BBSBL Top 75 Value (20-11)

20. RF Larry Walker
Mr. Mile High himself, Larry Walker has been racking up stupid numbers these past fours seasons thanks to Coors Field, but Walker is a legitimate player. Unlike the other Rockies, Walker does have some serious value. He is rated similar to many of the other top players in the league, such as Gary Sheffield, but also plays some solid defense along with being a premier base runner. A perennial all-star and MVP, Walker may benefit from being in Coors, but you cannot deny his production and his talent. I think it'll be a tight MVP race this year, but if history is any indication, Walker will probably be hoisting the trophy yet again. Another big part of his value is the fact that he's the biggest cash cow in the league thanks to his abilities and the extra boost from Coors. Seems like every week a Colorado player is snagging some more cash.

Five Year Outlook: Walker probably has 3 or 4 years of big time production left. SNB has made it known that Walker will be retiring in Colorado, so it'll be interesting to see how many homers Walker will end up with when it's all said and done. He'll be over 300 by the end of this year. It would be really cool to see him hit 500, but that may be a tall order. He'll likely be putting up numbers on a rebuilding Rockies team, so it'll all be about individual accolades at that point.


19. 1B Miguel Cabrera
Cabrera is one of the top young hitting prospects in the league with talent ratings of B/B/P/G/G/A and very good intangibles. Only 16 years old, Cabrera is very raw and has a long way to go before he'll be contributing in the league, but the Marlins are rebuilding and hope that he'll be ready by the time he's 19. Defensively he isn't anything special, but he'll likely be a pretty solid first baseman. He's already playing out of his mind in AAA. I am just now noticing he doesn't have an outfield arm, which should probably be fixed, but regardless, still one of the best prospects in the league.

Five Year Outlook: Cabrera will likely be in the Majors in 3 to 4 years and if he can avoid bad PDs until then, he'll be one of the top hitters in the league. In five years he'll only be 21 with a few years in the big leagues under his belt. The Marlins will have a very good young core probably ready to compete in 3 or 4 seasons.


18. 1B Albert Pujols
Continuing the chain of young hitting prospects, Pujols was arguably the best at the start of the season, but recently he was hit with a PD drop in homers. Still, his talent ratings are B/B/P/A/G/B which is pretty sick. Cleveland would be wise to bump his homers back up to Good pretty soon. Pujols is a good defense first baseman and his ratings are a little more developed than Cabrera's. He's strangely been struggling a bit in AAA, but that won't last long. The Machine will be one of the league's premier hitters.

Five Year Outlook: Who knows when the Indians will start trying to compete, but when they do, Pujols will be ready. As long as he can avoid anymore PD drops and drowe hooks him up with a TIA to his Homers, Pujols should be the man in the AL in five years, without a doubt. I expect him to take the torch from Todd Helton by the time he's 23 or 24, and the Indians will likely be one of the top teams in the AL behind Pujols' bat.


17. LF Matt Holliday
Matt "Big Daddy" Holliday isn't talked about much because DB isn't too prominent around the boards. He even sadly let Holliday's Walks take a PD hit without doing something about it. Would have been much cheaper to reverse that than spend the TIA to bump it back up, since DB probably will never get the cash to do so. Regardless, Holliday is a beast. In his second season, he has very good ratings already, excellent talent levels, and is only 19 years old. A lot could be done to Holliday to make him an absolute superstar, but looks like he'll have to do that all by himself.

Five Year Outlook: No idea where the Rangers will be in five years, but Holliday will be in the Majors, and he'll be big time. I can picture some major MVP races between Holliday, Helton, and Pujols, with some of the other familiar faces like Griffey, Thomas, and Ramirez still poking around. Holliday is going to likely have to withstand OOTP's cruel treatment on his own, so we shall see, but it looks pretty safe to say he'll be in the Majors next season and continue to improve year after year.


16. C Jorge Posada
It's clear that I've valued Catchers pretty high around here, and Posada is one of the best. Awesome talent ratings of G/G/P/G/G/G, 27 years old, and locked up until 2003. He's a great defender with a pretty good arm. He also sits at .395 OBP with a > .900 OPS, which is awesome. He is loyal, so the Cubs essentially have their franchise catcher from now until whenever he dies production-wise. Posada is doing his best, along with Thome and Williams, to keep the Cubs offense afloat, and the switch-hitter has been anchoring it at clean-up. Definitely one of the best and most valuable Catchers in the league.

Five Year Outlook: I can't imagine much changing from now until 2004. Posada will likely be producing at similar levels, and I'm sure he'll still be a Cub. I'm sure the Cubs will be able to get a WS win in this time with an improving young lineup and their sick pitching staff. Posada will be an integral part of that.


