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.

My top five NL MVP candidates

The end of the MLB regular-season is just five days away and the writers' votes for each MLB award will be submitted by then. Who will get the nod for each award? Obviously I do not have a say, but let's take a look at who I think should be the top five MVP candidates in the National League.

Fifth-place vote: Lance Berkman, St. Louis Cardinals
Through September 23: .300 BA, 31 HRs, 91 RBIs, .411 OBP, .522 SLG
There is no question that Berkman is the slam-dunk NL Comeback Player of the Year. However, his efforts with keeping the Cardinals afloat throughout the season cannot be denied. Even when Albert Pujols was slumping early in the season, Berkman caught fire and found a second life in the Gateway City, putting together numbers that are reminiscent of his glory days in Houston. Right now, the Cardinals are walking the tightrope in the NL Wild Card hunt, but if Berkman weren't there this year, the Cards would be somewhere between the Pirates and Cubs in the Central Division.

Fourth-place vote: Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks
Through September 23: .292 BA, 31 HRs, 88 RBIs, .372 OBP, .536 SLG

The biggest surprise contender of the year would easily go to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are on the brink of pulling off a shocking upset victory of the NL West over the Giants. A big reason for this has been Justin Upton. He has been carrying the load in a lineup that has far less protection than Lance Berkman, and has put up similar numbers. While the improvement of the bullpen is the biggest reason for Arizona's turnaround, Upton's terrific year in an otherwise average lineup should not go unnoticed.


Third-place vote: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Through September 23: .330 BA, 31 HRs, 104 RBIs, .393 OBP, .584 SLG
Currently, Braun is leading the National League in batting average, and is part of the intimidating one-two punch in Milwaukee's lineup, along with Prince Fielder. Really, you can flip-flop these two on the ballot, and I would have no problem with it at all.

Second-place vote: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
Through September 23: .293 BA, 34 HRs, 112 RBIs, .408 OBP, .544 SLG
The other half of Milwaukee's dynamic duo, Fielder is having another terrific year with the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers. He's currently third in the National League in both RBIs and on-base percentage, and he's tied for fourth in home runs with Florida's Mike Stanton. Take either Braun or Fielder away from this Milwaukee lineup, and they are a significantly less threatening team offensively.

First-place vote: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
Through September 23: .326 BA, 36 HRs, 118 RBIs, .403 OBP, .582 SLG, 40 steals
Yes, he is on a losing team this year. However, a MVP winner does not necessarily have to come from a winning team (see Alex Rodriguez- 2003, Andre Dawson- 1987, Ernie Banks- 1958 and 1959). However, when a player has an offensive year that simply cannot be ignored, voters take notice. Right now, many are beginning to notice the fact that he has a fantastic shot at becoming the National League's first Triple Crown winner since "Ducky" Joe Medwick in 1937. He's only one homer away from tying Albert Pujols for the NL lead, only .004 points away from equaling Braun in the batting average race and he currently leads the league in RBIs by five. Even if he does not achieve the elusive Triple Crown, he'll finish close enough to it to warrant winning the NL MVP.

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 10- Milwaukee Brewers

We're still sticking with the NL Central, as we will begin Day 10 by issuing our report card to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 77-85 (Third place in NL Central, 14 games behind Cincinnati)

Batting Leaders

Batting Average: Ryan Braun (.304)

Home Runs: Prince Fielder (32)

RBIs: Casey McGehee (104)

On-base Percentage: Prince Fielder (.401)

Pitching Leaders

Wins: Yovani Gallardo (14)

Strikeouts: Yovani Gallardo (201)

Innings Pitched: Randy Wolf (215.2)

ERA: Yovani Gallardo (3.84). Bullpen- John Axford (2.48)

WHIP: Yovani Gallardo (1.37). Bullpen- Kameron Loe (1.18)

Saves: John Axford (24)

Highlight of the Season: In one of the more epic destructions of a team in baseball history, the Brewers annihilated the Pirates in Pittsburgh 20-0 on April 22. The victory closed out a three-game sweep of the Bucs, a series in which the Brew Crew outscored Pittsburgh 36-1.

Lowlight of the Season: Virtually every game against the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, as the Brewers finished a dismal 3-11 against them. Their worst loss against the Reds came on July 27, when they suffered a 12-4 rout at home.

