Best Player In baseball

[Tony Robbins]

Who is currently the best player in baseball?

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

[-Kyle-]

Alber Pujols, leader in WS, RC/27 and leader of the WS series champs.

[Rapmaster]

If I had to pick the best hitter, probably either Albert Pujols or Manny Ramirez. Both are amazing.

I picked other and my vote for best overall player is J.D. Drew. His numbers aren't eye popping, he's a drama queen, and he is seemingly injured almost all the time. However, when he's on, he's all-around a great player. In the outfield, on the basepaths, and at the plate, his game is extremely dynamic.

[Skin & Bones]

If I had to pick the best hitter, probably either Albert Pujols or Manny Ramirez. Both are amazing.

I picked other and my vote for best overall player is J.D. Drew. His numbers aren't eye popping, he's a drama queen, and he is seemingly injured almost all the time. However, when he's on, he's all-around a great player. In the outfield, on the basepaths, and at the plate, his game is extremely dynamic.

There's only one problem: He's NEVER healthy.

[Rapmaster]

There's only one problem: He's NEVER healthy.

Most of the time I actually think he's more than healthy enough to be productive. He just likes his paid days off...

When he is though, he's a great player. I dunno if you can clearly say that one player is the best, but I like the guy a lot.

[Ytown Tribe fan]

Well, obviously it's Jeter.

The BBWAA say he's the best hitter in the AL and the best fielder too, so it must be so.

[Skin & Bones]

Most of the time I actually think he's more than healthy enough to be productive. He just likes his paid days off...

When he is though, he's a great player. I dunno if you can clearly say that one player is the best, but I like the guy a lot.

I just checked his Games Played this season, and he played 146, his career high. So he was healthy for most of the season. Still, he wasn't one of the best players in baseball this year. If you want to argue 2004, then I'd agree.

[Rapmaster]

I just checked his GP this season, and he played 146. So he was healthy for most of the season. Still, he wasn't one of the best players in baseball this year. If you want to argue 2004, then I'd agree.

meh, like I said before, his stats aren't outstanding. Good, but not ridiculous. But he's an extremely balanced player that can make an impact in any facet of the game. It'd be easy to believe that he plays half-hearted, but from what I've seen, he actually does hustle.

I think he's one of the only true "5-tool" players out there.

[Skin & Bones]

meh, like I said before, his stats aren't outstanding. Good, but not ridiculous. But he's an extremely balanced player that can make an impact in any facet of the game. It'd be easy to believe that he plays half-hearted, but from what I've seen, he actually does hustle.

I think he's one of the only true "5-tool" players out there.

I already said that when healthy he's usually one of the best players in baseball. 2004 is a good example. But to call him the best player in baseball based on your belief that he does " everything well " despite the statistics ( traditional or Sabrmetric) saying differently, is flat out wrong, IMO. He's usually not healthy, and this season he was above average, nothing more.

[Rapmaster]

Didn't know that opinions had right/wrong answers, I'll keep that in mind next time.

[EvanAparra]

Didn't know that opinions had right/wrong answers, I'll keep that in mind next time.
Well, if you can find ONE other person to agree with you....:laugh

Just kidding, dont want an arguement. I pick Pujols.

[Rookie1914]

Best player meaning...best hitter...best fielder...best hitter and fielder...person I would want most on my team...best leader...? best player can mean many things.

[cardsfanatic]

I think he's one of the only true "5-tool" players out there.

Uhhh, Carlos Beltran?

[EvanAparra]

Uhhh, Carlos Beltran?
He said "one of the only" so i'm guessing that doesn't mean the only one.

Who else could be a 5 tool player? A-Rod, Beltran, Soriano, Crawford... I'm sure there are more, they just aren't coming to me.

[KCGHOST]

Pujols is the man.

[Dasperp]

To me best player means the guy who adds the most total value to his team, and that is clearly Pujols. I don't think the best player has to play a premium position or be a 5-tool player. If a crappy-fielding slow 1st basemen hit like Bonds did from 2001-2004, he would be the best player.

Speaking of which, i just took a look at those Bonds years and they really were unreal, even if they were steroid-driven. In every year his Avg/Obp looked better than most players' Obp/Slg

[Rapmaster]

To me best player means the guy who adds the most total value to his team, and that is clearly Pujols. I don't think the best player has to play a premium position or be a 5-tool player. If a crappy-fielding slow 1st basemen hit like Bonds did from 2001-2004, he would be the best player.

