1.Pedro Martinez-okay I know Curt and Randy won CO MVP's and they got Dbacks their first championship. But that doesn't mean nothing, compared to what Pedro did over the last few years. This year is his time to shine again. I consider him the best pitcher in the business. Curt and Randy only had to face the Yankees once in the world series last few years. Pedro has made a living shutting down the Yankee elites. Not to mention other elite teams like the Rangers, Indians, and A's. He's unstoppable when he's heathly. Plain and simply.

1.Ruben Rivera-the yankee closer failed to get the job done in the 7th game of the world series but before that he put up unbeatable numbers. Still considered on of the best in the business.

2.Curt Schilling-He's ahead of Randy only cause he was unhittable and he made more appearances at the world series. I was shocked that he didn't lose the last game, this guy pitched three world series games..that's unheard of!

2.Byun Hyun Kim-He got rocked in the world series but before that he had a near perfect season as the closer. His rookie year he broke a lot of records especially with his strikeouts per innings pitched ratio. Last year he stepped in as a closer and did played his role. He got 19 saves out of 23 tries. That means he only blew four chances. He also got a 2.94 era.

3.Randy Johnson-The tin man finally got his ring. But he falls short of Curt cause he only pitched two games against the Yankees and at times he was hittable during the year. Remember what the Braves did to him?

3.Trevor Hoffman, SD-A great closer even after all these years. He got 43 saves out of only 46 chances! He only blew 3 games out of the whole year! Plus he got a 3.43 ERA!

4.Chan Ho Park-he was fourth in the league with strikeouts, had a 3.50 era and would have had a better win record if he got run support. He's a ace type pitcher who nasty/unhittable stuff.

5.Freddy Garcia-Tied with Maddux with a 3.50 era last year. Much of Seattle's success was cause of their pitching. Garcia was the Ace of that team. He's still young and has room to grow.

5.A. Benitez, -He got 43 saves out of only 46 chances! He only blew 3 games out of the whole year! He's a power pitcher, his fastball is unhittable, and knows how to keep the batters off balance.

1.Troy Glaus-Capable of walloping mammoth home runs, Glaus hammers fastballs that are out over the plate. He's only beginning to use the whole field and is an absolute terror against lefthanders. He exhibited advanced strike-zone judgment by drawing 112 walks in his second full big league season. Despite striking out 163 times, he is a patient hitter who will work the count and wait for a pitcher to make a mistake he can mash. But his defense is lacking, led the majors with 33 errors. With Chipper moving to LF, Glaus is the #1.

2.Mike Piazza- Lacks the defensive skills that Ivan has. But he's got the fastest bat speed in his position. His power and eye for the ball is uncanny. But one must wonder how much longer he can stay behind the plate as a catcher before moving to first base. With Mo Vaugh as a long time Met, Piazza is running out of options. Let's hope he can hold on.

2.Albert Pujols, -He can play multi postions and he belted 37 HR's with a .329 batting average! He's got good tools as a defensive outfielder and 3rd baseman. Expect a bright future from him.

3.Jorge Posada -A switch hitting catcher with that kind of power is a deadly combo! He's got better defensive skills than Piazza, but Mike has better bat speed and a better homerun hitter. But both can hit the ball in clutch situations. Posada can also steal bases which is rare for a catcher. He's the fastest runner out of the top three in this list.

3.Scott Rolen-struggled a bit last year but he's still one of the best in the league.When he's locked in, Rolen will work the count and crush the resulting fastballs with authority to all fields. However, as his patience has increasingly wavered over recent seasons, he has become more pull-conscious and often gets himself out on bad pitches. With just a little more patience, there's absolutely no telling how good an offensive player Rolen could become. He's also a base stealer and a good defenseman.

4.Jason Kendall-A great utility player who all around skills. He's got speed, quickness, patience behind the plate, and a decent arm to keep the runners nervous when he's behind the plate. It appears his leg injury didn't effect his game much, but he lacks the power to hit homeruns like the Posada, Piazza, or I Rod.

4.Tony Batista- continued the all-out power assault that stunned both opponents and fans alike after he was traded to Toronto midway into the 1999 season. Batista kept his torrid pace going into the All-Star break, batting .289 with 24 homers and 72 RBI in the first half of 2000.

