1/4 Thru 2016: Worst of the Worst Edition

Yesterday we went through and identified position by position the best players or "All-Pros" thus far through the 2016 season.  Today, we go through and look at the exact opposite, the worst of the worst.  I cut it off at 110 PA for the season which roughly comes out to playing 2/3 of the time this season.  Here we go:

Catcher: Juan Cardenas, IND.  135 AB, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .200/.234/.296, -5.8 VORP.  After having a resurgence as a 30 year old after 2 sub-par seasons, Cardenas has fallen off considerably.  His average is down near 100 points from last season, he is on pace for less than half the doubles and his OBP and SLG are 100+ points off last season.  The good news is he only makes 900K and for whatever reason he has shown some power, 3 HR this season already.  His career high is 6.

1st Base: Lorenzo Rodriguez, IND.  128 AB, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .148/.231/.188, -14.4 VORP.  Statistically Lo-Rod has been the worst hitter in the BSA this season.  4 straight seasons of 22 HR or more might be in jeopardy.  His putrid SLG% of .188 is nearly 300 points below his career average.  Being only 30 you have to assume it's just a rough start, but he has been downright terrible.

2nd Base:  Carlos Carrillo, ORL.  144 AB, 0 HR, 11 RBI, .146/.205/.215, -14.1 VORP.  This 20 year old rookie hit only .228 in AA ball last year and struck out in 27% of his AB's and has never seen AAA pitching, but apparently that earned him a promotion as he has started all 41 games for Orlando thus far.  I have a feeling he will see some AAA time this year.  On the bright side, he has exception speed (on pace for 24 SB) and plays excellent defense.

Shortstop:  Mike Frost, SCS.  118 AB, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .212/.299/.280, -2.4 VORP.  36 year old veteran who has played the role of utility player for the majority of his career has started 36 of of the Sheens 42 games thus far this season.  The surprising thing about his numbers is they really aren't off his career averages all that much, which is saying something.  Generally a solid defender, he has seemed to have lost a bit ranking near the top in errors and the bottom in fielding percentage.

Third Base: Mike Wilson, ELP.  137 AB, 3 HR, 14 RBI, .212/.238/.336, -3.9 VORP.   3B was actually a position with no real outliers.  Wilson feels like a utility player who is getting starts right now.  6:1 K:BB ratio hurts, plays average defense but is on pace for 32 doubles. 

Left Field: Sean Gardner, CHI.  154 AB, 4 HR, 15 RBI, .195/.290/.305, -6.6 VORP.  What has happened to Gardner?  2 years ago he looked like a star breaking out.  He missed 3 months last year, but before that we saw a drop in power numbers.  This year his bat has been almost non-existent.  On pace for 216 K's and only 15 HR.  Batting average below .200 makes you cringe, especially from a guy making 4.5M this year.

Center Field: Augusto Vega, KCY.  144 AB, 2 HR, 18 RBI, .201/.264/.257, -6.5 VORP.  Hard to say anything good about Vega this year.  Will turn 32 later this year, is an upcoming FA, makes $7.32M and is hitting 60 points below career average and almost 200 points of slugging below average.  On pace to K more than 50 times more than his career high.  Also on pace for only 8 HR, which would be a career low.  

Right Field: Todd James, POC.  109 AB, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .202/.282/.321, -3.4 VORP.  Back to back years of 32 and 22 HR in STL before coming to Pocatello.  Not a guy known for a high average or OBP, but when his biggest tool, power, isn't working, he is a play less than desired.  He is only 26 and has a favorable contract.  If past results have any indication, he will turn it around, but for now......he's bad.

Designated Hitter: Naomi Kitamura, MAU.  113 AB, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .177/.238/.265, -6.8 VORP.  19 year old rookie who hit .276/.382/.276 in AA last year.  Has a lot of power potential, but hasn't shown it outside of A ball.  Hit .276 in 29 AB in AAA before being called up.  Ton of potential, doesn't seem to be ready.

Starting Pitcher: Fernando Alvarado, NYK.  10 GS, 0-7, 9.55 ERA, 2.42 WHIP 25/24 BB/K.  26 years old, has a career record of 7-34, ouch.  Never succeeding beyond AA might have hurt his growth.  Has only gone 6 innings once this year, has never given up less hits than innings in any start this season.  

