Best of 2011: The Year's 50 Best MLB Players

It's hard to believe, but 2011 is in its final week as we prepare to turn the calendar to 2012.

2012 will he hard-pressed to top 2011 as far as baseball goes, with a great season full of individual and team accomplishments that led to many memorable moments.

A year from now, there will no doubt be new additions to this list as players emerge and make their mark on the league.

But for now, here are 50 of the best players we saw set foot on a baseball field in 2011.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Asdrubal Cabrera played an important part in the Cleveland Indians ascent in the AL Central in 2011.

In 151 games the All-Star batted .273 while going deep 25 times en route to 92 runs batted in.

Pablo Sandoval

Pablo Sandoval did everything in his power to propel the San Francisco Giants towards another World Series championship in 2011.

While they'd come up short, Sandoval did manage to go deep 23 times and notch 134 hits despite playing in only 117 games.

Ben Zobrist

2011 was Ben Zobrist's most productive in terms of offensive output as he drove in 91 runs and reached career highs in hits (158), doubles (46) and runs scored (99).

James Shields

James Shields ate up 250 innings in 2011 and managed an impressive 2.82 ERA while winning 16 of his 33 starts.

Starlin Castro

Along with the hiring of Theo Epstein, Starlin Castro is a reason that the Chicago Cubs faithful have reason to believe looking towards the future.

Castro batted .307 in 2011 while leading the league in at-bats (674) and hits (207).

Evan Longoria

Evan Longoria's leadership at third base definitely helped propel the Tampa Bay Rays into postseason contention seemingly out of nowhere.

He batted only .244 in 2011 but was able to go deep 31 times en route to driving in 99 runs.

Ian Kinsler

Playing in a career-high 155 games in 2011, Ian Kinsler went deep 31 times and added 30 stolen bases while drawing a career-high 89 free passes.

Although it was in a losing effort, he played an important role in the Rangers postseason push, batting .292 in the ALCS and .361 in the World Series.

Jose Valverde

Leading the league in appearances by a relief pitcher, Jose Valverde posted a 2.24 ERA while saving 49 games and earning a 2-4 record.

Paul Konerko

With Adam Dunn failing to yield powerful results in 2011 for the Chicago White Sox, Paul Konerko once again stepped up to propel the team.

Konerko batted .300, went deep 31 times and drove in 105 runs while making his fifth career All-Star appearance.

Josh Beckett

After a shortened 2010 season in which he had only 12 decisions, Josh Beckett was a 13-game winner in 2011.

Pitching in 193 innings, Beckett posted a career-low 1.023 WHIP while walking only two batters per nine innings.

Matt Cain

Pitching in 221 innings in 2011, Matt Cain threw a career-low 2.88 ERA while winning 12 games and striking out better than seven batters per nine innings.

Craig Kimbrel

With a 2.10 ERA and 46 saves during his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves, it's no surprise he was able to take home Rookie of the Year honors at season's end.

Michael Young

Michael Young led the league in 2011 with 213 hits, 58 of which went for extra bases. His 106 RBI put him ninth in the league and he finished behind only Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez in batting average.

Joey Votto

After winning the NL MVP trophy with an impressive 2010 season, Joey Votto was back at it again in 2011.

He batted over .300 and led the National League in doubles, walks and on-base percentage while driving in 103 runs.

Josh Hamilton

His numbers dropped off quite a bit from 2010, but Josh Hamilton still showed signs that he's a force at the plate.

Hamilton hit 25 home runs and drove in 94 runs in 2011, despite missing 41 games.

Carlos Beltran

The St. Louis Cardinals would have to be relatively pleased if their newest member, Carlos Beltran, could produce similar results in 2012 compared to his 2011 production.

He batted .300 with an OPS over .900 and went deep 22 times while drawing 71 walks.

Troy Tulowitzki

Another year, another consistently strong season from Troy Tulowizki. He reached 100 RBI for the first time in his career and once again hit over 30 home runs while hitting a career-high 36 doubles.

Victor Martinez

There weren't any growing pains experienced by Victor Martinez in his first year with the Detroit Tigers in 2011.

Martinez batted a career-high .330 and drove in over 100 runs for the first time since 2009.

Hunter Pence

As a hot commodity at the 2011 trade deadline, Hunter Pence made the most of his opportunity in a big stage after heading to Philadelphia midseason.

Pence batted .324 with the Phillies and added 67 hits in the 54 games after coming over from the Astros.

