Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2014
2014 National League Awards
As usual, the National League is worse than the American League.
I'm joking mostly, but it brings up an interesting point. When I was young, and interleague play wasn't a thing, I didn't care for the NL. I didn't really like any of the teams, and when I watched the All-Star Game, I was rooting, legitimately rooting for the American League to win. Not forced rooting because MLB tied World Series home-field advantage to the game, but just deep-in-the-soul rooting. I'm sure more people watch more baseball live and on TV because of interleague play, and I'm sure some people like that the All-Star game "counts" now, but I miss those days.
Rookie of the Year
Jacob deGrom, Mets
Billy Hamilton, Reds
Kolten Wong, Cardinals
While it may have been a joke, there was a smack of truth when I said the AL was better than the NL. Our choices here are a 9-6 starting pitcher, a .250 hitter with 56 steals, and a guy who started 100 games at second base for the division-winning Cardinals.
Hamilton will probably win, but my pick is deGrom. In addition to his 9-6 record, he posted averages of 2.69/1.14 and over a strikeout an inning. His final two starts were great, notching 23 strikeouts in 13 innings. The Mets still need hitters (they batted just .239 last season), but if Matt Harvey can come back and return to his 2013 form, they might have a nice little pitching staff.
Manager of the Year
Bruce Bochy, Giants
Clint Hurdle, Pirates
Matt Williams, Nationals
Be honest. None of you thought the Pirates could do it again, especially with young slugger Pedro Alvarez taking a big step backwards. But somehow Clint Hurdle dragged this scrappy group to another wild card game, losing to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Bochy and Williams did well, but those were both teams that you sort of expected to do well. Right or wrong, Hurdle gets a bump in my book for cooking with raw ingredients.
Cy Young
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Johnny Cueto, Reds
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
Kershaw led the NL in wins, ERA, WHIP, complete games, K/BB ratio, and basically every advanced metric you can think of, and he finished 3 strikeouts behind Cueto and Stephen Strasburg for the league lead. And he did it all while missing his first five starts of the season with a muscle strain in his back. Cueto and Wainwright were great, but Kershaw was a cut above.
Most Valuable Player
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
This is an interesting call. McCutchen was extremely productive, but without the eye-popping stats that draw people in. Stanton was the NL's most prolific masher, but he was on a bad team and struck out in 1/4 of his at-bats. Kershaw was phenomenal, but he only pitched 27 times, exactly 1/6 of a full season. On top of that, I'm just overall reticent to bestow the MVP award on a pitcher.
The way I approached it was this: if you took these players off of their respective teams, how would their seasons have been affected? A Stanton-less Marlins would probably drop from 4th in the NL East to 5th. Taking Kershaw off of the Dodgers would've been rough, but they're still a really good team (especially if they stop being ridiculous and play Matt Kemp every day).
But the Pirates' whole lineup is held together by McCutchen. He led the team in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, OBP, and slugging percentage, and finished second in just about everything else (batting average, triples, steals). I think Kershaw will probably actually win, in no small part because McCutchen won the MVP last year. And he's not a wrong pick. He's just not my pick.
Friday, November 7, 2014
2014 American League Awards
As usual, I'm here to offer my opinions on the baseball awards season. However, I wanted to say something first.
This year's awards seem way more predictable overall than they've been in years past. Some gambling websites aren't even offering odds on Mike Trout winning the MVP; it's such a sure bet that there are no odds that a bookmaker could offer and still expect profit. That said, there are a couple of ones that will be fun to talk about, as always. And probably my favorite argument is right here in this post. I'll give you a clue: it starts with American League, and ends with Cy Young.
I'd also like to point out that, at least for these two posts, I won't be using links to Baseball Reference. I continue to be frustrated by their bombardment of advertisements, and I refuse to link to them, as at this point, their usability is below even Yahoo or ESPN. It saddens me, but I can't in good faith link to such a problem website.
My choice in italics.
Rookie of the Year
Jose Abreu, White Sox
Dellin Betances, Yankees
Matt Shoemaker, Angels
Abreu holds a special place in my heart as one of my better draft picks in fantasy baseball history. Interestingly, I've traded almost all of my best picks: Abreu, Clayton Kershaw, Prince Fielder. Watch out Chris Sale, you're probably next.
Anyways, Abreu was a masher all year, and just his power numbers would've warranted a Rookie of the Year victory. But on top of that, he seemed to mature before our eyes over the course of the season, pushing his batting average up from a solid .292 in the first half to a stalwart .317 at the end of the season. Betances was a great short reliever, and Shoemaker had a great season (16-4, 3.04/1.07). But Abreu came onto the scene loudly and only got louder. He's my pick.
Manager of the Year
Mike Scioscia, Angels
Buck Showalter, Orioles
Ned Yost, Royals
I can't speak to this award much, because I'm biased towards Buck and because I think Manager of the Year is one of those awards that relies heavily on the eye test. Showalter is far and away the guy I saw the most of with regards to lineup adjustments and pitching decisions, and he managed to pull a patchwork pitching staff to a runaway win of the American League East. Good enough for me.
Cy Young
Felix Hernandez, Mariners
Cory Kluber, Indians
Chris Sale, White Sox
Sale had a great two-thirds of a season, but his injury took away his ability to earn the Cy Young award in my book. So it's really a two-man race between Felix and Kluber. Felix led the league in ERA and WHIP, while Kluber had more wins and strikeouts (total and per 9 innings) than Hernandez. Both guys finished strong, both guys played for teams that nearly played the playoffs.
It's six in one hand, half a dozen in the other, but I'm going with Kluber. I still don't like the idea of giving the Cy Young to someone who gets 15-16 wins, even if it's a flawed statistic. I also like that, while the Indians were gasping for air in September, Kluber registered at least 7 innings and 104 pitches in each of his final five starts, nabbing the win in all five. When the season was on the line, Kluber did his best work. Felix was good down the stretch, but not that good.
Most Valuable Player
Michael Brantley, Indians
Victor Martinez, Tigers
Mike Trout, Angels
It's not really worth discussing this one very much. Trout is far and away the most prolific offensive player in baseball right now. Every simple or advanced statistic you want to look at, he's at the top. Martinez and Brantley are fine players who had great seasons, but Trout is a force of nature.
We'll get the baseball writers' picks next week. My National League picks will come out before that.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Joe's 2013 MLB Award Winners
Ahoy.
AL Rookie of the Year - Chris Archer, SP, Rays
2. Wil Myers, OF, Rays
3. Dan Straily, SP, Athletics
4. Cody Allen, RP, Indians
5. Danny Farquhar, RP, Mariners
This season was fairly weak for rookies in the American League, but that makes the search for candidates a bit more fun. I get to talk about little guys who you'd never talk about, like Cody Allen, a strong middle reliever who posted very solid numbers in 77 appearances for the playoff-bound Indians. Or Danny Farquhar, who had half a bad season and half a really good season as a fill-in closer for Seattle. Dan Straily wasn't wildly impressive, but put up solid numbers, and helped his team reach the playoffs.
The top two rookies were Rays though. While Myers is the better long-term prospect, Archer had the more productive rookie season. He generated very good averages (ERA, WHIP, K/BB) over 128-plus innings, and picked up 9 wins in 23 starts. Myers was unspectacular yet solid, and both rookies contributed to Tampa Bay's success this year.
NL Rookie of the Year - Jose Fernandez, SP, Marlins
2. Yasiel Puig, OF, Dodgers
3. Shelby Miller, SP, Cardinals
4. Julio Teheran, SP, Braves
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies
Any of the top four guys would've stood a strong chance of taking home the AL Rookie of the Year award this season, but they're all in the senior circuit, so it's big fish, big pond. Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran were outstanding, pitching like veterans for teams that played important games all season. Nolan Arenado posted decent hitting numbers and played a slick third base.
The National League had a lot more starpower in its rookie race than the AL, with Yasiel Puig being the big name. Puig was front page news everywhere he went this year, and made headlines with his instinctual and flamboyant play. He also happened to put up really impressive numbers, finishing in the team's top three in R, HR, SB, and AVG.
That said, Jose Fernandez was even better. His numbers (2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, over 1 K/IP) were exceptional, and his 12 wins were more than double anyone else on the team. Among a strong list of rookie pitchers, Fernandez stands out above the rest.
AL Manager of the Year - Terry Francona, Indians
It's funny, when Francona was managing the Red Sox to their successes in the mid-2000s, I didn't give him much credit. How hard could it be to win with Pedro Martinez, Josh Beckett, and Curt Schilling, right? Well, I'm retroactively giving full marks to Francona for a job well done...twice now.
If you had told most teams on September 18th that they'd have to win every game for the rest of the season to get into the playoffs, they'd have packed it in. The Indians, knowing that any loss could mean the end of their season, reeled off victories in their final 10 games to slide into the wild card game. They were knocked out by Tampa Bay, but after half a month of "win or go home" type games, I'm giving them a pass. It was a great season by a hodgepodge of characters, and for that Francona is my choice.
NL Manager of the Year - Clint Hurdle, Pirates
He took the Pirates to the playoffs.
If I were sassy, that'd be the end of my explanation, but I'm verbose, so here's a little more. The Pirates' rotation included a pair of castoffs in A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano, and Hurdle and his staff were able to shape them into studs. He helped Gerrit Cole to an outstanding rookie season. And their bullpen was stellar, managed perfectly. Hurdle finished third in the Manager of the Year voting in 2007, when he took the Rockies on that torrid September and October to get to the World Series. This time, I think he deservedly brings home the brass.
AL Cy Young - Max Scherzer, SP, Tigers
2. Yu Darvish, SP, Rangers
3. Hisashi Iwakuma, SP, Mariners
4. Bartolo Colon, SP, Athletics
5. Koji Uehara, RP, Red Sox
Max Scherzer got all the accolades this season, and they were all well-deserved. He had an incredible year, going 21-3 and mowing down 240 batters in 214.1 innings, a startling rate. Yu Darvish went 13-9, respectable but not knock-your-socks-off crazy. However, Darvish struck out 277 batters, in five fewer innings than Scherzer pitched. Scherzer will deservedly win the Cy Young, but it's important not to overlook the incredible year Darvish had.
Similarly, former Oriole Koji Uehara was arguably the best reliever of all time this past season, proving unhittable despite almost never throwing pitches out of the strike zone. His 101 K/9 BB rate was the best. Ever. Iwakuma had a great second season in the United States, and Bartolo Colon managed arguably his best season as a pro at age 40.
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
2. Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals
3. Cliff Lee, SP, Phillies
4. Jose Fernandez, SP, Marlins
5. Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves
Kershaw was unreal; he put up numbers like we used to see out of Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, the all-time greats. Adam Wainwright bounced back from serious injury to immediately retake the reins as the ace of the Cardinals' staff. Cliff Lee has finally solidified himself as the best Lee pitcher in baseball history, surpassing former Red Sox starter Bill Lee. He's got his sights set on being the best Lee overall; El Caballo Carlos Lee still holds a slight edge.
Fernandez had a masterful rookie season, as describe above. Kimbrel was a dominant closer for the division champion Braves. Honorable mention goes to Matt Harvey, who likely would've cracked the list if he could've stayed healthy.
AL Most Valuable Player - Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Tigers
2. Mike Trout, OF, Angels
3. Chris Davis, 1B, Orioles
4. Adam Jones, OF, Orioles
5. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees
Let's start out with all the same arguments from last year about Cabrera versus Trout. Cabrera generated an insane amount of runs for his team, Trout was an all-around performer. There's no question you'd love either of them on your team. I'm saying Cabrera had a better 2013 than Trout, but the argument doesn't seem to be there this year. So we don't have to fight about it.
Chris Davis and Adam Jones both had standout years for the Orioles; they get a hometown bonus. Davis set a new Baltimore HR record, forever pushing Brady Anderson out of that slot. Steroid haters rejoice. Robinson Cano had a nice year as well...probably like a $310 million season.
NL Most Valuable Player - Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks
3. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates
4. Carlos Gomez, OF, Brewers
5. Michael Cuddyer, 1B, Rockies
Paul Goldschmidt had an outstanding season, worthy of recognition, but nobody matched Kershaw in his dominance of the league. He was a force of nature on the mound, destroying his opposition every outing. He gave up zero runs in 10 different starts, and one or two runs in 14 others. In July, his K/BB ratio was 43/2. Verlander won 24 games in his MVP season, where Kershaw had "only" 16 this year, which I imagine will be the reason that someone else actually wins the MVP, probably McCutchen. But Kershaw is my pick.
Speaking of McCutchen, he posted great numbers across the board and helped lead the Pirates to their first playoff appearance since the birth of Christ I think. Carlos Gomez was also shockingly a source of both power and speed, though it shouldn't be shocking since he hit 19 homers last year. He's still not a masher, but somehow he plants a bunch just over the fences. Michael Cuddyer and Freddie Freeman were my two finalists for the last spot, but I hate alliteration.
AL Rookie of the Year - Chris Archer, SP, Rays
2. Wil Myers, OF, Rays
3. Dan Straily, SP, Athletics
4. Cody Allen, RP, Indians
5. Danny Farquhar, RP, Mariners
This season was fairly weak for rookies in the American League, but that makes the search for candidates a bit more fun. I get to talk about little guys who you'd never talk about, like Cody Allen, a strong middle reliever who posted very solid numbers in 77 appearances for the playoff-bound Indians. Or Danny Farquhar, who had half a bad season and half a really good season as a fill-in closer for Seattle. Dan Straily wasn't wildly impressive, but put up solid numbers, and helped his team reach the playoffs.
The top two rookies were Rays though. While Myers is the better long-term prospect, Archer had the more productive rookie season. He generated very good averages (ERA, WHIP, K/BB) over 128-plus innings, and picked up 9 wins in 23 starts. Myers was unspectacular yet solid, and both rookies contributed to Tampa Bay's success this year.
