Today it was announced that Albert Pujols will be out 4-6 weeks with a fractured forearm. The injury occurred when Pujols and Kansas City’s Wilson Betemit collided at first base after a chopper up the middle. Pujols immediately fell down with pain and was removed from the game.

Clearly the Cardinals will sorely miss Pujols for his duration on the DL, but this injury got me to thinking, who are the most irreplaceable players in the Bigs today? I’ll do this in countdown form and give my top Five irreplaceable players in baseball. Not only will the talent and ability of the player be taken into account, but the surrounding players on these players’ teams will also be taken into account. Without further ado, here’s my list.

5. Miguel Cabrera-  When he’s not in rehab, Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters in baseball. Cabrera averages 29 home runs, 103 RBIs , a .314 batting average and a .391 on-base percentage. If all goes well this season, Cabrera will again match those numbers. Cabrera is the only major threat in the Detroit Tigers lineup and should strike fear in the pitcher every time he steps to the plate. If Cabrera were to go down with injury, the Tigers would rapidly fall in the division. If he were out an extended period of time, the Tigers would have no chance at winning the division,

4. Jose Reyes- The fact that the Mets cannot win without Jose Reyes has been proven again and again. His tremendous speed and ability have him wreaking havoc on opponents every time he comes to the place (just ask the Atlanta Braves, who have seen Reyes get on base and score seemingly every at bat).  While only having 302 at bats, Reyes already has 103 hits and has already scored 54 times. At this rate, Reyes is on pace to get 232 hits and score 122 times. Over his injury plagued career, Reyes has averaged 76 runs, 135 hits and nearly 40 stolen bases per season. Again, that is with injuries. His terrific combination of speed and ability makes him truly irreplaceable. And the fact that the Mets have no one to support Reyes in the lineup makes him even more irreplaceable.

3. Troy Tulowitzki- Tulo is one of the most dynamic shortstops in the game today. To go along with his tremendous glove, Tulowitzki is the best hitter at his position, and one of the best hitters in the game. This season Tulo has 13 homers and 46 RBIs to go with his .342 OBP and his .276 average. While his batting average and on-base percentage do not yet meet his season averages of .289/ .360 respectively, he is on pace to hit 30 home runs and drive in 105 RBIs, which is much higher than his season average of  17 homers and 64 RBIs. Granted those averages were lowered by the tremendous amount of time he missed last season due to injury, but he is still a terrific threat in the lineup. And without the threat of Tulowitzki, the Rockies have little to go with. Todd Helton is getting old and Carlos Gonzalez is having a down year. If Tulo were to go down, so would the Rockies.

2. Chipper Jones- As has been shown in the past, and is currently being shown in miniature form, the Atlanta Braves go as Chipper Jones goes. When he’s in the lineup, the team wins, when he’s out of the lineup, the team loses, simple as that. Jones is currently suffering from an abductor strain and has missed the past two games. For his 18 year career, Jones has averaged a .305 average, .404 OBP, 25 home runs, 85 RBIs and 85 Runs for the Braves. And with the lack of talent around Jones, the Braves deeply suffer when Chipper is injured.

1. Albert Pujols- Pujols this year is having a down year, by his standards at least, but he is still the most feared ball player in the game today. He leads the Cardinals in runs scored (52), is tied for first with home runs (17), and is second on the team in RBIs (45) and OPS (.855). For his career, Pujols is has an average of .329 and an OBP of .423. He also has 425 home runs and 1275 RBIs. While the Cards do have the likes of Colby Rasmus, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman to temporary fill in for La Machina, Pujols will be sorely missed.

Well there you go, my top-5 irreplaceable players in baseball. You may ask, why no pitchers? While pitchers are arguably the most important part of a baseball club, they only pitch once every five days (well starters at least) and one pitcher cannot carry a ball club to the post season like one position player can. Roy Halladay, for example, is easily replaced by the likes of Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Tim Lincecum is easily replaced by Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. Pitchers can be replaced much more easily than can good hitters.

If you feel I got something wrong or would like to give your opinion on irreplaceable players please do so.