MLB: Is Troy Tulowitzki the Best Player in Baseball Today?

Listening to the radio during my lunch break, radio host and ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt mentioned how ESPN was conducting a fantasy franchise baseball draft among 30 baseball experts and analysts.

The consensus No. 1 pick wasn't Albert Pujols, but rather, Colorado Rockies shortstop and gold glove award winner Troy Tulowitzki.

ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney seemed to reiterate that most Major League players agreed that there was Tulo and then everybody else. Olney mentioned an interview a friend of his did with Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who was asked the simple question, "Who would be the best current player to start a franchise?"

Gonzalez replied, "you mean who is the second best after Tulowitzki."

I thought the same thing and my personal pick would have been Tulo for the simple reason that Tulowitzki is a rare breed of Gold Glove award winning shortstop who hits for power, very much in the same fashion as Alex Rodriguez did early in his career.

However, Tulowitzki to be the consensus No. 1 kinda shocked me a little bit. Evan Longoria, Ryan Braun, Tim Lincecum, Felix Hernandez, Joey Votto, Hanley Ramirez, fellow teammate Carlos Gonzalez and Albert Pujols were all passed over for Tulowitzki, a one-time All-Star.

Ever since his first full season in the majors in 2007, Tulo has taken Colorado and the league by storm.

As a rookie Tulo broke the record for most home runs hit by a rookie short stop in the National League with 24, the previous record was 19 held by Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks.

After a down year in 2008 that included missing time due to a cut on his hand that required stitches, Tulo came back in 2009 and set a career high in home runs with 32.

In 2010, Tulo put up MVP type numbers, including 15 home runs and 40 RBI in the month of September, only the great Babe Ruth topped Tulo's September numbers.

This year so far, Tulo has been smoking hot early in the season, and has leveled off recently. In April, Tulo hit four home runs and drove in eight runs in four straight games. His average during the April streak peaked at .364, but has since leveled off at .250.

In the end, there is no denying that Tulowitzki is one of the best players in baseball today, the question however remains, if you were to start a franchise, which player would you start it with?