This week, we rolled out our rankings for the Top 50 MLB Players of the Modern Era. It has been a blast in every sense of the word.

Yet whenever something like this gets dropped on the public, many questions invariably need to be answered.

B/R writers Tim Kelly, Kerry Miller, Joel Reuter and myself, Zach Rymer, did our best to make strong arguments for every player who made the cut for the top 50, but the four of us don't speak for everyone and, if we're being honest, even we don't agree on everything.

As such, the time seems right for a little transparency and honest discussion.

Ahead are our answers to 10 big questions about the Top 50, which touch on a variety of topics. Some provide windows into our thought processes. Others are meant to weigh in on debates that either already have or inevitably will spring out of the rankings.

Before we get into it, we just want to thank everyone for reading and for generally making this week so much fun.

Where Will Shohei Ohtani Rank in 5-10 Years?

Tim Kelly

We regularly refer to Shohei Ohtani as the greatest player most of us have ever seen, and I don't think that's hyperbolic. He has a chance to become the first full-time DH to win MVP this season, and he's going to return to the mound in 2025. If Ohtani is able to be a two-way player at a high level for at least three more years, I think he'll be in the top five.

Kerry Miller

Even if Ohtani's career ended tomorrow, he has to at least rank in the top 20, taking into account his cultural impact and unicorn-ness. He's well on his way to a third MVP trophy, which will be rarefied air. If he continues to hit at anywhere near the level he has over the past three-plus seasons for another five years, I think he will probably supplant Barry Bonds at No. 1. Even if he never pitches again. For now, though, No. 11 feels right.

Joel Reuter

I think Ohtani's ultimate legacy is going to depend on whether he can get back to making a major impact on the mound. If he returns to being an ace-caliber starter on top of his elite offensive production, it's going to get increasingly difficult not to talk about him in the GOAT conversation, simply because his skill set is so unique. If Ohtani never gets back to what he was on the mound, he can still be a Hall of Fame-caliber hitter, but it does hurt his chances of climbing the rankings.

Zach Rymer

This question presupposes that Ohtani will not only return to the mound in 2025 but that he'll again be the two-way superstar he was between 2021 and 2023. As he's had not one, but two major elbow surgeries and is north of 30 years old, I feel it's only fair to have doubts about that. Yet if this year is making anything clear, it's that his bat is as potent as it gets. Because of that, his floor is the top 10 and his ceiling is the top five.

How Did You Weigh Clayton Kershaw vs. Justin Verlander vs. Max Scherzer?

Tim Kelly

The way we ended up ranking Clayton Kershaw (No. 10), Justin Verlander (No. 12) and Max Scherzer (No. 15) was correct, in my opinion. All three are slam-dunk Hall of Famers, and I'm encouraged that the greatness of Kershaw—which sometimes seems to be overlooked because of some postseason shortcomings—was put in proper context.

Kerry Miller

I voted Kershaw at No. 13, Verlander at No. 14 and Scherzer at No. 15, and, yes, it was agonizing to find any sort of separation. What stood out, though, were the ERA titles, where Kershaw has five to Verlander's two and Scherzer's zero. I mean, we had pretty much already inducted Kershaw into the Hall of Fame and wanted to declare him better than Sandy Koufax before he turned 30. The two former Tigers were great, but peak Kershaw was just untouchable. (Until October, at any rate.)

Joel Reuter

All three are going to be first-ballot Hall of Famers. All three have won three Cy Young Awards. I think Kershaw is the best pitcher of his generation with the highest peak and an easy pick for the top spot among that trio. Then Verlander's MVP award serves as something of a tie-breaker between him and Scherzer, though both have the sustained peak performance to be all-time greats.

Zach Rymer

Kerry and I clearly think alike, as I likewise had Kershaw, Verlander and Scherzer ranked in those same spots. It really was a tough call, as they're all within 5.9 WAR of each other for their careers, yet none of the three has anything approaching a Curt Schilling-like playoff resume. I ultimately reasoned that out of the three, Kershaw is the best, Verlander is the most enduring and Scherzer is the most fun.

