25-man roster: The players ranked 16-20 in the last 25 years

There have been 25 MLB seasons since Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's home run chase in the summer of 1998, which captivated fans but ultimately led to questions that ended the steroids era.

The game has changed a lot since Roger Maris' single-season home run record fell, from testing for performance-enhancing drugs to the industry's entry into the data age. In 1998, there were a lot of home runs, but there was no PITCHf/x, no Statcast, and no FanGraphs.

theScore's baseball writer Travis Sawchik is using that consequential season as a frame in which to rank and discuss the top 25 players of the last 25 years.

Remember, the accomplishments and performance considered for each player cover only the 25 years in question. For example, Barry Bonds is the most dominant hitter since Ted Williams, but the last quarter century only covers the latter portion of Bonds' career.

Catch up with Monday's introductory essay and players 25-21 here.

20. Ichiro Suzuki

Era teams: Seattle Mariners 2001-12, 2018-19; New York Yankees 2012-14; Miami Marlins 2015-17

Signature performance: Ichiro hit a sharp grounder up the middle at Safeco Field in Seattle on Oct. 1, 2004, to break the single-season MLB hits record of 257 that George Sisler set 84 years earlier. Ichiro's record of 262 may also stand for eight decades.

Why he's here: Suzuki also deserves consideration as a trailblazer. When he debuted for the Mariners on April 2, 2001, he became the first Japanese position player to make the jump across the Pacific.

And he did it seamlessly, winning MVP and Rookie of the Year honors that year. He won the batting title with a .350 average and showcased his elite glove and laser throwing arm from right field. He had elite bat-to-ball skills and could seemingly barrel pitches to all parts of the field with his iconic slash of a swing. He was perhaps an even better defender, winning 10 Gold Gloves.

Ichiro didn't arrive in the majors until his age-27 season, yet still recorded 3,089 hits - fourth most in the era - and posted a career .311 batting average. Add his 1,434 career hits in Japan and he totals 4,523. Only Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,189) reached 4,000 hits in major-league history.

He was also an elite baserunner and stole 509 bases during his major-league career, the most in the era.

Ichiro probably could have hit for more power if he wanted to. Earlier this year, he launched a ball 426 feet while practicing with a high school team in Japan (and broke a window):

The one knock against Ichiro's offensive output is that he only slugged .402 for his career, and reached double digits in home runs only three times. But there are many ways to be an effective player, and he did everything else exceptionally well.

He'd have ranked even higher had he played his entire career in the majors. Nonetheless, he's at or near the top of the list in cool factor among players of the era.

19. Paul Goldschmidt

Era teams: Arizona Diamondbacks 2011-18; St. Louis Cardinals 2019-present

Signature performance: Goldschmidt reached base in 46 consecutive games in 2022, an MLB season high and career-best streak. It was the longest such streak by a Cardinal since Albert Pujols in 2003, and the remarkable run helped fuel his NL MVP award.

Why he's here: Goldschmidt's one of the unlikeliest players to make the list, after being drafted in the eighth round in 2009 by the Diamondbacks. All he's done since is prove doubters wrong about his unorthodox swing, hitting 340 home runs, batting .293, and posting a 142 wRC+ en route to capturing five Silver Sluggers.

Goldschmidt's as comfortable inside-outing pitches into right field as he is mashing hanging breaking balls over the fence in left.

He's also perhaps the best athlete to play first base in this era, evidenced by his four Gold Gloves and 158 steals, which lead all first basemen over the last 25 years.

Goldschmidt's also an iron man. In MLB's last eight full seasons, he's played in at least 151 games each year. Since his 2011 debut, only Freddie Freeman and Carlos Santana have logged more plate appearances.

In a different 25-year period, Goldschmidt might stand alone as the best first baseman, but this was an expectational era for his position.

18. CC Sabathia

Era teams: Cleveland Indians 2001-08, Milwaukee Brewers 2008; New York Yankees 2009-19

Signature performance: Sabathia was the ALCS MVP in 2009, winning both of his starts against the Angels. He allowed two runs over 16 innings, helping propel the Yankees into the World Series, which they won. They haven't captured a title since.

