2013 Season Forecast – Houston Astros

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Paul Proia

I’m watching Opening Day on ESPN and decided I might as well write while I am getting settled in… To be fair, with the Florida Marlins having decided to trade away all the talent they had recently acquired, I chose to find a new team to follow closely in 2013 – and that team is the Houston Astros.

Here’s a quick summary of where they are coming from:

Recent Records:
2012: 55 – 107 (Last, NL Central)
2011: 56 – 106 (Last, NL Central)
2010: 76 – 86 (4th, NL Central)
2009: 74 – 88 (5th, NL Central)
2008: 86 – 75 (3rd, NL Central)

This is a team that has hit rock bottom – even that team from five years ago was a bit of a fluke, having given up more runs than they had scored that year.

2012 Summary:
Home: 35 – 46
Away: 20 – 61 (ouch)

Runs Scored: 583
Runs Allowed: 794

There is a simple way to look at this. A team that scores 100 runs more than it allows is likely to win 90 games. The converse is also true. At 200 runs, it’s another ten wins – 100 wins or 100 losses. The Astros allowed 211 runs more than they scored – hence the lousy record. So – things have to be looking up, right?

Record by Month:
April: 9 – 14
May:   13 – 15
June: 10 – 17
July:   3 – 24
Aug:    5 – 22
Sept: 15 – 15

The Astros started 3 – 1, were reasonably competitive through 45 games, and not altogether awful heading into the last week of June. Then, Houston lost the last six games of the month and the first six of July. After breaking that streak, they lost four in a row, then twelve more in a row – 28 of 30 games were lost… When the month ended, anyone with any trade value was gone. August wasn’t much better… What team has ever had a stretch where they won just eight of sixty games?

Feeling Optimistic?

Beginning on September first and covering the last 30 games, the Astros played .500 ball. Houston edged Cincinnati, toppled Philadelphia, split with Pittsburgh, edged Milwaukee, and split with Chicago. Only St. Louis proved troublesome, taking five of six. They did this without scoring a lot of runs – only 102 runs were scored in that period. What allowed this to happen was that their pitching staff tossed a number of gems down the stretch, including three straight shutouts over Milwaukee and Chicago at the very end of the season. In eleven of these wins, the Astros threw six shutouts and allowed just one run in five other starts.

Opening Day Lineup:
CF: Jordan Schafer
2B: Jose Altuve
LF: J.D. Martinez
1B: Carlos Lee
RF: Brian Bogusevic
3B: Chris Johnson
C: Jason Castro
SS: Marwin Gonzalez
SP: Wandy Rodriguez

Regulars by Games Played:
C: Jason Castro
1B: Brett Wallace or Carlos Lee (gone…)
2B: Jose Altuve
SS: Jed Lowrie (gone…)
3B: Chris Johnson (gone…)
LF: J.D. Martinez
CF: Justin Maxwell
RF: Brian Bogusevic (gone…)

4OF: Jordan Schafer
C2: Chris Snyder
UT: Marwin Gonzalez or Tyler Greene?

SP: Lucas Harrell
SP: Bud Norris
SP: Jordan Lyles
SP: Wandy Rodriguez (gone…), Dallas Keuchel
SP: J.A. Happ (gone…)
CL: Brett Myers (gone…), Wilton Lopez
RP: Brandon Lyon (gone…)
RP: Wesley Wright
RP: Francisco Rodriguez (gone…)
RP: Rhiner Cruz
RP: Fernando Abad

Key Transactions:

OCT (2011):

Lost Jason Michaels and Clint Barmes to free agency… Michaels spent the year as an insurance policy for the Nationals in their AAA Syracuse affiliate, and likely is looking to become a coach. As for Barmes, he moved to Pittsburgh and hit like someone who is 33 and running out of seasons.

NOV (2011):

Added Carlos Corporan, Travis Buck as free agents; claimed infielder Brian Bixler off of the waiver wire.

DEC (2011):

Traded Marc Melancon to Red Sox for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland. Melancon had been a pleasant surprise for Houston in 2011, but was miserable in Boston and eventually demoted to AAA. Weiland had an infection in his throwing shoulder that required surgery and hopefully can return in 2013, but I would be leery of high expectations owing to a general lack of control. I see him as a spot starter/long reliever type. Jed Lowrie is a pretty good ballplayer, so the trade was a good one.

Claimed Rhiner Cruz off of waivers. This was, at best, organizational depth as Cruz had just been promoted to AA Binghamton in an eight year career drifting in the low minors. Putting Rhiner on the major league roster when he has no idea where the strike zone is (his mid-90s fastball has crazy movement and he can’t control his breaking ball) showed how little major league talent the Astros had. I mean, Cruz walked 45 batters in 71.2 innings in the minors in 2011.

JAN (2012):

Here, the Astros were looking to find as many players who might be able to do SOMETHING as possible.

Signed, as free agents, Livan Hernandez, Zach Duke, Chris Snyder, Jack Cust, and Fernando Martinez (waiver claim).

FEB:

More minor signings…

MAR:

After (and during) spring training, the Astros released Hernandez, Duke and Cust, moved anyone who needed time to the minors, and made one trade…

Acquired LHP Kevin Chapman from the Royals for OF Jason Bourgeois and C Humberto Quintero. Bourgeois was, like Melancon, a nice surprise in 2011 but is a 30-year-old outfielder with no long-term future. Quintero is, at best, a backup catcher and the Astros had other options. Chapman at least represents a future – had 90Ks in 62 innings in 2011, and built on that in 2012. He still needs work (especially with his control), but at least he has a shot to be a late inning contributor very soon.

JULY:

The Astros, as sellers, moved what they could for prospects:

Carlos Lee (and cash) to the Marlins for 3B Matt Dominquez (good glove, minor bat) and LHP Rob Rasmussen (could be a starter in 2014).

Brandon Lyon, J.A. Happ, and David Carpenter to Toronto for Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, Joseph Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski (decent arm, not overmatched at AA, doesn’t miss enough bats), David Rollins, and Carlos Perez (athletic catcher, decent arm, not much offense).

Brett Myers to the White Sox for prospects Matthew Heidenreich and Blair Walters.

Wandy Rodriquez to Pittsburgh for Colton Cain, Robbie Grossman, and Rudy Owens.

Chris Johnson to Arizona for Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss

If nothing else, that’s a lot of prospects. If you see the kids producing in 2014 and the Astros making steady improvement, then these deals worked. Seeing as the team went belly up in July and August of 2012, this did nothing to help the guys who were left behind to play.

By the way, Ben Francisco only hung around for a month. He was shipped to Tampa for a player to be named later. (That player was LHP Theron Geith.) Despite being a pretty good outfielder, Francisco hasn’t been able to keep a regular job and at 31 seems destined to be a fourth outfielder for a few more years. Geith, however, has a bright future. In two minor league seasons, Geith has a 2.66 ERA, 83Ks in 84.2 innings, and just 18 walks. He will be on the roster by 2014, and maybe next September.

Key Injuries:

Jed Lowrie missed time leaving spring training with a bruised thumb. Kyle Weiland made three starts and went down with what was then termed shoulder bursitis.

Relievers Fernando Abad (intercostal strain) and Rhiner Cruz (ankle sprain) missed time in May.

June brought minor injuries to Travis Buck (Achilles tendinitis), Carlos Lee (strained hamstring) Marwin Gonzalez (bruised heel), Bud Norris (spraineed knee), Wilton Lopez (sprained elbow), and Justin Maxwell (loose bodies in ankle).

Jordan Schafer, Jed Lowrie, and Francisco Cordero spent some time on the DL in August and early September, Cordero wound up missing the rest of the season with a foot injury just six awful outings after his arrival. He really wasn’t missed, and – as he turns 37 in May – has already been released.

Cordero’s was the only injury of signifigance. Jed Lowrie missed a lot of games, but with small injuries that kept him out a couple of weeks at a time.

[Writer’s Note: I had pulled much of this together a while ago when I had decided to become a Houston Astros fan. The Astros got the Rangers in order in the first, but the Rangers did the same to the Astros – in part thanks to a bad call at second on a stolen base attempt by Jose Altuve. If the Astros are lousy this year, it could just be that I have jinxed them.]

LOOKING AHEAD:

Starting Pitchers:

The rotation appears to be Bud Norris, Lucas Harrell, Philip Humber, Brad Peacock, and Erik Bedard.

Lucas Harrell is pretty good. He gets some strikeouts but he walks a few too many guys. Bud Norris has better stuff, but has been way more inconsistent, especially on the road. Even at that, he’s marginally below average with a chance to become really good. Bud Norris is the type of guy you might consider drafting in your fantasy league this year…

Philip Humber is trying, again, to get his career on track. Humber threw a perfect game for the White Sox, but otherwise was awful. He CAN pitch, but he can also think his way into oblivion. If Humber can find his way, the Astros will have found a gem. The problem is that his track record doesn’t give you a whole lot of reason for hope.

A guy who might, however, is Brad Peacock. The Palm Beach, FL native navigated his way through the minors, getting better every year, until he got a test drive with the Washington Nationals in 2011, where he wasn’t half bad. Moved to Oakland, he spent 2012 in Sacramento, where he held his own despite being in a league that pounds pitchers. After a pretty nice spring, he’s going to see if he’s ready for 25 – 30 starts.

Finally, Erik Bedard might be able to help – if he can stay healthy. Having missed essentially two and half of the last five years, Bedard has been reasonably successful – well, at least until last year when he went 7 – 14 for Pittsburgh. His walk rate was too high, and his ERA went over 5 (5.01), but there are reasons to think that he can be better than he was last year – starting with the fact that he has always been better than he was last year.

