Who are the best players in Major League Baseball right now?

To determine this, ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts, contributors and Insiders to rank the top 100, which we'll count down from No. 100 to No. 1, 20 players per day for five days.

To compile the top 100, we collaborated with Microsoft Research and The Wharton School, and polled 65 ESPN experts on a list of 167 players. After seven days of voting in June, we have our results.

We continue our countdown with Nos. 40-21 which features league MVPs, World Series champions and a Triple Crown winner -- a group that has earned an impressive amount of hardware.

Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Honors: American League All-Star (2015)

Twitter: @ChrisArcher22

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 41-51, 3 shutouts, 766.0 innings pitched, 3.51 ERA, 795 strikeouts, 1.202 WHIP

2016 Rank: 31

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.7

Did you know?

Chris Archer has more than 600 strikeouts since 2015. The only pitchers with more since then are two of the best in baseball: Max Scherzer and Chris Sale. He has more than 400 strikeouts with his slider in the past three seasons. No one else has more than 300. -- Michael Bonzagzi, ESPN Stats & Information

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Texas Rangers

Honors: American League All-Star (2012-14)

Twitter: @faridyu

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 46-30, 1 shutout, 645.2 innings pitched, 3.29 ERA, 812 strikeouts, 1.183 WHIP

2016 Rank: 51

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.5

Did you know?

Though Yu Darvish has struggled with injuries, he has shown ace potential throughout his career. His best season might have come in 2013 when he led the league in strikeouts and finished second in AL Cy Young voting. His 277 strikeouts were the second most in a season in Rangers history behind Nolan Ryan's 301 in 1989. -- Meghan O'Donnell, ESPN Stats & information

Omar Rawlings/Getty Images

Position(s): Shortstop

Team: Boston Red Sox

Honors: American League All-Star (2016), Silver Slugger (2015-16)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @RedSox

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.286/.337/.411, OPS -- .749, hits -- 528, HRs -- 41, RBIs -- 221

2016 Rank: 72

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.6

Did you know?

Xander Bogaerts had a breakout season in 2015, posting a .320 batting average, the second highest in the AL. Last year, he became the only Red Sox shortstop to win multiple Silver Slugger awards. -- O'Donnell

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Shortstop

Team: Washington Nationals

Honors: None

Twitter: @treavturner

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.329/.361/.539, OPS -- .900, hits -- 114, HRs -- 14, RBIs -- 41

2016 Rank: Not ranked

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.9

Did you know?

Trea Turner had a breakout season last year, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting and becoming only the 10th rookie in MLB history with at least 30 stolen bases and a batting average above .340 (first since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001) -- O'Donnell

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Position(s): Relief pitcher

Team: Cleveland Indians

Honors: American League All-Star (2016); ALCS MVP (2016)

Twitter: @a_miller48

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 43-41, 49 saves, 628.2 innings pitched, 4.22 ERA, 713 strikeouts, 1.389 WHIP

2016 Rank: 52

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.3

Did you know?

Andrew Miller had 123 strikeouts and nine walks in 2016. That's the most strikeouts in a season for a pitcher who had fewer than 10 walks. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information

Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Houston Astros

Honors: None

Twitter: @LMcCullers_43

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 12-12, 206.2 innings pitched, 3.22 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 1.326 WHIP

2016 Rank: Not ranked

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1

Did you know?

Lance McCullers is one of two Astros pitchers to record at least 100 strikeouts in each of their first two seasons. The other? Three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt. -- O'Donnell

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Third baseman

Team: Minnesota Twins

Honors: None

Twitter: @SanoMiguel

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.249/.346/.489, OPS -- .835, hits -- 178, HRs -- 43, RBIs -- 118

2016 Rank: 96

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.6

Did you know?

Miguel Sano broke onto the scene in 2015, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. He's one of three Twins players with at least 15 home runs in each of his first three seasons (Marty Cordova and Jimmie Hall). -- O'Donnell

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: New York Mets

Honors: National League All-Star (2016)

Twitter: @Noahsyndergaard

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 23-16, 333.2 innings pitched, 2.89 ERA, 384 strikeouts, 1.103 WHIP

2016 Rank: 37

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.1

Did you know?

