It takes many seasons to find out how a draft has paid off. We've reached the point in Hunter's history where can start evaluating how some drafts are turning out. I have decided to start with Season 5, since that is around the time we got full control of our draft boards and when many of us figured out what we were doing. Even though some of you weren't here when these drafts took place, they have impacted your franchise today. I'll only be looking at first round choices (non-sandwich). I just don't have the time to go deeper than that.
1. Hector DeLeon (SP) Drafted by Bearclaws06 for Charlotte. Traded to Colorado in S6 for Wilfredo Mendoza. Hector was given a $4 million bonus to be the first pick of the S5 draft. After a largely successful minor league career he broke into the majors in S9. Thus far in 2 seasons he is 24-15 with a 5.05 ERA. S10 showed a marked improvement with a 14-7 record and a 4.28 ERA. Hector's ratings are strong and looks to be a solid investment.
Grade: A for pick, but a B for the trade.
2. Steve Crawford (SP) Drafted by mytitan. Steve did not sign and has gone into the great HBD void.
Grade: F
3.Moose Gates (SP) Drafted by Oli35 for Scottsdale. Moose is a big strapping lefty (think David Wells) with a rubber arm. He broke into the majors in S9. After a successful rookie season where he posted a 14-9 mark with a 4.31 ERA, Moose suffered a sophomore slump in S10. Moose posted an ugly 5-17 mark with a 6.79 ERA. Moose has good skills (but shaky control). His lack of solid control may make him a Jekyll and Hyde type pitcher in seasons to come.
Grade: B-
4. Don Sedlacek (SP) Drafted by Dufferman for Baltimore. Sedlacek is a big time innings eater with high stamina and durability, but mediocre splits. He broke into the big leagues in S8 and had it rough, going 5-15. S9 was kinder, with Don going 10-11 with a 4.10 ERA in 200 IP. S10 showed a regression to a 5.48 ERA in only 151 IP. His low splits and lack of a 4th pitch will limit Sedlacek's effectiveness.
Grade: C-
5.Willie Guerrero (RP) Drafted by eclipse33 for Vancouver. Still with the franchise (was Portland Pines in S10, now open). Guerrero is a very talented RHP with above average splits, control, pitches and good stamina for a reliever. After breaking through halfway through S8, he has posted back to back 29 save seasons as the closer for this franchise. A career 1.11 WHIP and 3.64 ERA shows this draft pick was a bullseye.
Grade: A
6.Rudy Puffer (CF) Drafted by cliff357 for El Paso. Traded to Sante Fe in S7. Puffer is a weak defensive CF with neither the range nor glove to adequately man the position. He does bring a solid bat to the table, though. Puffer was promoted to the bigs after his acquisition in S7. He has posted OPS of .903, .838, .750 and .885 in his 4 seasons and has averaged 22 HR per year. A career .287/.345/.492 line is very good for a CF, though he really belongs at a corner OF position.
Grade: B
7.Hector Knight (SS) Drafted by dwevans24 for Sacramento. Still with franchise (LA Baja Racers). Hector is a SS with a solid bat but slightly below average glove. He broke into the bigs in S8 but has played full time for just 2 big league seasons (9 and 10). He has a nice .299 career batting average and a .363 OBP. He is a solid pick.
Grade: B+
8.Sean Guerrero (LF) Drafted by wolfhoundkl for Texas. Still with franchise. As is typical with LF'ers taken high in the draft, Guerrero is a big time masher. His first taste of the bigs came in S6 (!). He has consistenly put up solid numbers and he peaked (thus far) in S10 with a .306/.380/.562 line with 46 HR and 118 RBI.
Grade: A
9.Britt Perkins (2B) Drafted by rockydawg07 for Cleveland. Still with franchise. Perkins has borderline ss skills at 2b and a big stick to go with his glove. He has played 3 full big league seasons and his best to date was S9 (.320/.374/.708 with 48 HR and 127 RBI in 463 AB!) The only knock on Perkins is durability, with just a 67. Because of that, Perkins is limited to about 120 games per season. That flaw knocks him down a half peg.
Grade: A-
10.Sparky Rhodes (CF) Drafted by the e man for Toledo. Traded to Louisville in S9. Rhodes is a CF with nice range but a poor glove and mediocre skills at the plate. He has hit well in the minors, but has not made the majors yet. As of now, he projects as a 4th OF type.
Grade: D+ (for #10 overall, a franchise should do better)
11.Benito Jose (SP/RP) Drafted by bearclan1 for Sante Fe. Still with franchise. Jose is one of those low stamina starters who are sometimes utilized as swingmen. A lefty with mediocre splits, Jose cracked the bigs in S8 and has posted a 4.88 career ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 295.1 innings. He projects as a career long reliever.
Grade: C-
12.Alan Wallace (SP/RP) Drafted by djbradford for New Britain. Still with franchise. Wallace is a lefty with good stamina and a good (but not great) array of pitches. Wallace saw action in the bigs as early as S6. As both as starter and reliever, Wallace has posted a 43-32 record with a 1.39 WHIP and 4.47 ERA. He even won 16 games in S7. He has been a solid contributor and should continue as such.
Grade: B
13.Ignacio Cruz (SP) Drafted by ewchippe for Wichita. Traded to Atlanta in S10. Cruz is a big, strapping RHP with a lot of talent, including pinpoint control. Cruz cracked the bigs in S8, but really established himself in S10 with Atlanta at the age of 23. Cruz became Atlanta's #1 starter. Disregard the 13-12 record and look at the 3.38 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 242.1 innings. Cruz started Game 1 in 2 of Atlanta's 3 playoff series. Definitely should be a top of the rotation starter for the next decade.
Grade: A (trade for Craig Byrne and co. cannot be evaluated yet).
14.Tim Anderson (RF) Drafted by dizzlebob for Pittsburgh. Traded numerous times and is currently a free agent after 6 seasons in the minors. Could possibly break through as a backup corner OF.
Grade: D-
15.Chris Redding (SP) Drafted by squeekyethan for Augusta. Traded to San Fran in S7. Redding made his big league debut in S10 for the Night Demons. In 26 starts he went 13-8 with a 3.27 ERA. He should be a nice backend RH starter for seasons to come.
Grade: B+
16.Zack Marshall (IF) Drafted by gocubz for Chicago. Traded to Texas in S7. Marshall is a poor SS with a mediocre stick. He has played in the bigs for parts of 3 seasons posting a .263/.333/.407 line. He spent all of S10 in AAA. He may have a role as a backup IF someday.
Grade: D
17.Cesar Guzman (LF) Drafted by baldric for San Juan. Still with franchise. Guzman is an excellent defensive LF with a decent stick. He broke in the bigs in S9 and had a nice S10, posting
.274/.337/.512 with 21 HR and 77 RBI. He should be a very solid big leaguer.
Grade: B
18. James Millard (LF) Drafted by buddybee for Ottawa. Not signed.
Grade: F
19.Len Sutcliffe (P) Drafted by mase4342 for Rochester. Still with franchsie. Sutcliffe has good control and stamina but poor durability, which limits his innings. He broke into the bigs in S10 but thew just 28 innings, posting a 2.83 ERA. Can add value as a spot starter or reliever.
Grade: C+
20.Charlie Wise (SS/CF) Drafted by bkdries for Burlington. Still with franchise (now Montgomery). Wise was drafted as a SS but played CF for Montgomery in his first full big league season (S10). His range and glove are a little light for both SS and CF, but his cannon arm should be a plus in center. Wise posted a .271/.328/.406 mark in 155 games for the Marauders. He can slap lefties around and should have a place on a big league roster for a while due to his versatility.
Grade: B-
21.Harry Guzman (SP) Drafted by philo for Colorado Springs. Currently with Richmond War Pigs after being acquired in the Rule V draft in S9. His horrid control precludes him from having any sort of big league career. He did post a 5.97 ERA in 32 big league innings in S9.
Grade: F
22.Matty Glass (P) Drafted by thunderstrik for Arizona. Acquired by Cleveland in S9 Rule V draft. Another pitcher with no control. Pitched just 4.2 big league innings. No future.
Grade: F
23.Juan Zorrilla (1B) Drafted by bjb2378 for San Francisco. Still with franchise. This was a nice find at this point in the draft. Zorilla is a skilled switch hitter with high offensive ratings across the board. In 3 big league seasons, Zorilla has posted .324/.406/.519 and averaged 22 HR and 95 RBI per season. That's no small feat at Petco.
Grade: A
24.Tim Morton (1B) Drafted by pfontaine for Atlanta. Traded to Montgomery in the Ignacio Cruz deal. Morton is a solid first baseman with good power. He can mash lefties but is vulnerable to RHP. He's put together a nice minor league career (.999 OPS), but has yet to crack the majors. He walked as a minor league free agent after S10. He should be able to stick with a team in the bigs at some point.
Grade: C-
25.Sherman Roosevelt (RF) Drafted by tbook for Helena. Traded to Atlanta in S7 in the blockbuster deal for Ariel Guerrero and Rick Tessmer. Roosevelt was drafted as an IF but was converted to RF upon his promotion to the majors in S9. Roosevelt has a solid bat and the skills to play RF and 3B with average to slightly above average ability. In S10, he helped Atlanta reach the playoffs by posting .300/.353/.489 with 19 HR and 78 RBI. He should be a solid contributor for years to come.
Grade: B+ (tbook gets an "A" for the trade as the other pieces coming to Atlanta consisted of a decent LR and a 4-A pitcher).
26.Jerry Ramsey (LF) Drafted by leppykahn for Colorado. Still with franchise. Ramsey is a nice LF with a good stick and excellent speed. Ramsey broke into the majors in S10 and posted .324/.378/.568 in 111 games. He's not a big time power hitter nor does he have overwhelming offensive ratings, but he should be a good player for seasons to come.
Grade: B
27. Chad Holmes (SS) Drafted by radek for NY Mets. Not signed.
Grade: F
28.Delanor Quinn (1B) Drafted by jahu43 for Louisville. Still with franchise. A good minor league hitter, Quinn has an above average eye and contact ratings. Otherwise, he's a fairly average hitter. Could see a few cups of coffee in the bigs at some point.
Grade: D
29.Lon Singleton (3B/1B) Drafted by jdbkaput for St. Louis. Traded to the now LA Baja Racers in S6 in a package for J.P. Mercedes. Singleton is a slightly below average 3B with good power. He's a switch hitter who handles RHP better than LHP. He's played 3 full seasons with LA and put up .276/.335/.497 for his career. He consistenly churns out about 24 HR and 95 RBI per season. He should continue to be a nice player, but may be better suited for a corner OF spot or 1b.
Grade: B (A for the trade for Mercedes)
30. Brent Mayer (P) Drafted by lets_try for Minnesota. Not signed.
Grade: F
31.John Carter (SP) Drafted by mdukes for Washington. Traded to Atlanta in S7 in the Carlos James deal. Atlanta traded Carter to Salem for Cal Newfield in S10. Salem traded him to Pittsburgh shortly thereafter. Carter is a nice RHP with decent splits but subpar control. He looked good his rookie season (S9) for Atlanta when he went 16-12 and a 4.46 ERA and made the ROY ballot.
Carter had a 6.21 ERA in 11 starts in S10 before being dealt to Pittsburgh and being assinged to the minors. He will probably get another chance at the majors, but is no more than a #5 starter.
Grade: C+ (A for trade for James)
32.Victor Medrano (1B) Drafted by leppykahn for Colorado. Traded to Salt Lake City (for Tom Lombard) and then Buffalo. Medrano is a solid lefty hitter with good contact, eye and vR ratings. He has not broke into the bigs yet, but could be a solid contributor if given a shot.
Grade: C
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Hunter's Most Wanted
We know there are hundreds of great owners in Hardball Dynasty and sadly, we can't compete with all of them. But we have decided to make a list of some of the top owners we at Hunter have ever played against. Some are great owners. Some are brilliant bloggers. Some are tirelessly committed to their teams. Some are simply good, fun people to compete against. All are people we would like to have in Hunter.
tbook - A Hunter original with 71 seasons of experience and a WS win in Abbott.
lets_try - 7 seasons in Hunter. 6 AL North Titles. 23 seasons of experience.
eclipse33 - Ex-Hunter who has 34 seasons of experience. WS winner in Gibson.
ewchippe - 7 seasons in Hunter. Blog contributor.
danmam - Runs exceptional blog and has 4 WS titles in Alexander.
TXLnghrn - Runs exceptional blog and has 2 WS in Camp.
13black - 6 years in Hunter and never played anywhere else.
bearclaws06 - 6 years in Hunter. 3 playoff appearances.
sanderbear - Commish and lead blogger in Ron Cey.
thunderstrik - 7 seasons in Hunter. 2 playoff appearances. 21 seasons of experience.
mytitan - Ex-Hunter with 45 seasons of experience.
groverp - Ex-Hunter with 18 seasons of experience.
the_e_man - 4 seasons in Hunter. 3 playoff appearances. His old team is currently available.
FW_Kekionga - Runs exceptional blog in Cobb (I think).
vikingdal - 1 strong season in Hunter but 38 years of experience and 2 WS elsewhere.
Former Listees
jdbkaput - Rejoined Hunter in S11.
tbook - A Hunter original with 71 seasons of experience and a WS win in Abbott.
lets_try - 7 seasons in Hunter. 6 AL North Titles. 23 seasons of experience.
eclipse33 - Ex-Hunter who has 34 seasons of experience. WS winner in Gibson.
ewchippe - 7 seasons in Hunter. Blog contributor.
danmam - Runs exceptional blog and has 4 WS titles in Alexander.
TXLnghrn - Runs exceptional blog and has 2 WS in Camp.