So, just trying to see if the rotation is better, at first glance, the answer is probably no. Harrell and Norris are the same (though Norris might be slightly better). I don’t buy that Humber is better than Jordan Lyles was in 2012, and Erik Bedard won’t be as good as a partial season of Wandy Rodriguez. If one pitcher surprises, it might be Peacock who COULD be as good as J.A. Happ was. So, let’s go with the team allowing perhaps 30 extra runs here.

Relief Pitchers:

The Astros are going to give the closer job, at least at first, to Jose Veres, who has four career saves. Veres isn’t awful, but he isn’t a big time closer. Brett Myers wasn’t awesome last year, so that’s not a big loss. I was surprised that Wilton Lopez didn’t get a second chance, he pitched well enough, but the Astros went with younger arms – Hector Ambriz, Xavier Cedeno, Rhiner Cruz, Josh Fields, Edgar Gonzalez, and Wesley Wright.

This group will be no better or worse than last year.

Cruz had a 6.05 ERA last year – is that really worthy of a significant role? Wesley Wright wasn’t half bad for a situational lefty. Xavier Cedeno was league average and could be better. Edgar Gonzalez has been around and he’s never been a dependable option. The guy I like is Hector Ambriz, who fanned 22 in 19 innings in a late call last year. He could wind up the setup man before all is said and done.

Catchers:

Last year’s catchers were league average in total, but had a few weaknesses, including starter Jason Castro not being too solid against the run. Chris Snyder is gone, so Carlos Corporan is back as the backup. He looks like he can throw. Castro isn’t a bad hitter – he was slightly above average because he showed a little power and a little patience while hitting .257. Chris Snyder hit .176 and didn’t hit enough to be worth keeping around. Corporan can hit better than that – maybe .240 with a few homers, so that would be a step forward offensively. If Castro can be stronger against the run that would help immensely. This unit should score about 15 more runs than in 2012.

Infielders:

Three-quarters of the infield in use toward the end of the season returns – Brett Wallace at first, Jose Altuve at second, and Matt Dominguez at third. Jed Lowrie is gone, replaced by Ronnie Cedeno. Wallace is getting better defensively, Altuve is slightly below average as a glove man, but not problematic, and Dominguez is a solid defensive option – far better than Chris Johnson. Cedeno may have more experience, but he won’t put up more runs than, say, Marwin Gonzalez. They are essentially the same guy. The problem is that neither is a long-term solution, so as we are following this team, look for them to find a better shortstop through the minors.

Carlos Pena was added to back up Wallace at first and be the primary DH – which will last as long as Pena keeps drawing walks and hitting homers. I fear, however, that he may not hit .220.

As a unit, this team will probably hold the line offensively (Wallace will help offset the loss of Jed Lowrie), but it could be ten runs better defensively.

Outfielders:

This year’s outfield features Chris Carter, the old Oakland As prospect, Justin Maxwell, and Rick Ankiel – a reclamation project of sorts. J. D. Martinez will be back as a possible fourth or fifth outfielder, sharing the role with Brandon Barnes.

Defensively, Carter can’t be worse than J.D. Martinez was, and he has the potential to put a lot more runs on the board by virtue of his power and patience. Justin Maxwell is a better fielder and hitter than Jordan Schafer was – it would be nice if he hit, say, .250 rather than .220, though. Ankiel hasn’t been a good hitter for a few years, but he’s still better than Brian Bogusevic was, and even if he isn’t, J.D. Martinez can hit better.

As a unit, this team could score about 60 more runs and save ten to fifteen in the field.

[As I reach this point in the essay, Justin Maxwell just hit a high drive off the top of the wall in left for a two-run triple, giving the Astros an early lead. Woohoo!!!]

Down on the Farm:

Most of the guys who did anything at AAA are on the club, and nobody stands out as a prospect. Moving to the Corpus Christi Red Hawks, the top prospects at AA would include first baseman Jonathan Singleton, who hit .284 with power, 88 walks, and is 21-years-old. Another option is shortstop Jonathan Villar, a 22-year-old with speed and some hitting skills. I’m just not sure he can hit in the majors. A top pitching prospect might be Jason Stoffel, who fanned 57 in 58 innings, walked just 16, in a relief role. Jarred Cosart made 15 starts at AA and was decent, but not great. He is ranked highly by scouting organizations.

At A+ Lancaster, right fielder Domingo Santana impressed with power and average, while centerfielder George Springer has all that and speed, too. Both are free swingers. Coming up in A Lexington is Delino Deshields II – who plays like his dad, but is a few years away (and only 20). Another guy making marks include shortstop Carlos Correa, a top pick out of Puerto Rico last year.

Best guess on their record?

They aren’t as good as last September. They aren’t as bad as last August. I see the team being 75 runs better offensively, and five runs worse defensively, thanks to a slightly worse starting rotation. That puts the runs scored/runs allowed ratio at about 660/800. Working against that is the move to the offensively charged AL West, which features the Rangers and Angels, a decent Oakland, and an improving Seattle. The system calls for 66 wins, which seems a tad bit high. So, I’ll temper that to 64 – 98, hopefully avoiding a third straight year with 100 losses. If that happens, let’s consider it a a success and watch for some talent to get added to this young team.

As I finish this, I see that the Astros have extended their lead to 4 – 0 in the fifth over Texas. If they hold on for the win, it would make for a great start to the season.

2012 Season Forecast: Chicago Cubs

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Paul Proia

2011 Record: 71 – 91 (5th, NL Central)
Runs Scored: 654 (8th, NL)
Runs Allowed: 756 (14th, NL)

Only Colorado and Houston allowed more runs…

2011 in Review:

The Cubs started losing early, and pretty much were consistent about it throughout the season. Starlin Castro kept hitting all year long, but the team was lacking in production from the outfield and the catcher spot. Carlos Zambrano was extremely frustrated and threatened to retire – but considering his history of blow ups, the Cubs shut him down anyway. The Cubs really had little truly decent pitching, helped by a defense that had little range and made a lot of errors. When it was over, Chicago was under new ownership. That group finally let Jim Hendry go – Hendry was the GM who was responsible for this mess – and replaced him with the Boston Red Sox mastermind, Theo Epstein. At least the Cubs have THAT going for them.

Starting Pitching:

Matt Garza was acquired from Tampa and battled things to a draw. He finished 10 – 10, his ERA looks good here, but it’s masked somewhat by the 17 unearned runs he allowed. In terms of runs allowed per nine, he was barely league average. Ryan Dempster‘s season was particularly troublesome. His strikeout rate was pretty good, but he walked more than in the past and he gave up too many homers. Zambrano, Randy Wells, Casey Coleman, Rodrigo Lopez, and Doug Davis were all at least 10 runs worse than the average pitcher given the number of innings pitched. Here’s the breakdown:

Runs Saved /Pitcher
1.81 Matt Garza (31 starts)
-10.71 Rodrigo Lopez (16 starts)
-12.45 Carlos Zambrano (24 starts)
-13.24 Randy Wells (24 starts)
-16.82 Doug Davis (9 starts – ouch)
-17.17 Ryan Dempster (34 starts)
-22.88 Casey Coleman (17 starts)

Essentially, the starters gave up 90 runs more than an average pitcher would have done in the same amount of innings.

For 2012, Dempster and Garza are back. Zambrano was traded to the Marlins for starter Chris Volstad, but that’s not an improvement – Volstad pitched worse than Zambrano last year. Jeff Samardzija is being moved to the rotation – he was one of the few Cubs pitchers to pitch on the good side of average. If he can match that for 180 innings instead of 90 innings, that would be a huge improvement over, say, Casey Coleman and Rodrigo Lopez. If Wells can stay healthy and get back, that would help, too. One can see a 40 run improvement at this spot.

Relief Pitchers:

Carlos Marmol has been a closer for a few years now, and he isn’t getting any better. A closer with an ERA over 4 is a problem – and he’s so wild that he’s allowing nearly six walks every nine innings. The set up squad was actually pretty good – Samardzija was nearly six runs better than the average pitcher; Sean Marshall was even better – the best pitcher on the staff (14 runs saved). Kerry Wood was tolerable, but is running out of innings in his arm. After that, though, you run through some guys who struggled – John Grabow and James Russell.

Looking forward, I’m scared here. The best pitcher, Sean Marshall, is gone. Samardzija is in the rotation. The Cubs could be relying on Coleman to take on a long relief role, or pulling in Rafael Dolis or Chris Carpenter. I’m worried that this unit could easily be 10 – 15 runs worse than 2011.

Catching:

As a unit, Geovany Soto and Koyie Hill were fair against the run and mobile. On the other hand, they were mistake prone and if they are to get some responsibility for the pitching staff, the team was 20 games under .500 with a lousy overall ERA.

Soto can hit a little, but he’s been inconsistent with his batting average and power. Soto finished by hitting .228 with 17 homers, which really isn’t good enough – especially in Wrigley Field. Hill was worse – .194 with sub .300 slugging and on base percentages.

