Time for the second installment of The List and there are one or two genuine superstars here that might make a lot of other peoples top 10's but that would be too easy.
79 Khalil Greene, SS, San Diego Padres
Another slick middle infielder who slaps the ball around and knows how to use his speed. The Padres really miss him when he’s not in the line-up as he is a true igniter who always seems to do something unexpected that will lift his team. It’s a shame guys like this seem to be going out of fashion.
78 Josh Barfield, 2B, San Diego Padres
Ordinarily I look for middle infielders who can flash the leather rather than simply hanging around the keystone waiting for their next at-bat but for some reason I find it easy to forgive the son of the great Jesse Barfield (even I can let bias slip in from time to time).
77 Guillermo Quiroz, C, Toronto Blue Jays
I’ve been waiting for this guy to crack the Blue Jay line-up for about a year and a half now. Every time I hear about Quiroz I hear really good things about his play whilst wearing the armour and occasionally his ability to swing a bat. He could either be a young Charles Johnson or another Kevin Cash.
76 Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees
Even Yankee haters respect Jeter. You cannot deny that this guy is as clutch as they come and all that is whilst playing under arguably the brightest spotlight in professional sport. Its hard to figure out who is more important in terms of keeping good karma in the Yankee clubhouse, Torre or Jeter.
75 Francisco Cordero, P, Texas Rangers
He might not look the most athletic guy in the league or even appear to care too much about what’s going on around him but when Cordero comes into a game you know what’s coming and you know no-ones going to stop him doing it.
74 Scott Rolen, 3B, St Louis Cardinals
It was a shame the way he left Philadelphia and all the animosity it seemed to engender but you can’t ignore a guy who has this much talent at the plate and in the field. When he plays the hot corner you can always expect to see him do something spectacular and with all the runs he puts on the board, he probably takes away almost double that.
73 Oliver Perez, P, Pittsburgh Pirates
One of the most baffling talents in MLB. A power pitching lefty with one of the nastiest hooks around and if he has his mojo working, can rip apart any order on any night but luckily for the league he doesn’t seem to have his mojo too often.
72 Jesse Crain, P, Minnesota Twins
This guy is a real fire cracker on the mound with a mid-90’s fastball and a tight slider that jumps out of his hand. The first time I saw him I said to myself he will be an elite closer one day and I still think that.
71 Matt Cain, P, San Francisco Giants
This guy could be a rare thing for the Giants; an impact player younger than 30. Cain has an easy delivery that sees the ball jump out of his hand and he just attacks the zone. Certainly one to look for in the future.
70 Francisco Liriano, P, Minnesota Twins
You may have heard of a guy called Johan Santana, well Liriano could be just as good. Like Santana he has a hard fastball and a great change and if the way he absolutely abused minor league hitters last year is anything to go by (that is actually an understatement) there is no telling how good he could be. Don’t be fooled by his numbers after being called up last year, he is the real deal.
69 Carlos Lee, LF, Milwaukee Brewers
While at the White Sox Carlos Lee never got that much attention as he was on a line-up with the likes of Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko but once he landed in Milwaukee he emerged from shadows to show just what a great hitter he always was. What people still don’t seem to realise is that he can steal a bag too. The only mark against him is his D where he doesn’t take the best routes but what he does do is give maximum effort out there and while he can’t do a lot he does what he can.
68 Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals
In his first year as a pro Zimmerman made it to the Bigs, aged just 20, and didn’t look out of place. The easiest thing to think of with this guy is to imagine Scott Rolen with maybe a little less power but better average. There is nothing he can’t do and he will get much better and much stronger. This guy can be special.
67 Eric Chavez, 3B, Oakland A’s
Eric Chavez is one of the most amiable guys in baseball and always gives good copy and once he’s on the field he typifies the Oakland A’s ethos. He’s a disciplined hitter with good pop and without him in the order the A’s always struggle. One of the few true leaders in the sport.
66 Carlos Beltran, CF, New York Mets
There is nothing Carlos Beltran can’t do on a baseball field and he might be, pound for pound, the most talented player in baseball. Niggling injuries stymied his performances last year but when healthy he is arguably the best base runner in baseball, can hit for power, gets on base and only Andruw Jones is better in the field. If he ever finds a way to put all his tools together at once then watch out.
65 Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins
I start to wonder if we’ll ever see just how good a catcher this guy could be. Catchers are often on borrowed time due to the demands of the job but the injury bug has already taken a hold of Mauer in his two years with the big club. Even if he never puts in a full season as a catcher, wherever he plays he could be an All Star.
64 Joe Nathan, P, Minnesota Twins
I bet the Giants miss Nathan and Liriano more than they miss A.J. Pierzynski. Came to the Twins as a failed starter and is now one of the elite closers in baseball. He comes at you with a hard fastball and a nasty slider and is as tough to hit as anyone.
63 Ben Sheets, P, Milwaukee Brewers
After a strong showing at The Olympics Sheets drew a lot of attention and was pegged to be a big game pitcher and many were disappointed by his average showing in his rookie year. Then came 2004 where, if not for a phenomenal year from Randy Johnson, Ben Sheets would have been the guy people were harping on about how you could possibly not give him the Cy. A mid-90’s fastball, one of the nastiest curveballs in baseball and with a Milwaukee line-up which is brewing some exciting young hitters it might not be too long till people are asking how you could possibly not give him the Cy?
62 Carlos Zambrano, P, Chicago Cubs
At the beginning of every year people in Chicago talk about how Wood and Prior are as dominant as there are in the league and how Maddux is on his way to the Hall of Fame but by the end of every year Zambrano emerges as the most dependable starter in the rotation. Makes you wonder when people will start to notice the pattern?
61 Rafael Furcal, SS, Atlanta Braves
This guy is just exciting. Furcal has great speed and knows how to use it to get on base and score runs. He also might have the best arm of any infielder and he has such confidence in it that he attempts throws that he has no business believing might get people out and often makes errors from just trying way too hard and too much effort is never a bad thing in my book.
60 Thomas Diamond, P, Texas Rangers
When Diamond was drafted he already had a great fastball and a good change and he mixed both well enough that he managed to strikeout 101 batters in 81 1/3 innings in A ball and after he moved up he started working on a breaking pitch and made the adjustment and started beating up on AA hitters. If he continues to progress then Texas might finally have the pitching to take advantage of that great offence they’ve put together.
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