Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 19- St. Louis Cardinals


St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 86-76 (Second place in NL Central, five games behind Cincinnati)

Batting Leaders

Batting Average: Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols (.312)

Home Runs: Albert Pujols (42)

RBIs: Albert Pujols (118)

On-base Percentage: Albert Pujols (.414)

Pitching Leaders

Wins: Adam Wainwright (20)

Strikeouts: Adam Wainwright (213)

Innings Pitched: Chris Carpenter (235)

ERA: Adam Wainwright (2.42). Bullpen- Jason Motte (2.24)

WHIP: Adam Wainwright (1.05). Bullpen- Ryan Franklin (1.03)

Saves: Ryan Franklin (27)

Highlight of the Year: The Redbirds were flying high after defeating the Reds 6-1 on August 11, completing a three-game sweep of their division rivals. The sweep would also see the Cards vault to first place in the division, as they left Cincinnati with a one game lead. The series was also marked by a bench-clearing brawl during the second game, which was ignited by the comments of second baseman Brandon Phillips regarding the Cardinals team.

Lowlight of the Year: The euphoria the sweep brought to the team would be short-lived, as the Cardinals would go just 22-27 the rest of the way, falling out of first and eventually, out of contention.

The Lowdown:

The Cardinals entered 2010 as the overwhelming favorite to win the NL Central, as they featured a bevy of stars on their ballclub, including Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They managed to win the division rather easily over the Cubs last year, and there was no reason to think why they would not be able to do the same this year, especially with the Cubs appearing more vulnerable than usual. However, the Redbirds were dealt an unexpected surprise when the Cincinnati Reds vaulted into contention and proved to be a worthy foe throughout the course of the season. The Cardinals were able to get the best of the Reds head-to-head this year (finishing with a 12-6 record), but the thing that did them in was their inability to beat the sub-.500 teams in the NL, as the Reds largely decimated those same cellar-dwellers. Against the Cubs, Pirates, Brewers and Astros, St. Louis finished with a less than impressive 27-33 mark, while the Reds finished 43-18 against those same four teams. Even though the Cards took care of business against teams with winning records, they failed to beat the teams they were supposed to, and that is what unfortunately doomed this team.

Offense:

The Cardinals had an effective lineup this year, finishing 14th in runs (736), ninth in batting average (.263), 13th in on-base percentage (.332) and 16th in home runs (150). The leader of the offense as always is Albert Pujols, putting together a typical season for a baseball giant. He tied for the team-lead in batting average at .312, while hitting a NL-best 42 home runs and driving in a NL-best 118. Had the Cardinals managed to reach the postseason this year, he would have likely won the NL MVP for an incredible fourth time.

Behind him was Matt Holliday, an outstanding complimentary piece to Pujols. Holliday put together a great season himself, hitting .312 with 28 home runs and 103 RBIs. Despite the standout performances of these two, the lineup dropped off considerably after them. Center fielder Colby Rasmus was decent, hitting 23 home runs while driving in 66, but outside of him, nobody else really contributed much offensively. Ryan Ludwick was another decent complimentary piece to Pujols and Holliday, and he was hitting .281 with 11 home runs in 77 games for St. Louis. Nonetheless, the Cardinals decided that they would rather have a fourth starter at the expense of their lineup, trading Ludwick to San Diego in a three-team deal at the deadline that saw the Redbirds receive Jake Westbrook from the Indians. The trade unfortunately left their lineup even weaker, and the disparity between Pujols, Holliday and the rest of the lineup grew exponentially.

The lineup as a whole was okay, but they don’t really scare a lot of people once you get past Pujols and Holliday.

Final Grade: C+

Pitching:

The Cardinals featured some of the best pitching in baseball this year, finishing fifth in ERA (3.57), sixth in quality starts (94), 29th in home runs surrendered (133), and 10th in WHIP (1.30). They were also anchored by two of the best pitchers in the National League, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, who both did not disappoint this year. Wainwright was just one of two pitchers to win 20 games in the NL this year, finishing 20-11 with a 2.42 ERA, 213 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.05. If not for the Cardinals’ unspectacular finish, he could have presented more of a challenge for the voters to decide who should have won the NL Cy Young Award.

Carpenter was also magnificent behind him, leading the team in innings pitched (235), along with recording a 16-9 record with a 3.22 ERA. You could not expect anything less from these two, but the biggest surprise in this rotation came from lefty Jaime Garcia. The 24-year-old in his first full big-league season came up huge for St. Louis, going 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA, good for fourth in the National League. His emergence as a quality arm in their rotation will definitely go a long way, especially since the Brewers and Phillies have stocked up their rotations considerably.

