Happy New Year! With 2009 in the rearview mirror, it is time to take one last look at the past decade. The final installment of the MLB Network’s Top 9 players at each position comes from the outfield. This certainly had to be one of the hardest positions to rank due to 3 positions being taken into consideration. Let’s get to it:
9. Johnny Damon – Damon made a name for himself this decade as a member of the Boston Red Sox with his caveman-like appearance. For the decade, Damon had a .291 AVG, 158 HR, 732 RBI, 1,115 Runs, and 264 SB with 4 teams. While average at best on the defensive side, Damon was a solid contributor over the decade with a steady average, good speed, and power. He currently finds himself on the free agent market hoping to re-sign with the New York Yankees, but ultimately might have to look elsewhere.
8. Andruw Jones – From 2000-2007, Jones was one of the premier outfielders in the game as he won 8 consecutive NL Gold Gloves as a CF with the Atlanta Braves. During that span, Jones was a 5-time All Star and hit 288 HR and 860 RBI with his best season coming in 2005 when he hit 51 HR and 128 RBI. However, his skills have rapidly declined over the past two seasons as he has become a part-time player due to injury, weight issues, and poor production when healthy. Jones recently signed a one year deal this off season with the Chicago White Sox as a part-time DH and centerfielder where he hopes to restart his career.
7. Torii Hunter – The man they call “Spider-Man” is on this list mostly due to his defense. Hunter is arguably the best defensive CF in the game today as he has won 9 consecutive AL Gold Gloves. His career has been marked by home run robbing catches at the wall and hard-nosed play. Hunter also was a solid contributor at the plate for the decade with a .276 AVG, 226 HR, 842 RBI, and 153 SB. He is a good pick for this list due to his incredible defense, solid hitting, and intangibles.
6. Carlos Beltran – Beltran is a 5 tool player in today’s game who possesses great power, solid average, good speed, and an excellent arm and overall defense. He was a 5-time All Star this decade and won 3 consecutive NL Gold Gloves in CF from 2006-2008. For the decade, he had a .282 AVG, 251 HR, 920 RBI, 961 Runs, and 256 SB. Beltran was also a prime time performer under the bright lights of the postseason. In 22 postseason games with the Houston Astros (2004) and New York Mets (2006), Beltran has a .366 AVG, 11 HR, and 19 RBI, and 8 SB. It’s rare to find someone with Beltran’s talent and production from both sides of the game. He is a great choice for this list.
5. Bobby Abreu – In my opinion, Abreu is one of the most underrated players in the game and is a true mark of consistency. He proved to be extremely durable as he averaged 158 games played a season this decade. His plate discipline was one of the best in the game as he had 7 seasons of at least 100 BB. Abreu also had 7 seasons of at least 20 HR-20 SB with two of those being 30 HR-30 SB seasons. He hit at least 100 RBI in every season except for 2000 and 2002. For the decade, Abreu had a .297 AVG, 216 HR, 993 RBI, 1,061 Runs, and 295 SB. The numbers speak for themselves, Abreu deserves to be on this list and is often overlooked despite his consistency every year.
4. Vladimir Guerrero – Before becoming a DH due to knee problems, Vlad was an excellent outfielder with arguably the best arm of any outfielder. Vlad was the face of the former Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Angels in the decade and was an exciting player to watch swing the bat. The man with no pitch out of reach had a .323 AVG, 315 HR, 1,037 RBI, and 929 Runs. Vlad also had excellent speed before his knee problems as he had two 30 HR-30 SB seasons with the Expos in 2001 and 2002. His best season was in 2004, when he was named the AL MVP with a .337 AVG, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 124 Runs, and 19 SB. Vlad is currently a free agent seeking a two year deal who should be a solid addition to an AL team in need of a DH.
3. Ichiro Suzuki – Since coming over from Japan in 2001, Ichiro has built a resume that might make him a Hall of Fame candidate when he retires. In his first season, Ichiro won both the AL Rookie of the Year Award and AL MVP with the Seattle Mariners as he won the first of 2 AL batting titles in his career. He has been both an AL All Star and Gold Glove Award winner in every season in his career. He also has had at least a .300 AVG and 200 hits in every season, which is an MLB record. In 2004, he became the all-time single season hits leader with 262 hits that season. Last season, he became the 2nd fastest player in MLB history to reach 2,000 hits in his career. Ichiro also is known for his speed at the top of the lineup as his 341 career SB will prove. Like Vlad, Ichiro possesses a cannon of an arm from the outfield and there are few runners that take a chance on his arm. For his career, he has a .333 AVG, 84 HR, 515 RBI, 973 Runs, 341 SB, and 2,030 hits. Ichiro is a no-brainer for this list and one of the best pure hitters the game has ever seen.
2. Manny Ramirez - Manny has built an impressive resume over the decade despite his 50 game suspension last season for a failed drug test and his times with the Red Sox that were often characterized simply as “Manny being Manny”. In 2008, Manny became the 24th player in MLB history to become a member of the 500 HR club. For the decade, he was one of the most feared hitters in the game as he averaged 35 HR and 111 RBI a season. His final numbers for the decade were pretty impressive as he had a .317 AVG, 348 HR, 1,106 RBI, 933 Runs, and an outstanding 1.018 OPS. You either love him or hate him, but there is no doubt Manny is one of the best hitters in the game over his career, especially this decade.
1. Barry Bonds – The most scrutinized player in the game this past decade finds himself No. 1 on this list. The leader of the steroids controversy has been out of baseball since 2007 due to the game’s desire to rid itself of the steroids era and teams not willing to embrace the publicity of Bonds. This decade, Bonds broke both the single season (73) and all-time (762) home run records with the San Francisco Giants. He became the most feared hitter in the game as his 390 intentional walks for the decade would provide proof of that. For the decade, Bonds had a .322 AVG, 317 HR, 697 RBI, 772 Runs, and an impressive 1.241 OPS. Bonds has left an impression on the game of baseball both good and bad that will never be forgotten. It will be interesting to see how the Hall of Fame voters look at Bonds when it comes time for his induction.
Here is a rundown of the MLB Network’s Top 9 at each position for the decade:
SP- Randy Johnson
Closer- Mariano Rivera
C- Pudge Rodriguez
1B- Albert Pujols
2B- Jeff Kent
SS- Derek Jeter
3B- Alex Rodriguez
OF- Barry Bonds
How do you think the MLB Network did in their rankings? Who do you think is the best player overall from the decade?
