Friday, February 27, 2009

Fresh Meat: Season 2 Draft Recap

When season two rolled around teams had a stronger understanding of how to handle the draft. Because of that only 5 picks from the 1st round did not sign. 21 of the 32 players selected are at present playing in the major leagues.

allsox took over a team that had won 18 games the year before and improved them immediately by selecting C.J. Weaver he only spent part of one season in the minors and was with the big club by seasons end. 1 season later he won a Silver Slugger award (his first of 2). He also has two Gold Gloves and 4 All-Star games under his belt. Now playing for the Toros he was a tremendous pick back in season 2.

2nd Marshall Ferrell cubs 4 life took this SS with the 2nd pick. Didn’t reach the majors till season 6 and didn’t hit his stride till season 8. Since has won 2 Silver Sluggers and been an All-Star twice. While nothing special with the glove he is one of the better hitting ShortStops in Addicted Users.

3rd Bruce King dyoungquist grabbed this feisty 2nd basemen with the third pick who has since been traded 3 times and now finds himself playing for Florida.. A solid but not spectacular fielder he more then makes up for any lapses with the glove with his talents at the plate and on the bases. 1 Silver Slugger and 3 All-Star appearances + 1 All-Star game MVP should cement him as one the best middle infielders with the bat in the history of AU. Is on pace for 2000+ hits, 300+homers and steals.

4th Curt Wells went unsigned in Florida as he demanded over 10 million.

5th Alfonso Tejera Maybe the best player taken in what so far would be classified as a great draft. 3 x Silver Slugger, 2 x Gold Glover, 4 x All-Star, and in at least one mans opinion was robbed of last years MVP when he .323 with 45 homers and 145 RBI. Could make a run at 3000 hits and 500 homers if he stays healthy.

6th Eric Herrera The 2nd pitcher taken, after wells. Herrera has yet to make a name for himself in AU. Despite a record of 102-35 in the minors he has managed to pitch in only 14 big league games. At the age of 30 he looks like a bust.

7th Donaldo Rosario Another pitcher, while no threat to the Hall of Fame he is the best of the first three pitchers taken. 74 career wins including 16 in season 7. He is a dependable starter for Boise now.

8th Mark Jones The 3rd SS taken (Weaver, Ferrell) has actually won 2 Gold Gloves for his play at 3rd base. Also a deadly hitter has already 163 homers at the age of 27 with a career high of 37 coming twice in the past three years.

9th Juan Romero another SS went unsigned.

10th Clayton Hairston Once touted as the fastest man in baseball (stole 101 bases in season 7) has started to slow down but does have 542 career steals (most in AU) and 820 runs.

Other Notable Picks.

11th Roosevelt Abbott despite being shuttled between the bigs and the minors his whole career he does have 123 homers and a .281 average.

12th Stan Allensworth Does have a strong .299 average in over 500 games, probably best suited as a bench player.

13th Troy Garcia Another SS, probably the best fielding one in the draft. He does also have 2 All-Star games and 121 career homers in just 3000 at bats.

19th Aaron Bradshaw The first Catcher taken, is actually more of a DH. Due to a strong arm has won two Gold Gloves but is one of the worst game calling catchers to play the game (5.68 ERA) Has hit over 20 homers 5 times to help total a career mark of 146.

22nd Dennys Clifton A very solid pick for late 1st round. Has a .280 average and 150 homers better numbers then many players taken before him.

23rd Ed Zeile The 1st big closer taken, he has 80 saves so far but has never really cemented himself as an elite pitcher.

28th Johnnie Haselman a nice sleeper pick here, in just his first 5 seasons he has avg’d almost 40 homeruns and 110 RBI. A dynamite pick at 28.

29th Herman Cox Probably the best starting pitcher to come out of this draft. At 27 he sports a career record of 79-48 and a 4.46 ERA. Pitching for the always strong Minnesota team by which he was drafted has a good shot at 200+ wins.

31st Leonardo Mackowiak when I wrote all those things about other players I hadn’t seen Mack yet. Okay he is the best…by far. This sure handed 1st baseman has 311 homers and has never hit less then 38 in a full season. A career .384 OBP ranks with the best of all-time. The Hall of Fame has his spot all picked out.

43rd P.J. Stanton A solid sandwich pick. At 28 has 51 wins and 20 saves working mostly as a Spot Starter for Columbus.

48th Augie Root At age 29 is finally reaching his potential saving 32 games last season with a 2.66 ERA.

