Catchers:
Josh Wagner: A career .285/.386/.512 hitter, he's also an adequate defender at the position, rare for someone with that kind of bat. He's excellent against lefties, and holds his own against righties. He also has an amazingly discriminating eye at the plate, along with very good power; this might be an odd comparison, but he's a similar hitter to Ray Lankford in his prime, minus the speed. However, he's never had as many as 500 plate appearances in any season. But as a 29 year old slugging catcher with solid defense, he'd be a sought-after commodity in a free market. Sources close to the Anaheim organization say he's fairly likely to re-sign with the Anteaters.
Will Carter: Carter's calling card is his defense; he's thrown out 29% of prospective basestealers over his career, and has a catcher ERA of 3.88. Now granted, four of those seasons were with an excellent Chicago pitching staff, but he's likely been a big part of those sparkling ERAs. Carter's bat is also surprisingly solid; he's a career .289/.336/.442 hitter. There are warning signs, however; Carter is 33 years old, and his arm strength and bat speed have both been affected. He's also a significant injury risk. It's unclear as to whether Chicago will let him walk this season.
Vic Hardtke: Hardtke isn't so different from the aforementioned Josh Wagner. They're both 29 year old catchers that have significant platoon splits, excellent batting eyes, and playable, but unspectacular defense. That said, Hardtke doesn't have Wagner's power or throwing arm. He does, however, have the ability to play almost every day. Despite being a right handed hitter, he fares better against righties than lefties. Carter's chances of reaching free agency aren't too bad, but Syracuse may be comfortable letting him platoon against righties, at least for a few more years.
Others: Brian Wilson's power is all but gone, but he can still get on base against righties, posting a .394 OBP last season. His arm is shot, however, making him a less than ideal platoon candidate. Albert Javier, Cy Byrne, John Nakamura, and others make up the "good defense, no bat" population of free agent catchers. Lawrence Bryne (or William Benes) and Horacio Morales might make a palatable platoon. Tom Williams' bat would be fine if he were a good defensive catcher. He's not.
First Basemen:
Wiki Perez: Your classic take-and-rake slugger, Perez has drawn no fewer than 89 walks in any full season, including a career high 113 BB's during Season 6. All's not roses, though; Perez's 36 homers was also a full-season low, and his power is steadily waning. Still just 31 years old, and given strong marks for his makeup, one would think Perez would get plenty of attention as a free agent. Unfortunately, that looks unlikely; as the best hitter on a playoff team, he'll probably return for another few seasons with the Twang.
Rickey Dixon: Like Perez, Dixon is also a switch-hitting 31 year old first baseman with an excellent batting eye, very good power, and excellent durability. Dixon is a bit more well-rounded than Perez as a hitter; while Perez draws a few more walks, Dixon makes up for it by hitting for a significantly higher average (he's a lifetime .314 hitter). He's been with Chicago his entire career; if it weren't for whispers that the Jayhawks might "blow the whole thing up" and try to rebuild, Dixon would have no chance of leaving. Right now, however, it's a possibility.
Jesus Reynoso: Reynoso's power and patience aren't at the same level as Dixon or Perez. He's drawn as many as 80 walks exactly once, and has fewer homers than either Dixon or Perez in more at bats. That said, his power is still very good, and he's a lifetime .312 hitter with excellent contact skills, especially for a slugging 1B. He's been a great fit for Albuquerque's lineup, but he's not a legitimate MVP candidate; the other major candidates have put up equally good or better numbers in more neutral parks. Regardless, he's still a great hitter, and unlikely to leave.
Lee Roundtree: Roundtree isn't as accomplished as the other three hitters on this list; he's the least patient hitter of the quartet, and his power is clearly on the decline. That said, he still hit .304/.364/.532 on the season. That's good enough to start for most teams in the league. He's somewhat vulnerable against quality righties, and needs a rest once a week. He also doesn't look like a good long-term bet, either, especially if his power continues to decline at the same rate. One would guess Philly would keep him if they plan to contend next season.
Others: John Cho has a well-rounded offensive game, but it has yet to translate into big league success. Furthermore, he's 30 years old, has terrible makeup, and gets hurt easily. All-or-nothing sluggers like Sammy Pinzon and Aramis Plata might make it as backups or pinch hitters, or they'll be stuck at AAA, waiting for their next chance. Julius Thomas was once a very good player; he'll still make a decent backup at this point in his career. Douglas Gordon could always hit for average against RHP, but doesn't have the requisite power or patience to hack it as a major league 1B.
Second Basemen:
Charlie Ratliff: A career .283/.356/.447 hitter, Ratliff doesn't seem like the type to make $47,500,000 over the last 5 seasons. Yet he did, mostly playing as a 2B for the Comics. His range is below average for the position, but his glovework is solid, and his arm is far overqualified for the position; one might think his talents are better suited for 3B. He's fast, but a poor base-thief. Just last season, he stole 31 bases, but was caught an astounding 26 times. He's very durable, capable of playing every day, and has yet to hit the disabled list in 6 years, missing only 13 games total. Ratliff was "made available" via trade several times over the past couple of seasons; since he's guaranteed to get Type A consideration, he's likely to be granted free agency.
Matty Mitchell: Once an excellent hitter, Mitchell's bat is still good enough to start at 2B (he hit .272/.344/.445 last year). The problem is that his glove no longer plays there; his rapidly deteriorating range and throwing arm made him a liability at any position save for 1B and LF. Nevertheless, the Tackleberries tried him out as a Swiss Army knife, playing every position but catcher and pitcher, with mixed results. Mitchell is fairly likely to hit free agency, but it remains to be seen if there's any interest in a present-day Jose Vidro type.
Micah Moehler: Despite a career .264/.333/.420 line, he's made $32 million over the last four seasons. Furthermore, his defense has been mediocre at best; he's made 18 minus plays over his career at 2B (as opposed to 7 plus plays), and sports a below-average .980 FLD% at the position. Similar to Ratliff, he runs fast but lacks any baserunning IQ, stealing 35 bags but getting thrown out 16 times. He's durable, and always healthy, and a relatively young potential free agent at 29. Still, it looks like a lock that he won't make as much money as he did in the past when he signs a new contract.
Others: There's not much else to look at; Einar Fernandez can still get on base, but doesn't have the glove to stay at 2B or the bat to move down the defensive spectrum. Victor Lopez's bat is a bit light for the position, and his range is well below average.
Third Basemen:
Tony Cortes: Cortes is an excellent defensive 3B. He played a capable SS for the Jayhawks from seasons 2-5 before switching over to 3B, where he made only 5 errors while making 4 plus plays and 0 minus plays. He has a career OPS of .826 as well; while his performance last year was 80 points below this, it looks more like an anomaly than a trend. Cortes is very durable; he's missed a grand total of 16 games in 6 seasons. He'll likely re-sign with the Jayhawks, but should he find the free agent market, he'd make an adequate SS with an excellent bat, or an excellent 3B with a decent stick.
