Who are the best players in Major League Baseball right now?
To determine this, ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts, contributors and Insiders to rank the top 100, which we've counted down from No. 100 to No. 1 -- 20 players per day for five days.
To compile the top 100, we collaborated with Microsoft Research and The Wharton School, and polled 65 ESPN experts who voted in thousands of head-to-head matchups based on a list of 167 players. We asked our panel to vote on both the quality and the quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games. After seven days of voting in June, we have our results.
Stephen Strasburg
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: National League All-Star (2012, 2016), Silver Slugger (2012)
Twitter: @stras37
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 69-41, 1 shutout, 924.1 innings pitched, 3.17 ERA, 1,084 strikeouts, 1.094 WHIP
2016 Rank: 44
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.2
Did you know?
Stephen Strasburg has struck out more than 10.5 batters per nine innings in his career, the highest rate in major league history through a pitcher's first eight seasons (minimum 1,000 innings). And if he finishes this season at his current pace, he'll be either the third or fourth pitcher who made at least 12 starts and struck out at least 10 batters per 9 innings in six different seasons. The "either" depends on how teammate Max Scherzer fares. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information
Buster Posey
Position(s): Catcher
Team: San Francisco Giants
Honors: National League Rookie of the Year (2010), NL MVP (2012), NL All-Star (2012-13, 2015-16), Silver Slugger (2012, 2014-15), Gold Glove (2016)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @SFGiants
Career stats (through 2016 season): .307/.373/.476, OPS -- .848, hits -- 1,005, HRs -- 116, RBIs -- 527
2016 Rank: 17
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.2
Did you know?
This is Buster Posey's ninth season in the bigs and his eighth full season. He already has won a Rookie of the Year award, MVP award, batting title and three World Series rings. Hall of Famer Johnny Bench had two MVP awards and a Rookie of the Year award through his first nine seasons, but didn't win his first World Series until the ninth season (1975). -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
Charlie Blackmon
Position(s): Center fielder
Team: Colorado Rockies
Honors: National League All-Star (2014), Silver Slugger (2016)
Twitter: @Chuck_Nazty
Career stats (through 2016 season): .298/.348/.467, OPS -- .814, hits -- 667, HRs -- 74, RBIs -- 251
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.8
Did you know?
At every level, Charlie Blackmon has hit. He batted .396 in 2008 with Georgia Tech before being drafted by the Rockies in the second round. He hit .301 in seven seasons in the minors, and he has continued the high average in the majors. But what has really allowed Blackmon to take the next step is the increase in his power. His slugging percentage has increased in each of the past four seasons. He's slugging over .600 this year and is on pace to shatter his career-best .552 of last season. This season, he already has 10 triples, reaching that mark at the earliest point in the season in Rockies history. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
Freddie Freeman
Position(s): First baseman, third baseman
Team: Atlanta Braves
Honors: National League All-Star (2013-14)
Twitter: @FreddieFreeman5
Career stats (through 2016 season): .288/.373/.484, OPS -- .857, hits -- 949, HRs -- 138, RBIs -- 515
2016 Rank: 77
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.7
Did you know?
Freddie Freeman has a .290 lifetime batting average to go along with a .376 on-base percentage and a .495 slugging percentage in about 4,000 plate appearances. There are only two other players in Braves franchise history to reach those thresholds with that many plate appearances through their first eight seasons: future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and 1960s star Rico Carty. -- Bonzagni
Manny Machado
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Honors: American League All-Star (2013, 2015-16), Gold Glove (2013, 2015)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Orioles
Career stats (through 2016 season): .284/.333/.477 OPS -- .811, hits -- 699, HRs -- 105, RBIs -- 311
2016 Rank: 18
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1
Did you know?
Manny Machado has had quite the start to his career. Only 26 players hit more home runs before turning 25 years old, and only five of them were infielders. But he also shines with the glove -- he's fifth in MLB history in Baseball-Reference.com's defensive wins above replacement through his age-24 season. -- Fisher
Joey Votto
Position(s): First baseman
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Honors: National League MVP (2010), NL All-Star (2010-13), Gold Glove (2011)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Reds
Career stats (through 2016 season): .313/.425/.536, OPS -- .961, hits -- 1,407, HRs -- 221, RBIs -- 730
2016 Rank: 25
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.6
Did you know?
