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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

8/2011 Team Scope: Seattle Mariners

August 16th 2011 14:15
The Mariners have the worst offense in baseball, and Dustin Ackley is the only player with at least 200 plate apperances who has an RC-plus of over 100. Franklin Gutierrez, Miguel Olivo, and Chone Figgins have been so bad that they might as well sign Carlton Lassiter (for you Psych fans out there). I mean really, this team just can't hit! Ackley has been outstanding, but nobody else has been around the league average in hitting (100 RC-plus ). Chone Figgins? He has an atrocious 35 RC , has a -0.8 WAR, and he only provides value on defense (marginal value really).

The funny thing is that offseason acquisition Brendan Ryan has the highest WAR on the team. His RC is only 90, but that's the fourth highest on the team. We all know Ryan can't hit, and the reason why he has value is because of his glove. He has been very good in the field, and Ryan has also been smart on the basepaths this year.


Dustin Ackley will overtake Ryan in WAR, and he has been on fire since his call-up. Ackley's RC of 141 will definitely cool down, but he has really produced for the M's. His ISO is .201, his wOBA is .374, and he has provided value defensively and on the bases as well. In short, Ackley is the team's best non-pitcher. I don't care about regression, because frankly, nobody else on this roster is really that good (again, non-pitchers only).

The Mariners don't really have a good pitching staff either; it's only OK. Even though Casper Wells has been great since the Doug Fister trade, I still don't think the M's should have traded Fister. That mindset might change if Francisco Martinez ends up being a solid major leaguer.

Anyway, Felix Hernandez is a beast so we don't need to talk about him. Now what about Michael Pineda? Nobody is talking about him much anymore, but he's still been very good. His fastball is still getting up there in a hurry (95 mph), and his slider has been nasty. The K's are high (9.13) but so are the walks (3.13). Pineda has had a great season, and he definitely deserves to be the AL Rookie of the Year.


Brandon League has surprisingly held up as a closer and is having a pretty good year. I can't say the same for the rest of the bullpen; especially Jamey Wright and Aaron Laffey. Those two are pitching much worse than what the raw stats would indicate.

In summary, the Mariners stink and will continue their losing ways until some influx of competence in the lineup is created. This offense doesn't nearly resemble a Major League offense, and they have no true power hitter or table setter. If you don't have either of those two, I don't see how you can hope to be at least an average team at this level. And heck, they don't really even have much of a bullpen either. They should be thankful that teams like the A's and Astros exist, because the Mariners would probably be the worst team in baseball, from a pure talent perspective, without them. Well, they might actually be worse than the A's, but that's a debate for another day.
Dustin Ackley
M's best hitter

39
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8/2011 Center Fielder Rankings

August 6th 2011 14:07
One of the premier positions in baseball is center field. First off, it is the second most important position on the diamond- after shortstop- and many of the game's greats were center fielders. Below are my rankings of the center fielders in baseball today. (Minimum 750 plate appearances as a center fielder since 2009)

1. Rangers Josh Hamilton
2. Dodgers Matt Kemp
3. Phillies Shane Victorino
4. Yankees Curtis Granderson
5. Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury
6. Rockies Carlos Gonzalez
7. Pirates Andrew McCutchen
8. Braves Michael Bourn
9. Diamondbacks Chris Young
10. Yankees Brett Gardner
11. Orioles Adam Jones
12. Blue Jays Colby Rasmus
13. Reds Drew Stubbs
14. Twins Denard Span
15. Angels Torii Hunter
16. Indians Grady Sizemore
17. Rays B.J. Upton
18. Giants Carlos Beltran
19. Mets Angel Pagan
20. Giants Andres Torres
21. White Sox Alex Rios
22. Mariners Franklin Gutierrez
23. Braves Nate McLouth
24. Cubs Marlon Byrd
25. Brewers Nyjer Morgan
26. Angels Vernon Wells
27. Tigers Austin Jackson
28. Athletics Coco Crisp
29. Brewers Carlos Gomez
30. Blue Jays Rajai Davis

The Braves got a really nice deal when they got the eighth best center fielder in baseball for a a handful of decent prospects. They really needed a leadoff hitter and a better CF than McLouth. I still have McLouth in the top 25, but that's really not saying much. After all, there are only 30 starting centerfielders in the game. These are all useful players- they are starting-caliber center fielders- but some of them have a shorter shelf-life on this list than others.

The Yankees have two very good center fielders in Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson. But I honestly think that Gardner is better suited for the starting role in center, because Gardner is the best outfielder in baseball- in terms of fielding- and Granderson is only an average fielder.

Josh Hamilton is the best center fielder in baseball, and I don't buy the argument that he isn't good enough in center. His fielding rating from Fan Graphs in center is far better than Kemp's. Hamilton is actually a good defensive player, but people can't see past the stereotype of big mashers being solid defensive players in center. Kemp is fast, but man does he make some mistakes out there in center. It's a tough call, but Hamilton's RC of 142 makes it a win for the Rangers' CF.
Vernon Wells
Walk-Off Single in 10th
19
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