The founder of this word feast, Chip Bailey, sent me a link to an article from ESPN. The folks over at the self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports” have taken on one of those tough tasks in this recent post, so my hat is tipped to them over the effort.
MLB Rank 2023: Rating baseball’s top 100 players (espn.com)
If you don’t want to page through that article – here are the top 1 to 100 players in the MLB (according to ESPN) condensed for your convenience. Page down, and we will talk on the other side…..
1. Shohei Ohtani SP/DH | Los Angeles Angels
2. Mike Trout CF | Los Angeles Angels
3. Aaron Judge OF | New York Yankees
4. Manny Machado 3B | San Diego Padres
1B | Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Juan Soto
RF | San Diego Padres
CF | Seattle Mariners
8. Trea Turner
9. Mookie Betts
RF | Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Nolan Arenado
3B | St. Louis Cardinals
11. Sandy Alcantara
SP | Miami Marlins
12. Paul Goldschmidt
1B | St. Louis Cardinals
13. Jose Ramirez
3B | Cleveland Guardians
14. Ronald Acuña Jr.
RF | Atlanta Braves
15. Yordan Alvarez
LF/DH | Houston Astros
16. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
1B | Toronto Blue Jays
17. Francisco Lindor
SS | New York Mets
18. Austin Riley
3B | Atlanta Braves
19. Gerrit Cole
SP | New York Yankees
20. Rafael Devers
3B | Boston Red Sox
21. J.T. Realmuto
C | Philadelphia Phillies
22. Justin Verlander
SP | New York Mets
23. Corbin Burnes
SP | Milwaukee Brewers
24. Carlos Correa
SS | Minnesota Twins
25. Fernando Tatis Jr.
RF | San Diego Padres
26. Aaron Nola
SP | Philadelphia Phillies
27. Max Scherzer
SP | New York Mets
28. Xander Bogaerts
SS | San Diego Padres
29. Pete Alonso
1B | New York Mets
30. Shane Bieber
SP | Cleveland Guardians
31. Wander Franco
SS | Tampa Bay Rays
32. Max Fried
SP | Atlanta Braves
33. Zack Wheeler
SP | Philadelphia Phillies
34. Carlos Rodon
SP | New York Yankees
35. Adley Rutschman
36. Shane McClanahan
SP | Tampa Bay Rays
37. Luis Castillo
SP | Seattle Mariners
38. Kyle Tucker
RF | Houston Astros
39. Alex Bregman
3B | Houston Astros
40. Corey Seager
SS | Texas Rangers
CF | Atlanta Braves
42. Framber Valdez
SP | Houston Astros
43. Dylan Cease
SP | Chicago White Sox
44. Jacob deGrom
SP | Texas Rangers
45. Zac Gallen
SP | Arizona Diamondbacks
46. Julio Urias
SP | Los Angeles Dodgers
47. Will Smith
C | Los Angeles Dodgers
48. Andrés Gimenez
2B | Cleveland Guardians
49. Bo Bichette
SS | Toronto Blue Jays
50. Spencer Strider
SP | Atlanta Braves
51. Alek Manoah
SP | Toronto Blue Jays
52. Jeremy Peña
SS | Houston Astros
53. Matt Olson
1B | Atlanta Braves
54. Dansby Swanson
SS | Chicago Cubs
55. Brandon Woodruff
SP | Milwaukee Brewers
56. Cedric Mullins
CF | Baltimore Orioles
57. Jeff McNeil
2B | New York Mets
58. Bryce Harper
RF/DH | Philadelphia Phillies
59. Emmanuel Clase
RP | Cleveland Guardians
60. Jazz Chisholm Jr.
CF | Miami Marlins
61. Tim Anderson
SS | Chicago White Sox
62. Bryan Reynolds
CF | Pittsburgh Pirates
63. George Springer
OF | Toronto Blue Jays
64. Byron Buxton
CF | Minnesota Twins
65. Marcus Semien
2B | Texas Rangers
66. Sean Murphy
C | Atlanta Braves
67. Jose Altuve
2B | Houston Astros
68. Brandon Nimmo
CF | New York Mets
69. Bobby Witt Jr.
SS | Kansas City Royals
70. Cristian Javier
SP | Houston Astros
71. Logan Webb
SP | San Francisco Giants
72. Gunnar Henderson
3B | Baltimore Orioles
73. Corbin Carroll
OF | Arizona Diamondbacks
74. Ozzie Albies
2B | Atlanta Braves
75. Nestor Cortes
SP | New York Yankees
76. Triston McKenzie
SP | Cleveland Guardians
77. Pablo Lopez
SP | Minnesota Twins
78. Joe Musgrove
SP | San Diego Padres
79. Steven Kwan
LF | Cleveland Guardians
80. Yu Darvish
SP | San Diego Padres
81. Kyle Schwarber
LF | Philadelphia Phillies
82. Matt Chapman