Joey Votto entered this year with six seasons in which he qualified for the batting title and had a .400 on-base percentage, which was tied with Hall of Famer Joe Morgan for the most in Reds history. He's well on his way to a seventh season in 2017. Votto's .424 career on-base percentage is the best of any active player in the majors. -- Bonzagni
Aaron Judge
Position(s): Right fielder
Team: New York Yankees
Honors: None
Twitter: @TheJudge44
Career stats (through June 29, 2017): .296/.407/.618, OPS -- 1.025, hits -- 104, HRs -- 31, RBIs -- 72
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 7.2
Did you know?
When Aaron Judge reached 20 home runs before anyone else this season, he became the first rookie in MLB history to do so. He's on pace to be the fifth different player in Yankees history with a 50-homer season; he would join Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and Mickey Mantle. And Judge is on pace for the second-most HRs in a season by a player 25 or younger. -- Fisher
Corey Seager
Position(s): Shortstop
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Honors: National League Rookie of the Year (2016), NL All-Star (2016), Silver Slugger (2016)
Twitter: @coreyseager_5
Career stats (through 2016 season):.312/.374/.519, OPS -- .892, hits -- 226, HRs -- 30, RBIs -- 89
2016 Rank: 97
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.5
Did you know?
Corey Seager had 6.1 wins above replacement last season as a rookie, the most by any rookie shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki had 6.8 in 2007 and the most by any SS since Andrelton Simmons had 7.0 in 2013. -- Langs
Mookie Betts
Position(s): Right fielder
Team: Boston Red Sox
Honors: Gold Glove (2016), Silver Slugger (2016), AL All-Star (2016)
Twitter: @mookiebetts
Career stats (through 2016 season): .304/.355/.500, OPS -- .855, hits -- 443, HRs -- 54, RBIs -- 208
2016 Rank: 56
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.4
Did you know?
Mookie Betts finished with 9.5 wins above replacement in 2016, the most WAR in a season by a Red Sox player since Carl Yastrzemski had 9.5 in 1970. -- Simon
Francisco Lindor
Position(s): Shortstop
Team: Cleveland Indians
Honors: AL All-Star (2016), Gold Glove (2016)
Twitter: @Lindor12BC
Career stats (through 2016 season): .306/.356/.454, OPS -- .810, hits -- 304, HRs -- 27, RBIs --129
2016 Rank: 65
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.5
Did you know?
Francisco Lindor had 10.3 wins above replacement in his first two seasons. That's the third-highest total by a player whose primary position was shortstop. The two higher are Hall of Famers Johnny Pesky (12.1) and Arky Vaughan (10.8) -- Simon
Jose Altuve
Position(s): Second baseman
Team: Houston Astros
Honors: NL All-Star (2012), AL All-Star (2014, 2015, 2016), Silver Slugger (2014, 2015, 2016), Gold Glove (2015)
Twitter: @JoseAltuve27
Career stats (through 2016 season): .311/.354/.437, OPS -- .790, hits -- 1,046, HRs -- 60, RBIs -- 322
2016 Rank: 29
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 6.2
Did you know?
José Altuve became the fifth second baseman in MLB history with at least three seasons with 200 hits. The other four are in the Hall of Fame (Charlie Gehringer, Rogers Hornsby, Nap Lajoie, Billy Herman). -- Langs
Carlos Correa
Position(s): Shortstop
Team: Houston Astros
Honors: American League Rookie of the Year (2015)
Twitter: @TeamCJCorrea
Career stats (through 2016 season): .276/.354/.475, OPS -- .829, hits --266, HRs -- 42, RBIs -- 164
2016 Rank: 16
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.6
Did you know?
The best may be yet to come for the 22-year-old Carlos Correa, but what we've already seen from him has been incredible. Only three shortstops have produced more wins above replacement through their age-22 seasons: Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby and Arky Vaughan. -- Bonzagni
Nolan Arenado
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Colorado Rockies
Honors: NL All-Star (2015, 2016), Gold Glove (2013-2016), Silver Slugger (2015-16)
Twitter: None; Team: @Rockies
Career stats (through 2016 season): .285/.331/.520, OPS -- .851, hits -- 613, HRs -- 111, RBIs --376
2016 Rank: 24
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.8
Did you know?
