Kuzul

Here’s my early top-60 listing of outfielders heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5×5 roto leagues.

This position will likely produce baseball’s largest number of four- and five-category studs by season’s end.

But that star power still cannot obscure the uncertainty of taking inexperienced young players or injury-riddled veterans later in the draft, or household names that will invariably fall short of last year’s amped-up stats.

Hopefully, this listing will eliminate some of the draft-day doubt and consternation that come with the territory.

Especially with leagues that require five starters at the position.

Enjoy the show!

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Who says you have to pump iron (or, in these days, pop PEDs) to be a slugger? For goodness sake, Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer!

Power hitters come in all shapes and sizes, from a rounded Prince Fielder to a towering Adam Dunn to a perfectly proportioned Albert Pujols. 

But wait, what about the skinny guys? You know, the ones who frequently take off days from the gym just because they weren’t in the mood (we’ve all been there). 

Surprisingly, some of these players are renowned as some of the best home run hitters in the game. 

Let’s see who made the list.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had a winning season in two decades, but few deny that they have one of the most passionate fanbases in Major League Baseball. That passion was on display in the voting for MLB 13: The Show’s cover athlete, as Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has been announced as the video game’s representative, per its official Twitter feed:

The official winner of the Cover Showdown and the cover athlete for MLB 13 The Show is @thecutch22! Thanks to all candidates and voters!

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 12, 2013

McCutchen was chosen after a five-day voting process that began on Monday. As part of a promotional event for the game’s launch, fans had the opportunity to vote between seven different cover athletes for the game through an official page on MLB.com. 

The Pirates star beat out a field that consisted of Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera. Considering the amount of consistent All-Stars and MVP candidates in the field, very few expected McCutchen to pull out the victory.

However, the voting wasn’t even close. According to the official results, McCutchen received nearly 20,000 more votes than Sabathia, who finished in second place.

For his victory, McCutchen can undoubtedly thank a drove of Pirates fans who tweeted out #MLB13Cutch over the past week. Even McCutchen himself got in the action and seemed to be relishing in the fan support:

don’t stop… trend it!!! #MLB13Cutch

— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) January 11, 2013

Viewed by many as the best MLB game on the market, appearing on MLB 13: The Show’s cover is undoubtedly an honor for McCutchen and Pirates fans everywhere. The 26-year-old outfielder burst onto the scene in 2012, hitting .327 with 31 home runs, 96 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

During that time, he became a fan favorite in the Pittsburgh area and is largely seen as a face-of-the-franchise type talent. With the voting results in, it seems like video gamers across the country agree.

Follow @tylerconway22

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I would personally love to see a Pittsburgh Pirates player on the cover of MLB 13 the Show. With the announcement that Andrew McCutchen is one of the candidates for the game’s cover vote, that thought may actually come to fruition.

The Player’s Choice for NL Outstanding Player @thecutch22 is now also a choice for the MLB 13 cover. mlb.com/covervote #MLB13Cutch

— MLBTheShow (@MLBTheShow) December 18, 2012

McCutchen is the third star to learn his name is in the running for the honor. Needless to say, he’d be the first Pittsburgh Pirates player ever on the cover of the MLB the Show series—or any other series for that matter.

Despite the team’s history of futility, McCutchen deserves consideration. If the Pirates had made the playoffs, he would have had a great shot at winning MVP.

He hit .327 with 31 home runs, 96 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Those numbers landed him third in the NL MVP voting, but local radio stations and news media are hoping to see their star finish first in this voting process.

Joe Kapp, the producer of Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan took to Twitter to start McCutchen‘s campaign:

Andrew McCutchen Needs Your VOTE For Video Game Cover #fanmorningshow @937thefan « CBS Pittsburgh cbsloc.al/RCtH9u

— Joe Kapp (@937Catfish) December 18, 2012

McCutchen joins the New York Yankees‘ C.C. Sabathia and the Washington Nationals‘ Bryce Harper as players that are in the running for the honor. Sabathia would be the first pitcher ever to appear on the cover and Harper would be the youngest player to ever appear.

If any of the three known candidates are chosen, there is some history to be made. Per MLB.com, there is at least one more candidate to be named later. Miguel Cabrera and/or Mike Trout would make sense, but that’s just me talking.

The voting begins on January 7, and the game releases on March 5, 2013. Stay tuned for more information on the next candidate for the MLB 13 the Show cover, and more information about the game.

With a cancellation of the MLB 2K series looming per Kotaku.com, this may very well be the only virtual ball game available. 

Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay on YouTube and Twitter for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports video games

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This one hurt, Pittsburgh Pirate fans.

In fact the excruciating 14 inning, 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds could very well be a devastating blow to the team and their fading hopes for a playoff spot.

There certainly was no lack of effort on both team’s part. Both the Reds and Pirates wiggled out of impossible late game jams that looked as though they would put the game away.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the 11th and the 14th, the latter with nobody out. They failed to score.

The Reds bailed out Pirates reliever Tony Watson when Todd Frazier swung at ball three and four in the ninth inning with a runner on.

