Photo Credit: MLB.com, 3072 X 1728, Rhett Bollinger
I'm not gonna lie to ya... my head hurts already, tackling this project.
Why do I do this? I wonder to myself. I don't know; I've always had a thing for lists, for as far back as I can remember. Always so many thoughts to organize. This is a way for me to create order in a wacky world. So, let's talk about my MLB criteria, this time around:
1. Baseball is a long-haul kind of game. It's all about the long run - being steady, playing with consistency and establishing your place within the landscape of a crowded league. We've all heard the old adage, "Players are who they are." And sure, that is true a good percentage of the time. But, improvements must also be considered. So my point with bullet #1 here is - these rankings can't ONLY be based on 2021 MLB statistics. What would be the point, then? I could just rattle off the stats in order. The "story" and overall context of the player must be considered.
2. I'm not gonna spend my whole life reading stat after stat after stat. Besides, technically, this list is just for fun. So I need to create a statistical shorthand, here. Key stat for offense: OPS. Key stat for pitching: ERA. Of course others will be considered, but those two will be the jumping off points.
3. Here's a good way of looking at the whole thing: What is the player doing now, relative to who they are - overall - in their career? Like, Brandon Crawford seems to be outperforming his norm this season. And on the flip side, Francisco Lindor is dramatically underperforming his norm. But, who are these players, really? What's the full story? Consider that as you read through my list and formulate your own opinions.
Meh, I think you get the idea at this point. Besides, this is tough anyway when you are mashing hitters together with pitchers. Proceed at your own risk, my friends:
HONORABLE MENTION
Carlos Rodon, SP, White Sox
Adolis Garcia, OF, Rangers
Jake Cronenworth, 2B, Padres
Adam Duvall, OF, Marlins
Tommy Pham, OF, Padres
Brandon Crawford, SS, Giants
Wil Myers, OF/1B, Padres
Matt Chapman, 3B, A's
Look, Carlos Rodon has been one of the best players in baseball this season. At the time of my research, he was 10th in the entire MLB in ERA. He's a certified strikeout pitcher, as well.
But who has Rodon been in his career? Prior to this season, his ERAs were 8.22, 5.19, 4.18, 4.15 and 4.04, going backwards. So, in essence, he had steadily been getting worse. Maybe he "figured something out" this season, but personally I need to see more. He's also been one of the most injury-prone hurlers in the game.
With these Padres - Cronenworth, Pham and Myers - well hell, pick your poison. You could go any which way with these guys. To me, Cronenworth has been the most impressive of the three this particular season. Pham, at his best in his career, was a top-flight all-around player. Myers has had a good-if-enigmatic career. He's versatile, as we know.
So, they all kind of sit right outside my top 100. The "engine" Padres - the guys that ultimately make the team go - are Fernando Tatis Jr., Yu Darvish and Manny Machado, and you'll be seeing all three of those studs in my top 100. But hey, there are other Padres right in the mix with Cronenworth, Pham and Myers, and those guys are Blake Snell, Mark Melancon, Eric Hosmer and Trent Grisham. Ultimately, this is a club with three stars and a bunch of very good professional ballplayers.
Adolis Garcia got my attention immediately during the preseason. He just sounds like one of those guys with raw, natural, powerful ability - but sometimes you simply cannot contain him. Suddenly, this season, he has put it all together at the dish. If he continues at this clip he will most certainly be a top-100 player next go around. He's an exciting, electric player on the rise.
JOHN FRASCELLA'S TOP 100 MLB PLAYERS (counting down)
** EDITOR'S NOTE: I lied. It's actually my top 105 players. I initially forgot Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon and Corey Seager due to injury. I also initially forgot Luke Voit, who can simply rake.**
105 Tyler Mahle, SP, Reds: He's always been known as one of the better strikeout pitchers in the game, but he's constantly been overshadowed by bigger names - Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and more of the like. Now, Bauer is out of the way with the Dodgers - and dealing with his own bevy of issues - while Gray and Castillo simply haven't been as good as their teammate, Tyler. He's in the top 20 in strikeouts and top 40 in ERA. Cincy is a tough place to pitch, too. It really is a banbox.
