Mo Vaughn, First Baseman
Boston Red Sox 1991-1998
Anaheim Angels 1999-2001
New York Mets 2002-2003
Awards
1995 AL MVP
1995 AL Silver Slugger - 1B
All-Star Selections: 3 (1995, 1996, 1998)
League Leader
1995: RBI
1996: Runs Created
Career Ranks
Homeruns: 91st
SLG%: 56th
OPS: 59th
Best Performance
September 24, 1996 - Baltimore at Boston
Hits three homeruns against the Orioles, all of them off of David Wells.
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 4 (405) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 78 (301) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 29.9 (274) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 86.5 (191) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Paul Konerko, Ted Kluszewski, David Justice, Kent Hrbek, Carlos Lee, Derrek Lee, Hal Trosky, Joe Adcock, David Ortiz, Richie Sexson
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1991: 6/1.3
1992: 7/1.8
1993: 19/6.3
1994: 17/6.8
1995: 24/7.3
1996: 29/8.1
1997: 22/7.4
1998: 25/9.3
1999: 19/4.3
2000: 17/4.9
2002: 15/3.5
2003: 1/0.1
Career Win Shares: 201
Career WARP3: 61.2
My Stupid Opinion
Although his 1995 AL MVP was a complete joke, Vaughn did have a nice little run with the Red Sox. But it was not surprising that a man of his, um, girth did not age well at all. He was already in the middle of perpetual decline when he missed the whole 2001 season due to a ruptured tendon in his left arm. Fun Fact: Vaughn was the highest paid player in baseball during his final active season where he hit .190/.323/.329 in 27 games. Remember kids, it pays to have a good agent.
Greg Vaughn, Left Fielder
Milwaukee Brewers 1989-1996
San Diego Padres 1996-1998
Cincinnati Reds 1999
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2000-2002
Colorado Rockies 2003
Awards
1998 NL Silver Slugger - OF
All-Star Selections: 4 (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
Homeruns: 73rd
Best Performance
September 7, 1999 - Cincinnati at Chicago (Game 2 of DH)
Hits three homeruns against the Cubs.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 22 (928) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 25.0 (418) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 50.0 (368) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Jeromy Burnitz, Ron Gant, Rocky Colavito, Roy Sievers, Andruw Jones, Darryl Strawberry, David Justice, Greg Luzinski, Dave Kingman, Jack Clark
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1989: 6/1.1
1990: 10/1.3
1991: 20/8.4
1992: 16/6.4
1993: 22/6.7
1994: 9/4.9
1995: 5/1.2
1996: 17/6.3
1997: 8/1.8
1998: 30/10.6
1999: 24/7.2
2000: 16/5.1
2001: 15/3.8
2002: 1/0.6
2003: 1/0.4
Career Win Shares: 199
Career WARP3: 65.3
My Stupid Opinion
Vaughn was your prototypical low batting average slugger. His one really standout year in 1998 was of course completely overshadowed by a couple of other sluggers who's names escape me at the moment. Really nothing special about him outside of his power.
Jesse Orosco, Relief Pitcher
New York Mets 1979-1987
Los Angeles Dodgers 1988, 2001-2002
Cleveland Indians 1989-1991
Milwaukee Brewers 1992-1994
Baltimore Orioles 1995-1999
St. Louis Cardinals 2000
San Diego Padres 2003
New York Yankees 2003
Minnesota Twins 2003
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 2 (1983, 1984)
League Leader
Games: 1995
Career Ranks
Games: 1st
Saves: 69th
ERA+: 62nd
K/9: 23rd
H/9: 24th
Best Performance
October 27, 1986 - Boston at New York (N)
In Game 7 of the '86 World Series, comes in the 8th inning with none out after a Dwight Evans' two-run double off Roger McDowell pulls the Red Sox with a run. Orosco strands the tying run at 2nd by retiring Rich Gedman, Dave Henderson, and Don Baylor in order and then pitches a perfect 9th to clinch the championship for the Mets.
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Pitching - 1 (822) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 17 (1143) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 13.0 (589) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 62.0 (199) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Tug McGraw, Don McMahon, Gary Lavelle, John Hiller, Dan Plesac, Kent Tekulve, Darold Knowles, Mike Timlin, Mike Stanton, Ron Perranoski
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1979: 0/0.4
1981: 2/0.9
1982: 9/4.5
1983: 20/8.0
1984: 17/6.3
1985: 10/4.5
1986: 13/5.4
1987: 5/2.3
1988: 6/2.0
1989: 10/4.1
1990: 3/1.8
1991: 3/1.4
1992: 3/1.4
1993: 7/3.4
1994: 2/1.0
1995: 6/2.9
1996: 6/2.3
1997: 7/3.5
1998: 7/2.9
1999: 1/0.6
2000: 0/0.0
2001: 1/0.5
2002: 3/1.0
2003: 0/-0.2
Career Win Shares: 141
Career WARP3: 60.9
My Stupid Opinion
I have to say it's remarkable a player from the 19th century is a first time nominee on the writer's ballot. Okay not quite, but Orosco and Rickey Henderson will be the last players to make their MLB debut in the 1970s and be a first timer on the ballot. Orosco is purely on the ballot due to his longevity and his career games pitched record might stand for a while but obviously he's not a HOF.
Dan Plesac, Relief Pitcher
Milwaukee Brewers 1986-1992
Chicago Cubs 1993-1994
Pittsburgh Pirates 1995-1996
Toronto Blue Jays 1997-1999, 2001-2002
Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2000
Philadelphia Phillies 2002-2003
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 3 (1987, 1988, 1989)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
Games: 6th
Saves: 59th
K/9: 10th
K/BB: 61st
Best Performance
April 25, 1990 - Kansas City at Milwaukee
Comes in with the bases loaded, none out in the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead and George Brett coming up. Brett pops out and then Willie Wilson grounds into an inning ending double play. Plesac retires the side in order in the 9th.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Pitching - 17 (1143) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 8.0 (981) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 54.0 (231) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Mike Jackson, Mike Timlin, Mike Stanton, Willie Hernandez, Dave LaRoche, Darold Knowles, Craig Lefferts, Roger McDowell, Paul Assenmacher, Roberto Hernandez
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 13/6.4
1987: 14/6.2
1988: 10/4.1
1989: 11/5.5
1990: 6/3.1
1991: 4/2.0
1992: 6/2.8
1993: 3/0.8
1994: 2/1.3
1995: 6/3.2
1996: 8/3.2
1997: 5/2.2
1998: 7/2.4
1999: 2/1.2
2000: 4/1.7
2001: 5/3.2
2002: 3/1.7
2003: 4/1.4
Career Win Shares: 113
Career WARP3: 52.5
My Stupid Opinion
Along with Jesse Orosco, I'm pretty sure Plesac is the first pitcher to make the HOF ballot who was primarily a middle reliever. Closers are gaining more acceptance when it comes to HOF voting but just a hunch we are way off from LOOGYs gaining enshrinement. Maybe if they open a middle reliever wing of the HOF Plesac would be worthy of consideration but for the real HOF he's no where close.