Jose Tabata made a game saving catch with two outs in the bottom of the 11th.

And with two outs in the bottom of the 14th, reliever Rick van den Hurk got Ryan Ludwick to ground out but shortstop Chase d’Arnaud could not get it out of his glove and the game was over.

A victory would have meant so much for the Pirates. It would have pulled them to within a game and a half of the Wild Card and help wipe out the memory of the embarrassing sweep at home by the lowly Cubs.

Instead, their losing streak is at four games. They are only four games above .500. They have dropped 21 of their last 30 and spiraling.

And yet a victory tonight and a Cardinal loss puts them right back in to the mix.

Last week, I wrote a Bleacher Report article about why it is better to lose 12-2 than a close extra inning game.

There is no better example of that than last night. The Pirates need to turn their ship around or those bases loaded opportunities will haunt them all winter.

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Buster Posey has been a grinder for the San Francisco Giants this season, and a player who deserves the National League MVP Award.

Since he broke into the big leagues in 2010, where he batted .305/.357/.505 and ran away with the Rookie of the Year Award, Posey has been an instrumental part of the Giants lineup.

Not only does he call a great game, but he brings a youthful energy to the squad, an energy that’s hard to maintain.

Buster Posey is hands down the most important player on a Giants squad inches ahead in the N.L. West pennant race. 

Why? Because he’s their backbone.

Before the enthusiasm Bryce Harper and Mike Trout brought to the game, Posey showed the world he’s able to carry a World Series team on his back. 

His presence on the diamond is electric, so it’s not a shocker San Francisco missed the postseason last year after losing Posey 45 games into the season.

But alas, he’s back and better than ever, setting career highs in every major hitting category. And if he hasn’t already, he’s on pace to have the best season of his young career.

Thus far he’s batting a blistering .328/.394/.542 to go along with 17 homers, 23 doubles and 41 walks.

But above all, there are two statistics that stand out most about Posey: his 41 RAR and 4.2 WAR.

In simpler terms, the Giants are a better ball club with Posey in their lineup, from both an offensive and defensive standpoint.  

Although guys like Melky Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen will headline the MVP crew, don’t be surprised to hear Buster Posey’s name called, because he’s been climbing to the top of a lot of hitting categories.

And he hasn’t even played 100 games yet.  

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It is certainly a bit of a misnomer to use the term “underpaid” when discussing professional baseball players. With a new league minimum salary of $480,000, even the sixth outfielder and the lefty specialist make more annually than the President of the United States. Make no mistake—if you’re talented enough to catch the eye of a big league team, you have the chance to become better paid than the majority of Americans. The league minimum is nothing to sneeze at, but the league average is a tick above $3 million—a paycheck most of us would be hard-pressed to complain about. 

Of course, all players—and all player contracts—are not created equal. They are frequently based on past performance and hope to approximate future performance, an inexact science at best. It is not uncommon for aging players to perform significantly worse in the final years of their contracts than they did when they first signed it, and every now and then you get players whose numbers take drastic and unexplained dips soon after signing mega-deals.

These so-called “albatross contracts” haunt the dreams of every major league GM, who want nothing less than to sign the next Dan Uggla ($13 million, batting .210), Bobby Abreu ($9 million, recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers) or Vernon Wells ($21 million for a whopping -.4 WAR per Fangraphs).

But on the other end of the spectrum are players who are playing well above their pay grade. These are mainly younger players who have yet to become arbitration eligible, but have already started to contribute in big ways to their big league club. For some of these players, the right break for their team in the playoff race could mean a big boost in their MVP candidacy (as we have seen in recent years, MVP voters very much factor team success into the spirit of the award). 

We can quantify the extent to which a player outperforms their paycheck by calculating their cost vs. performance score—the average MLB salary divided by the player’s salary, multiplied by the player’s WAR. 

Read on to find out which legitimate MVP candidates are being paid less than Jack Wilson.

All salary figures are courtesy of Baseball Player Salaries, and all batting stats are courtesy of Fangraphs.

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With the fantasy trade deadlines coming up this week and next (I have four red-letter dates this Friday), it’s time for owners to make one last pitch for baseball’s elite categorical contributors.

AccuScore, a company that specializes in thorough game simulations, has made a few on-the-fly revisions to its seasonal projections.

