Top 25 Baseball Players (20-25)

20) Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis Cardinals

Why is Yadi ranked above Joe Mauer, Alex Avila, Victor Martinez, and the rest of MLB's catchers? Hitting wise, Mauer and Martinez are better, no questions asked (although Molina outhit Mauer last year by a landslide). Avila will be. But defensively, Molina is the best the game has to offer. He manages a pitching staff far better than Martinez, and pretty much everyone else outside of Carlos Ruiz. He possesses a cannon for an arm. And a .309 postseason average, where's he been the battery mate of two World Series-winning pitching staffs? Not bad.

21) Justin Upton, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks

One of baseball's brightest rising stars, Upton is still just 24 years of age. In 2010, he had an awful strikeout rate (152 in just 492 ABs), but he cut it down to 126 in 100 more at-bats in 2011. He was an MVP candidate for a D'Back team that surprised all by making a run into the playoffs. By the time his career is done, his fireplace mantel could possess that hardware.


22) Felix Hernandez, P, Seattle Mariners

Though tying a career high with fourteen wins last year (one more than his 2010 Cy Young season, proving wins to a starter don't signify anything), King Felix took a step back from the past two years. His ERA jumped 1.2 points to 3.47, and he threw sixteen fewer innings. That being said, the stuff was there (222 Ks), and 2011 shows all the signs of a slightly off year (and it was still a very impressive season). By the time his career is done, he'll possess a Hall of Fame resume.


23) Jose Reyes, SS, Miami Marlins

Yeah, he won the batting title this past season. He steals bags, too. But Reyes plays a shaky shortstop, and I'm not going to lie, sitting out the last game to preserve his batting title definitely hurt his ranking. He hasn't been clutch or produced much RBI-wise out of the leadoff hole, but heading this potent Marlins lineup could do him wonders.


24) Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox

Boston fans love the grit and grind the little guy plays with. He'll probably never again touch his 2008 numbers at the plate, maybe due to the fact he goes out of his way to hit home runs. Nonetheless, Pedroia is a wonderful player, and he'll play an integral part of the Red Sox' attempt to return to the postseason.


25) Michael Young, 3B, Texas Rangers

Certainly his batting stats were inflated by his the protection of Texas' explosive lineup. But still, it takes elite skill to hit .338 under any circumstance. And 213 hits at age 34? Ridiculous. And while this doesn't pertain to rankings, he showed he's an excellent team guy (see: Stranded in Texas) by accepting his role as everyday utilityman. Young's a true professional with a ton of skill (and 2061 career hits).

Honorable mentions: Alex Avila, C, Detroit Tigers; Matt Cain, P, San Francisco Giants; Hunter Pence, RF, Philadelphia Phillies; Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins; Adrian Beltre, 3B, Texas Rangers; Cole Hamels, P, Philadelphia Phillies; Mariano Rivera, P, New York Yankees

Top 25 Baseball Players (16-20)

16) Carlos Gonzalez, LF, Colorado Rockies

An MVP runner-up in 2010, Carlos Gonzalez pairs with Troy Tulowitzki as the core duo of the Rockies. While 2010 will likely be a career high in batting average (.336) for CarGo, he will likely remain a .300 hitter for the foreseeable future. Chalk him up for upwards of 25 bombs and 100 RBIs annually, coupled with 20 steals and solid defense, and you've got yourself an elite baseball player.


17) Josh Hamilton, LF, Texas Rangers

He's an extremely talented player, but I'm not much of a fan of Hamilton because of the way he threw third base coach Dave Anderson under the bus after his collision at home plate. Still, he's an excellent player, and I'm sure you've all heard his story by now. What's amazing is how his body is still holding up well, but the longevity of his career could still be put into question.


18) Curtis Granderson, CF, New York Yankees

While Grandy only hit .262 last season, boy did he produce (42 HR, 119 RBI, .552 SLG). He'll never be a tremendous hitter for average, but Kevin Long did a masterful job of restructuring his swing. Granderson plays one of the best center fields in the business: he gets tremendous reads on the ball, has above average speed, and a respectable arm for the position.


19) Prince Fielder, 1B, Detroit Tigers

Prince and Miguel Cabrera are going to be scary next to each other. And when Victor Martinez gets back, whenever that may be, well, the Detroit offense will be a force to be reckoned with. Fielder, now an absurdly rich man thanks to that new contract, simply needs to cut down on weight. Otherwise, at age 35, he won't be able to make it to first base anymore. He should work on fielding the position as well. As for his power? Death and taxes.


20) Jered Weaver, P, Los Angeles Angels

At the conclusion of July of last season, Jered Weaver's ERA sat at 1.88. August and September were a bit more of a challenge, but he still finished with a 2.41 mark and a 1.01 WHIP. It was a season that would have yielded a Cy Young in many previous years. This was a career year for the 29-year-old, but he has turned himself into an ace of spades.

Will be continued tomorrow. And yes, I promise there will be a catcher.

Top 25 Baseball Players (11-15)

11) Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds

I don't know if you remember, but Joey Votto won an MVP award in 2010. You may not, however, because he's as under the radar as a superstar can be. He's been a beast since his arrival in the bigs in 2007, posting a shiny .313 career batting average, and is the centerpiece of a Reds organization that needs to get him more help.


12) Roy Halladay, P, Philadelphia Phillies

Still among the top pitchers in the game, Halladay is beginning to enter the stage of his career where he relies on finesse a bit more than in the past. He still can crank up a 93-MPH cutter when he needs to, but he did surrender 208 hits last year. Nonetheless he strands guys on the bases; his ERA of 2.35 was only bested by Clayton Kershaw. ERA-wise, the next best pitcher to surrender 200 hits was CC Sabathia, whose ERA was 65 points higher.


13) Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

This five-tooler delivers a rare power surge from the shortstop position. He's cashed in with Colorado for the next decade, and hasn't yet reached his full potential. He committed only six errors a season ago, an impressive feat for a middle infielder. It's still extremely early, but if he keeps it up, a spot in Cooperstown could be waiting.


14) Cliff Lee, P, Philadelphia Phillies

This guy is capable of  jaw-dropping stretches of dominance, like in June of this past year, when he threw three straight shutouts and allowed just one earned run in his five starts. His spiked curve is simply filthy. Hitters leave the plate thinking they've seen a ghost.


15) Tim Lincecum, P, San Francisco Giants

Timmy explains his unorthodox, yet mechanically sound delivery by saying his dad told him to think he was reaching low for a dollar bill in front of the mound. Well, he's earned himself a lot more than a dollar: he just settled with the Giants for two years, 40.5 million in cash, avoiding arbitration. Now the question is whether the front office can pick up an offense that will help he and fellow star Matt Cain get some Ws.

Will be continued tomorrow.

Top 25 Baseball Players (1-10)

Don't get this list confused with fantasy rankings. This is simply my rankings for who I believe are the most skilled MLB players heading into the 2012 season. All aspects of the game are taken into account, which could lower the ranking of DHs, bad defensive players, etc. Position value matters as well (center field over first base, etc.)

The top ten will be written in today's post, and the next fifteen will be in tomorrow's.

1) Justin Verlander, P, Detroit Tigers

It's rather difficult to measure pitchers against hitters when valuing players. But in 2011, he dominated the game unlike any other. When a pitcher wins the MVP Award, he deserves it. Verlander's stats last year -- 2.40 ERA, 24-5, 250 K, 251 IP -- make him unmatched by anyone else in baseball, pitcher or batter. Many of the game's greatest hitters left their at-bats against him looking dazed and confused.


2) Matt Kemp, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers

This guy is the definition of a five-tool player. He doesn't just hit for power and average, but he gets on base, too, posting an OBP of .399. And once he's on, he'll steal on you: he swiped 40 bags last year. He's become one of the best home run hitters in the game, something hardly seen out of a centerfielder. And he plays the position exceptionally. Simply put, he does it all.


3) Ryan Braun, LF, Milwaukee Brewers

This ranking disregards the PED allegations, as nothing has been proven yet. The 2011 NL MVP winner had what I thought was the second-best season among NL players, just slightly behind Matt Kemp. When the news came that Braun was the winner, I thought he deserved it, but Kemp's numbers were just a bit more impressive. Braun did do his damage in eleven less games than Kemp (150 to 161), which could justify Braun taking MVP honors.


4) Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

I'm confident that Pujols' 2012 will be better than his 2011, where he batted a career-low .299. It was the first season of Pujols' career where he failed to reach 100 RBI (he had 99). A telling sign that he'll be back to his normal self is the fact that he hit .355 in September and .353 in October. The $250 million man plays exceptional first base and even steals a few bags. He was 9/10 in swipe attempts last year and has 39 in his last three seasons.


5) Clayton Kershaw, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

Looking for an eventual first-ballot Hall of Famer? If he stays healthy like former prodigy Mark Prior couldn't, Kershaw is your guy. This guy could have, like, a dozen Cy Youngs by the time his career is finished. He's simply incredible. He actually posted a lower ERA than Verlander; that being said, he faced easier hitters. But still, this 23-year-old (yes, he's only 23!) has the makings of an all-time great.


6) Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers

In my mind, Miggy is the current best hitter in the game. He certainly was last year: he batted .344 with a .448 OBP. What Cabrera should really do if he wants to improve is drop weight and focus on his defense, where he is now a liability at third with Prince Fielder's arrival. Despite a far better year at the plate last year, Cabrera is ranked behind Albert because their defensive ability isn't comparable.


7) Jose Bautista, RF, Toronto Blue Jays

97 home runs in the last two seasons, and by all accounts, steroid free? Impressive. As we put the steroid era behind us, these types of numbers will be unheard of in the coming years. Bautista upped his average 42 points from 2010 last season, batting .302, and he also drew a league-leading 132 walks. As a result, he reached base 45% of the time. While he isn't the fastest guy, he possesses a cannon from right field.


8) Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Boston Red Sox

Similarly to Jose Bautista, no one was prepared for the 32 home runs Ellsbury slammed last year. He'd he only twenty in his entire career before that, suggesting a decline for the coming season. That being said, he's a five-tooler who definitely has the ability to put up MVP-type numbers. The injuries slowed him down on the bases a bit (39 steals last year, but caught 15 times; as opposed to '09, where he swiped 70 whilst being caught just 12 times), but he can still run with the best of them. And he makes center look effortless.


9) Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Cano has put together a number of very good seasons up to this point in his career. But he still hasn't produced that MVP, breakout year everyone's expecting. He's been praised with having the prettiest swing out of any MLB player, and has turned himself into the most dangerous bat in the potent Yankee lineup. A 3000-hit career is certainly a possibility. He has a shortstop's arm at second base coupled with exceptional range. If there was a complaint about Cano, it would be his lackadaisical effort when running out ground balls.


10) Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox

Having protection in the lineup did wonders for Gonzo last year, as he hit a career-best .338. His power numbers should be up a little this coming year from last season's 27. He fields his position well, and committed just four errors from the corner.


11-25 tomorrow. Including Troy Tulowitzki, Roy Halladay, Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, Cliff Lee, Justin Upton, and others.