13black - 6 years in Hunter and never played anywhere else.
bearclaws06 - 6 years in Hunter. 3 playoff appearances.
sanderbear - Commish and lead blogger in Ron Cey.
thunderstrik - 7 seasons in Hunter. 2 playoff appearances. 21 seasons of experience.
mytitan - Ex-Hunter with 45 seasons of experience.
groverp - Ex-Hunter with 18 seasons of experience.
the_e_man - 4 seasons in Hunter. 3 playoff appearances. His old team is currently available.
FW_Kekionga - Runs exceptional blog in Cobb (I think).
vikingdal - 1 strong season in Hunter but 38 years of experience and 2 WS elsewhere.
Former Listees
jdbkaput - Rejoined Hunter in S11.
Note to Hunter Owners:
We will update this list regularly as new owners catch our eyes or as some of these owners tell us to buzz off. And everytime we have a position to fill in our league, we will consult this list and start inviting. By no means, do I imagine this being the final list. These are either guys who used to be in Hunter or guys who run some of the blogs I like. I'm still hoping for more input for you in form of either a nominee or a "please take this jerk off the list". Even if you agree with someone already on the list, let me know. Please leave comments. This is your world, too.
We will update this list regularly as new owners catch our eyes or as some of these owners tell us to buzz off. And everytime we have a position to fill in our league, we will consult this list and start inviting. By no means, do I imagine this being the final list. These are either guys who used to be in Hunter or guys who run some of the blogs I like. I'm still hoping for more input for you in form of either a nominee or a "please take this jerk off the list". Even if you agree with someone already on the list, let me know. Please leave comments. This is your world, too.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
AL All-Decade Team
I figured since this was the 10th season of Hunter it deserved a special blog post. I have started in the AL and hope to move to the NL and list each league’s “Hunters All-Decade All-Star Teams”. Please note I had to rely a lot of All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers since you can’t sort career stats via position. This will obviously lead to some snubs, additionally players who split careers between the AL and NL are going to be slightly disadvantaged.
I will try and list all the teams that the player had played for however, ultimately some will be missed as this was a large undertaking. I apologize in advance if I miss listing your team behind a current or past player. Please note since this is the AL list, I will only be listing the AL teams.
Starting Pitching: (Naming three starting pitchers)
Felipe Bournigal- Night Demons (8-time All-Star & 6 Cy Youngs)
This was a pretty obvious decision to name the starter as Bournigal has clearly been the most dominant pitcher over the first 10 seasons of Hunter and will be a sure fire Hall of Famer. If this list gets re-done after 20 seasons I would find it hard to believe that another pitcher would take the starting spot. At age 37 his career is drawing to a close however, I still expect another 3 solids seasons from this Superstar.
Elvis Ogea-Generals (6-time All-Star & 2 Cy Youngs)
Had Bournigal never existed Ogea’s Cy young title would most likely be 5 or higher. However, Bournigal did exist which relegates Ogea to 2nd banana status. However, being the 2nd best pitcher over a decade is nothing to sneeze at. The one place that Ogea leads Bournigal is the fact he was the “ace” of three championship teams and Bournigal only took home two titles
Pete Daly- Night Demons (5-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
If you think Ogea had it bad being ranked 2nd behind Bournigal, just think about Daly having never been the top starting pitcher on his own team. When you look at their stats and longevity Ogea, Daly and Bournigal are in a class of their own. Filling out the remainder of the SP spots proved to be the most difficult part in this exercise.
RP (Naming two: Closer and Set-up)
Closer- Terrence Floyd- Black Sox (8-time All-Star & 3 Fireman of the Year)
Hunter’s career leader in saves was an obvious choice for the closer role. His 8 all-star appearances ties Bournigal as the most for an AL pitcher. His three fireman awards are also an AL-Record. For the decade Floyd was the best of the four AL dominant closers.
Setup- Jared Page - Night Demons (6-time All-star & 3 Fireman of the year)
Surprise, surprise another SF pitcher. For Hunter’s first decade it’s clear to see how SF lead the AL in wins. Pitching, pitching and more pitching. Page falls just behind Floyd and is a worth set-up man. His three fireman awards tie Floyd’s record. The one place Page does best Floyd is he’s the Hunter world leader in SV%.
Catcher - Bruce Nixon- scorpions/The Whale (6-time All-star & 3 Silver Slugger)
As a catcher the 6 time all-star and three Silver sluggers are AL bests at age 37 Nixon is still in the league but the end of his career isn’t far off. The last couple years have caused his career batting average to drop just below .300 however his OPS still sits above .800 which is an impressive feat. The one sad note for Nixon is he has never made the playoffs.
1b- Lou Stevenson-Fire/Bald Beaver (2-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & 4 MVP)
Despite only 6 seasons in the AL Stevenson was an obvious choice for the 1b spot. In his first 5 seasons he racked up 4 AL MVP’s before adding a 5th MVP via the NL to his resume. His 5 total MVP’s is a Hunter record shared with Magglio Javier. Javier and Stevenson have combined for 9 of the 10 AL MVP’s. Despite three seasons of under-use in the NL before returning to the AL this season Stevenson still boosts career numbers of 1007 R, 450 HR & 1234 RBI
2b- Mendy Clemens- Cheese Grits (3-time All-Star & 5 Silver Sluggers)
Mendy moved to the NL during Atlanta’s season six fire sale. However despite this fact Clemens was a slam-dunk for the AL’s staring lineup. He won the 2b silver slugger for every full season he played in the AL. His five silver sluggers are a record shared with Magglio Javier and Dan Miller. Clemens continued his fine play in the NL and was a member of last year’s world series winners (New York).
SS- Dan Miller - Generals (3-time All-Star & 5 Silver Sluggers)
As mentioned above Miller is one of three, 5-time AL Silver slugger winners and did so in only 6 full AL seasons. During that time he also managed to pick up three championship rings. Miller’s range in his prime was slightly below average however, his bat more than made up for it and it certainly didn’t hurt the Generals in the playoffs.
3b - Rodrigo Brito- Black Sox (4-time All-Star, 4 Silver Sluggers & 2 Gold Gloves)
Brito is the first player on the list to not only have silver slugger but gold gloves. This in itself is an impressive achievement. In addition to this Brito had authored 10 consecutive 30 HR seasons and has failed to reach 100 RBI only one-time. Thus making him a model of consistency. His four AL silver sluggers fall one short of the record and having moved to the NL (Pittsburgh) it looks like his final total will be one short.
Lf- Magglio Javier – Sluggers (9-time All-Star, 5 Silver Sluggers, 5 MVPs & Rookie of the Year)
If there were an MVP for the first decade of Hunter Magglio Javier would probably be the winner. His 9 all-star appearances, 5 silver sluggers and 5 MVPs are all AL records. In addition to that his career numbers and consistency is staggering. Magglio has never scored less than 114 runs, hit less than 44 HR or drove in less than 135 RBI. All of these numbers were posted this season (10) and he still walked away with the MVP. He missed being the first member of the 500 HR club by one game and sits 5 RBI’s short of being the first 1500 RBI player. Additionally, he’s lead Louisville to 10 playoff appearances, 9 division titles, 5 ALCS appearance and 2 World Series appearances. The only flaw in his resume is a lack of a ring; however as I write this Sluggers lead the World Series 1-0.
Cf- Pablo Chavez - Generals (3-time All-Star)
The toughest position to pick a start as no player really separated themselves from the rest. This pick makes Chavez the youngest member of the team at 27 and still has a few more CF seasons left in him before moving to a corner OF spot to improve his resume. This pick ultimately came down to three options. However, Chavez’s combination of power and defense is what landed him on this list.
Rf- Mark Gabriel - Explorer/Patriots (4-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger and 1 Gold Glove)
Gaberial won the three horse race for this spot and joins Brito as the only other Gold Glove winner on the list. Gabrial strong career numbers are a result of a long and extremely consistent career.
DH- Glenn McCarty - Beefeaters (7-time All-Star, 4 Silver Sluggers)
McCarty was an easy pick for this spot as his seven AL all-star appearances only trails Javier and his 4 silver sluggers sit one back of the AL record. In addition to this McCarty is the career leader in OBP with a ridiculous .420 plus he is top five in terms of career batting average.
Reserves:
SP: Derek O'Keefe- Night Demons/Bad Boys/Yorkies (2-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
SP: Steve Sheldon- Explorer/ Patriots (3-time All-Star)
SP: J.T. Cook- Generals (2-time All-Star)
SP: Bob Creek - Sluggers (2-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
SP: Dave Caufield- Sluggers (3-time All-Star)
RP: Clark Connelly- scorpions (4-time All-Star, 2 Fireman of the year)
RP: B.C. Tracy- thunderstrikers (3-time All-Star, 1 Fireman of the year)
C: Tanner Sager- Generals (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
1b: Sherm Norton- Yorkies/Choking Dogs (4-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
2b: Desi Nixon-Mud Hens/The Whale (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
3b: Walter Hansen-Cheese Grits (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
SS: Eduardo Gonzalez-Pines/Posse/Velvet Vultures (4-time All-Star & 4 Silver Slugger)
LF: Braden Cox- Patriots/Explorer (5-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & 1 MVP)
CF: Mendy Montana- Night Demons (3 Silver Slugger)
RF: Bruce Kaufman-Beefeaters (2-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger) DH: Julian Pisciotta- Rattlers/Yorkies (1 Silver Slugger)
Snubs:
SP- Mark Meng- Aces (2-time All-Star) hurt by limited time in AL
SP- Mike Eckstein- Sluggers (2-time All-Star)
RP: Willie Gutierrez-Generals (4-time All-Star)
RP: Louis Fisher- Beefeaters (3-time All-Star)
C: Trenidad Molina-thunderstrikers (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
1b: Darryl Biddle- Generals/Memphis (3-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
1b: Mark Kim- Night Demons (2-time All-Star & 1 MVP)
1b: Juan Zorrilla- Night Demons (2-time All-Star)
2b: Bruce Grey- Sluggers (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
2b: J.R. Alston- Aces (4-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
SS: Emmanuel Javier- Sluggers (3-time All-Star)
SS: Bud Thomas- Fire(2-time All-Star & 2 Gold Glove)
3b: Russell Henson- Sluggers (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
LF: James Hayashi- Bad Boys (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
CF: Evan Levrault- Explorer (1-time All-Star & 3 Gold Gloves)
CF: Pinky Duffy-Aces/Fire (2-time All-Star & 1 Glove)
RF: Marquis Fischbach-Aces (4-time All-Star & 1 Glove)
RF: Tom Leonard-scorpions- (1-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
RF: Trevor Rooney- Sluggers (1 All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & 1 Gold Glove)
I will try and list all the teams that the player had played for however, ultimately some will be missed as this was a large undertaking. I apologize in advance if I miss listing your team behind a current or past player. Please note since this is the AL list, I will only be listing the AL teams.
Starting Pitching: (Naming three starting pitchers)
Felipe Bournigal- Night Demons (8-time All-Star & 6 Cy Youngs)
This was a pretty obvious decision to name the starter as Bournigal has clearly been the most dominant pitcher over the first 10 seasons of Hunter and will be a sure fire Hall of Famer. If this list gets re-done after 20 seasons I would find it hard to believe that another pitcher would take the starting spot. At age 37 his career is drawing to a close however, I still expect another 3 solids seasons from this Superstar.
Elvis Ogea-Generals (6-time All-Star & 2 Cy Youngs)
Had Bournigal never existed Ogea’s Cy young title would most likely be 5 or higher. However, Bournigal did exist which relegates Ogea to 2nd banana status. However, being the 2nd best pitcher over a decade is nothing to sneeze at. The one place that Ogea leads Bournigal is the fact he was the “ace” of three championship teams and Bournigal only took home two titles
Pete Daly- Night Demons (5-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
If you think Ogea had it bad being ranked 2nd behind Bournigal, just think about Daly having never been the top starting pitcher on his own team. When you look at their stats and longevity Ogea, Daly and Bournigal are in a class of their own. Filling out the remainder of the SP spots proved to be the most difficult part in this exercise.
RP (Naming two: Closer and Set-up)
Closer- Terrence Floyd- Black Sox (8-time All-Star & 3 Fireman of the Year)
Hunter’s career leader in saves was an obvious choice for the closer role. His 8 all-star appearances ties Bournigal as the most for an AL pitcher. His three fireman awards are also an AL-Record. For the decade Floyd was the best of the four AL dominant closers.
Setup- Jared Page - Night Demons (6-time All-star & 3 Fireman of the year)
Surprise, surprise another SF pitcher. For Hunter’s first decade it’s clear to see how SF lead the AL in wins. Pitching, pitching and more pitching. Page falls just behind Floyd and is a worth set-up man. His three fireman awards tie Floyd’s record. The one place Page does best Floyd is he’s the Hunter world leader in SV%.
Catcher - Bruce Nixon- scorpions/The Whale (6-time All-star & 3 Silver Slugger)
As a catcher the 6 time all-star and three Silver sluggers are AL bests at age 37 Nixon is still in the league but the end of his career isn’t far off. The last couple years have caused his career batting average to drop just below .300 however his OPS still sits above .800 which is an impressive feat. The one sad note for Nixon is he has never made the playoffs.
1b- Lou Stevenson-Fire/Bald Beaver (2-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & 4 MVP)
Despite only 6 seasons in the AL Stevenson was an obvious choice for the 1b spot. In his first 5 seasons he racked up 4 AL MVP’s before adding a 5th MVP via the NL to his resume. His 5 total MVP’s is a Hunter record shared with Magglio Javier. Javier and Stevenson have combined for 9 of the 10 AL MVP’s. Despite three seasons of under-use in the NL before returning to the AL this season Stevenson still boosts career numbers of 1007 R, 450 HR & 1234 RBI
2b- Mendy Clemens- Cheese Grits (3-time All-Star & 5 Silver Sluggers)
Mendy moved to the NL during Atlanta’s season six fire sale. However despite this fact Clemens was a slam-dunk for the AL’s staring lineup. He won the 2b silver slugger for every full season he played in the AL. His five silver sluggers are a record shared with Magglio Javier and Dan Miller. Clemens continued his fine play in the NL and was a member of last year’s world series winners (New York).
