Foxsports MLB Power Rankings

[BSN07]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/powerRankings

 

Not a bad list, I like how he says the NL central winner might have a losing record:lol:

 

Too Bad Linda is not around to see someone other then us say the LA Dodgers offensive is suspect.

[riverside sluggers]

He also says the Sox could be the leading favorite for the AL Wild Card. I'll take it, if it means getting into the playoffs

[MANNYHOF24]

I really think we are better than the Guardians, I mean we have a better rotation and their bullpen is a question ,mark just like ours. I also think the lineups are similar.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

He also says the Sox could be the leading favorite for the AL Wild Card. I'll take it' date=' if it means getting into the playoffs[/quote']

 

Is anyone else besides me sick and tired of aiming for the Wildcard? It's starting to irritate the hell out of me. I think this year, moreso than most, we are in position to actual take control of the AL East and WIN our way into the playoffs. Our rotation is, in my opinion, HANDS DOWN superior to the Yankees (they're anticipating starting Carl FREAKING Pavano...), and our lineup had made serious strides to close the gap between us and them. And that's currently...I still think there's a small chance that a Helton deal gets done. If that were to happen, I'd say our lineup is only a shaaaaaaaaade inferior to NYY. I know there are still a lot of "what-ifs", but I think if even MOST of them pan out, we could find the Yanks aiming for the WildCard and staring at us from 2nd place.

[ANiMAL]

i think the only reason we're at 5th is cause of our questionalbe situations

 

dice k

jd drew

closer

 

so i think our ranking is right where we should be at the beginning of the season

[He Hate Me]

so i think our ranking is right where we should be at the beginning of the season

 

 

I think it's too low. IMO, the rankings should be Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox 1, 2 and 3.

[BoSox34]

The Red Sox should definitely be ahead of the Mets and Guardians, and hopefully if our rotation lives up to its potential, we'll find ourselves at the top of that list in the spring.

[Gom]

Is anyone else besides me sick and tired of aiming for the Wildcard? It's starting to irritate the hell out of me. I think this year' date=' moreso than most, we are in position to actual take control of the AL East and WIN our way into the playoffs. Our rotation is, in my opinion, HANDS DOWN superior to the Yankees (they're anticipating starting Carl FREAKING Pavano...), and our lineup had made serious strides to close the gap between us and them. And that's currently...I still think there's a small chance that a Helton deal gets done. If that were to happen, I'd say our lineup is only a shaaaaaaaaade inferior to NYY. I know there are still a lot of "what-ifs", but I think if even MOST of them pan out, we could find the Yanks aiming for the WildCard and staring at us from 2nd place.[/quote']

 

Too many if's for the Sox. Too many potential adjustments. The Sox have a better rotation, but the difference is not that great. The Yankees get the edge in the lineup, are better defensively, getting the nod at 1B, 2B, SS, C, RF, and LF. The bullpen isn't even close.

 

That being said, I think everyone is sleeping on the Red Sox outside of Boston. I think they are the 2nd best team in baseball by a comfortable margin [and being a Yankee fan, I admit bias], but your team scares the hell out of me. I wouldn't be surprised if both teams won 100 games this year.

 

The Yankees have Philip Hughes if Pavano falters. Truthfully, when Pavano is your 5th starter, regardless of his vaginitis, it's a solid rotation. Couple that with the fact that if you compare bullpens, the third best pitcher in the yankees pen is better than the best the sox have. Putting Papelbon in the pen is the best move your team can make. Taking him out is crazy, but I'm all for it, lol. Forget what Smoltz is done, it's a rarity. Taking a pitcher who has shoulder issues and telling the public that tripling his innings will help? Bookmark this thread, Sox fans will rue the day they put Papelbon in the rotation.

[example1]

Too many if's for the Sox. Too many potential adjustments. The Sox have a better rotation' date=' but the difference is not that great. The Yankees get the edge in the lineup, are better defensively, getting the nod at 1B, 2B, SS, C, RF, and LF. The bullpen isn't even close. [/quote']

 

1B: Phillips? I don't think he's better defensively than Youkilis. Youkilis played + defense at 1B last year, and can play the opposite corner. Don't get too excited about Mientkiewez either; been there, don't that. He's a good defensive 1B, but he doesn't add enough offensively to make himself worthwhile.