5.Paul Loduca -He was a monster last year! The surprise player for the Dodgers. Most people did his performance last year was a fluke. But I think differently. He's got great discipline when he's batting, average power, and good speed for a guy his size. His defensive skills are mediocore.

5.Adrian Beltre uncoils in a hurry and uses the whole field. As his body matures, many of his gappers should fly up and over the wall, to both left- and right-center field. Beltre really can motor, though that speed has not yet translated into basestealing success. A more aggressive managerial strategy could allow him to double his stolen-base output rather easily. Made some errors on defense but it can be improved in due time.

1.Alex Rodriguez- had his best season last year, but no one knew it. Safeco Field dulled his numbers, preventing him from making a run at the Triple Crown. He had the best road numbers in the American League, with a league-high 28 homers and 81 RBI, and a .356 average, third-best in the circuit. He did all this while showing a vastly improved batting eye, nearly doubling his walk total. No one even thought to ask if he felt any pressure filling the departed Ken Griffey Jr.'s third spot in the batting order. He also had his best year in the field, committing only 10 errors and leading major league shortstops with 123 double plays. His strong arm is his biggest asset, but he also has good hands and positions himself well.

1.Jason Giambi-What more can you say? Jason Giambi's 1999 campaign, when he hit .315 with 33 homers and 123 RBI, was certainly solid. Still, last year he brought the notion of Can you top this? to a whole new level. Giambi not only emerged as the Athletics' clear leader on the field, but he also led the team in virtually every offensive category. He helped carry Oakland to the American League West pennant, setting a single-season Oakland record with 137 RBI. The net result was Giambi's first AL MVP Award. Lacks the speed or defense, could use improvement on that aspect of game.

2.Derek Jeter-The Yankees' shortstop may not have the power of Nomar Garciaparra or the fielding slickness of Alex Rodriguez, as he hit his fewest homers since 1997 and committed 24 errors. But Jeter's day-to-day steadiness and all-around ability have people thinking he'll be a league MVP someday soon.Jeter is not only a fast baserunner, but also a savvy navigator who runs hard. He can leg out infield hits and stretch gappers into doubles. He is capable of stealing 30 bases per season, but the team and the state of the game don't demand it. Defensively, Jeter can improve. He is a solid shortstop, although there are better fielders at the position in both leagues. His arm is strong and he can make plays on the run, both in the hole and up the middle

2.Todd HeltonIn becoming the first player in National League history and only the fifth in major league history to have 200 hits, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, 100 extra-base hits and 100 walks in a season, Helton hit .353 outside Coors Field. An All-Star selection for he first time, he led the majors with a .372 average and 147 RBI. The biggest turn of events for him was that he started strong and hit lefthanders, two areas that troubled him in his previous seasons in the big leagues.

3.Nomar Garciaparra-Nomar Garciaparra, Boston's entry in the present-day Holy Trinity of shortstops, won another batting title, ranked fifth in the American League with a .434 on-base percentage and placed seventh with a .599 slugging percentage. What's remarkable is that Garciaparra played hurt much of last season. Though a wrist injury clearly affected his power, he probably would have reached 100 RBI had the top of the Red Sox lineup not struggled and had he not been intentionally walked a league-high 20 times. This just in the man can hit.Garciaparra's home infield has the largest error ratio in the major leagues, so his error totals can be deceptive

3.Jeff Bagwell-2000 Season Baseball fans and pundits had been wondering what Jeff Bagwell would do outside the vast spaces of the Astrodome for years, and they found out in 2000. He quietly went about establishing career highs in home runs and runs scored, leading the major leagues in the latter category with an incredible 152 runs. Not surprisingly, he was the biggest beneficiary of Enron's offensive boost, smacking 28 longballs at home against a more human 19 on the road.

4. Omar Vizquel- provided stunning defense and consistent offense at shortstop. He won his eighth straight Gold Glove after making just three errors all season. He had a 95-game errorless streak from September 26, 1999 to July 21, 2000. After a quiet first-half offensively, he hit .314 in his last 97 games.

4.Rafael Palmerio-Palmeiro enjoyed his sixth consecutive season of more than 35 home runs, and he finished among the American League leaders in both homers and RBI. But he had to expand his hitting zone and sacrifice average to do so. Still, he swatted 39 longballs and became the 32nd player in major league history to reach 400 homers.