The rotation behind those two was a bit of a toss-up, as Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook, Jeff Suppan and Brad Penny each received at least nine starts or more. Lohse’s performance was pretty forgettable, but Suppan, Westbrook and Penny were each respectable whenever they took the hill, as they all recorded ERAs under four.

The Cards also featured a pretty decent bullpen, finishing in a tie for 10th in ERA with the White Sox at 3.73. Kyle McClellan was one of the crucial performers in this bullpen, finishing with a 2.27 ERA in a team-high 68 appearances. Jason Motte was just as good as well, finishing with a 2.24 ERA in 56 appearances this year. Closer Ryan Franklin was fair for the most part, recording a 3.46 ERA while notching 27 saves.

There’s not much else to say about this pitching staff, as they met and exceeded people’s expectations this year.

Final Grade: A

Wild Card: GM John Mozeliak

Even though this is an organization that usually makes the right moves, they made a questionable one when they traded outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres in order to get more help in starting pitching. The Cardinals featured three of the best pitchers in the National League this year in Wainwright, Carpenter and Garcia, so why would they trade one of their offensive centerpieces to get more help in something they really did not need? Even though their staff was strengthened, their lineup weakened considerably. It appears they are attempting to make amends for this by signing Lance Berkman, but it remains to be seen what he will contribute next year.

Final Grade: D

Overall:

The Cardinals, as they are assembled right now, are definitely a playoff team. They underachieved this year, plain and simple. If everybody plays to the level they are capable of, and if they can avoid losing too many games to sub-.500 teams, they’ll have a great chance of returning to the postseason next year.

Final Grade: C+

Check back soon for the report card on the Chicago White Sox!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 18- Toronto Blue Jays


Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 85-77 (Fourth place in AL East, 11 games behind Tampa Bay)

Batting Leaders

Batting Average: Vernon Wells (.273)

Home Runs: Jose Bautista (54)

RBIs: Jose Bautista (124)

On-base Percentage: Jose Bautista (.378)

Pitching Leaders

Wins: Brett Cecil (15)

Strikeouts: Brandon Morrow (178)

Innings Pitched: Ricky Romero (210)

ERA: Shawn Marcum (3.64). Bullpen- Scott Downs (2.64)

WHIP: Shawn Marcum (1.15). Bullpen- Scott Downs (0.99)

Saves: Kevin Gregg (37)

Highlight of the Year: On August 8, Brandon Morrow put together one of the more spectacular pitching performances of the season, defeating the Rays in a one-hit shutout, 1-0 in Toronto. Morrow struck out 17 and walked just two in the game, as he pitched no-hit ball for 8.2 innings before surrendering a hit to Evan Longoria.

Lowlight of the Year: On July 9, the Jays were blitzed by the Red Sox at home, 14-3. That game seemed to be a microcosm of the Jays’ season against Boston, as they would finish 6-12 against their AL East foes.

The Lowdown:

Rays manager Joe Maddon called the Blue Jays “the SWAT team of baseball” because “they could strike at any moment,” and they certainly did their share in swatting baseballs all over the place in 2010. The Jays rode to an 85-win season almost solely off of the strength of their offense, which reached historic proportions. The team hit a whopping 257 home runs, which tied for the third-most in baseball history in a single season, and the leader of this bunch was Jose Bautista, who put together one of the more shocking offensive seasons in recent memory.

What remains to be seen however, is how good their pitching staff is. Are they really as good as their numbers say they are, or were they simply the beneficiary of one of the more intimidating lineups in baseball? We’ll find that out once we reach our pitching segment of this report card. The Jays may not have been in contention this season, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more fun team to watch in 2010.

Offense:

As mentioned above, the Jays put together an offense of historic proportions this year, finishing in a tie for the third-highest team home run total in baseball history with 257. That total led the majors by far, as they finished 46 home runs ahead of Boston. Several people helped make that total possible, as the Jays' lineup featured seven hitters who hit at least 20 or more home runs, including catcher John Buck (20), first baseman Lyle Overbay (20), third baseman Edwin Encarnacion (21), DH Adam Lind (23), second baseman Aaron Hill (26), center fielder Vernon Wells (31) and right fielder Jose Bautista, who led the majors with an incredible 54 homers. What makes his home run total all the more shocking is that in his six previous big league seasons leading up to 2010, he hit a total of 59 home runs. Bautista not only led the majors in home runs this year by 12, but he also shattered the old franchise record of 47 home runs in a season, set by George Bell in 1987. His performance was stunning enough to where he actually finished fourth in MVP voting, despite his team being a non-factor in the pennant race.

