400-Foot Fly Outs No More

The 'Black Monster' of Citi Field will be obsolete
in 2012, replaced by a Mets-blue wall closer
to home plate and half the height.

The Mets are making the right call in moving in Citi Field's fences; it's time for the Padres to do the same at Petco Park


Citi Field's fences will be dramatically shorter and close to the plate in 2012.  After three years of far too many 400-foot flyouts, the Mets will abandon the 16-foot wall in left and place an 8-foot wall in front of it.  The weird indentations in the outfield walls in right field will be smoothed over, too, and those walls will be dramatically shortened.  And in a move that will make the park a whole lot less depressing looking even when the Mets lose, as they seem to do inevitably now, the wall will be painted blue all the way around.

According to the Mets, the adjustments reduce the in-play surface area of the field by two percent, a notable figure for a ballpark.  When ESPN reached David Wright for comment, he told them that he'd be lying if he told anyone he enjoyed hitting at Citi Field.  He seemed pleased with the changes, but he's probably been anticipating them for some time.  He hasn't been the first to criticize the overly-spacious new park.  Even I became frustrated with the walls when playing a Mets franchise on MLB 10: The Show.  It was awfully hard to get anything over those walls, much less a David Wright fly ball.  Plus, this provides the Mets with new revenue opportunities.  What's not to like?

Citi Field's dimensions are changing
for nearly the entire outfield.

Is there really a need to drastically change the playing conditions so much?  Yes.  No doubt.  In 2011, Citi Field only gave up 1.33 total home runs per game, third-least in MLB behind only Petco Park and AT&T Park.  The face of the franchise, Wright, hit 50 home runs at Shea Stadium combined from 2006-08.  In his first three years at Citi Field, however, he has only hit 22, including only five to the opposite field.

In 2008, playing half their games at Shea Stadium, the Mets hit 172 home runs as a team., good for a respectable 14th place in MLB.  In 2009, playing half their games at Citi Field, they hit 95.  Carlos Delgado or no Carlos Delgado, teams just don't do that.  Teams don't see their home run total cut in half from one year to the next.  As nice as Citi Field has been for the fans, power hitters have yet to catch a break in the cavernous stadium.  In fact, no left-handed hitter has ever hit an opposite-field home run there.  No home run from any hitter has ever hit the apple in straight center, nor has one hit the tarp to the left of it or even the first section of seats there.

Citi Field's new and old dimensions.

Not only will the new wall eliminate all of the weird angles and corners in right field, it gives the ballpark a better feel.  Citi Field is the only park in MLB in which the home run poles and line are not yellow.  At Citi Field they are orange, but with the black walls that looks really ugly.  The Mets have been a disappointing and somewhat depressing team the last three seasons.  Even when fans did show up there was little excitement.  The wall in left is a Black (or soot, depending on how you view the color) Monster - a take on Fenway's Green Monster - except that it's not like 10 feet from home plate like its green counterpart.  That is the wall of which no lefty has ever hit a homer over.  Looking at the field diagram above, it might not look like much, but that change makes a world of difference.

Give it up for Cameron Maybin, who
led all 2011 full-season Padres with
an underwhelming nine homers.

Now in case study number two, the San Diego Padres hit only 91 home runs in 2011, worst in MLB and the lowest single-season total by any team in over a decade.  Their home ballpark, Petco Park, only allowed a combined 1.23 home runs per game, second lowest in MLB behind only AT&T Park.  Of the 100 home runs hit there, only 42 were hit by the Padres.  This means the Padres hit seven more homers on the road than at home, and they won more games on the road than they did at home.  Basically, their home field advantage was nullified.

Since Petco Park opened in 2004, the organization has prided itself on creating contenders based on pitching and defense.  They did steal the most bases in MLB with a second-best 79% success rate, and their pitching staff had the third best ERA of the 30 teams, but clearly the formula didn't work as the Padres finished at 71-91.  The team was led in home runs by Ryan Ludwick, who was traded to Pittsburgh midseason.  Of full-season players, Cameron Maybin led the group with nine (but only two at home)!