The Lowdown:

Milwaukee in 2010 was a study in extremes. The Brewers could certainly mash with the best in baseball offensively, but much like in 2009, their pitching was their Achilles’ heel. The team has unfortunately been stuck in gear since making the postseason in 2008, and they have not been able to weather the loss of C.C. Sabathia to free agency. A staff ace has emerged in Yovani Gallardo, but even he cannot keep the team’s entire staff afloat. Despite this, the Brew Crew still has one of the more intimidating lineups assembled in the National League today, with Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder anchoring the offense. This tandem’s days might be numbered though, as Fielder has been the subject of considerable amounts of trade talk during this offseason.

Offense:

Milwaukee featured one of the best lineups in the National League and in MLB this year, finishing fifth in home runs with 188, sixth in slugging at .424, ninth in on-base percentage at .335 and 12^th in runs with 750. Once again, the Brew Crew was bolstered by the efforts of outfielder Ryan Braun and first baseman Prince Fielder, the two-man wrecking crew that terrorizes NL pitching year in and year out. Braun hit .304 this year, with 25 home runs and 103 RBIs, while Fielder hit .261 with 32 home runs and 83 driven in. These two weren’t the only ones putting runs on the board however, as Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and Casey McGehee all formed the elements that made up the Milwaukee Lumber Company this year. Hart featured numbers that were very comparable to Fielder and Braun, hitting .283 with 31 home runs and 102 RBIs, while Rickie Weeks finally put on the power display people were expecting from him, hitting 29 home runs and driving in 83. McGehee was a solid compliment to these aforementioned four, hitting .285, with 23 home runs and 104 RBIs.

Make no mistake about it; this lineup is an updated version of “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” the nickname of the heavy hitting 1982 Brewers team that reached the World Series. When you have five players who hit at least 20 home runs like this year’s team, you’re going to scare the hell out of a lot of pitching staffs.

Final Grade: A+

Pitching:

Mentioned earlier, the Brewers’ biggest weakness in 2010 was their pitching by far. They surrendered the sixth most home runs in the game with 173, along with finishing 26^th in ERA (4.58) and 25^th in “batting average against” (.267). The staff was led by the 25-year-old righty Yovani Gallardo, who went 14-7 with a 3.84 ERA in 185 innings, but outside of him, the staff was largely mediocre or worse. Randy Wolf did an admirable job as an innings-eater, throwing 215.2 of them while finishing with a 13-12 record and a 4.17 ERA. Behind those two were Dave Bush and Chris Narveson, both of which featured ERAs north of 4.50.

Their bullpen wasn’t much better, as they would finish with the fifth-worst ERA in the game at 4.48. Despite this, the Brew Crew still featured some strong arms out of the ‘pen in Kameron Loe, John Axford and Zach Braddock, all of which recorded ERAs under three in at least 45 or more appearances. Axford also did a great job in closing out games, replacing the aging Trevor Hoffman in that role once it became apparent that Hoffman just didn’t have the same Hall of Fame touch. Axford and his blazing fastball recorded 24 saves, while striking out 76 batters in just 58 innings. Barring something unforeseen, he will definitely be the Brewers closer next year.

Even though the Brewers had some good individual performances on their pitching staff, it does not come close to being passable as a whole.

Final Grade: D

Wild Card: Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder

Once again, this dynamic duo came through huge for the Brewers. They combined for 57 home runs, while driving in 186. Not too shabby, I’d say. Enjoy it while you can Brewers fans.

Final Grade: A

Overall:

Well, as you already know, this team had a glaring pitching deficiency this past season. What did they do to address it? They simply traded for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, along with acquiring Shawn Marcum from Toronto in a trade. Milwaukee won 77 games without those two, and now they are adding 23 wins to their rotation (the total amount of combined wins from Greinke and Marcum this season). While I’m not saying they will win 100 games, they will definitely be a factor in the NL Central race in 2011. Nonetheless, I’m grading them on how they finished 2010, and not how they will potentially do in 2011.

Final Grade: C

Check back soon for the report card on the New York Mets!

