CLEVELAND — MLB Network has unveiled its annual list of the "Top 100 Players Right Now" in Major League Baseball, and while a pair of Guardians stars were mentioned among the game's elite, others saw themselves snubbed altogether.
In the area of good news, José Ramírez clocked in at No. 14, unsurprisingly the highest for any Cleveland player. While it's a slight decline from his career-high of eighth from a year ago, it still marks his seventh consecutive season on the list (including the last four in the top 20) and also puts him tops among all third basemen, just ahead of Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves.
J-Ram was steady as ever in 2023, batting .282 with 24 home runs, 28 stolen bases, and an OPS+ of 131. He was voted to his fifth American League All-Star team, and also finished top 10 in the MVP voting for the sixth time in his career.
Further down the list sits Josh Naylor, sitting at No. 96 and eighth-best among all true first basemen. This is Naylor's first turn in the top 100, with the honor coming on the heels of a career year that saw him hit .308 with 17 homers and 97 RBIs despite missing a month with a strained oblique.
Both Ramírez and Naylor are more than deserving, but the question remains: Why did only two Guards make the cut?
When MLB Network released its top 100 a year ago, five Cleveland players were on the list, with José being joined by second baseman Andrés Giménez (No. 47), closer Emmanuel Clase (52), left fielder Steven Kwan (66), and staff ace Shane Bieber (76). Now, only J-Ram remains, with Naylor just making it.
Why such a dramatic shift? Well, it doesn't help that the Guardians followed up their AL Central-winning 2022 campaign with their worst record in 11 years in 2023, finishing a distant third in the division. Bieber also battled through injuries for the second time in three years, Clase led all of baseball in blown saves, and Giménez and Kwan both took a step back offensively.
But while Bieber's medical issues certainly provide an excuse, its not like the other three players were scrubs. For instance, Clase still led the league with 44 saves and was a second-team All-MLB selection as well as an AL All-Star. Kwan also stole 21 bases and was among the game's best defensive outfielders, good enough to notch a second consecutive Gold Glove Award.
However, the most egregious omission looks to be Giménez, who despite a down year at the plate still hit 15 home runs and swiped 30 bags. In the field, he was the definition of spectacular, leading the AL with 2.9 defensive wins above replacement (according to Baseball Reference) and all infielders with 21 defensive runs saved to earn not just his second straight Gold Glove, but baseball's Platinum Glove, as well.
Overall, Giménez finished with 5.3 bWAR, not only higher than Ramírez but also tied for 21st in MLB. And yet, he fell out of the top 100 altogether — a drop of at least 54 spots, to be exact.
We're not sure what caused Giménez or his Cleveland teammates to be slighted like this. Let's just hope they use it as motivation going into 2024.
As for the remainder of the list, Braves outfielder and reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. took the No. 1 spot, the first time since 2015 that a player other than Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani will reside at the top.