Granted, the Padres currently aren't a team built for power.  When they moved into Petco, however, there were a couple guys not quite as bashful (pun intended) as the rest of the team.  Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin had made nice livings as power hitters at Qualcomm Stadium before both saw decreases in power numbers upon moving.  Klesko especially struggled with the new digs, hitting only three homers at Petco in '04 after 21 total the year before.  No matter how a team is constructed, however, no team in this day and age will ever make the playoffs without hitting 100 home runs in an 162-game schedule.  Even hitting 120 would be a stretch.

Petco Park: Although the field is too big,
it's a shrine of a baseball stadium.

I believe I have made a compelling case.  As you can see in the photo, the park has a very modern style.  The dimensions, however, are kind of old school, and this park probably was the one that started the over-obsessive pitchers'-park-dimensions-in-new-stadiums fad, which has been copied by Target Field, Citi Field, and more.

From the fan's perspective, however, it is an excellent ballpark.  Besides Wrigley, it's my favorite place to see a baseball game, and I've only been there once.  It's the only ballpark in the league that allows the baseball fan to satisfy his or her play-in-a-sandbox cravings, which he or she can do in front of the right field bleachers.  But if 'the beach' were expanded a bit in right (which would move the fences in), home games would feel even more like a sunny day at the beach for fans of the team with ocean waves on its home jersey.

What if Petco Park looked like this (proposal in blue)?

To put this plan into motion, I've created a prototype dimension blueprint.  The black line with red numbers represents Petco Park's current dimensions and the blue line with blue numbers represents the proposed design.  It may not seem like much, but this move would drastically change the way the ballpark plays.  It wouldn't just become a neutral park; it would be a hitters' park.  I don't have a problem with that, and neither should the Padres.  After all, in runs scored, they've finished in the bottom six of the 16 NL teams six of the eight years they've been playing at Petco.

This is the first time I've ever created something like this.  However, I don't see the Padres ownership doing anything like it.  It would could be completed in one offseason but would require construction costs.  However, they could add more seats which would create more revenue, so the project would actually pay for itself eventually.

From a playing field standpoint, though, this is a necessary move.  The Padres are a small-market team that builds from within, so they boast good young arms in the rotation and bullpen.  In 2010 the Padres had the best bullpen in MLB.  But they're getting help from these obnoxious dimensions, and far too much of it.

If the Padres ever want a competent and balanced offense that can keep up with its pitching staff and not have win games 3-2 all the time, they're going to have to do something about the dimensions.  With all the extra room in the power alleys, it's no coincidence the Padres led the league in triples this season (the Mets were 4th).  They're going to have to recognize the issue for what it is, an issue, and act.  That's what the Mets have done, and the improvement will be seen next season.  I hope someday soon we'll never see another 400-foot fly out in either of these parks.    

  

The 2010 National League All-Division Team

This is the Part Two of the two post series MLB's All-Division Team.  The first part was published on September 17th, and the reason for the delay of this post is the huge time commitment it takes and the postseason has been a busy one.  For this post I profiled 160 National League players, including even situational stats as you will read.  The National League was tougher to decide than the American League because there are more teams in the NL and there were also more competitive teams.  The team below won't disappoint, though, with a few surprises in there, too.  The same rules stand as the AL edition, where 'best' is defined as most important to his team.  There is also an extra incentive to being consistent for an entire season, and although not every player here was exactly a model of consistency in 2010, this is the reason Troy Tulowitzki, for example, didn't make the team.  Tulowitzki had "video game stats" for September going on an unbelievable tear but the fact is his power was missing for five out of six months of the baseball season, and Jose Reyes was more important to the Mets.  Again, this is not at all a popularity contest like the All-Star team is.  My goal in this series to get past that, and actually establish a foundation for the best players in baseball.



