The Top Ten First Baseman Today

Today, I revive this blog out of yet another extended coma, although you could say I picked a good day to begin an extended rest (September 29, the day after the most insane night in baseball history). However, after a thrilling and entertaining postseason that culminated with the Cardinals capturing an unprecedented 11th championship, it's time to get this bad boy going again.

We sit just days away from a majority of teams reporting to Spring Training, including the White Sox, who just happen to be one of the last teams to have their pitchers and catchers report (February 23). Since baseball does not really begin for me until the Sox hit camp in Arizona, I figure I will fill in the time by providing you with my own lists of the top ten players at each position. MLB Network has been airing their top ten lists all winter, and there is not a better way to gear up for the start of Spring Training by examining the best players in baseball today, and who could be on the verge of breaking out! Today we begin with the best first basemen in the game. In order to remain consistent with the way MLB Network does their list, keep in mind that this is the top ten first baseman right now, which means what they did last year will heavily account for where each player is ranked on here. What they accomplished in 2004 will not carry much weight on this list. Defensive abilities will also be taken into account.

10.) Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
2011 stats: .282 avg., 21 HRs, 76 RBI, .795 OPS
While there was not a great deal of hype surrounding Freeman when he debuted with Atlanta last year, many Braves fans still expected big things from the 22-year-old lefty. Freeman did not disappoint, finishing with rock-solid numbers in his rookie season. Look for him to climb higher on this list in the coming years.

9.) Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Philles
2011 stats: .253 avg., 33 HRs, 116 RBI, .835 OPS
It would be an understatement to say that the Phillies will miss having Howard's bat in the lineup to start the 2012 season due to injury. Until his unfortunate injury at the end of the division series where he tore his left achilles, Howard displayed his durability during the season, playing in 152 games while finishing third among NL first basemen in home runs and second in RBI. His strikeout total continues to be very high (172 last year) but as long as he produces those kind of numbers, that can and will be easily overlooked.

8.) Michael Morse, Washington Nationals
2011 stats: .303 avg., 31 HRs, 95 RBI, .910 OPS
Perhaps this is a bit of a surprise for some of you to see Morse on this list, however, he was a very underrated bat in Washington's lineup last year. With third baseman Ryan Zimmerman battling injuries throughout the season, Morse stepped up and became the offensive leader on the Nationals, leading the team in home runs, RBI, OPS and batting average. His OPS was also good enough to rank third among all NL third basemen, trailing only Joey Votto and Prince Fielder. We will find out this year if Morse's season was just a fluke, or if he is really here to stay as one of the best first basemen in the game.





7.) Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
2011 stats: .300 avg., 31 HRs, 105 RBI, .906 OPS

In Lindy's Sports Baseball Preview Magazine this season, one of the adjectives they used to describe Konerko was "regal." It is a fitting sobriquet for the long-time first baseman of the White Sox, as he continues to be the silent and dignified leader of a team that has been known for being anything but quiet in the headlines the past several seasons. He lets his play do the talking for him, and he has been doing a lot of talking through his bat lately, as he put together another terrific season in spite of the team's dismal third-place finish. Konerko's 31 home runs were second among all AL first baseman, and his .906 OPS was third trailing only Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera. The fact that he continues to put up great numbers in a pathetically underachieving lineup the last couple of seasons has been nothing short of remarkable, and it is a shame that it has not been noticed by more people. While his glove is not quite as good as Teixeira's, those who watch Konerko on a regular basis will see that he is a better fielder than many people give him credit for, sabermetricians included.



6.) Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
2011 stats: .248 avg., 39 HRs, 111 RBI, .835 OPS
Despite the glacial atrophy of his batting average the last couple of seasons (it has dropped 44 points since 2009), Teixeira continues to rake and take advantage of the cozy dimensions inside of the new Yankee Stadium. His 39 homers led all AL first basemen and his 111 RBI was second only to Adrian Gonzalez. Perhaps the only reason why I gave Teixeira the edge over Konerko was because of his continued defensive excellence at first base.

5.) Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2011 stats: .309 avg., 29 HRs, 103 RBI, .947 OPS
While Votto's 2011 campaign was not nearly as spectacular as his MVP season of 2010, he still proved that he belongs in the discussion of the best first basemen in baseball with a terrific statistical year for the Reds. He led all NL first basemen in batting average, on-base percentage (.416) and OPS, while finishing third in RBI and fifth in homers. Along with this, he continues to display an underrated defensive prowess in the field.








