Friday, July 8, 2011

Top 5 players in the MLB (Part 9)

It is finally time to wrap up this series. With only one position left to cover, it is time to look at the top right fielders in Major League Baseball.
Upton
5. Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks)- It was really tough to decide who to put at this spot, because there were many players who could have easily been on it. Ichiro (Seattle), Carlos Beltran (New York Mets) or Nick Swisher (New York Yankees) all could have been on this list (I really wanted to give it to Ichiro because since his rookie year in 2001 he has been one of the best hitters in baseball), but I had to give this spot to Upton. Justin Upton has had a breakout year and will be a promising right fielder for years to come. He has 99 hits (22 doubles) with 15 home runs, both are on pace to be career bests. Upton also has 46 RBIs with a batting average of .295. I would not be surprised at all to see that average be around .310. He has always shown speed and has 14 stolen bases this year. If Upton could work on that strikeout total (69), he would be more of a deadly offensive threat. Upton's speed and willingness to dive and jump to make superstar plays makes him an outstanding right fielder. He has 187 put-outs which is second among all right fielders and even has two assists. Upton does have a whopping seven errors, which needs to be improved for the Diamondbacks to have more success. His fielding percentage is .964. Upton is a talented superstar who is not only a great right fielder, but one of the most dynamic players in the game.

Markakis
4. Nick Markakis (Baltimore Orioles)- Markakis is one of the most consistent players who know no one talks about, and it is a shame he plays for a not very popular Baltimore team because Markakis is as good as a player can get both offensively and defensively. Markakis has 105 hits, and he has a chance to break his career best 191 hits that he had in the 2007 season. He is not a player that hits for power; as he only has seven home runs and 35 RBIs, but he is a great asset to any batting line-up. Markakis can advance a base if needed, with his seven stolen bases, and he can get to first via walk with his 23 this year. I like that he only has 36 strikeouts which shows he is a calm and patient hitter. Markakis currently has a batting average of .292, but if he continues to hit the ball, that average should increase throughout the season. Markakis is as good as a fielder can get. He has 186 put-outs, seven assists, with a fielding percentage of 1.000. Markakis is extremely talented in both aspects of the game and could be a big time player for any Major League franchise.

Ethier
3. Andre Ethier (Los Angeles Dodgers)- Ethier is like a wiser and more talented version of Markakis, which is why he is at number three on this list. His ability to be great at both parts of the game has made him one of the prime-time players of the Dodgers, and to be one of the best right fielders in the game. Ethier is on pace to have over 160 hits this season for the first time in his career with his current 100 hits, he also has seven home runs and 42 RBIs. If those power-hitting numbers increase, the Dodgers have the chance to be more of a threat in the NL West. Ethier has an outstanding batting average of .312 and it could easily be higher if he did not have a whopping 69 strikeouts. Ethier is also a great fielder with 151 put-outs, 7 assists, and a fielding percentage of 1.000. Ethier is one of the best-all around players in the league and is worthy to be on the all-star team almost every year.

Pence
2. Hunter Pence (Houston Astros)- I really wanted to put Pence at one because not only is he the best hitting right fielder overall, he is one fantastic fielder who makes great plays daily. Pence is a player any team would love to have because he gives his best day in and day out and continues to get better. Pence is an offensive stud, who is a tough batter to get out in all of his at bats. He has always racked up large hit numbers, but his 2011 season could be his best. Pence has 112 hits and could be on pace to hit 200 which would be his first season to do so. Although he may not show it at times, Pence can hit the long ball and has ten this year. He could be at 20-25 by the end of the year. Pence still has 59 RBIs despite not being a true power hitter, but all of his hitting numbers could be better if he had less than 77 strikeouts. Pence has an amazing .325 batting average and I would love to see it at .340 come October. Pence is a much better right fielder than his numbers show. He always makes the big catch plays when needed, and is one of the most defensive clutch players in the game. Pence has 171 put-outs, eight assists, just four errors, and a fielding percentage of .978. There are not many all-around players as Pence in all of baseball, and he is one of the most promising players in the game.

Bautista
1. Jose Bautista (Toronto Blue Jays)- Last year, Bautista came of know where and hit 54 home runs. It was the shock of the season from a guy whose previous best was 16. He instantly put Toronto on the map, helped re-establish the franchise, and became its heroic player. For an encore season, Bautista is proving that he is the best power hitter in all of baseball and is putting up even better numbers than last year's. He has 96 hits and is on pace to hit over 160 which would be extraordinary for a big bulky hitter like Bautista, and 61 RBIs which is on pace to be a career best as well. His 29 home runs are an MLB best and I would not be surprised at all if he had 60 by the end of the year. Not are his five stolen bases impressive, but so is his 73 walks which is 19 higher than his strikeout total (54) and shows he does not swing at just anything; it has to be in his zone which I love about his hitter philosophy. The number I love about his most is his batting average which is an insane .330. A power hitter typically does not have a batting average like this, so seeing Bautista have this good of an average makes him even more unique. His fielding numbers may not be as good, but they are still respectable. Bautista has 148 put-outs, with eight assists, and just three errors, which gives him a fielding percentage of .981. If Bautista keeps up these power hitting numbers for the entire season, he will easily be called the best player in baseball and could over take Albert Pujols for that title and hold it for a very long time.

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