Posts
1. 3B Danny Valencia AAA - Rochester
Age: 24
Total Stats: .307 12 HR 51 RBI
AAA Stats: .352 5 HR 22 RBI
I was in the minority having him as the best Twins prospect but a lot of minds have changed with the production he has had. If Crede ends up on the DL, the Twins might go with Valencia this year.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .312 2 HR 37 RBI 33 SB
With Denard Span already on the team, it is thought that Revere will likely be used more as trade bait. That is if the Twins ever make a trade.
3. OF Aaron Hicks Low A - Beloit
Age: 19
Stats: .216 1 HR 14 RBI 3 SB
The buzz surrounding him has dimmed given his struggles this year. It would not be surprising to see him start 2010 in Beloit again.
4. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .308 3 HR 18 RBI
This is officially a lost year for Ramos, which is disappointing but the talent is still there.
5. OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .258 14 HR 56 RBI
I would like to see him and Revere get some time in New Britain this year but that is not likely to happen.
6. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 54.1 IP 2.98 ERA 77 K
Is stuck in AA this year but he should be in the Twins bullpen next year.
7. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 23
Stats: .277 10 HR 53 RBI
Only got a pinch-hit appearance in the Futures Game but he used it to hit the game-winning double and win the MVP award.
8. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 103.2 IP 2.86 ERA 92 K
Has struggled a little in July with a 3.91 ERA but the fact that that is struggling for him is a good sign.
9. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Total Stats: 91 IP 3.96 ERA 50 K
AA Stats: 36.1 IP 7.93 ERA 17 K
He is still on this list for his 1st half and the potential but he has been absolutely brutal in AA. He will definitely be starting 2010 in AA. Hitters are hitting .333 against him in AA. His WHIP in AA is 1.89.
10. 1B/C Danny Rams Low A - Beloit
Age: 20
Total Stats: .327 10 HR 32 RBI
Low A Stats: .286 4 HR 6 RBI
I said if he kept hitting he would make the list and he has not stopped hitting. He stikes out way too much but his numbers are video game numbers. In 110 at-bats he has 10 home runs and 24 extra base hits. On the year he has a slugging percentage of .736 and an OPS of 1.144. If you need to know how good that is Albert Pujols has similar numbers with a slugging percentage of .711 and OPS of 1.161.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Mid-Season Awards
NL Rookie of the Year: Tommy Hanson, ATL
He hasn't been up that long but he has lived up to the hype so far. In 7 starts he has gone 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA and 25 K in 41 innings.
Runner-up: Colby Rasmus, STL
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, SF
Lincecum gets the nod over Haren because he is on a superior team and the number of strikeouts. He has had a great follow-up to last year going 10-2 2.33 ERA 149 K.
Runner-up: Dan Haren, ARI
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL
There is no debate regarding this award. He could not play the second half and he would still get votes for the award. He is on pace for the best year of his career with .336 32 HR 85 RBI. Those are full-season numbers if you are lucky. He is a virtual lock for his 3rd MVP Award.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey, OAK
The AL Rookie Award race has been a little disappointing with David Price and Matt Wieters getting off to slow starts. My money is that one of them will have a big second half and win the award but for the first half it goes to the Oakland closer who has a 2.03 ERA and 57 K in 48.7 IP. He is the Oakland representative in the All-Star game.
Runner-up: Rickey Romero, TOR
AL Cy Young: Zach Greinke, KC
He hasn't pitched as well lately and may not hold on to the award over the full year but he still had an awesome first half going 10-5 2.12 ERA 129 K. He should have more wins but he is a Royal.
Runner-up: Felix Hernandez, SEA
AL MVP: Justin Morneau, MIN
This is the toughest award to call. It depends on what you are looking for in an MVP. There are almost 10 candidates who could legitimately win this award. The factors I used to decide this is a player producing runs with a good average. This lead to Justin Morneau. All the attention is paid to Joe Mauer but Morneau is quietly a Triple Crown threat. He is tied for 2nd in HR, 2nd in RBI and 11th in AVG going .311-21-70. Mauer will likely keep him from winning the Triple Crown and will steal votes from him but he does it all for the Twins.
Runner-up: Jason Bay, BOS
He hasn't been up that long but he has lived up to the hype so far. In 7 starts he has gone 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA and 25 K in 41 innings.
Runner-up: Colby Rasmus, STL
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, SF
Lincecum gets the nod over Haren because he is on a superior team and the number of strikeouts. He has had a great follow-up to last year going 10-2 2.33 ERA 149 K.
Runner-up: Dan Haren, ARI
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL
There is no debate regarding this award. He could not play the second half and he would still get votes for the award. He is on pace for the best year of his career with .336 32 HR 85 RBI. Those are full-season numbers if you are lucky. He is a virtual lock for his 3rd MVP Award.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey, OAK
The AL Rookie Award race has been a little disappointing with David Price and Matt Wieters getting off to slow starts. My money is that one of them will have a big second half and win the award but for the first half it goes to the Oakland closer who has a 2.03 ERA and 57 K in 48.7 IP. He is the Oakland representative in the All-Star game.
Runner-up: Rickey Romero, TOR
AL Cy Young: Zach Greinke, KC
He hasn't pitched as well lately and may not hold on to the award over the full year but he still had an awesome first half going 10-5 2.12 ERA 129 K. He should have more wins but he is a Royal.
Runner-up: Felix Hernandez, SEA
AL MVP: Justin Morneau, MIN
This is the toughest award to call. It depends on what you are looking for in an MVP. There are almost 10 candidates who could legitimately win this award. The factors I used to decide this is a player producing runs with a good average. This lead to Justin Morneau. All the attention is paid to Joe Mauer but Morneau is quietly a Triple Crown threat. He is tied for 2nd in HR, 2nd in RBI and 11th in AVG going .311-21-70. Mauer will likely keep him from winning the Triple Crown and will steal votes from him but he does it all for the Twins.
Runner-up: Jason Bay, BOS
All-Star Break Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 55-31 (1st in NL West)
With Manny back and having not missed a beat this team is rolling in a surprisingly good NL West. This team should add a starter because I have a hard time seeing a team with a 21- year old #2 starter winning the World Series even if it is Clayton Kershaw.
2. Boston Red Sox
Record: 52-34 (1st in AL East)
This team has so much pitching it is ridiculous. Justin Masterson and Clay Bucholz would be starters on any other team but they are in the bullpen and AAA respectively. This team doesn't even care that Dice-K has imploded this year. With David Ortiz having returned to form this is my current pick to win it all.
3. New York Yankees
Record: 51-35 (2nd in AL East)
As a Twins fan it is hard not to rank them #1. They are 7-0 against the Twins and only 44-35 against the rest of the league. They have done this and A-Rod isn't really producing this year hitting only .257. Surprise, when they are winning no one is talking about the number of home runs at Yankee Stadium. The numbers are crazy though. Jeter with 10 and Damon with 16 so far.
4. Texas Rangers
Record: 48-37 (1st in AL West)
This team is an absolute surprise. The weirdest part is that they have done this to date without the help of Josh Hamilton. This team I do think is all smoke and mirrors. They will not make the playoffs this year.
5. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 47-37 (2nd in AL West)
This team has dealt with so many issues this year and it continues with Hunter and Guerrrero headed for the DL. This team is still the favorite to win the AL West but I don't see this team piecing it together to compete against the Sox and Yankees.
6. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 48-39 (3rd in AL East)
You know you have it tough when you have the 6th best record but are 3rd in your division. This team has so much talent with Upton, Crawford, Longoria, Pena and Zobrist but it takes more than talent to win the AL East. If they are to make the playoffs they need bullpen help and Pat Burell and David Price to contribute like they can.
7. San Francisco Giants
Record: 48-38 (2nd in NL West)
If Boston has the best pitching staff, San Francisco has the 2nd best as evidenced by Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter yesterday. Lincecum is a legitimate threat to win his 2nd Cy Young. This team could stand to add a bat to help Pablo Sandoval but I like their chances to win the NL Wild Card.
8. Detroit Tigers
Record: 47-38 (1st in AL Central)
This team may regret not putting away the division earlier as both the Twins and White Sox are capable of a run. The biggest reason for the turnaround from last year is Verlander pitching like he should and Edwin Jackson.
9. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 46-38 (1st in NL East)
It seems as if the Phillies just have to stay afloat and they will win the NL East. How a team can be in 1st place without a starter with an ERA under 4.00 is beyond me. Chase Utley doesn't get enough recognition. He is by far the best second baseman and is proving it again this year with .308-20-61.
10. Saint Louis Cardinals
Record: 48-40 (1st in NL Central)
This team is a three-man team. Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The rest is just average. The good news is that looks to be all that it will take to win the NL Central. If there is someone who doesn't think Pujols is the best player in the league I would like to meet them. He is simply not human.
11. Colorado Rockies
Record: 46-40 (3rd in NL West)
This team is headed in the right direction. Started the season 20-32 and has gone 26-8 since. I don't think they can catch the Dodgers but it is looking like a 2-team race for the Wild Card with them and the Giants.
12. Seattle Mariners
Record: 44-42 (3rd in NL West)
This team is what an average team looks like. They have talent (Hernandez, Bedard, and Suzuki) but there is not enough there to compete or have a chance to play in October.
13. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 44-42 (2nd in NL Central)
This team is headed in the wrong direction and the reason is easy to find. They have no starting pitching outside of Yovanni Gallardo. They need to acquire a pitcher if they want to turn this around. It is a shame that they are wasting the efforts of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
14. Minnesota Twins
Record: 44-43 (3rd in AL Central)
This team seems to perpetually on the verge of breaking out but they have yet to. There is also not a single thing you can point to as the problem. People like to say the bullpen but now that they rid themselves of Ayala and Crain they have been fairly good. People talk about the disappointments of Delmon Young, Liriano and Alexi Casilla, but no one talks about how disappointing Scott Baker has been this year.
15. Florida Marlins
Record: 45-43 (2nd in NL East)
This team has Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson but they need more to compete with the Phillies and the Marlins aren't a team to go out and get it. I can't wait for Hanley to get his release from the Marlins so the rest of the league can see how good he is. They don't have the Reyes-Ramirez debate anymore because the answer is clear.
16. Chicago White Sox
Record: 44-42 (2nd in AL Central)
It is surprising that a team that almost acquired Jake Peavy has yet to make a move since. I don't think they have figured out yet whether they are sellers or buyers. This is still a very dangerous team with that lineup especially if Carlos Quentin gets on track.
17. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 44-44 (4th in AL East)
This team is .500 now but they are a good bet to end up below .500. They are in full-blown sell mode. Whether Roy Halladay gets moved or not is one thing but the fact that he is on the trading block shows you its an anything goes sale. They have teams just lining up to see what they can get from them.
18. Atlanta Braves
Record: 42-44 (3rd in NL East)
This team isn't going to do it this year but the future is bright in Atlanta. Tommy Hanson looks like an ace and they have in Jason Heyward the #1 prospect. If they can get a few more years out of Chipper Jones they can return to winning division titles.
19. Chicago Cubs
Record: 41-42 (4th in NL Central)
They have been nothing but a disappointment so far this year and Soto going on the DL does not help. The talent is still there to win the NL Central but the complete implosion at this point seems more likely.
20. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 42-43 (4th in NL Central)
This team has a lot of young talent but issues have stopped this team from reaching their potential this year. Volquez has had trouble staying healthy and Votto has been dealing with personal issues. Jay Bruce will be a stud and has hit for power but he has had a very disappointing sophomore year.
21. Houston Astros
Record: 43-43 (3rd in NL Central)
With talent like Berkman, Tejada, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence you can be competitive but the question is where they are headed. They need to decide if they are buyers or sellers because standing pat will just result in mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
22. New York Mets
Record: 40-45 (4th in NL East)
At least they aren't going to have to worry about another September collapse. There lineup has been destroyed by injuries with Beltran, Delgado and Reyes going down. They will probably try to make some moves but unless those guys get healthy and contribute this will be another lost season in Queens.
23. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 38-48 (5th in AL East)
It is hard not to be pessimistic in the AL East if you are not New York or Boston but Baltimore does have some things that give hope. Adam Jones has broken out into a star with his first all-star appearance at age 23. They just need to find some pitching and they could be an up and coming team.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 37-50 (4th in NL West)
They have some great talents in Justin Upton, Dan Haren, Mark Reynolds and Max Scherzer and some waste of talents in Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes and Chris Young. Not having Brandon Webb all year also hurts.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 38-48 (6th in NL Central)
It must be hard to justify being a Pirates fan. In the last year they have traded away Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Nate McLouth, and Eric Hinske. It must be a good motivation for the players that the second you are any good you will be able to get out of Pittsburgh.
26. Kansas City Royals
Record: 37-49 (4th in AL Central)
At some point in the offseason someone will say the Royals have a bright future and are a dangerous team. They will then finish at the cellar with 100 losses again. This team is a perpetual disappointment.
27. Oakland A's
Record: 35-49 (4th in AL West)
Moneyball is not paying off this year as they rebuild. The question is what do they do with disappointment and pending free agent Matt Holliday.
28. San Diego Padres
Record: 35-51 (5th in NL West)
At least the weather is still nice in San Diego.
29. Cleveland Indians
Record: 34-53 (5th in AL Central)
I always doubted the talk of them being the favorites in the AL Central but I never thought they would fall this far. This team is wasting the talent of Sizemore and Victor Martinez.
30. Washington Nationals
Record: 25-60 (5th in NL East)
This team is a joke that is challenging the 1962 Mets, but they claim to not trading Adam Dunn. That makes no sense because they need all the prospects they can get. It is a shame that this team gets Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.
Record: 55-31 (1st in NL West)
With Manny back and having not missed a beat this team is rolling in a surprisingly good NL West. This team should add a starter because I have a hard time seeing a team with a 21- year old #2 starter winning the World Series even if it is Clayton Kershaw.
2. Boston Red Sox
Record: 52-34 (1st in AL East)
This team has so much pitching it is ridiculous. Justin Masterson and Clay Bucholz would be starters on any other team but they are in the bullpen and AAA respectively. This team doesn't even care that Dice-K has imploded this year. With David Ortiz having returned to form this is my current pick to win it all.
3. New York Yankees
Record: 51-35 (2nd in AL East)
As a Twins fan it is hard not to rank them #1. They are 7-0 against the Twins and only 44-35 against the rest of the league. They have done this and A-Rod isn't really producing this year hitting only .257. Surprise, when they are winning no one is talking about the number of home runs at Yankee Stadium. The numbers are crazy though. Jeter with 10 and Damon with 16 so far.
4. Texas Rangers
Record: 48-37 (1st in AL West)
This team is an absolute surprise. The weirdest part is that they have done this to date without the help of Josh Hamilton. This team I do think is all smoke and mirrors. They will not make the playoffs this year.
5. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 47-37 (2nd in AL West)
This team has dealt with so many issues this year and it continues with Hunter and Guerrrero headed for the DL. This team is still the favorite to win the AL West but I don't see this team piecing it together to compete against the Sox and Yankees.
6. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 48-39 (3rd in AL East)
You know you have it tough when you have the 6th best record but are 3rd in your division. This team has so much talent with Upton, Crawford, Longoria, Pena and Zobrist but it takes more than talent to win the AL East. If they are to make the playoffs they need bullpen help and Pat Burell and David Price to contribute like they can.
7. San Francisco Giants
Record: 48-38 (2nd in NL West)
If Boston has the best pitching staff, San Francisco has the 2nd best as evidenced by Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter yesterday. Lincecum is a legitimate threat to win his 2nd Cy Young. This team could stand to add a bat to help Pablo Sandoval but I like their chances to win the NL Wild Card.
8. Detroit Tigers
Record: 47-38 (1st in AL Central)
This team may regret not putting away the division earlier as both the Twins and White Sox are capable of a run. The biggest reason for the turnaround from last year is Verlander pitching like he should and Edwin Jackson.
9. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 46-38 (1st in NL East)
It seems as if the Phillies just have to stay afloat and they will win the NL East. How a team can be in 1st place without a starter with an ERA under 4.00 is beyond me. Chase Utley doesn't get enough recognition. He is by far the best second baseman and is proving it again this year with .308-20-61.
10. Saint Louis Cardinals
Record: 48-40 (1st in NL Central)
This team is a three-man team. Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The rest is just average. The good news is that looks to be all that it will take to win the NL Central. If there is someone who doesn't think Pujols is the best player in the league I would like to meet them. He is simply not human.
11. Colorado Rockies
Record: 46-40 (3rd in NL West)
This team is headed in the right direction. Started the season 20-32 and has gone 26-8 since. I don't think they can catch the Dodgers but it is looking like a 2-team race for the Wild Card with them and the Giants.
12. Seattle Mariners
Record: 44-42 (3rd in NL West)
This team is what an average team looks like. They have talent (Hernandez, Bedard, and Suzuki) but there is not enough there to compete or have a chance to play in October.
13. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 44-42 (2nd in NL Central)
This team is headed in the wrong direction and the reason is easy to find. They have no starting pitching outside of Yovanni Gallardo. They need to acquire a pitcher if they want to turn this around. It is a shame that they are wasting the efforts of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
14. Minnesota Twins
Record: 44-43 (3rd in AL Central)
This team seems to perpetually on the verge of breaking out but they have yet to. There is also not a single thing you can point to as the problem. People like to say the bullpen but now that they rid themselves of Ayala and Crain they have been fairly good. People talk about the disappointments of Delmon Young, Liriano and Alexi Casilla, but no one talks about how disappointing Scott Baker has been this year.
