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I apologise if a similar thread already exists, but I couldn't see one, and I was wondering who you guys thought were the best players in baseball, heading into the second half of the season. I have it like this....
Position players
1. Joey Votto........A truly absurd OBP% and the highest OPS+ in baseball.
2. Andrew McCutchen........Perhaps the best all round player in the game today.
3. Josh Hamilton........He's cooled off some but his 27 homers cannot be ignored.
4. David Wright........Pablo Sandoval started over him in the All Star game? Really?!
5. Ryan Braun........Quietly putting up the same numbers as last year.
6. Mike Trout........Right now the Trout and Harper comparisons seem a little silly.
7. Carlos Ruiz........Unlikely to keep up his production into the 2nd half of the season. Still, he's been the one bright spot for the Phillies so far.
8/9. Carlos Beltran & Matt Holliday........Possibly the two most underrated players in the majors last year. They have both been even better this year.
10. Robinson Cano........The numbers he's put up this year are the numbers he should have been putting up for the last 5 years.
Honourable mentions to
Mark Trumbo. 22 homers and a sluuging percentage over .600. Too many DH appearances, though.
and Austin Jackson. He's been outstanding in center field all year (ZERO errors so far) but his abdomen injury at the end of May caused him to miss just a few too many games.
Pitchers
1. Stephen Strasburg........His strikeout per 9 innings ratio of 11.64 is the highest in baseball.
2. R.A Dickey........He throws his knuckleball 86.2% of the time.
3. Justin Verlander........The guy is a machine - He's already thrown 5 complete games (1 more than the whole of last year!).
4. Zach Greinke........He doesn't throw walks. He doesn't allow home runs. He strikes out a tonne of batters. What more can we ask? Arguably baseball's best all round pitcher.
5. Felix Hernandez........Another consistent season from Mr Consistency.
6. Matt Cain........He's gone further and further away from his fastball and more and more towards his slider over the last couple years. It seems to be paying off.
7. Clayton Kershaw........Every meaninful stat has declined from last year. The fact that he's still EASILY a top 10 pitcher is a testament to his talent.
8. Chris Sale........The 4th lowest whip and the 3rd lowest ERA in the majors. Not bad for a converted reliever.
9. CC Sabathia........His velocity has declined but he's getting by with a truly disgusting slider.
10. Cole Hamels........His HR/9 ratio is a little high but he's making up for it with a great WHIP.
Honourable mentions to
Jared Weaver. It was hard to leave him out but he hasn't been as dominant as his ERA suggests - His SIERA and K/9 ratio isn't on par with anyone inside the top 10. He also hasn't pitched enough innings (Just 96, compared to Verlander's 132, for example)
and James McDonald. He's giving up the least hits per 9 innings in the national league.
What do you guys reckon? Have I overrated or underrated anyone?
Position players
1. Joey Votto........A truly absurd OBP% and the highest OPS+ in baseball.
2. Andrew McCutchen........Perhaps the best all round player in the game today.
3. Josh Hamilton........He's cooled off some but his 27 homers cannot be ignored.
4. David Wright........Pablo Sandoval started over him in the All Star game? Really?!
5. Ryan Braun........Quietly putting up the same numbers as last year.
6. Mike Trout........Right now the Trout and Harper comparisons seem a little silly.
7. Carlos Ruiz........Unlikely to keep up his production into the 2nd half of the season. Still, he's been the one bright spot for the Phillies so far.
8/9. Carlos Beltran & Matt Holliday........Possibly the two most underrated players in the majors last year. They have both been even better this year.
10. Robinson Cano........The numbers he's put up this year are the numbers he should have been putting up for the last 5 years.
Honourable mentions to
Mark Trumbo. 22 homers and a sluuging percentage over .600. Too many DH appearances, though.
and Austin Jackson. He's been outstanding in center field all year (ZERO errors so far) but his abdomen injury at the end of May caused him to miss just a few too many games.
Pitchers
1. Stephen Strasburg........His strikeout per 9 innings ratio of 11.64 is the highest in baseball.
2. R.A Dickey........He throws his knuckleball 86.2% of the time.
3. Justin Verlander........The guy is a machine - He's already thrown 5 complete games (1 more than the whole of last year!).
4. Zach Greinke........He doesn't throw walks. He doesn't allow home runs. He strikes out a tonne of batters. What more can we ask? Arguably baseball's best all round pitcher.
5. Felix Hernandez........Another consistent season from Mr Consistency.
6. Matt Cain........He's gone further and further away from his fastball and more and more towards his slider over the last couple years. It seems to be paying off.
7. Clayton Kershaw........Every meaninful stat has declined from last year. The fact that he's still EASILY a top 10 pitcher is a testament to his talent.
8. Chris Sale........The 4th lowest whip and the 3rd lowest ERA in the majors. Not bad for a converted reliever.
9. CC Sabathia........His velocity has declined but he's getting by with a truly disgusting slider.
10. Cole Hamels........His HR/9 ratio is a little high but he's making up for it with a great WHIP.
Honourable mentions to
Jared Weaver. It was hard to leave him out but he hasn't been as dominant as his ERA suggests - His SIERA and K/9 ratio isn't on par with anyone inside the top 10. He also hasn't pitched enough innings (Just 96, compared to Verlander's 132, for example)
and James McDonald. He's giving up the least hits per 9 innings in the national league.
What do you guys reckon? Have I overrated or underrated anyone?
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