NL Rookie of the Year - Jose Fernandez, SP, Marlins
2. Yasiel Puig, OF, Dodgers
3. Shelby Miller, SP, Cardinals
4. Julio Teheran, SP, Braves
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies
Any of the top four guys would've stood a strong chance of taking home the AL Rookie of the Year award this season, but they're all in the senior circuit, so it's big fish, big pond. Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran were outstanding, pitching like veterans for teams that played important games all season. Nolan Arenado posted decent hitting numbers and played a slick third base.
The National League had a lot more starpower in its rookie race than the AL, with Yasiel Puig being the big name. Puig was front page news everywhere he went this year, and made headlines with his instinctual and flamboyant play. He also happened to put up really impressive numbers, finishing in the team's top three in R, HR, SB, and AVG.
That said, Jose Fernandez was even better. His numbers (2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, over 1 K/IP) were exceptional, and his 12 wins were more than double anyone else on the team. Among a strong list of rookie pitchers, Fernandez stands out above the rest.
AL Manager of the Year - Terry Francona, Indians
It's funny, when Francona was managing the Red Sox to their successes in the mid-2000s, I didn't give him much credit. How hard could it be to win with Pedro Martinez, Josh Beckett, and Curt Schilling, right? Well, I'm retroactively giving full marks to Francona for a job well done...twice now.
If you had told most teams on September 18th that they'd have to win every game for the rest of the season to get into the playoffs, they'd have packed it in. The Indians, knowing that any loss could mean the end of their season, reeled off victories in their final 10 games to slide into the wild card game. They were knocked out by Tampa Bay, but after half a month of "win or go home" type games, I'm giving them a pass. It was a great season by a hodgepodge of characters, and for that Francona is my choice.
NL Manager of the Year - Clint Hurdle, Pirates
He took the Pirates to the playoffs.
If I were sassy, that'd be the end of my explanation, but I'm verbose, so here's a little more. The Pirates' rotation included a pair of castoffs in A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano, and Hurdle and his staff were able to shape them into studs. He helped Gerrit Cole to an outstanding rookie season. And their bullpen was stellar, managed perfectly. Hurdle finished third in the Manager of the Year voting in 2007, when he took the Rockies on that torrid September and October to get to the World Series. This time, I think he deservedly brings home the brass.
AL Cy Young - Max Scherzer, SP, Tigers
2. Yu Darvish, SP, Rangers
3. Hisashi Iwakuma, SP, Mariners
4. Bartolo Colon, SP, Athletics
5. Koji Uehara, RP, Red Sox
Max Scherzer got all the accolades this season, and they were all well-deserved. He had an incredible year, going 21-3 and mowing down 240 batters in 214.1 innings, a startling rate. Yu Darvish went 13-9, respectable but not knock-your-socks-off crazy. However, Darvish struck out 277 batters, in five fewer innings than Scherzer pitched. Scherzer will deservedly win the Cy Young, but it's important not to overlook the incredible year Darvish had.
Similarly, former Oriole Koji Uehara was arguably the best reliever of all time this past season, proving unhittable despite almost never throwing pitches out of the strike zone. His 101 K/9 BB rate was the best. Ever. Iwakuma had a great second season in the United States, and Bartolo Colon managed arguably his best season as a pro at age 40.
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
2. Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals
3. Cliff Lee, SP, Phillies
4. Jose Fernandez, SP, Marlins
5. Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves
Kershaw was unreal; he put up numbers like we used to see out of Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, the all-time greats. Adam Wainwright bounced back from serious injury to immediately retake the reins as the ace of the Cardinals' staff. Cliff Lee has finally solidified himself as the best Lee pitcher in baseball history, surpassing former Red Sox starter Bill Lee. He's got his sights set on being the best Lee overall; El Caballo Carlos Lee still holds a slight edge.
Fernandez had a masterful rookie season, as describe above. Kimbrel was a dominant closer for the division champion Braves. Honorable mention goes to Matt Harvey, who likely would've cracked the list if he could've stayed healthy.
AL Most Valuable Player - Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Tigers
2. Mike Trout, OF, Angels
3. Chris Davis, 1B, Orioles
4. Adam Jones, OF, Orioles
5. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees
Let's start out with all the same arguments from last year about Cabrera versus Trout. Cabrera generated an insane amount of runs for his team, Trout was an all-around performer. There's no question you'd love either of them on your team. I'm saying Cabrera had a better 2013 than Trout, but the argument doesn't seem to be there this year. So we don't have to fight about it.
Chris Davis and Adam Jones both had standout years for the Orioles; they get a hometown bonus. Davis set a new Baltimore HR record, forever pushing Brady Anderson out of that slot. Steroid haters rejoice. Robinson Cano had a nice year as well...probably like a $310 million season.
NL Most Valuable Player - Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks
3. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates
4. Carlos Gomez, OF, Brewers
5. Michael Cuddyer, 1B, Rockies
Paul Goldschmidt had an outstanding season, worthy of recognition, but nobody matched Kershaw in his dominance of the league. He was a force of nature on the mound, destroying his opposition every outing. He gave up zero runs in 10 different starts, and one or two runs in 14 others. In July, his K/BB ratio was 43/2. Verlander won 24 games in his MVP season, where Kershaw had "only" 16 this year, which I imagine will be the reason that someone else actually wins the MVP, probably McCutchen. But Kershaw is my pick.
Speaking of McCutchen, he posted great numbers across the board and helped lead the Pirates to their first playoff appearance since the birth of Christ I think. Carlos Gomez was also shockingly a source of both power and speed, though it shouldn't be shocking since he hit 19 homers last year. He's still not a masher, but somehow he plants a bunch just over the fences. Michael Cuddyer and Freddie Freeman were my two finalists for the last spot, but I hate alliteration.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Joe Mattingly's 2012 MLB Award Winners
So, it's been a little while, but I'm back to give you another piece of my mind...the piece that talks about MLB award winners. Mind you, these aren't the people who I think will win the awards; these are the people whom I believe should win the awards.
The finalists for each award were announced Wednesday.
AL Rookie of the Year - Mike Trout, OF, California Angels
(yeah, I'm still doing that)
There's really no contest here. Cespedes and Darvish had nice rookie seasons, but Trout was far and away the best rookie. The fact that he's a finalist for the AL MVP speaks to that. You don't need me to explain it...but I will, down in the AL MVP discussion.
NL Rookie of the Year - Wade Miley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
I'm going against my hometown flavor, electing the former first round pick for the D-Backs over phenom Bryce Harper. My reasoning is fairly simple; I believe Miley's statistics were less replaceable than Harper's. Miley picked up 16 wins for a .500 team, maintained an ERA under 3.50 and a WHIP under 1.20. To me, that makes him more impressive than Harper, with his .270-22-59 in 139 games. Harper will almost certainly be the better long-term player, but as far as 2012, Miley's my guy.
AL Manager of the Year - Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
I'm sure my two Manager of the Year picks are skewed by local media, but I don't care. These are my picks.
Showalter's work started at the end of last season, going 15-13 in September, but nobody expected what happened in 2012. The Orioles were competitive all year, staying in the hunt for the AL East right up until a pitiful showing by the Red Sox against the Yankees to end the season. They beat the defending AL champion Texas Rangers in the AL's first ever Wild Card game, and pushed the Yankees to five games before bowing out in the AL Division Series.
Bob Melvin had a great year for the Oakland A's, but honestly, the "magic" of the Athletics is sort of played out. It's been a long time since there's been Orioles Magic.
NL Manager of the Year - Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals.
In his first full season as Nationals manager, Johnson led a perennially disappointing Nationals team to the best record in baseball in 2012. He managed young players and veterans, and got his team into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the National League. The team was eventually undone by curiously ineffective pitching performances, but I don't blame Johnson for that at all. Guys are just going to have a bad night sometimes, and the Cardinals gave a lot of pitchers bad nights.
In the real voting, I think the one thing that will count against Johnson is how Stephen Strasburg was managed, whether Johnson was the driving force behind that decision or not (we don't really know, but probably not). For me, that was a long-term management decision, and really, Strasburg was pitching pretty poorly there at the end anyways. Johnson made a Washington team the best regular season team in the league this year, and whenever that's happened in the past five years (Bruce Boudreau), that guy's won coach of the year.
AL Cy Young - David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
This was a tough one. If I were picking a pitcher to pitch one game for me, it'd probably be Justin Verlander, but that's not what this award is. The Cy Young award is to give credit to the pitcher who had the most impressive season this year, and I think David Price just barely edges Justin Verlander in that regard.
Price beat out Verlander in wins (20 versus 17), and ERA (2.56 to 2.64). Verlander held the edge in WHIP (1.06 to 1.10) and strikeouts (239 to 205). At a basic level, a pitcher's job is to win games and to prevent the other team from scoring runs, not to prevent baserunners and strike people out. So Price has the advantage in what I believe are "better" categories. And to tip the scales, Price pitched in a considerably tougher division than the AL Central. Verlander squared off against three 90 loss teams.
Jered Weaver had a great season, but he's third.
NL Cy Young - R.A. Dickey, SP, New York Mets
Dickey gets my vote mostly because I was sure there was no way he would earn it. He started out hot, but I expected him to fade quickly. He had his insane back-to-back one-hitters, and I expected him to fall off after that. When he posted an ERA of 5.13 in July, I figured he was turning back into a pumpkin...
...then he posted back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA months, and finished the season leading the NL in IPs and Ks, and winding up second in wins and ERA. Gio Gonzalez led his team to the playoffs, and Kershaw is unquestionably the guy I'd want to have on my team out of these three, but Dickey's season was the only one worthy of this year's NL Cy Young Award. He was literally unbelievably good.
AL Most Valuable Player - Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers
I hemmed and hawed over this decision, not sure if I was being swayed by the whole mystique of the Triple Crown. So what I did was I put Cabrera's numbers next to Trout's and Hamilton's and Beltre's and evaluated them. And it's Cabrera.
Cabrera led the league in a lot of stuff. He finished fourth in on-base percentage, and second in runs (to Trout), but he led the AL in batting average, home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. He also led the majors in Switches By Star Players to 3B Without Whining Like Hanley Ramirez...not an official category, but I think it's noteworthy that he was perfectly willing to move across the diamond to make room for Prince Fielder, for the better of his team.
Probably the thing that turned me around, though, was something Jim Leyland said about Cabrera on PTI. I'm paraphrasing here, but it was something like this:
NL Most Valuable Player - Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
This pisses me the hell off. Matt Kemp was far and away the best player on the planet in 2011, but Ryan Braun got the MVP award. The only explanation that holds any water for that was that the Brewers made the playoffs; la dee frickin' da. We're fine giving a Cy Young award to Felix Hernandez, a 13-win pitcher on a 61-win team, but the MVP has some other connotation? Ridiculous. And then there was the whole performance-enhancing substance deal this past offseason, but because they couldn't do anything with the 2011 award, this year's award is going to go to Yadier Molina or Buster Posey, because the baseball writers are a curmudgeonly group.
Ugh. Anyways, Braun is incredible, and deserves the award this year. He was far and away the best hitter statistically, posting amazing numbers across the board, and in general making people upset that he won last year's MVP. He deserves it this year; just wish we could go back and fix 2011.
The finalists for each award were announced Wednesday.
AL Rookie of the Year - Mike Trout, OF, California Angels
(yeah, I'm still doing that)
There's really no contest here. Cespedes and Darvish had nice rookie seasons, but Trout was far and away the best rookie. The fact that he's a finalist for the AL MVP speaks to that. You don't need me to explain it...but I will, down in the AL MVP discussion.
NL Rookie of the Year - Wade Miley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
I'm going against my hometown flavor, electing the former first round pick for the D-Backs over phenom Bryce Harper. My reasoning is fairly simple; I believe Miley's statistics were less replaceable than Harper's. Miley picked up 16 wins for a .500 team, maintained an ERA under 3.50 and a WHIP under 1.20. To me, that makes him more impressive than Harper, with his .270-22-59 in 139 games. Harper will almost certainly be the better long-term player, but as far as 2012, Miley's my guy.
AL Manager of the Year - Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
I'm sure my two Manager of the Year picks are skewed by local media, but I don't care. These are my picks.
Showalter's work started at the end of last season, going 15-13 in September, but nobody expected what happened in 2012. The Orioles were competitive all year, staying in the hunt for the AL East right up until a pitiful showing by the Red Sox against the Yankees to end the season. They beat the defending AL champion Texas Rangers in the AL's first ever Wild Card game, and pushed the Yankees to five games before bowing out in the AL Division Series.
Bob Melvin had a great year for the Oakland A's, but honestly, the "magic" of the Athletics is sort of played out. It's been a long time since there's been Orioles Magic.
NL Manager of the Year - Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals.
In his first full season as Nationals manager, Johnson led a perennially disappointing Nationals team to the best record in baseball in 2012. He managed young players and veterans, and got his team into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the National League. The team was eventually undone by curiously ineffective pitching performances, but I don't blame Johnson for that at all. Guys are just going to have a bad night sometimes, and the Cardinals gave a lot of pitchers bad nights.
In the real voting, I think the one thing that will count against Johnson is how Stephen Strasburg was managed, whether Johnson was the driving force behind that decision or not (we don't really know, but probably not). For me, that was a long-term management decision, and really, Strasburg was pitching pretty poorly there at the end anyways. Johnson made a Washington team the best regular season team in the league this year, and whenever that's happened in the past five years (Bruce Boudreau), that guy's won coach of the year.
AL Cy Young - David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
This was a tough one. If I were picking a pitcher to pitch one game for me, it'd probably be Justin Verlander, but that's not what this award is. The Cy Young award is to give credit to the pitcher who had the most impressive season this year, and I think David Price just barely edges Justin Verlander in that regard.
Price beat out Verlander in wins (20 versus 17), and ERA (2.56 to 2.64). Verlander held the edge in WHIP (1.06 to 1.10) and strikeouts (239 to 205). At a basic level, a pitcher's job is to win games and to prevent the other team from scoring runs, not to prevent baserunners and strike people out. So Price has the advantage in what I believe are "better" categories. And to tip the scales, Price pitched in a considerably tougher division than the AL Central. Verlander squared off against three 90 loss teams.
Jered Weaver had a great season, but he's third.
