To start off, let’s just understand the fact that calling anybody good at anything is a very objective thing. Especially in sports where there are so many variables that determine what makes a player good. Is he outright a good player, or a good player who’s better because of the team he is on? Thankfully there are stats and advanced stats to help us solidify some of the decision-making, but at the end of the day to rank players still comes out as an objective matter.

So, on that note, here is who I will be declaring the best five players (15 for outfielders) are at each position, to ultimately decide who the top MLB players of 2015 will be. If you disagree with any, you can be sure to let me know in the comments, I’ll happily talk about it. To make this list I will take into consideration raw statistics, what they mean to their team, their defensive prowess, and and whether or now they’re injury prone, because let’s face it, you have to actually be on the field to make a difference.

I will be starting with pitchers this year, and breaking it down by position for articles, as opposed to lumping them into one giant article. In this article I will breakdown the top five relievers/closers and top five starting pitchers. I didn’t get around to making this list last year so I am excited to be doing it again this year. I hope you enjoy it, and upfront and as always, thanks for the read.

Relievers

*Honorable Mentions: Koji Uehara, Greg Holland, Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Papelbon

Greg Holland provided us with some great bullpen pitching last year as the Royals headed into the World Series and came just one game short of winning it all. Koji Uehara despite his age was a big part of the Red Sox’s success in 2013, but fell apart down the stretch a year ago. If he can turn things around, his splitter is quite dominant. K-Rod has the legacy but his role is slowly but surely diminishing with age. Papelbon is a bit of a headcase in Philly, but still delivers good stretches of reliability.

#5 *2014 stats

Steve Cishek	67 GP	3.17 ERA	39 Svs	84 SOs	65.1 IP

The Miami Marlins are blessed to have a plethora of young talent among their roster. And as the health of their team comes together, they have a respectable pitching staff that is anchored by closer Steve Cishek. The Fish made a near surprise run to the Wild Card a year ago, and even more talented this year round, should find themselves back in the race. The Marlins should find themselves in a few extra situations to utilize Cishek’s unique side arm throw to keep wins in hand when things get close.

 

#4 *2014 stats

Fernando Rodney	69 GP	2.85 ERA	48 SVs	76 SOs	66.1 IP

Fernando Rodney led the league in saves a season ago as the Mariners fought tooth and nail but ultimately came up short in the Wild Card race. They’ve added even more big names and despite what should be a competitive AL West, could definitely find themselves playing for a World Series come October. Famous for his bow and arrow bit, Fernando has proven success in all stops of his career, and as the Mariners look to eek out a few extra wins this season, look for Rodney to put up similarly spectacular numbers.

 

#3 *2014 stats

Trevor Rosenthal	72 GP	3.20 ERA	45 SVs	87 SOs	70.1 IP

There isn’t a team that has found as much success in this most recent era of baseball as the St. Louis Cardinals. Bolstered by yet another fantastic roster, the Cardinals look to be the favorites to take the NL Central, despite a darkhorse Cubs team lurking for their chance in the spotlight. Rosenthal finished third in saves last year, and should find himself in a similarly good spot this season. He had a large spike in walks a season ago, but if he can manage to reel in that control a bit, he will finish among the top in saves again.

 

#2 *2014 stats

Aroldis Chapman	54 GP	2.00 ERA	36 SVs	106 SOs	54.0 IP

Chapman had a scary start to 2014 when he took a rocket back on the mound to the face in spring training. He required a plate to be placed in his head, but still only missed a little over a month, making his first appearance on May 11th. The hard throwing Cuban still managed a minuscule 2.00 ERA while collecting 36 saves and striking out 106. Appearing in 9 fewer games than the next person on just this list, and he still managed to put forth the numbers he did in a season that began with an injury that can sometimes shell shock pitchers for a lifetime. Look for him to be atop in saves as usual.

 

#1 *2014 stats

Craig Kimbrel	63 GP	1.61 ERA	47 SVs	95 SOs	61.2 IP

There is reason to be a bit worried about the state of things in Atlanta, but if there is one thing the Braves will be able to count on it will be their top-notch closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel has been one of the game’s best closers since he first entered the league in 2010. He took over the closing role in 2011 and won the NL Rookie of the Year award. In his past two seasons he’s blown just 8 saves over 105 save opportunities. Regardless of what happens to this Braves team, Kimbrel will at least be doing his job well in the 9th or beyond.

