Everybody has their list.
They get a ton of attention and for this group, unwarranted. They’re overrated.
Which stats are the best indicators of being overrated?
OPS? WAR? Should an eye test be taken?
Potential sometimes cannot be judged on stats.
Let’s take a look at the 10 most overrated players in baseball.
An injury to a starter before the season even starts is never a good sign.
However, the 2011 San Francisco Giants are one of the few teams this year that can absorb the blow.
Blessed with incredible outfield depth and player versatility, there is no reason to believe that the current personnel can’t hold down the fort for the first two weeks of the season.
Assuming Cody Ross returns in three weeks as predicted, the Giants may actually benefit from his temporary absence.
Right now, the Giants have options for starting right fielders—in reality, an absurd number of options. Aubrey Huff, Mark DeRosa, Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand or Nate Schierholtz could all man the position.
Travis Ishikawa has been playing left field in spring training and Brandon Belt has experience in the outfield, so they theoretically could be in contention as well for the spot.
However, it is more likely that they would take over first or left for Huff or DeRosa should he slide to the other corner.
Regardless of who actually plays right, somebody who was going to be playing left bench will now be on the field. Rowand, Ishikawa, Schierholtz, DeRosa and Belt, who are all currently without a starting spot, get another shot, this time in real big-league games.
Bruce Bochy already seems to pride himself on the way he can fit the same 13 players in the same eight positions in as many variations as possible, so he should have no problem getting all his bench players at-bats.
Most likely, Belt will not be in the mix. Although he certainly has the skills, his presence on Opening Day would be an economic burden for the franchise. If he plays only three weeks in the minor leagues, the organization can delay his option for free agency by a full year, securing him until through at least the 2017 season, at which point he would be eligible for free agency.
If Belt begins the year in Fresno, the Giants also solve another problem: Rowand, Schierholtz and Ishikawa all can have spots on the 25-man roster. Both Ishikawa and Schierholtz are out of minor-league options, meaning that if one did not make the roster, he would have to be released, unless traded before March 31, the deadline to reduce rosters to 25 players.
Even in a tough division like the NL West, the loss of one player for a couple weeks will not derail a team’s playoff hopes, especially in April. As a result, the extra playing time for bench players has minimal risk and can only bode well for all parties involved.
If Schierholtz or Ishikawa utterly fails to produce when given a spot in the lineup, the organization can release him to make space for Ross when he recovers from his injury, which they may have had to do anyway had Ross not been injured.
And if one of them, or DeRosa or Rowand, goes on a tear to start the year, the Giants would have gained an asset they otherwise would not have. They could either be looking at this year’s Andres Torres or simply have a player with enhanced trade value.
They already have plenty of outfielders; if one off the bench can get himself traded, then the Giants gain a prospect for absolutely no cost.
Either way, the Giants have only something to gain.
As these very same Giants saw last year, players step up from obscure corners of the roster to make an impact. Why not see if some other guys take advantage of their chance this year?
The injury to Ross is definitely a concern. The Giants have much less hope of repeating without him. But players get hurt and miss time; it’s part of the game. As long as he is out only three weeks as the doctors think he will be, there’s nothing to worry about.
Luckily, the Giants can turn this setback into an opportunity. Ross’ absence can temporarily take away the need to cut a player and allow some fringe players a chance to grab hold of the spotlight.
Baseball is a funny game; crazy things can happen.
That couldn’t be more true than with these San Francisco Giants.
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Oakland Athletics (2010 record: 81-81)
The Oakland Athletics finished last season with a .500 record after three consecutive losing seasons. They were able to do so thanks largely to an excellent young rotation, a good bullpen and a solid defense. Little of what they accomplished was owed to their offense—which finished 11th in the league in runs scored.
In an effort to improve the offensive attack, the front office bid adieu to DH Jack Cust and outfielder Rajai Davis and replaced them with DH Hideki Matsui and outfielders David DeJesus and Josh Willingham.
I’m not sure I would have cut ties with Davis, who is just starting to reach his potential, but Billy Beane and company probably saw him as redundant due to the presence of Coco Crisp. Willingham and Matsui should provide quite a bit more power to a lineup devoid of power bats.
The San Francisco Giants may become just a little less crowded in the outfield on Opening Day.
The Giants suffered a big blow during Wednesday’s spring training contest against the Los Angeles Angels, who won the game 8-0. The score and Matt Cain’s atrocious start were the least of the Giants’ concerns, as Cody Ross pulled up lame coming in on a line drive to right field.