NL Cy Young - R.A. Dickey, SP, New York Mets
Dickey gets my vote mostly because I was sure there was no way he would earn it. He started out hot, but I expected him to fade quickly. He had his insane back-to-back one-hitters, and I expected him to fall off after that. When he posted an ERA of 5.13 in July, I figured he was turning back into a pumpkin...
...then he posted back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA months, and finished the season leading the NL in IPs and Ks, and winding up second in wins and ERA. Gio Gonzalez led his team to the playoffs, and Kershaw is unquestionably the guy I'd want to have on my team out of these three, but Dickey's season was the only one worthy of this year's NL Cy Young Award. He was literally unbelievably good.
AL Most Valuable Player - Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers
I hemmed and hawed over this decision, not sure if I was being swayed by the whole mystique of the Triple Crown. So what I did was I put Cabrera's numbers next to Trout's and Hamilton's and Beltre's and evaluated them. And it's Cabrera.
Cabrera led the league in a lot of stuff. He finished fourth in on-base percentage, and second in runs (to Trout), but he led the AL in batting average, home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. He also led the majors in Switches By Star Players to 3B Without Whining Like Hanley Ramirez...not an official category, but I think it's noteworthy that he was perfectly willing to move across the diamond to make room for Prince Fielder, for the better of his team.
Probably the thing that turned me around, though, was something Jim Leyland said about Cabrera on PTI. I'm paraphrasing here, but it was something like this:
I know people are always talking about how you need help to get all those RBI. But listen, if you watch postgame press conferences around the league from losing teams, the thing you'll hear across the board is, "We got some guys on base, but we couldn't drive 'em in." Driving in runs is how you win games.Well said, sir.
NL Most Valuable Player - Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
This pisses me the hell off. Matt Kemp was far and away the best player on the planet in 2011, but Ryan Braun got the MVP award. The only explanation that holds any water for that was that the Brewers made the playoffs; la dee frickin' da. We're fine giving a Cy Young award to Felix Hernandez, a 13-win pitcher on a 61-win team, but the MVP has some other connotation? Ridiculous. And then there was the whole performance-enhancing substance deal this past offseason, but because they couldn't do anything with the 2011 award, this year's award is going to go to Yadier Molina or Buster Posey, because the baseball writers are a curmudgeonly group.
Ugh. Anyways, Braun is incredible, and deserves the award this year. He was far and away the best hitter statistically, posting amazing numbers across the board, and in general making people upset that he won last year's MVP. He deserves it this year; just wish we could go back and fix 2011.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The American League MVP
So ends another awards season for Major League Baseball. And whether you were rooting for Hellickson or Hosmer, Halladay or Kershaw, Braun or Kemp, we can all agree that the award winners all had tremendous seasons, and each deserves accolades for their accomplishments.
That being said, neither Justin Verlander nor any other pitcher should ever win an MVP award.
(Yeah, it's gonna be one of those posts. Pull up a chair, get out your angry pencils, and let's do this.)
The fact that they're eligible for the award should not encourage baseball writers to cast their votes for pitchers. A change in the eligibility will never happen, because baseball prefers ambiguity (see: strike zones). But writers need to take it upon themselves to make this one of those dozens of "unwritten rules" in baseball, because plain and simple, pitchers cannot be the league's most valuable player.
I'd imagine I've got at least half of you riled up at this point, thinking that I've got a lot of nerve. And maybe I do. But I've got my reasons.
First, there is some truth to the thinking that pitchers have their award, and hitters only have the MVP award. The Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award each have long histories that we can look back at and remember some of the great seasons we saw. In 1999, baseball created the Hank Aaron Award, to be awarded to the best hitter in each league. In fact, the award was likely created specifically to allow for the possibility of a pitcher being worthy of an MVP award. You know when you started hearing about the Hank Aaron Award even existing? This year, when people wanted to justify voting for Verlander for MVP. Hank Aaron was a tremendous hitter, but the award is essentially meaningless if nobody knows who's winning them.
Additionally, the Hank Aaron Award incorporates a fan vote component, which makes the award intrinsically flawed. Fans are stupid. Unsurprisingly, the AL award has gone to AL East hitters every year since 2004. And by the way, Hank Aaron spent all of two seasons playing in the American League, hitting .232 with 22 HR and 95 RBI in 222 games. If you're going to perpetuate this farce, you should at least have another name for it in the American League. Babe Ruth, anyone?
But I think the greater argument here is that, quite simply, a pitcher can't come close to the overall impact of a position player, and that includes starting pitchers as well as relievers.
First, let's address the one stat that gets cited often to compare pitchers to hitters: wins above replacement (WAR). The theory behind the statistic is that, over the course of a season, by playing well (or poorly), a player at any position gives his team an adjusted chance at victory when compared to a potential replacement player. The statistic uses a theoretical AAA player as the replacement. The concept of trying to value hitters against pitchers is useful for GMs in salary-planning, and for those MVP votes in which a pitcher earns consideration.
Two issues, though. First, the use of a single statistic to determine value between a starting pitcher and a hitter is always going to have flaws, simply because the roles are so incredibly different. Second, it's apparent that baseball writers are not acknowledging WAR as a make-or-break statistic with regards to MVP votes. Matt Kemp posted a WAR of 10.0 in 2011, the highest since Barry Bonds in 2004. That span includes three different MVP seasons by Albert Pujols. I'm willing to cede that the actual NL MVP, Ryan Braun, has his own viable portfolio, but you'd think that, if we're referring to WAR at all, a guy who has a WAR that's 30% higher than the next closest player would be a shoo-in for the MVP.
(As a reference, Verlander posted an 8.6 WAR; Jose Bautista posted an 8.5.)
We're all quick to admit that wins are one of the most of the most team-dependent statistics on the planet. But if Verlander had, say, 20 wins, rather than his major-league best 24, would this have even been close? (If you're unsure, look at Cliff Lee's 22-3 2008 season, and the fact that he finished 12th in the MVP voting after a season with a similar lack of a front-runner. Or look over at the NL, where Clayton Kershaw posted very similar numbers to Verlander this season, yet also finished 12th in his league's MVP voting). You're wondering if Detroit was that good? They rated third in the majors in batting average, fourth in runs, fourth in on-base, fourth in slugging. They could put up runs with anybody.
So maybe Verlander gets an anecdotal bump in his resume as a result of his no-hitter in early May; it certainly put Verlander front and center. The relative difference in the impact of an everyday player versus a starting pitcher is similarly anecdotal. Obviously starting pitchers have impacts beyond their innings (saving the bullpen, etc). And obviously hitters have impacts beyond their own at-bats (base-running, "protection" for other hitters, etc.). But I think we've got one more piece of the puzzle that pushes starting pitchers out of the discussion: weather.
If there's a rainout, or even more so if a game is postponed, a starting pitcher's rhythm is off, and he likely doesn't come back in the subsequent game. We saw it in the playoffs this year; weather pushed both Verlander and CC Sabathia out of Game 1 after 1.5 IP and limited them each to one full start in a five-game series. Meanwhile, in the same series, Robinson Cano hit .318 and drove in 9 runs, and Delmon Young hit .316 with three home runs. The fact that an act of nature can almost completely negate the potential positive contributions by a starting pitcher for a game, and the fact that they only pitch in 35 games every year, is the last piece of evidence I need.
In the end, I think that a Most Valuable Player in baseball should be the epitome of a baseball player. To me, baseball is defined by the 162 game season, by far the longest in American team sports. It's a grind, and a guy who's able to get up ~150 times and compete at a tremendous level, that's the guy who's the best baseball player. A guy who has to perform 35 times a year, no matter how impressive he is during those 35 times, just doesn't capture the essence of baseball.
That being said, neither Justin Verlander nor any other pitcher should ever win an MVP award.
(Yeah, it's gonna be one of those posts. Pull up a chair, get out your angry pencils, and let's do this.)
The fact that they're eligible for the award should not encourage baseball writers to cast their votes for pitchers. A change in the eligibility will never happen, because baseball prefers ambiguity (see: strike zones). But writers need to take it upon themselves to make this one of those dozens of "unwritten rules" in baseball, because plain and simple, pitchers cannot be the league's most valuable player.
I'd imagine I've got at least half of you riled up at this point, thinking that I've got a lot of nerve. And maybe I do. But I've got my reasons.
First, there is some truth to the thinking that pitchers have their award, and hitters only have the MVP award. The Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award each have long histories that we can look back at and remember some of the great seasons we saw. In 1999, baseball created the Hank Aaron Award, to be awarded to the best hitter in each league. In fact, the award was likely created specifically to allow for the possibility of a pitcher being worthy of an MVP award. You know when you started hearing about the Hank Aaron Award even existing? This year, when people wanted to justify voting for Verlander for MVP. Hank Aaron was a tremendous hitter, but the award is essentially meaningless if nobody knows who's winning them.
Additionally, the Hank Aaron Award incorporates a fan vote component, which makes the award intrinsically flawed. Fans are stupid. Unsurprisingly, the AL award has gone to AL East hitters every year since 2004. And by the way, Hank Aaron spent all of two seasons playing in the American League, hitting .232 with 22 HR and 95 RBI in 222 games. If you're going to perpetuate this farce, you should at least have another name for it in the American League. Babe Ruth, anyone?
But I think the greater argument here is that, quite simply, a pitcher can't come close to the overall impact of a position player, and that includes starting pitchers as well as relievers.
First, let's address the one stat that gets cited often to compare pitchers to hitters: wins above replacement (WAR). The theory behind the statistic is that, over the course of a season, by playing well (or poorly), a player at any position gives his team an adjusted chance at victory when compared to a potential replacement player. The statistic uses a theoretical AAA player as the replacement. The concept of trying to value hitters against pitchers is useful for GMs in salary-planning, and for those MVP votes in which a pitcher earns consideration.
Two issues, though. First, the use of a single statistic to determine value between a starting pitcher and a hitter is always going to have flaws, simply because the roles are so incredibly different. Second, it's apparent that baseball writers are not acknowledging WAR as a make-or-break statistic with regards to MVP votes. Matt Kemp posted a WAR of 10.0 in 2011, the highest since Barry Bonds in 2004. That span includes three different MVP seasons by Albert Pujols. I'm willing to cede that the actual NL MVP, Ryan Braun, has his own viable portfolio, but you'd think that, if we're referring to WAR at all, a guy who has a WAR that's 30% higher than the next closest player would be a shoo-in for the MVP.
(As a reference, Verlander posted an 8.6 WAR; Jose Bautista posted an 8.5.)
We're all quick to admit that wins are one of the most of the most team-dependent statistics on the planet. But if Verlander had, say, 20 wins, rather than his major-league best 24, would this have even been close? (If you're unsure, look at Cliff Lee's 22-3 2008 season, and the fact that he finished 12th in the MVP voting after a season with a similar lack of a front-runner. Or look over at the NL, where Clayton Kershaw posted very similar numbers to Verlander this season, yet also finished 12th in his league's MVP voting). You're wondering if Detroit was that good? They rated third in the majors in batting average, fourth in runs, fourth in on-base, fourth in slugging. They could put up runs with anybody.
So maybe Verlander gets an anecdotal bump in his resume as a result of his no-hitter in early May; it certainly put Verlander front and center. The relative difference in the impact of an everyday player versus a starting pitcher is similarly anecdotal. Obviously starting pitchers have impacts beyond their innings (saving the bullpen, etc). And obviously hitters have impacts beyond their own at-bats (base-running, "protection" for other hitters, etc.). But I think we've got one more piece of the puzzle that pushes starting pitchers out of the discussion: weather.
If there's a rainout, or even more so if a game is postponed, a starting pitcher's rhythm is off, and he likely doesn't come back in the subsequent game. We saw it in the playoffs this year; weather pushed both Verlander and CC Sabathia out of Game 1 after 1.5 IP and limited them each to one full start in a five-game series. Meanwhile, in the same series, Robinson Cano hit .318 and drove in 9 runs, and Delmon Young hit .316 with three home runs. The fact that an act of nature can almost completely negate the potential positive contributions by a starting pitcher for a game, and the fact that they only pitch in 35 games every year, is the last piece of evidence I need.
In the end, I think that a Most Valuable Player in baseball should be the epitome of a baseball player. To me, baseball is defined by the 162 game season, by far the longest in American team sports. It's a grind, and a guy who's able to get up ~150 times and compete at a tremendous level, that's the guy who's the best baseball player. A guy who has to perform 35 times a year, no matter how impressive he is during those 35 times, just doesn't capture the essence of baseball.
Monday, October 24, 2011
MLB 2011 Awards
American League
Rookie of the Year - Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
(13-10, 2.95/1.15, 117 Ks in 189.0 IP)
A case can be made for several other players, including Eric Hosmer and Mark Trumbo, but Hellickson has one number that I think sets him apart. Hellickson had 189 innings in 2011, good for 27th in the AL. Now, 27th isn't all that incredible, but as a rookie, to provide 189 innings for your team is pretty impressive. The fact that Hellickson gave those innings at a 2.95 ERA clip means that he did yeoman work for a playoff team. Well done, sir.
Cy Young - Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
(24-5, 2.40/0.92, 250 Ks in 251.0 IP)
It's not close. Jered Weaver, James Shields, and CC Sabathia all had nice seasons, but Verlander led the league in wins, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. He was simply the best pitcher in the game, and rightfully earned consideration for the AL MVP award.
MVP - Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
(.302, 105 R, 43 HR, 103 RBI)
This was my toughest call of all the awards this season. Miguel Cabrera won his first batting title and continued his mastery of major league pitching, but didn't do much that we haven't already seen from him. His teammate Verlander was far and away the best pitcher in the league, but probably needed to hit a magic number like 25 wins to win the MVP. Curtis Granderson was nearly an across-the-board producer, but hit just .262 for the division champion Yankees. Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, and Dustin Pedroia were all great, but all played for Boston, so they'll sap votes from each other.
