Baseball Cards: Topps 2011

For those of you keeping tabs on my blog-worthy activities, I have finished the story mode of Injustice (but I haven't yet attempted climbing any challenge ladders), I have constructed a ballot for my next round of All-Star voting, as of the season's 1/4 mark (roughly 40 games), but have yet to actually cast the votes. And I've been happily reigniting my passion for baseball cards. The first set I presented was the most recent set. Last week's set was the oldest set I have. So continuing the pattern of starting at the extremes and working towards the middle from both ends, here's a roster made up of cards from the Topps 2011 set. This was the set that originally inspired me to revisit the simplicity of baseball cards, and I must admit I went a little overboard in terms of purchasing packs - I had more than 100 valid player cards to choose from when constructing this roster - but give me a break, they were the first baseball cards of any kind I had purchased in more than five years. Here's what the team looks like, arranged in their projected batting order from top lef to bottom right.

Derek Jeter might not honestly be the best choice to lead off and play SS - benchwarmer Alexei Ramirez was worth more WAR than his counterpart up the middle 5.5 to 1.8 (3.0 of which came with his glove, in a season in which he curiously won a Silver Slugger award). But because Cap'n Jetes outscored the "Cuban Missile" in fantasy points 1,883 to 1,694 (in a season in which he curiously won a Gold Glove) and because he has a team captain worthy personality and because we happen to share a birth sign, I've given him the honor. In addition to being the best second baseman on the market, Martin Prado also qualified at 3B (although don't expect Adrian Beltre and his 2,213 points to be unseated any time soon), and would move to LF the following season. Albert Pujols is a no-brainer here, as he led all fantasy offensive players in scoring in 2010 (only Jose Bautista and his 54 HR came close), led his league in two Triple Crown categories (his .312 average didn't make the top 10), and finished second in MVP voting.

With an all-time great like Pujols in there at 1B, I obviously envision Adam Dunn as DH - and he would go on to play that role with his new team, the Chicago White Sox, in whose uniform he is not pictured. While Beltre topped Dunn's overall point output, I constructed the order so as to have a nice R/L/R/L/R split starting with Pujols and going all the way to Choo and Young. The last two spots were battles up to the end: Yadier Molina was an All-Star and won the NL Gold Glove, but Ruiz scored almost 2.0 more PPG and notched exactly 1.0 more WAR than the Cardinals backstop. And there were three things going for Andres Torres over Hunter Pence (in his last full year with Houston) despite the 200+ point gap in Pence's favor: 1) their PPG were virtually identical, 2) Torres leads the WAR battle by nearly 2.0, and 3) Torres actually qualifies to play LF. Pence is still on the bench (along with Ichiro [no last name printed on the card]), so never fear, a platoon is possible.

Talk about a rotation topped by a couple flashes-in-the-pan. Ubaldo Jimenez scored the most fantasy points in his career by a huge margin in 2010, for which he earned the start in that year's All-Star Game (which I attended, and at which I saw Ubaldo launch one of his warmup tosses into the stands... a prelude of things to come?). Josh Johnson had a couple of good seasons back to back, but he would never come within half a win-above-replacement of his 7.2 in '10. After a decade of solid quiet dominance ending in 2010 (his split season between the Phillies and the Astros), Roy Oswalt would never again break 1,000 points. Tim Hudson has not only been solid for his entire career, he's also a frequent contributor to my baseball card teams: earlier this week, I indulged myself in one more 36-pack of Topps 2013's, out of which I drew Huddy (who, incidentally, replaces an injured Josh Beckett in my roster) and also Hunter Pence. Chris Carpenter, who had already overcame two lost seasons due to injury by 2010, is at this moment staring in the face of a third.

Rafael Soriano leads this relief corps, coming off the 2,146-point season that got him the job of Mariano Rivera's setup man (and eventual place-holder). There's Jonathan Papelbon, another member of my Topps 2013 squad, but this time he's in his original uniform. I was not sure which lefty to choose from as the long reliever: Jonathan Sanchez led by more than 100 points and helped pitch his team to a World Championship, but Gio Gonzalez led slightly in WAR and is still performing well today. In the end, it was purely an A's/Giants decision for me.

Sticking to this pattern I've established for myself, the next set I will cover will be Topps 1992. This set could be my favorite set of all time, mostly for sentimental reasons, but also because it's quite cool. You will find out in what ways next time!

Top Players: AL & NL 2011

While the analysis of Box Office numbers is fun and insightful and economically significant, let's not forget the original focus of this blog: Baseball statistics. Using my patented Baseball Database, I have calculated the Top Players in each position in each league, which I now present in lineup form.

Some pretty impressive players all around. A good mix of young players and veterans, expected performers and breakout stars. Let's break them down further, not by position or by team, but by how they were expected to do from a fantasy standpoint. Granted, my system is going to be a little incongruous, cuz I'm using mlb.com's rankings and a form of calculating fantasy points (swp) that has been outdated for many years. But I believe that in combining the two, I'll arrive at a sort of Hegelian synthesis of fantasy evaluation methods.


Four (4) of our players ranked within the Top 10 according to MLB: 1B Miguel Cabrera (who anchored my fantasy team btw), SS Troy Tulowitzki, LF Ryan Braun (who won this year's NL MVP, prior to a positive PED test), and 1B Joey Votto. By contrast, there were four (4) total batters who ranked out of the top 100: CF Curtis Granderson (who surpassed all expectations by destroying his career-highs in HR, RBIs, runs and walks), C Miguel Montero (high-ranked catchers are very hard to come by, since catchers as a position don't produce a lot of points), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (a legitimate breakout All-Star season), and LF Alex Gordon. Gordon, a former 3B prospect [see also Ryan Braun] who everyone had just about given up on, was by far the lowest-ranked starter among all others on the team (458).


The highest-ranked pitcher was Roy Halladay (16). The two hurlers who accomplished the near-superhuman feat of breaking 3,000 points were ranked 32 (Kershaw) and 50 (Verlander). One starting pitcher from each league had surprising and unexpected seasons: Ian Kennedy (232) and James Shields (240). Non-Closer Relief Pitchers rarely contribute enough points to warrant a roster spot (unless your league measures Holds, in which case you'll need a couple of the best). Craig Kimbrel was this year's Rookie of the Year, so it's understandable why he was ranked 213 - just 9 slots higher than teammate Jonny Venters, who had a shot to win the closer role right up until opening day. Valverde, who performed significantly worse than Kimbrel in terms of both stats and ability to control his emotions, ranked 117.



This is all part of an ongoing process to use these numbers to hone in on different players' fantasy value, but updates on that project will have to wait, as there is a whole real world out there to see and experience.

Projections vs. Reality: St. Louis Cardinals

Just under the wire with a post about the Cardinals again, as they could be one win away tonight from knocking the Brewers out of the postseason and reaching the World Series for the first time since 2006.  I personally hope the Brewers win two at home to advance, partly because I like the Brewers, but partly because it would be too much of an underdog story to have a team projected to finish 4th in the division play in the Fall Classic.  However, the first comment the scout makes in "Enemy Lines" is that you can never count this team out because of their pitching staff and Manager Tony LaRussa's impeccable ability to strategically run his bullpen in the ground.

