Today we’re going to take a look at major-league baseball’s 25 highest-paid athletes and determine whether those elite multimillionaires are earning their keep. And while it goes without saying that nobody is ultimately worth, say, the $15 million per year that a MLB pitcher gets for throwing the rawhide once a week for two hours, in the Alice in Wonderland world that is professional hardball, some are more worth it than others.

25) Jeromy Burnitz ($12,166,667 for 2003): Since we live in an American League town, sometimes we’re not even familiar with some of the names plying their wares over there in the Senior Circuit. Burnitz may be one of those strangers to you, but he’s playing for the woebegone Mets, hitting .324 with seven HRs and 20 RBIs in 28 games. He missed a large chunk of the season recovering from a broken hand, but his return and subsequent play is one of the few bright subplots to the ugly chapter unfolding in Queens. Worth it? Yes.

24) Bernie Williams ($12,357,143): Bernie was hitting .286, with seven HRs and 31 RBIs before landing on the disabled list a week ago with torn cartilage in his knee. Before the surgery, it was obvious that Williams was just a shadow of his former self, and though he’ll probably be out another month, he’ll more than likely return to form and help the Pinstripers shake off their mediocre (for them) start. For Sox fans, that’s hardly good tidings. Worth it? Most likely.

23) Darren Dreifort ($12.4m): The nine-year veteran is off to a so-so year out in LA, going just 4-4, with a 4.03 ERA and 67 strikeouts. That’s a lot of money for a .500 pitcher, but the Dodgers seem close to turning the corner and boast a solid pitching staff, so Dreifort will most likely get his act together and earn his keep eventually. Worth it? A shaky yes.

22) Ken Griffey Jr. ($12.5m): The oft-injured Reds outfielder is again day-to-day with a strained biceps, this after missing a month earlier this season with a dislocated shoulder. The once sure-fire future Hall-of-Famer is hitting .286 with seven homers and 12 RBIs in 24 games, but Cincy will need him to stay healthy and up those numbers if the Reds are to have a chance in the NL Central. Worth it? Depends on future health.

21) Larry Walker ($12.67m): The Rockies veteran is hitting just .266 with only four HRs and 34 RBIs in the light air of Coors Field, and Colorado certainly expects bigger things from him for this kind of money. Walker is second in the NL in triples with seven, but four homers ain’t gonna cut it when you’re the team’s supposed power guy. Worth it? Not yet.

20) Chan Ho Park ($13m): One of the biggest free-agent busts from last year continues to carry that torch this season. The Korean hurler is just 1-3 with a whopping 7.16 ERA and 15 Ks in a mere six outings. After that dismal start, Park was put on the DL with a strained lower back, and the Rangers — like the Red Sox — have had to win games with offense rather than pitching. Worth it? Certainly not.

19) Raul Mondesi ($13m): Mondesi has actually been one of the pleasant surprises for the Bombers this season, although his numbers have dipped slightly since his hot start this spring. Nonetheless, he is hitting .292 with 10 HRs and 32 RBIs for the thus far underachieving Yanks, his total of 14 stolen bases is third in the league, and defensively he’s still one of the most-feared right fielders in the game. Once trade bait, Mondesi’s become an integral member of this team. Worth it? So far.

18) Juan Gonzalez ($13m): Amazingly, Gonzalez has yet to spend any time on the DL, and perhaps because of that he’s put up solid offensive stats for the power-laden Rangers team. He’s at .286, with 17 home runs (tops in the AL) and 42 RBIs, and he’s helped Texas stay within shouting distance of the top of the always-tough AL West. Worth it? For a change.

17) Albert Belle ($13m): Albert Belle? What in the heck is he doing on this list? Didn’t he retire in 2000? Surly he did, er, surely he did, but he’s still on the books for $13 mil this season as part of the five-year, $65 million contract that he signed back in 1999. Nice work if you can get it. He’ll have to get a real job like the rest of us next year, but for now, the O’s are on the hook for another season of no-show performance. Couldn’t he at least show up and do the team laundry? How about PR for the Orioles? On second thought ... Worth it? Ha.

16) Jeff Bagwell ($13m): Fenway fans will get their first look at the what-might-have-been kid next weekend in Boston, when Jimy Williams’s Astros come to town armed with the former Sox product. Bagwell’s putting up his usual solid season, hitting .283 with 11 HRs and 25 RBIs, and Boston fans will always wonder how their fortunes might have changed had the minor league Bagwell not been traded to the Astros back in 1988 for reliever Larry Andersen. Worth it? You bet.

15) Chipper Jones ($13.3m): Love him or hate him, the Chipster has been an integral part of the Braves’ sizzling run to the top of the NL East. Jones is batting .302 with nine homers and 35 RBIs for a team considered slightly over the hill by many. Now they’re one of the best teams in the majors, and (sigh) most likely playoff-bound again. Jones has been a big part of that. Worth it? Oh, yeah.

14) Mike Hampton ($13.625m): How this guy can sleep at night is beyond me. After two miserable years (7-15, 6-15) in Colorado after signing a huge free-agent contract in 2001, Hampton lucked out and ended up with the Braves via the Marlins in a complicated off-season deal. He’s still not pulling his weight or earning his keep, going just 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA in nine games, and even worse, he’s missed time because of a strained right calf. Worth it? No. Still.