National League East

C Brian McCann, ATL
Too bad the Braves weren't able to take advantage of his biggest hit of the season, a go-ahead three-run double in the All-Star Game that gave the National League a win securing home field advantage in the World Series.  McCann, though, picked up plenty of other big hits for the NL Wild Card Champion Atlanta Braves.  One of the National League's best hitting catchers, he has hit 18 or more homers and 77 or more RBI each of the past five seasons.  He is a durable and able catcher, catching in 136 games and setting a career high at 30% baserunners caught stealing against him.  Opponents: Josh Thole (NYM), Carlos Ruiz (PHI), Ivan Rodriguez (WAS), and Ronny Paulino (FLA).


1B Adam Dunn, WAS
During a down year from Ryan Howard, Dunn walks away with the hardware this time.  Hitting a team-high 38 HR and 103 RBI, Dunn remained to be a glue piece to the Nationals' rebuilding efforts.  Washington slipped to 69-93 but were a winner early on and much of that had to do with Dunn.  All positive reviews from his two year stay on the Beltway, Dunn completed his initially surprising contract with a lasting effect on the young players who look up to him.  Opponents: Ike Davis (NYM), Ryan Howard (PHI), Gaby Sanchez (FLA), and Troy Glaus (ATL).

2B Dan Uggla, FLA
Okay, let's get the screaming negative out of the way.  He can't field for crap.  Glad to get that over with.  Okay, so now lets stare at his 33 homers, 105 RBI and 100 runs, which helps him get the win in a very tight race with Atlanta's Martin Prado.  Uggla is just another one of those guys to come out of the Marlins' system who owns.  He is their main power threat especially after Jorge Cantu got traded to Texas.  The offensive leader of this young team (sorry, Hanley Ramirez) deserves this spot.  Opponents: Adam Kennedy (WAS), Luis Castillo (NYM), Martin Prado (ATL), and Chase Utley (PHI)

3B David Wright, NYM
Wright quietly had a great year in the power department (29 homers) not having lost his speed quite yet (19 steals).  His strikeout rate badly increased for a season total of 161 and his batting average was a career worst .283 (which isn't saying much), but the fact is he is a franchise player and he needed a good year this season to prove his continued longevity as a Met, not just a product who had a few great years. The Mets faded at the end there, but their run in first for a while later than most expected wouldn't have been possible without Wright.  Opponents: Chipper Jones (ATL), Ryan Zimmerman (WAS), Placido Polanco (PHI), and Wes Helms (FLA).

SS Jose Reyes, NYM
Much said about Wright can also be said about Reyes, who needed to prove he could steal use the speed that gave him 258 steals between 2005 and 2008.  He needs some more work on regaining plate discipline, but Reyes took 30 bases in 40 tries in nearly a full season.  Also now the Mets won't have to play him conservatively and will let him run free.  Reyes gave the Mets that spark, the energy, that completely escaped them in the nightmare that was 2009 Mets baseball.  Opponents: Jimmy Rollins (PHI), Hanley Ramirez (FLA), Ian Desmond (WAS), and Alex Gonzalez (ATL).


LF Raul Ibanez, PHI
In a weak running in this division, Ibanez still wins despite being a shadow of his 2009 self.  It took him a long time to come around to hitting like he does and his Phillies were incapable of getting on a roll until he started contributing.  Sure enough, the Phillies started winning consistently and Ibanez was doing what he does best: driving in runs.  Opponents: Josh Willingham (WAS), Melky Cabrera (ATL), Jason Bay (NYM), and Chris Coghlan (FLA).


CF Angel Pagan, NYM
Hmm.  Imagine if he were still on the Cubs.  Lead off issues solved.  Pagan had his finest season yet thanks to the injury to Carlos Beltran.  Pagan stole 37 bases and batted .290, playing his first full season in the majors.  He also saw time at each outfield position, and durability is key in today's game.  Opponents: Nyjer Morgan (WAS), Cameron Maybin (FLA), Nate McLouth (ATL), and Shane Victorino (PHI)

RF Mike Stanton, FLA
Wake up.  You're drooling on your keyboard.  Stanton's huge power cranked 22 homers in a bit less than a full season after getting the call-up in early June.  He led National League rookies in homers and other offensive categories.  He only batted .259 but has time to improve.  Fans came out to see this guy because of his track record.  He is a gamer, future face of the franchise.  He had a terrific rookie campaign of 2010, but for now he is stuck staring at Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla before the team truly becomes his.  Opponents: Mike Morse (WAS), Jeff Francoeur (NYM), Jason Heyward (ATL), and Jayson Werth (PHI).