104 Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins: Compare Rogers to Rodon, here. Both are all-star lefties this season with impressive natural stuff. The difference is this - Rodon has a documented history of disappointing. Rogers, on the other hand, is just 23 years old. This is all we have to go on, at this point. So, we're talking about a 2.22 ERA right now, and he's in the top 20 in strikeouts. Maybe this is just who Trevor Rogers is, and if so, he'll be a lot higher than No. 104 in future iterations. For now, I just had to squeak him into my written section. He's been that good. The Marlins' friendly pitchers' park should also help with potential longevity.
103 Sean Manaea, SP, A's: Look, I'm not an encyclopedia of baseball off the top of my head, here. Here's the way I look at Manaea: He's 23rd in ERA, and I remember a recent year where he had another ridiculously low ERA. (Looking that up, now.) Ah, in 2019, he had a 1.21 ERA but that was only in 5 starts. Still, the previous years he was under 3.90 two out of three. He's a solid lefty on a club that usually has a good eye for cost-effective pitching. Manaea is simply having another good year out there.
102 Eduardo Escobar, infielder, Diamondbacks: 82nd in OPS at the time of research, and I know he has a bunch of homers because he's on my fantasy team with fellow mastermind Steven Summer (shout out to Stevo!). Yup, he has 19 homers already this season (in a dead-bat, dead-ball year, mind you). I "discovered" Escobar back in his part-time days with the Twins, and he has since burgeoned into a legitimate bat with pop. Why isn't he higher on my list, then? Inconsistency. He can go into stretches where he is an all-or-nothing kind of hitter. He has the potential to be a top-80 guy, but I'd like to see more consistency in both approach and performance. Hot name on the trade market right now.
101 Charlie Morton, SP, Braves: This crafty old vet figured things out quickly this year. The first month or so of the season, he was one of the absolute worst pitchers in baseball. Now, here we are in July, and his ERA is under 4.00 at 3.91. He was messing around with a cutter in the early stages of the season, but he has since gotten back to his power sinker/curveball combo. That's what an intelligent old veteran does - finds the error in his ways and makes quick adjustments smack in the middle of the season. This is a guy who really earned his money with both the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays in recent years. Doesn't get phased by The Big Game, at all. Can be a money-time pitcher for ya.
100 Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals: You can pretty much superimpose a lot of what I wrote about Morton, here. Adam Wainwright is simply a pitcher. At one point, he was one of the absolute best relievers in the game. At another point, he was one of the absolute best starters in the game. Now, he's an old man at 39 years of age, and he still has a 3.58 ERA. It's all brains and style with this guy, at this point. Have you actually had an opportunity to watch him pitch this year? He just won't give in. He's nibbling and nibbling with cutters and curves. He wants you to try to beat him by going out of the strikezone. Adam Wainwright is just a pro's pro - feels like a Hall of Famer, to me.
99 German Marquez, SP, Rockies: 36th in ERA? You just can't do that at Coors Field. German Marquez is slowly but surely becoming the best pitcher in the history of the Colorado Rockies' organization. And he sticks around, too! Take a guy like this - with power stuff like this - and put him in a pitchers' park? He'd probably end up being one of the highest-paid pitchers in the world. Marquez never complains out there. He's a bulldog. I'd take this gamer on my squad any day of the week.
98 Ian Anderson, SP, Braves: You're probably noticing a lot of pitchers at the beginning of my list, here. Well - it's most certainly a pitchers' year in the MLB - batting averages are lower than ever, and strikeouts are a dime-a-dozen. So, the "solid" pitchers are coming toward the end of the list. They deserve to be on the list, but I'll take a solid hitter over a solid pitcher these days, given the general nature of the league and gameplay. Anderson's ranking equation looks like this to me: Big-name prospect + legit stuff + strong results thus far = Real Deal. He just seems like the Real Deal in the early stages of his big-league career. He had the pedigree, and he's backing it up on the MLB hill.