4.) Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
2011 stats: .299 avg., 38 HRs, 120 RBI, .981 OPS
He was the second-biggest free agent available on the market, and that was only because some guy named Pujols was also a free agent. Fielder had another dominant season, showing why he is indeed one of the best first baseman in the game. Fielder finished third in the NL with a .981 OPS and he finished second in homers behind Matt Kemp's 39. One aspect that people tend to overlook with Fielder is his durability, as he played in 155 or more games every year of his career except his rookie campaign in 2005. He was part of a two-man wrecking crew in Milwaukee with Ryan Braun for several seasons, and now he will try to recreate that in Detroit with Miguel Cabrera while trying to bring the city its first World Series title since 1984.

3.) Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
2011 stats: .338 avg., 27 HRs, 117 RBI, . 957 OPS, 45 doubles
It certainly is a shame that it took a trade to Boston before people began to recognize how great of a first baseman Gonzalez is on both sides of the ball. Before anyone suggests that it was only because he played in San Diego, remember he had a MVP-caliber season with them in 2010, hitting .298 with 31 homers, 101 RBI and a .904 OPS in a far weaker lineup that missed the playoffs by just one game. Nonetheless, he had a fantastic year for the Carmines, tying for second in the AL in batting average, while finishing sixth in doubles and third in OPS. Teammate Jacoby Ellsbury ended up receiving more accolades as the season progressed, but Gonzalez's efforts will not be ignored in baseball-mad Boston as long as he continues to have years like the one he had in 2011.

2.) Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
2011 stats: .344 avg., 30 HRs, 105 RBI, 1.033 OPS, 48 doubles
I was a bit reluctant to place Cabrera on this list, as he will no longer be a regular first baseman for the Tigers with the arrival of Prince Fielder. However, with the kind of season he put together last year, I simply could not ignore him. Cabrera was not only phenomenal, he was certainly capable of winning the AL MVP last year, as he was the anchor of Detroit's lineup. His 1.033 OPS was the best among AL first basemen last year and was also second overall in the Junior Circuit, trailing only Jose Bautista. His .344 average was tops in the AL as well. While he certainly is not a gold glove-caliber first baseman, he fields what comes to him, while coming up with the occasional great play.





1.) Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
2011 stats: .299 avg., 37 HRs, 99 RBI, .906 OPS

It must be nice when you are so good, a year like the one above can be considered an "off-year." For Albert's standards, it certainly was. For the first time in his career, the mighty Pujols did not reach the century mark in RBI, nor did he achieve a .300 average. Nonetheless, his OPS still ranked in the top ten in the National League, and his 37 homers were good enough for third in the Senior Circuit. In addition to this, Pujols continues to flash an above-average glove at first base, proving that he is not just a good hitter who is thrown at first base just so he can have a position to play. Let's face it, Pujols would not have been the most coveted free agent during the past offseason if he was not the best hitter in the game today.

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 25- Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds
Record: 91-71 (NL Central Champions, six games ahead of St. Louis)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Joey Votto (.324)
Home Runs: Joey Votto (37)
RBIs: Joey Votto (113)
On-base Percentage: Joey Votto (.424)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Bronson Arroyo (17)
Strikeouts: Johnny Cueto (138)
Innings Pitched: Bronson Arroyo (215.2)
ERA: Johnny Cueto (3.64). Bullpen- Arthur Rhodes (2.29)
WHIP: Bronson Arroyo (1.15). Bullpen- Arthur Rhodes (1.02)
Saves: Francisco Cordero (40)

Highlight of the Year: On September 28, Jay Bruce drilled a walk-off homer off of Astros reliever Tim Byrdak to send the Reds to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

Lowlight of the Year: Pretty much the entire NLDS against Philadelphia. The Reds became the first team to get no-hit in a postseason game in 54 years in Game 1, committed four errors in Game 2 that led to a 7-4 loss, and were shut out at home in Game 3.

The Lowdown:
The Reds arrived in the postseason a little bit ahead of schedule in 2010, as many prognosticators believed that they were a couple of years away from contention entering the season. Their young talent came to fruition, as Joey Votto put together an MVP season, Drew Stubbs emerged as a capable center fielder, and Jay Bruce settled in after a rocky 2009. Their pitching also solidified itself, as rookies Mike Leake and Travis Wood emerged to strengthen a rotation that already featured veteran Bronson Arroyo, as well as fireballers Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez, the latter of which came back from Tommy John surgery in the second half to provide more depth to their rotation.

