Who is the most valuable player in the game?

I read an interesting article today outlining who one particular writer felt were the most valuable trade commodities in the game today. Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez are definitely one-two in my mind. I realize some might believe putting Longoria at the top of this list after less than a half a season under his belt in the bigs might be a little bit of a reach, but this kid was born to play baseball. His mannerisms, makeup and tools scream out superstar.

I have a problem with David Wright and Albert Pujols being so high on the list. They both make tons of money (in Wright's case, not necessarily this year because his deal is so back-loaded). Don't get me wrong, they are both fantastic all-around baseball players that any GM would want on their team. When it comes to a ranking of this sort, Wright and Pujols already have too much money committed to them in the future. Also, I don't think this ranking puts enough emphasis on young, quality starting pitching. We all know that starting pitching is what takes you places once the regular season ends. This is the reason why I think it is ludicrous that the only two starting pitchers in the top ten are Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez. I definitely think Lincecum should at least be #4 and possibly even #3 on this list.

Speaking of Lincecum, the si.com article by Tom Verducci is pretty fascinating. It left me thinking that I could throw 98 mph with the proper mechanics. Here's hoping he's pitching for the Giants 20 years from now. In case that didn't let the cat out of the bag, I am a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan, but don't let that discourage you from feeling free to talk about all things baseball!