1. Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
Trea Turner is the perfect combination of contact and speed that makes him one of the most valuable players with his bat and legs. A 128 wRC+ hitter combined with his 99th percentile in Sprint Speed are tools that have helped him be a 6.0+ WAR player over the past two seasons. Heading to a hungry Philly squad where he’s gonna be the star until Bryce Harper comes back will boost this squad dramatically on route to another Red October.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.7 WAR, 119 wRC+, .283/.336/.448, 21 HR
2. Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
Now we don’t know where Tatis will be slotted when he comes back from his PED suspension but he’s gonna be ranked at SS here because it’s his natural position. When healthy Nando is a top 5 player in baseball. Listen to his percentiles, 96th in Sprint Speed, 98th in Avg Exit Velocity, 98th HardHit% and 99th in Barrel%. Now his 2021 stats, 7.3 WAR, 157 wRC+, 42 HR and 25 SB. Fernando is a generational talent and it’s always been if he can stay healthy and he has a chance to prove himself again as the top dog at the SS position.
2023 Steamer Projection: 5.4 WAR, 161 wRC+, .281/.363/.566, 35 HR
3. Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins)
Third times the charm right? Well it took a third team to pick up Carlos Correa but there’s no doubt about the talent he possesses. A two-way SS that hits the ball hard and creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Plus a former Gold Glove winner who took a step back in 2022 but has shown in previous times he’s one of the best at flashing the glove. 4.4 WAR, 140 wRC+ and 3 DRS. Injuries will always plague Carlos Correa but nobody can dispute the talent Correa has.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.9 WAR, 132 wRC+, .270/.351/.457, 24 HR
4. Francisco Lindor (New York Mets)
When the Mets traded for Francisco Lindor this is the Lindor they planned on having. A near 7 WAR player with 26 jacks is statically the 2nd best season of Lindor’s career. Lindor knows how to slap the ball around the ballpark and has the best glove at SS with being in the 98th percentile in OAA. The Mets are gonna be on the verge of seeking a World Series banner this season and if they do it’s gonna be due largely to Franky Lindor.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.6 WAR, 116 wRC+, .249/.321/.428, 24 HR
5. Xander Bogaerts (San Diego Padres)
In one of the more shocking moves in free agency, Xander Bogaerts goes to Slam Diego on a 11 yr/$280 M contract. Xander moving forward is gonna be the SS for the San Diego Padres and he deserved it. 6.1 WAR, 134 wRC+ and batting .307/.377/.456, Bogaerts at the age of 30 is and still gonna be a huge x factor in the NL West. Xander has always had a great bat but last season he surprisingly became good(?) on the defensive side. 88th percentile in OAA compared to 1st percentile in 2021. One of the most dramatic changes in all of baseball and that set him up perfectly to now have this big contract on a championship type roster.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.5 WAR, 121 wRC+, .266/.343/.424, 19 HR
6. Corey Seager (Texas Rangers)
Corey Seager seems like he’s been in the MLB for 10 years now but he’s only 28 years and just had one of his best seasons of his career. 4.5 WAR, 117 wRC+ with a career high 33 HR, the new setting for Seager has helped him stay healthy for the first time since 2019. Seager hits the ball with force being in the 86th percentile in Avg Exit Velocity and while he hits the ball hard he doesn’t strikeout at the rate you’d think. Seager has earned every penny of his $32.5 M AAV last season and now in a season where the Rangers plan to contend for a Wild Card spot they are really gonna need some help from their All Star Shortstop.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.6 WAR, 132 wRC+, .270/.345/.476, 27 HR
7. Wander Franco (Tampa Bay Rays)
The former #1 prospect at the age of 21 is one of the brightest stars in baseball today. If he played more than 83 games last year he would be consensus top 5 on this list. Franco is a switch hitting on base freak, in the combined 153 games played Franco has a 4.7 WAR, 121 wRC+ and 13 HR. But the ceiling is way higher, Franco is above average in speed and above average with the glove but the bat is where he’s special and with a full season in front of him, Franco could be a sneaky MVP candidate especially with the Rays coming back healthy.
2023 Steamer Projection: 5.4 WAR, 131 wRC+, .284/.347/.446, 15 HR
8. Bo Bichette (Toronto Blue Jays)
The ranking here for Bo Bichette is gonna surprise people but there’s a reason behind it. Posting a 4.5 WAR with 129 wRC+ at the age of 24 is top tier and Bo has been one of the best SS since being called up in 2019. Bo Bichette’s stats are carried by his September and May stats while his stats from the other months are slightly above average. Bo is also bound to swing and miss a bunch with a near 22% K% and doesn’t get on base the rate you would like. Defensively Bo isn’t all that being in the 7th percentile in OAA. Being 24, Bo is bound to fix all these problems and will make a jump on this list just needs to do it more consistently.
2023 Steamer Projection: 4.4 WAR, 129 wRC+, .280/.329/.477, 27 HR
9. Dansby Swanson (Chicago Cubs)
The 2015 1st Overall Pick finally showed his full potential in 2022 in a contract year. 6.4 WAR, 116 wRC+, .277/.329/.477 with 25 HR is something the Braves have expected from him since being called up. Swanson had to prove himself to get a contract and he sure did getting a 7 yr/$177 M from the Cubs. Swanson was in the 100th percentile in OAA and was in the 82nd percentile in HardHit% and that’s a very good combination to have. Being 29 what can you expect from a player that just broke out? Most believe a regression from 2022 is bound to happen but honestly I can see a repeat on a Cubs team that’s hoping to compete for something.
2023 Steamer Projection: 3.3 WAR, 103 wRC+, .246/.309/.414, 22 HR
10. Oneil Cruz (Pittsburgh Pirates)
If you follow me on my main twitter you know my love for Oneil Cruz, this pick bias? Yes but I’ll back it up. Cruz is a once in a generation athlete, he’s the size of Aaron Judge yet is in the same percentile range as Trea Turner in Sprint Speed. The tools for Oneil Cruz are off the charts, size of Aaron Judge, speed of Trea Turner, arm strength of a SP and the ability to barrel a ball up like Giancarlo Stanton. Special talent and Cruz had his ups and downs in 2022 but he was just getting started. 91st percentile in Avg Exit Velocity, 100th percentile in Max EV, 81st in HardHit%, 96th in Barrel%, 98th percentile in Sprint Speed and 97th percentile in Arm Strength. Cruz would finish with 87 games under his belt with 17 HR, 106 wRC+ with a 1.2 WAR but these stats are flawed by the ups and downs he had so projecting him is difficult. Where Cruz shined was actually leading off and in 32 games leading off Cruz posted a 141 wRC+ slashing .281/.331/.541 with a .872 OPS and man they found something here and that could be something to project him as. My personal projection would be 120-130 wRC+ with a 3.0-3.5 WAR with 25-30 HR with around 20 stolen bags. A truly special talent and I’m lucky to say he’s probably my favorite player in baseball and you can see why.
2023 Steamer Projection: 3.3 WAR, 114 wRC+, .246/.314/.454, 25 HR
TheDyspatch 