Ranking MLB's 25 Most Important Players in 2015
There are 750 players in the majors at any given moment, and all of them are important in their own way. Yes, even the backup catchers and the LOOGYs. They're people too.
But we're not here to hand out participation medals. What we're after is a list of the 25 most important players of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, which means narrowing our view from 100 percent of the league down to just 3.3 percent of it.
One way to do this would be to simply focus on the 25 biggest stars in the game. But while some of the game's brightest stars will indeed be showing up in the slides ahead, it's not going to be that simple.
With one notable exception—you'll know him when you see him—we're after linchpin players who teams likely wouldn't be able to live without. Think elite hitters in otherwise shaky offenses and elite pitchers in otherwise shaky mound staffs, and you'll get the idea.
We'll naturally go in order of importance, which will be determined by weighing both the player's individual talent and how greatly his team needs him. Step into the box whenever you're ready.
Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted or linked.
25. Edinson Volquez, Kansas City Royals
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As you'd expect from a team that's 17-9 in the early going, the Kansas City Royals aren't short on strengths. They have a lineup loaded with quality hitters and defenders, and their bullpen is basically baseball's answer to the Avengers.
Next to strengths like these, it's hard to notice that Kansas City's starting pitching isn't all that great. Its 4.20 ERA is a product of general inconsistency, save for a truly ironic exception: Edinson Volquez.
After quietly turning his career around with a 3.04 ERA in 192.2 innings in Pittsburgh in 2014, Volquez is pitching to a 2.10 ERA through 34.1 innings in his first five starts with the Royals. This isn't the biggest fluke, either, as he's suddenly (and miraculously) become very, very good at throwing strikes.
The Royals need him to keep it up. Aside from the fact that nobody else in their rotation owns an ERA below 3.45, nobody else is averaging six innings per start. That makes Volquez the 2015 equivalent of James Shields, in that he's a bullpen-saver in addition to a top-of-the-rotation producer.
Reminder: Yes, this is actually Edinson Volquez we're talking about. Strange times, indeed.
24. Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals
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The St. Louis Cardinals are looking like one of baseball's elite teams with their MLB-best 20-6 record, and that doesn't look like an accident. They have everything they could possibly ask for, save for an elite ace.
Unless Michael Wacha wants the job, of course.
Last week, we learned that the Cardinals had lost Adam Wainwright for the year due to an Achilles tear. Given that he'd posted a 2.61 ERA over nearly 500 innings since the start of 2013, that looked like quite the blow.
But it might not be if Wacha keeps doing his thing. He has a 1.93 ERA across 32.2 innings in his first five starts. And though some metrics make that out to be a little lucky, it's easier to trust when you look up and see that Wacha has a career 2.86 ERA in 39 appearances. When he's healthy, he's really good.
Given all they have going for him, the Cardinals will hardly be doomed if Wacha doesn't fill Wainwright's shoes. But if he does, don't be surprised when they're playing deep into October once again.
23. Mark Buehrle, Toronto Blue Jays
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It's not the least bit surprising that the Toronto Blue Jays lead baseball with 150 runs scored, as they have an offense that's stacked from top to bottom with talented hitters.
However, it's also not the least bit surprising that all this offense has only gotten the Blue Jays as far as 13-15. Their pitching has been a problem, particularly on the starting side of things, where Toronto starters have an MLB-worst 5.52 ERA.
This is clearly a rotation in need of consistency. And that's where we get to Mark Buehrle, as "consistency" is the one and only word in his job description.
In 14 seasons before this one, Buehrle never failed to reach 200 innings and was never much worse than a league-average pitcher. He's threatening to break the streak this year, as he has a 6.75 ERA in 28 innings through five starts. He's looked as vulnerable as you'd expect a guy with a low-80s fastball to look.
With R.A. Dickey's knuckleball unpredictable and Drew Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez both struggling to control their excellent stuff, the Blue Jays need Buehrle to snap out of it. If he doesn't, Toronto's offensive efforts being wasted by bad pitching will be a recurring theme.
22. Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox
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If there's a worst-kept secret in baseball, it's that the Boston Red Sox's plan for their starting rotation has been a flaming disaster.
The Red Sox entered the year apparently hoping that their starting pitching would simply be good enough to support the club's explosive offense. But while the offense has done its job, the starting rotation has bombed to the tune of a 5.46 ERA. That's the second-worst mark in MLB.
That's a picture of a rotation in need of hope. And as far as that goes, Rick Porcello is the closest thing to Luke Skywalker that the Red Sox have.
With a 4.38 ERA through his first six starts, Porcello is the best pitcher Boston has on paper. Also, what he can say that the others can't is that he at least had a good season in 2014. While his four compatriots were mediocre or worse, Porcello posted a career-best 3.43 ERA in 204.2 innings.
If Porcello can start pitching like that guy again, Boston's rotation will have at least one solid starter in it. Given that they've done OK so far with zero solid starters, that would be quite the upgrade.
21. Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
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It's hard to know what to make of the 2015 Oakland A's, but one thing that's already clear is that they should hit just fine. Thanks to their considerable depth, they're second in MLB with 140 runs scored.
But Oakland's pitching? That's a harder puzzle to decode, and that's what makes Sonny Gray important.
Oakland's starting rotation looks fine on the surface, as it's pitched to a rock-solid 3.32 ERA. But with Kendall Graveman having bombed and Jesse Hahn and Drew Pomeranz both sporting ERAs in the mid-4.00s, the depth just isn't there.
Rather, that 3.32 ERA is owed to the sub-2.00 ERAs sported by Gray and Scott Kazmir. But while that makes both of them aces by reputation, they're not really equals. His 1.67 ERA may be five points worse than Kazmir's 1.62, but Gray has a 37-point edge in Fielding Independent Pitching.
It's not hard to believe Gray really is that much better than Kazmir, as he's worked hard to turn himself into a legit front-line starter. That makes him the best bet the A's have to count on as an elite starting pitcher, and thus their best hope for their pitching to keep up with their offense.
20. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
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Part of the reason the Washington Nationals have struggled to hit their stride is because their starting pitching hasn't hit its stride. It should be doing better than a 3.47 ERA, and presumably, it eventually will.
Then it will become a question of how many runs of support they're going to get, and nobody should have a say in that quite like Bryce Harper.
Assuming that Anthony Rendon can return from injury and play like he did in 2014, Harper won't be Washington's best all-around player. But he always had the goods to be their best hitter, and he looks like he's ready to make good on that hype this year.
He may only be batting .245, but he has a .405 OBP and .457 slugging percentage that amount to a club-best .862 OPS. He's entrenched among the National League's elite hitters, and the improvements he's made should keep him there.
For now, Harper's production is filling the big left-handed hole left by the departure of Adam LaRoche over the winter. In time, it could provide the Nationals with an elite offense to go with their elite pitching.
19. Lucas Duda, New York Mets
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Everyone likes to focus on who the New York Mets have on the mound, and rightfully so. Matt Harvey has looked stupendous in his return from Tommy John surgery, and Bartolo Colon, Jacob deGrom and Jon Niese have also looked good.
But a pitching staff can only provide as many wins as its offense allows, and that's where things get tricky with the Mets. They're only ninth in the NL with 104 runs scored, which is largely a product of them being short on high-impact bats.
They really only have one of those, and it belongs to Lucas Duda.
If last year saw Duda break out as a legit power source, this year is seeing him break out as a legitimately great hitter. He's hitting .302 with an .851 OPS, an improvement he owes to the strides he's made against lefties and going the other way.
Take Duda out of the Mets lineup right now, and you're left with a sorry shortage of above-average regulars. So for their sake, he had better stay in the lineup.
18. Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
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With a current record of 17-10, the New York Yankees have been surprisingly good, and it hasn't happened by accident. When you're one of the top five teams in your league in runs and ERA, you're going to win games.
The Yankees keeping up their offensive prowess isn't too hard to believe. But with Masahiro Tanaka already on the disabled list and CC Sabathia a shell of his former self, the pitching side of the equation is a bit dicier. This is a rotation in need of an ace.