I'm always happy with the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is announced as it means content for my blog! I'll be doing profiles on each the first year nominees over the next few weeks but before I get to what I wanted to talk about in this entry, here are links to old profiles I did for the returnees on this year's ballot listed in order of where they finished in the voting last year.
1. Jim Rice 72.2% (15th and final year)
2. Andre Dawson 65.9% (8th)
3. Bert Blyleven 61.9% (12th)
4. Lee Smith 43.3% (7th)
5. Jack Morris 42.9% (10th)
6. Tommy John 29.1% (15th and final year)
7. Tim Raines 24.3% (2nd)
8. Mark McGwire 23.6% (3rd)
9. Alan Trammell 18.2% (8th)
10. Don Mattingly 15.8% (9th)
11. Dave Parker 15.1% (13th)
12. Dale Murphy 13.8% (11th)
13. Harold Baines 5.2% (3rd)
If a player played ten seasons in the Majors they are eligible for nomination on the baseball writer's ballot but believe it or not there actually is a screening process for the HOF ballot. I always find it interesting to see what players didn't make the cut and originally thought about making brief comments on each player but there were more players than I expected so this is just going to be a random list. Whole lot of back up catchers and middle relievers but there's a few decent players in there.
Mike Bordick
John Burkett
Omar Daal
Joe Girardi
Mark Guthrie
Joey Hamilton
Bill Haselman
Darren Holmes
Trenidad Hubbard
Todd Hundley
Brian L Hunter
Felix Jose
Chad Kreuter
Graeme Lloyd
Keith Lockhart
Albie Lopez
Pat Mahomes
Al Martin
Orlando Merced
Charles Nagy
Denny Neagle
Troy O'Leary
Lance Painter
Craig Paquette
Tom Prince
Jeff Reboulet
Rick Reed
Rich Rodriguez
Terry Shumpert
Luis Sojo
Dave Veres
Matt Walbeck
Mike Williams
Kevin Young
I don't know why anyone does bowl projections as they are almost impossible to predict until the final week of the season, which is why I wait that long. Now I normally cheat and peak at other bowl projections or Google various local newspapers to see where schools are likely going to end up but this time it's almost total guess work. Note I'm going under the assumption Oklahoma will finish #2 in the BCS when they are released in a couple of hours. Also I'm making the prediction that the WAC allows Boise State to accept an at large invite from the Motor City Bowl since the conference has enough eligible teams to fill their four bids to set up an all undefeated match-up against Ball State.
Edited due to blogger stupidity.
Congressional: Navy vs. Maryland
New Mexico: Colorado State vs. Louisiana Tech
St. Petersburg: South Florida vs. Memphis
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Arizona
New Orleans: Troy vs. Southern Miss
Poinsettia: TCU vs. Fresno State
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. Central Michigan
Motor City: Ball State vs. Boise State
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh
Champs Sports: Virginia Tech vs. Wisconsin
Emerald: California vs. Miami
Independence: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Notre Dame
PapaJohns.com: Rutgers vs. Arkansas State
Alamo: Missouri vs. Northwestern
Humanitarian: Nevada vs. Clemson
Holiday: Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
Texas: Rice vs. N.C. State
Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Houston
Sun: Oregon State vs. West Virginia
Music City: Vanderbilt vs. North Carolina
Insight: Minnesota vs. Kansas
Chick-Fil-A: Georgia Tech vs. LSU
Outback: Iowa vs. South Carolina
Gator: Nebraska vs. Florida State
Capital One: Michigan State vs. Georgia
Rose: Penn State vs. USC
Orange: Cincinnati vs. Boston College
Cotton: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi
Liberty: Tulsa vs. Kentucky
Sugar: Alabama vs. Ohio State
International: Buffalo vs. Connecticut
Fiesta: Texas vs. Utah
GMAC: East Carolina vs. Western Michigan
BCS: Oklahoma vs. Florida
ACC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian, EagleBank
Locks: Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Bowl Eligible: Wake Forest
Bubble Teams: Clemson, N.C. State, Virginia
We finally had a team be eliminated for bowl consideration this week, that being Duke. N.C. State stayed alive with a stunning blowout win over North Carolina and they finish with a home game against Miami on Saturday. I misspoke last week I said the winner of the Clemson/Virginia game would become bowl eligible. Clemson actually needed two wins since they've played two I-AA teams this year and you can only count one of those games towards bowl eligibility. Their last game will be at home against South Carolina. Wake Forest could be in trouble if they don't beat Vanderbilt this week to pick up win #7 and if there ends up being more eligible teams than bids for this conference, they likely will have to go hunting for an at large bid which could be tough with a 6-6 record.
Notre Dame
Bowl Tie-ins: Cotton, Gator, Sun
Wow, don't think anyone anticipated them losing to Syracuse. This puts the USC game as almost a must win for the Irish or they could be staying home for bowl season. You can forget about the Gator Bowl if they finish 6-6 but the Sun Bowl would still be possible. Remember they are considered a Big East team when it comes to bowl selections and the rule is bowls must invite 7+ win teams over 6 win teams if there are not enough available slots in a conference. The Big East has six bids and currently four teams with 7+ wins. If Rutgers and South Florida pickup win #7 that would fill of the Big East slots and Notre Dame would have no where to go except hope for an at large bid although the same 7+ win rule applies for at large bids as well.
Big East
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS, Gator/Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, Papajohns.com, St. Petersburg
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, West Virginia
Bowl Eligible: Rutgers, South Florida
Bubble Teams: Louisville
So with Notre Dame's bowl hopes in doubt, the Big East might get to keep all six of their bids. Very big game for USF against UConn tonight to get that all important win #7 because the following week they are at West Virginia. Louisville's season will be on the line in two weeks at Rutgers.
