2003 MBL Top 10 Position Players in the draft

Top 10 Position players

Here is a rundown of the top 10 position players in the 2003 draft. These rankings are based off the players career WAR numbers as stated on Baseball-reference.com. Enjoy!

1. Miguel Cabrera LF/3B WAR 64.7 (still playing)

Miggy is the crown jewel of the draft in everyone's eyes. Great player to build a team around, maybe not such a great player if you are going for it in 2003 with the .247 avg vs RH. Great defense, I don't even mind the 50 error rating in LF.

2. Chase Utley 2b WAR 62.3 (still playing, but poorly in 2015)

Another great addition to a team that might be rebuilding or a team that can hide him on their roster for a couple of years while he gets his feet wet. I was a little surprised that he is only 2.4 WAR points below the might Miggy. Specially for a second base man.

3. Mark Teixeira- 1b WAR 52.4 (still playing)

Need a good first-baseman for a number of years starting in 03? Mark is your man. Power out of the gate, good range and defense.

4. José Reyes SS WAR 36.8 (still playing)

Limited to 50% of the year in 03 and 04 but everything you want in your short stop 05 and beyond. 

5. Justin Morneau 1B, WAR 27 (still playing)

Might not be much to look at for a few years but shows a little talent in 04, then regresses in 05, but crushed in 06. If you can wait that long.

6. Marlon Byrd OF WAR 25.2 (still playing)

Byrd, Bryd, Byrd is the word. Good hitting average defense center fielder.

7. Casey Blake 3B, 1B WAR 24.9 (last year 2011)

Another WAR surprise at 24.9. Nothing really leaps out about Casey. He is just one of those solid players with some good defense and solid bat. He is what modern day third basemen look like now instead of the traditional power hitting hot corner.

8. Jason Bay OF, WAR 24.3 (last year 2013)

Here is Jason Bay who replaces Coco on our list. Needs to be put in the oven 1 more year before he becomes useful.

9. Chone Figgins 
CF,2B,SS,LF WAR 22(last year 2012, and 14)

Here looks to be a nice solid card for the 03 campaign for those who need/want a center fielder Figgins brings nice range to CF and a very solid bat, and nice speed to boot. Plus he brings this style in 04 and 05 as well. 

10. Hideki Matsui OF WAR 21.3 (last year 2012)

Godzilla hit the streets of NY in 2003 he was 29 at the time and a seasoned veteran in the Japan leagues. A very solid 2003 campaign for the MLB rookie and got better in upcoming seasons. 

There you have it. I did leave a couple of high WAR players off the list as they are not carded in 04 (Brandon Phillips, Jhonny Peralta). Hope this helps you in the drafting process. It would mean more to me if I had a 1st round pick, but I went I traded it away :). I will get around to the top 10 pitchers in a day or two.