SS- Dan Miller - Generals (3-time All-Star & 5 Silver Sluggers)
As mentioned above Miller is one of three, 5-time AL Silver slugger winners and did so in only 6 full AL seasons. During that time he also managed to pick up three championship rings. Miller’s range in his prime was slightly below average however, his bat more than made up for it and it certainly didn’t hurt the Generals in the playoffs.
3b - Rodrigo Brito- Black Sox (4-time All-Star, 4 Silver Sluggers & 2 Gold Gloves)
Brito is the first player on the list to not only have silver slugger but gold gloves. This in itself is an impressive achievement. In addition to this Brito had authored 10 consecutive 30 HR seasons and has failed to reach 100 RBI only one-time. Thus making him a model of consistency. His four AL silver sluggers fall one short of the record and having moved to the NL (Pittsburgh) it looks like his final total will be one short.
Lf- Magglio Javier – Sluggers (9-time All-Star, 5 Silver Sluggers, 5 MVPs & Rookie of the Year)
If there were an MVP for the first decade of Hunter Magglio Javier would probably be the winner. His 9 all-star appearances, 5 silver sluggers and 5 MVPs are all AL records. In addition to that his career numbers and consistency is staggering. Magglio has never scored less than 114 runs, hit less than 44 HR or drove in less than 135 RBI. All of these numbers were posted this season (10) and he still walked away with the MVP. He missed being the first member of the 500 HR club by one game and sits 5 RBI’s short of being the first 1500 RBI player. Additionally, he’s lead Louisville to 10 playoff appearances, 9 division titles, 5 ALCS appearance and 2 World Series appearances. The only flaw in his resume is a lack of a ring; however as I write this Sluggers lead the World Series 1-0.
Cf- Pablo Chavez - Generals (3-time All-Star)
The toughest position to pick a start as no player really separated themselves from the rest. This pick makes Chavez the youngest member of the team at 27 and still has a few more CF seasons left in him before moving to a corner OF spot to improve his resume. This pick ultimately came down to three options. However, Chavez’s combination of power and defense is what landed him on this list.
Rf- Mark Gabriel - Explorer/Patriots (4-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger and 1 Gold Glove)
Gaberial won the three horse race for this spot and joins Brito as the only other Gold Glove winner on the list. Gabrial strong career numbers are a result of a long and extremely consistent career.
DH- Glenn McCarty - Beefeaters (7-time All-Star, 4 Silver Sluggers)
McCarty was an easy pick for this spot as his seven AL all-star appearances only trails Javier and his 4 silver sluggers sit one back of the AL record. In addition to this McCarty is the career leader in OBP with a ridiculous .420 plus he is top five in terms of career batting average.
Reserves:
SP: Derek O'Keefe- Night Demons/Bad Boys/Yorkies (2-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
SP: Steve Sheldon- Explorer/ Patriots (3-time All-Star)
SP: J.T. Cook- Generals (2-time All-Star)
SP: Bob Creek - Sluggers (2-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
SP: Dave Caufield- Sluggers (3-time All-Star)
RP: Clark Connelly- scorpions (4-time All-Star, 2 Fireman of the year)
RP: B.C. Tracy- thunderstrikers (3-time All-Star, 1 Fireman of the year)
C: Tanner Sager- Generals (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
1b: Sherm Norton- Yorkies/Choking Dogs (4-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
2b: Desi Nixon-Mud Hens/The Whale (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
3b: Walter Hansen-Cheese Grits (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
SS: Eduardo Gonzalez-Pines/Posse/Velvet Vultures (4-time All-Star & 4 Silver Slugger)
LF: Braden Cox- Patriots/Explorer (5-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & 1 MVP)
CF: Mendy Montana- Night Demons (3 Silver Slugger)
RF: Bruce Kaufman-Beefeaters (2-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger) DH: Julian Pisciotta- Rattlers/Yorkies (1 Silver Slugger)
Snubs:
SP- Mark Meng- Aces (2-time All-Star) hurt by limited time in AL
SP- Mike Eckstein- Sluggers (2-time All-Star)
RP: Willie Gutierrez-Generals (4-time All-Star)
RP: Louis Fisher- Beefeaters (3-time All-Star)
C: Trenidad Molina-thunderstrikers (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
1b: Darryl Biddle- Generals/Memphis (3-time All-Star & 1 Gold Glove)
1b: Mark Kim- Night Demons (2-time All-Star & 1 MVP)
1b: Juan Zorrilla- Night Demons (2-time All-Star)
2b: Bruce Grey- Sluggers (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
2b: J.R. Alston- Aces (4-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
SS: Emmanuel Javier- Sluggers (3-time All-Star)
SS: Bud Thomas- Fire(2-time All-Star & 2 Gold Glove)
3b: Russell Henson- Sluggers (2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
LF: James Hayashi- Bad Boys (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
CF: Evan Levrault- Explorer (1-time All-Star & 3 Gold Gloves)
CF: Pinky Duffy-Aces/Fire (2-time All-Star & 1 Glove)
RF: Marquis Fischbach-Aces (4-time All-Star & 1 Glove)
RF: Tom Leonard-scorpions- (1-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
RF: Trevor Rooney- Sluggers (1 All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & 1 Gold Glove)
NL All-Decade Team
Below is the All-Decade team for the NL. I apologize for the lack of commentary, however as I've mentioned before being an AL owner I find it tough to stay on top of all the NL players. I have done my best to include all the NL team names that a player has played for. However, for obvious reasons I'm sure I've missed a few teams. I apologize if I missed your team.
Please note I had to lean on All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers since you can't sort stats for a career via position. I know this does lead to some flaws. Additionally, please note players that split time behind the AL and NL are disadvantaged when naming an all-decade team for a specific league.
Without further ado.
Starting Lineup
SP- Kevin Coleman-Heartworms/Mets/Shockers/Heartworms (3-time All-Star, 3 Cy Young & 1 Silver Slugger)
SP- Shawn Owen- Clydesdales/Caesars/Studdabubbas (5-time All-Star, 2 Cy Young & 2 Silver Slugger)
SP- Mark Meng- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star)
CL- Miguel Bennett-FatNasty (4-time All-Star & 3 Fireman of the Year)
SetA- Eddie Perez- Hartworms (4-time All-Star & 1 Fireman of the Year)
C- Sammy Moraga-FatNasty (5-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b – Rich Peters- Baydogs (All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove + All-Star and
Silver Slugger @ RF+ Will be 3rd player to 500 HR)
2b- Lonny Iglesias- Blasters/Mule Deer (3 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + Silver Slugger & Gold Glove @ LF + First player to 500 HR)
SS- Erubiel Johnson- Blasters (4-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
3b- Angel Bolivar- TCB (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 Gold Glove & 1 MVP + 2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger @ SS)
LF- Albert Henley- Loose Sluts/Blasters/Mormons/FatNasty (5-time Allstar, 4 Silver Slugger & 2 MVP + Silver Slugger & 1 Gold Glove @ 2b)
CF- Garrett Biggio-TCB (6-time All-Star, 8 Silver Slugger, 1 Gold Glove & 1 MVP)
RF- Frank Zhang-Blasters (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 MVP & ROY)
Bench
SP- Ivan Miller- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Cy Young)
SP- Charles Lawton -Clydesdales/Shockers ( 3-time All-Star)
SP-Andruw Allen-FatNasty/Blasters/ Studdabubbas (4-time All-Star)
SP- Lew Drabek- Shockers/Mormons (3-time All-Star)
Long - Jumbo Urbina- Blasters (4-time All-Star & Cy Young)
RP- Hipolito Guillen- MooseDawg (3-time All-Star & Fire Man of the Year)
RP- Ross Kingston- Nickels (4-time All-Star)
C- Roy Christenson-Loose Sluts/Tomato Can/Gamblers (3-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b- Brace Starr-Blasters (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
2b- Frank Perez-Torpedoes/Scrotums/Mets (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Sluggers)
SS- Steve Parker- Brain Sandwiches/Clydesdales (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
3b- J.P. Mercedes-Blasters (3-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
LF- James Hayashi- Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & MVP + Silver Slugger & All-Star @ 1b)
CF- Andrew Wright- Blasters/Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger, Gold Glove & MVP)
RF- Erubiel Molina- Clydesdales/Caesars (6-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Snubs
SP- Benito Bonilla-Metropolitans (3-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Ahmad Beltre- Waves/Shockers (3-time All-Star)
SP- Vic Guardado- FatNasty/Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Vance Davidson –Blasters (2-time All-Star)
C- Taylor Griffiths- Clydesdales (2-time All-Star & Silver Slugger)
C- Buddy Valentine- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Gold Gloves)
1b- Ned Aldridge- Mormons (2-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
2b- Kelvin Croushore- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
SS- Eduardo Gonzalez- Blasters (2 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + All-Star @ 2nd)
3b- Josh Kroon- Hashies (2 All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
Lf- Buddy Krivda- Wranglers/Flyers 2 All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Cf- Jason Hutton- Blasters/Mets (3-time All-Star)RF- Trevor Thomas- Flyers (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Please note I had to lean on All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers since you can't sort stats for a career via position. I know this does lead to some flaws. Additionally, please note players that split time behind the AL and NL are disadvantaged when naming an all-decade team for a specific league.
Without further ado.
Starting Lineup
SP- Kevin Coleman-Heartworms/Mets/Shockers/Heartworms (3-time All-Star, 3 Cy Young & 1 Silver Slugger)
SP- Shawn Owen- Clydesdales/Caesars/Studdabubbas (5-time All-Star, 2 Cy Young & 2 Silver Slugger)
SP- Mark Meng- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star)
CL- Miguel Bennett-FatNasty (4-time All-Star & 3 Fireman of the Year)
SetA- Eddie Perez- Hartworms (4-time All-Star & 1 Fireman of the Year)
C- Sammy Moraga-FatNasty (5-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b – Rich Peters- Baydogs (All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove + All-Star and
Silver Slugger @ RF+ Will be 3rd player to 500 HR)
2b- Lonny Iglesias- Blasters/Mule Deer (3 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + Silver Slugger & Gold Glove @ LF + First player to 500 HR)
SS- Erubiel Johnson- Blasters (4-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
3b- Angel Bolivar- TCB (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 Gold Glove & 1 MVP + 2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger @ SS)
LF- Albert Henley- Loose Sluts/Blasters/Mormons/FatNasty (5-time Allstar, 4 Silver Slugger & 2 MVP + Silver Slugger & 1 Gold Glove @ 2b)
CF- Garrett Biggio-TCB (6-time All-Star, 8 Silver Slugger, 1 Gold Glove & 1 MVP)
RF- Frank Zhang-Blasters (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 MVP & ROY)
Bench
SP- Ivan Miller- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Cy Young)
SP- Charles Lawton -Clydesdales/Shockers ( 3-time All-Star)
SP-Andruw Allen-FatNasty/Blasters/ Studdabubbas (4-time All-Star)
SP- Lew Drabek- Shockers/Mormons (3-time All-Star)
Long - Jumbo Urbina- Blasters (4-time All-Star & Cy Young)
RP- Hipolito Guillen- MooseDawg (3-time All-Star & Fire Man of the Year)
RP- Ross Kingston- Nickels (4-time All-Star)
C- Roy Christenson-Loose Sluts/Tomato Can/Gamblers (3-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b- Brace Starr-Blasters (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
2b- Frank Perez-Torpedoes/Scrotums/Mets (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Sluggers)
SS- Steve Parker- Brain Sandwiches/Clydesdales (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
3b- J.P. Mercedes-Blasters (3-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
LF- James Hayashi- Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & MVP + Silver Slugger & All-Star @ 1b)
CF- Andrew Wright- Blasters/Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger, Gold Glove & MVP)
RF- Erubiel Molina- Clydesdales/Caesars (6-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Snubs
SP- Benito Bonilla-Metropolitans (3-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Ahmad Beltre- Waves/Shockers (3-time All-Star)
SP- Vic Guardado- FatNasty/Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Vance Davidson –Blasters (2-time All-Star)
C- Taylor Griffiths- Clydesdales (2-time All-Star & Silver Slugger)
C- Buddy Valentine- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Gold Gloves)
1b- Ned Aldridge- Mormons (2-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
2b- Kelvin Croushore- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
SS- Eduardo Gonzalez- Blasters (2 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + All-Star @ 2nd)
3b- Josh Kroon- Hashies (2 All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
Lf- Buddy Krivda- Wranglers/Flyers 2 All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Cf- Jason Hutton- Blasters/Mets (3-time All-Star)RF- Trevor Thomas- Flyers (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
All-Time AL Records
Wins
1 S.F. 1061
2 Washington 1011
3 Louisville 991
4 Burlington/Philly 924
5 Pawtucket/Minnesota 907
Runs Scored
1 Louisville 10463
2 Washington 10224
3 Arizona/Boise/Salem 9884
4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 9485
Runs given Up (Best)
1 SF 6421
2 Washington 7682
3 Louisville 7862
4 Burlington/Philly 8026
Division Titles
T-1 Washington 9
T-1 Louisville 9
T-1 S.F 9
T-2 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
Playoff Appearances
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
T-4 Burlington/Philly 7
Seasons Played
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 Burlington 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Atlanta 10
T-1 Texas 10
Biggest Improvement
T-1 Rochester/Cleveland +34W (S3-S4)
T-1 New Britian +34W (S8-S9)
2 Arizona/Salem/Boise +32W (S2-S3)
T-4 Kansas City/Pawtucket +22W (S3-S4)
T-4 S.F. +22W (S5-S6)
Division Wins
AL South 3415
AL West 3310
AL East 3225
AL North 2884
ALCS Appearances
1 Washington 5
T-2 San Fran 4
T-2 Louisville 4
4 Burlington/Philly 2
T-5 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-5 Atlanta 1
World Series Appearance
T-1 S.F. 3
T-1 Washington 3
T-3 Burlington 1
T-3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-3 Louisville 1
World Series Titles
1 Washington 3
2 S.F. 2
3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
1 S.F. 1061
2 Washington 1011
3 Louisville 991
4 Burlington/Philly 924
5 Pawtucket/Minnesota 907
Runs Scored
1 Louisville 10463
2 Washington 10224
3 Arizona/Boise/Salem 9884
4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 9485
Runs given Up (Best)
1 SF 6421
2 Washington 7682
3 Louisville 7862
4 Burlington/Philly 8026
Division Titles
T-1 Washington 9
T-1 Louisville 9
T-1 S.F 9
T-2 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
Playoff Appearances
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
T-4 Burlington/Philly 7
Seasons Played
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 Burlington 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Atlanta 10
T-1 Texas 10
Biggest Improvement
T-1 Rochester/Cleveland +34W (S3-S4)
T-1 New Britian +34W (S8-S9)
2 Arizona/Salem/Boise +32W (S2-S3)
T-4 Kansas City/Pawtucket +22W (S3-S4)
T-4 S.F. +22W (S5-S6)
Division Wins
AL South 3415
AL West 3310
AL East 3225
AL North 2884
ALCS Appearances
1 Washington 5
T-2 San Fran 4
T-2 Louisville 4
4 Burlington/Philly 2
T-5 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-5 Atlanta 1
World Series Appearance
T-1 S.F. 3
T-1 Washington 3
T-3 Burlington 1
T-3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-3 Louisville 1
World Series Titles
1 Washington 3
2 S.F. 2
3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
Friday, December 12, 2008
Top 10 Free Agent Signings of S10
It's been a "decade" of great baseball in Hunter World. Season 10 lived up to the hype and provided a lot of fierce competition. Let's take a look back at the ten most effective free agent signings of S10.
