The Top 25 Active Position Players To One Day Make It To Cooperstown - Next Ten

 The Top 25 Active Position Players To One Day Make It To Cooperstown - Next Ten

Number 15: Francisco Lindor (shortstop, .285/.346/.488, 138 home runs, 411 RBI, .981 F%) 

Lindor is currently the best shortstop in all of baseball. He is a four time Gold Glove award winner and a fantastic hitter. The four time all-star is only 27 and has already strung together three straight seasons with over 40 doubles and 30 home runs. The problem is, he is still well short of 1,000 hits, and he batted only .258 in 2020, which may or may not mean that he is losing his tremendous skill. He does not yet have very good counting statistics and his OBP is well below the Hall of Fame average, but he is still a very good player and will probably find himself in Cooperstown someday. 

Number 14: Elvis Andrus (shortstop, .274/.330/.372, 76 home runs, 636 RBI, .973 F%) 

Elvis Andrus is criminally underrated, and I am probably the only one advocating his case as one that could mean Cooperstown. He did have a poor 2020 season, which, at age 32, is not a good sign. Still, he is a fine defensive shortstop with over 300 career stolen bases and a bit of pop in his bat - he has 303 doubles and a 20 homer season to his credit. A three time league leader in sacrifice bunts, Andrus has been the best player on the Rangers for a very long time, and is traditionally hard to strike out. He compares favorably with several Hall of Fame shortstops who played in much easier times to be a productive hitter. 

Number 13: Anthony Rizzo (first baseman, .271/.372/.485, 229 home runs, 753 RBI, .995 F%) 

Rizzo is a fine hitter who can hit for very good power and draw a lot of walks. He has had a streak of four straight 30-homer seasons and hit 25 or more in the two following seasons. Rizzo is also a fine defensive first sacker with four Gold Gloves to his name. The biggest thing that prompted me to pick Rizzo was that he was a member of the 2016 Cubs, who won the World Series for the first time since 1908 and broke the longest championship drought in American sports history. He had a great regular season, a fine LCS, and batted .360 with three doubles, one home run, and five RBI’s during the Series. He is still one of the finest all around first basemen in the league and the 2016 Cubs were such a huge deal that I am confident in Rizzo’s Hall of Fame chances. 

Number 12: Freddie Freeman (first baseman, .295/.383/.509, 240 home runs, 858 RBI, .995 F%) 

The reigning NL MVP, Freeman is a great hitter with power and consistency. He is also a fine defender at first base. Freeman is a four time all-star who led the league in hits in 2018 and in doubles twice. A consummate five tool player, Freeman will have a hard time not making the Hall of Fame. 

Number 11: Mookie Betts (outfielder, .301/.373/.522, 155 home runs, 509 RBI, .989 F%) 

Betts is one of the best players in baseball today. At 28, he already has a MVP Award, two second place finishes, five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, one Batting Title, and two World Series rings. The problem is, he was on the Red Sox for the first six years of his career, and they have been accused of using pitch stealing devices, which made me uneasy about including him among this list in the first place. Betts may or may not be guilty, but he is the people’s favorite and is doing quite well with the Dodgers, so he will probably make the Hall of Fame someday. 

Number 10: Anthony Rendon (third baseman, .290/.372/.490, 145 home runs, 577 RBI, .974 F%) 

Rendon is the best third baseman in the league right now. He led the MLB in RBI’s in 2019 with 126 and is a two time league leader in doubles. He is already 30, but his contract doesn’t expire until 2027, so he will have plenty of time to solidify himself as a Hall of Famer in years to come. 

Number 9: DJ LeMahieu (second baseman, .305/.357/.430, 85 home runs, 478 RBI, .989 F%) 

LeMahieu is a three time all-star, a three time Gold Glover, a two time Silver Slugger, and a two time league batting champion. Quite simply, he’s the best second baseman in baseball. The main issue with his Hall of Fame case is that there is an unreasonable unfairness that comes with playing at Coors field, as LeMahieu did. He also has a lack in counting statistics, which hurts, especially considering that he is 32. If people remember how he was better at Yankee Stadium than at Coors, and how no second baseman in the league is comparable to him right now, he should have no problem making the Hall of Fame. 

Number 8: Dustin Pedroia (second baseman, .299/.365/.439, 140 home runs, 725 RBI, .991 F%) 

Pedroia is 37 and clearly going down. He has been bothered by injuries lately, and has last gotten more than 20 at bats in a season in 2017. Still, for a four time Gold Glove award winning second baseman, his batting skills were unparalleled in his prime. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, the MVP in 2008, and the league leader in runs scored in both 2008 and 2009. Since he started in the Major Leagues, he has amassed close to 2,000 hits and 400 doubles, so it looks like he should be a Hall of Famer without too much trouble. 

Number 7: Nolan Arenado (third baseman, .293/.349/.541, 235 home runs, 760 RBI, .972 F%) 

Arenado is only 29 ½, and has already won eight Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. The five time all-star is a ferocious power hitter and a fantastic run producer (three homer titles and two RBI titles), but he will have to suffer through the Coors Field bias. At any rate, he is very popular and has a magnetic glove, so he will almost positively find himself in Cooperstown someday. 

Number 6: Yadier Molina (catcher, .281/.333/.404, 160 home runs, 932 RBI, .995 F%) 

Molina is a nine time all-star and a nine time Gold Glove award winner behind the plate. He owns a .403 lifetime caught stealing percentage and 66 pickoffs. In addition, he has won two World Series rings, putting up very good postseason hitting numbers. At the plate, Molina has had three .300 hitting seasons and won a Silver Slugger award in 2013. The 38 year old has over 2,000 career hits and two top four NL MVP Award finishes. Needless to say, Molina is a lock for Cooperstown.