Starting Pitcher: Christian Livingston, JAX.  8 GS, 1-5, 9.34 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 17/16 BB/K.  Head scratcher.  27 years old, in his 3rd year in the BSA.  Had ERA's of 4.84 and 4.74 in first 2 years, has double that this year.  On pace to give up 20 HR, had given up 18 in his career up to this year.  Very high BABIP, should turn it around, but an ERA of almost 10 doesn't help anyone.

Starting Pitcher: Roberto Moreno, IND.  7 GS, 10 G, 1-4, 8.61 ERA.  Caution signs should have went up when he posted an ERA of 8.07 out of Baffin's bullpen last season.  Has been pulled out of IND's starting rotation, in his 7 starts his ERA was actually worse being over 9.  31 years old, small contract, will he make it through the season without being cut?

Starting Pitcher: Bill "Headhunter" Maddox, NFF.  9 GS, 0-6, 8.27 ERA, 1.91 WHIP.  11 starts for New Orleans last year, 2.36 ERA.  9 starts for Niagara this year, 8.27 ERA.  What happened? In 31 less innings pitched he has given up just 1 less hit this season, 3 more HR and one less walk.  Add to the fact that he is making +4M this season...he has to turn it around......right?

Reliever: Diego Castillo, ELP. 11.2 IP, 14.66 ERA, 3.17 WHIP.  He has never been a good pitcher, but this year has been terrible.  3:1 BB/K ratio and is allowing more than 3 runners per inning and has a BABIP of .426.  Bad pitching mixed with bad luck lead to horrendous results.

Closer: Rodrigo Ramon, BAF.  9.1 IP, 0-3, 15.43 ERA, 9 BB.  What happened to Razor thus far?  He was demoted to right the ship but before that he was terrible.  He has given up half the hits he did last season 13% of the innings.  He has been very good for the past 2 seasons, but his start has to cause concern.

1/4 Way Thru 2016: Best of the Best Edition

We are a quarter of the way through the 2016 season and we have had some surprises, some of the same, some terrible and some extraordinary performances.  If the season ended today, here would be my if you would "All-Pro" selections: (all players selected must have enough AB to qualify for rate stats)

Catcher: Luis Munoz, MAD.  13 HR, 24 RBI, .299/.388/.635. Meltdown has been the best of the best thus far and it isn't even close.  On pace for 50 HR and all around the best season of his career

1st Base: Ernesto Roman, CHI.  15 HR, 38 RBI, .335/.431/.696.  Roman has been a terror for pitching thus far and a big helping reason why Chicago is off to such a hot start.  On pace to shatter career highs all over the board.  Leads all 1st basemen in OPS, WAR, XBH, TB, HR and ISO.

2nd Base:  Mike Bryant, JER.  12 HR, 54 RBI, .449/.517/.791.  Leads the league in most categories.  Has absolutely been on a tear all season long.  On pave for 295 hits and 224 RBI.  Best pure hitter in the game?  Certainly debatable.

3rd Base: Felix Morales, GRN.  11 HR, 32 RBI, .296/.401/.634.  Former MVP picking up where he left off after a down year in 2015.  Leads all hot corners in WAR, OPS, wOBA, HR, ISO and XBH.

Shortstop: Phil Ingilby, MAD.  5 HR, 18 RBI, .309/.356/.557. This is the closest decision so far.  It was between him or Keller on STL, and I went with Ingilby.  They have the same WAR, and Keller has a better OPS, HR, RBI but Ingilby leads all SS in SLG, runs, ISO, XBH and TB and plays better defense.  Not bad for a guy who is 30, has a career .218 average and before this season had hit 22 career HR.

Left Field:   Manuel Mozcado, MAD.  8 HR, 22 RBI, .368/.482/.684.  Mozcado showing last year wasn't a fluke.  Leads all LF in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, wOBA, ISO and WAR.  Roger Anderson was next on my list but with an OBP of almost .100 points higher to go with similar power, Mozcado was my choice.

