After last season’s debacle, at least we can say that your favorite Pittsburgh baseball team (yes, still ahead of the Pirates) aren’t standing pat. The Studdabubbas will welcome 6 rookies to their Big League roster—3 of whom will start right out of the gate. Plus, the Studdabubbas have been making some deals to get some much needed arms into their system. You may not recognize your team in Season 19, but making wholesale changes to the worst team in the league sure seems to make sense.
Rookie Matt Buchanan is the guy who chased Nate Girardi to Atlanta in free agency. Pittsburgh fans are calling him the next Willie Drew. Management is expecting more.
Second baseman Duffy Strong was traded to Atlanta for a promising starting pitcher named Alejandro Gomez who was assigned to Pittsburgh’s AA team. This opened the door for rookie Tim Dresden who will start on opening day.
At short, 31 year-old Frank Turner, who played for Kansas City for the last 6 years, was claimed off the Waiver Wire after Wilton Martin was let go and Wascar Blanco messed-up his back.
In right field, rookie Hong-Gu Suh will get the call because last year’s starter, Fernando Hernandez, was asking for too much money. Currently, Fernando is on Detroit’s AAA team.
The Studdabubba’s had been toying with the idea of trading Aaron Bennett for years and finally pulled the trigger. Bennett and a couple pitching prospects returned SP Daryl Isringhausen from Los Angeles. Last season’s back-up catcher, Arthur Anderson, will likely be the starter but the Bubbas have some depth here. It looks like they might try rookie Jimmie Henriquez as a backup but not because he is a good catcher.
Those are the changes in the field as Buzz Abernathy (3B), Charlie Bird (CF) and Tony Grove (LF) remain the starters from last year. Another rookie, Pablo Andino, has also been called up to the Bigs as a utility guy.
The pitching seems to have improved a little this season but that’s not saying a whole let. Brand new starter Darly Isringhousen will also be joined in the rotation by J.J. Scott who, along with releiver Jesus Diaz was acquired from salary-conscious Scranton for two prospects.
Francisco Delgado was the lone free agency signing for the Studdabubbas this season (way to spend that money, ownership) but he, and rookie Cole Rossy, should help solidify the horrific bullpens of Pittsburgh past.
It may seem even longer, but it's been a long 5 seasons since the Pittsburgh Studdabubbas made the playoffs. In seasons 9-14 they won the NL North 5 out of 6 times. Hopefully, the young nucleus of this club are a step in the right direction to being a relevant, competitive team in Hunter again.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Pittsburgh Studdabubbas S18 Wrap-Up
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. The Studdabubbas thought S18 was the year that they, at least, would get the ship facing in the right direction. Last season, they came on strong at the end of the season. So, this year, they spent some money in free-agency for the first time in years and thought they had some young players who were ready to break-out. In response, Pittsburgh had their worst record in their 18-season history, 55-107.
The pitching was a disaster again. The free agent signing of Del Hernandez was expected to strengthen and nurture the young pitching staff but Del quickly fell into the same funk that has plagued all Pittsburgh pitchers throughout time. The best starter on the team was not Hernandez (7-10, 4.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) but arguably the 23-year-old Rule 5 pick Vin Franco. He had a 3.90 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and lost 6 out of 6 games (That’s right, the Studdabubba’s best starter won 0 games). He probably could have lost even more games if he wasn’t injured for the first three quarters of the season.
The other free agents (Buzz Abernathy, Alberto Cordero, Fernando Hernandez) were stop-gap players and they hardly accomplished that. Buzz Abernathy hit .280 and hit 21 HRs and, sadly, was the Studdabubba’s best slugger (.454).
After a horrible start where he was benched for a few games, Nate Girardi somehow got his average up to .291 but only got 77 RBIs batting 3rd and 4th—easily his worst production of his career. Nate is in the last year of his contract and will likely look for a new team.
If we needed to choose a S18 MVP, it would have to be 35-year-old set-up man, Darryl Ogea. He had a WHIP of 1.12 and went 7-3 on a team that only won 55 games. Ogea probably isn’t quite ready to retire and Pittsburgh would be stupid to let any competent pitcher go but will Ogea want to stay?
There may be some hope in Pittsburgh, though. The ‘Bubba’s AAA team is in the World Series and has 3 or 4 position players who will likely get called-up at the beginning of next season:
1B - Matt Buchanan - He was a first round pick in S16 and will be 22-years-old next season. Matt has been demolishing Minor League pitching hitting 33, 46, and 47 home runs in the last 3 seasons. He is the main reason Nate Girardi may not be a Studdabubba next season.