50th Sean Ramsey Infielder turned outfielder has belted 118 homers while stealing even more bases (153). Great pick by AllSox to open the 2nd round.

55th Tomas Castro Drafted as a 2nd baseman, has now gotten so slow in the field that he has moved to 1st base. Has avg’d 20 homers and 80 rbi in his career.

73rd Bump Sabel Sweet swinging catcher has mashed to the tune of .321 with 128 homers in just 4 seasons so far.

87th Vincenzo Millwood The ace closer that has played in a new city in each of the last 6 seasons. Has amassed 145 saves in his career thus far.

104th Mike Anderson Speedy 2nd baseman sports a solid .282 avg with almost 160 steals so far.

113th Glen Stone Drafted by Toronto in the 3rd round but later snagged by Buffalo in the Rule 5 draft. 1 season later stole 83 bases, now sits at home waiting for a call with 162 career steals.

118th Stevie Bonilla The 27 year old catcher now sits at 144 homers and could easily go down the steal of any draft as a 4th round selection.


644th Ross Lowery Saved 17 games for San Jose and looks like he has the stuff to save more at the major league level. At only 27 still has time to post lots of numbers. His is also the last player selected to make the majors for any substantial amount of time.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Hall of Fame Ballot

Here is the list of retirees from season 7 that are eligible for voting into the Hall of Fame. 10 ML seasons are required for nomination except for extreme situations. World members since season 7 will be eligible to vote and will be notified via trade chat. Please keep all correspondence to Trade Chat as I would not want to influence the voting process.


Chip Abbott
Wascar Aquino
Craig Atkins
P.T. Baez
Steven Bailey
Chipper Bates
Alberto Canseco
Stan Carter
Cameron Clark
George Conway
Wayne Diaz
Horacio Frias
Anthony Gabriel
Harry Gil
Vicente Guerrero
Placido Gutierrez
Christy Hughes
Micah Hughes
Cesar James
Fernando Lima
Miguel Martin
Vin Moreno
John Munoz
Mo Munro
Ralph Patterson
David Steenstra
Ernest Sterns
Melvin Truman
Mike Witt

Here are the returning players. 2 * denotes the second time on the ballot 3 * denotes third and final time.

Lefty Appier **
Art Collins **
Rico Ordaz **
Terry Witt **
Osvaldo Guerrero ***

Remember you can vote for as many players as you wish and it will require 75% of the vote to gain entry in the Hall and at least 25% to stay on the ballot for another year (3 years maximum).

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Who should have won the NL MVP?

Same Rules as the AL

Burlington: 95-67 1st NL North, home of the league MVP Erik Mintz
Erik Mintz 1st 58-179 .318-.383 MVP, Silver Slugger
Patrick Cooper UTIL 30-130-18 .340-.404 Silver Slugger

Mintz may have won the League MVP but Cooper may have been the teams. He spent a fair amount of time at SS, 2nd and RF. Without his versatility Mintzs’ season might have been for nothing.

Cleveland: 89-73 Tied for NL WC, they must have done it with pitching.
Bret Henry SS 35-100 .270-.338
Louie Rigdon CF 24-97-14 .291-.396
Tony Guerrero LF 21-62-41 .295-.384

Cleveland made the playoffs so they must have done something right. Henry and Rigdon were nothing special with the glove so the fact that they played SS and CF respectively does little for their MVP chances. Guerrero was really the sparkplug that made this team fire.


Buffalo 85-77 3rd in North 4 back of WC, very top heavy
Wayne Smalley 1st 56-151 .309-.379 Rookie Year
Ramiro Guevara RF 43-103-7 .278-.365 Gold Glove

Finished just out of the playoffs but not for a lack of trying by their two top guns. Considering they didn’t have a great leadoff hitter Smalley’s year is almost comparable to Mintz.


Baltimore 88-74 1st in East, Needs a leadoff hitter.
Lorenzo Gabriel 2nd 39-91-20 .287-.357
Doug Clark RF 39-104-10 .284-.343
Santiago Wilfredo 1st 37-88 .322-.401

Lack of a productive leadoff hitter limited the numbers of the heart of the order. Still finished in 1st due to some serious home run hitters.


Toledo: 85-77 2nd in East, 3gb back. Might have the tools next season.
Santiago Wilfredo 1st 40-118 .284-.364
Max Belliard CF 33-110-11 .280-.344
Jayson Long SS 25-105-32 .287-.350

Jayson Long might have been a strong candidate except he was the worst SS in baseball. Probably lost more games with his defensive then he won with his powerful bat.


