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Survey Says: The Best Players In Baseball
June 12, 2009
The Sporting News recently surveyed 50 "baseball people" on who the current greatest baseball players are. The question seemed vague to me. What did the magazine mean by "current greatest" players? Did mean who is playing the best right now, or who is the best based on their careers?
I decided to conduct a survey. This survey includes many "bleacher creatures," bloggers, and just people who watch a ton of baseball. I surveyed 40 people, with at least one fan of each Major League Baseball team. The results are in.
Question: Who are the current ten best players in the MLB (rank) based on their careers?
| Rk | Pts | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 289 | Ken Griffey, Jr. | Griffey, Jr. appeared on 35 top-10 lists. |
| 2 | 277 | Albert Pujols | Pujols appeared on 36 top-10 lists. |
| 3 | 200 | Randy Johnson | Johnson appeared on 28 top-10 lists. |
| 4 | 163 | Alex Rodriguez | Rodriguez appeared on 24 top-10 lists. |
| 5 | 157 | Derek Jeter | Jeter appeared on 29 top-10 lists. |
| 6 | 147 | Ichiro Suzuki | Suzuki appeared on 29 top-10 lists. |
| 7 | 109 | Chipper Jones | Jones appeared on 24 top-10 lists. |
| 8 | 92 | Trevor Hoffman | Hoffman appeared on 16 top-10 lists. |
| 9 | 89 | Vladimir Guerrero | Guerrero appeared on 19 top-10 lists. |
| 10 | 88 | Jim Thome | Thome appeared on 28 top-10 lists. |
Also receiving votes (points): Tom Glavine (86), Mariano Rivera (86), John Smoltz (85), Manny Ramirez (77), Todd Helton (68), Ivan Rodriguez (62), David Ortiz (16), Roy Halladay (10), Johan Santana (9), Hanley Ramirez (7), Francisco Rodriguez (6), Miguel Cabrera (6), Ryan Braun (5), Gary Sheffield (4), Tim Lincecum (4), Jose Reyes (2), Jonathan Papelbon (1)
Question: Who are the current ten most talented (not necessarily best) MLB players?
| Rk | Pts | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 176 | Hanley Ramirez Florida Marlins | Ramirez appeared on 26 top-10 lists. |
| 2 | 123 | Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies | Utley appeared on 22 top-10 lists. |
| 3 | 122 | Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays | Longoria appeared on 21 top-10 lists. |
| 4 | 118 | Carl Crawford Tampa Bay Rays | Crawford appeared on 19 top-10 lists. |
| 5 | 115 | Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins | Mauer appeared on 18 top-10 lists. |
| 6 | 114 | Jose Reyes New York Mets | Reyes appeared on 19 top-10 lists. |
| 7 | 113 | BJ Upton Tampa Bay Rays | Upton appeared on 19 top-10 lists. |
| 8 | 100 | Ian Kinsler Texas Rangers | Kinsler appeared on 18 top-10 lists. Kinsler received 2 first place votes. |
| 9 | 100 | Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers | Hamilton appeared on 17 top-10 lists. |
| 10 | 99 | Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants | Lincecum appeared on 17 top-10 lists. Lincecum received 2 first place votes. |
Also receiving votes (points): Grady Sizemore (97), Jimmy Rollins (81), Roy Halladay (69), Miguel Cabrera (68), Justin Upton (65), Adam Jones (56), Adrian Gonzalez (55), Ryan Braun (50), Mark Teixeira (49), David Wright (46), Torii Hunter (37), Michael Bourn (34), Jacoby Ellsbury (31), Orlando Hudson (28), Albert Pujols (28), Ryan Zimmerman (24), Zack Greinke (24), Brandon Phillips (21), Ichiro Suzuki (20), Alex Rodriguez (15), Prince Fielder (13), Carlos Zambrano (11), Carlos Quentin (9), Nyjer Morgan (7), Justin Verlander (6), Hunter Pence (6), Johan Santana (6), Matt Holliday (5), Josh Johnson (5), Nick Markakis (5), Jon Lester (5), Dexter Fowler (4), Chone Figgins (4), Jonathan Broxton (4), Jake Peavy (3), Curtis Granderson (3), Kevin Youkilis (3), Francisco Rodriguez (3), Brian Roberts (2), Adam Dunn (1), Ryan Howard (1), Micah Owings (1)
Question: Who are the five best MLB players this season?
| Rk | Pts | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 174 | Roy Halladay Toronto Blue Jays | Halladay appeared on 23 top-5 lists. Halladay received 12 first place votes. |
| 2 | 156 | Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals | Pujols appeared on 21 top-5 lists. Pujols received 6 first place votes. |
| 3 | 142 | Raul Ibanez Philadelphia Phillies | Ibanez appeared on 21 top-5 lists. Ibanez received 6 first place votes. |
| 4 | 82 | Justin Morneau Minnesota Twins | Morneau appeared on 15 top-5 lists. Morneau received 2 first place votes. |
| 5 | 78 | Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins | Mauer appeared on 14 top-5 lists. Mauer received 1 first place vote. |
Also receiving votes (points): Jason Bay (76), Evan Longoria (74), Zack Greinke (74), Mark Teixeira (54), Justin Verlander (46), David Wright (40), Johan Santana (32), Chase Utley (30), Ichiro Suzuki (26), Prince Fielder (24), Carl Crawford (12), Torii Hunter (12), Hanley Ramirez (10), Dan Haren (10), Alex Rodriguez (8), Adam Jones (8), Miguel Tejada (6), Adrian Gonzalez (4), Ian Kinsler (4), Ryan Braun (4), Tim Lincecum (4), Aaron Hill (4), Orlando Hudson (2), Kevin Youkilis (2), Ryan Howard (2)
So, what do you people think? Do you agree or disagree? Here's how I voted:
| Career | Talent | Best Now |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ken Griffey, Jr. | 1. Chase Utley | 1. Justin Morneau |
| 2. Albert Pujols | 2. Roy Halladay | 2. Albert Pujols |
| 3. Alex Rodriguez | 3. Joe Mauer | 3. Evan Longoria |
| 4. Randy Johnson | 4. Mark Teixeira | 4. Raul Ibanez |
| 5. Chipper Jones | 5. Hanley Ramirez | 5. Zack Greinke |
| 6. Manny Ramirez | 6. Evan Longoria | |
| 7. Derek Jeter | 7. Ian Kinsler | |
| 8. Trevor Hoffman | 8. Tim Lincecum | |
| 9. Jim Thome | 9. Adam Jones | |
| 10. Ichiro Suzuki | 10. Justin Upton |
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