2B - Tim Dresden - Dresden will battle Duffy Strong for the 2b starting spot but, since he can play many positions, he will likely be called-up even if he doesn’t beat-out Strong. Dresdon was a S15 compensatory pick.
SS - Pablo Andino - Coming to the Studdabubbas in S16 as a compensatory pick, Pablo isn’t exactly ripping up the minors but, with the Studdabubbas weakness at SS, Andino will probably be asked to replace Wilton Martin as backup SS or even start if the ‘Bubbas don’t resign Wascar Blanco.
RF - Hong-Gu Suh - An International signing in S15, Suh probably still needs another year in the minors but may get the call if there is an injury or more benchings.
Needless to say, there aren’t any blue-chip pitchers who are likely to make a mark in the Majors any time soon. Ronny Boyd is probably closest but he’s probably a S20 hopeful. Cole Rossy may also get a shot but that’s mostly due to the lousy shape the the ML bullpen is currently in.
The pitching was a disaster again. The free agent signing of Del Hernandez was expected to strengthen and nurture the young pitching staff but Del quickly fell into the same funk that has plagued all Pittsburgh pitchers throughout time. The best starter on the team was not Hernandez (7-10, 4.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) but arguably the 23-year-old Rule 5 pick Vin Franco. He had a 3.90 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and lost 6 out of 6 games (That’s right, the Studdabubba’s best starter won 0 games). He probably could have lost even more games if he wasn’t injured for the first three quarters of the season.
The other free agents (Buzz Abernathy, Alberto Cordero, Fernando Hernandez) were stop-gap players and they hardly accomplished that. Buzz Abernathy hit .280 and hit 21 HRs and, sadly, was the Studdabubba’s best slugger (.454).
After a horrible start where he was benched for a few games, Nate Girardi somehow got his average up to .291 but only got 77 RBIs batting 3rd and 4th—easily his worst production of his career. Nate is in the last year of his contract and will likely look for a new team.
If we needed to choose a S18 MVP, it would have to be 35-year-old set-up man, Darryl Ogea. He had a WHIP of 1.12 and went 7-3 on a team that only won 55 games. Ogea probably isn’t quite ready to retire and Pittsburgh would be stupid to let any competent pitcher go but will Ogea want to stay?
There may be some hope in Pittsburgh, though. The ‘Bubba’s AAA team is in the World Series and has 3 or 4 position players who will likely get called-up at the beginning of next season:
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1B - Matt Buchanan - He was a first round pick in S16 and will be 22-years-old next season. Matt has been demolishing Minor League pitching hitting 33, 46, and 47 home runs in the last 3 seasons. He is the main reason Nate Girardi may not be a Studdabubba next season.
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2B - Tim Dresden - Dresden will battle Duffy Strong for the 2b starting spot but, since he can play many positions, he will likely be called-up even if he doesn’t beat-out Strong. Dresdon was a S15 compensatory pick.
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SS - Pablo Andino - Coming to the Studdabubbas in S16 as a compensatory pick, Pablo isn’t exactly ripping up the minors but, with the Studdabubbas weakness at SS, Andino will probably be asked to replace Wilton Martin as backup SS or even start if the ‘Bubbas don’t resign Wascar Blanco.
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RF - Hong-Gu Suh - An International signing in S15, Suh probably still needs another year in the minors but may get the call if there is an injury or more benchings.
Needless to say, there aren’t any blue-chip pitchers who are likely to make a mark in the Majors any time soon. Ronny Boyd is probably closest but he’s probably a S20 hopeful. Cole Rossy may also get a shot but that’s mostly due to the lousy shape the the ML bullpen is currently in.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Hall of Fame Candidates
Below is the list of HOF eligible candidates. I decided to rank the top 20 candidates not yet in the hall.
1. Mendy Clemens
Seasons 1-13
Stats: 1584 R (4th All-time), 334 HR, 1405 RBI, 297 SB, .304 AVG, .915 OPS
Awards: 6-Time 2b Silver Slugger, 5-Time All-Star, 1-Time LF Silver Slugger & 1 World Series Ring.