Which of Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge Will Have the Best Career?

Tim Kelly

I think right now, Mookie Betts has clearly had the best career of the three, and because he's been overshadowed by Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani he's actually underrated. Bryce Harper has been the second best and will be remembered for living up to the hype of being on the Sports Illustrated cover as a teenager. But it might be Aaron Judge who history looks back on the most. He set an AL record with 62 home runs in 2022, and has a chance to match that in 2024. People remember legendary power the most, and Judge has that.

Kerry Miller

Of the trio, I ranked Harper the highest, thanks mostly to the fact he already won two MVPs. However, Judge is, barring injury, on his way to MVP trophy No. 2. He is also, barring injury, my answer to the question. "All Rise" has a career OPS of almost 1.000, and I cannot for the life of me understand why he has yet to get the Barry Bonds intentional walks treatment in a Yankees lineup with absolutely no protection behind him.

Joel Reuter

I'm not convinced Judge is going to hold up over the life of his nine-year contract, given his injury history, and when he does start to decline, it's going to be steep. Harper has a superior resume to Betts right now, but Betts impacts the game in so many ways and has a skill set that's likely to age better on the other side of his prime. So I think Betts winds up with the best overall career.

Zach Rymer

It's fun to see how each of these guys has his own advantages when compared to one another.

If we're talking right now, Judge is the best player and Betts has had the best career. Yet I'm actually going to stump for Harper. He's the youngest and already has the most MVPs and home runs, not to mention a better playoff resume. And even if first base duty is a drag on his WAR, it should keep him healthy and fresh for a long time.

Which Honorable Mention Most Deserved to Be on the List?

Tim Kelly

Sammy Sosa came in at No. 31 on my list. I get it, there's overwhelming evidence he was aided by performance-enhancing drugs. But so were quite a few players who made this list. He's one of nine players in MLB history with over 600 career home runs, and the only player to ever hit 60+ home runs in three separate seasons. Leaving him off was a mistake, in my opinion.

Kerry Miller

I mean, Sosa, right? We discussed him quite a bit and reached the conclusion we were going to be OK with the PEDs guys who didn't suddenly go from Joe Average to Joe DiMaggio in their late 20s. Mark McGwire hit 49 home runs as a rookie, while Sosa hit 37 in his first 394 games combined. But what Slammin' Sammy did from 1998-2002 was patently absurd.

Joel Reuter

Joe Mauer (No. 44), Joey Votto (No. 46), Félix Hernández (No. 47) and Kevin Brown (No. 49) were the four players I voted for who didn't end up making the consensus Top 50 list. Concussions cut into his prime, but at his peak, Mauer won three batting titles in four years and was arguably the best pure hitter ever at the catcher position. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer for a reason, and I think he was our biggest omission.

Zach Rymer

I get that Craig Biggio never won any major awards and he didn't exactly enjoy singular stardom in his 20 years with Houston. But, come on. The guy was universally recognized as a star in his day, and his 3,060 hits and Hall of Fame selection don't lie about his legacy. I'll also be surprised if Jose Altuve ultimately catches him on the Astros' career WAR list.

Who Was the Hardest Player to Rank?

Tim Kelly

Jacob deGrom was definitely the hardest to rank. You can make a real case that he's got the greatest arsenal of any pitcher in MLB history. But throwing at or near triple digits has also caused him to be unavailable about as frequently as he's been available. So No. 39 was a fair ranking.

Kerry Miller

There are a couple of guys we were all over the map on, but Jim Thome was the toughest one for me. (And I admittedly ended up lower on him than anyone else on the panel.) He was one of those "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" types. He never got a single first-place vote for MVP and was *only* a five-time All-Star. But he hung around so long that he was a "Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses" level of eternal bridesmaid, racking up 612 home runs in his Hall of Fame career.

Joel Reuter

In general, I had a tough time deciding where to slot the active players among the retired guys who have already finalized their legacy. Should we view the active players as if their careers ended today or try to project how we think the remainder of their careers will play out? It was not a coincidence that I was the only writer who did not sign up to author any slides of active players.