Big Ten
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
I was a bit presumptuous last week in stating that if Ohio State won they were on their way to a BCS bowl and the reason is because of what is happening in the Pac-10. Oregon State is one win away from getting the Rose Bowl bid which would put USC into the at large pool and the Fiesta Bowl would likely jump all over them. That would send Ohio State off to the Capital One Bowl. It then remains to be seen if the Motor City Bowl will be an open bid or not.
Big XII
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Fiesta (two bids), Cotton, Holiday, Gator/Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech
Bubble Teams: Colorado
There are no changes in this conference. Again Colorado must beat Nebraska on Friday to keep their season going or then the Independence Bowl becomes an open bid.
Conference USA
Bowl Tie-ins: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, Armed Forces, New Orleans, St. Petersburg
Locks: East Carolina, Houston, Rice, Tulsa
Bubble Teams: Memphis, Southern Miss, UTEP
Marshall was eliminated yesterday with a loss to Rice. Of the three bubble teams, UTEP has the longest odds as they finish the season at East Carolina. Memphis and Southern Miss play conference bottom feeders Tulane and SMU respectively.
MAC
Bowl Tie-ins: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: Ball State
Bowl Eligible: Buffalo, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan
Bubble Teams: Akron, Bowling Green
I can now safely call Ball State a lock after they beat CMU on Wednesday thus eliminating any chance that they will have to rely on an at large bid. CMU and WMU may have to sweat a little because Buffalo will be attractive to the International Bowl.
Mountain West
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS, Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, TCU, Utah
Utah is on their way to the BCS now so the conference will get five bids. I was probably the only one watching UNLV last night blow their chance at their first bowl bid in eight years as they were stunned by lowly San Diego State and their season is now over. UNLV's loss ends up being Colorado State's gain as they became bowl eligible with a win over Wyoming.
Pac-10
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Holiday, Sun, Emerald, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Poinsettia
Locks: Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Bubble Teams: Arizona State, UCLA
As covered in the Big Ten section, Oregon State is a win away from going to the Rose Bowl and likely giving the conference two BCS bids assuming that USC beats Notre Dame and UCLA. Stanford broke my heart yesterday with a listless performance against Cal and has been eliminated. The conference now will have no more than six eligible teams at the most with the ASU/UCLA elimination game this week. The winner of that game will still need another win the following week in their rivalry game to become bowl eligible. Poinsettia Bowl is now a WAC bid.
SEC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Sugar (two bids), Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence, Papajohns.com
Locks: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Bubble Teams: Auburn
Arkansas was eliminated yesterday with a loss to Mississippi State. Auburn will have to shock the world against Alabama this week to become bowl eligible or the Independence Bowl becomes an open bid.
Sun Belt
Bowl Tie-in: New Orleans, PapaJohns.com?
Locks: Troy
Bowl Eligible: None
Bubble Teams: Arkansas State, FIU, Florida Atlantic, UL Lafayette, Middle Tennessee
Troy crushed ULL yesterday but they haven't officially won the conference yet. I think that Arkansas State can still win the conference by tiebreak if they win this week against a horrific North Texas team and then upset Troy in two weeks. But even if that scenario plays out, Troy is a lock for a bowl bid because the PapaJohns.com would then become a Sun Belt bid since the SEC will not fill it and the conference had a contingency bid. I'm still not 100% sure if the Sun Belt needs a 7+ win team to be pick up that bid officially though so if the Arkansas State scenario doesn't play out, there wouldn't be another 7+ win team in the conference.
WAC
Bowl Tie-ins: Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico, Poinsettia
Locks: Boise State
Bowl Eligible: Fresno State, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State
Boise State can still get a BCS at large invite but you can forget about them getting invited over Ohio State and now possibly USC. The conference did officially pickup the Poinsettia Bowl with Stanford's elimination in the Pac-10. The rest of the conference is still a mess but I think it's safe to assume at 6-6 that San Jose State will definitely not be getting a bid.
Aww the Congressional Bowl sold it's naming rights and is now the EagleBank Bowl. I'm shocked the St. Petersburg Bowl still hasn't sold theirs as that always seemed like a generic placeholder bowl name.
ACC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian, EagleBank
Locks: Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina
Bowl Eligible: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Bubble Teams: Clemson, Duke, N.C. State, Virginia
Everyone is technically still alive but highly unlikely Duke or N.C. State win their last two games. The winner of the Clemson/Virginia game this week will become bowl eligible while the loser will have to pull of an upset in a rivalry game the following week.
Notre Dame
Bowl Tie-ins: Cotton, Gator, Sun
Irish barely avoid disaster at the end of the Navy game to become bowl eligible. Should lock up a bid with an easy win against Syracuse this week which will have them on their way to the Gator or Sun Bowl. Upset USC the following week and they will end up in the Cotton Bowl.
Big East
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS, Gator/Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, Papajohns.com, St. Petersburg
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Pittsburgh
Bowl Eligible: South Florida, West Virginia
Bubble Teams: Louisville, Rutgers
As covered last week the Big East will lose a bid to Notre Dame if they finish 7-5 leaving the conference with five bids. Rutgers crushed a reeling USF team and can become bowl eligible with a win over Army this week which is quite the surprise considering how bad they played the first half of the year. With that in mind, there will be at least one team in this conference needing to find an open bid if they want to go bowling so it is very important to get seven wins.
Big Ten
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State
Bowl Eligible: Wisconsin
Bubble Teams: Illinois
The Big Ten's season is over after this week and if Penn State and Ohio State win, they are both on their way to BCS bowls. Illinois needs to win at Northwestern this week or otherwise the Motor City Bowl will become an open bid.
Big XII
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Fiesta (two bids), Cotton, Holiday, Gator/Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech
Bubble Teams: Colorado
There is no scenario where this conference doesn't put two teams in the BCS so you can put them down for nine bids which also locks Kansas up for a bid even they still sit on six wins. With Kansas State and Texas A&M being eliminated from bowl consideration, the Texas Bowl is now an open bid and if Colorado doesn't win at Nebraska in two weeks then the Independence Bowl will also be an open bid.