In the end, I think Bautista will benefit from the same factor that will cost Cabrera: being measured against himself. Cabrera has been a regular factor in MVP races, with two 5th place finishes for Florida, and being 4th and 2nd the past two years for the Tigers. He was great, but he posted just the 7th highest home run and RBI totals of his career. On the other side, Bautista's home runs and RBIs fell off, but the real story about him is that he grew into a hitter. He added 42 points to his batting average, and 69 points to his on-base percentage. Despite dropping 11 home runs, his OPS actually went up. Nobody thought Bautista was the real deal; the fact that he might be even better than his number said in 2010 will win him the AL MVP for 2011.
National League
Rookie of the Year - Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
(4-3, 46 saves, 2.10/1.04, 127 Ks in 77 IP)
Washington Nationals' rookie Danny Espinosa showed plenty of pop and was a fantasy star, but when it comes to real live baseball, it's more important that you help your team win, and Kimbrel was extremely effective in this regard. He tied John Axford for the NL lead in saves, and his averages and strikeout rate indicate that he was as effective a closer as there was in baseball last season. He may have stumbled a little towards the end, but baseball is about the long haul, and Kimbrel shone all season long.
Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
(21-5, 2.28/0.98, 248 Ks in 233.1 IP)
Like Verlander, Kershaw takes home pitching's triple crown (W, ERA, K), and again like Verlander, I expect Kershaw to win the Cy Young. Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay both had very good seasons as well, but Kershaw was a pinch better, and I think any bonus Lee and Halladay will get from being on a more successful team will be mitigated by the fact that they may take votes from each other. Ian Kennedy tied Kershaw with 21 wins and posted very good averages, but Kershaw is the total package. He'll take it down.
Most Valuable Player - Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
(.324, 115 R, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 40 SB)
Kemp was incredible in 2011. He led the NL in runs, home runs, and RBI, and finished tied for second in stolen bases. What makes this even more impressive is his utter lack of support. The Dodgers next two best players in each category combined to total 123 runs, 28 home runs, and 127 runs batted in. Ryan Braun had a magnificent season as well, and if Braun had been able to edge Jose Reyes for the batting title, I might sing a different tune. But as it is, Kemp was a do-everything player for a team that needed a do-everything player just to break .500.
Rookie of the Year - Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
(13-10, 2.95/1.15, 117 Ks in 189.0 IP)
A case can be made for several other players, including Eric Hosmer and Mark Trumbo, but Hellickson has one number that I think sets him apart. Hellickson had 189 innings in 2011, good for 27th in the AL. Now, 27th isn't all that incredible, but as a rookie, to provide 189 innings for your team is pretty impressive. The fact that Hellickson gave those innings at a 2.95 ERA clip means that he did yeoman work for a playoff team. Well done, sir.
Cy Young - Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
(24-5, 2.40/0.92, 250 Ks in 251.0 IP)
It's not close. Jered Weaver, James Shields, and CC Sabathia all had nice seasons, but Verlander led the league in wins, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. He was simply the best pitcher in the game, and rightfully earned consideration for the AL MVP award.
MVP - Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
(.302, 105 R, 43 HR, 103 RBI)
This was my toughest call of all the awards this season. Miguel Cabrera won his first batting title and continued his mastery of major league pitching, but didn't do much that we haven't already seen from him. His teammate Verlander was far and away the best pitcher in the league, but probably needed to hit a magic number like 25 wins to win the MVP. Curtis Granderson was nearly an across-the-board producer, but hit just .262 for the division champion Yankees. Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, and Dustin Pedroia were all great, but all played for Boston, so they'll sap votes from each other.
In the end, I think Bautista will benefit from the same factor that will cost Cabrera: being measured against himself. Cabrera has been a regular factor in MVP races, with two 5th place finishes for Florida, and being 4th and 2nd the past two years for the Tigers. He was great, but he posted just the 7th highest home run and RBI totals of his career. On the other side, Bautista's home runs and RBIs fell off, but the real story about him is that he grew into a hitter. He added 42 points to his batting average, and 69 points to his on-base percentage. Despite dropping 11 home runs, his OPS actually went up. Nobody thought Bautista was the real deal; the fact that he might be even better than his number said in 2010 will win him the AL MVP for 2011.
National League
Rookie of the Year - Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
(4-3, 46 saves, 2.10/1.04, 127 Ks in 77 IP)
Washington Nationals' rookie Danny Espinosa showed plenty of pop and was a fantasy star, but when it comes to real live baseball, it's more important that you help your team win, and Kimbrel was extremely effective in this regard. He tied John Axford for the NL lead in saves, and his averages and strikeout rate indicate that he was as effective a closer as there was in baseball last season. He may have stumbled a little towards the end, but baseball is about the long haul, and Kimbrel shone all season long.
Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
(21-5, 2.28/0.98, 248 Ks in 233.1 IP)
Like Verlander, Kershaw takes home pitching's triple crown (W, ERA, K), and again like Verlander, I expect Kershaw to win the Cy Young. Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay both had very good seasons as well, but Kershaw was a pinch better, and I think any bonus Lee and Halladay will get from being on a more successful team will be mitigated by the fact that they may take votes from each other. Ian Kennedy tied Kershaw with 21 wins and posted very good averages, but Kershaw is the total package. He'll take it down.
Most Valuable Player - Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
(.324, 115 R, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 40 SB)
Kemp was incredible in 2011. He led the NL in runs, home runs, and RBI, and finished tied for second in stolen bases. What makes this even more impressive is his utter lack of support. The Dodgers next two best players in each category combined to total 123 runs, 28 home runs, and 127 runs batted in. Ryan Braun had a magnificent season as well, and if Braun had been able to edge Jose Reyes for the batting title, I might sing a different tune. But as it is, Kemp was a do-everything player for a team that needed a do-everything player just to break .500.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
NHL 2011-2012 Preview
I won't lie to you; I'm a new hockey fan. In my life, I've probably watched 250 hockey games, and 200 of them were in the past three years. The vast extent of my knowledge comes from watching Capitals games and playing hockey video games...including NHL Breakaway '98. Granted, there are only like three players still in the NHL from that game, but between Jagr, Pronger, and Brodeur, I get that little historical edge that some of my colleagues lack...
...okay, they have the same edge, it's just fun to remember Breakaway.
Anyways, despite my limited experience as a hockey fan, I'm excited to offer you my preview of this year's NHL season. I'll give you a quick blurb on each team and let you know who I expect to make the playoffs, who I expect to advance in the playoffs, and what players I expect to win a couple of the higher-profile trophies this season.
* indicates predicted playoff team
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Pittsburgh Penguins over Washington Capitals
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks over Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Finals
San Jose Sharks over Pittsburgh Penguins
Hart Trophy
Winner - Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Finalist - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Finalist - Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
Vezina Trophy
Winner - Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
Finalist - Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Finalist - Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks
Norris Trophy
Winner - Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Finalist - Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Finalist - Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
...okay, they have the same edge, it's just fun to remember Breakaway.
Anyways, despite my limited experience as a hockey fan, I'm excited to offer you my preview of this year's NHL season. I'll give you a quick blurb on each team and let you know who I expect to make the playoffs, who I expect to advance in the playoffs, and what players I expect to win a couple of the higher-profile trophies this season.
* indicates predicted playoff team
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
- * Nashville Predators - Pekka Rinne is an elite goaltender who gets put into good situations by a great defensive team, led by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, indisputably the best pairing in hockey (with apologies to Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook). There are again questions as to where the goals will come from, but the questions were there last year, and they found a way to win.
- * Chicago Blackhawks - The aforementioned Keith and Seabrook are a dynamic duo, but the real bright spot for Chicago is their offensive prowess. Between Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa, they've got four of the most gifted scorers around. Points, both on the scoreboard and in the standings, should be plentiful.
- * Detroit Red Wings - Skilled veteran leadership is abundant for the Red Wings, and I believe Pavel Datsyuk is one of the five most talented players in the game. But a tough division and my complete disdain for Jimmy Howard force me to put them third in the division, and 5th or 6th in the conference.
- * St. Louis Blues - David Backes is one of my favorite players, and I acknowledge that as a factor in my picking the Blues to slide into the playoffs. But they're a talented young team that could get even more talented if David Perron is able to return from a concussion suffered last season. Of course, they'll have to overcome the Jamie Langenbrunner curse that killed the Devils early and ended the Stars' season...
- Columbus Blue Jackets - Columbus actually had a good offseason, picking up Jeff Carter to center the top line. But they play in an impossibly tough division, and Steve Mason doesn't seem to be the goalie we thought he was two years ago. Here's hoping they can retool and improve, though, so my brother can enjoy playing with them in NHL '13.
- * Vancouver Canucks - I really don't like them, but they play in a weak division and they're damn talented. Ryan Kesler is going to miss early time, but the creepy Sedin twins should be able to generate enough offense to overcome his absence, and the whole back end (goalies and defensemen) for the Canucks is full of plus players.
- Edmonton Oilers - Taylor Hall is just one of a plethora of talented but unproven players on the Oilers, including this year's #1 overall pick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who made the opening roster due to injuries. It's too much to expect them to be a playoff team this season, but they're headed in the right direction...finally.
- Calgary Flames - The Flames continue to basically be a two-man show, with Jarome Iginla and Mikka Kiprusoff highlighting an otherwise pedestrian squad. Former Capital Scott Hannan signed late in free agency, and you have to wonder how much his value took a hit because of his mistake in the playoffs last year that gave a breakaway goal to Tampa Bay in overtime.
- Colorado Avalanche - I do believe the Avalanche vastly overpaid for Semyon Varlamov, but there's no denying the guy's talent. And future draft picks are unknown quantities. Varly has a chance to dominate on any given night, regardless of the opponent. And it goes unnoticed sometimes, but Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny actually make the Avs pretty strong down the middle.
- Minnesota Wild - I wish I could say that the Wild will get back into the playoffs this year, but I just don't see it. They made a couple big trades with the Sharks, getting Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley, but they had to give up Martin Havlat and Brent Burns, which to me is mostly a push. The other Niklas Backstrom can be a very good goaltender, but he needs help that he's not going to get.
- * San Jose Sharks - I do get a kind of gratification from making "gutsy" calls, but there's simply no picking against the Sharks this year. They were dynamite last year, and they rearranged their team to be a little stronger defensively by adding Brent Burns from Minnesota. The potency is there for San Jose to win it all this year.
- * Los Angeles Kings - Conventional thinking is that, to be successful come playoff time, your team has to be strong down the middle. That means centers, defensemen, goalie. By adding Mike Richards in the offseason, the Kings have two elite centers (Richards and Anze Kopitar), a great defenseman in Drew Doughty (and a should-be-better guy in Jack Johnson), and one of my favorite goalies in the league, Jonathan Quick. They're geared up for a run.
- * Anaheim Ducks - I really wish they were still called the Mighty Ducks, but I guess that ship has sailed. The Ducks have probably the best single line in hockey, with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan. Jonas Hiller has good skill, but he gets a ton of shots sent his way because the Ducks can't/won't play defense. They're a fun team to watch, but I don't expect more than another first round exit from them.
- Dallas Stars - The loss of Brad Richards is a big one, but the front line of Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow, and Loui Eriksson is more potent than it gets credit for. If Sheldon Souray can recapture some of his old magic, and if Kari Lehtonen can be solid in net, Dallas could give Anaheim a run for 3rd in the division and the last playoff spot.
- Phoenix Coyotes - I'm not of the belief that Ilya Bryzgalov was some elite goaltender who didn't get enough opportunities to succeed by playing in Phoenix. I think he's a nice goalie who had Keith Yandle and a gritty group of forwards in front of him. That being said, I don't feel good at all about Mike Smith or Jason LaBarbera. Yandle, Shane Doan, Daymond Langkow and company are good, but not good enough for anything other than 5th place.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
- * Pittsburgh Penguins - From a personal standpoint, I really don't like the Penguins. But from an objective, "how well is this team going to do this season," you really can't like them enough...assuming they're healthy. Sidney Crosby is obviously one of the most electric players in the game, and as soon as he's back on the ice, Pittsburgh will have three top flight centers. They showed they can win without Crosby last year; with him, they're a powerhouse.
- * New York Rangers - The story for the Rangers always starts with Henrik Lundqvist, perhaps the best goalie in the world. New York has built their team around supporting him, surrounding him with shot-blocking defensemen and gritty forwards. Adding Brad Richards to partner with Marian Gaborik should make their top line a lot more productive, and while they still won't blow anybody out of the building, they shouldn't need to.
- * Philadelphia Flyers - I think the Flyers overall did a pretty poor job in the offseason, but that's from a completely chemistry-immune standpoint. We all heard that Richards and Carter were locker room problems, so I can't argue their departures completely, but there's no question that the talent level in Philly is lower than it was a year ago. Their only hope can be that Bryzgalov solves their goaltending question.
- New Jersey Devils - I really wanted to predict the Devils to leapfrog the Flyers and get into the playoffs. I truly believe last year was an aberration, and that they'll be a better and more explosive team than in 2010-2011. But they traded Dave Steckel to the Maple Leafs just before the beginning of the season. Mark my words: they'll rue the day.
- New York Islanders - The Isles should actually be improved this year, with more developing talent on board, and John Taveres seemingly coming into his own. But they're still soft at goalie with Rick "Glass Jaw" DiPietro and the unproven Al Montoya splitting time. Growing pains are likely, but a fast maturation is possible.
- * Buffalo Sabres - So, initially I had the Sabres out of the playoffs altogether in my preview. But I knew they were in it last year, so I figured I'd better give due diligence. Good thing. While I think Ville Leino was overpaid, Thomas Vanek and a healthy Derek Roy give the Sabres a stronger front line than they had last season. To say nothing of the fact that Christian Erhoff should dramatically improve their blue line offense. And we all know who Buffalo's goalie is.
- * Boston Bruins - Last year's Stanley Cup champions figure to be back in the playoffs, despite the long season they played. Tim Thomas and Tukka Rask are a great 1-2 punch that give the Bruins every chance to win, every night. Zdeno Chara leads a very strong defensive corps, and though the forwards aren't superstars, they showed last year that they can plant the puck when they need to.