The Reds were not quite your typical playoff team, though. Even though they featured one of the best offenses in the National League, the Reds were largely unsuccessful facing teams with winning records. In fact, the Reds did not record a winning record against any team that finished above .500 (including going a dismal 6-12 against division-rival St. Louis). However, the Reds made up for this by absolutely decimating the sub-.500 teams, including finishing 12-4 against Chicago, 11-3 against Milwaukee, 10-5 against Houston, 10-6 against Pittsburgh, and a combined 10-4 against Florida and Arizona. While some criticized the Reds for their inefficiency against the "big boys," they gained ground in the division by laying waste to the teams they needed to beat, which is what good teams are supposed to do. Their season may have ended on a disappointing note in the playoffs, but their core will remain together for the next couple of years at the very least, meaning that they will be right back in contention this year should everyone stay healthy.

Offense:
Cincinnati finished fourth in the majors in runs (790), fourth in batting average (.272), fourth in home runs (188), fourth in slugging (.436) and fifth in on-base percentage (.338). The body and soul of this lineup was without question, Joey Votto, who led the Reds in just about all of their major offensive categories. He not only was the Reds' best hitter, but he was also one of the elite hitters in the National League last year, finishing second in batting average, third in home runs, third in RBIs and first in on-base and slugging. His remarkable all-around performance resulted in him being named the National League MVP in a vote that was nearly unanimous.

Votto wasn't the only run producer in this lineup though, as Scott Rolen, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Drew Stubbs contributed to making this lineup a formidable one. Rolen had a renaissance year at age 35, hitting .285 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs, easily his best season since he helped guide St. Louis to a World Championship in 2006. Brandon Phillips also continued to show that he is one of the elite second basemen at the plate in the National League, finishing with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs. Even though his power totals dipped a bit, this was likely the result of him not having to be the main power hitter in the lineup anymore after the emergence of Votto and Bruce.

Jay Bruce was able to bounce back from a rough 2009 campaign, as he raised his batting average by 48 points to .281 while hitting a career-high 25 home runs and 70 RBIs. Center fielder Drew Stubbs also gave the lineup some considerable balance by having decent power and good speed, hitting 22 home runs while stealing a team-high 30 bases. Left fielder Jonny Gomes gave the Reds some extra power in the outfield as well, hitting 18 home runs while driving in 86.

This lineup had a lot of great hitters up and down their order, and they were unquestionably one of the best in all of baseball.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
What was once a weakness for many years with the Reds finally became a strength in 2010, as they featured a deep rotation with several arms capable of putting the team in good position to win. The staff was led by veteran Bronson Arroyo, who continued to show off his rubber arm by logging the most innings on the staff with 215.2, while recording the most wins with 17.

Johnny Cueto proved to be very reliable last year as well, finishing with a 12-7 record with a team-best 3.64 ERA and 138 strikeouts. The Reds were also able to find reliability from two rookies, as Mike Leake and Travis Wood provided stability in the back of their rotation. Leake got off to a blistering start in the first half before cooling off, as he began the season with a 5-0 record with a 2.22 ERA before finishing 8-4 with a 4.23 ERA. Lefty Travis Wood however, was able to pick up where Leake left off in the second half, finishing 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA and a WHIP of 1.08 in just 102.2 innings.

Also giving the rotation a boost was Edinson Volquez returning from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season to add more depth to the rotation. Although his numbers were fairly average (4-3 record, 4.31 ERA), his addition to the rotation during the second half eliminated the need for the Reds to go after a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

In addition to the starting rotation, the bullpen was very effective for the second year in a row, finishing 15th in the majors in ERA at 3.97. The top arm out of the Reds' bullpen last year was without question, Arthur Rhodes, as his 2.29 ERA and 1.02 WHIP led all Reds relievers with at least 30-plus appearances. Nick Masset also proved to be pretty reliable last year as well, leading the team in appearances with 82 while finishing with a 3.40 ERA. Meanwhile, Francisco Cordero had a lot of heartburn-inducing moments in the closer's role last year (his eight blown saves tied for second-most in MLB behind only Washington's Tyler Clippard), but he still finished with 40 saves, third most in the National League.

The bullpen also received a boost late in the season with the September call-up of lefty Aroldis Chapman, who dazzled fans with his electric fastball, one which was clocked as high as 105 MPH on occasion. Although he only appeared in 15 games, he made the most of his appearances, striking out 19 in just 13.1 innings while recording a 2.03 ERA.

Overall, the Reds staff finished 12th in ERA, 11th in "batting average against" (.254), 13th in WHIP (1.33) and 10th in home runs allowed (158). While collectively the rotation seems average, Reds fans have been looking for merely average from their rotation for a long time.
Final Grade: B-

Wild Card: Fielding
The Reds committed only 72 errors last year, which tied San Diego for the least in the National League, and their .988 fielding percentage tied for the best in baseball. Cincinnati's outstanding defense didn't go unnoticed during awards season either, as Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen and Bronson Arroyo all took home Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
The only thing keeping me from giving the Reds an A+ is their poor showing in the Division Series against the Phillies. Otherwise, there aren't too many things that you can find wrong with last year's Reds.
Final Grade: A

Check back soon for the report card on the San Francisco Giants!

