Tagged: Yankees

January 14, 2016

MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Now” Rankings Entering 2016

Each year I compile MLB Network’s “Top 100 Players Right Now” which airs annually before the regular season begins.

Beginning in 2014, I decided to supplement those rankings by giving you a place to find all of the Top 10 Right Now positional rankings as well. I continued that last year with the 2015 rankings.

I’ll add to this post as the episodes air on MLB Network over the next few weeks.

On Thursday, January 14, 2016, the rankings for both Centerfielders and Shortstops were revealed. With January 21st came First Basemen and Starting Pitchers. On January 28th we’ll get Third Basemen and Left Fielders. February 4th and February 11th will reveal the remaining positions of Second Baseman, Right Fielders, Catchers, and Relief Pitchers.

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The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Centerfielders is Eric Byrnes. On the CF show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of two of the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Trout, McCutchen, Cain, Pollock, Jones, Heyward, Gomez, Joc Pederson (LAD), Kiermaier, Eaton

Byrnes: Trout, McCutchen, Pollock, Cain, Jones, Jackie Bradley, Jr. (BOS), Heyward, Kiermaier, Kevin Pillar (TOR), Eaton

James: Trout, McCutchen, Pollock, Jones, Heyward, Cain, Kiermaier, Eaton, Charlie Blackmon (COL), Gomez

Gennaro: Trout, McCutchen, Pollock, Cain, Eaton, Heyward, Bradley Jr., Kiermaier, Jones, Grichuk

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The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Shortstops is Bill Ripken. On the SS show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Correa, Crawford, Tulowitzki, Bogaerts, Simmons, Peralta, Corey Seager (LAD), Lindor, Erick Aybar (ATL), Gregorius

Ripken: Crawford, Correa, Tulowitzki, Lindor, Russell, Bogaerts, Ian Desmond (free agent), Seager, Peralta, Simmons

James: Correa, Bogaerts, Tulowitzki, Lindor, Simmons, Andrus, Desmond, Crawford, Cabrera, Jose Reyes (COL)

Gennaro: Correa, Lindor, Crawford, Bogaerts, Simmons, Tulowitzki, Seager, Adienny Hechavarria (MIA), Russell, Peralta

Petriello: Correa, Crawford, Bogaerts, Lindor, Tulowitzki, Simmons, Seager, Russell, Peralta, Gregorius

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the First Basemen is Carlos Peña. On the 1B show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Goldschmidt, Votto, Cabrera, Rizzo, Abreu, Encarnacion, Freeman, Gonzalez, Davis, Belt

Peña: Goldschmidt, Cabrera, Abreu, Rizzo, Encarnacion, Votto, Eric Hosmer (KC), Gonzalez, Davis, Albert Pujols (LAA)

James: Goldschmidt, Cabrera, Rizzo, Votto, Encarnacion, Davis, Freeman, Hosmer, Gonzalez, Abreu

Gennaro: Goldschmidt, Votto, Rizzo, Cabrera, Encarnacion, Davis, Freeman, Hosmer, Belt, Abreu

Petriello: Goldschmidt, Rizzo, Votto, Cabrera, Encarnacion, Davis, Abreu, Freeman, Gonzalez, Hosmer

—

**Note: Jose Fernandez does not have enough innings pitched over the last two seasons to qualify for the Shredder’s list.

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Starting Pitchers is John Smoltz. On the SP show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Kershaw, Arrieta, Greinke, Sale, Scherzer, Keuchel, Jose Fernandez (MIA), Jacob deGrom (NYM), Wainwright, Matt Harvey (NYM)

Smoltz: Kershaw, Arrieta, Scherzer, Keuchel, Greinke, Price, Madison Bumgarner (SF), deGrom, Sale, Harvey

James: Kershaw, Greinke, Scherzer, Arrieta, Bumgarner, Price, Sale, Kluber, Jon Lester (CHC), Cole Hamels (TEX)

Gennaro: Kershaw, Greinke, Arrieta, Sale, Bumgarner, Fernandez, Gerrit Cole (PIT), Keuchel, Carlos Carrasco (CLE), Scherzer

Petriello: Kershaw, Greinke, Arrieta, Sale, Keuchel, Scherzer, deGrom, Price, Cole, Fernandez

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will also provide at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Third Basemen is Mike Lowell. On the 3B show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Donaldson, Bryant, Machado, Beltre, Arenado, Carpenter, Seager, Matt Duffy (SF), David Wright (NYM), Frazier

Lowell: Donaldson, Arenado, Machado, Bryant, Carpenter, Frazier, Beltre, Seager, Mike Moustakas (KC), Evan Longoria (TB)

Vince Gennaro (President of SABR): Donaldson, Arenado, Machado, Bryant, Carpenter, Frazier, Beltre, Duffy, Moustakas, Kang

Bill James: Donaldson, Arenado, Machado, Bryant, Carpenter, Seager, Longoria, Beltre, Frazier, Duffy

Mike Petriello: Donaldson, Machado, Arenado, Bryant, Carpenter, Beltre, Seager, Moustakas, Duffy, Longoria
—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Left Fielders is Cliff Floyd. On the LF show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Marte, Gordon, Upton, Cespedes, Brantley, Holliday, Gardner, Peralta, Kyle Schwarber (CHC), Yelich

Floyd: Cespedes, Upton, Brantley, Marte, Gordon, Peralta, Schwarber, Khris Davis (MIL), Yelich, Gardner

James: Upton, Brantley, Cespedes, Marte, Peralta, Melky Cabrera (CHW), Gardner, Yelich, Gordon, Colby Rasmus (HOU)

Gennaro: Brantley, Gordon, Cespedes, Holliday, Peralta, Upton, Schwarber, Yelich, Marte, Gardner

Petriello: Cespedes, Gordon, Marte, Upton, Michael Conforto (NYM), Schwarber, Yelich, Brantley, Holliday, Peralta

Also, for what it’s worth, Brian Kenny said that Khris Davis “just, just missed” his Top 10.

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The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Relief Pitchers is Dan Plesac. On the RP show, they also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Davis, Betances, Chapman, Giles, Miller, Kimbrel, Melancon, Britton, Watson, O’Day

Plesac: Davis, Chapman, Betances, Miller, Jeurys Familia (NYM), Britton, Kimbrel, Melancon, Kenley Jansen (LAD), Trevor Rosenthal (STL)

James: Davis, Kimbrel, Chapman, Rosenthal, Melancon, Betances, Giles, Miller, Familia, Allen

Gennaro: Britton, Jansen, Miller, Chapman, Allen, Betances, O’Day, Giles, Davis, Familia

Petriello: Chapman, Davis, Jansen, Kimbrel, Britton, Miller, Betances, Allen, Familia, Melancon
—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will also provide at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Second Basemen is Harold Reynolds. They also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Cano, Altuve, Zobrist, Jason Kipnis (CLE), Kinsler, Walker, Gordon, Pedroia, Brian Dozier (MIN), Howie Kendrick (LAD)

Reynolds: Cano, Altuve, Kinsler, Pedroia, Brandon Phillips (CIN), Gordon, Dozier, Zobrist, Rougned Odor (TEX), Walker

James: Altuve, Cano, Pedroia, Kinsler, Forsythe, Dozier, Gordon, Kipnis, Walker, Zobrist

Gennaro: Kipnis, Altuve, Panik, Kinsler, Gordon, Pedroia, Zobrist, D.J. LeMahieu (COL), Cano, Kolten Wong (STL)

Petriello: Altuve, Cano, Kipnis, Gordon, Zobrist, Kinsler, Pedroia, Panik, Walker, Odor

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias.

