Angels sign Fuentes to replace K-Rod
Nice signing by the Halos. Fuentes is an underrated reliever who has somehow gotten the bogus rap of a guy who "lost his closer's job" back in '07 during the Rockies' run to the playoffs.
That's not exactly how it played out...
Fuentes didn’t “lose” the job, he got hurt and then his manager didn’t give him the job back after he returned from the disabled list.
Here’s the breakdown on his 2007 season:
- Thru June 21 Fuentes was 20-of-22 in save chances and had a 1.89 ERA
- From June 22 - July 3 Fuentes gave up 10 ER in 4.3 IP
- Fuentes did not pitch from July 4 thru August 14 (he was on the DL with a strained muscle in his rib cage)
- He posted a 1.29 ERA in August after his return from the DL and a 1.15 ERA in September
- Outside of the 11-day stretch of bad games (followed by the DL stint) Fuentes allowed 11 ER in 57 IP (1.74 ERA)
- His save percentage outside of that 11-day window was 83% (20-of-24)
He's got an 85% conversion rate from 2005-2008 (111 saves in 131 chances), a 10.3 K/9 ratio, an opponent batting average around .200 and a 3-to-1 K/BB ratio (302 K/105 BB) during that 4-year run.
Also, if you factor out that 11-day stretch in 2007 (all of those games were on the road), his 2006-2008 road splits were incredibly impressive: 40-of-47 saves (85%), 85 2/3 IP, 46 H, 22 ER, 41 BB, 95 K, 2.31 ERA.
The Angels got him at a bargain price ($17.5 million over 2 years w/ a $9 million option for a third year) and they will once again have one of the best bullpens in baseball with Fuentes closing while Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo setup for him.
Nice move.
Cubs manuevering for Peavy, Bradley or both
The Cubs traded IF-OF Mark DeRosa to the Indians for three minor league pitchers, none of them elite prospects (two are relievers), in what appears to be a move to clear some salary so they can either renew their pursuit of Jake Peavy, sign Milton Bradley (or Bobby Abreu) or perhaps do both.
They'll replace DeRosa on the roster with Aaron Miles who signed 2-year deal worth $4.9 million. Miles will make roughly half of what DeRosa is set to make in '09. Miles is a nice player who would appear to be a nice complement to Mike Fontenot at 2B for the Cubs.
They're also reportedly close to sending Jason Marquis and his $9.875 million contract to the Rockies for reliever Luis Vizcaino who makes $3.5 million.
The sum total of these moves saves the Cubs $9-10 million which would seem to be chump change for the franchise but with the ownership situation being what it is I guess the moves are understandable.
DeRosa will be a tough player to lose - he's significantly better offensively than a Miles/Fontenot combo figures to be and he's a better defensive player (at more positions) than the other two as well.
Great pickup for the Indians - they give up three pretty mediocre pitching prospects and get someone to take on a spot in their infield while providing an offensive upgrade. DeRosa could handle 3B for the Tribe if they wanted him to but they could also shuffle things a bit and move Jhonny Peralta over to 3B with Asdrubal Cabrera taking over at SS. Personally, that's how I'd do it...
This is a tough loss for the Cards, by the way. It leaves Adam Kennedy as the only 2B on the roster with significant MLB experience and it's over an $800,000 difference in pay (Miles' 08 salary vs. his new '09 salary) after Miles hit .317 last season.
It's kind of tough to swallow, watching a proven utility infielder go to your division rival because you didn't want to cough up a little more money and one extra year, especially for a guy who has basically been a regular the past two seasons.
Let me guess - it's the economy!
Tell that to the 3.5 million fans who will come through the gates in '09...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
And stay out!!!
A few days ago I went through the players I would vote for in this year's HOF class and now I'm going to go a slightly different route...
This time I'm singling out a few guys who have no business being considered for the Hall of Fame, even though they get a good bit of support in some baseball circles.
Quick disclaimer: none of what I write below is in any way personal. I have had little-to-no interaction with these players during my broadcasting career and my opinion is based on nothing more than my own analysis of the performance of these players.
And so it begins...
Tommy John
Seems like a nice guy and might be a candidate for selection as a "pioneer" - since a significant surgical procedure that has saved many a career was named after him - but as a pitcher I just can't come to grips with him being a Hall of Famer.
Every argument I hear on John's behalf begins with his 288 career wins, which is ludicrous since he pitched 26 years in the big leagues. The man averaged 11 wins a season for God's sake and only notched 74 wins (8 per year) in his last 9 seasons!
Consider the following:
* Only 4 All-Star appearances in 26 years
* Averaged 4 strikeouts per game
* Never won a Cy Young Award and finished in the Top 10 in voting only 4 times
* Finished in the Top 5 in ERA just 6 times in 26 years.
* 3.34 career ERA was just 0.35 better than the league average (3.69) from 1963-1989
In other words, Tommy John was a slightly above average pitcher for a very, very, very long time. That's not what a Hall of Famer is...
He was certainly a very valuable baseball player, don't get me wrong about that, but the Hall of Fame should be about greatness and not about being pretty good for 2 1/2 decades.
Was Tommy John ever the best pitcher in baseball for any signficant stretch of time? How many times was he even the best pitcher on his own team?
Dale Murphy
He's close, make no mistake about it, but he's just shy.
The .265 batting average certainly doesn't separate him from the crowd and while his power numbers were impressive, especially given the era he played in, they're not as impressive as they appear at first glance.
Murphy spent the relevant portion of his career playing at Fulton County Stadium, aka "The Launching Pad." His HR totals are a bit elevated because of that.
Look at Bob Horner's HR totals as an example of what I'm talking about - Horner hit 215 HR in 3571 AB as Murphy's teammate in Atlanta from 1978-1986. Murphy hit 264 HR during that same span but needed 4876 AB to do so. Compared directly, same team and same era, Horner hit a HR every 16.6 AB and Murphy hit a HR every 18.5 AB.
Clearly Murphy is the superior player of the two, I'm not questioning that. I'm just pointing out that it was relatively easy to hit HR's in Atlanta during that period of time.
From 1978-1987 Murphy was an awesome two-way player - 7 All-Star appearances, 2 MVP's, 5 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Sluggers - but I'm just not sure he was good enough for long enough to merit Hall of Fame consideration.
Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Dave Parker and Tim Raines are all better candidates for the Hall and if they all get in someday then I'll be more willing to add someone like Dale Murphy.
Don Mattingly
This is a truly unfortunate case of bad luck. "Donnie Baseball" was an awesome, awesome player and would have certainly been Hall of Fame material were his career not limited by back problems.
For 6 seasons (1984-1989) he was an absolute monster: .327 average while hitting 27 HR and driving in 114 runs per year during that stretch.
That's crazy, especially given the era.