Infield:

I made a comment that the team defense wasn’t very good in 2011 – that doesn’t apply to the middle infielders here. Shortstop Starlin Castro saved the team 18 runs – which breaks down to 24 runs because of his range, but he gives back nearly six runs because of his errors. Darwin Barney was also mobile and slightly error prone, but the net result was another 14 runs saved. The play on the corners, though, featured two older guys who no longer have the range to help out. Carlos Pena was once a fine fielder – not anymore. He cost the team 19 runs. Aramis Ramirez was even worse – he cost the Cubs 36 runs. Granted, the offense here isn’t half bad. Barney has room to improve – he needs to be more selective at the plate and get his batting average up to the .290 range. Castro had 207 hits and generated 108 runs of offense, but he makes a lot of outs. Ramirez had a nice season – 109 runs created, and Pena added 85 more, despite hitting just .225 (he drew 101 walks and hit 28 homers). That kind of production will be hard to replace.

The Cubs will try Bryan Lahair, the minor league home run champ, at first base. His fielding isn’t sterling, but his bat can help. Ian Stewart was acquired from Colorado and he’s going to hit better than the .156 he hit in 2011, but he’s NOT going to be the run producer that Ramirez was. Castro may still have more growth in him, as will Barney, but this unit could easily be down 50 runs from last year.

Outfield:

The Cubs featured an outfield of Alfonso Soriano, who has below average range, Marlon Byrd, who is surprisingly mobile for an older guy – but still below average in terms of range, and, for three months, Kosuke Fukudome. Fukodome has great range for a right fielder. Tyler Colvin replaced him, but he fell off the map in terms of his offensive output.

Offensively, Soriano still has power – 26 homers – but he doesn’t run and he still is too much of a free swinger. Byrd seems to have lost all of his power and he, too, stopped getting on base after getting hit in the face with a pitch in Boston last May. Colvin hit .150 – ouch! The Cubs never seemed satisfied with Fukudome, yet he was actually the most productive hitter in the outfield.

Colvin is gone – he’s in Colorado – but Soriano isn’t going anywhere soon, and Byrd needs to get out of center and move to right so that the young legs of Tony Campana can take over in center. Reed Johnson (he’s still around?) played well – he needed to play more. The problem is that the Cubs don’t have someone who can help immediately.

Prospects:

The AAA Iowa Cubs were devoid of young prospects who can help soon… The aforementioned Bryan Lahair hit 38 – 109 – .331, but was 28 last year. The best player to roll through here that was younger might be catcher Wellington Castillo , a 24-year-old who looks no better or worse than Geovany Soto, and Tony Campana, who was here for just 30 games and hit .342 – a burner with little or no power. Casey Coleman was the best pitcher, but even he had holes – he doesn’t have a big strikeout pitch and he gave up 11 homers in 70 innings.

There may be help in AA, though – the Tennessee Smokies were a top flight minor league team. Josh Vitters, a former #1 pick (2007) and Rebel Ridling – a great name – hit enough and with some power to suggest that they might get a shot by the end of 2012. 2008 #1 pick Ryan Flaherty hit pretty well, but he’s a shortstop and middle infielders are pretty set in Chicago. He might get used in a deal soon – him or his fellow middle infielder D.J. LeMahieu… The pitcher who had results was reliever Jeff Beliveau – who sounds like he should be a hockey player – 57 innings, 69 Ks and just 13 walks. Kevin Rhoderick has a stunning arm but needs to refine his control. Jeff Stevens had good numbers here, but he’s already turning 28 soon and has had a cup of coffee…

A+ Daytona finished second in the Florida State League and first baseman Justin Bour led the team in homers and RBIs – hitting 23 homers in the FSL is legit power. Undrafted Junior Lake continued to play well – is turning 22 and hit over .300 with some power and great speed. One thing you notice when looking over the pitching staff is a lack of high draft picks – the best pitcher was undrafted Jeff Antiqua, who logged 83.1 innings, fanned 81, and walked just 18.

If there is help on the way, it might be catcher Richard Jones, who hit 24 homers and batted .309 for low A Peoria. It doesn’t look like it will be #1 pick Hayden Simpson, who fell off to 1 – 6 – 5.32. The best arm might belong to 11th round pick Eric Jokisch, who went 9 – 3 with a good K/W ratio in 118.2 innings.

2012 Forecast:

The Cubs will probably allow 30 fewer runs this year – it can’t really get worse than 2011 – but the offense looks worse. If the team falls back another 50 runs, which is entirely possible, you’re looking at a 66 – 96 team. If Stewart doesn’t come back and Soriano falls off, and LeHair doesn’t hit in the majors, the Cubs are looking at 100 losses. Theo Epstein has a lot of work to do.

Can you make a competitive team with your pick of the remaining free agents?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Paul Proia

I was flipping through the list of remaining free agents (as of 1/16/2012) and tried to field the best team possible with those players still available. Here’s what you can do…

Catcher:

The best hitting catcher is probably Ramon Castro, who I see as a DH but can catch some. You have a couple of receivers with good defensive skills but a limited offensive outlook (Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Varitek) and a couple of catchers who have recently been regulars (Chris Snyder, Ronny Paulino). If you took Castro and Rodriguez, at least you’d have someone who could work with the pitchers and throw, and you’d have a decent enough backup who could help put a few runs on the board.

First Baseman:

With Prince Fielder still available, you have the centerpiece of an offense – but you still have some competent backups. Casey Kotchman seems to have found his hitting stroke, and Carlos Pena could help in a platoon role (can’t hit lefties, though). If you weren’t willing to pony up $20 million per year for Fielder, a platoon of Pena and Derrek Lee might give you depth and a solid platoon.

Second Baseman:

Not a lot to choose from here… The best player is probably Carlos Guillen, but he’s only going to play 40 games (not to be mean here, but his injury history is becoming problematic). That leaves you with someone who can, at best, not embarrass you with the glove – Jeff Keppinger, for example – and even play a couple of positions since you may need some flexibility.

Third Baseman:

If you thought the pickings were thin at second, it’s even thinner at third base now. Casey Blake has had a couple of good years, and Wilson Betemit can swing the bat. After that, it’s guys who used to be able to play some (Eric Chavez, Alex Cora, Omar Vizquel).

Shortstop:

Three guys who can’t really cover the position anymore – Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, and Miguel Tejada. The best overall option is probably Cabrera – or letting him play second and moving Keppinger over to play short.

Outfielders:

There are still a few players here who could contribute, but most of these guys are past prime players and few have the wheels to cover center. However, Johnny Damon could still play left, Cody Ross can play right or center (though he’s running out of years he’ll be able to cover center). Kosuke Fukudome is a fantastic right fielder and can still bat leadoff. Behind that you have a couple of guys who could be good fourth outfielders and pinch hitting types – Jonny Gomes, Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre. If you needed a defensive guy, Joey Gathright is there. And, if you want to take a real chance, you could go for Yoenis Cespedes.

A lineup as listed below would score some runs, and probably fight the defense to a draw.

Fukudome – RF
Damon – LF
Guillen – 2B
Fielder – 1B
Castro – C
Ross – CF
Blake – 3B
Keppinger – SS
(Pitcher – assuming a National League team)

Starting Pitchers:

A couple recent signings has killed off much of the top remaining pitchers, but you still have a few guys who can win games. I see a rotation that includes the following as having some potential:

Roy Oswalt
Edwin Jackson
Jon Garland
Joe Saunders
Livan Hernandez

And I’d give a sixth spot to Rich Harden – pitch him until something breaks (which it will). Or, you could take Harden’s stuff and make a closer out of him. Your emergency arm might be Kevin Millwood – I just don’t know if he has one more year left. I’d stash him in AAA until Rich Harden breaks down… The staff is really missing an ace, but you have two guys who can win at the top and three guys who can give you 650 innings at the bottom, which helps the bullpen.

Relievers:

The signing of Ryan Madson takes away the best available closer, but you can do a bullpen by committee and hope someone takes charge. I see the top six arms as follows:

Michael Gonzalez
Danys Baez
Francisco Cordero
Juan Cruz
Brad Lidge
Arthur Rhodes

Out of that list, you can give Lidge the last inning (if he’s healthy) and mix and match the rest to be reasonably effective.

I haven’t done the math on this, but a team with this roster could possibly make a run at 85 wins.

Orioles Start for the Birds…

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Paul Proia

That’s right, the Baltimore Orioles won again last night, the first 4 – 0 start since the last time the Orioles made the playoffs some 14 years ago. Much of this is due to fantastic starting pitching from the young guns – guys like Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman, and Zach Britton. Unfortunately, it’s their 31-year-old ace, Jeremy Guthrie, who will miss at least one start. Guthrie has a virus that has turned into pneumonia and has been hospitalized to deal with high fevers. Brad Bergesen, the fifth starter who wasn’t expected to start for another week, will be asked to make a spot start for Guthrie, who hopes to be back by the tenth. [ESPN]

In other news…

Matt Holiday, who had an appendectomy last Friday, hopes to be back playing this weekend (!) – but Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa is calling him “day to day”. [ESPN]

While Holliday seems to be making strides for an incredibly quick comeback, Milwaukee Brewers Corey Hart is frustrated that he is still unable to make a return to the lineup since suffering a rib injury in late March. The Brewers listed Hart on the 15-day disabled list, but have no timetable for Hart’s return. Meanwhile, teammate Zach Greinke is expected to throw from the mound at some point later this week. Greinke remains on the DL with a cracked rib suffered while playing in a pickup basketball game. [MLB/FoxSports]

Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is day to day with a sprained thumb suffered reaching for an errant Starlin Castro throw. Pena was pulled from Monday’s Chicago victory over Arizona. [MLB]

The Rockies are monitoring a thumb – the cut cuticle on the throwing thumb of ace Ubaldo Jimenez – and are hoping he will not need a stint on the disabled list to allow it to heal. [Fox Buzz/Yard Barker]

Don’t look for this on Craig’s List… Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick’s home was burglarized – among the items taken was his World Series ring. [FoxSports]

On the Transaction Wire…

The Kansas City Royals, tempting fate, have signed Jeff Suppan to a minor league deal. What? Wasn’t Brett Tomko available? (If Suppan makes a start, it’s bad news for the Royals… He’s 36 and his CAREER ERA is almost 4.69. Please say this isn’t going to happen.)