Robin Service: A serviceable (sorry about that) starter, Service can plug a hole, but he's not a star. His soft hands and accurate throwing arm more than make up for his average range and arm strength, making him a solidly above-average defender at the hot corner. He's got enough power to hit 20 homers, and enough bat to get on base at a league-average rate. His availability will all depend on the new owner; sche0707 is on his way out, so no one knows if Service will hit the FA market.
John Hardy: Cut from the same mold as Service, Hardy combines an adequate bat with a very good glove. However, Hardy's arm strength is starting to go; it's questionable as to how much longer Hardy can handle third base, if at all anymore. That said, Hardy is above average in every other aspect of the position, with excellent hands, outstanding accuracy in his throws, and solid range. He might make a competent 2B, although the same concerns as his play at 3B still apply, this time to his range. Service projects similar to Hardy offensively, although Hardy might get on base at a slightly better rate. The Mets have shopped Hardy all season long; he'll be a free agent come Season 7, although it's questionable if other teams are willing to pick him up as a Type A.
Wade Green: The question with Green is whether his bat will rebound. After a successful year during Season 4, Green's numbers have been disappointing for two seasons in a row. His defense is still good; his range, while slipping a bit, is still an asset, and his glovework and arm are still above average. He's a switch hitter as well. While he's already 33 years old, he gets high marks for his coachability and work ethic, and he's able to play every day. It remains to be seen whether the Devil Rays choose to dangle him for Type A compensation, or re-sign him to another contract.
Others: Max Huff is just below league average as a hitter, and just below average at fielding his position. That makes him a fringy starter, but a nice backup. Ditto for Albie Lopez, except that he looks slightly worse than Huff on both ends. Victor Nunez can play third, and he's not a completely awful hitter, but he's be lucky to ever start again at the ML level. R.A. Young should be in right field, but his .301 career OBP won't help him stick there. Peter Embree might be okay platooning against LHP, but nothing more at this point in his career. Brian Matthews has enough power to stick, but should be moved to an outfield corner, as should Roberto Rivera and Nicholas Shields. Of course, unlike Matthews, Rivera and Shields can't really hit anymore, either. Buddy Leonard swings a wet noodle, and never walks. Average defense won't make up for his deficiencies.
Shortstops:
Dale Howry: If he enters free agency, he'd be the only shortstop available with average or better defense and offense. While his arm is starting to go, his range and glovework are still very good. At the plate, he's a rare breed of shortstop, using a take-and-rake approach you'd see more often from a first baseman or corner outfielder. He's only a .266 hitter, but it's not an empty .266; he's hit at least 20 homers in 5 of the last 6 seasons, and he's drawn 330 walks during that stretch. That's not amazing or anything, but it makes him a legitimate bat at a position where finding such a thing is very difficult. However, his poor makeup and health concerns make him a riskier choice than your average 30 year old.
Taylor Smith: There's little doubt that Smith can hit. Between seasons 3-6, he's put up an OPS above .800 every year. The problem is that he's not really a shortstop; he has a lifetime FLD% of .949 at the position. Now, granted, fielding percentage is hardly the only criterion of fielding aptitude, but Smith's range doesn't help him either. Since his glovework is considered above average at SS, the problem has to be his arm, which has been described as "mediocre at best." The Mets don't look likely to retain Smith; whoever ends up with him should not be signing him to play SS, and even CF would be a bit of a stretch. He'd make a fine 2B or 3B, if given the opportunity.
Others: Troy Stern is clearly the best defensive shortstop on the market. That said, he's a career .249/.313/.272 hitter. Starting him would create a huge hole in the lineup. Charles Cox's defense would be superb if Father Time didn't rob him of his range. Of course, he's not really that much better of a hitter than Stern. Buddy Hermansen can also play the position quite capably, but sports a sad .270 career ML OBP. Esteban Mateo can outhit the other 3 listed above him, but his lack of range or arm strength would make him a questionable choice at SS. Andre Beimel's defense is actually not too far off from Stern's, and he actually even possesses legitimate power. However, his batting eye would make Reggie Abercrombie blush; he's drawn 66 walks in over 2300 at bats, for an ML OBP of .260. Finally, there's Nick Teut, who's a classic tweener: not enough glove for SS, not enough bat for 3B.
Corner Outfielders:
Preston Grieve: Grieve possesses excellent power and sees the ball very well against right-handers. He could use a little more patience, but he's hit a solid .269/.344/.510 for his career. He's a sure handed left fielder as well. He holds his own against lefties, but isn't great against them, and doesn't make consistent contact at the plate, depressing his batting average. He's also got some injury concerns. Nevertheless, he'd be a nice add for a team looking for an everyday left fielder. There looks to be a good chance that he'll be allowed to walk.
Vance Phillips: Phillips has excellent range and glovework for a left fielder. His arm is very weak, but playing LF, it's not really a concern. Offensively, he doesn't have much power, but has one of the best batting eyes in the game; his career .403 OBP and 571 BB's in 6 seasons rank him among the league's best at both. He's also capable of playing every day, and rarely ever gets injured. He's 32 years old, but figures to age relatively well, since his defense is still well above average for the position, and his primary skills (contact, batting eye) are maintainable through a relatively old age. His availability is still in question; depending on what direction the Jayhawks go, he could either re-sign, or net Chicago a couple of picks through free agency.
Dave Rupe: A true power hitter, Rupe has spent his last 6 years with the Hangars, slugging .557, mostly playing first base, although he can certainly play a passable left field. However, he's very much a free swinger, much like an Alfonso Soriano-type; his career high in walks for a season is 40, and his career OBP is a less than stellar .329. Despite his strong makeup, his power has steadily declined over the last two seasons, and Season 6's total of 32 homers was a career worst. Still, Rupe is only 30 years old, and capable of cranking out a few more productive seasons. The Hangars are clearly in a state of rebuilding, so he's a good bet to change teams during the offseason.
Rusty Meadows: One of the most one-dimensional hitters in the league, Meadows can't hit for average (.242), doesn't walk (224 in over 3,000 at bats), and doesn't run well (0-6 in stealing bases). What he can do, however, is hit the long ball; he's hit over 50 homers in three different seasons, including a career-best 64 in Season 3. His defense in right field is also very good; he can even play some 3B in a pinch. He's no gym rat, and he doesn't look like he'll age gracefully, but he's only 29 years old. The Hangars grabbed him off the waiver wire this season; while it doesn't look like LA will sign him to a contract, it's not out of the question.
Scott Watkins: Watkins is capable of playing a solid LF or a shaky RF. He has middling power, decent contact skills, and a solid but unremarkable batting eye. However, he sees the ball very well against right handers, and very poorly against lefties; he might make an ideal platoon candidate. He's coming off of a .304/.367/.477 season; if he can duplicate that, he could be a bargain. Given Richmond's current state, he's likely to hit the market this season.
Others: Peter Li is a career .271/.332/.540 hitter, but is 33 years old, coming off of a season where he barely cracked a .700 OPS, and is known as one of the least-motivated players in the league. He might be done a lot sooner than you think. Vin Hernandez runs well, and could make a living at the plate against lefties a la Jason Michaels a few years back. Luis Marichal is blazing fast, an intelligent baserunner, and an excellent bunter, but that's about all he offers; he's a zero at the plate.