San Juan: 90-72 1st in NL South, Well balanced lineup
Ned Taylor 1st 46-150 .339-.428
Vin Austin CF 29-98-20 .317-.406 Silver Slugger
Denny Inge LF 27-116-17 .321-.405

Taylor had a great season and Austin helped the team on the defensive side as well playing CF/SS and 3rd. Inge is as good as anyone in the 3 hole.


St.Louis: 84-78 5 back of WC , a one man show.
Marshall Ferrell SS 30-120-20 .304-.374 Silver Slugger

A pretty solid lineup, it all hinges on Ferrell. Solid defense at SS and an all around threat offensively.

Mexico City: 83-79 6 back of WC, the team that proves the rule.
Ahmed Ramirez 1st 46-126 .334-.412
Lou Benson LF 46-128 .304-.379
Sarma Goldberg 3rd 29-103 .300-.353
Rocky Snyder RF 43-92-12 .284-.374

It doesn’t matter how many awesome players you have…what you really need is that MVP. Mexico City had 4 players with MVP type season yet they still finished 6 games out of a playoff spot.


Honolulu: 100-62 1st in West, won 100 for a reason.
Del Bailey 3rd 46-108 .253-.326
Ariel Mota 2nd 26-111-32 .299-.367 Silver Slugger

Mota showed what can happen when you have a leadoff hitter with a big season.


Helena: 89-73 Tied for WC, they win games anyway.
Ross Rhodes OF 29-116-16 .320-.409

This lineup was held together with spit and glue. Rhodes was both.







My Top 5+1 extra

Ross Rhodes OF 29-116-16 .320-.409
Ariel Mota 2nd 26-111-32 .299-.367 Silver Slugger
Marshall Ferrell SS 30-120-20 .304-.374 Silver Slugger
Ned Taylor 1st 46-150 .339-.428
Tony Guerrero LF 21-62-41 .295-.384
Erik Mintz 1st 58-179 .318-.383 MVP, Silver Slugger

My Vote: much tougher call then the AL in my opinion. Mintz and Taylor both had incredible seasons that are very similar. Taylor had a very strong support staff and Mintz had Patrick Cooper who was very impressive and almost made this list. Ferrell, Rhodes and Guerrero are all very similar with Ferrell being the best but also not making the playoffs. That leaves only one…Mota.
His team won 100 games tops in the NL and he was really the only player of offensive merit on it.

MVP Ariel Mota

Friday, February 13, 2009

Who should have won the AL MVP

Who Should Have Won the MVP? In my opinion the MVP should go to a player that not only has great offensive stats but should also be of value defensively. Not saying a DH shouldn’t win the award but he better hit like crazy. Also an MVP should lift his team to another level. Finishing out of the playoffs is not something an MVP should be remembered for. So in that case I am only looking at players who were at least within 5 games of making the playoffs.

Minnesota: 96-66 1st place in North, Had many players with incredible seasons…too many players actually.
Alan Sadler RF 51-125 .309-.401 8 Assists.
Gerry Allen DH 50-139 .302-.382 Silver Slugger
Vic Blanco 2nd 46-113 .292-.353 Gold Glove.
Kirt Crane 3rd 41-112-15 .279-.343 Silver Slugger

It would be tough to vote for any of these players since they are all equally good. Blanco played the most difficult position of the 4, and won the Gold Glove. He would be my choice as a Nominee from Minnesota. Don’t forget Velazquez who played SS and swatted 38 homers and Norm Adams who won the Silver Slugger in CF while batting .347 with 130 runs.

Toronto: 92-70 2nd in North, 2nd WC team. Made the playoffs for the 10th straight season and that has to count for something.
Virgil Rodriguez 2nd 41-99-37 .314-.388 Silver Slugger
Carl Cameron LF 39-96-2 .318-.382

Not much overwhelming talent here. Rodriguez plays a solid 2nd base and was almost a 40/40 man. Toronto did however have 7 other players with 24+ homers in there lineup.

Dover: 86-76 1st in East won division by 4 games. No amazing years which makes there playoff appearance all the more impressive.
F.P. Koskie 1st 36-108 .339-.410 Rookie Year
Parker Bennett RF 36-108-9 .315-.392
Santos Guerrero 2nd 19-83-52 .304-.365

Just snuck into the playoffs for the 1st time since season 7. Guerreo played the most difficult position and had in my opinion the best season offensively for the Demon dogs.

