Pujols? Verlander? Ohtani? Which fantasy baseball players are in this century’s top 25?
Credit to Author: Tristan H. Cockcroft| Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:01:42 EST
Twenty-five years goes by mighty quick.
Flash back a quarter-century in time and, across the baseball world, the dominance of Pedro Martinez, the New York Yankees dynasty and the celebration of the 20th century’s greatest ballplayers at the 1999 All-Star Game dominated the headlines.
Today, we’re talking about the similar dominance of Shohei Ohtani, a Houston Astros dynasty … and as part of ESPN’s overall celebration of a quarter century of great athletes, we’re going mirror that turn-of-the-century theme celebrating the game’s greats by taking a look back at the best of the 21st century thus far from a fantasy baseball perspective.
This list of the top-25 players of the 21st century accounts for several factors, from player dominance to longevity to reliability. Keep in mind that only seasons played since 2000 count.
We’re going to start at the top, with the No. 1 overall player. The seasons listed below are those only from this century in which the player played. Each player’s listed positions include all of those for which the player qualified in any single year of his career.
1. Albert Pujols, 1B/OF/3B (2001-22)
This surefire, 2028 first-ballot Hall of Famer was also a fantasy stalwart — and the unquestioned No. 1 name on this list. Remarkably, Pujols unexpectedly burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old third baseman in 2001, earning Rookie of the Year honors while scoring the 12th-most fantasy points that season despite entering as a near-afterthought in drafts. From there, he topped the fantasy points leaderboard six times (2003, 2005-06, 2008-10) and finished top-12 overall in scoring in each of his first 12 seasons. Pujols’ 10 instances of at least a .300-30-100 season this century are easily the most of any player.
2. Justin Verlander, SP (2005-present)
Thanks in large part to his late-career rebirth following a Aug. 31, 2017, trade to the Astros, Verlander has soared to the top of the fantasy pitching leaderboard. He has already exceeded 7,500 career fantasy points — one of only three players this century to have done so — and was the overall leader in both 2011 (with the Detroit Tigers) and 2019 (with the Astros). He has seven career 500-point seasons, most recently during his 2022 Cy Young campaign, which he played as a 39-year-old.
3. Max Scherzer, SP (2008-present)
He and the next name on the list represent a virtual coin flip, but Scherzer’s advantage is that he has seven career seasons of 500-plus fantasy points, including six in a row from 2013-18 — the only pitcher this century who can claim such a streak. He was the fantasy points leader in both 2016 and 2018, and is the only pitcher who (since 2000) has made as many as six appearances in the top-10 overall in both fantasy points scored and on our Player Rater. Scherzer also did all this despite playing for five different teams over the past 11 years and with all of that taking place since his 30th birthday.
4. Clayton Kershaw, SP (2008-present)
His peak exceeded that of any who played the entirety of his career during the 21st century, as he’s one of only three pitchers to have enjoyed a 700-plus-point fantasy campaign (2015’s 702). He also scored 600-plus points each year from 2013-15, joining Randy Johnson as the only pitchers with at least a three-year streak of that kind this century. Kershaw won Cy Young Awards in 2011, 2013 and 2014, but injuries began to plague him shortly thereafter, and his return on investment hasn’t been as great over the past half-decade or so.
5. Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B/OF (2003-23)
One of the century’s best all-around hitters, Cabrera delivered a top-25 overall fantasy point total in every season from 2005 (his third in the majors) through 2014 (his 12th) and he was a top-10 scorer every year from 2010-13. He reached his peak in 2012, when he became the only player this century — and the first since 1967 — to win the Triple Crown, while also topping the fantasy leaderboard with 597 fantasy points, his fourth season in the midst of a five-year run exceeding the 500-point plateau. Cabrera was also a fun player to have because of his ability to shift around the diamond early in his career. He played four seasons as a regular third baseman (2006-07, 2012-13), one as a regular outfielder (2004), and two additional as a combination outfielder/third baseman (2003, 2005).
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B/SS (2000-16)
Another fun player from a position-flexibility perspective, “A-Rod” became the first shortstop in history to reach the 50-HR plateau (2001-02). Then, following his February 2004 trade to the Yankees, he shifted to third base full-time and enjoyed a 50-HR season there as well (2007). He is the only player in history to reach that milestone at two different infield positions, and his three 50-HR seasons are also the most by any player this century. A-Rod led the fantasy leaderboard during that 2007 campaign, and he’s one of only five hitters who have surpassed 7,000 fantasy points from 2000 on.
