The Best of the Best of the Best

If you're like me, and root for a perennial disappointment of a baseball team, then you're most likely familiar with the prospect rating system. When late-June hits and already the writing is clearly on the wall that October baseball won't be a thing (again) this year, a fun distraction can be getting excited about the talent in the farm system. As I read more and more about teenagers in High-A, I started to wonder, "Why does the scale go from 20 to 80?" It seems many writers or armchair evaluators put the 80 grade on a pedestal, rarely bestowing this high praise for unrealized potential on prospects across the league. And while I can appreciate having a high standard, wouldn't it be more fun to assign one player per trait as the best among all active players? If the point of the rating system is to benchmark potential against present day players, I think it's important to know where the high-water mark is.

In 2004, when Ichiro broke George Sisler's single-season hits record, it was clear he was the best contact hitter in the game. In 2010, when Aroldis Chapman hit 105.8 on the radar gun as a rookie for the Reds, there was no debating who had the best fastball in the game. And not long after when Billy Hamilton made his debut in 2013, and stole 13 bases in 13 games during his cup of coffee with the Reds, it was clear there was a new base stealing sheriff in town. Come to think of it, what happened to those Reds teams of the 2010s?

Having the 85 grade, doesn't mean you have to be a superstar in the game. In these three examples, there's a wide range of overall talent and production. But what's undeniable about these three players, is that they weren't just elite at one thing - or in Ichiro's case, elite at almost everything to do with playing baseball - they were the absolute, undeniable best at it among the best baseball players in the world.

In total, there are 9 traits measured on the 20 - 80 scale, 5 for hitters and 4 for pitchers. And if you're Shohei Ohtani, there's 9 traits (we might need a Shohei-asterisk for more things in the game). For hitters that's: contact hitting, power hitting, baserunning speed, fielding, and arm strength. For pitchers that's: fastball, control, command, and secondary pitches. Through various scientific and peer-reviewed methods of analysis, I'll be anointing this year's 85 grade players - eat shit Madden 99 Club(™, don't sue).