80 Years Ago in The Sporting News…

Hard to say what the top story was as most of baseball was rounding out of spring training and heading toward Opening Day. The April 9th issue featured articles about the unhappy attitudes of Cardinal players over Chick Hafey’s holdout. On the cover were two interesting blurbs about rookie pitchers. The Cardinals were about to give a rotation slot to rookie Paul Derringer. Derringer had won titles in three of four seasons in the minors – as a rookie in 1931, the hardware continued to find Derringer, who won 18 games as a rookie for the eventual World Champions.

The other rookie covered was Henry (Hank) McDonald, who was plucked out of Portland of the Pacific Coast League by Connie Mack. McDonald had a live arm but was a touch wild and, at just 20, was REALLY raw. As a rookie with the A’s in 1931, he struggled, then spent much of the next few years bouncing around the minors. In a short career, McDonald won just 3 of 12 decisions, walking far more batters than he struck out.

More on Lefty George

Yesterday’s post included a comment that Slim Sallee’s career lasted longer than that of Thomas “Lefty” George. Well – that’s not exactly true. Sallee had the longer major league career, but George pitched forever. After making the Browns in 1911, George pitched in the high minors for about a dozen years. Then, returning closer to home, George settled in York, PA – and pitched for various minor league teams in York into his 40s. In the late 1930s, York had a team in the Interstate League, a group of teams in the Middle Atlantic states. It was one of few lower level leagues that played continuously through World War II according to “Baseball Goes to War”, a book by William Mead. Short on arms, the 1943 York White Roses team used Lefty George – then a 56 year old beer salesman – to pitch many home games. He won seven decisions, including a three-hit shutout. George even made two brief appearances a year later. According to Baseball Digest (August, 1949), George had been released by a previous York franchise in 1931 because, at 44, he was getting old. Apparently, he still had 100 innings or so left in his arm…

I see my weekend research project.

Happy Birthday!

Those celebrating with cards, cake, or remembrances include…

Bill Dinneen (1876) – Tigers pitcher who was part of the great Cobb teams between 1908 and 1912. A very good bowler, too.
Rennie Stennett (1951) – Seven hits in a game against the Cubs once…
Ian Stewart (1986) – Rockies slugging infielder
Lastings Milledge (1986) – perpetual prospect, except he’s not.

2011 Season Forecast: Tampa Rays

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Paul Proia

Last Five Seasons:

2010: 96 – 66 (1st AL East)
2009: 84 – 78
2008: 97 – 65 (AL Champs)
2007: 66 – 96
2006: 61 – 101

Runs Scored: 802 (3rd, AL to NYY and BOS)
Runs Allowed: 649 (2nd, AL to OAK)

2010 Recap:

The Rays got off to a great start, winning 17 of 23 in April and extending their hot play into May where, on May 23rd, they went to sleep in first place with a 32 – 12 record. An 11 – 14 stumble in June let the rest of the league back in the race, but once July started, the Rays went back to the front of the division, going 19 – 7, followed by a 17 – 12 August. From there, the Rays seemed to run out of steam, but played .500 ball after September 1st as the Yankees collapsed to take the division crown.

In terms of mid-season transactions, the Rays mostly unloaded parts that weren’t working. They released Pat Burrell and Hank Blalock, for example. They did get Chad Qualls at the trading deadline, but he wasn’t much help down the stretch.

As a team, they hit homers and drew walks, but went through stretches where they couldn’t hit. The Rays were on the wrong end of two no-hitters despite being one of only three teams to score 800 runs. They have pitchers who throw strikes, a rather deep bullpen, and an AMAZING team defense. These two items, as I have written before, make their staff look stronger than it really is.

Starters:

The rotation featured David Price, who had Cy Young worthy numbers in terms of wins (19), ERA (2.72), and strikeouts (188 in 208.2 innings). Price was backed by Matt Garza (15 – 10, 3.91), James Shields (13 – 15, 5.18), Jeff Niemann (12 – 8, 4.39), and rookie Wade Davis (12 – 10, 4.07). However, knowing that the Rays made few errors and turned 14 balls per 1000 into outs more than the average team AND they played in a park that helped the staff, you realize that many of those pitchers aren’t quite as good as advertised. James Shields was more than 50 runs worse than the average pitcher because he puts a lot of balls into play, and he served up 34 homers. Niemann was 19 runs worse than the average pitcher, and Matt Garza – the new Cub – was 14 runs worse than the average pitcher. Wade Davis was also -11.

This isn’t new – I wrote about this a couple of years ago when the Rays made the series. A good defense can make a bunch of pitchers who keep the ball in the park and don’t walk people look very good.

Looking ahead, Matt Garza moved to Chicago where he might get to serve up 50 homers. At least he’s durable. The rest of the rotation returns intact, joined by Jeremy Hellickson, who looked great in his 4 starts last summer. Assuming Shields bounces back some (he can), Davis and Niemann show more growth (possible), and Hellickson remains tolerable over 160 innings, the rotation should be 30 runs better than last year.

Bullpen:

On the other hand, the bullpen was amazing in 2010. Rafael Soriano saved 45 games, supported by Joaquin Benoit and his 1.34 ERA in 63 innings. Dan Wheeler gave them 64 fair innings, Grant Balfour remained dependable, and even Randy Choate and Lance Cormier weren’t horrible. Most of this staff is gone. Right now, the closer looks to be Joel Peralta, the former Royal, Angel, and Rockies reliever who had his best season in 2010 with the Nationals last year – fanning 49 and walking just 9 (4 intentionally) in 49 innings. In front of Peralta is journeyman fireballer, Kyle Farnsworth who has NEVER been as good as Benoit was last year. Andy Sonnenstine, who has a very hittable fastball, is there, with a bunch of newcomers, including Ceasr Ramos and Adam Russell, who came from San Diego for Jason Bartlett. Jake McGee, two years removed from Tommy John surgery, converted to the pen in 2010 and made it to the big leagues. He’s a power lefty with a nice curveball. Chris Archer is another hard thrower who might get time in the bullpen this year. If the starters are going to improve by 30 runs, the bullpen cannot – and no matter what Manager Joe Maddon’s magic, this group will be 50 runs worse than in 2010.

Catching:

John Jaso earned his way ahead of Dioner Navarro and Kelly Shoppach by catching well enough and getting on base at a .375 clip. Teams ran on Jaso some, and the young Jaso has much to learn, but he helps out. Kelly Shoppach struggled at the plate, but did hit 5 homers in 158 at bats. Navarro is gone.

Infield:

A couple of years ago, the infield was a solid Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Akinori Iwamura, and Carlos Pena. Now, only Longoria – an MVP candidate – remains. Longoria can hit and field with the best of them and even stole 15 bases in 20 tries. Bartlett’s bat and glove has fallen off in recent years since he injured his ankle in 2009 and will be replaced by Reid Brignac, who is younger, just as good a hitter, and more mobile. Sean Rodriguez got a chance to play the infield and hits for some power, can run the bases, and is solid in the field. Mr. Everywhere, Ben Zobrist, backs them both up. Carlos Pena is gone, to be replaced by either Dan Johnson (a patient power hitter who, like Pena, failed to hit .200 last year), and possibly Johnny Damon. I think the offense will remain solid, though it could lose 20 runs at first base overall if Johnson can’t improve in 2011.

Outfield:

Carl Crawford had an MVP-type campaign in 2010, fielding as well as any left fielder, and generating nearly 130 runs of offense with the bat (average and some power) as well as his feet (47 steals). He’s in Boston now, with Johnny Damon taking over. Damon is okay, but not anywhere near what Crawford can provide – and he’s going to need time off. Options include Matt Joyce or Sam Fuld. In center, B.J. Upton is still frustratingly productive. He is an above average offensive performer – quick bat, power, speed – but frustrating in that he strikes out a LOT, keeping his average under .240. Defensively, he remains above average but, again, doesn’t seem to be as good as he could be. In right, Ben Zobrist fell off from his 2009 season in terms of average and power, but still was productive because he plays solid defense and gets on base. (I’d let Joyce play left all year and see if he can hit 30 homers knowing he’s a better fielder than Damon, too. Damon can DH and back up three positions, even providing some production.)

DH:

Pat Burrell couldn’t cut it and Hank Blalock wasn’t the answer. Willy Aybar fell off last year, though Matt Joyce might have been a decent answer if they let him do it. Looking ahead, though, the Rays took a cheap flyer on the craziest great hitter of the last two decades, Manny Ramirez. Say what you will about him, Manny can STILL hit. He missed a lot of time last year, but when he left Los Angeles, he was hitting .311, with a .410 OBA, and a .510 SLG. He didn’t hit as well with the White Sox, but he had a .420 OBP. He won’t do that in Tampa, but he could certainly go 20 – 110 – .285, with walks and doubles. Johnny Damon could platoon some with him, letting Matt Joyce play left field.

Down on the Farm:

Jeremy Hellickson we noted – the new fifth starter for the Rays – as he went 12 – 3 with 123Ks in 117.2 innings for AAA Durham. Desmond Jennings, a potential Carl Crawford clone, fell off in terms of his batting average, but he still gets on base and he can FLY.