NL MVP candidates: who gets your vote?

Just a few days ago, we took a look at the American League MVP candidates, and who I thought would win it and why. Today, we'll take a look at the MVP candidates in the National League, and who I think is most deserving of the award.

Here are the top three candidates:

Stats are as of September 17:



3.) Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
.306 batting average, 39 home runs, 105 RBIs, .402 OBP

As usual, Albert Pujols is in the discussion for National League MVP. However, the recent slide of the Cardinals will leave his chances for winning the award very slim. His numbers are still incredible, as he is in the top ten in just about every major statistical offensive category. Unfortunately for him, the team's recent struggles will probably deny him the chance of winning his fourth MVP award.


2.) Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
.341 batting average, 32 home runs, 106 RBIs, .378 OBP

If the Rockies continue their hot streak and make the postseason, there could be a very good chance that Gonzalez can capture the trophy. It's no coincidence that when he began to heat up in late August, so did the team. Gonzalez leads the NL in batting average and RBIs, and is tied for fourth in home runs with Arizona's Mark Reynolds. He has also accumulated many of his monster numbers since the All-Star break, as his .385 average, 15 home runs and 46 RBIs should suggest. The only argument against him seems to be his ridiculous home and away splits, which look like this:

Home: .392 average, 25 homers, 72 RBIs, .439 OBP
Away: .288 average, 7 homers, 34 RBIs, .310 OBP.

Is he a product of Coors Field? The stats certainly suggest that label. Will the voters be willing to overlook that flaw in Gonzalez's season? If the Rockies make the playoffs, more than a few writers might be swayed to vote in favor of "CarGo."


1.) Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
.320 batting average, 34 home runs, 104 RBIs, .419 OBP

Right now, Joey Votto is my pick for MVP, if only for the fact that if the season ended today, the Reds would be in the postseason, and the Rockies would be on the outside looking in. Votto has been the leader of an offense this year that has been dismantling National League pitching, as the team's National League-leading 720 runs would suggest. Not only is Votto becoming a more feared hitter at the plate this year (he's third in the NL in walks with 83), but he is also showing off his capabilities of being a complete hitter. Votto is third in the NL in batting average, third in home runs, third in RBIs, and first in on-base percentage. Should the races continue as they are, I believe that Joey Votto will without question be the Reds' first MVP in 15 years.

Check back soon for the American League Cy Young Award candidates!

The 30 Day/30 Team Report Cards: Day 12- Cincinnati Reds

We are now Queen City bound for the 12th day of our report cards. Today's team will be the Cincinnati Reds. Let's look at their record and their team leaders:

Cincinnati Reds:
Record: 78-84 (Fourth place in the NL Central, 13 games behind St. Louis).

Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Joey Votto (.322)
Home Runs: Joey Votto (25)
RBIs: Brandon Phillips (98)
On-base Percentage: Joey Votto (.414)

Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Bronson Arroyo (15)
ERA: Bronson Arroyo (3.84). Bullpen- Francisco Cordero (2.16).
Strikeouts: Aaron Harang (142)
Innings Pitched: Bronson Arroyo (220.1)
WHIP: Bronson Arroyo (1.27)
Saves: Francisco Cordero (39)

Highlight of the Season: A nice 13-4 stretch between September 12-30.

Lowlight of the Season: An embarrassing 22-1 loss in Philadelphia on July 6.

The Lowdown:
For most of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds were all about the longball. The team has hit at least 190 homers in a season five times in this decade (2000, 2004-2007), peaking at 222 in 2005. However, 2009 proved to be the exact opposite for the Reds, as their starting pitching improved, and their bats went suspiciously silent in the power department. Their lack of offense was mostly attributed to inconsistency, as well as having Jay Bruce and Joey Votto each spend an extended amount of time on the disabled list. Despite their collective inconsistencies, the Reds proved themselves to be much more adept at holding leads late in the ballgame, thanks to a greatly improved bullpen. Let's see what made this team tick in '09, beginning with their offense.