SP Josh Johnson, FLA
'JJ', as he's known to Marlins fans, cooled off slighly towards the end of the 2010 season.  He didn't start after September 4th after the Marlins shut him down which caused him to fall short of 200 innings at 183.2.  However, he averaged more than 6.1 IP per start and carried a ridiculous 1.72 ERA heading into August before having a rough month and finishing at 2.30.  He was in control all season, being yanked in the middle of an inning only three times out of 28 starts.  Oh, and he also struck out 186 and walked only 48.  Opponents: Johan Santana (NYM), Livan Hernandez (WAS), Tim Hudson (ATL), and Roy Halladay (PHI).


RP Billy Wagner, ATL
Wagner's career is now over after retiring at age 38, but it's a darn shame because he hasn't lost anything at all on his stuff and is still one of the most exciting closers to watch.  He finished with a 1.43 ERA and 37 saves in 71 games and 69.1 IP.  He struck out a ridiculous 104 batters while walking only 22!  His fastball consistently hit 98 like it has his entire career and his 2010 performance highlighted one of the best bullpens in baseball on the Atlanta Braves.  He retires 5th on the all-time saves list with 422, the Astros all-time saves leader, 4th on the Mets all-time saves list, tied for 9th on the Phillies all-time saves list, 6th on the Braves single season saves list, and struck out 1196 in 903 career innings.  Wow.  Opponents: Francisco Rodriguez (NYM), Brad Lidge (PHI), Leo Nunez (FLA), and Matt Capps (WAS).


National League Central

C Geovany Soto, CHC
'Geo' went under the radar in 2010 and had a great year although injuries still got to him.  Playing only 105 games still got him the hardware.  He really worked hard on losing weight and increasing mobility behind the plate, and it showed although he only threw out 22% of baserunners.  Soto was on pace to hit more than 23 homers, his output in his rookie year but finished with 17 and also 53 RBI, batting .280.  Soto showed a newfound patience especially early in the season when his walks outnumbered his strikeouts, a stat no one saw coming.  Opponents: Yadier Molina (STL), Ramon Hernandez (CIN), Ryan Doumit (PIT), Humberto Quintero (HOU), and Jonathan Lucroy (MIL).


1B Joey Votto, CIN
As Reds TV play-by-play announcer would tell you in a second, Votto was one of the best hitters in the National League and will get many MVP votes.  He tore up the league smashing 37 homers and 113 RBI, batting .324 with an OBP of .424 due to his 91 walks.  He could not be kept off the basepaths in 2010, and although Albert Pujols had a fine season of his own, Votto was a better all around player this season.  Votto threw in 16 steals too.  Opponents: Albert Pujols (STL), Derrek Lee (CHC), Garrett Jones (PIT), Lance Berkman (HOU), and Prince Fielder (MIL).


2B Jeff Keppinger, HOU
Before you tell yourself that the writer of this blog is crazy, consider this stat: 36 strikeouts in 575 at-bats.  Keppinger was statiscally the hardest batter to strike out in the National League.  He led all full season Astros players with a .288 batting average, and was a great veteran presence for a rebuilding team.  He was the guy that kept the offense moving in Houston and was reliable all season for a team that saw lots of young players come and go.  Opponents: Skip Schumaker (STL), Ryan Theriot (CHC), Neil Walker (PIT), Rickie Weeks (MIL), and Brandon Phillips (CIN).

