The Red Sox have a bunch of really good players. This isn’t new information.
However, ESPN.com just published its list of the top 100 players in Major League Baseball for the 2018 season, and the rankings serve as additional evidence that, yes, Boston’s roster is loaded with stars.
Seven Red Sox players appear on the MLBRank top 100 list, which was released in two parts Tuesday and Wednesday. Chris Sale is Boston’s top-ranked player at No. 8, trailing only Clayton Kershaw (No. 2), Max Scherzer (No. 4) and Corey Kluber (No. 6) among MLB pitchers.
Here’s the complete list of Red Sox players appearing on the list, according to rank:
8. Chris Sale, SP
17. Mookie Betts, OF
27. J.D. Martinez, OF/DH
35. Craig Kimbrel, RP
61. Andrew Benintendi, OF
81. David Price, SP
85. Xander Bogaerts, SS
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (No. 28) is the only reliever ranked ahead of Kimbrel, who’s considered one of the most dominant ninth-inning arms on the planet. Cleveland Indians left-hander Andrew Miller (No. 44) is the next-highest-ranked reliever.
Betts’ inclusion on the list obviously is no surprise, though one could argue he belongs a bit higher. Only two players — Mike Trout (No. 1) and Kris Bryant (No. 12) — have a higher WAR since the beginning of 2016, yet Betts finished behind Trout, Bryce Harper (No. 5), Giancarlo Stanton (No. 13) and Aaron Judge (No. 16) among MLB outfielders.
