SB Nation - Kendry Morales

Joe Mauer wins AL MVP

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:39:49 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Twins catcher Joe Mauer wins the AL MVP in a near unanimous vote, taking 27 of 28 first place votes. Mauer put up career highs in average, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, OPS, and walks, his best season in his six year career.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Joe Mauer	138	523	94	191	30	1	28	96	76	63	4	1	.365	.444	.587

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter followed Mauer, with Miguel Cabrera taking forth, edging out Angels first baseman Kendry Morales by one point.

Mauer is set to become a free agent after the 2010 season, and is looking for MVP dollars. Still, Minnesota is expected to make a serious push to keep the 26-year old All-Star.

SB Nation Awards: 2009 American League MVP

Jesse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:09 -0000

Scioscia...Andrus...Greinke...and looky looky who completes the puzzle!

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

YES! Clearly there were five people who weren't watching the same baseball season as everyone else, but look at that point differential between first and second place. And nobody voted Joe lower than third place, so kudos to all voting parties for that.

Having to vote for ten candidates means this is a pretty large chart with a lot of stragglers, and after Mauer I can't honestly remember who I voted for. I know I voted for one of Cuddyer and Kubel, although I can't promise full homerism by saying I voted for both. Still, I'm positive that Longoria, Cabrera, Zobrist, Jeter and Youkilis were in there somewhere.

The only two AL teams not represented on this list? Oakland and Chicago.

Poll

Who gets your vote for American League MVP?

Joe Mauer

370 votes

370 votes | Poll has closed

Prince Fielder finishes fourth in SBN NL MVP Voting

KLSnow — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:38 -0000

The SB Nation Most Valuable Player voting was unveiled today. Here are the NL results:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Albert Pujols	St. Louis Cardinals	31	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	434
2	Hanley Ramirez	Florida Marlins	-	6	8	11	2	1	2	-	-	-	220
3	Chase Utley	Philadelphia Phillies	-	7	11	2	3	1	-	1	-	1	192
4	Prince Fielder	Milwaukee Brewers	-	5	4	4	7	7	1	-	-	-	186
5	Troy Tulowitzki	Colorado Rockies	-	4	1	5	2	3	3	4	1	2	134
6	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	-	4	1	-	1	2	2	3	1	-	79
7	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	-	4	-	1	4	1	-	-	3	1	79
8	Ryan Zimmerman	Washington Nationals	-	-	1	3	3	3	3	1	-	2	79
9	Adrian Gonzalez	San Diego Padres	-	-	1	-	3	3	2	4	3	4	71
10	Pablo Sandoval	San Francisco Giants	-	-	-	1	2	2	2	3	4	3	57
11	Matt Kemp	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	1	1	1	1	5	3	-	1	56
12	Ryan Braun	Milwaukee Brewers	-	-	2	-	-	2	2	1	1	-	39
13	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	-	1	2	25
14	Derrek Lee	Chicago Cubs	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	3	2	25
15	Andre Ethier	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	1	2	2	-	-	-	24
16	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	1	4	1	23
17	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	1	16
18	Matt Holliday	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	12
19	Joey Votto	Cincinnati Reds	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	11
20	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	10
21	Todd Helton	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
22	Jayson Werth	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
23	Adam Dunn	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	5
24	Juan Pierre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
25	Justin Upton	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
26	Raul Ibanez	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
27	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
28	Brian McCann	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
29	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
30	Michael Bourn	Houston Astros	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
31	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
32	Nyjer Morgan	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
33	Yunel Escobar	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

Here was my ballot:
1. Albert Pujols
2. Prince Fielder
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Chase Utley
5. Hanley Ramirez
6. Ryan Zimmerman
7. Troy Tulowitzki
8. Matt Kemp
9. Javier Vazquez
10. Adrian Gonzalez

Follow the jump for the AL results.

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

2009 SBNation Awards: MVP

Al — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Mike Fontenot after a forceout of Albert Pujols in April at Wrigley Field.

Browse more photos »

No surprises here, at least not for me. I expected Albert Pujols to be the unanimous MVP among SBN voters, and he was.

The AL winner is the guy I would have chosen; you may be a bit surprised at the second-place finisher.