It's been a "decade" of great baseball in Hunter World. Season 10 lived up to the hype and provided a lot of fierce competition. Let's take a look back at the ten most effective free agent signings of S10.
- Shawn Owen SP Pittsburgh- Who would have thought the signing of a 38 y.o. starter would make such an impact on a team? Owen gave the pitching starved Studdabubbas a huge boost, going 18-7 with a nifty 3.35 ERA in 193.1 IP. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Owen went down in Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs. The flip side of having an old ace.
- Rodrigo Brito 3B/2B Pittsburgh- Hmmm, no wonder Pittsburgh won their division. A second shrewd signing was Brito, who manned 3B most of the year, but played a little 2b as well. Brito powered his way to a .951 OPS. If you like conventional stats, then a .299 AVG with 34 HR and 115 RBI should get your attention.
- Juan Gonzalez SP Cleveland- Gonzalez is no stranger to glory, having pitched for 7 seasons in the San Francisco machine. The Moosedawg shrewdly signed this wily veteran, who responded by posting a 15-10 mark with a 3.68 ERA in 220 IP. Cleveland, not coincidentally, is one of the 2 NL wild card representatives.
- Frank Funaki 2B Chicago- Here's a case of Pittsburgh letting a good one slip away. Funaki was signed by the Fire to man 2B and turned in an iron man performance, playing 162 games. He hit .301 with 36 HR and 119 RBI with a .874 OPS. The Fire struggled with their pitching again, but that wasn't Funaki's fault.
- Mendy Montana CF Philadelphia- The Black Sox were very active in the FA market this year and snagged some solid players. Tops on the list is Montana. For a bargain price, Montana hit .283 with 29HR and 112 RBI. An .828 OPS from CF is nothing to sneeze at.
- Phillip Mercedes 2B Philadelphia- What's that? Another Philly signing? Pennsylvania really raked in the free agents this season. Mercedes was also signed for a bargain price and played 2B for the Sox, hitting for an .819 OPS with 33 HR and 100 RBI.
- Mel Bush SP Helena- Don't let the mediocre record fool you. Bush turned in a fine season for the Hashies, posting a 3.89 ERA in 192 IP to go with his 11-10 record. Helena had a rough year and it's the last for original Hunter owner tbook. We'll miss him.
- Philip Bellinger SP Atlanta- Bellinger is a 35 yo veteran with a track record of success, so it's no surprise he jumped right into his role as Atlanta's #4 starter with a fine season 10. Bellinger went 17-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 194.2 innings. The stability he brought to the bottom of Atlanta's rotation helped return the Cheese Grits to the playoffs for the first time since Season 5.
- Harry Castro SP Los Angeles- Castro has spent most of his career as a reliever, but this season he took his regular turn in LA's rotation and had a fine season, going 11-7 with a 2.95 ERA in 180 IP. He really had a better season than Bellinger, but Atlanta's trip to the playoffs meant Bellinger had more of an impact. Still, you can't take anything away from Castro.
- Homer Busby RP Cleveland- We would be remiss if we didn't include at least one relief pitcher. Busby is an old hat at 38, but Cleveland used his diminishing skills wisely, deploying him out of the bullpen. Busby posted a 2.65 ERA in 71 IP as the Moosedawg's main setup man.
S10 - NL MVP, Cy Young and ROY awards
NL MVP
This comes down to Frank Zhang vs. Yamid Molina. Molina best Zhang in (HR and RBI) however pales in AVG and OPS. Zhang candidacy is always tough to determine as, you do have to factor in his home park. With that said a .372 average and 1.300 + OPS is too much to ignore especially considering he did still hit 64 HR.
Pick: Frank Zhang (Col)
NL Cy Young
This one has no clear cut winner and several intriguing candidates. I am against relievers as Cy Young’s unless they have an utterly dominant season or there is a complete dearth of SP candidates, so that rules out Davison. York did fit under the utterly dominant category but I can’t value 66 IP over the 200+ provided by the 3 starter candidates. Out of the three starters Bonilla was the best leading the candidates in IP, ERA and K’s and only falling 2 W’s behind the other candidates (Owen and Gordon).
Pick: B. Bonilla (NY)
AL ROY
This one really comes down to Redding (SF) vs. Demarlee (Lou/Sal) since Demarlee clearly trumps all other hitting candidates. Demarlee’s stat line of 47 HR 115 RBI .307 is too tough to ignore considering it was borderline MVP candidate. A good back story on Demarlee is he was drafted by Lou and then traded to SF. I realized my mistake and attempted to trade back for him for two seasons without success. He was then dealt to Salem, at this point I re-doubled my efforts to get him back, before finally succedding with what was probably my 20th offer for the Slugger. For the season Demarlee was a member of 3 organizations.
Pick: Demarlee (Lou/Sal/SF)
NL ROY
I found this one a very difficult one to sort out in the end it came down to Reyes (SLC), Keagle (Col) and Santiago (SJ). Keagle’s hitting numbers were beyond impressive however, his home park did come into my thought process especially considering he only he .273 in Coors, had he played in a neutral park that would have been closer to .250. Although I did think it would be fun to watch Radek’s head explode if he picked him as ROY, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
So in the end it came down to a battle of two pitchers Reyes and his 200 IP vs. Santiago and his 120 IP. Typically, I place a huge premium on IP especially if the rest of their stats are comparable. However, Santiago’s 13-0 in an extreme hitters park did give me cause to waver. In the end I had to go with Reyes who ERA was only slightly higher than Santiago but pitched 80 more innings.
Pick: David Reyes (SLC)
This comes down to Frank Zhang vs. Yamid Molina. Molina best Zhang in (HR and RBI) however pales in AVG and OPS. Zhang candidacy is always tough to determine as, you do have to factor in his home park. With that said a .372 average and 1.300 + OPS is too much to ignore especially considering he did still hit 64 HR.
Pick: Frank Zhang (Col)
NL Cy Young
This one has no clear cut winner and several intriguing candidates. I am against relievers as Cy Young’s unless they have an utterly dominant season or there is a complete dearth of SP candidates, so that rules out Davison. York did fit under the utterly dominant category but I can’t value 66 IP over the 200+ provided by the 3 starter candidates. Out of the three starters Bonilla was the best leading the candidates in IP, ERA and K’s and only falling 2 W’s behind the other candidates (Owen and Gordon).
Pick: B. Bonilla (NY)
AL ROY
This one really comes down to Redding (SF) vs. Demarlee (Lou/Sal) since Demarlee clearly trumps all other hitting candidates. Demarlee’s stat line of 47 HR 115 RBI .307 is too tough to ignore considering it was borderline MVP candidate. A good back story on Demarlee is he was drafted by Lou and then traded to SF. I realized my mistake and attempted to trade back for him for two seasons without success. He was then dealt to Salem, at this point I re-doubled my efforts to get him back, before finally succedding with what was probably my 20th offer for the Slugger. For the season Demarlee was a member of 3 organizations.
Pick: Demarlee (Lou/Sal/SF)
NL ROY
I found this one a very difficult one to sort out in the end it came down to Reyes (SLC), Keagle (Col) and Santiago (SJ). Keagle’s hitting numbers were beyond impressive however, his home park did come into my thought process especially considering he only he .273 in Coors, had he played in a neutral park that would have been closer to .250. Although I did think it would be fun to watch Radek’s head explode if he picked him as ROY, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
So in the end it came down to a battle of two pitchers Reyes and his 200 IP vs. Santiago and his 120 IP. Typically, I place a huge premium on IP especially if the rest of their stats are comparable. However, Santiago’s 13-0 in an extreme hitters park did give me cause to waver. In the end I had to go with Reyes who ERA was only slightly higher than Santiago but pitched 80 more innings.
Pick: David Reyes (SLC)
S10 - AL MVP and Cy Young awards
This season I am evaluating the five AL MVP’s and Cy Young candidates and placing them in the order I’d put them on my ballot. I am also going to name two honourable mentions, the best two players that were not on the final candidates list. Please note this write-up was completed after 161 games.
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 114 R (11th), 44 HR (T-9 ), 135 RBI (3rd), .319 AVG (6th), .986 OPS (T-9)I must say this was by far the toughest year to pick AL MVP’s. You could make a case for Purcell, Guerreo, Javier or Cox as the MVP. Their stats across the board are extremely similar. What clinched Javier as the MVP (no it wasn’t that he’s on my team), was the fact he was the only candidate to make the playoffs. With everything else being so equal that worked as a tiebreaker. Additionally, Javier was also only one of two candidates to rank in the top 10 of the 5 major categories (was 11th in the 5th).If Javier were to win this would tie him with Lou Stevenson for the most MVP’s overall (5) and give him the lead for most AL MVP’s, which he currently shares with Stevenson at (4).
2. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 123 R (2nd), 53 HR (2nd), 113 RBI (14th), .268 AVG (NR), .997 OPS (6th)Purcell had a fantastic year and I’m not going to penalize him for a low average since he did still manage to generate a great OBP. He lead all MVP candidates with 53 HRs which was good enough for him to grab the 2nd spot.
3. Sean Guerreo (Tex): 122 R (T-3), 46 HR (T-6), 118 RBI (T-9), .308 AVG (T-9), .968OPS (11th)Texas just missed the playoffs, had Guerreo powered the Beefeaters into the playoffs he would have valuated to number 2 on this list. He like Javier was top 10 in four categories and was 11th in the 5th.
4. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 109 R (14th), 46 HR (T-6), 110 RBI (T-16), .303 AVG (16th), .996 OPS (6th)Cox stats were just behind his peers. He did best the top 4 in OPS, however he was 4th in R and RBI’s. He was the only member of the top 4 to finish 4th in two categories.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 113 R (T-12), 19 HR (NR), 79 RBI (NR), .357 AVG (1st), 1.001 OPS (4th)No offense to McCarty but despite the .357 AVG he had no business being in the top 5. As he ranked well outside of the top 25 in both HR and RBI’s. There were several more deserving candidates to take the 5th spot. This nomination once again reflects WIS’ skew towards average over power.
Honorable Mention:
Alridge/Herdnadez (Atl): Both Atlanta players had fantastic years, however they came over from the NL half-way through the season but their totals would have been right among the top AL players. It will be interesting to see how they perform over a full year in the AL. Unlike real ML baseball, the AL is more of a pitchers league especially with respect to parks compared to the NL league which is definitely more hitter friendly.
Jamie Cashman (Tex): 113 R (13th), 62 HR (1st) , 152 RBI (1st), ..276 (NR), .938 OPS (14th)Cashmen fell to WIS’s distain for averages below .300. He would have been a much better candidate than his teammate McCarty especially considering the fact he lead the league in HR and RBI’s. I will admit I am glad he got snubbed because his inclusion would have only further muddied the water of the rankings above.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award:
1. Pete Daly (SF): 257 IP (1st), 17 W (T-5), 244 K (1st) , 3.12 ERA (5th)For the first time since I started doing the award rankings I will cast my Cy Young vote for pitcher not name Bouringal. In the end it came down to Meng and Daly for the top spot. The additional 14 IP (2 starts worth of innings) and 77 K’s outweighed 2 W and .09 ERA. Daly was the more dominant pitcher and gave his team the most innings in the league.
2. Mark Meng (Sco): 243 IP (2nd), 19 W (T-2), 177 K (5th), 3.03 ERA (4th)Meng vs. Bournigal was extremely close as they tied for W and were only 4 K’s apart. However, the extra 49 IP (or seven starts worth of innings) carries more value to myself than the difference in ERA as Meng going deeper and more often would most definitely improve Scottsdales entire team ERA and health.
3. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 194 IP (T-22), 19 W (T-2), 173 K (6th), 2.18 ERA (1st)Every run must come to an end and injuries and loss of stamina have finally caught up to Bournigal. What I mean by that is he’s no longer CLEARLY the best pitcher in the world. He’s simply one of the top 3. Had Bournigal got to 220 IP and keep his ERA sub 2.25, he would have been my choice.
4. Gene Fitzgerald (Lou): 223 IP (6th), 22 W (1st), 157 K (T-16), 3.87 ERA (17th)14 starts into the season when Fitzgerald was 11-1, I had delusions that it might be a Slugger pitcher that would knock off Bournigal. Obviously, that will not be the case. Fitzgerald had a great season but was clearly not in the league of the top 3 although he did manage to lead the AL in win’s.
5. Jose Diaz (Tex): 230 IP (4th), 18 W (4th), 184 K (T-3), 4.08 ERA (18th)Solid across the board (top 5 in three categories), however a 4+ ERA doesn’t scream Cy Young. Diaz is a young pitcher who continues to improve, I would expect him to be a top 5 fixture for years to come.
Honourable Mention:
Elvis Ogea (Wash)/Steve Sheldon (Paw): These pitchers finished 2nd/3rd in ERA, however they were ultimately shut-out from Cy Young contention based upon low IP (sub 200) and low win totals. With that said both had great seasons and while their win totals weren’t huge the did sport fantastic win %’s (.765 Ogea and .714 Sheldon)
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 114 R (11th), 44 HR (T-9 ), 135 RBI (3rd), .319 AVG (6th), .986 OPS (T-9)I must say this was by far the toughest year to pick AL MVP’s. You could make a case for Purcell, Guerreo, Javier or Cox as the MVP. Their stats across the board are extremely similar. What clinched Javier as the MVP (no it wasn’t that he’s on my team), was the fact he was the only candidate to make the playoffs. With everything else being so equal that worked as a tiebreaker. Additionally, Javier was also only one of two candidates to rank in the top 10 of the 5 major categories (was 11th in the 5th).If Javier were to win this would tie him with Lou Stevenson for the most MVP’s overall (5) and give him the lead for most AL MVP’s, which he currently shares with Stevenson at (4).
2. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 123 R (2nd), 53 HR (2nd), 113 RBI (14th), .268 AVG (NR), .997 OPS (6th)Purcell had a fantastic year and I’m not going to penalize him for a low average since he did still manage to generate a great OBP. He lead all MVP candidates with 53 HRs which was good enough for him to grab the 2nd spot.
3. Sean Guerreo (Tex): 122 R (T-3), 46 HR (T-6), 118 RBI (T-9), .308 AVG (T-9), .968OPS (11th)Texas just missed the playoffs, had Guerreo powered the Beefeaters into the playoffs he would have valuated to number 2 on this list. He like Javier was top 10 in four categories and was 11th in the 5th.
4. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 109 R (14th), 46 HR (T-6), 110 RBI (T-16), .303 AVG (16th), .996 OPS (6th)Cox stats were just behind his peers. He did best the top 4 in OPS, however he was 4th in R and RBI’s. He was the only member of the top 4 to finish 4th in two categories.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 113 R (T-12), 19 HR (NR), 79 RBI (NR), .357 AVG (1st), 1.001 OPS (4th)No offense to McCarty but despite the .357 AVG he had no business being in the top 5. As he ranked well outside of the top 25 in both HR and RBI’s. There were several more deserving candidates to take the 5th spot. This nomination once again reflects WIS’ skew towards average over power.
Honorable Mention:
Alridge/Herdnadez (Atl): Both Atlanta players had fantastic years, however they came over from the NL half-way through the season but their totals would have been right among the top AL players. It will be interesting to see how they perform over a full year in the AL. Unlike real ML baseball, the AL is more of a pitchers league especially with respect to parks compared to the NL league which is definitely more hitter friendly.
Jamie Cashman (Tex): 113 R (13th), 62 HR (1st) , 152 RBI (1st), ..276 (NR), .938 OPS (14th)Cashmen fell to WIS’s distain for averages below .300. He would have been a much better candidate than his teammate McCarty especially considering the fact he lead the league in HR and RBI’s. I will admit I am glad he got snubbed because his inclusion would have only further muddied the water of the rankings above.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award:
1. Pete Daly (SF): 257 IP (1st), 17 W (T-5), 244 K (1st) , 3.12 ERA (5th)For the first time since I started doing the award rankings I will cast my Cy Young vote for pitcher not name Bouringal. In the end it came down to Meng and Daly for the top spot. The additional 14 IP (2 starts worth of innings) and 77 K’s outweighed 2 W and .09 ERA. Daly was the more dominant pitcher and gave his team the most innings in the league.
2. Mark Meng (Sco): 243 IP (2nd), 19 W (T-2), 177 K (5th), 3.03 ERA (4th)Meng vs. Bournigal was extremely close as they tied for W and were only 4 K’s apart. However, the extra 49 IP (or seven starts worth of innings) carries more value to myself than the difference in ERA as Meng going deeper and more often would most definitely improve Scottsdales entire team ERA and health.
3. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 194 IP (T-22), 19 W (T-2), 173 K (6th), 2.18 ERA (1st)Every run must come to an end and injuries and loss of stamina have finally caught up to Bournigal. What I mean by that is he’s no longer CLEARLY the best pitcher in the world. He’s simply one of the top 3. Had Bournigal got to 220 IP and keep his ERA sub 2.25, he would have been my choice.
4. Gene Fitzgerald (Lou): 223 IP (6th), 22 W (1st), 157 K (T-16), 3.87 ERA (17th)14 starts into the season when Fitzgerald was 11-1, I had delusions that it might be a Slugger pitcher that would knock off Bournigal. Obviously, that will not be the case. Fitzgerald had a great season but was clearly not in the league of the top 3 although he did manage to lead the AL in win’s.
5. Jose Diaz (Tex): 230 IP (4th), 18 W (4th), 184 K (T-3), 4.08 ERA (18th)Solid across the board (top 5 in three categories), however a 4+ ERA doesn’t scream Cy Young. Diaz is a young pitcher who continues to improve, I would expect him to be a top 5 fixture for years to come.
Honourable Mention:
Elvis Ogea (Wash)/Steve Sheldon (Paw): These pitchers finished 2nd/3rd in ERA, however they were ultimately shut-out from Cy Young contention based upon low IP (sub 200) and low win totals. With that said both had great seasons and while their win totals weren’t huge the did sport fantastic win %’s (.765 Ogea and .714 Sheldon)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Season 10 Power Rankings
Not only do we have 2 new teams in the top 10 but for the first time in 3 seasons we have a change at the #1 spot. Here are top 10 teams going into season 10...
#1. New York Metropolitans (106-56) - (+1) – After winning the WS last season Metropolitans found themselves on top of the power rankings for the first time in franchise history. There’s no MVP’s, Cy Young, ROY, Fireman award winners on this team but at the same time there’s no weakness either. Their strength is the pitching staff that finished season 9 with 3.67 team ERA and 1.26 team WHIP, both 2nd best in Hunter. The offense finished 3rd in Hunter with 989 RS but had the best road BA (.305) and 2nd best overall team BA (.295). Last season addition Trinidad Molina and this off-season addition Matty Garces make this line up much stronger.
#2. Louisville Sluggers (98-64) - (+2) – Sluggers won their first ever AL pennant last season finally beating San Francisco Night Demons (4-2) in the ALCS. In the ALDS they took care of very strong New Britain Yorkies (3-1). If pitching and defense wins championships than Louisville is on the right track, last season they finished with the 3rd best pitching staff (4.05era), 6th best offense (936rs) and Hunters top defense (.985FPct.). Sluggers superstar Magglio Javier already has 4 AL MVP awards and will be looking for a 5th one this season. Sluggers were also voted the favorite to win the World Series this season.
#3. San Francisco Night Demons (109-53) - (-2) – San Francisco won Championships in season 6 and season 7 while posting Hunters’ best regular season record in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Their ability to shut down the best of offenses is what drives this team, Night Demons pitching staff led by Felipe Bournigal and Pete Daly has ranked first in Hunter for the past 5 seasons. My vote for the favorite to win the WS this season went to the Night Demons simply because of Felipe Bournigal and Pete Daly, facing these two multiple times in a playoff series can’t be much fun. Betwen the two of them they have 15 All Star apperances, Felipe also won 5 straight AL Cy Young awards from S5 to S9.
#4. Colorado Blasters (100-62) - (-1) – Blasters yet again displayed last season why they are considered to be the powerhouse of the NL. Not only are they in the playoffs every single season they also won 2 Championships in S3 and S5. Last season Colorado took current Champs Metropolitans to extra innings of game 7 in the NLCS, that’s how close they came to the WS. Colorado is the opposite of San Francisco as their strength is in the line up, Blasters have ranked first in Hunter for the past 6 seasons in runs scored and home runs and it looks like it will be more of the same this season. The back bone of this line up is Hunters best power hitter Frank Zhang who won the ROY in season 4 and two MVP awards in season 6 and season 9. Erubiel Johnson, Alan Grimsley, Lonny Iglesias and Jason Hutton complete the best line up in Hunter.
#5. San Juan TCB (94-68) - (E) – San Juan is another team that’s always in the playoffs, they have never finished lower than 2nd in the NL south and have five division titles in nine seasons. They held the second best record in the NL most of last season and went into the playoffs as the 4th seed. Their playoffs ended quickly as division mate Santa Fe Flyers beat them in the NLDPS (3-1). TCB offense finished second in Hunter last season with 1053 runs scored, led by veteran Angel Bolivar who maybe the best pound for pound player in Hunter. This club holds the 5th position on the power rankings for a reason and is one of the favorites to win it all in season 10.
#6. Pittsburgh Studdabubbas (96-66) - (E) – Pittsburgh was the surprise team in the NL last season, winning the NL North for the first time in franchise history and posting franchise best 96 wins. Studdabubbas pitching staff finished 12th best (4.39era) last season, the loss of SP Doc Robinson will hurt even with the addition of SP Shawn Owen. The offense finished 9th best (903rs) and defense finished 12th best. Superstar 1B Willie Drew, 2B Archie Blake, LF Wayne Hernandez and the addition of SS Rodrigo Brito make this line up very dangerous for opposing pitchers.
#7. New Britain Yorkies (95-67) - (+4) – Yorkies finished season 9 with impressive 95 wins, winning the AL North crown by 15 games ahead of Pawtucket. New Britain entered the playoffs as the #3 seed in the AL, in the DPIS they disposed of Texas Beefeaters (3-1) but lost in the ALDS (1-3) to the current AL Champ. With the 9th best pitching staff (4.32era), 12th best offense (877rs) and 15th best defense (.980FPct.) this team doesn’t need much to move up the rankings in the near future. The addition of veteran Ace Derek O’Keefe makes this pitching staff much stronger, after winning 95 games last season without Derek they should be one of the favorites in the AL with him.
#8. Scottsdale Aces (93-69) - (+3) – Season 8 Champs had a slow start last season but stormed back in the second half to win 93 games and earn the 5th seed in the AL playoffs. Aces 4th ranked offense (953rs) is this teams back none, RF Ozzie Purcell and 2B J.R. Alston are two young stand outs in this line up. The pitching staff finished 10th in Hunter (4.32era) but with young SP Christopher Kieschnick and veteran Mark Meng it should only get better. 7th best defense makes Scottsdale very good all around and will be very tough in a playoff series.
#9. Washington DC Generals (92-70) - (-1) - 8th ranked pitching staff (4.26era), 15th ranked offense (846rs) and 3rd ranked defense (.984FPct) place the Generals in the 9th place on the rankings. Washington won the AL East crown 9 straight seasons and have 3 Championships (S1,S2 and S4). Lately it's been a bit different as they have been eliminated early in the playoffs for five straight season, they haven't reached the ALCS since S4. Last season the Generals came into the playoffs as the 4th seed but lost in the first round (ALDPS) to Scottsdale Aces (2-3).
#10. Santa Fe Flyers (91-71) - (-2) - Another surprise team in season 9, Santa Fe finished only 3 games behind San Juan in the NL South and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons. In the playoffs the Flyers beat San Juan (3-2) in the first round and gave New York all the could handle before losing in 5 games of the NLDS. The Flyers offense is probably the single reason why they won 91 games, their 953 RS and .289 team BA ranked them 4th best in Hunter. The pitching staff wasn't as good posting a biz-mo 5.23 team ERA and 1.60 team WHIP that ranked them 27th in the World, off season departure of ace Derek O'Keefe and the 29th ranked defense definitely doesn't help.
#1. New York Metropolitans (106-56) - (+1) – After winning the WS last season Metropolitans found themselves on top of the power rankings for the first time in franchise history. There’s no MVP’s, Cy Young, ROY, Fireman award winners on this team but at the same time there’s no weakness either. Their strength is the pitching staff that finished season 9 with 3.67 team ERA and 1.26 team WHIP, both 2nd best in Hunter. The offense finished 3rd in Hunter with 989 RS but had the best road BA (.305) and 2nd best overall team BA (.295). Last season addition Trinidad Molina and this off-season addition Matty Garces make this line up much stronger.
#2. Louisville Sluggers (98-64) - (+2) – Sluggers won their first ever AL pennant last season finally beating San Francisco Night Demons (4-2) in the ALCS. In the ALDS they took care of very strong New Britain Yorkies (3-1). If pitching and defense wins championships than Louisville is on the right track, last season they finished with the 3rd best pitching staff (4.05era), 6th best offense (936rs) and Hunters top defense (.985FPct.). Sluggers superstar Magglio Javier already has 4 AL MVP awards and will be looking for a 5th one this season. Sluggers were also voted the favorite to win the World Series this season.