The next comment is that "there's nothing not to like about Chris Carpenter."  Well obviously this scout never consulted the Brewers - who have their own set of issues with the hurler - or examined Carp's injury history, which caused him to miss two of the past five seasons.  Keep in mind, their plan was to have Carpenter as the #2 starter behind Adam Wainwright, before the latter went down for the year with Tommy John surgery.  The scout praises replacement Kyle McClellan's curveball, which nevertheless wasn't enough to keep him in the rotation for the full year.  He also claimed

The scout also comments on Albert Pujols' apparent lack of focus throughout the spring.  Perhaps the looming promise of free agency and the potential of a $30m a year contract distracted him a bit.  This distraction apparently continued to the regular season, as 2011 was the first time in his 11 year career that Pujols failed to hit .300 or reach 100 RBI (he missed both  by 1).  Another thing the scout got right was that the Cardinals would not be happy with Ryan Theriot's defense - he cost his team between 8 and 12 runs with his glove at SS... but was anywhere from 3 to 6 runs above average at 2B (where he moved after the acquisition of Rafael Furcal).

One mis-judgment by the scout was that "Colby Rasmus is way too good a player to trade" - tell that to the Toronto Blue Jays, who acquired the potential star centerfielder in a blockbuster trade.  I don't think the scout writes the "Modest Proposal" section, but that includes another mis-judgment: play Allen Craig in RF over newcoming veteran Lance Berkman.  Tell that to his 31 HR, .959 OPS, and 5.2 WAR.  (That WAR includes 5.9 offensively and -0.7 on defense, as he's definitely better suited as a 1B/DH type.)  Craig played well in 75 games (2.1 WAR), and was better in the field (1 to 8 runs saved), but even when they needed another outfielder, the Redbirds went with Jon Jay (1.3 WAR) more often than not, so they must think less highly of Craig than the editors of SI.

"The Number" is 10 blown saves by the 2010 Cardinals' bullpen, "the fewest in the NL since 2004."  All that changed in 2011, where the team blew 26 late-inning leads.  Ryan Franklin (he of the 93.1% success rate last year) blew 4 of his 5 chances, and was promptly replaced by youngster Fernando Salas (and later in the playoffs by Jason Motte, who doesn't even figure as the ONE non-closer reliever in the SI preview.  That spot goes to Mitchell Boggs, who was good, but didn't figure nearly as much into the team's bullpen.  This is one grievance I have with the SI Baseball preview: the bullpen is such a big part of a team's strategy and success, and they leave room for a closer and ONE other reliever?  When the football preview leaves room for the entire defense and offensive line?  Where's the respect to America's true pastime.  OK rant over.  Enjoy the NLCS tonight...).

Projections vs. Reality: Milwaukee Brewers

Let me just say right off, that as soon as it became apparent that the Brewers would make the playoffs, they were my pick to win the World Series (against the Rays, but let's not get into that...).  I wasn't sure how they would get past the Phillies, but thankfully they didn't have to.  But after falling behind 2 games to 1 against the Cardinals, they still have their work cut out for them.  Their run is even more impressive seeing as they were projected to finish 2nd in the division behind the Cincinnati Reds.

Not to rag on the scout in the "Enemy Lines" section, but he got two things noticeably wrong.  The first involves the pitching staff: "With Zack Greinke out ... they're scrambling."  Well, as it happened, Greinke compiled just the fourth-highest pitching WAR (Wins Above Replacement) among Brewers starters.  And even though he missed five starts due to an injury, his pitching WAR per start is still fourth on the team.  Here's how the numbers shake out with Milwaukee's entire starting staff (the same as projected by SI, by the way):

The second thing the scout got wrong had to do with starting third baseman Casey McGehee, who the projected lineup has him batting fifth, behind the inspiration for Beast Mode: "He can protect Fielder."  McGehee could have done so with numbers resembling last year's 23 HR, 104 RBI, and 3.0 WAR.  However McGehee played so poorly in 2011 that he actually recorded one win below replacement (-1.0 WAR), the lowest of any Brewers player.  Kudos to manager Ron Roenicke for trusting the numbers and going with Jerry Hairston at 3B for the playoffs.  Below is a graphic illustrating the drastic decline in production:

Speaking of trusting the numbers, the "Modest Proposal" section refers to a sabermetric theory that a team's worst batter (i.e. the pitcher, for National League clubs) should bat 8th in the order instead of 9th.  That way you have the top of the order coming up with men on base more often, or something like that.  Be that as it may, Roenicke trotted out a batting order with the pitcher batting 9th for all 162 of the Brewers' games this year.  "The Number" emphasizes the lack of baserunning speed by powerhouse first baseman Prince Fielder, claiming that he only went from 1st to 3rd on a single ONCE last year.  The baseball-reference stats pages lump 1st-to-3rd and 1st-to-home scenarios together - they have Fielder with a "3" in that column.  That number increased to "8" in 2011, so maybe he increased his running drills in the off-season or learned to pick up the ball flight better.  Either way, he definitely still knows how to hit:

Pretty much the only discrepancy between the projected lineup and reality is that newcomer Nyjer Morgan started the majority of games in CF rather than Carlos Gomez, who served more of a defensive replacement role.  Also the batting order was rejiggered a little towards the end of the season putting Corey Hart into the leadoff role rather than Rickie Weeks.  And solid backup Mark Kotsay (whose swing I really like) is missing.  But other than those small differences, this team played as planned, and won.

Projections vs. Reality: Texas Rangers

Last year's AL champions, the Rangers were picked to finish second behind (*chuckle*) the fearsome Oakland A's.  (Let me just get in a quick aside here: it's strange being a fan of a team that consistently underperforms expectations.  I want the A's to do well each season and as a fan, I naturally set irrational expectations for them.  And when I see them projected to finish first, I always share in the optimism throughout the baseball community.  But then I take a look at the projected lineup, and it seems like the baseball community is showing my same irrationality.  Which is fine, but I can't help wondering when everyone else will wise up and see the numbers...)

In the "Enemy Lines" section of the SI Preview, the "rival scout" makes 7 points about these Rangers.  Three of them consist of gushing about Josh Hamilton's Mickey Mantle-esque strength, Adrian Beltre's unrivaled athleticism at the hot corner, and Mitch Moreland's strong spring performance.  Well, the former two players put up strong seasons despite both missing time due to injury, and the latter player quite frankly didn't hit like a starting first baseman on a playoff club.  However, this club didn't have anything close to a traditional setup at first base.  New acquisition Mike Napoli, a catcher by trade, spent most of last year playing first for the Angels due to an injury to Kendrys Morales, and SS-turned-2B-turned-3B-turned-DH Michael Young can play any infield position, which includes 1B.  Both filled in for Moreland a bit in 2011, mostly against lefties.