Conference USA
Bowl Tie-ins: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, Armed Forces, New Orleans, St. Petersburg
Locks: Rice, Tulsa
Bowl Eligible: East Carolina, Houston
Bubble Teams: Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UTEP
Only change was Houston became bowl eligible with a drubbing of Tulsa. Southern Miss scored a big win over East Carolina and now only has to beat an awful SMU team to become bowl eligible.
MAC
Bowl Tie-ins: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: None
Bowl Eligible: Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Western Michigan
Bubble Teams: Akron, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois
The odds of Ball State getting into the BCS are now zilch as they were passed by BYU in the BCS standings. See last week's entry as to why there is a really small chance Ball State could not go bowling but it gets slimmer and slimmer with the the growing number of open bids there will be.
Mountain West
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS?, Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU, TCU, Utah
Bubble Teams: Colorado State, UNLV
There's a story out there that I don't think has received any attention yet and that is if BYU beats Utah this week, they and not Boise State could end up with the Fiesta Bowl invite. There's nothing in the BCS rules that requires the highest ranked non-BCS conference team to be taken, if there is another eligible non-BCS team who can be chosen. Boise getting passed over for a one loss non-BCS team could be a nice shitstorm. UNLV should become bowl eligible with a win over San Diego State this week while Colorado State will play at Wyoming with a chance to become bowl eligible as well. Popular belief is that the New Mexico Bowl would invite the Rebels over CSU.
Pac-10
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Holiday, Sun, Emerald, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Poinsettia
Locks: Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Bubble Teams: Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA
No changes this week as every favorite won. Stanford's season is on the line in the Big Game on Saturday and they will win. They just have to. ASU and UCLA are both idle before their elimination game in two weeks. Still seems likely that at least the Poinsettia Bowl will be an open bid which would go to a WAC team.
SEC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Sugar (two bids), Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence, Papajohns.com
Locks: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Bubble Teams: Arkansas, Auburn
Since the conference is pretty much assured to BCS bids at this point which pushes the conference to ten bids, every eligible team is now a lock including Vanderbilt will be going to their first bowl in 26 years. Both Arkansas and Auburn are longshots to become bowl eligible which would leave the Independence and the Papajohns.com Bowl as open bids. I'm sure the Independence Bowl is just giddy over the possibility of instead of having an SEC/Big XII match-up they may end up with a MAC/Sun Belt showdown.
Sun Belt
Bowl Tie-in: New Orleans
Locks: None
Bowl Eligible: Troy
Bubble Teams: Arkansas State, FIU, Florida Atlantic, UL Lafayette, Middle Tennessee
The winner of the ULL/Troy game this week all but clinches the conference title and the New Orleans Bowl bid. Because of contingency bids and other open bids this sad sack of conference could conceivably end up sending four teams to bowls when all is said and done.
WAC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS?, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State
Bowl Eligible: Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State
Bubble Teams: Hawaii
As I already covered, Boise State's odds of landing a BCS bid could even longer than you think. Fresno, LA Tech, and Nevada all became bowl eligible this week but there is still way too many things that can happen to figure out who is going where and who is staying home. Again the Poinsettia Bowl will likely be added as a 4th bid for the conference, assuming the Pac-10 doesn't fill.
Did this the last couple of years so might as well keep doing. This is just a conference-by-conference breakdown (plus Notre Dame) of where everyone stands when it comes to making bowl games.
I know last year you were all thinkg, "Hey they just aren't enough bowl games and I was outraged that 6-6 South Carolina didn't go to a bowl game last year." My friends, the NCAA and ESPN have listened to you and they added two more bowl games (Congressional and St. Petersburg Bowls) bringing the total number of bowl games to 34. That increases the odds even further this year that if you are 6-6 and play in a BCS conference, you will probably find a bowl bid some where. But for the sake of taking into account all possible scenarios I'm not going to consider all six win teams as locks just yet to make bowl games except in certain conferences which I'll get to.
Note Navy has already accepted a bid to the Congressional Bowl.
ACC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian, Congressional
Locks: Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
Bowl Eligible: Boston College, Maryland, Miami, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Bubble Teams: Clemson, Duke, N.C. State, Virginia
As usual the ACC is just one big entertaining, clusterfuck. Technically it is possible that all 12 teams will become bowl eligible as there just isn't a whole lot of difference in talent from 1 to 12 but the odds of that are very, very slim. The most important game among the bubble teams will be two weeks from now when Virginia hosts Clemson. Duke and N.C. State are both longshots.
Notre Dame
Bowl Tie-ins: Cotton, Gator, Sun
I'm going to mention the Irish before the Big East since what happens to them directly effects the Big East bids. With their loss last night the Irish's were officially eliminated from BCS consideration but if they run the table they could still get into the Cotton Bowl (note this would take away a bid from the SEC) although they'd have to win at USC to do so. 7-5 is more realistic but that also means beating Navy this week which isn't a given and if they do end up 7-5 they probably get an invite to the Gator Bowl or at worst the Sun Bowl, which if either happens the Big East loses a bid. At 6-6 it then gets a bit dicey for them as they then would need to rely on an open bid and hope they don't get gobbled up by 7-5 teams who don't have a bid. By rule any bowl that has a bid that couldn't be filled by one of their conference affiliations, they must invite an available 7+ win team over a 6 win team. If this happens and Notre Dame gets shutout of a bowl at 6-6, expect that rule to change.
Big East
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS, Gator/Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, Papajohns.com, St. Petersburg
Locks: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh
Bowl Eligible: Connecticut, South Florida, West Virginia
Bubble Teams: Louisville, Rutgers
Now that I've covered Notre Dame, it's very likely the Big East will have only five available bids instead of six so 7+ wins might be a must in this conference to go bowling. If everything goes to form, the Louisville/Rutgers game on 12/4 will be an elimination game for bowl eligibility. The Cardinals do have Cincinnati and West Virginia at home before then and its not out of the question they could spring an upset in one of those games.
Big Ten
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State
Bowl Eligible: Iowa
Bubble Teams: Illinois, Wisconsin
As long as Ohio State avoids an upset in their final two games against Illinois and Michigan, they will give the conference a second team in a BCS bowl. Wisconsin has some bizarre scheduling this year as they finish the year against I-AA Cal Poly so you can put them down for win #6 there, if they don't do it this week against Minnesota. Illinois has much longer odds as they finish at home against Ohio State and then at Northwestern.