Each episode will also provide at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Catchers is Dave Valle. They also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Posey, Martin, LUCROY, Perez, Molina, Vogt, d’Arnaud, McCann, Cervelli, Yasmani Grandal (LAD)

Valle: Posey, Molina, Perez, Martin, LUCROY, Grandal, McCann, d’Arnaud, Jason Castro (HOU), Vogt

James: Posey, Perez, McCann, Martin, Molina, LUCROY, Miguel Montero (CHC), Norris, Vogt, Cervelli

Gennaro: Posey, Molina, Martin, Grandal, LUCROY, d’Arnaud, Cervelli, Montero, Vogt, Perez

Petriello: Posey, Martin, Grandal, Cervelli, McCann, Perez, Yan Gomes (CLE), Molina, LUCROY, d’Arnaud

—

MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now”

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias.

Each episode will also provide at least two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Right Fielders is Eric Byrnes. They also revealed the Top 10 lists of all the members of what they call the “SABR Super Panel” which includes sabermetric pioneer Bill James, Vince Gennaro (President of SABR), and Mike Petriello.

Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Bryce Harper – Washington Nationals
Giancarlo Stanton – Miami Marlins
Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays
Mookie Betts – Boston Red Sox
J.D. Martinez – Detroit Tigers
Nelson Cruz – Seattle Mariners
George Springer – Houston Astros
Yasiel Puig – Los Angeles Dodgers
Miguel Sano – Minnesota Twins
RYAN BRAUN – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Kenny: Harper, Stanton, Bautista, Betts, Martinez, Sano, Springer, Hunter Pence (SF), Cruz, Shin-Soo Choo (TEX)

Byrnes: Harper, Stanton, Bautista, Carlos Gonzalez (COL), Martinez, Springer, Curtis Granderson (NYM), Betts, Pence, Cruz

James: Harper, Bautista, Stanton, Betts, Martinez, Cruz, BRAUN, Gonzalez, Kemp, Jay Bruce (CIN)

Gennaro: Harper, Bautista, Stanton, Cruz, Martinez, Granderson, Betts, Gonzalez, Springer, Pence

Petriello: Harper, Stanton, Bautista, Cruz, Betts, Springer, Sano, Choo, Gonzalez, Martinez

February 25, 2015

MLB Network’s Top 100 Players Right Now Entering 2015

As I did last year, and the year before, and the year before that, I’ll be keeping a running list of the Top 100 Players Right Now as they are revealed on MLB Network, eventually compiling the entire list.

They will have revealed all 100 by the end of Friday, February 27th. I’ll update this same space as they reveal the remaining entries.

As always, I will understandably highlight the Brewers players on the list. The Brewers had six players on the list entering 2012. Rickie Weeks was 83, John Axford was 77, Yovani Gallardo was 72, Aramis Ramirez was 66, Zack Greinke was 64, and Ryan Braun was too low at number 9. Entering 2013, the Brewers only had three players featured on the list (at the time it was revealed). Yovani Gallardo repeated his position at 72, Aramis Ramirez jumped all the way up to 32, and Braun settled in at 6. Kyle Lohse made last year’s list as well. As for 2014, just three players once again. Jean Segura checked in at 60, Carlos Gomez debuted at 44, and Ryan Braun dipped to 24.

The criteria for the list remains the same:

Emphasized stats from the last three (3) seasons, weighting 2014
Projected 2015 performance
Defensive position
Accolades
Intangibles

Here now are the Top 100-1* Players as listed by MLB Network:

