The top 100 players in MLB right now: Jose Altuve the best in MLB so far

It's August, so it's time for our monthly look at which 100 players have been the best thus far in 2016

Since we've dipped our lovingly manicured toes into August, it's time for our monthly look at the top 100 players in baseball.

When we did this coming into the season, the rankings were based upon reasonable expectations -- using things like age and recent performance history -- to make educated guesses at which players would provide the most value in 2016. Since the start of the season, though, it's been about performance to date. As such, the rankings you're about to see reflect nothing more than who's been the best in 2016 so far. The preceding has been italicized for emphasis.

By way of example, you'll soon discover that Bryce Harper is not among the top 100 this time around. Simply put, he mans a non-premium position and his offensive outputs, while good, are not especially noteworthy by the standards of corner outfielders. Right now, Harper has an OPS+ of 117, and a chunk of his value flows from his MLB-leading 16 intentional walks, for which he should receive partial credit at most. That OPS+ of his would be top-100 material if he were, say, a shortstop or catcher. Instead, he's a corner outfielder who adds modest value on the bases and in the field. Again, this is about value in 2016 so far. If we're talking about players you'd start a franchise with or players you'd want for the next five years, Harper would surely be ranked high. That, however, is an entirely different set of criteria

In coming up with these rankings, your scribe paid no heed to what may or may not be sustainable. Some of the names will be very much at home among the game's best, while others belong to players who have solidly over-performed. In either case, we're not worried about whether the performances will stick. It's all about what's happened thus far in 2016 and 2016 alone. In the case of players who have been traded during the season, their overall body of work this year is what's being considered.

As for what matters, with position players it's a mix of batting, defense, and baserunning. On offense, we're not concerned with things like RBI. Getting on base and hitting for power matter above all, as do playing time, context of the player's home ballpark, and production relative to positional peers (e.g., the offensive bar is lower for shortstops and catchers than it is for first basemen and DHs). For pitchers -- and since this a backward-looking assessment of value provided -- run prevention and workload will be the drivers, but we'll also give some consideration to underlying fundamental indicators like strikeouts and walks. When it comes to relievers, leverage, or the relative importance of the innings a reliever works, are taken into account. This is why closers tend to beat out middle relievers for spots on this list. (And it's also hard for relievers to crack this list in the first place, given how much more valuable starting pitchers tend to be, thanks to their much higher innings loads.)

Again, this is all about the season to date, and the rankings suggest nothing about whether the player in question can maintain the current level of performance. As such, the next time you see this list, it'll probably look very different.

Now let's roll out the current rankings (rankings and statistics cited are current as of the morning of Aug. 4) ...

Gregorius is a slick-fielding shortstop who's played in more than 100 games while slugging .453.

What a story. The 31-year-old rookie has a 2.93 ERA after 107 ⅓ innings.

Pomeranz has struggled since going to Boston, but overall his 2016 season has been a strong one. In 116 ⅓ innings, he's put up an ERA of 3.09.

Saunders isn't much in the field, but his bat is certainly lifting up his overall value. After 410 plate appearances (recall that he's had trouble staying healthy in the past), he's batting .274/.359/.520 with 19 homers and 25 doubles.

Cole missed more than a month with a triceps strain, but he's been exceptional since returning. On the season, he has a 2.73 ERA in 92 ⅓ innings.

Villar's a shortstop with a strong line of .297/.379/.434 and a whopping 40 stolen bases.

Encarnacion's blasted 29 homers while batting .265/.354/.545.

With a 125 OPS+ and reasonably sound defense, Cabrera's rebound season lands him on this list.

Cruz continues to punish the ball even in his mid-30s. Safeco isn't an accommodating environment for power hitters, but Cruz right now has 27 bombs and an OPS of .905.

Fowler missed significant time with a leg injury, but otherwise he's been quite productive while playing a strong center field. At this writing, Fowler has a line of .289/.403/.480.

The former Rule 5 pick continues to deliver as the Phils' every-day center fielder. He's batting .285/.366/.418 with some speed and pop. He's also drawn a walk in more than 11 percent of his plate appearances.

Schoop's a better defender at the keystone than you'd think based on his large and sturdy build. As well, he's slugging .485 with 17 home runs.