 

C: I'd take Varitek behind the plate any day over Posada. I've never heard of a pitcher saying "I refuse to pitch to Varitek", and if Tek could catch Wake I imagine Wake would want that. Posada may throw out some more runners, but neither is at the top of the league with that. The strength of both is that each is a switch hitter with power potential, and they both have lots of experience calling games with good pitchers. They are both invaluable leaders and great players regardless of how they hit. I'd be happy to have either, but I think Varitek his really underrated as a backstop, keeping touch pitches from being passed-balls or wild pitches.

 

2B: I don't know. I saw Cano make a number of pretty bad plays last year (or is that 'not make a number of pretty good plays last year?'... anyway) and Pedroia has a reputation for being a good fielder. We'll see. It's not a gimme. I think the same is true for Drew vs. Abreu, with Abreu having a slight edge there with better speed.

 

Otherwise, I think your assessment is--admittedly--biased toward the yankees. I'd say that for all intents and purposes the teams are a wash as C, 1B, 2B, 3B, CF and RF defensively. None of these positions have obviously superior players on one team or the other (i.e., its not like we're comparing Tori Hunter to Manny Ramirez).

 

That being said, I think everyone is sleeping on the Red Sox outside of Boston. I think they are the 2nd best team in baseball by a comfortable margin [and being a Yankee fan, I admit bias], but your team scares the hell out of me. I wouldn't be surprised if both teams won 100 games this year.

 

I don't think they're the second best team by a comfortable margin. I don't think the Yankees are the best team by a comfortble margin. I think the top 5 teams or so always belong in the best team discussion until the end of the season.

 

The Yankees have Philip Hughes if Pavano falters. Truthfully, when Pavano is your 5th starter, regardless of his vaginitis, it's a solid rotation.

 

The Yankees rotation is decent. It has a lot of question marks though. Pavano is a HUGE chump. He is easily the lamest of the 10 starters between the Sox and Yankees, as long as Matt Clement is still injured. Both have been disappointing.

 

 

Couple that with the fact that if you compare bullpens, the third best pitcher in the yankees pen is better than the best the sox have. Putting Papelbon in the pen is the best move your team can make. Taking him out is crazy, but I'm all for it, lol. Forget what Smoltz is done, it's a rarity. Taking a pitcher who has shoulder issues and telling the public that tripling his innings will help? Bookmark this thread, Sox fans will rue the day they put Papelbon in the rotation.

 

I don't think you know what you're talking about. Yes, Papelbon was great in the pen but if he can be a good starter then he's more valuable there. The Sox have said they're open to him going back there if absolutely necessary or if starting doesn't work out. If Timlin has a Timlinish year then he'll be more than adequate in MR, and I expect Hansen and Manny D to have good years too.

 

Who cares about these rankings anyway? They change weekly once the season starts, so it looks ROUGHLY like one would expect it to look like. The better teams are in the top half, the worse teams in the bottom.

[riverside sluggers]

Putting Papelbon in the pen is the best move your team can make. Taking him out is crazy' date=' but I'm all for it, lol. Forget what Smoltz is done, it's a rarity. Taking a pitcher who has shoulder issues and telling the public that tripling his innings will help? Bookmark this thread, Sox fans will rue the day they put Papelbon in the rotation.[/quote']

 

Once doctors come out with findings that Papelbon is ok to close, by all means I hope he goes back to that role.

 

Sox fans will rue the day they put Papelbon in the rotation? Last time I checked it was the medical & front office staffs.

[ORS]

Eyechart is a better defender than Youkilis, and Posada is a better defensive catcher than Varitek, but not a better receiver. Despite Abreu's edge in speed, Drew rates higher than him defensively as a RF. Pedroia will be better than Cano-no.

 

I love the part about the third best pitcher in the Yanks bully being better than the Sox best. What year are we talking about? Everyone in both bully's, other than Rivera, have roller coaster performances from year to year. Don't hold your breath there. That said, I take their BP over ours hands down. But, with Rivera, that would be true no matter who else was there.

 

Experts in the field of sports medicine have all stated that pitching on a regular schedule, with regular rest and conditioning between outings, is much easier on the shoulder despite increased innings. Hmm, let me see, whom do I believe, medical experts or the resident used car salesman? Sorry, not selling that '89 Bonneville today, Gom.

[He Hate Me]

Pedroia will be better than Cano-no.

 

I assume u mean defensively.

[ORS]

Isn't that what was being compared?

[He Hate Me]

Isn't that what was being compared?

 

I wasn't sure, I thought the rankings were talking about lineups.

