It’s time to start my annual rundown of the Baseball 100, my list of the best players during the most recent major-league season.
I’ll release 10 names at a time on successive Tuesdays and Fridays, starting below with the players who occupy 91st through 100th place. The process will conclude with the top 10 on February 14.
The rankings within the Baseball 100 are determined by 2024’s overall base values (OBV), which measure the relative effectiveness of batters and pitchers.
A positive OBV indicates one of two things:
A particular batter reached more bases than the average big leaguer would have attained under identical circumstances.
A given pitcher surrendered fewer bases than his typical counterpart would have yielded under the same conditions.
Click here if you want to know more about the formulas and calculations. (Be aware that OBV is slightly different from the BV described in the link. The initial sign for a pitcher’s BV is reversed for his OBV. A negative sign is better for a pitcher’s BV, but a positive sign is ideal for an OBV, which is what we’re using here. Make sense?)
The player with the highest OBV — whether a hitter or pitcher — is deemed to be the best overall player. The rankings proceed downward in order.
If two or more players are tied with identical OBVs, I break the tie by matching their ratios of bases per out (BPO) against 2024’s big-league average of .675. BPO is exactly what it sounds like, a comparison of bases reached or yielded (through hits, walks, hit batters, stolen bases, and sacrifices) against outs made or induced.
Preference within a tie is given to the player who surpassed the BPO norm by the greatest amount, either above .675 for a batter or below the same mark for a pitcher.
Each player in the Baseball 100 is listed with his rank, club, primary position (the one he played more than any other in 2024), BPO or BPO allowed (BPOA), the numbers of bases and outs involved, and OBV.
A new installment will arrive in your email upon posting
Club: Braves
Primary position: P
BPOA: .579 (on 235 bases and 406 outs)
OBV: +39
Bottom line: The Braves have the most representatives in the Baseball 100, seven in all. Lopez posted a sterling 1.99 ERA in 26 appearances, all but one as a starter.
Club: Phillies
Primary position: SS
BPO: .782 (on 290 bases and 371 outs)
OBV: +39
Bottom line: Turner’s season was a bit of a disappointment. A hamstring injury limited him to 121 games, yet he still batted .295 with 21 home runs.
Club: Mariners
Primary position: P
BPOA: .607 (on 352 bases and 580 outs)
OBV: +40
Bottom line: Seattle posted the best ERA in the majors (3.49), so it’s no surprise to find four of its starting pitchers in the Baseball 100. Kirby went 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA.
Club: Braves
Primary position: 1B
BPO: .761 (on 359 bases and 472 outs)
OBV: +40
Bottom line: Another member of the Braves. Olson regressed from 2023, when he finished fourth in the MVP balloting. He nonetheless drove home 98 runs in 2024.
Club: Marlins-Padres
Primary position: P
BPOA: .491 (on 107 bases and 218 outs)
OBV: +40
Bottom line: Scott did a better job from the bullpen for the Marlins (18 saves and 1.18 ERA) before they traded him in late July to the Padres (four saves and 2.73).
Club: Nationals
Primary position: P
BPOA: .472 (on 93 bases and 197 outs)
OBV: +40
Bottom line: Williams is the only member of the Nationals to qualify for 2024’s top 100. He started 13 games and went 6-1, though he spent much of the year on the injured list.
Club: Blue Jays
Primary position: P
BPOA: .546 (on 172 bases and 315 outs)
OBV: +41
Bottom line: Francis served double duty for the Jays. He was a reliever until late July, when he became a starter. He was effective in the latter role, posting a 2.92 ERA in 13 starts.
Club: Guardians
Primary position: P
BPOA: .467 (on 92 bases and 197 outs)
OBV: +41
Bottom line: Herrin pitched in 75 games, the fourth-highest total in the American League. He fashioned a 1.92 ERA as a sixth- or seventh-inning specialist.
Club: Rockies
Primary position: CF
BPO: .773 (on 333 bases and 431 outs)
OBV: +42
Bottom line: Doyle is a Gold Glove outfielder who is becoming a better hitter. He batted just .203 in his rookie year of 2023, but climbed to .260 (with 23 homers) in 2024.
Club: Brewers
Primary position: LF
BPO: .780 (on 312 bases and 400 outs)
OBV: +42
Bottom line: Chourio was just 20 years old in 2024, yet he finished third in the race for the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award. He batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs.