15. Florida Marlins
Record: 45-43 (2nd in NL East)
This team has Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson but they need more to compete with the Phillies and the Marlins aren't a team to go out and get it. I can't wait for Hanley to get his release from the Marlins so the rest of the league can see how good he is. They don't have the Reyes-Ramirez debate anymore because the answer is clear.
16. Chicago White Sox
Record: 44-42 (2nd in AL Central)
It is surprising that a team that almost acquired Jake Peavy has yet to make a move since. I don't think they have figured out yet whether they are sellers or buyers. This is still a very dangerous team with that lineup especially if Carlos Quentin gets on track.
17. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 44-44 (4th in AL East)
This team is .500 now but they are a good bet to end up below .500. They are in full-blown sell mode. Whether Roy Halladay gets moved or not is one thing but the fact that he is on the trading block shows you its an anything goes sale. They have teams just lining up to see what they can get from them.
18. Atlanta Braves
Record: 42-44 (3rd in NL East)
This team isn't going to do it this year but the future is bright in Atlanta. Tommy Hanson looks like an ace and they have in Jason Heyward the #1 prospect. If they can get a few more years out of Chipper Jones they can return to winning division titles.
19. Chicago Cubs
Record: 41-42 (4th in NL Central)
They have been nothing but a disappointment so far this year and Soto going on the DL does not help. The talent is still there to win the NL Central but the complete implosion at this point seems more likely.
20. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 42-43 (4th in NL Central)
This team has a lot of young talent but issues have stopped this team from reaching their potential this year. Volquez has had trouble staying healthy and Votto has been dealing with personal issues. Jay Bruce will be a stud and has hit for power but he has had a very disappointing sophomore year.
21. Houston Astros
Record: 43-43 (3rd in NL Central)
With talent like Berkman, Tejada, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence you can be competitive but the question is where they are headed. They need to decide if they are buyers or sellers because standing pat will just result in mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
22. New York Mets
Record: 40-45 (4th in NL East)
At least they aren't going to have to worry about another September collapse. There lineup has been destroyed by injuries with Beltran, Delgado and Reyes going down. They will probably try to make some moves but unless those guys get healthy and contribute this will be another lost season in Queens.
23. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 38-48 (5th in AL East)
It is hard not to be pessimistic in the AL East if you are not New York or Boston but Baltimore does have some things that give hope. Adam Jones has broken out into a star with his first all-star appearance at age 23. They just need to find some pitching and they could be an up and coming team.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 37-50 (4th in NL West)
They have some great talents in Justin Upton, Dan Haren, Mark Reynolds and Max Scherzer and some waste of talents in Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes and Chris Young. Not having Brandon Webb all year also hurts.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 38-48 (6th in NL Central)
It must be hard to justify being a Pirates fan. In the last year they have traded away Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Nate McLouth, and Eric Hinske. It must be a good motivation for the players that the second you are any good you will be able to get out of Pittsburgh.
26. Kansas City Royals
Record: 37-49 (4th in AL Central)
At some point in the offseason someone will say the Royals have a bright future and are a dangerous team. They will then finish at the cellar with 100 losses again. This team is a perpetual disappointment.
27. Oakland A's
Record: 35-49 (4th in AL West)
Moneyball is not paying off this year as they rebuild. The question is what do they do with disappointment and pending free agent Matt Holliday.
28. San Diego Padres
Record: 35-51 (5th in NL West)
At least the weather is still nice in San Diego.
29. Cleveland Indians
Record: 34-53 (5th in AL Central)
I always doubted the talk of them being the favorites in the AL Central but I never thought they would fall this far. This team is wasting the talent of Sizemore and Victor Martinez.
30. Washington Nationals
Record: 25-60 (5th in NL East)
This team is a joke that is challenging the 1962 Mets, but they claim to not trading Adam Dunn. That makes no sense because they need all the prospects they can get. It is a shame that this team gets Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings
1. 3B Danny Valencia AAA - Rochester
Age: 24
Total Stats: .304 9 HR 37 RBI
AAA Stats: .405 2 HR 8 RBI
It is basically a forgone conclusion that he will be a September call-up and the starting 3rd basemen in 2010. He has had no problem adjusting to AAA.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .304 2 HR 31 RBI 29 SB
Has struggled a little bit lately hitting .264 in June and .195 in his last 10 games. He is still having a good year striking out only 25 times in 313 plate appearances. Joe Mauer has struck out 29 times in 246 plate appearances.
3. OF Aaron Hicks Low A - Beloit
Age: 19
Stats: .233 0 HR 8 RBI 2 SB
Has struggled so far in Beloit, but 13 games is too small of a sample size to make any judgments.
4. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .308 3 HR 18 RBI
Is apparently still far away from returning from a hamstring injury.
5. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .262 10 HR 44 RBI
In the last 10 games he has gone .355-2-11 and went .293-4-15 in June.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Total Stats: 82.2 IP 2.72 ERA 45 K
AA Stats: 28 IP 5.46 ERA 12 K
Finally had a good start in AA giving up 1 hit in 5 innings. Problem is that it was probably his last start of the year as they are moving him to the bullpen to limit his innings this year.
7. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 46.2 IP 2.70 ERA 65 K
Should be in Rochester. Should be in Rochester. Should be in Rochester.
8. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 23
Stats: .273 10 HR 47 RBI
Watch for him representing the World team on Sunday in the Futures Game.
9. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 86.1 IP 2.71 ERA 76 K
Has only given up 4 home runs so far on the year and has an impressive 1.29 WHIP.
10. RHP Billy Bullock Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 21
Stats: 5.1 IP 1.69 ERA 7 K
His professional career has gotten of to a very good start as the closer for Elizabethton.
Honorable Mention 1B/C Danny Rams Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 20
Total Stats: .382 6 HR 23 RBI
Rookie Stats: .405 6 HR 20 RBI
Is not currently in my top 10 but needed a mention given the damage he is doing in Rookie ball. The second round pick in the 2007 draft is coming on strong. In only 11 rookie games he has 6 home runs, 20 RBI and an OPS of 1.486. The only issue is that he has struck out 17 times in 49 plate appearances. Another week or two of this and he will be in Beloit and on this list.
Age: 24
Total Stats: .304 9 HR 37 RBI
AAA Stats: .405 2 HR 8 RBI
It is basically a forgone conclusion that he will be a September call-up and the starting 3rd basemen in 2010. He has had no problem adjusting to AAA.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .304 2 HR 31 RBI 29 SB
Has struggled a little bit lately hitting .264 in June and .195 in his last 10 games. He is still having a good year striking out only 25 times in 313 plate appearances. Joe Mauer has struck out 29 times in 246 plate appearances.
3. OF Aaron Hicks Low A - Beloit
Age: 19
Stats: .233 0 HR 8 RBI 2 SB
Has struggled so far in Beloit, but 13 games is too small of a sample size to make any judgments.
4. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .308 3 HR 18 RBI
Is apparently still far away from returning from a hamstring injury.
5. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .262 10 HR 44 RBI
In the last 10 games he has gone .355-2-11 and went .293-4-15 in June.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Total Stats: 82.2 IP 2.72 ERA 45 K
AA Stats: 28 IP 5.46 ERA 12 K
Finally had a good start in AA giving up 1 hit in 5 innings. Problem is that it was probably his last start of the year as they are moving him to the bullpen to limit his innings this year.
7. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 46.2 IP 2.70 ERA 65 K
Should be in Rochester. Should be in Rochester. Should be in Rochester.
8. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 23
Stats: .273 10 HR 47 RBI
Watch for him representing the World team on Sunday in the Futures Game.
9. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 86.1 IP 2.71 ERA 76 K
Has only given up 4 home runs so far on the year and has an impressive 1.29 WHIP.
10. RHP Billy Bullock Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 21
Stats: 5.1 IP 1.69 ERA 7 K
His professional career has gotten of to a very good start as the closer for Elizabethton.
Honorable Mention 1B/C Danny Rams Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 20
Total Stats: .382 6 HR 23 RBI
Rookie Stats: .405 6 HR 20 RBI
Is not currently in my top 10 but needed a mention given the damage he is doing in Rookie ball. The second round pick in the 2007 draft is coming on strong. In only 11 rookie games he has 6 home runs, 20 RBI and an OPS of 1.486. The only issue is that he has struck out 17 times in 49 plate appearances. Another week or two of this and he will be in Beloit and on this list.
Twins Mid-Season Projections
With the mid-way point of the season upon us it is a good time to project the Twins final stats if they have a second half like the first half. In some cases that would be a good thing and in other a disaster. Here are the current projections for your Minnesota Twins:
Joe Mauer: .390 28 HR 90 RBI
If anyone expects these to be his final numbers they are stupid. He had a once in a lifetime May and came back to reality in June going .353-3-11. While he may not put up those numbers he is well on his way to his 3rd batting title and has been healthy since coming back in May.
Second Half: May reach 20 home runs and may bat .350 but will not be able to repeat first half stats.
Justin Morneau: .320 40 HR 134 RBI
A lot of attention has been paid to Mauer and his prowess, but what is getting lost in the shuffle is Morneau is having one of his best years and another MVP-caliber year. He has typically lost a little power in the second half so I don't see 40 home runs happening but I do see .320 average and 130 RBIs.
Second Half: May see a dip in power with around 30-35 home runs but the production should still be there.
Jason Kubel: .300 26 HR 84 RBI
Now that he is four years removed from his knee injury he has finally reached the potential the Twins saw in him when went .300-2-7 as a September call-up in 2004. It could be argued that he is the most productive DH the Twins have had.
Second Half: As long as he doesn't face too many lefties he is right on target.
Michael Cuddyer: .280 26 HR 90 RBI
After an injury filled and disappointing 2008, there were many fans (including me) who thought he should be the odd man out in the outfield. He has proved them wrong by returning to 2006 Michael Cuddyer.
Second Half: If healthy he can reach projections.
Joe Crede: .230 24 HR 72 RBI
He was brought in to be the power source and be 2nd on the team in home runs. He is currently 5th on the team but has not been a disappointment at all. There isn't anyone who would argue that he is a significant upgrade from Brian Buscher. He has provided just what the Twins hoped he would provide.
Second Half: He could get really hot and hit near 30 home runs or go and the DL and not do anything. I think he will end up .240-26-80.
Denard Span: .288 8 HR 52 RBI 26 SB
He has had some issues with dizzy spells but he has shown that last year was not a fluke. He is the ideal leadoff hitter. He is patient, doesn't strike out and has speed.
Second Half: If the dizzy spells don't come back I could see a big second half for him with him batting around .300.
Brendan Harris: .274 8 HR 44 RBI
Everyone seems to be praising him for his contribution this year, but in his last year with Tampa he went .286-12-59 and he wasn't batting in front of Mauer and Morneau. Yes, he is our best offensive option in the middle infield but that isn't much of a claim on this team.
Second Half: He should get plenty of at-bats and he should be able to duplicate 1st half and hopefully better.
Delmon Young: .264 6 HR 48 RBI
Those who were disappointed with last years (.290-10-69) have been truly disappointed this year so far. Yes, he dealt with the loss of his mother but the production has been brutal. Has actually shown some signs of improvement recently with 6 extra base hits in his last 8 games compared to 3 extra base hits in his previous 44 games.
Second Half: It is almost impossible for him to not do better than his first half. The Twins aren't asking much from their #7 hitter, just hoping that he will provide some power and run production.
Carlos Gomez: .224 2 HR 24 RBI 14 SB
This has been a lost season for the 23 year old so far. He has become the 4th outfielder. He is on pace for only 348 at-bats compared to 577 last year. They need to figure out how to use him better because he is never going to realize his potential on the bench. It only makes him try to do more in his at-bats.
Second Half: Barring an injury, I don't see a lot of at-bats coming his way especially if Delmon starts to produce. His talent is being wasted.
Nick Punto: .217 0 HR 32 RBI 14 SB
Yes, he is good defensively but he is absolutely worthless at the plate. He has 4 extra base hits. Only the Twins would have a career .250 hitter with 11 career home runs in 2,018 at bats as an everyday infielder.
Second Half: More of the same.
Matt Tolbert: .184 2 HR 22 RBI
It is bad enough to have one Nick Punto, but this team has two of them with Matt Tolbert. He is simply not a major league infielder.
Second Half: Twins having to be hoping that Casilla turns it around so they can send Tolbert back to Rochester.
Other projections not worth commenting on:
Alexi Casilla: .180-0-10
Brian Buscher: .198-4-18
Mike Redmond: .229-0-8
Jose Morales: .350-0-4
Joe Mauer: .390 28 HR 90 RBI
If anyone expects these to be his final numbers they are stupid. He had a once in a lifetime May and came back to reality in June going .353-3-11. While he may not put up those numbers he is well on his way to his 3rd batting title and has been healthy since coming back in May.
Second Half: May reach 20 home runs and may bat .350 but will not be able to repeat first half stats.
Justin Morneau: .320 40 HR 134 RBI
A lot of attention has been paid to Mauer and his prowess, but what is getting lost in the shuffle is Morneau is having one of his best years and another MVP-caliber year. He has typically lost a little power in the second half so I don't see 40 home runs happening but I do see .320 average and 130 RBIs.
Second Half: May see a dip in power with around 30-35 home runs but the production should still be there.
Jason Kubel: .300 26 HR 84 RBI
Now that he is four years removed from his knee injury he has finally reached the potential the Twins saw in him when went .300-2-7 as a September call-up in 2004. It could be argued that he is the most productive DH the Twins have had.
Second Half: As long as he doesn't face too many lefties he is right on target.
Michael Cuddyer: .280 26 HR 90 RBI
After an injury filled and disappointing 2008, there were many fans (including me) who thought he should be the odd man out in the outfield. He has proved them wrong by returning to 2006 Michael Cuddyer.
Second Half: If healthy he can reach projections.
Joe Crede: .230 24 HR 72 RBI
He was brought in to be the power source and be 2nd on the team in home runs. He is currently 5th on the team but has not been a disappointment at all. There isn't anyone who would argue that he is a significant upgrade from Brian Buscher. He has provided just what the Twins hoped he would provide.
Second Half: He could get really hot and hit near 30 home runs or go and the DL and not do anything. I think he will end up .240-26-80.
Denard Span: .288 8 HR 52 RBI 26 SB
He has had some issues with dizzy spells but he has shown that last year was not a fluke. He is the ideal leadoff hitter. He is patient, doesn't strike out and has speed.
Second Half: If the dizzy spells don't come back I could see a big second half for him with him batting around .300.
Brendan Harris: .274 8 HR 44 RBI
Everyone seems to be praising him for his contribution this year, but in his last year with Tampa he went .286-12-59 and he wasn't batting in front of Mauer and Morneau. Yes, he is our best offensive option in the middle infield but that isn't much of a claim on this team.
Second Half: He should get plenty of at-bats and he should be able to duplicate 1st half and hopefully better.
Delmon Young: .264 6 HR 48 RBI
Those who were disappointed with last years (.290-10-69) have been truly disappointed this year so far. Yes, he dealt with the loss of his mother but the production has been brutal. Has actually shown some signs of improvement recently with 6 extra base hits in his last 8 games compared to 3 extra base hits in his previous 44 games.
Second Half: It is almost impossible for him to not do better than his first half. The Twins aren't asking much from their #7 hitter, just hoping that he will provide some power and run production.
Carlos Gomez: .224 2 HR 24 RBI 14 SB
This has been a lost season for the 23 year old so far. He has become the 4th outfielder. He is on pace for only 348 at-bats compared to 577 last year. They need to figure out how to use him better because he is never going to realize his potential on the bench. It only makes him try to do more in his at-bats.
Second Half: Barring an injury, I don't see a lot of at-bats coming his way especially if Delmon starts to produce. His talent is being wasted.
Nick Punto: .217 0 HR 32 RBI 14 SB
Yes, he is good defensively but he is absolutely worthless at the plate. He has 4 extra base hits. Only the Twins would have a career .250 hitter with 11 career home runs in 2,018 at bats as an everyday infielder.
Second Half: More of the same.
Matt Tolbert: .184 2 HR 22 RBI
It is bad enough to have one Nick Punto, but this team has two of them with Matt Tolbert. He is simply not a major league infielder.
Second Half: Twins having to be hoping that Casilla turns it around so they can send Tolbert back to Rochester.
Other projections not worth commenting on:
Alexi Casilla: .180-0-10
Brian Buscher: .198-4-18
Mike Redmond: .229-0-8
Jose Morales: .350-0-4
Monday, June 29, 2009
Brewster Stealing Some Cheese
One Brewster first walked on campus he made a promise to close down the borders and stop the flow of Minnesota talent to other schools, mainly Wisconsin. While he has not completely stopped the gap (Floyd, Mobley, he has done a pretty good job. In Glen Mason's last full recruiting class of the top 10 Minnesota recruits 3 choose Minnesota (Weber, Eric Ellestad, and Sean McWhither) and 3 choose Wisconsin (Kim Royston, Brandon Hoey, and Issac Anderson). Interestingly both Royston and Carufel have both come home. In Brewster's last class of the top 10 Minnesota recruits 6 choose Minnesota with Bryce McNeal (Clemson) and Casey Dehn (Wisconsin) escaping.
It wasn't enough for Brewster to stop the flow of Minnesotans to Wisconsin he wanted to reverse the flow and bring the Wisconsinites to Minnesota. In the past week Brewster has received commitments for two Wisconsinites in Matt Eggen and Zac Epping. They join Tom Parish giving the Gophers currently 3 commitments from Wisconsin. They would have had 4 if not for this fool. So far 3 of the top 7 Wisconsin recruits are headed to Minneapolis. Of the top 10 in Wisconsin Konrad Zagzebski is the only one to commit to Wisconsin with even Iowa and Indiana getting commitments.
