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'll count 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 on a list of 167 players. After seven days of voting in June, we have our results.
We continue our countdown with Nos. 40-21 which features league MVPs, World Series champions and a Triple Crown winner -- a group that has earned an impressive amount of hardware.
Chris Archer
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Honors: American League All-Star (2015)
Twitter: @ChrisArcher22
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 41-51, 3 shutouts, 766.0 innings pitched, 3.51 ERA, 795 strikeouts, 1.202 WHIP
2016 Rank: 31
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.7
Did you know?
Chris Archer has more than 600 strikeouts since 2015. The only pitchers with more since then are two of the best in baseball: Max Scherzer and Chris Sale. He has more than 400 strikeouts with his slider in the past three seasons. No one else has more than 300. -- Michael Bonzagzi, ESPN Stats & Information
Yu Darvish
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Texas Rangers
Honors: American League All-Star (2012-14)
Twitter: @faridyu
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 46-30, 1 shutout, 645.2 innings pitched, 3.29 ERA, 812 strikeouts, 1.183 WHIP
2016 Rank: 51
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.5
Did you know?
Though Yu Darvish has struggled with injuries, he has shown ace potential throughout his career. His best season might have come in 2013 when he led the league in strikeouts and finished second in AL Cy Young voting. His 277 strikeouts were the second most in a season in Rangers history behind Nolan Ryan's 301 in 1989. -- Meghan O'Donnell, ESPN Stats & information
Xander Bogaerts
Position(s): Shortstop
Team: Boston Red Sox
Honors: American League All-Star (2016), Silver Slugger (2015-16)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @RedSox
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.286/.337/.411, OPS -- .749, hits -- 528, HRs -- 41, RBIs -- 221
2016 Rank: 72
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.6
Did you know?
Xander Bogaerts had a breakout season in 2015, posting a .320 batting average, the second highest in the AL. Last year, he became the only Red Sox shortstop to win multiple Silver Slugger awards. -- O'Donnell
Trea Turner
Position(s): Shortstop
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: None
Twitter: @treavturner
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.329/.361/.539, OPS -- .900, hits -- 114, HRs -- 14, RBIs -- 41
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.9
Did you know?
Trea Turner had a breakout season last year, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting and becoming only the 10th rookie in MLB history with at least 30 stolen bases and a batting average above .340 (first since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001) -- O'Donnell
Andrew Miller
Position(s): Relief pitcher
Team: Cleveland Indians
Honors: American League All-Star (2016); ALCS MVP (2016)
Twitter: @a_miller48
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 43-41, 49 saves, 628.2 innings pitched, 4.22 ERA, 713 strikeouts, 1.389 WHIP
2016 Rank: 52
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.3
Did you know?
Andrew Miller had 123 strikeouts and nine walks in 2016. That's the most strikeouts in a season for a pitcher who had fewer than 10 walks. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
Lance McCullers
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Houston Astros
Honors: None
Twitter: @LMcCullers_43
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 12-12, 206.2 innings pitched, 3.22 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 1.326 WHIP
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1
Did you know?
Lance McCullers is one of two Astros pitchers to record at least 100 strikeouts in each of their first two seasons. The other? Three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt. -- O'Donnell
Miguel Sano
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Minnesota Twins
Honors: None
Twitter: @SanoMiguel
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.249/.346/.489, OPS -- .835, hits -- 178, HRs -- 43, RBIs -- 118
2016 Rank: 96
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.6
Did you know?
Miguel Sano broke onto the scene in 2015, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. He's one of three Twins players with at least 15 home runs in each of his first three seasons (Marty Cordova and Jimmie Hall). -- O'Donnell
Noah Syndergaard
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: New York Mets
Honors: National League All-Star (2016)
Twitter: @Noahsyndergaard
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 23-16, 333.2 innings pitched, 2.89 ERA, 384 strikeouts, 1.103 WHIP
2016 Rank: 37
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1
Did you know?