Dan Haren

Dan Haren would be an ace on many rotations in this league, but many rotations don't also boast Jered Weaver.

Haren won 16 games in 2011 while striking out 197 batters in 34 starts and seeing his lowest WHIP since 2009.

Ryan Howard

Despite seeing a 23-point drop in batting average from 2010, Ryan Howard still maintained impressive power numbers in 2011 as he reached the 30-home run plateau for the sixth consecutive season.

His 2-for-19 performance in the NLDS was well below his standards, but he'll no doubt be back strong once again in 2012.

Tim Lincecum

Despite having what could be considered a down season by his standards, Tim Lincecum managed to throw a sub 3.00 ERA even though he lost more games than he won (13-14).

He struck out over 220 batters for the fourth consecutive season and saw his WHIP drop from 2010.

C.J. Wilson

The newest Los Angeles Angel can in part thank his strong 2011 performance for the big deal he recently signed.

C.J. Wilson struck out 206 batters this season while winning 16 games and finishing with a 2.94 ERA.

Cole Hamels

While pitching in the same rotation as Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee it's easy to be overlooked.

Cole Hamels may not have been the most well-known member of the Phillies rotation, but he did win 14 games while posting a career-low 2.79 ERA in 32 starts.

Doug Fister

Doug Fister was a key acquisition that ultimately led the Detroit Tigers to their first ALCS appearance since 2006.

Fister went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA after coming over from Seattle and went 2-1 during the postseason.

Lance Berkman

After being given a one-year, $8 million deal by the St. Louis Cardinals, Lance Berkman set out to prove he still had what it takes to succeed in the league.

He certainly did that with a 31 HR, 94 RBI season that included a very strong postseason that propelled the Cardinals to a World Series championship.

Jose Reyes

Leading the National League in batting in 2011, Jose Reyes put together a superb overall season and will be looked upon to produce similar results after signing a massive deal in Miami this offseason.

Mike Stanton

As one of the game's emerging stars, Mike Stanton turned many heads with the violent swing that sent many balls deep into the Florida night.

His 34 home runs put him fifth in the National League and his .537 slugging percentage was good enough for sixth.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson's name was thrown out there as one of the front-runners for AL MVP throughout much of the season.

It's hard to argue with his 41 home runs, and his 119 RBI and 136 runs scored led the league.

Having more strikeouts than hits was a bit of a blemish and his .262 batting average is less than stellar, although many out there believe that batting average is an overrated statistic.

Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver would've been a great candidate for AL Cy Young honors in 2011 if it wasn't for someone named Justin Verlander.

Weaver won 18 games and finished with an ERA just above 2.00 and threw an impressive four complete games while narrowly missing 200 strikeouts for the season.

David Ortiz

If there was any question as to whether or not David Ortiz would regress in 2011, he answered his critics with yet another strong season.

Papi batted the highest he had since 2007 and while he just fell short of 30 home runs. He managed to drive in over 100 runs while earning 78 free passes.

Mark Teixiera

Playing in over 155 games for the fourth consecutive season, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixiera hit a career-high 30 home runs while driving in 111 runs.

He struggled in the ALDS, notching only three hits in 21 plate appearances, but the overall body of work was once again impressive in 2011.

Dustin Pedroia

Despite not getting as much attention throughout the league in 2011, Dustin Pedroia put together arguably his best season since 2008 when he won MVP honors.

In 159 games this season, Pedroia had 61 extra-base hits, including 21 home runs.

His strikeout numbers were up a bit from past seasons, but his on-base percentage was higher than any of his five prior seasons in the league.

Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre made a big impact in the Texas Rangers postseason push, going deep three times in the ALDS and another two times during a losing effort in the World Series.

Along with a .296 batting average and .892 OPS, Beltre's 32 home runs put him fifth in the American League.

Ian Kennedy

21-game winner Ian Kennedy's 2011 performance was good enough for fourth in NL Cy Young voting.

In his second season as a full-time starter, Kennedy improved across the board and made a name for himself as one of the top pitchers in the league.

Miguel Cabrera

The success of the Detroit Tigers in recent seasons has been thanks in no small part to slugger Miguel Cabrera.

His 2011 season wasn't any different, as the Tigers found themselves reaching the ALCS and coming up just short of reaching the fall classic, ultimately falling to the Texas Rangers.

With a .344 batting average and 1.033 OPS in 2011, Cabrera is certainly the catalyst of a Tigers offense that has a number of valuable weapons heading into 2012.