7. David Ortiz, DH/1B (2000-16)
The best designated hitter of this century, if not all-time, Ortiz’s 7,338 career fantasy points are third-best among all hitters, behind only the aforementioned Pujols (10,429) and Cabrera (7,993). Ortiz’s career prime arrived in 2005-07, when he scored 585-plus fantasy points to place among the top-five overall in each of those seasons. Additionally in that stretch, he enjoyed 54-HR (2006), .332-batting average (2007) and 148-RBI (2005) campaigns. He even scored 535 fantasy points in his final season — at the age of 40 — finishing seventh overall in the category.
8. Mike Trout, OF (2011-present)
While this rank might come as a surprise because many people instantly spring to declaring him as the century’s No. 1 player, consider the context. Trout is an extraordinary, Hall of Fame talent, with an eight-year peak (2012-19) averaging .308-35-92 hitting numbers, 24 steals and 499.4 fantasy points. Still, while that peak earned him consistent No. 1 overall draft status — and that indeed was his ADP every year from 2014-20 — Trout’s recent injury history has unfortunately held him back, especially in the total points department. His 4,985 fantasy points this century rank only 52nd overall. He did, however, finish among the top-three overall on the Player Rater four times: 2012’s No. 1, 2013’s No. 2 and both 2014’s and 2016’s No. 3.
9. Todd Helton, 1B (2000-13)
Spare us any dismissiveness that his offensive numbers were inflated by his Coors Field surroundings. Numbers are numbers for our purposes, and Helton’s were excellent. His league-leading 737 fantasy points in 2000 were the second-most by any hitter in any season this century (behind only Barry Bonds’ 774 in 2001), and he scored in excess of 600 points in four of the century’s first five seasons (2002’s 548 was the only time he fell short). By the way, from 2000-04, Helton scored 1,294 fantasy points away from Coors, which paces to 517.6 over a 162-game schedule.
10. Carlos Beltran, OF (2000-17)
A rotisserie 5×5 scoring superstar, Beltran is one of only three players with at least 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases this century (Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano) — and he very nearly joined the 40/40 club during a career-peak 2004 in which he wound up being a midseason rental of the Astros. That year was worth 586 fantasy points in those formats, eighth-best in the game, and he would add two more top-10 point totals over the four subsequent seasons.
11. Felix Hernandez, SP (2005-19)
One of the aughts’ most carefully managed pitchers, “King Felix” blossomed into an unhindered fantasy ace in 2009, kicking off a six-year stretch during which he averaged 537.2 points and was a top-10 overall name on our Player Rater three times (2009, 2010 and 2014). Hernandez’ 5,413 career fantasy points are seventh-best this century, but it’s the loftiness of his peak that earns him such high altitude in these rankings.
12. Robinson Cano, 2B (2005-22)
Robbie Cano, don’t-cha-know? His 6,307 fantasy points are not only the most this century by any second baseman, but they’re also nearly 1,000 more than the next-closest who played at least half his games at the position. From 2007-17, a span of 11 seasons, he scored 400-plus points nine times, either batting a qualified .300-plus or hitting 25 home runs in eight of them.
13. Vladimir Guerrero Sr., OF (2000-11)
One of just six players this century with multiple 30/30 seasons (2001, 2002), Vladdy Senior, father of the current Toronto Blue Jays first baseman, was a five-category rotisserie superstar with some of the best plate coverage in the game’s history. He batted .307-or-better with at least 32 homers in six of the century’s first seven seasons, scoring 523-plus fantasy points in each of those campaigns.
14. Freddie Freeman, 1B (2010-present)
Although it might seem like he’s currently at his career peak, Freeman has been a remarkably reliable fantasy player for more than a decade, finishing among the top-40 players in terms of points scored in seven of the last eight seasons and eight total times across his first 14 years. He was the No. 2-scoring player overall in 2020, left the Atlanta Braves for the Los Angeles Dodgers one year later, and then placed sixth (2022) and fifth (2023) after the move.
15. Zack Greinke, SP (2004-23)
Sure, he captured the 2009 American League Cy Young Award. Even so, Greinke’s success largely came in relative obscurity with a rebuilding Kansas City Royals team, before he elevated his game to another level during a three-year stint with the Dodgers from 2013-15. Greinke’s 630 fantasy points in 2015 were third-best in baseball (his same finish as in 2009, when he had 590 points) and his 6,717 total points this century are fourth-best among all pitchers.