Speaking of which, i just took a look at those Bonds years and they really were unreal, even if they were steroid-driven. In every year his Avg/Obp looked better than most players' Obp/Slg

Striking out less times than he homered. Forget the metrics, that's just insane. 100% agreed, too bad they're tainted with suspicion right now.

Your opinion of best player is a stance that a lot of guys on this board take. My stance on "the best player" is one that adds great enjoyment to watching the game. After all, baseball is about entertainment. Dynamic guys like Furcal, Reyes, Guerrero, Drew, etc... They do things that make you go, wow!, that was cool. They add pace to an otherwise slow game.

Not bashing on you, just pointing out how and why my opinion was different. If I had to pick the best offensive machine or best statistical player, Pujols in a heartbeat.

[Skin & Bones]

Striking out less times than he homered.

Walking a ridiculous 232 times (120 intentional) might have something to do with that.


Your opinion of best player is a stance that a lot of guys on this board take. My stance on "the best player" is one that adds great enjoyment to watching the game. After all, baseball is about entertainment. Dynamic guys like Furcal, Reyes, Guerrero, Drew, etc... They do things that make you go, wow!, that was cool. They add pace to an otherwise slow game.

I disagree. The most flashy player who entertains you more often shouldn't have anything to do with his value as a player. Ichiro in 2004 getting 262 hits was more exciting, IMO, than Barry Bonds walking 232 times, but we all know who the more valuable player was.

[Astro]

Johan Santana, he can single handedly win his team 30-35 games a season... no hitter can do that

[Rapmaster]

Walking a ridiculous 232 times (120 intentional) might have something to do with that.




I disagree. The most flashy player who entertains you more often shouldn't have anything to do with his value as a player. Ichiro in 2004 getting 262 hits was more exciting, IMO, than Barry Bonds walking 232 times, but we all know who the more valuable player was.

The fact that he jacked just about everything over the plate into McCovey cove (yea yea, an exagerration) had something to do with the 232 walks :crazy So his strikeouts would go up hadthey pitched to him more and so would his homeruns? Circular reasoning, gotta love it.

On the second note, that's fine. I was just justifying my opinion based on how I value players in questions like these. if i'm building a team (which I'm not) to win games or to find the best statistical player, I'll take Pujols (or in your example, Bonds). But my interpretation is that the best player is the one that entertains the most (none of us would follow baseball if it weren't entertaining. It's never fun to watch walks no matter how valuable they are. Stats can tell you who contributes more, who's more valuable, who's superior, etc... but they can't tell you who's more fun to watch

[Skin & Bones]

The fact that he jacked just about everything over the plate into McCovey cove (yea yea, an exagerration) had something to do with the 232 walks :crazy So his strikeouts would go up hadthey pitched to him more and so would his homeruns? Circular reasoning, gotta love it.

I agree that had a lot to do with it. Also having Edgar Alfonzo batting behind you has something to do with that. Put Pujols behind him, and those walks decrease.

On the second note, that's fine. I was just justifying my opinion based on how I value players in questions like these. if i'm building a team (which I'm not) to win games or to find the best statistical player, I'll take Pujols (or in your example, Bonds). But my interpretation is that the best player is the one that entertains the most (none of us would follow baseball if it weren't entertaining. It's never fun to watch walks no matter how valuable they are. Stats can tell you who contributes more, who's more valuable, who's superior, etc... but they can't tell you who's more fun to watch

Ok, and I fail to see how that has anything to do with being the best player in baseball. What your describing is the best " entertainer ", not the best player. As I said before, Ichiro in 2004 was more exciting to watch than Bonds was, but Bonds was having one ( if not the best) offensive season of all-time. So he WAS the best player in baseball that year, but not the most entertaining.

[ESPNFan]

Johan Santana, he can single handedly win his team 30-35 games a season... no hitter can do that

Actually, unless Santana bats he can only tie them 30-35 games a season :laugh

All joking aside I agree with your point. Ace pitchers can transform a team and take them to the next level.

[hudsonharden]

Pujols is the most talented player in the game, and the most productive. When all is said and done, maybe one of the 10 best power/average hitters of all time (up there with Ruth, Mays, Aaron, Musial, Williams, Gehrig, Foxx, and Bonds)

[cardsfanatic]

He said "one of the only" so i'm guessing that doesn't mean the only one.