Offense:
Despite their lack of power, the Redlegs still featured four hitters who thumped at least 20 homers in 2009: Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Jonny Gomes. However, the two cornerstones of the lineup in '09 were Votto and Bruce. Even though Phillips had a potent bat of his own, the fortunes of the lineup were basically riding on the shoulders of those two, who each had to continue to show improvement at the plate in their second full big league seasons. When the two were healthy and on the field, they did not disappoint; Votto socked 25 homers to go along with 84 RBIs and a brilliant .322 batting average, while Bruce drilled 22 homers of his own. Both players did this on limited time though, as they each spent time on the disabled list. Bruce missed over two months in the second half with a broken wrist, while Votto missed 21 games due to depression-related issues. There is little doubt that if the two did not spend any time on the DL, they would have each hit over 30 homers.

Outfielder Jonny Gomes managed to step up in Bruce's absence, performing very well during the season's second half. Altogether, his efforts garnered him his third career 20-homer season (hitting 20 on the nose), to go along with 51 RBIs. Second baseman Brandon Phillips also put together a decent year, hitting 20 homers himself to go along with a team-high 25 steals. Overall, this lineup was sorely crippled by their low batting average, hitting only .247 as a team. This was the second-lowest batting average in MLB, next to San Diego. Having such a low batting average creates a domino effect throughout the lineup, as the team only scored 673 runs (24th in MLB). Also, Dusty Baker's disdain for the "on-base percentage" statistic is painfully obvious with this team, as they do not draw many walks; their .318 OBP was the third-worst in baseball, trailing only Seattle and San Francisco. What was once a strength for the team just one year ago has become a weakness that the front office needs to address.
Final Grade: C-

Pitching:
While the starting pitching improved for Cincinnati this season, it was their bullpen that was the foundation of the pitching staff in 2009. Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset and Daniel Ray Herrera were the four major arms in the 'pen that provided stability during the end of games, putting together numbers that rival some of the better bullpens in baseball. Cordero, Masset and Rhodes all finished with ERAs under three, and Herrera just barely finished over that threshold with a 3.06 ERA. Closer Cordero was lights out once again, going 39 for 43 in saves, and finishing second in the National League in saves to San Diego's Heath Bell. Rhodes and Masset also split time as set-up men for Cordero, and they did not disappoint, as they combined for 45 holds this season. A fantastic year by the relief corps certainly made life a lot easier for the starting pitchers.

To go along with the bullpen's success, the starting pitching continued to improve as a whole in 2009. Bronson Arroyo quietly put together another solid season for the Reds, going 15-13 with a 3.84 ERA in a whopping 220.1 innings. That innings total was good enough for 10th in MLB, and fourth in the National League. While it is nice to have a good bullpen, it is also nice to have an innings-eater on the staff that can give the 'pen a rest every now and then.

Perhaps the biggest thing that crippled this rotation was the elbow injury of righty Edinson Volquez. He only started in nine games this year, and put together a 4-2 record, to go along with a modest 4.32 ERA. His elbow troubles continued to nag him throughout those starts, and he was eventually shut down in June, needing Tommy John surgery to fix the elbow. Having your staff ace missing for the majority of the season will hurt any staff, and it certainly affected the Reds a great deal.

Another thing that hurt the Reds was the disappearance of Aaron Harang. During 2006 and 2007, he went a combined 28-17, while putting up ERAs under four both seasons. He also finished among the National League leaders in strikeouts both years, fanning over 200 both times. Since 2008 though, he has been anything but a staff ace. In the last two seasons, he has gone a combined 12-31, with an ERA of 4.52 in that time span. What has happened to him that would cause such a dramatic decline in his numbers? Was the Harang of 2006 and 2007 the "real" Harang, or was it just a fluke? Are the numbers he has been compiling during the last two years just a fluke, or is it the "real" Harang? Next year will be a telling year for him.

Despite the aforementioned two, there is nothing to really complain about with the starting rotation here in Cincy. If you remember the dark ages of Eric Milton and Paul Wilson, you'll welcome this bunch any day of the week. While Johnny Cueto had a mediocre year (11-11, 4.41 ERA), he is still just 23 years old. There is plenty of time for improvement with him. Homer Bailey even started to show some flashes of his potential during the end of the season as well. Their overall staff ERA was 4.18, good for ninth in the majors. In 2008, it was 4.55; in '07, 4.94. This staff has come a mighty long way, my friends.
Final Grade: B-

Wild Card: Bullpen
The bullpen ERA was 3.53, good for third in the National League. Pretty damn good, I'd say.
Final Grade: A

Overall:
During the last couple of seasons, the Reds have moved from being a really bad team overall, to becoming just an average team, which isn't a horrible thing necessarily. Any sort of improvement is a good thing with this team. Key injuries during the season to Volquez, Bruce and Votto really hurt this them, though. While they may not have contended with those three healthy, the team would have likely finished with their first winning record since 2000, which is obviously a step in the right direction. This team, when healthy, is not as bad as they appear.
Final Grade: C

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