Another reassuring thing for Blue Jays fans to see out of their lineup is the renaissance year put together by Vernon Wells. After an absolutely miserable performance in 2009, Wells bounced back to hit a team-best .273, with 31 home runs and 88 RBIs. His resurgence gives the Blue Jays an effective one-two punch in the middle of their order and with Lind and Hill flanking those two, they have the potential to feature four players with 30 home runs next year. Even though Lind and Hill regressed from their 2009 totals, their power was still effective enough to make this lineup a dynamic one.

Probably the only criticism I have of this lineup is that they do not hit for average or draw walks all that well, since they finished 24th in batting average (.248) and 26th in on-base percentage (.312). Nonetheless, there’s no denying that once they put the bat on the ball, it flew, as they finished ninth in runs scored (755) and first in MLB in slugging percentage (.454). In a division where the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox usually feature the offensive firepower, the Jays held their own this year.

Final Grade: A+

Pitching:

Toronto’s pitching was pretty mediocre this year, and they really benefitted from a great deal of run support. They finished 23rd in ERA (4.22), 16th in quality starts (86), 17th in home runs surrendered (150), 15th in WHIP (1.35) and 14th in “batting average against” (.255). Ricky Romero was the leader of this staff, tossing a team-high 210 innings while recording a 14-9 record and a decent 3.73 ERA. Alongside Romero were Shawn Marcum and Brett Cecil, both of whom featured rock solid seasons as well. Marcum would go 13-8 with a team best 3.64 ERA in his final season north of the border, while Cecil won a team-high 15 games, while recording a 4.22 ERA. Rounding out the rotation, Brandon Morrow was rather unspectacular (his impressive August 8 performance notwithstanding), finishing 10-7 with a 4.49 ERA, while Mark Rzepczynski (pronounced Rep-chin-ski) wasn’t much better, going 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 12 starts.

The Jays’ bullpen wasn’t that great this year, finishing 21st in ERA at 4.09. The only two standouts in Toronto’s ‘pen this year were Shawn Camp and Scott Downs. Camp led the team in appearances with 70, and he finished with a 2.99 ERA, while Downs appeared in 67 games this year, finishing with a WHIP of 0.99 and an ERA of 2.64. Kevin Gregg was effective as a closer, recording 37 saves, but his 30 walks in just 59 innings are a bit disturbing, as is his 3.51 ERA.

What is the final verdict on their pitching? It could be better, but it could definitely be a lot worse.

Final Grade: C

Wild Card: The Future

The team is heading in a new direction, with former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell taking the reins of the club from Cito Gaston, who retired after the season. The new direction can also be seen in the pitching staff, as prospect and former first round draft pick Kyle Drabek made his debut this year. Even though he went 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA, he figures to be a part of the rotation next year, as the Jays already made room for him by trading Shawn Marcum to the Brewers. Travis Snider also appears to be one of the bats of the future in this lineup as well, and if he can start hitting to his potential, watch out.

Final Grade: A

Overall:

With Tampa Bay losing many of their key players to free agency this offseason, 2011 could potentially be huge for Toronto. If Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider can contribute effectively, and if the rest of the lineup can have an encore performance, they might have a shot at contending. Their starting rotation also has the potential to get better, as Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow are all under 30 and have good upside. This year’s finish will hopefully be just the beginning for this team, one that hasn’t seen the postseason since 1993.

Final Grade: C+

Check back soon for the report card on the St. Louis Cardinals!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 17- Colorado Rockies


At long last, we've finally broken the .500 barrier. From here on out, we focus on teams with winning records. Here I present to you, the 2010 Colorado Rockies!

Colorado Rockies

Record: 83-79 (Third place in NL West, nine games behind San Francisco)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Carlos Gonzalez (.336)
Home Runs: Carlos Gonzalez (34)
RBIs: Carlos Gonzalez (117)
On-base Percentage: Troy Tulowitzki (.381)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Ubaldo Jimenez (19)
Strikeouts: Ubaldo Jimenez (214)
Innings Pitched: Ubaldo Jimenez (221.2)
ERA: Ubaldo Jimenez (2.88). Bullpen- Matt Belisle (2.93)
WHIP: Ubaldo Jimenez (1.15). Bullpen- Rafael Betancourt (0.96)
Saves: Huston Street (20)

Highlight of the Season: On April 17, Ubaldo Jimenez tossed the first no-hitter in Rockies history, shutting down the Braves 4-0 at Turner Field.