New York: 83-79 2nd in East, 4 games out of playoffs. Magnante won the actual Al MVP.
Tanner Magnante 1st 38-125 .343-.442 Silver Slugger (Actual MVP)
Dan Jones LF 44-123-14 .270-.340
Michael McDonald DH/C 31-107 .316-.405
Johnnie Haselman 2nd 49-136 .244-.310

Despite not making the playoffs they do have the leagues MVP on the roster. I would have to disagree because if he was so good they should have won more then 83 games, especially with that support staff around him.

New Orleans: 102-60 1st in South. Too good to matter.
Brad Yashian 3rd/RF 50-133-11 .258-.335
Jumbo Neruda 2nd 40-113-44 .304-.397
Felipe Pescado 1st 38-127 .307-403
Mark Jones SS 33-107-15 .289-.349
Hector Gonzales C 40-91 .270-.351

5 players had MVP caliber seasons which hurts all of their chances at being the MVP. Neruda another 2nd baseman in my mind had the most complete season of all.

Florida: 99-63 2nd in South, #1 WC team. Well Balanced
Miguel Palacios RF 42-138-7 .320-.415 Silver Slugger
Eric Murphy C 37-108 .264-.342
Lance Kelleher DH 27-100 .325-.401
Gene Oquist 1st 21-122 .343-.413 Gold Glove
Bruce King 2nd 25-94-20 .324-.401

Another 5 players with great seasons. Palacios had the best season offensively, but Oquist grabbed a Gold Glove even if it is only at 1st base.


Boise: 104-58 1st in West. Had a great season with limited offense.
Alfonso Tejera LF 43-145-16 .323-.380 Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
Olmedo Rivas C/DH 53-113 .292-.356 Silver Slugger

This team won 104 games and didn’t get much respect in the MVP voting. Tejera won a gold glove and the silver slugger for the best regular season team in the AL.


MY FIVE FINALISTS

1. Vic Blanco A Gold Glover at 2nd, team won 99 games as he drove in 113 runs.
2. Alfonso Tejera Gold Glove/Silver Slugger…best team in baseball, best player on it.
3. Jumbo Neruda maybe two many quality players for him to win but you cant deny a 40/40 man who plays the middle infield.
4. Tanner Magnante actually won the award so I have to include him. Might not have even been the best player on New York.
5. Santos Guerrero best player on a team with limited offense. Without him they are nothing.


My Vote: Alfonso Tejera should have won this award hands down!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Draft Summary Part 10 of 10

Toledo Tornados (NL)

Eddie Post 1st Round (22nd) Gold Glove type defense at SS, hits well enough to play everyday. Might need to sit against the tougher right handers.


Chuck Meyers 1st round (35th) Speedy Corner outfielder, can hit double digit homers and steal 30 bases. Ideal for a bottom of the order hitter.

Shane Thomas 2nd Round (58th) Good guy off the bench, corner infield and outfield, might play everyday against lefties and could hit 10 homers in 200 at bats.

Joey Newman 2nd Round (74th) Good relief pitcher, wont be a star but will be good to eat innings late in the game.

Draft Grade: B, 2 everyday players just blow star level, utility player and some bull pen help.

Toronto Toros (AL)


Eugene Carlson 1st Round (21st) Future closer, splits aren’t great but better the average, 2 great pitches and pinpoint control.

Andrew Reed 2nd Round (73rd) Most likely a bench player, 300 ab’s would see .265/15 homers and 10-12 steals, while playing RF and LF.

Darby Johnson 3rd Round (105th) Great eyes and kills righties. No real position. How do you start a DH that only hits 10 homers, even if he hits .330

Santiago James 4th Round (137th) Decent splits and 1 awesome pitch, control will keep him on the bus back and forth to the minors.

Edgar Martinez 5th round (169th) Power hitting RF that will never start so shouldn’t have been mentioned anyway.

Adrian McCallum 6th Round (201st) awesome defensive catcher that will start against lefties and hit 250.

Draft Grade: C+ , If Darby Johnson can develop at all this could be a nice draft…right now it is just a bunch of solid utilities and a super closer.



Vancouver Villians (AL)


Shane Coffman 1st round (15th) My choice as the best pitcher in the draft. A+ Control, A Splits, 2 excellent pitches and 2 solid ones. Future Cy Young.

Louis Henley 3rd Round (99th) Looks like a very good set up man, great velocity and pitches. Splits and control are good enough.

Josh Piper 4th Round (131st) ideal bench player, can play CF or 2nd and steal bases.

Draft Grade: B+, only three players of note..but one of them might be the best player taken.