- Toronto Maple Leafs - The aforementioned acquisition of Steckel probably doesn't merit this, but that was my deciding factor between Toronto and Montreal at #3 in the Northeast. Phil Kessel is a great scorer, and Dion Phaneuf is a dynamic defenseman. If youngster James Reimer can take the next step in his development in goal, the Maple Leafs could surprise some people.
- Montreal Canadiens - I hate the Canadiens, for obvious reasons. But unlike the Penguins, I can feel comfortable projecting a mediocre finish for Montreal. I've never thought much of Carey Price, and I actually think P.K. Subban is overrated. They've got solid veterans all over the lineup, highlighted by Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, and Brian Gionta, but I just don't see a scary team when I look at their depth chart.
- Ottawa Senators - Speaking of unimpressive depth charts...jeez. Granted, if Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson can turn back the clock a couple years, they'd have a couple of legit 80-point threats. But clocks don't normally work that way. Erik Karlsson is a nice young defenseman, but the depth is suspect, and having Craig Anderson as the starter in net has to terrify Ottawa fans.
- * Washington Capitals - The Caps have won the Southeast four straight seasons, and there's no reason to think they won't do it again. An active offseason has them reshuffling their lineup, but there's still a lot of skill across the board. Most of all, they boast perhaps the best top 6 D-men in hockey, with Mike Green, Roman Hamrlik, John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Dennis Wideman, and Jeff Schultz. I'll tell you this, though: if the Caps don't at least get to the Conference Finals this year, there's just no way Bruce Boudrou survives next offseason.
- * Tampa Bay Lightning - Tampa was one of the big stories during last year's playoffs, winning three straight to oust the Penguins, then sweeping the top-seeded Caps in the conference semifinals. Most of the team returns, and their offense has still got a trio of superstars in Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Vincent Lecavalier. I don't see them getting the same insane performance out of Dwayne Roloson this season, though, so I see them as more of a 6 or 7 seed.
- * Winnipeg Jets - Why not, right? Last year's Thrashers might not have scared anybody, but you know the Jets will draw a crowd every night, and there's more skill on this team than you might expect. Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane are very solid and very young, and Dustin Byfuglien might be the most exciting player in the division, because anything can happen when he's on the ice. Ondrej Pavelec showed flashes of dominance at times last year, so why not a storybook run to the playoffs (before being crushed by the Penguins)?
- Carolina Hurricanes - They still have a fabulous center in Eric Staal, a workhorse goalie in Cam Ward, and a budding star in Jeff Skinner. But while Tomas Kaberle was a nice acquisition, their lineup still feels thin. And I mean, come on. There's a limit to how many Ruutu's I can project into the playoffs...it's zero.
- Florida Panthers - The Panthers have already outperformed my expectations, as I didn't think they'd win a game. Truthfully, though, it's a ragtag bunch that could have some really good nights. Jose Theodore has been unimpressive in the past few years, but he's still got some fight left in him. Stephen Weiss, Tomas Kopecky, Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall, and former Capital Tomas Fleischmann all have decent scoring touch, and Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell, while overpaid, both have some upside. Still...I don't see a ton of wins going their way down south.
Pittsburgh Penguins over Washington Capitals
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks over Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Finals
San Jose Sharks over Pittsburgh Penguins
Hart Trophy
Winner - Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Finalist - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Finalist - Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
Vezina Trophy
Winner - Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
Finalist - Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Finalist - Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks
Norris Trophy
Winner - Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Finalist - Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Finalist - Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
Monday, November 1, 2010
2010 MLB Awards
Joe and Joe Sports is proud to announce our award winners for the 2010 Major League Baseball season:
AL Most Valuable Player
NL Most Valuable Player
AL Cy Young
NL Cy Young
AL Rookie of the Year
NL Rookie of the Year
AL Manager of the Year
NL Manager of the Year
Comments? Arguments? Outrage? Let's hear it!
AL Most Valuable Player
- Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers
- Jose Bautista, OF, Blue Jays
- Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
NL Most Valuable Player
- Joey Votto, 1B, Reds
- Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
- Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Rockies
AL Cy Young
- Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners
- David Price, SP, Rays
- CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees
NL Cy Young
- Roy Halladay, SP, Phillies
- Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals
- Josh Johnson, SP, Marlins
AL Rookie of the Year
- Neftali Feliz, RP, Rangers
- Austin Jackson, OF, Tigers
- Brian Matusz, SP, Orioles
NL Rookie of the Year
- Buster Posey, C, Giants
- Jason Heyward, OF, Braves
- Jamie Garcia, SP, Cardinals
AL Manager of the Year
- Ron Washington, Rangers
- Joe Maddon, Rays
- Ron Gardenhire, Twins
NL Manager of the Year
- Bobby Cox, Braves
- Bruce Bochy, Giants
- Bud Black, Padres
Comments? Arguments? Outrage? Let's hear it!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A New Feature?
As you may remember, I have a distinct sentiment when it comes to Lavar Arrington and his suitability as a radio host. If you don't remember, and choose not to click the link because you're lazy, let me sum it up for you: I think he's terrible.
What's kind of amazing is how frequently he says something irrational, obnoxious, or downright wrong. So amazing, in fact, that I'm debating adding a new feature to our blog here, where I listen to the Lavar Arrington Show for 30-60 minutes a day, and coming on here to offer you my analysis. I could use an outlet for relieving some stress, so I'm going to consider it.
And, at least for right now, I'm going to offer you another of their gems; and yes, I'm lumping in his co-host Chad Dukes, who stood by Arrington's argument that, wait for it...
"...Donovan McNabb deserves consideration as NFL MVP."
I pride myself on having pretty intelligent readers, so I'm sure you don't need me to outline why this is ludicrous, but on the off chance you're unsure, or aren't much of a football fan, or are Lavar Arrington, let me give you all the data you'll need.
The first point Arrington brought up was that McNabb has offered leadership that the Redskins haven't seen in a long time. I agree. That doesn't make a player the league MVP; that can make him the team's MVP. Furthermore, I think you'd be hard-pressed to say LaRon Landry hasn't been at least as important to the Redskins' success as McNabb.
Which brings me to Lavar's second point: the Redskins' "success." The team is 3-2. We're all glad they're 3-2, somewhere between glad and ecstatic, but still, they're a single game above .500, and they haven't played in a game yet that we didn't have to watch to the very end, except for the beating we saw our team get in St. Louis. Let's not talk about McNabb leading the team to the promised land just yet.
I will give Arrington a little bit of credit, though. The one point he was halfway willing to concede was that McNabb's stats aren't the best in football. Well, thanks for almost yielding that point, Lavar, but because it's the strongest evidence out there for why someone else should be the league MVP, let's have another look at those pesky "statistics." And, for kicks, we'll only look at quarterbacks, even though there are players at other positions who warrant more consideration than McNabb.
The quarterbacks whose teams have the best records in the league:
The quarterbacks with the highest passer ratings in the NFL:
Is McNabb doing well? I have to say yes. He's opened up the long ball like we haven't seen here since we were dabbling with Jeff freakin' George. Redskins football has become more exciting than it's been in a long time, the team looks like they can play with most other teams, and there's no doubting that McNabb is a valuable locker room and press room guy. But an MVP? God no.
My biggest problem with his performance this year is that the Redskins aren't scoring points. They have the ninth-worst scoring offense and the second worst third down conversion rate in football, despite having the seventh-most prolific passing attack in the league. That means they're never marching down the field (which any fellow Skins fan knows as well as I do just from watching the games); they make a couple big passes downfield each game, and get a touchdown or two off of them. But mostly, they come up short.
Here's some interesting information. As I said, the Redskins have the seventh highest pass output per game in the NFL. The Redskins average 88.6 yards per game on the ground; the six teams ahead of them in passing output average 84.4 rushing yards per game. But here's the remarkable stat: Washington converts just 26.2% of their third down attempts, yet none of the other six teams has a conversion rate below FORTY PERCENT. But sure, that's an offense that deserves an MVP candidate.
To be fair, here are my personal top ten MVP candidates today:
What's kind of amazing is how frequently he says something irrational, obnoxious, or downright wrong. So amazing, in fact, that I'm debating adding a new feature to our blog here, where I listen to the Lavar Arrington Show for 30-60 minutes a day, and coming on here to offer you my analysis. I could use an outlet for relieving some stress, so I'm going to consider it.
And, at least for right now, I'm going to offer you another of their gems; and yes, I'm lumping in his co-host Chad Dukes, who stood by Arrington's argument that, wait for it...
"...Donovan McNabb deserves consideration as NFL MVP."
I pride myself on having pretty intelligent readers, so I'm sure you don't need me to outline why this is ludicrous, but on the off chance you're unsure, or aren't much of a football fan, or are Lavar Arrington, let me give you all the data you'll need.
The first point Arrington brought up was that McNabb has offered leadership that the Redskins haven't seen in a long time. I agree. That doesn't make a player the league MVP; that can make him the team's MVP. Furthermore, I think you'd be hard-pressed to say LaRon Landry hasn't been at least as important to the Redskins' success as McNabb.
Which brings me to Lavar's second point: the Redskins' "success." The team is 3-2. We're all glad they're 3-2, somewhere between glad and ecstatic, but still, they're a single game above .500, and they haven't played in a game yet that we didn't have to watch to the very end, except for the beating we saw our team get in St. Louis. Let's not talk about McNabb leading the team to the promised land just yet.
I will give Arrington a little bit of credit, though. The one point he was halfway willing to concede was that McNabb's stats aren't the best in football. Well, thanks for almost yielding that point, Lavar, but because it's the strongest evidence out there for why someone else should be the league MVP, let's have another look at those pesky "statistics." And, for kicks, we'll only look at quarterbacks, even though there are players at other positions who warrant more consideration than McNabb.
The quarterbacks whose teams have the best records in the league:
- T1 - Mark Sanchez, New York Jets (4-1)
- T1 - Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
- T1 - Jay Cutler/Todd Collins, Chicago Bears (4-1)
- T1 - Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, (4-1)
- T5 - Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
- T5 - Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
- T5 - Tom Brady, New England Patriots (3-1)
- T5 - Ben Roethlisberger/Charlie Batch/Dennis Dixon, Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
The quarterbacks with the highest passer ratings in the NFL:
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots - 109.0
- Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles - 108.8
- Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers - 105.4
- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts - 102.6
- Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears - 102.2
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills - 99.9
- Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos - 97.8
- Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints - 95.7
- Vince Young, Tennessee Titans - 95.1
- Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys - 92.7
Is McNabb doing well? I have to say yes. He's opened up the long ball like we haven't seen here since we were dabbling with Jeff freakin' George. Redskins football has become more exciting than it's been in a long time, the team looks like they can play with most other teams, and there's no doubting that McNabb is a valuable locker room and press room guy. But an MVP? God no.
My biggest problem with his performance this year is that the Redskins aren't scoring points. They have the ninth-worst scoring offense and the second worst third down conversion rate in football, despite having the seventh-most prolific passing attack in the league. That means they're never marching down the field (which any fellow Skins fan knows as well as I do just from watching the games); they make a couple big passes downfield each game, and get a touchdown or two off of them. But mostly, they come up short.
Here's some interesting information. As I said, the Redskins have the seventh highest pass output per game in the NFL. The Redskins average 88.6 yards per game on the ground; the six teams ahead of them in passing output average 84.4 rushing yards per game. But here's the remarkable stat: Washington converts just 26.2% of their third down attempts, yet none of the other six teams has a conversion rate below FORTY PERCENT. But sure, that's an offense that deserves an MVP candidate.
To be fair, here are my personal top ten MVP candidates today:
- Peyton Manning, Colts - 1609 passing yards, 11 TD, 2 INT
- Tom Brady, Patriots - 911 passing yards, 9 TD, 2 INT
- Mark Sanchez, Jets - 902 passing yards, 8 TD, 0 INT
- Clay Matthews, Packers - 21 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 1 FF
- Arian Foster, Texans - 718 total yards, 5 TD
- Philip Rivers, Chargers - 1759 passing yards, 11 TD, 4 INT
- Osi Umenyiora, Giants - 13 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 5 FF
- Kyle Orton, Broncos - 1733 passing yards, 8 TD, 3 INT
- Michael Vick, Eagles - 799 passing yards, 6 TD, 0 INT, 187 rushing yards, 1 TD
- Adrian Peterson, Vikings - 585 total yards, 3 TD
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Completing the Circle?
The Dream Team was honored at the Hall of Fame last week. Only two of the members of the 1992 Olympic basketball team are not already in the Hall as individuals: Chris Mullin and Christian Laettner. (Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen were inducted this year.) Should Laettner and Mullin be in the basketball Hall of Fame as well? Let's have a look.
Christian Laettner
Laettner had a nice NBA career, averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds per game over his first five seasons. But he played on some really bad teams, including the near-expansion Timberwolves and the donkey ass Wizards of the early 2000's. His only sniff of a championship caliber team came with the 2004-2005 Heat as a role player, his final NBA season. The team lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Pistons.
But if Laettner were to be considered for the Hall of Fame, it would be based on his college performance less than his NBA career. He was the best player on the best team of his era, hitting clutch shots, and frustrating fans of the Michigan Wolverines and their "Fab Five" superstar recruiting class. He's the only player ever to start in four consecutive Final Fours. He holds the record for most points scored in NCAA Tournament play.
The logical comparison case is Bill Walton. Walton's NBA career bore a resemblance to Laettner's, featuring averaging about 16 points per game in his first five seasons, but he was definitely a better defensive player. Walton pulled down 12+ rebounds per game in each of his first four seasons, and had 2.5+ blocks per game in three of those four campaigns. Perhaps most importantly, his teams were a lot better than the Timberwolves ever were.
Walton also had a more illustrious college career, being the centerpiece of the unreal 88-game winning streak by UCLA in the mid-70s. And there's the main difference between Walton (a HOFer) and Laettner: hardware. Walton managed to garner an NBA MVP trophy in 1978 (not sure how, with just 19 points and 13 rebounds per game, and only playing in 58 games). He's also got two each of NCAA championships and NBA championships, and he was named Finals MVP in 1977 for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The reality is that Christian Laettner doesn't come close to Walton in terms of overall performance; Walton was a better college player, and a far better professional player than Laettner. Perhaps a better comparison to Laettner would be Vin Baker (who by the way was my favorite player in Electronic Arts' Live '95 game for Super Nintendo).
