Ranking MLB's Top 100 Players at Midseason
It's time for an updated look at MLB's 100 best players.
At the start of the season, we put together a list of the top 100 players for the 2018 campaign based on past track records and projections for the year to come.
Now that roughly half the season is in the books, it's time to revisit that list.
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This time around, only 2018 performances will be taken into account, meaning reputation and future expectations were disregarded.
The only stipulation for inclusion was that a player must have at least a 1.0 WAR for the year, according to Baseball Reference.
That notably excluded: Michael Brantley (0.9), Yadier Molina (0.8), J.A. Happ (0.8), Felipe Vazquez (0.7), Bryce Harper (0.4), Jose Abreu (0.2), Rhys Hoskins (0.2), Brad Hand (0.0) and Charlie Blackmon (-0.6).
Let's see who made the list.
The Young Guns
With 12 players under the age of 25 earning a spot on our list, the future of the game is in good hands.
Ozzie Albies (21) and Gleyber Torres (21) are the babies of the group, with Albies earning the title of youngest by 25 days. Both players made the first of what figures to be several All-Star appearances this season and have played crucials role on contending clubs.
Teammates Carlos Correa (23) and Alex Bregman (24) have been key cogs in an Astros offense that is averaging 5.1 runs per game.
The same goes for Andrew Benintendi (24) hitting in the middle of a Red Sox offense that is tops in the majors at 5.3 runs per game, while two-way standout Francisco Lindor (24) is once again playing like an MVP candidate after finishing fifth in the American League voting a year ago.
Center fielder Albert Almora Jr. (24) is enjoying a breakout season for the Cubs with a mix of his strong batting average (.316, fifth in the National League) and elite defense (9 DRS).
Luis Severino (24) and Jose Berrios (24) have ascended to the role of ace on their respective staffs, and they're the game's top under-25 starters at midseason.
Closer Edwin Diaz (24) and multi-inning weapon Josh Hader (24) have both been dominant from the get-go, while rookie Seranthony Dominguez (23) has been a pleasant surprise for the Phillies after starting the season as the organization's No. 12 prospect, according to Baseball America.
Aging Like a Fine Wine
The elder statesmen are also well-represented.
There were also 12 players over the age of 32 who landed among the game's top 100 this season.
Slugger Nelson Cruz (38) is the oldest of that group, and he's still raking in his 14th big league season with a 143 OPS+ and 22 home runs—giving him 345 long balls for his career, despite not becoming an everyday player until the age of 28.
Fellow designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo (36) is the only other player over the age of 35. He earned his first All-Star appearance this season and rattled off a 52-game on-base streak to post a .402 on-base percentage that ranks fourth in the American League.
Staff aces Justin Verlander (35), Jon Lester (34), Zack Greinke (34) and Max Scherzer (33) are earning a combined $111.64 million this season. That's more than the entire payroll of nine different MLB teams, but it's hard to argue they haven't earned it.
Meanwhile, Charlie Morton (34) is once again one of the best bargains in baseball in the second year of a two-year, $14 million contract that has been an absolute slam dunk for the Astros. He too was a first-time All-Star this year.
Brandon Morrow (33) has taken an interesting career path from promising young starter to injury reclamation project to lights-out setup man to closing games for the Cubs. He's converted 22 of 24 save chances with a 1.47 ERA and 9.1 K/9 in his first season in the ninth-inning role, though injuries are again a concern.
Joey Votto (34) remains one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and as usual, he's getting on base at an elite .416 clip.
Nick Markakis (34) and Jed Lowrie (34) can also be added to the list of first-time All-Stars. Both players have enjoyed long, productive MLB careers, yet they're having perhaps their best season to date in 2018.
Then again, that's nothing compared to the career renaissance Matt Kemp (33) has undergone since returning to the Dodgers. There was some doubt whether he would even crack the Opening Day roster, and now he leads the team in batting average (.317) and RBI (63).
Who Saw Them Coming?
Where would the Los Angeles Dodgers be without Max Muncy?
The Oakland Athletics released the 27-year-old in March, and the Dodgers scooped him up on a minor league deal a month later. Now, with Corey Seager out for the season and Justin Turner missing significant time, he's been an integral part of the offense.