3B | Toronto Blue Jays
83. Luis Arraez
2B | Miami Marlins
84. Randy Arozarena
LF | Tampa Bay Rays
85. Kevin Gausman
SP | Toronto Blue Jays
86. Starling Marte
RF | New York Mets
87. Clayton Kershaw
SP | Los Angeles Dodgers
88. Tyler Glasnow
SP | Tampa Bay Rays
89. José Abreu 1B | Houston Astros
90. Willy Adames
SS | Milwaukee Brewers
91. George Kirby
SP | Seattle Mariners
92. Luis Robert Jr.
CF | Chicago White Sox
93. Daulton Varsho
OF | Toronto Blue Jays
C | St. Louis Cardinals
95. Ke’Bryan Hayes
3B | Pittsburgh Pirates
96. Ketel Marte
2B | Arizona Diamondbacks
97. Lucas Giolito
SP | Chicago White Sox
98. Logan Gilbert
SP | Seattle Mariners
RF | Seattle Mariners
100. Eloy Jimenez
OF/DH | Chicago White Sox
Some thoughts:
- Considering there are 30 teams and 100 spots (a little more than 3 spots per team on the average), the Astros placing 8 players (Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Cristian Javier and Jose Abreu) on this list is quite an accomplishment.
- Who else might have been on there? A healthy Michael Brantley could have fit towards the end of the list, but his injury last year and his failure to start this season on the active roster definitely knocked him out. Closer Ryan Pressly had to be a consideration, but they only had closers Edwin Diaz (who was removed after his injury) and Emmanuel Clase in the top 100. As good and dependable as Pressly has been, he is not quite up to those two as far as closers go. Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia have been good, but not in the class it takes to break into this list. Maldy? Oh, come on.
- We could argue a bit about the Astros’ placement on the list. Yordan Alvarez is basically the 2nd best hitter in the majors but is ranked 15 here. His use as partial DH throttles back on his value, but by most measurements, he should be a top 10 player in the majors. For one – why is Juan Soto ahead of him after coming off a season hitting .242 BA with 27 HRs and 62 RBIs?
- Along the same lines, I’m struggling with Tucker, Bregman, and Framber, placing between 38 and 42. Would Framber be trailing Carlos Rodon if he was on the Yankees and Rodon was on the Astros? They are pretty similar pitchers, with Rodon having more injury problems over time. What about Luis Castillo? Framber has been a little ahead of him the last couple of seasons. Is Fernando Tatis Jr., who is a super talent really ahead of both Tucker and Bregman with his recent injury history, with him being out the first 20 games of 2023 due to his PED suspension, and with the questions of whether he will be as effective if he is not on PEDs. Pete Alonso is a heck of a power hitter, but is he the overall player that both Bregman and Tucker are?
- Pena at 52 is higher than I expected, so I’m pleased with that. Altuve makes sense at 67 due to his injury. Cristian Javier feels a bit low at 70, but there is not another starting pitcher on the list until you get to 55, so maybe in some ways, it makes sense. Jose Abreu certainly could top that 89 ranking with a bit of a power surge in the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park.
- Is there bi-coastal bias here? The first seven players are from teams whose home faces the Atlantic or Pacific, and Philly is barely inland. There are like 34 teams that are in states that are on either coast on this list. That sure feels like a bit of a bias against flyover country.
- It is interesting to note that there are 6 ex-Astros on the list, including Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Joe Musgrove, and Teoscar Hernandez. The Astros have successfully navigated the waters after losing so many talented players along the way. This season will be no less a challenge.
Your turn – any thoughts from you on this top 100 list?
