MVP: Gabe Kapler .291 .310 .582 .892 4-13-12-32 2-10-1
Runner-Up: Mike Cameron .269 .367 .654 1.021 3-7-6-17 4-8-0
Comments: I am using the two as a group. This has been a bright spot for the Brewers to start the season. Together they remind me of John Lowenstein/Gary Roenicke without the 25-game suspension and the fact one of the Brewers is not a left-handed hitter… other than that… I am cool.
LVP: Ryan Braun .268 .304 .465 .768 5-23-13-59 7-28-1
Bottom-Up: Prince Fielder .257 .372 .431 .803 4-20-16-47 19-18-0
Comments: both players do not belong on this list but given where they went in drafts… Their numbers do not add up to their production.
Runner-Up: Carlos Gomez .271 .297 .374 .671 1-8-17-40 3-26-13
Comments: If Morneau played somewhere other than, a state recognized for lakes they have (I am on record here to say that Minnesota does not have 10,000 lakes. Maybe they more or less… but not 10,000 exactly) he would be an All-Star regularly.
LVP: Delmon Young .263 .306 .307 .613 0-9-15-35 7-21-6
Bottom-Up: Jason Kubel .245 .264 .396 .660 4-17-11-42 3-22-0
Comments: Both players came into this season as great sleepers in AL-only leagues… yet both have been big disappointments for Fantasy owners but Minnesota is a top their division as I write tonight. Go figure.
New York Yankees
MVP: Johnny Damon .295 .394 .527 .921 4-14-25-59 19-20-5
Runner-Up: Bobby Abreu .306 .363 .452 .815 4-21-15-56 11-24-2
Comments: Damon is quietly putting up good Fantasy numbers, while Abreu is the glue right now that is holding the lineup together.
Runner-Up: Pat Burrell .330 .459 .687 1.147 9-30-20-73 26-24-0
Comments: Without Chipper Jones in the NL, Utley is the MVP. How do you not like Utley? Pat’s bat is hotter than Fergie in a bikini. Check her out in the May 5th edition of In Touch Weekly.
LVP: Ryan Howard .167 .294 .351 .645 6-14-16-40 21-45-0
Comments: I have officially given up on LaRoche. Pittsburgh fans know what I mean.
San Diego Padres
MVP: Adrian Gonzalez .302 .355 .556 .911 8-23-19-70 10-27-0
Runner-Up: See Above
Comments: In a big home ballpark, Gonzalez is putting up some nice numbers. I have him in a league that I cannot even trade him in because my knuckle-headed friends would rather hold onto David Ortiz or Carlos Pena.
Bottom-Up: Carlos Pena .215 .323 .421 .743 7-17-15-45 13-35-0
Comments: Longoria will eventually hit. I think he is over-matched at times and looks like he has no plan at the plate. He has had some great at-bats (see Roy Holladay) but they are few and far in-between.
Texas Rangers
MVP: Josh Hamilton .300 .347 .531 .878 6-33-16-69 11-19-0
Comments: Talk about getting a second chance in life and taking advantage of it… Hamilton and Bradley both have been solid in the middle of that lineup.
Bottom-Up: Ben Broussard .159 .225 .268 .493 3-8-8-22 5-20-0
Comments: Maybe it is unfair for me to put Blalock on this list, but coming into this season, he insisted he was healthy and proved once again that we should never trust a player’s opinion of himself unless we are in the company of Rickey Henderson.
Toronto Blue Jays
MVP: Alex Rios .310 .379 .474 .853 3-15-20-55 14-25-8
Runner-Up: Vernon Wells .273 .341 .405 .746 4-22-17-49 12-15-1
Comments: I just traded for Wells. What do you think of this trade; Wells and Giambi for Cust and Jenks?
LVP: Frank Thomas .167 .306 .333 .639 3-11-7-20 11-13-0
Bottom-Up: Aaron Hill .264 .323 .388 .712 2-13-11-47 9-16-2
Comments: Why would you want “The Big Attitude” on your team?
Washington Nationals
MVP: Christian Guzman .309 .331 .463 .794 3-14-20-63 5-12-0
Runner-Up: Felipe Lopez .281 .349 .344 .693 1-12-12-33 10-14-4
Comments: I have nothing for this team. New ballpark, same crowds.
LVP: Ryan Zimmerman .217 .252 .333 .585 3-14-12-43 6-23-0
In the blog I will give you, each MLB teams Fantasy MVP and runner-up along with the teams LVP and bottom-up. I actually did some research on this, so please enjoy.
Editor’s note; statistics are retro to May 4, 2008 and are courtesy of ESPN. I will use the following sequence of stats for you to follow AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, RBI, R, TB, BB, K, and SB.
I will focus solely on offense today and tomorrow. Maybe a pitching column next week?
Here are the first 15 teams in ABC order... I know it sounds like a first-grader but Jackson-Five might be running through your head too... you will hate me later.