That's your cue, Michael Pineda.
Pineda has pitched to a strong 2.97 ERA in his six starts, and that actually undersells how good he's been. Fielding Independent Pitching pegs him as the AL's best pitcher, and that makes sense in light of his strong strikeout (8.7 K/9), walk (0.7 BB/9) and ground-ball (54 GB%) rates.
Of course, Pineda being talented is nothing new. What would be new is him staying healthy. He's had trouble doing that since 2011. If the Yankees are going to continue to enjoy good pitching for the rest of the year, they can't have that bad old habit pop up again.
17. James Shields, San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres have gotten more than they bargained for with their offensive renovation. Thanks in large part to new additions Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Derek Norris, they lead the National League in runs scored.
That the Padres are only 14-14, however, is a reflection of how unpredictable their pitching has been. And given Brandon Morrow's latest injury and Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner's own injury histories, that's a problem that could get worse.
Either way, James Shields' role is what many expected it to be when the Padres signed him: He needs to be the guy who makes sure San Diego's pitching is at least good enough to match its offense.
His track record says he's the perfect man for the job, as he's topped 200 innings every year since 2007 and has a 3.17 ERA over the last four seasons. He's off to a good start this season, too, as his 3.72 ERA undersells how dominant he's been. He's been missing bats left and right.
The Padres signed Shields to be an ace. He's pitched like one for them so far, and he will need to continue to do so for their big wager on 2015 to pay off.
16. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
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The Tampa Bay Rays are quietly in the thick of the American League race at 14-13. This is largely owed to their run prevention, which has been top-notch from both a pitching and defensive standpoint.
Now the Rays just need their offense to get going, which comes down to them getting their power going. Only four American League teams have hit fewer home runs, and that's no thanks to the fact that Evan Longoria, their most accomplished power hitter, has hit only one.
Longoria is doing some important things right, mind you. He's batting .272 with a .382 on-base percentage, and he's also pitching in his usual quality defense at the hot corner. So as soon as he starts hitting home runs, he stands to be Tampa Bay's best player once again.
Rays fans who are feeling impatient should hang in there. At only 29 years old, Longo is too young for his power to be gone for good. And though his power came slowly last year, too, it eventually came around.
If the Rays are still hanging around if and when his power comes back this year, don't be surprised if it's their cue to take off.
15. David Price, Detroit Tigers
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The Detroit Tigers are 17-10, and their offense has a lot to do with that. They're third in the American League in OPS, thanks mainly to the fact that their best player, Miguel Cabrera, has an OPS of 1.041.
But while Cabrera may be Detroit's best player, he's not quite their most important player. The Tigers offense has enough firepower to survive without him. The same cannot be said of their starting rotation without David Price.
The Cy Young-winning left-hander is doing just fine in his first full season with the Tigers, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings across six starts. These numbers stand out not only for being typical of Price, but for how they factor into a rotation that otherwise has a not-so-great 4.43 ERA.
In other words, what many suspected about Detroit's rotation is coming true. Where there were once four ace pitchers, there's now only one. That's not a good progression, and it looks even more troubling in light of how Detroit's bullpen is still a sore spot with a 3.73 ERA.
The Tigers had better hope that Price can continues to be his usual self. Otherwise, pitching may become a real problem for them for the first time in years.
14. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
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The Houston Astros have been the surprise team of the early going in 2015, as they've gone from a laughingstock to an AL-best 18-9 record.
They owe a lot of this to good pitching, as their 3.22 ERA is third in the American League. But their offense has done its part, making up for its AL-high 24.1 strikeout rate with an AL-high 41 home runs.
With a whiff-happy offense, however, tends to come inconsistency. And it's in times like those that the Astros will be even more glad they have Jose Altuve.
Altuve won the American League batting crown in 2014, and hasn't slowed down a bit. He's hitting .348 with an .892 OPS. And just like last year, what makes him an exception to the rule in Houston's lineup is his low strikeout rate. He's the only hitter they have with a strikeout rate below 10 percent.