Nolan Arenado is the fifth player with multiple 40-HR, 130-RBI seasons before his age-27 season (the others are Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth and Chuck Klein), and Arenado still has another chance, because he's 26 this season. On the defensive side, he has won the Gold Glove at 3B in all four seasons of his career. -- Langs
Max Scherzer
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: AL Cy Young Award (2013), NL Cy Young Award (2016), NL All-Star (2015-16), AL All-Star (2013-14)
Twitter: @Max_Scherzer
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 125-69, 4 shutouts,1,696.1 innings pitched, 39 ERA, 1,881 strikeouts, 1.145 WHIP
2016 Rank: 14
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 7.2
Did you know?
Max Scherzer led the majors in wins (73), strikeouts (1,052) and innings pitched (891â…”) over the previous four seasons. His 1.01 WHIP ranked second to Clayton Kershaw. Scherzer has increased his strikeout total in each of the past five seasons, recording 284 in 2016. -- Simon
Kris Bryant
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Chicago Cubs
Honors: National League MVP (2016), NL Rookie of the Year (2015), NL All-Star (2015-16)
Twitter: @KrisBryant_23
Career stats (through 2016 season): .284/.377/.522, OPS -- .900, hits -- 330, HRs -- 65, RBIs -- 201
2016 Rank: 28
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.4
Did you know?
Kris Bryant is the fourth player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons. The others are Dustin Pedroia, Ryan Howard and Cal Ripken Jr. Bryant amassed 13.6 wins above replacement through his first two seasons, most among position players in MLB history. -- Simon
Chris Sale
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Boston Red Sox
Honors: AL All-Star (2012-2016)
Twitter: None; Team: @RedSox
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 74-50, 2 shutouts,1,110 innings pitched, 3.00 ERA, 1,244 strikeouts, 1.065 WHIP
2016 Rank: 12
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 8.2
Did you know?
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Chris Sale is the only player in the modern era with multiple streaks of 10-plus strikeouts in at least eight straight games. At this point in his career, he has a higher strikeouts-per-9-innings ratio than starter Randy Johnson did. -- Langs
Paul Goldschmidt
Position(s): First baseman
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Honors: NL All-Star (2013-2016), Gold Glove (2013, 2015), Silver Slugger (2013, 2015)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Dbacks
Career stats (through 2016 season): .299/.398/.525, OPS -- .924, hits -- 844, HRs -- 140, RBIs -- 507
2016 Rank: 4
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 6.3
Did you know?
Paul Goldschmidt has combined rare strength and speed at his position in his career. He already has had four seasons in his career in which he hit 15 home runs and stole 15 bases, the second-most seasons ever by a player whose primary position was first base. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell is the only player who had more, with five such seasons; no other player has more than three. -- Dan McCarthy, ESPN Stats & Information
Bryce Harper
Position(s): Right fielder
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: National League MVP (2015), NL Rookie of the Year (2012), NL All-Star (2012-13, 2015-16), Silver Slugger (2015)
Twitter: @Bharper3407
Career stats (through 2016 season): .279/.382/.501, OPS -- .883, hits --651, HRs -- 121, RBIs -- 334
2016 Rank: 2
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.7
Did you know?
Bryce Harper was the unanimous MVP at 22 years old, the fourth youngest to win the award since it was first handed out in 1911. And by wins above replacement (9.9), it was one of the four best seasons ever for a position player that young. -- Fisher
Clayton Kershaw
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Honors: NL Cy Young Award (2011, 2013-14), NL MVP (2014), NL All-Star (2011-16), Gold Glove (2011)
Twitter: @ClaytonKersh22
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 126-60, 15 shutouts, 1,760 innings pitched, 2.37 ERA, 1,918 strikeouts, 1.007 WHIP
2016 Rank: 3
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.7
Did you know?
Clayton Kershaw has lowered his career ERA after every season he has been in the big leagues. And if he finishes this season well, he'll be the first pitcher in MLB history to make 20 starts and have an ERA+ of at least 130 in nine straight seasons. -- Fisher
Mike Trout
Position(s): Center fielder
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Honors: American League Rookie of the Year (2012), AL MVP (2014, 2016), AL All-Star (2012-16), Silver Slugger (2012-16)
Twitter: @MikeTrout
Career stats (through 2016 season): .306/.405/.557, OPS -- .963, hits -- 917, HRs -- 168, RBIs -- 497
2016 Rank: 1
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 6.9
Did you know?
Mike Trout has led MLB in the offensive component of WAR in each of the past five seasons, the longest streak by a player in major league history. Trout is the fifth position player to win two MVPs by age 25 or younger (Johnny Bench, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jimmie Foxx). -- Simon
