The 60 Most Valuable Players in ODC: Mid-2017 Edition
Aug 4, 2017 17:31:46 GMT -5
White Sox GM (Michael), Rangers GM (Bill), and 3 more like this
Post by Astros GM (Max) on Aug 4, 2017 17:31:46 GMT -5
Hey all-
Here are my rankings of the top 60 players in ODC based on pure value. A few things to note:
1. Players within tiers (1, 2, 3, and 4) are to be similarly valued. I would not split hairs between numbers within the same tier, especially within the same sub-tier (the A's, B's, and C that you'll see).
2. I considered value in these rankings, so performance had a big piece but so did contract and control. You'll find that elite players on not great contracts made the list, while not great players on elite contracts may have been left off.
3. Don't kill me. I worked hard on these. They are not to be taken too seriously. Fangraphs did similar rankings here if you want to see where I got some of my inspiration.
4. Feel free to leave your questions as to why I ranked a certain player in a certain spot below in the comments or on the chat when I'm around.
5. This is one man's opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.
6. Happy debating!
Blackmon, Kershaw, Scherzer, Harper, and Arenado will all be hitting the market after 2018 (which makes for an awesome free agency class). However, they are just too good to leave off the list. They'd still fetch a lot in a trade despite their control concerns. As far as prospects go, Torres and Acuna both play premium positions and carry the offensive upside that you can dream on for years to come.
This collection of players has a lot of potential but needs to improve to be worth more. Bogaerts, Herrera, and Carrasco have shown flashes of greatness before but consistency would go a long way to raising their mass appeal. Nelson and Duvall have experience breakouts this year and if they can keep it up, they will shoot up this list. The rest of the players are former top prospects who need to further showcase their talent before they can be worth more.
Sometimes what you don't know is better than the little that you do. Moncada, Devers, and Benintendi are the elite of the elite as far as prospects go, and they have all experienced success at the Major League level in small sample sizes. The upside for the three of them is as high as anyone on this tier. Fulmer and Manaea have had success before and look poised to continue their high level of play, coinciding with an ascent up the list.
These guys have all been around for awhile, and they are still playing at high levels. Cheap extensions for Bumgarner, Quintana, Archer, and Perez combined with strong play put them here on the list. The others have good extensions or are still on the scale, but are top performers who would be worth a lot in any trade.
* = Darvish is on the scale now, but will sign a contract in real life this offseason that can be picked up by his team; this was factored into his ranking
The smallest tier on the list is a group of players who are experiencing big breakouts this season. They are hard to rank because of this, however if they keep this up they will all go way up this list.
These players are all young studs who have a lot of control and the high level of performance that makes them all appealing to build a team around. They will experience struggles at times (as McCullers is now), but each one of these players is a star in their own right and worthy of building a team around.
These veterans are better than the last group, be it due to control, performance, or a combination of both. Sale is a Cy Young contender this season while Springer, Ramirez, Goldschmidt, and Freeman will have a say in their respective leagues' MVP races. Martinez and Rizzo are not having the best years of their career, but they are stars and deserve this level of recognition.
Young studs are one thing, but these guys are on another level. These are stars who are young and oh so valuable. While some may face injury issues (Turner, Syndergaard) and others may be at unsustainable paces (Sanchez, Bellinger), all of these players provide elite talent mixed with long term control and youth that implies they should be, on the whole, getting better.
The cream of the crop. The best of the best. I'll say a little about each of them:
Corey Kluber: This guy is unreal. He is arguably the 3rd best SP in baseball behind Kershaw and Scherzer. He is an innings eater, an ace, a strikeout master, and everything you want in the league's most valuable pitcher.
Aaron Judge: While his first half pace is almost certainly unsustainable, Judge's walk rate, hard hit rate, and raw power indicate he will be a superstar in this league for a very long time. This ranking is intentionally a bit passive because we don't know where he will end up statistically on a year-to-year basis.
Mike Trout: It doesn't matter how much he makes; whatever his contract is, it is a bargain. Trout is so much better than the next best player in terms of production that even though he stands to make roughly 1/3 of the ODC cap, he is a top 5 value.
Kris Bryant: The 2016 NL MVP's follow up season has not been near as good, but nor have the Cubs in general. It doesn't really matter. Bryant is undeniably one of the game's best hitters and a true superstar. He has a lot of control left and year-to-year dual position eligibility (3B and LF) helps boost his value a tad bit.
Jose Altuve: The highest ranked non-scale player on this list is more than deserving of his ranking. Whenever it seems that he can't get better, he improves even more. It's about time he wins an MVP award, and I think 2017 will finally be the year that the smallest star in baseball is put on a big pedestal.
Corey Seager: I will admit that the decision between #1 and #2 was very hard. Seager falls just short of the top spot because of his ceiling: he is and will be an elite offensive player, but not in the same way that our #1 player is. Seager will put up great average numbers, good power numbers, and a ton of runs scored so long as the Dodgers lineup remains elite. Seager has a ton of control and is an amazing player worthy of this spot on the list.
Carlos Correa: The most valuable player in the league is none other than Carlos Correa. He is compared to Alex Rodriguez, and before Correa injured himself this season those comparison did not look unfounded. He was an MVP candidate before the injury and with 3 years of control remaining, it would be a mild surprise to not see him win at least 1 MVP award before he hits free agency in ODC. He is a superstar and will is vying to be one of the faces of baseball, as his team is one of the best in the sport. He is truly a star to lead baseball into a new era.