Over the past three seasons, Noah Syndergaard has hit 100 mph on TV radar guns 192 times as a starting pitcher. No other starting pitcher has even done so 100 times. -- Simon

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Position(s): First baseman

Team: Washington Nationals

Honors: National League All-Star (2009), Gold Glove (2009), Silver Slugger (2009-10)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Nationals

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.278/.343/.467, OPS -- .809, hits -- 1,505, HRs -- 215, RBIs -- 829

2016 Rank: Not ranked

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.5

Did you know?

Ryan Zimmerman has spent his entire career with the Nationals and has come up big in the clutch. He's the franchise leader in walk-off home runs. -- O'Donnell

Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

Position(s): Second baseman

Team: Seattle Mariners

Honors: American League All-Star (2006, 2010-13 -- with New York Yankees; 2014, '16 -- with Seattle Mariners)

Twitter: @RobinsonCano

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.307/.355/.498, OPS -- .853, hits -- 2,210, HRs -- 278, RBIs -- 1,086

2016 Rank: 49

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.3

Did you know?

Robinson Cano passed Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg earlier this season for the second-most home runs all time by a player whose primary position was second base. Since he made his debut, nobody has played more games. He's one of four players to play at least 155 games in 10 straight seasons. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Second baseman

Team: Washington Nationals

Honors: National League All-Star (2014 -- with New York Mets), (2016 -- with Washington Nationals); NLCS MVP (2015)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter @Mets

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.296/.339/.447, OPS -- .786, hits -- 1,151, HRs -- 87, RBIs -- 506

2016 Rank: Not ranked

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.8

Did you know?

Daniel Murphy had an NL-best .985 OPS last season, making him the first second baseman to lead his league in OPS since Joe Morgan of the 1976 Reds. -- Simon

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Cleveland Indians

Honors: American League Cy Young (2014), American League All-Star (2016)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Indians

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 58-44, 3 shutouts, 887.1 innings pitched, 3.33 ERA, 936 strikeouts, 1.136 WHIP

2016 Rank: 34

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 5.4

Did you know?

Corey Kluber is one of four pitchers with 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts in each of the previous three seasons. And David Price is the only AL pitcher with more strikeouts than Kluber over that span (2014-16). -- Fisher

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Honors:

American League Cy Young (2009 -- with Kansas City Royals), AL All-Star (2009), National League All-Star (2014-15 -- with Los Angeles Dodgers); Gold Glove (2014-15 -- Dodgers, '16 -- D-backs), Silver Slugger (2013 -- Dodgers)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @Dbacks

Career stats (through 2016 season): W-L: 155-100, 5 shutouts, 2,253.1 innings pitched, 3.42 ERA, 2,021 strikeouts, 1.190 WHIP

2016 Rank: 6

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.6

Did you know?

Zack Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award and nearly nabbed another in 2015. Instead, he finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young that season, despite posting a 1.66 ERA -- the lowest by any starter since Greg Maddux's 1.63 ERA in 1995. -- Paul Casella, ESPN Stats & Information

AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

Position(s): Center fielder

Team: Houston Astros

Honors: None

Twitter: @gspringer_4

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.258/.356/.460, OPS -- .816, hits -- 343, HRs -- 65, RBIs -- 174

2016 Rank: 93

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.9

Did you know?

Last season,George Springer hit 20 of his 29 home runs from the leadoff spot, the most by any Astros player hitting first since Craig Biggio had 23 in 2004. The only players to hit 20-plus homers in a season from the leadoff spot for Houston are Hall of Famer Biggio four times and Springer in 2016 and 2017. -- Langs

AP Photo/John Bazemore

Position(s): Right fielder

Team: Miami Marlins

Honors: National League All-Star (2012, 2014-15), Silver Slugger (2014)

Twitter: @Giancarlo818

Career stats (through 2016 season): .

266/.357/.539, OPS -- .896, hits -- 792, HRs -- 208, RBIs -- 540

2016 Rank: 8

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.3

Did you know?

