The first two months of the 2018 season are behind us, and thus it's time to take another look at the top 50 players in baseball.
When we did this coming into the season, the rankings were based upon reasonable expectations -- using things like age and recent performance history -- to make educated guesses at which players would provide the most value in 2018. Since then, though, each installment is all about performance to date. As such, the rankings you're about to see reflect nothing more than who's been the best through the first two months of the 2018 season. The preceding has been italicized for emphasis. Now we're going to bold it and italicize it -- and perhaps even brandish a larger font size -- for even more emphasis …
The rankings you're about to see reflect nothing more than who's been the best through the first two months of the 2018 season.
In coming up with these rankings, your scribe paid no heed to what may or may not be sustainable. Some of the names will be very much at home among the game's best, while others belong to players who have solidly over-performed or are just establishing themselves as premium performers. Whatever the case, we're not worried about whether the performances will stick. It's all about what's happened in 2018 thus far.
As for what matters, with position players it's a mix of batting, defense, and baserunning. On offense, we're not concerned with things like RBI. Getting on base and hitting for power matter above all, as do playing time, context of the player's home ballpark, and production relative to positional peers (e.g., the offensive bar is lower for shortstops and catchers than it is for first basemen and DHs). For pitchers -- and since this a backward-looking assessment of value provided -- run prevention and workload will be the drivers, but we'll also give some consideration to underlying fundamental indicators like strikeouts and walks. When it comes to relievers, leverage, or the relative importance of the innings a reliever works, are taken into account. (Note: It's hard for relievers to crack this list in the first place, given how much more valuable starting pitchers tend to be.)
Again, this is all about 2018 to date, and the rankings suggest nothing about whether the player in question can maintain the current level of performance going forward. As such, the next time you see this list, it may look very different. Or not. Whatever, man.
As always, reach to the author at his personal email address -- hotmail@hotmail.jpg -- with all your complaints …
Nos. 50-41
50 |
Yasmani Grandal
Los Angeles Dodgers C
|
L.A.'s season has been a disappointment thus far, but that's not because of Grandal. In addition to being a skilled pitch-framer and game-caller, Grandal's got pop and patience at the plate. Right now, he owns an OPS of .805. | |
49 |
Miles Mikolas
St. Louis Cardinals SP
|
The signing of the offseason? Quite possibly. In his first back from Japan, Mikolas has an ERA+ of 155 with just eight walks in 72 ⅓ innings. | |
48 |
Sean Newcomb
Atlanta Braves SP
|
The Braves are surprise contenders, and Newcomb's been central to that effort. He's got a 155 ERA+ and just three home runs allowed in 68 ⅔ innings. | |
47 |
Michael Wacha
St. Louis Cardinals SP
|
Through 12 starts and 71 innings, Wacha's got a 160 ERA+, and he's allowed just four homers. | |
46 |
Ross Stripling
Los Angeles Dodgers RP
|
Stripling's been an absolutely huge swingman for the injury-plagued Dodgers. In seven starts this season he's put up an ERA of 1.89, and in 11 relief appearances he's got an ERA of 0.59. | |
45 |
Jed Lowrie
Oakland Athletics 2B
|
The veteran Lowrie has been pinning second base down for the A's on a daily basis, and at the plate he's getting on base while showing pop. Right now, he's on target for a career year. | |
44 |
Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Angels DH
|
At the plate, Ohtani has an OPS+ of 149 in 129 plate appearances. On the mound, he's got an ERA of 3.10 through nine starts. All that from a single roster spot. | |
43 |
Carlos Correa
Houston Astros SS
|
Correa's offensive production has dropped off from last season, but he's still raking relative to the standards of shortstops. | |
42 |
Matt Kemp
Los Angeles Dodgers LF
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What a year he's having back in L.A. He's now over 200 plate appearances for the season, and he's got a slash line of .353/.384/.599. | |
41 |
Gleyber Torres
New York Yankees 2B
|
