This week I will post my May Awards. This is who I think should get the awards if the season ended today.
Rangers:
MVP: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.332 AVG, 12 HR, 42 RBI) – Vlad is second in all of baseball in RBIs, has one of the top five home run totals in the American League, and has one of the top ten batting averages in the AL.
Runner-up: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.327 AVG, 10 HR, 34 RBI)
Cy Young: Colby Lewis, TEX (4-3, 3.41 ERA, 59 K) – Colby leads the team in ERA by 0.07 over CJ Wilson, leads the team in strikeouts, and has 4 wins, which isn’t easy with the number of leads the bullpen has blown this season.
Runner-up: CJ Wilson, TEX (3-3, 3.48 ERA, 47 K)
Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, TEX (13 SV, 2.96 ERA, 25 K) – Neftali is tied for 2nd in saves in the American League with 13, and out of the two rookies the Rangers have, he’s definitely had the better year.
Runner-up: Justin Smoak, TEX (.175 AVG, 4 HR, 12 RBI)
AL:
MVP: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.352 AVG, 14 HR, 48 RBI) – Miggy has had a great year for the Tigers, leading all of major league baseball in RBIs. He is also up there in both batting average and home runs, hitting well over the century mark at .352.
Runner-up: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.332 AVG, 12 HR, 42 RBI)
Cy Young: David Price, TB (7-2, 2.57 ERA, 50 K) – David has been incredible, as he is tied for the American League lead in wins with 7, and is 3rd in the AL in ERA with a 2.57 ERA, with Doug Fister (3 wins) and Jeff Niemann (5 wins) being the only two pitchers in the AL with better ERAs, but both have significantly less wins.
Runner-up: Doug Fister, SEA (3-2, 2.03 ERA, 26 K)
Rookie of the Year: Mitch Talbot, CLE (6-3, 3.73 ERA, 24 K) – Mitch has six wins for Indians, which is impressive by itself, but also has a 3.73 ERA, which is best among all AL rookies that have at least 25 innings pitched.
Runner-up: Reid Brignac, TB (.311 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Cito Gaston, TOR (30-22, 3rd place) – Cito has taken a team without much talent to just a game back of the wild card two months into the season. The Blue Jays were expected to be a fourth place team in the AL East, but have played very, very well, and might even make the playoffs.
Runner-up: Ken Macha, OAK (27-24, 1st place)
NL:
MVP: Andre Ethier, LAD (.392 AVG, 11 HR, 38 RBI) – Andre is the obvious leader for this award at this point, in my opinion, as he leads all of baseball in batting average, and is tied for 3rd in the NL in RBIs, with home runs toward the top of the league.
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL (.310 AVG, 12 HR, 38 RBI)
Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (9-1, 0.88 ERA, 61 K) – Ubaldo leads the majors in two of the three major categories pitching-wise, with 9 wins and a miniscule 0.88 ERA. His ERA is incredible, because it rises even if he throws a complete game and only allows one run. He is obviously the Cy Young at this point.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, PHI (7-3, 1.99 ERA, 70 K)
NL Rookie of the Year: Mike Leake, CIN (4-0, 2.45 ERA, 45 K) – This award at this point is really between Mike Leake and Jason Heyward, and I really think that good pitching is much more rare than good hitting, and so I think that Leake deserves the award. He is undefeated so far, and has an ERA of 2.45. That’s incredible, especially for a guy that never even played minor league ball.
Runner-up: Jason Heyward, ATL (.301 AVG, 10 HR, 38 RBI)
NL Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, CIN (30-21, 1st place) – Even though I picked the Reds to win the division, the overall consensus was that the Cardinals would, but the Reds are in first place at this point of the season at 30-21, and have been dominating.
Runner-up: Bud Black, SD (30-20, 1st place)
Come back next week for my 250th post.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
May All-Star Teams
This weekend I got to write the Rangers Farm Reports in place of Scott Lucas for the Newberg Report. It was a lot of fun, and I would like to thank both Jamey Newberg and Scott Lucas for letting me write those reports.
This week I will give my AL and NL All-Star teams. These are as if the All-Star game was today, and who I think it should be (which is completely hypothetical, since with the fan vote there will be about 8 Yankees starting, and possibly one player from a team outside the Bronx).
AL:
Starters:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.348 AVG, 2 HR, 21 RBI) – Joe has one of the top batting averages in the American League at almost .350, and also has plenty of RBIs, especially for his position.
1B: Justin Morneau, MIN (.377 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI) – Justin leads all balloted American League first basemen in batting average, is second in home runs, and is tied for second in RBIs. I think that pretty obviously makes him the starter.
2B: Robinson Cano, NYY (.337 AVG, 9 HR, 28 RBI) – Robinson leads all balloted American League second basemen in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. There is nothing else he could do to make himself more deserving of this spot.
