Kuzul

As we prepare to honor all the United States Veterans who have served our great country, we take a look at a special subset of these selfless patriots.

Some of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball have served their country and then gone on to become inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

A total of 64 members honored in the prestigious Cooperstown venue are officially classified as Veterans, having served in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime.

Additionally, one of the all-time legendary players in the game served in both World War II and the Korean War. Ted Williams was a Navy pilot from 1942-1946 and then flew 39 combat missions as a Marine Corps fighter pilot from 1952-1953.

Without intent to in anyway diminish the richly deserved honor, praise and collective gratitude owed to all our brave Veterans, the following is a tribute to the best of the best within the baseball fraternity.

Here are the 15 greatest Major League Baseball players with the additional proud distinction of U.S. War Veteran:

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Two All-Star outfielders playing on the top team currently in each league share something else in common. Both the Tampa Bay Rays Carl Crawford and Philadelphia Phillies Jayson Werth are in the final year of their contracts and could be amongst the biggest names in the 2011 free agent market.

Each player is off to a strong start in 2010, seemingly stating his case to other team’s around Major League Baseball. Considering the history of Crawford and Werth, it is not surprising that both are coming up big under the pressure of what amounts to a salary drive.

Of course, it is doubtful that either player is focused on economics right now. Instead, they are simply concentrating on doing their job and winning games— letting the rest take care of itself down the road.

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A review of each season’s Most Valuable Player voting typically reveals the best players in the game at that particular time. Although each player’s team’s regular season success is a factor, the vote tally usually has a strong correlation to statistical leader boards.

Those players have almost always earned this recognition through quantifiable performance from RBI, HRs and batting average to wins and saves. Individual team MVP selections often mirror the same approach.

However, determining which players are most indispensable can often entail a much more complex equation. In fact, it usually involves a subjective consideration of many different variables such as the team’s makeup, style, flexibility, and depth—along with the player’s individual performance, position, and role.

Simply put, it’s a matter of assessing which players have the greatest impact on and would be missed the most by their team?

All the players that follow surely have impressive measurable results, but their value to their team includes much more. Here are Major League Baseball’s 10 most indispensable players:

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After the Philadelphia Phillies fell just short of repeating as World Series Champions, GM Ruben Amaro spent the offseason actively reshaping the club. 

Of course, the biggest news involved the tandem trades of Cy Young hurlers Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Beyond that, Amaro used the free agent talent pool to land a new regular third baseman and essentially perform a makeover on both his bullpen and bench. 

The Phillies GM wasted little time when he inked Placido Polanco to replace Pedro Feliz at the hot corner. The deal came with some fan fare as it brought back a player who had been traded away when the team made a commitment to build around Chase Utley at second base.

Polanco remained in Phillies fans’ consciousness during his five seasons in Detroit by hitting .311 and winning a pair of Gold Gloves at second base. This time around, Amaro decided that they could make room for baseball’s best second sacker in Utley and Polanco by sliding the free agent over to third.

The move appears to be a winner. Polanco has quickly settled into his new position and looks right at home. He has also generated the additional offensive production Amaro was seeking—hitting .274 with 4 HR and 16 RBI after 28 games. 

The other signings were not front page worthy news, but overall appear to have been astute decisions. And, with the wide array of injuries the Phillies have experienced thus far in 2010, the improved depth is making a positive  impact. 

Before pulling up lame with a strained hamstring last evening, Juan Castro has had ample opportunity to show why Amaro wanted him. He is a clear improvement at the plate and in the field over Eric Bruntlett. 

Castro has filled in nicely for the injured Jimmy Rollins— displaying some flashy leather work and surprising pop in his bat. Amaro even had the foresight to stockpile talent by signing Wilson Valdez, who has proven to be a capable backup as well. 

Ross Gload is one of the better left-handed pinch hitters in baseball. And, Brian Schneider is one of the league’s top backup backstops. 

From a financial perspective, the biggest free agent acquisition in the pitching department was right handed reliever Danys Baez. Thus far, the former closer has displayed closer stuff with journeyman command. 

The most impactful bullpen addition, though, appears to be veteran Jose Contreras. After several mediocre years as a starter, the Colorado Rockies moved him into a relief role late last season. 

Apparently Contreras caught the Phillies attention enough for them to take a shot on him—and it appears they nailed it. The big righty still throws gas and has a truly nasty splitter. In 14.2 innings of work, Contreras has a 1.04 ERA with 14 K’s and zero walks.

The performance of Brad Lidge since returning to the big club has been encouraging. Should he falter; however, Contreras and his high 90s splitter appear to be a great backup plan. 

During the winter, news of signing players such as Castro, Gload, Schneider, Valdez and Contreras didn’t exactly light up the sports radio airwaves or blogoshere.

But, a month into the season, it sure looks like kudos are in order for Ruben Amaro. Oh, yeah, and although it wasn’t via free agency—the acquisition of Roy Halladay looks pretty special, too. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Over the past few years, the hot corner has gotten hotter. It is the address of some of Major League Baseball’s best talent, featuring players who flash the leather and provide some thunder at the plate.

Many teams throughout the league call on their third sacker to anchor the middle of their lineup. Then when the inning’s over, they look to them to turn two on scalding two-hoppers or cover bunts with acrobatic barehanded plays.

The position features some long-established stars, but in recent years it has been augmented by the emergence of new stars. Currently, Cardinals rookie David Freese is making some noise with a .358 batting average and could find himself bumping elbows with other top players at his position.

Because of the low sample size, Freese did not make the list today, but here are baseball’s top 16 players at the hot corner.

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