Who else could be a 5 tool player? A-Rod, Beltran, Soriano, Crawford... I'm sure there are more, they just aren't coming to me.

"Only" is not a plural word. It's means one. Without others or anything further.

[EvanAparra]

"Only" is not a plural word. It's means one. Without others or anything further.
One of. That USUALLY means more than one.

[jeterMVP]

i voted for jeter because he's a great player plus he has the intangables to win a game

don't really understand why big daddy vlady didn't make the list...
.329-average
33 hr-power
15 steals-only 3 less than beltran
7 assists-could have more but nobody runs on him
.959 fpct-eeek

[Astro]

i voted for jeter

Imagine that... :p

[Dasperp]

Johan Santana, he can single handedly win his team 30-35 games a season... no hitter can do that


Well, not really. If his team scored enough that they won that much when he pitched then an average pitcher would probably win 15 or more games with the same support. That said, i think he may be number 2 behind Pujols, and i think he should be the AL MVP this year

[Spiritboxer]

Call me a homer but I had to go with Jeter with his all around game and much talked about intangibles. It was either that or next years A-Rod.:laugh

[redlegsfan21]

Albert Pujols. No one means more to his team.

[STLCards2]

After outperforming A-Rod in 2 of the past three seasons, I feel pretty good putting Albert ahead of Rodriguez for the first time in my head.

[hudsonharden]

i voted for jeter because he's a great player plus he has the intangables to win a game


...and Pujols lacks intangibles?

[-Kyle-]

Pujols is the most talented player in the game, and the most productive. When all is said and done, maybe one of the 10 best power/average hitters of all time (up there with Ruth, Mays, Aaron, Musial, Williams, Gehrig, Foxx, and Bonds)
I agree, and I hope he doesn't end up like Frank Thomas, who was sidelined with injuries to prevent him from being a top 10 hitter.

[-Kyle-]

Call me a homer but I had to go with Jeter with his all around game and much talked about intangibles.
Its not like Pujol's team won the world series? That must count for some intagibles. :)

[Charger567]

Jeter imo did not deserve any of the awards he won. His voters here will be Yankee Fans.

Pujols is the best on that list by far. Even if it is the NL.

[Jose Reyes]

By far? Pujols may be the best hitter but he is not a great runner and plays 1st base. Beltran's offensive production isn't that much lower than Pujols', and he is an elite defensive player at a position 10 times more demanding. He also has an edge over Pujols in speed. I took the homer pick and voted Beltran but I guess the argument for Pujols would be that he has been more consistent over the years. But I think the Beltran is definitely just as talented.

[cardsfanatic]

Well, I'm a Cardinals fan so that pretty much leads me in one direction. But when you have a guy who's first six seasons are rivaled only by the great Ted Williams... well, that's pretty much a big fat no brainer. Pujols it is.

[Rookie1914]

I see Pujols being picked by a few [slow runner, average defense], so I will take Ryan Howard. Many forget Ryan has only played 1.5 seasons and is up for NL MVP. You want excitement, he is it!

[Edgartohof]

I see Pujols being picked by a few [slow runner, average defense], so I will take Ryan Howard. Many forget Ryan has only played 1.5 seasons and is up for NL MVP. You want excitement, he is it!

Well, Pujols was up for MVP in just his first season, and every season since. And he is a much better offensive player. And Pujols is better defensively than Howard I might add.

[Rapmaster]

I see Pujols being picked by a few [slow runner, average defense], so I will take Ryan Howard. Many forget Ryan has only played 1.5 seasons and is up for NL MVP. You want excitement, he is it!

wait, you won't pick Pujols because he's slow and "average" defensively? Howard's slower and even more average at defense. Plus he plays in an offensive park that heavily favors left handed hitters.

On a tangent, Pujols had 49 homers this year with 50 strikeouts. That's basically a 1:1 ratio, that is nuts.

[Rapmaster]

By far? Pujols may be the best hitter but he is not a great runner and plays 1st base. Beltran's offensive production isn't that much lower than Pujols', and he is an elite defensive player at a position 10 times more demanding. He also has an edge over Pujols in speed. I took the homer pick and voted Beltran but I guess the argument for Pujols would be that he has been more consistent over the years. But I think the Beltran is definitely just as talented.

