Who are the best players in Major League Baseball right now?
To determine this, ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts, contributors and Insiders to rank the top 100, which we'll count down from No. 100 to No. 1, 20 players per day for five days.
To compile MLBRank, we collaborated with Microsoft Research and The Wharton School and polled 65 ESPN experts on a list of 167 players. After seven days of voting in June, we have our results.
We continue our countdown with Nos. 60-41 as slugging outfielders, dominant relievers and hard-throwing starters are joined by a rookie who is having one of the more impressive debut seasons in history.
Kyle Seager
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Seattle Mariners
Honors: American League All-Star (2014), Gold Glove (2014)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @mariners
Career stats (through 2016 season): .266/.334/.446, OPS -- .780, hits -- 851, HRs -- 126, RBIs -- 437
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.9
Did you know?
Kyle Seager hit 25 home runs in three straight seasons in 2014-16, the first Mariners player to do that since Adrian Beltre (2006-08). -- Jonathan Costa, ESPN Stats & Information
Marcus Stroman
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Honors: None
Twitter: @MStrooo6
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 24-16, 1 shutout, 361.2 innings pitched, 3.91 ERA, 295strikeouts, 1.222 WHIP
2016 Rank: 70
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.8
Did you know?
In only his third year in the big leagues, Marcus Stroman became the first Blue Jays pitcher 25 years or younger to toss 200 innings and hold opponents to a .315 or lower on-base percentage since Roy Halladay in 2002. Halladay would go on to win the AL Cy Young Award the following year. -- David Gordon, ESPN Stats & Information
Craig Kimbrel
Position(s): Relief pitcher
Team: Boston Red Sox
Honors: National League Rookie of the Year (2011 -- with Atlanta Braves), NL All-Star (2011-14 -- Braves), American League All-Star (2016 -- with Boston Red Sox)
Twitter: @kimbrel46
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 21-18, 256 saves, 401.1 innings pitched, 1.86 ERA, 646 strikeouts, 0.949 WHIP
2016 Rank: 36
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.3
Did you know?
Craig Kimbrel led or was tied for the National League lead in saves in every season from 2011 to 2014. That four-year stretch is tied with Dan Quisenberry and Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter for the longest streak leading their respective league since saves became an official statistic in 1969. -- Meghan O'Donnell, ESPN Stats & Information
Aroldis Chapman
Position(s): Relief pitcher
Team: New York Yankees
Honors: National League All-Star (2012-15 -- with Cincinnati Reds)
Twitter: @AChapman_105
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 23-21, 182 saves, 377.0 innings pitched, 2.08 ERA, 636 strikeouts, 0.922 WHIP
2016 Rank: 22
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 1.5
Did you know?
Aroldis Chapman's fastball has drawn the attention of fans across the league. In 2016, he threw 12 pitches 104 mph or faster. No other pitcher had even one such pitch. -- O'Donnell
Marcell Ozuna
Position(s): Left field
Team: Miami Marlins
Honors: National League All-Star (2016)
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Marlins
Career stats (through 2016 season): .265/.314/.427, OPS -- .741, hits -- 492, HRs -- 59, RBIs -- 237
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.9
Did you know?
In Marcell Ozuna's first full season in 2014, he became only the third player in franchise history to record at least 150 hits and 20 home runs in his age-23 or younger season (Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez). -- O'Donnell
Yoenis Cespedes
Position(s): Left fielder
Team: New York Mets
Honors: American League All-Star (2014 -- with Oakland A's); Gold Glove (2015); Silver Slugger (2016 -- with New York Mets)
Twitter: @ynscspds
Career stats (through 2016 season): .272/.325/.494, OPS -- .819, hits -- 743, HRs -- 137, RBIs -- 453
2016 Rank: 60
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.5
Did you know?
Yoenis Cespedes picked a bad year to break into the majors. Despite racking up 23 homers and 16 stolen bases, he finished as the runner-up for the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year award (Mike Trout). Still, Cespedes is one of only four players with at least 20 homers and 80 RBIs in each of the previous five seasons (Trout, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Jones). -- Paul Casella, ESPN Stats & Information
Nelson Cruz
Position(s): Designated hitter, right fielder
Team: Seattle Mariners
Honors: American League All-Star (2009, '13 -- with Texas Rangers, 2014 -- with Baltimore Orioles, 2015 -- with Seattle Mariners), Silver Slugger (2015)
Twitter: @ncboomstick23
Career stats (through 2016 season): .275/.338/.516, OPS -- .853, hits -- 1,287, HRs -- 284, RBIs -- 795
2016 Rank: 53
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.7
Did you know?
