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Originally Posted by Murphy3
I definitely agree.. Love Beltre but I'd have a hard time putting him that high. The reality was that he was only a good player throughout most of his career. Yes, he had a great 7 year stretch towards the end of his career.. I love Beltre. His WAR is extremely high.. this is obviously what gets him high on the list. However, he was rarely one of the best 2-3 players in the game at any point in his career. His greatness in large part is his long career. He played at a high level for 20 years. I guess it depends on what you value. A greater peak or more consistency over a long period of time..
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WAR is a great way to contextualize value. Very few people are the top 2 or 3 in MLB for any extended period. Trout from 2012 to 2019 was clearly the best player in baseball. I don't have any issue with his position. He was a plus hitter and a plus-plus fielder. Sure fire first ballot hall of famer next year. If not for a blunder by Ron Washington in putting a competent defender in the bottom of the 11th for Nelson Cruz, he would have a ring. Ironically, Washington decided at the last minute not to put the defensive replacement in because he wanted Nelson Cruz to be able to run in from Right Field and celebrate the WS win. Having said that the fact that the Rangers just pulled off their first makes the pain of 2011 go away.