100. Joe Mauer – 1B – Minnesota Twins

99. Albert Pujols – 1B – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

98. Justin Verlander – SP – Detroit Tigers

97. Prince Fielder – 1B – Texas Rangers

96. Yordano Ventura – RP – Kansas City Royals

95. Pablo Sandoval – 3B – Boston Red Sox

94. Ben Zobrist – 2B – Oakland Athletics

93. Adam Eaton – OF – Chicago White Sox

92. Gerrit Cole – SP – Pittsburgh Pirates

91. Devin Mesoraco – C – Cincinnati Reds

90. Russell Martin – C – Toronto Blue Jays

89. Jake Arrieta – SP – Chicago Cubs

88. Lance Lynn – SP – St. Louis Cardinals

87. Kenley Jansen – CL – Los Angeles Dodgers

86. Jose Reyes – SS – Toronto Blue Jays

85. Andrelton Simmons – SS – Atlanta Braves

84. Nolan Arenado – 3B – Colorado Rockies

83. Chris Carter – 1B – Houston Astros

82. Jeff Samardzija – SP – Chicago White Sox

81. Starling Marte – LF – Pittsburgh Pirates

80. Jose Fernandez – SP – Miami Marlins

79. Christian Yelich – LF – Miami Marlins

78. Julio Teheran – SP – Atlanta Braves

77. Alex Cobb – SP – Tampa Bay Rays

76. Jayson Werth – LF – Washington Nationals

75. J.D. Martinez – RF – Detroit Tigers

74. Todd Frazier – 3B – Cincinnati Reds

73. Neil Walker – 2B – Pittsburgh Pirates

72. Carlos Santana – 1B – Cleveland Indians

71. Salvador Perez – C – Kansas City Royals

70. Sonny Gray – SP – Oakland Athletics

69. Stephen Strasburg – SP – Washington Nationals

68. Doug Fister – SP – Washington Nationals

67. Freddie Freeman – 1B – Atlanta Braves

66. Nelson Cruz – DH – Seattle Mariners

65. Alex Gordon – LF – Kansas City Royals

64. Josh Harrison – 3B – Pittsburgh Pirates

63. Ryan Braun – RF – Milwaukee Brewers

62. Yasiel Puig – CF – Los Angeles Dodgers

61. Aroldis Chapman – CL – Cincinnati Reds

60. Matt Harvey – SP – New York Mets

59. Masahiro Tanaka – SP – New York Yankees

58. Adrian Gonzalez – 1B – Los Angeles Dodgers

57. Kyle Seager – 3B – Seattle Mariners

56. Yan Gomes – C – Cleveland Indians

55. Matt Kemp – RF – San Diego Padres

54. Jacoby Ellsbury – CF – New York Yankees

53. Anthony Rizzo – 1B – Chicago Cubs

52. Dustin Pedroia – 2B – Boston Red Sox

51. Evan Longoria – 3B – Tampa Bay Rays

50. Cole Hamels – SP – Philadelphia Phillies

49. Edwin Encarnacion – 1B – Toronto Blue Jays

48. Hunter Pence – RF – San Francisco Giants

47. Hisashi Iwakuma – SP – Seattle Mariners

46. Matt Holliday – LF – St. Louis Cardinals

45. Yu Darvish – SP – Texas Rangers

44. Jason Heyward – RF – St. Louis Cardinals

43. Jon Lester – SP – Chicago Cubs

42. Carlos Gonzalez – RF – Colorado Rockies

41. Jhonny Peralta – SS – St. Louis Cardinals

40. Greg Holland – CL – Kansas City Royals

39. Wade Davis – RP – Kansas City Royals

38. Carlos Gomez – CF – Milwaukee Brewers

37. Justin Upton – LF – San Diego Padres

36. David Ortiz – DH – Boston Red Sox

35. Jordan Zimmermann – SP – Washington Nationals

34. Craig Kimbrel – CL – Atlanta Braves

33. Victor Martinez – DH – Detroit Tigers

32. Joey Votto – 1B – Cincinnati Reds

31. Anthony Rendon – 3B – Washington Nationals

30. Jose Altuve – 2B – Houston Astros

29. Ian Desmond – SS – Washington Nationals

28. Zack Greinke – SP – Los Angeles Dodgers

27. Hanley Ramirez – LF – Boston Red Sox

26. Madison Bumgarner – SP – San Francisco Giants

25. David Price – SP – Detroit Tigers

24. Bryce Harper – RF – Washington Nationals

23. Jonathan Lucroy – C – Milwaukee Brewers

22. Adam Jones – CF – Baltimore Orioles

21. Michael Brantley – LF – Cleveland Indians

20. Adrian Beltre – 3B – Texas Rangers

19. Yadier Molina – C – St. Louis Cardinals

18. Josh Donaldson – 3B – Toronto Blue Jays

17. Troy Tulowitzki – SS – Colorado Rockies

16. Johnny Cueto – SP – Cincinnati Reds

15. Corey Kluber – SP – Cleveland Indians

14. Adam Wainwright – SP – St. Louis Cardinals

13. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B – Arizona Diamondbacks

12. Jose Bautista – RF – Toronto Blue Jays

11. Max Scherzer – SP – Washington Nationals

10. Robinson Cano – 2B – Seattle Mariners

9. Jose Abreu – 1B – Chicago White Sox

8. Buster Posey – C/1B – San Francisco Giants

7. Miguel Cabrera – 1B – Detroit Tigers

6. Andrew McCutchen – CF – Pittsburgh Pirates

5. Chris Sale – SP – Chicago White Sox

4. Giancarlo Stanton – RF – Miami Marlins

3. Felix Hernandez – SP – Seattle Mariners

2. Mike Trout – CF – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

1. Clayton Kershaw – SP – Los Angeles Dodgers

—

Ryan Braun has been revealed as the 63rd best player in Major League Baseball “Right Now” entering 2015. As the criteria for the rankings weights 2014 the most and pretty much only relies on the last three years of stats at all, this is an understandable position for Braun right now. I have a feeling though that at this time next year Braun will have rebounded a bit.

Carlos Gomez moves up six spots from 44 last year to check in at 38. I’d rather have Gomez than Justin Upton at 37.

And due to a Twitter tease, we know (or at least Brewers fans do) that Jonathan Lucroy will be number 23 when they get there.

I’ll update more once I see who is around the Brewers, but that’s the only three I expect to make the list.

January 15, 2015

MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Now” Rankings Entering 2015

Each year I compile MLB Network’s “Top 100 Players Right Now” which airs annually before the regular season begins.

Beginning last year, I decided to supplement those rankings by giving you a place to find all of the Top 10 Right Now positional rankings as well.

I’ll add to this post as the episodes air on MLB Network over the next few weeks.

On Thursday, January 15, 2015 the rankings for both Centerfielders and Shortstops were revealed. January 22nd had both Right Fielders and Left Fielders. Starting Pitchers and First Basemen will be revealed on January 29th. Lists for Relief Pitchers and Second Basemen came on February 5. Catchers and Third Baseman round things out on February 12.

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Kenny: Trout, McCutchen, Puig, 4. GOMEZ, Jones, Ellsbury, Cain, Pollock, Eaton, Leonys Martin (TEX)

Hamilton: McCutchen, Trout, 3. GOMEZ, Puig, Jones, Ellsbury, Eaton, Cain, Marcell Ozuna (MIA), Span

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Kenny: Tulowitzki, Peralta, Reyes, Simmons, Desmond, Brandon Crawford (SF), Hardy, Jimmy Rollins (LAD), Starlin Castro (CHC), Aybar

Ripken: Tulowitzki, Desmond, Hardy, Simmons, Castro, Crawford, Peralta, Ramirez, Aybar, Rollins

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Kenny: Stanton, Bautista, Harper, Heyward, Kemp, 6. RYAN BRAUN (MIL), Shin-Soo Choo (TEX), Pence, George Springer (HOU), Gonzalez

Floyd: Stanton, Bautista, Kemp, Harper, Moss, Martinez, Pence, Kole Calhoun (LAA), Heyward, 10. BRAUN

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Kenny: Gordon, Marte, Brantley, Werth, Upton, Ramirez, Holliday, Brett Gardner (NYY), Cruz, Melky Cabrera (CHW)

Byrnes: Brantley, Upton, Werth, Gordon, Holliday, Marte, Cruz, Dickerson, Ramirez, Yoenis Cespedes (DET)

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Kenny: Kershaw, Hernandez, Sale, Scherzer, Wainwright, Kluber, Cueto, Yu Darvish (TEX), Jon Lester (CHC), Anibal Sanchez (DET)

Smoltz: Kershaw, Sale, Bumgarner, Scherzer, Hernandez, Cueto, Lester, Wainwright, Price, Kluber

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Kenny: Goldschmidt, Cabrerea, Abreu, Votto, Rizzo, Freeman, Gonzalez, Encarnacion, Santana, Prince Fielder (TEX)

Peña: Cabrera, Goldschmidt, Abreu, Encarnacion, Gonzalez, Albert Pujols (LAA), Justin Morneau (COL), Votto, Freeman, Rizzo

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Kenny: Kimbrel, Holland, Chapman, Betances, Davis, Uehara, Huston Street (LAA), Steve Cishek (MIA), Kenley Jansen (LAD), Andrew Miller (NYY)

Plesac: Kimbrel, Chapman, Betances, Davis, Holland, Jansen, David Robertson (CHW), Britton, Street, Uehara

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will also provide two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Second Basemen is Harold Reynolds. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Cano, Altuve, Walker, Utley, Zobrist, Kinsler, Pedroia, Kendrick, Dozier, Jason Kipnis (CLE)

Reynolds: Cano, Pedroia, Altuve, Kinsler, Kendrick, Brandon Phillips (CIN), Dozier, Dee Gordon (MIA), Omar Infante (KC) , Kolten Wong (STL)

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will also provide two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Third Basemen is Mike Lowell. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Beltre, Donaldson, Wright, Longoria, Rendon, Carpenter, Seager, Todd Frazier (CIN), Arenado, Manny Machado (BAL)

Lowell: Beltre, Donaldson, Rendon, Wright, Longoria, Harrison, Arenado, Seager, Carpenter, Pablo Sandoval (BOS)

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will also provide two additional lists: One from Brian Kenny and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Catchers is Dave Valle. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Posey, Molina, Lucroy, Martin, Perez, Mesoraco, Gomez, Carlos Ruiz (PHI), McCann, Norris

Valle: Molina, Posey, Perez, Lucroy, Martin, Gomez, Mesoraco, McCann, Ramos, Mike Zunino (SEA)

—

So there you have it. All 10 positions worth ranking in MLB by the Shredder and the MLB Network personalities.

There were five Brewers among the 100 names listed by The Shredder in 2014. They were: Carlos Gomez (CF, 6th), Jean Segura (SS, 5th), Ryan Braun (RF, 2nd), Aramis Ramirez (3B, 7th), and Jonathan Lucroy (C, 6th).

Which Brewers will be ranked by The Shredder heading in 2015? Turns out fans in Milwaukee get three this year. Carlos Gomez (CF, 4th), Scooter Gennett (2B, 10th), and Jonathan Lucroy (C, 2nd).

May 2, 2014

Updated Details on Carlos Gomez’s Suspension Appeal Hearing

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.

Despite a report earlier today that said the appeal of Carlos Gomez‘s suspension would be heard on Monday, May 5th, in actuality…

Some clarification on Carlos Gomez’s appeal. Gomez thought it was Mon., May 5. It is actually Fri., May 9, according to #Brewers.

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) May 3, 2014

So yeah, basically all that other stuff I said at that link up there? Forget it.

Here’s the new basic fallout surrounding the Gomez appeal.