SS: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.312 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 17 SB) – Elvis leads AL shortstops in batting average by a lot, as no one else is even above .290, and only one is above .280. He also leads shortstops in stolen bases by 11.
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.319 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI) – Evan is second among AL third basemen in batting average, and nobody else’s power numbers are close to his, as he leads them in both home runs and RBIs.
DH: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.341 AVG, 10 HR, 37 RBI) – Vlad has obviously been the best DH in the American League this year, as nobody else with significant time is even hitting .280, none have as many RBIs as Guerrero, and Jose Guillen is the only other one with 10+ home runs.
OF: Vernon Wells, TOR (.302 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI) – Vernon has had a great year, hitting over .300 again, and is 2nd behind teammate Jose Batista among AL outfielders in home runs. He’s also third in RBIs.
OF: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.337 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI) – Nelson is second among AL outfielders in RBIs (even though he’s been on the DL for much of the year), is third in home runs, and is tied for first in batting average.
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET (.312 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI) – Maggs has come back strong this year after a major down-year in 2009, hitting well over .300 with plenty of RBIs.
SP: David Price, TB (6-1, 1.81 ERA, 44 K) – David is leading the American League in both wins and ERA, so I don’t know what else he could do, and I don’t think anyone can possibly be more deserving than a person who leads those two categories.
Reserves:
C: John Buck, TOR (.269 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.333 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI)
Kendry Morales, LAA (.294 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI)
2B: Orlando Hudson, MIN (.298 AVG, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
SS: Alex Gonzales, TOR (.275 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
3B: Adrian Beltre, BOS (.321 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI)
Michael Young, TEX (.315 AVG, 4 HR, 25 RBI)
Alberto Callaspo, KC (.308 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI)
OF: Carl Crawford, TB (.321 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 11 SB)
Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (.297 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 9 SB)
Josh Hamilton, TEX (.290 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Austin Jackson, DET (.337 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
Alex Rios, CWS (.303 AVG, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 13 SB)
Nick Markakis, BAL (.305 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)
SP: Doug Fister, SEA (3-2, 1.96 ERA, 25 K)
Jon Danks, CWS (3-3, 2.26 ERA, 45 K)
Matt Garza, TB (5-2, 2.37 ERA, 54 K)
CJ Wilson, TEX (3-1, 2.55 ERA, 39 K)
James Shields, TB (5-1, 3.08 ERA, 66 K)
Jered Weaver, LAA (4-2, 3.40 ERA, 60 K)
RP: Neftali Feliz, TEX (12 SV, 3.22 ERA, 23 K)
Kevin Gregg, TOR (12 SV, 3.26 ERA, 22 K)
Rafael Soriano, TB (12 SV, 1.42 ERA, 16 K)
Jose Valverde, DET (11 SV, 0.48 ERA, 13 K)
Andrew Bailey, OAK (7 SV, 1.08 ERA, 10 K)
Players by Team:
Texas Rangers – 7(3 starters)
Tampa Bay Rays – 6(2)
Detroit Tigers – 4(1)
Toronto Blue Jays – 4(1)
Minnesota Twins – 3(2)
Chicago White Sox – 2(0)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2(0)
Baltimore Orioles – 1(0)
Boston Red Sox – 1(0)
Cleveland Indians – 1(0)
Kansas City Royals – 1(0)
New York Yankees – 1(1)
Oakland Athletics – 1(0)
Seattle Mariners – 1(0)
NL:
Starters:
C: Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (.325 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI) – Pudge leads all National League catchers in batting average at .325, and it’s not even that close, as Carlos Ruiz is the next closest at .300, at .025 points behind Pudge.
1B: Joey Votto, CIN (.313 AVG, 10 HR, 32 RBI) – Joey leads balloted NL first basemen in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. That’s all three categories, and Votto is also the leader in stolen bases with six.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.299 AVG, 10 HR, 23 RBI) – Chase is second behind Martin Prado in NL 2B batting average, and is second behind Dan Uggla in both NL 2B power numbers, but has the most balanced numbers of the three, and is very solid in all three categories.
SS: Stephen Drew, ARI (.301 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI) – Stephen is one of the National League shortstops in batting average, and has the best power numbers out of the three NL SS with at least 100 at-bats and are hitting .300 or above.
3B: Casey McGehee, MIL (.317 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI) – Casey is one of the leaders in batting average among NL 3B, and has the most RBIs out of that group of players.
DH: Alfonso Soriano, CHC (.319 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI) – Alfonso definitely isn’t on the team for his defense (note that he’s in the DH spot), but he has been one of the better-hitting outfielders in the National League, and earned a starting spot on my team.
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.325 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI) – Ryan has had a great year, and surprisingly hasn’t gotten all that much help from Prince Fielder in the middle of that Brewers lineup, and has had to produce much of Milwaukee’s offense.