Points for MVP are awarded as follows: 14 points for a first-place vote, then 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for 2nd through 10th place.

BCB ballots:

Al: 1) Albert Pujols 2) Ryan Howard 3) Prince Fielder 4) Chase Utley 
5) Pablo Sandoval 6) Adrian Gonzalez 7) Hanley Ramirez 
8) Troy Tulowitzki 9) Derrek Lee 10) Adam Dunn

Mike: 1) Albert Pujols 2) Ryan Howard 3) Hanley Ramirez 4) Troy Tulowitzki 
5) Prince Fielder 6) Tim Lincecum 7) Chase Utley 
8) Adam Wainwright 9) Raul Ibanez 10) Mark Reynolds

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Albert Pujols	St. Louis Cardinals	31	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	434
2	Hanley Ramirez	Florida Marlins	-	6	8	11	2	1	2	-	-	-	220
3	Chase Utley	Philadelphia Phillies	-	7	11	2	3	1	-	1	-	1	192
4	Prince Fielder	Milwaukee Brewers	-	5	4	4	7	7	1	-	-	-	186
5	Troy Tulowitzki	Colorado Rockies	-	4	1	5	2	3	3	4	1	2	134
6	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	-	4	1	-	1	2	2	3	1	-	79
7	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	-	4	-	1	4	1	-	-	3	1	79
8	Ryan Zimmerman	Washington Nationals	-	-	1	3	3	3	3	1	-	2	79
9	Adrian Gonzalez	San Diego Padres	-	-	1	-	3	3	2	4	3	4	71
10	Pablo Sandoval	San Francisco Giants	-	-	-	1	2	2	2	3	4	3	57
11	Matt Kemp	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	1	1	1	1	5	3	-	1	56
12	Ryan Braun	Milwaukee Brewers	-	-	2	-	-	2	2	1	1	-	39
13	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	-	1	2	25
14	Derrek Lee	Chicago Cubs	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	3	2	25
15	Andre Ethier	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	1	2	2	-	-	-	24
16	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	1	4	1	23
17	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	1	16
18	Matt Holliday	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	12
19	Joey Votto	Cincinnati Reds	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	11
20	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	10
21	Todd Helton	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
22	Jayson Werth	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
23	Adam Dunn	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	5
24	Juan Pierre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
25	Justin Upton	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
26	Raul Ibanez	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
27	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
28	Brian McCann	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
29	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
30	Michael Bourn	Houston Astros	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
31	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
32	Nyjer Morgan	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
33	Yunel Escobar	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

A boatload of postseason awards

KLSnow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:41:50 -0000

Because I've been away for a few days I've fallen behind on a couple of things, including the unveiling of the SBN and IBWAA postseason awards. My apologies. Let's start with the SBN Awards:

If you read any of the other SBN baseball sites, you may have seen some of these, but if you don't, they're new to you. Two BCB writers contributed to each of the NL awards: I had one vote, and TheJay had the other. I'll publish my ballot below the results, and leave it up to TheJay to decide if he wants to post his.

SBN NL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Jim Tracy	Colorado Rockies	24	1	2	125
2	Tony LaRussa	St. Louis Cardinals	3	7	10	46
3	Fredi Gonzalez	Florida Marlins	2	6	5	33
4	Joe Torre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	9	2	29
5	Charlie Manuel	Philadelphia Phillies	-	3	5	14
6	Bruce Bochy	San Francisco Giants	1	1	1	9
7	Bobby Cox	Atlanta Braves	-	1	4	7
8	Bud Black	San Diego Padres	-	1	1	4
9	John Russell	Pittsburgh Pirates	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Jim Tracy
2. Fredi Gonzalez
3. Joe Torre

I have no other comment on this award, except this side note: Nine of sixteen NL Managers received at least one vote, meaning more NL managers were acknowledged than not, and yet Ken Macha didn't appear on a single ballot.

SBN NL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Tommy Hanson
2. J.A. Happ
3. Casey McGehee

It was a tough year to be an NL Rookie - McGehee's performance might have rated higher in other years, but this season he was overshadowed by a bunch of high-impact players.