The problem is that he only hit 58 home runs over the next 6 seasons and was no longer a true impact player.
If he had been able to have 3-4 more completely healthy seasons than he had, then Mattingly would have been a dead-cinch lock for the Hall since he had 7 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 9 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers as it was.
Mattingly was a great player but just wasn't able to hold up physically for a long enough period of time.
This time I'm singling out a few guys who have no business being considered for the Hall of Fame, even though they get a good bit of support in some baseball circles.
Quick disclaimer: none of what I write below is in any way personal. I have had little-to-no interaction with these players during my broadcasting career and my opinion is based on nothing more than my own analysis of the performance of these players.
And so it begins...
Tommy John
Seems like a nice guy and might be a candidate for selection as a "pioneer" - since a significant surgical procedure that has saved many a career was named after him - but as a pitcher I just can't come to grips with him being a Hall of Famer.
Every argument I hear on John's behalf begins with his 288 career wins, which is ludicrous since he pitched 26 years in the big leagues. The man averaged 11 wins a season for God's sake and only notched 74 wins (8 per year) in his last 9 seasons!
Consider the following:
* Only 4 All-Star appearances in 26 years
* Averaged 4 strikeouts per game
* Never won a Cy Young Award and finished in the Top 10 in voting only 4 times
* Finished in the Top 5 in ERA just 6 times in 26 years.
* 3.34 career ERA was just 0.35 better than the league average (3.69) from 1963-1989
In other words, Tommy John was a slightly above average pitcher for a very, very, very long time. That's not what a Hall of Famer is...
He was certainly a very valuable baseball player, don't get me wrong about that, but the Hall of Fame should be about greatness and not about being pretty good for 2 1/2 decades.
Was Tommy John ever the best pitcher in baseball for any signficant stretch of time? How many times was he even the best pitcher on his own team?
Dale Murphy
He's close, make no mistake about it, but he's just shy.
The .265 batting average certainly doesn't separate him from the crowd and while his power numbers were impressive, especially given the era he played in, they're not as impressive as they appear at first glance.
Murphy spent the relevant portion of his career playing at Fulton County Stadium, aka "The Launching Pad." His HR totals are a bit elevated because of that.
Look at Bob Horner's HR totals as an example of what I'm talking about - Horner hit 215 HR in 3571 AB as Murphy's teammate in Atlanta from 1978-1986. Murphy hit 264 HR during that same span but needed 4876 AB to do so. Compared directly, same team and same era, Horner hit a HR every 16.6 AB and Murphy hit a HR every 18.5 AB.
Clearly Murphy is the superior player of the two, I'm not questioning that. I'm just pointing out that it was relatively easy to hit HR's in Atlanta during that period of time.
From 1978-1987 Murphy was an awesome two-way player - 7 All-Star appearances, 2 MVP's, 5 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Sluggers - but I'm just not sure he was good enough for long enough to merit Hall of Fame consideration.
Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Dave Parker and Tim Raines are all better candidates for the Hall and if they all get in someday then I'll be more willing to add someone like Dale Murphy.
Don Mattingly
This is a truly unfortunate case of bad luck. "Donnie Baseball" was an awesome, awesome player and would have certainly been Hall of Fame material were his career not limited by back problems.
For 6 seasons (1984-1989) he was an absolute monster: .327 average while hitting 27 HR and driving in 114 runs per year during that stretch.
That's crazy, especially given the era.
The problem is that he only hit 58 home runs over the next 6 seasons and was no longer a true impact player.
If he had been able to have 3-4 more completely healthy seasons than he had, then Mattingly would have been a dead-cinch lock for the Hall since he had 7 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 9 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers as it was.
Mattingly was a great player but just wasn't able to hold up physically for a long enough period of time.
Thinking out loud...
Random thoughts on recent baseball stories....
Big Unit lands in the Bay
Not literally, of course. Great move by San Fran and a decent one by the Big Unit. He's from Walnut Creek, CA, he gets to start half his games in a pitcher's park and he could be one heck of a trade piece late in the '08 season if he's healthy and pitching well, so he could still find his way to a contender.
He'll get his 300th win early in the season - he only needs 5 more - and based on how he finished the '08 season there's still something left in the tank.
Not a bad rotation for the Giants: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez (if he's not traded for some offensive help).
Now if they could just get a decent bat or two...
Dodgers-Mets reportedly kicking around Andruw deal
What would the Mets want with a head-case like Jones? Even if the Dodgers pay every single dollar that Jones is owed, how does a guy who hit .222 in '07 and .158 in '08 make your team better? You also have to convince Mr. My-Range-Is-Gone-Cuz-I-Got-Fat to move to RF.
No thanks, this guy's toast. When he was a 35-HR guy with a Gold Glove you could live with the .250-.260 average and mental lapses but this guy slugged .249 last year and doesn't cover ground like he used to.
Two more ballplayers flee Fidel
SP Yadel Marti and OF Yasser Gomez have reportedly defected and will be looking to sign Major League contracts soon. They were both impact players in Cuba - Marti was their best pitcher in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
Maybe their arrival will make up for the lack of Japanese talent coming to the U.S. this year, though I haven't seen any estimate regarding a timetable for either player signing and being ready to play. It's gonna be a while.
Red Sox find a shiny new Penny and a Bard
Great, great move. I think Penny is a big-time sleeper this season. He's gonna come cheap right about now (reportedly $5 million w/ $3 million in incentives) and he's got a lot of talent. I'm surprised more teams haven't been in on this guy.
If the Sawx land him it'll be a steal and it'll buy time for some of the younger SP's to develop a bit more. He's still only 30 years-old and went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA over 208 IP in '07.
Signing Josh Bard is a solid idea. He's a good backup who has actually hit pretty well the last few years when he's been healthy. Could be a decent part-timer if they don't bring back Jason Varitek.
O's sign lefty Hendrickson
Huh? What part of the 5.07 career ERA don't the Orioles understand? The guy throws beach balls up there and the O's are considering him a potential part of their rotation? In that ballpark?
No wonder they've been crappy for so long.
Nats sign Corey Patterson
Speaking of stupid...
What the hell does Jim Bowden need another OF for? Having Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena and Willie Harris wasn't enough?
Oh, did I mention that Patterson stinks?
Jeez.
Nats make up for stupidity by signing Cabrera
At least signing Daniel Cabrera makes sense. This guy has an All-Star arm and a Little League brain but at least he's got talent and will come cheap.
He's got upside if he can ever figure out how to throw the ball over the plate. I doubt he'll ever live up to his potential but he's at least worth taking a shot at, unlike Patterson.
Big Unit lands in the Bay
Not literally, of course. Great move by San Fran and a decent one by the Big Unit. He's from Walnut Creek, CA, he gets to start half his games in a pitcher's park and he could be one heck of a trade piece late in the '08 season if he's healthy and pitching well, so he could still find his way to a contender.
