Building a team from all-time prospect lists
All of our reranks are now in the rearview mirror, from the Top 100 to the 30 team lists. It’s hard to believe that we’ve put out 34 rankings since 2004, when we started all of this. It's even more difficult to contemplate that I’ve been around for all of them.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
In our newsletter last week, Jim Callis took a look at the best player from each slot of the top 20 prospects over the years. I’ve decided to do one more historical slicing up of our rankings, by looking positionally. What would an all-time lineup look like, using all 34 of our lists? Here’s what I’ve come up with, with the highest they ranked in parentheses:
C: Joe Mauer (No. 1, 2004) -- We’ll be tracking how Adley Rutschman continues to perform, but I can’t not pick our very first No. 1 prospect and the only prospect to date who is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Six All-Star nods, five Silver Sluggers, three batting titles, three Gold Gloves, an MVP Award and a .306/.388/.439 line. Career bWAR: 55.2
1B: Joey Votto (No. 34, 2008) -- A six-time All-Star with an MVP and Gold Glove on his resume, Votto has a career .294/.409/.511 line with more than 2,000 hits, 350 homers and 1,100 RBIs. Career bWAR: 64.5
2B: Ozzie Albies (No. 11, 2017) -- This was a hard call between the current player in his prime and former standout Howie Kendrick. But Albies gets the nod as someone who is just 27 and has three All-Star nods, two Silver Sluggers and a World Series ring to his credit. He has 139 homers and over 500 RBIs over just under 3,500 career at-bats to date. Career bWAR: 21.5
3B: Manny Machado (No. 3, 2012 rerank) -- Hat tip to Evan Longoria and all he accomplished, but Machado is still going strong, adding to his six All-Star invites, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger. He has 332 homers and over 1,000 RBIs to go along with his 1,859 hits. Career bWAR: 56.3
SS: Francisco Lindor (No. 4, 2015) -- Lindor now has four 20-20 seasons in his career and could end up with his second straight 30-30 campaign when the 2024 season is over. He’s a four-time All-Star with three Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. And he has a higher career WAR than any primary shortstop to hit one of our lists. Career bWAR: 48.0
OF: Mike Trout (No. 1, 2011) -- Who else? I know the last couple of years haven’t been great, but he’s still amassed more WAR than any player we’ve ever ranked. The hardware he’s collected is amazing: Rookie of the Year, three MVPs, nine Silver Sluggers, a pair of All-Star Game MVPs and 11 All-Star selections. Career bWAR: 86.2
OF: Mookie Betts (No. 14, 2014 rerank) -- Betts may have initially ranked as an infielder, but he’s spent more time in the outfield than anywhere else in the big leagues, so that’s where I put him. A total of eight All-Star nods, six Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves, a batting title, an MVP Award and a pair of World Series rings … not too shabby. Career bWAR: 69.2
OF: Aaron Judge (No. 31, 2015 rerank) -- This was virtually a toss-up with Bryce Harper, but what Judge has been doing -- and is continuing to do -- gave him the very slight edge. The guy has a career OPS over 1.000 and his career 171 OPS+ puts him just outside the top 10 all-time. (It’s 221 so far this year.). That combines nicely with his six All-Star invitations, three Silver Sluggers, a Rookie of the Year Award and an AL MVP Award. Career bWAR: 49.8
DH: Shohei Ohtani (No. 1, 2018) -- I had to get him on somewhere. It’s hard to quantify his impact given what he’s done when healthy at the plate and on the mound, but he’s already won two MVP Awards, been named to four All-Star teams, taken home two Silver Sluggers and won Rookie of the Year. He has a career .933 OPS and 3.01 ERA. Career bWAR: 40.7
LHP: Clayton Kershaw (No. 4, 2008) -- Even if he’s coming close to the end of his career, the best southpaw ever to be a ranked prospect still can get people out when he’s healthy. And his Cooperstown-level achievements speak for themselves: Five ERA titles, three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, a pitching triple crown and 10 All-Star invitations. Career bWAR: 79.9
RHP: Justin Verlander (No. 5, 2006) -- He’s won two World Series, been named to nine All-Star teams, taken home three Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award, Rookie of the Year Award, won a pair of ERA titles and a pitching Triple Crown. Combine that with 260 wins, nearly 3,400 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA, and there’s a plaque waiting for him whenever he’s done. Career bWAR: 81.5