Over the past three seasons, Noah Syndergaard has hit 100 mph on TV radar guns 192 times as a starting pitcher. No other starting pitcher has even done so 100 times. -- Simon
Ryan Zimmerman
Position(s): First baseman
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: National League All-Star (2009), Gold Glove (2009), Silver Slugger (2009-10)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Nationals
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.278/.343/.467, OPS -- .809, hits -- 1,505, HRs -- 215, RBIs -- 829
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.5
Did you know?
Ryan Zimmerman has spent his entire career with the Nationals and has come up big in the clutch. He's the franchise leader in walk-off home runs. -- O'Donnell
Robinson Cano
Position(s): Second baseman
Team: Seattle Mariners
Honors: American League All-Star (2006, 2010-13 -- with New York Yankees; 2014, '16 -- with Seattle Mariners)
Twitter: @RobinsonCano
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.307/.355/.498, OPS -- .853, hits -- 2,210, HRs -- 278, RBIs -- 1,086
2016 Rank: 49
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.3
Did you know?
Robinson Cano passed Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg earlier this season for the second-most home runs all time by a player whose primary position was second base. Since he made his debut, nobody has played more games. He's one of four players to play at least 155 games in 10 straight seasons. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information
Daniel Murphy
Position(s): Second baseman
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: National League All-Star (2014 -- with New York Mets), (2016 -- with Washington Nationals); NLCS MVP (2015)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter @Mets
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.296/.339/.447, OPS -- .786, hits -- 1,151, HRs -- 87, RBIs -- 506
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.8
Did you know?
Daniel Murphy had an NL-best .985 OPS last season, making him the first second baseman to lead his league in OPS since Joe Morgan of the 1976 Reds. -- Simon
Corey Kluber
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Cleveland Indians
Honors: American League Cy Young (2014), American League All-Star (2016)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Indians
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 58-44, 3 shutouts, 887.1 innings pitched, 3.33 ERA, 936 strikeouts, 1.136 WHIP
2016 Rank: 34
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.4
Did you know?
Corey Kluber is one of four pitchers with 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts in each of the previous three seasons. And David Price is the only AL pitcher with more strikeouts than Kluber over that span (2014-16). -- Fisher
Zack Greinke
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Honors:
American League Cy Young (2009 -- with Kansas City Royals), AL All-Star (2009), National League All-Star (2014-15 -- with Los Angeles Dodgers); Gold Glove (2014-15 -- Dodgers, '16 -- D-backs), Silver Slugger (2013 -- Dodgers)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Dbacks
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 155-100, 5 shutouts, 2,253.1 innings pitched, 3.42 ERA, 2,021 strikeouts, 1.190 WHIP
2016 Rank: 6
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.6
Did you know?
Zack Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award and nearly nabbed another in 2015. Instead, he finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young that season, despite posting a 1.66 ERA -- the lowest by any starter since Greg Maddux's 1.63 ERA in 1995. -- Paul Casella, ESPN Stats & Information
George Springer
Position(s): Center fielder
Team: Houston Astros
Honors: None
Twitter: @gspringer_4
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.258/.356/.460, OPS -- .816, hits -- 343, HRs -- 65, RBIs -- 174
2016 Rank: 93
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.9
Did you know?
Last season,George Springer hit 20 of his 29 home runs from the leadoff spot, the most by any Astros player hitting first since Craig Biggio had 23 in 2004. The only players to hit 20-plus homers in a season from the leadoff spot for Houston are Hall of Famer Biggio four times and Springer in 2016 and 2017. -- Langs
Giancarlo Stanton
Position(s): Right fielder
Team: Miami Marlins
Honors: National League All-Star (2012, 2014-15), Silver Slugger (2014)
Twitter: @Giancarlo818
Career stats (through 2016 season): .
266/.357/.539, OPS -- .896, hits -- 792, HRs -- 208, RBIs -- 540
2016 Rank: 8
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.3
Did you know?