SBN NL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadephia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

My ballot:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Adam Wainwright
4. Chris Carpenter
5. Dan Haren

The SBN ballot only asked for three pitchers, but I also voted in the IBWAA awards, which required five. The IBWAA completed their slate of awards today, naming their MVP and Cy Young Award winners for both leagues. Here are their results:

IBWAA NL Manager of the Year:

1. Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies
2. Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 (tie). Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants
3 (tie). Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins

IBWAA NL Rookie of the Year:

1. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
2. Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins
3. J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies

IBWAA NL Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Troy Tulowitzski, Colorado Rockies
3. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Executive of the Year:

1. Dan O'Dowd, Colorado Rockies
2. John Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Cy Young:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
4. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
5. Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves

IBWAA NL Most Valuable Player:

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
4. (tie) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
4. (tie) Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
6. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
10. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The SBN MVP award balloting will be unveiled tomorrow. Follow the jump for the AL awards for both SBN and the IBWAA.

IBWAA Cy Young and MVP Awards have yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, in the AL:

SBN AL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Mike Scioscia	Los Angeles Angels	9	8	3	72
2	Ron Gardenhire	Minnesota Twins	9	5	1	61
3	Don Wakamatsu	Seattle Mariners	6	3	8	47
4	Joe Girardi	New York Yankees	2	4	2	24
5	Ron Washington	Texas Rangers	1	4	4	21
6	Terry Francona	Boston Red Sox	1	1	3	11
7	Jim Leyland	Detroit Tigers	-	2	4	10
8	Joe Maddon	Tampa Bay Rays	-	1	1	4
9	Ozzie Guillen	Chicago White Sox	-	-	1	1
10	Trey Hillman	Kansas City Royals	-	-	1	1

SBN AL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

SBN AL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	C.C. Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

IBWAA AL Manager of the Year:
1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
2. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Joe Girardi (New York Yankees)

IBWAA AL Rookie of the Year:
1. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
2. Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
3. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays

IBWAA AL Comeback Player of the Year:
1. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
2. Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners
3. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

IBWAA AL Executive of the Year:
1. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees
2. Tony Reagins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers

IBWAA AL Cy Young:
1. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
4. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
5. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

IBWAA AL Most Valuable Player:
1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
2. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
3. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
4. Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
5. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
6. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
7. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
9. (tie) Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
9. (tie) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

The Angels Top 32 Prospect Performances, Beginning with Randal Grichuk

rghan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:57:33 -0000

Time to kick off prospect season!

Coverage of the 2010 top Angels' prospects begins with a look at the best statistical performances of 2009. Using the generally-accepted sabermetric assessment of a player's contributions, value-over-replacement-player ("VORP"), I ranked the Halos organization's top 32 minor league players of the year.

Halosphere guru Sean Smith (baseballprojection and contributor to minorleaguesplits, baseballreference, hardballtimes, and fangraphs) gave me a peak at his 2009 Total Zone defensive calculations, which I incorporated into each player's final score. Thanks Sean!

The +/- bat, +/- glove, and +/- runs saved figures are all in runs relative to the average player in the given prospect's league. I then applied positional and "value over replacement player" adjustments, which is why the +'s and -‘s don't correspond exactly with a player's ranking on the list. Simply put, guys who play everyday over a full season accrue the value they create over inferior players who would otherwise fill their spot. Guys who play skill positions - catcher, short, 2nd and 3rd - accrue more value than those who don't.

Here are rankings # 32 to # 21. Numbers 11-20 and 1-10 will appear on Halos Heaven later this week.

32) Randal Grichuk, 18 - OF, Arizona Summer League.

.322/352/.551, 7 HR, 6 SB. +6 bat, +4 glove

The Halos' top pick of the '09 draft led the ASL in hits and triples, and ranked 2ndin total bases and extra base hits. BA labeled him the 5th best prospect in the ASL, trumpeting the power but expressing concerns about his glove, so it's great to see TotalZone rate him at +4 in the field.

31) Joshua Blanco, 19 - LH SP, Arizona Summer League

3 Wins, 2 Losses, 50.1 IP, 3.04 ERA, 63 K/13 BB. +11 runs saved.

The Halos drafted the 6'2" southpaw out of a Texas High School in the 6th round of the 2008 draft. Despite a solid pro debut, he was the forgotten man when the Halos brass put together the Cedar Rapids and Orem rotations. Blanco clearly mastered rookie league, but he's one of many talented arms under consideration for Cedar Rapids' 2010 rotation.

