The Top 25 Active Position Players To One Day Make It To Cooperstown - Final Five

 The Top 25 Active Position Players To One Day Make It To Cooperstown - Final Five 

Number 5: Buster Posey (catcher, .302/.370/.456, 140 home runs, 673 RBI, .995 F%)  

Posey was arguably the best hitting catcher in baseball from 2010 through 2018, and he has proved that he ranks among the best all around catchers of all time. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010, the NL MVP and batting champion in 2012, and a World Series champion in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Posey also has an impressive career caught stealing percentage of .331. The six time all-star has won four Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove award, so it’s clear that he’s been the best catcher in baseball over the last decade and a definite future Hall of Famer. 

Number 4: Joey Votto (first baseman, .304/.419/.517, 295 home runs, 966 RBI, .993 F%) 

Joey Votto is one of the handful of players ever to have a career slash line better than .300 batting average/.400 on base percentage/.500 slugging percentage. He is right up against 300 career home runs, 2,000 hits, and 1,000 RBI’s, three major milestones that can pretty much guarantee Votto a plaque once he hits them. The six time all-star was the NL MVP in 2010 (when he threatened to be the first to win the Triple Crown since Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski in 1967), finished second in 2017, and was third in 2015. He also tacked on a Gold Glove award in 2011. Votto is easily one of the top first basemen of all time, and will be a Hall of Famer shortly after he retires. 

Number 3: Mike Trout (outfielder, .304/.418/.582, 302 home runs, 798 RBI, .993 F%)   

What else do I have to say other than his name? Another .300/.400/.500 hitter, Mike Trout is the best and most popular player in baseball and has been so since 2013. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2012, and has since won three MVP Awards, tying the league record. He is currently an eight time all-star with eight Silver Sluggers and the finest defense in centerfield in the entire league. He will almost certainly be a first ballot Hall of Famer, even if he never again so much as sniffs a baseball field for the rest of his life. 

Number 2: Miguel Cabrera (first baseman, third baseman, outfielder, .313/.391/.540, 487 home runs, 1,729 RBI, .987 F%) 

The last Triple Crown winner in history (2012), Miguel Cabrera is a two time MVP, a four time batting champion, a seven time Silver Slugger, and an eleven time all-star among other things. He is about to reach both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, and considering the era in which he is conquering, he may very well be regarded as one of the top handful of hitters ever. His achievements are matched by nobody in the past 60 years, except… 

Number 1: Albert Pujols (first baseman, third baseman, leftfielder, DH, .299/.377/.546, 662 home runs, 2,100 RBI, .992 F%) 

Pujols is the only player in history to start his career with  ten straight seasons with a .300 batting average or better, at least 30 home runs, and at least 100 RBI’s. He already has well surpassed the 3,000 hit marker, and has hit 19 postseason homers. A ten time all-star, a three time NL MVP, a six time Silver Slugger, and the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year, Pujols is the best. 

Top Seven Honorable Mentions 

Number 7: JD Martinez (outfielder, DH, .290/.354/.530, 238 home runs, 738 RBI, .983 F%) 

Number 6: Jose Abreu (first baseman, .294/.350/.520, 198 home runs, 671 RBI, .992 F%) 

Number 5: Brandon Phillips (second baseman, .275/.320/.420, 211 home runs, 951 RBI, .987 F%) 

Number 4: Edwin Encarnacion (DH, third baseman, first baseman, .260/.350/.496, 424 home runs, 1,261 RBI, .976 F%) 

Number 3: Ryan Zimmerman  (third baseman, first baseman, .279/.343/.475, 270 home runs, 1,015 RBI, .976 F%) 

Number 2: Hanley Ramirez (shortstop, DH, first baseman, .289/.360/.486, 271 home runs, 917 RBI, .973 F%) 

Number 1: Manny Machado (third baseman, shortstop, .280/.337/.488, 223 home runs, 645 RBI, .970 F%)