He'll get his 300th win early in the season - he only needs 5 more - and based on how he finished the '08 season there's still something left in the tank.
Not a bad rotation for the Giants: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez (if he's not traded for some offensive help).
Now if they could just get a decent bat or two...
Dodgers-Mets reportedly kicking around Andruw deal
What would the Mets want with a head-case like Jones? Even if the Dodgers pay every single dollar that Jones is owed, how does a guy who hit .222 in '07 and .158 in '08 make your team better? You also have to convince Mr. My-Range-Is-Gone-Cuz-I-Got-Fat to move to RF.
No thanks, this guy's toast. When he was a 35-HR guy with a Gold Glove you could live with the .250-.260 average and mental lapses but this guy slugged .249 last year and doesn't cover ground like he used to.
Two more ballplayers flee Fidel
SP Yadel Marti and OF Yasser Gomez have reportedly defected and will be looking to sign Major League contracts soon. They were both impact players in Cuba - Marti was their best pitcher in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
Maybe their arrival will make up for the lack of Japanese talent coming to the U.S. this year, though I haven't seen any estimate regarding a timetable for either player signing and being ready to play. It's gonna be a while.
Red Sox find a shiny new Penny and a Bard
Great, great move. I think Penny is a big-time sleeper this season. He's gonna come cheap right about now (reportedly $5 million w/ $3 million in incentives) and he's got a lot of talent. I'm surprised more teams haven't been in on this guy.
If the Sawx land him it'll be a steal and it'll buy time for some of the younger SP's to develop a bit more. He's still only 30 years-old and went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA over 208 IP in '07.
Signing Josh Bard is a solid idea. He's a good backup who has actually hit pretty well the last few years when he's been healthy. Could be a decent part-timer if they don't bring back Jason Varitek.
O's sign lefty Hendrickson
Huh? What part of the 5.07 career ERA don't the Orioles understand? The guy throws beach balls up there and the O's are considering him a potential part of their rotation? In that ballpark?
No wonder they've been crappy for so long.
Nats sign Corey Patterson
Speaking of stupid...
What the hell does Jim Bowden need another OF for? Having Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena and Willie Harris wasn't enough?
Oh, did I mention that Patterson stinks?
Jeez.
Nats make up for stupidity by signing Cabrera
At least signing Daniel Cabrera makes sense. This guy has an All-Star arm and a Little League brain but at least he's got talent and will come cheap.
He's got upside if he can ever figure out how to throw the ball over the plate. I doubt he'll ever live up to his potential but he's at least worth taking a shot at, unlike Patterson.
Friday, December 26, 2008
HOF 2009 - Here's who I'd vote for
Let's talk about the 2009 Hall of Fame candidates...
There are five guys who would get my votes this year - if I had a ballot to fill out - and while I fully understand a few of them will never get in I have to put this stuff out there because I think the majority of HOF voters use screwed up criteria to make their selections.
I'm not calling the BBWAA a bunch of idiots - I have a good number of friends who are BBWAA members and they're some of the smartest people (not just in terms of baseball) that I know. What I do think, however, is that too many BBWAA members judge by a strange set of criteria that seems to change from case to case.
Far too offten it's about statistical milestones, too much about the quality of the team someone played on and too little about things like defense and excellence within one's era.
A guy like Tony Perez gets in the Hall, in my opinion based partly on the fact that he played for the Big Red Machine, while a guy like Ron Santo sits and waits while his health fails him because he had the bad fortune of playing for lesser teams.
Consider:
Perez (1964-1986): 2777 G, 9778 AB, 2732 H, 379 HR, 1652 RBI, OPS+ 122, 7-time All-Star, no Gold Gloves
Santo (1960-1974): 2243 G, 8143 AB, 2254 H, 342 HR, 1331 RBI, OPS+ 125, 9-time All-Star, 5 Gold Gloves
So what we have here is pretty obvious. Santo was the better player, especially during the 11-year period when their careers overlapped, and is still on the outside looking in mostly because voters seem to have an illogical distaste for adding a fourth player from some bad Cubbie teams.
Santo was clearly the dominant third baseman of his era in the National League, his offensive numbers are superior to those of Brooks Robinson and he was clearly the better defensive player compared to Perez, who spent the majority of his career at first base rather than third.
The guy posts similar offensive numbers, has more All-Star appearances and 5 Gold Gloves compared to zero for the other guy and there isn't something strange going on here?
This is just one example of what bugs about the Hall of Fame voting process. Too many people with goofy, nonsensical standards that don't stand up to any logical analysis whatsoever. Another example of that is coming up in a couple of paragraphs...
With all that out of my system now, let's move on to the players who would receive my votes for the 2009 HOF class:
Rickey Henderson - No need to make any points here as I doubt anyone disagrees that this guy's a Hall of Famer. Best leadoff man of all-time. What will tick me off, however, is the fact that some voters will leave him off their ballots this year as a means of ensuring that no player will ever be a unanimous selection. Now there's something that drives me nuts. This idea that since nobody in the inaugural HOF class was a unanimous choice nobody should EVER be is just plain stupid.
Here's the logic - some voters were complete, unadulterated idiots 70 years ago therefore we must act like idiots now.
Unreal.
Andre Dawson - Another guy, like Santo, who suffers because he wasn't on good teams often enough. 438 homers, 314 steals, Rookie of the Year, MVP (and runner up twice), 8-time All-Star, 4-time Silver Slugger winner and 8 Gold Gloves.
That's not a Hall of Famer? The only differences between Dawson and Dave Winfield is that Winfield played in 300 more games and that Dawson didn't play for the Yankees.
Jack Morris - How can someone be the best pitcher in baseball for an entire decade and not be a Hall of Famer? Morris was the "Pitcher of the 80's" - nobody was better for an entire decade and he was a top of the rotation starter through 1992. Three more wins than Bob Gibson, though he did play in 21 more games and while his career ERA is a full run higher than Gibby's (3.91 to 2.90) it's important to note that Morris pitched in the American League during a more hitter-friendly era (w/ DH's) while Gibson pitched in the "Old School" National League, complete with 3-foot tall mounds.
Don't get me wrong, Gibson was CLEARLY superior to Morris, vastly superior in just about every way. I'm just trying to point out that Morris has numbers similar to an automatic Hall of Famer and yet he gets almost no love. Morris was the #1 starter on THREE different World Series winners, a 5-time All-Star and a World Series MVP.
All that and he was the best pitcher in baseball from 1979-1992.
Jim Rice - 1978 MVP, 8-time All-Star with 382 homers and 1451 RBI in just 2089 career games and he's not in the Hall? Really?
It took Winfield nearly 900 extra games to hit 83 more home runs and drive in 382 more runs. That's an extra 5 1/2 seasons. That tells me Rice was pretty productive, doesn't it?