Jake McGee made it from Montgomery in AA through Durham before getting a cup of coffee with the Rays. In AA, McGee fanned 100 in 88.1 innings, showed good command (getting better, anyway), and looked awesome in 11 AAA appearances (27Ks, 3 walks, one ER in 17.1 innings). Alex Torres and Alexander Cobb were solid for Montgomery, winning records, good strikeout rates. Cobb has better control, but both are young and will spend 2011 in Durham.

Former #1 pick Tim Beckham finished his season with A+ Charlotte and seems to have stalled, but having watched him in the minors, he sure is the one guy on the field you can’t help but notice. He’s still only 21, so there is time for a step forward. The best of Charlotte is the young staff, led by Matt Moore, who fanned 208 in 144.2 innings with his powerful fastball and curveball. Joe Cruz showed solid command, going 13 – 6 – 2.85 in his 142 innings and will start 2011 in AA. Then you have reliever Zach Quate, who fanned 90 in 72.1 innings, saving 25 games, with great control.

Forecasting 2011:

I don’t see how the Rays are going to repeat winning the AL East crown in 2011, but they won’t be bad and they should take a Wild Card spot. The rotation may be slightly better, but the bullpen will be well off from last year. The defense will be better at short (Brignac is better than Bartlett), but worse in left (Damon or Joyce instead of Crawford) and I’m not sure Johnson is better than an aging Carlos Pena at first. The catching might improve a touch, and more Jaso is better than more Dioner Navarro offensively. The Rays are better at DH.

I see the offense being good, but a touch worse – maybe 770 runs. And the runs allowed number will likely go up by 30 runs to about 680. That puts the Rays at 91 wins, which some will see as a surprise – but not me.

2010 Top AL First Basemen

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Paul Proia

Mark Teixeira – NYY (97.7 Runs Created, 31.7 Runs Saved = 129.4 Total Runs Productivity)

His batting average never recovered from a miserable .136 April but he continued to show power (69 extra base hits) and kept reaching base. Additionally, he had one of those years where his defensive stats were outstanding – nobody fluctuates more than Teixeira for some reason, but he’s been in a lot of different stadiums over the last few years. I’m not sure that I’d take him over Cabrera or even Butler for 2011, but he’s been the new Rafael Palmeiro in terms of hitting consistency. Will pass 300 homers this year assuming he staus healthy (never less than 30 since 2003) and probably 1000 RBIs, too (seven straight over 100 RBI). Turns 31 just after Opening Day, so he’s got at least five or six good years left, wouldn’t you think?

Miguel Cabrera – DET (147.0 Runs Created, – 19.9 Runs Saved = 127.1 Total Runs Productivity)

The most feared hitter in the AL right now – power, batting average, decent enough eye. He’s starting to look thicker like Manny Ramirez, who is the the person Cabrera reminds me of the most. Per game, Youkilis is more productive, but Cabrera doesn’t miss games. The Marlins should have kept him and just given him shares of ownership or something.

Paul Konerko – CHI (119.0 Runs Created, -10.2 Runs Saved = 108.8 Total Runs Productivity)

A fantastic season for the White Sox first baseman. Konerko hit a ton, doesn’t necessarily help with the glove, and has been rather productive for a number of years now. It was his sixth 30 homer season, fifth of at least 100 RBI, and third time clearing .300 in batting average. Turns 35 in March, so don’t be surprised if there’s a drop off this year. Adam Dunn will give Konerko a break between DH duties and add even more thunder to the middle of the lineup.

Billy Butler – KC (109.3 Runs Created, -1.3 Runs Saved = 108.0 Total Runs Productivity)

Konerko edged Butler by a shade less than a run, but I’d rather have Butler. He’s worked hard to become a tolerable defensive player, he doesn’t have the top end power of Cabrera but he’s a threat to get 200 hits a year, and he’s capable of hitting 25 homers (or more) at some point – based on his hitting 45 doubles last year and 51 in 2009. If you are in a keeper fantasy league, go get him.

Kevin Youkilis – BOS (82.8 Runs Created, 17.8 Runs Saved = 100.6 Total Runs Productivity)

An injury ended his season after just 102 games, but few people actually produce a full productive run per game and Youkilis nearly did just that. When Mike Lowell was forced to play there more regularly, he looked okay defensively (as you might expect), but he didn’t generate any offense, which contributed to the Red Sox falling off as the season progressed. Is Kevin Youkilis a potential Hall of Famer? Let the discussion begin. Adrian Gonzalez, imported from San Diego, will take over the role, moving Youkilis over to third base.

Michael Cuddyer – MIN (88.9 Runs Created, 1.2 Runs Saved = 90.1 Total Runs Productivity)

Justin Morneau was hitting like Ted Williams when a concussion ended his season after just 81 games. Cuddyer took over down the stretch and was very good. He played the position well enough (he actually saved 4.5 runs as a first baseman but gave a few runs away in the outfield) and hits for power among his other virtues. Morneau says he’ll be ready for spring training, and the Twins hope he’s at 100% when the season starts. If not, Cuddyer is a fine alternative.

Ty Wigginton – BAL (72.2 Runs Created, 15.0 Runs Saved = 87.2 Total Runs Productivity)

Wigginton, who can play all over the infield and outfield, got the lion’s share of innings and was surprisingly effective as a first baseman, if not quite a solid offensive contributor. His 22 homers and 76 RBIs look okay, but the .248/.415/.316 percentage line as a bit weak for the position. In the SI baseball preview, Joe Sheehan suggested that Garrett Atkins was a lousy short-term solution for a team that should be focusing on youth. Atkins hit .214 with 1 homer in 140 at bats – nailing that prediction.

Daric Barton – OAK (92.7 Runs Created, -17.3 Runs Saved = 75.4 Total Runs Productivity)

Oakland says they are happy with Barton, who is a poor man’s Mark Grace. Barely enough power but gets on base a lot, hits a few doubles. However, he doesn’t seem to have Grace’s defensive skills. To his credit, he’s gotten better every year, he’s just 25, and he has room to grow. If he can find his comfort zone defensively and add a little more offense, he’d get to 100 runs of productivity for sure, which would make him a more valuable commodity.

Carlos Pena – TB (72.6 Runs Created, 0.5 Runs Saved = 73.1 Total Runs Productivity)

The Cubs payed $10 million for a guy who got 95 hits in 571 plate appearances. Still has power, still has a great eye, but strikes out a ton and is no longer a defensive force as he ages. If he hits .240 as a Cub, I’ll take it – but I’ll also be surprised.

Justin Morneau – MIN (81.9 Runs Created, -12.0 Runs Saved = 69.9 Total Runs Productivity)

A concussion suffered when getting kneed in the head while sliding into second base ended his season. A ferocious hitter, but a brick with the glove. See Michael Cuddyer, above.

Lyle Overbay – TOR (74.4 Runs Created, -6.5 Runs Saved = 67.9 Total Runs Productivity)

Showed a little power to make up for his fading batting average, still draws a few walks. His strikeout rate makes you nervous and he no longer flashes the leather as well as he used to. He’s outside the top ten at his position, and that means he’s won a job in Pittsburgh. At least he’s durable, right? Looking over the Blue Jays roster, does this mean Adam Lind or Travis Snider or Jose Bautista or someone is moving over? Watch the Jays in Spring Training and see what happens.

Justin Smoak – TEX/SEA (40.6 Runs Created, 17.5 Runs Saved = 58.1 Total Runs Productivity)

Should get the Seattle job in 2011, unless Mariners management goes through another round of goofiness. Didn’t hit very well and needs to show improvement, but he did flash leather in two cities. Still a kid – worth giving 500 at bats to see what happens. See Casey Kotchman, below.

Mike Napoli – LAA (73.1 Runs Created, -19.2 Runs Saved = 53.3 Total Runs Productivity)

See Kendry Morales, below. Played first because he was probably the best option when Morales went down but really isn’t a first baseman. May get time there in Texas for 2011, but I’d rather see him catch five days and DH twice a week.

Kendry Morales – LAA (35.1 Runs Created, 11.2 Runs Saved = 46.3 Total Runs Productivity)

Mike Napoli played 140 more innings because Morales went down to a freak leg injury celebrating a home run. Morales was pacing for about 135 runs of total productivity, which would have placed him ahead of Cabrera, when he was sidelined. Hits for power and average, great range – a fantastic player. His injury, as much as anything, cost the Angels the AL West. It forced an out of position player to first and put a bad hitter in the lineup – costing the team about 80 runs over the course of the season.

Casey Kotchman – SEA (43.4 Runs Created, -5.9 Runs Saved = 37.5 Total Runs Productivity)

I’m not sure what Seattle was thinking here – Kotchman hasn’t been consistent as a Mark Grace type, falling off to hitting just .217 last year. He gets raves for his glove, but hasn’t been consistent there, either. They should have just committed to Russell Branyan, given him a decent check, and let him come to the park confident in having a job. If Seattle is serious about contending, they need to find 70 more runs at this position in 2011. Justin Smoak was imported from Texas for Branyan and has power and a decent eye, seems to be a much better fielder. A full season of Smoak, especially if he can improve from .218 to .260 and hit 25 homers, would be worth at least 45 more runs. If Kotchman gets a full season of at bats anymore, I’ll be stunned.