Nelson Cruz is the only player to hit at least 40 home runs in each of the past three seasons. In fact, only one other player (Nolan Arenado) has even topped the 40-homer mark in two of the previous three seasons. Cruz also won 2011 ALCS MVP honors after hitting six homers in six games for the Rangers. -- Casella
Johnny Cueto
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: San Francisco Giants
Honors: National League All-Star (2014 -- with Cincinnati Reds; 2016 -- with San Francisco Giants)
Twitter: @JohnnyCueto
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 114-75, 8 shutouts, 1.640.0 innings pitched, 3.23 ERA, 1,369 strikeouts, 1.170 WHIP
2016 Rank: 58
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.8
Did you know?
The highlight of Johnny Cueto's career undoubtedly came in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. Cueto gave up only two hits in a complete-game victory over the Mets, becoming the first pitcher to give up two hits or fewer in a complete game in a World Series since Greg Maddux in 1995. -- Casella
A.J. Pollock
Position(s): Center fielder
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Honors: National League All-Star (2015); Gold Glove (2015)
Twitter: @AJPollo860
Career stats (through 2016 season): .293/.346/.461, OPS -- .808, hits -- 421, HRs -- 39, RBIs -- 150
2016 Rank: 57
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 1.8
Did you know?
Unfortunately, injuries have plagued A.J. Pollock's career, but he flashed his potential as an all-around talent when healthy in 2015. He hit 20 homers, swiped 39 bases and hit .315 over 157 games -- and, oh by the way, also won a Gold Glove. To show you just how impressive that is, the only other player to put up those numbers in a season since 2012 is Mike Trout. -- Casella
Carlos Carrasco
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Cleveland Indians
Honors: None
Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Indians
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 44-46, 3 shutouts, 702.1 innings pitched, 3.92 ERA, 670 strikeouts, 1.226 WHIP
2016 Rank: 79
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.3
Did you know?
Though often overshadowed by Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco hasn't been too shabby for the Indians either. He had a 2.55 ERA in 2014 (when Kluber won the Cy Young) and then racked up 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings the following year. That's the second-highest rate by any Indians pitcher in the modern era (since 1900), behind only Sam McDowell in 1965 (10.7). -- Casella
J.D. Martinez
Position(s): Right fielder
Team: Detroit Tigers
Honors: American League All-Star (2015), Silver Slugger ('15)
Twitter: @JDMartinez14
Career stats (through 2016 season): .281/.336/.483, OPS -- .819, hits -- 674, HRs -- 107, RBIs -- 372
2016 Rank: 91
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.6
Did you know?
J.D. Martinez has had a power breakthrough, averaging 35 home runs per 162 games since joining the Tigers. And he's in the top five in slugging percentage in the past four seasons. Martinez is one of three Tigers to have at least three straight seasons of 400 at-bats and a .500 slugging percentage in the last 50 years. The other two are Miguel Cabrera and Tony Clark. -- John Fisher and Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & information
Anthony Rendon
Position(s): Third baseman
Team: Washington Nationals
Honors: Silver Slugger (2014)
Twitter: None, Team Twitter: @Nationals
Career stats (through 2016 season): .274/.345/.433, OPS -- .777, hits -- 504, HRs -- 53, RBIs -- 228
2016 Rank: 15
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.1
Did you know?
When healthy, Anthony Rendon is one of the most valuable infielders in the NL. Per 650 plate appearances, he has averaged 4.3 WAR. Only 36 position players bested that number in 2016. Rendon totaled 6.6 WAR in 2014, the second most in a season for a Nationals third baseman (Ryan Zimmerman, 7.3 in 2009). -- Kenneth Woolums, ESPN Stats & Information
Carlos Martinez
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Honors: National League All-Star (2015)
Twitter: @Tsunamy27
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 34-21, 492.2 innings pitched, 3.32 ERA, 466 strikeouts, 1.291 WHIP
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.7
Did you know?