13) Greg Maddux ($14.75m): The third straight Brave on the list got off to a miserable start (0-3, 11.05 ERA) before righting the ship and putting up typical Madduxian numbers since. He’s now 5-5, with a 4.64 ERA and 48 punch-outs, and has given up just four earned runs in his last four outings. Worth it? As always.

12) Randy Johnson ($15m): The Big Unit got off to a shaky start, then decided to get the arthroscopic knee surgery that he so obviously needed. Nonetheless, with Johnson and now fellow ace Curt Schilling both on the DL, Arizona is headed for some tough times in the coming months. Johnson was 1-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 31 strikeouts in his four pre-surgery starts, but once he returns, the team may be so far out of the race that the five-time Cy Young winner won’t be a factor the rest of the way. Worth it? Not this year.

11) Pedro Martinez ($15.5m): Well, the Sox have got some quality outings from Petey thus far, but he’s again spent an inordinate amount of time on the disabled list, and in recent years that’s par for the course. Nonetheless, he’s 4-2, with a 2.83 ERA and 62 Ks in nine outings, and if he returns to form from this last muscle strain, then the whole Sox pitching situation could straighten itself out in time for the mid-summer pennant run. But that’s a big if. Worth it? Depends on health.

10) Barry Bonds ($15.5m): He’s not going to break his own home-run total this year, but the churlish slugger continues to perform even as he approaches age 40. This season he’s been hampered by a sore right knee, but has not missed significant time and is batting .310 with 14 HRs and 32 RBIs. Even better, the Giants haven’t had to depend on him quite as much, and the team appears to be playoff-bound again. Worth it? Soitanly.

9) Mike Piazza ($15.57m): The heart and soul of the Mets was batting .333 with seven HRs and 15 RBIs before he severely strained his groin, and he’s now resting comfortably on the DL — perhaps for the duration of the season. That injury marked the death knell for the Mets’ playoff hopes — or did it? New York seems to be playing better without him, but his numbers will be missed as the season progresses. Worth it? In the words of Inspector Clouseau: "Not anymore."

8) Derek Jeter ($15.6m): Jeter missed the first month and a half of the season with a shoulder separation after getting injured on Opening Day in Toronto. Since his return, the newly appointed Yankees captain has hit .290 with three HRs and just 12 RBIs in 21 games. Sad to say that the Empire’s downward spiral began around the time that Jeter returned, but his presence in Vader’s line-up obviously makes the team better long-term. Worth it? Most likely.

7) Shawn Green ($15.66m): The Dodgers slugger is batting just .273 with a measly six HRs and 26 RBIs so far, and those numbers are a far cry from what he’s put up in the past. If the moribund Dodgers offense is to come around and support its pitching staff, then Green needs to be a heckuva lot more productive than he’s been to this point. Worth it? Not yet.

6) Kevin Brown ($15.714m): The Dodgers ace has made a triumphant return to the rotation, going 7-1 with a league-leading 2.02 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 12 games. He returned to the team after off-season back and elbow surgery, and for the first time since signing the seven-year, $105m contract, he seems to be earning his keep. Let’s see if he can stay off the DL, though, before crowning him the NL’s Cy Youngster. Worth it? So far, so good.

5) Sammy Sosa ($16m): Too bad that Slammin’ Sammy hasn’t been in the news too much lately, otherwise people would be aware that he’s hitting .282 despite just six home runs and 24 RBIs for the Cubbies. Depending on the length of Sosa’s upcoming suspension and the fallout the rest of the way, the future Hall-of-Famer (?) should continue to lead the surprising Cubs into September with a chance to get the long-suffering team into the playoffs. Worth it? Always.

4) Mo Vaughn ($17.166m): Ouch. Not only he is making this kind of money, but he’s unproductive (.190, three HRs, 15 RBIs in 27 games) and hurt. His career may even be over, but that doesn’t get the Mets out of paying the rotund first baseman a massive chunk of change for the duration of his contract. The inflammation in Mo’s left knee will probably ultimately require knee-replacement surgery, which would most likely shut him down for good. He’s still getting other opinions, but the Mets — in their present state — are probably better off without him. Worth it? When he was a Red Soxer: yes. Since: most definitely not.

3) Carlos Delgado ($18.7m): The Jays’ first baseman is putting up triple-crown numbers thus far this season, with a .327 average (sixth in the AL) and a league-leading 17 HRs, 53 runs, and 58 RBIs. He’s also second in slugging percentage (.654), and he’s a big reason why the Jays are surprisingly contenders in the AL East. Worth it? More so than anyone else on this list.

2) Manny Ramirez ($20m): How does one judge the conundrum that is Manny? First, the numbers: .324, 10 HRs, 40 RBIs. Can’t argue with those. Problem is, he’s become a defensive liability, especially on the road, and he’s had some cold streaks when the team’s needed him most. He seems to be getting hot lately, and if those numbers continue, the 2002 AL batting champ will be a fearsome figure again. Worth $20 million? A reluctant si.

1) Alex Rodriguez ($22m): A-Rod is again right up there in nearly every statistical category, and while not spectacular, he’s at .294, 16 HRs, and 38 RBIs for a pitching-poor Rangers team. Rarely injured, solid defensively, and able to post consistent and impressive offensive numbers, Rodriguez has shown himself to be the best all-around player in the game, and he’s rightfully being paid as such.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com