Arizona Diamondbacks
MVP: Conor Jackson .343 .421 .590 1.102 5-25-27-62 11-10-2
Runner-Up: J. Upton .342 .402 .559 .960 5-16-19-62 13-30-0
Comments: Jackson has been a beast while Upton needs to up the SB total to get his true value.
LVP: Eric Byrnes .242 .316 .417 .732 3-15-29-50 11-16-3
Bottom-Up: Chris Snyder .243 .375 .414 .789 1-15-17-29 13-21-0
Comments: Snyder’s numbers are not that bad but he came into this season primed to take over the catching duties for this team and with so much offense around him he should be posting better numbers. Byrnes is just off to a slow start.
Atlanta Braves
MVP: Chipper Jones .425 .472 .717 1.189 9-27-22-81 12-10-0
Runner-Up: Brian McCann .291 .358 .555 .912 6-17-17-61 12-9-0
Comments: Jones is MVP of the NL at this point. Who in their right mind would not take McCann’s numbers at the 2 position?
LVP: Mark Teixeira .267 .348 .442 .790 4-18-17-53 14-18-0
Bottom-Up: Jeff Francour .276 .311 .455 .766 3-20-16-56 6-12-0
Comments: Isn’t great to know that some jerk like me thinks the Braves worst two fantasy players are Tex and Francour?
Baltimore Orioles
MVP: Nick Markakis .273 .403 .473 .876 6-14-19-52 23-27-6
Comments: Ellsbury is my choice because he brings more to the table than I anticipated at the beginning of the season. He has been lights-out since day 1.
LVP: David Ortiz .216 .316 .379 .695 5-24-19-44 16-20-0
Bottom-Up: Jason Varitek .267 .315 .453 .769 3-11-7-39 4-22-0
Comments: If you want to throw-up in your own mouth check out Big Papi’s splits on home vs. road. To see V-Tek play this way is sad because I feel he was a true general on the field and a clutch player. Does Boston have another catcher ready in the minors?
Chicago White Sox
MVP: Carlos Quentin .283 .421 .609 1.030 8-22-22-56 15-17-2
Runner-Up: Joe Crede .248 .313 .585 .817 7-22-12-51 9-14-0
Comments: Quentin has been a pleasant surprise for Fantasy owners, while Crede might not have the batting average you want, he has hit big in the clutch (2 grand slams).
LVP: Nick Swisher .210 .354 .324 .678 3-8-20-34 23-29-1
Comments: Did any one else expect bigger things from Swisher? Swisher so far is a big bust! Cabrera has a pass for the same cruise Swisher is on … The S. S. Minnow.
Comments: Ramriez is the best Fantasy player in the NL… easily! Willingham flies so far under the radar. I would take Willingham over Francour any day.
LVP: Cody Ross .164 .186 .273 .459 1-5-2-15 2-8-1
Bottom-Up: Luis Gonzalez .226 .324 .403 .727 3-5-5-25 9-13-1
Comments: I feel I need to apologize to the Cody Ross family for printing his stats. NOT!
Comments: Most under-rated player in the AL is Casey Kotchman. He has been a better run producer than VLad.
LVP: Garrett Anderson .221 .258 328 .586 2-11-14-40 6-21-1
Bottom-Up: Vladimir Guerrero .256 .336 .402 .738 3-14-15-47 13-21-1
Comments: Be afraid… be very afraid
LA Dodgers
MVP: Rafael Furcal .369 .453 .585 1.038 4-15-33-76 19-15-8
Runner-Up: Matt Kemp .324 .348 .495 .843 2-22-18-52 5-30-7
Comments: Matt Kemp is one of the brightest stars in the NL right now!
LVP: Andruw Jones .163 .274 .255 .539 1-4-14-25 15-34 0
Bottom-Up: See Above…
Comments: I would like to take this opportunity to apologize on the behalf of Mr. Jones for playing like a softball player waiting to get to the bar to get his free pitcher of Miller Fat Me UP!
Did you know baseball starts Tuesday… in a foreign country… played in the wee hours of the morning EST? Well if you have no idea that this is taking place, you might as well get used to the idea of the MLB season staring in March… in a country that has $$$.. Moreover, INTEREST! That is right other countries have interest in the game of baseball. Baltimore fans seem to be as interested in this season as if this was a wedding for a couple you knew had no chance… because you are the reason they have no chance.
Well with that said, I am interested in this season for one reason only: Predictions.
Here we go…
AL East: Boston Redsox.
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Los Angeles of Anaheim of Orange County of the state of California Angles
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers
AL Champion: Detroit Tigers
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL ROY: Evan Longoria (Clay Buchholz a close second).
AL Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
AL CY Young: Justin Verlander
NL East: NY Mets
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers of Brooklyn, NY past
NL Wild Card: Atlanta Braves
NL Champion: LA Dodgers
NL MVP: Prince Fielder
NL ROY: Hiroki Kuroda
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre
NL CY Young: Johan Santana
World Series Winner: LA Dodgers
World Series MVP: Chad Billingsley
Bonus*** The First Manager Canned: Charlie Manuel (by June 1st).