3B Scott Rolen, CIN
One of the best comeback stories in baseball, Rolen suffered through two injury-filled seasons with the Blue Jays before being dealt to Cincinnati midseason 2009.  Rolen cooled off at the end but still hit 20 homers and 83 RBI in 133 games, batting a surprising .285.  As always, Rolen played just superb defense.  He was an influential veteran on this young Reds team.  Opponents: Aramis Ramirez (CHC), David Freese (STL), Casey McGehee (MIL), Pedro Alvarez (PIT), and Chris Johnson (HOU).


SS Starlin Castro, CHC
While his offensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement, a sabermetric stat) was only 1.6, he did so much for the Cubs offensively.  He loosened the pressure on the veterans, being the 20 year old high energy kid that he is.  Castro should improve in the future because of his ability to hit everything.  He goes to all fields and doesn't have a weakness in the strike zone, although he is least effective when jammed inside.  He had serious trouble defensively and contributed to the Cubs ranking first in baseball in errors, but he has plenty of time to fix it.  Without Castro, I don't see the Cubs winning more than 72 games in 2010.  Opponents: Tommy Manzella (HOU), Ronny Cedeno (PIT), Alcides Escobar (MIL), Orlando Cabrera (CIN), and Brendan Ryan (STL).


LF Matt Holliday, STL
This guy was the only hope for a Cardinals team that forever struggles with lineup protection for Pujols.  Holliday didn't disappoint, playing in 158 games hitting 28 homers, 103 RBI, and a great .312 batting average.  He got on base at a .390 clip, exactly what the Cardinals want from the guy behind #5.  Opponents: Alfonso Soriano (CHC), Jonny Gomes (CIN), Carlos Lee (HOU), Jose Tabata (PIT), and Ryan Braun (MIL).


CF Andrew McCutchen, PIT
'McClutchen' hit .286 but .315 with men on base, although only one of his 16 homers drove in more than himself.  This guy right here is marketing the Pirates to Pittsburgh, putting fans in the seats with his exciting play.  The fact that Pittsburgh still finished 15th in the NL in attendance tells you how bored the city is with this losing pandemic on the Pirates.  McCutchen stole 33 bases and was fifth in defensive range factor in center field.  Opponents: Marlon Byrd (CHC), Colby Rasmus (STL), Carlos Gomez (MIL), Drew Stubbs (CIN), and Michael Bourn (HOU).


RF Hunter Pence, HOU
The duck-footed kid had another fine year, consistent again for 25 homers, 91 RBI, and a .282 batting average.  He nearly hit the 20-20 club with 18 steals and is pretty much the face of the franchise with Carlos Lee having seen better days.  Pence was the heart of the offense and one of the formidable outfield trio in Houston with Lee, Bourn, and Pence.  Opponents: Tyler Colvin (CHC), Jay Bruce (CIN), Ryan Ludwick (STL), Lastings Milledge (PIT), and Corey Hart (MIL).


SP Brett Myers, HOU
Surprise, I know.  Shout out to Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, both did a great job but still don't get my award.  Myers wasn't expected of much by the baseball public when he signed with Houston, but has made such an incredible change on the pitching philosophy.  He was yanked from a start in the middle of an inning only four times in 33 starts, and had a streak of pitching at least six innings all the way until the last start of the season.  The results: 223.2 IP, 3.14 ERA, 180 K to 66 BB, 14-8 record.  And now he has the #3 starter, young J.A. Happ, to tutor.  Opponents: Ryan Dempster (CHC), Adam Wainwright (STL), Bronson Arroyo (CIN), Yovani Gallardo (MIL), and Paul Maholm (PIT).


RP Carlos Marmol, CHC
Breaking Eric Gagne's record of K/9 IP, Marmol's 138 K in 77.2 IP topped all NL relievers by a long shot.  He also came six short of Randy Wells' K total of 144, although Wells needed 116.2 IP more to do it.  Marmol saved 38 games with an ERA of 2.55 and although he did walk 52, he only allowed 40 hits.  Incredibly, he allowed one homer and even more incredibly, it was to Jeff Clement of the Pirates in May, an opposite field shot at Wrigley.  Marmol is, without Cubs bias, the most dominant and intimidating reliever in the National League.  Opponents: Francisco Cordero (CIN), Ryan Franklin (STL), John Axford (MIL), Brandon Lyon (HOU), and Octavio Dotel (PIT).