Pros: Unless we want a HOF consisting of only DH/1b/LF and SP we need to start factoring the positions of the nominee. Clemens is probably the best 2b in the history of Hunter, I think it’s safe to say the best at any position should be in the HOF. Unlike some other nominees that played up the middle out of position Clemens was a bone fide 2b until season 9 and then a passable defender until season 11. As a top of the order batter he got the job done with a .385 OBS and huge run totals which put him in the top 5 all-time. Also Clemens was 24 when the world was created and looking at his initial ratings he could have been a ML contributor as early at 22. A final pro for Clemens is when I roughed out this list I had him 4th or 5th but the more I looked at him the further he climbed.
EDIT: M. Clemens was the starting 2b for the All-Hunter AL Decade team
Cons: To nitpick he was only had average range for a 2b but did have a plus glove
EDIT: When review his SB success that could be the 2nd knock on Clemens while he stole 297 based he was thrown out over 150 times.
2. Kevin Coleman
Seasons 1-14
Stats: 166-91 2383 IP 1843K 3.66 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Awards: 3-Time All-Star, 3 Time Cy Young winner , 1 World Series Ring, 1 Silver Slugger
Pros: Authored a career 3.66 ERA despite pitching in Colorado/Tucson for four combined seasons, has the most Cy Young awards of any retired pitcher not named Bournigal. Posted a career winning % of .645 despite spending 7 of his 14 seasons on non-playoff teams.. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter the league average ERA ranged from 4.92.-5.45 Coleman’s ERA was about a run and a half lower than (3.66) than the league average. His ERA becomes even more impressive when put into the following context. he pitched 22% of his career innings in Coors field, He pitched 400 innings in Tucson’s Electric park which is the third best hitting park (behind Coors and Sante Fe) and for those 400 IP he averaged an ERA of 3.18. So during his extended prime Coleman was clearly an elite pitcher he just had some factors working against his overall stats. In the one season he spent on a quality team in a pitcher’s park he went 18-5 with a 1.98 ERA. Perhaps a glimpse into what he could have done had he been put into better situations.
EDIT: Also forgot to mention that Coleman made the All-Hunter NL Decade team as one of three Starting Pitchers
Cons: Only averaged 11.8 wins for his career, only 3-All star appearances however this is likely explained by the low win totals playing for bad teams. As allstar voting tends heavily favour win totals
3. Mark Meng
Seaosns 1-14
Stats: 212-99 (2nd All-Time) 2765 IP (4th All-Time) 1988K (5th All-Time) 3.39 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Awards: 7-Time All-Star & 1 World Series Ring
Pros: As stated above for Coleman the ML average for ERA over the first 10 seasons ranged from 4.92-5.45. So Meng’s career ERA was a full two runs lower than the league average in some instances. Most agree a sub 4 ERA for a season is a very good year and a sub 3 ERA is a fantastic year. Meng had ten sub 4 ERA seasons and had four sub 3 ERA seasons. When Meng signed in with Scottsdale after Season 7 he inked the largest contract ever handed out to a pitcher (5 years/ 80M). This signing paid immediate dividends for Scottsdale leading a franchise that had previously never been to the playoffs to a championship. While pitching 40 playoff innings with an ERA of 2.95. Meng was the definition of a winner, teams he played for made the playoffs 12/14 season. Along with Coleman, Meng was named one of the 3 starters to the All-Hunter NL Decade team and just missed being named to the AL team as well
Cons: Despite being top 5 in several major pitching categories Mark Meng never won a Cy Young. After coming to the AL he played in the shadow of Feliepe Bournigal however he never took home the big trophy in the AL. Also nitpicking he only had one 20W season.
4. E. Molina
Seasons 1-14
Stats: 1591 R (3rd All-Time) 255 HR 1146 RBI 459 SB (2nd All-Time) .312 AVG .910 OPS
Awards: ROY, 3-Time RF Silver Slugger, 6-Time All-Star & 2-Time Gold Glove winner
Pros: Molina was a model of consistency over the first ten seasons of Hunter. In his first ten seasons he only batted below .300 once and hit between 20-29 HR eight times. It wasn’t till his 12th season that he failed to reach the 100 run plateau. Molina was a perfect top of the order hitter with a little bit of pop, great speed and the ability to get on base. That ability to get on base let him touch home plate more than all but two men (Angel Bolivar & Garret Biggio) in Hunter history. In addition to his bat he also played good enough defense to win two gold gloves in RF. Mr. Molina was also the extremely loyal sort playing every inning of his ML career for the same franchise. I believe that would be a first among all Hunter HOFs (provided he beats Rich Peters in…..more on him to follow). Like the three listed above him E. Molina also made the All-Hunter Decade team. He was a reserve for the NL, having been beaten out by Frank Zhang for the starting spot in RF.
