2023’s top 100 players (11-20)
Two Astros and two Phillies headline today’s list of 10 great performers
Our examination of the 100 best players in Major League Baseball has reached the final week of its five-week run — and consequently the top 20 performers of the entire lot.
We’ll look today at the players who finished the 2023 season ranked anywhere from 20th place down to 11th in terms of overall base value (OBV). Then we’ll wrap up the list on Friday with the top 10 of all.
The rankings, which began on November 7, follow the order of OBV, with any ties broken by respective ratios of bases per out (BPO). If you’re baffled by either or both of these concepts, click here for elucidation.
These are the 10 players in today’s installment of the 2023 standings:
20. Zack Wheeler (Phillies)
19. Yandy Diaz (Rays)
18. Bryce Harper (Phillies)
17. Corbin Burnes (Brewers)
16. Nolan Jones (Rockies)
15. Logan Webb (Giants)
14. Kyle Bradish (Orioles)
13. Sonny Gray (Twins)
12. Kyle Tucker (Astros)
11. Yordan Alvarez (Astros)
Below are brief profiles of today’s subjects. If you’d like to examine the eight previous installments, follow these links: 91-100, 81-90, 71-80, 61-70, 51-60, 41-50, 31-40, and 21-30.
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20. Zack Wheeler (Phillies)
OBV: 86
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .556
ERA: 3.61
Other pitching stats: IP 192.0, W-L 13-6, SO 212
Notes: Wheeler fell just short of the Cy Young Award in 2021, and you could easily argue that he should have been the winner. He wasn’t quite as good for Philadelphia in 2023, though he still finished sixth in the National League’s Cy race. His 212 strikeouts were fourth in the league, and his 3.61 ERA was ninth.
19. Yandy Diaz (Rays)
OBV: 88
Primary position: 1B
BPO (batting): .941
BA: .330
Other batting stats: PA 600, HR 22, RBI 78
Notes: Diaz continued to improve in his third year as a regular infielder for Tampa Bay. His BA climbed from .256 in 2021 to .296 last year to .330 in 2023. The latter figure brought him the American League’s batting title, and his slugging average of .522 was sixth-best in the AL.
18. Bryce Harper (Phillies)
OBV: 89
Primary position: DH
BPO (batting): .965
BA: .293
Other batting stats: PA 546, HR 21, RBI 72
Notes: Harper played in only 126 games for Philadelphia — Tommy John surgery sidelined him until early May — yet he still piled up the 18th-best OBV in the majors. He posted the highest BA (.293) and slugging average (.499) of any regular on the Phillies’ roster.
17. Corbin Burnes (Brewers)
OBV: 90
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .549
ERA: 3.39
Other pitching stats: IP 193.2, W-L 10-8, SO 200
Notes: Burnes was the pitcher who edged out Zack Wheeler for the NL’s 2021 Cy Young trophy. He, like Wheeler, slipped a bit in 2023, though he still posted strong numbers. The Milwaukee star was one of only five NL pitchers to work more than 190 innings and register at least 200 strikeouts.
16. Nolan Jones (Rockies)
OBV: 90
Primary position: LF
BPO (batting): 1.045
BA: .297
Other batting stats: PA 424, HR 20, RBI 62
Notes: Colorado acquired Jones in a little-heralded trade with Cleveland in late 2022. He never hit more than 19 homers in any of his six minor-league seasons, yet he bashed 20 in Denver’s thin air. Jones topped the Rockies in slugging average (.542) and on-base percentage (.389).
15. Logan Webb (Giants)
OBV: 94
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .559
ERA: 3.25
Other pitching stats: IP 216.0, W-L 11-13, SO 194
Notes: Webb posted a seemingly mediocre 11-13 record for San Francisco, but other statistics documented his excellence. He led the National League in most innings pitched (216.0) and fewest walks per nine innings (1.29). He consequently finished second in balloting for the Cy Young Award.
14. Kyle Bradish (Orioles)
OBV: 96
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .515
ERA: 2.83
Other pitching stats: IP 168.2, W-L 12-7, SO 168
Notes: Bradish emerged as the unexpected ace of a pitching staff that carried Baltimore to a 101-win season. The second-year big leaguer posted the third-best ERA in the American League (2.83) and second-lowest ratio of hits allowed per nine innings (7.04). He ranked fourth in the AL’s Cy Young race.
13. Sonny Gray (Twins)
OBV: 97
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .529
ERA: 2.79
Other pitching stats: IP 184.0, W-L 8-8, SO 183
Notes: Gray’s second (and final) season with Minnesota was his best, distinguished by the second-lowest ERA (2.79) in the American League. He fittingly finished second to Gerrit Cole in the Cy Young election. Gray signed with St. Louis as a free agent after the season.
12. Kyle Tucker (Astros)
OBV: 112
Primary position: RF
BPO (batting): .961
BA: .284
Other batting stats: PA 674, HR 29, RBI 112
Notes: Tucker keeps climbing in the American League’s Most Valuable Player standings — 20th in 2021, 15th last year, and fifth this season. His 112 RBIs were the most by any AL batter in 2023, his 30 stolen bases were seventh-best, and his .284 was the league’s ninth-highest BA.
11. Yordan Alvarez (Astros)
OBV: 113
Primary position: DH
BPO (batting): 1.080
BA: .293
Other batting stats: PA 496, HR 31, RBI 97
Notes: Alvarez edged teammate Tucker by a single base to claim Houston’s leadership role for OBV. The designated hitter launched more than 30 homers and drove home more than 95 runs for the third consecutive season. His on-base percerntage of .407 was third-best in the American League.