We're only a few months into the 2016 MLB season, and while some players are still getting into the flow of the season, a few have proven themselves to be the cream of the crop around the league. Here are the top eight players in the MLB right now:
8. 3B Josh Donaldson - Toronto Blue Jays
The 2015 AL MVP has taken a bit of a step back this season, posting a .254 batting average, yet his 14 home runs and 34 RBIs have him on pace to get close to last year's numbers. Expect him to only improve as the season goes on.
7. 1B Paul Goldschmidt - Arizona Diamondbacks
Paul Goldschmidt doesn't get the publicity of the other names on this list, but he's still a baseball cyborg. Gold Glove? Check. #2 in Major League Baseball with a 1.005 OPS. Check. Membership in the exclusive 30/100 HR/BB club? CHECK.
There's plenty of other stats for you to freak out over, but just know this -- Goldschmidt is a generation-defining player in the making, and almost no one is talking about him. He's continuing to plus away this year with a .270 average, 11 homers and 37 RBIs.
6. 2B Jose Altuve - Houston Astros
Altuve is the smallest player in the league at 5'6", but there isn't anything he can't do on the field. On top of being one of the best defensive second basemen in the majors, he is hitting .337. He also packs surprising power in his tiny frame, belting 10 home runs and 37 RBIs this season.
5. 3B/SS Manny Machado - Baltimore Orioles
Machado has seemingly cemented himself as the third-best position player in the league, and he's still just 23 years old. His defensive prowess allows him to play either third base or shortstop, though the Orioles seem to be testing out a full-time switch to short - which he's excelling at. The only reason why he hasn't reached this point sooner is because of past injury issues.
4. P Jake Arrieta - Chicago Cubs
The 2015 NL Cy Young winner pitched to a mouth-dropping 0.75 ERA and .148 Batting Average Against in 13 August-September starts last year, and he's only gotten better in 2016, posting a 9-1 record with a 1.80 ERA in 12 starts. That's not filthy, that's superhuman. His train to the top of the MLB pitching mountain is still gaining steam.
3. P Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers
Still, Arrieta has to keep it up for more than a few seasons before he passes Kershaw as the best pitcher in the sport. He has been even more dominant this season, going 8-1 in 12 starts with a 1.46 ERA and 109 strikeouts. Kershaw's also working on his eighth straight season with an ERA below 3.00.
2. CF Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels
Trout is oddly underrated at this point because of LA's struggles, and that's foolish. There's no one in Major League Baseball who does more things well than Trout (No. 1 on our list just does some things better). On top of being perhaps the best defensive outfielder in the MLB, he's batting .308 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs.
1. RF Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals
Major League Baseball needs Bryce Harper. Equal parts swagger and insane production, Harper looks poised to be the best player in the sport for the next decade and a half. Sure, he's in a little bit of a slump right now, but there's no other player in the league who can match his combination of hitting for power and average. Once he breaks out of this slump, he'll remind everyone why the NL MVP deserves this place on the list.
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