Center Fielders:
Nigel Whang: A true centerfielder that's posted a career .364 OBP, .451 SLG, and stole 330 bases in 6 seasons at an 86% success rate, Whang should get plenty of attention if he finds his way to free agency. He's 31, though, and his range is rapidly declining; it won't be too long until his range is no longer acceptable at the position. For at least one more season, though, he promises to be a quality starter at a hard-to-fill position.
Eduardo Castillo: His career OPS is a hair under .800, which looks impressive until you consider that Boston had an .839 team OPS, and allowed a .820 OPS. Nevertheless, he's a solid hitter for the position, one that'll draw his share of walks and occasionally go deep. He's pretty fast, but a horrendous baserunner; his SB success rate doesn't even reach 60%. His defense is fine at CF; his range is still good enough where it'll play for at least a couple more seasons, and he's still just 30. There are whispers that Boston will look elsewhere for a centerfielder next season.
Others: Josh Martin has excellent range; he can adequately play any position outside of the battery. His bat, of course, is suspect; a .663 career OPS screams "backup utility player." Butch Cintron and Vic Chase can both hit a little, but neither can actually play centerfield; they're basically your classic tweeners. Ditto for Julian Galvez; although Galvez has the range to be acceptable, his glovework for the position is awful.
Designated Hitters:
Lewis Stephens: He doesn't have the classic power stroke of your typical DH, but he gets by instead by peppering line drives everywhere. A career .315 hitter, he's especially dangerous against same-handed (RHP) pitchers, but is solid against lefties as well. He's already 34, and his power, never his strength, could be completely gone sooner than later. He could still provide good value for a season or two.
Earl Quantrill: He's 37 years old, and two seasons removed from his last successful season. He's probably done.
Robert Hurst: He's 29 years old, and drives the ball well against lefties, but doesn't really have much power. He could make a quick fix for a team needing a platoon partner on the cheap, but he's no more than a band-aid.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Season Averages (Season 6)
Here are the season averages for each league for several stats, compared to real life averages (circa 2007):
*Season averages for Gleeman World taken after 159 games played.
**Disclaimer: Some of these stats may be slightly off (for example, for triple slash stats, I simply added the totals of all teams in a category, then divided by the number of teams in the league, despite the fact that some teams have more at bats than others). However, this shouldn't affect the data significantly.
Triple Slash Averages (AVG, OBP, SLG)
Gleeman World:
AL: .272/.335/.441
NL: .263/.329/.417
MLB:
AL: .271/.338/.423
NL: .266/.334/.423
Runs Scored/Game
Gleeman World:
AL: 5.14
NL: 4.72
MLB:
AL: 4.90
NL: 4.71
Walks (per game)/Strikeouts (per game)
Gleeman World:
AL: 3.11/6.60
NL: 3.18/6.60
MLB:
AL: 3.3/6.57
NL: 3.3/6.76
Stolen Base Percentage
Gleeman World:
AL: 76.0%
NL: 71.1%
MLB:
AL: 73.2%
NL: 75.6%
Home Runs/Game
Gleeman World:
AL: 1.39
NL: 1.23
MLB:
AL: 1.00
NL: 1.05
*Season averages for Gleeman World taken after 159 games played.
**Disclaimer: Some of these stats may be slightly off (for example, for triple slash stats, I simply added the totals of all teams in a category, then divided by the number of teams in the league, despite the fact that some teams have more at bats than others). However, this shouldn't affect the data significantly.
Triple Slash Averages (AVG, OBP, SLG)
Gleeman World:
AL: .272/.335/.441
NL: .263/.329/.417
MLB:
AL: .271/.338/.423
NL: .266/.334/.423
Runs Scored/Game
Gleeman World:
AL: 5.14
NL: 4.72
MLB:
AL: 4.90
NL: 4.71
Walks (per game)/Strikeouts (per game)
Gleeman World:
AL: 3.11/6.60
NL: 3.18/6.60
MLB:
AL: 3.3/6.57
NL: 3.3/6.76
Stolen Base Percentage
Gleeman World:
AL: 76.0%
NL: 71.1%
MLB:
AL: 73.2%
NL: 75.6%
Home Runs/Game
Gleeman World:
AL: 1.39
NL: 1.23
MLB:
AL: 1.00
NL: 1.05
Final Power Rankings (Season 6)
1. (117-45) New York Metropolitans: That they were able to have a better expected winning percentage (.727) than actual win percentage (.722) is a testament to their team's performance this season. Even more impressively, they managed to top the 2001 Seattle Mariners in regular season wins (116).
2. (111-51) Minnesota Fatboys: The Fatboys' 1137 runs would have shattered the single-season record (modern era) for runs scored by a team (1067, 1931 Yankees). A lineup like that backed by Max Leary and Cliff Becker could cause problems; the top two teams in the AL are clearly superior to the rest of the league.
3. (108-54) New York Yankees: They're 8th in the NL in runs scored, and 5th among 6 NL playoff teams. The offense is, to be blunt, unimpressive. Of course, their rotation is a who's-who of the best arms in the league. Their starters, 1-5, rank 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th and 16th in the league in ERA. That's almost unfair.
4. (105-57) Anaheim Anteaters: Every pitcher on the playoff roster has an ERA between 3 and 4.5. No one in the lineup has an OBP above .400 or a SLG% above .600. The team is devoid of any real star power, instead relying on a balanced team with few holes. It's worked well up to this point; we'll see if it translates into playoff success.
5. (97-65) Albuquerque Isotopes: They'll have to ride Billy Ray Prince and Jayson Ellis pretty hard; no other starting pitcher has an ERA under 5. It'll be interesting to see how their high-powered offense fares against a young but talented Buffalo rotation.
6. (100-62) Chicago Jayhawks: Despite drawing the 5th seed, they get to play a reeling Greys squad that won only 89 games during the regular season. They've managed to win without Seth Adams, and Don Masato is a force to be reckoned with in any short series. Better yet, they've had a history of success against the Yankees, who they'll have to face if they get to the NLDS.
7. (104-58) Milwaukee Twindyans: Ignore the 104 wins; they're an excellent team, but one without their best pitcher, Vic Alfonzo. He won't be back until at least the NLCS. They also have a series against a dangerous Devil Ray lineup that outscored every other team in the league. This could spell trouble.
8. (93-69) Nashville Twang: Their top 4 starters have an ERA between 4.2 and 4.6. Solid, but not impressive; they'll be put to the test by Boston's lineup.
9. (92-70) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Without Alfonzo, Milwaukee should be a less formidable foe. That said, the Tampa rotation is nothing special; past ace Miguel Abreu, there's nothing to be afraid of. We could see a couple of slugfests in this series.
10. (89-73) St. Louis Greys: After a blistering start to the season, they've come back down to earth, and finish the season with a solid, but unspectacular record. Their offense is worse than that of any other playoff team; how will they fare against a very good Jayhawk staff?