While the jury is still out on Brewster with this year being a turning point, nothing makes me happier than him getting kids from Wisconsin. While the results are not there yet he is bringing in a lot more talent and has done better recruiting than Mason ever did or even thought about doing. The result is our future looks brighter and Bret Bielema has the Badgers headed in the other direction much to the chagrin of Badger fans and the delight of me.
It wasn't enough for Brewster to stop the flow of Minnesotans to Wisconsin he wanted to reverse the flow and bring the Wisconsinites to Minnesota. In the past week Brewster has received commitments for two Wisconsinites in Matt Eggen and Zac Epping. They join Tom Parish giving the Gophers currently 3 commitments from Wisconsin. They would have had 4 if not for this fool. So far 3 of the top 7 Wisconsin recruits are headed to Minneapolis. Of the top 10 in Wisconsin Konrad Zagzebski is the only one to commit to Wisconsin with even Iowa and Indiana getting commitments.
While the jury is still out on Brewster with this year being a turning point, nothing makes me happier than him getting kids from Wisconsin. While the results are not there yet he is bringing in a lot more talent and has done better recruiting than Mason ever did or even thought about doing. The result is our future looks brighter and Bret Bielema has the Badgers headed in the other direction much to the chagrin of Badger fans and the delight of me.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings
1. Danny Valencia AAA - Rochester
Age: 24
Stats: .301 8 HR 33 RBI
Has shown that he was deserving of promotion to AAA on June 22 by hitting .500 (9-18) 1 HR 3 RBI in his first week. He is looking like a September callup.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .318 2 HR 30 RBI 28 SB
Is a model of consistency. There are some rumblings about moving him to second base because of his weak arm and a logjam in the outfield.
3. OF Aaron Hicks Low A - Beloit
Age: 19
Stats: .235 0 HR 3 RBI 1 SB
I have no idea why the Twins waited until the short-season started to move him to Beloit. Either he has a great eye or pitchers are pitching around him to get to the otherwise weak Beloit lineup because he has 5 walks in only 22 plate appearances.
4. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .308 3 HR 18 RBI
Was on an absolute tear in June hitting .400-2-6 but then strained his hamstring and is out for a month. He has only played in 36 games so far this year.
5. OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .264 9 HR 41 RBI
This may be a little high for him, but there is a large gap between the top 4 and the rest. He is the best power hitting prospect in the system as evidenced by him winning the Florida State League Home Run Derby. The best thing he has done is cut down on the strikeouts this year. In roughly the same amount of at-bats this year he has 57 strikeouts compared to last years 83.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: 73.2 IP 2.32 ERA 41 K
He has struggled in the promotion to AA by going 19 IP 5.21 ERA 8 K in four starts. AA batters are hitting .284 with 4 home runs against him while in High A they hit .192 and only 1 home run in 54.2 innings.
7. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 39.2 IP 2.50 ERA 55 K
With the rash of promotions around the minor league all-star games I have no idea why he is still in New Britain. He needs to be in Rochester if the Twins want him to help the bullpen next year.
8. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: .271 9 HR 45 RBI
Is the Twins representative in the Futures Game in St. Louis for the World team (He is from Canada). He is showing his potential after finally being healthy. One problem: he is hitting .143 against left-handed pitching.
9. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 74.1 IP 2.66 ERA 69 K
Last start was a little rough but he is still a very good pitcher and has very good stuff.
10. RHP Billy Bullock Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 21
Stats: 1 IP 0.00 ERA 2 K
Highest signed 2009 draft pick after being the Twins 2nd Round selection. Has a 96-98 mph fastball and needs to work on his second pitch, but as a college reliever he should move quickly up the system and could end this year in Beloit and will likely start 2010 in Fort Myers.
Age: 24
Stats: .301 8 HR 33 RBI
Has shown that he was deserving of promotion to AAA on June 22 by hitting .500 (9-18) 1 HR 3 RBI in his first week. He is looking like a September callup.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .318 2 HR 30 RBI 28 SB
Is a model of consistency. There are some rumblings about moving him to second base because of his weak arm and a logjam in the outfield.
3. OF Aaron Hicks Low A - Beloit
Age: 19
Stats: .235 0 HR 3 RBI 1 SB
I have no idea why the Twins waited until the short-season started to move him to Beloit. Either he has a great eye or pitchers are pitching around him to get to the otherwise weak Beloit lineup because he has 5 walks in only 22 plate appearances.
4. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .308 3 HR 18 RBI
Was on an absolute tear in June hitting .400-2-6 but then strained his hamstring and is out for a month. He has only played in 36 games so far this year.
5. OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .264 9 HR 41 RBI
This may be a little high for him, but there is a large gap between the top 4 and the rest. He is the best power hitting prospect in the system as evidenced by him winning the Florida State League Home Run Derby. The best thing he has done is cut down on the strikeouts this year. In roughly the same amount of at-bats this year he has 57 strikeouts compared to last years 83.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: 73.2 IP 2.32 ERA 41 K
He has struggled in the promotion to AA by going 19 IP 5.21 ERA 8 K in four starts. AA batters are hitting .284 with 4 home runs against him while in High A they hit .192 and only 1 home run in 54.2 innings.
7. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 39.2 IP 2.50 ERA 55 K
With the rash of promotions around the minor league all-star games I have no idea why he is still in New Britain. He needs to be in Rochester if the Twins want him to help the bullpen next year.
8. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: .271 9 HR 45 RBI
Is the Twins representative in the Futures Game in St. Louis for the World team (He is from Canada). He is showing his potential after finally being healthy. One problem: he is hitting .143 against left-handed pitching.
9. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 74.1 IP 2.66 ERA 69 K
Last start was a little rough but he is still a very good pitcher and has very good stuff.
10. RHP Billy Bullock Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 21
Stats: 1 IP 0.00 ERA 2 K
Highest signed 2009 draft pick after being the Twins 2nd Round selection. Has a 96-98 mph fastball and needs to work on his second pitch, but as a college reliever he should move quickly up the system and could end this year in Beloit and will likely start 2010 in Fort Myers.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings - Week 9
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Age: 24
Stats: .284 6 HR 26 RBI
He is mired in a horrific slump hitting .074 in the month of June. He is still a top-notch prospect and the slump may be due to the fact he should be in AAA right now.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .327 1 HR 23 RBI 24 SB
Yes he has some issues with a slugging percentage of only .381, but he deserves a promotion to AA after the All-Star game that he will be participating in. He appears to a be a Denard Span carbon-copy.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .292 1 HR 14 RBI
Has come back from his injury swinging. Since coming back he has hit .370 with 4 doubles and 5 RBI in 7 games. He will be in AA the entire year especially with Jose Morales in Rochester.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: 59.2 IP 1.96 ERA 36 K
Not a very good first start after getting a much deserved promotion from Fort Myers. He went 5 innings giving up 5 runs on 7 hits. This will be as far as he moves this year as there is talk of limiting his innings this year to 100 because he has never pitched that many innings before.
6. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 31 IP 2.90 ERA 47 K
Still strikes out an amazing amount of players but gives up a little too many hits and walks with a WHIP of 1.52. It would still be a crime if he is not in Rochester by the end of June.
7. 1B-OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .249 5 HR 28 RBI
Has not hit a home run in a long time but has a decent OBP of .327. He will spend the whole year in Fort Myers. The question is whether he will perform well enough to make it to New Britain next year.
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: .330 3 HR 32 RBI
Not alot of power but he has 14 doubles and is doing well driving in runs in the 3 hole for New Britain. They need to clear the logjam in Rochester to make room for him so he can be challenged.
9. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: .272 8 HR 32 RBI
Continues to produce hitting .379 in the last 10 games. He will likely spend the season in New Britain.
10. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 56.2 IP 2.06 ERA 50 K
While a lot has been made of Carlos Gutierrez in Fort Myers, Bromberg has quietly been producing and stiking out more batters. With a lack of quality starters in New Britain outside of Gutierrez he should get a call up at some point this year but probably not until at least July.
With the MLB Draft tommorrow, I will post a very uninformed reaction to the draft, but it will list who was drafted. Who knows by the end of the year, one of those players may be on this list.
A site I like is TFLN (Texts From Last Night). Here is your TFLN of the Day:
(315): I told him to come back in 5mins cause i needed to take a few more shots before i could talk to him
Age: 24
Stats: .284 6 HR 26 RBI
He is mired in a horrific slump hitting .074 in the month of June. He is still a top-notch prospect and the slump may be due to the fact he should be in AAA right now.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .327 1 HR 23 RBI 24 SB
Yes he has some issues with a slugging percentage of only .381, but he deserves a promotion to AA after the All-Star game that he will be participating in. He appears to a be a Denard Span carbon-copy.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Age: 21
Stats: .292 1 HR 14 RBI
Has come back from his injury swinging. Since coming back he has hit .370 with 4 doubles and 5 RBI in 7 games. He will be in AA the entire year especially with Jose Morales in Rochester.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Carlos Gutierrez AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: 59.2 IP 1.96 ERA 36 K
Not a very good first start after getting a much deserved promotion from Fort Myers. He went 5 innings giving up 5 runs on 7 hits. This will be as far as he moves this year as there is talk of limiting his innings this year to 100 because he has never pitched that many innings before.
6. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: 31 IP 2.90 ERA 47 K
Still strikes out an amazing amount of players but gives up a little too many hits and walks with a WHIP of 1.52. It would still be a crime if he is not in Rochester by the end of June.
7. 1B-OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: .249 5 HR 28 RBI
Has not hit a home run in a long time but has a decent OBP of .327. He will spend the whole year in Fort Myers. The question is whether he will perform well enough to make it to New Britain next year.
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Age: 25
Stats: .330 3 HR 32 RBI
Not alot of power but he has 14 doubles and is doing well driving in runs in the 3 hole for New Britain. They need to clear the logjam in Rochester to make room for him so he can be challenged.
9. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Age: 22
Stats: .272 8 HR 32 RBI
Continues to produce hitting .379 in the last 10 games. He will likely spend the season in New Britain.
10. RHP David Bromberg High A - Fort Myers
Age: 21
Stats: 56.2 IP 2.06 ERA 50 K
While a lot has been made of Carlos Gutierrez in Fort Myers, Bromberg has quietly been producing and stiking out more batters. With a lack of quality starters in New Britain outside of Gutierrez he should get a call up at some point this year but probably not until at least July.
With the MLB Draft tommorrow, I will post a very uninformed reaction to the draft, but it will list who was drafted. Who knows by the end of the year, one of those players may be on this list.
A site I like is TFLN (Texts From Last Night). Here is your TFLN of the Day:
(315): I told him to come back in 5mins cause i needed to take a few more shots before i could talk to him
Update on the Worst Fantasy Team Ever
I ranted earlier about the disaster that was my fantasy team and it has only gotten worse. Players that were performing have stopped or gotten injured and it is a complete disaster. However, I did finally get my first win this week to go to an awesome 1-8. Here is the list of players destroying my life:
C Geovanny Soto: He was on the original list and has not done anything since. .204-2-13 is absolutely terrible for someone coming off a .285-23-86 rookie season. I have been trying to find a replacement all year but catcher is not a very deep position. I have been hoping Matt Wieters can take his place but he is also not off to a good start. It is not a large enough sample for me to rant on him but it is a very slow start for Baseball America's #1 prospect.
SS Jose Reyes: He was also on the original list but the reason has completely changed. Before it was due to a lack of production and now it is a lack of playing. After my post it seemed he had turned the corner and started to produce. He then tore his hamstring and has not played since May 20th. He is still a couple of weeks away from coming back and I doubt he will be the same when he comes back. Of course, Reyes would have a lost year the year I use my 1st round pick on him.
OF Jay Bruce: He is not that frustrating because the expectations were that great. Yes, he has hit 14 home runs this year but he is doing it batting .216. The most frustrating part it is all in spurts. He has had two big weeks that he has produced and has done nothing the rest of the time.
OF B.J. Upton: He has started to produce a little lately but it has still been a terrible season for someone who should be a .300-20-80-30 player. Instead he is currently .220-3-15-17.
OF Josh Hamilton: I have never hated a recovered crackhead more. First he wasn't producing and then he had nagging injuries and now he has torn abdominal muscle and is out for over a month. I will never touch him again because the drugs have destroyed his body so much that he can never stay healthy. In the last 3 years he has played 281 games out of a possible 380 games. That makes Joe Mauer look like Lou Gehrig.
1B Joey Votto: Votto was one of the bright spots in the first couple weeks. He then suddenly came down with bout of dizziness. He played every so often and produced when he did but missed a lot of games. It was first related to an ear infection and he sat for awhile. He then came back but the problem persisted. He then went on the 15 day DL for personal reasons. It is believed to be related to the dizziness (some have speculated that it is vertigo) but it has not been said why he is on the DL. There is no idea of when he will be back or if he will ever be back. I understand you have to respect his privacy but he is killing my fantasy team because I have no idea when he will be back.
P Brandon Webb: Has not pitched since Opening Day and does not appear close to doing so. The most annoying thing is that the site I use since he is supposed to be a Cy Young contender is not able to be dropped so I have had to hold him the entire time.
Players that have also hurt me this year: 3B Garrett Atkins, P Rich Harden, P John Lackey, and P Brian Wilson
Players that have surprisingly done well this year: 1B James Loney, 2B Brandon Phillips, P Cole Hamels, P Erik Bedard, and P Edwin Jackson
C Geovanny Soto: He was on the original list and has not done anything since. .204-2-13 is absolutely terrible for someone coming off a .285-23-86 rookie season. I have been trying to find a replacement all year but catcher is not a very deep position. I have been hoping Matt Wieters can take his place but he is also not off to a good start. It is not a large enough sample for me to rant on him but it is a very slow start for Baseball America's #1 prospect.
SS Jose Reyes: He was also on the original list but the reason has completely changed. Before it was due to a lack of production and now it is a lack of playing. After my post it seemed he had turned the corner and started to produce. He then tore his hamstring and has not played since May 20th. He is still a couple of weeks away from coming back and I doubt he will be the same when he comes back. Of course, Reyes would have a lost year the year I use my 1st round pick on him.
OF Jay Bruce: He is not that frustrating because the expectations were that great. Yes, he has hit 14 home runs this year but he is doing it batting .216. The most frustrating part it is all in spurts. He has had two big weeks that he has produced and has done nothing the rest of the time.
OF B.J. Upton: He has started to produce a little lately but it has still been a terrible season for someone who should be a .300-20-80-30 player. Instead he is currently .220-3-15-17.
OF Josh Hamilton: I have never hated a recovered crackhead more. First he wasn't producing and then he had nagging injuries and now he has torn abdominal muscle and is out for over a month. I will never touch him again because the drugs have destroyed his body so much that he can never stay healthy. In the last 3 years he has played 281 games out of a possible 380 games. That makes Joe Mauer look like Lou Gehrig.
1B Joey Votto: Votto was one of the bright spots in the first couple weeks. He then suddenly came down with bout of dizziness. He played every so often and produced when he did but missed a lot of games. It was first related to an ear infection and he sat for awhile. He then came back but the problem persisted. He then went on the 15 day DL for personal reasons. It is believed to be related to the dizziness (some have speculated that it is vertigo) but it has not been said why he is on the DL. There is no idea of when he will be back or if he will ever be back. I understand you have to respect his privacy but he is killing my fantasy team because I have no idea when he will be back.
P Brandon Webb: Has not pitched since Opening Day and does not appear close to doing so. The most annoying thing is that the site I use since he is supposed to be a Cy Young contender is not able to be dropped so I have had to hold him the entire time.
Players that have also hurt me this year: 3B Garrett Atkins, P Rich Harden, P John Lackey, and P Brian Wilson
Players that have surprisingly done well this year: 1B James Loney, 2B Brandon Phillips, P Cole Hamels, P Erik Bedard, and P Edwin Jackson
Monday, June 1, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings - Week 8
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .324 6 HR 24 RBI
Only 6 home runs may not be impressive but he has an impressive slugging percentage of .570 thanks to 9 doubles and 4 triples.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .346 1 HR 23 RBI 21 SB
The dude just makes contact. When you have more stolen bases than strikeouts (15) in 179 AB you are doing something right.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: On Sunday he appeared as a defensive replacement for the first time since May 8th when he broke his finger.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
The wait for Aaron Hicks is near the end as Elizabethton starts their season on June 23.
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 27 IP 3.00 ERA 41 K 10 SV
Had a couple bad appearances but still ready to be moved to AAA and I don't see why he hasn't been moved yet.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 22
Stats: 49.2 IP 1.09 ERA 32 K
I guess that is one way to keep your ERA low in his last start 7 runs were scored in 3.2 innings but he was only charged with 1 earned run because of 7 errors in the game. The problem is that 2 of them were his.
7. OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 21
Stats: .260 5 HR 27 RBI
Has gone a while without a home run but he is in a very pitcher friendly league as he is tied for 12th in home runs. Good news is that he is hitting .297 in the last 10 games and hit .318 in May.
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 25
Stats: .337 3 HR 30 RBI
Despite his numbers the Twins promoted Steve Tolleson who was hitting .258-2-13 in AA to replace Alexi Casilla in Rochester. Yeah that makes sense.
9. DH Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 24
Stats: .261 6 HR 28 RBI
Has not played since May 22 and I have not been able to find out why. It must not be a big injury as he is not on the disabled list.
10. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 22
Stats: .266 8 HR 30 RBI
Struggled with injuries last year but showed enough to get moved to New Britain and has started to show why. In his last 4 games he has gone 6-13 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Of those 6 hits only 1 is a single.
