If you look at MLB’s spring training calendar on Friday, you’ll see a welcome sight we’ve been waiting for since November — actual baseball games will be getting played. The Mets and Yankees won’t be playing against other teams until Saturday. But still, this is another big step toward baseball season returning.
MLB Network has been passing the time by counting down its top 100 players in the league heading into 2023. As you can imagine, both New York squads were well-represented. After all, projection systems are expecting each of them to be a postseason contender this season. For that to happen, dudes need to play well.
It takes a full 26-man roster (and beyond) to put together a winning season that leads to an appearance in October. Having some of the top players in the game performing at a high level is an added bonus.
There were seven MLB clubs that had at least six of their players in MLB Network’s Top 100:
- Mets and Houston Astros: 8 players
- Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays: 7 players
- Yankees and San Diego Padres: 6 players
(That National League East sure should be fun to watch this year, eh?)
Here’s where the six Yankees players landed in these rankings:
100. Giancarlo Stanton
91. Nestor Cortes
74. Anthony Rizzo
38. Carlos Rodon
37. Gerrit Cole
2. Aaron Judge
And, here’s where those eight Mets players landed:
61. Starling Marte
54. Brandon Nimmo
51. Edwin Diaz
45. Jeff McNeil
31. Pete Alonso
21. Francisco Lindor
15. Max Scherzer
14. Justin Verlander
It’s interesting to me that for both the Yankees and Mets, their co-aces finished right next to one another. The Amazins are the only one out of these two with at least one position player, one starting pitcher, and one reliever. It’s also worth noting that nearly the entire Mets infield is considered among the top 45 players in the game today. That’s pretty cool.
Judge loses out to Shohei Ohtani for the top spot, but my guess is he’ll deal with it while buffing his AL MVP Award.
These results don’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. Expectations are high for both the Yankees and Mets coming into 2023. It’s not just about getting back to the postseason. It’s about making a deep October run.
Based on MLB Network’s Top 100 list, they’ve got the elite firepower to give themselves a shot.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