Gomez will have his appeal heard during the day on Friday, May 9th
Any suspension that remains (and it’ll be at least one game, and likely two) will likely begin being served immediately after the hearing.
That would mean that Gomez would not play on Friday, May 9th against the New York Yankees.
…and he could still miss the entire series against the visiting Bronx Bombers.

As for the roster situation, the need to get Logan Schafer back isn’t as immediate as it previously seemed. He’s still reportedly “on track” to return Saturday in Cincinnati, but it needn’t be at the expense of Ryan Braun taking a trip to the disabled list yet. Braun still has until that first game in the Yankees series to get healthy enough to play before Carlos Gomez will be lost and the Brewers could be back down to just two healthy true outfielders as they were Thursday night against the Reds.

Assuming everybody else stays at least as healthy as they are right now, then Schafer and left fielder Khris Davis will be starting once Gomez is suspended. If Braun still isn’t ready to play, then one would think that Caleb Gindl would be there to fill in.

Even if Gindl is optioned back down to Nashville tomorrow, he’d be eligible to return if Braun does ultimately wind up on the disabled list. Normally, for those not aware, you must spend a minimum of 10 days back down in the minors from when you are optioned before you’re able to be called back up. The exception is when said optioned player is recalled as an injury replacement.

Therefore, fellow Brewers fans, it’s best not to let the situation worry you and instead just react to whatever ends up happening. After all, this could be put to bed on Saturday if they simply keep Gindl and put Braun on the DL in order to reinstate Schafer.

The bigger worry is just how many games Gomez ultimately serves of a three-game suspension levied as punishment for the Easter Sunday skirmish.

Though, if Gomez gets all three and Braun is placed on the DL (retroactive to Sunday, April 27), then they could both miss the entirety of the series against the Yankees.

And that certainly wouldn’t impact the Brewers chances in a positive way.

February 19, 2014

MLB Network’s Top 100 Players Right Now Entering 2014

As I did last year, and the year before, I’ll be keeping a running list of the Top 100 Players Right Now as they are revealed on MLB Network, eventually compiling the entire list.

They will have revealed all 100 by the end of Friday, February 21st. I’ll update this same space as they reveal the remaining entries.

As always, I will understandably highlight the Brewers players on the list. There were six Brewers on the list entering 2012. Rickie Weeks was 83, John Axford was 77, Yovani Gallardo was 72, Aramis Ramirez was 66, Zack Greinke was 64, and Ryan Braun was too low at number 9. Last year, the Brewers only had three players featured on the list (at the time it was revealed). Yovani Gallardo repeated his position at 72, Aramis Ramirez jumped all the way up to 32, and Braun settled in at 6. Kyle Lohse made last year’s list as well.

My early prediction? The Brewers could have six (6) this year (Braun, Ramirez, Kyle Lohse, Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura, Jonathan Lucroy) but I think Garza falls short for sure. (UPDATE: Looks like the Brewers will only have three again. Ramirez and Lohse both fall off the list and Lucroy gets no love either.)

The criteria for the list remains the same:

Emphasized stats from the last three (3) seasons, weighting 2012
Projected 2014 performance
Defensive position
Accolades
Intangibles

Here now are the Top 100-1* Players as listed by MLB Network:

100. Derek Jeter – SS – New York Yankees

99. Brandon Phillips – 2B – Cincinnati Reds

98. Torii Hunter – RF – Detroit Tigers

97. Andrelton Simmons – SS – Atlanta Braves

96. Shane Victorino – RF – Boston Red Sox

95. Ian Kinsler – 2B – Detroit Tigers

94. Gerrit Cole – SP – Pittsburgh Pirates

93. Shelby Miller – SP – St. Louis Cardinals

92. Michael Wacha – SP – St. Louis Cardinals

91. Trevor Rosenthal – CL – St. Louis Cardinals

90. Patrick Corbin – SP – Arizona Diamondbacks

89. Clay Buccholz – SP – Boston Red Sox

88. Matt Cain – SP – San Francisco Giants

87. Josh Donaldson – 3B – Oakland Athletics

86. Joe Nathan – CL – Detroit Tigers

85. Matt Wieters – C – Baltimore Orioles

84. Billy Butler – DH – Kansas City Royals

83. Jon Lester – SP – Boston Red Sox

82. Koji Uehara – CL – Boston Red Sox

81. Chase Utley – 2B – Philadelphia Phillies

80. Albert Pujols – 1B – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

79. Pedro Alvarez – 3B – Pittsburgh Pirates

78. Salvador Perez – C – Kansas City Royals

77. Carlos Santana – C/3B – Cleveland Indians

76. Josh Hamilton – RF – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

75. Eric Hosmer – 1B – Kansas City Royals

74. Hunter Pence – RF – San Francisco Giants

73. Michael Cuddyer – RF – Colorado Rockies

72. Justin Upton – LF – Atlanta Braves

71. Anibal Sanchez – SP – Detroit Tigers

70. Jason Kipnis – 2B – Cleveland Indians

69. Gio Gonzalez – SP – Washington Nationals

68. Madison Bumgarner – SP – San Francisco Giants

67. Greg Holland – CL – Kansas City Royals

66. James Shields – SP – Kansas City Royals

65. Matt Carpenter – 3B – St. Louis Cardinals

64. Brian McCann – C – New York Yankees

63. J.J. Hardy – SS – Baltimore Orioles

62. Ian Desmond – SS – Washington Nationals

61. Jose Reyes – SS – Toronto Blue Jays

60. JEAN SEGURA – SS – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

59. Matt Kemp – CF – Los Angeles Dodgers

58. Alex Gordon – LF – Kansas City Royals

57. Cole Hamels – SP – Philadelphia Phillies

56. Jordan Zimmermann – SP – Washington Nationals

55. Hisashi Iwakuma – SP – Seattle Mariners

54. Cliff Lee – SP – Philadelphia Phillies

53. Allen Craig – RF – St. Louis Cardinals

52. Adrian Gonzalez – 1B – Los Angeles Dodgers

51. Jacoby Ellsbury – CF – New York Yankees

50. Jose Bautista – RF – Toronto Blue Jays

49. Jayson Werth – RF – Washington Nationals

48. Ryan Zimmerman – 3B – Washington Nationals

47. Carlos Beltran – RF – New York Yankees

46. Prince Fielder – 1B – Texas Rangers

45. Freddie Freeman – 1B – Atlanta Braves

44. CARLOS GOMEZ – CF – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

43. Wil Myers – RF – Tampa Bay Rays

42. Shin-Soo Choo – LF – Texas Rangers

41. Matt Holliday – LF – St. Louis Cardinals

40. Victor Martinez – C/DH – Detroit Tigers

39. Edwin Encarnacion – 1B – Toronto Blue Jays

38. Zack Greinke – SP – Los Angeles Dodgers

37. Stephen Strasburg – SP – Washington Nationals

36. Jay Bruce – RF – Cincinnati Reds

35. Aroldis Chapman – CL – Cincinnati Reds

34. Joe Mauer – 1B – Minnesota Twins

33. Justin Verlander – SP – Detroit Tigers

32. Adam Wainwright – SP – St. Louis Cardinals

31. Yu Darvish – SP – Texas Rangers

30. Chris Davis – 1B – Baltimore Orioles

29. Manny Machado – 3B – Baltimore Orioles

28. David Ortiz – DH – Boston Red Sox

27. Dustin Pedroia – 2B – Boston Red Sox

26. Craig Kimbrel – CL – Atlanta Braves

25. David Wright – 3B – New York Mets

24. RYAN BRAUN – RF – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

23. Yasiel Puig – RF – Los Angeles Dodgers

22. Bryce Harper – LF – Washington Nationals

21. Adam Jones – CF – Baltimore Orioles

20. Giancarlo Stanton – RF – Miami Marlins

19. Chris Sale – SP – Chicago White Sox

18. Jose Fernandez – SP – Miami Marlins

17. Buster Posey – C – San Francisco Giants

16. Hanley Ramirez – SS – Los Angeles Dodgers

15. Evan Longoria – 3B – Tampa Bay Rays

14. Yadier Molina – C – St. Louis Cardinals

13. Troy Tulowitzki – SS – Colorado Rockies

12. Max Scherzer – SP – Detroit Tigers

11. Carlos Gonzalez – CF – Colorado Rockies

10. David Price – SP – Tampa Bay Rays

9. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B – Arizona Diamondbacks

8. Joey Votto – 1B – Cincinnati Reds

7. Felix Hernandez – SP – Seattle Mariners

6. Adrian Beltre – 3B – Texas Rangers

5. Robinson Cano – 2B – Seattle Mariners

4. Andrew McCutchen – CF – Pittsburgh Pirates

3. Miguel Cabrera – 1B – Detroit Tigers

2. Clayton Kershaw – SP – Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Mike Trout – CF – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