OF: Andre Ethier, LAD (.392 AVG, 11 HR, 38 RBI) – Andre Ethier is a triple crown contender, with a batting average just below .400, 11 home runs, and 38 RBIs. Anybody that is way up there in all three major categories deserves to be an All-Star starter.
OF: Jayson Werth, PHI (.322 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI) – Jayson is hitting way over .300, at .322, with very good power numbers (2nd among NL outfielders in home runs, 2nd in RBIs). Those are very solid numbers, and deserving of an All-Star starts.
SP: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (8-1, 0.99 ERA, 58 K) – Ubaldo leads all of the major leagues with 8 wins and a 0.99 ERA, which is miniscule, at less than a run a game. He also has plenty of strikeouts at 58.
Reserves:
C: Rod Barajas, NYM (.260 AVG, 10 HR, 24 RBI)
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.309 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI)
Ryan Howard, PHI (.305 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI)
James Loney, LAD (.300 AVG, 4 HR, 28 RBI)
2B: Dan Uggla, FLA (.280 AVG, 11 HR, 28 RBI)
Martin Prado, ATL (.315 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.296 AVG, 7 HR, 22 RBI)
Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.304 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.318 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Scott Rolen, CIN (.287 AVG, 10 HR, 27 RBI)
OF: Marlon Byrd, CHC (.315 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI)
Johnny Gomes, CIN (.292 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI)
Jason Heyward, ATL (.290 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI)
Andrew McCutchen, PIT (.319 AVG, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 12 SB)
SP: Jaime Garcia, STL (4-2, 1.28 ERA, 42 K)
Livan Hernandez, WAS (4-2, 1.62 ERA, 19 K)
Roy Halladay, PHI (6-2, 1.64 ERA, 58 K)
Tim Hudson, ATL (5-1, 2.09 ERA, 26 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (5-0, 2.35 ERA, 75 K)
Roy Oswalt, HOU (2-6, 2.66 ERA, 60 K)
RP: Matt Capps, WAS (16 SV, 2.01 ERA, 20 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (14 SV, 4.09 ERA, 18 K)
Heath Bell, SD (12 SV, 0.95 ERA, 24 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (10 SV, 1.45 ERA, 29 K)
Matt Lindstrom, HOU (10 SV, 1.40 ERA, 15 K)
Players by Team:
Cincinnati Reds – 4(1 starter)
Philadelphia Phillies – 4(2)
Washington Nationals – 4(1)
Atlanta Braves – 3(0)
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3(1)
Chicago Cubs – 2(1)
Colorado Rockies – 2(1)
Florida Marlins – 2(0)
Houston Astros – 2(0)
Milwaukee Brewers – 2(0)
St. Louis Cardinals – 2(0)
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1(1)
New York Mets – 1(0)
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1(0)
San Diego – 1(0)
San Francisco – 1(0)
Come back next week for my May Awards.
This week I will give my AL and NL All-Star teams. These are as if the All-Star game was today, and who I think it should be (which is completely hypothetical, since with the fan vote there will be about 8 Yankees starting, and possibly one player from a team outside the Bronx).
AL:
Starters:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.348 AVG, 2 HR, 21 RBI) – Joe has one of the top batting averages in the American League at almost .350, and also has plenty of RBIs, especially for his position.
1B: Justin Morneau, MIN (.377 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI) – Justin leads all balloted American League first basemen in batting average, is second in home runs, and is tied for second in RBIs. I think that pretty obviously makes him the starter.
2B: Robinson Cano, NYY (.337 AVG, 9 HR, 28 RBI) – Robinson leads all balloted American League second basemen in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. There is nothing else he could do to make himself more deserving of this spot.
SS: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.312 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 17 SB) – Elvis leads AL shortstops in batting average by a lot, as no one else is even above .290, and only one is above .280. He also leads shortstops in stolen bases by 11.
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.319 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI) – Evan is second among AL third basemen in batting average, and nobody else’s power numbers are close to his, as he leads them in both home runs and RBIs.
DH: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.341 AVG, 10 HR, 37 RBI) – Vlad has obviously been the best DH in the American League this year, as nobody else with significant time is even hitting .280, none have as many RBIs as Guerrero, and Jose Guillen is the only other one with 10+ home runs.
OF: Vernon Wells, TOR (.302 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI) – Vernon has had a great year, hitting over .300 again, and is 2nd behind teammate Jose Batista among AL outfielders in home runs. He’s also third in RBIs.
OF: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.337 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI) – Nelson is second among AL outfielders in RBIs (even though he’s been on the DL for much of the year), is third in home runs, and is tied for first in batting average.
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET (.312 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI) – Maggs has come back strong this year after a major down-year in 2009, hitting well over .300 with plenty of RBIs.
SP: David Price, TB (6-1, 1.81 ERA, 44 K) – David is leading the American League in both wins and ERA, so I don’t know what else he could do, and I don’t think anyone can possibly be more deserving than a person who leads those two categories.