CHIPALATTA 
Philly pitchers Nola and Wheeler rated higher than Framber and Javier? They certainly didn’t show it in the World Series last year.
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It is an excellent observation that I missed.
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And a guy so good we took him on twice
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/03/jed-lowrie-announces-retirement.html
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Darn it! I had him way up in my Bottom 100.
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So today with almost a regular starting lineup – the Astros have 1 hit through three and it is not Yordan and Luis Garcia got lit up for 4 runs in 3.2 innings
Maybe we need those young guys back
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I have no problem with the list. We have seen all the bias for years and yet 8 players out of the Top 100 seems to place the best team out of the 30 right there at the top where it belongs.
It does just go to show you how the Astros can draft a player 102nd from a school nobody scouts and he becomes the #52 ranked player in baseball after one season in the majors at a premium position.
That tells me we pull for a team that gets it and is on a roll.
As payrolls skyrocket, I think fans and baseball experts are going to hate the Astros even more in the future.
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Very happy to see Yordan make solid contact twice tonight. And as long as Pena does not pull something, it’s good to see him hitting. Abreu flat out hits. Focusing on positives only tonight.
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Peña pulls one – over the wall – for a solo home run and then lined one the other way for an RBI single. Abreu pulls a 2 run double down the 3rd base line and then Meyers brings him in with a dying duck to center.
And the Astros win 5-4 but none of that matters vs Yordan looking healthy and hitting a couple long fly balls into the wind in center.
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Nice comeback with timely hitting to push runs in the 8th across and get the “W”. I am not impressed with McCormick (3K’s). He looked so over matched. Jake was a little better but got called out on strikes because he wasn’t ready to hit. 1st couple of innings umpire had a wide “K” zone and it didn’t help us any. Pena gets two hits with one being a long ball. Yordan didn’t get a hit but made good contact on 2 of 3 plate attempts. Dubon was very Dubonesque 0/4. No way this guy should be anything but a sub. Breggy and Abreu both collected 2 hits with Abreu driving in 2 with a double. Hensley was “meh” and Maldy drew two walks. Dirden had a hit in his only appearance. He should be playing on opening day.
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Honing the clock rules
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35916318/mlb-making-small-changes-pitch-clock-rules-memo-says
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Has anyone ever seen a major league game where the pitcher is pulled with less than three outs and a relief pitcher comes in to finish the inning, then, the pitcher that was pulled, returns to start the next inning on the mound?
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It’s been a long time but I’ve seen it – the pitcher pulled stayed in the game in the outfield and then returned to the mound
If he’s pulled out of the game he can’t return
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I am referring to the pitcher leaving the game completely, going to the dugout, then returning the next inning. It happened today.
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I’ll give it up. In the Astros game today, Garcia was pulled by Dusty after 3.2 and Sammons came in to finish the inning. Then Garcia came back out and pitched the 5th. The Mrs. and I saw that and even she said, is that legal? Hey! Rules are bent during spring training. And this makes for a great trivia question!
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But have you ever seen Luis Garcia go 0-2 batting against himself? It reminded me of the time Bugs Bunny caught his own pitches:
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On a Chipalatta note, I just observed the picture on the website banner and noticed something wrong. Come on Chip! Shouldn’t a website dedicated to “All Things Astros” at least have Minute Maid Park on the banner instead of (cough, cough) Coors Field? lol
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Hot take – I am a late 80s early 90s baby, so its hard for me to imagine that Bill James would agree that Pena is 52. Then again, there are guys down at the bottom of the list that would have been fighting for their jobs in the steroid era. Maybe his confidence, defense, and (so far) durability count for a lot in the position that is the captain of the defense.
Bias or just flat out money. Let’s face it, the White Sox, Royals, Brewers, Rockies, these aren’t teams with the largest salaries on the planet. I would expect the NY teams, LA teams, and the other “coastal elites” to buy up the best players after they serve their penance in flyover country. It’s not a coincidence that some of those players also came up through the coastal organizations – they also invest more money in their systems.
Then there is Yordan. If you think he is 15th, poll GMs. He won’t be 15th on that list. I think every GM in the league would put him in the top 5 guys they would love to have. So maybe we are being a little “flyover countried.”