Altuve would be important in any lineup, but he's doubly important in a Houston lineup that arguably puts too much emphasis on the long ball.
13. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
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The biggest problem the Chicago White Sox have had early on is bad pitching, as their rotation's 4.45 ERA ranks 12th in the American League. But with Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and Jose Quintana at the head of the pack with David Robertson in support, that problem should get turned around eventually.
It's harder to have faith in Chicago's offense, however, and that's where Jose Abreu comes into play.
As of now, Abreu is one of only two above-average regulars the White Sox have. The other is Avisail Garcia, who has a snowball's chance in hell of sustaining his ridiculous BABIP (batting average on balls in play). Once that comes down, Chicago's list of impact hitters will be down to Abreu.
That means he'll need to do even better than the .270 average and .847 OPS he's managing so far. It's a good thing that's not asking too much, as the .317 average and .964 OPS he authored while hitting 36 home runs last year is proof that he can be one of the American League's elite hitters.
If the White Sox's pitching does indeed come around while Abreu turns the clock back to 2014, they'll have a shot at turning things around.
12. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
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They were supposed to be one of 2015's laughingstocks, but the Colorado Rockies are hanging in there at 11-13. For things to actually stay that way, they'll need to continue being one of baseball's better offensive (their .765 OPS is second in the NL) and defensive teams.
Normally, the guy mainly responsible for that would be veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. This year, however, it looks like the honor has been passed to the guy next door at third base: Nolan Arenado.
After teasing a big breakout in 2013 and 2014, Arenado is making good on his big breakout in 2015. He's been Colorado's best offensive player with a .314 average, .964 OPS and six home runs, and the league's top defensive third baseman according to defensive runs saved.
Meanwhile, there's Tulowitzki. He's struggled a bit since the first week of the season, and so far, the metrics aren't sure what to think of his defense. This may be a sign of his inevitable decline.
If so, he's no longer the glue that holds the Rockies together. Arenado is, and he'll likely need to be as good as he's been so far for the Rockies to maintain respectability.
11. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
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The Cleveland Indians haven't been good, earning a record of just 9-16, and the main reason for that is something of a shocker. They were supposed to have great starting pitching, yet there's their rotation is in the bottom five in MLB with a 5.28 ERA.
Fortunately, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar have too much good stuff for that to continue. Unfortunately, Cleveland won't be all out of problems once its pitchers turn things around. The Indians offense is only 10th in the AL in runs and looks like a volatile unit in general.
That is, except for Michael Brantley, who is still awesome. After finishing as one of the American League's five best players in 2014, he's picked up where he left off with a .351 average and .955 OPS.
These numbers make him by far the best offensive regular the Indians have. And given Yan Gomes' injury and the recent track records of Carlos Santana, Brandon Moss and Jason Kipnis, he's really the only hope of consistency that the Indians have in their lineup.
Brantley has continued doing his thing quietly to this point. But if Cleveland's pitching does indeed come around, it should once again become clear just how much he means to the Indians.
10. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
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At 13-12, the Chicago Cubs are making good on the notion that they would be ready to end their rebuilding and contend in 2015. What's most exciting is how they finally have their dream lineup after promoting Kris Bryant and Addison Russell from the minors.
But how good this Cubs lineup can be depends on Anthony Rizzo. At 25, he is indeed a young hitter in a lineup full of young hitters. What separates him from Bryant, Russell and Jorge Soler, however, is that he's much more experienced and a lot better.
After OPS'ing .913 in 2014, Rizzo has made even more improvements and is now OPS'ing 1.025 in 2015. This performance makes him by far Chicago's best hitter, and that title will become more important in times when the lineup's youth causes some rough patches along the way.
And this is without getting into the importance of Rizzo's defense at first base. He's always excellent defensively, and he must continue to be with inexperienced defenders at third (Bryant) and second (Russell) and an unpredictable defender at short (Starlin Castro).
Already a very good player, this could be the year Rizzo becomes a real MVP contender.
9. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
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The Cincinnati Reds are hanging in there at 13-13. But with a lineup, a starting rotation and a bullpen that all look volatile, they seem to be hanging on a thinner thread than any other contender.