Big XII
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Fiesta (two bids?), Cotton, Holiday, Gator/Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech
Bowl Eligible: Kansas, Nebraska
Bubble Teams: Colorado, Kansas State, Texas A&M
Unless something truly shocking happens, this conference will send two teams into the BCS. That also means that it doesn't look they'll fill the Texas Bowl bid and possibly not the Independence Bowl bid either. Kansas State has the easier road of the three bubble teams as they have Nebraska and Iowa State at home but a loss in either eliminates them.
Conference USA
Bowl Tie-ins: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, Armed Forces, New Orleans, St. Petersburg
Locks: Rice, Tulsa
Bowl Eligible: East Carolina
Bubble Teams: Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UTEP
Outside chance that the conference won't fill the illustrious St. Petersburg Bowl bid as Marshall, Southern Miss, and UTEP all need two wins and they will all need to spring an upset to do so. Memphis is a near lock with only home dates against UCF and Tulane remaining.
MAC
Bowl Tie-ins: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: None
Bowl Eligible: BCS?, Ball State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan
Bubble Teams: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Temple
The MAC is kind of a poor man's Big XII this year because the three best teams in the conference all play in the same division, that being the West divison. Now you probably are wondering how the hell can I say Ball State isn't a lock? Yes they are undefeated and it is not impossible that they could sneak into the BCS if both Utah and Boise State lose. But the problem is, is that they still have to play CMU and WMU. If they were to lose both games and then say the East division champ were to upset the West division champ in the MAC title game then Ball State could find themselves without a MAC affiliated bowl game to go to, if both CMU and WMU were invited over them. The odds are strongly against this and they likely find an open bid somewhere but again have to take into account all possible scenarios, however unlikely. This is also why CMU and WMU are not locks either in case there is a huge upset in the title game.
Mountain West
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS?, Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU, TCU, Utah
Bubble Teams: Colorado State, UNLV, Wyoming
As we all know, Utah will be going to a BCS Bowl (likely the Fiesta) if they finish undefeated which would give the conference five bids. UNLV and Wyoming will play an elimination game this week. The Rebels will be in great shape if they win as they finish the season against lowly San Diego State. Since all three bubble teams are 4-6, it is possible that the New Mexico Bowl will become an open bid if Utah does end up in the BCS.
Pac-10
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Rose (two bids?), Holiday, Sun, Emerald, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Poinsettia
Locks: Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Bubble Teams: Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA
The reason why all eligible teams are already locks in this conference is because UCLA and ASU play an elimination game on 11/28 thus there can be no more than seven eligible teams for the conference. There is an outside shot at the Pac-10 getting two teams in the BCS because if Oregon State wins out, they win the conference by tiebreak over USC and get the Rose Bowl bid. The odds are against this because the Beavers still have Cal, Arizona, and Oregon left to play but it's certainly not impossible. Also, STANFORD~ will beat Cal to become bowl eligible...or at least they better win.
SEC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS/Sugar (two bids?), Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence, Papajohns.com
Locks: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina
Bowl Eligible: Kentucky, LSU
Bubble Teams: Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Just like the Big XII, it would be a shocker if the SEC doesn't send two teams into the BCS so you can put them down for ten bids. Now they might not fill them all as Mississippi State for one will need pull off the upset of the year at Alabama this week just to stay alive and Auburn will have to upset Georgia or Alabama to become bowl eligible. Mississippi should pick up win #6 against UL Monroe this week.
Sun Belt
Bowl Tie-in: New Orleans
Locks: None
Bowl Eligible: Troy
Bubble Teams: Arkansas State, FIU, Florida Atlantic, UL Lafayette, Middle Tennessee
Barring something unforeseen, the conference title should come down to the ULL/Troy game on 11/22. The conference this year does now have contingency bids with the Congressional Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl and the Independence Bowl where if those bids are not filled by the primary conference, a Sun Belt team will be taken although I think they have to be 7-5 or better but I could be wrong about that.
WAC
Bowl Tie-ins: BCS, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State
Bowl Eligible: San Jose State
Bubble Teams: Fresno State, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State
Boise State will be huge BYU fans on 11/22 as they need Utah to lose that game to get into the BCS, otherwise they play another glorified home game against a 6-6 ACC team in the Humanitarian Bowl. Now the conference does have a contingency bid with the Poinsettia Bowl if the Pac-10 doesn't fill it and popular speculation is that they will invite the Broncos to play BYU. Not sure that is much of a consolation prize though. The rest of this conference is a complete mess and I'm not even going to attempt to figure out how it will shakeout.
List contains the top 30 in Saves. I know you will all be shocked that K-Rod isn't #1.
Closer Rankings
1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees
17.3 Win Shares
34.0 VORP
10.3 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
2008 38 NYY AL 6 5 64 0 0 0 60 39 70.7 41 11 11 4 6 77 2 1 259 0 0 1.40 4.44 317 0.665
2. Joe Nathan, Twins
3. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
4. Joakim Soria, Royals
5. Kerry Wood, Cubs
6. Brian Fuentes, Rockies
7. Brad Lidge, Phillies
8. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels
9. Bobby Jenks, White Sox
10. Takashi Saito, Dodgers
11. Jose Valverde, Astros
12. Billy Wagner, Mets
13. Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers
14. Matt Capps, Pirates
15. Huston Street, A's
16. Trevor Hoffman, Padres
17. Francisco Cordero, Reds
18. B.J. Ryan, Blue Jays
19. Kevin Gregg, Marlins
20. Jon Rauch, Nationals/Diamondbacks
21. Salomon Torres, Brewers
22. Brian Wilson, Giants
23. Ryan Franklin, Cardinals
24. Mike Gonzalez, Braves
25. J.J. Putz, Mariners
26. Brandon Lyon, Diamondbacks
27. George Sherrill, Orioles
5.0 Win Shares
5.8 VORP
3.4 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
2008 31 BAL AL 3 5 57 0 0 0 49 31 53.3 47 28 28 6 33 58 1 1 239 6 0 4.73 4.53 96 1.500
28. Troy Percival, Rays
29. Todd Jones, Tigers
30. C.J. Wilson, Rangers
It's the list you've all been waiting for...the guys who aren't good enough be starting pitchers or closers!!!!
I almost decided to skip doing middle relievers this year as I'm rarely satisfied with the final rankings and always change the guidelines that I use for who I include in the rankings. This year I opted for the top 60 in relief appearance, excluding those who will be on the closer list. I should probably do more than 60 as there's a few good ones that don't qualify (Grant Balfour and Brad Ziegler for example) but there's only so much time want to spend looking at stats for set up men.
