#Welcome to the r/baseball Top 100 Players for the 2023 Season!
A group of voters from the r/baseball subreddit were each tasked with ranking their top 100 players in MLB. We complied the results and will be revealing their ranks each Wednesday through Friday in January. We will reveal 10 players at a time, counting down from #100, and adding some context on how they ended up on the list.
Note: **This list is a look ahead to the 2023 season, not simply a 2022 retrospective**.
[Here is the thread for players ranked #90-81](https://old.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1057gqw/rbaseball_top_100_players_for_the_2023_season_9081/)
Players whose average rank landed them in places 80-71 are on this portion of the list revealed today.
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#**#80 – Oneil Cruz – Pittsburgh Pirates [](/PIT) – Shortstop**
**Written by:** u/e_schlanzz
Billed as an athletic prospect with two plus-plus tools, Oneil Cruz burst onto the scene this year displaying all of that and then some. When I say “that”, of course I am referring to his 97.8 MPH throw from short to first and his 122.4 MPH exit velo on a line drive single off the RF wall–both statcast era records. The Dominican-born rookie showed he was human still, posting one of the highest K% of his career at any level, but possesses the ability to make the extraordinary look rather ordinary.
What strikes me most about Oneil is just the sound that is emitted from his bat. Search any video on Baseball Savant or Youtube of his extra base hits, they all sound the same. A terrifyingly loud crack–or better yet, explosion–as if a party snap is employed for extra effect. But there’s no party favors here, just an incredibly large frame generating next-level bat speed that’s ready to inflict punishment on the unfortunate white pearl next selected to face the wrath of Cruz.
His rather large frame leads to some defensive clunkiness at a position so often left to players of shorter stature. Then again, at 6’7” there aren’t many taller in MLB’s history books. And even if he never overcomes that, his pure athleticism may allow him to play almost anywhere on the diamond. Especially at the plate, Cruz has shown an ability to adapt and adjust, projecting forward as a crucial player and human highlight reel for years to come.
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#**#79 – George Kirby – Seattle Mariners [](/SEA) – Right-Handed Pitcher**
**Written by:** u/SeeYaLaterDylan
Could George Kirby be the breakout pitcher of 2023? The former Elon standout was already strong in his first stint with the Mariners. He placed sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and finished with a 3.39 ERA and 2.99 FIP over 130 innings. His mix of strikeout stuff (9.2 K/9) and control (1.5 BB/9) was his calling card. That 6.05 K/BB ratio was sixth among starters with at least 130 innings pitched, with only Aaron Nola, Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander ahead of him. The development of his secondary pitches will likely determine if he’s due for a big breakout. Otherwise, he’ll remain a stabilizing — if unexciting — force in Seattle’s rotation.
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#**#78 – Jazz Chisholm – Miami Marlins [](/MIA)- Second Baseman**
**Written by:** u/corygm
I guess no one told Jazz that 2022 wasn’t a pandemic-shortened season, and that he’d need to play a full 162-game slate in order to appear on the end-of-season leaderboards. Still, the 60-game appetizer Jazz offered up in 2022 was tantalizing: in only 241 PAs, Jazz posted a career high triple-slash (.254/.325/.535), upped his walk rate (6.7% to 8.7%), and lowered his strikeout rate (28.6% to 27.4%). His .282 ISO and 20 PA per SB rate were also towards the top of the class in those respective categories. Defensively, he looked right at home at 2B, where he’s likely to play for as long as Miguel Rojas remains a Marlin. While there’s some uncertainty as to how these improvements will hold up over the course of a full season, there’s a lot to be excited about in 2023, where Jazz can hopefully play a full season as the Marlins’ table-setter.
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#**#77 – Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians [](/CLE) – Right-Handed Pitcher**
**Written by:** u/FederalLeagueMVP
Emmanuel Clase started his pro-baseball career as a 17 year old in the Padres system. In typical Preller fashion, he traded a future star in his minor league system, this time to Texas. During an ill-fated attempt at contending, the Rangers traded Clase to Cleveland in a franchise defining blunder. This is the story of the Guardians electric closer, holding dominance over opposing hitters in the late innings. His iconic cutter reaches 99 MPH and opponents only hit .180 off it in ’22. He contrasts this with a devastating slider than manages to fool even the best hitters.
Name a pitching statistic, and Clase will be near the top of the list. His 1.97 xERA, 3.7% BB%, and .219 xwOBA are all mind bending numbers to read. His 42 saves last season represent his usefulness in the Guardian’s surprise season, and he’s not even 25 yet! If you’re into rating relievers on any top 100 list, Clase deserves to be the top AL closer you rank- and maybe the best overall.