97 Trey Mancini, 1B/OF, Orioles: An inspiring comeback story after a bout with cancer. Trey definitely looks to be his old self, 66th in OPS and ready to show off his stuff in the Homerun Derby. Still a young man, but already a seasoned professional hitter with the added bonus of a hitters' park.
96 Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Giants: We're talking about Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski's bloodline here, and this kid hasn't disappointed; not in the slightest. Eighth in NL MVP voting last year, and this year he is 58th in OPS. The surprising Giants have been a great story, and "Yazzie" is their second-best overall player, to me.
95 Yoan Moncada, 2B/3B, White Sox: Here's one where I have to throw my biases out the window. Moncada sucked when I had him on my fantasy team; he was just frustrating as all hell. I didn't even really wanna put him inside my top 100. But he's 57th in OPS, and he comes with the pedigree like the aforementioned Anderson. Moncada came into the MLB as a highly-touted prospect, and we see why with his pop from both sides of the plate. His position flexibility in the infield is a welcome intangible, as well. He's a good, young ballplayer and the sky is the limit. I just wish he was better when he was on my roster. Grr.
94 Dallas Keuchel, SP, White Sox: Another one in the "old pro" category. When I think about Dallas Keuchel, I also think about Morton, Wainwright, Kyle Hendricks and Zack Greinke. Not many guys rely on "knowing how to pitch" these days. Most of these youngsters are getting by on 97-102 MPH gas. And who can blame them? But for those who don't have the pure stuff, they are forced into craft like Keuchel and the others I mentioned. "DK" was third in the majors in ERA last year. This year he is hanging around at 53, ahead of name brands like Aaron Nola, Luis Castillo and Patrick Corbin. This crafty old lefty can still TCOB when he toes the rubber.
93 Ramon Laureano, OF, Oakland A's: It's not easy to toss around the phrase "professional hitter" these days, but people have always seemed to do it with Laureano. You know, I was skeptical when he stepped into the MLB spotlight because Oakland hitters haven't been the same since the days of Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez. We tend to have faith in the organization's arms, but the bats can fall flat - like say, Stephen Piscotty, Daric Barton or Bobby Crosby in past years. Laureano was supposed to be good, and he's actually been exactly that. 51st in OPS, and I like the way he hits gaps. He hits the ball on a line, and his exit velocity propels balls to the wall. Despite being on the smaller side at just 5-11, he has a live bat and he's one of the best ballplayers on one of the best teams in the league.
92 Austin Meadows, OF, Rays: How about trading Meadows and Tyler Glasnow for Chris Archer? LOL. That's why the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates should never do business with the masterminds; the uber-geniuses in the Tampa Bay Rays' front office. At first, Meadows was looking like the best individual player in that deal (but I believe Glasnow has since surpassed him). Still, after a down year in a weird year last year, Meadows is back to 50th in OPS. He's just a good, strong, good-lookin' ballplayer. The Rays are one of the best-run organizations in all of professional sports, and Meadows is one of their top two position players.
91 Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Phillies: Here's a very difficult player to track and comprehend. Hoskins came into the league a man on fire, slugging 18 homers in just 170 at bats as a rookie in 2017. He then delivered on that promise, crushing 29+ homers in each of the next two seasons. This season, early on, Hoskins struggled through an ugly 2-for-40 slump. Like the aforementioned Charlie Morton, in the early going, Hoskins was looking like one of the absolute worst players at his position. But, like Morton, Hoskins has since rebounded to appear like one of the best power hitters in the NL, once again. Eighty-eighth in OPS despite the massive slump, to go along with 20 homers and 55 RBI.
