Sporting News' Top 50 Baseball Players

[Clem Fandango]

If you know, you want to laugh... or get pissed at the ignorance of hall of fame baseball players. Some of them are right, most are wrong in terms of placement. A lot should be higher, a lot should be lower, some shouldn't be on there at all.

 

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols tops Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest players in baseball today, as selected by a panel of 100 Hall of Famers, major award winners and other baseball personalities.

 

Pujols, who appears on the cover of the latest Sporting News magazine, was a runaway winner, picking up 55 first-place votes from our panel, which includes 13 Hall of Famers, 13 Cy Young Award winners and 12 league MVPs. Among the MLB legends who filled out ballots for SN: Willie McCovey, Stan Musial, Brooks Robinson, Tony Gwynn, Tom Seaver, Rollie Fingers and Greg Maddux.

 

1. Albert Pujols 1B, Cardinals

2. Alex Rodriguez 3B, Yankees

3. Johan Santana SP, Mets

4. Manny Ramirez LF, Dodgers

5. Hanley Ramirez SS, Marlins

6. Chase Utley 2B, Phillies

7. Roy Halladay SP, Blue Jays

8. Derek Jeter SS, Yankees

9. Mariano Rivera RP, Yankees

10. Chipper Jones 3B, Braves

11. Ryan Howard 1B, Phillies

12. Grady Sizemore CF, Indians

13. David Wright 3B, Mets

14. Justin Morneau 1B, Twins

15. Jimmy Rollins SS, Phillies

16. Josh Beckett SP, Red Sox

17. Mark Teixeira 1B, Yankees

18. Dustin Pedroia 2B, Red Sox

19. Tim Lincecum SP, Giants

20. Evan Longoria 3B, Rays

21. Lance Berkman 1B, Astros

22. Jose Reyes SS, Mets

23. Carlos Beltran CF, Mets

24. Ian Kinsler 2B, Rangers

25. Zack Greinke SP, Royals

26. Josh Hamilton CF, Rangers

27. Alfonso Soriano LF, Cubs

28. Miguel Cabrera 1B, Tigers

29. CC Sabathia SP, Yankees

30. Ichiro Suzuki RF, Mariners

31. Brandon Webb SP, Diamondbacks

32. Ryan Braun LF, Brewers

33. Dan Haren SP, Diamondbacks

34. Francisco Rodriguez RP, Mets

35. Matt Holliday LF, A's

36. Kevin Youkilis 1B, Red Sox

37. Vladimir Guerrero RF, Angels

38. Jake Peavy SP, Padres

39. Joe Mauer C, Twins

40. Carlos Quentin LF, White Sox

41. Jason Bay LF, Red Sox

42. Chad Billingsley SP, Dodgers

43. Cliff Lee SP, Indians

44. Torii Hunter CF, Angels

45. Victor Martinez C/1B, Indians

46. Roy Oswalt SP, Astros

47. Carlos Delgado 1B, Mets

48. Carlos Zambrano SP, Cubs

49. Cole Hamels SP, Phillies

50. Brian McCann C, Braves

 

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=550872

[TruffleShuffle]

jeter at 8? lol.

[Bote McBoteface]

Yeah, that was the first one I disagreed with. i would have put him down around 30th or so.

[treebird]

Yeah, that was the first one I disagreed with. i would have put him down around 30th or so.

 

if the list is really supposed to just be the 50 best players right now, i don't think i'm putting a 35 year old, bad defensive shortstop who may not be able to ops .800 anymore on my list at all.

[Bote McBoteface]

Well, you have to remember that all of New York would explode in a fit of rage if Jeter was left off the list.

[Clem Fandango]

Apparently Miguel Cabrera isn't better than Dustin Pedroia

[BigSlick]

I think Rich Harden, after how well he's done the last two years or so, should be in the top 50 players right now

 

Its a bit presumptuous to put someone like Longoria that high too, but whatever i don't necessarily disagree with it but after one year I hesitate to put someone that high

 

Carlos Delgado isn't even in the top 100, let alone top 50 btw

 

List isn't all that bad, all things considered

[17 Seconds]

yay zambrano is better than hamels i guess

 

seriously thought this list is all sorts of messed up.

[laurens]

I think they should make separate lists for pitchers and position players. How can you possibly determine wether a SS is better than a SP?

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im really having trouble with Aramis not being on this list, especially when Carlos Quentin is, whose had 1 good season in his career.

[Schwarber Fan]

Im really having trouble with Aramis not being on this list, especially when Carlos Quentin is, whose had 1 good season in his career.

 

And Aramis > Soriano

[nwg414]

No Nick Markakis either.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Also, while I have nothing against Brian McCann, I could probably rattle off another list of 50 players I would have chosen over him.