11. (88-74) Boston Red Sox: They have 7 hitters in their lineup with 20 or more homers. Of course, their pitching staff is 26th in Gleeman World at preventing homers. Whether they win or not, this should end up being an entertaining series for the fans.
12. (88-74) Buffalo Europeans: Abraham Davis and Clay Young make for a strong 1-2 punch. but the rest of the pitching staff is somewhat pedestrian. The lineup doesn't really stand out, either; a lot of their success in the playoffs will ride on the shoulders of their top two starters.
13. (86-76) Iowa City Comics: Despite hanging on the fringes of contention until the last week, they weren't a serious threat. Chipper Velandia had an off year, and the rest of the lineup didn't help; as a team, they could only muster a .325 OBP.
14. (84-78) Florida Cottonmouths: The pitching staff, led by Season 5's Cy Young winner Ismael Molina, was solid. Their lineup was a disappointing 11th in the AL in runs scored, however. An average offense would have given them a shot at a wildcard berth.
15. (83-79) Boise Mashers: The lineup was fine, scoring the 4th most runs in the league. However, starters Dennis Cohen, Willie Taverez, and Pascual Ozuna killed the team with their performance.
16. (80-82) Kansas City Monarchs: And so ends a disappointing run for GM sche0707. Expected to contend this season after several aggressive moves during the offseason, the Monarchs finished well out of a playoff spot, never seriously in the hunt. Ownership and management are expected to change hands during the offseason.
17. (80-82) Cheyenne Tackleberries: Their defense had the 2nd most errors out of any team in the AL. That didn't hurt strikeout pitchers Eugene Ramirez and Stump Jordan, but the rest of the staff suffered.
18. (79-83) Sioux Falls Gunslingers: The rotation needs a lot of fixing; Derek Boone, the best starter, has an ERA of 4.30, and Alex Santiago was given 158 innings despite an ERA well north of 6. Scot Rhodes had a fantastic rookie season; he's a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year.
19. (80-82) Philadelphia Phenomenauts: Lee Roundtree turned out to be a fantastic addition, and Rigo Pineda enjoyed a career year. The result was the best Phenomenaut team in Gleeman World history. Still, they've yet to break .500; they'll need a few more pieces to be serious contenders.
20. (78-84) Oklahoma City Twins: Once a powerhouse in the NL South, the now-rebuilding Twins are unlikely to contend next season. They still have absolutely no power, and their pitching staff was thoroughly gutted after an extended trading frenzy shortly before the deadline. Check back for Season 8.
21. (75-87) San Antonio Sting: A mere 401 walks (last in baseball) led to an awful .301 team OBP. They've had great success running the bases; coupling a higher OBP with their current base stealing rate (84%) might make the offense legitimate.
22. (73-89) Syracuse Fightin' Boeheims: The rotation was an absolute mess this season. Adam Haynes was respectable, posting a sub-4 ERA, but no one else posted an ERA better than 5.40. It would surprise me if Syracuse didn't make a strong play at a few starting pitchers during free agency next season.
23. (66-96) Pittsburgh Pug Dogs: Otis Upshaw was a decent waiver claim; he's 29, sports a solid 4.50 career ERA, and is owed a reasonable sum of 15 million over the next two seasons. They still need a few more pieces to even get to respectability, but this is a good start.
24. (66-96) Los Angeles Hangars: After winning the World Series in Season 1 and improving on their record in Season 2, the Hangars have steadily declined every season since. The core of the ML squad doesn't look very strong, and there's not much help down in the minors right now. Rebuilding could prove to be a difficult task.
25. (63-99) Vancouver Vigilantes: Winning their last game of the season helped them avoid back-to-back 100 loss seasons. There's not much else to say about the team, but the farm system is steadily improving; a few callups combined with a couple of savvy additions could at least lift the team out of the NL North cellar.
26. (64-98) Richmond Roustabouts: The pitching (5.33 ERA) was awful, mainly because the various pitchers they threw out there couldn't find the strike zone. They walked 620 men, tops in Gleeman World. The lineup is no great shakes, either, but finding a few strike throwers should be an offseason priority.
27. (64-98) Monterrey Conquistadores: The only team with fewer homers on the season was the Oklahoma City Twins, notorious for utilizing a small-ball offense. That resulted in the 4th worst offense in the league (666 runs scored).
28. (61-101) Montreal Grand Orange: A moribund pitching staff coughed up 984 runs, worst in Gleeman World. It was a group effort, too; the Grand Orange went through 22 different pitchers this season, most of them with disastrous results. Adding a few quality arms has to be a top priority.
29. (57-105) Santa Cruz Amigos: It's been a disappointing season for soon-departing GM bosoxx05. 100 losses is never a good thing; it's even worse when the team was projected to win 30 more games (and the division). The Amigos made more errors than any other team in the league; the new GM would be smart to fix that immediately.
30.(56-106) Colorado Springs Silver Stars: The nicest thing you can say about the team this season is that they didn't finish last in their division. It was a long season; if the Silver Stars don't want a sequel, they would be best served by getting busy during the offseason next year.
31. (54-108) Washington D.C. Bureaucrats: After two awful seasons at the ML level, it'll be interesting to see if GM themoff02 can build a competitive team at the highest level. The Bureaucrats certainly have a ton of prospects, but the next step is to turn those prospects into W's.
32. (51-111) Tacoma Downpour: Congrats on scoring the 1st overall pick in next year's draft.
2. (111-51) Minnesota Fatboys: The Fatboys' 1137 runs would have shattered the single-season record (modern era) for runs scored by a team (1067, 1931 Yankees). A lineup like that backed by Max Leary and Cliff Becker could cause problems; the top two teams in the AL are clearly superior to the rest of the league.
3. (108-54) New York Yankees: They're 8th in the NL in runs scored, and 5th among 6 NL playoff teams. The offense is, to be blunt, unimpressive. Of course, their rotation is a who's-who of the best arms in the league. Their starters, 1-5, rank 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th and 16th in the league in ERA. That's almost unfair.
4. (105-57) Anaheim Anteaters: Every pitcher on the playoff roster has an ERA between 3 and 4.5. No one in the lineup has an OBP above .400 or a SLG% above .600. The team is devoid of any real star power, instead relying on a balanced team with few holes. It's worked well up to this point; we'll see if it translates into playoff success.
5. (97-65) Albuquerque Isotopes: They'll have to ride Billy Ray Prince and Jayson Ellis pretty hard; no other starting pitcher has an ERA under 5. It'll be interesting to see how their high-powered offense fares against a young but talented Buffalo rotation.
6. (100-62) Chicago Jayhawks: Despite drawing the 5th seed, they get to play a reeling Greys squad that won only 89 games during the regular season. They've managed to win without Seth Adams, and Don Masato is a force to be reckoned with in any short series. Better yet, they've had a history of success against the Yankees, who they'll have to face if they get to the NLDS.