Over 305 plate appearances, he's hitting .271/.403/.595 with 23 home runs and 45 RBI. Add to that his defensive versatility—he's played first base (38 games), third base (36), second base (nine) and left field (six)—and he's been a 3.0 WAR player for the NL West leaders.
Teammate Ross Stripling has also been a surprise standout.
The 28-year-old spent most of last season in the bullpen, and his first 12 appearances this year were primarily in relief. However, injuries forced him into the starting rotation May 6, and he's gone 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 in 14 starts.
Minnesota Twins teammates Eddie Rosario (135 OPS+, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 4.3 WAR) and Eduardo Escobar (131 OPS+, 37 2B, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 2.6 WAR) also deserve a mention here.
Rosario posted a 119 OPS+ with 27 home runs last season, but he's taken his game to new heights in his age-26 campaign and looks like a cornerstone-type player. As for Escobar, he's turned himself into a valuable trade chip in a contract year.
Need proof that being active on the waiver wire is a worthwhile pursuit?
Jesus Aguilar (CLE to MIL), Scooter Gennett (MIL to CIN), Adam Ottavino (STL to COL) and Kirby Yates (LAA to SD) all joined their current teams via waiver claims.
The Washington Nationals traded Blake Treinen in their pursuit of a reliable ninth-inning option last season, and now he's turned into just that. After an excellent conclusion to the 2017 season in Oakland, he's converted 25 of 29 save chances with a 1.06 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.5 K/9.
Despite earning a place on the AL All-Star roster last season, Corey Dickerson was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays after a second-half swoon. The 29-year-old landed on his feet in Pittsburgh as a replacement for Andrew McCutchen, and he's hit .318/.351/.517 for a 3.3 WAR.
Collin McHugh was ousted from the Houston Astros' starting rotation following the offseason addition of Gerrit Cole, but he's taken the move to the bullpen in stride, emerging as a multi-inning weapon. The 31-year-old is 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 in 34 appearances spanning 47.2 innings.
Where Did They Go?
Since the goal of this list was to look at the 2018 season in a bubble, there are a number of players with superstar pedigrees who are notably absent.
A whopping 21 players who earned a spot inside our preseason top 50 are nowhere to be found on this list, and they can be lumped into four general categories.
Injury issues: Clayton Kershaw (4), Corey Seager (16), Josh Donaldson (19), Noah Syndergaard (29), Justin Turner (32), Stephen Strasburg (34) and Andrew Miller (39).
Significant regression from 2017: Gary Sanchez (33), Marcus Stroman (37), Jonathan Schoop (38) and Adrian Beltre (42).
Good, not great 2018: Bryce Harper (9), Anthony Rizzo (14), Charlie Blackmon (21), George Springer (31), Carlos Carrasco (44), Brian Dozier (47) and Kyle Hendricks (48).
Just missed the cut: Cody Bellinger (24), Kenley Jansen (36), Dallas Keuchel (40).
Best Offseason Addition (Hitter): 8. J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox front office and free-agent slugger J.D. Martinez spent most of the offseason at an impasse before the two sides finally agreed to a five-year, $110 million deal on Feb. 19.
The Red Sox had taken a noticeable downturn offensively after David Ortiz retired following the 2016 season:
- 2016: .810 OPS (1st in MLB), 208 HR (9th in MLB), 5.4 R/G (1st in MLB)
- 2017: .736 OPS (22nd in MLB), 168 HR (27th in MLB), 4.8 R/G (10th in MLB)
Meanwhile, Martinez was coming off a monster season at the plate in 2017. He posted a 167 OPS+ with 45 home runs and 104 RBI, despite playing just 119 games after getting a late start to the season while recovering from a foot injury.
As good as those numbers were, he's been even better in Boston.
The 30-year-old is hitting .323/.387/.644 for a 171 OPS+ and leading the AL in home runs (31), RBI (85) and total bases (237).