Zach Rymer

Every active player presented his own set of challenges, but I suspect we all wrestled with Adrian Beltré. He's a Hall of Famer! He has 3,166 hits and 477 home runs! He's fourth among position players in WAR since 1995! Yet he was never really an October legend, and he felt akin to a cult hero even when he was playing. Landing at No. 21 feels wrong, but I can't say for sure which spot would have been right for him.

Which Player Feels the Most Under-Ranked?

Tim Kelly

Even at No. 7, I think Roger Clemens is underrated. You can make a case that he's one of the five best pitchers in the history of baseball. Yes, PEDs were a factor. But if that didn't stop Barry Bonds from being No. 1, it shouldn't have stopped Clemens from being No. 2.

Kerry Miller

Buster Posey landing down in the mid-40s surprised me. I thought having him at No. 31 on my ballot was low, but I was higher on him than anyone else on the panel. Lack of longevity definitely hurt his case. Griffey ended up with a reputation for being injury-prone, and he even finished his career with more than twice as many plate appearances (11,304) as Posey (5,607). But the Giants catcher sure was special for the limited time he played.

Joel Reuter

Frank Thomas at No. 27 feels really low. I had him at No. 17 on my ballot, and at the very least, I think he belongs ahead of Manny Ramirez, Adrian Beltre, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, John Smoltz, Roy Halladay and Bryce Harper, who are right ahead of him in the rankings. At his peak, he was arguably the most feared hitter in all of baseball, and his combination of contact skills, plate discipline and power was unmatched.

Zach Rymer

Greg Maddux barely cracking the top 10 at No. 9 just doesn't feel right, fellas. He ranks behind only Clemens in WAR among pitchers on this list, and only one of them was ever accused of using performance enhancers. One argument I'll hear is Maddux earned only one of his four Cy Youngs in our post-1995 window, which is part of why I had him behind Randy Johnson on my ballot. But at least I had both in my top five.

Which Player Feels the Most Over-Ranked?

Tim Kelly

This isn't meant as a dis of Ichiro's career, because he was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner with over 3,000 career hits. Still, No. 18 feels high to me. He's above a few outfielders that I would rather have had at their peaks, such as Mookie Betts, Manny Ramirez, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge. Ichiro came in at No. 43 on my list.

Kerry Miller

David Ortiz at No. 18 was a bit much for me. Yes, postseason success was a key factor and Big Papi had a ludicrous 1.372 OPS in 14 career World Series games, resulting in three rings. That merits a considerable boost above where he would have landed in a ranking based on regular season play. Still, I think we collectively put a little too much stock in his clutch gene, putting a DH with a .931 OPS well ahead of a few Gold Glovers (Walker, Bagwell and Helton, at least) who hit even better than that.

Joel Reuter

Having Mike Piazza at No. 22 and ranked one spot ahead of Ivan Rodriguez was one of my bigger gripes given how little Piazza contributed defensively at arguably the most important defensive position on the field. I had Piazza all the way down at No. 41 on my ballot. He is one of the premier offensive players of his era, but is his resume really all that different from Edgar Martinez's?

Zach Rymer

I was lower on Ohtani than anyone else who voted, and I stand by that. I addressed my skepticism of his future two-way stardom earlier, and I think it's otherwise fair to acknowledge that he only has seven MLB seasons under his belt and that two of them (2019 and 2020) were forgettable. The sheer "Wow!" factor and his cultural impact rightfully did him a solid for all of us, but I just don't know about him being ahead of so many tried-and-true icons.

Which PED-Connected Player Did You Wrestle with the Most?

Tim Kelly

Once we decided that PED-connected players would be eligible, I didn't really wrestle with it at all. I treated this like a ranking of the greatest players, and with that, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez were my top three. That doesn't mean PEDs shouldn't be mentioned as part of their legacy, but statistically, there's no debate in my mind about where they should land on a list like this. I'll leave it to each reader to decide how they feel about PEDs.