Verdict: Not a Hall of Famer.
Chris Mullin
I chose to review Mullin second because he's basically Laettner, except better. Mullin was a superstar at St. John's, winning Big East Player of the Year honors three times in his four years, as well as being named an All-American three times. Additionally, he won Olympic gold in 1984, eight years before he did it again with the Dream Team.
Mullin was drafted seventh overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1985 NBA Draft, in a draft that saw power forwards or centers get drafted with 15 of the first 17 picks. He contributed immediately, sliding into the starting lineup by the middle of his rookie season, and 14 points per game. His scoring average increased over his first four years, up to a career high of 26.5 in 1988-89. He scored at least 25 points per game over the next four seasons as well, guiding the Warriors to five consecutive playoff appearances. He also made better than 50% of his field goals, remarkable for a spot-up shooter.
His performance over this period earned him his spot on the 1992 Olympic team, and he took full advantage. He may not have provided any memorable highlight reel dunks or passes, but Mullin was the 4th leading scorer on a team of legends, despite starting only two of the team's eight games.
Unfortunately, injuries took away parts of four seasons, as Mullin missed 140 games over that period, preventing him from building on his Olympic success. By the time he was fully healthy and able to play a full season's worth of games, he was 33, and his skills had begun to fade. He'd never again break 15 points per game, and his career faded out of memory.
So how do we judge him? Comparing him to Walton is pretty fair; he was a dominant college player who had success in the pros. Walton picked up an MVP trophy, but I'd say Mullin was more productive, so we'll call their NBA careers, production-wise, a wash. So the question is this: Does Mullin's Olympic and college success measure up to Walton's college dominance, and the NBA title he pulled in?
Answer: Almost. Walton's NBA championship is impressive, and he was clearly an integral part of the team, rating second in scoring and first in rebounds and blocks on that Trail Blazer team. But I can't give top credit to Mullin for either of his two Olympic golds, for the same reason I don't assign much value to Walton's second title with the Celtics in 1986. Mullin was important to his two gold medal teams, more important than Walton was to those Celtics, but not nearly as important as Walton was to the Portland team.
The final piece of the puzzle is this: While Mullin was a prolific scorer, he never led the league in scoring. Granted, this was during Michael Jordan's heyday, but if a player is going to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a prolific scorer who never won a title (in the NBA or college), he'll have to have led the league in scoring at some point. If Dominique Wilkins can't get in, neither can Mullin.
Verdict: Not a Hall of Famer
I think it's important to note that, specifically with Chris Mullin, this isn't a slouch we're talking about. He's one of the all-time greats, maybe the second-best player in Warrior history behind Wilt Chamberlain, and certainly their best player since moving out west. But the Hall of Fame isn't (and shouldn't be) about being a good player, or being the best player over a short period for one time. It's about being a legend. And we should reserve that for the elite.
And yes, I'm looking at you, baseball.
Christian Laettner
Laettner had a nice NBA career, averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds per game over his first five seasons. But he played on some really bad teams, including the near-expansion Timberwolves and the donkey ass Wizards of the early 2000's. His only sniff of a championship caliber team came with the 2004-2005 Heat as a role player, his final NBA season. The team lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Pistons.
But if Laettner were to be considered for the Hall of Fame, it would be based on his college performance less than his NBA career. He was the best player on the best team of his era, hitting clutch shots, and frustrating fans of the Michigan Wolverines and their "Fab Five" superstar recruiting class. He's the only player ever to start in four consecutive Final Fours. He holds the record for most points scored in NCAA Tournament play.
The logical comparison case is Bill Walton. Walton's NBA career bore a resemblance to Laettner's, featuring averaging about 16 points per game in his first five seasons, but he was definitely a better defensive player. Walton pulled down 12+ rebounds per game in each of his first four seasons, and had 2.5+ blocks per game in three of those four campaigns. Perhaps most importantly, his teams were a lot better than the Timberwolves ever were.
Walton also had a more illustrious college career, being the centerpiece of the unreal 88-game winning streak by UCLA in the mid-70s. And there's the main difference between Walton (a HOFer) and Laettner: hardware. Walton managed to garner an NBA MVP trophy in 1978 (not sure how, with just 19 points and 13 rebounds per game, and only playing in 58 games). He's also got two each of NCAA championships and NBA championships, and he was named Finals MVP in 1977 for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The reality is that Christian Laettner doesn't come close to Walton in terms of overall performance; Walton was a better college player, and a far better professional player than Laettner. Perhaps a better comparison to Laettner would be Vin Baker (who by the way was my favorite player in Electronic Arts' Live '95 game for Super Nintendo).
Verdict: Not a Hall of Famer.
Chris Mullin
I chose to review Mullin second because he's basically Laettner, except better. Mullin was a superstar at St. John's, winning Big East Player of the Year honors three times in his four years, as well as being named an All-American three times. Additionally, he won Olympic gold in 1984, eight years before he did it again with the Dream Team.
Mullin was drafted seventh overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1985 NBA Draft, in a draft that saw power forwards or centers get drafted with 15 of the first 17 picks. He contributed immediately, sliding into the starting lineup by the middle of his rookie season, and 14 points per game. His scoring average increased over his first four years, up to a career high of 26.5 in 1988-89. He scored at least 25 points per game over the next four seasons as well, guiding the Warriors to five consecutive playoff appearances. He also made better than 50% of his field goals, remarkable for a spot-up shooter.
His performance over this period earned him his spot on the 1992 Olympic team, and he took full advantage. He may not have provided any memorable highlight reel dunks or passes, but Mullin was the 4th leading scorer on a team of legends, despite starting only two of the team's eight games.
Unfortunately, injuries took away parts of four seasons, as Mullin missed 140 games over that period, preventing him from building on his Olympic success. By the time he was fully healthy and able to play a full season's worth of games, he was 33, and his skills had begun to fade. He'd never again break 15 points per game, and his career faded out of memory.
So how do we judge him? Comparing him to Walton is pretty fair; he was a dominant college player who had success in the pros. Walton picked up an MVP trophy, but I'd say Mullin was more productive, so we'll call their NBA careers, production-wise, a wash. So the question is this: Does Mullin's Olympic and college success measure up to Walton's college dominance, and the NBA title he pulled in?
Answer: Almost. Walton's NBA championship is impressive, and he was clearly an integral part of the team, rating second in scoring and first in rebounds and blocks on that Trail Blazer team. But I can't give top credit to Mullin for either of his two Olympic golds, for the same reason I don't assign much value to Walton's second title with the Celtics in 1986. Mullin was important to his two gold medal teams, more important than Walton was to those Celtics, but not nearly as important as Walton was to the Portland team.
The final piece of the puzzle is this: While Mullin was a prolific scorer, he never led the league in scoring. Granted, this was during Michael Jordan's heyday, but if a player is going to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a prolific scorer who never won a title (in the NBA or college), he'll have to have led the league in scoring at some point. If Dominique Wilkins can't get in, neither can Mullin.
Verdict: Not a Hall of Famer
I think it's important to note that, specifically with Chris Mullin, this isn't a slouch we're talking about. He's one of the all-time greats, maybe the second-best player in Warrior history behind Wilt Chamberlain, and certainly their best player since moving out west. But the Hall of Fame isn't (and shouldn't be) about being a good player, or being the best player over a short period for one time. It's about being a legend. And we should reserve that for the elite.
And yes, I'm looking at you, baseball.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 13 (The 2010 Fantasy All-Star Teams)
Every year, we see the All-Star participants, and it's always fun to talk about who should've made the team, and who didn't deserve to be an All-Star. We don't always have an Omar Infante to talk about, but we always have something to talk about.
This year, for the first time ever (and hopefully, assuming my survival, the first of many times), I'll be creating what I believe to be the fantasy All-Star teams in each league. I'll name two players at each infield position, five outfielders, seven starting pitchers, and three relief pitchers, for a total of twenty-five players. It's smaller than the standard All-Star team, but we're fantasy owners; we don't pay attention to half of the players in baseball anyways.
Without further ado, the teams. Eligibility will be determined simply by position eligibility in Yahoo fantasy baseball.
American League
First Basemen
National League
First Basemen
This year, for the first time ever (and hopefully, assuming my survival, the first of many times), I'll be creating what I believe to be the fantasy All-Star teams in each league. I'll name two players at each infield position, five outfielders, seven starting pitchers, and three relief pitchers, for a total of twenty-five players. It's smaller than the standard All-Star team, but we're fantasy owners; we don't pay attention to half of the players in baseball anyways.
Without further ado, the teams. Eligibility will be determined simply by position eligibility in Yahoo fantasy baseball.
American League
First Basemen
- Miguel Cabrera (.339, 61 R, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 2 SB)
- Justin Morneau (.344, 51 R, 17 HR, 55 RBI)
- Robinson Cano (.342, 59 R, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 2 SB)
- Dustin Pedroia (.292, 52 R, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 8 SB)
- Kevin Youkilis (.299, 66 R, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 2 SB)
- Evan Longoria (.296, 49 R, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 12 SB)
- Elvis Andrus (.290, 56 R, 0 HR, 25 RBI, 22 SB)
- Derek Jeter (.281, 55 R, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 9 SB)
- Josh Hamilton (.340, 55 R, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 6 SB)
- Carl Crawford (.320, 63 R, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 29 SB)
- Alex Rios (.299, 49 R, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 22 SB)
- Vladimir Guerrero (.328, 52 R, 18 HR, 70 RBI, 4 SB)
- Shin-Soo Choo (.286, 48 R, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 12 SB)
- Jon Lester (10-3, 118 K, 2.76/1.10)
- Jered Weaver (8-3, 124 K, 2.82/1.06)
- Cliff Lee (8-3, 89 K, 2.34/0.95)
- David Price (11-4, 90 K, 2.42/1.20)
- Andy Pettitte (10-2, 78 K, 2.82/1.15)
- Felix Hernandez (6-5, 122 K, 3.01/1.14)
- Clay Buchholz (10-4, 64 K, 2.45/1.25)
- Mariano Rivera (2-1, 19 SV, 32 K, 1.08/0.66)
- Rafael Soriano (2-0, 22 SV, 28 K, 1.42/0.76)
- Jose Valverde (1-1, 18 SV, 33 K, 1.00/0.81)
National League
First Basemen
- Joey Votto (.318, 56 R, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 7 SB)
- Albert Pujols (.305, 48 R, 20 HR, 60 RBI, 9 SB)
- Brandon Phillips (.307, 64 R, 11 HR, 28 RBI, 10 SB)
- Martin Prado (.331, 57 R, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 4 SB)
- David Wright (.317, 51 R, 14 HR, 64 RBI, 15 SB)
- Scott Rolen (.301, 43 R, 17 HR, 57 RBI)
- Hanley Ramirez (.297, 48 R, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 15 SB)
- Rafael Furcal (.335, 44 R, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 12 SB)
- Carlos Gonzalez (.295, 49 R, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 12 SB)
- Chris B. Young (.268, 46 R, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 16 SB)
- Ryan Braun (.291, 50 R, 11 HR, 51 RBI, 11 SB)
- Matt Kemp (.265, 56 R, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 11 SB)
- Corey Hart (.288, 42 R, 19 HR, 61 RBI, 4 SB)
- Adam Wainwright (12-5, 123 K, 2.24/1.00)
- Ubaldo Jimenez (14-1, 107 K, 2.27/1.08)
- Josh Johnson (8-3, 115 K, 1.82/0.96)
- Roy Halladay (10-7, 119 K, 2.33/1.08)
- Mat Latos (9-4, 91 K, 2.62/0.96)
- Yovani Gallardo (8-4, 122 K, 2.58/1.26)
- Clayton Kershaw (8-4, 116 K, 3.02/1.23)
- Billy Wagner (5-0, 17 SV, 52 K, 1.35/0.93)
- Heath Bell (4-0, 23 SV, 49 K, 1.72/1.34)
- Jonathan Broxton (3-0, 17 SV, 52 K, 2.02/1.07)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 9
Alright, partly because I think it's time, and partly because I was too distracted by Stephen Strasburg Day (say it with a German accent) to get weekly stats this past week, we're going to do a "Year To Date" evaluation. We'll treat this like an AL/NL fantasy MVP & Cy Young award winners right now. Here goes:
AL MVP: Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees (.370, 43 R, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 2 SB) - His production is among the best in baseball at any position, but when you add in the fact that he's gotten you all those numbers at second base, Cano gets the nod. Worth mentioning, though, are two Riders: Miguel Cabrera (.344, 17 HR, 52 RBI) and Alex Rios (.317, 38 R, 12 HR, 18 SB). Cabrera's performance is completely predictable; Rios is a nice surprise after a very down year in 2009.
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals (.306, 34 R, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 6 SB) - Honestly, we don't even have to look at numbers any more, do we? Just chalk up another award to Pujols and move on. The NL is actually a lot weaker than the AL right now, and in fact, Pujols probably wouldn't be my pick if Andre Ethier hadn't gotten hurt...because either Ethier or Matt Kemp would likely have the numbers to warrant being picked above Pujols. For now.
AL Cy Young: Phil Hughes, SP, Yankees (8-1, 68 Ks, 2.71/1.09) - Amazingly, the choice was between Hughes and another Rider, Jon Lester (7-2, 81 Ks, 2.73/1.13), but I went with the extra win and the slightly better averages. Additionally, Hughes' strikeout rate is actually almost identical to Lester's. Naturally, despite their 15 combined wins, I've managed to garner only ten of them, and both players have been on my roster all season.
NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Rockies (11-1, 78 Ks, 0.93/0.93) - There's been some great pitching in the National League this season (Roy Halladay's perfect game comes to mind), but no one has been as good as Ubaldo in every single outing. His one loss? A seven inning, one run "debacle" against the Dodgers. Oh, and he also threw a no-hitter.