Ross left the game in the first inning with a strained right calf muscle. According to MLB.com, his immediate playing status remains uncertain, pending the results of an MRI Thursday, but playing on Opening Day against the Los Angeles Dodgers may be questionable.
Bochy has some interesting options in filling Ross’ spot. Will rookie Brandon Belt or the maligned veteran Aaron Rowand benefit from Ross’ injury?
Assuming Ross is unable to start the season, here is the current state of the Giants’ outfield as the Giants break camp next week.
Andres Torres
It seems as if he is penciled in to be the starting center fielder, even if Rowand replaces Ross on the field. Bochy has inserted Rowand in the corner outfield positions this spring to prepare for a change from his native center field position.
Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com said he believes Burrell was the front-runner to start in left field before Ross’ injury. Urban also said that Brandon Belt may start at first base with Aubrey Huff moving to the outfield.
Aubrey Huff
With Ross’ injury, Huff just might be patrolling a corner outfield position in next Thursday’s opener. Urban added that the Giants like Belt’s bat and are confident he can handle first base. This appears to be the likely scenario if Belt continues to play well for the rest of spring training.
Aaron Rowand
His hitting is atrocious, but he has a decent glove. He will have a shot to prove himself with Ross’ injury, as the Giants will probably move people around until Ross comes back.
Nate Schierholtz
He is an exceptional fielder with a great arm, but he is out of options. Because of this, Urban said he might be given a shot to start right field. From an offensive standpoint, Huff in right field and Burrell in left make the most sense.
Mark DeRosa
He played some left field for the Giants in 2010, but the team would rather have him bounce around the infield. However, DeRosa has hit the ball hard this spring and could force himself into the lineup, whether in the outfield or the infield (with Huff moving to the outfield).
Cody Ross
Do not completely rule out Ross. If Thursday’s MRI goes well, he might patrol right field on Opening Day after all. However, given how the injury looked, this probably will not happen.
Predicted outfield on Opening Day
LF: Pat Burrell
CF: Andres Torres
RF: Aubrey Huff (with Belt at first)
The bottom line is, the Giants are a versatile team who are well-equipped for a situation like Ross’ injury. If Belt can contribute and continue his good plate approach, the Giants might not miss Ross all that much while he is healing from his calf injury.
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Who will finish in last place in 2011? Vote here.
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Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell—after the 2010 season, we feel like we know these guys.
We saw them hit. We watched them orchestrate a dramatic transformation of the Giants clubhouse with their veteran leadership. We know their sense of humor, and we rattle off tales of their college days together with autobiographical familiarity, as if we had tagged along for the shenanigans too.
By God, we even learned their underwear preferences over the course of the 2010 season.
But the players who were so instrumental to the Giants’ championship campaign are largely unknown quantities coming into the 2011 season. With the short-term memory of post-championship fans, we forget that Burrell and Huff weren’t always the same players we saw hoisting the World Series trophy last year.
We don’t really know them as well as we think we do.
Critics are quick to point out that 2010 was a statistical deviation from the recent downward trajectory of Huff and Burrell’s careers.
Huff was jobless until the Giants picked him up off the couch in January. He had just finished a season in which he hit a meager .189 following a trade to Detroit. Burrell had been designated for assignment after hitting only .218 with the Rays when the Giants took a chance on him.
Then in San Francisco, both players spectacularly outplayed their 2010 contracts in a veritable career renaissance.
Will the 2011 season justify critics’ claims that Huff and Burrell’s 2010 numbers aren’t representative of the players they actually are? Or have the Giants found a way to harness their true talent in a way that can be showcased in the coming year as well?
The answer to this question will play a large role in the whether the Giants succeed in 2011. The veteran performances of Huff and Burrell will be crucial in the coming season, and here’s why.
According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, San Francisco Giants All-Star closer Brian Wilson was diagnosed with a mildly strained left oblique yesterday.
Wilson believes he will be ready for Opening Day, but Martie Lurie of KNBR said on the Giants’ postgame show that March 31’s opener is in jeopardy for the bearded right-hander.
Wilson will not throw the ball until Monday, when he will be re-evaluated.
Wilson earned a major league best 48 saves last season. He reported the discomfort last Friday, the day after pitching a shutout inning against the Angels in an exhibition game.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Wilson pitched five innings in the preseason and gave up just one run (1.80 ERA).
My Thoughts
This is a bit of a concern for me.
Brian Wilson is one of the best closers in the National League, perhaps the game, and I do not think the Giants have anyone formidable to replace him with. Santiago Casilla does not throw enough strikes for me in the ninth, and Sergio Romo is just too prone to the long ball late in the game (as seen in the NLDS).