Center Field: Domingo Cardona, SCS.  16 HR, 33 RBI, .276/.377/.707.  Cardona leads the league in HR and tops all CF in SLG, OPS, wOBA and ISO.  Chouda would have been a good choice here as well.  Cardona is considered a rookie as well, and should be in the thick of things for ROY.

Right Field:  Domingo Martinez, SNF.  7 HR, 30 RBI, .409/.472/.610.  Guy has been on fire.  His WAR sits at 3.4 and the next closest is 2.2.  Hitting 2nd in the league only behind Mike Bryant.  At 2 million dollars, in the running for best contract in the league.

Starting Pitcher:  Scott Hill, HEN.  8-0, 1.81 ERA, 0.70 WHIP.  Leads league in K's with 72 in 64.2 IP and has allowed 1, yes 1 walk.  His 1.45 FIP would be a new low even for his illustrious career.  He is still without a doubt by far the most dominant hurler in the league.

Middle Reliever:  Oliver Donahue, HEN.  1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP.  18.0 IP and no runs or earned runs allowed for Muscles.  He also has 28 K's to go with a single walk while only allowing 12 hits and only 2 of them going for extra bases.  Best setup man for the best bullpen in the league.

Closer:  Jose Corona, CHI.  1-1, 16 saves, 1.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP.  Converted 16 of 17 saves so far, which is a league lead.  There are closers with better ERA's and better K numbers, but with the amount of saves converted so far, he gets my vote.

Quarter of the way through the season and here are my "All-Pro" picks.

Quarter Season MVP - Mike Bryant, JER.
Quarter Season Cy Young - Scott Hil, HEN.
Quarter Seaon ROY - Carlos "Buzzy" Lopez, STL. 

Mikey Bryant Clubs HR #100

"With the 21st pick in the 2010 Rule IV Amateur Draft the Jersey Shore D-Bags select Mike Bryant, second base, out of Stanford University" ~ Commissioner Ulery, September 1, 2010

Combination of  glove, power, speed and contact made Bryant a prototypical 1st round pick.  Jersey was shocked he fell to them at 21.  "We had him Top 10, especially playing in the middle infield.  Guy was a no-brainier in our mindset." said GM Josh Swain.  Bryant has put in long hours in the cage and worked in the off season to make him one of most feared hitters in the BSA today.  We sit a few months short of 6 years since the Bags took Bryant to celebrate his 100th career HR.  He was drafted at the age of 22, spent nearly 3 years in the minors refining his skills before breaking out in 2013.  435 games and 1767 At bats later he reaches his 1st milestone.  

Tuesday, May 10th, 2016.  After hitting his 99th career HR a week earlier, the Bags sat in the middle of a home stand.  Beating the LA Bruins 2 out of 3 was nice, but for Bryant he sat on 99.  The counter by the "Bryant Bunch" in the Right Field bleachers told the entire crowd where he sat.  They were hoping to see fireworks at home.  Alfonso Medina was on the mound for the Madison Bombers that afternoon, whom Bryant was 3 for 7 against without a HR.  Bryant would get his chance early.  Hitting cleanup, the first two hitters in the inning, Peter Larson and Alberto Perez would reach base via walks.  After the catcher Duran would fly out, Bryant would get his cuts.  It only took Medina 4 pitches to sit Bryant down swinging on a slider out of the zone.

His 2nd try would come leading off the bottom of the 3rd inning with his team trailing 5-2.  He had a favorable count of 2-1 before a big swing and a miss left the count evened at 2-2.  The 5th pitch Bryant just missed which resulted in a fly out to CF.  Bryant would barely have his helmet off before his good buddy Matt Doyle would take the 3rd pitch of his AB 375 feet, 17 rows up in the right field bleachers.   It wouldn't take long for Bryant to get another chance.  It was just the next inning.  With runners on the corners down 5-3, Bryant strolled to the plate to face Medina for the 3rd time today. The first pitch was a fastball which caught the inside corner for a strike, a good slider and a swing and a miss would put Bryant down in the hole 0-2.  Medina set and pitched.....Medina made a mistake.  A hanging curveball. Bryant rarely misses mistakes.  He didn't this time.  Bryant with a dead pull punished that curveball.  What seemed like minutes later, the ball landed 457 feet deep into the upper deck for a go ahead 3 run HR, and the 100 HR of the young slugger's career.  The crowd gave a standing ovation and Bryant would return out of the dugout with a tip of the hat.  