Middle Relievers
1. Matt Thornton, White Sox
23.3 VORP
2.11 ERC
2.75 FIP
48 PRC
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
2008 31 CHW AL 5 3 74 0 0 0 12 1 67.3 48 20 20 5 19 77 2 3 268 2 0 2.67 4.57 171 0.995
2. Carlos Marmol, Cubs
3. Chad Qualls, Diamondbacks
4. Jesse Carlson, Blue Jays
5. Scott Downs, Blue Jays
6. J.P. Howell, Rays
7. Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox
8. Ramon Ramirez, Royals
9. Ryan Madson, Phillies
10. Hideki Okajima, Red Sox
11. Rafael Perez, Indians
12. Heath Bell, Padres
13. Russ Springer, Cardinals
14. Dennys Reyes, Twins
15. Damaso Marte, Pirates/Yankees
16. Dan Wheeler, Rays
17. Chad Durbin, Phillies
18. Doug Brocail, Astros
19. Jeremy Affeldt, Reds
20. Will Ohman, Braves
21. Brian Shouse, Brewers
22. Octavio Dotel, White Sox
23. John Grabow, Pirates
24. Joel Hanrahan, Nationals
25. Tony Pena, Diamondbacks
26. Joe Beimel, Dodgers
27. Chad Bradford, Orioles/Rays
28. Scot Shields, Angels
29. Joe Smith, Mets
30. Jeff Bennett, Braves
31. Eddie Guardado, Rangers/Twins
32. Javier Lopez, Red Sox
33. Matt Lindstrom, Marlins
34. J.C. Romero, Phillies
35. Saul Rivera, Nationals
36. Jesse Crain, Twins
37. Kyle McClellan, Cardinals
38. Trever Miller, Rays
39. Mike Lincoln, Reds
40. Tyler Walker, Giants
41. Manuel Corpas, Rockies
42. Duaner Sanchez, Mets
43. David Weathers, Reds
44. Rafael Betancourt, Indians
45. Blaine Boyer, Braves
46. Cla Meredith, Padres
47. Sean Green, Mariners
48. Bob Howry, Cubs
49. Scott Schoeneweis, Mets
50. Tyler Yates, Pirates
51. Pedro Feliciano, Mets
52. Alan Embree, A's
53. Jamey Wright, Rangers
54. Renyel Pinto, Rays
55. Luis Ayala, Nationals/Mets
56. Wesley Wright, Astros
57. Matt Guerrier, Twins
58. Aaron Heilman, Mets
-1.1 VORP
5.45 ERC
4.66 FIP
24 PRC
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
2008 29 NYM NL 3 8 78 0 0 0 23 3 76.0 75 48 44 10 46 80 9 2 356 8 0 5.21 4.21 81 1.592
59. Ron Villone, Cardinals
60. Jack Taschner, Giants
Finally. Finally, finally, finally, finally I am excited about a World Series. I don't give a shit about the predictions of this being lowest rated World Series ever. If this ends up being true, then it's Fox and MLB's fault (and by proxy the WWL) for programing casual fans to think that only the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs matter. I personally have not watched the majority of a World Series since 1997 and let me run down each year as to why I didn't care.
1998: New York Yankees vs. San Diego Padres
At this time I was fairly indifferent towards the Yankees but I was always partial to the Padres because I liked Tony Gwynn. This was clearly a huge mismatch and I knew the Padres had no chance but I did tune into Game 1, which I was into until the bottom of the 7th when Tino Martinez took a pitch right down the middle (or at least that's what I remember) that should been a called strike three against Mark Langston to strand the bases loaded and keep the game tied. Next pitch, grand slam, and I tuned out from the rest of the series after that.
1999: New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves
Already saw them play in '96 and had no desire to see them play again. I think I watched about five minutes of Game 1 and that was it.
2000: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets
I like most people outside of New York and Bristol, CT didn't give a shit. Did not watch a single second of the series.
2001: New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Now this one I think I will have to revisit some day but at the time I couldn't be bothered to watch any of it, not even Game 7. The Yankees had eliminated the A's for the second straight and this time in heartbreaking fashion in part to the most overrated defensive play in baseball history because some fat fuck didn't slide...not that I'm still bitter. I wanted to no part of the Yankees or any sort of baseball after that.
2002: Anaheim Angels vs. San Francisco Giants
Finally the Yankees reign of terror is stopped but instead we get the Rally Monkey against the Assholes by the Bay. Giants fans are the most smug group of fans in sports, with no real reason to be, and this didn't help matters. I think briefly tuned into Game 6 to torture myself but that was it.
2003: New York Yankees vs. Florida Marlins
Once again the Yankees were back to poison us all so once again I didn't tune in, although I think I did flip on the end of Game 6 due primarily to this board.
2004: Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Now I was genuinely intrigued by this series, for a brief moment. If had to say who my N.L. team is, it'd probably be the Cardinals because I did pretty much adopt them as my second favorite team and followed them pretty closely when Mark McGwire played there. I really thought it would be a good series and since it was the Red Sox, it would end with Boston have their hearts ripped out which is always fun. How wrong I was. I watched most of Game 1 and then quickly lost interest.
2005: Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros
Now this series was kinda similar to this year because it was a very fresh match-up. But 2005 was all about LOLZ OZZIEBALL > MONEYBALL and Joe Morgan and the usual band of idiots slobbering all over the White Sox ability to "manufacture runs." If it had ended up being a competitive series I might have tuned for a Game 6 or 7 but it wasn't, so I didn't watch any of it.
2006: Detroit Tigers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Now I'm going to contradict myself with the "Caridnals are my N.L. team" thing because I really didn't want them to win this series. The baseball elitist in me simply didn't want to see an 83 win team win a World Series because I felt it cheapened the whole season. I didn't have any real animosity towards the Tigers for shitkicking the A's right out of the ALCS but I was disappointed that I wouldn't get use my World Series tickets so really wasn't up for watching the series. I think I tuned in every once in a while during the series but overall the whole thing fell flat and I could only put up with so much "David Eckstein is clutch and scrappy" talk.
2007: Boston Red Sox vs. Colorado Rockies
God damn did the 2007 postseason suck ass or what? Didn't watch a single second of the series.
This week I spent five minutes working on the poll instead of the usual ten.