30) Bobby Wilson, 26 - C, AAA

.271/.316/.398, 8 HR. -7 bat, +9 glove

The bat regressed this year, but AAA managers still voted Wilson the best defensive catcher in the Pacific Coast League. Plus, he's got outstanding make-up and that all-around-good-guy thing going. The Halos catching situation is getting crowded, with Conger advancing to AAA and Carlos Ramirez potentially moving quickly behind him. Look for the Halos to make big decisions about their catching depth in the coming year.

29) Jean Segura, 19 - 2B, Pioneer Rookie League, AAA

.346/.392/.512, 3 HR, 11 SB. +9 bat, +0 glove

Tom Kotchman called the nineteen-year-old second baseman Orem's best position player, and told BA he might be "the best position player in the league." BA nevertheless ranked him only the league's sixth best prospect, but noted his offensive upside. TotalZone scored him just average at the keystone, so he's going to have to improve with the glove.

28) Efren Navarro, 23 - 1B, A+

.287/.360/.397, 5 HR, 3 SB. +0 bat, +10 glove

Efren Navarro is the definition of the average player. He put up a 101 OPS + in the Cal league, which would have made his bat entirely inadequate for first base had he not been so good with the glove.

27) Francisco Rodriguez, 26 - RH RP, AAA

5 wins, 4 losses, 77.1 IP, 3.96 ERA, 60 SO/40 BB. +9 runs saved.

The stats don't exactly jump off the page, but Rodriguez put in a slew of above-average innings in the unforgiving PCL. His stuff doesn't blow scouts away and his performance may have peaked this year, but let's give credit where credit is due: the Bees undoubtedly won more games with Rodriguez as a fixture in their pen. Maybe he'll get a cup of coffee next year.

26) Pil Joon Jang, 21 - RH SP, Arizona Rookie League

6 wins, 3 losses. 82.1 IP, 3.83 ERA, 72 K/10 BB. +8 runs saved.

Overshadowed by younger, flashier Fabio Martinez Mesa, Jang was the actual ace of the ASL Angels' staff, pitching more quality innings than any other starter. A 2007 scouting report described a good fastball sitting at 93 and solid slider, though I haven't seen any more recent reports. This summer was his pro debut after signing for $560,000 upon completing service with the Korean Army in September of 2008.

25) Carson Andrew, 21 - RH RP, Pioneer Rookie League

1 win, 0 losses. 50.1 IP, 2.68 ERA, 40 K/14 BB, +12 runs saved

Andrew was a 28th round pick in the June draft out of Jacksonville University. He was below average as a starter, but transitioned to the pen when Garrett Richards entered the Orem rotation. His stuff played well in relief: he put up a 1.48 ERA, induced lots of groundballs, and K'd nearly a batter an inning.

24) Gabriel Jacobo, 22 - 1B, A Ball

.257/.317/.427, 10 HR, 6 SB. +0 bat, +12 glove

The middling offensive numbers are a comedown after the .320/.338/.504 line Jacobo put up over 133 A-ball plate appearances last year, but let's focus on the positive: (1) he was a monster with the glove at first base, saving 12 runs according to TotalZone, and (2) he hit .285/.330/.488 after the All-star break. He's a solid all-around player who still has some upside left in his bat, especially if he can boost his walk rate.

23) Christopher Pettit, 24 - OF, AAA

.321/.383/.482, 8 HR, 18 SB. +14 bat, -2 glove

Ah, what might have been: Pettit carried a monster season into June, batting .371 with 27 extra-base hits, before an errant pitch broke his hamate bone. He returned in July, but was never quite the same, though he did collect his first two major league knocks in a September call-up. His ability to play a passable center could land him the 4th/5th outfielder role on the mlb club, though he'll have to show that he can overcome his platoon split against right-handed pitching (2009: 1.117 OPS against lefties / .772 OPS against righties. Career: .966 OPS against lefties / .876 OPS against righties).