7. (104-58) Milwaukee Twindyans: Ignore the 104 wins; they're an excellent team, but one without their best pitcher, Vic Alfonzo. He won't be back until at least the NLCS. They also have a series against a dangerous Devil Ray lineup that outscored every other team in the league. This could spell trouble.
8. (93-69) Nashville Twang: Their top 4 starters have an ERA between 4.2 and 4.6. Solid, but not impressive; they'll be put to the test by Boston's lineup.
9. (92-70) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Without Alfonzo, Milwaukee should be a less formidable foe. That said, the Tampa rotation is nothing special; past ace Miguel Abreu, there's nothing to be afraid of. We could see a couple of slugfests in this series.
10. (89-73) St. Louis Greys: After a blistering start to the season, they've come back down to earth, and finish the season with a solid, but unspectacular record. Their offense is worse than that of any other playoff team; how will they fare against a very good Jayhawk staff?
11. (88-74) Boston Red Sox: They have 7 hitters in their lineup with 20 or more homers. Of course, their pitching staff is 26th in Gleeman World at preventing homers. Whether they win or not, this should end up being an entertaining series for the fans.
12. (88-74) Buffalo Europeans: Abraham Davis and Clay Young make for a strong 1-2 punch. but the rest of the pitching staff is somewhat pedestrian. The lineup doesn't really stand out, either; a lot of their success in the playoffs will ride on the shoulders of their top two starters.
13. (86-76) Iowa City Comics: Despite hanging on the fringes of contention until the last week, they weren't a serious threat. Chipper Velandia had an off year, and the rest of the lineup didn't help; as a team, they could only muster a .325 OBP.
14. (84-78) Florida Cottonmouths: The pitching staff, led by Season 5's Cy Young winner Ismael Molina, was solid. Their lineup was a disappointing 11th in the AL in runs scored, however. An average offense would have given them a shot at a wildcard berth.
15. (83-79) Boise Mashers: The lineup was fine, scoring the 4th most runs in the league. However, starters Dennis Cohen, Willie Taverez, and Pascual Ozuna killed the team with their performance.
16. (80-82) Kansas City Monarchs: And so ends a disappointing run for GM sche0707. Expected to contend this season after several aggressive moves during the offseason, the Monarchs finished well out of a playoff spot, never seriously in the hunt. Ownership and management are expected to change hands during the offseason.
17. (80-82) Cheyenne Tackleberries: Their defense had the 2nd most errors out of any team in the AL. That didn't hurt strikeout pitchers Eugene Ramirez and Stump Jordan, but the rest of the staff suffered.
18. (79-83) Sioux Falls Gunslingers: The rotation needs a lot of fixing; Derek Boone, the best starter, has an ERA of 4.30, and Alex Santiago was given 158 innings despite an ERA well north of 6. Scot Rhodes had a fantastic rookie season; he's a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year.
19. (80-82) Philadelphia Phenomenauts: Lee Roundtree turned out to be a fantastic addition, and Rigo Pineda enjoyed a career year. The result was the best Phenomenaut team in Gleeman World history. Still, they've yet to break .500; they'll need a few more pieces to be serious contenders.
20. (78-84) Oklahoma City Twins: Once a powerhouse in the NL South, the now-rebuilding Twins are unlikely to contend next season. They still have absolutely no power, and their pitching staff was thoroughly gutted after an extended trading frenzy shortly before the deadline. Check back for Season 8.
21. (75-87) San Antonio Sting: A mere 401 walks (last in baseball) led to an awful .301 team OBP. They've had great success running the bases; coupling a higher OBP with their current base stealing rate (84%) might make the offense legitimate.
22. (73-89) Syracuse Fightin' Boeheims: The rotation was an absolute mess this season. Adam Haynes was respectable, posting a sub-4 ERA, but no one else posted an ERA better than 5.40. It would surprise me if Syracuse didn't make a strong play at a few starting pitchers during free agency next season.
23. (66-96) Pittsburgh Pug Dogs: Otis Upshaw was a decent waiver claim; he's 29, sports a solid 4.50 career ERA, and is owed a reasonable sum of 15 million over the next two seasons. They still need a few more pieces to even get to respectability, but this is a good start.
24. (66-96) Los Angeles Hangars: After winning the World Series in Season 1 and improving on their record in Season 2, the Hangars have steadily declined every season since. The core of the ML squad doesn't look very strong, and there's not much help down in the minors right now. Rebuilding could prove to be a difficult task.
25. (63-99) Vancouver Vigilantes: Winning their last game of the season helped them avoid back-to-back 100 loss seasons. There's not much else to say about the team, but the farm system is steadily improving; a few callups combined with a couple of savvy additions could at least lift the team out of the NL North cellar.
26. (64-98) Richmond Roustabouts: The pitching (5.33 ERA) was awful, mainly because the various pitchers they threw out there couldn't find the strike zone. They walked 620 men, tops in Gleeman World. The lineup is no great shakes, either, but finding a few strike throwers should be an offseason priority.
27. (64-98) Monterrey Conquistadores: The only team with fewer homers on the season was the Oklahoma City Twins, notorious for utilizing a small-ball offense. That resulted in the 4th worst offense in the league (666 runs scored).
28. (61-101) Montreal Grand Orange: A moribund pitching staff coughed up 984 runs, worst in Gleeman World. It was a group effort, too; the Grand Orange went through 22 different pitchers this season, most of them with disastrous results. Adding a few quality arms has to be a top priority.
29. (57-105) Santa Cruz Amigos: It's been a disappointing season for soon-departing GM bosoxx05. 100 losses is never a good thing; it's even worse when the team was projected to win 30 more games (and the division). The Amigos made more errors than any other team in the league; the new GM would be smart to fix that immediately.
30.(56-106) Colorado Springs Silver Stars: The nicest thing you can say about the team this season is that they didn't finish last in their division. It was a long season; if the Silver Stars don't want a sequel, they would be best served by getting busy during the offseason next year.
31. (54-108) Washington D.C. Bureaucrats: After two awful seasons at the ML level, it'll be interesting to see if GM themoff02 can build a competitive team at the highest level. The Bureaucrats certainly have a ton of prospects, but the next step is to turn those prospects into W's.