15. SS Chipper Jones
One of the best players in the league and he's been doing it for a few years now. Only 27 years old, the switch-hitting Chipper Jones still has a long career ahead of him. But currently he's hitting .350, >.410 OBP, and >.950 OPS which is just plain amazing. With a little help to his speed, Chipper would truly be an amazing lead-off hitter. He's not a great defender, but he's pretty serviceable. He's also versatile, can play some CF which is nice. Great talent ratings should keep him productive for another 7 or 8 seasons, so he's definitely one of the more valuable players in the league.

Five Year Outlook: I'm sure he'll be due a big pay raise next season, but he probably won't be leaving Atlanta any time soon. Chipper will be the face of the Braves franchise, as he should be. Can't imagine his production dropping any time soon. He'll be a top 5-10 player in the NL for years to come.


14. SS Derek Jeter
It's pure blasphemy that Jeter is wearing anything but pinstripes, but hey I'm not a big baseball fan so what do I know? Asides from that, Jeter is just nuts. His ratings are ridiculous, his talent outstanding, and his production is amazing. Great leader, clutch as hell, consistent, and he's loyal. Oh yeah, and he's only 25 years old. The only things that leave a little to be desired his speed and his defense. Committing more errors than you'd want from your SS, but other than that he's one of the best in the game. He's also locked up for 3 more years pretty reasonably. Still hard to believe he's in Oakland.

Five Year Outlook: Well, Oakland is definitely hoping for some postseason magic from Jeter. He hasn't tasted a World Series win in BBSBL yet, but Oakland has been assembling a team that could get there in the short term. They've cashed it all in for these next few years, and they could definitely get there soon with guys like Derek Jeter. Jeter's production will likely keep getting better, and in five years he'll still be well into his prime producing like an all-star.


13. SP CC Sabathia
The infamous CC Sabathia. The guy has been traded, what? 4 times? 5 times? I lose count, but officially he was traded once. Once his talents hit South Beach, he found his permanent home. Sabathia is the best pitching prospect in the league, despite what the crazy prospect rankings say. His talents are G/B/G/B/B and his ratings are already way up there. Once his Homers go up a little more, his runs will likely shoot through the roof. He has amazing intangibles, he's durable, he's a hard-throwing lefty who will likely lead the lead in strikeouts year after year. He will be an inning eater and likely the Marlins franchise player. Easily one of the most valuable young pitchers in the league.

Five Year Outlook: One of the best pitchers in the league. Pretty simple. He does everything well pitching-wise, he'll go deep into the game, he won't get injured often, and he'll be leading the league in a lot of categories. In five years he'll only be 23 and will probably have a Cy Young in his trophy case as the ace of the Marlins future powerhouse pitching staff.


12. C Mike Piazza
Say hello to the best Catcher in the league. Piazza is in his prime and he is not only one of the best hitting Catchers, but one of the best hitters period. He's got the talent where he needs it and he produces like crazy. Never hit sub .300 and is always over .875 OPS. Awesome. He's also on pace to hit more homers than he's ever hit in his career with no signs of slowing down. He's a great defensive Catcher and he is locked up for 5 more years at only $9 Mil per. Not much else to say about the best Catcher in the game.

Five Year Outlook: Piazza is in his prime right now and in five years he'll be winding down. The Astros still have a few season to compete I'd imagine, so I'm sure Piazza will still be in the thick of things for years to come. I don't see his production slowing down for the next few years, but once it comes time for the Astros rebuild, I'd imagine that's right around when Piazza starts to wind down a bit.


11. RF Juan Gonzalez
How can you not like Juan Gone? After that clutch PD, Gonzalez looks like the league's second best slugger. Hits at a high average, slugs out of this world, and is currently on track for an MVP award. With his > 1.000 OPS, Gonzalez is one of the best players in the league for sure. Defensively, he is solid, nothing special. You'd love to see him better in Walks, but he has Good talent in Ks, and gives pitchers a lot of trouble. Only downside is he isn't loyal, and will be due for a raise next year, a very big one, and the Giants may be looking to start their rebuild soon. Still, Gonzalez should fetch a very nice haul and rightfully so.

Five Year Outlook: Gonzalez is in his prime and should keep producing at a high level for the next 5 seasons, with only the last few being possibly on the decline. Gonzalez could lead the Giants to the promised land again this season or next, depending on Spencer's plan, but I don't think his success stops there. I'd imagine a team trades for Gonzalez next year and puts him to very good use for the remainder of his career.