These 46 hitters, based on AccuScore projections (not mine), will register at least nine home runs from this point forward (Aug. 7-Sept. 30):

Part I
1. Adam Dunn, White Sox—14
2. Ryan Braun, Brewers—13
3. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers—13
4. Curtis Granderson, Yankees—12
5. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs—12
6. Josh Hamilton, Rangers—12
7. Albert Pujols, Angels—12
8. Mark Trumbo, Angels—12
9. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays—12
10. Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays—12
11. Matt Kemp, Dodgers—11
12. Mark Teixeira, Yankees—11
13. Paul Konerko, White Sox—11
14. Josh Willingham, Twins—11
15. Corey Hart, Brewers—11
16. Prince Fielder, Tigers—11
17. Mike Trout, Angels—10
18. David Ortiz, Red Sox—10
19. Robinson Cano, Yankees—10
20. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins—10
21. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies—10
22. Jay Bruce, Reds—10
23. Adam LaRoche, Nationals—10

Part II
24. Trevor Plouffe, Twins—10
25. Nelson Cruz, Rangers—10
26. Adrian Beltre, Rangers—10
27. Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics—10
28. Adam Jones, Orioles—9
29. Kevin Youkilis, White Sox—9
30. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates—9
31. Mike Napoli, Rangers—9
32. Pedro Alvarez, Pirates—9
33. Dan Uggla, Braves—9
34. Mark Reynolds, Orioles—9
35. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs—9
36. Ryan Howard, Phillies—9
37. Josh Reddick, Athletics—9
38. Will Middlebrooks, Red Sox—9
39. Michael Morse, Nationals—9
40. Aramis Ramirez, Brewers—9
41. Matt Holliday, Cardinals—9
42. Carlos Quentin, Padres—9
43. Nick Swisher, Yankees—9
44. Joey Votto, Reds—9
45. Carlos Beltran, Cardinals—9
46. Brandon Moss, Athletics—9
 

Breakdown

• The prediction that immediately stands out is Anthony Rizzo (9 HR, 23 RBI, .301 BA) clubbing 12 homers from this point forward. To date, he’s averaging one homer for every 14.78 at-bats. Extrapolating that figure over another 49 games (sitting out six) with four daily at-bats (conservative estimate), that’s another 196 at-bats for the season…or 13.26 home runs. AccuScore’s right in that ballpark.
• I’ll reluctantly buy the “under” on Adam Dunn’s prediction of 14 homers from this point forward. For the season, Dunn (31 HR, 74 RBI, .205 BA) has a sterling trend of one homer for every 12.26 at-bats. But in the last 30 days, Dunn’s rate has regressed to one homer for every 15.2 at-bats.
• Noticeably absent from this list: David Wright, Evan Longoria, Chris Davis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Lind, Alex Rios, Ryan Zimmerman, Startling Marte, Ian Kinsler, Jason Kubel, Ike Davis, Brian McCann, Carlos Pena, Carlos Santana, Buster Posey, Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Morneau, Hunter Pence, Dayan Viciedo, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon.
• I’ve seen approximately 12 of Paul Goldschmidt‘s 16 homers on live TV this season, via MLB Extra Innings. And that somehow led me to believe Goldy was belting bombs at a more prodigious rate than one homer per 21 at-bats (seasonal)…or one homer for every 16.1 at-bats (minus a shaky April). If he maintains that May-August pace, he’ll clear double digits.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

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The Home Run Derby is arguably the most exciting part of All-Star weekend. There are eight players participating in the derby this year which pits team Kemp against team Cano. 2011 Home Run Derby champion Robinson Cano will be looking to repeat this season.

Each of the players participating in the Home Run Derby has shown off their power stroke this season, but not all of them have gotten a chance to play a game at Kauffman Stadium this year.

All of the players have their own strengths and power alleys that have worked for them this year, but that might just lead to some long outs in the Home Run Derby this year. Each graph of home runs hit by Home Run Derby participants from this year will also show an overlay of Kauffman Stadium to show if the ball would have left the park there as well.

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Andrew McCutchen has been announced as Giancarlo Stanton’s replacement for the Home Run Derby just hours after Bryce Harper was named (h/t Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post) as Stanton’s replacement for the All-Star Game itself.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the news via their official Twitter account:

. @thecutch22 replaces Giancarlo Stanton in the MLB Home Run derby Monday night.

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 8, 2012

McCutchen has led a resurgence in the Steel City so far this season. He’s a top contender for the National League MVP award at this point because of his legitimate five-tool talents. He’s hitting .359 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI this far.

He isn’t your traditional Home Run Derby participant. He doesn’t have towering power, but his production has increased gradually over his career. He hit 12 home runs as a rookie in 2009, 16 in 2010 and 23 last season. Given that he already has 16 bombs this year you have to imagine he will clear his total from the 2011 campaign.

Fans outside of Pittsburgh may wrinkle their nose at McCutchen as a derby participant, but they shouldn’t. He is one of baseball’s rising stars, and this year’s production, coupled with the Pirates play, has vaulted him to superstar status.

When you look at McCutchen you don’t see a menacing hitter with prodigious power potential. You see an excellent all-around hitter who has home run capabilities but isn’t a consistent threat to go yard.

Don’t let McCutchen’s 5’10”, 185-pound frame fool you. He has one of the quickest bats in the league, and his bat speed gives him a chance to compete Monday night. He has an easily repeatable swing because of his discipline and rhythmic approach.

Stanton was a “sexy” pick to win this year because of his propensity for towering shots. His power has been well-documented since his days in the Marlins farm system.

McCutchen doesn’t bring that same reputation to the table, but his presence will be exciting. He’s the face of the up-and-coming Pirates franchise and one of baseball’s brightest young stars.

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