22) Garret Richards, 21 - RH SP, Pioneer Rookie League

3 wins, 1 loss. 35.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 30 K/4 BB. +15 runs saved

BA ranked Richards the fourth best prospect in the Pioneer League and labeled him a potential front-line starter due to his 93-94 mph fastball and complimentary arsenal of 3 average-to-plus offspeed pitches. His performance supported the aggressive ranking: he was an insane 15 runs above average in only 35 plus innings. Richards will likely head the Cedar Rapids rotation come April.

21) Manuel Flores, 22 - LH SP, A and High A

9 wins, 7 losses. 153.2 IP, 3.75 ERA, 93 K/26 BB. +5 runs saved.

Flores was just +5 runs above average on the season, but there's a lot of value in taking the ball every fifth day and generally going deep into games. He's a finesse lefty who's likely to hit a wall at the higher levels - indeed, he struggled in six Cal League starts to finish the season - but he still provided more quality innings than more highly-profiled rotation mates Will Smith, Ryan Chaffee, and Tyler Chatwood.

Honorable mentions:

Matthew Sweeney ranked 31^st on the list with a +14 bat and a bad-but-not-as-bad-as-expected minus 3 glove at the hot corner. He would have ranked much higher with a full season.
Yancarlos Santiago is an intriguing DSL lefty who earned his way into the rotation midseason. He's old for the league and doesn't have a projectable frame, but did put up a decent K-rate and was +11 runs saved over 47 IP.
Angel Castillo was a hair under average with a -4 bat, but played a great right field with a +10 glove. Fangraphs applies a much bigger park adjustment to Cedar Rapids than I did, so he'd rank higher in other systems. Regardless, there's a lot to like with his massive power and speed potential, but he still has to figure out the strikezone.
Mark Trumbo scored +8 with the bat and +0 with the glove. Trumbo has never done well in runs-based scoring systems like this, because they don't give much credit to corner guys with less-than-stellar defense and patience, despite their ability to drive in runs. The optimist will say, "Kendry Morales never ranked highly in runs-created-based scoring systems either, and look at him now." The pessimist will say, "yeah, but Trumbo still hasn't hit .300 anywhere, and his right-handed bat puts him on the wrong side of platoon splits most of the time." You decide.
Fabio Martinez Mesa ranks way down the list due to the shockingly high number of unearned runs he gave up (his unearned runs total a full 33% of his total runs allowed). At any rate, you'll be hearing plenty about him when organizational best prospect lists come out, so don't dwell too much on his low ranking here.

July 8th to August 3rd

WiHaloFan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:13:06 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

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On July 11th, the Angels placed Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter on the disabled list retroactive to Wednesday July 8th. At the time of this transaction, the Angels were in second place, one game behind the Texas Rangers. This would be Guerrero's second trip to the DL, but at the time of Hunter's injury, he was easily the Angels' MVP up to that point of the season as he was hitting .305 and leading the team with 17 home runs.

Most teams, after losing the #4 and #5 hitters in their batting order for almost a month would typically call it a season. How could a team be able to withstand losing so much production from the middle of their order? Yet, in spite of losing both Hunter and Guerrero on the same day, the Angels went on a hitting spree resulting in the team winning 17 of the next 21 games and taking over first place in the West division, moving 4 games ahead of the Rangers.

How did the Angels withstand, in fact even flourish after losing two of their most important players? Possible explanations:

Playing against weaker teams
During this stretch, the Angels played the Rangers, Yankees, A's, Royals, Twins, and Indians. These teams went a combined 482-491 during the 2009 season, or a .495 winning percentage. Playing teams who were a combined 9 games under .500 may have had a small factor in the Angels success during those 21 games, however they did play 13 of the 21 games against the 3 teams with winning records (Rangers, Yankees, and Twins). No, they weren't beating up on weaker teams.

The Angels Pitching Was Fantastic
At the time when Hunter and Guerrero went onto the disabled list, the Angel pitching staff had a team ERA of 4.72 (380ER in 725IP). During the 21 games while Hunter and Guerrero were gone the staff ERA was 4.88 (104ER in 192IP). The pitching didn't get better, but actually was slightly worse.

