The Next Face of Baseball

So the other day, I was going to look at the KLaw chat transcript and noticed that ESPN had a poll as to who was the next face of baseball. So decided to complete it because I thought it would make for a good blog post. Just FYI, these were the ten names they gave you, so all I did was put them in order. Don't blame me if your fav didn't make the cut!

My Ranking:

1. Mike Trout

Like DUH! I mean honestly, who else is young, is a five tool player, and Rookie of the Year? Well, Bryce Harper, but Trout plays in the American League, which is usually the league which generates the most media buzz, and plays in a huge market in LA (Anahiem). Need anther reason? His rookie season was among the best of all time in Wins Above Replacement. So HA!

2. Bryce Harper

I guess that there's no clear number one between him and Trout. He is definitely the face of the National League, and he and Trout will be co-faces of the game for a while...The way he plays, its hard not to stare...

3. Yu Darvish

I know that most people wouldn't put a pitcher in their top three, but if you think, there has always been at least one pitcher has been at least co-face of the game. Of the pitchers listed, I think that Darvish is the only one who has the X-factor needed to standout. Don't get me wrong their are some other great names, but none of them scream "look at me" like Darvish. That and a super awesome and memorable name helps his case.

4. Buster Posey

As much as I love Posey, and believe you me I do, I really don't think he attracts enough attention to be the face of baseball, especially for non-baseball fans. He is the only candidate with an MVP under his belt though, so credit him for that.

5. Yasiel Puig

Don't get me wrong, Puig's start is incredible, but it is only a little more than a month. He won't keep this level of production up, but even at 80% of this, he's still a superstar. Playing in LA could also help him gain more name recognition.

6. Manny Machado

Machado's problem is that he plays the same position as the current face of the game, Miguel Cabrera. Machado is likely to be over-shadowed by Cabrera for a couple more years, and by that time, it is almost inevitable that someone else will have a stranglehold on the title of "the face of baseball"

7. Matt Harvey

As good as Harvey has been, I don't think he has the extra little something in that will make him the face of baseball. That doesn't mean he isn't special though. I guess he's like the J-Zimm to Darvish's Strasburg or Gio, he does what he does quietly.

8. Giancarlo Stanton

A year ago, Stanton would have been top 4 on this list, but with the emergence of so many new faces and Stanton recent injury tendency, he has been knocked down to 8. Playing with one of the worst teams in the majors hurts his visibility as well.

9. Chris Sale

To be honest, I was impressed by Sale last year, but I haven't heard much about him this year, so I wasn't expecting to see him on this list. That is reason enough for me to rank him this low.

10. Aroldis Chapman

The only reliever on this list check into last place because relievers hardly get any visibility outside of their respective teams. If one could define the game of baseball, Chapman is the one, but it's just not happening, sorry.

Okay so here is the total rankings of all counted votes when I voted, just for comparison

1.Trout
2.Harper
3.Posey
4.Puig
5. Machado
6. Harvey
7. Darvish
8. Stanton
9. Chapman
10. Sale


Comment and let me know who you think will be the next face of baseball!

~TBC