Who will be the best players in Major League Baseball in the 2016 season?
ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts and contributors to rank the top 100, which we'll count down from No. 100 to No. 1, revealing the top 10 on "Baseball Tonight" on March 24.
To compile the top 100, we polled 70 ESPN experts in February and March, starting with a list of more than 350 players. Using a 0-to-10 scale, they evaluated the players based only on how well they are projected to perform in 2016. Players expected to miss 2016 with an injury were not included.
The results will be announced on ESPN.com, Facebook (ESPN Baseball Tonight) and Twitter (@BBTN). Fans can use the hashtag #BBTN100 to join the discussion and follow along.
We're continuing the top 100 with Nos. 30-21.
30. Jacob deGrom
Pos.: RHP | Team: New York Mets | @JdeGrom19
2015 rank: NR | 2016 fantasy rank: 42
2015 stats -- 30 GS, 14-8, 2.54 ERA, 205 Ks
ESPN says: DeGrom declined to sign his contract during spring training, feeling he was worth more than the $607,000 offered by the club. In reality, his value to the club is immeasurable. He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2014, then he represented the Mets in the All-Star Game in 2015 and struck out the side on 10 pitches. -- Adam Rubin, ESPN.com Mets reporter
By the numbers: DeGrom opened eyes when he defeated both Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke to lift the Mets past the Dodgers in the 2015 NL Division Series. DeGrom became the sixth pitcher with two wins, 20 strikeouts and a sub-1.40 ERA in a postseason series, joining Justin Verlander, Cliff Lee and Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Chief Bender. -- ESPN Stats & Information
29. Jose Altuve
Pos.: 2B | Team: Houston Astros | @JoseAltuve27
2015 rank: 31 | 2016 fantasy rank: 6
2015 stats -- .313 BA, .812 OPS, 15 HRs, 66 RBIs, 38 SBs
ESPN says: Expect more of the same from Houston's 5-foot-6 energizer. He finished 10th in the MVP voting after leading the American League in hits and steals for the second straight season and winning his first Gold Glove, while also hitting 15 home runs -- more than the two previous years combined. And get this: He is signed for the next four years at $20.5 million total. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com Sweetspot blogger
By the numbers: Since his first full season in 2012, Altuve leads all AL players with 162 stolen bases. Altuve trails only Dee Gordon (164) for most stolen bases in MLB in that span. Altuve is no one-trick pony, though, as his .308 batting average in that span is fifth in MLB. -- ESPN Stats & Information
28. Kris Bryant
Pos.: 3B | Team: Chicago Cubs | @KrisBryant_23
2015 rank: NR | 2016 fantasy rank: 20
2015 stats -- .275 BA, .858 OPS, 26 HRs, 99 RBIs
ESPN says: If there is a player in the Cubs' lineup you could pencil in for 30 homers and 100 RBIs each season for the next decade, it's Bryant. His understanding of his own swing and the strike zone is uncanny for a player with less than one season of MLB experience. If he wins MVP this season -- he finished 11th in 2015 -- he'll complete an unheard of four-year run that already includes college player of the year, minor league player of the year and NL Rookie of the Year. The sky is absolutely the limit for Bryant. -- Jesse Rogers, ESPN.com Cubs reporter
By the numbers: Bryant's call-up to MLB in 2015 was delayed a week after the start of the season, but once he arrived, the results were tremendous. Bryant hit 26 home runs, the most in a season by a Cubs rookie in franchise history, breaking Billy Williams' team record of 25 set in 1961. -- ESPN Stats & Information
27. Anthony Rizzo
Pos.: 1B | Team: Chicago Cubs | @ARizzo44
2015 rank: 37 | 2016 fantasy rank: 19
2015 stats -- .278 BA, .899 OPS, 31 HRs, 101 RBIs
ESPN says: It's appropriate that Rizzo appears next to Bryant in the top 100, as he might be the left-handed version of Bryant. His ascent up the ladder of great hitters is tied to his ability to get on base against left-handed pitching. He has been dominant in that category over the past two seasons, producing an OBP well over .400 off lefties. You can expect more of the same for him, as he hits in the middle of a dangerous Cubs lineup. -- Rogers
By the numbers: Rizzo was extremely valuable to the Cubs last season. Just how valuable was he? According to win probability added, which estimates the amount a player increased his team's overall win probability throughout the season, Rizzo was the most valuable player last season by more than a full win. The other half of the #bryzzo tandem (Bryant) finished second in MLB. -- ESPN Stats & Information
26. Matt Harvey
Pos.: RHP | Team: New York Mets | @MattHarvey33
2015 rank: 36 | 2016 fantasy rank: 35
2015 stats -- 29 GS, 13-8, 2.71 ERA, 188 Ks
ESPN says: Harvey logged 216 innings, including the postseason, in 2015, which was the most ever by a pitcher in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. Mets officials believe he can be even better this season, because his slider command is back and late giddyap on his fastball seems to have returned. -- Rubin
By the numbers: Harvey was at his most dominant in August, when he allowed one run in 27 innings. His 0.33 ERA was second best for a Mets pitcher in a calendar month (minimum 25 innings), trailing only Dwight Gooden's 0.00 ERA in September 1985. -- ESPN Stats & Information