The Angel Hitters Went Nuts
Prior to losing Hunter and Guerrero, the Angels were scoring 5.3 runs a game and hitting .281/.353/.435 as a team. After the Angels lost two of their more productive hitters, the rest of the line up went crazy, scoring 7.6 runs per game and hitting .324/.389/.511. The Angels 3, 4, 5, and 6 spots in their batting order:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Napoli	76	15	24	7	0	6	13	5	17	.316	.381	.645	1.026
Morales	72	16	26	5	0	9	24	6	9	.361	.425	.806	1.231
Rivera	42	9	13	1	0	2	8	3	3	.310	.356	.476	.832
Abreu	84	18	33	4	0	2	22	12	15	.393	.474	.512	.986
	274	58	96	17	0	19	67	26	44	.350	.407	.620	1.027

Bobby Abreu remained in the #3 spot throughout the entire 21 games, while Rivera played all 11 of his games in the clean-up spot. Morales and Napoli moved around in the batting order with Morales typically batting 5th and Napoli splitting his time hitting 4th, 5th or 6th. Here's what Napoli did in various spots of the batting order:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
4th	21	4	4	2	0	2	6	1	8	.190	.261	.571	.832
5th	29	6	9	2	0	2	4	3	4	.310	.394	.586	.980
6th	26	5	11	3	0	2	3	1	5	.423	.464	.769	1.234

Kendry Morales thrived hitting in front of Napoli:

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
47	10	17	2	0	6	13	4	7	.362	.423	.787	1.210

While no one hit well in front of Matthews.

Batters' stats who preceeded:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
GMJ	36	5	9	4	0	0	2	2	7	.250	.308	.361	.669
Morales	61	15	19	3	0	3	12	9	10	.311	.417	.508	.925
Napoli	75	15	30	6	0	7	22	5	9	.400	.444	.760	1.204

I generally focused on the players who replaced Hunter and Guerrero in the #4 and #5 spots in the batting order, but the primary players who took over for Hunter and Guerrero in the lineup were Matthews, Izturis and Kendrick. Matthews received the bulk of playing time by replacing Hunter in centerfield, however he was easily the worst of the regular players:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Aybar	64	14	19	2	0	3	15	3	6	.297	.328	.469	.797
Izturis	64	14	19	2	0	3	15	3	6	.297	.328	.469	.797
Kendrick	55	12	24	5	0	2	15	5	7	.436	.492	.636	1.128
Figgins	87	21	28	2	2	2	9	14	20	.322	.416	.460	.876
Matthews	85	12	23	5	0	0	13	10	23	.271	.347	.329	.677

While Matthews wasn't doing much with his increased playing time, Howie Kendrick took advantage by getting on base almost half of the time and improving his batting average from .228 to .273 over the 21 games.

Was it a fluke that 8 of the nine regulars in the Angels lineup got hot at the same time, or was there another dynamic within their batting order that caused the hitters to improve once Hunter and Guerrero were gone?

I'm thinking it was a combination of both factors.

Poll

What caused the Angels offense to do so well while Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter were on the DL from 7/8 to 8/3?

Just a fluke they all got hot at the same time

160 votes

Better "dynamic" within the batting order

156 votes

Part fluke, part better batting order

176 votes

Other (comment below)

16 votes

508 votes | Poll has closed

2010 Bill James Player Projections

WiHaloFan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:03:05 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia has a busy off season in store for him.

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Now that the Angels off-season is officially here, it's time to start the speculation of player moves the team may make prior to the start of the 2010 season. To help fuel the discussion on who should stay and who should go, below are the 2010 player projections courtesy of the 2010 Bill James Handbook (which will be published on or before November 1st). The Bill James projections have been around for over 20 years, and the handbook has proven to be a valuable addition to a fan's bookshelf for either quick reference or deep analysis.