—

So that’s the list! Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think. Did your favorite player make the list? Was he too high? Too low?

January 15, 2014

Full 2014 Brewers Schedule (All Game Times Released)

Here is the entire Milwaukee Brewers regular season schedule, complete with all but one game time announced. That game is Saturday, August 20th in San Francisco against the Giants. I’ll update this space when I notice that game time having been set.

All times listed are CT.

—

March/April

Monday, March 31: Atlanta Braves, 1:10pm
Tuesday, April 1: Atlanta Braves, 7:10pm
Wednesday, April 2: Atlanta Braves, 12:10pm

Friday April 4: at Boston Red Sox, 1:10pm
Saturday, April 5: at Boston Red Sox, 6:10pm
Sunday, April 6: at Boston Red Sox, 12:35pm

Monday, April 7: at Philadelphia Phillies, 2:05pm
Wednesday, April 9: at Philadelphia Phillies, 6:05pm
Thursday, April 10: at Philadelphia Phillies, 6:05pm

Friday, April 11: Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:10pm
Sat, April 12: Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:10pm
Sunday, April 13: Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:10pm

Monday, April 14: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Tuesday, April 15: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Wednesday, April 16: St. Louis Cardinals, 12:10pm

Thursday, April 17: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Friday, April 18: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Saturday, April 19: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Sunday, April 20: at PIttsburgh Pirates, 12:35pm

Monday, April 21: San Diego Padres, 7:10pm
Tuesday,, April 22: San Diego Padres, 7:10pm
Wednesday, April 23: San Diego Padres, 7:10pm

Friday, April 25: Chicago Cubs: 7:10pm
Saturday, April 26: Chicago Cubs: 6:10pm
Sunday, April 27: Chicago Cubs: 1:10pm

Monday, April 28: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm
Tuesday, April 29: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm
Wednesday, April 30: at St. Louis Cardinals, 12:45pm

May

Thursday, May 1: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Friday, May 2: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Saturday, May 3: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Sunday, May 4: at Cincinnati Reds, 3:10pm

Monday, May 5: Arizona Diamondbacks, 7:10pm
Tuesday, May 6: Arizona Diamondbacks, 7:10pm
Wednesday, May 7: Arizona Diamondbacks, 12:10pm

Friday, May 9: New York Yankees, 7:10pm
Saturday, May 10: New York Yankees, 6:10pm
Sunday, May 11: New York Yankees, 1:10pm

Tuesday, May 13: Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:10pm
Wednesday, May 14: Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:10pm
Thursday, May 15: Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:10pm

Friday, May 16: at Chicago Cubs, 1:20pm
Saturday, May 17: at Chicago Cubs, 1:20pm
Sunday, May 18: at Chicago Cubs, 1:20pm

Monday, May 19: at Atlanta Braves, 6:10pm
Tue, May 20 at Atlanta Braves, 6:10pm
Wed, May 21: at Atlanta Braves, 6:10pm
Thursday, May 22: at Atlanta Braves, 6:10pm

Friday, May 23: at Miami Marlins, 6:10pm
Saturday, May 24: at Miami Marlins, 3:10pm
Sunday, May 25: at Miami Marlins, 12:10pm

Monday, May 26: Baltimore Orioles, 1:10pm
Tuesday, May 27: Baltimore Orioles, 7:10pm
Wednesday, May 28: Baltimore Orioles, 7:10pm

Friday, May 30: Chicago Cubs, 7:10pm
Saturday, May 31: Chicago Cubs, 3:10pm

June

Sunday, June 1: Chicago Cubs, 1:10pm

Monday, June 2: Minnesota Twins, 7:10pm
Tuesday, June 3: Minnesota Twins, 7:10pm
Wednesday, June 4: at Minnesota Twins, 7:10pm
Thursday, June 5: at Minnesota Twins, 7:10pm

Friday, June 6: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Saturday, June 7: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 3:05pm
Sunday, June 8: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:35pm

Tuesday, June 10: at New York Mets, 6:10pm
Wednesday, June 11: at New York Mets, 6:10pm
Thursday, June 12: at New York Mets, 6:10pm

Friday, June 13: Cincinnati Reds, 7:10pm
Sunday, June 14: Cincinnati Reds, 6:15pm
Sunday, June 15: Cincinnati Reds, 1:10pm

Monday, June 16: at Arizona Diamondbacks, 8:40pm
Tuesday, June 17: at Arizona Diamondbacks, 8:40pm
Wednesday, June 18: at Arizona Diamondbacks, 8:40pm
Thursday, June 19: at Arizona Diamondbacks, 2:40pm

Friday, June 20: at Colorado Rockies, 7:40pm
Saturday, June 21: at Colorado Rockies, 3:10pm
Sunday, June 22: at Colorado Rockies, 3:10pm

Monday, June 23: Washington Nationals, 7:10pm
Tuesday, June 24: Washington Nationals, 7:10pm
Wednesday, June 25: Washington Nationals, 1:10pm

Thursday, June 26: Colorado Rockies, 7:10pm
Friday, June 27: Colorado Rockies, 7:10pm
Saturday, June 28: Colorado Rockies, 3:10pm
Sunday, June 29: Colorado Rockies, 1:10pm

July

Tuesday, July 1: at Toronto Blue Jays, 12:07pm
Wednesday, July 2: at Toronto Blue Jays, 11:37am

Friday, July 4: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Saturday, July 5: at Cincinnati Reds, 3:10pm
Sunday, July 6: at Cincinnati Reds, 12:10pm

Monday, July 7: Philadelphia Phillies, 7:10pm
Tuesday, July 8: Philadelphia Phillies, 7:10pm
Wednesday, July 9: Philadelphia Phillies, 7:10pm
Thursday, July 10: Philadelphia Phillies, 1:10pm

Friday, July 11: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Saturday, July 12: St. Louis Cardinals, 3:10pm
Sunday, July 13: St. Louis Cardinals, 1:10pm

Friday, July 18: at Washington Nationals, 6:05pm
Saturday, July 19: at Washington Nationals, 6:05pm
Sunday, July 20: at Washington Nationals, 12:35pm

Monday, July 21: Cincinnati Reds, 7:10pm
Tuesday, July 22: Cincinnati Reds, 7:10pm
Wednesday, July 23: Cincinnati Reds, 1:10pm

Thursday, July 24: New York Mets, 7:10pm
Friday, July 25: New York Mets, 7:10pm
Saturday, July 26: New York Mets, 7:10pm
Sunday, July 27: New York Mets, 1:10pm