I'm not picking on Winfield, by the way. I think he was a great choice and is certainly a Hall of Famer. He was an amazing all-around player, something I respect. I only use him as an example because he played in the same era, roughly speaking, as Dawson and Rice and because nobody questions his credentials.
Rice belongs...
Alan Trammell - This is a case that drives me nuts. Trammell was essentially the same player as Robin Yount and yet he sits outside Cooperstown because Yount played long enough to reach 3,000 hits. Compare their average seasons:
Trammell: .285, 13 HR, 71 RBI, 17 SB, 110 OPS+
Yount: .285, 14 HR, 80 RBI, 15 SB, 115 OPS+
In other words, over time their offensive production was just about the same. Yount was a little better with the bat but barely as the OPS+ shows reasonably well.
The difference is that Trammell was an outstanding shortstop while Yount was a decent shortstop who was moved to the outfield for the last 9 seasons of his career.
Yount was a 3-time All-Star who won 3 Silver Sluggers and just 1 Gold Glove. He was, however, a 2-time MVP.
Trammell was 6-time All-Star (remember, these guys played the same position in the same league for a long time) who also won 3 Silver Sluggers and 4 Gold Gloves. He was runner-up in MVP voting once and was a World Series MVP.
I'm not arguing that Yount shouldn't be in - I'm saying that Trammell should be in based on the fact that they were comparable offensive players while Trammell was CLEARLY the superior defensive player who played in twice as many All-Star games as Yount while playing in the same league at the same time.
There are five guys who would get my votes this year - if I had a ballot to fill out - and while I fully understand a few of them will never get in I have to put this stuff out there because I think the majority of HOF voters use screwed up criteria to make their selections.
I'm not calling the BBWAA a bunch of idiots - I have a good number of friends who are BBWAA members and they're some of the smartest people (not just in terms of baseball) that I know. What I do think, however, is that too many BBWAA members judge by a strange set of criteria that seems to change from case to case.
Far too offten it's about statistical milestones, too much about the quality of the team someone played on and too little about things like defense and excellence within one's era.
A guy like Tony Perez gets in the Hall, in my opinion based partly on the fact that he played for the Big Red Machine, while a guy like Ron Santo sits and waits while his health fails him because he had the bad fortune of playing for lesser teams.
Consider:
Perez (1964-1986): 2777 G, 9778 AB, 2732 H, 379 HR, 1652 RBI, OPS+ 122, 7-time All-Star, no Gold Gloves
Santo (1960-1974): 2243 G, 8143 AB, 2254 H, 342 HR, 1331 RBI, OPS+ 125, 9-time All-Star, 5 Gold Gloves
So what we have here is pretty obvious. Santo was the better player, especially during the 11-year period when their careers overlapped, and is still on the outside looking in mostly because voters seem to have an illogical distaste for adding a fourth player from some bad Cubbie teams.
Santo was clearly the dominant third baseman of his era in the National League, his offensive numbers are superior to those of Brooks Robinson and he was clearly the better defensive player compared to Perez, who spent the majority of his career at first base rather than third.
The guy posts similar offensive numbers, has more All-Star appearances and 5 Gold Gloves compared to zero for the other guy and there isn't something strange going on here?
This is just one example of what bugs about the Hall of Fame voting process. Too many people with goofy, nonsensical standards that don't stand up to any logical analysis whatsoever. Another example of that is coming up in a couple of paragraphs...
With all that out of my system now, let's move on to the players who would receive my votes for the 2009 HOF class:
Rickey Henderson - No need to make any points here as I doubt anyone disagrees that this guy's a Hall of Famer. Best leadoff man of all-time. What will tick me off, however, is the fact that some voters will leave him off their ballots this year as a means of ensuring that no player will ever be a unanimous selection. Now there's something that drives me nuts. This idea that since nobody in the inaugural HOF class was a unanimous choice nobody should EVER be is just plain stupid.
Here's the logic - some voters were complete, unadulterated idiots 70 years ago therefore we must act like idiots now.
Unreal.
Andre Dawson - Another guy, like Santo, who suffers because he wasn't on good teams often enough. 438 homers, 314 steals, Rookie of the Year, MVP (and runner up twice), 8-time All-Star, 4-time Silver Slugger winner and 8 Gold Gloves.
That's not a Hall of Famer? The only differences between Dawson and Dave Winfield is that Winfield played in 300 more games and that Dawson didn't play for the Yankees.
Jack Morris - How can someone be the best pitcher in baseball for an entire decade and not be a Hall of Famer? Morris was the "Pitcher of the 80's" - nobody was better for an entire decade and he was a top of the rotation starter through 1992. Three more wins than Bob Gibson, though he did play in 21 more games and while his career ERA is a full run higher than Gibby's (3.91 to 2.90) it's important to note that Morris pitched in the American League during a more hitter-friendly era (w/ DH's) while Gibson pitched in the "Old School" National League, complete with 3-foot tall mounds.
Don't get me wrong, Gibson was CLEARLY superior to Morris, vastly superior in just about every way. I'm just trying to point out that Morris has numbers similar to an automatic Hall of Famer and yet he gets almost no love. Morris was the #1 starter on THREE different World Series winners, a 5-time All-Star and a World Series MVP.
All that and he was the best pitcher in baseball from 1979-1992.
Jim Rice - 1978 MVP, 8-time All-Star with 382 homers and 1451 RBI in just 2089 career games and he's not in the Hall? Really?
It took Winfield nearly 900 extra games to hit 83 more home runs and drive in 382 more runs. That's an extra 5 1/2 seasons. That tells me Rice was pretty productive, doesn't it?
I'm not picking on Winfield, by the way. I think he was a great choice and is certainly a Hall of Famer. He was an amazing all-around player, something I respect. I only use him as an example because he played in the same era, roughly speaking, as Dawson and Rice and because nobody questions his credentials.
Rice belongs...
Alan Trammell - This is a case that drives me nuts. Trammell was essentially the same player as Robin Yount and yet he sits outside Cooperstown because Yount played long enough to reach 3,000 hits. Compare their average seasons:
Trammell: .285, 13 HR, 71 RBI, 17 SB, 110 OPS+
Yount: .285, 14 HR, 80 RBI, 15 SB, 115 OPS+
In other words, over time their offensive production was just about the same. Yount was a little better with the bat but barely as the OPS+ shows reasonably well.
The difference is that Trammell was an outstanding shortstop while Yount was a decent shortstop who was moved to the outfield for the last 9 seasons of his career.
Yount was a 3-time All-Star who won 3 Silver Sluggers and just 1 Gold Glove. He was, however, a 2-time MVP.
Trammell was 6-time All-Star (remember, these guys played the same position in the same league for a long time) who also won 3 Silver Sluggers and 4 Gold Gloves. He was runner-up in MVP voting once and was a World Series MVP.