Reserves:
C: John Buck, TOR (.269 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.333 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI)
Kendry Morales, LAA (.294 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI)
2B: Orlando Hudson, MIN (.298 AVG, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
SS: Alex Gonzales, TOR (.275 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
3B: Adrian Beltre, BOS (.321 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI)
Michael Young, TEX (.315 AVG, 4 HR, 25 RBI)
Alberto Callaspo, KC (.308 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI)
OF: Carl Crawford, TB (.321 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 11 SB)
Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (.297 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 9 SB)
Josh Hamilton, TEX (.290 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Austin Jackson, DET (.337 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
Alex Rios, CWS (.303 AVG, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 13 SB)
Nick Markakis, BAL (.305 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)
SP: Doug Fister, SEA (3-2, 1.96 ERA, 25 K)
Jon Danks, CWS (3-3, 2.26 ERA, 45 K)
Matt Garza, TB (5-2, 2.37 ERA, 54 K)
CJ Wilson, TEX (3-1, 2.55 ERA, 39 K)
James Shields, TB (5-1, 3.08 ERA, 66 K)
Jered Weaver, LAA (4-2, 3.40 ERA, 60 K)
RP: Neftali Feliz, TEX (12 SV, 3.22 ERA, 23 K)
Kevin Gregg, TOR (12 SV, 3.26 ERA, 22 K)
Rafael Soriano, TB (12 SV, 1.42 ERA, 16 K)
Jose Valverde, DET (11 SV, 0.48 ERA, 13 K)
Andrew Bailey, OAK (7 SV, 1.08 ERA, 10 K)
Players by Team:
Texas Rangers – 7(3 starters)
Tampa Bay Rays – 6(2)
Detroit Tigers – 4(1)
Toronto Blue Jays – 4(1)
Minnesota Twins – 3(2)
Chicago White Sox – 2(0)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2(0)
Baltimore Orioles – 1(0)
Boston Red Sox – 1(0)
Cleveland Indians – 1(0)
Kansas City Royals – 1(0)
New York Yankees – 1(1)
Oakland Athletics – 1(0)
Seattle Mariners – 1(0)
NL:
Starters:
C: Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (.325 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI) – Pudge leads all National League catchers in batting average at .325, and it’s not even that close, as Carlos Ruiz is the next closest at .300, at .025 points behind Pudge.
1B: Joey Votto, CIN (.313 AVG, 10 HR, 32 RBI) – Joey leads balloted NL first basemen in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. That’s all three categories, and Votto is also the leader in stolen bases with six.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.299 AVG, 10 HR, 23 RBI) – Chase is second behind Martin Prado in NL 2B batting average, and is second behind Dan Uggla in both NL 2B power numbers, but has the most balanced numbers of the three, and is very solid in all three categories.
SS: Stephen Drew, ARI (.301 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI) – Stephen is one of the National League shortstops in batting average, and has the best power numbers out of the three NL SS with at least 100 at-bats and are hitting .300 or above.
3B: Casey McGehee, MIL (.317 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI) – Casey is one of the leaders in batting average among NL 3B, and has the most RBIs out of that group of players.
DH: Alfonso Soriano, CHC (.319 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI) – Alfonso definitely isn’t on the team for his defense (note that he’s in the DH spot), but he has been one of the better-hitting outfielders in the National League, and earned a starting spot on my team.
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.325 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI) – Ryan has had a great year, and surprisingly hasn’t gotten all that much help from Prince Fielder in the middle of that Brewers lineup, and has had to produce much of Milwaukee’s offense.
OF: Andre Ethier, LAD (.392 AVG, 11 HR, 38 RBI) – Andre Ethier is a triple crown contender, with a batting average just below .400, 11 home runs, and 38 RBIs. Anybody that is way up there in all three major categories deserves to be an All-Star starter.
OF: Jayson Werth, PHI (.322 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI) – Jayson is hitting way over .300, at .322, with very good power numbers (2nd among NL outfielders in home runs, 2nd in RBIs). Those are very solid numbers, and deserving of an All-Star starts.
SP: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (8-1, 0.99 ERA, 58 K) – Ubaldo leads all of the major leagues with 8 wins and a 0.99 ERA, which is miniscule, at less than a run a game. He also has plenty of strikeouts at 58.