Wichita Waffle House Posse (AL)


Clem Scott 1st round (8th) Multi-talented outfielder, Should play solid defense and steal 40+ bases. Might only hit 275-290 but will do it with good power, 25+ homers.

Lyle Wilkins 2nd Round (60th) 10 for 10 in saves in the minors. Probably wont close in the majors but should be better then average set up man.

Todd English 3rd round (92nd) Drafted as a SS, probably will play 3rd. Good corner defense and a solid bat. 270 avg, 18 homers.

Arthur Palmer 4th round (124th) Most likely a back up Catcher. 250 at bats against lefties will see him hit .280/.360obp 10 homers.

Dom Black 5th round (156th) Can play against righties and steal some bases. Solid part timer.

Draft Grade: B, solid draft. Good picks all around.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Draft Summary Part 9 of 10

San Juan Tax Evaders (NL)

Alexander Lawrence 1st Round (17th) Looks like a pretty solid SP, a little weak against lefties, his pitches and control should make up for it.

Brandon Musial 3rd Round (101st) Good defense and decent eye. Will spend time on the bench before shuffling between teams and the minors for a few years.

Cecil Posey 4th round (133rd) A solid set up pitcher. Lacks the great pitch that could make him a closer.

Draft Grade: C-. Lost their second pick which hurts. No one picked will change the futue of the Evaders.

St. Louis Ogres (NL)


Tim Parker 1st round (13th) Awesome splits and pitches. His control is suspect. Might prevent him from being the best closer in the league.

Bruce Waltman 1st Round (52nd) Interesting player, wont hit many homers (20) but will hit for a decent average. 275+. But will strike out a lot. Tough player to gage.

Perry Valdes 2nd Round (65th) Solid defensive shortstop. Will get to play at the big league level though will probably never shine.

Ted Duckworth 4th Round (129th) Speed on the bases and in the field. Nothing else to offer.

Draft Grade: B-, some very interesting players that if they develop correctly could be stars.


Tacoma Taliban (AL)


Graham Heving 1st Round (6th) Has some great skills but doesn’t project to be an ace. Probably a 3 or 4 SP.

Brett Durham 1st Round (43rd) Hits righties very well. Could platoon in the OF but doesn’t have the power or speed to start in LF or RF.

Dennis Leach 1st round (50th) mop up pitcher due to awful splits.

James Gallagher 4th Round (122nd) Lefty platoon catcher with adequate defense.

Draft Grade C+, lots of useable bodies but no stars that I can see.

Draft Summary Part 8 of 10

Norfolk Warheads (AL)

Brian Michalak 1st Round (29th) Solid backend rotation starter. Will log lots of innings and have an ERA around 4.00

James Broussard
2nd Round (81st) Smooth swing and knows the strike zone. Wont hit for much power but can hit over 300 for sure.

Tony Tamura 3rd round (113th) Decent catcher, who will spend more time on the bench then on the field.

Justin Jones 4th Round (145th) A little bit of a wild thing but if he can get his control figured out will be a strong member of the bullpen.

Draft Grade: B. Picked late and were unable to score there compensation pick to a contract. Still did a good job getting three potential starters and a nice bench player.

Oklahoma City Rustlerz (NL)


Felipe Reyes 1st Round (4th) Only weakness is stamina, is an A or A+ prospect in every other catergory. Will get into the rotation regardless.

Hal Williams 2nd Round (56th) Probably best suited as a platoon leftfielder against lefties. Will get on base and steal bases at will

Billy Ray Dirks 3rd Round (88th) another useful bench/platoon player. Good speed and defense good enough for 2nd/3rd.

Stephen Reynolds 5th Round (152nd) bench outfielder, could hit 260 with 10 homers in 300 at bats…if he is given that many for some reason.

Draft Grade: C+, got the star that every team wants, beyond that just some filler players.

Philadelphia Flyin' Hawaiians (AL)



Lyle Tessmer 1st round (9th) A major league shortstop who isn’t great at anything or bad at anything. 280 avg, 10 homers 10 steals. Passable defense.

Don Tolar 5th round (157th) Solid setup b, will eat innings and losses.

Draft Grade: D, the short stop is pretty good, he is not worthy of a top ten pick. Gave away all their other picks as compensation.

San Jose Giants (AL)



Raymond Morton 1st Round (1st) good bet he will be an ace. Not sure if he will be a star though. 3rd pitch is a little weak.

Draft Grade: C-, unable to sign two players and lost 1 pick to compensation. Gambled on the free agents and so far they have lost.