If You Could Pick Five MLB Players to Start Your Team....

[YouthofToday]

Trout

Harper

Machado

Kershaw

Jose Fernandez.

[Agalloch]

Trout

Kershaw

Longoria

Fernandez

Posey

[Stradling]

Surprised no one has taken Machado even with the injury.

I picked him.

[Second Base]

Mathis, Wells, Blanton, Quinlan and Willits.

[DW711]

Surprised no one has taken Machado even with the injury.

 

Him already bitching about money scared me away..for now.

[LAAMike]

Despite the Angel's difficulties in getting the catcher position squared away over the years, there does seem to be a wealth of catchers out there.  I assume that you are building your team for the long run so I would question any relievers and also including a catcher in your top five lists. 

[Tyler]

Mike Trout

Wil Myers

Bryce Harper

Clayton Kershaw

Jose Fernandez

[DW711]

Trout

Kershaw

Y. Molina

Goldschmidt

Harper

 

6.) Bumgarner

7.) Verlander

8.) Kimbrel

9.) McCutchen

10.) Felix or Sale

 

[halomatt]

Trout

Tulo

Kershaw

Fernandez

Hernandez

[Angelsjunky]

Jeff Mathis

Brandon Wood

Gary Matthews Jr

Vernon Wells

Joe Blanton

[Angelsjunky]

OK, for real this time.

 

Mike Trout

Jose Fernandez

Clayton Kershaw

 

Those three are relatively easy. After that it gets tricky. For position players I'm tempted by, in rough order: Byron Buxton, Xander Bogaerts, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera, Troy Tulowitzki, Manny Machado, Paul Goldschmidt, Javier Baez, Carlos Correa, and others.

 

For pitchers, I'm tempted by Felix Hernandez, Yu Darvish, Chris Sale, Stephen Strasburg (sorta), and Matt Harvey (gotta give him props).

 

Sorry, I just can't pick more than the first three.

[Second Base]

If I'm really looking at, I factor in team leadership as well as price tag and utility.

1. Trout is a given.

2. Posey. You need a veteran leader that's still got a half decade or more in front of him and that's Buster.

3/4.You need a 1-2 punch, and pitching is so volatile. One bad throw away from it all ending. I go Kershaw and Darvish.

5. We control CF, the mound and catcher already with the first four. Might as well pick a shortstop but here's one that will throw you for a loop. Javier Baez.

Less defense than Machado but same versatility and will come with Bryce Harper type of power.

[disarcina]

Trout, Kershaw, Buster Posey and then would take some time to figure out the next two.

[Chris]

Trout

Votto

Kershaw

Sale

McCutchen

[Don]

Trout

Kershaw

Cano

Machado (hopefully healthy)

McCutchen

[Brent Maguire]

Trout

Harper

McCutchen

Kershaw

Fernandez

Trout is the best player now and probably for the next 5-10 years. He was an obvious choice.

Harper has been phenomenal at his age regardless of how he's compared to Trout. Harper is going to develop into a 6 WAR .950 OPS bat type of guy.

Cutch is obvious. Crazy tools and the best all around player not named Trout.

Kershaw is also pretty obvious. I guess you can be concerned about the innings he's throw but he's one of the best pitchers in the last 50 years.

Last one was a tough choice between Cabrera, Goldy, Machado and others but Fernandez was unbelievable in his rookie year. He's going to be a top 5 pitcher in baseball for a while.

[nikkachez]

Trout, Kershaw, Fernandez, Cabrera, and Yadier. 

[Don]

Trout

Harper

McCutchen

Kershaw

Fernandez

Trout is the best player now and probably for the next 5-10 years. He was an obvious choice.

Harper has been phenomenal at his age regardless of how he's compared to Trout. Harper is going to develop into a 6 WAR .950 OPS bat type of guy.

Cutch is obvious. Crazy tools and the best all around player not named Trout.

Kershaw is also pretty obvious. I guess you can be concerned about the innings he's throw but he's one of the best pitchers in the last 50 years.

Last one was a tough choice between Cabrera, Goldy, Machado and others but Fernandez was unbelievable in his rookie year. He's going to be a top 5 pitcher in baseball for a while.

A fine list too, but I think I'd take Cano over Fernandez just because of the dearth of high-WAR players at 2B, and I'd take Machado over Harper because I have a man-crush on Machado. In all reality, I think Harper will be an elite player, but I can see Machado turning into a .300 hitter with 25 HRs and 40 doubles to go with elite defense and tremendous baseball instincts.

[YouthofToday]

Would McCutcheon be okay not playing CF?

[stormngt]

Trout OF

Kershaw P

Cabrera 1b

Harper  OF

Myers    P

[Make Angels Great Again]

Trout OF

Kershaw P

Cabrera 1b

Harper  OF

Myers    P

 

 

I like the confidence you have in Brett Myers the pitcher.

[stormngt]

I like the confidence you have in Brett Myers the pitcher.

Sorry, who is the new stud pitcher on the Rays?  Not Price?

[Angel_Irish]

Mike Trout

Andrew McCutchen

Bryce Harper

Paul Goldschmidt

Evan Longoria*

 

Trout, McCutchen, and Harper give you one incredible outfield both offensively and defensively. I go with Goldschmidt at 1st for his youth and his combination of power with some speed. Longoria would be my next choice, a defensive and offensive whiz in the hot corner. Offensively this team would be strong enough that it would not suffer from having some defense first type guys up the middle. Pair that with some average to above average pitching and you've got a winning club.

 

Chose to avoid pitching because I feel it is too volatile. Injuries are far more common among pitchers than position players and I feel that the leaguewide depth at the position has been growing so no need to risk it.

 

 

*If Goldschmidt could successfully make the move to 3rd I'd put him there and grab Joey Votto at 1st.

[Mark68]

If we're talking for the next seven years starting today, I don't think you could go wrong with Trout, Kershaw and 3 random guys.

 

But here's mine (considering that Miggy and Tulo will probably not be close to the players they are now in seven years, and Posey will not be catching by then, either, which makes him less valuable):

 

Trout

Kershaw

Fernandez

McCutchen

Stanton

[Make Angels Great Again]

Sorry, who is the new stud pitcher on the Rays?  Not Price?

 

Matt Moore?