Reserves:
C: Rod Barajas, NYM (.260 AVG, 10 HR, 24 RBI)
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.309 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI)
Ryan Howard, PHI (.305 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI)
James Loney, LAD (.300 AVG, 4 HR, 28 RBI)
2B: Dan Uggla, FLA (.280 AVG, 11 HR, 28 RBI)
Martin Prado, ATL (.315 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.296 AVG, 7 HR, 22 RBI)
Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.304 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.318 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Scott Rolen, CIN (.287 AVG, 10 HR, 27 RBI)
OF: Marlon Byrd, CHC (.315 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI)
Johnny Gomes, CIN (.292 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI)
Jason Heyward, ATL (.290 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI)
Andrew McCutchen, PIT (.319 AVG, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 12 SB)
SP: Jaime Garcia, STL (4-2, 1.28 ERA, 42 K)
Livan Hernandez, WAS (4-2, 1.62 ERA, 19 K)
Roy Halladay, PHI (6-2, 1.64 ERA, 58 K)
Tim Hudson, ATL (5-1, 2.09 ERA, 26 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (5-0, 2.35 ERA, 75 K)
Roy Oswalt, HOU (2-6, 2.66 ERA, 60 K)
RP: Matt Capps, WAS (16 SV, 2.01 ERA, 20 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (14 SV, 4.09 ERA, 18 K)
Heath Bell, SD (12 SV, 0.95 ERA, 24 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (10 SV, 1.45 ERA, 29 K)
Matt Lindstrom, HOU (10 SV, 1.40 ERA, 15 K)
Players by Team:
Cincinnati Reds – 4(1 starter)
Philadelphia Phillies – 4(2)
Washington Nationals – 4(1)
Atlanta Braves – 3(0)
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3(1)
Chicago Cubs – 2(1)
Colorado Rockies – 2(1)
Florida Marlins – 2(0)
Houston Astros – 2(0)
Milwaukee Brewers – 2(0)
St. Louis Cardinals – 2(0)
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1(1)
New York Mets – 1(0)
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1(0)
San Diego – 1(0)
San Francisco – 1(0)
Come back next week for my May Awards.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Jon Daniels Trade Analysis Part 4 and GM Comparison
This week I will post the fourth part of my Jon Daniels Trade Analysis series, giving each trade from August 18th of 2009 through the present a win, loss, or draw. Please see the 4/18/10 post for the last entry in this series. I will also compare Jon to Doug Melvin, Jon Hart, and Tom Grieve.
One thing that’s tough about analyzing these recent trades is trying to project what prospects might do in the future. So I didn’t do that, meaning I’m scoring each trade on the basis of the impact at the major league level as of today, because impact at the major league level is ultimately how each trade will be judged. That means that many of the scores will probably change sometime in the future.
8/18/09 Acquired C Ivan Rodriguez from the Houston Astros for RHP Matt Nevarez and SS Jose Vallejo.
Win – Neither Nevarez or Vallejo have made it to the majors yet (although Nevarez is on Houston’s 40-man roster), while Pudge was a good contributor for the Rangers last year. He hit just .245 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI’s in his 98 at-bats with Texas, but that was better than the Rangers were getting from the catching position before that. Plus it was awesome having Pudge as a Ranger again.
Record: 18-6-11
9/4/09 Acquired RHP Danny Gutierrez from the Kansas City Royals for LF Tim Smith and C Manuel Pina.
Draw – This trade could easily end up being a win or a loss, as nobody has made it to the majors in this deal yet. Manny Pina is the only one of the three on a 40-man roster.
Record: 18-6-12
12/7/09 Acquired RHP Clay Rapada from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations.
Draw – Although the Rangers gave up nothing, they haven’t gotten anything in return. I could definitely see this one being a win by the end of the year, as Rapada has a good ERA at Triple-A, at 3.00.
Record: 18-6-13
12/9/09 Acquired RHP Chris Ray and Ben Snyder from the Baltimore Orioles for RHP Kevin Millwood and cash.
Loss – This move was basically Kevin Millwood for Chris Ray and Rich Harden, because the trade was to get enough money to sign Harden. Harden has a 4.93 ERA, while Millwood has a 3.69 ERA, and although Chris Ray has been very good this year, with a 2.76 ERA, it’s still not worth it, because Millwood has been significantly better than Harden and we could use Millwood’s presence in the rotation. Snyder hasn’t played in the majors for the Rangers yet.
Record: 18-7-13
1/26/10 Traded Greg Golson to the New York Yankees for Mitch Hilligoss and cash.
Draw – Golson is currently on the Yankees’ major league roster but has only had 5 at-bats so far, so this is still a draw for the moment.
Record: 18-7-14
3/22/10 Acquired C Matt Treanor from the Milwaukee Brewers for SS Ray Olmedo.
Win – Ray Olmedo hasn’t played for the Brewers yet, and although Treanor hasn’t been very good (.200 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI), the most important thing he did was that he allowed the Rangers to send both Salty and Teagarden down to figure it out. This win isn’t about performance, it’s about what it allowed the Rangers to do.
Record: 19-7-14
3/24/10 Acquired SS Gregorio Petit from the Oakland Athletics for RHP Edwar Ramirez.
