Two! Two A's! Ah ah ah!
(That was Count von Count from Sesame Street, by the way...)
Yes, just two, and pretty near the bottom of the lineup, but they are the only two representatives from teams not the Angels or Rangers. Two more A's appear on the team, one starter and one reliever, the latter surrounded by THE ENTIRE TEXAS RANGERS BULLPEN! I mean, seriously, right? I know they went to the World Series, but were their relievers really THAT badass?
As far as holdovers from last year, only a pair of Angels in the Outfield (haha, remember that one?): Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter. Abreu didn't even have to compete with Ichiro this year and took the right field spot outright. Last year's top two pitchers - Hernandez and Weaver - returned for another go-round, as did three relievers: the '010 Rangers' two Darren O's (although Oliver pitched for the Angels in '09 and O'Day's time was split with the Mets) and Craig Breslow.
Notice how last year's bullpen was dominated by the A's in not quite as dramatic a way that this year's is dominated by the Rangers. Also notice how both teams featured the AL Rookie of the Year in the Closer's spot. Strange how these things match up...
All this talk about the bullpen draws focus away from the sad sad state of the offense in this division. Looking for some oWAR above 4? Josh Hamilton's your man, and no one else. Even Vlad Guerrero, with his impressive swp-measured stats, couldn't crack a measly 3 wins above replacement. The starters make up for it, as you won't find a starter with a WAR below 4.
Only one more team to go after this one. As I near the end of this project, I find it hard to keep track of the scope of it and what it all means. With the AL Wild Card I'll also do some big picture wrapping up in general. I don't know how much all you readers out there in readerland are absorbing of any of this, but it sure was a fun way for me to spend the offseason. Much more productive than agonizing about who's going to sign the next big free agent...
No comments:
Post a Comment