Monday, July 28: at Tampa Bay Rays, 6:10pm
Tuesday, July 29: at Tampa Bay Rays, 6:10pm
Wednesday, July 30: at Tampa Bay Rays, 11:10am

August

Friday, August 1: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm
Saturday, August 2: at St. Louis Cardinals, 6:15pm
Sunday, August 3: at St. Louis Cardinals, 1:15pm

Tuesday, August 5: San Francisco Giants, 7:10pm
Wednesday, August 6: San Francisco Giants, 7:10pm
Thursday, August 7: San Francisco Giants, 1:10pm

Friday, August 8: Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:10pm
Saturday, Aug .9: Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:10pm
Sunday, August 10: Los Angeles Dodgers, 1:10pm

Monday, August 11: at Chicago Cubs, 7:05pm
Tuesday, August 12: at Chicago Cubs, 7:05pm
Wednesday, August 13: at Chicago Cubs, 7:05pm
Thursday, August 14: at Chicago Cubs, 1:20pm

Friday, August 15: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10pm
Saturday, August 16: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10pm
Sunday, August 17: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 3:10pm

Tuesday, August 19: Toronto Blue Jays, 7:10pm
Wednesday, August 20: Toronto Blue Jays, 1:10pm

Friday, August 22: Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:10pm
Saturday, August 23: Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:10pm
Sunday, August 24: Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:10pm

Monday, August 25: at San Diego Padres, 9:10pm
Tuesday, August 26: at San Diego Padres, 9:10pm
Wednesday, August 27: at San Diego Padres, 9:10pm

Friday, August 29: at San Francisco Giants, 9:15pm
Saturday, August 30: at San Francisco Giants, TBA
Sunday, August 31: at San Francisco Giants, 3:05pm

September

Monday, September 1: at Chicago Cubs, 1:20pm
Tuesday, September 2: at Chicago Cubs, 7:05pm
Wednesday, September 3: at Chicago Cubs, 7:05pm

Thursday, September 4: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Friday, September 5: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Saturday, September 6: St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10pm
Sunday, September 7: St. Louis Cardinals, 1:10pm

Monday, September 8: Miami Marlins, 7:10pm
Tuesday, September 9: Miami Marlins, 7:10pm
Wednesday, September 10: Miami Marlins, 7:10pm
Thursday, September 11: Miami Marlins, 7:10pm

Friday, September 12: Cincinnati Reds, 7:10pm
Saturday, September 13: Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Sunday, September 14: Cincinnati Reds, 1:10pm

Tuesday, September 15: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm
Wednesday, September 16: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm
Thursday, September 17: at St. Louis Cardinals, 7:15pm

Friday, September 18: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Saturday, September 19: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:05pm
Sunday, September 20: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:35pm

Tuesday, September 22: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Wednesday, September 23:: at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10pm
Thursday, September 24: at Cincinnati Reds, 11:35am

Friday, September 25: Chicago Cubs, 7:10pm
Saturday, September 26: Chicago Cubs, 6:10pm
Sunday, September 27: Chicago Cubs, 1:10pm

January 13, 2014

MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Now” Rankings Entering 2014

Each year I compile MLB Network’s “Top 100 Players Right Now” which airs annually before the regular season begins.

This year, I decided to supplement those rankings by giving you a place to find all of the Top 10 Right Now positional rankings as well.

I’ll add to this post as the episodes air on MLB Network over the next few weeks.

On Friday, January 10, 2014 the rankings for both Centerfielders and Shortstops were revealed. (See them below.) On Friday, January 17th both Starting Pitchers and Right Fielders were unveiled. Friday, January 24th brought us Left Fielders and First Basemen. Relief Pitchers and Second Basemen were revealed on Friday, January 31st.

Catchers and Third Basemen will be revealed on Friday, February 7th, so look for a couple more Brewers to make it.

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Centerfielders was Darryl Hamilton. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Trout, McCutchen, Ellsbury, Gomez, Gonzalez, Jackson, Jones, Kemp, Desmond Jennings (TB), Leonys Martin (TEX)

James: Trout, McCutchen, Jones, Ellsbury, Gomez, Gonzalez, Jackson, Michael Bourn (CLE), Jennings, Denard Span (WAS)

Hamilton: Trout, McCutchen, Jones, Ellsbury, Gomez, Kemp, Jackson, Crisp, Gonzalez, Bourn

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Shortstops was Bill Ripken. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Tulowitzki, Ramirez, Reyes, Desmond, Andrus, Peralta, Derek Jeter (NYY), Simmons, Segura, Everth Cabrera (SD)

James: Tulowitzki, Hardy, Reyes, Jed Lowrie (OAK), Simmons, Andrus, Segura, Ramirez, Erick Aybar (LAA), Escobar

Ripken: Tulowitzki, Ramirez, Hardy, Simmons, Desmond, Segura, Stephen Drew (FA), Lowrie, Andrus, Reyes

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Starting Pitchers was John Smoltz. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Kershaw, Verlander, Lee, Hernandez, Wainwright, Yu Darvish (TEX), Scherzer, Fernandez, Madison Bumgarner (SF), Sale

James: Kershaw, Scherzer, Lee, Wainwright, Verlander, Zack Greinke (LAD), Sale, Jered Weaver (LAA), Hernandez, Darvish

Smoltz: Kershaw, Fernandez, Hernandez, Scherzer, Darvish, Verlander, Jon Lester (BOS), Stephen Strasburg (WAS), Wainwright, Price

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Right Fielders was Mark DeRosa. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Braun, Stanton, Puig, Heyward, Werth, Bautista, Craig, Jay Bruce (CIN), Wil Myers (TB), Pence

James: Braun, Bruce, Stanton, Heyward, Pence, Bautista, Victorino, Beltran, Puig, Torii Hunter (DET)

DeRosa: Beltran, Stanton, Bautista, Werth, Craig, Pence, Bruce, Hunter, Puig, Michael Cuddyer (COL)

You read that correctly. Mark DeRosa doesn’t Ryan Braun in his Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now despite Brian Kenny and Bill James both ranking Braun #1 and the Shredder ranking him second. DeRosa says Braun “should be 1” but since he has to earn back the respect of fans, his teammates, etc. DeRosa “hopes” he comes back and performs and is #1 next year, but he couldn’t discount other guys.

As for the Shredder, Brian Kenny said he was shocked not only that Braun wasn’t first but that Puig was. I’m guessing Braun was dinged by the Shredder for how many games he missed last year. That’ll happen in an algorithm.

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Left Fielders was Eric Byrnes. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Harper, Choo, Holliday, Marte, Upton, Gordon, Gardner, Yoenis Cespedes (OAK), Domonic Brown (PHI), Khris Davis (MIL)

James: Choo, Holliday, Gordon, Gardner, Nava, Harper, Upton, Brown, Cespedes, Hamilton

Byrnes: Holliday, Harper, Upton, Choo, Alfonso Soriano (NYY), Gordon, Marte, Hamilton, Nava, Brown

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the First Basemen was Sean Casey. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Cabrera, Votto, Goldschmidt, Freeman, Mauer, Fielder, Davis, Encarnacion, Brandon Belt (SF), Ad. Gonzalez

James: Cabrera, Goldschmidt, Votto, Davis, Mauer, Freeman, Encarnacion, Ad. Gonzalez, Napoli, Eric Hosmer (KC)

Casey: Cabrera, Votto, Goldschmidt, Freeman, Davis, Fielder, Ad. Gonzalez, Mauer, Albert Pujols (LAA), Encarnacion

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode also provides three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Relief Pitchers was Dan Plesac. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Kimbrel, Holland, Jansen, Chapman, Uehara, Trevor Rosenthal (STL), Perkins, Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon (PHI), Benoit