** EDITOR'S NOTE: This is when I was like... why am I writing something for every single guy? Everyone is just going to scroll through the list, anyway...
90 Jared Walsh, 1B/OF, Angels
89 Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets: Perhaps the single most difficult player to rank. $341 million for a guy hitting .227? A guy who also hit just .258 last season? A guy who hasn't hit over .300 since 2016? Talk about a polarizing player in so many ways. Lindor was an all-star in 2016, 17, 18 and 19. He is a slick-fielding, smooth, switch-hitting shortstop who plays the game with intense passion and love. A million-dollar smile, indeed. But how good or great is he, really? I would say, heading into this season, mostly everyone in the world would have had him in their top-50 players. He would have been one of those "safe" "obvious" selections. I mean, not too long ago, the guy hit 40+ doubles 3 seasons in a row; a very difficult task. He sucks this year, but what's funny is this: He leads the Mets in hits, doubles, triples, walks and stolen bases. I don't even really know what to say or write about that. Maybe the Mets are truly that bad (and they are in first place, lol).
88 Marcus Stroman, SP, Mets: Former Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen took some heat for this one, but "Stro" is 14th in ERA at the moment. Here's the deal with Stro: He's old school in a lot of ways. He fields his position. He doesn't want to give up the ball or be taken out of games. He yells and screams at the opposing dugout when he gets out of jams. He's not exactly Mr. Nice Guy out there, and I like that about Marcus. He brings you the all-around package out there; oddly enough, he reminds me of Bartolo Colon in a lot of ways. Stro doesn't always have the most impressive stuff, but he mixes and matches and does whatever he possibly can to get the job done. He's a crafty guy on the hill, like Colon in the latter stages of his MLB career.
87 Chris Taylor, Utility, Dodgers: I don't think we can underestimate the value of the best true utilityman in the game, especially when he's on a powerful team like the Dodgers. Taylor is 43rd in OPS, and this is a player who effortlessly transitions from infield to outfield, then back around again. He'll do whatever you ask him to do out there, and he's not gonna bitch and moan about it. On a personal level, I've always liked Taylor's approach in big spots. If he gets the first one he likes, he'll jump right on that with a quick bat. If he doesn't like what he sees, he'll work ya to a 3-2 count and try to punch one in a hole somewhere. He plays for his teammates, and that's an awful hard thing to find in today's modern MLB (full of all-or-nothing "me" players).
86 Kyle Hendricks, SP, Cubs
85 Julio Urias, SP, Dodgers
84 Luke Voit, 1B, Yankees
83 Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates: A couple years ago I was thinking okay, the Pirates really have something, here. As a rookie, Reynolds hit .314 and finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Last year, well, it's difficult to judge a kid when he drops to .189 in a COVID year on a bad ballclub. So, this season's turnaround is a deciding factor - Reynolds was 9th in the majors in OPS at the time of my research for this piece. Reynolds joins with Adam Frazier to form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Pirates, but my two questions are these: (1) Will the Pirates ever develop the offensive talent necessary to build around these two guys? And (2) Will they ever have the pitching necessary to legitimately compete in the NL Central? Ultimately, it just feels like Reynolds and Frazier will go to waste on this floundering club. In fact, I probably could have combined my question into this: Will the Pirates ever have the front office talent necessary to build around whatever talent they do have on the field? Well hey, I'm open to a phone call. Give me a buzz, Pittsburgh, and I'll help ya out.
82 Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins
81 Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays
80 Kenley Jansen, RP, Dodgers: One of the best closers of his generation, hands down. For a little while his stuff seemed to be tapering off to an alarming degree, but this season he is back with a freakin' vengeance with an anemic 1.27 ERA and 21 saves (third-most in the game). The "show" isn't what it once was when he's out on the hill, but the results are the same - this seasoned veteran just gets the damn job done. And he's an important closer too, when you consider the power of the Dodgers within the overall landscape of the league. High-profile spot, tough job. He makes it look easy.
