Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough time today to do this right, but I had so much fun putting together my AL roster last night, I couldn't resist trying to do a rapid-fire NL roster. Here goes . . .
Starters voted in by fans:
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Chase Utley
SS - Jose Reyes
3B - David Wright
C - Paul Lo Duca
RF - Jason Bay
CF - Carlos Beltran
OF - Alfonso Soriano
Okay, first thing's first. Reyes has opted out due to being spiked on the hand. The replacement chosen was Edgar Renteria. I'm down with that. Throw in Miguel Cabrera beind Wright at third and we have a rep from every NL East team as well as a member of the home-town and NL-worst Pirates.
Moving up in the standings we need a Cub. Michael Barrett was in the mix for catcher, so let's take him. Lance Berkman is tenth in the majors in VORP, so he's our Astro. Chris Capuano is the Milwaukee VORP leader, our Brewers rep and first pitcher. Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks pulls the same trick. The Giants similarly give us Jason Schmidt. I voted for Matt Holliday to start over Soriano in the outfield, so I'll take him as my Colorado rep. Bronson Arroyo is far and away the Reds' VORP leader. I'm suspicious of his success, but his .282 BIPA seems legit, so he joins the pitching staff. Brad Penny and Nomahhh have equal claims to the Dodgers spot. Since I have two first basemen already, I'll hold off on this one to see whose name pops up first when I go by position. The Padres give us Chris Young, which is fun for me because he's a guy I had pegged for a big season this winter.
So our current roster:
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Chase Utley
SS - Edgar Renteria
3B - David Wright
C - Paul Lo Duca
RF - Jason Bay
CF - Carlos Beltran
OF - Alfonso Soriano
1B - Lance Berkman
3B - Miguel Cabrera
C - Michael Barrett
OF - Matt Holliday
SP - Brandon Webb
SP - Jason Schmidt
SP - Chris Capuano
SP - Chris Young
SP - Bronson Arroyo
DL - Jose Reyes
Filling in backups where we need them, Dan Uggla is the easy second base choice. At shortstop, Omar Vizquel has closed in on Bill Hall, I'll go with Omar's marquee name and superior speed and defense given their essentially identical VORPs. In the outfield Carlos Lee and Bobby Abreu are next in line. I'm also going to add third catcher Brian McCann, because he was my starting pick and I have three AL catchers.
Penny and Garciaparra are the highest unchosen pitcher and position player in the NL according to VORP, so I'm taking them both and now I have a man from every team. That brings me to 24 men. I have room for eight more.
I have six starting pitchers already, but no relievers. I took five in the AL. Again I'm looking at VORP and WXRL--the latter of which I failed to point out in my previous post accounts for the quality of hitters faced as well as comparing to replacement level, making those call letters a bit more logical (Win eXpectation adjusted for Replacement and Lineup . . . or something like that). The AL dominates, WXRL (perhaps because of the lineup adjustment that would penalize NL relievers for facing pitchers or pinch hitters). Sorting out the ALers, Trevor Hoffman and Dodgers rookie Takashi Saito are the two most obvious choices. Tom Gordon is next, followed by Scott Linebrink. I'd be pushing it after that, so I won't. Sticking with four relievers, giving me room for two more starters, Carlos Zambrano and Roy Oswalt.
Two spots left. Who are the neglected hitters? Nick the Stick and Scott Rolen. In the AL I declined to take a fourth first baseman (Giambi), opting instead for a middle infielder because Carlos Guillen was there to be had. Here, that player would be the Pirates' Freddy Sanchez, but he's a third baseman like Rolen, and skipping Nick for Freddy would give me four at the hot corner. That the game is in Pittsburgh might convince me to chose Sanchez over Rolen were it not for the fact that Rolen not only has the better numbers, but he's Scott Rolen and the other guy is Freddy Sanchez. Meanwhile, Nomar can play short in an emergency.