The 30 Day/30 Team Report Cards: Day 14- Milwaukee Brewers

We are now on our 14th day, and that means we are heading north on I-94 to Milwaukee. Let's check out how the Brewers did in 2009, beginning with their record and team leaders:

Milwaukee Brewers:
Record: 80-82 (Third place in the NL Central, 11 games behind St. Louis).

Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Ryan Braun (.320)
Home Runs: Prince Fielder (46)
RBIs: Prince Fielder (141)
On-base Percentage: Prince Fielder (.412)

Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Braden Looper (14)
ERA: Yovanni Gallardo (3.73)
Strikeouts: Yovanni Gallardo (204)
Innings Pitched: Braden Looper (194.2)
WHIP: Yovanni Gallardo (1.31)
Saves: Trevor Hoffman (37)

Highlight of the Season: A pretty creative way to celebrate a game-winning home run against the Giants on September 6.

Lowlight of the Season: An ugly 17-4 loss at Dodger Stadium on August 4. Adding insult to injury, Prince Fielder attempted to storm the Dodgers' clubhouse after the game, looking for reliever Guillermo Mota, who drilled him with a pitch with two outs during the ninth inning of that game.

The Lowdown:
The roller-coaster ride to the 2008 Wild Card proved to be too tough of an act to follow for this year's bunch, as they failed to make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 1981-1982. They fell victim to a severe lack of pitching in 2009, which was no doubt affected by the departure of CC Sabathia to New York. Their lineup, however, still featured their fair share of bruisers, led by the dynamic duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Unfortunately, even their efforts were not good enough to propel this team back to the playoffs again, as they finished with their seventh losing season of the decade, and theif first since 2006. Let's break down the Brew Crew, beginning with their offense.

Offense:
The Crew in 2009 proved that they can still mash, as they finished in the top ten in MLB in runs scored (785- 9th) and in home runs (182- 10th). They were led by the bruising combo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, who combined to go deep 78 times. They also were very effective in driving in runners, as Fielder tied Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the major league lead with 141, and Braun finished with 114. Also, to compliment how well they did in the power department, they each finished with great batting averages and on-base percentages. Braun hit a fantastic .320 to go along with a .386 OBP, while Fielder hit .299 to go along with a .412 OBP. This was simply two fantastic seasons put together by two fantastic players.

Two other standouts in Milwaukee's lineup include Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron. However, both contributed in two different categories; McGehee in batting average, and Cameron in the power department. McGehee put together a solid season, hitting .301, while pounding out 16 home runs and driving in 66. Cameron fashioned even better numbers power-wise, hitting 24 home runs while driving in 70.

To go along with the total runs scored and home runs hit by this team, they also hit .263, which tied for 12th in MLB. You really can't ask too much more from this lineup; they performed to their potential. They are pretty darn good.
Final Grade: B+

Pitching:
Milwaukee's staff in 2009 was largely unremarkable, and that led them to struggle for most of the year. Their 4.83 ERA tied for 26th in MLB, and the 818 runs they allowed was the fifth-most in MLB. The only pitcher that was a standout in the starting rotation was Yovanni Gallardo. He finished with a 13-12 record to go along with a 3.73 ERA. In fact, he would end up being the only starter to finish with an ERA under four, as Braden Looper, Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra and Dave Bush all broke the five-barrier in that category.

In the bullpen, the two real standouts were Todd Coffey and Trevor Hoffman. Coffey proved to be an effective set-up man for the future Hall of Famer Hoffman, recording 27 saves and a 2.90 ERA. Hoffman enjoyed yet another great season closing out games, as he recorded 37 saves in 41 chances to go along with a fantastic 1.83 ERA.

Outside of the aforementioned three, there was nothing that really separated this staff from other pathetic ones like Washington or Cleveland.
Final Grade: D+

Wild Card: Strikeouts
With the good always comes the bad, as Milwaukee's offense struck out 1,231 times, the fourth-most in MLB. Hitting for so much power sometimes comes with a cost, and I suppose a high strikeout total is it.
Final Grade: D

Overall:
Even though the lineup still mashed as usual in '09, their pitching was bad enough for the team to regress greatly. Regardless of whether or not Braun and Fielder hit 50 homers each next year, if this team does not get better in the pitching department, they'll remain stagnant.
Final Grade: C

Check back tomorrow for the report card on the Chicago Cubs!