How far can Bryant go?  100 HR is a nice milestone and it puts him in the company of 100+ players who also have hit that many HR.  He is 28, which for a 3rd year player is older than most.  The big milestones may be out of reach, but with the way he has played in his short career, I don't think we have seen him to his full potential yet.  The kid is special.  The real question is which milestone will come 2nd now?  1000 career hits or 200 HR?  He currently sits at 582 career hits and 100 HR.  My bet is on hits, but with the way the HR are leaving the yard, it might be close!

Hopefully Bryant can continue the D-Bags in this tough division battle and lead the Bags back to the playoffs this season!

GO D-BAGS!

Jersey Shore April 2016 in Review

And we are off!  It seems like we just had opening day and in the blink of an eye and the first month of the season is in the books.  A successful 17-9 month puts Jersey where they left off last season but puts them in 3rd place behind the hottest team in baseball, the Chicago Machine and the arch rivals Greenville.  This month had a little bit of everything like usual, but more positive than negative.

Players of the Month

2B Mikey "The Machine" Bryant:  .404/.487/.677  6  HR  26 RBI.  Why not start with the hottest hitter in baseball right now?  It isn't Bryant's first time being on the POTM and it won't be his last.  Bryant was on fire all month.  He had 12 multi-hit games and 5 3+ hit games including a 5 hit performance against the Sheens.

3B Alberto Perez: .373/.387/.676  7 HR  20 RBI.  We all remember Perez from his playoff run last year and came out with a bang this season.  For a guy not known for power bashing 7 HR was unheard of, but the Bags will take it.  He also added 10 doubles.  Looks like he is here to stay.  We know the power might not hold up, but if he can keep his average up, Perez could be a force in the Jersey lineup this year.



OF Leon Foster .270/.353/.517  5 HR  25 RBI.  Welcome back Mr. Foster.  After using his option to come back to Jersey Foster is showing that power he used to display when he came over from New York.  2nd in the team in RBI in a contract year, Foster trying to prove he can still ball.

CL Jaime Saenz 1-1 8 saves  1.59 ERA  1.15 WHIP.  Saenz took over the closer role and flourished taking over for Daniel Morris. He had more K's than IP and with a lot of blowouts he didn't get into that many games.  He looks like he will be the closer to stay.

Roster Questions, Changes and Answers

A month and we have seen no serious injuries which helps keep the roster in tact.  We did see a new player in the fold this month as 19 year old MR Hyo-Chin Kim was called up to spot start for Rob Goodship as he missed a start with a minor injury.  Kim looked good throwing 7.1 IP, giving up 3 ER and K's 2 for his first ML win.  With his high stamina we might see more of him in the spot starting role in the future.

MR Chris Woodruff was waived and DFA'ed after a terrible start where he seemingly couldn't get anyone out.  MR Takafumi Ogusuku was recalled and pitching 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out 6.

There's a lot of young talent in AAA ready to be called up if needed including SS Schroeder, OF Torres, OF Kino, and OF Dodd who are all hitting AAA very well.

Minor Leaguers of the Month
In a new section this year we will be picking one hitter and pitcher from the entire organization of farm clubs to pick one pitcher and hitter as POTM for the organization.

Pitcher:
MR Angel Lara (AA): 11.1 IP 0.00 ERA  0.71 WHIP 4 Hits 17 K's.  Lara was as close to perfect as you come in April almost striking out 2 batters per innings while only giving up 4 hits.  He earned himself a promotion at the end of the month and will be in Tuscaloosa next month.  




Hitter:
OF Dave Dodd (AAA): .367/.461/.765 8 HR  31 RBI .  The guys is an absolute stud.  Top 3 ranked hitter prospect in the game and is showing why.  He crushed AA for 2 weeks then AAA for 2 weeks.  He even stole 4 bases.  In 24 games he knocked in 31 runs and looks like he really wants to play soon for the D-Bags.