Lowlight of the Season: Losing 13 of their last 14 games to ultimately fall out of contention.

The Lowdown:
It was just your typical Colorado Rockies season. The Rockies start off badly in the first half, nearly fall into oblivion, and just when it seems that everybody has left them for dead, they make a mad dash for the finish line, winning nearly every game they can in August and September to vault their way back into contention. However, they unfortunately did not make it in 2010, falling just short as the Giants and Padres were able to keep Colorado at bay, and in third place. Despite this, they received some outstanding individual performances at the plate and on the mound, as Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez carried the team throughout the year. The efforts of Gonzalez and Tulowitzki were even good enough for the two to be entered into the NL MVP discussion, but a late September collapse that saw the team lose 13 of their final 14 games put an end to that discussion, as well as the prospects for another “Rocktober.”

Offense:
The Rockies had an underrated, yet intimidating cast in their lineup this year, finishing eighth in the majors in runs (770), eighth in home runs (173), 10th in batting average (.263), seventh in on-base percentage (.336) and fifth in slugging (.425). Most of their damage usually came from Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, their two MVP candidates this year. Gonzalez even placed himself into Triple Crown discussion, finishing first in the National League in hitting (.336), while finishing fourth in home runs (34) and second in RBIs (117). The only knock against Gonzalez was his home and road splits, which are a bit startling to say the least. He was simply human on the road, hitting .289 with just eight home runs and 41 RBIs, while at home he was super-human, hitting .380 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs. People might suggest that his stats are just victim to the Coors Field effect, but since the team implemented the humidor to mediate the ridiculous amounts of offense taking place there, that argument does not hold much water.

Tulowitzki was an interesting case this year as well. Entering September, Tulowitzki had just 12 home runs and 55 RBIs, which are a little bit disappointing, even if he was injured for part of that time. However, “Tulo” caught fire and went ballistic in September, finishing the month with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs while featuring a ridiculous OPS (on-base, plus slugging) of 1.176. Even though there were some that suggested that Carlos Gonzalez should have won MVP if the Rockies made the postseason, Tulowitzki made a great case for himself with his impressive September, which almost vaulted the Rockies into the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Other complimentary pieces helped turn this lineup into a dynamic one, including center fielder Dexter Fowler and third baseman Ian Stewart. Even though Todd Helton is approaching the twilight of his career (and his numbers show it, too), he was helped out considerably by sharing time with fellow aging first baseman Jason Giambi, keeping both durable and fresh, while providing a decent amount of depth at first. The pressure was off of those two to be the leaders in the lineup, so they were able to impart their knowledge and leadership in the clubhouse, which goes a long way for this team. The amount of firepower in this lineup put the team into contention, and it will likely do the same next year.
Final Grade: A

Pitching:
Any discussion of the Rockies’ pitching should begin- and end- with Ubaldo Jimenez. The lanky right-hander nearly became the first pitcher in team history to record 20 wins, finishing with 19, along with an un-Rockie-like 2.88 ERA. However his story is a tale of two seasons, as he was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA before the All-Star break, while he was simply pedestrian after the break, going 4-7 with a 3.80 ERA. Still, his 19-8 finish stands as a testament to how great his start was, as he had a legitimate shot of becoming the first 25-game winner in baseball since 1990 entering the All-Star break. Even though that did not come to pass, Jimenez still established himself as one of the premier starters in the National League with his performance this year.

Behind Jimenez, the rest of the staff wasn’t all that good, as Jason Hammel, Aaron Cook and Jorge De La Rosa all had ERAs north of four. Jhoulys Chacin was decent, finishing 9-11 with a 3.28 ERA, but even that wasn’t good enough to save the rest of the staff.

The bullpen finished 16th in ERA at 3.99, with the top four performers being Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt, Randy Flores and closer Huston Street. Belisle led the team in appearances with 73, and he was rock solid, finishing with a 2.93 ERA, a WHIP of 1.06 and 21 holds. Betancourt topped him in the WHIP and holds department, finishing with a WHIP of 0.96 and 23 holds. Lefty Randy Flores was great in middle relief before being dealt to Minnesota when it looked as if the Rockies were done, finishing with a 2.96 ERA in 47 appearances with Colorado. Huston Street was respectable in the closer’s role once again, finishing with 20 saves and a WHIP of 1.06.