Demoted of List: OF Evan Bigley
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .324 6 HR 24 RBI
Only 6 home runs may not be impressive but he has an impressive slugging percentage of .570 thanks to 9 doubles and 4 triples.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .346 1 HR 23 RBI 21 SB
The dude just makes contact. When you have more stolen bases than strikeouts (15) in 179 AB you are doing something right.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: On Sunday he appeared as a defensive replacement for the first time since May 8th when he broke his finger.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
The wait for Aaron Hicks is near the end as Elizabethton starts their season on June 23.
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 27 IP 3.00 ERA 41 K 10 SV
Had a couple bad appearances but still ready to be moved to AAA and I don't see why he hasn't been moved yet.
6. RHP Carlos Gutierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 22
Stats: 49.2 IP 1.09 ERA 32 K
I guess that is one way to keep your ERA low in his last start 7 runs were scored in 3.2 innings but he was only charged with 1 earned run because of 7 errors in the game. The problem is that 2 of them were his.
7. OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 21
Stats: .260 5 HR 27 RBI
Has gone a while without a home run but he is in a very pitcher friendly league as he is tied for 12th in home runs. Good news is that he is hitting .297 in the last 10 games and hit .318 in May.
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 25
Stats: .337 3 HR 30 RBI
Despite his numbers the Twins promoted Steve Tolleson who was hitting .258-2-13 in AA to replace Alexi Casilla in Rochester. Yeah that makes sense.
9. DH Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 24
Stats: .261 6 HR 28 RBI
Has not played since May 22 and I have not been able to find out why. It must not be a big injury as he is not on the disabled list.
10. OF Rene Tosoni AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 22
Stats: .266 8 HR 30 RBI
Struggled with injuries last year but showed enough to get moved to New Britain and has started to show why. In his last 4 games he has gone 6-13 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Of those 6 hits only 1 is a single.
Demoted of List: OF Evan Bigley
Fourth Strike Studs and Duds of the Month
I have done away with the Power Rankings at least for now as it took more time than I wanted to spend debating who is better between the Rockies and the Astros. I still would like to name my studs and duds of the month of May.
Stud Hitter of the Month: C Joe Mauer, MIN
Stats: .414 11 HR 32 RBI .500 OBP
Honorable Mention: Mark Teixiera NYY, Justin Morneau MIN, Carl Crawford TB
Stud Pitcher of the Month: Zack Grienke, KC
Stats: 3-1 46 IP 1.57 ERA 44 K 3 CG
Honorable Mention: Justin Verlander DET, CC Sabathia NYY, Roy Halladay TOR
Dud Hitter of the Month: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .158 0 HR 5 RBI 40 SO in 101 AB
Dishonorable Mention: Garrett Atkins COL, Chris B. Young ARI, Mike Fontenot CHC
Dud Pitcher of the Month: Daniel Cabrera, WAS
Stats: 3 Starts 15.2 IP 8.04 ERA 7 K 18 BB 22 HA
Dishonorable Mention: Scott Kazmir TB, Ervin Santana LAA, Armando Galarraga DET
Stud Hitter of the Month: C Joe Mauer, MIN
Stats: .414 11 HR 32 RBI .500 OBP
Honorable Mention: Mark Teixiera NYY, Justin Morneau MIN, Carl Crawford TB
Stud Pitcher of the Month: Zack Grienke, KC
Stats: 3-1 46 IP 1.57 ERA 44 K 3 CG
Honorable Mention: Justin Verlander DET, CC Sabathia NYY, Roy Halladay TOR
Dud Hitter of the Month: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .158 0 HR 5 RBI 40 SO in 101 AB
Dishonorable Mention: Garrett Atkins COL, Chris B. Young ARI, Mike Fontenot CHC
Dud Pitcher of the Month: Daniel Cabrera, WAS
Stats: 3 Starts 15.2 IP 8.04 ERA 7 K 18 BB 22 HA
Dishonorable Mention: Scott Kazmir TB, Ervin Santana LAA, Armando Galarraga DET
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Are These Teams for Real?
As we draw a close to the second month of the baseball season, there are teams that are surprising the prognosticators who did not believe in them. I am going to look at these teams to see whether they have staying power or whether they will fade into the background.
Detroit Tigers
Record: 28-21 (1st in AL Central)
Expectations: Most had them finishing 3rd or 4th in the division and behind the Indians and Twins.
What Has Worked: Justin Verlander has been reminded that he has the stuff of a God. Edwin Jackson built off last year with the Rays and is putting up All-Star numbers. Rick Porcello has justified the Tigers who some thought were rushing the 20-year old stud. They also have a guy named Miguel Cabrera who is hitting like Miguel Cabrera going .355-10-37.
Future: The actually have room to improve. They are getting Jeremy Bonderman back soon and I would be willing to bet Magglio Ordonez is going to break out at some point and hit for power. This team was punished for last year's disappointment and not given enough credit for what they do have. It also helps that the AL Central is not really competitive at this point. Until a second team in the Central shows up they have to be the favorites to continue and win the division.
Texas Rangers
Record: 30-20 (1st in AL West)
Expectations: 2nd or 3rd in division and a distant one from the Angels.
What has Worked: The Angels have been struggling with injuries and tragedies and they have taken advantage. They have a ridiculous lineup with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz leading the way. The biggest surprise is the pitching staff. They have never been able to get pitching in Texas. While it is not gangbusters the staff has allowed the 5th least runs in the AL.
Future: They do have some room for improvement with Josh Hamilton struggling to stay healthy but not much room as Nelson Cruz is a career .263 hitter hitting .299 and I still don't believe in a pitching rotation of Kevin Millwood, Brandon McCarthy, Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman. The Angels are getting healthy and are playing better. They may make it to the All-Star break but unless the Angels don't get it together they just don't have the pitching to keep it up.
Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 30-20 (1st in NL Central)
Expectations: 3rd in NL Central
What Has Worked: Yovanni Gallardo is an All-Star pitcher and has stayed healthy. The lineup has not missed a beat with Braun, Fielder, Cameron and Hardy. Most importantly though 41 year old Trevor Hoffman has yet to give up a run this season throwing 14 scoreless innings with 12 saves.
Future: This team was supposed to be left for dead with the departure of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Problem no one told the Brewers. They finally have found a closer they haven't had since Coco Codero. The biggest thing is they look poised to again use their deep farm system to make an acquisition. Fans want them to make a run at Peavy but with Rickie Weeks out for the year they may address second base. At this point I still believe more in the talent of the Cubs and the Cardinals. It should be a three team race all summer long and if they make a move before the deadline they could easily win the division.
Detroit Tigers
Record: 28-21 (1st in AL Central)
Expectations: Most had them finishing 3rd or 4th in the division and behind the Indians and Twins.
What Has Worked: Justin Verlander has been reminded that he has the stuff of a God. Edwin Jackson built off last year with the Rays and is putting up All-Star numbers. Rick Porcello has justified the Tigers who some thought were rushing the 20-year old stud. They also have a guy named Miguel Cabrera who is hitting like Miguel Cabrera going .355-10-37.
Future: The actually have room to improve. They are getting Jeremy Bonderman back soon and I would be willing to bet Magglio Ordonez is going to break out at some point and hit for power. This team was punished for last year's disappointment and not given enough credit for what they do have. It also helps that the AL Central is not really competitive at this point. Until a second team in the Central shows up they have to be the favorites to continue and win the division.
Texas Rangers
Record: 30-20 (1st in AL West)
Expectations: 2nd or 3rd in division and a distant one from the Angels.
What has Worked: The Angels have been struggling with injuries and tragedies and they have taken advantage. They have a ridiculous lineup with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz leading the way. The biggest surprise is the pitching staff. They have never been able to get pitching in Texas. While it is not gangbusters the staff has allowed the 5th least runs in the AL.
Future: They do have some room for improvement with Josh Hamilton struggling to stay healthy but not much room as Nelson Cruz is a career .263 hitter hitting .299 and I still don't believe in a pitching rotation of Kevin Millwood, Brandon McCarthy, Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman. The Angels are getting healthy and are playing better. They may make it to the All-Star break but unless the Angels don't get it together they just don't have the pitching to keep it up.
Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 30-20 (1st in NL Central)
Expectations: 3rd in NL Central
What Has Worked: Yovanni Gallardo is an All-Star pitcher and has stayed healthy. The lineup has not missed a beat with Braun, Fielder, Cameron and Hardy. Most importantly though 41 year old Trevor Hoffman has yet to give up a run this season throwing 14 scoreless innings with 12 saves.
Future: This team was supposed to be left for dead with the departure of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Problem no one told the Brewers. They finally have found a closer they haven't had since Coco Codero. The biggest thing is they look poised to again use their deep farm system to make an acquisition. Fans want them to make a run at Peavy but with Rickie Weeks out for the year they may address second base. At this point I still believe more in the talent of the Cubs and the Cardinals. It should be a three team race all summer long and if they make a move before the deadline they could easily win the division.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings - Week 7
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .339 5 HR 22 RBI
The Twins need to solve the logjam at 3rd base in Rochester because Valencia is wasting everyone's time dominating AA.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .335 1 HR 20 RBI 18 SB
He clearly is a very good hitter but he is strictly a singles hitter. It is also a little concerning that he is only 18 for 28 on stolen base attempts. I think the Twins should still push him to AA at some point this year.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .269 1 HR 10 RBI
Has not played since May 8th due to a broken finger.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
Many fans are growing impatient of not seeing him play.
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 24.1 IP 2.59 ERA 38 K 9 SV
The Twins have determined he isn't ready yet for the Majors but why he is still in AA is beyond me. He is already 25 and dominating AA.
6. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 22
Stats: 46 IP 0.98 ERA 29 K
All indications are that he will be moved to AA by June. He does not strike out a lot but batters are hitting .159 against him.
7. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 21
Stats: .267 5 HR 26 RBI
Is in a little of a home run drought but is hitting .324 in his last 10 games and has an OBP of .346
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 25
Stats: .343 3 HR 29 RBI
Is another player in AA who should be in AAA. The Twins have got to make room for him, Valencia and Slama to move up in June. Could be called up once they move Casilla back up.
9. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 24
Stats: .261 6 HR 28 RBI
Yes, he can hit, but he has no position to play and his main function right now is to block Valencia at 3rd base.
10. OF Evan Bigley High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 22
Stats: .308 2 HR 22 RBI
Has not slowed down after getting called up from Beloit in the middle of May going .311-0-4 in 12 games at Fort Myers.
Promoted off List: RHP Anthony Swarzak
Players of Interest
2B Alexi Casilla: .328 0 HR 7 RBI 6 SB
C Jose Morales: .267 0 HR 5 RBI
RHP Phillip Humber: 25 IP 6.12 ERA 19 K
RHP Juan Morillo: 15 IP 3.00 ERA 19 K 7 BB
RHP Deolis Guerra: 46.1 IP 5.05 ERA 32 K
OF Angel Morales: .223 5 HR 20 RBI
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .339 5 HR 22 RBI
The Twins need to solve the logjam at 3rd base in Rochester because Valencia is wasting everyone's time dominating AA.
2. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .335 1 HR 20 RBI 18 SB
He clearly is a very good hitter but he is strictly a singles hitter. It is also a little concerning that he is only 18 for 28 on stolen base attempts. I think the Twins should still push him to AA at some point this year.
3. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .269 1 HR 10 RBI
Has not played since May 8th due to a broken finger.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
Many fans are growing impatient of not seeing him play.
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 24.1 IP 2.59 ERA 38 K 9 SV
The Twins have determined he isn't ready yet for the Majors but why he is still in AA is beyond me. He is already 25 and dominating AA.
6. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 22
Stats: 46 IP 0.98 ERA 29 K
All indications are that he will be moved to AA by June. He does not strike out a lot but batters are hitting .159 against him.
7. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 21
Stats: .267 5 HR 26 RBI
Is in a little of a home run drought but is hitting .324 in his last 10 games and has an OBP of .346
8. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 25
Stats: .343 3 HR 29 RBI
Is another player in AA who should be in AAA. The Twins have got to make room for him, Valencia and Slama to move up in June. Could be called up once they move Casilla back up.
9. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 24
Stats: .261 6 HR 28 RBI
Yes, he can hit, but he has no position to play and his main function right now is to block Valencia at 3rd base.
10. OF Evan Bigley High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 22
Stats: .308 2 HR 22 RBI
Has not slowed down after getting called up from Beloit in the middle of May going .311-0-4 in 12 games at Fort Myers.
Promoted off List: RHP Anthony Swarzak
Players of Interest
2B Alexi Casilla: .328 0 HR 7 RBI 6 SB
C Jose Morales: .267 0 HR 5 RBI
RHP Phillip Humber: 25 IP 6.12 ERA 19 K
RHP Juan Morillo: 15 IP 3.00 ERA 19 K 7 BB
RHP Deolis Guerra: 46.1 IP 5.05 ERA 32 K
OF Angel Morales: .223 5 HR 20 RBI
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Dreaming of What Could Be
Rivals has updated its Top 150 recruits for the Class of 2010 and it leads to dreams dancing in the minds of all Gopher fans. Here is where possible Gopher recruits fall on the list.
#2 Harrison Barnes - A 6'6" wing from Iowa who has some connections to the U.
Positives: Played on the same AAU as Royce and Rodney. His mom is a huge fan of Tubby and if he wants to stay close to home it is probably his best option.
Negatives: We are competing against every team in the nation and he is a Duke fan.
Likely Destination: Duke or Kansas
#6 Cory Joseph - 6'3" guard who is the brother of Devoe Joseph.
Positives: Brother is a major component on the current Gophers team. We have been recruiting him since before his junior year.
Negatives: With his stock soaring a lot of teams have gone after him with Louisville going hard after him.
Likely Destination: Depends on how the Pitino - Louisville situation ends up but it is likely the Gophs or Louisville.
#11 Jelan Kendrick - 6'6" wing from Georgia.
Positives: RSIII is from Georgia and we have been watching him for awhile.
Negatives: Isn't being recruited as hard as others and does not seem to be a priority compared to others.
Likely Destination: Kentucky or Georgia Tech
#26 Vander Blue - 6'3" guard from Wisconsin
Positive: Just recently de-committed from Wisconsin and it has been reported the Gophers are going to go hard after him.
Negative: It is believed he left Wisconsin to head to either Marquette or Louisville who were still after him while he was committed.
Likely Destination: Marquette
They may not get any of these players, but it is just another sign of the Tubby effect that 4 of the top players in the nation who aren't from Minnesota are giving the Gophers legitimate consideration. The Gophers have 3 scholarships for 2010. I think they will get 1 of these 4 players, a big man like Elliot Eliason or Alex Kirk and Jacob Thomas for 2010. We were all excited for the big class with Royce and Rodney but it is possible that would look like small potatoes. If we got Barnes and Joseph we would possibly have the #1 class in the nation. The future is truly bright in the Barn these days.
#2 Harrison Barnes - A 6'6" wing from Iowa who has some connections to the U.
Positives: Played on the same AAU as Royce and Rodney. His mom is a huge fan of Tubby and if he wants to stay close to home it is probably his best option.
Negatives: We are competing against every team in the nation and he is a Duke fan.
Likely Destination: Duke or Kansas
#6 Cory Joseph - 6'3" guard who is the brother of Devoe Joseph.
Positives: Brother is a major component on the current Gophers team. We have been recruiting him since before his junior year.
Negatives: With his stock soaring a lot of teams have gone after him with Louisville going hard after him.
Likely Destination: Depends on how the Pitino - Louisville situation ends up but it is likely the Gophs or Louisville.
#11 Jelan Kendrick - 6'6" wing from Georgia.
Positives: RSIII is from Georgia and we have been watching him for awhile.
Negatives: Isn't being recruited as hard as others and does not seem to be a priority compared to others.
Likely Destination: Kentucky or Georgia Tech
#26 Vander Blue - 6'3" guard from Wisconsin
Positive: Just recently de-committed from Wisconsin and it has been reported the Gophers are going to go hard after him.
Negative: It is believed he left Wisconsin to head to either Marquette or Louisville who were still after him while he was committed.
Likely Destination: Marquette
They may not get any of these players, but it is just another sign of the Tubby effect that 4 of the top players in the nation who aren't from Minnesota are giving the Gophers legitimate consideration. The Gophers have 3 scholarships for 2010. I think they will get 1 of these 4 players, a big man like Elliot Eliason or Alex Kirk and Jacob Thomas for 2010. We were all excited for the big class with Royce and Rodney but it is possible that would look like small potatoes. If we got Barnes and Joseph we would possibly have the #1 class in the nation. The future is truly bright in the Barn these days.
Quick Thoughts and Quick Rants
- Stan Van Gundy needs to lose his job. How the best center in the game is only averaging 11 shots a game is beyond me. Last night in the 4th quarter he spent the whole time setting picks at the top of the key. I don't remember a single time him posting up in the 4th quarter. When Rafer Alston is taking 5 more shots than an NBA 1st team player you have a problem. Van Gundy needs to go so they can replace him with someone who can utilize this team properly.
- There are just certain players that could really use a AAAA level, and Alexi Casilla looks like he might be one of those players. After struggling all year at the majors, he has gone down to Rochester and been the Joe Mauer of AAA going .462-0-5 with 3 stolen bases in 6 games.
- A lot was made of Casilla's struggles so far this year but I would guess that he will be back quick because Matt Tolbert does not seem to be the answer. He is not as good defensively and he is only hitting .190 so far. The thing he does well is patience at the plate drawing 4 walks already.