Russell's a standout defender at short, and he's an above-average hitter by positional standards. And while this likely isn't sustainable or any kind of genuine skill on his part, he's also been one of the most clutch hitters in baseball this season. Obviously, that enhances his value to the Cubs.

Segura's adapted quite well to second base, and he's batted .310/.360/.453 with 18 stolen bases along the way.

Kipnis has indeed been a key part of the Indians' success this season, particularly with Michael Brantley's being out for almost the entire season. The second baseman has hit .285/.342/.484 in 453 plate appearances.

Yep, CarGo's still a Rocky. On the season, he's put up a line of .322/.372/.569 with 23 homers. Coors Field or no, that's strong production.

Myers continues to be a well-rounded threat as first basemen go. This season, he's batting .275/.353/.488 with 20 homers and 21 steals in 24 attempts.

After 19 starts, Gray has a 3.77 ERA, which makes for a Coors-adjusted ERA+ of 133. He's also struck out 120 batters against 35 unintentional walks.

Hill's been laid up with blister problems, but his work to date has been tremendous: 76.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 181 ERA+, 3.21 K/BB ratio.

Freeman remains one of the few bright spots in Atlanta. Despite worries about his back, he's played in 105 games and posted an OPS+ of 134.

The under-appreciated Tomlin has a strong 136 ERA+ after 120 ⅔ innings. His 6.21 K/BB ratio also leads the AL.

In addition to playing solid right field, Polanco is hitting .283/.356/.497 with 15 homers.

Belt's logged 439 plate appearances, and over that span he's batted .286/.399/.486 with 68 walks and 27 doubles.

He's running a sub-3.00 ERA after 128 ⅓ innings, and he's allowed just two unearned runs all year. As well, Lester's quality start percentage of 76.2 ranks seventh in the majors.

On April 21, Votto was raising concerns with his .172/.258/.241 batting line. Now? Now he's hitting a much more customary .293/.424/.497. So here he is in the top 100.

Has Britton been the best closer in baseball this season? That question can be plausibly asked. At this writing, he has an incredible ERA of 0.60, and he's yet to blow a save opportunity.

Piscotty has played a solid right field while putting up an OPS+ of more than 120. He's in line to make a run at 300 total bases.

Cespedes just hit the disabled list, but he's banked a lot of value to date. In 376 plate appearances, he's batted .292/.364/.551 with 22 homers.

Zobrist has cooled off since his magma-hot start to 2016, but he's still been highly productive for the best team in baseball. Chief among his merits is a .385 OBP.

In 141 innings this season, Porcello's pitched to a 3.45 ERA. Along the way, he's walked just 25 batters.

It continues to be a nifty bounce-back season for the veteran Longoria, who's played in 104 games while batting .282/.330/.524.

Dozier got off to a slow start in 2016, but he caught fire eventually and is now batting .261/.339/.499 with 21 bombs. That's obviously great production for a middle infielder.

Ozuna continues to pin down center field for the contending Marlins, and along the way he's posted a slash line of .298/.352/.514.

Estrada's most recent start pushed his ERA for the season down below 3.00. This season, opposing hitters are batting just .181 against him.

Diaz is laid up with a hand fracture, but he's been a vital part of the contending Cardinals this season. As their primary shortstop, he's batted .312/.376/.518 in 96 games.

He gets overshadowed in that stacked D.C. rotation, but Roark has a 3.00-ish ERA while ranking fourth in the NL in innings.

Lewis hasn't made a start since June 21 because of a lat strain, but he's still be good enough to cling to a spot on this list. In 98.0 innings, he's allowed 36 runs and walked just 19 batters while putting up a WAR of 3.0.

Tanaka remains the stabilizer in the Yankee rotation. After 22 starts, he's a got an ERA+ of 122 and a K/BB ratio of 4.15.

Verlander's renaissance season continues to be a fine one: 117 ERA+ while ranking second in the AL in strikeouts and third in innings.

Happ's allowed 47 runs in 131 innings. In related matters, he's allowed three runs or fewer in 17 of his 21 starts this year.

Carrasco missed time with injury earlier in the year, but he's still managed to be a highly valuable member of baseball's best rotation. Chiefly, he's put up an ERA+ of 150.

When healthy, Braun still produces. Right now, he's batting .320/.383/.521 with 15 dingers in 86 games.