Colorado’s staff would end up finishing 20th in MLB in ERA (4.14), 17th in “batting average against” (.257), 14th in WHIP (1.34) and 16th in quality starts (86), meaning they were pretty average when compared to the rest of baseball. If their staff was just a tad better, their offense could have made up for their pitching deficiencies and they could have possibly made the playoffs.
Final Grade: C-

Wild Card: Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez
It is not a common occurrence when you see two MVP-caliber players and a Cy Young-caliber pitcher all on the same team, let alone a mid-market team like Colorado. However, the assemblage of these three stands as a testament to the Rockies’ shrewd scouting, as they were able to pick Gonzalez away from Oakland in the Matt Holliday trade, while Tulowitzki and Jimenez are both products of their farm system.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
The Rockies, after a furious charge late in the second-half, were on the cusp of greatness, only to fall short. They have the talent in place to make another run next year, especially in a division as competitive as the NL West. Hindsight is always 20/20, but if they would have played just a tad better in the first half, they would have won the division easily.
Final Grade: B-

Check back soon for the report card on the Toronto Blue Jays!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 16- Oakland Athletics


Moving on quickly, here is Day 16, presented to the Oakland A's.

Oakland Athletics

Record: 81-81 (Second place in AL West, nine games behind Texas)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Rajai Davis (.284)
Home Runs: Kevin Kouzmanoff (16)
RBIs: Kevin Kouzmanoff (71)
On-base Percentage: Daric Barton (.393)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Trevor Cahill (18)
Strikeouts: Gio Gonzalez (171)
Innings Pitched: Gio Gonzalez (200.2)
ERA: Trevor Cahill (2.97). Bullpen- Andrew Bailey (1.47)
WHIP: Trevor Cahill (1.11). Bullpen- Andrew Bailey (0.96)
Saves: Andrew Bailey (25)

Highlight of the Season: On May 9 before a crowd of 12,228 at the Oakland Coliseum, Dallas Braden tossed just the 19th perfect game in major league history, blanking the Rays 4-0.

Lowlight of the Season: The A's were mathematically eliminated from contention on September 25, as the Rangers clinched the AL West with a 4-3 victory over them at the Coliseum.

The Lowdown:
Playing before small crowds more often than not, the Oakland A’s are quite possibly the quietest team in baseball. They haven’t been in the national consciousness since their ALCS appearance in 2006, and many expected them to be a last-place team heading into 2010. However, Oakland threw everybody a curveball, finishing with a .500 record, with a legitimate chance to make great strides forward into contention in 2011. Even though their offense was very weak, their pitching staff was among the best in baseball, as it appears GM Billy Beane is taking a page out of the book from their Bay Area rivals, the Giants. With a stacked pitching rotation, the A’s also appear to be turning back the clock to what made them so successful in the last decade, as their staff kept them in a lot of games, in spite of their offense. This past season, while ending in disappointment, should give A’s fans reason to be hopeful of what is to come in 2011.

Offense:
For all of the good that came out of the 2010 season for Oakland, you certainly aren’t going to find anything good in their lineup. The A’s were among the weaker-hitting teams in the game this year, finishing 23rd in runs scored (663), 26th in slugging (.378) and 28th in homers (109). The dearth in offense on this team is exemplified in the fact that nobody on the team even reached 20 home runs, as Kevin Kouzmanoff led the team with a paltry 16. Nobody on the team even reached .290 in hitting, as speedster Rajai Davis led the team with a .284 average. The punch-less offense had to get creative with ways to score runners, and they usually did that with stolen bases (which we’ll get to later). Even Jack Cust, the left-fielder/designated hitter they brought back to supply some offense failed to do so, hitting just 13 home runs while driving in 52 in only 112 games. There’s not much else to say about Oakland’s offense, other than the fact that they weren’t that great at all.
Final Grade: D

Pitching:
The A’s featured quite possibly the most underrated pitching rotation in baseball, as well as one of the best. They would finish fourth in ERA (3.56), first in quality starts (103), sixth in WHIP (1.28), fifth in “batting average against” (.245) and 14th in home runs allowed (153). Leading the way in this outstanding staff is 22-year-old righty Trevor Cahill, who finished with some of the best numbers of any AL pitcher this year. He capped off a fantastic sophomore season by finishing with an 18-8 record, with a 2.97 ERA and a WHIP of 1.11. He obviously wasn’t alone in his terrific performance on the mound this year, as Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson and “Mr. Perfect” Dallas Braden all put together solid seasons. Gonzalez finished with a 15-9 record with a team-best 171 strikeouts, while Brett Anderson finished with a 2.80 ERA in 19 starts this year. Dallas Braden was possibly the fourth-best starter on the staff this year in spite of his perfect game on May 9, but he still finished with respectable numbers, going 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA.