- The Twins need a middle infielder who can hit. Punto is hitting .200, Casilla was .167, Tolbert .190, and now that Harris has come back to earth he is hitting .174 so far in May.
- Whenever Joe Mauer hits a home run, I immediately start laughing. I have never seen a player who has the inability to pull a pitch. I don't think this is the start of the 20 home run seasons we thought we would get, but I can't imagine how anoying it must be to a pitcher to see Mauer slice a ball over the left field wall. He is playing the best he has ever played so far in his career because he is hitting but it is for power and not just singles up the middle. His OPS is currently 1.488.
- I do not get at all why Gomez is not playing. Yes, he is struggling at the plate but he is hitting .286 in the few appearances he has had in May. Even if he is struggling he is maybe the best defensive centerfielder in the MLB. I am still a fan of Delmon Young but currently he should be the odd man out. Gomez despite his struggles still has a higher slugging percentage than Delmon Young. He causes more issues on the base paths and miles better defensively. A crazy idea to help Gomez would be to bat him second in the lineup. With Denard Span on the basepaths and Mauer behind him he would see a lot more fastballs and with his increased patience at the plate he could see the kind of success that Casilla had in the 2 hole last year. When he hits 8th or 7th with Nick Punto protecting him he is not getting any fastballs or pitches to hit.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
MLB Power Rankings - Week 5
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 22-11
Previous Rank: 1
They have enough power in Kemp, Loney and others to ride out the Manny suspension and I don't yet see a reason why he won't be back in the middle of the lineup on July 3rd.
2. Boston Red Sox
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 2
They should be getting Dice-K back soon and they should soon be moving Big Papi down soon. His on-base percentage is higher than his slugging percentage. Delmon Young has a higher slugging percentage.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 22-12
Previous Rank: 3
The Blue Jays play the Yankees this week signaling the first time they play one of the big 3 in the AL East so far this season.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 4
They are struggling a little going 5-5 in the last 10, but that can be expected with Carpenter and Ankiel on the DL.
5. Detroit Tigers
Record: 17-13
Previous Rank: 8
Joel Zumaya is reminding people of how good he is when he is healthy with 6 scoreless innings so far and Justin Verlander seems to finally remembered how to pitch with 1 ER in the last 3 starts with 31 strikeouts in 23 innings.
6. Kansas City Royals
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 10
They are riding the wave of Zach Grienke and if recently called up #1 overall pick Luke Hochevar contributes this team might just pitch into contention this year.
7. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 11
The lineup is clicking with Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips awaking, but the success of this team depends on Jonny Cueto and Edinson Volquez.
8. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 16
Ryan Braun is an absolute stud but what is really driving this team is the breakout of Rickie Weeks who is hitting .277-7-21.
9. Chicago Cubs
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 5
The team is staying afloat with disappointing starts from Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, and Geovanny Soto but they have also allowed to the NL Central to be a 4-team race.
10. New York Mets
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 20
This team must hate Johan Santana. Last year the bullpen let him down and this year in his two losses he has yet to give up a earned run. He is still well on his way to a 3rd Cy Young.
11. Florida Marlins
Record: 17-15
Previous Rank: 7
The team is struggling a little but it is not because of Hanley Ramirez who is hitting .348-6-19 with 6 stolen bases.
12. Texas Rangers
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 17
Playing well winning 7 of the last 8 and they should get Josh Hamilton back on Tuesday. The problem is that they still don't pitch well and the Angels are getting healthy.
13. San Francisco Giants
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 14
The most surprising thing about this team is the return of Barry Zito to a respectable pitcher with a 3.57 ERA and 4 earned runs in his last 4 starts.
14. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 16-14
Previous Rank: 21
Things are starting to look brighter with a sweep of Kansas City and John Lackey returning on Friday with Ervin Santana not far behind him.
15. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 15-18
Previous Rank: 18
Evan Longoria is currently on a pace for .358-52-216. I don't expect that but he is making my MVP pick look very good. Most impressive stat so far by Longoria: He has 44 hits and 44 RBI.
16. New York Yankees
Record: 15-16
Previous Rank: 6
Much was made of A-Rod's home run in his first at-bat back but he has gone 1-10 since then against Baltimore. I am not anticipating him putting up big numbers this year and New York looks headed for disaster.
17. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 15-14
Previous Rank: 12
Cole Hamels had a good start this week but he isn't the only problem on a team with an ERA of 5.39. This team is wasting the offense being provided by Utley, Ibanez, Howard and Werth.
18. Minnesota Twins
Record: 15-17
Previous Rank: 15
I may be called a homer but if they ever sort out the bullpen this team is primed to go on a huge run with a productive offense and a rotation that can all give you quality starts. Joe Mauer looks determined to win a 3rd batting title this year but he needs to stay healthy.
19. Atlanta Braves
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 19
Interestingly, the Braves do not have a player with 4 home runs yet on the season but they have 6 players who have 3 home runs.
20. Seattle Mariners
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 9
They have been brought back to earth last week losing 6 of the 7 games. This team is headed to the cellar of the division with a bullet.
21. Chicago White Sox
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 13
Have won 2 out the last 9 games. There does not seem to be a specific reason for the collapse but this team is old and seems to have passed their prime.
22. Houston Astros
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 24
The curious case of Lance Berkman continues. He is a career .300 hitter hitting .184 but he has 7 home runs on the season.
23. San Diego Padres
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 25
This team is in a free fall getting swept by the Astros and losing 16 of the last 20 games. The countdown until the trade of Jake Peavy has started.
24. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 29
There is hope for the future with Markakis and Adam Jones but this team is in the wrong division to ever realize that hope.
25. Colorado Rockies
Record: 12-18
Previous Rank: 28
This team has talent, the problem is that Colorado will never be able to develop a pitcher as evidenced by the struggles of Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 22
The team is hitting an absolutely brutal .236 as a team. The main culprits are Chris Young (.193) , Conor Jackson (.182), and Eric Brynes (.216). The bright side is Justin Upton has broken out hitting .384-7-17 since April 24th.
27. Cleveland Indians
Record: 12-21
Previous Rank: 26
This team is a officially a failure and I would expect heads to roll in Cleveland soon. To be 12-21 with the talent assembled is a shame and someone needs to be held accountable.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 23
The bottom has finally fallen out for Pittsburgh losing 8 games in a row to plummet to the bottom of the NL Central.
29. Oakland A's
Record: 11-18
Previous Rank: 27
The good news is Matt Holliday is starting to hit home runs again hitting 4 in the last 11 games. The bad news is that he is hitting .200 in those last 11 games.
30. Washington Nationals
Record: 10-20
Previous Rank: 30
Finally something of to draw the interest of National fans: Ryan Zimmerman has a 29 game hitting streak.
Stud of the Week: SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
Stats: .533 4 HR 7 RBI 3 SB
Honorable Mention: Joe Saunders, Zach Greinke, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay
Dud of the Week: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .120 0 HR O RBI 12 strikeouts in 25 at-bats
Dishonorable Mention: Brandon Inge, Adam LaRoche, Phil Hughes, Bronson Arroyo
Record: 22-11
Previous Rank: 1
They have enough power in Kemp, Loney and others to ride out the Manny suspension and I don't yet see a reason why he won't be back in the middle of the lineup on July 3rd.
2. Boston Red Sox
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 2
They should be getting Dice-K back soon and they should soon be moving Big Papi down soon. His on-base percentage is higher than his slugging percentage. Delmon Young has a higher slugging percentage.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 22-12
Previous Rank: 3
The Blue Jays play the Yankees this week signaling the first time they play one of the big 3 in the AL East so far this season.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 4
They are struggling a little going 5-5 in the last 10, but that can be expected with Carpenter and Ankiel on the DL.
5. Detroit Tigers
Record: 17-13
Previous Rank: 8
Joel Zumaya is reminding people of how good he is when he is healthy with 6 scoreless innings so far and Justin Verlander seems to finally remembered how to pitch with 1 ER in the last 3 starts with 31 strikeouts in 23 innings.
6. Kansas City Royals
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 10
They are riding the wave of Zach Grienke and if recently called up #1 overall pick Luke Hochevar contributes this team might just pitch into contention this year.
7. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 11
The lineup is clicking with Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips awaking, but the success of this team depends on Jonny Cueto and Edinson Volquez.
8. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 16
Ryan Braun is an absolute stud but what is really driving this team is the breakout of Rickie Weeks who is hitting .277-7-21.
9. Chicago Cubs
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 5
The team is staying afloat with disappointing starts from Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, and Geovanny Soto but they have also allowed to the NL Central to be a 4-team race.
10. New York Mets
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 20
This team must hate Johan Santana. Last year the bullpen let him down and this year in his two losses he has yet to give up a earned run. He is still well on his way to a 3rd Cy Young.
11. Florida Marlins
Record: 17-15
Previous Rank: 7
The team is struggling a little but it is not because of Hanley Ramirez who is hitting .348-6-19 with 6 stolen bases.
12. Texas Rangers
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 17
Playing well winning 7 of the last 8 and they should get Josh Hamilton back on Tuesday. The problem is that they still don't pitch well and the Angels are getting healthy.
13. San Francisco Giants
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 14
The most surprising thing about this team is the return of Barry Zito to a respectable pitcher with a 3.57 ERA and 4 earned runs in his last 4 starts.
14. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 16-14
Previous Rank: 21
Things are starting to look brighter with a sweep of Kansas City and John Lackey returning on Friday with Ervin Santana not far behind him.
15. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 15-18
Previous Rank: 18
Evan Longoria is currently on a pace for .358-52-216. I don't expect that but he is making my MVP pick look very good. Most impressive stat so far by Longoria: He has 44 hits and 44 RBI.
16. New York Yankees
Record: 15-16
Previous Rank: 6
Much was made of A-Rod's home run in his first at-bat back but he has gone 1-10 since then against Baltimore. I am not anticipating him putting up big numbers this year and New York looks headed for disaster.
17. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 15-14
Previous Rank: 12
Cole Hamels had a good start this week but he isn't the only problem on a team with an ERA of 5.39. This team is wasting the offense being provided by Utley, Ibanez, Howard and Werth.
18. Minnesota Twins
Record: 15-17
Previous Rank: 15
I may be called a homer but if they ever sort out the bullpen this team is primed to go on a huge run with a productive offense and a rotation that can all give you quality starts. Joe Mauer looks determined to win a 3rd batting title this year but he needs to stay healthy.
19. Atlanta Braves
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 19
Interestingly, the Braves do not have a player with 4 home runs yet on the season but they have 6 players who have 3 home runs.
20. Seattle Mariners
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 9
They have been brought back to earth last week losing 6 of the 7 games. This team is headed to the cellar of the division with a bullet.
21. Chicago White Sox
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 13
Have won 2 out the last 9 games. There does not seem to be a specific reason for the collapse but this team is old and seems to have passed their prime.
22. Houston Astros
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 24
The curious case of Lance Berkman continues. He is a career .300 hitter hitting .184 but he has 7 home runs on the season.
23. San Diego Padres
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 25
This team is in a free fall getting swept by the Astros and losing 16 of the last 20 games. The countdown until the trade of Jake Peavy has started.
24. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 29
There is hope for the future with Markakis and Adam Jones but this team is in the wrong division to ever realize that hope.
25. Colorado Rockies
Record: 12-18
Previous Rank: 28
This team has talent, the problem is that Colorado will never be able to develop a pitcher as evidenced by the struggles of Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 22
The team is hitting an absolutely brutal .236 as a team. The main culprits are Chris Young (.193) , Conor Jackson (.182), and Eric Brynes (.216). The bright side is Justin Upton has broken out hitting .384-7-17 since April 24th.
27. Cleveland Indians
Record: 12-21
Previous Rank: 26
This team is a officially a failure and I would expect heads to roll in Cleveland soon. To be 12-21 with the talent assembled is a shame and someone needs to be held accountable.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 23
The bottom has finally fallen out for Pittsburgh losing 8 games in a row to plummet to the bottom of the NL Central.
29. Oakland A's
Record: 11-18
Previous Rank: 27
The good news is Matt Holliday is starting to hit home runs again hitting 4 in the last 11 games. The bad news is that he is hitting .200 in those last 11 games.
30. Washington Nationals
Record: 10-20
Previous Rank: 30
Finally something of to draw the interest of National fans: Ryan Zimmerman has a 29 game hitting streak.
Stud of the Week: SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
Stats: .533 4 HR 7 RBI 3 SB
Honorable Mention: Joe Saunders, Zach Greinke, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay
Dud of the Week: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .120 0 HR O RBI 12 strikeouts in 25 at-bats
Dishonorable Mention: Brandon Inge, Adam LaRoche, Phil Hughes, Bronson Arroyo
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings - Week 5
Note: With a lot of recent demotions by the Twins there are a lot of players in the minors that I do not deem prospects (prospects to me mean players that have yet to be on the teams 25 man roster). To cover them I have also added a section of players of interest.
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .275 3 HR 9 RBI
Did not play this week due to a sore wrist but should be back at any time.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .269 1 HR 10 RBI
Is struggling a little on offense with a .289 OBP and a .344 SLG with only 5 extra base hits.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .308 1 HR 17 RBI 15 SB
Basically a singles hitter with only 3 extra base hits but he gets on base and steals a lot of bases when he does.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 15.1 IP 2.35 ERA 26 K
Has struggled a little recently but 26 strikeouts in 15 innings is a very good rate.
6. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 23
Stats: 31 IP 2.03 ERA 23 K
A sign he is favor with the Twins brass. He has only walked 6 batters in 31 innings.
7. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 22
Stats: 30 IP 1.50 ERA 19 K
Had his worst start of the season this year and it still was a quality start at 7 IP 3 ER and 6 K. Batters are only hitting .162 against him.
8. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 24
Stats: .286 5 HR 20 RBI
Had a big week taking the organization home run lead from Parmelee. Has a very respectable OPS of .903.
9. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 21
Stats: .241 4 HR 21 RBI
Has done a good job recently cutting down the strikeouts striking out only 6 times in the last 30 at-bats. That may not sound impressive but before that he had struck out 15 times in 57 at-bats.
10. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 25
Stats: .337 1 HR 17 RBI
Is hitting .436 in the last 10 games but only one extra base hit which was a double.
Players of Interest
2B Alexi Casilla - .429 (6 for 14) 0 HR 4 RBI 2 SB
C Jose Morales - .300 (6 for 20) 0 HR 4 RBI
RHP Phillip Humber - 10.2 IP 5.06 ERA 8 K
RHP Juan Morillo - 8 IP 3.38 ERA 10 K 4 BB
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .275 3 HR 9 RBI
Did not play this week due to a sore wrist but should be back at any time.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .269 1 HR 10 RBI
Is struggling a little on offense with a .289 OBP and a .344 SLG with only 5 extra base hits.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .308 1 HR 17 RBI 15 SB
Basically a singles hitter with only 3 extra base hits but he gets on base and steals a lot of bases when he does.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 15.1 IP 2.35 ERA 26 K
Has struggled a little recently but 26 strikeouts in 15 innings is a very good rate.
6. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 23
Stats: 31 IP 2.03 ERA 23 K
A sign he is favor with the Twins brass. He has only walked 6 batters in 31 innings.
7. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 22
Stats: 30 IP 1.50 ERA 19 K
Had his worst start of the season this year and it still was a quality start at 7 IP 3 ER and 6 K. Batters are only hitting .162 against him.
8. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 24
Stats: .286 5 HR 20 RBI
Had a big week taking the organization home run lead from Parmelee. Has a very respectable OPS of .903.
9. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 21
Stats: .241 4 HR 21 RBI
Has done a good job recently cutting down the strikeouts striking out only 6 times in the last 30 at-bats. That may not sound impressive but before that he had struck out 15 times in 57 at-bats.
10. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 25
Stats: .337 1 HR 17 RBI
Is hitting .436 in the last 10 games but only one extra base hit which was a double.
Players of Interest
2B Alexi Casilla - .429 (6 for 14) 0 HR 4 RBI 2 SB
C Jose Morales - .300 (6 for 20) 0 HR 4 RBI
RHP Phillip Humber - 10.2 IP 5.06 ERA 8 K
RHP Juan Morillo - 8 IP 3.38 ERA 10 K 4 BB
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Why my Fantasy Team is a Disaster
After draft day in mid-March I was pumped. I had an awesome team and was envisioning running through the league on the way to a title. One month later my team is 0-4 and in shatters. I have almost completely given up on this team. Here is a list of culprits that I currently detest:
C Geovanny Soto: Coming off a rookie of the year award hitting .285-23-86, I was not expecting huge numbers but I was expecting similar numbers. Instead I have gotten .167-0-4. Awesome.
2B Brandon Phillips: He isn't Chase Utley or Ian Kinsler but he is a good offensive 2nd baseman at a thin position with decent speed. I have gotten .204-3-11 and only 4 stolen bases. Cool.
SS Jose Reyes: He obviously was my first round pick. He is assumed to be a lock for 70 stolen bases and 15 home runs while hitting around .300. He hasn't been brutal but he is not playing like a first round pick. He currently .257-1-8 and only 6 stolen bases. Great.
OF Jay Bruce: I was looking for him to breakout and become a star in his first full year in the majors. His stats don't look that bad so far at .253-6-14 but the problem is that he hit 4 of those home runs and 8 rbis in the one week I sat him. Super.
OF Josh Hamilton: He has been labeled as the real Roy Hobbs and has otherwordly talent. He is coming off a great season and in the middle of the crazy Texas lineup I expected great things. Instead he is the only guy on the Texas team not hitting. He is .242-2-10 and currently on the DL. Fantastic.
