Every year at this time I rank the top 50 players in major league baseball. In parenthesis are who I had occupying the spot in last years list.

 

1. Hanley Ramirez SS Florida Marlins (Alex Rodriguez 3B New York Yankees)

2. Alex Rodriguez 3B New York Yankees (Hanley Ramirez SS Florida Marlins)

3. Johan Santana SP New York Mets (Matt Holliday OF Colorado Rockies)

4. Albert Pujols 1B St. Louis Cardinals (Albert Pujols 1B St. Louis Cardinals)

5. Chipper Jones 3B Atlanta Braves (Ichiro Suzuki OF Seattle Mariners)

6. Tim Lincecum SP San Francisco Giants (Grady Sizemore OF Cleveland Indians)

7. Grady Sizemore OF Cleveland Indians (Johan Santana SP Minnesota Twins)

8. C.C. Sabathia SP Milwaukee Brewers (Curtis Granderson OF Detroit Tigers)

9. Jose Reyes SS New York Mets (Fausto Carmona SP Cleveland Indians)

10. Ryan Howard 1B Philadelphia Phillies (Jake Peavy SP San Diego Padres)

11. Ryan Braun OF Milwaukee Brewers (Jose Reyes SS New York Mets)

12. Carlos Quentin OF Chicago White Sox (C.C. Sabathia SP Cleveland Indians)

13. Miguel Cabrera 3B Detroit Tigers (Jimmy Rollins SS Philadelphia Phillies)

14. Diasuke Matzusaka SP Boston Red Sox (Prince Fielder 1B Milwaukee Brewers)

15. Cliff Lee SP Cleveland Indians (Miguel Cabrera 3B Florida Marlins)

16. Ryan Ludwick OF St. Louis Cardinals (Victor Martinez C/1B Cleveland Indians)

17. Joe Mauer C Minnesota Twins (Ryan Howard 1B Philadelphia Phillies)

18. Evan Longoria 3B Tampa Bay Rays (David Ortiz 1B/DH Boston Red Sox)

19. Curtis Granderson OF Detroit Tigers (Chase Utley 2B Philadelphia Phillies)

20. Chad Billingsley SP Los Angeles Dodgers (Brandon Webb SP Arizona Diamondbacks)

21. Manny Ramirez OF Los Angeles Dodgers (Jorge Posada C New York Yankees)

22. Jermaine Dye OF Chicago White Sox (Chipper Jones 3B Atlanta Braves)

23. Jake Peavy SP San Diego Padres (Magglio Ordonez OF Detroit Tigers)

24. Josh Hamilton OF Texas Rangers (J.J. Putz CL Seattle Mariners)

25. Jon Lester SP Boston Red Sox (Travis Hafner DH/1B Cleveland Indians)

26. Kevin Youkilis 1B Boston Red Sox (Bobby Jenks CL Chicago White Sox)

27. Lance Berkman 1B Houston Astros (Carl Crawford OF Tampa Bay Devil Rays)

28. Ben Sheets SP Milwaukee Brewers (Jim Thome DH Chicago White Sox)

29. Milton Bradley OF Texas Rangers (Carlos Pena 1B Tampa Bay Devil Rays)

30. Chase Utley 2B Philadelphia Phillies (Aramis Ramirez 3B Chicago Cubs)

31. Nick Markakis OF Baltimore Orioles (David Wright 3B New York Mets)

32. John Danks SP Chicago White Sox (John Lackey SP Los Angeles Angels)

33. Dustin Pedroia 2B Boston Red Sox (Vladimir Guerrero OF Los Angeles Angels)

34. Vladimir Guerrero OF Los Angeles Angels (Chris Young SP San Diego Padres)

35. Adrian Gonzalez 1B San Diego Padres (Justin Verlander SP Detroit Tigers)

36. Cole Hamels SP Philadelphia Phillies (Manny Ramirez OF Boston Red Sox)

37. Russell Martin C Los Angeles Dodgers (Oliver Perez SP New York Mets)

38. Carlos Zambrano SP Chicago Cubs (Josh Beckett SP Boston Red Sox)

39. David Wright 3B New York Mets (Ryan Braun 3B Milwaukee Brewers)

40. Ichiro OF Seattle Mariners (Cole Hamels SP Philadelphia Phillies)

41. Carlos Delgado 1B New York Mets (Robinson Cano 2B New York Yankees)

42. Matt Garza SP Tampa Bay Rays (Todd Helton 1B Colorado Rockies)

43. Matt Holliday OF Colorado Rockies (Roy Oswalt SP Houston Astros)

44. Brian McCann C Atlanta Braves (Alfonso Soriano OF Chicago Cubs)

45. Mark Teixeira 1B Los Angeles Angels (Mariano Rivera CL New York Yankees)

46. Aubrey Huff DH/1B Baltimore Orioles (Troy Tulowitski SS Colorado Rockies)

47. James Shields SP Tampa Bay Rays (Mark Buehrle SP Chicago White Sox)

48. Geovany Soto C Chicago Cubs (Chone Figgins UTIL Los Angeles Angels)

49. Aramis Ramirez 3B Chicago Cubs (Ryan Zimmerman 3B Washington Nationals)

50. Nate McLouth CF Pittsburgh Pirates (Derek Jeter SS New York Yankees)

I gotta say I kinda like your list.The Manny ranking is the one that looks out of place ,he should be way higher considering what he did when he went to the Dodgers.

Sorry, but I am not buying JD as the 22nd best player in baseball. I would easily take your 48th guy (Soto) over JD. With all aspects of baseball in consideration, I cannot say JD is among the top 50 players in baseball. He is above average in two aspects of the game right now (hitting for power and average). People say his arm is above average, well he can't locate that "tremendous arm" for s***. He runs like a old man and his fielding suffers because of it.