The scout also pegged C.J. Wilson as a back of the rotation starter, completely misinterpreting his successful transition from reliever to starter last year.  Maybe pitching behind Cliff Lee last post-season taught a lot about leading a team from the left side of the rubber.  His similar prognosis for Colby Lewis, however, was rather accurate.  Neftali Feliz didn't become a starter this year, so he didn't have to worry about developing another out pitch beyond his fastball.  The Rangers couldn't play Julio Borbon over David Murphy due to the former's general ineffectiveness, so they lost a little there defensively.  But the scout nailed it when he predicted they'd package Chris Davis for a pitcher (although it wasn't a starting pitcher, as predicted).

The "Modest Proposal" is strikingly similar to Detroit's: they should use their heavy-hitting new acquisition as catcher instead of general utility role.  Napoli did get enough at-bats to be considered a starter, although he split his time between catcher, first base, and DH.  "The Number" refers to how Rangers pitchers last year recorded just .190 strikeouts per batter faced.  They didn't improve too much - just to .196 - but apparently it was enough to improve their staff ERA from 3.93 to 3.79.

Projections vs. Reality: Detroit Tigers

Actually getting the chance to sit and watch a postseason game all the way through (thanks, weekend!), which gives me the opportunity to begin some real hard analysis.  (The slow, methodical pace of baseball games makes them more fun to watch while multitasking, and I can't think of any better additional task than writing about baseball.)  I wanted to do a feature involving the Sports Illustrated Baseball Preview issue, and what better way to do that than by looking in hindsight what it says about some of the teams in the playoffs.

We'll start with the visiting team in tonight's contest, the Detroit Tigers.  This team was projected to finish second in the AL Central to last year's division winners, the Minnesota Twins.  Along with these projections, each article includes a scout's take on some key players, a "modest proposal" for how the team could be managed differently, and a statistic that supposedly tells something about how the team will perform.  I'll go through those three elements and see how they measure up to reality.

According to said scout, the Tigers' success hinges on Miguel Cabrera, who is allegedly "right there with Albert Pujols" offensively - which the numbers support.  Justin Verlander is obviously the recognized leader of the staff.  The scout claims that Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello are overrated (not entirely untrue), but seemed very bullish on Brad Penny and Phil Coke - one of whom struggled to the tune of a 5.30 ERA and the other was sent back to the bullpen from whence he came.

The apparent key to the bullpen - even more than nerve-racking closer Jose Valverde - is Joaquin Benoit, recipient of the Setup Man of the Year award in 2010.  He certainly continued on that same path this year, with his average fastball velocity holding steady from last year at right around 94 mph.  The Tigers hope Benoit will continue to anchor that bullpen through the duration of his three year contract.  The scout also pegged Austin Jackson to "take the next step this year," yet he saw his OBP decline by nearly 30 points, despite an increase in walks.

The "Modest Proposal"is to give Victor Martinez more playing time at catcher than at DH to maximize his value.  That's only if you agree that inserting Alex Avila as the number one catcher "is a bit forced" - an opinion not shared by All-Star voters this year who justifiably handed him the starting job for the AL. Martinez also figures into "The Number": 76.13 at bats per home run by Detroit's 2010 DHs.  Even though Martinez only hit 12 bombs this year (to go with his 103 RBI), they still improved that number to 42.50 in 2011.

Two major midseason acquisitions that the SI folks could never have anticipated bolstered the playoff version this team: new #2 pitcher Doug Fister (brought over from the Mariners) and left fielder Delmon Young (from the Twins).  However, aside from those two players, the projected lineup pretty much accurately represents the actual real-life lineup.  Rest assured, that's not always the case, and I will not hesitate to elucidate every little discrepancy that exists when applicable.

Developed Teams 2011: St. Louis Cardinals

As of this writing, the Cardinals are the only team in contention that I have not yet profiled for this project.  And they're surging fast, as Wild Card teams in both leagues have faltered to the point of coming within a hair's breadth of giving up their leads.  And with only two days left in the season, I just slipped under the wire with this, the profile of the St. Louis Cardinals' developed roster:

Talk about a well-rounded squad: except for the back end of the rotation, this team has everything.  The lineup has a nice mix of power, average, speed and defense.  The rotation has a good mix of established stars, up-and-comers, and washed-out no-names.  And a couple of star setup men back up two guys who are currently closing in the majors (but only one of which was projected to do so).  Their one weakness is starting pitching depth, as they weren't able to furnish even one contestant for long relief, but the prognosis gets slightly better when we recall that Kyle McClellan did some starting this year (however ineffectively) to fill in for the injured Adam Wainwright.

As this is likely the last of these I will complete before the end of the regular season, let's harken back to my old practices and start with the players still on the club.  Starting with perennial All-Star Albert Pujols, even though there's not much I can say about his greatness that hasn't already been said... including the possibility of him leaving the team next year via Free Agency.  (To me, it doesn't seem likely, but I've been wrong before.)  Then there's also perennial All-Star Yadier Molina, the center of this team where heart and grit are concerned.  Skip Schumaker made the transition from OF to 2B three years ago, but his offensive production hasn't really justified him starting in either position.  And Jon Jay gets the backup outfielder spot, although it could just have easily gone to Allen Craig (they were ranked precisely two spots away from each other according to MLB's pre-season projections).  Incidentally, both have had very good years, although Jay has seen more at-bats.

On the mound, the only starter to remain with the team is Jaime Garcia (who, incidentally, shares a birth day and date with your humble narrator, the only current major leaguer to do so... probably shouldn't have said that, for identity-theft protection reasons... but it's a nice piece of trivia).  Out of the bullpen, we've got McClellan, who's making his bid to contribute as a swingman; righty-righty combo Boggs and Motte; and the kid who unexpectedly got a chance to close for the Redbirds, Fernando Salas.  (On a side-note, what is it about pitchers of Mexican descent who became surprise closers this year?  Not only has Salas been extremely effective, with a WHIP under 1 and a strikeout per inning, but Javy Guerra (although he was born in Texas) has put up an ERA under 2 while amassing 20 saves for the Dodgers.  Something to think about...)

Where's the beard!?

As far as players who have struck out on their own, we've got the ever-solid Dan Haren... about whom everyone scoffed when Billy Beane acquired him for Mark Mulder back in 2004, but just you go ahead and compare the careers of those two pitchers after the trade.  J.D. Drew has struggled recently, his fall to mediocrity occurring as fast as his rise to stardom was supposed to be meteoric.  Placido Polanco started the All-Star game at 3B this year (due in large part to a non-competitive field of players at the hot corner), but he remains one of the game's premier contact hitters.  Speaking of premier players, Coco Crisp is right up there in the stolen base category: he trails only Brett Gardner in the AL and Michael Bourn in the NL.  He's also not bad with the glove.  But the most heralded defender on the team has to be Brendan Ryan, who's currently at SS for the Mariners.