Cons: Molina lacked the typical power found in an OF corner spot he is also the first player on this list to have never won a title.
5. D. Miller
Seasons: 1-11
Stats: 1131 R 283HR 1083 RBI 164 SB .306 AVG .953 OPS
Awards: 5-Time Silver Slugger SS, 5-Time All-Star & 3 World Series Rings
Pros: Miller is a 5-time AL Silver slugger winner and did so in only 6 full AL seasons. Some will point to Miller’s defense as being better suited for 2b or 3b myself included. However, it’s tough to argue with the Generals success with Miller manning SS, the Washington Franchise won it’s three titles with Miller at SS. If his defense didn’t hinder a championship team it’s difficult to hold it against his HOF candidacy. Miller was nearing the end of his prime when the world was generated (his fielding skills began to detiroate after season3), despite this fact Miller was still able to reach 1000R and 1000 RBIs for this career. While Miller’s stats won’t be as godly as some players on this list he fact he played an up the middle position on 3 championship teams makes him Hall Worthy in my books
Cons: Fielding skills were always below average for a a SS. For his career he had 35 negative plays vs. 4 positive plays at short. He was basically done as a ML hitter by Season 9, which brings up the question of how to evaluate hitters that were older when the world was generated. I think it’s safe to say most understand that CF/SS will have shorter careers as fielding ratings fall off a cliff early in a players 30’s
6. Derek O’Keefe
Seasons 1-13
Stats: 163-78 2301 IP 1824 K 3.15 ERA 1.18 WHIP
Awards: 1 Cy Young & 5 All-Star Appearances
Pros: Previously with Mark Meng, I mentioned sub-4 and sub-3 ERA seasons, I will do so once again with O’Keefe. O’Keefe had eleven seasons with a sub 4 ERA and three seasons with a sub 3 ERA. Those numbers seem pretty ridiculous in themselves but when you dig deeper you’ll see that for 10 of his 13 seasons his ERA was sub 3.4 Unlike other pitching greats O’Keefe didn’t tail off dramatically at the end of his career. In fact at age 41 he gave the TB (now Houston) franchise 128 innings of 3.09 ERA ball. O’Keefe managed all of the above despite being 29 when Hunter was created.
Cons: He never managed to win a championship however that didn’t mean he wasn’t in demand, he played for 10 different organizations in his career. His one Cy Young was likely a by-product of several seasons being split between two leagues.
1. Mendy Clemens
Seasons 1-13
Stats: 1584 R (4th All-time), 334 HR, 1405 RBI, 297 SB, .304 AVG, .915 OPS
Awards: 6-Time 2b Silver Slugger, 5-Time All-Star, 1-Time LF Silver Slugger & 1 World Series Ring.
Pros: Unless we want a HOF consisting of only DH/1b/LF and SP we need to start factoring the positions of the nominee. Clemens is probably the best 2b in the history of Hunter, I think it’s safe to say the best at any position should be in the HOF. Unlike some other nominees that played up the middle out of position Clemens was a bone fide 2b until season 9 and then a passable defender until season 11. As a top of the order batter he got the job done with a .385 OBS and huge run totals which put him in the top 5 all-time. Also Clemens was 24 when the world was created and looking at his initial ratings he could have been a ML contributor as early at 22. A final pro for Clemens is when I roughed out this list I had him 4th or 5th but the more I looked at him the further he climbed.
EDIT: M. Clemens was the starting 2b for the All-Hunter AL Decade team
Cons: To nitpick he was only had average range for a 2b but did have a plus glove
EDIT: When review his SB success that could be the 2nd knock on Clemens while he stole 297 based he was thrown out over 150 times.
2. Kevin Coleman
Seasons 1-14
Stats: 166-91 2383 IP 1843K 3.66 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Awards: 3-Time All-Star, 3 Time Cy Young winner , 1 World Series Ring, 1 Silver Slugger
Pros: Authored a career 3.66 ERA despite pitching in Colorado/Tucson for four combined seasons, has the most Cy Young awards of any retired pitcher not named Bournigal. Posted a career winning % of .645 despite spending 7 of his 14 seasons on non-playoff teams.. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter the league average ERA ranged from 4.92.-5.45 Coleman’s ERA was about a run and a half lower than (3.66) than the league average. His ERA becomes even more impressive when put into the following context. he pitched 22% of his career innings in Coors field, He pitched 400 innings in Tucson’s Electric park which is the third best hitting park (behind Coors and Sante Fe) and for those 400 IP he averaged an ERA of 3.18. So during his extended prime Coleman was clearly an elite pitcher he just had some factors working against his overall stats. In the one season he spent on a quality team in a pitcher’s park he went 18-5 with a 1.98 ERA. Perhaps a glimpse into what he could have done had he been put into better situations.