25. Joey Votto
Pos.: 1B | Team: Cincinnati Reds
2015 rank: 45 | 2016 fantasy rank: 27
2015 stats -- .314 BA, .1.000 OPS, 29 HRs, 80 RBIs
ESPN says: After an injury-marred 2014, Votto was healthy in 2015 and hit .314/.459/.541 to finish third in the MVP voting. Without much help in the lineup around him, expect Votto to once again lead the NL in walks, which he has done four of the past five seasons. And somewhere there will be people complaining about his RBI totals. -- Schoenfield
By the numbers: Votto is often criticized for his willingness to take walks instead of swinging for the fences. People are not wrong that Votto walks a lot. Since his MVP season in 2010, Votto has walked 620 times, nearly 50 more than anyone else in MLB. Imagine how many walks he would have if he hadn't missed 100 games in 2014 or 51 in 2012. -- ESPN Stats & Information
24. Nolan Arenado
Pos.: 3B | Team: Colorado Rockies
2015 rank: 77 | 2016 fantasy rank: 9
2015 stats -- .287 BA, .898 OPS, 42 HRs, 130 RBIs
ESPN says: Colorado's third baseman just keeps improving. Few expected Arenado, a renowned top defender, to also be one of the top power hitters, even with Coors Field as his backdrop. No NL batter hit more home runs in 2015, and Arenado actually hit more than half of the blasts on the road. Arenado is one of the sport's elite run producers and should add more All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves to his ledger. -- Eric Karabell, ESPN.com senior fantasy writer
By the numbers: Arenado pleased fantasy owners by putting up some ridiculous counting stats in 2015. The Rockies third baseman hit 42 home runs and drove in 130 runs, more than he had combined in each category over the previous two seasons (28 home runs, 113 RBIs). Arenado can still pick it with his glove, as he finished second last season in defensive WAR among third baseman behind Adrian Beltre. -- ESPN Stats & Information
23. Wade Davis
Pos.: RP | Team: Kansas City Royals
2015 rank: 55 | 2016 fantasy rank: 56
2015 stats -- 67.1 IPs, 78 Ks, 0.94 ERA, 17 saves
ESPN says: Davis will continue to be a monster presence behind Joakim Soria and Kelvin Herrera at the back end of a slightly reconfigured Kansas City bullpen. Righties batted .141 against him last season and lefties hit .146, so he's equal-opportunity nasty. Overall, opposing hitters slugged .240 against him, with 14 extra-base hits in 251 plate appearances. He appears to be a lock for 40-plus saves as the closer for the defending world champions. -- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com senior writer
By the numbers: Davis' 0.97 ERA over the past two seasons is the best among relievers in that span. Opponents are hitting a major league-low .148 against him over that span, and his 7.1 WAR trails only Dellin Betances among relievers. In the 2015 postseason, Davis became the first pitcher with multiple six-out saves in one postseason since Mariano Rivera in 2009. Davis' 0.94 ERA in 2015 was the fourth-best ERA of any AL reliever in history with at least 60 innings pitched. -- ESPN Stats & Information
22. Aroldis Chapman
Pos.: RP | Team: New York Yankees
2015 rank: 28 | 2016 fantasy rank: 99
2015 stats -- 66.1 IPs, 116 Ks, 1.63 ERA, 33 saves
ESPN says: Chapman will be a major focus for the Yankees and all of baseball. As the first player suspended under the domestic violence policy, there will be attention to how he handles himself. On the mound, with his 104 mph fastball, he is expected to be fine, which is important for the Yankees and for Chapman, because he is a free agent at the end of the season. -- Andrew Marchand, ESPN.com Yankees reporter
By the numbers: Chapman gets strikeouts at a higher rate than anyone else in MLB by throwing harder than anyone else in MLB. Since he entered the league in 2010, Chapman's 42.9 percent strikeout rate is highest in MLB by nearly two percentage points. In that time, Chapman's fastballs have averaged 98.6 mph, faster than any other pitcher in MLB. -- ESPN Stats & Information
21. Jose Bautista
Pos.: RF | Team: Toronto Blue Jays | @JoeyBats19
2015 rank: 14 | 2016 fantasy rank: 12
2015 stats -- .250 BA, .913 OPS, 40 HRs, 114 RBIs
ESPN says: We're not really just going to define Bautista by his bat flips, right? Or his contract demands? How about we define him this way: one of the five best hitters alive. Since 2010, Bautista has hit 28 more home runs (227) than anyone else in the sport. And he ranks in the top four in OPS, slugging and times on base. He hits hard stuff. He hits breaking stuff. He has had back-to-back seasons with more walks than whiffs. So here's how we'd define him: still underrated. -- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com senior writer
By the numbers: When he isn't flipping his bat in celebration of impressive home runs, Bautista spends his time being one of the most valuable players in baseball. Since his breakout season in 2010, Bautista is fifth in the American League with 33.8 WAR, trailing only Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. During that span, Bautista is the only player in MLB to hit at least 40 home runs in a season three times. -- ESPN Stats & Information