For God’s sake. Here I am on my “league-mandated vacation,” and somehow I’m still being asked to write about…the Top 20 list. Because apparently nothing screams “quality offseason content” quite like owners arguing over whether Player A should be 14th instead of 17th.
Fine. Here goes.
Another season begins, and right on cue, the annual obsession with the Top 20 list is back. Among the hitters, only one player debuts with a new team: Barry Bonds. Enough has already been written about that move to kill an entire forest, so I’ll move on.
Congratulations to Derek Jeter for cracking the Top 20. I’m sure Toronto management will be accepting congratulations all week. When the trophy case is gathering dust like theirs is, you celebrate whatever you can.
To be fair, this is the payoff. Toronto took plenty of abuse for shipping out two first-round picks to acquire Jeter, and now he’s a bona fide Top 20 player at just 23 years old. The funniest part? The biggest reason he’s here is because his defense has taken a massive leap—a rating system Toronto management spent the better part of this past weekend insisting was fundamentally broken. Funny how the system starts making sense when it likes your second baseman.
Congratulations are also in order for Albert Belle, who somehow remains one of the best bargains in baseball. Washington gave up two second-round picks, got a perennial Top 20 hitter in return, and still insists on pretending he’s a left fielder. At this point it’s less of a defensive alignment and more of a social experiment.
Unfortunately for Jeter, he’ll always be compared to Carlos Delgado. Delgado ranks ahead of him on this list, posted more WAR in 1997, and has produced more WAR over the past two seasons. Of course, Toronto never would’ve had room for Delgado anyway. Between Orestes Kindelan, Mark McGwire, and Will Clark, collecting first basemen has apparently become a hobby. If they acquire one more, they’ll be able to field an entire infield that can only play first.
So yes, with Jeter now capable of playing second base at an elite level, the trade looks a whole lot better. Amazing what happens when your second baseman starts turning double plays instead of just watching them.
On the pitching side, there aren’t many surprises. Pedro Martinez, Kevin Brown, and Greg Maddux occupy the top three, with Kevin Appier cementing himself at fourth.
Dwight Gooden somehow checks in at fifth while still wearing an Orioles uniform, proving once again that Baltimore’s greatest organizational skill is refusing to let go of the past.
As always, don’t get too attached to the bottom third of the pitching list. Spots 15 through 20 will rotate all season long depending on who’s hot, who’s healthy, and which owner is preparing a five-paragraph forum post explaining why their guy was robbed.
That’s all the words you’re getting out of me on the Top 20 list. Frankly, that’s already several hundred more than the topic deserved.
But don’t worry, I’m just getting started this season.
Buckle up. It’s going to be a long year for some of you.