Draw – Even though Petit hasn’t played for the Rangers, and Ramirez has pitched for the A’s, Ramirez has allowed 7 runs in 11 innings, and has walked 10, so he’s been terrible, and he’s not in the majors anymore.
Record: 19-7-15
3/27/10 Acquired SS Andres Blanco from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later.
Win – Blanco is hitting just .222, and his on-base percentage would only be an okay batting average, and that’s horrible. But I give this a win because Blanco is providing some contribution at the major league level and helped us fill a gap while Kinsler was out, while so far we haven’t given up anything in return.
Record: 20-7-15
4/2/10 Traded RHP Luis Mendoza to the Kansas City Royals for cash.
Draw – A change of scenery did nothing for Luis Mendoza, unless you look at the ERA differential from last year and not the actual ERA’s. His ERA is down 13.50 from last year, but is still at 22.50. After just four innings the Royals sent him down to the minors, so the Rangers aren’t missing anything.
Record: 20-7-16
Finally, I accidentally skipped a trade I should have covered last week:
11/28/08 Traded Wes Littleton to the Boston Red Sox for cash. The Boston Red Sox sent Beau Vaughan (December 11, 2008) to the Rangers to complete the trade.
Draw – Neither player has appeared in the majors since the trade.
Record: 20-7-17
Comparison:
Tom Grieve:
Record: 10-13-28
Winning percentage: 43%
Number of trades: 51 in 11 years (average of 4.6 trades per year)
Doug Melvin:
Record: 15-14-16
Winning percentage: 52%
Number of trades: 45 in 7 years (average of 6.4 trades per year)
John Hart:
Record: 7-11-18
Winning percentage: 39%
Number of trades: 36 in 4 years (average of 9 trades per year)
Jon Daniels:Record: 20-7-17
Winning percentage: 74%
Number of trades: 44 in 4.5 years (average of 9.8 trades per year)
Come back next week for my May All-Star Teams.
One thing that’s tough about analyzing these recent trades is trying to project what prospects might do in the future. So I didn’t do that, meaning I’m scoring each trade on the basis of the impact at the major league level as of today, because impact at the major league level is ultimately how each trade will be judged. That means that many of the scores will probably change sometime in the future.
8/18/09 Acquired C Ivan Rodriguez from the Houston Astros for RHP Matt Nevarez and SS Jose Vallejo.
Win – Neither Nevarez or Vallejo have made it to the majors yet (although Nevarez is on Houston’s 40-man roster), while Pudge was a good contributor for the Rangers last year. He hit just .245 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI’s in his 98 at-bats with Texas, but that was better than the Rangers were getting from the catching position before that. Plus it was awesome having Pudge as a Ranger again.
Record: 18-6-11
9/4/09 Acquired RHP Danny Gutierrez from the Kansas City Royals for LF Tim Smith and C Manuel Pina.
Draw – This trade could easily end up being a win or a loss, as nobody has made it to the majors in this deal yet. Manny Pina is the only one of the three on a 40-man roster.
Record: 18-6-12
12/7/09 Acquired RHP Clay Rapada from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations.
Draw – Although the Rangers gave up nothing, they haven’t gotten anything in return. I could definitely see this one being a win by the end of the year, as Rapada has a good ERA at Triple-A, at 3.00.
Record: 18-6-13
12/9/09 Acquired RHP Chris Ray and Ben Snyder from the Baltimore Orioles for RHP Kevin Millwood and cash.
Loss – This move was basically Kevin Millwood for Chris Ray and Rich Harden, because the trade was to get enough money to sign Harden. Harden has a 4.93 ERA, while Millwood has a 3.69 ERA, and although Chris Ray has been very good this year, with a 2.76 ERA, it’s still not worth it, because Millwood has been significantly better than Harden and we could use Millwood’s presence in the rotation. Snyder hasn’t played in the majors for the Rangers yet.
Record: 18-7-13
1/26/10 Traded Greg Golson to the New York Yankees for Mitch Hilligoss and cash.
Draw – Golson is currently on the Yankees’ major league roster but has only had 5 at-bats so far, so this is still a draw for the moment.
Record: 18-7-14
3/22/10 Acquired C Matt Treanor from the Milwaukee Brewers for SS Ray Olmedo.
Win – Ray Olmedo hasn’t played for the Brewers yet, and although Treanor hasn’t been very good (.200 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI), the most important thing he did was that he allowed the Rangers to send both Salty and Teagarden down to figure it out. This win isn’t about performance, it’s about what it allowed the Rangers to do.
Record: 19-7-14
3/24/10 Acquired SS Gregorio Petit from the Oakland Athletics for RHP Edwar Ramirez.
Draw – Even though Petit hasn’t played for the Rangers, and Ramirez has pitched for the A’s, Ramirez has allowed 7 runs in 11 innings, and has walked 10, so he’s been terrible, and he’s not in the majors anymore.