Since the end of World War II, three Cardinals pitchers have had multiple seasons with an ERA of 3.10 or lower before turning 25 -- Carlos Martinez, Joe Magrane and Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. -- Woolums
Cody Bellinger
Position(s): Left fielder, first baseman
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Honors: None
Twitter: @Cody_Bellinger
Career stats (through June 26, 2017): .274/.342/.679, OPS -- 1.021, hits -- 59, HRs -- 24, RBIs -- 55
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.6
Did you know?
Cody Bellinger entered the season as Keith Law's sixth-best prospect in the majors. By the time he's done this season, he might just be the sixth-best PLAYER in the majors. Elias notes that he tied the record for most home runs through 50 career games by hitting 19. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
Gary Sanchez
Position(s): Catcher
Team: New York Yankees
Honors: None
Twitter: @ElGarySanchez
Career stats (through 2016 season): .296/.372/.650, OPS -- 1.023, hits -- 60, HRs -- 20, RBIs -- 42
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.7
Did you know?
Gary Sanchez has had one of the hottest starts to a career we've ever seen. Only two players have hit more home runs in their first 100 games in the big leagues, and he had the highest slugging percentage in major league history by a rookie (minimum 200 plate appearances) -- though that mark is likely to be broken by his current teammate Aaron Judge this season. -- Fisher
Kenley Jansen
Position(s): Relief pitcher
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Honors: National League All-Star (2016)
Twitter: @kenleyjansen74
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 19-13, 189 saves, 408.2 innings pitched, 2.20 ERA, 632 strikeouts, 0.893 WHIP
2016 Rank: 48
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.8
Did you know?
There aren't many closers more dominant than Kenley Jansen. He's one of 48 pitchers in the 200-save club -- and the only one of those guys with a higher career strikeouts per nine innings pitched is Craig Kimbrel. Jansen ranks in the top five in K's per nine innings pitched all time, among pitchers with at least 100 innings. -- Bonzagni
Christian Yelich
Position(s): Center fielder, left fielder
Team: Miami Marlins
Honors: Gold Glove (2014), Silver Slugger (2016)
Twitter: @ChristianYelich
Career stats (through 2016 season): .293/.368/.430, OPS -- .798, hits -- 549, HRs -- 41, RBIs -- 212
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.2
Did you know?
Christian Yelich hit a career-high 21 home runs last season, earning him a Silver Slugger award and appearance on the MVP vote list. Yelich is one of three Marlins outfielders to hit at least .290 with 20 home runs at age 24 or younger. The other two are Miguel Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
Jon Lester
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: Chicago Cubs
Honors: American League All-Star (2010-11, '14 -- with Boston Red Sox), National League All-Star (2016); NL Championship Series MVP (2016)
Twitter: @JLester34
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 146-84, 4 shutouts, 2,003.2 innings pitched, 3.44 ERA, 1,861 strikeouts, 1.234 WHIP
2016 Rank: 40
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1
Did you know?
Jon Lester excels in the postseason. He has a 2.63 career ERA in the playoffs with a 1.03 WHIP. In the three years in which his team won the World Series, he has recorded a 1.79 ERA in 80 2/3 innings. -- Simon
Michael Conforto
Position(s): Center fielder, left fielder
Team: New York Mets
Honors: None
Twitter: @mconforto8
Career stats (through 2016 season): .238/.319/.448, OPS -- .767, hits -- 114, HRs -- 21, RBIs -- 68
2016 Rank: Not ranked
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.7
Did you know?
In Game 4 of the 2015 World Series, then-rookie Michael Conforto hit two home runs. At 22 years, 244 days, he became the third-youngest player with a multihomer game in the World Series, older than only Andruw Jones and Tony Kubek. He's the youngest Mets player to homer in a World Series game, and only the second in franchise history with a multi-HR game in the World Series (Hall of Famer Gary Carter, Game 4 in 1986). -- Langs
Jacob deGrom
Position(s): Starting pitcher
Team: New York Mets
Honors: National League Rookie of the Year (2014); NL All-Star (2015)
Twitter: @JdeGrom19
Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 30-22, 1 shutout, 479.1 innings pitched, 2.74 ERA, 492 strikeouts, 1.095 WHIP
2016 Rank: 30
ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.0
Did you know?
Though he has faltered a bit in 2017, Jacob deGrom dominated at Citi Field the past three seasons, pitching to a 1.95 ERA, second best by a pitcher who threw at least 200 innings at home in that span. Clayton Kershaw (1.54) ranked first. -- Simon
MLBRank was produced in collaboration with Microsoft Research and The Wharton School.