AL MVP: Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees (.370, 43 R, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 2 SB) - His production is among the best in baseball at any position, but when you add in the fact that he's gotten you all those numbers at second base, Cano gets the nod. Worth mentioning, though, are two Riders: Miguel Cabrera (.344, 17 HR, 52 RBI) and Alex Rios (.317, 38 R, 12 HR, 18 SB). Cabrera's performance is completely predictable; Rios is a nice surprise after a very down year in 2009.
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals (.306, 34 R, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 6 SB) - Honestly, we don't even have to look at numbers any more, do we? Just chalk up another award to Pujols and move on. The NL is actually a lot weaker than the AL right now, and in fact, Pujols probably wouldn't be my pick if Andre Ethier hadn't gotten hurt...because either Ethier or Matt Kemp would likely have the numbers to warrant being picked above Pujols. For now.
AL Cy Young: Phil Hughes, SP, Yankees (8-1, 68 Ks, 2.71/1.09) - Amazingly, the choice was between Hughes and another Rider, Jon Lester (7-2, 81 Ks, 2.73/1.13), but I went with the extra win and the slightly better averages. Additionally, Hughes' strikeout rate is actually almost identical to Lester's. Naturally, despite their 15 combined wins, I've managed to garner only ten of them, and both players have been on my roster all season.
NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Rockies (11-1, 78 Ks, 0.93/0.93) - There's been some great pitching in the National League this season (Roy Halladay's perfect game comes to mind), but no one has been as good as Ubaldo in every single outing. His one loss? A seven inning, one run "debacle" against the Dodgers. Oh, and he also threw a no-hitter.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 3
Fantasy Players of the Week
AL Hitter: Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels (.542, 7 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI) - Morales was one of the bigger question marks coming into this season, but so far, it's pretty obvious that his breakout 2009 was just the beginning.
NL Hitter: Mark Reynolds, 1B/3B, Diamondbacks (.421, 5 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB) - After a slow start, Reynolds went on a tear last week, more than doubling his RBI output on the season. And he's likely now unavailable in a trade.
AL Pitcher: John Danks, SP, White Sox (2-0, 14 Ks, 1.69/0.69) - Danks had a great week, even outdueling laser hot David Price in a game against the Rays. His second great start helps him edge Phil Hughes' near no-hitter.
NL Pitcher: Mike Pelfrey, SP, Mets (2-0, 9 Ks, 0.00/1.33) - The WHIP is a little higher than you'd like, but all you can really ask of a guy is to give up no runs and get the win, and Pelfrey did that twice last week. Would've been nice if he pitched like this back when I drafted him last year.
Go Pick Up
AL Hitter: Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees (36% owned) - In case you haven't noticed, Gardner is getting regular playing time in the Yankees' lineup. That means he shouldn't have any trouble blowing past his career-high 48 runs from a year ago. He's also got plus speed, and the Yankees love sending him, so his 9 SB are just the beginning. His .327 batting average is probably an aberration, but .290 isn't unreasonable at all.
NL Hitter: Scott Rolen, 3B, Reds (28%) - Rolen is looking like he did a half a decade ago when he was healthy and productive. The chances of him continuing to be both are pretty slim, but you gotta ride him while he's hot.
AL Pitcher: Joel Zumaya, RP, Tigers (13% owned) - Don't necessarily count on him getting more wins (he's 2-0), but it looks like he's recaptured his rookie pitching form. Even better, he hasn't walked a batter yet in 12 IP. Closer Jose Valverde has been very good as well, so I wouldn't expect Zumaya to wrestle the closer role from him, but good innings are good innings, and Zumaya may have quite a few of them to offer.
NL Pitcher: Livan Hernandez, SP, Nationals (18% owned) - I can't believe I'm recommending that you go pick up Hernandez, but the numbers are right there. Three starts with 7+ IP, just 2 ER over 24 innings, and a WHIP under 1.00. I'd be an irresponsible fantasy writer if I didn't tell you to go pick him up.
A Tearful Goodbye
Though it pained me to do so, I waived two of this year's draft picks from my keeper league team: Drew Stubbs, and...sigh...Chris Davis. As last year's second place finisher, it's my responsibility to act like a team wanting to win this year, and after giving me zero production from 3B, then getting demoted, Davis really was just not going to offer anything in the near future. If no one picks him up, I'll keep an eye on him, but I'm expecting someone to be willing and able to take a flier on him.
Stubbs' departure was a little easier to palate for two reasons. First, he's well behind my top four outfielders (Matt Kemp, Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rios), and I've already got Carlos Lee riding the pine while he figures out what to do, so Stubbs was essentially sixth on my OF depth chart. Second, he's already cleared waivers, so I feel comfortable thinking I didn't make a big mistake. I will be interested to see how long it takes for his hits (9) to eclipse his runs (11).
AL Hitter: Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels (.542, 7 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI) - Morales was one of the bigger question marks coming into this season, but so far, it's pretty obvious that his breakout 2009 was just the beginning.
NL Hitter: Mark Reynolds, 1B/3B, Diamondbacks (.421, 5 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB) - After a slow start, Reynolds went on a tear last week, more than doubling his RBI output on the season. And he's likely now unavailable in a trade.
AL Pitcher: John Danks, SP, White Sox (2-0, 14 Ks, 1.69/0.69) - Danks had a great week, even outdueling laser hot David Price in a game against the Rays. His second great start helps him edge Phil Hughes' near no-hitter.
NL Pitcher: Mike Pelfrey, SP, Mets (2-0, 9 Ks, 0.00/1.33) - The WHIP is a little higher than you'd like, but all you can really ask of a guy is to give up no runs and get the win, and Pelfrey did that twice last week. Would've been nice if he pitched like this back when I drafted him last year.
Go Pick Up
AL Hitter: Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees (36% owned) - In case you haven't noticed, Gardner is getting regular playing time in the Yankees' lineup. That means he shouldn't have any trouble blowing past his career-high 48 runs from a year ago. He's also got plus speed, and the Yankees love sending him, so his 9 SB are just the beginning. His .327 batting average is probably an aberration, but .290 isn't unreasonable at all.
NL Hitter: Scott Rolen, 3B, Reds (28%) - Rolen is looking like he did a half a decade ago when he was healthy and productive. The chances of him continuing to be both are pretty slim, but you gotta ride him while he's hot.
AL Pitcher: Joel Zumaya, RP, Tigers (13% owned) - Don't necessarily count on him getting more wins (he's 2-0), but it looks like he's recaptured his rookie pitching form. Even better, he hasn't walked a batter yet in 12 IP. Closer Jose Valverde has been very good as well, so I wouldn't expect Zumaya to wrestle the closer role from him, but good innings are good innings, and Zumaya may have quite a few of them to offer.
NL Pitcher: Livan Hernandez, SP, Nationals (18% owned) - I can't believe I'm recommending that you go pick up Hernandez, but the numbers are right there. Three starts with 7+ IP, just 2 ER over 24 innings, and a WHIP under 1.00. I'd be an irresponsible fantasy writer if I didn't tell you to go pick him up.
A Tearful Goodbye
Though it pained me to do so, I waived two of this year's draft picks from my keeper league team: Drew Stubbs, and...sigh...Chris Davis. As last year's second place finisher, it's my responsibility to act like a team wanting to win this year, and after giving me zero production from 3B, then getting demoted, Davis really was just not going to offer anything in the near future. If no one picks him up, I'll keep an eye on him, but I'm expecting someone to be willing and able to take a flier on him.
Stubbs' departure was a little easier to palate for two reasons. First, he's well behind my top four outfielders (Matt Kemp, Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rios), and I've already got Carlos Lee riding the pine while he figures out what to do, so Stubbs was essentially sixth on my OF depth chart. Second, he's already cleared waivers, so I feel comfortable thinking I didn't make a big mistake. I will be interested to see how long it takes for his hits (9) to eclipse his runs (11).
Monday, April 19, 2010
Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 2
Fantasy Players of the Week
Go Pick Up...
Lamentations From My Main Fantasy Team
- AL Hitter: Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Indians (.579, 5 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB) - Here's another tidbit: Choo struck out only once in 29 plate appearances last week.
- NL Hitter: Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies (.333, 8 R, 5 HR, 8 RBI) - He and Matt Kemp had almost identical lines, but Utley gets the nod for doing it while playing second base for you.
- AL Pitcher: Ricky Romero, SP, Blue Jays (1-1, 18 Ks, 1.69/0.63) - You all know about his near no-hitter, but he actually lowered his ERA in his following start, a tough loss to the Angels in which he gave up just one run.
- NL Pitcher: Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals (2-0, 16 Ks, 1.06/0/76) - Apparently Wainwright is taking out his frustration at losing last year's Cy Young race on every hitter he faces.
Go Pick Up...
- AL Hitter: Alberto Callaspo, 2B/3B, Royals (26% owned) - The concerns coming into this season were playing time and consistency. Callaspo's played in 11 of Kansas City's 12 games, and only failed to pick up a hit in two of them. Homers and steals will be limited, but he's a great filler, and his position flexibility helps even more in deeper leagues.
- NL Hitter: Ivan Rodriguez, C, Nationals (39% owned) - Pudge just isn't going away. He's now got six multi-hit games, and leads all NL starting catchers in runs (9) and batting average (.444). The job is all his until Jesus Flores recovers from his current injury, and it will be his again when Flores suffers his next injury.
- AL Pitcher: Fernando Rodney, RP, Angels (48% owned) - Inexplicably, he's available in more than half of Yahoo leagues. He hasn't given up a run since taking over the closer job for the injured Brian Fuentes. If he holds up, don't be surprised if he holds the job when Fuentes comes back.
- NL Pitcher: Matt Lindstrom, RP, Astros (37% owned???) - He's not amazing, and Houston may only win 50 games, but chances are they'll all be pretty close. He's a closer, and he's got electric stuff..sometimes.
Lamentations From My Main Fantasy Team
- Prince Fielder, Chris Davis, and Carlos Lee have zero home runs thus far. They combined for 93 HRs last year.
- In terms of runs scored last season, Jon Lester has faced the #1 (Yankees), #5 (Twins), and #7 (Rays) offenses in baseball so far this season. Starting him against two of them was my fault, not his.
- Trevor Hoffman has given up at least one run in four of his five appearances this year, yet he's 1-1 with 3 saves. Of even greater concern are the nine hits he's given up in five innings. He's been utterly hittable.
- Matt Kemp and Miguel Cabrera are awesome. Those aren't lamentations, just facts.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 1
We're going to try something new this year. I'm going to give you a fantasy baseball update on a weekly basis, with various tidbits of information. And I'm naming it "Twi-Night Doubleheader" because it's a sweet baseball term. Here goes.
(Ownage numbers retrieved from Yahoo)
Fantasy Players of the Week
AL Hitter: Curtis Granderson (.348, 4 runs, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB) - A couple other guys had better run production, but getting two homers and three steals in one week is truly a fantasy.
NL Hitter: Albert Pujols (.375, 7 runs, 4 HR, 10 RBI) - You have to think Pujols will find his way onto this list more often than anyone else. Pujols 1, Rest of NL 0.
AL Pitcher: Dallas Braden (1-0, 12 Ks, 2.77/0.85) - The AL didn't have the elite performances that the NL did, but Braden had one great start with a no-decision, and a good start with a win. Honorable mention goes to Jon Rauch, who picked up 4 saves in his first week as the Twins' closer.
NL Pitcher: Roy Halladay (2-0, 17 Ks, 0.56/0.94) - It was neck and neck between Halladay and Tim Lincecum, but I'll give the nod to Halladay for having a better ERA over more innings. You have to think that any week either of these guys pitches twice, though, they'll be the favorites.
Go Pick Up...
AL Hitter: J.J. Hardy, SS, Twins (.286, 3 runs, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 37% owned) - My guess is that 2009 was the anomaly. A .280 batting average with around 25 home runs seems pretty reasonable.
NL Hitter: Kelly Johnson, 2B, Diamondbacks (.368, 6 runs, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 25% owned) - It was just last year that pundits projected a 15-15 or better season for Johnson. And Arizona is a fine place to hit, even if you're batting eighth.
AL Pitcher: Kevin Gregg, RP, Blue Jays (2 saves, 4 Ks, 0.00 ERA, 22% owned) - It's obvious that the Jays' pen is still open to interpretation, but Gregg has been their best reliever so far. If that endures more than another week or two, I can't see him not being handed the closer job for good.
NL Pitcher: Franklin Morales, RP, Rockies (2 saves, 3.00 ERA, 38% owned) - He may not be completely lights out, but Morales has elite stuff, and with Huston Street's injury history, he could be good for 15-20 saves when all is said and done.
Thought You Ought To Know...
(Ownage numbers retrieved from Yahoo)
Fantasy Players of the Week
AL Hitter: Curtis Granderson (.348, 4 runs, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB) - A couple other guys had better run production, but getting two homers and three steals in one week is truly a fantasy.
NL Hitter: Albert Pujols (.375, 7 runs, 4 HR, 10 RBI) - You have to think Pujols will find his way onto this list more often than anyone else. Pujols 1, Rest of NL 0.
AL Pitcher: Dallas Braden (1-0, 12 Ks, 2.77/0.85) - The AL didn't have the elite performances that the NL did, but Braden had one great start with a no-decision, and a good start with a win. Honorable mention goes to Jon Rauch, who picked up 4 saves in his first week as the Twins' closer.
NL Pitcher: Roy Halladay (2-0, 17 Ks, 0.56/0.94) - It was neck and neck between Halladay and Tim Lincecum, but I'll give the nod to Halladay for having a better ERA over more innings. You have to think that any week either of these guys pitches twice, though, they'll be the favorites.
Go Pick Up...
AL Hitter: J.J. Hardy, SS, Twins (.286, 3 runs, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 37% owned) - My guess is that 2009 was the anomaly. A .280 batting average with around 25 home runs seems pretty reasonable.
NL Hitter: Kelly Johnson, 2B, Diamondbacks (.368, 6 runs, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 25% owned) - It was just last year that pundits projected a 15-15 or better season for Johnson. And Arizona is a fine place to hit, even if you're batting eighth.