EDIT: Also forgot to mention that Coleman made the All-Hunter NL Decade team as one of three Starting Pitchers
Cons: Only averaged 11.8 wins for his career, only 3-All star appearances however this is likely explained by the low win totals playing for bad teams. As allstar voting tends heavily favour win totals
3. Mark Meng
Seaosns 1-14
Stats: 212-99 (2nd All-Time) 2765 IP (4th All-Time) 1988K (5th All-Time) 3.39 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Awards: 7-Time All-Star & 1 World Series Ring
Pros: As stated above for Coleman the ML average for ERA over the first 10 seasons ranged from 4.92-5.45. So Meng’s career ERA was a full two runs lower than the league average in some instances. Most agree a sub 4 ERA for a season is a very good year and a sub 3 ERA is a fantastic year. Meng had ten sub 4 ERA seasons and had four sub 3 ERA seasons. When Meng signed in with Scottsdale after Season 7 he inked the largest contract ever handed out to a pitcher (5 years/ 80M). This signing paid immediate dividends for Scottsdale leading a franchise that had previously never been to the playoffs to a championship. While pitching 40 playoff innings with an ERA of 2.95. Meng was the definition of a winner, teams he played for made the playoffs 12/14 season. Along with Coleman, Meng was named one of the 3 starters to the All-Hunter NL Decade team and just missed being named to the AL team as well
Cons: Despite being top 5 in several major pitching categories Mark Meng never won a Cy Young. After coming to the AL he played in the shadow of Feliepe Bournigal however he never took home the big trophy in the AL. Also nitpicking he only had one 20W season.
4. E. Molina
Seasons 1-14
Stats: 1591 R (3rd All-Time) 255 HR 1146 RBI 459 SB (2nd All-Time) .312 AVG .910 OPS
Awards: ROY, 3-Time RF Silver Slugger, 6-Time All-Star & 2-Time Gold Glove winner
Pros: Molina was a model of consistency over the first ten seasons of Hunter. In his first ten seasons he only batted below .300 once and hit between 20-29 HR eight times. It wasn’t till his 12th season that he failed to reach the 100 run plateau. Molina was a perfect top of the order hitter with a little bit of pop, great speed and the ability to get on base. That ability to get on base let him touch home plate more than all but two men (Angel Bolivar & Garret Biggio) in Hunter history. In addition to his bat he also played good enough defense to win two gold gloves in RF. Mr. Molina was also the extremely loyal sort playing every inning of his ML career for the same franchise. I believe that would be a first among all Hunter HOFs (provided he beats Rich Peters in…..more on him to follow). Like the three listed above him E. Molina also made the All-Hunter Decade team. He was a reserve for the NL, having been beaten out by Frank Zhang for the starting spot in RF.
Cons: Molina lacked the typical power found in an OF corner spot he is also the first player on this list to have never won a title.
5. D. Miller
Seasons: 1-11
Stats: 1131 R 283HR 1083 RBI 164 SB .306 AVG .953 OPS
Awards: 5-Time Silver Slugger SS, 5-Time All-Star & 3 World Series Rings
Pros: Miller is a 5-time AL Silver slugger winner and did so in only 6 full AL seasons. Some will point to Miller’s defense as being better suited for 2b or 3b myself included. However, it’s tough to argue with the Generals success with Miller manning SS, the Washington Franchise won it’s three titles with Miller at SS. If his defense didn’t hinder a championship team it’s difficult to hold it against his HOF candidacy. Miller was nearing the end of his prime when the world was generated (his fielding skills began to detiroate after season3), despite this fact Miller was still able to reach 1000R and 1000 RBIs for this career. While Miller’s stats won’t be as godly as some players on this list he fact he played an up the middle position on 3 championship teams makes him Hall Worthy in my books
Cons: Fielding skills were always below average for a a SS. For his career he had 35 negative plays vs. 4 positive plays at short. He was basically done as a ML hitter by Season 9, which brings up the question of how to evaluate hitters that were older when the world was generated. I think it’s safe to say most understand that CF/SS will have shorter careers as fielding ratings fall off a cliff early in a players 30’s
6. Derek O’Keefe
Seasons 1-13
Stats: 163-78 2301 IP 1824 K 3.15 ERA 1.18 WHIP
Awards: 1 Cy Young & 5 All-Star Appearances
Pros: Previously with Mark Meng, I mentioned sub-4 and sub-3 ERA seasons, I will do so once again with O’Keefe. O’Keefe had eleven seasons with a sub 4 ERA and three seasons with a sub 3 ERA. Those numbers seem pretty ridiculous in themselves but when you dig deeper you’ll see that for 10 of his 13 seasons his ERA was sub 3.4 Unlike other pitching greats O’Keefe didn’t tail off dramatically at the end of his career. In fact at age 41 he gave the TB (now Houston) franchise 128 innings of 3.09 ERA ball. O’Keefe managed all of the above despite being 29 when Hunter was created.