79 Liam Hendriks, Closer, White Sox
78 Charlie Blackmon, OF, Rockies
77 Joey Gallo, OF/1B, Rangers
76 Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies
75 Lucas Giolito, SP, White Sox
74 Jose Berrios, SP, Twins
73 Adam Frazier, 2B, Pirates
72 Zack Wheeler, SP, Phillies
71 Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, Blue Jays
70 Yuli Gurriel, 1B, Astros
69 Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles
68 Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Blue Jays
67 Corbin Burnes, SP, Brewers
66 Kyle Schwarber, OF, Nationals
65 Willson Contreras, C, Cubs
64 George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
63 Kevin Gausman, SP, Giants
62 Javier Baez, SS, Cubs
61 Josh Donaldson, 3B, Twins
60 Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Cubs
59 Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox - 7th in AL MVP voting last year
58 Salvador Perez, C, Royals
57 Chris Bassitt, SP, A's
56 Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays
55 Zack Greinke, SP, Astros
54 Matt Olson, 1B, A's
53 Tyler Glasnow, SP, Rays
52 Michael Brantley, OF, Astros
51 Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
JOHN FRASCELLA'S TOP 50 MLB PLAYERS
50 Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros
49 Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
48 Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees
47 Whit Merrifield, Utility, Royals
46 Jesse Winker, OF, Reds
45 Corey Seager, SS, Dodgers - 9th in NL MVP voting last year
44 DJ LeMahieu, Infielder, Yankees - 3rd in AL MVP voting last year
43 Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
42 Lance Lynn, SP, White Sox
41 Anthony Rendon, 3B, Angels - 10th in AL MVP voting last year
40 Josh Hader, Closer, Brewers
39 Max Muncy, Infielder, Dodgers
38 Alex Bregman, SS/3B, Astros
37 Brandon Woodruff, SP, Brewers
36 Trevor Bauer, SP, Dodgers - 10th in NL MVP voting last year
35 Marcus Semien, 2B/SS, Blue Jays
34 Justin Turner, 3B, Dodgers
33 Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals
32 Kris Bryant, 3B/OF, Cubs
31 Shane Bieber, SP, Indians - 4th in AL MVP voting last year
30 Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
29 Carlos Correa, SS, Astros
28 Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox - reigning AL MVP
27 Nick Castellanos, OF, Reds
26 Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B/3B, Blue Jays
JOHN FRASCELLA'S TOP 25 MLB PLAYERS
25 Trevor Story, SS, Rockies
24 Yu Darvish, SP, Padres
23 Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
22 Bryce Harper, OF, Phillies
21 Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
20 Trea Turner, SS, Nationals - 7th in NL MVP voting last year
19 Walker Buehler, SP, Dodgers
18 J.D. Martinez, OF, Red Sox
17 Christian Yelich, OF, Brewers
16 Cody Bellinger, OF/1B, Dodgers
15 Manny Machado, 3B/SS, Padres - 3rd in NL MVP voting last year
14 Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
13 Jose Ramirez, 3B, Indians - 2nd in AL MVP voting last year
12 Nelson Cruz, OF, Twins - 6th in AL MVP voting last year - one of the most underrated players in the HISTORY of baseball
11 Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals
JOHN FRASCELLA'S TOP 10 MLB PLAYERS
10 Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
9 Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Braves - We don't know how he will recover from this major injury, now. Would have been in my top five.
8 Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers - 2nd in NL MVP voting last year
7 Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees
6 Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves - reigning NL MVP, looks a bit older this season
5 Juan Soto, OF, Nationals - 5th in NL MVP voting last year
4 Mike Trout, OF, Angels - 5th in AL MVP voting last year
3 Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres - 4th in NL MVP voting last year
2 Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets
1 Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Angels
Let the debate begin!
John Frascella is a published sports author and Senior Fantasy Analyst for Aaron Torres Online. Follow him @LegendSports7 on Twitter for all things fantasy sports.
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