Mitch Moreland – TEX (24.5 Runs Created, -3.3 Runs Saved = 21.2 Total Runs Productivity)

Chris Davis had the job but couldn’t hit .200. Justin Smoak got a chance, wasn’t horrible, but was sent to Seattle for Russell Branyan. Jorge Cantu was imported from Florida and didn’t really earn much playing time. Mitch Moreland took over down the stretch and was pretty good – hit for power, got on base, did the job at first – though he needs to get comfortable there and a full season later he might not be too bad. He’s low down the list now, but expect him to move up a few notches in 2011.

Matt LaPorta – CLE (42.9 Runs Created, -25.0 Runs Saved = 17.9 Total Runs Productivity)

Russell Branyan came over from Seattle and was far more productive in his 47 games at first (32.8 total runs) than LaPorta, who played 93 games at first and another seven in left field and butchered it both offensively and defensively. Of course, Branyan doesn’t have a job and LaPorta is listed at the top of the depth chart heading into Spring Training. Pity my friends who are Cleveland fans.

2010 Season Forecast: Tampa Rays

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Paul Proia

Last Five Seasons:

2009: 84 – 78 (3rd AL East)
2008: 97 – 65
2007: 66 – 96
2006: 61 – 101
2005: 67 – 95

Runs Scored: 803 (5th AL)
Runs Allowed: 754 (7th AL)

Season Recap:

Optimism reigned supreme on the heels of an amazing run into to the World Series. I warned you, however, that while the team looked good there were reasons to suspect that the Rays might under-perform. The Rays were good, but couldn’t catch any breaks on the road and, as such, couldn’t keep up with the Yankees or Red Sox when the race got going.

The Rays were never really out of it despite a 9 – 14 April, and after a fantastic June (19 – 7) were in the thick of the race. Unfortunately, the Yankees blew the doors open in July and August while the Rays suddenly got flat. Scott Kazmir, unhealthy and unproductive was sent to Anaheim. Carlos Pena, leading the AL in homers at the time, broke his wrist. Troy Percival was injured and eventually hung up the spikes. When September came calling, the Rays were far enough out to throw in the towel – and they did, fading from 13 over .500 to just six over at the end.

Pitching:

In 2008, backed by a sure-handed and mobile defense, the pitching over delivered. In 2009, the defense slipped and a few holes were discovered in the rotation. Matt Garza became the ace and James Shields – usually dependable – gave up 239 hits in 220 innings, 29 of them homers. Scott Kazmir made just 20 starts and finished with an ERA just shy of 6.00… Andy Sonnestine, as warned, was eminently hittable, finishing with a 6.77 ERA and earning the Anti-Cy – the pitcher costing his team the most runs with his below average pitching.

Two good things came out of the experimenting required by Joe Maddon. Rookie David Price showed flashes, winning 10 games, and Jeff Niemann was even better, making 30 starts, winning 13 games, and showing good control and command.

In the bullpen, Troy Percival made just 14 appearances, eventually having to be replaced by J.P. Howell at the back end of the bullpen. However, Maddon used a committee as required, as Randy Choate (5), Grant Balfour (4), Joe Nelson (3), and four others wound up with saves.

Looking ahead, the Rays should have a decent enough rotation. Shields should bounce back some, Garza is back, Niemann returns, Price will get 30+ starts, and rookie Wade Davis should pick up 20 – 25 starts. If Davis is even 10 runs below average, he’s saving the team 25 runs over last season. 15 more starts of David Price will be worth another 30 runs. I like the rotation to be at least 50 runs better than in 2009.

The bullpen adds closer Rafael Soriano from Atlanta and returns the core of what has been a very dependable bullpen – Howell, Choate, Balfour, and Dan Wheeler. I like the bullpen to be at least 15 runs better than in 2009 as well.

Catching:

Dioner Navarro is back – hopefully lighter than last year, as his bat slipped mightily in 2009. He’s essentially a league average backstop – right on the average against the run, has a decent reputation with handling the pitchers but isn’t as mobile as you would like. Kelly Shoppach was signed from Cleveland to back up Navarro – and he is good enough to take up the slack if Navarro slips some more.

Infield:

In 2008, the infield defense was a big reason that the Rays won the AL East. However, Carlos Pena showed signed that he might not be as mobile as he had been as a gold glove caliber first baseman. Additionally, his batting average fell to .227, though he did continue to get on base and knock out homers. Pena has had an up and down career and, nearing 32, his prime seasons are nearly over.

Akinori Iwamura went down to a horrible knee injury, but returns to play for Pittsburgh. The reason Iwamura was allowed to move was the remarkable season of Ben Zobrist, who fielded his position very well and broke out with 27 homers and a .407 OBP.

Jason Bartlett hit better than expected – finishing at .320 with a .490 slugging percentage – but ankle injuries affected his range and he went from someone worth of a gold glove to someone challenging Derek Jeter for the worst range at short. One hopes he finds his old mobility, but if he produces 103 runs of offense, nobody will notice.

Evan Longoria remains the best third baseman in baseball – he looks like the new Mike Schmidt. A 40 homer season wouldn’t be out of the question, as he finished with 33 homers in 2009 and had 44 doubles, too.

Backing this unit up is Willie Aybar, who can play third and first and hit well enough. Reid Brignac is a prospect who appears to have hitting skills but hasn’t shown range in the field.

Outfield:

Carl Crawford returns in left field, as good a fielder as there is out in left and a very productive hitter. Crawford is known for his 60 stolen bases, but he added 51 extra base hits while hitting .305.

B.J. Upton will be the wild card of 2010. Battling shoulder and leg injuries, Upton’s range numbers in the outfield were problematic and he finished at .241 and didn’t slug .400. For a while, Upton was at the top of the lineup and getting in the way. If he bounces back and shows the form he displayed in the 2008 World Series, the Rays will get 30 extra runs of offense and 20 extra runs of defense. If not, the Rays may not be able to compete.

Gabe Kapler and Gabe Gross shared right field (with Ben Zobrist, until he moved to second base). Both are acceptable in the field, but don’t add much to the offense. Matt Joyce, formerly of Detroit, may get the nod in 2010. He’s got young legs and potential at the plate – 30 homer power though he might not make it if he doesn’t curb the strikeouts. Desmond Jennings, a prospect at Durham, might sneak in and take over as well.

Backing these guys up are Zobrist and Aybar, as well as DH (and disappointment) Pat Burrell. Burrell’s 14 – 64 – .221 season meant that the Rays will give former Ranger Hank Blalock a shot at the DH role in 2010.

Prospects:

Looking at AAA Durham, you see people who have already gotten a shot… Justin Ruggiano has some power and speed but is a bit old as a prospect. Reid Brignac and Matt Joyce are already Rays. Among the pitchers, Wade Davis is going to make the roster after going 10 – 8 for the Bulls with a 3.40 ERA and a 140/60 K/BB ratio in 158.2 innings. Jeremy Hellickson will likely start at Durham in 2010, but was 6 – 1 in nine starts at the end of the season last year with 70 Ks in 57.1 innings. Hellickson is the ace in waiting for now.

Hellickson had 11 starts for AA Montgomery, winning three of four decisions with 62 Ks, 14 BBs, and only 41 hits allowed in 56.2 innings. Only reliever Paul Phillips looked ready for AAA. Aneury Rodriguez is young (22) and pitched okay for the Biscuits but could stand to improve his control. The best hitter in AA was Desmond Jennings, who finished at .316 with 37 steals (caught just five times), earning a nod to Durham where he hit .325 there with 15 more steals. Jennings could take over in centerfield if Upton gets hurt.

A+ Charlotte has a few pitchers to watch in AA next year to see if they can continue to command the strike zone in Jeremy Hall, Alexander Cobb, and Darin Downs. All three had good ERAs, good strikeout and walk numbers, and winning records.

Bowling Green (A) featured Matt Moore, a live-armed kid who fanned 176 but walked 70 in 123 innings. Josh Satow was the closer, getting 20 saves, strikeing out 65 and walking just 15 in 63 innings. Andy Finch and I saw Tim Beckham and Kyeong Kang when touring the midwest last summer. Beckham has the air of stardom and is still a teen. Kang looks to have a little power, hit .307 and had a .390 OBP.

The Rays have a young roster, and they have PROSPECTS.

Outlook:

I like the Rays to be very competitive. Unlike 2009, where I thought the team might take a step back from the World Series peak, I see reasons for optimism. I think the starters, absent Sonnestine and Kazmir’s poor performances, will show improvement. I like B.J. Upton’s chances of having a breakout season. And, I’m optimistic that the Rays can close games better than in 2009. Working against that is the fact that I think Zobrist may slip, Pena might age, and Bartlett may have peaked as a hitter.

I think the Rays will score a few more runs – maybe 810 – but allow a lot less, possibly as few as 680 runs. If so, the Rays will win 95 games. Working against this is the strength of the division, which includes what should be an improving Baltimore club. So, despite what the system tells me, my hunch is that they might fall a few wins short of 95, and it might mean barely missing the playoffs. Still, the system says 95 and that’s what I am putting on my board.

Top AL First Basemen in 2009

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Paul Proia

Let’s put some of this fun data together and look at the top players by position. Today, we’ll start with the AL First Basemen.

What I have done is taken the basic runs created data (an older Bill James formula modified to account for the park in which that player played) and my defensive runs saved data and combined them into a Total Run Production number. The best players will create the most runs offensively and prevent the most runs defensively.