Justin Upton

2011 was a breakout season of sorts for Justin Upton, as he achieved career highs in runs (105), hits (171), home runs (31) and OBP (.369).

He was an important part of the Arizona Diamondbacks run towards their first postseason appearance since 2007. He would also make his second All-Star appearance.

Adrian Gonzalez

When the All-Star break came around, Adrian Gonzalez was batting .354 and had an OPS north of 1.000 while driving in 77 runs.

He finished the season batting at an impressive clip, but his second half numbers showed just how much he's come back to the pack since the midsummer classic.

Gonzalez went deep only 10 times since the beginning of July, and his second half average was 37 points lower than the first half.

Prince Fielder

In what was more than likely his final season in Milwaukee, Prince Fielder teamed up with Ryan Braun to lead the Brewers to a NLCS matchup in which they'd ultimately fall at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Playing in every game, Fielder hit 38 home runs and drove in 120 runs while batting a career-high .299.

Albert Pujols

Having either won or finished second in the NL MVP voting in seven of the past nine seasons, it's no surprise to see Albert Pujols was in the conversation once again in 2011.

It was a down year in comparison to past seasons, as his numbers across the board were their lowest since 2008.

But at any rate, a .299 average with 37 home runs, 99 RBI and an OPS approaching 1.000 was still impressive enough to add to the resume that got him a massive contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

Cliff Lee

After surprising many with his move to the Philadelphia Phillies this past offseason, Cliff Lee got to work in 2011, winning 17 games and posting a career-low 2.40 ERA.

He finished third in NL Cy Young voting and for the first time struck out more than nine batters per nine innings.

C.C. Sabathia

Continuing to live up to his massive contract with the New York Yankees, C.C. Sabathia won 19 games in 2011 while posting his lowest ERA since the 2008 season.

He struggled a bit in two starts in the ALDS, however he didn't receive a decision in either appearance.

Robinson Cano

On a roster chock full of superstars, Robinson Cano was still able to set himself apart.

He batted .302 in 2011 while going deep 28 times and driving in a career-high 118 runs, good enough for an All-Star appearance and ultimately a silver slugger award.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Considering the amount of attention that players like Granderson and Bautista got in MVP conversations, you could say Jacoby Ellsbury flew somewhat under the radar.

His statistics across the board spoke volumes as to why he should received the serious consideration that he did.

With a .321 batting average, .376 OBP, .552 slugging percentage and .928 OPS, it's easy to see how he was able to rack up 212 hits, 32 home runs, 105 RBI and 39 stolen bases.

Roy Halladay

Coming up just short of consecutive NL Cy Young awards, Roy Halladay was his usual self in 2011. He'd finish the season with a 19-6 record and 2.35 ERA.

Halladay's WHIP was it's lowest in six seasons and his command remained impeccable as he walked only one batter per nine innings.

Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista is certainly one of the most feared hitters in the league, and rightfully so.

He was tops in the league with 43 home runs and an OPS of 1.056 and was second with a .447 OBP.

Being on a .500 team that finishes fourth in their division swayed some votes away from him during MVP voting, but it's hard to argue his value to the Blue Jays when you think about where they would've been without him.

Clayton Kershaw

Despite playing on a team facing a good amount of turmoil in 2011, Clayton Kershaw was unaffected as he put up an impressive season that ultimately won him NL Cy Young honors.

Kershaw won 21 games and posted a 2.28 ERA while striking out nearly 10 batters per nine innings and walking only two.

Ryan Braun

In the midst of the constant conversations surrounding whether or not Prince Fielder would sign a long-term contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Braun had himself one heck of a season.

With a career-high .332 batting average and league-leading slugging percentage and OPS (.597 and .994), Braun was able to take home the NL MVP hardware, although news of a positive test for PEDs has dampened some enthusiasm surrounding the honor.

Matt Kemp

With all the negativity surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership this season, Matt Kemp provided a glimpse of what will be the future of the franchise.

A newly signed eight-year, $160 million deal was Kemp's reward for his emergence in this league, highlighted by a 39-home run, 126-RBI campaign in 2011.

Justin Verlander

Taking home both AL Cy Young and MVP honors, it's hard to think of a better player in 2011 than Justin Verlander.

His 24-5 record were tops in the league and he continued his rate of punchouts, striking out a batter per inning while walking only two per nine.

He threw more innings (251) than anyone else in the league and also led the league with a sub-1.000 WHIP.