Oakland’s relief corps wasn’t nearly as good as their starting rotation; however they still finished with a decent ERA of 3.83, good for 12th in baseball. Lefty Craig Breslow made the most appearances on this staff with 75, and he did not disappoint, as he finished with a 3.01 ERA, which is fair. For the second year in a row though, the best reliever on this team by far was closer Andrew Bailey. His sophomore performance was nearly as good as his freshman year, recording a 1.47 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96 to go along with his team-best 25 saves. Bailey has turned out to be the real deal in closing out games for the A’s, and he gives the team confidence anytime they head into the ninth inning or later with a lead, as everybody knows the door will be slammed shut by him more often than not.

Affix any superlative you want to on this staff, they were one of the best in baseball this year.
Final Grade: A+

Wild Card: Team Speed
Surprisingly enough, the A’s eschewed their typical “Moneyball” philosophy of not stealing bases, as they finished third in the majors with 156, trailing only the Rays and White Sox in that category. Rajai Davis led the team in steals with 50, which also was good enough for second in the American League. Behind him, Coco Crisp stole 32 bases, while shortstop Cliff Pennington stole 29. For a team that struggled to score runs this year, they had to use every tool they had at their disposal to give themselves a better chance to win games, and they utilized their team speed to the max.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
For the A’s, a .500 season means a success. With the bevy of pitching talent this team has, they might be able to take a page from the Giants’ book and contend next year, offense be damned. Since the Rangers were unable to bring back Cliff Lee, the AL West should definitely be a competitive division next year.
Final Grade: C+

Check back soon for the report card on the Colorado Rockies!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 15- Detroit Tigers


Our 100th post on this blog takes us to Motown for the half-way point in our series. Today's team: the Detroit Tigers!

Detroit Tigers
Record: 81-81 (Third place in AL Central, 13 games behind Minnesota)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera (.328)
Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera (38)
RBIs: Miguel Cabrera (126)
On-base Percentage: Miguel Cabrera (.420)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Justin Verlander (18)
Strikeouts: Justin Verlander (219)
Innings Pitched: Justin Verlander (224.1)
ERA: Justin Verlander (3.37). Bullpen- Jose Valverde (3.00)
WHIP: Justin Verlander (1.16). Bullpen- Jose Valverde (1.16)
Saves: Jose Valverde (26)

Highlight of the Season: On June 2, Armando Galarraga retired 26 consecutive Indians before finally surrendering a hit to Jason Donald. He would complete the one-hit shutout though, winning 3-0 on just 88 pitches.

Lowlight of the Season: Unfortunately for Galarraga, the way he lost the perfect game was due to a blown call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce, as Jason Donald was clearly out at the bag. Joyce was very contrite after the game, apologizing to Galarraga for his blown call, which the pitcher took in stride.

The Lowdown:
Four years removed from their AL Pennant run, the Tigers looked to return to the postseason with a retooled roster that included two rookies as part of their regular lineup. Outfielders Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch were each plugged into the lineup not as fill-ins or platoon players, but as regular members of the everyday lineup, and both of them would live up to the challenge, as each player brought their own strengths to the team. Jackson would nearly take Rookie of the Year honors, hitting .293 with 27 steals and superb outfield defense, while Boesch showed a great capability to hit left-handed pitching, finishing with a batting average of .337 against southpaws.

Even though the Tigers hit well, their pitching (which was once one of their strengths) would ultimately be their downfall, as they received inconsistent performances behind number one starter Justin Verlander. Despite this, the team remained in contention until after the All-Star break, when the rug was finally pulled from underneath them, finishing with an unimpressive 13-16 record in August.

Offense:
The Tigers were among the best hitting teams in baseball in 2010, finishing 11th in runs scored (751), fifth in batting average (.268), 14th in home runs (152), eighth in on-base percentage (.335) and 11th in slugging (.415). They were led by one of the best hitters in the game, Miguel Cabrera, who placed himself in the discussion for AL MVP with his performance at the plate. Cabrera finished second in the American League in batting average at a clip of .328, while pounding 38 home runs and driving in a league-best 126. Surprisingly enough, despite the team-best batting average, he did not lead the team in hits, as rookie Austin Jackson stole the show with 181 of them this year. Jackson would also go on to lead the team in steals with 27, establishing himself as a capable lead-off hitter, and giving the Tigers’ lineup an extra dimension to it heading into 2011.