Why he's here: Sabathia was a volume king. The large and durable lefty totaled 3,577 innings in his career, the most of the last 25 years - and nearly 200 more than No. 2 Zack Greinke. Sabathia exceeded 230 innings five times in his career. No pitcher has reached 230 innings since 2016.

In the last quarter century, only Justin Verlander recorded more wins (257) than Sabathia (251), demonstrating how difficult it is for pitchers to not only pitch deep into games but deep into careers nowadays.

He used a low- to mid-90s fastball and sweeping slider from a three-quarters arm slot to post a 116 ERA+ in those innings, meaning he was 16% better than the average MLB arm for a period covering 19 seasons.

He finished in the top five in Cy Young voting five times. Had he not been traded midseason from Cleveland to Milwaukee in 2008, he might have won a second Cy Young (he was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in the second half of 2008, helping the Brewers to the playoffs).

While he was never seen as an elite ace at his peak like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, or Pedro Martinez, his sustained excellence places him solidly on this list. His kind of quality volume is incredibly rare.

17. Joey Votto

Era teams: Cincinnati Reds 2007-23

Signature performance: There have been many special moments in Votto's career, but on May 13, 2012, he became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a game and have the final one be a walk-off grand slam.

Why he's here: One of the most scientific and process-oriented hitting minds since Ted Williams, the Toronto native is also one of the top Canadians in MLB history and in the conversation for status as Canada's greatest hitter.

Votto's most remarkable skill was his plate discipline. He led the National League in on-base percentage seven times and in walks five times. He rarely chased a pitch, but when he did, he usually made solid contact.

A wild Votto fact: during an April 2019 loss at Dodger Stadium, Votto popped out to Cody Bellinger at first base. It was the first time in his career - covering 6,289 plate appearances since his debut in 2007 - that he popped out to a first baseman. Votto not only posted some of the best walk rates, but he posted the third-lowest infield pop-up rate of all batters to appear in at least 500 games over the last 25 years.

Votto thought differently and deeply. Check out what he once told a reporter about how he worked to get his pitch:

It's like a boxer who is always trying to lead the guy into his straight. You have to manipulate him with your footwork. Same type of thing in baseball. You have to figure out a way to funnel (the pitcher) into your hot zone. That comes with patience and that comes with accepting or realizing there will be some error on their side.

It’s almost like as a hitter you have to be a counter-puncher. The best way to be a counter-puncher is just to sit and wait and absorb and then counter with whatever you think your strength is.

Among all hitters with at least 5,000 plate appearances in the era, Votto's 145 wRC+ trails only Bonds (190), Trout (174), and Manny Ramirez (157), and his on-base percentage was fifth (.409). Only Helton bettered him in OBP among first basemen of the era.

16. Chipper Jones

Era teams: Atlanta Braves 1993, 1995-2012

Signature performance: Jones slammed four home runs during a three-game series sweep in late September 1999 against the New York Mets, which helped seal his only MVP award and an NL East title for Atlanta.

Why he's here: Jones would rank higher if we included the first four full seasons of his career, which included capturing a World Series title as a rookie with the Braves in 1995.

He was the rare prospect labeled as a prodigy who lived up to and exceeded expectations as the first overall pick of the 1990 draft. He posted a .408 on-base mark during the era, hit .306, and slugged 360 home runs.

While Jones had a gorgeous swing, he was unconventional in that he swung a heavy bat: a 35-inch, 34-ounce Rawlings MS20 bat, specs he borrowed from teammate Ron Gant.

Jones was a dominant player from his debut - batting .363 as a rookie in the 1995 postseason - until the end of his career.

In his age-36 season in 2008, Jones won his first batting title (.364) and also led the NL in on-base percentage (.470). Only Williams (.388 in 1957), Babe Ruth (.373 in 1931), Tony Gwynn (.372 in 1997), and Bonds (.370 in 2022) produced better batting averages at a more advanced age in MLB history.

Chipper Jones was perhaps the game's best switch-hitter since Mickey Mantle. That's quite a player.

Follow the unveiling all week long. Wednesday: Nos. 11-15.

Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.