I'm not arguing that Yount shouldn't be in - I'm saying that Trammell should be in based on the fact that they were comparable offensive players while Trammell was CLEARLY the superior defensive player who played in twice as many All-Star games as Yount while playing in the same league at the same time.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Yanks vs. rest of AL contenders
Today I'm going to put the Yankees' roster up against other contenders in the American League to prove one simple point:
Having a payroll that is BY FAR the highest in the sport does not necessarily mean that your roster is BY FAR the best there is....
Let's start w/ the everyday lineups:
Yankees
1. Damon, LF
2. Jeter, SS
3. Teixeira, 1B
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Matsui, DH
6. Swisher/Nady, RF
7. Posada, C
8. Cano, 2B
9. Cabrera/Gardner, CF
Red Sox
1. Ellsbury, CF
2. Pedroia, 2B
3. Ortiz, DH
4. Youkilis, 1B
5. Drew, RF
6. Bay, LF
7. Lowell, 3B
8. Lugo/Lowrie, SS
9. Kotteras/Varitek/Free Agent/Trade, C
Rays
1. Iwamura, 2B
2. Upton, CF
3. Pena, 1B
4. Longoria, 3B
5. Crawford, LF
6. Gross/Free Agent, DH (Burrell and similar players mentioned)
7. Joyce, RF
8. Navarro, C
9. Bartlett, SS
Angels
1. Figgins, 3B
2. Kendrick, 2B
3. Guerrero, RF
4. Hunter, CF
5. Rivera, DH
6. Matthews, LF
7. Napoli, C
8. Morales, 1B
9. Aybar, SS
Analysis: The Angels clearly have the weakest lineup of the group but I don't think they're done putting it together just yet. Someone else will be added somehow, maybe in a trade invoving Chone Figgins. Plus they could always find room for another power bat like Brandon Wood.
The Rays don't have the power that the Yankees and Sox do but they have a lot more speed. I don't like Crawford hitting 5th - I'd prefer him 2nd, Upton 3rd, Longoria 4th and Pena 5th - but that lineup has depth and they're almost certainly going to add another bat for DH/OF.
Looking at the Yanks and Sawx, I'd take the Sawx lineup. It's deeper, with better threats in the 5-6-7 holes. Even if you want to argue that it's certainly not unreasonable to call it a draw between the two teams.
Even with the addition of Tex, a top notch glove at 1B, the Yankees are probably the worst defensive team of this group. Tex, A-Rod and Melky and Jeter is okay but the rest are question marks at best. Rays & Angels are the two best overall with the glove with the Sox right there with them.
Rotations:
Yankees
1. Sabathia
2. Wang
3. Burnett
4. Chamberlain
5. Hughes/Pettitte (if signed)
Red Sox
1. Beckett
2. Lester
3. Matsuzaka
4. Wakefield
5. Buchholz/Bowden/Free Agent
Rays
1. Kazmir
2. Shields
3. Garza
4. Sonnanstine
5. Price
Angels
1. Lackey
2. Santana
3. Weaver
4. Saunders
5. Moseley/Adenhart/Free Agent
Analysis: Again, the Yankees have a talented group but not one that necessarily separates itself from the crowd. All four teams have comparable depth and young players ready to step in at the bottom of the rotation in the even of an injury. Also, word is that the Sox and Angels are still considering free agent SP's.
None of these groups are significantly better than the others.
Bullpens:
Yankees
CL. Rivera
RP. Marte
RP. Veras
RP. Bruney
RP. Albaladejo/Free Agent
RP. Aceves/Free Agent
Red Sox
CL. Papelbon
RP. Okajima
RP. Masterson
RP. Delcarmen
RP. Aardsma
RP. Lopez
Rays
CL. Percival
RP. Balfour
RP. Wheeler
RP. Howell
RP. Bradford
RP. Salas
Angels
CL. Shields/Arredondo/Free Agent (Fuentes?)
RP. Shields/Arredondo
RP. Oliver
RP. Speier
RP. Jepsen
RP. Bulger
Analysis: Again, the Yankees don't stand out. Rivera and Papelbon are a wash but the rest of the Sox bullpen is much stronger. The Rays have a 9th inning problem if Percival isn't healthy (maybe even if he is) but they have some young talent to work with during the season, either as in-house replacements or for trade bait. The Angels seem likely to land Brian Fuentes and if they do I think their pen is 2nd on this list behind Boston's.
Keep in mind that none of that counts other potential contenders like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota or Oakland. They're not at the level of the other four coming into the season but they have to be considered. Twins are always in the mix, the White Sox were the division champs, the Indians and Tigers were last season's biggest underachievers and the A's are gonna give it a shot to start 2009.
Let's not start handing out trophies to the Yankees just yet...
KW
Having a payroll that is BY FAR the highest in the sport does not necessarily mean that your roster is BY FAR the best there is....
Let's start w/ the everyday lineups:
Yankees
1. Damon, LF
2. Jeter, SS
3. Teixeira, 1B
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Matsui, DH
6. Swisher/Nady, RF
7. Posada, C
8. Cano, 2B
9. Cabrera/Gardner, CF
Red Sox
1. Ellsbury, CF
2. Pedroia, 2B
3. Ortiz, DH
4. Youkilis, 1B
5. Drew, RF
6. Bay, LF
7. Lowell, 3B
8. Lugo/Lowrie, SS
9. Kotteras/Varitek/Free Agent/Trade, C
Rays
1. Iwamura, 2B
2. Upton, CF
3. Pena, 1B
4. Longoria, 3B
5. Crawford, LF
6. Gross/Free Agent, DH (Burrell and similar players mentioned)
7. Joyce, RF
8. Navarro, C
9. Bartlett, SS
Angels
1. Figgins, 3B
2. Kendrick, 2B
3. Guerrero, RF
4. Hunter, CF
5. Rivera, DH
6. Matthews, LF
7. Napoli, C
8. Morales, 1B
9. Aybar, SS
Analysis: The Angels clearly have the weakest lineup of the group but I don't think they're done putting it together just yet. Someone else will be added somehow, maybe in a trade invoving Chone Figgins. Plus they could always find room for another power bat like Brandon Wood.
The Rays don't have the power that the Yankees and Sox do but they have a lot more speed. I don't like Crawford hitting 5th - I'd prefer him 2nd, Upton 3rd, Longoria 4th and Pena 5th - but that lineup has depth and they're almost certainly going to add another bat for DH/OF.
Looking at the Yanks and Sawx, I'd take the Sawx lineup. It's deeper, with better threats in the 5-6-7 holes. Even if you want to argue that it's certainly not unreasonable to call it a draw between the two teams.