[javy knows my name]

Jeter #8 is particularly disgusting, while the general east coast bias is troubling. Just because you don't know who the [expletive] Ryan Braun and Zack Greinke are doesn't mean they aren't outstanding players who might both belong in the top ten

[OleMissCub]

Aramis should be on that list somewhere

[NewUserName]

I would love to hear the reasoning of why Jeter is so high. "Well aaa, Well you seee, ESPN has a lot of highlights of him. And aaa, you seee, he is like a winner."

[nwg414]

Jeter #8 is particularly disgusting, while the general east coast bias is troubling. Just because you don't know who the [expletive] Ryan Braun and Zack Greinke are doesn't mean they aren't outstanding players who might both belong in the top ten

 

To be fair Braun is not a good fielder to put it kindly. Though this list probably had all of nothing to do with someones all around game.

[javy knows my name]

Jeter #8 is particularly disgusting, while the general east coast bias is troubling. Just because you don't know who the [expletive] Ryan Braun and Zack Greinke are doesn't mean they aren't outstanding players who might both belong in the top ten

 

To be fair Braun is not a good fielder to put it kindly. Though this list probably had all of nothing to do with someones all around game.

 

Yeah, of course he isn't, but he doesn't cost you many more runs hidden in left than Jeter at short. Not the best example, I'll admit, but it's total bs that he's not top 25. And ftr, I hate the mfer

[nwg414]

Jeter #8 is particularly disgusting, while the general east coast bias is troubling. Just because you don't know who the [expletive] Ryan Braun and Zack Greinke are doesn't mean they aren't outstanding players who might both belong in the top ten

 

To be fair Braun is not a good fielder to put it kindly. Though this list probably had all of nothing to do with someones all around game.

 

Yeah, of course he isn't, but he doesn't cost you many more runs hidden in left than Jeter at short. Not the best example, I'll admit, but it's total bs that he's not top 25. And ftr, I hate the mfer

 

Agree. Jeter being on the list at all is terrible.

[Cubswin11]

No Markakis, Aram, or Adrian Gonzalez? Miguel Cabrera should also be much higher he is probably a top 20 maybe even top 15 guy in baseball. Mariano Rivera at 9 WTF, he's a closer. Pedroia and Rollins are way to high on the list, they are not top 20 players in MLB, probably top 30 on a good day but more like in the top 40. Delgado shouldn't even be near this list either.

[jersey cubs fan]

No Markakis, Aram, or Adrian Gonzalez? Miguel Cabrera should also be much higher he is probably a top 20 maybe even top 15 guy in baseball. Mariano Rivera at 9 WTF, he's a closer. Pedroia and Rollins are way to high on the list, they are not top 20 players in MLB, probably top 30 on a good day but more like in the top 40. Delgado shouldn't even be near this list either.

 

How many championships have those guys won? Exactly. The ring is the thing my friend and without it you're nothing.

[OleMissCub]

Since Grienke is on that list solely because of his current season only, perhaps Ryan Zimmerman should be on the list somewhere.

[Clem Fandango]

Cliff Lee being on there is a joke too. Did they ignore the rest of his career when taking him into consideration?

 

But yeah, Aram, Adrian Gonzales, Markakis. Holliday being there is a joke, his splits are ludicrous.

 

Oh Jesus, I just noticed Josh Beckett at #16. Josh effing Beckett? Really? He of the career 3.86 ERA and only two seasons of an ERA+ higher than 118 with a current ERA+ of 85? Pfft. Becket is an overrated pitcher. They're obviously basing a lot of these on current performnance and lot on past performance, but Beckett has had one good full season and it was the year the Red Sox won the championship, and that makes him #16 on the list of the best players in the game today. B.S.

[Post Count Padder]

Man this is a terrible list. I'm gonna pretend I never even read it.

[Cubswin11]

No Markakis, Aram, or Adrian Gonzalez? Miguel Cabrera should also be much higher he is probably a top 20 maybe even top 15 guy in baseball. Mariano Rivera at 9 WTF, he's a closer. Pedroia and Rollins are way to high on the list, they are not top 20 players in MLB, probably top 30 on a good day but more like in the top 40. Delgado shouldn't even be near this list either.

 

How many championships have those guys won? Exactly. The ring is the thing my friend and without it you're nothing.

Over half the guys on that list haven't won a ring (35).

Arod, Johan, Hanley, Halladay, Sizemore, Wright, Morneau, Teixeira, Lincecum, Longoria, Berkman, Reyes, Beltran, Kinsler, Greinke, Hamilton, CC, Ichiro, Webb, Braun, Haren, Holliday, Peavy, Mauer, Quentin, Bay, Billingsley, Lee, Hunter, Vmart, Oswalt, Z, McCann, Delgado, Vlad.