Cons: He never managed to win a championship however that didn’t mean he wasn’t in demand, he played for 10 different organizations in his career. His one Cy Young was likely a by-product of several seasons being split between two leagues.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
HOF Class Season 15
Will have to wait but deserve to join the Hall.
The first group of guys were the first ballot Hall of Famers the next four in my opinion also deserve to join the hall but will likely have to wait a couple years before being enshired.
Dan Miller: Miller’s hardware case is full: 5 silver sluggers and 5 all-star appearances to go along with 3 WS rings. A lot has been made of Miller’s fielding being sub-par for a SS. I have been among the detractors. However, I must say that mdukes made a very valid point when he likened Miller to Jeter (solid SS that’s a little light in range). The more salient point made by mdukes was despite his fielding warts it did not stop Washington from winning three championships. Combine the hardware, the stats and the position he played and Miller’s bust deserves to hang in the HOF
Andrew Wright: I believe CF and SS need to be evaluated differently than all other positions, as defense is such a premimum. Based on pattern for defensive ratings decline, SS and CF only have a limited time on top. Rarely does a CF or SS have the bat to justify playing them at another position so once their range rating drops below 75 their career is essentially over. This could be seen clearly with Wright, who IMO is the 3rd best CF to lace up cleats in Hunter, behind Garret Biggio and Pablo Chavez. With 4-All-Star teams, 2 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP and a World series ring Mr. Wright has a quality trophy case. When you throw in the fact he provided above average defense for 7 seasons in the 2nd most demanding position it become clear he should join the hall. He will get my vote in the future
E. Javier: He lived in the shadow if his younger brother Magglio for his seven seasons in Louisville. However behind Magglio he was probably the 2nd most important member of the team. Javier brought above average SS defense with a strong bat to the table. Were it not for two 60 day DL stints for SLC, Javier likely would have cracked 1000 runs and 1000 rbis. Javier posted (4) silver slugger caliber seasons in season 1, 3, 4 and 6 however he was nipped by Dan Miller in all four cases. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter you could make an argument that Javier was the world’s best SS. The discussion would come down to Miller and Javier. The one you picked would be based on how you valued defense vs. offense from the SS position. Playing the most demanding position at arguably the highest level for the first 10 seasons should get E. Javier into the hall, unless we only want 1b/DH/LF types in the hallowed halles.
Shawn Owen: One of the most consistent pitchers in the early years of Hunter. With 2 Cy Youngs and 6-All-Star appearancse he probably should be mentioned in the same breath as Coleman, Ogea and O’Keefe. However for whatever reason he isn’t held in the same esteem. Owen will get his due when he eventually joins them in the Hall. Owen like O’Keefe pitched well late into this career at age 39 he posted 18-7 with a 3.35 ERA
The first group of guys were the first ballot Hall of Famers the next four in my opinion also deserve to join the hall but will likely have to wait a couple years before being enshired.