He's a 21-year-old middle infielder, and he reached 10 home runs in just his 36th game. Torres is indeed looking like a current and future star. |
Nos. 40-31
40 |
Patrick Corbin
Arizona Diamondbacks SP
|
Corbin's career year continues apace: 13 starts, one shutout, 2.87 ERA, no unearned runs allowed, 4.77 K/BB ratio. | |
39 |
Eugenio Suarez
Cincinnati Reds 3B
|
The Cincy third baseman has spent some time on the DL in 2018, but in 44 games he's slashed .305/.385/.581 with 23 extra-base knocks. | |
38 |
A.J. Pollock
Arizona Diamondbacks CF
|
Pollock is still sidelined with a fractured thumb, but he's got enough value in the bank to stick on this list for now. In addition to spending 350 defensive innings in center, Pollock before the injury had a slash line of .293/.349/.620 with nine steals in 40 games. | |
37 |
Buster Posey
San Francisco Giants C
|
Posey remains an asset behind the plate, and thus he's far batting .303/.370/.443 in more than 200 plate appearances. | |
36 |
Mike Foltynewicz
Atlanta Braves SP
|
Folty's pitched like an ace for Atlanta this season. After 13 starts, he's got an ERA of 2.31, and he's struck out 88 batters in 74 innings. | |
35 |
Andrew Benintendi
Boston Red Sox LF
|
Benintendi, who's still just 23 years of age, is hitting .296/.378/.544 with 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. He's also got 16 doubles, five triples, and 10 homers. | |
34 |
Nick Markakis
Atlanta Braves RF
|
The veteran outfielder is thus far having one of the best seasons of his career. He presently leads the NL in doubles, and he's running an OBP of around .400. | |
33 |
George Springer
Houston Astros RF
|
Springer's having another big year. The Astros' center fielder thus far in 2018 is batting .293/.362/.512 with 28 extra-base hits. | |
32 |
Eddie Rosario
Minnesota Twins LF
|
The Minnesota left fielder is putting up big power numbers at the plate while also maintaining a strong on-base clip. He's also a useful defender at a corner spot. | |
31 |
Jose Altuve
Houston Astros 2B
|
The reigning AL MVP hasn't been quite up to his 2017 standards, but he's still been a highly valuable contributor in pretty much every phase of the game. |
Nos. 30-21
30 |
James Paxton
Seattle Mariners SP
|
Paxton's been huge for the first-place (!) Mariners. He's got a pair of complete games, which leads the majors, and he's put up an ERA+ of 137 with 101 strikeouts in 82 ⅓ innings. | |
29 |
Trevor Bauer
Cleveland Indians SP
|
After 12 starts, Bauer clocks in with an ERA+ of 162 and 97 strikeouts in 78 innings. | |
28 |
Chris Sale
Boston Red Sox SP
|
Sale hasn't quite been his usual self over the last couple of starts, but his overall body of work in 2018 remains worthy of the Top 50: 81 innings over 13 starts, 3.00 ERA/148 ERA+, 5.24 K/BB ratio. | |
27 |
Brandon Belt
San Francisco Giants 1B
|
Belt is sidelined after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. On the season, though, he's produced in a big way: 162 OPS+, 23 extra-base hits, and 25 unintentional walks. | |
26 |
Jon Lester
Chicago Cubs SP
|
The 34-year-old lefty is still going strong. In 70 innings this season, he's put up a 2.44 ERA and 169 ERA+. | |
25 |
J.T. Realmuto
Miami Marlins C
|
Realmuto got a late start to the season thanks to injury, but he's been raking ever since. That's of course in addition to being a strong defensive catcher. | |
24 |
Lorenzo Cain
Milwaukee Brewers CF
|
Cain's putting up quality numbers at the plate, and he remains a real difference-maker in the field and on the bases. | |
23 |
Gio Gonzalez
Washington Nationals SP
|
It's shaping up to be another strong season for Gonzalez. After 71 ⅓ innings, he's got an ERA of 2.27 and an ERA+ of 177. | |
22 |
Brandon Crawford
San Francisco Giants SS
|
Crawford's an everyday shortstop who's batting .324/.372/.498 while playing his home games in a pitcher's ballpark. | |
21 |
Aaron Nola
Philadelphia Phillies SP
|
Yes, Jake Arrieta has the pedigree and some strong numbers, but Nola has been Philly's best starter so far. In 84 ⅓ innings, he's put up an ERA of 2.35 and struck out 80 while getting grounders more than half the time. |
Nos. 20-11
20 |
Kris Bryant
Chicago Cubs 3B
|
Bryant remains one of the best players in baseball. He's playing a strong hot corner with production at the plate right in line with career norms. He's also yet to hit into a double play this season. | |
19 |
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees RF
|
Thus far, Judge has performed pretty much in line with last season, when he won Rookie of the Year honors and finished second in the AL MVP vote. | |
18 |
Freddie Freeman
Atlanta Braves 1B
|
Freeman's on target to set what will easily be a career-high OBP and OPS+. Consider him to be on the NL MVP watch-list. | |
17 |
J.D. Martinez
Boston Red Sox DH
|
Thus far (and not surprisingly), Martinez has been a huge addition for Boston. He's got an OPS of more than 1.000, and he's on pace to threaten 60 homers for the season (he was the first to 20 homers this season). Martinez remains one of the very best power hitters in the game today. | |
16 |
Blake Snell
Tampa Bay Rays SP
|
Snell was not so long ago one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, and now it looks like he's starting to realize that potential. A 170 ERA+ and 3.83 K/BB ratio speak to his excellence in 2018. | |
15 |
Gerrit Cole
Houston Astros SP
|
On Houston's watch, Cole has ramped up his spin rate, leaned more on his four-seamer and breaking stuff, and looked dominant as a result: He's got a 2.20 ERA on the season with 116 strikeouts in 81 ⅔ innings. | |
14 |
Scooter Gennett
Cincinnati Reds 2B
|
Here's a stealth MVP candidate in the NL (and trade deadline candidate). The veteran second baseman enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2017, and he's been even better this year. An OPS+ in the 150s from a middle infielder is special indeed. | |
13 |
Francisco Cervelli
Pittsburgh Pirates C
|
Cervelli's pitch-framing skills are still highly regarded, and this season he boasts an OPS+ in the 150s. That kind of production from a catcher puts you on target for some down-ballot MVP votes. | |
12 |
Jacob deGrom
New York Mets SP
|
DeGrom's been brilliant through 12 starts: 1.49 ERA, 98 strikeouts against 19 unintentional walks in 72 ⅓ innings. Only once this season has he allowed more than three runs in a start. | |
11 |
Nolan Arenado
Colorado Rockies 3B
|
Arenado remains the best defensive third baseman in baseball, and thus far he's putting the best park- and league-adjusted offensive numbers of his career. |
Nos. 10-1
10 |
Andrelton Simmons
Los Angeles Angels SS
|
The best defensive shortstop in the game continues his development at the plate. He's walked more than twice as many times as he's struck out, and he's on target to blow away his previous career bests in AVG/OBP/SLG and OPS+. | |
9 |
Francisco Lindor
Cleveland Indians SS
|
Thanks to a massive May, Lindor makes the list with a bullet. A slick-fielding shortstop who's getting on base and on target for more than 40 bombs? No-brainer. | |
8 |
Manny Machado
Baltimore Orioles SS
|
Machado's proved himself capable of handling shortstop on a daily basis, and right now he's running an OPS of more than 1.000 while leading the majors in total bases. It's possible he's going to fetch a larger contract than Bryce Harper this coming offseason. | |
7 |
Luis Severino
New York Yankees SP
|
Last year, Severino finished third in the AL Cy Young balloting, and thus far in 2018 he's been even better. In 86 innings, Severino has pitched to a 2.20 ERA with 102 strikeouts and 21 walks. | |
6 |
Corey Kluber
Cleveland Indians SP
|
With his gem earlier this week, Kluber joined the "sub-2.00 ERA" club for 2018. He's already racked up more than 90 innings this season. | |
5 |
Max Scherzer
Washington Nationals SP
|
Scherzer remains among the very best pitchers on the planet. After an NL-leading 87 ⅔ innings, he's struck out an MLB-best 133 batters and pitched to an ERA of 1.95. He's looking like a strong bet to the win the Cy Young for the fourth time. | |
4 |
Justin Verlander
Houston Astros SP
|
Why make this complicated? The 35-year-old right-hander has a 1.24 ERA after 13 starts. So here he is. | |
3 |
Jose Ramirez
Cleveland Indians 3B
|
Ramirez is in line for another high finish in the AL MVP balloting. He's picking it at the hot corner, and he's absolutely destroying it at the plate (.298/.396/.632 with 19 homers and 19 doubles). | |
2 |
Mookie Betts
Boston Red Sox RF
|
Betts is presently on the DL, but a line of .359/.437/.750 with plus fielding and plus baserunning place him high on the list. | |
1 |
Mike Trout
Los Angeles Angels CF
|
Mike Trout's career high for WAR in a season is 10.5 in both 2012 and 2016. This season, he was at 5.0 WAR by the end of May. At this rate, he'll wind up with one of the greatest seasons in MLB history. |
No, the slumping Bryce Harper did not make the cut this time around. Thanks for noticing. Until next time, adoring readers ...