Kendry Morales (LAA) – Now THAT’S an impact season. You start with the power and average – 34 – 108 – .306. He didn’t walk a lot, but he added more than 40 doubles, too. Morales is also a very mobile first baseman – more mobile than Teixeira. I show him creating about 115 runs of offense and then saving his team about 38 runs defensively. This isn’t the first time that he’s had impressive defensive stats at first. In more than 450 innings there in 2006 he was very good and in 121 innings in 2007 he had similar range numbers. (115.4 Runs Created, 37.8 Runs Saved = 153.20 Total Run Production)

Mark Teixeira (NYY) – It was close, but Morales’ defensive numbers put him over the top. I’m not suggesting that Teixeira is BAD defensively. He’s not. He’s got soft hands and makes many, many impressive plays. However, in the last four years he’s been all over the map. Not so good in Texas, decent in a half season in Atlanta. Then, after a slower start in ATL in 2008, he was very good with the Angels. He was above average last year with the Yankees. As a hitter, Tex was worth 20 more runs, but as a fielder, Morales made up for it with about five runs to spare. I think I’d rather have Tex on my fantasy team, though. (135.6 Runs Created, 12.7 Runs Saved = 148.32 Total Run Production)

Miguel Cabrera (DET) – An alcohol problem surfaced in 2009 and yet he was still very productive. Hopefully, a cleaner Cabrera will have a breakout season in 2010. In 2009, he wasn’t half bad at first base and he remains one of the most productive hitters at any position. I’d draft him. (132.7 Runs Created, 0.9 Runs Saved = 133.62 Total Run Production)

Kevin Youkilis (BOS) – A great fielder at two positions, Boston looks to get more time for Youkilis at first base with Adrian Beltre playing the hot corner. Where the top three guys were all 30 – 100 – .300 types, Youk was 27 – 94 .305 – just a notch below them in power, but just as patient (if not more so) at the plate. (109.6 Runs Created, 14.9 Runs Saved = 124.45 Total Run Production)

Russell Branyan (SEA) – Finally getting a full season of at bats (well, he was injured at the end of the year), Branyan delivered the goods. Solid power and patience, but a lower batting average (.251) than the top tier guys. And, Branyan was surprisingly good at first base, showing well above average range. Seattle turned a negative to a huge positive in 2009. That being said, he still didn’t get to 500 plate appearances and he’s 34. I bet Branyan would like a second shot at his career – but this might have been his best chance and it took forever for someone (Cleveland) to sign him. People must not think he can repeat what he did last year. (81.2 Runs Created, 24.4 Runs Saved = 105.66 Total Run Production)

Paul Konerko (CHI) – The really slow start messed with what was really a pretty good season. Konerko had an average season defensively and a shade more than 90 runs of offense. The issue, of course, is that he’s running out of prime years, turning 34 in Spring Training… (92.5 Runs Created, 7.3 Runs Saved = 99.85 Total Run Production)

Billy Butler (KC) – If you are looking for a sleeper for your fantasy team, you could do worse than drafting this guy… Butler can hit .300 with some power – which will likely get better as he ages. He’s still young and his defense, while not great, wasn’t miserably bad. Personally, I’d rather have Butler than Konerko next year. (103.1 Runs Created, -10.8 Runs Saved = 92.29 Total Run Production.)

Carlos Pena (TB) – Still has world class power (39 homers despite missing a month), but his batting average tanked to .227. He’s NOT a .300 hitter, and I don’t think he’s really a .227 hitter. However, he’s coming off a bad wrist injury and is now 32 (well – he will be in May). His defense is still solid, but it’s not what it once was. Watch how he does in the spring and steal him if he gets off to a decent start. (91.3 Runs Created, .7 Runs Saved = 92.02 Total Run Production)

Lyle Overbay (TOR) – His defense, normally awesome, slipped in 2009. His offense, normally tolerable, slipped in 2009. Overbay isn’t going to hit 20 homers and unless he’s hitting close to .300 and hitting a bunch of doubles and cutting down grounders and line drives to right field, he’s gaining on losing his job to Adam Lind… He might bounce back some, but he’s not high on my draft list. (76.1 Runs Created, -1.8 Runs Saved = 74.31 Total Run Production)

Justin Morneau (MIN) – If healthy, Justin Morneau will likely move back up the list in 2010. However, with stress fractures in his back last year, his batting tanked in the late summer and he couldn’t move well enough in the field. He generated 90 runs of offense (most of it before the All-Star break), which is okay, but he gave 20 back with his defense – hence the low rating. (91.4 Runs Created, -20.51 Runs Saved = 70.92 Total Run Production)

Ryan Garko (CLE) – No longer an Indian, Garko was replaced by Andy Marte after being dealt to San Francisco – and Victor Martinez got several innings here, too. Garko’s net production among two teams was 64.50 (56.5 Runs Created with 8 Runs Saved). The job may well get split again this year among Marte and Travis Hafner. Marte, a long time prospect who turned 26 in the offseason, looked like he hadn’t spent much time there and Victor Martinez looked like a catcher trying to play first base. To be fair, a full season of Garko wouldn’t be horrible – it might be better than having Lyle Overbay these days. Roster Update!!! The Indians signed Russell Branyan to a one-year deal as spring training started – so if Branyan is healthy, the Indians could have a solid answer for 2010.

Aubrey Huff (BAL) – Now plying his trade for San Francisco, Huff had an off season to say the least. Between two teams, Huff’s total production was 58.70 runs (63.8 Runs Created, but -5.1 runs saved). The new first baseman could be Michael Aubrey, a former Indian prospect who has some skills and the same, albeit displaced, name. He’s going to field a little better than Huff and he MIGHT hit pretty well, too. Suffering through injuries in the minor leagues, Baltimore hopes this Aubrey is a late bloomer. God forbid they have to play Garrett Atkins there.

Chris Davis (TEX) – Shared the role with Hank Blalock, none of which is the answer… At least Davis has some range and a little power but he sure does strikeout a lot. If you combine Davis and Blalock, the total production is close to the production of Carlos Pena and his backups… (47.4 Runs Created, 10.1 Runs Saved = 57.44 Total Run Production)

Daric Barton (OAK) – Barton took over for Jason Giambi and wasn’t horrible. He fielded the position well and he gets on base some – though you wish he had a little more power. He’s 70% of Mark Grace, but he’s 24 and has a little room left to grow… The A’s could choose to go with Eric Chavez here if they let Kevin Kouzmanoff play third base all season. Barton also serves as the emergency catcher, having started his career as a catcher out of high school.

Quick Notes… Having done this, the median starting first baseman in the AL produced about 92 runs for his team and the replacement level would have been about 70 runs of production. The latter seems a little low in that Minnesota’s final number, if you included the time spent at first base by Michael Cuddyer, would have been closer to 85 or 90 runs. So, more realistically, your first basemen have to generate at least 90 runs of production lest they need to be replaced. Morales and Teixeira were, in essence, about six wins better than the average first baseman.

Trade Analysis: Angels get Kazmir from Rays for Prospects

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Paul Proia

The stunner of the waiver wire trading period (August), the Angels bolstered their rotation by adding one-time Tampa Rays ace Scott Kazmir to the pitching staff. Tampa gets pitcher Alexander Torres, third baseman Matthew Sweeney, and a player to be named later.

Angels Get: A legitimate rotation ace with a history of beating the Red Sox and Yankees, two teams that the Angels would likely face in the playoffs. Kazmir isn’t without his issues… He’s had a couple of nagging injuries and his control isn’t what it should be. But, he has a live arm, strikes batters out, and was a winner back when the Rays weren’t. Kazmir is signed through 2011 and the club would hold an option for 2012 – all at very reasonable prices for someone of Kazmir’s ability – especially if he can make 30 starts a year for the next three seasons.

Rays Get: Alexander Torres is a 21-year-old arm who looks a bit like a minor league version of Kazmir. He gets strikeouts, he walks a lot of guys, and he just got promoted to AA where he was figuring things out there. I like that in addition to the peripheral stats, he has a winning record. Matthew Sweeney is a 21-year-old third baseman who is two or three years away, but has power and is figuring out the strikezone. Of course, his future is blocked at third base by Evan Longoria, but he could move to first base by 2012 when Carlos Pena might start running out of years.

Winner? Hard not to like this as more beneficial for the Angels – but since it’s a pitcher, you just never know. Kazmir is a known quantity, he’s still young, and he’s successful. On the Angels, he could win 20 games in 34 starts. My fear is that the inability to control the strikezone might derail either Rays prospect – but in the case of the Rays, they also save some dough which will be needed to pay James Shields or David Price or Tim Beckham one day… I’ll give the slight edge to LA.

2009 Season Forecast: Tampa Rays

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Paul Proia

Tampa Bay Rays
2008: 97-65 (1st AL East, League Champions)
Runs Scored: 774
Runs Allowed: 671

What a ride! A team that had never before approached .500 made a series of impressive moves, getting younger and more talented, adding a key veteran as necessary, and getting skilled guidance from a manager who looks like a science teacher and believes in winning.

At the outset, many people predicted that they would be improved. A few people, including me, thought they would be above .500 and possibly competitive – and the Rays went further than that. They held down the high powered offenses of the AL East, held off Boston not only for the division crown but also for a trip to the World Series, and look to be a team that might be among the best teams in the AL for the foreseeable future.

Looking Back on 2008

To anyone who really studied what the Rays did, you really have to start with the defense. In 2007, there were a TON of holes. You had two outfielders who couldn’t find their way to the ball in Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes. You had weak play at second and short, especially Brendan Harris – who really is better than he played in 2007, but wasn’t very good that year. The bullpen was atrocious and a few starters were not long term solutions but just warm bodies, which meant that there were too many people on base. Batters would walk or the ball would find holes or even leave the park. The 2007 Rays allowed more than 900 runs.