32. (51-111) Tacoma Downpour: Congrats on scoring the 1st overall pick in next year's draft.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Great Pitching Matchup
A game between division rivals in the AM sim of Friday, April 11th, should be a great one to watch (or in HBD's case, read the play-by-play of.) Miguel "The Rock" Abreu (19-3, 3.28) faces off against Don "The Don"Masato (20-7, 2.75). Abreu has gone 8 innings in four of his last six starts, winning in the four and getting no decisions in the two games where he threw less than 8. He can be spot on and have a dominating performance, like giving up 8 hits and just 2 runs over 8 innings, but he can also be off and post a line of 7.2 IP/7 runs/8 hits/2 HR. The Devil Rays hope he can replicate his first start of the season, in which he threw 8 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits while striking out 10. The Don is 3-2 in his last 6 starts, totaling 45 innings. In that span he's allowed 46 hits, 17 runs (7 homers), but with 50 strikeouts and just 9 walks. The Jayhawks hope Don can also replicate his first appearance (which was against the D-Rays). Because thorku was too drunk to reset his pitch count from Spring Training, Don lasted just 3 innings but didn't allow a baserunner and struck out 4.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Draft Recap: NL North and East
NL North
Milwaukee
1st Round Pick: Theo Marquis was a top 15 pitcher in my rating system and he should be a better than average starter at his peak. His low vsR limits his future upside potential but he is otherwise solid across the board
Rest of Draft: Tsuyoshi Martin- Should be a good LH platoon CIF/COF in the future while Peter Darling has solid ratings across the board for a LF though his defense will be subpar. Orval Mottolla is very similar to Darling though he has better D and worse O. Marco Speaker was a very good pick in the sixth round and could conceivably put up league average production for the position. Juan Alvarez in the 8th round was a great value and should be a productive major leaguer.
Overall Grade: A-, to get six average to above average players out of a single draft is tremendous work for someone drafting at the bottom of every round.
Sioux Falls
1st Round Pick: Hector Bell-Should be an above average RF with great power but his on-base percentage will never be great. Also, shouldn't be sniffing 3B.
Rest of Draft: In the 2nd Round, Clayton Sowders represents a classic tweener where he doesn't have the defensive ratings to man a MIF/CF position, nor does he have enough offense to justify occupying a corner position in the majors. Third round pick Juan Lee has the same problems. Fourth Rounder Christian Hernandez's poor splits and pitches will, or should, preclude him from ever getting a cup of coffee in the majors. Tuck Lewis could be a defensive replacement whose bat wouldn't be atrocious but that is being generous.
Overall Grade: C-, there is no excuse for not getting at least one major league caliber player outside the first round and that is exactly what happened.
Kansas City
1st Round Pick: Enrique Melendez: Should be an above average left fielder and has good D in that position. No complaints with his future ML potential but he probably wasn't worth the 16th pick as you can get above average COF in the second and third rounds of almost every draft.
Rest of Draft: Sandwich pick Javy Gomez's low rating versus righties and piss poor third pitch raises serious question marks about his viability as a major league pitcher which is not a good situation for a sandwich pick. Felix Jarvas does have a future as a platoon SS in the majors and should be an above average hitter against Left handed pitching. Very good value in the fifth round. Donovan Stewart could theoretically be a platoon CF at some point but very few hitters with 28 power survive, let alone thrive His third round pick has yet to sign.
Overall Grade: C-. Only one above average player from draft and a wasted sandwich pick tarnish this draft although Felix Jarvis does represent tremendous value.
Vancouver
1st Round Pick: Albert Brooks was the second best player on my draft board as he should be the third best pure hitter in the draft and he has good D for the position and is solid on the base paths which can not be said of Guerrero.
Rest of Draft: Coco McKnight will likely be seen as a poor choice for a sandwich pick as a pitcher generally needs more than one plus pitch to survive and, when combined with his mediocre splits and control, he probably shouldn't ever see the majors. 2nd round pick Pablo Merced wasn't a terrible value for a MIF but he'll likely top out at below average on both offense and defense at 2B. Alex Pujols was a tremendous value in the third round and should produce approximately league average stats as a starter or long reliever. Phil Barber could be a decent platoon RF in the future.
Overall Grade: B-, Brooks is a future star and Pujols was a tremendous value but sandwich and second round picks left a lot to be desired.
NL East (Minus Washington)
Chicago
1st Round Pick: Wilt Knotts should be a great hitting catcher though his low rating versus rights does limit his future upside and while he does have a strong arm, his PC rating is at the low end of the acceptable spectrum.
Rest of Draft: Ted Roberts does have a future as a starting pitcher in the majors due to great control and four good pitches though his solid splits does lower his ceiling to below star. BC Ortiz wasn't a great value but he does project to be a future ML pitcher. Alexander Barker was a great value as the history of pitchers with mediocre control and splits but 5 above average pitches is actually surprisingly strong especially given his high dur/stm ratings. However, Nigel Warner, Doug Levis, and Nigel Egan scream career minor leaguer.
Overall Grade: C+, Knotts seems like a duplicate of Tuck Stein and only Ted Roberts and Alexander Barker should see a major league field in the future. For having seven picks in the first five rounds, that doesn't represent a very good return on investment.
New York Yankees
1st Round Pick: Jimmy Estrella was, arguably, the steal of the first round who will be a stud reliever that has no weaknesses. The Itou vs. Estrella debate will be raging for years to come.
Rest of Draft: Ivan Alvarez is a two pitch reliever but his poor splits will mean he probably gets hammered. The track record of two pitch relievers with anything other than top notch splits isn't very good though most people disagree with me so he'll probably be trade bait. Denny Kohlmeir was a fantastic value in the third round as he'll be a very good pitcher when he is on the mound though his low dur/stm and iffy help raises red flags. However, at the point of the draft, the reward far outweighed the risk. In the first five rounds, he drafted three nearly identical first baseman in Coco Montgomery, Chick Hemphill, and Ralph Jones with only Coco projecting to league average production for the position. A little more diversity would have been nice. Lou Woods is one of the better values in the draft as he should be a decent platoon 3B at his peak.
Overall Grade: B+. Estrella guarantees a B- and Denny Kohlmeir and Lou Woods were solid choices but the rest of the draft was overly concentrated on 1B types and Ivan Alvarez has serious questions.
Tampa Bay
1st Round Pick: Shane Barkett was a very good pick as he has great control, a good rating versus right handed hitters and four above average pitches. You can't ask for more out of a SP at that point of the draft.
Rest of Draft: Louis Valdez was a regrettable selection has he has no range and no power means he has no future as a productive major league player. Raymond Stark represents a duplication of Valdez's "potential." Bo Washington isn't a bad value due to his decent splits but he has poor control and only has two pitches. Wesley Van Hekken has four good pitches and an excellent groundball rate but poor splits and control and is a fringe major leaguer at his peak.
Overall Grade: C, Barkett was a very good value as good SP is the hardest commodity to acquire in our league but the rest of the draft provides nothing else in the way of guaranteed future major league talent.
Milwaukee
1st Round Pick: Theo Marquis was a top 15 pitcher in my rating system and he should be a better than average starter at his peak. His low vsR limits his future upside potential but he is otherwise solid across the board
Rest of Draft: Tsuyoshi Martin- Should be a good LH platoon CIF/COF in the future while Peter Darling has solid ratings across the board for a LF though his defense will be subpar. Orval Mottolla is very similar to Darling though he has better D and worse O. Marco Speaker was a very good pick in the sixth round and could conceivably put up league average production for the position. Juan Alvarez in the 8th round was a great value and should be a productive major leaguer.
Overall Grade: A-, to get six average to above average players out of a single draft is tremendous work for someone drafting at the bottom of every round.
Sioux Falls
1st Round Pick: Hector Bell-Should be an above average RF with great power but his on-base percentage will never be great. Also, shouldn't be sniffing 3B.