Record: 19-7-15
3/27/10 Acquired SS Andres Blanco from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later.
Win – Blanco is hitting just .222, and his on-base percentage would only be an okay batting average, and that’s horrible. But I give this a win because Blanco is providing some contribution at the major league level and helped us fill a gap while Kinsler was out, while so far we haven’t given up anything in return.
Record: 20-7-15
4/2/10 Traded RHP Luis Mendoza to the Kansas City Royals for cash.
Draw – A change of scenery did nothing for Luis Mendoza, unless you look at the ERA differential from last year and not the actual ERA’s. His ERA is down 13.50 from last year, but is still at 22.50. After just four innings the Royals sent him down to the minors, so the Rangers aren’t missing anything.
Record: 20-7-16
Finally, I accidentally skipped a trade I should have covered last week:
11/28/08 Traded Wes Littleton to the Boston Red Sox for cash. The Boston Red Sox sent Beau Vaughan (December 11, 2008) to the Rangers to complete the trade.
Draw – Neither player has appeared in the majors since the trade.
Record: 20-7-17
Comparison:
Tom Grieve:
Record: 10-13-28
Winning percentage: 43%
Number of trades: 51 in 11 years (average of 4.6 trades per year)
Doug Melvin:
Record: 15-14-16
Winning percentage: 52%
Number of trades: 45 in 7 years (average of 6.4 trades per year)
John Hart:
Record: 7-11-18
Winning percentage: 39%
Number of trades: 36 in 4 years (average of 9 trades per year)
Jon Daniels:Record: 20-7-17
Winning percentage: 74%
Number of trades: 44 in 4.5 years (average of 9.8 trades per year)
Come back next week for my May All-Star Teams.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Weekend Recap
This week will be a short post because I had an all-weekend baseball tournament in Grand Prairie and I’m worn out. We were out there for about 7 hours Saturday and about 8 hours Sunday.
We got to know the nearby McDonald’s very well over the weekend.
Between games on Saturday in Grand Prairie, me and my dad headed over to the AirHogs stadium (the AirHogs are an independent league team) to kill some time at the team store. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they were having a free exhibition game. We got to see a couple innings before heading back over to my games.
On Saturday night my dad, my sister, and I went to the RoughRiders game and got to see Martin Perez pitch against the Midland Rockhounds. He only went four innings, allowing one run. That wasn’t surprising, though, because he hasn’t gone over five innings in a start all year. He looked pretty good and Brennan Garr did a good job after him in relief.
Next week I will have a full article. Come back for Jon Daniels Trade Analysis Part 4.
We got to know the nearby McDonald’s very well over the weekend.
Between games on Saturday in Grand Prairie, me and my dad headed over to the AirHogs stadium (the AirHogs are an independent league team) to kill some time at the team store. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they were having a free exhibition game. We got to see a couple innings before heading back over to my games.
On Saturday night my dad, my sister, and I went to the RoughRiders game and got to see Martin Perez pitch against the Midland Rockhounds. He only went four innings, allowing one run. That wasn’t surprising, though, because he hasn’t gone over five innings in a start all year. He looked pretty good and Brennan Garr did a good job after him in relief.
Next week I will have a full article. Come back for Jon Daniels Trade Analysis Part 4.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
April Awards
This week I will do my April Awards. The awards are as if the season ended today.
Rangers:
MVP: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.323 AVG, 7 HR, 17 RBI) – Nelson is 2nd on the team in batting average, leads the team in home runs, and leads the team in RBIs. That makes him the obvious choice.
Runner-up: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.326 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (2-1, 1.75 ERA, 21 K) – Even though Colby Lewis leads the AL in strikeouts, CJ Wilson is third in the AL in ERA, and I value ERA much more than strikeouts, because, in my mind, it doesn’t matter how you get the outs (although strikeouts are the coolest).
Runner-up: Colby Lewis, TEX (3-0, 2.76 ERA, 38 K)
Rookie of the Year: Joaquin Arias, TEX (.321 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI) – Even though Joaquin has no power numbers, his batting average is still very, very good, and the only other two rookies on the team are Smoak and Feliz.
Runner-up: Neftali Feliz, TEX (4 SV, 5.40 ERA, 13 K)
AL:
MVP: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.343 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI) – Miguel leads the major leagues in RBIs with 26, and in my opinion, that’s way more important than home runs, although 5 isn’t too bad. He is also 7th in the AL in batting average.
Runner-up: Justin Morneau, MIN (.347 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI, .490 OBP)
Cy Young: Francisco Liriano, MIN (3-0, 0.93 ERA, 27 K) – Francisco leads the American League in ERA. He is tied for 2nd in the AL in wins with three, and he has just been dominant. He is one of just three pitchers, along with Ubaldo Jimenez and Livan Hernandez, that have an ERA under 1.00.
