Young studs from the Bronx all the down to Queens. Today, we rank the most valuable assets that account for New York Yankees and Mets baseball.
Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, point guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, centerfielder for the New York Yankees represent three of the more famed positions in professional sports history. That last one, particularly, comes loaded with legendary names such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
More than position, think city. Think five boroughs. Think the Big Apple. Think of the one sport that dominates this area and has done so in such a fine fashion for over 100 years.
It’s Baseball in New York, so important that positions don’t matter. Representing that top city player does while representing either the Yankees or Mets.
Luckily for us, there are no shortages of great ballplayers at the current moment. Instead of looking at it from a “top player” point of view, we’re going a little askew: the most valuable assets.
Baseball is a much different game than it was even a decade ago. While the top-notch starting pitchers are incredibly valuable, it’s only because the position as a whole has declined. Never have starters pitched fewer innings and never have they been this unhealthy as a whole.
Just take a gander at the Mets. Sandy Alderson’s heavy rotation building club has fallen hard while positional-playing rebuilds in Chicago with the Cubs and in Houston have resulted in the last two World Series champs.
That young everyday gem makes all the difference in the world. It’s good news for the Yankees, terrible news for the team who makes its living in Flushing, Queens.
Here are the most valuable assets in New York City baseball:
25. Dellin Betances
24. Chad Green
23. Jay Bruce
22. Peter Alonso
21. Jeurys Familia
The first five of the 25 can be debated all week long. The snubs are as follows: Justus Sheffield, Mike Dunn, Clint Frazier, Brett Gardner, Todd Frazier and a few others.
Should this list had taken place a couple years ago, many more minor-league prospects would be included. Now that most have arrived in The Show, the young major league reigns supreme.
Dellin Betances only receives the courtesy last spot in over Justus Sheffield purely due to the idea he’s done it before and relief pitchers are, at their core, inconsistent year-to-year. He’s an MLB All-Star who still possess wicked stuff.
Peter Alonso’s stock is rising every week, but isn’t a studly prospect. He’s simply gained traction with a tremendous work ethic.
In terms of “best player,” Jay Bruce would be higher on the list. He’s just too old, expensive and streaky to find himself in the top 20.
The craziest thought concerning any snub is the current status of Clint Frazier. Just a year ago, he rivaled anybody as the Yanks top prospect. No more. He doesn’t play enough and when he does, the kid doesn’t drop jaws.
NEXT: Numbers 20 Through 16
20. Masahiro Tanaka
19. Wilmer Flores
18. Aroldis Chapman
17. Andres Gimenez
16. Steven Matz
Masahiro Tanaka is 29-years-old. He’s a steady No. 2 or 3 pitcher any organization would love to employ. Due to his price tag, 20 is the absolute perfect spot for the Yankees righty who’s currently pitching to a 4.79 ERA.
Wilmer Flores is a tricky one. Several years ago he actually represented the Mets top prospect. Though he’s enjoyed several nice moments in Queens, there’s nothing gem-like about the righty hitter. He’s simply turning into a solid bottom of the order everyday player or excellent bench man.
The kid who now owns the top prospect billing in the Mets organization is shortstop Andres Gimenez. The 19-year-old is far-and-away the pride of the farm.
Who knows where Steven Matz would be if he just remained healthy. The lefty never finishes with poor statistics. Even right now through 10 starts this season, Matz sports a decent 3.55 ERA with a K/9 ratio of 8.1. Unfortunately for him, remaining healthy enough to pitch is the most important attribute for any pitcher.
NEXT: Numbers 15 Through 11
15. Estevan Florial
14. Miguel Andujar
13. Brandon Nimmo
12. Greg Bird
11. Yoenis Cespedes
What Gimenez is to the Mets is what Estevan Florial is to the New York Yankees. With most of the kids now in the Bronx, the talented outfielder is the next in line. The major question surrounding the kid is his Yanks future. Will he act as that critical trade chip this coming July?