As such, it's not easy to narrow down their linchpin. You could make a case for Aroldis Chapman or Johnny Cueto. But it makes the most sense to simply focus on their best player: Joey Votto.
After his health posed problems in both 2013 and 2014, Votto is looking like his old self in 2015. He has a beautiful .330/.435/.608 slash line, and his seven home runs mark a most welcome return of his power.
A Reds offense that's only tied for seventh in the National League in runs has certainly needed Votto's production, and that should be the case all season long. He's not the only good hitter in Cincinnati's lineup, but he's easily its best overall and its best hope for consistency.
If Votto keeps it up, the Reds should be able to continue hanging around. But if his health acts up again, that'll be all she wrote. And considering where the Reds are, a white flag and a full rebuild could follow.
8. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
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The Baltimore Orioles got really far with just enough pitching and more than enough offense and defense last year. So far this year, however, they've yet to settle into a groove of any kind.
And yet, one thing remains clear: Adam Jones is still very, very important to the team's overall success.
Jones has been as consistent as they come in recent seasons, but he's been more than just consistent in 2015. He's been elite, batting an AL-leading .396 with a 1.078 OPS and five home runs.
And in a Baltimore offense that features some seemingly unsustainable performances (*cough* Caleb Joseph *cough* Jimmy Paredes *cough*), Jones stands out as a player who's only going to become more important as the year moves on.
His contributions don't end on offense, either. Jones also mans a pretty important position out in center field, and Baltimore's early aversion to ground balls signals that he'll need to live up to his Gold Glove reputation this year. According to the metrics, he hasn't always done that.
If Jones actually answers these challenges, look for his name in MVP discussions later this year.
7. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
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As you might have noticed, the Philadelphia Phillies are terrible. They're not going anywhere in 2015.
Cole Hamels, however, presumably will be.
That Hamels is the most available trade chip in baseball is no secret at this point. The Phillies were actively shopping him over the winter, and his page at MLB Trade Rumors is getting more updates per week than a Star Wars rumor page. It's not a question of if he gets traded, but when.
Odds are that will be sooner rather than later. But even if it ends up being later, Hamels could make an impact in a pennant race before the end of the year. He's quietly been one of the National League's top pitchers since the start of last season, and among the teams he could join are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and maybe even the Houston Astros.
In Philadelphia, Hamels is unimportant enough to be virtually off the big-picture MLB radar altogether. But once he's dealt, he's going to be a guy who could make or break a team's season.
In other words, he's pretty darn important.
6. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
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With a 17-9 record, the championship-hopeful Los Angeles Dodgers are doing just fine. It's been a complete effort, too, as they rank in the top five in the National League in runs and ERA.
The odds of the Dodgers keeping up the latter, however, may not be very good until Clayton Kershaw is Clayton Kershaw again.
That hasn't been the case early on. After two straight sub-2.00 ERA seasons in 2013 and 2014, Kershaw has a 3.72 ERA in his first six starts in 2015. The metrics agree he's pitched better than that, but the eye test says there is something to the notion that he hasn't been the same pitcher. He's looked human.
So far, this hasn't hurt the Dodgers. But in time, it could.
With Hyun-Jin Ryu out for the foreseeable future, Brandon McCarthy out for the year and Brett Anderson's health and effectiveness constantly up in the air, the Dodgers rotation doesn't look so strong after Kershaw and Zack Greinke. And while the latter has done his part to carry the load, it would certainly be better if he got some help from the guy who's been the best pitcher on the planet in recent years.
For the Dodgers, Kershaw's dominance has always been welcome. But more so than ever before, it actually looks necessary this year.
5. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
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It's hard to ignore how much Nelson Cruz has meant to the Seattle Mariners offense. He's hitting .327 with a 1.135 OPS and a league-best 14 home runs, and those numbers look that much more important when compared to the diminutive figures of Seattle's other regulars.
We can say with some confidence, however, that Cruz should eventually have some support. At the very least, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager are too good to be this bad.