 

Question for you btw, do you think that either Abreu or Drew would give up the body for a catch? Trot and Paulie wouldn't think twice, but I don't know if either of the two current ones would really do that. Drew might get a hangnail form diving, and I don't think I've ever seen Abreu hit the RF grass.

[ORS]

Depends on the situation. If it were for a win, like late in the game to steal a hit from the other team in close game, I think both would. They just have reps for not doing that regularly. Personally, unless the game is on the line, and as long as some caution will keep a good player in the lineup, then playing the rest of the year is more valuable than the one out, IMO. I do know this. If Drew pulls up short in a tight game, he'll never hear the end of it. Never. I hope he knows what he's getting into.

[Gom]

Eyechart is a better defender than Youkilis, and Posada is a better defensive catcher than Varitek, but not a better receiver. Despite Abreu's edge in speed, Drew rates higher than him defensively as a RF. Pedroia will be better than Cano-no.

 

I love the part about the third best pitcher in the Yanks bully being better than the Sox best. What year are we talking about? Everyone in both bully's, other than Rivera, have roller coaster performances from year to year. Don't hold your breath there. That said, I take their BP over ours hands down. But, with Rivera, that would be true no matter who else was there.

 

Experts in the field of sports medicine have all stated that pitching on a regular schedule, with regular rest and conditioning between outings, is much easier on the shoulder despite increased innings. Hmm, let me see, whom do I believe, medical experts or the resident used car salesman? Sorry, not selling that '89 Bonneville today, Gom.

 

Was waiting for you to respond to that, ORS, glad you didn't disappoint. With a background in medicine myself, and with a brother who is a surgery resident, and we have discussed this in depth, we are both at odds to what we hear. Not only that, but every physician and anatomist I have ever spoke to laughs at this notion. Now, we are not as polished as Dr. James Andrews, but the logic behind putting Papelbon in the rotation is pure folly. Pitchers with arm injuries should limit their innings without fail. Every once in a while, you get that pitcher who is an aberration, rather than the rule. You come across as intelligent, ORS. Does it make sense to you? To anyone at all? Think about this...as a whole, starting pitchers have more shoulder issues, have more incidences of Tommy John surgery. Look it up. I hope you guys aren't the types that believe everything you read from "medical experts" who don't have degrees in medicine.

 

Look at all the one inning wonders we have had in the last 15-20 years. Eckersley, Lee Smith, Hoffman, etc. Their effectiveness was bullied by their steady, but minimized work.

 

Back to the issues at hand, Mientkiewicz will play 75% of the time due to late inning replacement and the fact that the majority of pitchers in baseball are right handed. Defensively, there is no comparison. Even giving a wash to 2B and C, the Yankees are more solid defensively. The only huge difference is CF with Crisp over Damon, but ORS can play a better left field than Manny.

 

I would take Farnsworth and Proctor over Timlin, Delcarmen, or anyone else. Timlin in his day would smoke this guy, but he is 206 years old last I checked. Anyways, should be a great AL East. Time to take back the mantle of the best division in baseball. I hope.

[riverside sluggers]

Dr. James Andrew was the one who looked at Jonathan Papelbon and deemed his prognosis. He has a degree and I will believe him over blog posters any day of the week. There's no doubt in my mind if that wasnt the case, they wouldve kept Papelbon as closer to begin the 2007 season

 

How many of thses physicians & anatomists have you talked to and spent endless time discussing (on a red sox pitcher no less), how many of them have actually met with Papelbon? How many of them know anything about the medical field in the national sports organizations?

[ORS]

Was waiting for you to respond to that' date=' ORS, glad you didn't disappoint. With a background in medicine myself, and with a brother who is a surgery resident, and we have discussed this in depth, we are both at odds to what we hear. Not only that, but every physician and anatomist I have ever spoke to laughs at this notion. Now, we are not as polished as Dr. James Andrews, but the logic behind putting Papelbon in the rotation is pure folly. Pitchers with arm injuries should limit their innings without fail. Every once in a while, you get that pitcher who is an aberration, rather than the rule. You come across as intelligent, ORS. Does it make sense to you? To anyone at all? Think about this...as a whole, starting pitchers have more shoulder issues, have more incidences of Tommy John surgery. Look it up. I hope you guys aren't the types that believe everything you read from "medical experts" who don't have degrees in medicine.[/quote']

What makes more sense, having a runner with a trick hammy train for endurance or sprinting? By your logic, he should be a sprinter because he will run less, but everyone knows the endurance runner is less likely to injure the hamstring. This is perfectly analogous to Papelbon's shoulder subluxation. He needs the routine of throw, rest, condition, rest, repeat.