#3. San Francisco Night Demons (109-53) - (-2) – San Francisco won Championships in season 6 and season 7 while posting Hunters’ best regular season record in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Their ability to shut down the best of offenses is what drives this team, Night Demons pitching staff led by Felipe Bournigal and Pete Daly has ranked first in Hunter for the past 5 seasons. My vote for the favorite to win the WS this season went to the Night Demons simply because of Felipe Bournigal and Pete Daly, facing these two multiple times in a playoff series can’t be much fun. Betwen the two of them they have 15 All Star apperances, Felipe also won 5 straight AL Cy Young awards from S5 to S9.
#4. Colorado Blasters (100-62) - (-1) – Blasters yet again displayed last season why they are considered to be the powerhouse of the NL. Not only are they in the playoffs every single season they also won 2 Championships in S3 and S5. Last season Colorado took current Champs Metropolitans to extra innings of game 7 in the NLCS, that’s how close they came to the WS. Colorado is the opposite of San Francisco as their strength is in the line up, Blasters have ranked first in Hunter for the past 6 seasons in runs scored and home runs and it looks like it will be more of the same this season. The back bone of this line up is Hunters best power hitter Frank Zhang who won the ROY in season 4 and two MVP awards in season 6 and season 9. Erubiel Johnson, Alan Grimsley, Lonny Iglesias and Jason Hutton complete the best line up in Hunter.
#5. San Juan TCB (94-68) - (E) – San Juan is another team that’s always in the playoffs, they have never finished lower than 2nd in the NL south and have five division titles in nine seasons. They held the second best record in the NL most of last season and went into the playoffs as the 4th seed. Their playoffs ended quickly as division mate Santa Fe Flyers beat them in the NLDPS (3-1). TCB offense finished second in Hunter last season with 1053 runs scored, led by veteran Angel Bolivar who maybe the best pound for pound player in Hunter. This club holds the 5th position on the power rankings for a reason and is one of the favorites to win it all in season 10.
#6. Pittsburgh Studdabubbas (96-66) - (E) – Pittsburgh was the surprise team in the NL last season, winning the NL North for the first time in franchise history and posting franchise best 96 wins. Studdabubbas pitching staff finished 12th best (4.39era) last season, the loss of SP Doc Robinson will hurt even with the addition of SP Shawn Owen. The offense finished 9th best (903rs) and defense finished 12th best. Superstar 1B Willie Drew, 2B Archie Blake, LF Wayne Hernandez and the addition of SS Rodrigo Brito make this line up very dangerous for opposing pitchers.
#7. New Britain Yorkies (95-67) - (+4) – Yorkies finished season 9 with impressive 95 wins, winning the AL North crown by 15 games ahead of Pawtucket. New Britain entered the playoffs as the #3 seed in the AL, in the DPIS they disposed of Texas Beefeaters (3-1) but lost in the ALDS (1-3) to the current AL Champ. With the 9th best pitching staff (4.32era), 12th best offense (877rs) and 15th best defense (.980FPct.) this team doesn’t need much to move up the rankings in the near future. The addition of veteran Ace Derek O’Keefe makes this pitching staff much stronger, after winning 95 games last season without Derek they should be one of the favorites in the AL with him.
#8. Scottsdale Aces (93-69) - (+3) – Season 8 Champs had a slow start last season but stormed back in the second half to win 93 games and earn the 5th seed in the AL playoffs. Aces 4th ranked offense (953rs) is this teams back none, RF Ozzie Purcell and 2B J.R. Alston are two young stand outs in this line up. The pitching staff finished 10th in Hunter (4.32era) but with young SP Christopher Kieschnick and veteran Mark Meng it should only get better. 7th best defense makes Scottsdale very good all around and will be very tough in a playoff series.
#9. Washington DC Generals (92-70) - (-1) - 8th ranked pitching staff (4.26era), 15th ranked offense (846rs) and 3rd ranked defense (.984FPct) place the Generals in the 9th place on the rankings. Washington won the AL East crown 9 straight seasons and have 3 Championships (S1,S2 and S4). Lately it's been a bit different as they have been eliminated early in the playoffs for five straight season, they haven't reached the ALCS since S4. Last season the Generals came into the playoffs as the 4th seed but lost in the first round (ALDPS) to Scottsdale Aces (2-3).
#10. Santa Fe Flyers (91-71) - (-2) - Another surprise team in season 9, Santa Fe finished only 3 games behind San Juan in the NL South and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons. In the playoffs the Flyers beat San Juan (3-2) in the first round and gave New York all the could handle before losing in 5 games of the NLDS. The Flyers offense is probably the single reason why they won 91 games, their 953 RS and .289 team BA ranked them 4th best in Hunter. The pitching staff wasn't as good posting a biz-mo 5.23 team ERA and 1.60 team WHIP that ranked them 27th in the World, off season departure of ace Derek O'Keefe and the 29th ranked defense definitely doesn't help.
Monday, October 6, 2008
New York Metropolitans: Season 9 Champs!!!
New York Metropolitans entered the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NL with a 106-56 regular season record. In the NLDS they defeated Santa Fe Flyers in 5 games (3-2). With the series tied at 2-2 Santa Fe took 3-1 lead into the 8th inning of game 5 but in the bottom of the 8th Metropolitans scored 4 times on 5 hits for a huge game 5 come from behind victory. In NLCS New York beat the #2 seed Colorado Blasters (4-3). Losing the first 2 games at home Metropolitans were against the wall again but they stormed back and took the next 3 games in Colorado for a 3-2 series lead. Colorado won game 6 and forced game 7. With the NLCS on the line game 7 was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 12th inning, after 3 walks youngster Louie Tavarez singled to CF and pushed the Mets to the World Series. In the World Series New York faced the very strong Louisville Sluggers club who defeated San Francisco in the ALCS (4-2). WS begin with a Metropolitans game 1 victory on a walk off 3-run HR by pinch hitter S.Thomas for a 1-0 series lead. NY won game 2 also but Louisville came back to take the next 2 and tie the series at 2-2. Metropolitans took the series lead again winning game 5 but the Sluggers decided to force game 7 with a game 6 victory. In game 7 of the WS Sluggers took a 4-1 lead into the 6th but 22 y.o. rookie had something to say about that, L.Cruz came to bat with bases loaded and belted a grand slam to LF to give New York 5-4 lead. The bullpen shut the door in the final 3 innings and the celebration begin.In every series they were down in the deciding and most critical moments and found a way to win every single time.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
AL Felipe Bournigal award and MVP
This season I am evaluating the five AL MVP’s and Bournigal award candidates and placing them in the order I’d put them on my ballot. I am also going to name two honourable mentions, the best two players that were not on the final candidates list. Please note this write-up was completed after 161 games.
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 120 R (T-2), 52 HR (2nd ), 142 RBI (1st), .315 AVG (8th), 1.015 OPS (T-2)
The 3-time and 2-time defending MVP put together another fantastic season. The only candidate to finish in the top 10 in R, HR, RBI, AVG and OPS, while finishing in the top 2 for R, HR, RBI and OPS. Add those stats to the fact Magglio Javier powered the Sluggers to the 2nd best AL record and I think he can add a 3rd MVP to his mantle. I’m sure some people will think I’m biased to my own player but the numbers bear his ranking out.
2. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 120 R (T-2), 49 HR (3rd), 120 RBI (5th), .302 AVG (21st), 1.015 OPS (T-2)
Last year’s runner up looks to be a bride’s maid again. Cox might have dethroned Javier has he avoided the 2 trips to the DL this season with that said in the end Cox only played 6 games fewer. In the 5 major cats the best Cox could do is two ties. The record of 0-3-2 vs Magglio speaks for itself. The future looks bright for Cox as Magglio’s power numbers are slowly beginning to erode. This former MVP will likely take the mantle as the AL’s best hitter very shortly.
3. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 122 R (1st), 40 HR (T-10), 109 RBI (13th), .289 AVG (NR), .968 OPS (6th)
The top 3 slot into their spots quite easily. Purcell’s power numbers put him squarely infront of McCarty and Zorilla. While his average and HR total place him behind Cox and Javier. It does deserve to be noted that Purcell lead the AL in runs (2 better than Javier/Cox) and finished in the top 10 of three major categories.
4. Juan Zorrilla (SF): 85 R (NR), 26 HR (NR), 109 RBI (14th), .332 AVG (3rd), .948 OPS (9th)
This is the part of the list where WIS places too heavy a focus on average. I actually think McCarty had a slightly better year but, this is MVP voting and Zorrilla gets credit for playing on the better team. I won’t say he’s SF best player as that mantle goes to Bournigal. Normally I am against SP as the MVP however, had he made the list of final candidates I would have had a really tough time picking between him and Javier.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 103 R (12th), 26 HR (NR), 94 RBI (NR), .329 AVG (4th), 1.001 OPS (4th)
Texas’ 2nd best hitter made the list while their best hitter (Kaufman) got snubbed. I’d like to take this spot to congratulate Texas on their first playoff appearance. Wolfhound has been in Hunter since season 1, so it was very nice to see his persistence payoff. I fully expect the Beefeaters to push the Sluggers hard next season in the AL South
Honorable Mention:
Desi Nixon (Har): 114 R (2nd), 41 HR (9th), 135 RBI (2nd), .302 AVG (T-20) , 1.024 OPS (1st)
Nixon should check to see if he’s missing his wallet because he was robbed not to make the finalists. Had he made the list I would have ranked him 3rd just in front of Purcell. Nixon was the only player other than Javier to finish in the top 20 in all five categories. He should have received the recognition of making the finalists.
Bruce Kaufman (Tex): 90 R (NR), 43 HR (7th) , 105 RBI (T-16), .302 AVG (T-20), .990 OPS (5th)
SF deserves to have a player on the MVP finalist list. So I would swap Kaufman in for his teammate McCarty. The only thing holding Kaufman back is his lack of durability, which keeps him out of 35 games or so a season.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award
1. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 229 IP (T-5), 21 W (T-1), 214 K (2nd), 1.65 ERA (1st)
The award’s namesake put together he’s best season to date. An argument for another candidate can’t even be made. The race for 2nd is extremely interesting as all four pitchers can make a valid claim that they are the best “human” pitcher. As it’s been revealed that Bournigal is from another planet.
2. Pete Daly (SF): 229 IP (T-6), 20 W (T-3), 221 K (1st) , 2.87 ERA (3rd)
When it comes to the Bourngial Award, I put a lot of focus on IP and K’s. Therefore Daly last year’s runner-up deserves 2nd spot again. Led the league in K’s, was top 10 in IP. He’s sub-3 ERA clinched the 2nd spot on the list.
3. Bob Creek (Lou): 242 IP (1st), 21 W (T-1), 206 K (3rd), 3.71 ERA (12th)
This was an extremely hard spot to pick however, based on my value of K’s and IP, Creek edges out Meng for the 3rd spot. Creek bested Meng in IP (14), W (3) and K’s (39) which was just enough to justify the .88 difference in ERA.
4. Mark Meng (Sco): 228 IP (8th), 18 W (T-6), 167 K (10th), 2.83 ERA (2nd)
Meng came to Scottdale in the year of the FA pitcher (when WIS closed the loop-hole of extending your own player by one year). Meng’s contract was the largest contract ever given to a starting pitcher and thus far he has earned every dollar of it. Meng lead Scottsdale to a WS last year and has them back in the playoffs for a chance to defend the title.
5. Giovanni Dale (NB): 230 IP (T-4), 20 W (T-3), 156 K (13th), 3.21 ERA (6th)
Dale another member of the bumper FA pitcher crop of Season 8 has also earned every dollar of his contract. It was a coin flip between Dale and Meng but the .4 difference in ERA and 11 extra K’s was enough to overcome 2 W and 2 IP.
Honourable Mention:
Mark Cheng (Paw) & Phillip Daniels (Bur): The top 5 were clearly the class of the AL this season. I wouldn’t bump any of them out for Cheng or Daniels but both do deserve a mention for almost identical great seasons.
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 120 R (T-2), 52 HR (2nd ), 142 RBI (1st), .315 AVG (8th), 1.015 OPS (T-2)
The 3-time and 2-time defending MVP put together another fantastic season. The only candidate to finish in the top 10 in R, HR, RBI, AVG and OPS, while finishing in the top 2 for R, HR, RBI and OPS. Add those stats to the fact Magglio Javier powered the Sluggers to the 2nd best AL record and I think he can add a 3rd MVP to his mantle. I’m sure some people will think I’m biased to my own player but the numbers bear his ranking out.
2. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 120 R (T-2), 49 HR (3rd), 120 RBI (5th), .302 AVG (21st), 1.015 OPS (T-2)
Last year’s runner up looks to be a bride’s maid again. Cox might have dethroned Javier has he avoided the 2 trips to the DL this season with that said in the end Cox only played 6 games fewer. In the 5 major cats the best Cox could do is two ties. The record of 0-3-2 vs Magglio speaks for itself. The future looks bright for Cox as Magglio’s power numbers are slowly beginning to erode. This former MVP will likely take the mantle as the AL’s best hitter very shortly.
3. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 122 R (1st), 40 HR (T-10), 109 RBI (13th), .289 AVG (NR), .968 OPS (6th)
The top 3 slot into their spots quite easily. Purcell’s power numbers put him squarely infront of McCarty and Zorilla. While his average and HR total place him behind Cox and Javier. It does deserve to be noted that Purcell lead the AL in runs (2 better than Javier/Cox) and finished in the top 10 of three major categories.