1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Florida
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Ohio State
11. LSU
12. TCU
13. Pittsburgh
14. Boise State
15. Texas Tech
16. Missouri
17. Georgia Tech
18. Boston College
19. Minnesota
20. South Florida
21. Northwestern
22. BYU
23. Florida State
24. Ball State
25. Tulsa
Tim McCarver's hatred for this man almost made me want to root for the Dodgers.
Left Fielder Rankings
1. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox/Dodgers
33.4 Win Shares
83.5 VORP
10.8 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 36 TOT 153 552 102 183 36 1 37 121 3 0 87 124 .332 .430 .601 164 332 0 4 24 11 17
2. Carlos Quentin, White Sox
3. Matt Holliday, Rockies
4. Jason Bay, Pirates/Red Sox
5. Ryan Braun, Brewers
6. Johnny Damon, Yankees
7. Raul Ibanez, Mariners
8. Carlos Lee, Astros
9. Adam Dunn, Reds/Diamondbacks
10. Dave DeJesus, Royals
11. Jack Cust, A's
12. Pat Burrell, Phillies
13. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
14. Conor Jackson, Diamondbacks
15. Garret Anderson, Angels
16. Luke Scott, Orioles
17. Fred Lewis, Giants
18. Josh Willingham, Marlins
19. Delmon Young, Twins
20. Willie Harris, Nationals
21. Ben Francisco, Indians
22. Carl Crawford, Rays
23. Gregor Blanco, Braves
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 24 ATL NL 144 430 52 108 14 4 1 38 13 5 74 99 .251 .366 .309 83 133 6 3 2 6 3
24. Chase Headley, Padres
25. Luis Gonzalez, Marlins
26. Adam Lind, Blue Jays
27. Juan Pierre, Dodgers
28. Emil Brown, A's
29. David Dellucci, Indians
30. Jay Payton, Orioles
Is Hanley Ramirez the most underrated player in baseball right now? Of course playing for the Marlins doesn't help him.
Shortstop Rankings
1. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
32.5 Win Shares
80.7 VORP
10.9 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 24 FLA NL 153 589 125 177 34 4 33 67 35 12 92 122 .301 .400 .540 148 318 0 4 9 8 5
2. Jose Reyes, Mets
3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
4. Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks
5. Jhonny Peralta, Indians
6. J.J. Hardy, Brewers
7. Cristian Guzman, Nationals
8. Michael Young, Rangers
9. Derek Jeter, Yankees
10. Mike Aviles, Royals
11. Orlando Cabrera, White Sox
12. Ryan Theriot, Cubs
13. Yunel Escobar, Braves
14. Miguel Tejada, Astros
15. Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays
16. Jason Bartlett, Rays
17. Nick Punto, Twins
18. Brendan Harris, Twins
19. Erick Aybar, Angels
20. Edgar Renteria, Tigers
21. Yuniesky Betancourt, Mariners
22. Maicer Izturis, Angels
23. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
24. David Eckstein, Blue Jays/Diamondbacks
25. Bobby Crosby, A's
26. Cesar Izturis, Cardinals
27. Jeff Keppinger, Reds
5.7 Win Shares
0.6 VORP
1.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 CIN NL 121 459 45 122 24 2 3 43 3 1 30 24 .266 .310 .346 70 159 6 5 3 2 14
28. Jack Wilson, Pirates
29. Julio Lugo, Red Sox
30. Khalil Greene, Padres
So I waited two weeks before doing my 2nd Pointless Top 25 because I wanted to do some hard research on all 119 I-A teams...or I just didn't feel like it last week. You make the call!
Again I spend about ten minutes doing this so don't bother spending more than ten seconds reading it.
1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Missouri
8. Florida
9. Utah
10. BYU
11. USC
12. LSU
13. Texas Tech
14. Virginia Tech
15. Ohio State
16. North Carolina
17. California
18. Michigan State
19. Wake Forest
20. Boise State
21. Pittsburgh
22. South Florida
23. Kansas
24. Ball State
25. Tulsa
Hey look another position where the A's had the worst everyday player! How I got through this season without slitting my wrists, I'll never know.
Third Basemen Rankings
1. David Wright, Mets
29.1 Win Shares
66.2 VORP
10.6 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 25 NYM NL 160 626 115 189 42 2 33 124 15 5 94 118 .302 .390 .534 143 334 0 11 5 4 15
2. Chipper Jones, Braves
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
4. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs
5. Troy Glaus, Cardinals
6. Evan Longoria, Rays
7. Jorge Cantu, Marlins
8. Melvin Mora, Orioles
9. Casey Blake, Indians/Dodgers
10. Ty Wigginton, Astros
11. Adrian Beltre, Mariners
12. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
13. Alex Gordon, Royals
14. Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres
15. Edwin Encarnacion, Reds
16. Mike Lowell, Red Sox
17. Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks
18. Garrett Atkins, Rockies
19. Scott Rolen, Blue Jays
20. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
21. Blake DeWitt, Dodgers
22. Chone Figgins, Angels
23. Joe Crede, White Sox
24. Jose Bautista, Pirates/Blue Jays
25. Willy Aybar, Rays
26. Pedro Feliz, Phillies
27. Geoff Blum, Astros
28. Bill Hall, Brewers
29. Jack Hannahan, A's
5.4 Win Shares
3.8 WARP3
-9.5 VORP
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 OAK AL 143 436 48 95 27 0 9 47 2 0 55 131 .218 .305 .342 77 149 3 5 4 2 5
30. Jose Castillo, Giants/Astros
I'm throwing the Designated Hitter rankings in this entry as they don't need their own entry. For the DH list it is made up of the top 14 in plate appearances
And now see the pain I had to go through in watching prized prospect Daric Barton be a colossal flop in his rookie year.
