MLB Network just released its latest Top 100 list—and as usual, controversy erupted almost immediately. But this time, the backlash didn’t come from fans or television pundits. It came directly from… the locker room.
Justin Steele, the left-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, wasted no time in getting straight to the point. And his target was clear: the absence of Nico Hoerner.
“Just been told Nico Hoerner isn’t in the Top 100,” Steele wrote. “If that’s true, then I’m not going to take that list too seriously. The people who made it clearly weren’t focused. The numbers speak for themselves.”
That wasn’t a mild complaint. It was a direct blow to the credibility of the ranking.
Hoerner had just had the best season of his career. He not only played a central role in the Cubs’ gameplay, but also ranked 19th in the NL MVP voting—a detail that can hardly be overlooked. In a league where individual awards are decided by individual votes, the exclusion of a top 20 MVP from the Top 100 has caused many to pause and question.
And Steele isn’t the only one who thinks so—he’s just the one who says it.
What makes this reaction even more noteworthy is the context. The Cubs aren’t “absent” from the list. In fact, they have four players in the Top 100, with rookie star Alex Bregman ranking highest at number 35. This isn’t a case of the Cubs being overlooked—it’s a specific name being ignored.
And that name, in the Cubs’ eyes, is indispensable.
Hoerner isn’t the type of player who constantly highlights or explodes with power. His value lies in his consistency, defense, speed, and ability to be present in crucial moments—things that rankings often don’t favor. But when a player has just had a season good enough to be in contention for MVP, excluding him from the Top 100 starts to look like… a bias in criteria.
On the other side of the debate are the Milwaukee Brewers—the Cubs’ direct rivals. The Brewers also have four players in the Top 100, with William Contreras at number 55. Jackson Chourio is close behind at 56, Bruce Turang at 62, and Christian Yelich—a former MVP—at 78.
These numbers aren’t shocking in themselves. But when juxtaposed with Hoerner’s complete exclusion, the ranking starts to become more of an emotional calculation than a scientific one.
This isn’t the first time the Top 100 has been controversial. And it certainly won’t be the last. But when active players publicly question the seriousness of the list, it’s a sign that the gap between media perception and the perspective of those involved is widening.
Nico Hoerner may not need a ranking to prove his worth. But Justin Steele’s reaction has turned what was originally an entertaining list into a real debate: Who is the Top 100 celebrating—and who is it overlooking?
And when “the numbers speak for themselves,” the remaining question is: who is actually listening to them?
Leave a Reply