Giancarlo Stanton recently hit his 225th career home run in just his 889th game. Only one active player reached the 225-homer plateau in fewer games (Albert Pujols, 838). Despite averaging only 118 games in his first seven seasons, Stanton still averaged 30 homers per year. -- Casella

Jamie Squire/Getty

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: San Francisco Giants

Honors: World Series MVP (2014), NLCS MVP (2014), National League All-Star (2013-16), Silver Slugger (2014-15)

Twitter: None; Team Twitter: @SFGiants

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 100-67, 6 shutouts, 1,397.2 innings pitched, 2.99 ERA, 1,381 strikeouts, 1.098 WHIP

2016 Rank: 11

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.2

Did you know?

Madison Bumgarner has a 0.50 road ERA in 53 2/3 postseason innings pitched in his career. That's the best of any pitcher to throw at least 25 innings on the road in his postseason career. He also has 16 career home runs, four more than any other active pitcher. There are only nine pitchers in the Hall of Fame with more career home runs, and none of them began their careers in the DH era. -- Langs

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): First baseman

Team: Chicago Cubs

Honors: National League All-Star (2014-16), Gold Glove (2016), Silver Slugger (2016)

Twitter: @ARizzo44

Career stats (through 2016 season): .

267/.362/.483, OPS -- .845, hits -- 738, HRs -- 134, RBIs -- 425

2016 Rank: 27

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.4

Did you know?

Anthony Rizzo is one of only four players with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in each of the previous two seasons (David Ortiz, Nolan Arenado and Edwin Encarnación are the others). As if the offense wasn't enough, he also won his first Gold Glove Award last season. -- Casella

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Position(s): First baseman

Team: Detroit Tigers

Honors: American League MVP (2012-13), Triple Crown (2012), National League All-Star (2004-07 -- with Florida Marlins), AL All-Star (2010-16 -- with Detroit Tigers), Silver Slugger (2005-06, '10, '12-13, '15-16)

Twitter: @MiguelCabrera

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.321/.399/.562, OPS -- .961, hits -- 2,519, HRs -- 446, RBIs -- 1,553

2016 Rank: 10

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 2.1

Did you know?

If Miguel Cabrera (.320 batting average, .559 slugging percentage) doesn't drop off at the end of his career, he'll be one of nine players with a .315 career batting average and .550 career slugging percentage (minimum 1,000 plate appearances). The other eight are Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Vladimir Guerrero, Joe DiMaggio and Rogers Hornsby. -- Simon

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Starting pitcher

Team: Houston Astros

Honors: American League Cy Young (2015), AL All-Star (2015), Gold Glove (2014-16)

Twitter: @kidkeuchy

Career stats (through 2016 season):

W-L: 50-47, 4 shutouts, 839.0 innings pitched, 3.78 ERA, 667 strikeouts, 1.257 WHIP

2016 Rank: 13

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 3.9

Did you know?

Dallas Keuchel was electric on his way to winning the 2015 AL Cy Young Award, becoming the Astros' first 20-game winner since Roy Oswalt in 2005. Along with pitching well with his left arm, he has been solid with his glove hand as well, winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. -- Casella

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Position(s): Third baseman

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Honors: American League MVP (2015 -- with Toronto Blue Jays), AL All-Star (2014 -- with A's, 2015-16 -- with Blue Jays), Silver Slugger (2015-16)

Twitter: @BringerOfRain20

Career stats (through 2016 season):

.278/.365/.503, OPS -- .868, hits -- 748, HRs -- 141, RBIs -- 450

2016 Rank: 7

ZiPS Projected 2017 WAR: 4.2

Did you know?

Josh Donaldson made an immediate impact after being acquired by the Blue Jays before the 2015 season. He put up 41 home runs and 123 RBIs in 2015, earning AL MVP honors in the process. He has averaged 39 homers and 111 RBIs in his two full seasons with Toronto. The only other players to put up those averages during the previous two seasons were Nolan Arenado and Edwin Encarnación. -- Casella