Even with the addition of Tex, a top notch glove at 1B, the Yankees are probably the worst defensive team of this group. Tex, A-Rod and Melky and Jeter is okay but the rest are question marks at best. Rays & Angels are the two best overall with the glove with the Sox right there with them.
Rotations:
Yankees
1. Sabathia
2. Wang
3. Burnett
4. Chamberlain
5. Hughes/Pettitte (if signed)
Red Sox
1. Beckett
2. Lester
3. Matsuzaka
4. Wakefield
5. Buchholz/Bowden/Free Agent
Rays
1. Kazmir
2. Shields
3. Garza
4. Sonnanstine
5. Price
Angels
1. Lackey
2. Santana
3. Weaver
4. Saunders
5. Moseley/Adenhart/Free Agent
Analysis: Again, the Yankees have a talented group but not one that necessarily separates itself from the crowd. All four teams have comparable depth and young players ready to step in at the bottom of the rotation in the even of an injury. Also, word is that the Sox and Angels are still considering free agent SP's.
None of these groups are significantly better than the others.
Bullpens:
Yankees
CL. Rivera
RP. Marte
RP. Veras
RP. Bruney
RP. Albaladejo/Free Agent
RP. Aceves/Free Agent
Red Sox
CL. Papelbon
RP. Okajima
RP. Masterson
RP. Delcarmen
RP. Aardsma
RP. Lopez
Rays
CL. Percival
RP. Balfour
RP. Wheeler
RP. Howell
RP. Bradford
RP. Salas
Angels
CL. Shields/Arredondo/Free Agent (Fuentes?)
RP. Shields/Arredondo
RP. Oliver
RP. Speier
RP. Jepsen
RP. Bulger
Analysis: Again, the Yankees don't stand out. Rivera and Papelbon are a wash but the rest of the Sox bullpen is much stronger. The Rays have a 9th inning problem if Percival isn't healthy (maybe even if he is) but they have some young talent to work with during the season, either as in-house replacements or for trade bait. The Angels seem likely to land Brian Fuentes and if they do I think their pen is 2nd on this list behind Boston's.
Keep in mind that none of that counts other potential contenders like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota or Oakland. They're not at the level of the other four coming into the season but they have to be considered. Twins are always in the mix, the White Sox were the division champs, the Indians and Tigers were last season's biggest underachievers and the A's are gonna give it a shot to start 2009.
Let's not start handing out trophies to the Yankees just yet...
KW
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Yanks get Tex, the End of Days begins
My ears hurt.
It's from all the gnashing of teeth and pathetic wailing coming from around the baseball universe and it's really, really irritating.
Based many people's initial reaction to the news that the Yankees have signed Mark Teixeira to an 8-year, $180 million deal you'd think there's no point in even playing out the season.
Give me a break.
What happened the last time the Yankees went free agent crazy? For that matter, what has happened the last several times someone named Steinbrenner went down this path?
Nothing.
Okay, maybe not "nothing" but certainly nothing of championship caliber.
Remember how big a deal it was when they got Clemens? Then when they got him back? How could anyone forget what "Edith" Waldman did - "Oh my gawd! Rowjah Clemens is a Yankee! Oh my gawd!"
What about A-Rod? Weren't the Yankees supposed to run away and hide after they robbed the Rangers blind? Wasn't that the move that would get them over the top?
Or when they signed Jason Giambi to that huge deal? Or Hideki Matsui, also known at the time as "Godzilla?"
Each and every time they outbid the rest of Major League Baseball for a big name player (or three) people freak out. And the Yankees don't win anything.
The Yankees spent entire decade of the 80's and the first half of the 90's wallowing in the muck because of their spend-first strategy when it came to building the Major League roster. For God's sake, the George Steinbrenner led Yankees went 17 seasons without a World Series title (and only won one division title during that time, in 1981) and it took George's eventual suspension for the franchise to return to championship level.
In the early and mid 90's the Yankees' baseball people did an outstanding job of developing players and picking up the right free agents (or trade acquisitions) to build a team that went on an amazing 8-year run from 1996-2003.
Since the World Series back in 2001 the Yankees have been flailing again. They've been throwing around free agent cash - to no avail - and now they've gone absolutely insane with their spending.
It makes for great Hot Stove discussion, no doubt, but the Yankees are hardly an unbeatable force heading into the 2009 season.
Let us take a look, shall we...
1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Mark Teixiera, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Xavier Nady/Nick Swisher, RF
7. Jorge Posada, C
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner, CF
That's a really good lineup but is it really all that much better than any other lineup? I don't think so. Lots of question marks there though I suspect guys like Damon, Jeter, Tex and A-Rod will keep the team scoring runs no matter what.
1. C.C. Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Chien-Ming Wang
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Andy Pettitte/Phil Hughes
That's a nice looking rotation - great talent accumulation there - but again they're hardly without question marks. Burnett is erratic and has been injury prone, Wang is still recovering from a foot injury, Chamberlain hasn't proven he can put in a full workload over a whole season as a starter, Pettitte is starting to decline and Hughes hasn't proven he can get Major League hitters out.
That should be a fine group but, again, does that rotation look like it's that much better than that of other contenders in the AL? I think Boston, Tampa and Anaheim might be able to make a case for theirs...
CL. Mariano Rivera
RP. Damaso Marte
RP. Brian Bruney
RP. Jose Veras
RP. Edwar Ramirez
RP. Jonathan Albaladejo
RP. Alberto Aceves
Rivera is still the best around but nobody else there is all that inspiring. Veras and Ramirez are talented but not proven late-inning guys. Marte had a 5.40 ERA w/ the Yankees last season and guys like Bruney, Albaladejo and Aceves are middle men.
There is potential around Rivera but this group is hardly imposing beyond the man handling the 9th inning.
What's the point of all this?
Let things play out.
There is no need for knee-jerk reactions suggesting a salary cap is necessary, that the Yankees are ruining the game, so on and so forth...
The more they spend the more they pay in terms of luxury tax, which will help some low revenue teams pay their bills and maybe keep a few players, and recent history shows us that attempts to "buy a title" don't always turn out as planned.
I'm not saying the Yankees can't or won't win the World Series. I'm just saying they're not simply going to walk away with the league in 2009 and leave everyone in the dust.
The Red Sox and Rays aren't going away and neither are the Angels.
Without Goliath there can be no David....
KW
It's from all the gnashing of teeth and pathetic wailing coming from around the baseball universe and it's really, really irritating.
Based many people's initial reaction to the news that the Yankees have signed Mark Teixeira to an 8-year, $180 million deal you'd think there's no point in even playing out the season.
Give me a break.
What happened the last time the Yankees went free agent crazy? For that matter, what has happened the last several times someone named Steinbrenner went down this path?
Nothing.
Okay, maybe not "nothing" but certainly nothing of championship caliber.