Turner overcame a slow start to the season and is now producing at something close to customary levels. He's a plus fielder who may make a run at 30 homers.

The 24-year-old righty may soon be headed to the bullpen because of workload concerns, but the body of work to date is impressive. Specifically, Sanchez's 2.71 ERA leads the AL right now.

The best defensive corner outfielder in the AL? It's possibly Eaton. He also gets on base, has occasional pop to the gaps, and adds value with his speed.

Coming off an absolutely dominating outing against the Rays (franchise record 16 strikeouts), Duffy's spot in the top 100 is quite secure. On the season, he boasts an ERA+ of 149 and a sparkling K/BB ratio of 5.48.

Fernandez just turned 24, and he's pitched to a 139 ERA+ and 4.92 K/BB this season for the contending Marlins.

Let's keep it simple: He's a rookie shortstop who was leading the NL in homers at the time of his likely season-ending injury. Sure, Coors Field and all, but he's been a highly valuable performer.

What a hitter. No, Lamb's glove isn't an asset, but he's slugging .591 with 23 homers in 389 plate appearances.

Yes, Desmond continues on as the bargain signing of the winter. For $8 million, the Rangers got an every-day center fielder (his transition to the outfield has been remarkably smooth) who's running an OPS of .870 and adding value on the bases.

Goldy hasn't quite put up his customary power numbers this season, but his customary skills in the field and on the bases plus a line of .299/.412/.499 make him an easy choice for the list.

Salazar's work in 2016 remains quite strong on balance, but declining velocity and DL-worthy elbow problems raise concerns. Still, he's got a 138 ERA+ after 20 starts, which is why he's on this list.

The ageless Beltre still adds a lot of value with his fielding at third base, and he's on pace for 24 homers with an OPS near .800.

Springer at this writing leads the majors in plate appearances while getting on base, hitting for power, and playing a nifty right field.

Yes, Chatwood, despite not receiving much attention nationally, has been this good. Despite pitching exactly half his innings this season at Coors Field, Chatwood has a 3.50 ERA with eight home runs allowed in 110 ⅔ innings.

Carpenter's been sidelined since July 6 because of an oblique injury, but even with the time missed he's been a highly valuable contributor. He's seen time at three different infield positions while batting .298/.420/.568.

Crawford may be the NL's top defensive shortstop (Addison Russell is also in this discussion), and his bat remains highly useful relative to his shortstop peers.

Perez is of course a linchpin and leader for the defending champs. He remains remarkably durable behind the plate, and he may be the best power-hitting catcher in the game today.

He's been the Cardinals' only consistent starter this season. After 20 starts, Martinez (who's still just 24) boasts an ERA+ of 135.

The freshly minted Ranger is a sound defensive catcher who produces at a very high level, as catchers go. Lucroy was probably the biggest difference-maker to be traded leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

Yelich is simply a star in the making. He's a reliable defender with advanced on-base skills and an OPS+ of 137.

Sale's doing Sale things once again. He's coming up on 150 innings, and he's running an ERA in the low 3.00's with 143 strikeouts against 33 walks.

Ramos has spent more than 750 innings behind the plate while handling one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. To boot, he's batting .331/.381/.536.

Quintana is once again doing Quintana things in 2016: 2.89 ERA, 3.79 K/BB ratio, opponents' OBP of .285.

The knuckleballer continues to thrive in 2016. In 21 starts, Wright owns an ERA+ of 140, and he's allowed just eight homers in 137 ⅔ innings. As well, his three complete games leads the AL.

Arrieta's declined substantially as the season's gone along, but there's no assailing his overall work to date: 43 runs allowed in 134 ⅓ innings.

Young Fulmer continues to shine after adjusting his approach. In 17 starts, he's pitched to a 2.42 ERA.

At some point, Cabreras deep decline phase will set in, but thus far there's no sign of it. Right now, he boasts a standout OPS+ of 150.

The Baltimore rotation has had its problems this season, but Tillman has been the exception. He's on pace for 215 innings and a sub-3.50 ERA.

Kluber's stuff and underlying indicators remain outstanding, and he's authored a 143 ERA+ across a hefty total of 143 innings.

In the Year of the Shortstop, are we giving Correa short shrift? He's producing right in line with his 2015, AL Rookie of the Year levels.