And thanks in large part to those contributions, the Red Sox offense once again ranks near the head of the pack in OPS (.795, 1st in MLB), home runs (140, 2nd in MLB) and runs per game (5.3, 1st in MLB).
Best Offseason Addition (Pitcher): 57. Miles Mikolas, St. Louis Cardinals
Miles Mikolas was released by the Texas Rangers following a 2014 season that saw him go 2-5 with a 6.44 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 10 starts.
Despite those middling numbers, the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League saw enough to sign him to a one-year, $700,000 deal, and that would prove to be a turning point in his career.
In three seasons in Japan, he went 31-13 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 378 strikeouts in 424.2 innings, and that was enough to generate plenty of interest from MLB teams when he decided to make his way back stateside this past offseason.
The St. Louis Cardinals ended up signing him to a two-year, $15.5 million deal, and he's been a difference-maker in their rotation, going 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
He's only tallied 89 strikeouts in 124.1 innings, but he throws a ton of strikes and does a good job of keeping hitters off balance.
Teams Who Got Shut Out
The Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays were the only teams without a representative on our list.
Manny Machado was the All-Star selection for the Orioles, and he's having a huge season at the plate. But Baltimore has traded him to the Dodgers.
That left Adam Jones (100 OPS+, 10 HR, 38 RBI,) and Dylan Bundy (6-9, 4.57 ERA, 116 K, 108.1 IP) as their best candidates.
Jose Abreu (109 OPS+, 14 HR, 55 RBI) actually started the All-Star Game for the White Sox, but his numbers don't stack up to the sluggers who did make the cut.
Closer Joakim Soria (16/19 SV, 2.56 ERA, 11.4 K/9) looks like a solid trade chip, but he's not quite a top-tier reliever.
As for the Blue Jays, they had three players on our preseason edition—Josh Donaldson (19), Marcus Stroman (37) and Roberto Osuna (77).
However, slugger Justin Smoak (128 OPS+, 16 HR, 53 RBI) and All-Star J.A. Happ (10-6, 4.18 ERA, 130 K, 114.0 IP) were the closest they got to cracking the list this time around.
Baseball's Most Stacked Team: New York Yankees
The New York Yankees might be chasing the Red Sox in the standings, but they took the top spot here with eight representatives on the top 100 list.
Budding young stars Aaron Judge (5) and Luis Severino (15) led the way, while slugger Giancarlo Stanton (51), middle infielders Didi Gregorius (67) and Gleyber Torres (73), outfielder Aaron Hicks (78) and relievers Aroldis Chapman (42) and Dellin Betances (95) also earned spots.
The Cubs led the way on the NL side with seven representatives, despite the fact that Rizzo, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish all fell out of the top 100 after appearing on the preseason list.
The Red Sox (7), Astros (7) and Brewers (6) round out the teams with more than five players.
Other Interesting Notes
- Players born in the United States (68), Venezuela (10), Dominican Republic (7), Puerto Rico (6), Netherlands (4), Canada (2), Cuba (2) and South Korea (1) appeared on the list.
- There are 41 first-round picks, including two No. 1 overall picks—Gerrit Cole (2011) and Carlos Correa (2012).
- Conversely, seven players were drafted after the 10th round—Matt Carpenter (13th), Scooter Gennett (16th), Lorenzo Cain (17th), Collin McHugh (18th), Josh Hader (19th), J.D. Martinez (20th) and Kirby Yates (UFA). The Red Sox selected Yates out of high school in the 26th round in 2005, but he didn't sign. He then missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons and was not drafted again.
- Of the 100 players, 37 never appeared on a Baseball America preseason top 100 prospect list—including Jacob deGrom (6), J.D. Martinez (8), Jose Altuve (13), Corey Kluber (16), Matt Carpenter (17), Lorenzo Cain (18) and Eddie Rosario (24) among players ranked inside the top 25.
- With the non-waiver trade deadline looming Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, it's worth noting that 46 of the players have been involved in trades at some point in their careers. That number is eclipsed by the 48 players who are still playing for the teams that originally signed or drafted them.
All standard stats and WAR totals courtesy of Baseball Reference, while advanced stats come via FanGraphs. Stats accurate as of July 24.
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