Rest of Draft: In the 2nd Round, Clayton Sowders represents a classic tweener where he doesn't have the defensive ratings to man a MIF/CF position, nor does he have enough offense to justify occupying a corner position in the majors. Third round pick Juan Lee has the same problems. Fourth Rounder Christian Hernandez's poor splits and pitches will, or should, preclude him from ever getting a cup of coffee in the majors. Tuck Lewis could be a defensive replacement whose bat wouldn't be atrocious but that is being generous.
Overall Grade: C-, there is no excuse for not getting at least one major league caliber player outside the first round and that is exactly what happened.
Kansas City
1st Round Pick: Enrique Melendez: Should be an above average left fielder and has good D in that position. No complaints with his future ML potential but he probably wasn't worth the 16th pick as you can get above average COF in the second and third rounds of almost every draft.
Rest of Draft: Sandwich pick Javy Gomez's low rating versus righties and piss poor third pitch raises serious question marks about his viability as a major league pitcher which is not a good situation for a sandwich pick. Felix Jarvas does have a future as a platoon SS in the majors and should be an above average hitter against Left handed pitching. Very good value in the fifth round. Donovan Stewart could theoretically be a platoon CF at some point but very few hitters with 28 power survive, let alone thrive His third round pick has yet to sign.
Overall Grade: C-. Only one above average player from draft and a wasted sandwich pick tarnish this draft although Felix Jarvis does represent tremendous value.
Vancouver
1st Round Pick: Albert Brooks was the second best player on my draft board as he should be the third best pure hitter in the draft and he has good D for the position and is solid on the base paths which can not be said of Guerrero.
Rest of Draft: Coco McKnight will likely be seen as a poor choice for a sandwich pick as a pitcher generally needs more than one plus pitch to survive and, when combined with his mediocre splits and control, he probably shouldn't ever see the majors. 2nd round pick Pablo Merced wasn't a terrible value for a MIF but he'll likely top out at below average on both offense and defense at 2B. Alex Pujols was a tremendous value in the third round and should produce approximately league average stats as a starter or long reliever. Phil Barber could be a decent platoon RF in the future.
Overall Grade: B-, Brooks is a future star and Pujols was a tremendous value but sandwich and second round picks left a lot to be desired.
NL East (Minus Washington)
Chicago
1st Round Pick: Wilt Knotts should be a great hitting catcher though his low rating versus rights does limit his future upside and while he does have a strong arm, his PC rating is at the low end of the acceptable spectrum.
Rest of Draft: Ted Roberts does have a future as a starting pitcher in the majors due to great control and four good pitches though his solid splits does lower his ceiling to below star. BC Ortiz wasn't a great value but he does project to be a future ML pitcher. Alexander Barker was a great value as the history of pitchers with mediocre control and splits but 5 above average pitches is actually surprisingly strong especially given his high dur/stm ratings. However, Nigel Warner, Doug Levis, and Nigel Egan scream career minor leaguer.
Overall Grade: C+, Knotts seems like a duplicate of Tuck Stein and only Ted Roberts and Alexander Barker should see a major league field in the future. For having seven picks in the first five rounds, that doesn't represent a very good return on investment.
New York Yankees
1st Round Pick: Jimmy Estrella was, arguably, the steal of the first round who will be a stud reliever that has no weaknesses. The Itou vs. Estrella debate will be raging for years to come.
Rest of Draft: Ivan Alvarez is a two pitch reliever but his poor splits will mean he probably gets hammered. The track record of two pitch relievers with anything other than top notch splits isn't very good though most people disagree with me so he'll probably be trade bait. Denny Kohlmeir was a fantastic value in the third round as he'll be a very good pitcher when he is on the mound though his low dur/stm and iffy help raises red flags. However, at the point of the draft, the reward far outweighed the risk. In the first five rounds, he drafted three nearly identical first baseman in Coco Montgomery, Chick Hemphill, and Ralph Jones with only Coco projecting to league average production for the position. A little more diversity would have been nice. Lou Woods is one of the better values in the draft as he should be a decent platoon 3B at his peak.
Overall Grade: B+. Estrella guarantees a B- and Denny Kohlmeir and Lou Woods were solid choices but the rest of the draft was overly concentrated on 1B types and Ivan Alvarez has serious questions.
Tampa Bay
1st Round Pick: Shane Barkett was a very good pick as he has great control, a good rating versus right handed hitters and four above average pitches. You can't ask for more out of a SP at that point of the draft.
Rest of Draft: Louis Valdez was a regrettable selection has he has no range and no power means he has no future as a productive major league player. Raymond Stark represents a duplication of Valdez's "potential." Bo Washington isn't a bad value due to his decent splits but he has poor control and only has two pitches. Wesley Van Hekken has four good pitches and an excellent groundball rate but poor splits and control and is a fringe major leaguer at his peak.
Overall Grade: C, Barkett was a very good value as good SP is the hardest commodity to acquire in our league but the rest of the draft provides nothing else in the way of guaranteed future major league talent.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Draft Recap: NL South (continued)
Iowa City:
Other picks: Morris Shaw in the 2nd round was a whiff; he'll eat innings in the minors, but is unlikely to have a ML future. The Comics made up for it with their next few picks, drafting a solid future RF platoon with Kordell Fisher and Harry Martin. Al Gutierrez, Steven Parrish and Jeromy Monroe should all have a chance to make it as spare parts.
Grade: B
St. Louis:
First Round: David Terrero is a solid pick, and certainly better than the player drafted 3 spots after him (Thurman Pearson, see AL North recap). Scouts love his line drive stroke; most think that he could hit .300 in the majors. He also has more power than you might expect; not just a doubles hitter, he'll hit one out often enough to be a threat. His glove, while not a strength, should play at 2B. He's Trent Gordon, minus the batting eye. That should be enough to make him a championship-caliber starter.
Grade: B+
Other picks: Tuck McCarty and Jerry Robinson should make competent backups at 2B and CF, respectively. Danys Frias is okay, as far as backup catch-and-throw catchers go; his defense is excellent, but he's a free swinger with no power. Hamlet Crow was a nice find; pitchers with any ML potential are hard to find as late as the 5th round. No starters here, much less stars, but the Greys drafted a solid cast of role players.
Grade: B
Oklahoma City:
First Round: Adrian Henderson has good control, gets both lefties and righties out, and throws very hard. However, there are some caveats: His stuff is underwhelming for a starter, and his health might be a bit of a problem. There were a couple of pitchers available that I would rather have. Nevertheless, Henderson was a solid pick.
Grade: B-
Other picks: Joe Bland is a strike-throwing innings eater; he probably won't survive in the majors, but the Twins might give him a shot anyways. Ditto for Daniel Gibson. Lance Douglas looks like a long shot for even a job as an ML reserve. Felipe Perez is a nice late round find, but it's not particularly hard to find a capable backup catcher. Not much here.
