Second City Squad

So I thought I'd have some fun with this post. It's more from the "what if" category which I promise to move away from after this one. But for now, I'm rolling with it.

Currently, there are only three cities that have two major league teams: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. While the Mets and Yankees faced off in the World Series eight short years ago, right now Chicago's Cubs and Sox along with Los Angeles' Angels and Dodgers are playing great baseball. But if these cities were allowed to pick their best players for one elite team, who would reign supreme?

The way I got onto this topic was in thinking about Chicago and how tough it would be to combine the two rosters. But of course, I decided to try it anyway:

C - Geovany Soto (Cubs)
1B - Derrek Lee (Cubs)
2B - Alexei Ramirez (Sox)
SS - Ryan Theriot (Cubs)
3B - Aramis Ramirez (Cubs)
LF - Carlos Quentin (Sox)
CF - Reed Johnson (Cubs)
RF - Jermaine Dye (Sox)

SP - Carlos Zambrano (Cubs)
SP - John Danks (Sox)
SP - Ryan Dempster (Cubs)
SP - Rich Harden (Cubs)
SP - Mark Buehrle (Sox)

CL - Bobby Jenks (Sox)

From there, you could fill in the bench and bullpen in various ways. I imagine Mark DeRosa and Juan Uribe make the squad with their versatility, and Alfonso Soriano and A.J. Pierzynski would have spots too. The bullpen could be amazing, especially if you look at some starters who weren't mentioned above.

So, what do you think? Is the starting lineup I mentioned the best Chicago lineup? I doubt a combined New York (Mets and Yankees) lineup would be better. But what about Los Angeles now that Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixera are in the mix?

The Great DH Debate

Last week two American League pitchers were injured while either swinging a bat or running the bases in National League parks. The Yankees' owner, Hank Steinbrenner, had this to say after his team lost its top pitcher due to an injury while running the base paths:

"It's time the National League joins the 21st century."

Hank wants the NL to switch to the AL-style DH rule so pitchers don't have to bat. Is he right?

Text buddies: A-Rod and Rose

According to Tom Friend's ESPN.com article "Unlikely BFFs," Alex Rodriguez has been getting hitting advice from Pete Rose for two-plus years. While I was a bit surprised (and entertained) to learn of A-Rod's choice for a hitting mentor, I must admit that Rose made a great point in the article when he said, "Well, if I wanted to talk to somebody about hitting, I'd talk to me, too."

How's that trade working out for Detroit?

Last December the sports world went abuzz when Detroit traded away their top prospects to Florida for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. The conventional wisdom at the time, as I remember it, was that this trade was exactly what Detroit needed to return to the World Series. And as for the Marlins? Well, many experts seemingly couldn't help but feel sorry for that small market team's fans.

My first reaction to the deal was one of surprise. Yes, it was an aggressive move by the Tigers, but the more I looked at it, the less I liked it. Adding Miguel Cabrera seemed fine to me, but adding Dontrelle Willis didn't. Then when I began to consider what the Tigers would have to pay Cabrera as well as the number of quality prospects they gave up, the trade started looking more and more desperate. Whereas on Florida's side, I felt they had done well to ship out Willis's and Cabrera's contracts while at the same time getting some top prospects in return; they had "diversified their funds" so to speak, and that made sense to me.

What I didn't expect was for Detroit to start out this season with the worst record in the AL through May 18. Nor did I expect the Marlins to be leading the NL East (many picked the Mets, Phillies, or Braves). These teams have both been surprises this year, although I think Detroit's troubles are mainly found in a non-existent bullpen (injuries) along with mediocre starting pitching. With regard to the Marlins, well, their young talent is finally taking it to the next level which is always among hardest things to predict in baseball.

I still believe one should usually wait at least three years before really judging a baseball trade, and this one is no different. However, that won't stop me from speculating; and as far as I'm concerned, the Marlins got the better end of the deal. Not only is their team playing better than the Tigers this season, their talent is younger and they have a better farm system going.

Although, while it's surprising to see the Marlins atop the NL East, what's more shocking is that they might not even be the best team in the Sunshine State...

Happy days here again with the Fons?

Last July I attended a Cubs game at Wrigley, and afterward I went with some friends to the outdoor parking lot where many Cubs players leave after the game. Apparently it's a good place to get autographs.

I remember it was beautiful weather as we waited outside a low, chain-linked fence looking into narrow lot. There were many expensive cars, a few unidentified security guys as well as other Cubs employees. I would later find out that some of the people waiting around in that lot were friends and family of the players.