So my final roster:
1B - Albert Pujols (StL)
2B - Chase Utley (Phi)
SS - Edgar Renteria (Atl)
3B - David Wright (NYM)
C - Paul Lo Duca (NYM)
RF - Jason Bay (Pit)
CF - Carlos Beltran (NYM)
OF - Alfonso Soriano (Was)
1B - Lance Berkman (Hou)
1B - Nomar Garciaparra (LA)
1B - Nick Johnson (Was)
2B - Dan Uggla (Fla)
SS - Omar Vizquel (SF)
3B - Miguel Cabrera (Fla)
C - Brian McCann (Atl)
C - Michael Barrett (Chi)
OF - Matt Holliday (Col)
OF - Carlos Lee (Mil)
OF - Bobby Abreu (Phi)
SP - Brandon Webb (Ari)
SP - Jason Schmidt (SF)
SP - Chris Capuano (Mil)
SP - Brad Penny (LA)
SP - Chris Young (SD)
SP - Bronson Arroyo (Cin)
SP - Carlos Zambrano (Chi)
SP - Roy Oswalt (Hou)
RP - Trevor Hoffman (SD)
RP - Takashi Saito (LA)
RP - Tom Gordon (Phi)
RP - Scott Linebrink (SD)
DL - Jose Reyes (NYM)
Comparing that to the actual roster we agree on Berkman, Garciaparra (via final vote), Uggla, Renteria (replacing the injured Reyes as starter), Cabrera, Rolen, Holliday, Lee, McCann, Arroyo, Capuano, Gordon, Hoffman, Oswalt (who replaced the injured Tom Glavine), Penny, Schmidt, Webb and Zambrano.
The players elected Ryan Howard over Nick the Stick and Andruw Jones over Bobby Abreu. Phil Garner went with four third basemen, choosing Sanchez over third catcher Michael Barrett. Realizing that I have Zambrano to represent the Cubs, I'm actually fine with that, especially as it gets a second hometown player in the game. Unfortunately the man chose to replace Reyes on the roster was not Vizquel but David Eckstein. Still and all, there are no real outrages on hitting side of the NL roster.
I can't really even complain that much about the pitchers. The players elected Chris Carpenter, Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez, but both Mets opted out due to injury, clearing the way for successful replacements Oswalt and Capuano. As for Carpenter, he actually is more deserving than Chris Young, and since I have two Padre relievers, I'm willing to make that correction to my roster (though I'm sticking with Barrett over Sanchez for logistical reasons--I'd rather have a third catcher than a fourth third-baseman). The players also voted in Derrick Turnbow, but since my alternates Linebrink and Saito, I can't say they really blew it there. The only choice I didn't understand was Garner choosing Brian Fuentes despite already having Holliday to represent the Rockies. Still, with Linebrink and Saito as my prefered options, I can't complain that much, though Linebrink did pitch like an All-Star last year as well.
Ryan Howard over Nick, and Andruw over Abreu? Yup, but I love that Nick is in the same sentence as these guys.
All things considered, which would have benefitted the Yanks more?
2004 - Vazquez and Halsey
2005 - Randy Johnson
2006 - Randy Johnson
OR
2004 - Nick the Stick, Juan Rivera, Randy Choate, unknown in Vazquez's spot in rotation*
2005 - 2004 guys + Halsey
2006 - 2005 guys + Navarro
Hindsight is 20-20, but I think the Yanks might have been better off with the second bunch.
*The Vazquez trade went down on 12/16/03, which is the same day Pettitte signed with the Astros.
(Channeling Al Leiter...) What's wrong with Renteria? ;-)
I still root for Nick, too. I didn't want the Yanks to trade him, but it was probably for the best. Between injuries and Giambi, he'd probably rarely have seen the light of day in NY.
All the Yankees got booed a little, but it seems like A-Rod got a lot louder boos and a lot fewer cheers. Yankees fans are setting a bad example.
Shades of Giambi vs. Wagner.
Yea, Joe Buck the psychologist. Now he knows what Arod is "affected" by. It is rarely that the son is the father's equal. In this case, I would gladly trade all of his father's accomplishments to get this clown off the air.
Just wait until the World Series when he cuts away from the actual game to pontificate some meaningless point.
I know I know. I really don't care who the commentators are. All I ask is that every second of the actual game (All Star or Playoffs) be televised in real time. Is that really too much to ask for, I mean seriously? It's like cutting away from a 4th and 10 during the Super Bowl. That would be unthinkable. But cutting away from a 1-2 pitch during the World Series is ok?