4. Juan Zorrilla (SF): 85 R (NR), 26 HR (NR), 109 RBI (14th), .332 AVG (3rd), .948 OPS (9th)
This is the part of the list where WIS places too heavy a focus on average. I actually think McCarty had a slightly better year but, this is MVP voting and Zorrilla gets credit for playing on the better team. I won’t say he’s SF best player as that mantle goes to Bournigal. Normally I am against SP as the MVP however, had he made the list of final candidates I would have had a really tough time picking between him and Javier.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 103 R (12th), 26 HR (NR), 94 RBI (NR), .329 AVG (4th), 1.001 OPS (4th)
Texas’ 2nd best hitter made the list while their best hitter (Kaufman) got snubbed. I’d like to take this spot to congratulate Texas on their first playoff appearance. Wolfhound has been in Hunter since season 1, so it was very nice to see his persistence payoff. I fully expect the Beefeaters to push the Sluggers hard next season in the AL South
Honorable Mention:
Desi Nixon (Har): 114 R (2nd), 41 HR (9th), 135 RBI (2nd), .302 AVG (T-20) , 1.024 OPS (1st)
Nixon should check to see if he’s missing his wallet because he was robbed not to make the finalists. Had he made the list I would have ranked him 3rd just in front of Purcell. Nixon was the only player other than Javier to finish in the top 20 in all five categories. He should have received the recognition of making the finalists.
Bruce Kaufman (Tex): 90 R (NR), 43 HR (7th) , 105 RBI (T-16), .302 AVG (T-20), .990 OPS (5th)
SF deserves to have a player on the MVP finalist list. So I would swap Kaufman in for his teammate McCarty. The only thing holding Kaufman back is his lack of durability, which keeps him out of 35 games or so a season.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award
1. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 229 IP (T-5), 21 W (T-1), 214 K (2nd), 1.65 ERA (1st)
The award’s namesake put together he’s best season to date. An argument for another candidate can’t even be made. The race for 2nd is extremely interesting as all four pitchers can make a valid claim that they are the best “human” pitcher. As it’s been revealed that Bournigal is from another planet.
2. Pete Daly (SF): 229 IP (T-6), 20 W (T-3), 221 K (1st) , 2.87 ERA (3rd)
When it comes to the Bourngial Award, I put a lot of focus on IP and K’s. Therefore Daly last year’s runner-up deserves 2nd spot again. Led the league in K’s, was top 10 in IP. He’s sub-3 ERA clinched the 2nd spot on the list.
3. Bob Creek (Lou): 242 IP (1st), 21 W (T-1), 206 K (3rd), 3.71 ERA (12th)
This was an extremely hard spot to pick however, based on my value of K’s and IP, Creek edges out Meng for the 3rd spot. Creek bested Meng in IP (14), W (3) and K’s (39) which was just enough to justify the .88 difference in ERA.
4. Mark Meng (Sco): 228 IP (8th), 18 W (T-6), 167 K (10th), 2.83 ERA (2nd)
Meng came to Scottdale in the year of the FA pitcher (when WIS closed the loop-hole of extending your own player by one year). Meng’s contract was the largest contract ever given to a starting pitcher and thus far he has earned every dollar of it. Meng lead Scottsdale to a WS last year and has them back in the playoffs for a chance to defend the title.
5. Giovanni Dale (NB): 230 IP (T-4), 20 W (T-3), 156 K (13th), 3.21 ERA (6th)
Dale another member of the bumper FA pitcher crop of Season 8 has also earned every dollar of his contract. It was a coin flip between Dale and Meng but the .4 difference in ERA and 11 extra K’s was enough to overcome 2 W and 2 IP.
Honourable Mention:
Mark Cheng (Paw) & Phillip Daniels (Bur): The top 5 were clearly the class of the AL this season. I wouldn’t bump any of them out for Cheng or Daniels but both do deserve a mention for almost identical great seasons.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hunter League - Selected Career Pitching Statistics
Wins:
- Felipe Bournigal (San Francisco Night Demons) - 166
- Pete Daley (San Francisco Night Demons) - 158
- Shawn Owen (Pittsburgh Studdabubbas) - 156
- Elvis Ogea (Washington DC Generals) - 154
- Charles Lawton (Tucson Shockers) - 143
ERA*:
- Felipe Bournigal (San Francisco Night Demons) - 2.41
- Derek O'Keefe (Santa Fe Flyers) - 3.12
- Elvis Ogea (Washington DC Generals) - 3.17
- Kevin Coleman (Tucson Shockers) - 3.26
- Mark Meng (Scottsdale Aces)/Giovanni Dale (New Britain Yorkies) - 3.41
Complete Games:
- Shawn Owen (Pittsburgh Studdabubbas) - 67
- Elvis Ogea (Washington DC Generals) - 62
- Tony Cortez (Salt Lake City Mormons) - 41
- Felipe Bournigal (San Francisco Nigth Demons) - 39
- Peter Carpenter (Salt Lake City Mormons) - 35
Strike Outs:
- Felipe Bournigal (San Francisco Night Demons) - 1,897
- Pete Daley (San Francisco Night Demons) - 1,685
- Shawn Owen (Pittsburgh Studdabubbas) - 1,585
- Derek O'Keefe (Sante Fe Flyers) - 1,460
- David Anderson (San Juan TCB) - 1,452
Saves:
- Terence Floyd (Burlington BlackSox) - 334
- Jared Page (San Francisco Night Demons) - 270
- BC Tracy (Anaheim Angels) - 225
- Ariel Guerrero (San Juan TCB) - 206
- Miguel Bennett (Charlotte FatNasty) - 192
All statistics as of 8:30 PM, 30 August 2008; Team names reflect player's current team
*At least 810 Innings Pitched to qualify for ERA leaders
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Hunter League All-Time Batting Leaders
Home Runs:
- Magglio Javier (Louisville Sluggers) - 455
- James Hayashi (Tuscon Shockers) - 454
- Rich Peters (Baltimore BayDogs) - 439
- Lou Stevenson (Augustus Caesars) - 435
- Lonnie Iglesias (Colorado Blasters) - 419
Runs Batted-In:
- Magglio Javier (Louisville Sluggers) - 1,334
- James Hayashi (Tuscon Shockers) - 1,302
- Garrett Biggio (San Juan TCB) - 1,267
- J.P. Mercedes (Buffalo Nickels) - 1,205
- Albert Henley (Salt Lake City Mormons) - 1,180
Hits:
- Albert Henley (Salt Lake City Mormons) - 1,839
- Angel Bolivar (San Juan TCB) - 1,816
- Garrett Biggio (San Juan TCB) - 1,777
- James Hayashi (Tuscon Shockers) - 1,696
- Jerome Skrmetta (Chicago Fire) - 1,695
Runs Scored:
- Albert Henley (Salt Lake City Mormons) - 1,303
- Garrett Biggio (San Juan TCB) - 1,234
- Erubiel Molina (Augustus Caesars) - 1,169
- James Hayashi (Tuscon Shockers) - 1,165
- Magglio Javier (Louisville Sluggers) - 1,155
All statistics as of 6:30 PM, 24 August 2008; Team names reflect player's current team
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Season 9 Top 10 Power Rankings update (game 81)
We’re half way through season 9 and I probably speak for most when I say that season 9 had many surprises so far. Teams like Baltimore, Santa Fe, Huntington and Texas are all enjoying fine seasons much improved from last season. Teams like Augusta, Charlotte, Louisville and Burlington are playing at a lesser level than last season but still have 81 games to go. Some major changes occurred to many teams in the off-season resulting in major changes to the power rankings, Hunter is finally seeing some shifting of power as younger teams are starting to show some teeth.
1. San Francisco Night Demons (56-25) – Still #1 and it doesn’t look like anyone has gained any ground in the AL. Hunters best pitching staff is having another amazing season, they’re #1 in every single pitching stat except for HR given up (3rd). It’s pretty simple, if you can’t score 1 run how are you going to win?
2. New York Metropolitans (56-24) – Best record in Hunter through the first 81 games, at one point of the season there was a 26 game stretch where this team went 22-4 with a 9 game winning streak. Metropolitans are the only team in Hunter ranked in the top 3 in all 3 team categories. They have the 2nd best pitching staff (3.59 ERA), 2nd best offense (524 RS) and 3rd best defense (.983 FPct) in the world…..nuff said.
3. San Juan TCB (50-31) – In a very tough NL south TCB are looking to capture their 2nd straight division title. San Juan is another very good overall team that’s powered by their 3rd ranked offense in Hunter. With 508 runs scored, 867 hits, .290 team BA and .852 team OPS any pitching staff facing this line up will give up runs sooner or later (excluding SF :-).4. Washington D.C. Generals (48-32) – With a less than impressive start the Generals have picked it up a bit going 16-1 in their last 17 games. Now that they have an 8.5 games lead on 2nd place Rochester it looks like Washington is heading for their 9th straight postseason.
5. Santa Fe Flyers (49-31) – Out of nowhere the Flyers are challenging San Juan for the NL South, with the addition of Derek O’Keefe and a top 5 line up in Hunter this team may actually stay around for a while. Not on the previous power rankings Santa Fe made some huge strides in season 9 so far.
6. Colorado Blasters (46-35) – The Blasters had another rough start but with this power line up they wouldn’t stay down for long. Yet again this offense is putting up magical stats, through 81 games Colorado has 697 runs scored, 919 hits, 277 HR and 1.021 team OPS, all best in Hunter.
7. Texas Beefeaters (48-32) – The Beefeaters have been on a clime for the past 3 seasons posting 84 wins in S7 and 86 wins in S8 and are looking even stronger in S9. Not on the power ranking after S8 this is definitely one of the young surprise teams looking to make history in S9.
8. Salt Lake City Mormons (47-34) – Will we see a new division champ in the NL West? Salt Lake is another team that was not on the power ranking last time around, and they’re doing it with total team effort. Mormons pitching staff, line up and defense have been hovering around the 10th place all season long proving the Mormons deserve to be in the top 10.
9. Huntington Head Hunters (48-32) – Head Hunters made lots of changes with the new ownership, signing many free agents and trading for other players resulted in a first place tie in the very tough AL South. Huntington mostly depends on their offense to provide the spark, as their pitching staff hasn’t been as impressive. First time in the top 10 means they’re doing something right.
10. Pittsburgh Studdabubbas (48-32) – Pittsburgh leads the tough NL North by 7.5 games, did anyone thought that would happen? Studdabubbas line up scored 465 runs in 80 games so far and is the strength of this team, if the defense and pitching staff pick it up a bit this could be a very dangerous team to face in the playoffs.
1. San Francisco Night Demons (56-25) – Still #1 and it doesn’t look like anyone has gained any ground in the AL. Hunters best pitching staff is having another amazing season, they’re #1 in every single pitching stat except for HR given up (3rd). It’s pretty simple, if you can’t score 1 run how are you going to win?-
2. New York Metropolitans (56-24) – Best record in Hunter through the first 81 games, at one point of the season there was a 26 game stretch where this team went 22-4 with a 9 game winning streak. Metropolitans are the only team in Hunter ranked in the top 3 in all 3 team categories. They have the 2nd best pitching staff (3.59 ERA), 2nd best offense (524 RS) and 3rd best defense (.983 FPct) in the world…..nuff said.-
3. San Juan TCB (50-31) – In a very tough NL south TCB are looking to capture their 2nd straight division title. San Juan is another very good overall team that’s powered by their 3rd ranked offense in Hunter. With 508 runs scored, 867 hits, .290 team BA and .852 team OPS any pitching staff facing this line up will give up runs sooner or later (excluding SF :-).-
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4. Washington D.C. Generals (48-32) – With a less than impressive start the Generals have picked it up a bit going 16-1 in their last 17 games. Now that they have an 8.5 games lead on 2nd place Rochester it looks like Washington is heading for their 9th straight postseason. -
5. Santa Fe Flyers (49-31) – Out of nowhere the Flyers are challenging San Juan for the NL South, with the addition of Derek O’Keefe and a top 5 line up in Hunter this team may actually stay around for a while. Not on the previous power rankings Santa Fe made some huge strides in season 9 so far. -
6. Colorado Blasters (46-35) – The Blasters had another rough start but with this power line up they wouldn’t stay down for long. Yet again this offense is putting up magical stats, through 81 games Colorado has 697 runs scored, 919 hits, 277 HR and 1.021 team OPS, all best in Hunter.-
7. Texas Beefeaters (48-32) – The Beefeaters have been on a clime for the past 3 seasons posting 84 wins in S7 and 86 wins in S8 and are looking even stronger in S9. Not on the power ranking after S8 this is definitely one of the young surprise teams looking to make history in S9. -
8. Salt Lake City Mormons (47-34) – Will we see a new division champ in the NL West? Salt Lake is another team that was not on the power ranking last time around, and they’re doing it with total team effort. Mormons pitching staff, line up and defense have been hovering around the 10th place all season long proving the Mormons deserve to be in the top 10. -
9. Huntington Head Hunters (48-32) – Head Hunters made lots of changes with the new ownership, signing many free agents and trading for other players resulted in a first place tie in the very tough AL South. Huntington mostly depends on their offense to provide the spark, as their pitching staff hasn’t been as impressive. First time in the top 10 means they’re doing something right. -
10. Pittsburgh Studdabubbas (48-32) – Pittsburgh leads the tough NL North by 7.5 games, did anyone thought that would happen? Studdabubbas line up scored 465 runs in 80 games so far and is the strength of this team, if the defense and pitching staff pick it up a bit this could be a very dangerous team to face in the playoffs. -
- Notable - New Britain Yorkies (45-35) and Baltimore BayDogs (45-35) are on their way up.
- There were 4 major changes as WS Champs Scottsdale Aces and NL Champs Augusta Caesars, Charlotte and Louisville all considered power teams in Hunter did not make the top 10 this time around. There’s talent on all 4 of those teams but you are what your record says you are.