Grade: D+
Monterrey:
First Round: Picking 6th, the Conquistadores drafted Andre Kelly. His command projects to be very good, and he's equally effective against righties and lefties. His stuff projects to be solid for a starting pitcher as well, and he has a clean bill of health. He's also a flyball pitcher; that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something to note if he gives up an inordinate number of homers. As long as he develops properly, he should be an excellent pitcher, someone that could anchor a playoff rotation.
Grade: A-
Other picks: Alan Young and Carlos Mercado are both talented enough to pitch in middle relief, but both have stamina issues that could limit their innings. Cristian Caldwell's stuff probably isn't good enough to cut it at the major league level, nor is Buddy Phillips'. Doug Collins could make a handy pinch runner/defensive replacement, but his bat would put up an unconventional (but still useless) line of .220/.310/.250 or so.
Grade: C-
Other picks: Morris Shaw in the 2nd round was a whiff; he'll eat innings in the minors, but is unlikely to have a ML future. The Comics made up for it with their next few picks, drafting a solid future RF platoon with Kordell Fisher and Harry Martin. Al Gutierrez, Steven Parrish and Jeromy Monroe should all have a chance to make it as spare parts.
Grade: B
St. Louis:
First Round: David Terrero is a solid pick, and certainly better than the player drafted 3 spots after him (Thurman Pearson, see AL North recap). Scouts love his line drive stroke; most think that he could hit .300 in the majors. He also has more power than you might expect; not just a doubles hitter, he'll hit one out often enough to be a threat. His glove, while not a strength, should play at 2B. He's Trent Gordon, minus the batting eye. That should be enough to make him a championship-caliber starter.
Grade: B+
Other picks: Tuck McCarty and Jerry Robinson should make competent backups at 2B and CF, respectively. Danys Frias is okay, as far as backup catch-and-throw catchers go; his defense is excellent, but he's a free swinger with no power. Hamlet Crow was a nice find; pitchers with any ML potential are hard to find as late as the 5th round. No starters here, much less stars, but the Greys drafted a solid cast of role players.
Grade: B
Oklahoma City:
First Round: Adrian Henderson has good control, gets both lefties and righties out, and throws very hard. However, there are some caveats: His stuff is underwhelming for a starter, and his health might be a bit of a problem. There were a couple of pitchers available that I would rather have. Nevertheless, Henderson was a solid pick.
Grade: B-
Other picks: Joe Bland is a strike-throwing innings eater; he probably won't survive in the majors, but the Twins might give him a shot anyways. Ditto for Daniel Gibson. Lance Douglas looks like a long shot for even a job as an ML reserve. Felipe Perez is a nice late round find, but it's not particularly hard to find a capable backup catcher. Not much here.
Grade: D+
Monterrey:
First Round: Picking 6th, the Conquistadores drafted Andre Kelly. His command projects to be very good, and he's equally effective against righties and lefties. His stuff projects to be solid for a starting pitcher as well, and he has a clean bill of health. He's also a flyball pitcher; that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something to note if he gives up an inordinate number of homers. As long as he develops properly, he should be an excellent pitcher, someone that could anchor a playoff rotation.
Grade: A-
Other picks: Alan Young and Carlos Mercado are both talented enough to pitch in middle relief, but both have stamina issues that could limit their innings. Cristian Caldwell's stuff probably isn't good enough to cut it at the major league level, nor is Buddy Phillips'. Doug Collins could make a handy pinch runner/defensive replacement, but his bat would put up an unconventional (but still useless) line of .220/.310/.250 or so.
Grade: C-
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Outrage in Oklahoma
Excerpt of the interview of Garfield Logomos, the GM of the OKC Twins, as published in the OKC Daily Bugle.
When you started trading away your ML talent you were still in the hunt for a playoff spot. In fact, if the season would have ended then you would have been a wildcard team. Why the firesale?
The team was getting lucky. They had an inordinate amount of 1 run wins and a low Pythagorean win %. I did not see the team keeping up the pace. After making the playoffs 4 years in a row the entire team had a down year last year and for the first time the Twins did not make the playoffs. I thought they would play better this year. They weren’t.
The minor leagues were bare from signing free agents, poor scouting, trading for veterans and from low draft picks. It was either time to get some more veteran talent for the holes the team had to make 1 last run for the playoffs or to trade some very good ML talent to replenish the teams.
I chose to trade some expensive veterans like Brad Jefferson , Billy Stovall, Max Leary, Max Pascual, Phil Jefferies, Bill Moore, Nate McMillan, and probably Darrell White. I also traded some valuable young pitchers like Keith Bryant and the Twins first eve rdraft pick Lance Lara. The latter was the toughest to trade but he would have become too expensive before the team was ready to make another run at the playoffs.
By trading all of these players I have insured that this team will win in the future. The players received were all much better than anyone we had in the minor leagues at the time.
Besides clearing tons of cap room that could be spent on better scouting and coaching, we now have a plethora of future major leaguers like defensive wiz Martin James, long reliever Gregory Young, closer Willie Ortiz, closer Jesus Santos, the injured speed demon Will Bell, 2nd baseman of the future Herman Grace, top prospect Felipe Perez, speed freak Derrek Hunt, setup guy Glen Palmer, defensive wiz Tony Manzanillo, reliever Raul Vazquez, reliever Ron Lorraine, thirdbase wiz Andres Johnson, future star Geoff Forest, plus many more role fillers and possible major leaguers.
The future looks bright.
When you started trading away your ML talent you were still in the hunt for a playoff spot. In fact, if the season would have ended then you would have been a wildcard team. Why the firesale?
The team was getting lucky. They had an inordinate amount of 1 run wins and a low Pythagorean win %. I did not see the team keeping up the pace. After making the playoffs 4 years in a row the entire team had a down year last year and for the first time the Twins did not make the playoffs. I thought they would play better this year. They weren’t.
The minor leagues were bare from signing free agents, poor scouting, trading for veterans and from low draft picks. It was either time to get some more veteran talent for the holes the team had to make 1 last run for the playoffs or to trade some very good ML talent to replenish the teams.
I chose to trade some expensive veterans like Brad Jefferson , Billy Stovall, Max Leary, Max Pascual, Phil Jefferies, Bill Moore, Nate McMillan, and probably Darrell White. I also traded some valuable young pitchers like Keith Bryant and the Twins first eve rdraft pick Lance Lara. The latter was the toughest to trade but he would have become too expensive before the team was ready to make another run at the playoffs.
By trading all of these players I have insured that this team will win in the future. The players received were all much better than anyone we had in the minor leagues at the time.
Besides clearing tons of cap room that could be spent on better scouting and coaching, we now have a plethora of future major leaguers like defensive wiz Martin James, long reliever Gregory Young, closer Willie Ortiz, closer Jesus Santos, the injured speed demon Will Bell, 2nd baseman of the future Herman Grace, top prospect Felipe Perez, speed freak Derrek Hunt, setup guy Glen Palmer, defensive wiz Tony Manzanillo, reliever Raul Vazquez, reliever Ron Lorraine, thirdbase wiz Andres Johnson, future star Geoff Forest, plus many more role fillers and possible major leaguers.
The future looks bright.
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