Posey's on the short-list of best defensive catchers in baseball, and at the plate he's put up an OPS of more than .800, all while spending his home games in one of the toughest hitter's parks around.

When you're a durable shortstop who runs the bases well and has a batting line of .323/.380/.478, you're also one of the best players in baseball. So it is with young Bogaerts.

In 123 ⅓ innings this season, Thor's put up an ERA of 2.48 while striking out six times as many as he's walked.

Marte remains an elite combination of batting, baserunning, and defense. He's developed into one of the most well-rounded threats in the game today.

Teheran's rebound season continues to go swimmingly. After a down 2015, the 25-year-old is once again looking like a significant long-term asset. That's why the Braves didn't move him at the deadline.

DeGrom continues to be a strong presence in the Mets' rotation. After 19 starts, he's put up an ERA of 2.41 with a strong K/BB ratio of 4.50.

Cueto's kept runs off the board and showed the best command indicators of his career. As well, only Clayton Kershaw has averaged more innings per start this season.

Kinsler's 34, but he's still producing at a high level at the plate, in the field, and on the bases.

Seager's a plus fielder at the hot corner, and he's putting up the best offensive numbers of his (underrated) career.

In 140 ⅓ innings, Hamels has registered an ERA of 2.89 while striking out almost a batter per inning. With Yu Darvish limited by surgery recovery and injury, Hamels has been the Texas ace in 2016.

As recently as late May, Scherzer had an ERA north of 5.00. Since then, though, the run prevention has caught up to the underlying dominance, as he's posted a sub-2.00 ERA since the start of June.

Now that Trevor Story's likely out for the season, Seager should have a clear path to the NL Rookie of the Year award. Rare is the shortstop who puts up these kinds of offensive numbers.

Bradley's a regular center fielder who hits like an All-Star first baseman. Ergo, he's high on this list.

Hendricks may be the Cubs' No. 3 starter, but he may also be their leading Cy Young candidate right now. After 125 ⅔ innings, he owns an ERA of 2.22.

Big Papi continues to author what will likely wind up as the greatest final season ever. He leads the majors in OPS+ and still has a shot at getting to 100 extra-base hits.

He's worked 133 ⅔ innings, put up an ERA of 2.63 (160 ERA+), struck out 161 batters, and notched a quality start 75 percent of the time.

Arenado's an artist with the glove, and the offensive numbers are strong even after you adjust for his home ballpark. In terms of overall value, he's one of the best in the game today.

Rizzo has evolved into one of the premier "take and rake" hitters in the game today. He gets on base, and when he hits the ball, he does big damage.

Kershaw hasn't made a start since June 26 thanks to back problems, and yet here he is ranked quite high on this list. Such was his dominating 2016 performance before he got hurt.

Betts is a standout defender in right who leads the majors in plate appearances and total bases. He's got a shot at putting up a 30-30 season for the Sox.

Yes, he's probably the best defensive shortstop in baseball. He's also one of the best defenders at any position. To boot, Lindor can also hit a little, especially by positional standards.

Decline phase? It's on hold. Cano's as durable as ever, batting close to .300, and on pace to make a run at his first 30-homer season since 2012.

Your NL Cy Young frontrunner? He's pitched to an ERA in the low 2.00s, he leads the majors in innings, and he's got a good shot at topping 250 strikeouts. Let's also not forget about the value he adds with the bat. Only Clayton Kershaw has a higher quality start percentage this season.

Murphy remains a strong MVP candidate in the National League. He's an every-day middle infielder who's batting .356/.395/.623 with 20 homers and an NL-leading 32 doubles.

He's improved upon the offensive numbers that garnered him NL Rookie of the Year laurels in 2015, and the glove continues to be better than expected. Believe it or not, he's seen time at six different positions this season.

Machado's the AL's best defensive third baseman, and he's also spent almost 400 defensive innings at shortstop this season. As for the bat, 30 homers and 40 doubles are within reach.

We'll put it this way: Donaldson was justifiably the AL MVP last season, and this year he's been even better.

Trout's still playing every day, running an OPS in the high 900s, picking it in center field, and adding value on the bases. In other words, Mike Trout is still Mike Trout.

The most complete player in the game right now? Altuve capably mans a key defensive position, he's a high-volume and high-percentage base-stealer, and he hits for power while also hitting for average and being tough to strike out.