First Basemen Rankings
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals
35.1 Win Shares
96.8 VORP
13.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 STL NL 148 524 100 187 44 0 37 116 7 3 104 54 .357 .462 .653 190 342 0 8 34 5 16
2. Lance Berkman, Astros
3. Mark Teixeira, Braves/Angels
4. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
5. Justin Morneau, Twins
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
7. Carlos Delgado, Mets
8. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
9. Carlos Pena, Rays
10. Ryan Howard, Phillies
11. Prince Fielder, Brewers
12. Joye Votto, Reds
13. Derrek Lee, Cubs
14. Jason Giambi, Yankees
15. Adam LaRoche, Pirates
16. Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays
17. James Loney, Dodgers
18. Mike Jacobs, Marlins
19. Ryan Garko, Indians
20. Ron Belliard, Nationals
21. Casey Kotchman, Angels/Braves
22. Paul Konerko, White Sox
23. Nick Swisher, White Sox
24. Kevin Millar, Orioles
25. Doug Mientkiewicz, Pirates
26. Rich Aurilia, Giants
27. Todd Helton, Rockies
28. Daric Barton, A's
9.3 Win Shares
-7.4 VORP
2.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 22 OAK AL 140 446 59 101 17 5 9 47 2 1 65 99 .226 .327 .348 85 155 6 3 5 3 6
29. John Bowker, Giants
30. Ross Gload, Royals
Designated Hitter Rankings
1. Aubrey Huff, Orioles
23.1 Win Shares
58.4 VORP
7.9 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---
2008 31 BAL AL 154 598 96 182 48 2 32 108 4 0 53 89 .304 .360 .552 137 330 0 7 7 3 9
2. Milton Bradley, Rangers
3. Jim Thome, White Sox
4. David Ortiz, Red Sox
5. Jason Kubel, Twins
6. Hideki Matsui, Yankees
7. Cliff Floyd, Rays
8. Matt Stairs, Blue Jays/Phillies
9. Billy Butler, Royals
10. Gary Sheffield, Tigers
11. Frank Thomas, Blue Jays/A's
12. Craig Monroe, Twins
13. Travis Hafner, Indians
14. Jose Vidro, Mariners
I know that you are all thinking, "The regular season ended four days ago and I've already forgotten who was good and who sucked this year." Well my friends the annual Bored Player Rankings are here to help you!
Starting with position players, each list includes 30 players who had the most plate appearances at each position. Now these lists always end up including players who weren't true everyday players and end up populating the bottom of the list. So this year I'm going to highlight the worst everyday player at each position so we can all point and laugh at them.
Catcher Rankings
1. Joe Mauer, Twins
31.2 Win Shares
55.5 VORP
11.8 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 25 MIN AL 146 536 98 176 31 4 9 85 1 1 84 50 .328 .413 .451 134 242 1 11 8 1 21
2. Brian McCann, Braves
3. Geovany Soto, Cubs
4. Russell Martin, Dodgers
5. Ryan Doumit, Pirates
6. Chris Iannetta, Rockies
7. Bengie Molina, Giants
8. Kurt Suzuki, A's
9. Dioner Navarro, Rays
10. Kelly Shoppach, Indians
11. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
12. Chris Snyder, Diamondbacks
13. Jason Kendall, Brewers
14. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox
15. Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers/Yankees
16. Ramon Hernandez, Orioles
17. Brian Schneider, Mets
18. Gerald Laird, Rangers
19. Rod Barajas, Blue Jays
20. Chris Coste, Phillies
21. Jesus Flores, Nationals
22. Miguel Olivo, Royals
23. Jason Varitek, Red Sox
8.7 Win Shares
-1.0 VORP
5.3 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 36 BOS AL 131 423 37 93 20 0 13 43 0 1 52 122 .220 .313 .359 74 152 0 2 3 6 13
24. Brandon Inge, Tigers
25. John Buck, Royals
26. Kenji Johjima, Mariners
27. Jeff Mathis, Angels
28. Jose Molina, Yankees
29. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies
30. Paul Bako, Reds
You've seen the rest, now you'll see...more of the rest. It's my own personal college football Top 25 that shouldn't be read by anyone. I did this for about a month last year before getting Bored with it and I expect the same this year.
We're not even halfway through the season but were already down to 13 BCS conference unbeatens and 18 total in Division I-A. My feeling is at this point if you are still undefeated I'm going to rank you, regardless of schedule and conference affiliation. Also I try to keep the rankings based what you've done so far this year and who you've played which will explain why I have Texas Tech so low as they should be embarrassed for scheduling such a weak non-conference schedule and there is no justification to rank them in the Top 10 at the moment. I'm sure I will end up contradicting myself as early as this poll though, plus I'm taking about ten minutes to put this together.
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Penn State
4. LSU
5. Missouri
6. Texas
7. BYU
8. Utah
9. South Florida
10. Boise State
11. Vanderbilt
12. Auburn
13. Georgia
14. Kansas
15. Wisconsin
16. Florida
17. USC
18. Northwestern
19. Connecticut
20. Ball State
21. Oklahoma State
22. Tulsa
23. Kentucky
24. Texas Tech
25. Virginia Tech
And I'm finally done with the best lists, just two days before they are out of date! It is pretty amazing to think that the best season by a pitcher in the last 30 years was by a guy who peaked at age 20.
Top 20 Starting Pitcher Seasons since 1979 (per Win Shares)
1. Dwight Gooden, 1985 - New York Mets 32.9 Win Shares
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB ERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
1985 20 NYM NL 24 4 35 35 16 8 0 0 276.7 198 51 47 13 69 268 2 6 1065 4 1.53 228 0.965
2. Roger Clemens, 1997 - Toronto Blue Jays 31.9
3. Greg Maddux, 1995 - Atlanta Braves 29.9
4. Pedro Martinez, 2000 - Boston Red Sox 28.9
5. Roger Clemens, 1986 - Boston Red Sox 28.8
6. Randy Johnson, 2002 - Arizona Diamondbacks 28.7
7. Steve Carlton, 1980 - Philadelphia Phillies 28.6
8. Brett Saberhagen, 1989 - Kansas City Royals 28.3
9. Roger Clemens, 1990 - Boston Red Sox 28.1
10. Roger Clemens, 1987 - Boston Red Sox 27.7
11. Greg Maddux, 1992 - Chicago Cubs 27.4
12. Johan Santana, 2004 - Minnesota Twins 27.2
13. John Smoltz, 1996 - Atlanta Braves 27.1
14. John Tudor, 1985 - St. Louis Cardinals 27.1
15. Kevin Appier, 1993 - Kansas City Royals 27.0
16. Pedro Martinez, 1999 - Boston Red Sox 26.9
17. Mike Scott, 1986 - Houston Astros 26.8
18. Pedro Martinez, 1997 - Montreal Expos 26.4
19. Randy Johnson, 1999 - Arizona Diamondbacks 26.2
20. Greg Maddux, 1994 - Atlanta Braves 26.0