Dan Miller: Miller’s hardware case is full: 5 silver sluggers and 5 all-star appearances to go along with 3 WS rings. A lot has been made of Miller’s fielding being sub-par for a SS. I have been among the detractors. However, I must say that mdukes made a very valid point when he likened Miller to Jeter (solid SS that’s a little light in range). The more salient point made by mdukes was despite his fielding warts it did not stop Washington from winning three championships. Combine the hardware, the stats and the position he played and Miller’s bust deserves to hang in the HOF
Andrew Wright: I believe CF and SS need to be evaluated differently than all other positions, as defense is such a premimum. Based on pattern for defensive ratings decline, SS and CF only have a limited time on top. Rarely does a CF or SS have the bat to justify playing them at another position so once their range rating drops below 75 their career is essentially over. This could be seen clearly with Wright, who IMO is the 3rd best CF to lace up cleats in Hunter, behind Garret Biggio and Pablo Chavez. With 4-All-Star teams, 2 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP and a World series ring Mr. Wright has a quality trophy case. When you throw in the fact he provided above average defense for 7 seasons in the 2nd most demanding position it become clear he should join the hall. He will get my vote in the future
E. Javier: He lived in the shadow if his younger brother Magglio for his seven seasons in Louisville. However behind Magglio he was probably the 2nd most important member of the team. Javier brought above average SS defense with a strong bat to the table. Were it not for two 60 day DL stints for SLC, Javier likely would have cracked 1000 runs and 1000 rbis. Javier posted (4) silver slugger caliber seasons in season 1, 3, 4 and 6 however he was nipped by Dan Miller in all four cases. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter you could make an argument that Javier was the world’s best SS. The discussion would come down to Miller and Javier. The one you picked would be based on how you valued defense vs. offense from the SS position. Playing the most demanding position at arguably the highest level for the first 10 seasons should get E. Javier into the hall, unless we only want 1b/DH/LF types in the hallowed halles.
Shawn Owen: One of the most consistent pitchers in the early years of Hunter. With 2 Cy Youngs and 6-All-Star appearancse he probably should be mentioned in the same breath as Coleman, Ogea and O’Keefe. However for whatever reason he isn’t held in the same esteem. Owen will get his due when he eventually joins them in the Hall. Owen like O’Keefe pitched well late into this career at age 39 he posted 18-7 with a 3.35 ERA
Friday, February 19, 2010
HOF Class S15
I figured I’d take the time to go through the HOF candidates and give my thoughts and then break the players down into the following classes: First Ballot HOF, HOF but will have to wait, Borderline HOFer and Won’t Make the Cut. Also for the fun of it I will take a shot at how many votes each player receives (I will assume all 32 owners get a vote). Due to the backlog I think Hayashi and either Coleman/O’Keefe while just miss the threshold to enter the Hall. They are still first ballot HOF in my eyes and would be if Hunter’s HOF started when players first became eligible.
I’ll start with the first ballot HOFers
Felipe Bournigal: His number speak from themselves he is the greatest pitcher that Hunter has ever known. A career era of 2.70, two World Series rings and 6 Cy Young say it all. The only way Bournigal doesn’t go 32/32 in the voting is if someone forgets to vote.
Votes: 32/32
Lou Stevenson: Stevenson’s reign on top was relatively short (7 seasons) however during that team his production was so heroic the duration of his prime has little effect. Had he not been traded to the NL his prime probably would have extended another season or two which would have allowed him to join the 500 HR club. All that said Stevenson goes into the hall on the back of qty (5) MVP’s which is a Hunter record he shares with Magglio Javier.
Votes: 23/32
Elvis Ogea: Ogea is a two-time Cy Young award winner playing in the same league as Bournigal and had Ogea pitched in the NL his Cy total likely would have been 4 or higher. Ogea was also the best pitcher on the 3-time WS champions Washington Generals. The last two seasons of his career were not kind to his stats as he posted a 6+ ERA over his last 130 ML innings. Had he retired two years earlier his 3.25 career ERA likely would have been in the high 2’s.
Votes: 24/32
Kevin Coleman: Coleman has more Cy Young’s (3) than anyone not named Felipe. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter the league average ERA ranged from 4.92.-5.45 Coleman’s ERA was about a run and a half lower than (3.66) than the league average. His ERA becomes even more impressive when put into the following context. He averaged a 6+ ERA over the last 180 IP of his career (when will WIS factor in retiring with dignity), he pitched 22% of his career innings in Coors field, He pitched 400 innings in Tucson’s Electric park which is the third best hitting park (behind Coors and Sante Fe) and for those 400 IP he averaged an ERA of 3.18. So during his extended prime Coleman was clearly an elite pitcher he just had some factors working against his overall stats.
Votes: 18/32
Derek O’Keefe: Mr. O’Keefe was a wanted man, he bounced around Hunter via trades and FA like no other. He played for 13 seasons and he also played in 13 different cities. He only ended up with one Cy Young but he did have three seasons where he posted an ERA sub 3.2 but was split between two league thus negating any chance for more Cy Young nominations. One of the things I find most impressive about O’Keefe was his ability to remain effective until retirement. Unlike other greats: Bournigal, Ogea & Coleman, you did not see the precipitous drop-off in production at the end of this career. In his final ML season he posted a 4.2 ERA.