Giancarlo Stanton recently hit his 225th career home run in just his 889th game. Only one active player reached the 225-homer plateau in fewer games (Albert Pujols, 838). Despite averaging only 118 games in his first seven seasons, Stanton still averaged 30 homers per year. -- Casella
Madison Bumgarner
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: San Francisco Giants
Honors: World Series MVP (2014), NLCS MVP (2014), National League All-Star (2013-16), Silver Slugger (2014-15)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @SFGiants
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 100-67, 6 shutouts, 1,397.2 innings pitched, 2.99 ERA, 1,381 strikeouts, 1.098 WHIP
2016 Rank: 11
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.2
Did you know?
Madison Bumgarner has a 0.50 road ERA in 53 2/3 postseason innings pitched in his career. That's the best of any pitcher to throw at least 25 innings on the road in his postseason career. He also has 16 career home runs, four more than any other active pitcher. There are only nine pitchers in the Hall of Fame with more career home runs, and none of them began their careers in the DH era. -- Langs
Anthony Rizzo
Position(s): First baseman
Team: Chicago Cubs
Honors: National League All-Star (2014-16), Gold Glove (2016), Silver Slugger (2016)
Twitter: @ARizzo44
Career stats (through 2016 season): .
267/.362/.483, OPS -- .845, hits -- 738, HRs -- 134, RBIs -- 425
2016 Rank: 27
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.4
Did you know?
Anthony Rizzo is one of only four players with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in each of the previous two seasons (David Ortiz, Nolan Arenado and Edwin Encarnación are the others). As if the offense wasn't enough, he also won his first Gold Glove Award last season. -- Casella
Miguel Cabrera
Position(s): First baseman
Team: Detroit Tigers
Honors: American League MVP (2012-13), Triple Crown (2012), National League All-Star (2004-07 -- with Florida Marlins), AL All-Star (2010-16 -- with Detroit Tigers), Silver Slugger (2005-06, '10, '12-13, '15-16)
Twitter: @MiguelCabrera
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.321/.399/.562, OPS -- .961, hits -- 2,519, HRs -- 446, RBIs -- 1,553
2016 Rank: 10
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.1
Did you know?
If Miguel Cabrera (.320 batting average, .559 slugging percentage) doesn't drop off at the end of his career, he'll be one of nine players with a .315 career batting average and .550 career slugging percentage (minimum 1,000 plate appearances). The other eight are Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Vladimir Guerrero, Joe DiMaggio and Rogers Hornsby. -- Simon
Dallas Keuchel
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Houston Astros
Honors: American League Cy Young (2015), AL All-Star (2015), Gold Glove (2014-16)
Twitter: @kidkeuchy
Career stats (through 2016 season):
W-L: 50-47, 4 shutouts, 839.0 innings pitched, 3.78 ERA, 667 strikeouts, 1.257 WHIP
2016 Rank: 13
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.9
Did you know?
Dallas Keuchel was electric on his way to winning the 2015 AL Cy Young Award, becoming the Astros' first 20-game winner since Roy Oswalt in 2005. Along with pitching well with his left arm, he has been solid with his glove hand as well, winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. -- Casella
Josh Donaldson
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Honors: American League MVP (2015 -- with Toronto Blue Jays), AL All-Star (2014 -- with A's, 2015-16 -- with Blue Jays), Silver Slugger (2015-16)
Twitter: @BringerOfRain20
Career stats (through 2016 season):
.278/.365/.503, OPS -- .868, hits -- 748, HRs -- 141, RBIs -- 450
2016 Rank: 7
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.2
Did you know?
Josh Donaldson made an immediate impact after being acquired by the Blue Jays before the 2015 season. He put up 41 home runs and 123 RBIs in 2015, earning AL MVP honors in the process. He has averaged 39 homers and 111 RBIs in his two full seasons with Toronto. The only other players to put up those averages during the previous two seasons were Nolan Arenado and Edwin Encarnación. -- Casella