Remember how big a deal it was when they got Clemens? Then when they got him back? How could anyone forget what "Edith" Waldman did - "Oh my gawd! Rowjah Clemens is a Yankee! Oh my gawd!"
What about A-Rod? Weren't the Yankees supposed to run away and hide after they robbed the Rangers blind? Wasn't that the move that would get them over the top?
Or when they signed Jason Giambi to that huge deal? Or Hideki Matsui, also known at the time as "Godzilla?"
Each and every time they outbid the rest of Major League Baseball for a big name player (or three) people freak out. And the Yankees don't win anything.
The Yankees spent entire decade of the 80's and the first half of the 90's wallowing in the muck because of their spend-first strategy when it came to building the Major League roster. For God's sake, the George Steinbrenner led Yankees went 17 seasons without a World Series title (and only won one division title during that time, in 1981) and it took George's eventual suspension for the franchise to return to championship level.
In the early and mid 90's the Yankees' baseball people did an outstanding job of developing players and picking up the right free agents (or trade acquisitions) to build a team that went on an amazing 8-year run from 1996-2003.
Since the World Series back in 2001 the Yankees have been flailing again. They've been throwing around free agent cash - to no avail - and now they've gone absolutely insane with their spending.
It makes for great Hot Stove discussion, no doubt, but the Yankees are hardly an unbeatable force heading into the 2009 season.
Let us take a look, shall we...
1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Mark Teixiera, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Xavier Nady/Nick Swisher, RF
7. Jorge Posada, C
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner, CF
That's a really good lineup but is it really all that much better than any other lineup? I don't think so. Lots of question marks there though I suspect guys like Damon, Jeter, Tex and A-Rod will keep the team scoring runs no matter what.
1. C.C. Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Chien-Ming Wang
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Andy Pettitte/Phil Hughes
That's a nice looking rotation - great talent accumulation there - but again they're hardly without question marks. Burnett is erratic and has been injury prone, Wang is still recovering from a foot injury, Chamberlain hasn't proven he can put in a full workload over a whole season as a starter, Pettitte is starting to decline and Hughes hasn't proven he can get Major League hitters out.
That should be a fine group but, again, does that rotation look like it's that much better than that of other contenders in the AL? I think Boston, Tampa and Anaheim might be able to make a case for theirs...
CL. Mariano Rivera
RP. Damaso Marte
RP. Brian Bruney
RP. Jose Veras
RP. Edwar Ramirez
RP. Jonathan Albaladejo
RP. Alberto Aceves
Rivera is still the best around but nobody else there is all that inspiring. Veras and Ramirez are talented but not proven late-inning guys. Marte had a 5.40 ERA w/ the Yankees last season and guys like Bruney, Albaladejo and Aceves are middle men.
There is potential around Rivera but this group is hardly imposing beyond the man handling the 9th inning.
What's the point of all this?
Let things play out.
There is no need for knee-jerk reactions suggesting a salary cap is necessary, that the Yankees are ruining the game, so on and so forth...
The more they spend the more they pay in terms of luxury tax, which will help some low revenue teams pay their bills and maybe keep a few players, and recent history shows us that attempts to "buy a title" don't always turn out as planned.
I'm not saying the Yankees can't or won't win the World Series. I'm just saying they're not simply going to walk away with the league in 2009 and leave everyone in the dust.
The Red Sox and Rays aren't going away and neither are the Angels.
Without Goliath there can be no David....
KW
2009 Top 100 Prospects (Rankings Only)
Here is my ranking of the Top 100 prospects in baseball entering the 2009 season. In January I will be posting this list again along with commentary/analysis for each player...
When ranking prospects I include the following criteria: raw physical ability, age-relative performance evaluation and opportunity to advance.
In other words, there's more to this set of rankings than just the physical skills of each player.
It should also be noted that this is not an exact science. My Top 100 may be markedly different than what Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus or any other person/organization puts out. None of us are "right" when it comes to these kinds of rankings. It's all subjective, so if you don't see a guy here who made someone else's Top 100 that doesn't mean I feel like I know more than the folks putting together the other list, it just means I value the player involved differently.
Comments are welcome...
KW
2009 Top 100 Prospects
1. David Price, P (TB)
2. Matt LaPorta, OF (CLE)
3. Matt Wieters, C (BAL)
4. Travis Snider, OF (TOR)
5. Cameron Maybin, OF (FLA)
6. Jeff Samardzija, P (CHC)
7. Tommy Hanson, P (ATL)
8. Colby Rasmus, OF (STL)
9. Mike Stanton, OF (FLA)
10. Jason Heyward, OF (ATL)
11. Rick Porcello, P (DET)
12. Tyler Flowers, C (CHW)
13. Fernando Martinez, OF (NYM)
14. James McDonald, P (LAD)
15. Trevor Cahill, P (OAK)
16. Neftali Feliz, P (TEX)
17. Madison Bumgarner, P (SF)
18. Pedro Alvarez, 3B (PIT)
19. Andrew McCutchen, OF (PIT)
20. Chris Tillman, P (BAL)
21. Brett Anderson, P (OAK)
22. Alcides Escobar, SS (MIL)
23. Dexter Fowler, OF (COL)
24. Mike Moustakas, 3B (KC)
25. Jarrod Parker, P (ARZ)
26. Brett Wallace, 3B (STL)
27. Mat Gamel, 3B (MIL)
28. Kila Ka'aihue, 1B (KC)
29. Carlos Carrasco, P (PHI)
30. Elvis Andrus, SS (TEX)
31. Jake Arrieta, P (BAL)
32. Michael Bowden, P (BOS)
33. Michael Taylor, OF (PHI)
34. Jeremy Hellickson, P (TB)
35. Carlos Triunfel, SS (SEA)
36. Jordan Zimmerman, P (WAS)
37. Chris Perez, P (STL)
38. Lars Anderson, 1B (BOS)
39. Max Ramirez, C (TEX)
40. Tim Beckham, SS (TB)
41. Tim Alderson, P (SF)
42. Yonder Alonso, 1B (CIN)
43. Logan Morrison, 1B (FLA)
44. Junichi Tazawa, P (BOS)
45. Beau Mills, 1B (CLE)
46. Joulys Chacin, P (COL)
47. Aaron Hicks, OF (MIN)
48. Gordon Beckham, SS (CHW)
49. Josh Vitters, 3B (CHC)
50. Jason Donald, SS (PHI)
51. Angel Villalona, 1B (SF)
52. Wade Davis, P (TB)
53. Nick Weglarz, OF (CLE)
54. Freddie Freeman, 1B (ATL)
55. Jesus Montero, C (NYY)
56. Adam Miller, P (CLE)
57. Austin Jackson, OF (NYY)
58. Phillipe Aumont, P (SEA)
59. Jeff Niemann, P (TB)
60. Daryl Thompson, P (CIN)
61. Scott Elbert, P (LAD)
62. J.P. Arencibia, C (TOR)
63. Matt Dominguez, 3B (FLA)
64. Chris Carter, 1B (OAK)
65. Kyle Blanks, 1B (SD)
66. Wilmer Flores, SS (NYM)
67. Scott Lewis, P (CLE)
68. Lou Marson, C (PHI)
69. Carlos Santana, C (CLE)
70. Jordan Schafer, OF (ATL)
71. Buster Posey, C (SF)
72. Ivan DeJesus, SS (LAD)
73. Brett Cecil, P (TOR)
74. Kellen Kulbacki, OF (SD)
75. Ben Revere, OF (MIN)
76. Ryan Perry, P (DET)
77. Taylor Teagarden, C (TEX)
78. Chris Marrero, 1B (WAS)
79. Will Inman, P (SD)
80. Deolis Guerra, P (MIN)
81. Engel Beltre, OF (TEX)
82. Jemile Weeks, 2B (OAK)
83. Gaby Sanchez, 1B (FLA)
84. Jeremy Jeffress, P (MIL)
85. Nick Adenhart, P (LAA)
86. Michael Inoa, P (OAK)
87. Greg Halman, OF (SEA)
88. Dellin Betances, P (NYY)
89. Eric Hosmer, 1B (KC)
90. Jake McGee, P (TB)
91. Jon Niese, P (NYM)
92. Aaron Poreda, P (CHW)
93. Brian Matusz, P (BAL)
94. Michael Burgess, OF (WAS)
95. Daniel Bard, P (BOS)
96. Hank Conger, C (LAA)
97. Bradley Holt, P (NYM)
98. Chris Nelson, SS (COL)
99. Derek Holland, P (TEX)
100. Dennis Raben, OF (SEA)
When ranking prospects I include the following criteria: raw physical ability, age-relative performance evaluation and opportunity to advance.