Edited November 15, 200817 yr by maggsmaggs

Jermaine Dye has hit more HR's than any other OF in the AL over the past 3 years. That's really good.

There's more to baseball than home run hitting while playing half your games in a bandbox. That number is greatly helped by a season at the beginning of that 3 year window.

John Danks ahead of guys like Hamels and Zambrano?

John Danks ahead of guys like Hamels and Zambrano?

No brainer on Zambrano, not sure on Hamels. A 4 ERA in probably the worst or the second worst division in baseball isnt very impressive to me. Danks had a lower ERA in the AL with more K's and less BB.

Danks gets major bonus points for doing as well as he did in the AL.

No brainer on Zambrano, not sure on Hamels. A 4 ERA in probably the worst or the second worst division in baseball isnt very impressive to me. Danks had a lower ERA in the AL with more K's and less BB.

 

What? Its not a no brainer at all

 

If you offered all 3 of them to every team in the league and said pick one of these guys, not ONE team would pick Danks over Zambrano or Coles. No chance.

What? Its not a no brainer at all

 

If you offered all 3 of them to every team in the league and said pick one of these guys, not ONE team would pick Danks over Zambrano or Coles. No chance.

Well, financially alot of teams would pick Danks over those two.

 

In terms of talent/production, Danks looks only to be improving, already shwoing he can shine in the tougher league. Hamels has been VERY good, so I would see him as the #1 choice. Zambrano has been a bit overrated in my opinion, he has so much talent, but lets his head get in his way and just explodes sometimes. I think Danks would win over him if the team actually does the research on the guys, noticing that Zambrano gets alot out of name-recognition.

Compare Zambrano, Hamels and Danks statistically and you would eliminate Zambrano from the discussion fairly early on.

 

Danks and Hamels are pretty much equal: Hamels K's more batters but gives up twice the HR's, they both give up the same amount of walks and their ERA's are nearly the same in relation to the league they play in.

Utley is way too low on that list.

Matsuzaka but no Halladay? Jeez.

What? Its not a no brainer at all

 

If you offered all 3 of them to every team in the league and said pick one of these guys, not ONE team would pick Danks over Zambrano or Coles. No chance.

 

I agree on Hamels, but at least half of baseball's GM's would take Danks over Z.

Mainly because half of baseball's GMs are braindead.

It would be helpful to understand how you defined "top"? Over their career? Last season? Last couple three seasons? Their best play for a week or two? How you predict they will play next season? In what order baseball GMs would want them on their team?

It would be helpful to understand how you defined "top"? Over their career? Last season? Last couple three seasons? Their best play for a week or two? How you predict they will play next season? In what order baseball GMs would want them on their team?

It looks like this was based off just this past season.

 

There's a lot about your list I don't agree with, but the two most shocking ones are Ryan Ludwick and David Wright.

Ludwick is waaaay too high; the guy is 30 years old and produced one great season, mainly because he hits behind Pujols. And why is Wright so low? I don't see how he's not in the top 5; he' a stud with the bat, can steal bases, and plays Gold Glove D. He is arguably the best 3rd baseman in baseball because he can do it all.

Edited November 17, 200817 yr by smalls2598

It looks like this was based off just this past season.

 

That is kind of what I thought. But then JD's last three seasons were mentioned, and which GMs would take Danks. So things get a little muddied.

Where I think every player stands right now.

Where I think every player stands right now.

 

So based on career numbers?

If it was based on career numbers wouldn't Thomas, Griffey, or Thome be in the top 5?

I'm baffled how David Wright could be so low in any ranking system.