As expected, many players appeared wary of answering this laid-down rhetoric but those who did, provided varying answers to the question raised. Very near the top of the group was Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., with 20% of the vote. One player reportedly asked how Chisholm, a former All-Star, landed on the cover of “MLB The Show” before the 2021 season.
Chisholm has been an All-Star only once and has never recorded a bWAR of 3 or more in a season. From the start of the 2021 season to now, Chisholm stands at 87th position in bWAR among hitters. Maybe the stats support the perception?
The runner-up was Angels infielder Anthony Rendon with 10.2% of the vote. That represents a dramatic change after he was named the most underrated player in baseball in a similar poll by his peers conducted in 2019. At the time, a player said, “He makes every play. I think he’s a superstar.” which just goes to show that a lot can change in 5 years.
Following Rendon was Carlos Correa with 6.7 percent of the votes, followed by Tim Anderson and Jack Flaherty with 5 percent. Meanwhile, Elly De La Cruz, Manny Machado, Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman, and Blake Snell all scored 3.3 percent.
Other receiving votes included Yordan Alvarez, Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Jeimer Candelario, Emmanuel Clase, Gerrit Cole, Rafael Devers, Adolis García, Alek Manoah, Carlos Rodón, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Strider, Marcus Stroman, Alex Verdugo, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Christian Yelich.
Despite the votes, some players wouldn’t go so far as to call anyone overrated. An anonymous AL pitcher revealed, “It just feels like this game is too hard. I don’t want to be talking bad about someone else’s game.”
Well, the wide range of opinions in the league, and the changing perceptions of marquee players make the “best player in baseball” question even more interesting.
Who is the Best Player in Baseball?
Moving on to another critical question. Once again, Shohei Ohtani with 46% of nearly 500 players, identified the two-time MVP as the best player in the sport. Comparing him to Babe Ruth, someone said “Shohei Ruth or Babe Ohtani — no question.” Many seemed to agree but chose different responses just so it would not seem so obvious. One player even commented, “Such a stupid answer. So vanilla. But … he is.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. was the runner-up with over a quarter of the vote despite being out for the season with an ACL tear. Mookie Betts of the Dodgers and Aaron Judge of the Yankees tied for third, each with 8.8 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, Mike Trout with 3.9 percent of the voting got him into consideration
Other players who received votes included Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler from the Phillies, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman from the Orioles, José Ramirez from the Guardians, and Corey Seager from the Rangers.
The player insights paint a comprehensive picture of the upper echelons of the sport, illustrating who the most over-rated, most underappreciated, and most talented players ruling baseball today are. It is a unique survey that contributes to the public debate on the voices of the players who are ever-evolving in the eyes of the league.
