Which is more valuable: pitching or hitting? Well, which is more difficult? I'd say hitting. If you don't hit seven out of ten times, you can still be an elite hitter. That's how difficult it is. So, does that mean hitting is more valuable? Depends on what you need, but since there are (depending on which league you play in) either eight or nine hitters, and only one pitcher, hitting is more valuable. You need several of them to fill out a lineup, but only the one starting pitcher. In terms of how well teams have done that, we'll see how many hitters make the cut, and how many pitchers.
(Warning: potential bias in the rankings)
Honorable Mentions
Jose Ramirez- The Indians 2B/3B tied for the league lead in extra-base hits last season and was third in MVP voting.
Anthony Rizzo- He's a Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, All-Star and a Platinum Glove winner. Rizzo is one half of the curse-breaking Chicago Cubs World Series winning duo.
Charlie Blackmon- Before the start of 2018, Blackmon had 66 home runs, 31 steals and a .968 OPS over the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
George Springer- The first in the official Astros turnaround, Springer won World Series MVP last fall and bats leadoff for the defending champs.
Freddie Freeman- Since the second half of 2016 and all of 2017, Freeman was batting .329 with a .442 on base percentage and .673 slugging percentage.
Not bad.
Gary Sanchez- Potentially one of the greatest offensive catchers in MLB history, in 2016, Sanchez became the fastest player to 20 home runs, doing so in his first 51 games. Despite missing about half that season, he still challenged Michael Fulmer, who played from the beginning, for Rookie of the Year.
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25. Cody Bellinger- Bellinger ran away with National League Rookie of the Year last season.
He hit an NL rookie record 39 home runs en route to a World Series appearance. Bellinger led the Dodgers in runs scored, home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage.
24. Josh Donaldson- Since joining the Blue Jays in 2015, he has an average of .946 OPS, 37 home runs and a 7.0 WAR across those seasons. That's a good season stat line, and that's his average in 2015, 16 and 17.
23. Anthony Rendon- A former MVP candidate, Rendon, despite playing in Bryce Harper's shadow, locks down third base and excels offensively. Last season, he was top two on the team in doubles, home runs, walks, on base percentage and sacrifice flies.
22. Luis Severino- Since the start of 2017, Severino has 18 starts of allowing zero to one run. That's tied for first in the league across that span with Chris Sale. He was voted third in Cy Young voting last season. He also owns the fastest average fastball in the league at 97.6 mph.
21. Didi Gregorious- The heir to the New York captaincy, Gregorious has been better than expected. Through the start of 2018, he leads the Yankees in home runs, RBI's, walks, stolen bases and doubles.
That's with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez all in the same lineup, too.
20. Manny Machado- Machado switched positions from third base where he was elite, to shortstop. He's proven to be just fine there this season. Last year he hit 33 home runs, and that was a down year for him.
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19. Buster Posey- He bats .300 on a yearly basis from the catcher position, which is almost unheard of. He is also one of the best defenders at his position and has been an All-Star five times. Posey is undoubtedly the best catcher in the game today.
18. Justin Verlander- Verlander, a probable Hall-of-Famer, was traded to the Astros last season for their postseason run. He proceeded to go 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 36.2 innings pitched.
17. Corey Seager- Did I mention how great Bellinger's rookie season was for LA? Yeah, Seager's was just as good. He batted .308 with 26 home runs and led the team in runs, hits, doubles, triples, batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage.
16. Paul Goldschmidt- Goldschmidt is arguably the best first baseman in baseball (although I obviously have Joey Votto higher). Last season, he finished third in MVP voting while batting .297 with 36 home runs and 120 RBI's, and that's just the norm for Goldy.
15. Nolan Arenado- Since 2015, Arenado has amassed 120 home runs and a .930 OPS. He also has been to three All-Star games and won five Gold Gloves.