In other words, there's more to this set of rankings than just the physical skills of each player.
It should also be noted that this is not an exact science. My Top 100 may be markedly different than what Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus or any other person/organization puts out. None of us are "right" when it comes to these kinds of rankings. It's all subjective, so if you don't see a guy here who made someone else's Top 100 that doesn't mean I feel like I know more than the folks putting together the other list, it just means I value the player involved differently.
Comments are welcome...
KW
2009 Top 100 Prospects
1. David Price, P (TB)
2. Matt LaPorta, OF (CLE)
3. Matt Wieters, C (BAL)
4. Travis Snider, OF (TOR)
5. Cameron Maybin, OF (FLA)
6. Jeff Samardzija, P (CHC)
7. Tommy Hanson, P (ATL)
8. Colby Rasmus, OF (STL)
9. Mike Stanton, OF (FLA)
10. Jason Heyward, OF (ATL)
11. Rick Porcello, P (DET)
12. Tyler Flowers, C (CHW)
13. Fernando Martinez, OF (NYM)
14. James McDonald, P (LAD)
15. Trevor Cahill, P (OAK)
16. Neftali Feliz, P (TEX)
17. Madison Bumgarner, P (SF)
18. Pedro Alvarez, 3B (PIT)
19. Andrew McCutchen, OF (PIT)
20. Chris Tillman, P (BAL)
21. Brett Anderson, P (OAK)
22. Alcides Escobar, SS (MIL)
23. Dexter Fowler, OF (COL)
24. Mike Moustakas, 3B (KC)
25. Jarrod Parker, P (ARZ)
26. Brett Wallace, 3B (STL)
27. Mat Gamel, 3B (MIL)
28. Kila Ka'aihue, 1B (KC)
29. Carlos Carrasco, P (PHI)
30. Elvis Andrus, SS (TEX)
31. Jake Arrieta, P (BAL)
32. Michael Bowden, P (BOS)
33. Michael Taylor, OF (PHI)
34. Jeremy Hellickson, P (TB)
35. Carlos Triunfel, SS (SEA)
36. Jordan Zimmerman, P (WAS)
37. Chris Perez, P (STL)
38. Lars Anderson, 1B (BOS)
39. Max Ramirez, C (TEX)
40. Tim Beckham, SS (TB)
41. Tim Alderson, P (SF)
42. Yonder Alonso, 1B (CIN)
43. Logan Morrison, 1B (FLA)
44. Junichi Tazawa, P (BOS)
45. Beau Mills, 1B (CLE)
46. Joulys Chacin, P (COL)
47. Aaron Hicks, OF (MIN)
48. Gordon Beckham, SS (CHW)
49. Josh Vitters, 3B (CHC)
50. Jason Donald, SS (PHI)
51. Angel Villalona, 1B (SF)
52. Wade Davis, P (TB)
53. Nick Weglarz, OF (CLE)
54. Freddie Freeman, 1B (ATL)
55. Jesus Montero, C (NYY)
56. Adam Miller, P (CLE)
57. Austin Jackson, OF (NYY)
58. Phillipe Aumont, P (SEA)
59. Jeff Niemann, P (TB)
60. Daryl Thompson, P (CIN)
61. Scott Elbert, P (LAD)
62. J.P. Arencibia, C (TOR)
63. Matt Dominguez, 3B (FLA)
64. Chris Carter, 1B (OAK)
65. Kyle Blanks, 1B (SD)
66. Wilmer Flores, SS (NYM)
67. Scott Lewis, P (CLE)
68. Lou Marson, C (PHI)
69. Carlos Santana, C (CLE)
70. Jordan Schafer, OF (ATL)
71. Buster Posey, C (SF)
72. Ivan DeJesus, SS (LAD)
73. Brett Cecil, P (TOR)
74. Kellen Kulbacki, OF (SD)
75. Ben Revere, OF (MIN)
76. Ryan Perry, P (DET)
77. Taylor Teagarden, C (TEX)
78. Chris Marrero, 1B (WAS)
79. Will Inman, P (SD)
80. Deolis Guerra, P (MIN)
81. Engel Beltre, OF (TEX)
82. Jemile Weeks, 2B (OAK)
83. Gaby Sanchez, 1B (FLA)
84. Jeremy Jeffress, P (MIL)
85. Nick Adenhart, P (LAA)
86. Michael Inoa, P (OAK)
87. Greg Halman, OF (SEA)
88. Dellin Betances, P (NYY)
89. Eric Hosmer, 1B (KC)
90. Jake McGee, P (TB)
91. Jon Niese, P (NYM)
92. Aaron Poreda, P (CHW)
93. Brian Matusz, P (BAL)
94. Michael Burgess, OF (WAS)
95. Daniel Bard, P (BOS)
96. Hank Conger, C (LAA)
97. Bradley Holt, P (NYM)
98. Chris Nelson, SS (COL)
99. Derek Holland, P (TEX)
100. Dennis Raben, OF (SEA)
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