Here are my rankings of the top 60 players in ODC based on pure value. A few things to note:
1. Players within tiers (1, 2, 3, and 4) are to be similarly valued. I would not split hairs between numbers within the same tier, especially within the same sub-tier (the A's, B's, and C that you'll see).
2. I considered value in these rankings, so performance had a big piece but so did contract and control. You'll find that elite players on not great contracts made the list, while not great players on elite contracts may have been left off.
3. Don't kill me. I worked hard on these. They are not to be taken too seriously. Fangraphs did similar rankings here if you want to see where I got some of my inspiration.
4. Feel free to leave your questions as to why I ranked a certain player in a certain spot below in the comments or on the chat when I'm around.
5. This is one man's opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.
6. Happy debating!
Blackmon, Kershaw, Scherzer, Harper, and Arenado will all be hitting the market after 2018 (which makes for an awesome free agency class). However, they are just too good to leave off the list. They'd still fetch a lot in a trade despite their control concerns. As far as prospects go, Torres and Acuna both play premium positions and carry the offensive upside that you can dream on for years to come.
This collection of players has a lot of potential but needs to improve to be worth more. Bogaerts, Herrera, and Carrasco have shown flashes of greatness before but consistency would go a long way to raising their mass appeal. Nelson and Duvall have experience breakouts this year and if they can keep it up, they will shoot up this list. The rest of the players are former top prospects who need to further showcase their talent before they can be worth more.
Sometimes what you don't know is better than the little that you do. Moncada, Devers, and Benintendi are the elite of the elite as far as prospects go, and they have all experienced success at the Major League level in small sample sizes. The upside for the three of them is as high as anyone on this tier. Fulmer and Manaea have had success before and look poised to continue their high level of play, coinciding with an ascent up the list.
These guys have all been around for awhile, and they are still playing at high levels. Cheap extensions for Bumgarner, Quintana, Archer, and Perez combined with strong play put them here on the list. The others have good extensions or are still on the scale, but are top performers who would be worth a lot in any trade.
* = Darvish is on the scale now, but will sign a contract in real life this offseason that can be picked up by his team; this was factored into his ranking
The smallest tier on the list is a group of players who are experiencing big breakouts this season. They are hard to rank because of this, however if they keep this up they will all go way up this list.
These players are all young studs who have a lot of control and the high level of performance that makes them all appealing to build a team around. They will experience struggles at times (as McCullers is now), but each one of these players is a star in their own right and worthy of building a team around.
These veterans are better than the last group, be it due to control, performance, or a combination of both. Sale is a Cy Young contender this season while Springer, Ramirez, Goldschmidt, and Freeman will have a say in their respective leagues' MVP races. Martinez and Rizzo are not having the best years of their career, but they are stars and deserve this level of recognition.
Young studs are one thing, but these guys are on another level. These are stars who are young and oh so valuable. While some may face injury issues (Turner, Syndergaard) and others may be at unsustainable paces (Sanchez, Bellinger), all of these players provide elite talent mixed with long term control and youth that implies they should be, on the whole, getting better.
The cream of the crop. The best of the best. I'll say a little about each of them:
Corey Kluber: This guy is unreal. He is arguably the 3rd best SP in baseball behind Kershaw and Scherzer. He is an innings eater, an ace, a strikeout master, and everything you want in the league's most valuable pitcher.
Aaron Judge: While his first half pace is almost certainly unsustainable, Judge's walk rate, hard hit rate, and raw power indicate he will be a superstar in this league for a very long time. This ranking is intentionally a bit passive because we don't know where he will end up statistically on a year-to-year basis.
Mike Trout: It doesn't matter how much he makes; whatever his contract is, it is a bargain. Trout is so much better than the next best player in terms of production that even though he stands to make roughly 1/3 of the ODC cap, he is a top 5 value.
Kris Bryant: The 2016 NL MVP's follow up season has not been near as good, but nor have the Cubs in general. It doesn't really matter. Bryant is undeniably one of the game's best hitters and a true superstar. He has a lot of control left and year-to-year dual position eligibility (3B and LF) helps boost his value a tad bit.
Jose Altuve: The highest ranked non-scale player on this list is more than deserving of his ranking. Whenever it seems that he can't get better, he improves even more. It's about time he wins an MVP award, and I think 2017 will finally be the year that the smallest star in baseball is put on a big pedestal.
Corey Seager: I will admit that the decision between #1 and #2 was very hard. Seager falls just short of the top spot because of his ceiling: he is and will be an elite offensive player, but not in the same way that our #1 player is. Seager will put up great average numbers, good power numbers, and a ton of runs scored so long as the Dodgers lineup remains elite. Seager has a ton of control and is an amazing player worthy of this spot on the list.
Carlos Correa: The most valuable player in the league is none other than Carlos Correa. He is compared to Alex Rodriguez, and before Correa injured himself this season those comparison did not look unfounded. He was an MVP candidate before the injury and with 3 years of control remaining, it would be a mild surprise to not see him win at least 1 MVP award before he hits free agency in ODC. He is a superstar and will is vying to be one of the faces of baseball, as his team is one of the best in the sport. He is truly a star to lead baseball into a new era.