Angel players expected to return in 2010:

Pos			G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
C	Mike Napoli	2009-Actual	114	382	60	104	22	1	20	56	3	3	40	103	.272	.350	.492	.842
		2010-Projected	115	395	68	105	21	1	24	69	5	3	54	103	.266	.361	.506	.868
1B	Kendry Morales#	2009-Actual	152	566	86	173	43	2	34	108	3	7	46	117	.306	.355	.569	.924
		2010-Projected	153	572	80	168	38	1	29	98	2	3	40	97	.294	.341	.516	.857
2B	Howie Kendrick	2009-Actual	105	374	61	109	21	3	10	61	11	4	20	71	.291	.334	.444	.778
		2010-Projected	124	467	70	144	34	3	11	68	14	6	21	76	.308	.343	.465	.808
SS	Erick Aybar#	2009-Actual	137	504	70	157	23	9	5	58	14	7	30	54	.312	.353	.423	.776
		2010-Projected	139	520	75	151	25	6	6	57	18	9	28	55	.290	.330	.396	.726
LF	Juan Rivera	2009-Actual	138	529	72	152	24	1	25	88	0	1	36	57	.287	.332	.478	.810
		2010-Projected	138	529	69	149	30	0	23	87	0	0	36	62	.282	.329	.469	.797
CF	Torii Hunter	2009-Actual	119	451	74	135	26	1	22	90	18	4	47	92	.299	.366	.508	.873
		2010-Projected	146	556	82	151	33	1	24	92	16	7	48	113	.272	.335	.464	.799
MI	Maicer Izturis#	2009-Actual	114	387	74	116	22	3	8	65	13	5	35	41	.300	.359	.434	.794
		2010-Projected	124	446	70	126	25	3	6	56	14	6	43	48	.283	.348	.392	.741
OF	Gary Matthews#	2009-Actual	103	316	44	79	19	2	4	50	4	1	40	74	.250	.336	.361	.697
		2010-Projected	124	403	55	101	23	2	9	48	6	3	44	91	.251	.327	.385	.712
C	Jeff Mathis	2009-Actual	84	237	26	50	8	0	5	28	2	3	22	73	.211	.288	.308	.596
		2010-Projected	85	238	30	52	12	1	6	29	2	1	21	61	.218	.287	.353	.640
		2009 - Total		3746	567	1075	208	22	133	604	68	35	316	682	.287
		2010 - Total		4126	599	1147	241	18	138	604	77	38	335	706	.278

The above nine players are under contract with the Angels for 2010, and with the exception of Matthews, will most likely be in their opening day line up. As you will notice, the James projections show a slight increase in run production in spite of a decrease in batting average and on base percentage. It would have been interesting to see what the projected production of Brandon Wood would have been, but providing numbers for players with little major league experience is hard to predict.

A couple things stand out; Howie Kendrick with 34 doubles in only 124 games. This would be 45 doubles if he played an entire season. Yet, he's projected to add just one base on balls in 93 more at bats. Two of the youngest Angels are projected to show a slight decline from 2009. Kendry Morales is projected to decline in his power output, while Erick Aybar's breakout season looks to also fade in 2010.

Angel Free Agents:

			G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
3B	Chone Figgins#	2009-Actual	158	615	114	183	30	7	5	54	42	17	101	114	.298	.395	.393	.789
		2010-Projected	154	578	97	165	25	5	5	51	37	15	76	105	.285	.369	.372	.741
RF	Bobby Abreu*	2009-Actual	152	563	96	165	29	3	15	103	30	8	94	113	.293	.390	.435	.825
		2010-Projected	157	606	103	173	38	2	18	101	25	9	101	127	.285	.389	.444	.833
DH	Vladimir Guerrero	2009-Actual	100	383	59	113	16	1	15	50	2	1	19	56	.295	.334	.460	.794
		2010-Projected	135	508	77	155	29	1	24	88	5	3	46	70	.305	.369	.508	.876

What's interesting with these three players is they fall into 3 different categories; declining, sustaining, and improving. The player projections for Guerrero were pretty generous, and are relying on his improved health and increasing playing time, but what really surprises me is his increase in base-on-balls with a much smaller ratio of strikeouts. Although his BB% in 2009 was the lowest of his career (4.7%), the projections have him returning to his career level of 8.3%.

Figgins also looks like he'll revert to his career numbers in BB%, resulting in a significant drop in OBP (but still higher than his career OBP of .363). Turning 32 in January, re-signing Figgins might not be the right move for the Halos, especially if a large salary increase and declining numbers are considered.