5.Jimmy Rollins-Despite his diminutive stature, this switch-hitter is far from a mere spray hitter. Rollins drives the ball to all fields, routinely reaching the gaps. He is equally adept from both sides of the plate, which should smooth his offensive transition to everyday major league play.Rollins' raw speed is enhanced by both his innate feel for the game and his ability to consistently get a quality jump. He projects as an eventual 30-40 stolen base threat

5.Carlos Delgado-After making a valiant run at the Triple Crown in just his fifth full season in the big leagues, Carlos Delgado has joined the ranks of the super elite. In addition to his run at the homer, RBI and batting titles, Delgado led the league in total bases, doubles, extra-base hits and times on base. He placed in the top percentile of so many offensive categories that anyone can summarize his 2000 season in one word dominant.

1.Barry Bonds-hitting 73 homers last year is good enough to be number 1. He's one of the most lethal batters in the game.

2.Edgardo Alfonzo-Other players in the Big Apple may receive more attention, but no one is more productive on a daily basis than Edgardo Alfonzo. The Mets' best infielder and most consistent hitter, Alfonzo played through a bruised right hip and several other ailments to earn a trip to the All-Star Game and put together his best season. His strong knowledge of the strike zone and great plate coverage result in few weaknesses in his swing.Alfonzo's glove is the glue of the strong Mets' infield

2Sammy Sosa-As most know, Sosa has explosive power to all fields and is especially deadly on knee-high fastballs. He'll sometimes get himself out by chasing fastballs up and out of the zone or breaking balls down and away, but he doesn't do it nearly as often as he used to. The drop in his home-run total was due more to the oddly unfriendly winds at Wrigley last summer than any decline in his skills. His defense has improved since last year.

3.Jeff Kent- The 2000 campaign was a recognition year for Jeff Kent. His numbers were fairly consistent with his previous three seasons in terms of run production, though he easily set career highs in batting average and walks. The difference was his fast start he had 85 RBI by the All-Star break and the acclaim he finally received from the media for his exploits at the plate. The result was a National League MVP Award, as he edged out teammate Barry Bonds for the circuit's top honor.

3.Ichiro Suzuki-last year's MVP. He lead the batting title, steals, and was one of the best leadoffs batters in the league. He's a great defensive outfielder with a explosive arm. He can gun down any runner.

4.Bret Boone-How things have changed in one year. Boone has his career year as a Mariner posting up 37 HR's and a 331. batting average. He was a big part of the success last year for the Mariners. Boone's strong arm allows him to play deep and cover a lot of ground. With soft hands and a quick pivot, he's one of the best defensive second basemen in the game.

4.Gary Sheffield-Sheffield has one of the quickest bats in baseball.He has used the combination of power and patience to post back-to-back seasons with 100-plus RBI, walks and runs scored. His main power is to left field, but he can hit longballs out to any part of the park. But he seems to know when to turn it on and is a savvy baserunner. His instincts in the outfield are just fair; he began as a shortstop and never has completely adjusted to the outfield.

5.Tied with 5 th Jose Vidro -The main difference in Vidro's hitting last year was his production from the right side of the plate. In past years, the switch-hitter had been far weaker from the right side, but last season he suddenly discovered his power from that side. He's a line-drive hitter who pulls the ball from the left side and uses more of the whole field from the right side. He was more patient last year, working deeper counts and drawing more walks. For the second year in a row, he was at his best in the No. 2 hole, batting .396 in 283 at-bats. Defense needs improvement.

Alfonso Soriano- one of the best base stealers in the game. He's got great defensive skills, and he can play multi positions. Needs some discipline behind the plate but he made some game winning hits during the playoffs last year. He showed a lot of poise when he was under pressure. A future star in the making.

5Vladimir Guerrero-It seemed almost too good to be true. If Vladimir Guerrero could be that good at ages 22 and 23, how good could he be at age 24? Guerrero answered that question last year and didn't disappoint anyone, with the possible exception of opposing pitchers. He went two weeks into the season before striking out, set new personal highs in both batting average and home runs, and finished near the top of the National League in every Triple Crown category. Sorry but Griffery Jr. is slumping since he went to the Reds while Guerrero is on the rise. he has a fearsome throwing arm, but still throws flat-footed even when he has time to gather momentum so I give a edge to Irchiro.