- Next power rankings update will come at the end of season 9.
- Please post in comments if you think teams are not ranked properly, please include why we should make the changes and what you’re basing your opinion on.
- Please post in comments if you think teams are not ranked properly, please include why we should make the changes and what you’re basing your opinion on.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Top 10 Power Rankings (S9)
First let me say thanks to those who took the time and voted, the results were a huge part of these power rankings. Some teams are so close to each other in qulity and performance that it was really hard to put one over the other but with the votes it was much easier.
Here are the top 10 clubs in Hunter going into S9
1. San Francisco Night Demons (116-46) – No surprises here, even after the poor showing in S8 playoffs they will remain on top of the power rankings, personally I don’t think it’s even that close. The fact they won S6 and S7 WS combined with 116 win in S8 (13 wins better than any other franchise) proves they are still the best. The main part of this team is the pitching staff that finished season 8 with 3.03 team ERA, 1.12 team WHIP and .228 team OAV, is that crazy or is it just me? Some franchises don’t have a single pitcher put up these numbers not to mention entire staff doing it. Think about this, having a starter put up those numbers would be pretty sweet but we’re talking about the entire pitching staff doing it!
2. Scottsdale Aces (93-69) – Scottsdale stormed into the 2nd spot on the power rankings after their Championship run last season. The regular season record may not be as good as other teams ranked below them but they showed in the playoffs that regular season record doesn’t really matter. Let me point out that on their way to the Championship the Aces swept the Night Demons 3-0 in the DCS than beat up on very strong Sluggers club 4-2 in the LCS and took down the best team in NL Caesars for the WS title. In short they beat the #1, #3 and #4 teams on this ranking, need I say more?
3. Augusta Caesars (101-61) – In the 1st season of new ownership Augusta comes 2 games away from winning the WS. Augusta had to go through very tough NL on their way to the NL crown, they beat a very good up coming Salt Lake 3-2 in DPS, than took care of the very strong San Juan TCB club 3-2 in DCS, next in the LCS they beat up on very talented Charlotte team 4-2 and lost in the WS. Since they beat the next best two NL teams on the rankings and currently hold the NL crown, the #3 spot belongs to them.
4. Louisville Sluggers (103-59) – Personally I thought this is one of very few teams that could give San Fran a run for their money. The Sluggers strength in S8 was their pitching staff ranked 3rd in Hunter with 3.99 team ERA and 1.32 team WHIP. There’s also a guy by the name of Magglio Javier playing on this team who btw won the AL MVP last season as in S5 and S7. He posted .340 BA, .402 OBP and 1,064 OPS in S8 for his 3rd MVP award.
5. San Juan TCB (103-59) – San Juan held the best record in the NL for the majority of season 8 but allowed Colorado to catch up by game 162. Going into the playoffs as the 2nd seed they fell short in the DCS losing 3-2 to the current NL Champ Augusta. The offenses last season was ranked #2 in the world and many may argue that it should be #1 . Last season they posted .299 team BA and .856 team OPS both 2nd best in Hunter with .374 team OBP that was tops. This line up is lead by S7 NL MVP Angel Bolivar who also may be the best pound for pound player in Hunter.
6. Colorado Blasters (103-59) – The Blasters are exactly what their name says, they will simply blast you away. We all know but I will point out that Colorado line up made legendary marks in S8 that may be difficult to reach again, just to name a few they hit 448 HR (177 more than 2nd team) with 1140 RBI and unreal .945 team OPS. If the pitching staff takes their game to another level and the line up keeps on hitting like last season this team could be almost unbeatable. Hitters like Johnson, Zhang, Grimsley, Iglesias and Hutton is what powered this team to 103 wins last season, NL best record.
7. Charlotte FatNasty (98-64) – Second year in a row FatNasty reached the NLCS and second year in a row it’s a losing outcome. Charlotte beat S7 NL Champ NY 3-2 in DPS, came on top over the very strong Colorado club 3-2 in the DCS before losing to Augusta 2-4 in NLCS. Charlotte is probably the best young talented team in Hunter, with players like Henriquez, Beamon, Guardado, Molina, Morga, Allen, Kondou, Benett all under 30 y.o. and many of them are under 26 y.o., the future look very bright.
8. New York Metropolitans (87-75) – Season 7 NL Champs came into S8 with high hopes but injuries and 16-29 record in 1-run games equaled to only 87 wins. Mets pitching staff is near the top in Hunter every season and is the strength of the team, the offense can hit as shown by their .289 team BA but the lack of power is the weak point of this team. Overall Metropolitans are a very solid clun top to bottom full of hight quality veterans mixed in with some very good young players, the expectations for S9 are as hight as they ever were.
9. Washington D.C. Generals (92-70) - The Generals fought Burlington for the top spot in the AL East the entire season and managed to finished 2 games ahead of the Black Sox for their 8th straight divison crown. In the playoffs it was a diffrent story as Burlington got the better of Washington by a 3-1 score in the DPS. Not reaching the ALCS is not what the Generals are use to as this was only the 2nd time in their 8 year history where they did not get at least to the ALCS. Let me repete that, Washington reached the ALCS 6 out of 8 seasons, not only are the a very good regural season team but they're also one of the best in the playoffs. Lets not forget about the 3 Championships they own, still most in Hunter by any franchise.
10. Pawtucket Patriots (90-72) - Pawtuckett in S8 won the AL North by 24 games and finished the regular seaosn with 90 wins. In the DPS the Patriots lost to Scottsdale 3-2 and will need to do more than just get to the playoffs if they want to move up on the rankings. One players that stands out on the team is Braden Cox who in 6 ML seasons hit 279 HR so far and is only 28 y.o. Braden won ROY in S3, ALMVP in S6 and went to the all star game 5 out of his first 6 seasons in the majors. With small improvements this team can not only get very good but they have the core to be one of the best in Hunter.
Here are the top 10 clubs in Hunter going into S9
1. San Francisco Night Demons (116-46) – No surprises here, even after the poor showing in S8 playoffs they will remain on top of the power rankings, personally I don’t think it’s even that close. The fact they won S6 and S7 WS combined with 116 win in S8 (13 wins better than any other franchise) proves they are still the best. The main part of this team is the pitching staff that finished season 8 with 3.03 team ERA, 1.12 team WHIP and .228 team OAV, is that crazy or is it just me? Some franchises don’t have a single pitcher put up these numbers not to mention entire staff doing it. Think about this, having a starter put up those numbers would be pretty sweet but we’re talking about the entire pitching staff doing it!
2. Scottsdale Aces (93-69) – Scottsdale stormed into the 2nd spot on the power rankings after their Championship run last season. The regular season record may not be as good as other teams ranked below them but they showed in the playoffs that regular season record doesn’t really matter. Let me point out that on their way to the Championship the Aces swept the Night Demons 3-0 in the DCS than beat up on very strong Sluggers club 4-2 in the LCS and took down the best team in NL Caesars for the WS title. In short they beat the #1, #3 and #4 teams on this ranking, need I say more?
3. Augusta Caesars (101-61) – In the 1st season of new ownership Augusta comes 2 games away from winning the WS. Augusta had to go through very tough NL on their way to the NL crown, they beat a very good up coming Salt Lake 3-2 in DPS, than took care of the very strong San Juan TCB club 3-2 in DCS, next in the LCS they beat up on very talented Charlotte team 4-2 and lost in the WS. Since they beat the next best two NL teams on the rankings and currently hold the NL crown, the #3 spot belongs to them.
4. Louisville Sluggers (103-59) – Personally I thought this is one of very few teams that could give San Fran a run for their money. The Sluggers strength in S8 was their pitching staff ranked 3rd in Hunter with 3.99 team ERA and 1.32 team WHIP. There’s also a guy by the name of Magglio Javier playing on this team who btw won the AL MVP last season as in S5 and S7. He posted .340 BA, .402 OBP and 1,064 OPS in S8 for his 3rd MVP award.
5. San Juan TCB (103-59) – San Juan held the best record in the NL for the majority of season 8 but allowed Colorado to catch up by game 162. Going into the playoffs as the 2nd seed they fell short in the DCS losing 3-2 to the current NL Champ Augusta. The offenses last season was ranked #2 in the world and many may argue that it should be #1 . Last season they posted .299 team BA and .856 team OPS both 2nd best in Hunter with .374 team OBP that was tops. This line up is lead by S7 NL MVP Angel Bolivar who also may be the best pound for pound player in Hunter.
6. Colorado Blasters (103-59) – The Blasters are exactly what their name says, they will simply blast you away. We all know but I will point out that Colorado line up made legendary marks in S8 that may be difficult to reach again, just to name a few they hit 448 HR (177 more than 2nd team) with 1140 RBI and unreal .945 team OPS. If the pitching staff takes their game to another level and the line up keeps on hitting like last season this team could be almost unbeatable. Hitters like Johnson, Zhang, Grimsley, Iglesias and Hutton is what powered this team to 103 wins last season, NL best record.
7. Charlotte FatNasty (98-64) – Second year in a row FatNasty reached the NLCS and second year in a row it’s a losing outcome. Charlotte beat S7 NL Champ NY 3-2 in DPS, came on top over the very strong Colorado club 3-2 in the DCS before losing to Augusta 2-4 in NLCS. Charlotte is probably the best young talented team in Hunter, with players like Henriquez, Beamon, Guardado, Molina, Morga, Allen, Kondou, Benett all under 30 y.o. and many of them are under 26 y.o., the future look very bright.
8. New York Metropolitans (87-75) – Season 7 NL Champs came into S8 with high hopes but injuries and 16-29 record in 1-run games equaled to only 87 wins. Mets pitching staff is near the top in Hunter every season and is the strength of the team, the offense can hit as shown by their .289 team BA but the lack of power is the weak point of this team. Overall Metropolitans are a very solid clun top to bottom full of hight quality veterans mixed in with some very good young players, the expectations for S9 are as hight as they ever were.
9. Washington D.C. Generals (92-70) - The Generals fought Burlington for the top spot in the AL East the entire season and managed to finished 2 games ahead of the Black Sox for their 8th straight divison crown. In the playoffs it was a diffrent story as Burlington got the better of Washington by a 3-1 score in the DPS. Not reaching the ALCS is not what the Generals are use to as this was only the 2nd time in their 8 year history where they did not get at least to the ALCS. Let me repete that, Washington reached the ALCS 6 out of 8 seasons, not only are the a very good regural season team but they're also one of the best in the playoffs. Lets not forget about the 3 Championships they own, still most in Hunter by any franchise.
10. Pawtucket Patriots (90-72) - Pawtuckett in S8 won the AL North by 24 games and finished the regular seaosn with 90 wins. In the DPS the Patriots lost to Scottsdale 3-2 and will need to do more than just get to the playoffs if they want to move up on the rankings. One players that stands out on the team is Braden Cox who in 6 ML seasons hit 279 HR so far and is only 28 y.o. Braden won ROY in S3, ALMVP in S6 and went to the all star game 5 out of his first 6 seasons in the majors. With small improvements this team can not only get very good but they have the core to be one of the best in Hunter.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
An Outsiders Inside View of Hunter
Dateline: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
As we begin the ninth season of Hunter world it seems appropriate to gather our thoughts and reflect on its storied history and perhaps discuss why this world establishes the HBD ideal of establishing true dynasties. Because this league has so many successful franchises, owners of "ordinary" teams have had a difficult time achieving long term success in this league. I am reminded of the movie "The Sandlot" where a group of baseball loving kids are menaced by the dog on the other side of the fence. If you are a member of Hunter, the attack dog on the other side of the fence is real. And if you are going to succeed you will have to tame the savage beast.
Hunter was founded 8 seasons ago. By my count, twelve of the original founders are still with us. Four owners joined after the first season; so sixteen owners have been in this league at least seven seasons. Imagine that. A small group of owners have enjoyed remarkable success through these eight seasons dominating both their divisions and the playoffs yearly. For example, the AL East and NL North have both been dominated by a single team winning all 8 seasons. Washington DC has never lost a division championship and neither has Augusta. The AL North, AL South, AL West, and NL West have been won by a single franchise seven of the eight years : Pawtucket, Louisville, San Francisco, and Colorado all have seven division titles. New York has six division tiles in the NL East. Only the NL South has not been clearly dominated by a single team as all four franchises have at least one division title; however San Juan does have four. Think of it, eight divisions for eight years means that sixty four separate titles have been won, but by only sixteen different franchises. That's dynasty building!!
The playoffs show a similar pattern. Four franchises have never missed the playoffs (Washington DC, Louisville, Augusta, San Francisco) and three teams have made the playoffs seven years (Burlington, Pawtucket, Colorado). When you stop and realize that only twelve teams enter the playoffs yearly, most of the years had those seven teams playing. Only five other teams (on average) could earn one of the remaining playoff spots. And indeed, six franchises have never been in the playoffs. (Rochester among them.) The World Series has also been dominated by these teams with Washington DC winning three, Colorado and San Francisco winning two apiece and last year Scottsdale won "The Ring".
Which brings us to the final point of this musing. Our wall of dynasties can be cracked. Scottsdale proved last year that new blood can climb the fence and tame the mongrel. In only his second playoff appearance, Oli35 came away a winner. And a chink in some of these franchises armor has got to start showing sometime soon. I mean, how long can Elvis Ogea, Felipe Bournigal, and Juan Gonzalez continue to play, although their pictures never seem to age?
But in the meantime Hunter World can bask in its knowledge that it is truly one of the premiere leagues in HBD. Some owners might find the challenge of Hunter too difficult. Those owners don't stay long. Good. This is a league for hardcore HBD lovers who wish to test their skills in developing true dynasties. The bar has been set high for all who dare to enter.
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