National League West

C Buster Posey, SF
In a very weak division for catchers, there may now be at least one star for a long time in the future.  Bengie Molina, the incumbent catcher playing in his fourth season for San Francisco, was traded to make room for Posey.  I didn't believe all the hype in Spring Training about this guy, but I'm a believer now.  Posey whacked 18 homers and 67 RBI in 105 games, and what's really remarkable is that he's generating the power from a small 6-1 frame.  Posey will be a fan favorite for the next decade.  Opponents: Yorvit Torrealba (SD), Miguel Olivo (COL), Russell Martin (LAD), and Miguel Montero (ARI).


1B Adrian Gonzalez, SD
'A-Gon' has been the face of this franchise for at least four years, as if there was any competition.  Gonzo's 31 homers led the Padres, ahead of the second place Will Venable by 18.  The hispanic star has been thrown around in trade rumors and needed a winning team this season to avoid getting dealt, probably to Boston.  It is good for the game of baseball, though, that his .298 batting average, 93 walks and 160 games played in 2010 stayed in San Diego.  If the Padres could ever get him some support, he could be an even better player with more baserunners to drive in.  Opponents: Aubrey Huff (SF), James Loney (LAD), Todd Helton (COL), Adam LaRoche (ARI).`


2B Kelly Johnson, ARI
Probably the biggest surprise on the offensively-exciting D-Backs, Johnson led the NL with 12 homers at one point.  He fell way behind in that race, but still he had a great year of 26 homers and 71 RBI, batting .284.  While Johnson set a career high with 13 steals, he needed this year to reinvigorate his career after really looking bad and getting kicked out of Atlanta.  Opponents: Freddy Sanchez (SF), Blake DeWitt (LAD), David Eckstein (SD), and Clint Barmes (COL).


3B Ian Stewart, COL
This is not the division to look in for a good third baseman.  That said, Stewart is at least consistent while Mark Reynolds, who hit 32 homers, batted .198.  He provided his regular low average yet abundant power in 2010 with 18 homers in only 386 at-bats.  He played only 121 games and the Rockies counted on him over the summer as Troy Tulowitzki wasn't getting the job done powerwise.  His 18 homers was third on the Rockies.  Opponents: Pablo Sandoval (SF), Chase Headley (SD), Mark Reynolds (ARI), Casey Blake (LAD).


SS Juan Uribe, SF
Who saw this coming?  Uribe, after wearing out his welcome with the White Sox, was picked up by the Giants before 2009 and has been great since.  Uribe set a new career high in homers with 24 and a new career high in RBI with 85, while being a huge part of a Giants team that relied on his pop.  For only $3.25 million, he has been a huge steal for San Francisco.  Opponents: Rafael Furcal (LAD), Troy Tulowitzki (COL), Everth Cabrera (SD), and Stephen Drew (ARI).


LF Carlos Gonzalez, COL
The Cubs certainly remember how good this guy is.  Gonzalez hit for the cycle against the Cubs in August, the biggest highlight of his monster season.  Gonzalez did it all batting .336 with 34 homers, 117 RBI, and 26 steals.  There is no doubt Gonzalez was the best player on the 2010 Rockies and one of the best in the National League.  He will get plenty of MVP votes.  Opponents: Manny Ramirez (LAD), Pat Burrell (SF), Gerardo Parra (ARI), and Scott Hairston (SD).


CF Chris Young, ARI
Young nearly made the 30-30 club for the second time in his career, but arguably had the best season of his career.  After disappointing many with such a low average in 2008 and 2009, it's good to see a guy with such great talent work his way back to where he needs to be.  Young hit 27 homers and stole 28 bases, batting .257, not great but acceptable.  The 26 year old also set a career high in walks for an Arizona team that struck out the most in baseball.  Opponents: Dexter Fowler (COL), Matt Kemp (LAD), Tony Gwynn Jr. (SD), and Aaron Rowand (SF).