I'm with you. I just don't understand how the biggest media conglomerate in the World can be so utterly unprofessional and incompetent. I know the non-voting, disability check cashing, Judge Judy, So You Think You Can Dance, Cops watching idiots that tune in for the World Series need to be appeased, but all I ask is that you actually let the rest of us watch the game.
Rough going for Doc Halliday
Halladay is a fucking idiot to throw that pitch after Beltran stole third. Baseball 101. I hope that doesn't cost the AL the game.
It's a lot worse tonight, though.
After Scotty B.'s go-ahead 3-run blast in the 8th, camera pans in the stands to Cashman smiling, lightly pumping his fist and giving a wink to someone apparently a row or two away...
Buck: "... and there's Yankee GM Brian Cashman trying hard not to root..."
Huh?
And apparently Halladay needs Ozzie to hold his hand or come out to the mound to remind him not to throw the ball in the dirt with Beltran on third.
Now they are stoppoing mid-game? Does the game count or not Bud? Does it!
God, I hope so!
God, I hope so!
Why would his defense get any better than its been all year?
That said I second almost everything you've said about FOX.
Oh God, Eckstein is an allstar, yikes...
He'll probably win AL MVP on the strength of that clutch play at 1B. ;-)
Yea, that was me. I am just living in a dream world where the Yankees make the Series and this game could actually mean something to us.
If the Yanks are good enough to make the Series, then home field won't matter. Especially if we play the game in NY anyway against the Mets, who have helped their own cause tonight. Beltran and Wright....
Let's talk baseball... ;-)
"Disabled List Offers Mark Prior Two-Year, $8 Million Extension":
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50033
If you want to win the game, you go Santana for two. Halladay for one or two. Liriano, Zito, and Kazmir....then turn it over to Ryan, Papelbon, and Mariano.
Of course, Halladay coughed up the winning run at this point on a wild pitch. It is academic, but Rogers was a joke to start this ballgame.
Come on Mo!
Lopez making the AL defense look like the Yankees. Oh, so scarily familiar.
No All Star MVP for you, Wright. Michael Young should win it again.
Ozzie's incompetence overcome by the AL players.
Now here's to a kick-ass second half! Let's go Yanks!
But anyway, how cool (and correct) is it that Mariano is always the one they go to in these things, and he always comes through.
"Run Values of the 2006 Yankees"
According to his methodology, Posada has been the most valuable Yankee with a 24.3 score, follwed by Jetes, Moose, Giambi and ARod (looks about right to me).
Bubba, Cabrera and GOB were all in the negatives, and Bernie was the LEAST productive postion player and Melky the 2nd worst. At the bottom of the pile was Vodoo Chacon.
If we simply had AVERAGE players (score 0) at those positions (LF, RF, #5 starter), we would be (statistically) 3 WINS better (or tied for first).
SG is a pretty smart stats guy, but I'm not saying his numbers are gospel. However, they really don't tell us anything we don't already know. We love Bernie, so we accept GOB. We are so happy to see a kid on the team, we give MelkDud a pass. Chacon saved our bacon last year, so we still have a little patience.
But the FO should not. These 3 players alone will cost us the post season. While I have been clamoring for a bat, I guess what I was really saying was get Bernie MelkDud the hell off the field.
Let Bernie retire in peace. Give Melky another year or 2 at AAA to develop more power. Get, if nothing else, a starter with a 4.5 - 5.0 ERA for our #5 slot (forget about Pavano).
Get Dellucci and Huff, or 2 OF'ers who at least aren't an embarrassment and might actual have an overall contribution to winning.
Yes, Bernie has has a decent BA, but his OPS (.739--- 50th of 63) and horrendous defence ("was that a Bernie double") and nullified his minor offensive contribution.
Melky has made a few good catches and has the best arm of all our OF'ers, but it doesn't offset his OPS (.733 after a hot streak---51st of 63).
That's 2 OF'er both in the bottom 20th percentile.
We have a pile of 25 Yankees. Is it unreasonable to get rid of the BOTTOM THREE of the pile?
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