FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Bigdleech said 07/14, 10:22 PM
Rules: one lineup, two AL starters, two NL starters, one AL closer, one NL closer, no DH. This is NOT in the form of a batting order. For outfielders, it doesn't matter where they play in the outfield. If players are currently on the DL, or they have just come off, they are eligable.

C: A.J. Pierzynski(White Sox)
1B: Derrek Lee(Cubs)-as hard as it would be to give the NL a fourth first baseman, he was arguably the biggest snub of all.
2B: Placido Polanco(Tigers)
SS: Jose Reyes(Mets)
3B: Garrett Atkins(Rockies)-as much as I wanted to choose Cantu, Atkins had superior OBP, OPS, avg., and the same amount of RBIs with a couple less homers. Plus, he is a far superior fielder.
OF: Xavier Nady(homer pick-Pirates)
OF: Jermaine Dye(White Sox)
OF: Pat Burrell(Phillies)

Pitchers:
AL starter: Shaun Marcum(Blue Jays)
AL starter: John Danks(White Sox)
AL closer: Troy Percival(Rays)-he did just come of the DL, but he has had a terrific season so far for the Rays, including a WHIP of .96.
NL starter: Cole Hamels(Phillies)
NL starter: Johan Santana(Mets)
NL closer: Jose Valverde(Astros)-not great numbers, but he has been arguably a top ten closer this season.

Bigdleech said 07/15, 09:52 PM
AJ vs. Molina-AJ leads in OBP and slugging, while both have a .287 average. He also has more homers, and he has scored 11 more runs this season, along with a stolen base, which Molina doesn't have.

Lee vs. Howard-despite less homers, Lee has the exact same slugging %. Plus, he his OBP. is a solid .050 higher. Howard's homers don't make up for his pathetic pace to get over 200 k's,and the only person comparable is Adam Dunn. No one thinks he should be in.

Polanco vs. Phillips-although Phillips does have more power, Polanco is much better at getting on base. He has a better avg, and he draws more walks.

Nady vs. Bay-I knew it could come down to this. Nady has the second best avg. in baseball among all outfielders. He may not have Bay's power, but he isn't lacking with 12 home runs. Plus he has 3 more RBI's. Bay also has 26 more K's. So Nady makes more contact, strikes out less, drives in more runs, and has above average power. Looks like Nady is the clear choice.

Burrell vs. Beltran-Burrell contains an avg. .007 points higher, and he has 23 home runs, compared to Beltran's 15. Burrell gets on base much more, and he has a superior slugging pct.

Pitchers are up next.

Bigdleech said 07/16, 10:02 PM
Hamels vs. Peavy-last year, I would have agreed with you. Peavy does win the ERA by quite a bit, but Cole plays in possibly the best hitters park in baseball. Peavy plays in THE pitchers park. Hamels has a better WHIP, 1.02 compared to 1.12 for Peavy. Hamels has a .214 avg against, compared to Peavy's .227. He has to complete game shutouts, compared to JP's zero. He averages 7.11 innings per outing, compared to Peavy's 6.28.

Valverde vs. Cordero-this may be your biggest advantage. Cordero does have a better ERA and WHIP. On the other hand, Valverde gets more K's per nine, and a lot less walks. He also has an 82.75 save percentage, compared to 82.6. While that may be extremely small, it is what really matters for closers. After all, as closers, it is their job to save games, which Valverde has been a little better at.

Marcum vs. Lackey-both have faced injuries, making them easy to overlook. Lackey has the better ERA, but Marcum has a far superior K's per nine, and a better WHIP of 1.00(third best starter) to 1.07. Lackey's opponents have hit .240 against him, while Marcum's have hit an abysmal .198 against him, making him second best among starters in that aspect.