Late Wednesday night, the Sporting News released its list of the top 50 players in major league baseball.  And guess who was #1 on the list?

You probably had no difficulty in guessing that St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman Albert Pujols was selected as the top MLB player.  He was also perched on top of last season’s list.

In case you were wondering, the list is voted on by former major leaguers who have been decorated with many accolades – Hall of Famers, MVPs, CY Youngs, Glove Glovers, Silver Sluggers, Managers of the Year and other media, team broadcasters and executives.  So, the jury would seem to know what it’s talking about.

The thing that bothers me with the selection of Pujols is that offensive productivity seems to have carried 100% of the reason for his selection.  Anyone who casually follows the sport realizes that Pujols is the most dangerous hitter in the game, but he certainly isn’t the most well-rounded, versatile player today.  Without question, he does his job at first base – but where else could he play and be effective.  Let’s be real here – - Pujols’ defensive position doesn’t require the player to exhibit a lot of range or show any arm strength.  Thus, Pujols couldn’t possibly be given a good mark on these tools of the game.

Torii Hunter is a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner with good power and speed.

But somehow I get the feeling that defense wasn’t a factor that was adequately assessed in these rankings.  If they were, how could a player of Torii Hunter’s all around ability be ranked 31st?  Versatile talents such as Derek Jeter (#4), Ichiro Suzuki (#8) and Chase Utley (#9) all ranked in the top 10.  But wouldn’t their defense - when coupled with their good offensive production – put them ahead of Pujols if we’re quantifying the total package that these players bring to the table?

You also have to factor in the variable of speed.  Take, for example, a player like Carl Crawford (#25 on the list).  He’s currently batting .316 with 20 RBIs.  Crawford also plays great in left field and has outstanding speed on the basepaths.  And we all realize that speed is an attribute that never has a bad day.

Also, shouldn’t pitchers be evaluated on a separate list?  Everyday players have a different impact on a team, while pitchers – particularly the ones included in this list – are strong starters.  They’ll only see action in one to two games each week.  Therefore, their contribution potential is not nearly the same as a traditional position player.

By no means am I attempting to downplay the fact that Albert Pujols’ hitting abilities put him in a different class than most other players. 

But what I am attempting to do is shed light on the fact that defense and speed are valuable traits that must be figured into the equation to properly determine a player’s overall effectiveness.