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In mutual admiration – we link back to the crawfishboxes, who have linked to us. Check it out – they have compiled interesting links on the Astros, the AL West and MLB in general.
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2023/3/24/23654695/astros-crawfish-boil-march-24-2023
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I don’t really care where pundits or commentators ‘rank’ players. I would much rather our guys be badly underestimated, fly completely under the radar, and then bewilder everyone by outperforming the ‘media darlings’. Some talk loud and pose for ‘money shots’; others quietly take care of business on the baseball field.
Of course, I also know that the higher ranking the media gives a player, the more money his agent thinks/demands that he is worth – and the more money the coastal powers are willing to cough up to lure him away from us.
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OK – tooting my own horn a tad – but I just read chron.com’s (spit!) article on the Top 100 and I think I went way more in depth….but then you don’t always get what you pay for.
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I don’t pay to read their stuff Dan.
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Unless it is in their bottom tier(chron.com), I am not privy to that info either.
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Hensley has 16 K’s in 37 at bats. That should be a concern by now, especially since Frenchy is no help.
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I know it was mostly guys who won’t be on the team, but Alcantara retires all 9 Astros he faces 8 of them on strikes
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And our Cougars go down hard tonight…
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sargeh, at least the Horns stepped up and played an excellent game.
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Just noting, geographically, Houston is also barely inland from a coast …. 😉
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Yeah but culturally speaking the Gulf Coast is the third coast in this country – the focal point for news and attention is the west and east coasts especially the northern half of the east coast
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PitchCom update… Interesting
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pitchers-pitchcom-transmitters-2023-update
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Jose Abreu just hit his 8th double in ST. Yes, it brought home a run [Myers, who had been hit by a pitch).
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And Yanier Diaz just followed Abreu’s double with a 2-RBI single. ‘Stros take the early lead 3-0 – and are still batting.
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That’s why I think Abreu is a perfect clean up guy in place of Bregman who is our best option leading off. Something tells me that Bregman wants nothing to do with leading off though.
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Yanier Diaz is making it look easy. Grand slam makes it 8-1 Astros.
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Yordan Alvarez is rated the best player on the Astros by the ESPN “panel of baseball experts”. But, even though the Astros were proven the best team in MLB by winning the WS, Alvarez was only the 15th rated player in MLB.
MLB baseball expert Will Leitch says Kyle Tucker is the one player the Astros can’t live without, even though the ESPN experts say he isn’t even the best player on the team and is only the 38th best player in MLB.
Anyway, Yainer Diaz has 6 rbi’s in the first two innings of the last game for the Astros in Florida ST. Diaz is batting sixth in the lineup and is the DH.
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In the first four innings, three Astros and one Cardinal had been hit by pitches.
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Corey Julks refuses to surrender the team lead in RBIs. A 2-run home run in the 7th brings his RBI total to 12 – one more than Jose Abreu!
It’s easy to see why Dusty ‘likes him some Julks’.
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After seeing 5 of their teammates being hit by pitches, Astros minor leaguers are not letting up on Cardinal pitchers. It is 24-1 Astros going into the top of the 9th.
The Cardinals have the best record in all of spring training at 16-6.
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It was like a Hitchcock movie- except in this case the birds never stood a chance.
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If Justin Dirden makes the club and plays twice a week, he’s better off going to Sugarland, although until Brantley shows up, he might be needed.
I wonder if Chas has separated himself from Jake in Dusty’s eyes at this point? 7 BB’s and 1o K’s. That’s a pretty good start. Out of our regulars last year, his .332 OBP was 4th best on the club. Can we get a .350-.360 OBP out of him in 2023?
Frenchy is a flat out bad hitter. Hensley has had a rough couple of weeks. I hope Will Wagner is put on second base with Sugar Land and plays 7 days a week.
If a catcher gets sent down, he’ll get to play most days. Lee might get two days here. Diaz, being more versatile might get three or four starts a week doing something. I’ve been wondering when he might start hitting. Maybe today.
Pena looks ready to play.
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Three touchdowns and a field goal for the Astros’ offense today.
Twenty first downs [er, hits].
When it mattered, the defense held as well.
I do, however, think the Cardinals pitching staff should have been flagged for those 5 illegal hits.
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I like this
https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/opening-day-power-rankings-2023
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