An easy case can be made that No. 15 through 12 area ll more valuable than Yoenis Cespedes. These days, Yo’s on the shelf more than left-field. The man can’t stay healthy. But we give him the No. 11 nod with one last-ditch salute to his hitting and throwing prowess.
By this time next year, if things remain the same, he’ll be near No. 20 with his age and money not overcoming “good” play on the field.
The guys ahead of Yo vary from Greg Bird, who needs to also remain on the field, to Brandon Nimmo, who’s shot himself out of a cannon this season like a young stud, and Miguel Andujar, who feels like the real deal over at third base.
NEXT: Numbers 10 Through 7
10. Didi Gregorius
9. Michael Conforto
8. Giancarlo Stanton
7. Jacob deGrom
Now we’re in the top 10 featuring the good stuff, and leading off is Didi Gregorius, an all-star-caliber shortstop whose play has allowed Brian Cashman to shine so brightly from his comfortable seat in the front office. Didi is still relatively young (28) and acts as an irreplaceable bat in the middle of the lineup.
Michael Conforto might have been in the top five this time last year. He began the 2017 campaign hot and wound up with 27 home runs and 68 runs batted in coming from mainly the leadoff spot as an NL All-Star. He’s hitting a meager .253 with seven home runs through 47 games this season, thus, his ranking of ninth.
If we were discussing “best players,” Giancarlo Stanton would be higher. Eighth is appropriate with his massive salary and age nearing 30. No need to run down his stats. The dude’s a beast.
In the same category as Stanton is Jacob deGrom, perhaps the Mets best player. His rank in the top three in terms of the best overall player. Considering he’s 29 and almost a free agent, he comes in at No. 7.
Remember, starting pitchers have never been more devalued than they are right now. This is why the deGroms and Max Scherzers and Justin Verlanders are so valuable. But still, not as valuable as that everyday young stud.
NEXT: Numbers 6 Through 4
6. Noah Syndergaard
5. Luis Severino
4. Amed Rosario
Jacob deGrom is the New York Mets ace. The only reason Noah Syndergaard ranks ahead of him on this list is purely due to age. Four years younger means everything in terms of the MLB asset world.
Speaking of starting pitchers, one year has made all the difference in the world for Luis Severino as the kid comes in as the most valuable pitcher in New York.
The 24-year-old Dominican is pitching to a ridiculous 2.31 ERA and 0.974 WHIP with a strikeout-to-nine innings rate of 10.6 while pitching in the AL East. Throw in the fact he’s 25 and it’s no-contest: he’s surpassed both deGrom and Thor in these rankings.
Amed Rosario hasn’t yet taken New York by storm. In fact, his name has brought much disappointment to many Mets fans in 2018. Still, his young talent is undeniable and it’s been on display during the last week in May.
His development as an everyday gem is crucial to the Mets as a serious baseball organization. Only he and Mikey C. (and perhaps Nimmo) fall into such a category.
NEXT: Numbers 3 Through 1
3. Aaron Judge
2. Gary Sanchez
1. Gleyber Torres
The top three bring all pinstripes. Should this list rank them as “best overall players,” Aaron Judge would be No. 1. His stats alone from a year ago put him at that spot. Gary Sanchez would probably fall in-line with Giancarlo Stanton somewhere with Jacob deGrom rivaling all three.
But forget that nonsense. This is a most valuable “asset” list and Gleyer Torres is the most valuable asset across all five boroughs.
He’s 21-years-old and has already tallied nine home runs and 27 runs batted in while hitting .317 over the course of his first 35 games in The Show. Couple that with the fact he’s been, arguably, baseball’s top prospect for the last few seasons and the value is absurd.
The Yankees fleeced the Cubbies for his services.
Sanchez receives the nod over Judge for two reasons. One, he’s a tad younger and two and more importantly, he plays catcher.
From a top 25 standpoint, 13 Yanks and 12 Mets made the list. It’s a tad surprising considering how much more quality and depth the Bronx team brings to the table. If the top 50 was analyzed, forget about it … the Yankees would reign supreme.