Also on the Mariners are my backup infielder (Adam Kennedy) and his runner-up (Jack Wilson).  Wilson is renowned for his glove, but I felt that Kennedy has more versatility and could contribute more coming off the bench.  Also with him on the bench is pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel.  Nope, he hasn't gone back to pitching.  Nope, he also doesn't routinely post OBP's well above .300.  Brett Wallace was supposed to hit big starting at 1B for the Astros, but his individual performance has been roughly as disappointing as his team's as a whole.  We know Luke Gregerson has talent setting up for Heath Bell, but we'll see if the righty gets a chance to close if/when the big guy hits Free Agency this winter.

A couple of players started the year with the Cardinals, but found themselves on the way to Toronto at the trade deadline.  These are CF Colby Rasmus (whose relationship with manager Tony LaRussa supposedly played him off the team) and pitcher P.J. Walters (who has struggled in the minors as a starter for both clubs).  Speaking of struggling in the minors as a starter, that statement also accurately describes Clayton Mortensen, who rounds out a cringe-worthy bottom 40% of the rotation.  As for #3 starter Chris Narveson, what he lacks in name recognition, he makes up with almost exactly league-average statistical output.

Well, there you have it!  I have written a developed team profile for every team now currently in the hunt for the playoffs, and then some.  I don't know what exactly these findings tell us about these teams' chances of making the playoffs or how they'll fare therein, but I do hope they are as fun to read as they were to write.  Next up:  profiles of the developed rosters of the WORST teams around the league.

Developed Teams 2011: Tampa Bay Rays

Remember way back in the beginning of September when the Rays trailed the Red Sox by upwards of 7 or 8 games in the Wild Card race? Well in the recent weeks, they've pulled to within 2 games, and are in very real danger of making the playoffs. In celebration of their upstart success, here's a team made up of players developed by the Tampa Bay Rays:

Hamilton, during his "working
through some issues" phase

This is one of the most solid top two-thirds of a lineup you'll find anywhere, real or fantasy. We all remember what Carl Crawford was capable of doing just one year ago - i.e. serving as one of the most electric table-setters in modern leadoff history. B.J. Upton has developed into a legitimate power/speed threat after finally settling into a position. We all know about Josh Hamilton's MVP award, batting title, and former career-threatening drug habits. Evan Longoria hits home runs and does commercials (he's a double threat!). Aubrey Huff has slowed down a bit, but let's not forget (let's not forget, Dude) how he all-but carried the meager offense of the world champs last year. And Delmon Young took a few big steps back after a potential breakout season last year, but hopes of heading back to the playoffs after a trade has seemingly put some bounce back in his step.

The glut of outfielders makes for a somewhat imbalanced bench, but there really wasn't anything else to choose from. All the developed infielders are on the field in the starting lineup, with the exception of another first baseman, which doesn't help anybody. It's cool to have an established power hitter in Gomes and a future star in Jennings, but I'm sure any fantasy developed manager would like to have a little more versatility out there. But remember that this team has only been around for 13 years, so it's impressive they have such a star-studded roster as it is.

Speaking of stars, check out that rotation - every member of which still pitches for the Rays today. It includes rookies and All-Star starters, and includes some of the best young pitching talent under 30. The bullpen has a few question marks, including the role of closer, which is occupied by the rookie who was projected to close until the acquisition and subsequent rebirth of Kyle Farnsworth. But Wheeler is a veteran presence and Veras has proven his adequacy. But then there's the corps of spot starters, all of whom seem to have settled nicely into that role in real life, after tasting slight success in major league rotations.

Overall, this is one of the most well-rounded teams out there. If there was such thing as a Developed Team Tournament (hint hint for those friends of Rob Neyer who put together the virtual showdowns between those various All-Time Teams), I'd definitely put the Rays among the top contenders. That is, if every member of the infield stays healthy and the bench depth isn't tested at all. That could prove problematic. But in terms of top-shelf talent on paper, these youngsters will be hard to beat.

Developed Teams 2011: San Francisco Giants

Last week, I profiled a developed team of the AL Champion Texas Rangers.  So what better time to introduce their opponents (and eventual defeaters) in the 2011 World Series, the San Francisco Giants:

An offense that earned the nickname "Torture" last year does not improve much when we look at players the Giants have developed, with only two offensive threats gracing the field.  Conversely, the pitching staff excels across the board, whether it's the starting staff (featuring two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and the exact staff who backed him in the 2010 post-season) or the relief corps ("Fear the Beard" indeed...).  It's especially interesting that all the Developed Giants' best players are still with the team, so it's not as if they're bringing lots of talent through the minors and letting it get away.  The best player on this squad who left for greener pastures is undoubtedly Joe Nathan, despite the fact that he spent all of 2010 recovering from Tommy John surgery.  He joins two other capable closers in the Giants bullpen: Brian Wilson and David Aardsma (who, incidentally, hasn't pitched at all in 2011 due to hip/Tommy John surgery).

But where to go from here?  The more I try to write about this lineup, the more depressing it looks.  I mean, look at that infield.  Ishikawa may be good with the glove, but he's far below replacement level at first (or would be if he were even in the majors at this juncture).  Pedro Feliz is a proven veteran, but one who's spent most of his time at third (a spot occupied by Pablo Sandoval, one of the two aforementioned threats).  Emmanuel Burriss has good speed on the basepaths and Matt Downs has swung the bat pretty well for Houston, but neither are what you'd call top shelf talent.  Kevin Frandsen has spent all of 2011 in AAA, where he hasn't exactly put on a show.  Cody Ransom has put on a show in AAA... but it's led to just 12 sad games in the majors so far.

The outfield isn't much better: Fred Lewis never really developed into anything special, Nate Schierholtz profiles as more of a late-inning defensive replacement, and John Bowker hasn't yet shown that he can hit in the majors.  Eugenio Velez is only on the roster because he was the only other player who had played in the outfield.  Strangely enough, the position at which the Giants have the most stability is catcher, with Buster Posey and Yorvit Torrealba both having spent time as well-qualified starters for good teams.

But, ah, that pitching staff.  We all know about the top four guys, all of whom played key parts in the Giants' World Series title last year.  Cain is right there behind Lincecum, Sanchez has been bit by the injury bug, and Bumgarner still has his best years ahead of him.  And while Kevin Correia has struggled a bit, despite his All-Star appearance, he's actually pretty decent for a fifth starter.  In the 'pen, the quality doesn't drop off even beyond the three guys who've made their living closing games: Sergio Romo's ERA is so miniscule you'd have trouble finding it and Scott Linebrink has contributed to one of the league's best relief staffs on the Braves.  If pitching and defense really is the key to winning championships, this club has the late-inning hardware to deal with the low-scoring games that come with that strategy.

Next week, in my effort to profile all the 2011 playoff contenders before the 2011 playoffs begin, I'll be looking at the Tampa Bay Rays, who are doing their best to edge out the Wild Card leading Red Sox.

Developed Teams 2011: Texas Rangers

Back to Baseball!  After a long hiatus due to Burning Person, work travel, and the shock of returning to the de-fault normal world, I'm finally ready to resume filling the pages of the Internet with the wealth of statistical knowledge I have stored in my head and on my lists.

