Trout, Altuve head list of Top 100 Right Now

Dynamic duo announced as top two players in MLB Network's rankings

February 14th, 2018

Now that Spring Training has officially started with pitchers and catchers reporting for all 30 clubs this week, fans can ring in the new season with MLB Network's annual countdown of the game's best players.
This year's rankings were unveiled this week on MLB Network during five installments of its Top 100 Right Now series, which began Wednesday with Nos. 61-100.
The series concluded Friday with the revealing of Nos. 1-20. MLB Network's Greg Amsinger, Bill Ripken and Ron Darling hosted the program and analyzed the list.
1. , OF, Angels
Who else would be No. 1? In his seven years in the Majors, Trout has twice won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, and finished second in the voting three times.
2. , 2B, Astros
The reigning AL MVP, Altuve helped the Astros win their first World Series title last fall. He has led the AL in hits in each of the past four seasons while also leading the league in batting average three times in that span.
3. , OF, Nationals
The National League MVP in 2015, Harper, the top overall pick in the 2010 Draft, has been in the Majors for six years and received five All-Star nods.

4. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds
Votto, the NL MVP in 2010 and a five-time All-Star, is equal parts slugger and on-base machine. He has twice led the Senior Circuit in OPS.
5. , OF, Yankees
Stanton is set for his first season with the Yankees after leading the Majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs in 2017, when he was named NL MVP with the Marlins.

6. , SP, Dodgers
Kershaw is the first pitcher to appear on the list, and for good reason. Since 2011, Kershaw has won three NL Cy Young Awards and the 2014 NL MVP, all while leading the NL in ERA five times.
7. , 3B, Rockies
Arenado has been the NL's Gold Glove Award winner at third base in each of his five Major League seasons, and he has had two years in which he led the league in homers, RBIs and total bases.
8. , 3B, Cubs
Bryant has accomplished quite a bit in only three seasons. He was the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner before winning the '16 NL MVP and helping the Cubs win their first World Series title in 108 years.
9. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays
Donaldson is still one of the best in the business at age 32. He's a three-time All-Star and won the 2015 AL MVP Award in his first season with Toronto.
10. , SS, Astros
Correa figures to be a Top 10 player for years to come, as he already has won a World Series title, been an All-Star and earned the AL Rookie of the Year Award in three big league seasons since being the top pick in the 2012 Draft.

The first group of 10 players outside the Top 10 includes the 2017 Cy Young Award winners, Max Scherzer and . Scherzer has won the award in the NL in each of the past two seasons, while Kluber has won the award in the AL twice in the last four years.
11. Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals
12. Corey Kluber, SP, Indians
13. , 1B, D-backs
14. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves
15. , OF, Yankees
16. Charlie Blackmon, OF, Rockies
17. , SS, Indians
18. , SS, Dodgers
19. , OF, Red Sox
20. Manny Machado, SS, Orioles
Chris Sale tops the list of players outside the Top 20, just as he topped the Majors in strikeouts in 2017. Sale is joined in this group by reigning World Series champions and .

  1. Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox
  2. , 3B, Indians
  3. , 1B, Cubs
  4. George Springer, OF, Astros
  5. J.D. Martinez, OF, Free Agent
  6. , C, Yankees
  7. , C, Giants
  8. , SP, Nationals
  9. Justin Verlander, SP, Astros
  10. , 1B, Dodgers
    A trio of some of the best second basemen in the big leagues -- , and -- headline this grouping, which also includes a pair of Dodgers stars in and .
  1. Justin Turner, 3B, Dodgers
  2. , OF, Cardinals
  3. , OF, Angels
  4. , 2B, Nationals
  5. , 3B, Nationals
  6. Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins
  7. , 2B, Mariners
  8. , 1B, White Sox
  9. Kenley Jansen, RP, Dodgers
  10. , SP, Giants
    The Indians are well represented here, with a slugger, starter and reliever among the final block of the Top 50.
  1. , DH, Indians
  2. , RP, Indians
  3. , SP, Yankees
  4. , RP, Red Sox
  5. , OF, Mets
  6. , OF, Brewers
  7. , SS, Nationals
  8. , Mariners
  9. , SP, Mets
  10. , SP, Indians

On the other side of the Top 50, former Cy Young Award winner and D-backs ace Zack Greinke tops this group of players, which also features and his 3,048 career hits.
51. Zack Greinke, SP, D-backs
52. , SP, Mets
53. , 2B, Orioles
54. , 1B, Free Agent
55. Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers
56. , SS, Angels
57. , 3B, Astros
58. , C, Cubs
59. Tommy Pham, OF, Cardinals
60. , 1B, Phillies
and , two players who have received the largest free-agent contracts this offseason, are among this group of 10.

  1. Lorenzo Cain, OF, Brewers
  2. Matt Carpenter, 1B, Cardinals
  3. , OF, Giants
  4. , SP, Astros
  5. , RP, Yankees
  6. , SP, Cubs
  7. Yu Darvish, SP, Cubs
  8. , OF, Twins
  9. , DH, Athletics
  10. , OF, Astros

, and may not be as good as they were a few years ago, but they're still playing well enough to safely make the Top 100, leading the way in the 71-80 rankings.
71. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
72. , SP, Free Agent
73. , SP, Cardinals
74. Didi Gregorius, SS, Yankees
75. , 1B, Nationals
76. , Util, Astros
77. Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers
78. , OF, Red Sox
79. , OF, Mets
80. , OF, Nationals
The group from 81-90 features seven players from the West divisions, now that and Zack Cozart signed free-agent deals with the Rockies and Angels, respectively.

  1. DJ LeMahieu, 2B, Rockies
  2. J.T. Realmuto, C, Marlins
  3. , RP, Brewers
  4. Wade Davis, RP, Rockies
  5. , SS, Rangers
  6. Chris Taylor, OF, Dodgers
  7. , 3B, Mariners
  8. , SS, Mariners
  9. Zack Cozart, 3B, Angels
  10. , OF, White Sox

Bringing up the back end of the Top 100 is a young group whose oldest member, , turns 35 in August. It's a group with plenty of intrigue, including Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
91. , OF, Mets
92. , 1B, Blue Jays
93. , OF, Yankees
94. , OF, Dodgers
95. , OF, Cubs
96. , SP, Blue Jays
97. , SP, Mariners
98. Robbie Ray, SP, D-backs
99. , RP, Yankees
100. Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Angels

MLB Network recently unveiled its top players at each position in a five-week program hosted by Brian Kenny, ranking players based on performance over the past two seasons and a number of offensive and defensive metrics. Now, it's bringing them all together for a composite list across all positions in baseball.