OF B.J. Upton: He was coming off a great postseason in which he hit 7 home runs. He has the power to hit 20-30 home runs, speed to steal 40+ bases and hit around .300. He also is on a very potent lineup in Tampa Bay. Instead I have been dealing with a player hitting .152-0-2 and only 6 stolen bases. Magnificent.
P Cole Hamels: I am so sick of him. He started with a couple bad starts and currently leaves every game early with a different injury. I have no idea when he starts and he only gets through 4 innings when he does. He started the year with elbow problems. He then got hit with a line drive in the shoulder. Last start he rolled his ankle and sprained it. Terrific.
P Brandon Webb: He was supposed to be my reliable staff ace. He had pitched 200+ innings 5 straight years and with an ERA under 4.00 and around 180 K. He got blown out his first start and went onto the DL with a shoulder problem that was only supposed to be two weeks. He is currently not expected to return until at least early June. Incredible.
All of these players are quality players and were not seen as gambles or terrible risks. If these guy played to their potential I would be in great shape but my team is filled with all of the disappointments in the majors. I do have some players who are pulling their weight like James Loney, Joey Votto, Erik Bedard, Aaron Harang and Clayton Kershaw. I am still hoping they can turn it around and I can still win the title but I am already this week well on my way to 0-5.
C Geovanny Soto: Coming off a rookie of the year award hitting .285-23-86, I was not expecting huge numbers but I was expecting similar numbers. Instead I have gotten .167-0-4. Awesome.
2B Brandon Phillips: He isn't Chase Utley or Ian Kinsler but he is a good offensive 2nd baseman at a thin position with decent speed. I have gotten .204-3-11 and only 4 stolen bases. Cool.
SS Jose Reyes: He obviously was my first round pick. He is assumed to be a lock for 70 stolen bases and 15 home runs while hitting around .300. He hasn't been brutal but he is not playing like a first round pick. He currently .257-1-8 and only 6 stolen bases. Great.
OF Jay Bruce: I was looking for him to breakout and become a star in his first full year in the majors. His stats don't look that bad so far at .253-6-14 but the problem is that he hit 4 of those home runs and 8 rbis in the one week I sat him. Super.
OF Josh Hamilton: He has been labeled as the real Roy Hobbs and has otherwordly talent. He is coming off a great season and in the middle of the crazy Texas lineup I expected great things. Instead he is the only guy on the Texas team not hitting. He is .242-2-10 and currently on the DL. Fantastic.
OF B.J. Upton: He was coming off a great postseason in which he hit 7 home runs. He has the power to hit 20-30 home runs, speed to steal 40+ bases and hit around .300. He also is on a very potent lineup in Tampa Bay. Instead I have been dealing with a player hitting .152-0-2 and only 6 stolen bases. Magnificent.
P Cole Hamels: I am so sick of him. He started with a couple bad starts and currently leaves every game early with a different injury. I have no idea when he starts and he only gets through 4 innings when he does. He started the year with elbow problems. He then got hit with a line drive in the shoulder. Last start he rolled his ankle and sprained it. Terrific.
P Brandon Webb: He was supposed to be my reliable staff ace. He had pitched 200+ innings 5 straight years and with an ERA under 4.00 and around 180 K. He got blown out his first start and went onto the DL with a shoulder problem that was only supposed to be two weeks. He is currently not expected to return until at least early June. Incredible.
All of these players are quality players and were not seen as gambles or terrible risks. If these guy played to their potential I would be in great shape but my team is filled with all of the disappointments in the majors. I do have some players who are pulling their weight like James Loney, Joey Votto, Erik Bedard, Aaron Harang and Clayton Kershaw. I am still hoping they can turn it around and I can still win the title but I am already this week well on my way to 0-5.
Monday, May 4, 2009
MLB Power Rankings - Week 4
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous Rank: 2
Record: 18-8
They have some questions with pitching rotation depth but they have the best lineup in the Majors.
2. Boston Red Sox
Previous Rank: 6
Record: 15-10
The record is truly impressive considering Beckett is struggling, Dice-K is on the DL and Ortiz has yet to hit a home run.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 18-9
They have certainly gotten off to a quick start and I think it is possible for them to steal a wild card.
4. Saint Louis Cardinals
Previous Rank: 7
Record: 17-8
MLB has to be praying that Albert Pujols is never found to have taken steroids because he should erase all of A-Rod and Bonds' records.
5. Chicago Cubs
Previous Rank: 1
Record: 13-11
Team has players stuggling but Soto and Marmol are too good to be held down. The NL Central race between them and the Cardinals could be very fun to watch.
6. New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 5
Record: 13-11
They went above .500 without A-Rod and Wang a disaster. They should get A-Rod back this weekend and the circus will really begin.
7. Florida Marlins
Previous Rank: 4
Record: 14-11
Getting swept by the Cubs was not good and Philly is playing better but this team is still currently the best in the NL East.
8. Detroit Tigers
Previous Rank: 11
Record: 13-11
I don't think Brandon Inge can keep it up but he is pacing this team with .316-8-19.
9. Seattle Mariners
Previous Rank: 18
Record: 15-10
This team is praying for the continued injury problems of the Angels. Felix Hernandez does not get enough publicity, he is a serious canidate to win AL Cy Young this year as a 23- year old.
10. Kansas City Royals
Previous Rank: 17
Record: 14-11
It may be the fault of the Twins terrible bullpen but this team has a lot more fight in it than the typical Royals team. That being said the lineup is not good enough to win the division this year.
11. Cincinnati Reds
Previous Rank: 16
Record: 13-11
This team still has pieces that have not starting contributing yet and if they do this team could make the NL Central a three-team race.
12. Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Rank: 14
Record: 12-10
If Hamels ever decides to stop getting hurt and becomes this team's ace again this team should repeat as the NL East champs. Chase Utley is an absolute stud.
13. Chicago White Sox
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 12-12
I am suprised by the slow start of Alexei Ramirez who is hitting .210-1-10. I thought he would be an absolute stud.
14. San Francisco Giants
Previous Rank: 27
Record: 12-11
The Giants have gone 8-3 in the last 11 games partly because the return to form of Tim Lincecum who has gone 2-0 4 ER in 23 innings with 33 K.
15. Minnesota Twins
Previous Rank: 13
Record: 12-13
The offense is not the issue espcially with Joe Mauer back in the lineup, but if they don't fix the bullpen this team is in for a rough season.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
Previous Rank: 23
Record: 13-12
Talk about doing it yourself. Yovanni Gallardo beat Pittsburgh 1-0 by pitching 8 innings and hitting a solo home run. It was also his second home run of the season.
17. Texas Rangers
Previous Rank: 21
Record: 12-12
The offense is redicilious with 140 runs in 24 games. The really scary part is Josh Hamilton has yet to contribute batting .242-2-10.
18. Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 8
Record: 11-15
They are probably the only team that wishes they could only play the Red Sox. They are 4-2 against the Red Sox and 7-13 against the rest.
19. Atlanta Braves
Previous Rank: 12
Record: 11-13
After starting 5-1 they have struggled going 6-12. Why they have not called up Tommy Hanson yet is beyond me. He has 38 K's in 26.2 Innings.
20. New York Mets
Previous Rank: 10
Record: 10-13
This team needs to find some pitching or they are going to waste another stellar season by Johan Santana.
21. Los Angeles Angels
Previous Rank: 15
Record: 10-13
There is hope on the horizon as Ervin Santana and John Lackey have started their rehabilition and could be returning soon.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Rank: 22
Record: 11-14
Dan Haren is a stud and Justin Upton has been hitting well lately but until they get Brandon Webb back this will be a .500 ball club.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Rank: 26
Record: 12-12
The pitching has been very good so far but the offense will keep them from competing this year.
24. Houston Astros
Previous Rank: 29
Record: 11-14
Lance Berkman a career .300 hitter is hitting only .184 so far. He does have 6 home runs so far though.
25. San Diego Padres
Previous Rank: 19
Record: 11-14
They have come back to earth by going 2-10 in the last 12. That is not a suprise given a lineup that has Luis Rodriguez getting regular at-bats.
26. Cleveland Indians
Previous Rank: 24
Record: 9-16
It is a shame they don't have the pitching to compete because Sizemore and Victor Martinez are putting up big numbers this year.
27. Oakland A's
Previous Rank: 20
Record: 9-13
Oakland can not be happy with Matt Holliday going .233-2-15 because he is not helping them win games and he is hurting his trade value, which is why they picked him up from Colorado.
28. Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 28
Record: 9-14
Troy Tulowitzki has gotten off to a terrible start going .208-3-5. It gives even less reason to be excited about the Rockies this year.
29. Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 25
Record: 9-16
It is going to be a long season in Baltimore this year but Adam Jones looks to be the real deal going .355-5-19 at only age 23.
30. Washington Nationals
Previous Rank: 30
Record: 6-17
There is really nothing to say about this team except that it is a total disaster.
Stud of the Week: Dan Haren ARI
Stats: 2-0 17 IP 1.58 ERA 21 K
Honorable Mention: Carl Crawford, Jorge Cantu, Evan Longoria, Justin Verlander, Johnny Cueto
Dud of the Week: Brian Tallet TOR
Stats: 0-1 4 IP 22.50 ERA 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Anibal Sanchez, John Danks, Anthony Reyes, Cristian Guzman, Travis Snider
Stud of the Month: Zach Greinke KC
Stats: 5-0 36 IP 0.50 ERA 44 K
Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols, Ian Kinsler, Evan Longoria, Chad Billingsley, Dan Haren, Johan Santana
Dud of the Month: Chien-Ming Wang NYY
Stats: 0-3 6 IP 34.50 ERA 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Jose Contreras, Oliver Perez, Scott Baker, Felix Pie, Geovanny Soto, Edwin Encarnacion
Previous Rank: 2
Record: 18-8
They have some questions with pitching rotation depth but they have the best lineup in the Majors.
2. Boston Red Sox
Previous Rank: 6
Record: 15-10
The record is truly impressive considering Beckett is struggling, Dice-K is on the DL and Ortiz has yet to hit a home run.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 18-9
They have certainly gotten off to a quick start and I think it is possible for them to steal a wild card.
4. Saint Louis Cardinals
Previous Rank: 7
Record: 17-8
MLB has to be praying that Albert Pujols is never found to have taken steroids because he should erase all of A-Rod and Bonds' records.
5. Chicago Cubs
Previous Rank: 1
Record: 13-11
Team has players stuggling but Soto and Marmol are too good to be held down. The NL Central race between them and the Cardinals could be very fun to watch.
6. New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 5
Record: 13-11
They went above .500 without A-Rod and Wang a disaster. They should get A-Rod back this weekend and the circus will really begin.
7. Florida Marlins
Previous Rank: 4
Record: 14-11
Getting swept by the Cubs was not good and Philly is playing better but this team is still currently the best in the NL East.
8. Detroit Tigers
Previous Rank: 11
Record: 13-11
I don't think Brandon Inge can keep it up but he is pacing this team with .316-8-19.
9. Seattle Mariners
Previous Rank: 18
Record: 15-10
This team is praying for the continued injury problems of the Angels. Felix Hernandez does not get enough publicity, he is a serious canidate to win AL Cy Young this year as a 23- year old.
10. Kansas City Royals
Previous Rank: 17
Record: 14-11
It may be the fault of the Twins terrible bullpen but this team has a lot more fight in it than the typical Royals team. That being said the lineup is not good enough to win the division this year.
11. Cincinnati Reds
Previous Rank: 16
Record: 13-11
This team still has pieces that have not starting contributing yet and if they do this team could make the NL Central a three-team race.
12. Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Rank: 14
Record: 12-10
If Hamels ever decides to stop getting hurt and becomes this team's ace again this team should repeat as the NL East champs. Chase Utley is an absolute stud.
13. Chicago White Sox
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 12-12
I am suprised by the slow start of Alexei Ramirez who is hitting .210-1-10. I thought he would be an absolute stud.
14. San Francisco Giants
Previous Rank: 27
Record: 12-11
The Giants have gone 8-3 in the last 11 games partly because the return to form of Tim Lincecum who has gone 2-0 4 ER in 23 innings with 33 K.
15. Minnesota Twins
Previous Rank: 13
Record: 12-13
The offense is not the issue espcially with Joe Mauer back in the lineup, but if they don't fix the bullpen this team is in for a rough season.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
Previous Rank: 23
Record: 13-12
Talk about doing it yourself. Yovanni Gallardo beat Pittsburgh 1-0 by pitching 8 innings and hitting a solo home run. It was also his second home run of the season.
17. Texas Rangers
Previous Rank: 21
Record: 12-12
The offense is redicilious with 140 runs in 24 games. The really scary part is Josh Hamilton has yet to contribute batting .242-2-10.
18. Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 8
Record: 11-15
They are probably the only team that wishes they could only play the Red Sox. They are 4-2 against the Red Sox and 7-13 against the rest.
19. Atlanta Braves
Previous Rank: 12
Record: 11-13
After starting 5-1 they have struggled going 6-12. Why they have not called up Tommy Hanson yet is beyond me. He has 38 K's in 26.2 Innings.
20. New York Mets
Previous Rank: 10
Record: 10-13
This team needs to find some pitching or they are going to waste another stellar season by Johan Santana.
21. Los Angeles Angels
Previous Rank: 15
Record: 10-13
There is hope on the horizon as Ervin Santana and John Lackey have started their rehabilition and could be returning soon.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Rank: 22
Record: 11-14
Dan Haren is a stud and Justin Upton has been hitting well lately but until they get Brandon Webb back this will be a .500 ball club.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Rank: 26
Record: 12-12
The pitching has been very good so far but the offense will keep them from competing this year.
24. Houston Astros
Previous Rank: 29
Record: 11-14
Lance Berkman a career .300 hitter is hitting only .184 so far. He does have 6 home runs so far though.
25. San Diego Padres
Previous Rank: 19
Record: 11-14
They have come back to earth by going 2-10 in the last 12. That is not a suprise given a lineup that has Luis Rodriguez getting regular at-bats.
26. Cleveland Indians
Previous Rank: 24
Record: 9-16
It is a shame they don't have the pitching to compete because Sizemore and Victor Martinez are putting up big numbers this year.
27. Oakland A's
Previous Rank: 20
Record: 9-13
Oakland can not be happy with Matt Holliday going .233-2-15 because he is not helping them win games and he is hurting his trade value, which is why they picked him up from Colorado.
28. Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 28
Record: 9-14
Troy Tulowitzki has gotten off to a terrible start going .208-3-5. It gives even less reason to be excited about the Rockies this year.
29. Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 25
Record: 9-16
It is going to be a long season in Baltimore this year but Adam Jones looks to be the real deal going .355-5-19 at only age 23.
30. Washington Nationals
Previous Rank: 30
Record: 6-17
There is really nothing to say about this team except that it is a total disaster.
Stud of the Week: Dan Haren ARI
Stats: 2-0 17 IP 1.58 ERA 21 K
Honorable Mention: Carl Crawford, Jorge Cantu, Evan Longoria, Justin Verlander, Johnny Cueto
Dud of the Week: Brian Tallet TOR
Stats: 0-1 4 IP 22.50 ERA 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Anibal Sanchez, John Danks, Anthony Reyes, Cristian Guzman, Travis Snider
Stud of the Month: Zach Greinke KC
Stats: 5-0 36 IP 0.50 ERA 44 K
Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols, Ian Kinsler, Evan Longoria, Chad Billingsley, Dan Haren, Johan Santana
Dud of the Month: Chien-Ming Wang NYY
Stats: 0-3 6 IP 34.50 ERA 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Jose Contreras, Oliver Perez, Scott Baker, Felix Pie, Geovanny Soto, Edwin Encarnacion
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Twins Prospects Power Rankings
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .275 3 HR 9 RBI
Is just consistent but has yet to make a huge push and might spend the entire year in AA.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .275 1 HR 8 RBI
Not a bad start for a 21 year old catcher in AA, but he has not hit for much power with 5 extra base hits in 80 at-bats.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .283 1 HR 14 RBI 12 SB
Batting average may not be as impressive as last year but a 12 walks and only 7 strikeouts is likely to impress the Twins brass.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 11.2 IP 2.31 ERA 20 K 3 SV
Struggled a little this week giving up his first runs, but the Star Tribune mentioned that Gardenhire has asked about Slama with the struggles of Dickey, Breslow and Ayala.
6. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 23
Stats: 24 IP 2.25 ERA 17 K
Looks to have finally realized his potential the 2004 2nd round pick and has put the Banned Substance suspension of 2007 behind him.
7. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 22
Stats: 23 IP 0.78 ERA 13 K
Somehow has yet to get a win despite a WHIP of 0.65 and batters are batting only .135 against him. He will be in New Britain by June if he continues.
8. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 24
Stats: .246 3 HR 15 RBI
20 strikeouts in only 70 at-bats is not a good sign. Combined with the 5 errors he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be the Twins third baseman of the future.
9. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 21
Stats: .239 4 HR 16 RBI
Has actually hit .282 in the last 10 games. He is the only Twins minor leaguer with 4 home runs so far and is tied for 6th in the FSL in home runs.
10. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 25
Stats: .343 1 HR 15 RBI 2 SB
Has adjusted to AA very well and continues to produce. The problem for him is that he lacks power and speed that will make the Twins make room for him in the future. He is very similar to Matt Tolbert.