RF Andre Ethier, LAD
It was a down year for the Dodgers and a less exciting one for Ethier, but he still got the job done.  Hitting .292 with 23 homers and 82 RBI, Ethier continued to become even more of a fan favorite.  With Matt Kemp playing alongside Ethier in center, the two make make one of the best outfielder duos in baseball, and Los Angeles has fallen in love with the play of the two stars.  Opponents: Justin Upton (ARI), Ryan Spilborghs (COL), Nate Schierholtz (SF), Will Venable (SD).


SP Mat Latos, SD
This 22 year old is a stud and a capable ace of the Padres.  Going 14-10 with a 2.92 ERA in his first full season, Latos struck out 189 in 184.2 IP.  He also walked only 2.4/9 IP, keeping his pitches under control especially his fastball which lights up the radar gun.  Latos was vital to the Padres team that came a game from getting to the playoffs as the biggest surprise in baseball.  Opponents: Tim Lincecum (SF), Ubaldo Jimenez (COL), Clayton Kershaw (LAD), and Ian Kennedy (ARI).


RP Heath Bell, SD
Bell's 47 saves were critical for a Padres team that needs to hold a lead when they get one, because it's unlikely the offense will get it back.  Bell was second in baseball in saves only behind Brian Wilson.  He was the old man of the bullpen at 32 and his 1.92 ERA was topped by a few guys in the best bullpen in baseball.  Bell may be a big man with limited mobility, but he is a great pitcher with a lively fastball and he struck out 11.1 batters per 9 innings, more than good enough for a closer.  Opponents: Brian Wilson (SF), Jonathan Broxton (LAD), Huston Street (COL), and Juan Gutierrez (ARI).



The amount of representatives is somewhat conducive to success of the team:

3 players: FLA, NYM, CHC, HOU, SD
2 players: ATL, CIN, SF, ARI, COL
1 player: WAS, PHI, STL, PIT, LAD
0 players: MIL

Interestingly, no National League team finished with more than three representatives; as opposed to the American League, where the Rangers topped it with six.  This team is obviously in my opinion so it is a cumulative mix of stats and sabermetrics with opinion.  I thank you for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it.

NOTE: I'm currently working on a project to improve the blog.  Coming soon is the ability to search a player by last name and get all the posts with that player in it, as I am tagging the posts.  I will write when the project is completed.

A True Leeder

Since finishing 3rd in MVP voting in 2005 after winning the batting title and belting 46 HR, Derrek Lee was looked upon as a disappointment from 2006-08.  In 2009, he revitalized himself as a power hitter in the middle of the Cubs lineup, hitting 35 HR and 111 RBI.  Although I have always been a fan of the 6-5 Lee, I admit there were times I became very frustrated with him grounding into double plays and not being able to push the fly balls over the wall.  In 2008, it appeared he was back because he hit around 15 HR in April and May combined, on pace for an impressive 45, but the power hit hibernation over the summer and he finished with only 20.  The one thing Cub fans forget, however, is the how important his presence is on the Cubs.  He is a calm, cool leader in the clubhouse and many young players coming through the system have learned a lot from his practice on and off the field.  Many atheltes in professional sports refuse to watch ESPN or read the Sports section of the local paper because it keeps a more positive influence around your mind and the rest of the team.  This is understandable; you wouldn't want to read articles that criticize what you do for a living and make judgements about your career and motivation, etc.  However, Lee doesn't care and reads it anyway.  He doesn't take offense or allow his opinions to be changed from the media, but rather reads it like a fan.  If there is an article the questions his ability, I'm sure he either uses that as motivation to try harder or he ignores it and keeps doing what he does.

