So I thumbed through a copy of Sporting News, which had their list of who they consider to be the 50 best baseball players in the MLB. It doesn't really list the numbers or anything to indicate how they came to this list, just a bunch of anecdotes about why Albert Pujols is scary or how impressive Adrian Gonzalez is. Now, some of you might be saying "Don't you hate numbers and love anecdotes?" And yes, that is true. But I also value numbers as one of the ways to measure success. You don't draft a player just because they seem impressive.

The amusing part is that Sporting News has a section in the piece that lists players by WAR. Bautista's WAR is 11.5, putting him well above the pack and at the top of the list. What does Sporting News have to say about that? "Bautista's power surge put him on our top 50 list this year, but well behind his WAR ranking."