James: Kimbrel, Jansen, Chapman, Uehara, Holland, Nathan, Papelbon, Perkins, Rosenthal, Mark Melancon (PIT)

Plesac: Kimbrel, Holland, Chapman, Uehara, Jansen, Nathan, Jim Johnson (OAK), Perkins, Jason Grilli (PIT), Rex Brothers (COL)

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will apparently also provide three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Second Basemen was Harold Reynolds. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Cano, Pedroia, Kipnis, Utley, Hill, Zobrist, Kendrick, Kinsler, Walker, Omar Infante (KC)

James: Cano, Pedroia, Zobrist, Kipnis, Utley, Brandon Phillips (CIN), Kinsler, Infante, Jose Altuve (HOU), Kendrick

Reynolds: Cano, Pedroia, Phillips, Kipnis, Kendrick, Utley, Kinsler, Scutaro, Infante, Walker

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will apparently also provide three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Third Basemen was Mike Lowell. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Wright, Longoria, Beltre, Carpenter, Donaldson, Machado, Zimmerman, Headley, Kyle Seager (SEA), Martin Prado (ARI)

James: Longoria, Beltre, Wright, Carpenter, Zimmerman, Headley, Machado, Prado, Donaldson, Seager

Lowell: Beltre, Longoria, Wright, Machado, Donaldson, Ramirez, Headley, Carpenter, Zimmerman, Pedro Alvarez (PIT)

Neither Brian Kenny or Bill James included Aramis Ramirez in their personal Top 10.

Best line of the show? Kenny asked James why he put Longoria over Beltre and Wright. James’ response: “Probably fear.” He then admitted that he might be biased by working for the Red Sox.

—

The rankings above are from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. Each episode will apparently also provide three additional lists: One from Brian Kenny, one from Bill James, and one from an MLB Network analyst, who for the Catchers was Dave Valle. Here are their individual Top 10’s.

Kenny: Posey, Molina, Santana, Brian McCann (NYY), Perez, Lucroy, Castro, Ruiz, Russell Martin (PIT), Montero

James: Posey, Molina, Perez, A.J. Pierzynski (BOS), Matt Wieters (BAL), Santana, Rosario, McCann, Lucroy, Jarrod Saltalamacchia (MIA)

Valle: Molina, Perez, Posey, Wieters, Ramos, Martin, McCann, A.J. Ellis (LAD), Lucroy, Castro

—

So there you have it. All 10 positions worth ranking in MLB by the Shredder and the MLB Network personalities.

There are five Brewers among the 100 names listed by The Shredder. They are: Carlos Gomez (CF, 6th), Jean Segura (SS, 5th), Ryan Braun (RF, 2nd), Aramis Ramirez (3B, 7th), and Jonathan Lucroy (C, 6th)

December 3, 2013

Hot Stove Report: Hart Receives Clearance, Could Receive Multiple Offers Soon

As reported earlier today on Twitter…

Corey Hart has been medically cleared.

— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) December 3, 2013

What this means for Corey Hart the professional baseball player is that teams can feel more confident than they have up to this point in offering him a contract. What it means for Corey Hart the man is that he’ll have some decisions to make.

A source tells me that in addition to the contract that the Brewers have been preparing to offer on which I reported a month ago, at least four other teams have been working on offers. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll get all of them in his hands but that so many teams are considering him leads me to a thought.

More on that in a moment. First the teams: Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees, and the Orioles.

Nobody is expected to go crazy at this point in what they might offer Hart, but with these teams in the mix along with other destinations that certainly make sense at least on paper, it could be enough that Hart could conceivably turn this into a more lucrative situation than first suggested by yours truly and other smarter folks. That was a low-base, one-year contract with incentives that could turn the contract into slightly below market value.

So here’s what I’m thinking. I wonder if the Brewers will end up needing to offer Hart a one-year contract at relatively the same terms as above but with a vesting option for a second year at full market value that becomes a mutual option should it fail to vest. Something along those lines would likely be able to trump simple one-year offers unless Hart only wants to play 2014 under contract in order to hit full free agency next off-season.

Then again, that assumes that nobody goes two guaranteed years from the jump.

Regardless as to the ultimate offer from Milwaukee to Hart, it appears as though he is the Brewers’ main priority right now. They have made no other moves and although Doug Melvin historically works slowly at this time of year, it’ll be worth watching to see how quickly they might move on the former All-Star now that he’s medically cleared for all baseball activities.

April 22, 2013

Rumor Mill: This One Makes Some Sense, But…

Let’s get to the point because you’ve all been patient while I waited for my son to go to sleep on his 3rd birthday before sitting down long enough to actually blog.

From the same source that allowed me to be the first to bring you the news that the Brewers were talking contract with Francisco Rodriguez, comes this little nugget.

First, the quick disclaimer…

This happened. I am in no way saying that anything else happened yet. I’m not guaranteeing that it will lead anywhere at all. I’ll tell you what happened and where I think it could lead and why, but I am not saying that my source told me reasons around this rumor at all.

All that was passed along to me was, and I quote…

“Yankees inquired about Gonzalez.”

I asked which one and was told, “Alex”.

So there you have it. The Yankees, who aren’t expected to welcome Derek Jeter back to the lineup until around the All-Star break, are exploring at least one option to bolster their depth chart at the shortstop position.

If I were Brian Cashman, I certainly wouldn’t very happy with Jayson Nyx (misspelled on purpose) as my primary infield back up. Gonzalez has shown his newly-added defensive versatility as well which could be very enticing to Cashman as a cheap upgrade.

Be honest, at this point it probably wouldn’t cost a whole lot to acquire Gonzalez from the Brewers. He’s playing out of necessity more so than because he’s playing particularly well.

Still, even though an initial inquiry was made, this doesn’t feel like something that would happen until, at the absolute soonest, Jeff Bianchi or Aramis Ramirez was ready to come off of the disabled list.

I have no idea what Alex Gonzalez would fetch in return at this point, but that’s why I’m not working in a front office. Also, I have no concept of low-to-mid-level minor leaguers in the Yankees system.

That all being said, I have no knowledge of what if anything was said as a reply by the Brewers.

Still, I wanted to pass this along tonight. So, what do you think? Would you? Why wouldn’t you?

August 19, 2010

Trevor Hoffman’s Place In the Top 10 Closers in MLB History

By: Big Rygg

With Trevor Hoffman finally closing in (pun intended) on career save number 600, I wanted to definitely to highlight the forthcoming achievement in some way.

I thought about a career retrospective but decided that would be best left for once his career is actually complete.

I considered a chronicle of his year plus spent in a Brewers uniform, but that too isn’t a chapter that is finished being written.

A listing of accolades for Hoffman could write itself and easily eclipse 1000 words without even trying, and a thoughtful piece about what it must mean for Hoffman to have fallen so hard and fast off of what appeared to be the edge of the Chasm of Old Age only to right his ship, so to speak, and once again be considered as a reliable option just seems like it might be a bit premature.

In other words, that seems like it ought to wait until 600 has actually been reached as opposed to only being somewhere off on the seemingly distant horizon.

So instead, I offer this tried and true format of placing Hoffman in a list of his game-ending brethren because quite frankly whether he never records another save or notches his 600th on Saturday (two games from now since he’s still only at 598), it won’t affect my feelings as to where he places in said list.

Read it, debate it in the comments, call me names, dispute my opinions, offer me new-school statistics to support your points and refute mine…or simply agree with me.

Either way, let’s have some fun with this, okay?

10. John Smoltz

Full disclosure: John Smoltz is my favorite pitcher of all time.

Continued disclosure: if not for injury, John Smoltz never closes a single game.

During his short three-plus seasons as a closer, though, Smoltz saved 154 games.