 

Starters

*Honorable Mentions: Corey Kluber, Madison Bumgarner, Entire Nationals starting rotation, Jon Lester

There were some notable names who built some notoriety over last year, between Corey Kluber sneaking silently through the season by many people’s standards and claiming the AL Cy Young award, or Madison Bumgarner’s insane postseason run that led to a Giants World Series. But there are five more names that you can expect to put forth better seasons. A lot of attention will be placed on the Washington Nationals who hands down have the best five/six man starting rotation in baseball, and of course the spotlight will be on Jon Lester as he attempts to lead the Cubs to a World Series.

#5 *2014 stats

Johnny Cueto	34 GP	2.25 ERA	20-9	242 SOs	243.2 IP

Bouncing back after an injury riddled season, Johnny Cueto was the one shining star on a Reds team in 2014 that dealt with a lot of negatives. He finished top 10 in a handful of categories including ERA, wins, WHIP, SO/9, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. As the Reds get healthy again this season, Cueto will have to be the big man on campus that puts forth a Cy Young worthy start every 5th day. In a league that is dominated with the talks of Kings and Kershaws, don’t go to sleep on Johnny Cueto this summer.

 

#4 *2014 stats

Adam Wainwright	32 GP	2.38 ERA	20-9	179 SOs	227.0 IP

In a town that has become synonymous with baseball and winning, Adam Wainwright has ascended into the ace the rare red blue jays require. Atop a starting rotation filled with youthful talent, the ‘seasoned’ 24-year-old is a beacon of consistency and effectiveness on the mound. His strikeouts dipped a hair in 2014, down to his new 162 game average of 179, but his effectiveness to get batters out hardly decreased. He gave up 19 fewer earned runs, with a FIP of 2.88. Again look for Wainwright to assert his name into the Cy Young conversation for the third straight year.

 

#3 *2014 stats

Chris Sale	26 GP	2.17 ERA	12-4	208 SOs	174.0 IP

Chris Sale was affected by a foot injury that kept him from seeing 30 games for the first time since his rookie season in 2010 last year. With a full campaign ahead of him, Sale could definitely be inbound for his first Cy Young. Sale has never been the guy to require his team to be putting up big numbers to succeed, but the White Sox should have a better roster this season, and the added incentive of possibly playing for a playoff position could be just what Sale needs to push him into the upper echelon of the pitching conversation this year. He finished just behind Kershaw in strikeouts per 9 innings last year, so close to the point where you need to go to a hundredth decimal place to spot the difference. For the Sox to have their first winning season since 2012, Sale will need to be a big facilitator.

 

#2 *2014 stats

Felix Hernandez	34 GP	2.14 ERA	15-6	248 SOs	236.0 IP

The west coast workhorse known simply by “King Felix” will be atop a pitching rotation and roster in general in Seattle that could definitely find themselves with a prolonged season come the end of September. Hernandez has become the staple of what greatness on the mound is. Aided a bit by the pitcher friendly park of Safeco Field, Hernandez is one of the best at keeping the ball in the yard and mitigating power. He finished 2014 with a FIP of 2.56 which was 3rd among qualified pitchers. And when things get hairy there are few who are better than him in getting out of a jam. Using a fun statistic from Baseball Reference called Base-Out Runs Saved, which roughly calculated the amount of runs saved by a pitcher for any given situation, Hernandez was responsible for 39.98 runs saved, which was second behind only you know who. A good campaign for Hernandez will certainly be the difference maker for the Marlins.

 

#1 *2014 stats

Clayton Kershaw	27 GP	1.77 ERA	21-3	239 SOs	198.1 IP

The current undisputed king of the mound without a doubt goes to Clayton Kershaw. The reigning two-time NL Cy Young winner is “the guy” for the Dodgers, and basically the entirety of the league. Love him or hate him, although how could you truly, Kershaw has displayed the mastery of pitching and put it out in entertaining display for all to see. Despite not hitting 200 innings last year, Kershaw led the league in wins with 21, strikeouts per 9 innings with 10.845, finished 7th in strikeouts with 239, and threw 6 complete games, one of which was a no-hitter in June. Although the 0-4 playoff appearances over the last two seasons have been heart breaking, Kershaw is the regular season champion that will guide a scary good Dodgers team to success for a long time.

 

Think anybody was left out this list that deserved to be on here? Let me know in the comments.

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