Votes: 16/32
James Hayashi: For the first 8 seasons of Hunter he was as good as any hitter. Unfortunately he was 28 when the world spawned so obviously there were 4-5 prime years missed. Hayashi ended his career with 470 HR, given another 4-5 seasons that number would have been in the 600-700HR range. I think the number 43 pretty much sums up Hayashi excellence in his prime. 43 is the number of games he played in the AL during Season 4 and he still managed to win the NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP.
Votes: 14/32
Albert Henley: 2 MVP’s, 6-All-stars and .337 career batting average are the numbers that show Henley is clearly hall bound. A lot has been made of Henley’s inflated stats due to his 3.5 season stay in Colorado. While I agree those seasons did inflate Henley’s numbers. At age 37 & 38 with reduced skills he still managed to produce qty (2) 20+ HR seasons with batting averages of .321 & .322. I think his production at an advanced age shows he had a skill set of a HOFer.
Votes: 25/32
I’ll start with the first ballot HOFers
Felipe Bournigal: His number speak from themselves he is the greatest pitcher that Hunter has ever known. A career era of 2.70, two World Series rings and 6 Cy Young say it all. The only way Bournigal doesn’t go 32/32 in the voting is if someone forgets to vote.
Votes: 32/32
Lou Stevenson: Stevenson’s reign on top was relatively short (7 seasons) however during that team his production was so heroic the duration of his prime has little effect. Had he not been traded to the NL his prime probably would have extended another season or two which would have allowed him to join the 500 HR club. All that said Stevenson goes into the hall on the back of qty (5) MVP’s which is a Hunter record he shares with Magglio Javier.
Votes: 23/32
Elvis Ogea: Ogea is a two-time Cy Young award winner playing in the same league as Bournigal and had Ogea pitched in the NL his Cy total likely would have been 4 or higher. Ogea was also the best pitcher on the 3-time WS champions Washington Generals. The last two seasons of his career were not kind to his stats as he posted a 6+ ERA over his last 130 ML innings. Had he retired two years earlier his 3.25 career ERA likely would have been in the high 2’s.
Votes: 24/32
Kevin Coleman: Coleman has more Cy Young’s (3) than anyone not named Felipe. For the first 10 seasons of Hunter the league average ERA ranged from 4.92.-5.45 Coleman’s ERA was about a run and a half lower than (3.66) than the league average. His ERA becomes even more impressive when put into the following context. He averaged a 6+ ERA over the last 180 IP of his career (when will WIS factor in retiring with dignity), he pitched 22% of his career innings in Coors field, He pitched 400 innings in Tucson’s Electric park which is the third best hitting park (behind Coors and Sante Fe) and for those 400 IP he averaged an ERA of 3.18. So during his extended prime Coleman was clearly an elite pitcher he just had some factors working against his overall stats.
Votes: 18/32
Derek O’Keefe: Mr. O’Keefe was a wanted man, he bounced around Hunter via trades and FA like no other. He played for 13 seasons and he also played in 13 different cities. He only ended up with one Cy Young but he did have three seasons where he posted an ERA sub 3.2 but was split between two league thus negating any chance for more Cy Young nominations. One of the things I find most impressive about O’Keefe was his ability to remain effective until retirement. Unlike other greats: Bournigal, Ogea & Coleman, you did not see the precipitous drop-off in production at the end of this career. In his final ML season he posted a 4.2 ERA.
Votes: 16/32
James Hayashi: For the first 8 seasons of Hunter he was as good as any hitter. Unfortunately he was 28 when the world spawned so obviously there were 4-5 prime years missed. Hayashi ended his career with 470 HR, given another 4-5 seasons that number would have been in the 600-700HR range. I think the number 43 pretty much sums up Hayashi excellence in his prime. 43 is the number of games he played in the AL during Season 4 and he still managed to win the NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP.
Votes: 14/32
Albert Henley: 2 MVP’s, 6-All-stars and .337 career batting average are the numbers that show Henley is clearly hall bound. A lot has been made of Henley’s inflated stats due to his 3.5 season stay in Colorado. While I agree those seasons did inflate Henley’s numbers. At age 37 & 38 with reduced skills he still managed to produce qty (2) 20+ HR seasons with batting averages of .321 & .322. I think his production at an advanced age shows he had a skill set of a HOFer.
Votes: 25/32
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