Top 50 MLB Players
Rob Neyer of ESPN.com recently put together lists of the best players at each position for the next 5 years. These are guys who he feels from the 2008 season through the 2012 season will have the biggest impact in the majors. Then once he was done with that he was tempted to create a list of the top 50 players overall. What does this have to do with LosEstadosLatinos.com, you say? Well not surprisingly the Top 50 list was littered with Latino ballplayers, including 3 of the top 5. So here is the list of the latino Players featured on Rob Neyer’s top 50 list.
2. Hanley Ramirez (24)
Easily takes the prize as baseball’s most underrated player; Ramirez toils in obscurity for the Marlins, known only to fantasy baseball owners.3. Miguel Cabrera (24)
Yes, he’s a fantastic hitter (just ask the Tigers, who just gave Cabrera one of the richest contracts ever). But it’s worth noting that he’s a few months older than Hanley Ramirez and was not — if you consider baserunning — the better offensive player last year.5. Johan Santana (29)
It’s possible that we’ve seen his best work. On the other hand, his best was the best … and now that he’s in the National League, even less than his best may be good enough for two or three Cy Young Awards.7. Jose Reyes (24)
As thrilling as Reyes is, it’s worth noting that he’s almost 25 and his career OPS falls short of the league average (and that’s the National League average).9. Albert Pujols (28)
He would rank a slot or three higher if not for the elbow injury that might land him on the DL for a significant period at some point soon.10. Alex Rodriguez (32)
Easily the oldest player on this list, but super-duperstars have a habit of remaining highly productive into their middle 30s and there’s no reason to think this one won’t be a deserving All-Star for years to come.11. Robinson Cano (25)
It’s not completely obvious that Cano deserves to rank quite so highly, but considering his youth and his .314 career batting average, it seems we haven’t seen his best yet.20. Evan Longoria (22)
This might be too high, as Longoria hasn’t played a single inning in the majors. It might be too low, as any objective method will choose Longoria as the American League’s No. 1 or 2 third baseman over the next five years.21. Jhonny Peralta (26)
Doesn’t get a lot of respect, probably because of his superstar teammates and his questionable defense, but power-hitting shortstops are a rarity.26. Carlos Beltran (30)
Yes, he’s old for this list. No, he may not be a Hall of Famer. But Beltran’s broad range of skills may well allow him to remain among the game’s elite for at least five more seasons.27. Victor Martinez (29)
For years there’s been talk about Martinez playing first base or perhaps DH-ing. But with Ryan Garko at first base and Travis Hafner at DH, the Indians need a catcher, and Martinez is among the very best.38. Adrian Gonzalez (25)
It’s easy to miss how well Gonzalez has played for the Padres, because his home ballpark’s not doing him any favors. But he’s been quite good and has plenty of room for improvement.46. Melky Cabrera (23)
We’re still waiting for Cabrera’s first .400-plus slugging percentage and he’s not an on-base wizard, either. But he’s solid in center field, has held his own as a hitter and at 23 figures to get significantly better.50. Asdrubal Cabrera (22)
Cabrera might be a stretch here, as much of his value is wasted at second base (by most accounts he’s a fine shortstop). But at 22, he’s already good enough with the bat to play second base, and a shift to shortstop would just be gravy.