16. Adrian Beltre, 3B (2000-18)
Many believe it was his defense that played a big part in his having just been voted to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer — and it did play a hearty role. Still, both Beltre’s longevity and consistent production truly carried the day. He had 12 seasons of at least 20 home runs and 75 RBI, tied for third-most this century, and six seasons with at least a .290 batting average and 25 home runs. Beltre’s 7,330 fantasy points since 2000 rank fifth-best, behind only Pujols, Cabrera, Verlander and Ortiz.
17. Bobby Abreu, OF (2000-14)
A points-league dynamo, Abreu scored at least 450 fantasy points in each of the century’s first 10 seasons, with four of them in excess of 500. Thanks to his speed, he was a universal fantasy superstar. Abreu is one of only six players this century with multiple 30/30 seasons and he compiled eight 20/20 campaigns, two more than anyone else since 2000.
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18. Joey Votto, 1B (2007-23)
Another points-league star, Votto’s 1,365 walks this century rank second-most and his .409 OBP sits seventh-best (minimum 2,500 plate appearances). However, that’s not to say that his patient approach wasn’t an asset in rotisserie leagues. It absolutely was. Votto enjoyed top-25 overall Player Rater finishes five times over an eight-year span (2010-11, 2015-17), peaking with his No. 4 overall finish during his 2010 National League MVP campaign.
19. Shohei Ohtani, DH/SP (2018-present)
The youngest player on our list is also the most prolific, which is how a player with only 3,517 career fantasy points, 183rd-most this century, can earn placement in our top 25. Ohtani’s two-way excellence is an extraordinary feat and he has not only led the majors in fantasy points in each of the last three seasons, but each of his totals in those years represents the century’s three best single-year numbers. Ohtani is far and away the No. 1-overall points league player when he’s healthy enough to pitch, but he’s a pretty good hitter (his only role in 2024), too. Using just hitting stats, he would have placed eighth, 25th and eighth overall on our Player Rater from 2021-23.
20. Lance Berkman, OF/1B (2000-13)
A consistency king rather than one who dominated the fantasy leaderboard, Berkman managed six seasons with top-40 overall Player Rater finishes this century, and five years with at least 500 fantasy points. Over an eight-year span from 2001-08, he averaged .304-33-110 numbers.
21. Mookie Betts, OF/2B/SS (2014-present)
He’s sneaking up in the all-time ranks thanks to a balanced skill set across all fantasy scoring formats as well as his positional flexibility. Betts’ 68.9 career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is already third-best in history among any player who has appeared in at least 80 games at second base, shortstop and in the outfield (behind only George Davis 84.9 and Ed Delahanty 69.6). Betts topped the Player Rater in both 2016 and 2018, and he was top-five overall in 2020 and 2023.
22. Barry Bonds, OF (2000-07)
Put aside any PED questions because, in fantasy baseball, what matters to us are the stats. Bonds’ stats during his brief period of play in the 21st century reached levels that no other name on this list did, save for Ohtani. Bonds led our game in fantasy points during both his 73-HR, record-setting 2001 as well as in 2004, and he was top 10 in scoring every year from 2000-04.
23. Jimmy Rollins, SS (2000-16)
Another consistency king, Rollins averaged 16 homers, 66 RBI, 33 steals, 98 runs scored and a .270 batting average over what was a 12-year peak between 2001-12 — and he did it from the often-difficult-to-fill shortstop position. He scored a second-best 618 fantasy points during his 2007 National League MVP campaign and his 6,625 career points scored are easily the most this century by any entirely SS-eligible player.
24. Mark Teixeira, 1B (2003-16)
Even at the deep first base position, Teixeira’s year-over-year reliability played a major part in the success of many a fantasy baseball team. From 2004-09, he hit at least .281 with 30 home runs and 105 RBI in every one of those seasons. Plus, he averaged 500.3 points over an eight-year span from 2004-11.
25. Derek Jeter, SS (2000-14)
He might have ended up ranking higher on this list had his first four big-league seasons not occurred prior to 2000, but Jeter’s excellence during this century’s first decade, plus his value relative to his positional brethren, helped him just make the cut. He was a run-scoring machine, managing to cross the plate at least 110 times in seven separate seasons (third-most this century) and he ended up hitting a qualified .300-plus a good nine times.
The ‘just-missed’ crew: SP CC Sabathia, OF/3B Ryan Braun, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, OF Ichiro Suzuki, SP Chris Sale, OF Matt Holliday, SP Roy Halladay, 2B Jose Altuve, OF/1B Carlos Lee, 3B/OF Chipper Jones.