The trade of Harris and Young to Minnesota for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza immediately improved the team by 70 runs. Bartlett is an amazing shortstop, acrobatic and sure. Garza is a legitimate starter – an upgrade over Casey Fossum. Getting Evan Longoria to the big leagues and moving Akinori Iwamura to second put a tremendous defender at the hot corner, and Iwamura was solid at second. Not especially rangy, but good on the double play and not prone to errors.

What this did, of course, by strengthening the infield defense (Strengthen? It was air tight!) was give the Rays pitchers confidence that no matter where the ball was put in play, it was going to be turned into an out. So, pitchers just needed to throw strikes. If they did that, they would strike a few more people out and the fielders would turn batted balls into outs. Stress free pitching.

When it was all over, the Rays pitchers were near the top of the league in strikeouts. They cut the walks down – they allowed fewer free passes than the league average. The high strikeout count meant fewer balls in play, but even there it didn’t matter because no team in the American League was even CLOSE to the efficiency of the Rays defense. Nobody turned more balls in play into outs than Tampa. And, those that got on base were removed by double plays at a well above league average rate. Oh, and the catching was above average against the run, and with hardly anyone on base anyway, nobody allowed fewer stolen bases than Tampa.

Oh yeah. The offense wasn’t horrible either. About as good as the Yankees last year.

One other quick thing before we talk about the specifics – the pitching staff was remarkably healthy. Scott Kazmir was out a little early in the year, but after that you had four guys make at least 30 starts and Kazmir had 27 starts. Troy Percival injured his hamstring at the end of the season, but the rest of the staff was pretty stable. And that didn’t hurt either.

Tell me about that offense

Looking up and down the lineup, what you see are no superstars, but no weak sisters either. The average hitter can be expected to put about 4.7 runs per 27 outs on the scoreboard, no regular on the Rays was below that.

Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena serve as the power bookends. Pena dropped a bit from 2007’s peak season numbers, but still hit 32 homers and knocked in 102. He strikes out a lot (166 times), but he draws walks. Longoria, for a rookie, hit like Mike Lowell in his early years – good power, RBIs, and a decent .272 batting average. Had he played a full season of games, he would have cleared 30 – 100 himself. In between, Iwamura and Bartlett weren’t huge run producers, but slapped the ball around enough to contribute. Backup Willy Aybar had a decent season – mid range power, a few walks, and above league average production in 300-plus at bats.

In the outfield, B. J. Upton’s power numbers were down – he and Carl Crawford had similar power numbers – but both contributed offensively. In Upton’s case, he’s still young and the Up(ton) side is scary high. A collection of helpers played in right and the designated hitter role, all being productive when called upon. Cliff Floyd, Rocco Baldelli, Ben Zobrist, Gabe Gross, and Eric Hinske all contributed – giving the Rays a variety of options for the daily scorecard.

Behind the plate, Dioner Navarro just missed .300 by a couple of hits – and had a number of game changing hits. His backup, Shawn Riggans, was one of only two players with at least 80 at bats who was a below average run producer (Johnny Gomes was the other). However, neither was WAY below average – they just didn’t have big seasons in about 150 at bats.

Defensively:

I discussed the net results before – but here are the details. Longoria had a positive range factor of 6.3 – meaning he made six plays more than the average third basemen for every 800 balls in play. He also started 26 double plays while making only 12 errors, which means that he helped save his pitchers some 15 runs over the course of the season. Iwamura was average in terms of range, but well above average in his double play ratio (109 DPs, only 7 errors), so he helped save another three or four runs. Bartlett’s range is slightly better than Longoria’s (6.5); he was saving his team twelve runs. Despite all three fielders making more plays than expected, Pena continued with his solid defensive play, making an above average number of plays after taking out the assists of his fielders.

Crawford and Upton were better than average fielders, each saving his team more than 10 runs with above average range. Hinske was great in right, not so good in left, but the net was okay. Gabe Gross came over and gave the team seven above average fielders behind the pitcher on a day-to-day basis. Johnny Gomes and Hinske were the only regulars to show below average defensive numbers. Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist were decent fielding options.

Dioner Navarro was a pretty good catcher, though slightly mistake prone and not necessarily very mobile. Riggans is a solid number two, and even better than Navarro against the run.

Now Pitching…

Knowing how good the defense was, you have to look at the pitchers a bit differently. Both James Shields and Scott Kazmir are good pitchers – but they are not GREAT pitchers. They had a lot of help. Matt Garza was actually slightly below average once you remove the help of his defenders, and both Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnestine were below average.

The average ERA in the AL last year was 4.34. For Tampa Bay, the team finished at 3.82. However, by my count, the team’s defense was 109 runs better than the average AL squad. That means that, on the whole, the Rays pitching was actually slightly WORSE than average.

Pitcher	Innings	Runs Allowed	Modified Runs Allowed	RA/9	MRA/9
Scott Kazmir	152.33	61	73	3.60	4.31
James Shields	215	94	112	3.93	4.69
Matt Garza	184.67	83	99	4.05	4.82
Andy Sonnestine	193.33	105	125	4.89	5.82
Edwin Jackson	183.33	91	108	4.47	5.30

Looking at it this way, only the top two starters were better than league average (and Shields only barely), Garza was at league average (slightly below, actually), and Jackson and Sonnestine will be fighting for a job once David Price is moved into the rotation.

The bullpen had a couple of great performances from Grant Balfour and J.P Howell – but the rest were average to below average performances. (Okay, Dan Wheeler was above average, too.) The good news was that, with five guys logging more innings than any Rays staff before, the bullpen wasn’t usually exposed. And, they got help from the defense behind them. The weakest reliever in a key role was Troy Percival. Balfour’s season, even after taking the defense into consideration, was truly remarkable. Less than a hit allowed every HALF inning, 82 strikouts in 58.1 innings, only three homers allowed. One of the greatest seasons by a middle reliever/set up man ever. By the way, moving Price to the closer role in the playoffs was a necessity – the rest of the bullpen after Balfour and Howell weren’t all that good anyway.

Forecasting 2009:

Last year, the Rays scored 774 runs and allowed just 671. So, to remain at 90+ wins, they have to keep things the same – outscore their opponents by 100 runs.

The only real change on offense will be replacing Cliff Floyd and Johnny Gomes with Pat Burrell at the DH position. Burrell is a consistent hitter and if he can stay involved in games (and not have to play the field), that could be worth 10 or 15 more runs. The rest of the offense (and defense) is relatively unchanged. While the players might be a little better, the only ones who have a chance to be REALLY improved are B. J. Upton and Evan Longoria. Upton is coming off of shoulder surgery in November, so he might not be ready on opening day. Longoria could step up, too, but his replacement (Willie Aybar) had a good season last year anyway – so it might only net to about five runs. Longoria might have a sophomore slump for a short period of time and have to get his bearings. If he doesn’t, though, he could have a Matt Williams type season. Maybe a peak Troy Glaus season. If so, that’s a ten to fifteen run increase. Since so many bench players had solid seasons, it’s not unreasonable to think that one or two of them might not have a good run in 150 at bats – so that would negate that benefit. I think the Rays MIGHT get to 800 runs, but more realistically, they’ll be not too far off from where they are now.

Defensively, the team will remain solid if everyone remains healthy and Pat Burrell isn’t asked to play the field. If so, life is good and the pitchers will benefit. If not – especially if the lost player is Bartlett or Iwamura, or even Upton, that means trouble – ten to fifteen runs of trouble. The one real opportunity for immediate improvement is the addition of David Price to the rotation. Price will certainly be an upgrade on Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnestine, so that could make up for 20 runs of potential decline in other areas. Howell, Wheeler, and Balfour were so good last year that they really can’t be expected to turn in the same seasons, and if Percival really is the closer, this could be a problem because the defense hid the fact that he really wasn’t all that good. Jason Isringhausen got a non-roster invite to spring training, and I hope he isn’t pressed into closer duty.

Throw in the fact that the Rays were actually a little bit over their heads last year (the Blue Jays had essentially the same differential in runs scored and runs allowed, but finished with an unlucky 86 wins), and one wonders if the Rays might actually decline a little bit. A slow start or small slump, and the team struggles with expectations – next thing you know it’s 85 – 77 and not 95 – 67. My best guess is that the team will win 92 games and be right in the thick of the playoff hunt. If Las Vegas odds makers have the Rays winning 92, though, I’m playing the under.

Down on the Farm…

Justin Ruggiano was the best outfielder and hitter at AAA Durham, hitting 11 homers with 20 steals – a good combination of speed and power – in just half a season. However, he doesn’t walk much (22 in about 280 plate appearances). Still, he’s as good as Gabe Gross, just as mobile in the field, though learning at the plate. Mitch Talbot might get a shot as a starter or long reliever after going 13 – 9 for the Bulls, with good K/W data and few homers allowed. Jeremy Cummings and Dale Thayer had good years, but are too old to be considered as prospects.

The best player at AA Montgomery (the Biscuits!) was David Price, and he’s not going to be heading back unless it’s a rehab assignment. Chris Nowak might be a future third base prospect, but not in Tampa Bay. Cesar Valdez led Visalia (A+) posting a 10 – 3 record with good control. Jeremy Hellickson ripped through Vero Beach (A+), going 7 – 1 in 14 starts, with 83 Ks against only 5 walks (!) in nearly 77 innings. He was quickly moved to Montgomery and held his own. Hellickson will be on the major league team if he keeps at this rate – though probably not until 2010.

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