since. Who is he?
Rafael Devers
Mike Trout
Juan Soto
Freddie Freeman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rafael Devers has been breaking out in the 2019 season. Through the first 123 games, he already has 27 home runs and is hitting .332. His career OPS through his first three seasons is .853.

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Manny Machado
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Who's this shortstop with a career .820 OPS?
Trey Mancini
Manny Machado
George Springer
Juan Soto
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before the 2019 season, there was a lot of excitement about where Manny Machado would sign as a free agent. In his first season with the Padres, he has 26 home runs through his first 122 games.

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Charlie Blackmon
UCHealth via Youtube
Do you know who this beard belongs to?
Anthony Rendon
Charlie Blackmon
Pete Alonso
Elvis Andrus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Over the past nine seasons, Blackmon has a career batting average of .305 and a career OPS of .871. He hit a career-high 37 home runs with a .331 average in 2017 and finished fifth in the MVP voting.

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Anthony Rendon
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Can you recognize this powerful third baseman?
Jarrod Dyson
Anthony Rendon
Elvis Andrus
Pete Alonso
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rendon has quietly become what of the best hitters in the National League. Through 110 games in 2019, he has a .997 OPS. Over the last two seasons, he finished with a .909 OPS and .937 OPS.

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Elvis Andrus
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Who's this speedy shortstop?
Elvis Andrus
Starling Marte
Pete Alonso
Jarrod Dyson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andrus put up a career-high 20 home runs in 2017. Like most shortstops, he's better known for his speed than his power. He has swiped more than 20 bases every year since 2009 except for 2019.

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Nolan Arenado
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Any idea who this is?
Mike Trout
Kyle Schwarber
Nolan Arenado
Bryce Harper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Few players can say they've hit more than 30 home runs five years in a row. However, that's exactly what Arenado did from 2015 to 2019 while racking up a career .293 batting average.

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Starling Marte
TribSports via Youtube
What's the name of this center fielder?
Starling Marte
Christian Yelich
Pete Alonso
Jarrod Dyson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starling Marte has played well since coming into the league in 2012, but he's been hitting more long balls over the past two seasons. He already has a career-high 21 after playing 113 games in 2019.

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Gerrit Cole
ABC13 Houston via Youtube
Do you know the name of this hurler?
Gerrit Cole
Zack Greinke
Clayton Kershaw
Jacob deGrom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gerrit Cole has a career 3.30 ERA over seven seasons split between the Pirates and Astros. His best year came in 2015 with the Pirates when he finished with 19 wins and a 2.60 ERA over 32 starts.

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Zack Greinke
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Who's this former Cy Young winner?
Max Scherzer
Jacob deGrom
Clayton Kershaw
Zack Greinke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Greinke has been incredibly consistent over his 16-year career. He took home the AL Cy Young award in 2009, but has pitched in the National League since 2013. He put up a career-high 19 wins with the Dodgers in 2015.

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Jacob deGrom
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Do you know the name of this feared NL pitcher?
Jacob deGrom
Clayton Kershaw
Patrick Corbin
Max Scherzer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Since breaking into the league in 2014, deGrom has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the NL. He has a career 2.66 ERA with an average of 200 strikeouts per year from 2014-2018.

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Clayton Kershaw
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Which of these pitchers is widely considered the best pitcher of the last ten years?
Clayton Kershaw
Patrick Corbin
Mike Soroka
Charlie Morton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kershaw has been almost unbelievably good since coming into the league in 2008. The last time he put up an ERA over 3.00 was his rookie year. Did we mention he also has three CY Young awards and has never had a losing record?

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Charlie Morton
Tampa Bay Rays via Youtube
He's been around the league, but he's now with the Rays. What's his name?
Mike Soroka
Patrick Corbin
Charlie Morton
Max Scherzer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Charlie Morton is in his mid-thirties now, but he's still pitching as well as he did in his twenties. Last season, with the Astros, he put up 15 wins with a 3.13 ERA. So far in 26 starts in 2019, he has 13 wins with a 2.77 ERA.

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Max Scherzer
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Which of the pitchers has won the Cy Young in both leagues?
Max Scherzer
Mike Soroka
Patrick Corbin
Mike Leake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There aren't many things left that Max Scherzer hasn't accomplished. He broke 300 strikeouts for the first time in 2018 and led the league in the last three seasons. He won the AL Cy Young in 2013 and the NL Cy Young in 2016 and 2017.

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Mike Soroka
Wiki Commons by Erik Drost
What's the name of this young pitcher?
Mike Soroka
Jordan Hicks
Mike Leake
Patrick Corbin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mike Soroka might not have as much experience as some of the other pitchers in this quiz, but he's made a name for himself already. Over the first 27 games of his career, he's 12-3 with 128 strikeouts.

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Luke Voit
YESNetwork via Youtube
Can you name the Yankees' first baseman?
Luke Voit
Tommy Pham
Jay Bruce
Manny Machado
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the Cardinals traded Luke Voit to the Yankees, they didn't know what they were giving up. In his first season with the Yankees, he slugged .689, and he's slugging .493 so far in the 2019 season.