AL Pitcher: Kevin Gregg, RP, Blue Jays (2 saves, 4 Ks, 0.00 ERA, 22% owned) - It's obvious that the Jays' pen is still open to interpretation, but Gregg has been their best reliever so far. If that endures more than another week or two, I can't see him not being handed the closer job for good.
NL Pitcher: Franklin Morales, RP, Rockies (2 saves, 3.00 ERA, 38% owned) - He may not be completely lights out, but Morales has elite stuff, and with Huston Street's injury history, he could be good for 15-20 saves when all is said and done.
Thought You Ought To Know...
- ...Brad Lidge still can't get anyone out, but now it's A ball hitters who are knocking him around. If you've got Ryan Madson, keep him.
- ...Barry Bonds hasn't retired...yet.
- ...Brian Roberts just got sent to the DL; fantasy owners who have been starting him through this .143 early period are not unhappy.
- ...Mike Gonzalez is in trouble.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bold MLB Predictions 2010
American League
AL East: New York Yankees - Both Hughes and Joba spend time setting up Rivera. Yanks end with a 108 win season.
AL Central: Detroit Tigers - A sober Cabrera drives in 115+. Tigers win central by 5+ games
AL West: Seattle Mariners - Loss of Vlad (LAA) and a lack of pitching (Tex) leaves Seattle at the top of the division with all three finishing within 5 games of one another.
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox - A great rotation of Lackey, Lester, Beckett keeps them around Wild Card until deadline deal brings in Adrian Gonzalez.
AL Surprise: Baltimore Orioles - Led by their young talented outfield the O's finish third in the AL East and get to .500
AL Disappointment: Tampa Bay Rays - A slow start due to injuries leads to Tampa trading Crawford at the deadline. Never able to get back on track Rays finish 4th in AL East.
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
AL CY Young: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
AL ROY: Austin Jackson, Tigers
AL Champion: Boston Red Sox
National League
NL East: Atlanta Braves - Hudson, Lowe, and Glaus all have bounce back years. Heyward has solid rookie season and Chipper plays 130 games.
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals - A full year of Holliday and Pujols together and development of second year player Rasmus leads to great offensive numbers for the Cards.
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers - Young stars Ethier and Kemp continue to improve. This combined with a motivated Manny leads them to division title.
NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies - Slow start but way too much talent. Hamels pitches like its 2008.
NL Surprise: Pittsburgh Pirates - A fast start leads to the Pirates being in second place at the end of April. Alvarez, a June 1st call up, gets serious ROY consideration and leads Pirates to a 72 win season.
NL Disappointment: San Francisco Giants - Wear on Lincecum starts to show. His two trips to DL derails quick start to the season as Giants fall out of contention.
NL MVP: Ryan Howard, Phillies
NL CY Young: Yovani Gallardo, Brewers
NL ROY: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (Wins 10 games after May call up)
NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Champions: Boston Red Sox
AL East: New York Yankees - Both Hughes and Joba spend time setting up Rivera. Yanks end with a 108 win season.
AL Central: Detroit Tigers - A sober Cabrera drives in 115+. Tigers win central by 5+ games
AL West: Seattle Mariners - Loss of Vlad (LAA) and a lack of pitching (Tex) leaves Seattle at the top of the division with all three finishing within 5 games of one another.
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox - A great rotation of Lackey, Lester, Beckett keeps them around Wild Card until deadline deal brings in Adrian Gonzalez.
AL Surprise: Baltimore Orioles - Led by their young talented outfield the O's finish third in the AL East and get to .500
AL Disappointment: Tampa Bay Rays - A slow start due to injuries leads to Tampa trading Crawford at the deadline. Never able to get back on track Rays finish 4th in AL East.
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
AL CY Young: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
AL ROY: Austin Jackson, Tigers
AL Champion: Boston Red Sox
National League
NL East: Atlanta Braves - Hudson, Lowe, and Glaus all have bounce back years. Heyward has solid rookie season and Chipper plays 130 games.
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals - A full year of Holliday and Pujols together and development of second year player Rasmus leads to great offensive numbers for the Cards.
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers - Young stars Ethier and Kemp continue to improve. This combined with a motivated Manny leads them to division title.
NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies - Slow start but way too much talent. Hamels pitches like its 2008.
NL Surprise: Pittsburgh Pirates - A fast start leads to the Pirates being in second place at the end of April. Alvarez, a June 1st call up, gets serious ROY consideration and leads Pirates to a 72 win season.
NL Disappointment: San Francisco Giants - Wear on Lincecum starts to show. His two trips to DL derails quick start to the season as Giants fall out of contention.
NL MVP: Ryan Howard, Phillies
NL CY Young: Yovani Gallardo, Brewers
NL ROY: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (Wins 10 games after May call up)
NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Champions: Boston Red Sox
Sunday, March 21, 2010
MLB Predictions - 2010
American League
AL East: New York Yankees - How can you pick against them?
AL Central: Chicago White Sox - Rios and Pierre should give their lineup a jolt.
AL West: Anaheim Angels - I'm not sold on Seattle's "defense" moves just yet.
AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays - One last hurrah with Crawford.
AL Champion: New York Yankees
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, Yankees
AL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, White Sox
AL ROY: Brian Matusz, Orioles
National League
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies - Halladay will probably win 25 games.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers - Although I don't think Randy Wolf will be the difference.
NL West: San Francisco Giants - Pitching wins championships?
NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals - Swap them with the Brewers if Carpenter can stay healthy.
NL Champion: San Francisco Giants
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, Brewers
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Phillies
NL ROY: Jason Heyward, Braves
World Series Champion: New York Yankees
AL East: New York Yankees - How can you pick against them?
AL Central: Chicago White Sox - Rios and Pierre should give their lineup a jolt.
AL West: Anaheim Angels - I'm not sold on Seattle's "defense" moves just yet.
AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays - One last hurrah with Crawford.
AL Champion: New York Yankees
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, Yankees
AL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, White Sox
AL ROY: Brian Matusz, Orioles
National League
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies - Halladay will probably win 25 games.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers - Although I don't think Randy Wolf will be the difference.
NL West: San Francisco Giants - Pitching wins championships?
NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals - Swap them with the Brewers if Carpenter can stay healthy.
NL Champion: San Francisco Giants
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, Brewers
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Phillies
NL ROY: Jason Heyward, Braves
World Series Champion: New York Yankees
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
NHL MVP 2010 - Is It Even Close Right Now?
Despite his lapses in judgment with regards to checking, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is far and away the NHL's best offensive player, statistically.
You'll find people (particularly in western Pennsylvania) who suggest that Sidney Crosby should win it, but the statistical disparity between the two players is staggering. Crosby/Ovechkin are 1/2 in goals scored (at 45 and 44, respectively). Ovechkin leads the NHL in total points (96, 9 more than Crosby) and +/- (41, +30 above Crosby). Add on top of that the fact that Ovechkin is the most important and best player for the best team in hockey (101 points, a full 14 points above Crosby's currently second-seeded Penguins), and there's simply no way any other skater can be rated above Ovechkin. Oh, and Ovechkin missed 8 games, so if he keeps up his goal-scoring pace, he'll pass Crosby before the year is over, too.
Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks has also had a great season thus far, but ranks behind Ovechkin in virtually every offensive category other than assists. He's earned a mention in the discussion, but won't be winning the award.
Ryan Miller, who many of us really just came to know with his Olympic heroics, deserves equal consideration for the Hart Trophy, as the NHL's MVP. Buffalo currently leads the Northeast division, despite having no players in the top 25 in goals scored or points scored. Miller is first in save percentage and second in goals-against-average. But the Hart Trophy generally goes to a skater, and Miller hasn't distanced himself from other excellent goalies (such as Ilya Bryzgalov, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Evgeni Nabokov) enough to warrant a change of that. And remember, this is the NHL's MVP award, not hockey's MVP award. Miller's performance in the Olympics doesn't (and shouldn't) be a factor. He earned and received the Olympic MVP award for his outstanding play in the Vancouver games.
I'm not a hockey fanatic, nor would I consider myself a hockey expert. But at this point in the season, with a dozen games to go, it sure seems like Ovechkin is a no-brainer to receive his third consecutive Hart Trophy.
You'll find people (particularly in western Pennsylvania) who suggest that Sidney Crosby should win it, but the statistical disparity between the two players is staggering. Crosby/Ovechkin are 1/2 in goals scored (at 45 and 44, respectively). Ovechkin leads the NHL in total points (96, 9 more than Crosby) and +/- (41, +30 above Crosby). Add on top of that the fact that Ovechkin is the most important and best player for the best team in hockey (101 points, a full 14 points above Crosby's currently second-seeded Penguins), and there's simply no way any other skater can be rated above Ovechkin. Oh, and Ovechkin missed 8 games, so if he keeps up his goal-scoring pace, he'll pass Crosby before the year is over, too.
Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks has also had a great season thus far, but ranks behind Ovechkin in virtually every offensive category other than assists. He's earned a mention in the discussion, but won't be winning the award.
Ryan Miller, who many of us really just came to know with his Olympic heroics, deserves equal consideration for the Hart Trophy, as the NHL's MVP. Buffalo currently leads the Northeast division, despite having no players in the top 25 in goals scored or points scored. Miller is first in save percentage and second in goals-against-average. But the Hart Trophy generally goes to a skater, and Miller hasn't distanced himself from other excellent goalies (such as Ilya Bryzgalov, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Evgeni Nabokov) enough to warrant a change of that. And remember, this is the NHL's MVP award, not hockey's MVP award. Miller's performance in the Olympics doesn't (and shouldn't) be a factor. He earned and received the Olympic MVP award for his outstanding play in the Vancouver games.
I'm not a hockey fanatic, nor would I consider myself a hockey expert. But at this point in the season, with a dozen games to go, it sure seems like Ovechkin is a no-brainer to receive his third consecutive Hart Trophy.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Other Joe's 2009 MLB Award Winners
AL MVP - Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins
You can't be at all surprised here, really. He missed the first month of the season then came back to be perhaps the most dangerous hitter in the American League, all while playing catcher. Down the stretch, when Justin Morneau was injured, Mauer continued to anchor the Twins' lineup, leading them to the playoffs. That says MVP to me.
NL MVP - Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
See God, Baseball.
AL Cy Young - Mariano Rivera, RP, New York Yankees
Much as it pains me to designate this award for both a closer and a Yankee, it's time. Rivera was once again the most reliable and effective closer in baseball. I see this award as both for this season and for his entire career of absurdly good pitching. Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, and Justin Verlander all deserve recognition, but I feel like this is Rivera's year.
NL Cy Young - Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
This one is also kind of in the air, but with stronger starting pitcher candidates, and weaker closer candidates. As far as an actual prediction, I'd go with Tim Lincecum followed by Chris Carpenter. Lincecum first because I could see Wainwright and Carpenter drawing votes from each other, and Carpenter ahead of Wainwright because Carpenter is a better story, but Wainwright was the most balanced elite pitcher in the senior circuit this season. He led the NL in wins, had 212 K in 233 IP, and was close to the top in both ERA and WHIP. He's my pick.
AL ROY - Andrew Bailey, RP, Oakland Athletics
The A's seem to keep churning out talented players, winning three of the past eleven rookie of the year awards (Ben Grieve, Bobby Crosby, Huston Street). Bailey, a member of the 2009 AL All-Star team, might end up being the best of any of them though, as he was virtually unhittable all season. Opponents hit just .167 against him, and he didn't blow a save after June 16th. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus is allegedly the front-runner, but Andrus wasn't anywhere near as dominant as Bailey.
NL ROY - Tommy Hanson, SP, Atlanta Braves
My brother wouldn't shut up about Hanson all season, and it turns out he knew what he was talking about. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanson went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116 K in 127.2 IP. A close second in my book is J.A. Happ, who posted similar overall numbers, but took a few more games to do it.
You can't be at all surprised here, really. He missed the first month of the season then came back to be perhaps the most dangerous hitter in the American League, all while playing catcher. Down the stretch, when Justin Morneau was injured, Mauer continued to anchor the Twins' lineup, leading them to the playoffs. That says MVP to me.
NL MVP - Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
See God, Baseball.
AL Cy Young - Mariano Rivera, RP, New York Yankees
Much as it pains me to designate this award for both a closer and a Yankee, it's time. Rivera was once again the most reliable and effective closer in baseball. I see this award as both for this season and for his entire career of absurdly good pitching. Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, and Justin Verlander all deserve recognition, but I feel like this is Rivera's year.
NL Cy Young - Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
This one is also kind of in the air, but with stronger starting pitcher candidates, and weaker closer candidates. As far as an actual prediction, I'd go with Tim Lincecum followed by Chris Carpenter. Lincecum first because I could see Wainwright and Carpenter drawing votes from each other, and Carpenter ahead of Wainwright because Carpenter is a better story, but Wainwright was the most balanced elite pitcher in the senior circuit this season. He led the NL in wins, had 212 K in 233 IP, and was close to the top in both ERA and WHIP. He's my pick.
AL ROY - Andrew Bailey, RP, Oakland Athletics
The A's seem to keep churning out talented players, winning three of the past eleven rookie of the year awards (Ben Grieve, Bobby Crosby, Huston Street). Bailey, a member of the 2009 AL All-Star team, might end up being the best of any of them though, as he was virtually unhittable all season. Opponents hit just .167 against him, and he didn't blow a save after June 16th. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus is allegedly the front-runner, but Andrus wasn't anywhere near as dominant as Bailey.
NL ROY - Tommy Hanson, SP, Atlanta Braves
My brother wouldn't shut up about Hanson all season, and it turns out he knew what he was talking about. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanson went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116 K in 127.2 IP. A close second in my book is J.A. Happ, who posted similar overall numbers, but took a few more games to do it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
When I think about why I'm making this blog post, I'm reminded of a memorable quote from my all-time favorite show, The West Wing : ...
-
Games are a little tougher to judge, because frankly I play a lot of games that I don't finish, but often I don't finish them like, ...
-
We're making progress! I've got kind of a reputation for being way behind on movies and shows, a reputation well-earned. Even with t...
