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1 hour ago, wildbillhiccup said:

They should be happy. I was assuming the author accidently flipped the ranking numbers for Cease (i.e., it should have been 75th and not 57th). 

I agree with your ranking and think Cease should be rated lower too. White Sox fans treat Cease like he’s the new Justin Verlander in some vain attempt to boost his trade value. 

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2 minutes ago, ledzepp8 said:

I just started looking at the list but Soto at #3. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Yea, what's up with a guy averaging 5.9 fWAR/162 being considered good?  He's only got four top 10 MVP finishes in six seasons (he was a rookie and got traded mid-season the other two).

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1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Yea, what's up with a guy averaging 5.9 fWAR/162 being considered good?  He's only got four top 10 MVP finishes in six seasons (he was a rookie and got traded mid-season the other two).

Why be snarky? It's not about whether he's good or not, he obviously is. But do you honestly think there are only 2 players better than him in the entire league?

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2 minutes ago, ledzepp8 said:

Why be snarky? It's not about whether he's good or not, he obviously is. But do you honestly think there are only 2 players better than him in the entire league?

I think the snark was deserved because him being ranked that high isn't a WTF! moment.  I wouldn't put him that high but it's not like they put Vlad Jr up there.  Where would you have put him...6th? 

I think folks under recognize just how talented Soto is on offense.

Also Ohtani is better but he isn't pitching this year.

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40 minutes ago, ledzepp8 said:

Why be snarky? It's not about whether he's good or not, he obviously is. But do you honestly think there are only 2 players better than him in the entire league?

I dunno man, what Juan Soto has managed to accomplish by age 25 is pretty damn amazing. I have no issues with him being a top 5ish guy and he might be my favorite for AL MVP this season.  

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36 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I think the snark was deserved because him being ranked that high isn't a WTF! moment.  I wouldn't put him that high but it's not like they put Vlad Jr up there.  Where would you have put him...6th? 

I think folks under recognize just how talented Soto is on offense.

Also Ohtani is better but he isn't pitching this year.

Was the list just for this season? That part was unclear to me. If it wasn't then Ohtani should have been ranked #1. Until he completely abandons pitching or hitting he's the best/most valuable player in baseball and it's not particularly close. 

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1 minute ago, wildbillhiccup said:

Was the list just for this season? That part was unclear to me. If it wasn't then Ohtani should have been ranked #1. Until he completely abandons pitching or hitting he's the best/most valuable player in baseball and it's not particularly close. 

Quote

we presented a panel of ESPN baseball experts with pairings upon pairings of the biggest names in the game and asked them which player will be better in 2024.

 

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