14. Chris Sale- Sale is a perennial Cy Young candidate, placing second last season.
Since his debut in 2010, he has a 2.95 ERA and a 10.6 K/9, or strikeouts per nine innings, which are both phenomenal career stats. Oh, and he's been an All-Star six times.
13. Joey Votto- Over a 12 year career, Votto has a .313 batting average. He's led the league in walks five times, led in on base percentage six times and won an MVP, and is perennially in the running. Best first baseman in the game.
12. Carlos Correa- Correa easily won Rookie of the Year in 2015. Last season he hit 24 home runs and had a .943 OPS, offensive numbers you don't typically see from the shortstop position. He was top three on the team in home runs, RBI, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and intentional walks for the 2017 World Series championship team.
11. Max Scherzer- Over 11 seasons, Scherzer has a 3.26 ERA with three Cy Young awards and a 10.2 K/9. He has led the league in strikeouts twice and wins three times.
Top 10
10. Aaron Judge- Judge had probably the best rookie season ever. He batted .284 with an MLB rookie record 52 home runs. He also won the Home Run Derby, Rookie of the Year and came second in MVP voting. He just became the fastest player to amass 60 career home runs. Oh, and he's not experiencing a sophomore slump as he's started 2018 on fire, batting .338 with six home runs and 17 walks through 19 games.
9. Mookie Betts- It pains me to put Betts above Judge, but I can't be asinine. He's possibly the best defensive outfielder in the game today.
He was MVP runner up in 2016, and his start to 2018 has been pure flames. He's batting .366 and has six home runs. He also hit for 20 home runs and stole 20 bases in each of the last two seasons, a rare feat.
8. Kris Bryant- Over the past three seasons, Bryant has averaged 31 home runs, 91 RBI's, a .287 batting average and 106 runs. He's a two-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year and an MVP, and that's only three seasons in.
7. Francisco Lindor- He's arguably the best shortstop in the league. He's been to two All-Star Games, and won a Silver Slugger. In 2017, he hit 33 home runs which is the MLB record for switch hitting shortstops. Not bad for a 24 year old.
6. Giancarlo Stanton- Breathe, Yankees fans.
Despite Stanton's abysmal start to 2018, he's still easily a top 10 player. He won MVP last season on the strength (pun intended) of 59 home runs. He averages 34 home runs per year, and he's a four time All-Star and twice Silver Slugger. At this point last season Stanton was also hitting poorly (.226 with minimal home runs) and ended up crushing 59 to take MVP. He'll be fine.
5. Corey Kluber- If it wasn't for Clayton Kershaw, Kluber would easily be the best pitcher in the game. Over a seven-year career, he has a 3.08 ERA, 9.9 K/9, a 1.077 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and two Cy Young awards.
4. Bryce Harper- Harper won MVP in 2015 in dominant fashion. He led the league in runs, home runs, batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage.
He also won Rookie of the Year in 2012, and currently leads the MLB in runs, home runs and walks.
3. Clayton Kershaw- Until this season, Clayton Kershaw had started and won seven consecutive Opening Day starts. Over a 10-year career, he has an obscene 2.36 ERA and three Cy Young's and an MVP. He's led all starters in ERA five times, in strikeouts three times and WHIP four times. Sure fire Hall Of Famer.
2. Jose Altuve- Altuve won MVP in 2017 and the World Series. He's had a plus .300 batting average all but his first three seasons, where his lowest was .276 in only 57 games. He's led the league in hits each of the past four seasons, staking his claim as the best hitter in baseball, despite only being 5'6.
1. Mike Trout- Mike Trout could possibly be the greatest baseball player to ever lace them up. He finished first or second in MVP voting every year since his rookie season except for last year due to injury. He has a career .306 batting average and has been an All-Star literally every year with no signs of slowing down at all, since he is only 26.
There you have it, folks. Stats and facts about the top 25 (and some) baseball players. Hope you enjoyed, comment if you have any discrepancies or concerns.
