We’ve reached the midpoint of our countdown of baseball’s 100 best players in 2023.
Today’s installment of my 10-part series runs from 60th place down to 51st, as determined by statistical performances during the recent season. Five stories remain in the package, which will wrap up on December 8.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays have been the big winners so far, each landing five players on the revealed half of the list, which covers the span from 100th place to 51st. The Minnesota Twins are the sole runners-up with four honorees so far.
Here is today’s section of baseball’s top 100:
60. Ian Happ (Cubs)
59. Will Benson (Reds)
58. Pablo Lopez (Twins)
57. Triston Casas (Red Sox)
56. Chas McCormick (Astros)
55. Framber Valdez (Astros)
54. J.P. Crawford (Mariners)
53. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
52. Kodai Senga (Mets)
51. Brandon Nimmo (Mets)
Click here to learn more about the rankings, which reflect each player’s overall base value. Ties in OBV are broken by ratios of bases per out (BPO).
Below are quick profiles of today’s subjects. If you’d like to examine the four previous installments, follow these links: 91-100, 81-90, 71-80, and 61-70.
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60. Ian Happ (Cubs)
OBV: 53
Primary position: LF
BPO (batting): .821
BA: .248
Other batting stats: PA 691, HR 21, RBI 84
Notes: Happ was a dependable cog in Chicago’s batting order, finishing first on the club in walks (99), second in runs driven in (84), and third in runs scored (86). His fielding skill has been a nice bonus. His nifty work in left field earned him a Gold Glove for 2023.
59. Will Benson (Reds)
OBV: 53
Primary position: RF
BPO (batting): .949
BA: .275
Other batting stats: PA 329, HR 11, RBI 31
Notes: Cincinnati made a nice pickup when it acquired Benson from Cleveland in a February trade. He became a regular in June and immediately caught fire. He batted .350 that month, slumped in late summer, then rebounded to post a solid .323 average for September.
58. Pablo Lopez (Twins)
OBV: 54
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .610
ERA: 3.66
Other pitching stats: IP 194.0, W-L 11-8, SO 234
Notes: It may appear on the surface that Minnesota came out a loser when it traded Luis Arraez to Miami for Lopez in January. But OBV begs to differ. Yes, Arraez won the National League’s batting title, but Lopez easily outdistanced him in base value, 54 to 37.
57. Triston Casas (Red Sox)
OBV: 54
Primary position: 1B
BPO (batting): .871
BA: .263
Other batting stats: PA 502, HR 24, RBI 65
Notes: Casas batted just .197 in 27 games for Boston in 2022, hardly an auspicious start for his big-league career. But he took over as the club’s first baseman in 2023, batting a solid .299 with 18 home runs over the final four months of the season.
56. Chas McCormick (Astros)
OBV: 55
Primary position: LF
BPO (batting): .885
BA: .273
Other batting stats: PA 457, HR 22, RBI 70
Notes: McCormick played all three outfield positions for Houston, spending a bit more time in left than the other two fields. He bumped his batting average up 28 points from .245 in 2022 to .273 in 2023, and he also boosted his home runs (14 to 22) and stolen bases (four to 19).
55. Framber Valdez (Astros)
OBV: 56
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .610
ERA: 3.45
Other pitching stats: IP 198.0, W-L 12-11, SO 200
Notes: Justin Verlander made a late-season return to Houston, yet Valdez cemented his status as the Astros’ ace, leading the club’s staff in innings pitched (198), wins (12), and strikeouts (200). His ERA of 3.45 was seventh-best in the American League.
54. J.P. Crawford (Mariners)
OBV: 56
Primary position: SS
BPO (batting): .842
BA: .266
Other batting stats: PA 638, HR 19, RBI 65
Notes: Crawford made a marked improvement at the plate in 2023. His on-base percentage had never topped .340 in his four previous seasons with Seattle, but he pushed it up to .380 this year. He led all AL batters in walks received (94), and his aforementioned OBP was fifth in the league.
53. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
OBV: 56
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .565
ERA: 2.46
Other pitching stats: IP 131.2, W-L 13-5, SO 137
Notes: Kershaw pitched well for Los Angeles, though injuries once again limited his appearances. He made only 24 starts, marking the fourth straight season in which he worked fewer than 25 games. He underwent shoulder surgery in early November.
52. Kodai Senga (Mets)
OBV: 57
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .591
ERA: 2.98
Other pitching stats: IP 166.1, W-L 12-7, SO 202
Notes: Senga was a 30-year-old rookie this season. He came over from Japan after signing a five-year, $75 million contract with New York last December. He topped the Mets’ staff in virtually every category, including wins (12), ERA (2.98), and strikeouts (202).
51. Brandon Nimmo (Mets)
OBV: 57
Primary position: CF
BPO (batting): .831
BA: .274
Other batting stats: PA 682, HR 24, RBI 68
Notes: Nimmo re-signed with the Mets as a free agent during the offseason, and it proved to be a solid move for New York. He led the club in on-base percentage (.363) and finished third on the team in both runs scored (89) and runs batted in (68).