 

Anyone with any medical savy knows TJ surgery is for the elbow, not the shoulder. Count's 0-2, better protect the plate.

[example1]

With a background in medicine myself, and with a brother who is a surgery resident, and we have discussed this in depth, we are both at odds to what we hear. Not only that, but every physician and anatomist I have ever spoke to laughs at this notion. Now, we are not as polished as Dr. James Andrews, but the logic behind putting Papelbon in the rotation is pure folly. Pitchers with arm injuries should limit their innings without fail. Every once in a while, you get that pitcher who is an aberration, rather than the rule. You come across as intelligent, ORS. Does it make sense to you? To anyone at all? Think about this...as a whole, starting pitchers have more shoulder issues, have more incidences of Tommy John surgery. Look it up. I hope you guys aren't the types that believe everything you read from "medical experts" who don't have degrees in medicine.

 

I think there is every reason to believe that the sox aren't LYING about why they intend to move Papelbon. I don't care what kind of medical background you have, or whether your brother is currently studying to become a surgeon, I don't buy ANY diagnosis or blanket prognosis from this far away. I saw Bill Frist try that with Schiavo and I don't buy it.

 

Look at all the one inning wonders we have had in the last 15-20 years. Eckersley, Lee Smith, Hoffman, etc. Their effectiveness was bullied by their steady, but minimized work.

 

Eckersley started 361 games in his career. All of them between the ages of 20 and 32. THEN he became a closer, when he was old, his arm had already thrown 2,000 IP and when it did make sense to let him focus to 10-15 pitch outings.

 

Defensively, there is no comparison.

 

Hyperbole. There IS a comparison and I think the Yankees have a slight advantage. You're giving Manny the treatment that, although he largely deserves, he has put aside the last few years. The guy occasionally makes tremendous plays and he plays adequate D in Fenway. He has a bad rep but he's better than advertized (leading the league in assists two seasons ago, for instance). In fact, I've seen Matsui make a number of horrible plays in his day and wouldn't go about bragging about his defense either.

 

I would take Farnsworth and Proctor over Timlin, Delcarmen, or anyone else. Timlin in his day would smoke this guy, but he is 206 years old last I checked. Anyways, should be a great AL East. Time to take back the mantle of the best division in baseball. I hope.

 

The point is that if you put Rivera on the Sox I'd take their bullpen, and the only reason I take the Yanks is Rivera. Farnsworth and Proctor are nothing to write home about IMO.

[jacksonianmarch]

tell ya what, IF the sox make the playoffs that means their rotation held tough. That also means they are going to be a bitch in the playoffs.

[jacksonianmarch]

and for example, you put Rivera on the Netherland Antilles LL team and I'll take that BP over the sox or yankees. Point is, the yankees MR and CL are far superior to the red sox. But you trade Mo to the sox and he is SUCH a difference that he would swing the balance of any team.

[Mr Crunchy]

farnsworth and proctor suck

i dont need the #s to show me

ive seen them both

 

i remember farnsworth getting a big 3 outs against us last year at 1 point but theres a reason hes been on as many teams as carl everett over the last 5 seasons

 

as far as taking matsui over ramirez in left field??

 

youre the only person in this country that would do that

[jacksonianmarch]

matsui over manny? I wont go that far. No way.

Farnsworth has his dominant days and his bad days.

Proctor was nasty last season, one of the best middle relievers in baseball and the only one who pitched over 100 innings.

[CrespoBlows]

Proctor was nasty last season, one of the best middle relievers in baseball and the only one who pitched over 100 innings.

 

Not exactly a good thing.

[jacksonianmarch]

might not be, you are right. But he was lights out last yr. Thing is, Farnsworth was lights out 3/4 of the time too. Just when he was bad, he wasnt just 1 or 2 run bad. He was batting practice bad and gave up a lot of multirun innings.

 

But it isnt just those guys I am a bit excited about. Myers had a solid yr, and will likely have another. Vizcaino is an innings eating power arm who could share MR duties with Proctor. And then the kids will get a shot. Rasner at long relief, Henn potentially, Britton who had a great yr last yr in Baltimore and Bruney who was lights out. Lots of options with guys coming off good seasons in that pen. One thing is for sure, aside from Myers, that pen will be throwing hard.