Kerry Miller

Robinson Canó. Only one of the eight of us had him on a ballot, but I thought long and hard about being the second panelist on that hill. Though he never won an MVP, he was right up there with Miguel Cabrera as the best player in all of baseball from 2009-16. He actually finished his career worth more WAR than Miggy, as far as Baseball Reference is concerned. But he got popped for PEDs twice, and fool us twice, shame on you.

Joel Reuter

I was 10 years old when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire slugged it out in pursuit of Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998, and that summer is a big reason why I fell in love with baseball. Leaving both of those guys off my list was tough, but in the end, I think steroids made them great, while others like Bonds, Clemens, and A-Rod were already great before they were juiced.

Zach Rymer

Probably Manny Ramirez. What separates him from guys like Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens is that MLB actually caught him red-handed twice, which isn't even counting the 2003 survey test. But it was ultimately hard for me to be 100 percent objective. I was a huge fan of Ramirez growing up and I still think he's the best right-handed hitter I've ever seen. And, hey, at least his two official positive tests came at the end of his career.

Which Player Got the Biggest Boost from Cultural Impact?

Tim Kelly

I would probably say Ichiro got the biggest boost here, although Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter and Bryce Harper were definitely helped out by it. Ultimately, though, Ichiro was the first MLB superstar from Japan, and I suspect that gave him a bump from our staff overall.

Kerry Miller

It's Griffey, and it's not even close. I don't know the exact age of everyone on the voting panel, but I'm confident each and every one of us spent a significant chunk of several summers in our youth wearing a backward fitted cap, playing stickball, trying to swing with even an ounce of Junior's smooth swagger. Unless it was too hot out, in which case we were inside playing either the 1994 Super Nintendo game or the 1998 Nintendo 64 game with Griffey on the cover. I miss having that Riptide poster on my bedroom wall.

Joel Reuter

Griffey was the face of baseball in the 1990s, and his face was on everything. He had multiple video games, countless endorsement deals, a handful of movie cameos, and still has perhaps more enduring popularity than any living baseball player. He was No. 2 on my ballot behind only Barry Bonds and helped shape an entire generation of baseball fans, all from a mid-tier market. Would Derek Jeter still be Derek Jeter if he played for the Seattle Mariners? Probably not.

Zach Rymer

Definitely Griffey. If you look at WAR rankings for hitters from 1995 onward, he ranks 56th in between Kenny Lofton and Josh Donaldson. Yet being fourth on this list feels...well, fine. He was (and still is) basically a god to 90s kids, and his aura has held up as well as any former player possibly could. I mean, the guy was on the cover of MLB The Show seven years after he called it quits. With the backward hat and everything.

Which Former Player Would Be Most Overmatched in Today's MLB?

Tim Kelly

I grew up watching NL East baseball, so if anyone understands the dominance of Greg Maddux, it's me. But there is something to be said for the strike zone tightening up since he last played in 2008. That's not to say he wouldn't be an excellent pitcher in today's game, but if he's not getting the benefit of the doubt on as many borderline east-west strikes as he did during his career, he would either walk more batters or come into the strike zone more. Neither one would help his career numbers.

Kerry Miller

I'll also go with Maddux. By no means did we overrate him at No. 9. He was a genius on the mound, and his seven-year peak from 1992-98 was the stuff of legend. However, it is next to impossible to even matter as a finesse pitcher in today's game, let alone dominate as one. Dallas Keuchel did win a Cy Young in 2015 with his 90 MPH fastball, though, so maybe Maddux would've been an ass-kicker in any era.

Joel Reuter

Jim Thome is second on the all-time list with 2,548 career strikeouts, and he did that playing in an era where a guy throwing 95 mph made him a rarity. He had a .402 career on-base percentage and he didn't hit 612 home runs by accident, but if he struck out 185 times in 2001, how many times would he strike out facing today's high-octane pitching?

Zach Rymer

I just want to take a moment to curse the person who posed this question, which was me. I think the true answer is "none of them," but I'd be more worried about Tom Glavine than Maddux. There's conflicting evidence as to whether umpires actually gave the lefty an oversized strike zone, but hitter testimony and the eye test say there's something there. That wouldn't fly in a day and age when the strike zone is smaller and more uniform.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.