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#**#76 – Matt Chapman – Toronto Blue Jays [](/TOR) – Third Baseman**
**Written by:** u/throbbingkitty
Following the 2021 season, the Toronto Blue Jays elected to depart from their platoon situation at 3rd base between potential rising star Santiago Espinal and core utility player Cavan Biggio and decided to find themselves a more permanent replacement at the hot corner. Toronto ultimately took a chance on a former 1st rounder out of the Oakland A’s organization. After an arguably disappointing 2021 season where he posted the worst OPS+ of his career, Matt Chapman rebounded during his first season with the Blue Jays. His K% dipped from the low to mid 30’s in 2020 and ‘21 to 27.5% in 2022 while improving his ISO 11 points year over year. Despite not being the offensive powerhouse as showcased in his age 25 and 26 seasons (posting an OPS of .864 and .848, respectively), his percentile rankings when compared to his hitting peers continues to highlight Chapman’s ability to barrel the ball (88th percentile), his patience at the plate (chase rate 98th percentile; BB% 84th percentile), and his overall offensive value (3.4 oWAR). In addition to Chapman’s production at the plate, his defensive abilities were on display once again, posting positive metrics in OAA (+1), DRS (+2), and UZR (+2.5). Chapman appears to be a solid stopgap for Toronto as they continue to build their core; however, with sustained ~30 HR potential at one of the most difficult defensive positions in the game, Chapman should expect to be courted by nearly half the league as he enters free agency in 2024.
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#**#75 – Tommy Edman – St. Louis Cardinals [](/STL) – Second Baseman**
**Written by:** u/bluspy88
The Cardinals’ utility man is coming off a strong campaign, putting up 6.4 WAR and playing all but 9 games of the regular season. After winning a Gold Glove in 2021 playing mostly at second base and some outfield duties, he started to see his time relatively split between second and shortstop in 2022. It seems St. Louis values his defense to the point of seeing him as their potential starting shortstop moving forward, and all signs point to the starting job being his in 2023. Moving his elite glove provides manager Oliver Marmol with a three-headed defensive monster of Arenado, Edman and Goldschmidt in the infield, with second base likely to be filled by fellow utility man Brendan Donovan or recent graduate Nolan Gorman. Combining this defense with scary speed, smart baserunning, and hard contact that generates lots of extra base hits creates an impressive profile. Edman may fly under the radar next to his MVP-level teammates, but don’t be surprised to see him turn some heads if he continues this trajectory.
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#**#74 – Brandon Lowe – Tampa Bay Rays [](/TB) – Second Baseman**
**Written by:** u/otatoptroy
Injuries ruined Lowe’s 2022 season, as he played in just 65 games and was clearly diminished at the plate. When he’s at full strength there’s no doubt Lowe is one of the league’s top second basemen, as he blasted 39 home runs and posted a 137 wRC+ in 2021, his last full season. Lowe has been the engine of the Tampa Bay offense since their 2020 World Series appearance and a return to form would be significant for the club’s success this year.
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#**#73 – Joe Musgrove – San Diego Padres [](/SD) – Right-Handed Pitcher**
**Written by:** u/otatoptroy
The Padres, in their biggest game of the season to that point, turned to Musgrove for an elimination Game 3 of the Wild Card Series during their October playoff run. Facing a Mets lineup that was one of the best in all of baseball, on the road nonetheless, Musgrove proceeded to pitch a game so nasty that the Mets thought he had to be cheating — [demanding the umpires to check his ears for a foreign substance](https://twitter.com/timandfriends/status/1579274998950281216). Musgrove was clean, of course, and San Diego advanced on the back of his 7 inning, one hit performance.
Musgrove added his first All-Star Game nomination in 2022 to his list of accomplishments that include pitching a no-hitter in 2021 and a World Series ring with Houston in 2017. In August the Padres wisely locked him up for the next five years on a $100 million deal.
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#**#72 – Matt Olson – Atlanta Braves [](/ATL) – First Baseman**
**Written by:** /u/FederalLeagueMVP
The prodigal Matt returned home to Georgia earlier this year, going from Oakland to Atlanta in a blockbuster trade. Lets get the negatives out of the way- yes, he’s the slowest player in baseball and his once-incredible defense has dulled since his OAA peak in 2019. After a dismal ’20 season, Olson put forth one helluva comeback in ’21, posting 5+ fWAR. In comparison, his ’22 campaign may seem a bit more depressing (3.1 fWAR) but not to fear. Olson still clung on to a +10% BB rate, improved his hard hit% into the highest tier of hitters, and finished top 15 in barrels.
His batting eye is superb, his power awe-inspiring. Not to mention, for a brief time at the start of the summer he held the active consecutive games played streak. If the previous two years have shown the baseball world anything, it’s to not count out Matt Olson and his ability to improve and elevate his game at the plate to awesome levels.
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#**#71 – Yu Darvish – San Diego Padres [](/SD) – Right-Handed Pitcher**
**Written by:** u/SeeYaLaterDylan
Few players are more visually satisfying to watch than Darvish, who takes advantage of six-plus pitches to dice up batters. Fortunately for San Diego, Darvish’s continued artistry came with a rebound in results in 2022, as he pitched to a 3.10 ERA over 194.2 innings in his second year with the Padres. The strikeouts ticked down a little bit, understandable considering he was in his age-35 season, but his control and contact prevention were as good as they’ve ever been.
The keys for Darvish going forward will be if he can maintain the quality of his stuff through his late 30s and his reliable innings production, having staved away lengthy time on the injured list over the past four seasons. Darvish has exhibited enough creativity and adaptability that should solidify him as one of the Padres’ rotation aces in what could be one of the biggest seasons in franchise history.