Even though the rest of the Tigers lineup featured either average or below average seasons from their hitters, this is a case of the whole simply being better than the sum of its parts.
Final Grade: B-

Pitching:
Collectively, the Tigers were below average pitching-wise, finishing 25th in ERA (4.30), 21st in “batting average against” (.262), 23rd in quality starts (79) and 20th in WHIP (1.37). Even though they were toward the bottom in many of the major pitching stats, they still featured one of the best arms in the game in Justin Verlander. He would finish with an 18-9 record, with a rock solid 219 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.37 in 224.1 innings, proving that in just his fifth big-league season, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball today.

Behind him, unfortunately was mostly mediocrity, as Jeremy Bonderman, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Armando Galarraga put up largely unimpressive numbers. Galarraga outside of his stellar performance on June 2, was mostly mediocre the rest of the way, finishing with a 4-9 record with a 4.49 ERA. Righty Rick Porcello unfortunately could not follow up on his spectacular rookie performance from last year, finishing 10-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 162.2 innings. Bonderman was uncharacteristically bad this year, finishing with a 5.53 ERA in 171 innings, and Scherzer, despite striking out an average of eight hitters for every nine innings pitched, was often the victim of bad luck, finishing 12-11.

The bullpen was fair in the Motor City this year, finishing 14th in baseball with a 3.96 ERA. Phil Coke would make the most appearances out of the ‘pen with 73, and he was mostly average, finishing with a 3.57 ERA and 17 holds. Closer Jose Valverde was pretty solid in finishing out games this year, recording an ERA of 3.00, along with 26 saves. Ryan Perry, Brad Thomas and Joel Zumaya were all solid out of the ‘pen this year as well.

While the bullpen was average, the starting rotation could be better. If anything, the inconsistency in the starting rotation kept the Tigers out of the postseason this year.
Final Grade: C-

Wild Card: Rookies
It’s not too often where you find a team that features two rookies in their everyday lineup that produced like the aforementioned Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch did this year. Even if a team did feature two rookies in their everyday lineup, they are usually on a very bad team, mostly because they cannot find anyone who can play the position any better. The Tigers however, not only featured two rookies who were legitimately good enough to be major leaguers, they were big contributors to a team who was in contention for at least half of the season.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
A .500 season can mean different things for different teams. For one team, .500 can be a sign of progress, while for another, it can be a sign of underachievement. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the latter would ring true.
Final Grade: C

Check back soon for the report card on the Oakland Athletics!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 14- Florida Marlins


Florida Marlins

Record: 80-82 (Third place in NL East, 17 games behind Philadelphia)

Batting Leaders

Batting Average: Hanley Ramirez (.300)

Home Runs: Dan Uggla (33)

RBIs: Dan Uggla (105)

On-base Percentage: Hanley Ramirez (.378)

Pitching Leaders

Wins: Ricky Nolasco (14)

Strikeouts: Josh Johnson (186)

Innings Pitched: Anibal Sanchez (195)

ERA: Josh Johnson (2.30). Bullpen- Clay Hensley (2.16)

WHIP: Josh Johnson (1.11). Bullpen- Brian Sanches (1.10)

Saves: Leo Nunez (30)

Highlight of the Season: Difficult to ascertain, but I would pick their 13-0 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on May 23.

Lowlight of the Season: On May 17, all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez was benched by then-manager Fredi Gonzalez for not hustling on a play. Ramirez would rip his manager and teammates (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5197935) after the game, an action that would ultimately result in him being benched the next day. Ramirez would eventually apologize to his teammates before playing again on May 19.

The Lowdown:

If there were a poster child for mediocrity in MLB this year, it would be the Florida Marlins, by far. The Fish seem to be stuck in gear right now; on one hand, they look like they have the talent and the pieces to compete, but on the other hand, they seem to be missing a player or two that would really vault them into serious contention. They featured two anchors in their lineup in 2010, as Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla would be the stars of the show once again, while a possible future star emerged in right fielder Mike Stanton. The pitching staff was led by righty Josh Johnson, who featured one of the lowest ERAs in baseball, while he was flanked by Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez, two pitchers who have the potential to become better, but did not show it this year. With the Phillies becoming stronger with each passing season, the Marlins will likely have to target the NL Wild Card as their ticket for postseason entry for the next few seasons.