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Hyun-Jin Ryu
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Does this pitcher's face look familar?
Yu Darvish
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Masahiro Tanaka
Shohei Ohtani
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Besides in 2016, when he only played one game, Ryu has never had an ERA above 3.77. He finished 2018 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts, and at the time of writing, he was leading the league with a 1.64 ERA in 2019.

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Eugenio Suarez
TJ Sports via Youtube
Can you tell us the name of this hitter?
Josh Bell
Eugenio Suarez
Nelson Cruz
Cody Bellinger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Suarez made a name for himself in 2018 when he set a career-high in home runs (34), RBIs (104), and OPS (.892). He's putting up comparable numbers so far in 2019 and will likely break his career-high in home runs.

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Josh Bell
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Do you know the name of this power hitter?
Josh Bell
Nelson Cruz
Cody Bellinger
Christian Yelich
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Josh Bell has been around since 2016, but 2019 was his breakout year. At the time of writing, he had already hit 31 home runs through his first 120 games and was on a pace for well over 100 RBIs.

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Albert Pujols
Wiki Commons by Erik Drost
What's the name of this future Hall-of-Famer?
Albert Pujols
Nelson Cruz
Christian Yelich
Mike Trout
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pujols may have slowed down since the early 2000s, but there was nobody more dominant from 2001 to 2010. In his first 10 years, his lowest batting average was .312, his lowest RBI total was 103 and his lowest number of home runs was 32.

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Nelson Cruz
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Which of these veterans is this?
Nelson Cruz
David Ortiz
Chris Davis
Freddie Freeman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some things in life get better with age, including wine, cheese and Nelson Cruz. He had his first 40 home run season when he was 34. He's now 39 and hasn't had fewer than 30 home runs in a season since then.

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Freddie Freeman
Kevin McAlpin via Youtube
Who's this player who's been one of the best NL hitters since 2010?
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Pete Alonso
Freddie Freeman
Christian Yelich
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A lot of players manage to put up big numbers in one or two seasons, but Freddie Freeman has been consistent since 2010. Over his ten year career, he has a .884 OPS and .504 slugging percentage.

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Ronald Acuna Jr
Wiki Commons by Thomson200
Can you tell us the name of this youngster?
Cody Bellinger
Christain Yelich
Pete Alonso
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ronald Acuna Jr. smashed 26 home runs in his first season in the MLB and is on pace for about 35 in his second. So far in 2019, he's put up numbers that might be MVP worthy if it wasn't for Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich.

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Pete Alonso
New York Mets via Youtube
Any idea what this slugger's name is?
Josh Donaldson
Cody Bellinger
Josh Donaldson
Pete Alonso
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pete Alonso broke the NL rookie record for home runs in 2019. At the time of writing, he had 40 home runs with 40 games left in the season. He's also on pace to surpass 100 RBIs in his rookie campaign.

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Christian Yelich
CBS via Youtube
Do you recognize the 2018 NL MVP?
Josh Donaldson
Mike Trout
Cody Bellinger
Christian Yelich
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As good as Christain Yelich was in 2018, he's been even better in 2019. At the time of writing, he was hitting .334 with 41 big flys and 24 stolen bases in just 111 games. During his MVP season, he had an OPS of 1000, but so far this year he's sitting on a 1.123!

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Mike Trout
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Which of these players is often compared to Mickey Mantle?
Justin Turner
Josh Donaldson
Mike Trout
Cody Bellinger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Few players have started their career as well as Mike Trout. Since 2011, he has a career 1.001 OPS. To put that in perspective, the lowest he's ever finished in an MVP voting is fourth.

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Mookie Betts
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Which 2018 AL award winner do you see in this pitcher?
Manny Machado
Mookie Betts
Francisco Lindor
J.D. Martinez
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mookie Betts had the best season of his career in 2018 en route to his first MVP award. He hit .346 with 30 stolen bases, 80 RBIs, and 32 home runs on his way to leading the Red Sox to the World Series.

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Cody Bellinger
Wiki Commons by Ian D'Andrea
Who is this Dodger's superstar?
Cody Bellinger
Will Smith
Julio Urias
Justin Turner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bellinger put up solid numbers in his first two seasons in the league, but 2019 was his breakout. At the time of writing, he was hitting .317 with 42 home runs and 97 RBIs through 121 games. He has a career .934 OPS in his young career.

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Francisco Lindor
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Who does this big smile belong to?
Francisco Lindor
J.T. Realmuto
Buster Posey
Manny Machado
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fransisco Lindor has been one of the best shortstops in the league since breaking into the MLB in 2015. He has hit more than 33 home runs in the past two seasons. His home runs had dipped a little in 2019, but at the time of writing, he still had a .871 OPS.

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Marcell Ozuna
Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III
Who goes by the nickname "The Big Bear"?
J.T. Realmuto
Francisco Lindor
Mookie Betts
Marcell Ozuna
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marcell Ozuna had a down year in 2018 after coming off a 37 home run campaign with the Marlins. However, he's picked it up again in 2019. Although he's missed time with injuries, he has still hit 22 home runs through 93 games.

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Wiki Commons by Arturo Pardavila III