In my opinion, first base is the second most important position on the field, behind center field.  The first baseman, first of all, needs to be physically able to get outs and help his defense by picking balls out of the dirt and having enough size to reach and snag errant throws, saving errors and baserunners.  Second of all, he needs to lead the team.  This means doing what Lee does every day; setting an example on defense, giving a jolt of spirit to the guys even when being destroyed out there, listening to each and every individual player, not being afraid to give advice when deemed necessary, and knowing that winning goes before fame and money.  In other words, understanding the winning is the number one priority of everyone involved in the game and the team, and doing everything possible to achieve that goal.

Having doubts about the importance of first base theory?  I can't blame you.  But I looked around at teams that have had success recently, and it is apparent that there is plenty of truth.

-The Rays, surprise AL Pennant winners of 2008 and perennial winners for some time to come, have been anchored by powerful 1B Carlos Peña, and he leads the younger nucleus of Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, and Evan Longoria.  Until the 2008 transformation, the Rays never came close to a winning record.  Peña arrived in 2007.

-The Phillies, back-to-back NL Champions and the Rays' opponent in the 2008 World Series, certainly have a gift in 1B Ryan Howard.  The Phillies popped back on the baseball radar in 2006 after consistently winning all decade but usually not sniffing the playoffs because of the Braves' ridiculous streak of divison titles.  In fact, the Phillies hadn't made the playoffs since their 1980 World Series run and naturally the Philly fans were never happy.  But then this kid named Ryan Howard comes along and sends 58 baseball into orbit (or the bleachers) and now the Phillies really had some potential to upend the Braves and the Mets, who had won the division in 2006.  Sure enough, the Phillies have won three division titles in a row and Howard is the face of the franchise.

-The Cardinals were a no-brainer here.  Albert Pujols is the best hitter to set foot on this planet, unquestionably the leader of the Cardinals.  They were usually among the NL's best throughout the early and mid 2000's, except for a bump in the road called 2006.  At just 83-78 (ironically the Cubs' 2009 record), the redbirds marched into the playoffs with horrible momentum.  Oh yeah, they also happened to win the World Series that year.  Now with Matt Holliday in the order, the birds might be flying high for a while.

-The Yankees have Mark Teixeira.  Not too bad.  Possibly overlooked because of the Yankee legends that still inhabit Yankee Stadium, this dude is a key cog in the winning formula.  The first year he arrived, they won the Series.

-Who doesn't love the Swinging Padre logo that the Padres hold sacred?  The Padres are always an interesting team because of their ability to harvest young talent in a hurry and make all their pitchers look like aces in Petco Park.  The Padres were never the team to win 100 games and lead the NL in a whole bunch fo categories, but I'm pretty sure 1B Adrian Gonzalez had a lot to do with the Padres making the postseason in three straight years from 2005-2007 (I consider the one-game tiebreaker with the Rockies in 07 as playoffs).  Okay, fine, I know Gonzalez wasn't called up for real until 2006.  Still though, there is a point.  Now the Padres are leading the NL West and continue to prove doubters wrong with every step as more young talent pours into Petco and they all get schooled (in a good way) by the man, Gonzalez.

-The Twins, completely overpublicized because of homegrown Joe Mauer, probably have the most underrated first bagger in the league.  Justin Morneau is a patient (through 21 games, he leads baseball with 21 walks and a ridiculous .490 OBP) and powerful (22 or more homers the past five seasons) hitter and a great defender, and that skill is also overlooked.

-Although this era has ended in Flushing, the Mets run from 2006-2008 was very successful and was sparked by the big three: David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Delgado.  Delgado was getting old when he arrived in New York, so of course the media was all over him about it.  He quickly became a fan favorite in 2006, then an enemy after a disappointing 2007, then a hero in 2008 after a series of clutch hits.  In the tornado of negativity that was 2009 for the Mets, Delgado had to sit back and watch while his team surprisingly lost 92 games.  The Mets now lead the NL East, but Delgado is gone and a partial new generation has been welcomed into Citi Field.

None of the guys on this list are troublemakers and all are critical to their teams.  First base has never been more important to baseball teams, and the Cubs are extremely lucky to have a guy like Derrek Lee.  Resigning him after this season, his free agent year, is absolutely the number one priority in the offseason.  Go Cubs!