2023’s top 100 players (71-80)
These batters and pitchers rank among baseball’s 80 best performers
We examined 20 of baseball’s 100 best players in two stories last week, and we’ll follow the same pattern today and Friday.
The focus this week will be on the players who rank anywhere between 61st and 80th in 2023’s yearend standings.
We’ll start today with the honorees from 80th down to 71st place:
80. Hoby Milner (Brewers)
79. Felix Bautista (Orioles)
78. Logan Gilbert (Mariners)
77. Max Muncy (Dodgers)
76. James Outman (Dodgers)
75. Matt McLain (Reds)
74. Brandon Belt (Blue Jays)
73. Cole Ragans (Rangers-Royals)
72. Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)
71. Brandon Marsh (Phillies)
We’ll move on to the 10 players from 70th to 61st place on Friday, and then we’ll tackle another 20 in each of the three subsequent weeks.
Click here to learn more about the rankings, which are determined by 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 look at the previous installments, follow these links to the rankings for 91-100 and 81-90.
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80. Hoby Milner (Brewers)
OBV: 46
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .469
ERA: 1.82
Other pitching stats: IP 64.1, W-L 2-1, SO 59
Notes: Milner excelled as a middle reliever for Milwaukee, usually working the sixth or seventh inning. He suurendered earned runs in only nine of his 73 appearances. His 1.82 ERA was easily the best of his seven-year big-league career.
79. Felix Bautista (Orioles)
OBV: 46
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .451
ERA: 1.48
Other pitching stats: IP 61.0, W-L 8-2, SV 33, SO 110
Notes: Bautista served as a lights-out closer for Baltimore during the first five months of the 2023 schedule, notching a superhuman rate of 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings. But a UCL injury ended his season in late August. His recovery from Tommy John surgery is likely to consume all of 2024.
78. Logan Gilbert (Mariners)
OBV: 47
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .621
ERA: 3.73
Other pitching stats: IP 190.2, W-L 13-7, SO 189
Notes: Three workhorses pitched at least 190 innings for Seattle in 2023, with Gilbert among them. He made 32 starts in all, holding opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 19 of those appearances. He finished sixth out of all American League pitchers with 13 wins.
77. Max Muncy (Dodgers)
OBV: 48
Primary position: 3B
BPO (batting): .826
BA: .212
Other batting stats: PA 579, HR 36, RBI 105
Notes: Muncy’s .212 batting average was admittedly abysmal, but his value to the Dodgers was greatly enhanced by his power (36 home runs) and his ability to draw walks (85). His OBV of plus-48 was easily the highest for any third baseman in the National League.
76. James Outman (Dodgers)
OBV: 48
Primary position: CF
BPO (batting): .832
BA: .248
Other batting stats: PA 567, HR 23, RBI 70
Notes: Outman swung and missed with great frequency. He piled up 181 strikeouts, the fourth-highest total in the NL in 2023. Yet he also blasted 23 homers, making him one of five Dodgers with at least 20. His on-base percentage of .353 was fourth-best on the club.
75. Matt McLain (Reds)
OBV: 48
Primary position: SS
BPO (batting): .881
BA: .290
Other batting stats: PA 403, HR 16, RBI 50
Notes: McLain wasn’t called up from AAA ball until mid-May, but he immediately flashed big-league credentials. He batted .316 in his first 40 games, and he kept his average within sight of .300 until an oblique injury ended his season in late August. He spent considerable time at both shortstop and second base.
74. Brandon Belt (Blue Jays)
OBV: 48
Primary position: DH
BPO (batting): .888
BA: .254
Other batting stats: PA 404, HR 19, RBI 43
Notes: Belt arrived in Toronto as a free agent after 12 years with the San Francisco Giants. He caught fire near the end of the 2023 season, smashing 11 homers in August and September. His on-base percentage of .369 was 24 points better than the OBP for any other Blue Jays regular.
73. Cole Ragans (Rangers-Royals)
OBV: 49
Primary position: P
BPO (pitching): .533
ERA: 3.47
Other pitching stats: IP 96.0, W-L 7-5, SO 113
Notes: The arrow seemed to be pointing the wrong way for Ragans, whose ERA soared to 5.92 in 17 relief appearances for Texas. The Rangers dealt him in June to Kansas City, which converted him to a starter. He worked at least six innings in nine of his 12 starts, fashioning a sterling ERA of 2.64 for the Royals.
72. Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)
OBV: 50
Primary position: RF
BPO (batting): .831
BA: .285
Other batting stats: PA 583, HR 20, RBI 74
Notes: Chicago signed Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract in 2022, fueling expectations of superstardom. He fell short in his rookie year (HR 14, BA .262), but improved substantially in 2023. He was especially effective during the Cubs’ stretch drive, batting .370 with 26 RBIs in September.
71. Brandon Marsh (Phillies)
OBV: 50
Primary position: CF
BPO (batting): .868
BA: .277
Other batting stats: PA 472, HR 12, RBI 60
Notes: The Angels turbocharged Marsh’s career by trading him to Philadelphia in August 2022. He had batted .239 in 163 games with Los Angeles, but accelerated to .280 for the Phillies in 174 games after the deal. He also boosted his OBP from .299 for the Angels to .360 for the Phils.