Offense:

The Fish finished 15th in runs scored this year (719), along with tying for 14th in home runs (152), which further lends credibility to the argument that the Marlins are the poster child for “average” in baseball. However, the bats in the middle of their infield were anything but average, as Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla supplied the power in the middle of the order once again in South Florida. Ramirez had a typical All-Star year, finishing with a .300 average, 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, 32 steals, and a solid on-base percentage of .378. Even though his home run total dipped a bit, he still proved to be a threat in the middle of the Marlins lineup.

Uggla, however, is beginning to enter rarified air among second baseman not only in baseball today, but in baseball history. He recorded his fourth consecutive 30-plus home run season this year, bashing 33 while driving in 105. You generally do not expect Uggla to hit for a high average, but he even improved in that category, increasing his hitting by 43 points up to .287 this year, a career high. There aren’t too many second basemen in baseball history who can claim four consecutive 30-plus home run seasons, but Dan Uggla is beginning to write his name into the record books at that position, which typically doesn’t feature power hitters.

Also looking to enter into the realm of greatness is highly touted prospect outfielder Mike Stanton. The 21-year-old made his major league debut on June 8, and he would end up featuring solid power numbers in his rookie campaign, cranking out 22 home runs while driving in 59 in just 100 games. Despite his high strikeout total (123 in just 359 at-bats), Stanton should be capable of filling the power void left by Dan Uggla, who was recently traded to the Atlanta Braves.

Along with finishing in the middle of the road in home runs and runs scored, the Marlins finished 18th in batting average (.254), 20th in on-base percentage (.321) and 15th in slugging (.403). They weren’t overwhelming offensively, but they were just good enough to give good teams some trouble.

Final Grade: C+

Pitching:

The potential for greatness is present within the starting rotation, but it doesn’t seem like it has come to fruition just yet. Collectively, the Marlins finished 16th in ERA (4.08), 19th in “batting average against” (.261), 28th in home runs surrendered (134) and 20th in quality starts (85). Much like their offense, the Fish seem to be in the middle of the road with most of the aforementioned pitching categories. However, there’s nothing mediocre about staff ace Josh Johnson. The big right hander finished first in the NL in ERA at 2.30 this year, along with recording a WHIP of 1.11, good for seventh in the Senior Circuit. His 11-6 record notwithstanding, Johnson has placed himself among the elite starters in the National League with his dominant performance this year.

Behind him was Ricky Nolasco, who would end up pacing the team in wins (14) and Anibal Sanchez, who led the team in innings (195). The two were solid complimentary pieces to Johnson, but they would not finish with his sparkling ERA, as Nolasco recorded a 4.51 ERA, while Sanchez finished with an ERA of 3.55. Also backing up this pitching triumvirate was Chris Volstad, who went a solid 12-9 with two complete games and an ERA of 4.58.

While the rotation appears to be stable, the bullpen looks like it could use an extra hand. Even though the Marlins finished 17th in bullpen ERA at 4.01, a few more stable arms could see this team vault into serious contention. Leo Nunez had a fine year in the closer’s role, recording 30 saves with an ERA of 3.46, but the real star of the ‘pen was 31-year-old right hander Clay Hensley. The pride of Tomball, Texas had a rock solid year in the set-up role, recording a team-high 22 holds, along with a fantastic WHIP of 1.11 and an ERA of 2.16.

Much like the offense, the Marlins’ pitching wasn’t outstanding, but you can really see how just one or two more pieces can make this team a legitimate contender.

Final Grade: C+

Wild Card: Josh Johnson

As mentioned earlier, Johnson established himself among the premier pitchers in the National League with his fantastic season this year. Had the team finished with a better record this year, he would have likely garnered some votes for the NL Cy Young Award. Even though he was a tough luck 1-0 loser in Roy Halladay’s perfect game on May 29, he would spin more magnificent performances that saw him on the winning side of the scoreboard, including a 12 strikeout, one walk, complete game performance against the San Diego Padres on April 26, a game which Florida won 10-1. He’s still just 26 years old, meaning if he stays healthy, his best years are yet to come.

Final Grade: A+

Overall:

The Marlins have the potential to become better, they really do. Since they cannot go after any big time position players, perhaps they should go after some under-the-radar relievers to shore up their bullpen. They can ask their American League rivals to the north how much difference a better bullpen can make for a team’s postseason hopes.

Final Grade: C+

Check back soon for the report card on the Detroit Tigers!