The saying goes, “There is no ‘I’ in team”, and it is certainly true that no team can succeed relying on one superstar. However, there are players who act like glue for many MLB teams; these players are the foundation of their team from which everything else builds.
These are not necessarily the best hitters in the game nor the power pitchers, but the players who are truly the most valuable to their team. These players are the guys who steal bases at just the right time, make crucial plays in the field, and thrive under pressure. Foundation players are the ones who win games and produce championships for franchises.
Indispensable players are the ones who you can tell when their presence is missing. When this player is out of the lineup, his team just doesn’t play with the same fire. For example, the Cardinals’ lineup looks a lot less daunting without Albert Pujols.
When building an MLB team, general managers look for these types of players as a starting point. So, in this article, I will list the top players, by position, who I would look to first if I were building a Major League Baseball team from scratch. Age, health, talent, and both offensive and defensive statistics are the major categories I will examine.