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On Goldschmidt topping the Top 10 First Basemen Right Now! list, MLB Network analyst Sean Casey said, “This guy is special, there’s no doubt about it. When you go look at the full body of work, that’s why ‘The Shredder’ has Paul Goldschmidt at number one. You want to talk about a guy that uses the whole field? …This is a guy that pitchers fear, because how do you pitch Paul Goldschmidt? He can go bridge all over the field, which is tough to do. Let’s the ball travel, [he’s] so good at his approach and what he does.”
Taking into account player performance over several seasons with an emphasis on 2016, a number of offensive and defensive metrics both advanced and traditional, and projected performance for the upcoming season, MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now! series ranks the top players at each position heading into the 2017 season. Here’s the full top 10 at the position, and the breakdown of why Paul got the top spot.
- Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
- Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
- Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
- Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
- Edwin Encarnacion, Cleveland Indians
- Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
- Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants
- Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
- Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
In addition to Goldschmidt’s ranking, Diamondbacks teammate Zack Greinke ranked 10th on MLB Network’s Top 10 Starting Pitchers Right Now! list last week. Next Sunday, we’ll see the rankings for right-fielders unveiled, beginning on the network at 7pm, followed by relief pitchers at 8pm. I get the feeling the Diamondbacks probably will not be troubling the lists in either category, but you never know...