I now see that it would be foolish to try and complete a developed list of all 30 teams by the end of the season, but I can at least finish all the teams likely to make the playoffs.  To that end, here's a developed team of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers:

This team has a lot of two things - namely first basemen and starting pitchers - and not a lot of anything else.  To start from a position of strength:  Mark Teixeira is clearly one of the elite hitters of the last decade, possibly even of his generation.  What's more, he played the majority of his career for the Rangers (his first 4+ seasons, soon to be eclipsed by the Yankees).  Carlos Pena, on the other hand, played only 22 games in Texas before bouncing around to five other teams - and most people in baseball were surprised that that number didn't become six at this year's trade deadline.  Mitch Moreland, the Rangers' current starter at 1B, has played some games at 3B, right? Oh, wait, that was Chris Davis, who didn't make the team.  Moreland played some RF... but sometimes you have to take the non-traditional path to make these types of projects work.

And those are only the first basemen to make the starting lineup.  We've also got the Indians' starting (but injured) DH Travis Hafner (who played one more game for Texas than did Pena) and the Mariners' starting 1B Justin Smoak (acquired in the Cliff Lee deal just last year).  Not a very versatile infield bench, but believe me, if there were any better choices, I would have made them.  I submit as evidence the starting SS Joaquin Arias and the only player developed by Texas actually listed as a 3B (Mike Lamb), neither of whom has played in 2011.

If you look closely, you'll notice someone else who hasn't played in 2011 at the top of the order.  But look at what Scott Podsednik did last year with the bat, split between KC and LAD.  The veteran, who stole more bases than his advanced age last year, got a deal with Toronto, but missed making the roster due to injury.  Julio Borbon hasn't played much this year, after being slotted as the starting CF, but on the other side of the field, Laynce Nix has swung the bat very well for Washington.  On the bench, I chose to go with the proven speed of Jason Bourgeois rather than the potential power of John Mayberry Jr.

Now let's check out the starters.  We all know about John Danks's struggle to win games earlier this season, and Colby Lewis has been so-so.  But C.J. Wilson has brilliantly followed up his first season as a starter with an All-Star appearance, 16 wins, and an ERA just north of 3.  Edinson Volquez started on Opening Day for the Reds, but has struggled so much with his command that manager Dusty Baker sent him to AAA for 13 starts in 2011.  R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball have led to good peripherals, but the Mets haven't been able to win him many games.  And that's just the starting rotation.

Alexi Ogando has been a great starter since following Wilson's lead in moving from the bullpen this season (although his stamina over a full season is still something he needs to work on).  Derek Holland's moustache has brought success to the lefty, who currently is sitting on 14 wins.  And Aaron Harang has taken the first step towards turning his career around with 13 wins for San Diego after three straight seasons of 6 wins apiece in Cincinnati (moving from a hitter's park to a pitcher's park might have something to do with that...).  Not included in this roster:  former playoff pitcher (and more recent trade bait) Tommy Hunter, former 17 game winner (and current minor league fodder) Scott Feldman, and of course veteran Doug Davis.

There was talk of moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation, but when Ogando cut in front of him, Feliz was forced to remain the closer.  He hasn't been as dominant as in his Rookie of the Year season, which also included a trip to the World Series, but quite frankly a club could do a lot worse.  Joaquin Benoit has shown almost equal flashes of brilliance and mediocrity as a setup man, and in 2011 he's been about on par with workhorse Nick Masset.  Darren Oliver is with Texas now, and he was developed by Texas, but he's had a circuitous route back to his original team - one that's taken the veteran through seven other clubs, plus an additional stint with the Rangers in the early part of the Millennium.

The only two key players from this roster I haven't mentioned by name are former star Ivan Rodriguez and current star Ian Kinsler.  In my opinion, these two players perfectly bridge the gap between the successful Rangers in the end of the 1990s and the successful Rangers in the start of the 2010s - except this current team also includes a competent pitching staff and a front office led by one of the team's and the game's most famous pitching legends.  We'll just have to wait and see if they can repeat last year's long and deep trip into the post-season.

Developed Teams 2011: Detroit Tigers

With the first-place Tigers having just swept the second-place Indians in a crucial three-game series, the upstart team's chances of holding onto contention just dropped another peg. In honor of keeping the momentum going, here's an entry on the Detroit Tigers:

The first thing you'll notice is the lack of an impact bat in the middle of the order.  Yes, Curtis Granderson is enjoying an historic year, but seasons of 40-30-120 with an OPS close to 1.000 are hardly the career norm for Grandy.  Alex Avila made a trip to the All-Star game this year, but he's far from a proven major leaguer.  Matt Joyce and Brennan Boesch are shaping up into solid young power threats, but they project more as very competent sidekicks than heroes in their own right.  Cameron Maybin has been very impressive this year, but, as I've said MANY times before, these lists are based mostly on pre-season rankings.  Hence the presence of Ryan Raburn, who has a lot of Fantasy value, which is probably mostly because of his versatility.

In addition to Raburn, there are a few key players plagued with disappointing seasons.  Brandon Inge actually went down to AAA for a spell to work on his swing before his return this weekend.  Omar Infante has regressed to his career norms after an enigmatic All-Star selection last year, but the Marlins are losing a lot of his value by letting him play all 114 of his games this year at 2B, rather than shifting him around the diamond as the Braves (and the Tigers before them) used to do.  Andres Torres has reminded us all why last year was his only full season in the majors.  And his teammate Cody Ross has some pop in his bat, but one good October does not a serviceable regular make.

What appears to be a one horse race for supremacy of the pitching rotation is actually a one-two punch, if we take 2011 stats into account.  Justin Verlander is obviously the leader here, in terms of stuff, style, and consistency, but Jair Jurrjens is dominating opposing hitters the way he did in 2009.  Let's hope he's not developing into a sine wave type player, alternating good years with bad ones.  After those two, however, there's very little in terms of substance, at least in 2011.  Rick Porcello still shows a lot of promise, especially at the tender age of 22.  French and Oliver should be on very short leashes, considering their performances in the minors this year.

The bullpen has it all: a current workhorse closer (Cordero), a former closer (Rodney), a career setup man (Frasor), a veteran LOOGY (Miller), and an oft-injured potential star (Zumaya).  However, there is not enough collective star power to make up for the lack of starting depth and a patchwork offense built around questionable pieces.  If only this were a few years ago and John Smoltz could have bolstered that rotation...

Developed Teams 2011: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are a double-relevant team to feature next for this project, as they are both currently in first place in their division and recently played host to my most recent foray to a Major League Baseball stadium.  Miller Park marked ballpark #16, which officially pushed me over the halfway point in my quest to visit the home parks of all 30 Major League teams.  So let's see how this NL Central-leading team would fare with a roster made of only players developed over the years:

First, notice the impressive glut of power hitters in the middle of this order.  Then, observe how many of these hitters are still with the team - pretty much all the ones that matter.  Weeks, Braun, Fielder, and Hart have 10 All-Star appearances and four Silver Sluggers between them, and all are under 30 years of age... that's enough talent to build TWO lineups around.  Bill Hall has been a moderate power threat as recently as last season, but he's currently languishing in the Giants' minor league system as a superutility player.

Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta are two players who have developed into regulars after going over to Cleveland in 2008's CC Sabathia deal and subsequently making their debuts for the Indians.  Looking at the shortstops, I feel I have to once again clarify that I put these lineups together using pre-season rankings and 2010 stats.  J.J. Hardy has bounced back to a great season with the Orioles after a disappointing last year with the Twins (23 HR, .507 SLG), but would it surprise you that Alcides Escobar was ranked nearly 100 places higher than Hardy over the off-season (193 to 280)?  I guess that's why you have to play all the games to find out who will actually perform.

After you're done marveling at the wealth of offense on this club, make sure NOT to scroll down to the pitching staff.  Because if you did, you'd see a rag-tag bunch, only ONE of whom has pitched in the majors in 2011.  That would be staff ace Yovani Gallardo, the pitcher I saw shut down the Dodgers in my recent visit.  Parra has mostly pitched in relief for AAA Nashville, Ben Sheets - once the face of the franchise - remained unsigned after an injury riddled tour with the A's in 2010, Rogers is quickly losing promise.  Only Dana Eveland has shown some semblance of success, pitching rather well in 23 starts for the Dodgers' AAA affiliate in Albuquerque.

The first three pieces of the bullpen are very solid indeed.  John Axford's breakout performance has pushed veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez to a setup role.  Mike Adams was widely credited as the best non-closer reliever who was traded this trade deadline.  And everybody needs a LOOGY, so why not have one with a Yale degree like Craig Breslow?  Carlos Villanueva is a pretty dependable swingman.  But after that, you have nondescript guys and prospects (such as Jeremy Jeffress who went to Kansas City along with Lorenzo Cain in the deal that netted Milwaukee Zack Greinke this off-season).

Predictions: lots of high-scoring games.

Developed Teams 2011: New York Mets

The other day, I happened upon a game on TV featuring the Mets... and what better reason to feature their developed lineup? And what more introduction do I need than that, seeing as you already must know the drill by now?

I'll say this for the Mets: they've been able to hold on to most of the top shelf talent they've developed. Which could be the sign of good management, who was able to lock up their best young homegrown players... or it could be an indication that they didn't develop a whole lot of top shelf talent that was worth trading away. YOU DECIDE!

A.J. Burnett - the developed pitcher with the best career - was a difficult one to place: he was drafted by the Mets and spent three years in the minors before being traded to Florida in the deal for Al Leiter. Although he only spent two years in the Marlins system, he pitched more innings for them before his debut (147.0 < 239.2) and pitched in higher levels (Rk, A- < A, AA). But there's something about someone getting traded as a prospect, even a low-level one, that seals the bond between that player and his original team. Also, just think of where this rotation would be without him!

Mike Pelfrey looks like he's on his way towards a sine wave career (alternating good and bad seasons) and Jonathan Niese still has a lot to prove with just one full season under his belt prior to 2011. Kazmir was once a top prospect, but he hasn't adjusted well to life on the west coast. Nelson Figueroa has been playing the journeyman for nine seasons, and just when he was slated to spend his first season in a major league rotation at age 37, he totally dropped the ball. Again, if we were going by 2011 stats, Dillon Gee would TOTALLY be in the rotation (he's certainly given my fantasy team a shot in the arm as a waiver claim) and Mejia would be... not on this list, as he hasn't appeared in a major league game, as of press time.

The biggest name to have left the Mets after being developed is the hottest closer (not) on the market, Heath Bell. In what has since turned out to be a lopsided trade, Bell was sent to the Padres in 2006, along with Royce Ring, in exchange for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson. But who could've known that the former 69th round draft pick would have blossomed like he did? Bell's actually got a pretty solid bullpen complementing him out there: Lindstrom has closed before and represented his country in the World Baseball Classic as recently as 2009. Takahashi has flourished as both a swingman (in the NL) and a straight reliever (in the AL). And Dotel was just part of a major trade last month at the ripe age of 37. Aaron Heilman - once highly touted enough to have his name bandied about in a proposed trade for Barry Zito (along with his developed teammate Lastings Milledge, another flameout) - now is simply struggling in the bullpen.

The top four guys in this batting order, when healthy, can compete with the most stacked lineups in the league. However Reyes with his hamstrings, Davis with his ankle, and Wright with his back have all settled down for a long summer nap, courtesy of long stays on the DL for each of them. Wigginton was an All-Star last year, but that was largely because he played for a team that needed an All-Star. Carlos Gomez hasn't yet developed into the star we thought he would. And Daniel Murphy needed all of last year in the minors to figure out his life. With not much help off the bench (Jay Payton, in fact, is still technically a Free Agent), the club's stars will be under more and more pressure to stay healthy.

So there you have it: you have Met the Mets! I think my next venture, as we approach playoff season, will be looking at some teams that are actually in first place in their divisions and have legitimate shots at playing in October.

Developed Teams 2011: Cleveland Indians

Were you able to work out the identity of the other surprise Central Division contender who I mentioned in my last post? I didn't think it would be hard, but then again, I consider myself a sort of 'amateur expert' on this stuff. It should be no secret, however, that the other team I was referring to is the Cleveland Indians.

The pitching staff, which features CC Sabathia as headliner, looks a lot like the pitching staff to which CC belongs in real life - not a lot going on after the legitimate Ace. His fellow 1st round pick in the rotation, Jeremy Guthrie, now playing with Baltimore after being claimed on waivers, has some halfway decent peripherals to go with his 5-15 record, and Fausto Carmona has historically had two rotten seasons for every good one. His current rotation-mate in Cleveland, Josh Tomlin, is having a very good season, flashing some great control in just his second major league campaign.

UPDATE 8/8: When I posted this yesterday, I had listed J.D. Martin as the 5th starter, based solely on his pre-season rankings (seeing as he has spent 2011 as a swingman in AAA Syracuse), assuming that in real life, he'd compete with the two long-relief types I talk about below. However, later on, I realized a glaring omission in the statistics I had compiled for this project: namely the omission of Bartolo Colon. Maybe he slipped under my radar because he missed the entire 2010 season - but he shouldn't have because he was projected to start for the Yankees, and so far he's done a pretty nice job. The 5th starter spot is officially his, as noted in my revised graphic, above.

Jeanmar Gomez and David Huff both put up pretty good numbers for AAA Columbus, but have each made just a handful of starts for Cleveland this year.

Cleveland has developed a pretty deep bench of relievers, but they're notably lacking a proven 9th inning force. Mujica was good enough to be the centerpiece of a trade for a good young center fielder, so that gives you an idea of his talent, but he's logged only 2 Saves in his career. Pretty much the rest of the featured staff are young and effective setup men still with the Tribe (Lewis is in the minors and Laffey was traded just this off-season). And let's not forget Frank Herrmann, who has become a regular in 2011, and notable washed-up-but-once-solid veterans Danys Baez and David Riske.

