Best player on every MLB team

Oakland A’s—Sonny Gray

It is not always easy to for a top flight young pitcher to develop amid a team with questionable or always shifting surroundings, but Sonny Gray has proven to oblivious to this issue throughout his young career with oft-realigning Athletics. Because over his first three years in the Majors, Gray has regularly been the reason why the A’s are able to take some of the risks that they do in working their roster out: because they know Sonny has their back.

The young Oakland ace continued his assent up the ranks of elite pitchers in the game in his second full season on the pro bump. Gray finished third in AL Cy Young voting in a year where he posted his league’s third lowest ERA (2.73), topped 200 innings for the first time, reached 14 wins for the second time in as many years and led the league in shutouts.

And in the fact that he is a brilliant ground baller producer, as well as fielder who is often able to create outs for himself via his own glove, and Gray is one of the most self-sufficient pitchers in the game. While no one’s long-term future is secure with in Billy Beane land, Gray likely is the strongest foothold in the organization today.

Next: Philadelphia Phillies: Maikel Franco