Bonus 2*** The Orioles will win 72 games this year.
Bonus 3*** The Yankees are in for an awful season. Yet they will just miss the playoffs.
Bonus 4*** Erik Bedard wins 15… yet loses 10+ and the Mariners fall short of the playoffs.
When you start discussing the greatest baseball players ever, you get a mix bag of guys that people claim were the best ever. Lots would say George H. Ruth or Henry L. Gehrig. Many more will tell you Henry Aaron or Mickey Mantle, or maybe even Willie Mays. See you could go on and on for hours and yet the one name that hardly makes it in the discussing is Stanley Frank Musial. " Stan the Man " to everyone. Why doesn't his name come up? I'm glad you asked. Here is my opinion and I could be wrong.
One reason I think Stan is left out of these discussions is that he played in St. Louis. Had he played for the Redsox or Yankees in the 40's and 50's he would have been a rock star. Another reason I think this injustice follows him, is that he never seeks attention about how great his was, and he was great. Stan seems to be a humble man as well as a man who likes his privacy. I would of loved to see him play back in the day.
Born on November 21, 1920, Stan began his pro career in 1941 with the St.Louis Cardinals and stayed with that same organization until he retired in 1963. He was a 24 time All Star in his 22 seasons. Remember there were two All Star games played in the same season in 1942, '46-'49. He finished his career with 475 home runs, 1951 runs batted in, and a lifetime average of .331. Stan also has so many other accomplishments that helped him gain entrance into the Hall of Fame in 1969.
Here is where " Stan the Man " ranks all time in some categories among baseball greats. As of 3/30/07, here is where he stood.
1. Tied for sixth all time with 3026 games played.
2. Ranks 9th all time in at bats.
3. Ranks 8th all time in runs scored
4. From 1943-1960 Stan led the majors in runs scored. More than 148 than Ted Williams.
5. Ranks 4th all time with 3630 hits. True fact: Stan had exactly 1815 hits on the road and 1815 hits at home.
6. With 725 doubles, Stan is third on the all time list.
7. He is tied for 19th all time in triples with 177. Not many players will past him on this list. Currently only Steve Finley was in the top 100 coming into the 2007 season.
8. From 1943-1960 Stan led the majors in triples. Oh yeah doubles also.
9. With all the power these days his 475 home runs has him ranked tied for 24th. But only 10 years ago, he was as high as 16th on this list. Do home runs really tell how good a player was or is?
10. He is third all time with 1377 extra base hits.
11. He is second only to Hank Aaron in total bases.
12. I love this one. Stan Musial drove in 1951 runs. Only Aaron, Ruth and Gehrig drove in more before the 2007 season. Yet his name is never called during role call for the greatest players.
13. Stan had 1599 base on balls in his career. That number is good for 11th all time.
14. Did I mention he hit .331 for his career. How about this run of batting averages from 1942- 1958: .315, .357, .347, .365, .312, .376, .338, .346, .355, .336, .337, .330, .319, .310, .357, and .337. Sweet huh? Bold indicates leading the league in hitting.
15. His career on base percentage comes in at .417 and his slugging is a modest .559 for his career.
16. He is a three time NL MVP. He was named by Sporting News as the NL best player 5 times. Had 6 seasons with 200 or more hits. Eleven straight seasons with 100 or more runs scored. It wasn't until his last that he had a season with more strikeouts than walks. Forty or more doubles 9 times. Seven seasons with at least 10 triples. And the hits just keep on coming.
17. I could go on all night about this man. I hope this starts to get his name mentioned more for the great accomplishments he had while playing. He certainly deserves it and has earned it as well. Let's start talking about him now before he is no longer with us.
18. Musial was part of three world championships in St. Louis and named All Star MVP of the 1955 mid summer classic.
19. He has the coolest nickname ever..... " The Man ". That's says it all.
20. So take your " Babe " , take your " Iron Horse " , try a little " Hammerin' Hank " , or maybe it's the " Say Hey Kid ". No? I guess it's " The MIck " or " Cy ", or " The Yankee Clipper ". My MVP of baseball is simply " The Man "
Remember these numbers don't lie, they just don'ttell the whole story.
My name is Chip and I reside in Baltimore, Maryland. I have lived in Baltimore all my life and really love the city. I am the biggest Oriole and Maryland Terrapin fan I know. I'm also a huge Ravens fan but I miss my Baltimore Colts. Some of my favorite players I enjoyed watching as a child include Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr, Bert Jones, Dr. J, Ken Singleton, Roger Carr, Len Bias, Sugar Ray Leonard and Earl Campbell. Though we do not have a NBA or NHL team, I still follow both sports just as much as the others.
Currently you can find me at www.wnst.net and www.thomasgeo rgebaseball.c om and www.thebirdso fprey2.com
Fantasy sports manager sine 1991.
Pleasures include my family and Italian cuisine.
My son, Matthew, is nine and thinks Duke, NYY , Redsox and the Steelers stink!