Fell from Rankings: Joe Benson
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .275 3 HR 9 RBI
Is just consistent but has yet to make a huge push and might spend the entire year in AA.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 21
Stats: .275 1 HR 8 RBI
Not a bad start for a 21 year old catcher in AA, but he has not hit for much power with 5 extra base hits in 80 at-bats.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 21
Stats: .283 1 HR 14 RBI 12 SB
Batting average may not be as impressive as last year but a 12 walks and only 7 strikeouts is likely to impress the Twins brass.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 11.2 IP 2.31 ERA 20 K 3 SV
Struggled a little this week giving up his first runs, but the Star Tribune mentioned that Gardenhire has asked about Slama with the struggles of Dickey, Breslow and Ayala.
6. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 23
Stats: 24 IP 2.25 ERA 17 K
Looks to have finally realized his potential the 2004 2nd round pick and has put the Banned Substance suspension of 2007 behind him.
7. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 8
Age: 22
Stats: 23 IP 0.78 ERA 13 K
Somehow has yet to get a win despite a WHIP of 0.65 and batters are batting only .135 against him. He will be in New Britain by June if he continues.
8. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 24
Stats: .246 3 HR 15 RBI
20 strikeouts in only 70 at-bats is not a good sign. Combined with the 5 errors he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be the Twins third baseman of the future.
9. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 21
Stats: .239 4 HR 16 RBI
Has actually hit .282 in the last 10 games. He is the only Twins minor leaguer with 4 home runs so far and is tied for 6th in the FSL in home runs.
10. 2B Brian Dinkelman AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 25
Stats: .343 1 HR 15 RBI 2 SB
Has adjusted to AA very well and continues to produce. The problem for him is that he lacks power and speed that will make the Twins make room for him in the future. He is very similar to Matt Tolbert.
Fell from Rankings: Joe Benson
Saturday, May 2, 2009
My All-Metrodome Team
Here is why and how I filled out my All-Metrodome team ballot:
First Base: Justin Morneau
This is the hardest position to choose. It is known and widely assumed that Morneau will put up better career numbers than Kent Hrbek, but that is not what this is about. I think Hrbek will win the position because he is a Minnesotan who was on the 2 World Series teams and somehow has his jersey retired despite no possibility of going to the Hall of the Fame. I chose Morneau because while Hrbek was a key component on his teams, Morneau is a better hitter and fielder and has 1 MVP and could have easily won a 2nd. Runners-up: Kent Hrbek and Gene Larkin
Second Base: Chuck Knoblauch
Became a joke at the end of his career but he was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was a multiple All-Star as a Twin. He also lacks any real competition at the position with utility player Runners-up: Al Newman and Steve Lombardozzi.
Shortstop: Greg Gagne
This is a no-brainer decision. Was on both World Series teams. While he lacks outstanding statistics as a .254 career hitter with little power he win based on longevity and lack of competition. Runners-up: Cristian Guzman and Pat Mears.
Third Base: Gary Gaetti
Won 4 Gold Gloves as a Twin and hit over 30 home runs in '86 and '87. Was a crucial player in the 1987 World Series team. Runners-up: Scott Leius and Corey Koskie
Catcher: Joe Mauer
The Golden Boy should easily win this position. Already at such a young age has two batting titles and one Gold Glove. He will also benefit that neither World Series team had an outstanding catcher and Pierzynski is currently hated by Twins fans. Runners-up: Tim Laudner and A.J Pierzynski.
Outfielders: Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, and Tom Brunansky
It is kind of surprising on how easy it is to pick the outfield. Puckett and Hunter are locks for their defense and being the face of the team for many years. The only debate is Gladden or Tom Burnansky. Burnansky had the much better career but Gladden might get some votes just on the memory of him scoring the winning run in the '91 Series and his role as the team's radio announcer. Runners-up: Dan Gladden, Shane Mack and Matt Lawton
Designated Hitter: Chili Davis
This position is kind of a joke and it should really be filled by the loser of the Hrbek - Morneau race. I don't think Davis will win the position with home-town players Molitor and Winfield on the list but this isn't who is the best player but who was the best as a Twin and Molitor and Winfield were in the twilight of their careers on terrible teams. David Ortiz also turned into a good player but that was in Boston not here. Davis was only on the team for 2 years but played a very vital role on the '91 team hitting .277-29-93. Runners-up: Paul Molitor and David Ortiz
Starters: Frank Viola, Johan Santana, and Bert Blyleven
This is a very hard position to only choose 3 players. Viola and Santana are locks with 3 Cy Youngs between them. Then it gets hard to pick one out of Blyleven, Brad Radke, Kevin Tapani and Jack Morris. Morris was only here one year but it was one hell of a year, Radke was the face of many terrible Twins teams and also some of the early success in the 2000's, Kevin Tapani was the best pitcher in '91. I went with Blyleven despite that his best years with the Twins were at the Met the first time around. He helped win the '87 title and he is the best pitcher overall (it is a travesty he is not in the Hall of Fame) and I really enjoy him as the Twins Color Commentator. Runners-up: Brad Radke and Kevin Tapani
Relievers: Rick Aguilera and Joe Nathan
Rick Aguilera is a lock as the stud closer from 1989 to 1999 with 3 All-Star appearances and twice had over 40 saves. Joe Nathan is more debatable. Jeff Reardon was a great closer for the '87 team but was only here for 3 seasons. Guardado was a good closer on the early 2000 teams but was never overwhelming. Joe Nathan gets the nod because he is one of the most dominating closers in the game today. In 6 years he has made 3 All-Star appearances and 203 saves. Runners-up: Jeff Reardon and Eddie Guardado.
Manager: Tom Kelly
If anyone does not vote for Tom Kelly they should have the rest of their ballot voided. He won 2 World Series and led the team for 16 of the 27 seasons at the Metrodome. Runner-up: Ron Gardenhire.
First Base: Justin Morneau
This is the hardest position to choose. It is known and widely assumed that Morneau will put up better career numbers than Kent Hrbek, but that is not what this is about. I think Hrbek will win the position because he is a Minnesotan who was on the 2 World Series teams and somehow has his jersey retired despite no possibility of going to the Hall of the Fame. I chose Morneau because while Hrbek was a key component on his teams, Morneau is a better hitter and fielder and has 1 MVP and could have easily won a 2nd. Runners-up: Kent Hrbek and Gene Larkin
Second Base: Chuck Knoblauch
Became a joke at the end of his career but he was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was a multiple All-Star as a Twin. He also lacks any real competition at the position with utility player Runners-up: Al Newman and Steve Lombardozzi.
Shortstop: Greg Gagne
This is a no-brainer decision. Was on both World Series teams. While he lacks outstanding statistics as a .254 career hitter with little power he win based on longevity and lack of competition. Runners-up: Cristian Guzman and Pat Mears.
Third Base: Gary Gaetti
Won 4 Gold Gloves as a Twin and hit over 30 home runs in '86 and '87. Was a crucial player in the 1987 World Series team. Runners-up: Scott Leius and Corey Koskie
Catcher: Joe Mauer
The Golden Boy should easily win this position. Already at such a young age has two batting titles and one Gold Glove. He will also benefit that neither World Series team had an outstanding catcher and Pierzynski is currently hated by Twins fans. Runners-up: Tim Laudner and A.J Pierzynski.
Outfielders: Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, and Tom Brunansky
It is kind of surprising on how easy it is to pick the outfield. Puckett and Hunter are locks for their defense and being the face of the team for many years. The only debate is Gladden or Tom Burnansky. Burnansky had the much better career but Gladden might get some votes just on the memory of him scoring the winning run in the '91 Series and his role as the team's radio announcer. Runners-up: Dan Gladden, Shane Mack and Matt Lawton
Designated Hitter: Chili Davis
This position is kind of a joke and it should really be filled by the loser of the Hrbek - Morneau race. I don't think Davis will win the position with home-town players Molitor and Winfield on the list but this isn't who is the best player but who was the best as a Twin and Molitor and Winfield were in the twilight of their careers on terrible teams. David Ortiz also turned into a good player but that was in Boston not here. Davis was only on the team for 2 years but played a very vital role on the '91 team hitting .277-29-93. Runners-up: Paul Molitor and David Ortiz
Starters: Frank Viola, Johan Santana, and Bert Blyleven
This is a very hard position to only choose 3 players. Viola and Santana are locks with 3 Cy Youngs between them. Then it gets hard to pick one out of Blyleven, Brad Radke, Kevin Tapani and Jack Morris. Morris was only here one year but it was one hell of a year, Radke was the face of many terrible Twins teams and also some of the early success in the 2000's, Kevin Tapani was the best pitcher in '91. I went with Blyleven despite that his best years with the Twins were at the Met the first time around. He helped win the '87 title and he is the best pitcher overall (it is a travesty he is not in the Hall of Fame) and I really enjoy him as the Twins Color Commentator. Runners-up: Brad Radke and Kevin Tapani
Relievers: Rick Aguilera and Joe Nathan
Rick Aguilera is a lock as the stud closer from 1989 to 1999 with 3 All-Star appearances and twice had over 40 saves. Joe Nathan is more debatable. Jeff Reardon was a great closer for the '87 team but was only here for 3 seasons. Guardado was a good closer on the early 2000 teams but was never overwhelming. Joe Nathan gets the nod because he is one of the most dominating closers in the game today. In 6 years he has made 3 All-Star appearances and 203 saves. Runners-up: Jeff Reardon and Eddie Guardado.
Manager: Tom Kelly
If anyone does not vote for Tom Kelly they should have the rest of their ballot voided. He won 2 World Series and led the team for 16 of the 27 seasons at the Metrodome. Runner-up: Ron Gardenhire.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Twins Prospect Power Rankings - Week 3
1. 3B Danny Valencia AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .309 2 HR 6 RBI
Was a single short of the cycle on Sunday. He has an OPS of .978 so far. He has all the look of the perennial .300 hitter.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 24
Stats: .250 1 HR 7 RBI
He is struggling a little at the plate, so far but he still has the talent. The success of Jose Morales for the Twins is creating even more of a logjam at the catcher position.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 20
Stats: .290 1 HR 12 RBI 7 SB
Has continued to hit and steal bases in a very pitcher-friendly league. He is the real deal.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 7.2 IP 0.00 ERA 15 K
He is an absolute stud only giving up 4 hits and 2 walks so far this season. He will be in the majors at some point this season.
6. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 24
Stats: .245 3 HR 14 RBI
His average may not be ideal but he is doing very well as a force in the middle of the Rochester lineup.
7. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 23
Stats: 17 IP 1.59 ERA 11 K .88 WHIP
His team must hate him because he is 0-3 in 3 starts with a 1.59 ERA. With Humber clearing waivers it is unlikely he will get a call to the majors this year, but he is on track to get a chance as a starter down the line.
8. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 22
Stats: 18 IP 0.50 ERA 9 K 0.56 WHIP
Strikeout rate is not very high, but he is dominating High A ball and should get moved up to New Britain by June.
9. OF Joe Benson High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 21
Stats: .314 1 HR 8 RBI 2 SB
Continues to hit for a good average and the important thing is that he is still healthy given his history.
10. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 21
Stats: .182 3 HR 9 RBI
Is very similar to Adam Dunn. He is either going to hit a home run, strikeout or walk and each is equally likely. Hitting 3 home runs in the FSL is an accomplishment. He far and away has the most power in the Twins system, but in the Twins system he will need to improve the average.
Promoted off List: Jose Mijares
Previous Rank: 1
Age: 24
Stats: .309 2 HR 6 RBI
Was a single short of the cycle on Sunday. He has an OPS of .978 so far. He has all the look of the perennial .300 hitter.
2. C Wilson Ramos AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 2
Age: 24
Stats: .250 1 HR 7 RBI
He is struggling a little at the plate, so far but he still has the talent. The success of Jose Morales for the Twins is creating even more of a logjam at the catcher position.
3. OF Ben Revere High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 4
Age: 20
Stats: .290 1 HR 12 RBI 7 SB
Has continued to hit and steal bases in a very pitcher-friendly league. He is the real deal.
4. OF Aaron Hicks Rookie - Elizabethton
Previous Rank: 3
Age: 19
Stats: N/A
5. RHP Anthony Slama AA - New Britain
Previous Rank: 5
Age: 25
Stats: 7.2 IP 0.00 ERA 15 K
He is an absolute stud only giving up 4 hits and 2 walks so far this season. He will be in the majors at some point this season.
6. 3B Luke Hughes AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 7
Age: 24
Stats: .245 3 HR 14 RBI
His average may not be ideal but he is doing very well as a force in the middle of the Rochester lineup.
7. RHP Anthony Swarzak AAA - Rochester
Previous Rank: 6
Age: 23
Stats: 17 IP 1.59 ERA 11 K .88 WHIP
His team must hate him because he is 0-3 in 3 starts with a 1.59 ERA. With Humber clearing waivers it is unlikely he will get a call to the majors this year, but he is on track to get a chance as a starter down the line.
8. RHP Carlos Guetierrez High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 9
Age: 22
Stats: 18 IP 0.50 ERA 9 K 0.56 WHIP
Strikeout rate is not very high, but he is dominating High A ball and should get moved up to New Britain by June.
9. OF Joe Benson High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: 10
Age: 21
Stats: .314 1 HR 8 RBI 2 SB
Continues to hit for a good average and the important thing is that he is still healthy given his history.
10. 1B/OF Chris Parmelee High A - Fort Myers
Previous Rank: NR
Age: 21
Stats: .182 3 HR 9 RBI
Is very similar to Adam Dunn. He is either going to hit a home run, strikeout or walk and each is equally likely. Hitting 3 home runs in the FSL is an accomplishment. He far and away has the most power in the Twins system, but in the Twins system he will need to improve the average.
Promoted off List: Jose Mijares
The Joe Mauer Lineup Conundrum
We are all looking forward to the return of Joe Mauer next weekend, but his return will pose an interesting question on how to structure the lineup. Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau have been far and away our two best hitters so far batting back to back. If you are to put Joe Mauer in front them then you have three left-handed hitters in a row. That is not something any manager likes to do although Philadelphia is currently doing it with Utley-Howard-Ibanez. I don't think that is something Gardenhire would like to do but the question is whether he even has a chance.
One option is to bat Mauer 2nd and put a righthander in the 3 hole. The problem is Mauer does not like batting second and who do you put in the 3 hole. This would be the solution if Cuddyer, Crede or Young were hitting well but they are all around the Mendoza line. The other option is to put a righthander between Morneau and Kubel but then you have the team's rbi leader batting 6th in Kubel and I don't think the Twins want to break up Kubel and Morneau.
I don't think the Twins currently have a choice but to bat them in a row, at least until a right hander starts to hit consistently. I also think it can work because they all do hit left-handed pitchers reasonably well. Mauer is a .300 hitter in his career against lefties, Morneau is only .261 against lefties for his career but hit .284 last year and is actually hitting .417 so far this year, and Kubel is 3 for 8 so far this season against lefties.
It is not ideal but I think the Twins don't have a choice since the three are their best hitters. I think this is what the lineup will look like when Mauer returns.
RF/LF Denard Span
2B Alexi Casilla / Brendan Harris
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
DH Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
LF/RF Delmon Young / Michael Cuddyer
SS Nick Punto
CF Carlos Gomez
One option is to bat Mauer 2nd and put a righthander in the 3 hole. The problem is Mauer does not like batting second and who do you put in the 3 hole. This would be the solution if Cuddyer, Crede or Young were hitting well but they are all around the Mendoza line. The other option is to put a righthander between Morneau and Kubel but then you have the team's rbi leader batting 6th in Kubel and I don't think the Twins want to break up Kubel and Morneau.
I don't think the Twins currently have a choice but to bat them in a row, at least until a right hander starts to hit consistently. I also think it can work because they all do hit left-handed pitchers reasonably well. Mauer is a .300 hitter in his career against lefties, Morneau is only .261 against lefties for his career but hit .284 last year and is actually hitting .417 so far this year, and Kubel is 3 for 8 so far this season against lefties.
It is not ideal but I think the Twins don't have a choice since the three are their best hitters. I think this is what the lineup will look like when Mauer returns.
RF/LF Denard Span
2B Alexi Casilla / Brendan Harris
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
DH Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
LF/RF Delmon Young / Michael Cuddyer
SS Nick Punto
CF Carlos Gomez
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Beast that is Justin Morneau
I thought I would do a post professing my love for Justin Morneau since I don't think he gets the attention and praise he deserves. This was brought up by Peter Gammons on the Mike and Mike Show today. He listed Joe Mauer as one of the players he would like to build a team around. Mauer is good and yes two batting titles is impressive but I would rather build the team around Justin.
We have seen in these 3 weeks what this team would look like without Mauer and while it isn't that good this team is functioning. Imagine this team without Justin Morneau in the middle of the lineup. It should be noted that we can only imagine since he has yet to get injured for a significant period of time. Who would hit for power? Who would be a threat? Who would drive in the runs?
Morneau has driven in over 100 rbi's for three consecutive seasons, and while we take that for granted Kirby Puckett went over 100 rbi's only three times in his career. Kent Herbek only hit over 100 rbi's once in his career. If he gets over 100 rbi's this year he will do something Harmon Killebrew never even did. In those 3 years he has driven in 370 runs. Only Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard have driven in more runs in that time. He drove in more runs as such stalwarts as Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and David Wright.
He has hit over 20 home runs four straight years and was the first Twin to hit over 30 home runs since Hrbek in 1987. In the last three years he has hit 115 doubles and 88 home runs. It is also forgotten that he is one of the best defensive first basemen in the game and should win multiple Gold Gloves before he is done. I know winning batting titles is special, but I would take Morneau's bat and the assurance that he will be in the lineup every day over Joe Mauer's .330 all single average any day.