Although Javier Lopez is a good pitcher, I want someone who can throw gas coming into the ninth inning. If this were 2009, I would say Jeremy Affeldt could step in, but he just has not been consistent enough of late.
A possible under-the-radar candidate could be Marc Kroon.
Kroon was a successful closer in Japan who nearly broke the all-time saves record over there. In six seasons, Kroon accrued 177 saves and threw as high as 101 mph.
He is doing okay in spring training, giving up two runs in six innings (3.00 ERA) while striking out four.
Still, it would be very difficult to replace Wilson, who insists that he will be fine for the opener in Los Angeles. However, anything can happen and the Giants need to look at other options just in case.
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Questions or Comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.
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Who will finish in last place in the NL West? Vote here.
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Brett Anderson had a bit of a coming-out party in 2010, though injuries didn’t allow him to fully put his talents on display. You can see by his numbers what could be possible:
Seven Wins
112.1 Innings
2.80 ERA
1.19 WHIP
75 Strikeouts (6.01 K/9)
22 Walks (1.76 BB/9)
.294 BABIP
It was problems with his elbow that caused him to miss significant time, but it is extremely hard to argue with the results. The most impressive number is probably his control, and that is something that is extremely realistic. In his rookie year, he posted a BB/9 of 2.31 (over 175.1 innings). Over his minor-league career, he’s at 1.88 over 244.2 innings.
Obviously, there is fear of a slight regression, but it certainly isn’t a big one. He has elite control, and that goes a long way toward helping Anderson post impressive WHIPs.
The next impressive feat is his ground-ball rate, which was at 54.6 percent after posting a 50.9 percent mark in his rookie campaign.
So he has great control and is a ground-ball pitcher who calls a pitcher’s park home. How much more do we need to know?
In fact, things get even more impressive. While he struggled with the strikeouts, the injury may have had an impact on that. In his rookie season, he posted a 7.70 K/9, and over his minor-league career he was at 9.60. The fact is there is a good chance he improves here, giving him the perfect trio of skills.
Yes, you can argue that he was slightly lucky with a 75.4 percent strand rate, but improved strikeouts are going to help to offset any regression there. The fact of the matter is Anderson brings the potential to excel in three key aspects of pitching, making him a pitcher we should all target on draft day.
Granted, pitching for the A’s may not give him a tremendous number of opportunities for wins. However, with the bullpen they have assembled (assuming the scare for Andrew Bailey is in fact nothing serious, as they are currently saying), he just needs to get them to the sixth inning with the lead and there is a great chance for victory.
You should have Bailey locking down the ninth. Before him, you have key free-agent imports Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Let’s not forget about names like Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow and others. Oakland’s bullpen has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best in the business. That turns the game from a nine-inning affair into a six-inning one.
My projection for Anderson in 2011:
180.0 IP, 14 W, 3.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 150 K (7.50 K/9), 40 BB (2.00 BB/9)
According to Mock Draft Central, Anderson currently has an ADP of 147.93. That’s the 15th round, making him a tremendous value. It’s hard to call him a sleeper, because we all know his name, but he is more than worth grabbing.
What are your thoughts on Anderson? How good do you think he can be? Is he a player you are targeting?
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Make sure to check out some of our 2011 projections:
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The San Francisco Giants are currently the toast of Major League Baseball. Featuring the best rotation in baseball and coming off a World Series championship, the Giants look to become the first team since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees to win consecutive World Series.
A crucial contributor to the 2010 San Francisco Giants was NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey, a can’t-miss prospect who made good on his potential with the Giants by becoming one of the team’s leaders both on and off the field.
In 2011, the Giants have another such player in Brandon Belt, a five-tool first baseman (how often do we say that?) who ripped up the minor leagues in his first season of pro ball and is looking to make the Giants out of spring camp.
Belt will not be the only impact rookie in the majors this season, though.
Here we take a look at 30 rookies looking to make an impact at the major league level in 2011.
Spring Training is finally in full swing, which means the regular season is just around the corner. For some players, Spring Training is just a time to fine tune their skills before the season. But for others, it’s a chance to earn a spot on a big league roster.
From rookies to free-agent signings, there are many players battling for positions around the majors this spring. Here is a breakdown of the six most intense outfield position battles.
Did you know that Major League Baseball is the only sport where the ground rules are different from venue to venue? Because of this strange stipulation, each ballpark has its own unique feature, dimensions and quirks.
This is the reason some stadiums like Yankee Stadium are such hitter’s parks, and other stadiums like CitiField are such pitcher’s parks.
Here is a list of the 20 most interesting quirks in MLB history: