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Astros represented well in MLB’s “Top 10 Right Now”

By Brian Murray

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 07: Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 07, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 07: Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 07, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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The MLB Network has revealed it’s annual Top 10 Right Now for the season and the Astros had a decent showing in most positions and shortchanged in a couple.

The MLB Top 10 Right Now ranks the best players at each position based on the last two seasons of work. The Astros did fairly well with eight players making the grade at seven different positions, but three positions were void of any Houston players in the top 10. Let’s take a look at who ranked where and who got snubbed.

In the pitching category, the Astros represented well with Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke showing up on the list of starters and Ryan Pressly among the top ten relievers. Verlander came in at #2 behind leader Jacob deGrom, Greinke ranking sixth, and Pressly was the fifth on the list of relief pitchers.

Astros Justin Verlander holding the ALCS Trophy
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 19: Justin Verlander celebrates with the trophy following his teams win in game 6 of the ALCS on October 19, 2019. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

I personally think Verlander, who ranked fifth last season, should have been at the top this year. He had the most wins over the last two seasons with 37 and was second behind Gerrit Cole in strikeouts whiffing 590 batters. He also led the Majors with the lowest xFIP and SIERA, both coming in at 2.75. Yes, DeGrom took the Cy Young in 2018 and ’19, but Verlander did win it last year and was runnerup in 2018.

The Astros landed three infielders in the top 10 with Jose Altuve ranking third, Carlos Correa ninth, and Alex Bregman first in their respective positions. Bregman taking the honors as the top third baseman was a no-brainer after nearly winning the American League MVP. Altuve slipped a couple of spots from the top-ranking he received among second basemen in 2019. Correa barely got on the list after not making it last year and probably would have been higher if not for the injury issues.

George Springer and Michael Brantley were the two Astros outfielders in the 2020 Top 10 Right Now. Springer came in third for center fielders after a fifth-place showing last year and Brantley was second among left fielders, just behind Juan Soto. Once again, Houston had no right fielder in the top 10. The other two positions with no Astros listed was first base and catcher.

Next. Astros: Reaction to Hinch interview, WSJ codebreaker report. dark

It will be interesting to see how these rankings compare to how well our favorite Astros players perform this season. It’ll also be fun to see who might make it on next season’s list after the 2020 season is complete. Will Yuli Gurriel finally break into the top ten? Could Kyle Tucker have his big breakout season and make the list?

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