We have seen in these 3 weeks what this team would look like without Mauer and while it isn't that good this team is functioning. Imagine this team without Justin Morneau in the middle of the lineup. It should be noted that we can only imagine since he has yet to get injured for a significant period of time. Who would hit for power? Who would be a threat? Who would drive in the runs?
Morneau has driven in over 100 rbi's for three consecutive seasons, and while we take that for granted Kirby Puckett went over 100 rbi's only three times in his career. Kent Herbek only hit over 100 rbi's once in his career. If he gets over 100 rbi's this year he will do something Harmon Killebrew never even did. In those 3 years he has driven in 370 runs. Only Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard have driven in more runs in that time. He drove in more runs as such stalwarts as Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and David Wright.
He has hit over 20 home runs four straight years and was the first Twin to hit over 30 home runs since Hrbek in 1987. In the last three years he has hit 115 doubles and 88 home runs. It is also forgotten that he is one of the best defensive first basemen in the game and should win multiple Gold Gloves before he is done. I know winning batting titles is special, but I would take Morneau's bat and the assurance that he will be in the lineup every day over Joe Mauer's .330 all single average any day.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Two Week Assumption of Twins Players
Here is a list of some position players and starters and how they have fared so far this year. A lot have room for improvement and only Perkins and maybe Kubel are playing out of their league.
- Denard Span: .300 1 HR 9 RBI 3 SB .397 OBP. He is the prototypical leadoff hitter. I was worried about him regressing, but he takes professional at-bats every single time. He should be exempt from the outfield rotation and leading off every game.
- Alexi Casilla: .196 0 HR 2 RBI 0 SB. He has struggled hitting from the right side, but he has fully come into his own playing second base. With his compact swing and speed, I am not worried about his offense yet. He will benefit a lot from having Mauer bat behind him.
- Justin Morneau: .321 2 HR 9 RBI. Same old, same old. Simply a professional hitter. He is currently on pace for .321-23-104. He is guarenteed to get at least that but should end up even better.
- Jason Kubel: .333 2 HR 12 RBI. Surprise give this guy at-bats and he produces. While his average is likely to drop, there is no reason if he gets plenty of at-bats in the 5 hole once Mauer gets back that he doesn't go .285-25-100.
- Michael Cuddyer: .235 1 HR 5 RBI. Gardenhire loves this guy symbolized by him only sitting one game so far. Why he is not platooned more I have no idea. He takes a lot of bad at-bats. It is too bad that both him and Delmon Young are right handed or else the rotation would be solved.
- Joe Crede: .175 1 HR 3 RBI. A disapointment so far. Very good defensively, but with Buscher and Harris hot so far, I wouldn't mind him sitting a few games. He should hit better once he settles into this team.
- Delmon Young: .212 1 HR 7 RBI. He is oft-maligned and took absolutely terrible at-bats swinging at every pitch. When he gets patient and takes pitches he has more success. He is better than Cuddyer if he does not force it at the plate.
- Carlos Gomez: .200 0 HR 1 RBI 2 SB. He definitely has been more patient at the plate and it is a shame it has not paid off yet. To show how important he is to the offense he has reached base 9 times with 7 hits and 2 walks and he has scored 5 times. He is also the best defensive centerfielder in the AL, he may struggle at times but he should be in the lineup close to every game.
- Brendan Harris: .407 1 HR 2 RBI. He has settled very well into his role as a bench player. He deserves to get spot starts for Casilla, Punto, and Crede. They need to use his bat while he is hitting so well, because it is not likely to last.
- Glen Perkins: 1-1 1.50 ERA 12 K. He is off to a great start and should be 3-0 but has gotten little offense behind him. He may not continue to be an ace but he looks to be a very solid starter and not the #5 starter that he came into the season as.
- Francisco Liriano: 0-3 5.09 ERA 11 K. He just can't seem to break through. In the Seattle start he was undone by a few bad pitches and someone golfing a shot out. In Chicago he was undone by a small strike zone and unraveling in one inning due to not getting calls. He seemed to be closer to reaching his potential by holding the hot Blue Jays to 1 run in 7 innings. He is still the best pitcher on this team.
- Nick Blackburn: 0-1 5.71 ERA 5 K. He is skirting the fine line between Derek Lowe and Carlos Silva. Batters are batting .310 against him. He can give the team innings but he worries me a lot because you can not continue to succeed being that hittable.
- Kevin Slowey: 2-0 5.89 ERA 12 K. Had an absolutely terrible start against the Blue Jays but fared much better against the Angels. He is the type of pitcher who needs to outsmart instead of overwhelm and he has yet to do so this year.
Monday, April 20, 2009
MLB Power Rankings - Week 2
1. Chicago Cubs
Previous Rank: 2
Record: 7-4
Took 2 out of 3 from main challengers in St. Louis and the lineup is producing without much help yet from Geovanny Soto, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 10-3
Simply has the best lineup in the NL and maybe all of the majors. Billingsley and Kershaw have pitched like absolute aces so far.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Rank: 7
Record: 10-4
Lineup has been amazing so far but the team has yet to play the powers of the AL East and I am still unconvinced they are a legitimate threat to win the AL East.
4. Florida Marlins
Previous Rank: 8
Record: 11-1
Off to a torrid start and could very well win the NL East this year with that pitching staff, but they have already played 6 games against Washington.
5. New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 5
Record: 7-6
This team would be a lot better if they stopped throwing Chein-Ming Wang out there every 5th game. The Yankees are 7-3 in games that Wang does not pitch.
6. Boston Red Sox
Previous Rank: 4
Record: 7-6
They have a decision on what to do with David Ortiz as he is hitting .170 with 0 home runs. He is not the force he used to be.
7. Saint Louis Cardinals
Previous Rank: 14
Record: 8-5
The team is off to a great start due to Albert Pujols (whose Sportscenter commercial I love) in full effect. The question is whether they can survive without Chris Carpenter. They won't win the NL Central but they are a threat to win the Wild Card.
8. Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 1
Record: 5-8
This team is struggling to get production out of Upton, Crawford and Burrell so far, but the team does not need to panic yet. The bullpen on the other hand is a big issue.
9. Chicago White Sox
Previous Rank: 15
Record: 7-5
Carlos Quentin is mashing just as like last year as he leads the majors with 7 home runs. Just think how many he will hit when it warms up in Chicago. He could hit 50 this year.
10. New York Mets
Previous Rank: 6
Record: 6-6
They are struggling to find pitching after Johan, but Pelfrey and Maine are better than their 8 and 7 ERA's show. They should still contend in the NL East.
11. Detroit Tigers
Previous Rank: 13
Record: 7-5
This team is playing well and might actually be getting Joel Zumaya back. Miguel Cabrera is an absolute masher.
12. Atlanta Braves
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 6-6
Fell back to earth by getting swept by the Marlins but they still have enough pitching and hitting to compete with the Marlins and the rest of the NL East.
13. Minnesota Twins
Previous Rank: 10
Record: 7-7
The bullpen is a big concern especially with Jesse Crain headed for the DL, but the rotation is starting to look better and if Glen Perkins keeps pitching 8 innings it might not be such a huge problem.
14. Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Rank: 12
Record: 5-6
The lineup is producing as Raul Ibanez has made the transition to Philly very nicely, but if Cole Hamels can not turn it around they have no chance of winning the NL East.
15. Los Angeles Angels
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 4-8
I don't know what this organization did but they seem to be cursed. John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar, Dustin Moseley, and Vladimir Guerrero are all on the DL and they have to still deal with the tragedy of Nick Adnehart. If they can get healthy they should still win the AL West.
16. Cincinnati Reds
Previous Rank: 21
Record: 6-5
Is over .500 despite slow starts by Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Jonny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez. That could be attributed to playing Pittsburgh, Houston and Milwaukee.
17. Kansas City Royals
Previous Rank: 23
Record: 7-5
Zach Grienke is out of the gates fast with a 34 inning scoreless streak dating back to last year, but they will be without Alex Gordon for two months. I just don't see enough offense to win or compete in the AL Central.
18. Seattle Mariners
Previous Rank: 22
Record: 8-5
The team will hold 1st place in the AL West due to Bedard and Felix until the Angels decide to get healthy and take it back.
19. San Diego Padres
Previous Rank: 27
Record: 9-4
They have not cooled down yet beating the Mets and Phillies, but I still refuse to believe in this team. The only thing is this start will lead to them keeping Peavy and Chris Young until the All-Star break instead of the end of May.
20. Oakland A's
Previous Rank: 19
Record: 5-7
Taking 2 out of 3 from Boston was good and despite of going 1-2 against Toronto holding them to only 10 runs in 3 games is something to hang your hat on. The problem is Holliday and Giambi have yet to hit a home run. The team only has 3 home runs total.
21. Texas Rangers
Previous Rank: 18
Record: 5-7
This team is fun to watch unless you want them to win or you like pitching. 80 runs in 12 games is astonishing. The real astonishing thing is they are doing that while Josh Hamilton and Chris Davis are slumping.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Rank: 16
Record: 4-8
The team is really missing Brandon Webb who should be back in the next two weeks, but the question is whether the team can improve on its .215 batting average. The offense will likely keep them from competing with the Dodgers this year.
23. Milwaukee Brewers
Previous Rank: 17
Record: 4-8
A poor start by Yovanni Gallardo has really hurt this team as the pitching staff lacks depth. But a schedule of Mets, Cubs and Reds have also contributed to a slow start.
24. Cleveland Indians
Previous Rank: 20
Record: 4-9
Improved slightly this week taking advantage of the Chein-Ming Wang and a good start by Cliff Lee but the pitching is just not good enough.
25. Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 24
Record: 6-7
The were given a large dose of reality by being swept by the Red Sox. It may be a long season but Adam Jones so far looks like an absolute stud and #1 prospect Matt Wieters should be called up within the month.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Rank: 29
Record: 6-6
Great starts by Paul Moholm or Zach Duke and enough pieces in the lineup should make this team not the worst in the MLB.
27. San Francisco Giants
Previous Rank: 26
Record: 4-8
Finally got a good start by Lincecum and Randy Johnson took a no-hitter to the 7th inning. They just don't have the offense to compete but could work it's way up to a .500 team.
28. Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 25
Record: 4-7
Terrible bullpen and pitching has been a problem but this team has had to play the Dodgers, Cubs, and the Phillies so far. That would raise any pitching staff's ERA.
29. Houston Astros
Previous Rank: 28
Record: 4-8
Being swept by the Cardinals and the Reds solidifies their status as a second-class citizen in the NL Central. They for some reason used this to give manager Cecil Cooper an extension.
30. Washington Nationals
Previous Rank: 30
Record: 1-10
This franchise is an absolute disgrace as they blew 9th inning leads in all 3 games to the Marlins and even the jersey makers don't care about this team.
Stud of the Week: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Stats: .555 2 HR 6 RBI 6 SB
Honorable Mention: Zach Grienke, Matt Kemp, Carlos Pena, Carlos Quentin, Chad Billingsley, Glen Perkins
Dud of the Week: Chien-Ming Wang, NYY
Stats: 2 Starts 2.1 IP 16 ER 14 Hits 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Saul Rivera, Zach Miner, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ryan Spilboroghs, Jordan Schafer, Randy Winn
Previous Rank: 2
Record: 7-4
Took 2 out of 3 from main challengers in St. Louis and the lineup is producing without much help yet from Geovanny Soto, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 10-3
Simply has the best lineup in the NL and maybe all of the majors. Billingsley and Kershaw have pitched like absolute aces so far.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Rank: 7
Record: 10-4
Lineup has been amazing so far but the team has yet to play the powers of the AL East and I am still unconvinced they are a legitimate threat to win the AL East.
4. Florida Marlins
Previous Rank: 8
Record: 11-1
Off to a torrid start and could very well win the NL East this year with that pitching staff, but they have already played 6 games against Washington.
5. New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 5
Record: 7-6
This team would be a lot better if they stopped throwing Chein-Ming Wang out there every 5th game. The Yankees are 7-3 in games that Wang does not pitch.
6. Boston Red Sox
Previous Rank: 4
Record: 7-6
They have a decision on what to do with David Ortiz as he is hitting .170 with 0 home runs. He is not the force he used to be.
7. Saint Louis Cardinals
Previous Rank: 14
Record: 8-5
The team is off to a great start due to Albert Pujols (whose Sportscenter commercial I love) in full effect. The question is whether they can survive without Chris Carpenter. They won't win the NL Central but they are a threat to win the Wild Card.
8. Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 1
Record: 5-8
This team is struggling to get production out of Upton, Crawford and Burrell so far, but the team does not need to panic yet. The bullpen on the other hand is a big issue.
9. Chicago White Sox
Previous Rank: 15
Record: 7-5
Carlos Quentin is mashing just as like last year as he leads the majors with 7 home runs. Just think how many he will hit when it warms up in Chicago. He could hit 50 this year.
10. New York Mets
Previous Rank: 6
Record: 6-6
They are struggling to find pitching after Johan, but Pelfrey and Maine are better than their 8 and 7 ERA's show. They should still contend in the NL East.
11. Detroit Tigers
Previous Rank: 13
Record: 7-5
This team is playing well and might actually be getting Joel Zumaya back. Miguel Cabrera is an absolute masher.
12. Atlanta Braves
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 6-6
Fell back to earth by getting swept by the Marlins but they still have enough pitching and hitting to compete with the Marlins and the rest of the NL East.
13. Minnesota Twins
Previous Rank: 10
Record: 7-7
The bullpen is a big concern especially with Jesse Crain headed for the DL, but the rotation is starting to look better and if Glen Perkins keeps pitching 8 innings it might not be such a huge problem.
14. Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Rank: 12
Record: 5-6
The lineup is producing as Raul Ibanez has made the transition to Philly very nicely, but if Cole Hamels can not turn it around they have no chance of winning the NL East.
15. Los Angeles Angels
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 4-8
I don't know what this organization did but they seem to be cursed. John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar, Dustin Moseley, and Vladimir Guerrero are all on the DL and they have to still deal with the tragedy of Nick Adnehart. If they can get healthy they should still win the AL West.
16. Cincinnati Reds
Previous Rank: 21
Record: 6-5
Is over .500 despite slow starts by Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Jonny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez. That could be attributed to playing Pittsburgh, Houston and Milwaukee.
17. Kansas City Royals
Previous Rank: 23
Record: 7-5
Zach Grienke is out of the gates fast with a 34 inning scoreless streak dating back to last year, but they will be without Alex Gordon for two months. I just don't see enough offense to win or compete in the AL Central.
18. Seattle Mariners
Previous Rank: 22
Record: 8-5
The team will hold 1st place in the AL West due to Bedard and Felix until the Angels decide to get healthy and take it back.
19. San Diego Padres
Previous Rank: 27
Record: 9-4
They have not cooled down yet beating the Mets and Phillies, but I still refuse to believe in this team. The only thing is this start will lead to them keeping Peavy and Chris Young until the All-Star break instead of the end of May.
20. Oakland A's
Previous Rank: 19
Record: 5-7
Taking 2 out of 3 from Boston was good and despite of going 1-2 against Toronto holding them to only 10 runs in 3 games is something to hang your hat on. The problem is Holliday and Giambi have yet to hit a home run. The team only has 3 home runs total.
21. Texas Rangers
Previous Rank: 18
Record: 5-7
This team is fun to watch unless you want them to win or you like pitching. 80 runs in 12 games is astonishing. The real astonishing thing is they are doing that while Josh Hamilton and Chris Davis are slumping.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Rank: 16
Record: 4-8
The team is really missing Brandon Webb who should be back in the next two weeks, but the question is whether the team can improve on its .215 batting average. The offense will likely keep them from competing with the Dodgers this year.
23. Milwaukee Brewers
Previous Rank: 17
Record: 4-8
A poor start by Yovanni Gallardo has really hurt this team as the pitching staff lacks depth. But a schedule of Mets, Cubs and Reds have also contributed to a slow start.
24. Cleveland Indians
Previous Rank: 20
Record: 4-9
Improved slightly this week taking advantage of the Chein-Ming Wang and a good start by Cliff Lee but the pitching is just not good enough.
25. Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 24
Record: 6-7
The were given a large dose of reality by being swept by the Red Sox. It may be a long season but Adam Jones so far looks like an absolute stud and #1 prospect Matt Wieters should be called up within the month.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Rank: 29
Record: 6-6
Great starts by Paul Moholm or Zach Duke and enough pieces in the lineup should make this team not the worst in the MLB.
27. San Francisco Giants
Previous Rank: 26
Record: 4-8
Finally got a good start by Lincecum and Randy Johnson took a no-hitter to the 7th inning. They just don't have the offense to compete but could work it's way up to a .500 team.
28. Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 25
Record: 4-7
Terrible bullpen and pitching has been a problem but this team has had to play the Dodgers, Cubs, and the Phillies so far. That would raise any pitching staff's ERA.
29. Houston Astros
Previous Rank: 28
Record: 4-8
Being swept by the Cardinals and the Reds solidifies their status as a second-class citizen in the NL Central. They for some reason used this to give manager Cecil Cooper an extension.
30. Washington Nationals
Previous Rank: 30
Record: 1-10
This franchise is an absolute disgrace as they blew 9th inning leads in all 3 games to the Marlins and even the jersey makers don't care about this team.
Stud of the Week: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Stats: .555 2 HR 6 RBI 6 SB
Honorable Mention: Zach Grienke, Matt Kemp, Carlos Pena, Carlos Quentin, Chad Billingsley, Glen Perkins
Dud of the Week: Chien-Ming Wang, NYY
Stats: 2 Starts 2.1 IP 16 ER 14 Hits 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Saul Rivera, Zach Miner, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ryan Spilboroghs, Jordan Schafer, Randy Winn
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