The lineup's most notable features are two of the best sluggers from the '90s, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez. Thome is currently a part-time DH, pursuing his 600th Home Run with the Twins, and Manny unceremoniously retired from the Rays after his second positive test for PED's. When healthy, Grady Sizemore has the ability to be a centerpiece for any lineup, either at the top or in the middle. Victor Martinez, while his skills behind the plate have been questioned, has leadership ability and intangibles galore. Just ask his current teammate on Detroit, Jhonny Peralta - the two All-Stars are doing their part to keep the Tigers in first place.

Peralta pushes Marco Scutaro off his normal position of SS, but he's had enough experience as a utility guy to be able to play anywhere in that infield. Before his struggles this year, I would have said that Kevin Kouzmanoff has the ability to provide great defense and middling power at the hot corner. And Russell Branyan can always be counted on to belt a few home runs, no matter the circumstances. Izturis is a great sparky presence off the bench and Ben Francisco is good enough to start in the outfield in the event of Manny suddenly becoming ineligible for some reason (I can't imagine why). Ryan Church doesn't currently have a team, but I figured with Manny out there in left, this squad would need as much outfield protection as they could get.

Developed Teams 2011: Pittsburgh Pirates

There are currently two total surprise teams who are in contention for the Central Division lead in their respective leads. These are both teams I like and want to see succeed. So in light of that, I have decided to profile them next in my developed teams project. The first of those teams is the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rather than go by the developed players still with the club (of which there are a respectable seven, with one returning after a stint with other clubs), I'd like to go down the lineup as if I was introducing them before a game. I'll do a brief scouting report and go over some of their history. That might help keep this fresh. Oh, just for tradition's sake, there are a respectable seven developed players still with the team, one of which has returned after stints with other teams.

Leading off, we have Rajai Davis, who brings a lot of speed to the table and not much else - he leads the league in SB this year, but has only 1 HR and a negative defensiveWAR playing mostly Center Field. Luckily these Pirates have someone better to whom they can hand most of the AB's as the captain of the outfield: All-Star Andrew McCutchen. At age 24, the former 1st round pick has the potential to continue developing into a power-speed threat and a franchise player - plus he has really improved his fielding up the middle. Between those two is another first rounder, Neil Walker, who burst onto the scene last year and has put up some respective, if not eye-popping, numbers.

We all know how Jose Bautista has found one of the most impressive power strokes in the game last year in Toronto. What we also (mostly) know is that h started his career as a utility infielder in the Pirates' system, even though he bounced around a couple of other major league teams as a Rule 5 pick before putting on a Pittsburgh uniform. Looking at his minor league career, it's clear which team did the developing. You'll notice that Aramis Ramirez is at 1B on this team, which is strange because he's never played even an inning at first base in his major or minor league career. Well, we couldn't have both him and former first-round pick Pedro Alvarez both manning the hot corner (and the best developed first baseman on the squad, Steve Pearce, has only had a couple of cups of coffee so far in the majors), so someone had to shift. Since neither of them play particularly well in the field, I figured it was a wash as to who made the move.

Jeff Keppinger appeared in a non-developed related lineup I posted about just the other day, and although he hasn't played a lot of SS the last couple of years, that's where he's listed on MLB 11: The Show, so it all works out. Ryan Doumit gets the nod due to his 2010, and Jason Kendall gets the back-up job because of what he's meant to the team over the course of his (mostly early) career, although if we were going by more recent performance it might have made more sense to include Ronny Paulino. Also Nyjer Morgan is in that top bench spot - signifying the guy who would most likely DH in an interleague situation. Based on last year's/his career numbers, I would have liked to include Jose Guillen in a more substantial role, but seeing as he remained unsigned this year and is ostensibly retired, it just didn't seem right.

The starting staff is a little enigmatic, filled with mid-level talents and questionable players in general. Bronson Arroyo had put up decent numbers, although nobody quite knew how, given his stuff, but the truth might be just about catching up to him at age 34. Tom Gorzelanny, although he was picked in the 2nd round, has never really projected as anything more than a number 3 or 4 starter. Paul Maholm has shown flashes of competence, but the 1st rounder hasn't racked up enough strikeouts to be really effective. Zach Duke has been given a new lease on life by the Diamondbacks, but he's in the process of squandering that away. And Chris Young has been good, but he hasn't avoided injury since, well, ever.

The bullpen is a different story, with two top-shelf closing talents available in Leo Nunez and Matt Capps. The bullpen is stacked with lefties, with Burnett and Gonzalez (who are both struggling a bit this year), and Joe Beimel (who is not only a hometown hero, but the subject of a very catchy bullpen-related tune during his time co-setting up for Takashi Saito with Jonathan Broxton on the Dodgers). Their long reliever, veteran and all-around good guy Tim Wakefield, has alternated between starter and swingman for most of his career, and it looks like he'll settle in with the latter for his twilight years.

So there you have it. If you can guess which team I'm choosing next time (it's not hard), drop me a line in the comments section. I like reading comments...

Trade Deadline Analysis

It's not that I don't like my Developed Teams Project... it's just that newsworthy events keep happening in and around the Baseball world, and I'm drawn to write about those rather than stick to an arbitrary deadline I've set for myself for finishing all 30 teams before the playoffs. Such as the much more exciting, very real, non-waiver trade deadline that just passed this Sunday. Lots of people changed teams that day. Not as many as some people thought. But still it's been pretty exciting following all the action. Here's a 25-man roster (cuz I like those) made up of all the players who moved this deadline:

So, yeah, that's what it would look like if I were in charge. Rather than go through the above image, I'd like to go through position by position, using the numbered guide (which is how you mark the positions while you're keeping score, if you're curious).

1 Starting Pitcher
MLB: 5
Prospects: 14

Believe it or not, those five above were the only Major League caliber starters who changed hands on/before this deadline. Fister has surprisingly been the most successful, but this wouldn't be the first unexpectedly dominant starter Detroit has picked up from Seattle in recent years. (I'm looking at you, Jarrod Washburn, 2009... and we all remember how well that turned out, right?) The most celebrated pitcher on this list (Jimenez) has put up the least impressive numbers, having fallen from his incredibly fluky 2010. But we should have all seen that coming. I mean, who goes 15-1 before the All-Star Break? WHO DOES THAT?!!? Hopefully he picks things up and keeps the dark horse Indians in contention.

Bedard came back from a nonexistent 2010 to draw attention from a first-place team. It's fortunate that Boston made that deal, since it looks like Clay Buchholz is going to be out for the rest of the season. Edwin Jackson should be getting used to the late-July move routine, after a 2010 deadline deal sent him to Chicago from the Diamondbacks. Speaking of the Diamondbacks, if they are able to hold off the defending champion Giants and make it to the playoffs, Jason Marquis will have been to the post-season at least once with every team he has played for except the Nationals. I mean, that's the case already, but still...