Bobby Abreu looks like he's aging well. His numbers are projected to remain about the same as in 2009, which were pretty much in line with his career number...with the exception in slugging percentage.

Notable Free Agents - 2010 Projected

	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Matt Holliday	30	155	605	105	191	43	3	27	109	14	6	66	112	.316	.391	.531	.922
Jason Bay	31	153	560	99	150	32	2	32	103	11	4	88	159	.268	.374	.504	.878
Nick Johnson	31	124	426	67	118	29	1	12	62	2	2	91	83	.277	.414	.434	.849
Adam LaRoche	30	152	571	79	155	42	1	26	91	1	1	79	91	.271	.348	.485	.833
Adrian Beltre	31	131	483	61	130	29	1	17	68	10	4	32	82	.269	.321	.439	.760
Miguel Tejada	36	157	622	84	186	37	1	18	91	4	3	32	62	.299	.342	.449	.791
Rick Ankiel	30	118	375	53	95	19	1	18	59	3	2	29	87	.253	.310	.453	.764
Xavier Nady	31	124	424	54	121	25	1	17	65	2	1	28	85	.285	.337	.469	.806

Is Tejada really 36? Could Nick Johnson stay healthy two seasons in a row (and can his limited power return)? How much will Nady cost and will he be healthy? Break the bank for Holliday?

Obviously, these numbers aren't written in stone. They're just educated guesses at what to expect from these players, but they do provide a good base to build discussion on.

Tuesday Thoughts: Astros Links and more

davoag — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:40:56 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

New Astros skipper Brad Mills, pointing out the heights he'll take Houston to.

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Well, Mills is the man and DQ has done a great job of talking about all the reasons why he's the acceptable choice now. However poorly they handled the negotiations with Acta, they got the next-best guy, which I'm happy about. Justice, of course, runs down all the reasons why Mills is the right guy. I especially like the story about Mills sliding into the dugout and staying in the game. Toughness is a virtue this Astros team could use.

Looking ahead to who will join Mills' staff, the obvious choice for bench coach is Tim Bogar, as I'm sure it'd be a step up from first base coach. I wonder if Mills will reach out to anyone he used to manage in the minors, like LaRussa bringing in McGwire this week. Any ideas on pitching coaches?

I know it's hard to imagine other news going on today, but here's a nice story on the Astros minor league from an ongoing series on FanGraphs. I disagree only slightly on both Paulino and on Cespedes. First, Paulino was coming off an injury that forced him to miss most of 2008, so maybe he just needs some more time to round into form. I could see his numbers going down next year with more time and seasoning. Cespedes, on the other hand, appears to be a guy everyone loves to call a sleeper, but who never really taps into his considerable potential. Even though he had a respectable ERA when corrected for ballpark factors, Cespedes had some real clunkers and just wasn't consistent enough to make me believe he can be successful at the higher levels. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think once someone stays a sleeper for three or four years, they lose some of their luster.

I know that Justice talked about it earlier today, but I'm not as concerned about the Astros indifference to Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. Sure, he's 21 and a hard thrower, but who was the last Cuban player to make a huge impact in the majors? Livan Hernandez signed 13 years ago but every player from Castro's island that's signed since then hasn't really panned out that well. Kendry Morales has some potential with the Angels and Jose Contreras had some good seasons, but 40-60 million is a lot for some kid who scouts have only seen sketchily.

Angels Yankees ALCS Game 6 Lineups Remain the Same?

Rev Halofan — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:04:36 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Angels' Joe Saunders, scheduled starter for Game 6 of the American League Championship baseball series against the New York Yankees, walks back to the dugout after the game was postponed because of rain Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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These lineups for the Angels and Yankees were posted before Saturday's postponement and there is no reason to think they will change for Sunday... What do you think of them? There was talk that Figgins would be demoted to batting 9th, but lo and behold, he remains atop the lineup and the hot bat of Banjo Mathis stays in the mix as well.

Angels
Chone Figgins, 3B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Torii Hunter, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Kendry Morales, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Juan Rivera, LF
Jeff Mathis, C
Erick Aybar, SS

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jorge Posada, C
Hideki Matsui, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Melky Cabrera, CF

Joe Saunders (LHP) @ Andy Pettitte (LHP)

What do you think of these batting orders?