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In the MLB Top 10s, here's what we do: rank players according to criteria. Those criteria change depending upon week and whim, but the Top 10s will always be informed by some angle or another, painfully contrived or otherwise.

And that brings us to this week's guiding query: With one month to go in the regular season, who have been baseball’s best performers? Yep, the September stretch drive is upon us, so as we get set for what figures to be a white-knuckled finish to the 2015 regular season, let’s devote some bandwidth to MLB’s top players thus far.

Obviously, overall value in 2015 is the driver here. We’re not worried about prior seasons, and we’re not worried about how these players project moving forward. It’s all about who’s been most productive thus far, this year. The success (or lack thereof) of the player’s team has no bearing on the rankings. That’s because we’re not holding him responsible for the performances of his teammates. Novel idea, that. As for position players, defense and base-running matter. It’s not about the bat only.

Painful omissions? Lots of them. Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford and Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom and Nelson Cruz and Manny Machado and many others, for instance. The one you're super mad about? Him, too, yes. All of them. Everyone should've been on this list, including you personally. 

Josh Donaldson: Quite possibly a part of this week’s list.
Josh Donaldson: Quite possibly a part of this week’s list. (USATSI)

And now let us recite baseball names for the dual purposes of SEO and making you angry. Feel free to brandish your incorrect opinions and make idle threats in the comments section.

Weapons-grade complaints and spleen-venting? By all means, reach out to the author at his personal email address: hotmail@hotmail.jpg. He'd love to hear from you.

RANK COMMENT
1 Zack Greinke, Dodgers. Greinke presently ranks third in the NL in innings pitched, and his rock-bottom ERA of 1.61 paces MLB by a wide margin. If it holds up, then it'll be the lowest qualifying ERA since Greg Maddux's 1.56 mark in 1994. In a related matter, Greinke this season has allowed two runs or fewer in 21 of his 26 starts in 2015.  
2 Bryce Harper, Nationals. It's been an indisputably brilliant season for the 22-year-old. In 526 plate appearances, he's batting .329/.458/.626 with 98 walks, 30 doubles and an NL-leading 31 homers. Simply put, Harper's put up the best offensive numbers of any player in baseball this season. 
3 Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays. Donaldson of course provides excellent defense at the corner, and in his first season in Toronto he's hitting .301/.359/.585 and on pace for 99 extra-base hits. When the score is within one run in either direction, Donaldson this season has an OPS of 1.095. When the score's tied, he's got an OPS of 1.213. 
4 Mike Trout, Angels. Trout keeps on playing like himself. In 2015, he's once again running the bases well and providing plus defense in center. With the bat, he's ho-humming along at .296/.395/.576 with 33 homers. Yes, he's still just 24 years of age. 
5 Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks. The NL's best right-handed hitter? Probably so. Goldschmidt this season owns a slash line of .325/.441/.564 with 26 homers and 100 walk. As well, Goldie has swiped 20 bases in 25 attempts, which makes him a Mercury among first basemen. 
6 Dallas Keuchel, Astros. Keuchel, thanks to his sinker-slider-changeup approach, induces ground balls like almost no other pitcher in the game today. He's worked 192 2/3 innings, and over that span he's pitched to 2.24 with 173 strikeouts against 42 walks. He's also registered 321 ground balls against just 86 fly balls.
7 Lorenzo Cain, Royals. Cain's a high-value base-runner who's also one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. As well, he's batting .312/.368/.483 with 12 homers, six triples, and 29 doubles. That's excellent production, especially from a hitter who provides value in so many other ways. 
8 Jake Arrieta, Cubs. Perhaps you've heard Mr. Arrieta's name mentioned recently? Of course, his 2015 is much more than "just" a no-hitter. He's on pace for 230 innings, and he's presently running an ERA of 2.11 (182 ERA+), which is backed by an FIP of 2.49. The adjustments he made after being acquired by the Cubs continue to pay off. In a Greinke-less universe, Arrieta would be the NL Cy Young frontrunner.
9 Andrew McCutchen, Pirates. Remember McCutchen's slow start to the season, which was owing to a lingering knee injury? Since he bottomed out on May 6, McCutchen's batting .336/.437/.581. As a consequence, McCutchen for the season now owns a line of .305/.405/.520 with 20 homers and 32 doubles. Vintage 'Cutch, in other words.
10 Joey Votto, Reds. Votto's having one heck of a renaissance season in 2015. He's batting .312/.456/.553 with 25 homers and 115 walks. Baked into those numbers is a patently absurd .577 OBP since the break. Yes, a .577 OBP in the second half. 

Until next week, suckers!