...good listing of who Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated thinks are the best player right now in the Majors.
So I listed the top 10:
A few other quick thoughts:
1. The list is based on everyone being healthy at the start. But I did try to take into consideration players who might not STAY healthy. In other words, Jose Reyes is healthy for the draft, but you still have to consider that he's coming off a hamstring injury and his speed is his greatest skill.
2. I also took into consideration a player's defensive position. There are a lot of good hitting first basemen, not so many good shortstops or catchers. Jason Bartlett being a good defensive shortstop puts him higher on the list than, say, Jason Bay, who is a corner outfielder.
3. This list is not finished. That's because this list could NEVER be finished. If you gave me this list right now, there is absolutely no doubt I would make 23 changes, slide players up and down, add a couple of players, take away a couple of players. And then if you gave me the list 10 minutes later, I would make 23 MORE changes. No, this list can never be finished. But, eventually, it has to be published.
I better send this in to my editor before I change it again. But I will say I do feel good about my first choice -- I didn't change that one through the entire process.
* * *
1. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
"Every hitter is human," says pitcher Zack Greinke (No. 4). "Except Pujols."
2. Joe Mauer, C, Twins
Could win his third batting title this year ... no other American League catcher in history has won even one.
3. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins
Advanced stats suggest he's better defensively than people think. Offensively, he leads the league in hitting and might have another 30-30 season.
4. Zack Greinke, SP, Royals
Throws four plus pitches, all for strikes, leads the league with a 2.08 ERA, and has won 10 games for a team that has scored the fewest runs in the AL.
5. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies
Crushes the ball, plays outstanding defense and, just as a fun side note, has led the league in hit-by-pitch three years running.
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees
Disastrous first half splattered with injuries, rumors and a low batting average ... and the guy STILL has a 145 OPS+, good for seventh in the AL.
7. Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants
The Freak is pitching even better this year (10-2, 2.27 ERA, league-leading 159 K's) than last year, when he won the Cy Young.
8. Dan Haren, SP, Diamondbacks
League is hitting .187 against him and he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 137-18. Baseball hasn't seen anything like that since the heyday of Pedro.
9. Johan Santana, SP, Mets
He was 2-4 with a 6.19 ERA in six June starts and people screamed that he was done. But Santana is a demon in the second half ... and sure enough he has not allowed a run in his last two starts.
10. Roy Halladay, SP, Blue Jays
Not sure where he will be pitching ... but he will dominate. A handful of people in the world can throw 93-mph fastballs that sink. A handful of people can pitch with pinpoint control. One man can do both.
Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Hanley Ramirez lead Top 100 player list - Joe Posnanski - SI.com
So I listed the top 10:
A few other quick thoughts:
1. The list is based on everyone being healthy at the start. But I did try to take into consideration players who might not STAY healthy. In other words, Jose Reyes is healthy for the draft, but you still have to consider that he's coming off a hamstring injury and his speed is his greatest skill.
2. I also took into consideration a player's defensive position. There are a lot of good hitting first basemen, not so many good shortstops or catchers. Jason Bartlett being a good defensive shortstop puts him higher on the list than, say, Jason Bay, who is a corner outfielder.
3. This list is not finished. That's because this list could NEVER be finished. If you gave me this list right now, there is absolutely no doubt I would make 23 changes, slide players up and down, add a couple of players, take away a couple of players. And then if you gave me the list 10 minutes later, I would make 23 MORE changes. No, this list can never be finished. But, eventually, it has to be published.
I better send this in to my editor before I change it again. But I will say I do feel good about my first choice -- I didn't change that one through the entire process.
* * *
1. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
"Every hitter is human," says pitcher Zack Greinke (No. 4). "Except Pujols."
2. Joe Mauer, C, Twins
Could win his third batting title this year ... no other American League catcher in history has won even one.
3. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins
Advanced stats suggest he's better defensively than people think. Offensively, he leads the league in hitting and might have another 30-30 season.
4. Zack Greinke, SP, Royals
Throws four plus pitches, all for strikes, leads the league with a 2.08 ERA, and has won 10 games for a team that has scored the fewest runs in the AL.
5. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies
Crushes the ball, plays outstanding defense and, just as a fun side note, has led the league in hit-by-pitch three years running.
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees
Disastrous first half splattered with injuries, rumors and a low batting average ... and the guy STILL has a 145 OPS+, good for seventh in the AL.
7. Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants
The Freak is pitching even better this year (10-2, 2.27 ERA, league-leading 159 K's) than last year, when he won the Cy Young.
8. Dan Haren, SP, Diamondbacks
League is hitting .187 against him and he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 137-18. Baseball hasn't seen anything like that since the heyday of Pedro.
9. Johan Santana, SP, Mets
He was 2-4 with a 6.19 ERA in six June starts and people screamed that he was done. But Santana is a demon in the second half ... and sure enough he has not allowed a run in his last two starts.
10. Roy Halladay, SP, Blue Jays
Not sure where he will be pitching ... but he will dominate. A handful of people in the world can throw 93-mph fastballs that sink. A handful of people can pitch with pinpoint control. One man can do both.
Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Hanley Ramirez lead Top 100 player list - Joe Posnanski - SI.com