Which brings us to Felix Hernandez and the Mariners rotation. King Felix has been characteristically awesome in 2015, posting a 1.73 ERA across 41.2 innings in six starts. But the rest of Seattle's rotation? Try a 5.56 ERA.
That's a shocker. Hernandez was supposed to get plenty of support from veteran splitter specialist Hisashi Iwakuma and young fireballers James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. Instead, Iwakuma is hurt and Paxton and Walker have both been hittable.
The Mariners still have the goods to be a playoff team, but it may not happen unless King Felix carries the rotation. Fortunately, he's pretty well practiced at doing so.
4. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
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The Miami Marlins started 2015 off on a terrible note, dropping 11 of their first 14 games. But they've turned things around since then, and it's not hard to find the primary cause of that. They've been hitting a lot better recently, and it's their best hitter who's been leading the way.
Giancarlo Stanton practically willed the Marlins to respectability all on his own in 2014, and the club's recent turnaround coincides with a hot stretch that's seen him hit .286 with a .971 OPS and six home runs in his last 18 games. The Marlins have gone from scoring 3.7 runs per game before this stretch to 4.5 runs per game during it.
That alone speaks to the amount of influence Stanton has within Miami's lineup, but his real value boils down to one thing above all else. His extreme power is his best tool, and it's already becoming clear just how important his power is to the Marlins. Outside of him, power has been hard to come by.
Stanton darn near won the NL MVP after he put the Marlins on his back last year. So far, he looks determined to give it another shot in 2015.
3. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
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If you wrote the defending champion San Francisco Giants off after they started the year 3-9, well, they're back now. At 14-13 and on the upswing, they look determined not to fall victim to another off year.
As for whether they can pull it off, nobody's going to have a bigger say than Buster Posey.
It's an easy conclusion to draw, given that he's arguably the best player in the National League to begin with. It's also an easy conclusion to draw based on what happened in 2011 and 2013, as the Giants went south after he was injured in '11 and after he started slumping in '13.
If Posey—who's off to a solid start with a .276 average and .764 OPS—can avoid similar fates, he can make a huge difference in 2015. His bat can help make up for the losses of Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse, and don't underestimate his defense. His strike-framing skills (see Baseball Prospectus) are just one reason he's an excellent defensive catcher, and he's solid at first base too.
It's hard to imagine a more unassuming superstar than Posey, but this year is yet another chance for him to show just how good and how important he is.
2. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Following two straight playoff appearances in 2013 and 2014, the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a slow start in 2015. They're only 12-14 through their first 26 games.
And it's not hard to determine the most problematic symptom of this slow start: We're getting a look at what the Pirates offense is capable of without Andrew McCutchen at his very best, and it's not pretty.
McCutchen not hitting is a rare sight, indeed. But here he is hitting under .200 with a .574 OPS and two home runs. Whether this is due strictly to the left knee injury that bothered him during the spring or something else, he just hasn't looked like himself.
And for now, that's shining a light on just how much his offense means to the Pirates. Their pitching has been truly excellent with a 2.95 ERA that ranks second in the National League, but that's been wasted by an offense that ranks 12th in the National League with 94 runs.
There's a good team waiting to bust out in Pittsburgh. But until Andrew McCutchen is Andrew McCutchen, it can't happen.
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
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The game's best player is also the game's most important player? Gee, who would've thought that?
Indeed. But there's also more to the story here than Mike Trout being awesome.
First, yes, Trout is as awesome as ever. He's trying out a more aggressive approach in 2015, and it's helped him to a .302 average and a .956 OPS. Add in six homers and six steals, and he once again looks like a 30/30 threat. Add in decent defense, and Trout is sniffing the top of the WAR leaderboard.
It's pretty much business as usual on his end. But what's changed from last year is how much larger his heroics are looming among the rest of the Los Angeles Angels.
With the Angels ranking 11th in the AL in runs and last in OPS, Trout's offensive production has been a godsend. And with their pitching staff collecting fewer ground balls than anyone else, his solid defense in center field has also been a godsend.
The Angels have always enjoyed having Trout on their side. But more so than ever before, they truly need him on their side this year.