Since Carlos Zambrano hadn't pitched that day, he was one of the first to arrive (and subsequently depart). I also remember Derrek Lee and Ryan Dempster (who actually left by pedaling his bicycle). And there was Lou Piniella who, as he walked toward his SUV turned to the small crowd and uncomfortably waved. I had nearly called out, "Hey Lou, nice double-switch in the sixth inning!" The only reason I didn't was because a small part of me thought it might actually have been the seventh... (And it really was a nice double-switch as the Cubs hung on for a one-run victory that game.)

But the person I remember most from that parking lot was "Fons." Alfonso Soriano.

I hadn't realized it before, but Soriano in person is just a cool dude. It's hard to explain, but as he chatted with teammates, friends and family while holding somebody's little girl for part of the time, his smooth style was readily apparent. Although, some of the fans waiting nearby weren't nearly as smooth as they rattled the fence, waving pens and hats and paper, yelling out repeatedly, "Alfonso! Alfonso pleeeease!"

But Fons kept chatting away, occasionally looking over to the fans, flashing a smile and coolly holding his hand up extending his index and pinky fingers like they do at the University of Texas for "Hook 'em 'Horns." The fans would reach a fevered pitch thinking that this was their chance to get Soriano's attention for an autograph, but understandably, he'd just go back to his conversation. Then after about ten minutes he was gone.

From a purely baseball perspective, I never understood why the Cubs committed $138 million toward Soriano; and it's not really the money that bothered me. What bothered me was the following question: Where does Alfonso Soriano fit on a World Series-caliber team?

Ever since Soriano has come to Chicago, a big debate among Cub fans is where to bat Soriano in the lineup. Some say leadoff (which is where he usually bats), but others say with his power he should be batting fifth.

To make a long story short, Soriano needs to bat leadoff by default. Even though he doesn't steal bases like he used to, the leadoff spot is the only spot in the lineup where he'll see a lot of fastballs, which is what he needs to be a good hitter. (The View from the Bleachers has the numbers here if you're curious.)

As if the confusion surrounding where to place Soriano in the batting lineup isn't enough, there is also confusion over where he belongs in the field. He was brought up by the Yankees as a second baseman, the Nationals moved him to left field, then the Cubs tried to convert him to center field and now he's back in left. While he is fast and has a strong (and accurate) arm for throwing out runners, overall he's not a great defensive outfielder.

Last season the Cubs had a better record with Soriano than without, but this year they're doing better without him. At the very least, not having Soriano hasn't been a devastating loss to this club.

I often enjoy listening to Steve Stone's take on baseball, and here's what he said recently on his blog regarding Soriano (please note, Stoney's known for his baseball knowledge, not his writing skills):

I believe the Cub fans are starting to realize that with a tragic loss, at least for a while of Alfonso Soriano, the Cubs have won 7 of their last 10 and have won 4 games in a row. I am sure that the Cubs miss that sterling play in left field, they miss all the bases that Alfonso didn’t steal, they miss how artfully he played the off the wall and his occasional solo homeruns. It appears that that 175 batting average, 2 homeruns, 5 runs batted in, the four walks he had taken in 57 at bats coupled with the 11 strikeouts doesn’t seem to be hurting the Cubs very much.

In fact I would venture to say with a leadoff hitter, whoever Lou decides to put there who is actually a leadoff hitter, the Cubs are a better team without Soriano. There, I’ve said it. Anybody familiar with the emperor’s new clothes? If not, understand this, 136 million dollars over 8 years buys you a very accurate arm, a guy that will steal very few bases from here on out because of recurring leg problems and a man who should change the name on his back to Hans Solo, describing the overwhelming amount of homeruns with no one on base that he will hit.

Hans Solo? Ouch!

Soriano comes off the DL in a few days. I'll be curious to see how he meshes with the team upon his return.

Introducing the new '90 Reds...

With nearly three weeks already in the books for this season, it's high time to introduce my fantasy baseball team here on the blog--and discuss how we're doing.

C - J.R. Towles
1B - Prince Fielder
2B - B.J. Upton
SS - Jeff Keppinger
3B - Chipper Jones
OF - Hideki Matsui
OF - Skip Schumaker
OF - Joey Votto
Util - Carlos Pena
Util - Carlos Quentin
Bench - Hunter Pence (will be back in lineup once he's out of slump)
DL - Jack Wilson

SP - Dan Haren
SP - Chris Young
SP - James Shields
SP - Dana Eveland
SP - John Maine
SP - Wandy Rodriguez

RP - Matt Capps
RP - Joakim Soria
RP - Todd Jones
RP - Manny Acosta
RP - Jon Rauch
DL - Joel Zumaya

Here's how my team is doing in each category through Saturday, April 19:

Runs - 94 (9th, 14 behind the category leader)
HR - 30 (T-1st)
RBI - 108 (T-1st)
SB - 9 (10th, 9 behind the category leader)
OBP - .356 (5th, .040 behind the category leader)
SLG - .461 (2nd, .049 behind the category leader)

W - 6 (T-Last, 7 behind the category leader)
L - 6 (T-3rd, 1 behind the category leaders)
SV - 14 (3rd, 8 behind the category leader)
K - 112 (5th, 41 behind the category leader)
ERA -3.68 (2nd, 1.10 behind the category leader)
WHIP - 1.38 (8th, 0.36 behind the category leader)

Here's a snapshot of the UPL's overall standings through Saturday, April 19: Please note: It's early in the season and these point totals are still subject to wide swings daily. Yes, I'm in third place as of this writing, but I could be 7th or even 10th place tomorrow.