Close race, but Bill James' Win Shares formula lists Pujols as #1 with 39 and guess who's second with 38? Beltran :p

Not that it's any real concrete evidence, 1 win share = 1/3 of a win theoretically.

EDIT: But David Wright and Jose Reyes are both in the top 10 with 32 and 29 respectively. Ryan Howard was sixth with 31 behind Wright with Utley 9th with 28. No other Cardinal was in the top 10 (this point was made in the Jeter thread). Pujols was seemingly carrying a larger load.

[dl4060]

Pujols by a mile. This season has been the only one out of the last few Jeter has even been among the ten best players in the game. He is not close to Pujols.

[Colorado Express]

I guess someone could justify others, but for me, it's Pujols in a landslide!

[Mariano_Rivera]

Wow, I`m surprised by the defecit. Pujols or A-Rod I picked A-Rod but i cand definitely understand picking Albert

[Mariano_Rivera]

i voted for jeter because he's a great player plus he has the intangables to win a game

don't really understand why big daddy vlady didn't make the list...
.329-average
33 hr-power
15 steals-only 3 less than beltran
7 assists-could have more but nobody runs on him
.959 fpct-eeek

How many walks?

[EvanAparra]

I see Pujols being picked by a few [slow runner, average defense], so I will take Ryan Howard. Many forget Ryan has only played 1.5 seasons and is up for NL MVP. You want excitement, he is it!

However, Pujols isn't average on defense. Very good at 1B this year, kinda looking like Bagwell defensively right now.

[W_Marone]

Why no Jonny Gomes on the list???:confused: :dance

[Rapmaster]

How many walks?

50, he's a free swinger, but a damn good one at that. His career high is 84 over 161 games. He gets a lot of respect walks. His OBP has always been in the upper 300s/low400s. I guess his ISOD is a bit low, but his style of batting really isn't conducive to too many drastic slumps.

[LUGZ]

Phat Albert!!!

[racosun]

Just to be my usual off-beat self, I'll say Miguel Cabrera. Many thought the Marlins would shatter the single-season losses record, but he nearly carried them to the playoffs. Sure, they had breakout seasons from numerous players like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson, that Willingham guy, and a few others, but it was Cabrera that carried the biggest load. His stats were supposed to drop big-time without any lineup protection, but they didn't. I wonder how the stats would have looked had Pujols and Cabrera swapped teams.

[dl4060]

Are we talking this year only? If it is the last several seasons, the only people mentioned on that list who should be are Manny, Arod and Pujols. Soriano is up and down and has a mediocre OBP. Wright is too young, Beltran is good, but not that good, he has placed in the top ten in OPS+ only once. He was awesome last year, but that was his only truly great season. Even last year he was 27 points behind Pujols in ops+, 56 in BA, 43 in OBP and maybe 75 in SLG. Those are not small differences. Pujols was a truly great offensive player last year, Beltran was merely outstanding. He is great at many aspects of the game, but hitting and pitching win far more games than defense and baserunning. Howard only has two seasons, and Ortiz really has been a great player for only three years. Jeter has no business being mentioned as a candidate for the best player in baseball over the last five years. He is great, but the media and his fan base are delusional in thinking he belongs here. His presence on lists like this is part of the reason so many people fume about how overrated he is. Pujols is light years ahead of anyone else.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Well if Beltran keeps this up and improves his contact I may say him, but if A-Rod returns to 2005 form there's no question it's A-Rod. Although, right now I'd either say Pujols, Soriano, Reyes maybe, still a lil leaning towards Jeter...he's my fav.

[Skin & Bones]

How can anyone think Soriano and his career high .351 OBP is the best player in all of baseball ?

Is it the whole 40/40 thing ?

Soriano is a fine player, and last year probably had the best season of his career, but he certainly has no arguement to claim the best current player title.

[Rookie1914]

There's only one problem: He's NEVER healthy.

Amen. Drew is ALWAYS AILING :crazy

[W_Marone]

I'm a Phillies fan and a Ryan Howard supporter, but you gotta respect Albert Pujol's ability. He's sick. But, A-Rod at 100%, he can still some bags, so I'd lean toward him, when he's having a 2005 type year.

[hubkittel]

Amen. Drew is ALWAYS AILING :crazy

i heard a great quote the other day on the radio about drew. a guy said drew's problem was that he couldn't tell the difference between pain and injury.

and why is j.d. drew's name coming up in a thread about the best player in baseball?