10. Magglio Ordonez
Though his power numbers have steadily declined since he left Chicago after his age-30 season, Ordonez has transformed himself into arguably the league's best contact hitter since. That's not to say Magglio has gone completely powerless: in 2007, Maggs hit 28 homers and a league-leading 54 doubles while batting a major league-high .363. Ordonez finally seemed to decline a bit last season at age 34, but he's still one of the most feared hitters in the division.
9. Zack Greinke
Greinke's is a classic case of a young pitcher being rushed to the major leagues before he was ready. By the time his age-22 season rolled around, some had already viewed him as a bust. That's because he had 328 major league innings under his belt by that time, to go along with 28 losses and an average ERA around 5. But Greinke lived up to expectations last year as a 24-year old, pitching over 200 innings with a sub-3.5 ERA and over 180 strikeouts. His strong second half in 2008 has made him a trendy sleeper Cy Young pick this season.
8. Cliff Lee
Lee's inclusion and placement on this list caused more debate than any other player amongst the TTCS crew. What threw us off was his miserable 2007. But Lee was very good in 2005, and sound in 2006. Couple that with a historic 2008, and we have him as the best starter in the division. Going forward, sure, we'd easily take Greinke, John Danks, or Justin Verlander before Lee. But when you couple his above-average track record with a dominant '08, we really didn't have any choice but to put Lee on this list, regardless of whether or not we think he will ever approach his '08 numbers again.
7. Curtis Granderson
We admit it, Detroit: we're jealous. A native son and UIC grad, Granderson has developed into one of baseball's most feared leadoff hitters. He's everything our White Sox so desperately need. Granderson has led the AL in triples the last two seasons, and has averaged an OPS+ of 130 over that time. Did we mention he's one of the premier defensive center fielders in baseball, as well? The things we would do to turn Dewayne Wise into Curtis Granderson are probably illegal.
6. Joe Nathan
The Central features three of the league's best closers, but Nathan is the only one who appears on this list in part because of his track record. Don't think this is some type of career achievement award, though: even at age 33, Nathan was nasty last season. His 1.33 ERA was the lowest of his career, and he posted a WHIP under 1.0 for the fourth time in five seasons.
5. Carlos Quentin
Some may think this ranking is a little high. After all, Quentin only has one (amazing) season under his belt. But Q! gets the benefit of the doubt because what he did last year shouldn't have really been a surprise. It's different when a pitcher like the aforementioned Cliff Lee blows up out of nowhere at age 29, but Quentin's minor league track record predicted the type of success he had last season, his first full one in the bigs. 2008 was no fluke; Q! is for real.
4. Justin Morneau
Won the AL MVP in 2006, and finished second last year. While his numbers aren't always spectacular - '06 was the only time he has ever OPS'd over .900 - they're always more than solid. Just 27, Morneau still has plenty of good years left in front of him.
3. Miguel Cabrera
Cabrera turns 26 on Saturday. Here are the players baseball-reference lists as similar batters through age 25: 1) Ken Griffey Jr., 2) Hank Aaron, 3) Orlando Cepeda, 4) Frank Robinson. Griffey will be in the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, the other three men listed above are there already. We are truly witnessing an all-time great hitter in the prime of his career.
2. Grady Sizemore
Sizemore is the definition of a five-tool player. Perhaps no player in baseball better pairs power and speed, but it's his defense which gives Sizemore the edge of Cabrera on this list. Center field is one of the three positions where what you do in the field probably matters more than what you do at the plate, and Sizemore, still just 26, has already proven to be the total package. He has placed in the top 12 in AL MVP the last three seasons. And he's going to win one soon.
1. Joe Mauer
Mauer gets the nod as the best player in the division because he plays excellent defense at the league's hardest position all while being one of the toughest outs at the plate in the game. He won his second batting title last season at age 25, and did it with seemingly unparalleled plate discipline. Mauer already has two top six MVP finishes, and though he came in fourth last season, many felt he should have won it.
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