Admittedly, I fell asleep at the wheel during the second half of my league's draft. Not only did I mistakenly think that I had already drafted Rafael Soriano, but I forgot to draft Yunel Escobar (instead taking Frank Thomas in the 17th round). As such, I have a journeyman SS in Jeff Keppinger who might be sharing playing time once Alex Gonzalez is healthy again. Also, my outfield isn't anything to write home about, especially with the way Pence started the season.

As it stands now, I'll be the first to admit that my team isn't good enough to win the championship. So as this week's web poll question, what area do you think I need to address first?

edit 4/21: Just an FYI. Due to Wandy ending up on the DL, I've dropped Zumaya and added Erick Aybar.

Closing time

My grandpa often tells me a story from the 1930's when St. Louis starting pitcher Bud Parmelee (Roy Parmelee) first faced his former team, the New York Giants. As you can imagine, Parmelee was a competitive guy who really wanted to beat his former team more than anyone; and he actually made it through the first seven innings with little or no problem--and a 1-0 lead. But he could tell he was tiring by the time the 8th inning rolled around. Common sense said it was time for a call to the bullpen, but Parmelee was a man on a mission and he took the mound in the 8th inning...

As my grandpa relates the story, Parmelee's tiring arm was obvious in the 8th as the opposing hitters crushed ball after ball... to the warning track for lucky outs. However, Parmelee's luck ran out in the 9th inning as he walked the bases loaded, nobody out, and a one-run lead. The Cardinals made a call to the bullpen and brought in none other than Dizzy Dean.

Parmelee felt terrible that he had let his new team down. He hung his head and handed the ball to Dizzy, but Dizzy just patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry, you won the ballgame." Dizzy then proceeded to strike out the next three batters for the win.

I always liked that story for various reasons. First off, I can relate to wanting to beat your old teammates; second of all, the story has a struggle, a hero, and a happy ending. It's great.

But the bigger issue at hand is having a pitcher who you can trust with the game on the line. There really aren't many pitchers like that in baseball today. Yeah, every team has a closer. But seriously, not every team has a closer.

For my money, Jonathon Papelbon and Joe Nathan are the two best closers in baseball. Although, I also like Bobby Jenks in a playoff situation (you gotta respect a World Series champion). In the end, I give the edge to Papelbon. He's got the stuff, the experience, and a proven plan to stay healthy.

Note: From a fantasy standpoint, it's a tougher call. Part of Papelbon's health regimen is to not pitch more than two or three games in a row. As a result, he will rack up fewer saves and strikeouts than he otherwise could.

What about Carlos?

Can anyone tell me why Yahoo! pre-ranked Carlos Pena at #58 this year? Perhaps more importantly, why was he rated #13 among first basemen? Stranger still, of first basemen with the first name Carlos, Pena still only comes in at number two (behind Carlos Guillen).

Granted, I fully realize that Pena had been a journeyman (at best) before his breakout season of 2007. However, when you go back and look at his numbers last year, he was remarkably consistent from month to month. After a poor April, in each of the next five months he had an OBP/SLG of at least .397/.571.

From the articles I've read over the past eight or so months, Pena's turnaround seems to come down to the simple fact that he has matured as a big leaguer and, after bouncing from team to team, finally found a "home" in Tampa Bay. Also, keep in mind that Pena was the MLB's #10 overall pick in 1998, so he's always had the raw talent.

The past few years I've been trying to rank the top 7 or so guys (in my opinion) at each position prior to the draft. This year I found myself really debating my 1B rankings. With the injury uncertainty surrounding Albert Pujols, I took him out of my top rankings. That left me to ponder three guys at the top: Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Pena.

Given Howard's regression last year, I chose to stay away from him. But choosing between Fielder and Pena was a little more difficult for me. I do think Fielder has more upside, but Pena seems to be the more seasoned hitter. In the end, I chose Fielder with the #6 pick, and since our league has two utility spots I took Pena in the third round at #30. Although, I do think Pena could end up with the best fantasy numbers at 1B when this season is over.

How about you? There are a lot of mashers at 1B. Who would your pick be for this season?