For those of you not familiar with minorleagueball.com, John Sickels ranks each club's top 20 prospects for each year. Of those 14 predominantly minor-league starters who were traded during the 2011 deadline frenzy, 11 of them were ranked by Sickels. Four have B+ ratings: Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, who went from CLE to COL in the Jimenez deal; Zach Stewart, acquired by CHW in the 3-way deal that sent Edwin Jackson to STL; and Robbie Erlin, who helped TEX acquire Mike Adams from SD.

Three more have B ratings: Zack Wheeler, traded straight-up by SF to NYM for Carlos Beltran; Jarred Cosart, who moved from PHI to HOU in the Hunter Pence trade; and Joseph Gardner, another piece of the Jimenez extravaganza. (Looks to me like Colorado got quite a return on their investment. Whether or not these three pieces will be ready to complement Tulo and CarGo before their long-term deals expire remains to be seen.)

C and C+ are average, so no need to mention them here. I will mention Charlie Furbush, 1) because he's got a cool name, and 2) because he has spent some time pitching in the majors for DET before getting sent to SEA for Fister.

1.1 Closer
MLB: 1
Prospects: 2

Just Francisco Rodriguez as the sole Closer of note here, and as this deal happened well before the deadline, I'll assume you've already heard all about it. A couple of guys who have racked up a few saves in the minors, but nobody ranked by Sickels, so we'll leave it be.

1.2 Reliever
MLB: 10
Prospects: 8

Wide open market for relievers this year. Adams and Uehara will help TEX in their push to repeat as AL champions. David Pauley has been a surprising success, and Brad Ziegler's crazy delivery has continued to work for him. TOR gave up two of its big pieces (Frasor and Rzepczynski, which I've learned is pronounced zep-CHIN-ski, according to ESPN) in the same 3-way deal, but got a very promising major league ready player in return, so I endorse that decision heartily. Octavio Dotel also left in that same trade, but he barely missed the cut.

Zep and veteran Trever Miller were the only two lefties moved, while Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow stayed put in OAK. Tommy Hunter was also traded in the Uehara deal, despite pitching in the playoffs for TEX last year. He spent some time starting in the minors this year, but only appeared in relief in the majors. I wonder if he'll ever get back on track to be a viable starter. It could only help the Orioles.

2 Catcher
MLB: 0
Prospects: 2

Neither of the two catchers (Tim Federowicz nor Julio Rodriguez) were ranked by Sickels in 2011, although Fed did get a mention in Boston's "Others of Note" section. Seems like a very lackluster centerpiece for the Dodgers to get back for Trayvon Robinson, their organization's #3 ranked prospect, who went to SEA to help BOS get Bedard. Maybe it was a future salary dump by Ned Colletti, in preparation for the McCourt divorce proceedings to affect the team for years down the line...

3 First Base
MLB: 1
Prospects: 5

Derrek Lee has been disappointing for BAL, but we'll see if going back to the NL Central and joining a surprising contender (PIT) will pump him up a little bit. Two of the "prospects" listed here (Chris Davis and Brandon Allen) have spent disappointing time in the majors, but are currently tearing up AAA. Not much for them to prove in the minors; now they just have to man up and perform - for BAL and OAK respectively. The only ranked prospect is Jonathan Singleton, who draws a B+ and status as Philadelphia's #2 prospect. Hopefully he'll go some of the way to making Houston a respectable franchise at some point down the line (he's currently in A+ level).

4 Second Base
MLB: 2
Prospects: 0

Orlando Cabrera played 2B for CLE, but will likely move over to SS for SF, since the other guy on this list (Jeff Keppinger) will likely step in the second-sack position. What makes Cabrera better than Tejada is anybody's guess, but thankfully for the Giants, neither of these two were the top acquisition by their team this year.

5 Third Base
MLB: 4
Prospects: 1

The Royals traded both Wilson Betemit and Mike Aviles this year, which was to be expected with one of the best 3B prospects in the game (Mike Moustakas) hot on both of their heels. (Never mind that he's currently hitting under .200...) Jerry Hairston is listed at 3B, but he's also played a fair amount of LF this year, and hopes to help MIL with his diversity. Mark Teahen was basically a throw-in for TOR in the Jackson-Rasmus deal. And the lone prospect, Francisco Martinez (C+ by Sickels), goes from DET to SEA in the ever-present Fister deal.


6 Shortstop
MLB: 1
Prospects: 2

Yup, Rafael Furcal is it, he of the .197 AVG in his injury-plagued first half with the Dodgers. Yamaico Navarro (C+), late of the Red Sox, can play every infield position and might give Yuniesky Betancourt a run for his money in KC sooner rather than later.  Zach Walters (of Note) was tearing up A ball when he was traded as part of the Marquis deal, but might have to settle for a utility role with WAS if he comes up soon, as they seem pretty set at all three infield positions.

7 Left Field
MLB: 3
Prospects: 2

A couple of starters at this position were moved at the deadline - one who was projected to start for the Reds (Gomes) and one who emerged as a surprise contender for the Blue Jays (Patterson). Incidentally, the guy Patterson replaced in the projected lineup (Rivera) was also moved, and he's currently picking up some starts at first base for the Dodgers. Speaking of the Dodgers, they sent their organization's #3 prospect (Trayvon Robinson, B) to the Mariners in the Erik Bedard deal, and didn't get nought back but a handful of unranked prospects from the Red Sox. To round out the list, I feel like I should mention Thomas Neal (B+, SF's #5 ranked prospect) who went to Cleveland for Orlando Cabrera.

8 Center Field
MLB: 3
Prospects: 1

Perhaps no team did as good a job filling a glaring void as the Braves did when they acquired speedy leadoff center fielder Michael Bourn. The Blue Jays will enjoy Colby Rasmus, as he's a tremendous young talent, but they have plenty of offense. As for the other two not mentioned above, Jordan Schafer played in the majors for Atlanta, but he won't make a difference on baseball's worst squad, in this year or the next. And Erik Komatsu, (C+, MIL's 10th ranked prospect) was exchanged for superutility player Jerry Hairston.

9 Right Field
MLB: 5
Prospects: 4

Right Field is where most of the magic happened this deadline. Hunter Pence is one of the most promising young players in the game and Carlos Beltran is a proven veteran who has just this season found a burst of new life. We know how Beltran reacts to the late-season rental dynamic - he went to the NLCS with the Astros after being acquired in a pre-deadline deal in 2004 - but we'll see if Pence brings his game to the next level (i.e. superstardom) while playing for a contender. Ryan Ludwick, on the bench above, will hopefully give the Pirates the additional offensive shot in the arm they need to keep fighting for their division.

The other two major league quality RF'ers are Kosuke Fukudome (who hopes to play Ludwick's role for the Indians) and Casper Wells (a ready-to-play prospect shipped from DET to SEA for Doug Fister). Neither of the minor leaguers at this position were ranked, but three of the four (Chih-Hsien Chiang, Alex Castellanos, and Bill Rhinehart) are tearing it up stats-wise in AA-ball.