Perhaps dominant starters make great closers regardless of who they are. Another name you’ll see later in this slideshow, Dennis Eckersley, is a big piece of supporting evidence. Jonathan Papelbon is a contemporary example for you younger readers.

But plenty of pitchers fail at the end of the game regardless of how good they might have been at the beginning of it.

To coin an old cliche, John Smoltz took to the ninth inning like a fish to water. He was simply excellent at closing.

Longevity is a big deal in a list like this, no doubt about it. Sheer dominance and ultimate projectability counts for something too.

And with so many names that could have gone at this spot (and probably would go before Smoltz on many people’s lists) why not reward a guy that was forced into the role and absolutely owned it?

9. Tom Henke

Tom Henke has 311 career saves.

Tom Henke could have had 400 or more had he not inexplicably retired at age 37 after a season of 36 saves and a 1.82 ERA both of which garnered him some MVP votes.

Some of Henke’s other career numbers:

2.67 ERA
1.092 WHIP
9.8 K/9
157 ERA+
Only 14 seasons played

Perhaps there was a different reason that “The Terminator” hung up the spikes when he did, but for being as dominant as he was while he was in the game, he definitely deserves a spot on this list.

8. John Franco

A very different kind of closer, John Franco was as consistent as they come for a very long time. Call his inclusion on this list a lifetime achievement award if you want to, but 424 saves count the same as the those posted by fireballing, high-strikeout pitchers.

Franco pitched for 21 seasons (though only about 14 or 15 years as a real game-finishing option) and has high totals in the counting stats to show for it. He also has a 2.89 career ERA and a 138 career ERA+.

What he lacked in flash, he more than made up for in substance.

Again, he wasn’t always perfect, but got the job done for a long, long time.

As any pitcher will tell you, those final three outs are different. John Franco handled them as well as anybody for the most part.

7. Lee Smith

802 games finished, 478 career saves (third all-time), 10 seasons of 30+ saves (including three consecutive of 43+ saves) in a career that quite frankly lasted two seasons too long.

A 3.03 career ERA that would have been under 3.00 (2.94) if not for his last two years of bloated run totals.

A seven-time All-Star, Lee was a workhorse closer who averaged 68 appearances per 162 games. He set the bar very high during his career and when he retired he was the all-time leader in both games finished and saves.

6. Billy Wagner

Not many left-handed pitchers in the history of the game have been able to tickle triple-digits on the radar gun.

Billy Wagner is one of those few.

…what? Velocity isn’t enough to be included on this list? Look, I understand that completely. I also understand that you might see Billy Wagner’s name and question his inclusion at all, but this is a case where raw numbers don’t lie.

414 career saves (fifth all time and second only to John Franco’s 424 among lefties), a career ERA of 2.35 (perhaps a tick lower after tonight’s scoreless, three-strikeout inning), 1167 strikeouts in only 886.1 innings pitched, and he’s just one lead-preservation away from his ninth 30+ save season out of 14 as a healthy closer…

Do you get the idea?

Wagner has been very good for a long time. The only negative in all of this (other than the basically wasted 2009 season in which he was mostly recovering from elbow surgery) is that he announced earlier this season that he plans on retiring at the end of 2010.

When you’ve got 29 saves (already), an ERA of 1.74 and 75 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched, I think you’ve shown that you’re still quite capable of performing at a high level.

For his sake, if he truly is done at the end of the year, I hope he finds a way to record at least 11 more saves down the stretch. A 40-save season to closer things out and to become the all-time left-handed pitcher career saves leader would be a fitting end to a stellar career.

If he plays for a few more years, however, I simply wonder where he’d end up on this list then.

5. Goose Gossage

Despite only compiling 310 saves during a 22 year career, when Gossage was locked in, there might not have been a closer in the game that hitters feared more during his tenure as a stopper.

In a season (1983) in which he appeared in 57 games (zero starts), finished 47 of them and amassing 22 saves, Gossage also went 13-5.

He may have only saved 30+ games in a season twice (33 in 1980 and 30 in 1982), but sometimes raw totals don’t tell the entire story.

Though his 1981 season which saw a 0.77 ERA and an ERA+ of 465 sure looks pretty, doesn’t it?

Suffice it to say that if I needed a closer for my team in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, there isn’t anybody else I’d have picked first. 13 years of intimidation and results is nothing to shake a stick at.

4. Rollie Fingers

Still the owner of the moustache which all others are measured by (and subsequently fall short of), Rollie Fingers was not your kid’s closer. He was most definitely a different breed than what is commonly referred to as the “modern” closer.

Pitching more than one inning in well over half of his career saves, Fingers could be given the ball at any point of the late-going of a game with a lead, and save or not, you were virtually assured of Fingers being able to finish it off.

Fingers pitched over 1700 innings in 944 games during his 17 year career. Total games started? 37.

Yes, a different breed to be sure, but any less good as a closer? You won’t be able to convince me of that.

3. Dennis Eckersley

Dennis “Eck” Eckersley was a great pitcher throughout his 24 year MLB career.

He was a 20-game winner as a starting pitcher in 1978 with the Cleveland Indians as a 23-year-old. He saved 51 games for the Oakland Athletics in 1992 as a 37-year-old.

In 1990 he allowed fewer baserunners than the number of saves he recorded (48 saves for the record). That’s ridiculous.

Had he been a closer throughout his career, there is even a chance that he challenges for the top spot in this list. He was, after all, one of the first names I knew as a kid.

I don’t remember him as an Indian, Red Sox or (shudder) a Cub. He was always in green and gold first to me and I only knew him as a closer.

Just as a closer, though, despite his excellence, he didn’t do it long enough for him to break into the top two.

2. Trevor Hoffman

Here is where we find Trevor Hoffman.

I battled with myself on this slotting simply because Dennis Eckersley was so good while he was a closer, but Hoffman gets this position on my all-time Top 10 list because he has done it so well for so much longer.

As I sit in front of my laptop, Hoffman is no doubt back in Milwaukee where he will get to relax during a second team off-day in four days. I just watched the replay of him entering a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team which has had his number a lot in the last two years, and a team which had already driven in two runs in the inning and reloaded the bases off of current Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford.

Three pitches, three strikes (two foul balls and a swing-and-miss variety on the third for the K), and another career save.

It was a thing of beauty after the first pitch which was over the heart of the plate but which Brendan Ryan pulled foul. The second was spotted in the low-outside corner of the strikezone. Ryan swung but harmlessly fouled it back. The third was a signature change up down the middle of the plate that Ryan waved at helplessly.

18 seasons, 598 saves (a Major League Baseball record) 847 games finished (another MLB record he holds)…nobody has done it as well for as long as Trevor Hoffman.

Period.

1. Mariano Rivera

Despite being second on the all-time saves list, Rivera transcends all others in the category of closer.

His career numbers are incredible and his presence in the back of the Yankees bullpen is a major contributing factor to their dominance.

Rivera’s worst season since becoming the full-time closer in 1997 still saw him amass 30 saves with a 3.15 ERA. That’s nearly a third of a run higher than his next worst season ERA as a closer of 2.85.

A career WHIP of 1.001, a career ERA of 2.21, a career ERA+ of 206, over 1000 strikeouts as a relief pitcher (1004 to be exact as of this writing)…these numbers and plenty of others speak loudly.

So again, while he might not be at the top of the Saves list yet, he currently sits at 550 for his career and has shown few signs of slowing down.

Does the ageless one have two more years in his right arm and cut fastball to surpass whatever Hoffman’s total might end up being? Perhaps he does.

Regardless of the final tally, Rivera wins the title of G.O.A.T. as far as closers are concerned.

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