Runner-up: Matt Garza, TB (4-1, 2.06 ERA, 34 K)
Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, DET (.356 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI) – Austin is the only American League rookie with an average above .300 or an ERA below 3.50, so I think he pretty obviously deserves it.
Runner-up: Reid Brignac, TB (.283 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Joe Madden, TB (17-7, 1st place) – The Rays have a very good team, but they are still overachieving at a .708 winning percentage. They are also 9-1 on the road, which is incredible.
Runner-up: Bob Geren, OAK (13-12, 1st place)
NL:
MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL (.361 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI) – Ryan is tied for 6th in the NL in RBIs with 20 of them, and he has also hit 5 home runs on the year. His .361 batting average is second in the National League.
Runner-up: Andre Ethier, LAD (.350 AVG, 7 HR, 22 RBI)
Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (5-0, 0.79 ERA, 31 K) – Ubaldo leads major league baseball in ERA, and in wins. If that doesn’t make you a Cy Young Award winner, I don’t know what will.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, PHI (5-1, 1.47 ERA, 39 K)
Rookie of the Year: Jon Niese, NYM (1-1, 3.10 ERA, 25 K) – Jon is just one of five Mets starting pitchers that are pitching lights-out, with a 3.10 ERA. That said, though, if Jason Heyward had a better batting average, he would have this spot.
Runner-up: Jason Heyward, ATL (.256 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Bud Black, SD (15-9, 1st place) – Coming into the year I thought that the Padres might be the worst team in baseball, but after the month of April San Diego is in first place with a .625 winning percentage.
Runner-up: Jim Riggleman, WAS (13-11, 3rd place)
Come back next week for my Jon Daniels Trade Analysis Part 4.
Rangers:
MVP: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.323 AVG, 7 HR, 17 RBI) – Nelson is 2nd on the team in batting average, leads the team in home runs, and leads the team in RBIs. That makes him the obvious choice.
Runner-up: Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.326 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (2-1, 1.75 ERA, 21 K) – Even though Colby Lewis leads the AL in strikeouts, CJ Wilson is third in the AL in ERA, and I value ERA much more than strikeouts, because, in my mind, it doesn’t matter how you get the outs (although strikeouts are the coolest).
Runner-up: Colby Lewis, TEX (3-0, 2.76 ERA, 38 K)
Rookie of the Year: Joaquin Arias, TEX (.321 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI) – Even though Joaquin has no power numbers, his batting average is still very, very good, and the only other two rookies on the team are Smoak and Feliz.
Runner-up: Neftali Feliz, TEX (4 SV, 5.40 ERA, 13 K)
AL:
MVP: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.343 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI) – Miguel leads the major leagues in RBIs with 26, and in my opinion, that’s way more important than home runs, although 5 isn’t too bad. He is also 7th in the AL in batting average.
Runner-up: Justin Morneau, MIN (.347 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI, .490 OBP)
Cy Young: Francisco Liriano, MIN (3-0, 0.93 ERA, 27 K) – Francisco leads the American League in ERA. He is tied for 2nd in the AL in wins with three, and he has just been dominant. He is one of just three pitchers, along with Ubaldo Jimenez and Livan Hernandez, that have an ERA under 1.00.
Runner-up: Matt Garza, TB (4-1, 2.06 ERA, 34 K)
Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, DET (.356 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI) – Austin is the only American League rookie with an average above .300 or an ERA below 3.50, so I think he pretty obviously deserves it.
Runner-up: Reid Brignac, TB (.283 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Joe Madden, TB (17-7, 1st place) – The Rays have a very good team, but they are still overachieving at a .708 winning percentage. They are also 9-1 on the road, which is incredible.
Runner-up: Bob Geren, OAK (13-12, 1st place)
NL:
MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL (.361 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI) – Ryan is tied for 6th in the NL in RBIs with 20 of them, and he has also hit 5 home runs on the year. His .361 batting average is second in the National League.
Runner-up: Andre Ethier, LAD (.350 AVG, 7 HR, 22 RBI)
Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (5-0, 0.79 ERA, 31 K) – Ubaldo leads major league baseball in ERA, and in wins. If that doesn’t make you a Cy Young Award winner, I don’t know what will.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, PHI (5-1, 1.47 ERA, 39 K)
Rookie of the Year: Jon Niese, NYM (1-1, 3.10 ERA, 25 K) – Jon is just one of five Mets starting pitchers that are pitching lights-out, with a 3.10 ERA. That said, though, if Jason Heyward had a better batting average, he would have this spot.
Runner-up: Jason Heyward, ATL (.256 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Bud Black, SD (15-9, 1st place) – Coming into the year I thought that the Padres might be the worst team in baseball, but after the month of April San Diego is in first place with a .625 winning percentage.
Runner-up: Jim Riggleman, WAS (13-11, 3rd place)
Come back next week for my Jon Daniels Trade Analysis Part 4.
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