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Your midseason report card

navamind

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A.J. Pierzynski - F (He sucks, which was pretty much to be expected.)

David Ross - D (if he were a full time catcher, it would probably be an F. At least he can handle a pitching staff pretty well.)

Mike Napoli - B (would be a B+ if he didn't hit the DL, it would be nice if he started hitting for power, but at least he has a .389 OBP and plays good defense. He's been one of the few good hitters on the team.)

Dustin Pedroia - B+ (he's having his worst offensive year since his rookie year, though he still has a 103 OPS+, which is above average at 2B. And he's arguably the best defensive 2B in baseball right now.)

Xander Bogaerts - D+ (Could be lower, but you have to remember he's only 21 and playing his first full season in the majors, so he's going to have his struggles. But he's in a pretty bad slump right now, so maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to send him down to AAA for a few weeks?)

Stephen Drew - F (Thanks for 2013.)

Brock Holt - A-/B+ (Has exceeded expectations thus far. He still has a very high BABIP, so he'll probably regress, but even then, he looks like he should be a good super utility player for the Sox.)

Jonny Gomes - D- (he's fine against lefties, but because of injuries and Farrell's blind faith in him (TEH INTANGIBLES!!!), Gomes has had to face more righties than lefties, which he should never be doing.)

Jackie Bradley - C (his offense has been pretty bad, but his defense is fantastic, making him useful.)

Daniel Nava - D+ (struggled badly at first, but he's hit pretty well since getting recalled (.297/.388/.337 in 116 PA). As long as him and Gomes are used properly, they're a fine platoon. Hopefully Nava will start hitting for some power again.)

Grady Sizemore - D- (the comeback story was fun and all, but the Sox were foolish to think Sizemore was an everyday player, even with the Victorino injury.)

David Ortiz - B (he's having a fine year, albeit down from 2011-13. His BABIP is significantly down from the last few years (only .253 this year), but it's hard to say whether that's from bad luck or from him simply declining.)

Jonathan Herrera - F (Lol)

Shane Victorino - D (hurt)

Mike Carp - F

Will Middlebrooks - D- (hurt. was hoping he'd continue to play well after hitting pretty well in the 2nd half last year, but injuries have hurt his development. again.)

Jon Lester - A (it's nice to see Lester revert back to 2008-10 form. one of the few enjoyable things about the 2014 Sox right now.)

John Lackey - C+

Jake Peavy - D

Clay Buchholz - F (at least he seems to be getting his shit together since coming off the DL)

Felix Doubront - F (done with him.)

Brandon Workman - D+

Koji Uehara - A

Burke Badenhop - B+ (liked the signing at first, he's pitched pretty well thus far)

Andrew Miller - A- (I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up with better numbers than Uehara at the end of the year. He has great stuff and some sexy peripherals (14.4 K/9, respectable 3.0 BB/9, 50.7% ground ball rate))

Junichi Tazawa - B-

Edward Mujica - F

Craig Breslow - F (regression was to be expected coming into this year, but he's been showing horrible command)

Chris Capuano - F (disappointing, I thought he would have been a good swingman)

Rubby De La Rosa - C+ (like what I've seen, hope he gets more opportunities to start)

overall - F (regression was to be expected, almost everything that could go right for the Sox last year pretty much did. And losing Salty and Ellsbury, the Sox were projected to win fewer games, but still win around 88+ games and make the playoffs. it's been a very disappointing followup to a great 2013.)
 
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For the Buccos, grades assigned relative to their roles, not to their absolute performance.

RHP Gerrit Cole: B He's our best pitcher, but he hasn't quite been the ace we hoped for (there's still time, of course), and he's spent some time on the DL. Not sure when he'll be back.

LHP Francisco Liriano: D Control has been abysmal, and it's cost him in several games. He's also spent a lot of time on the DL. We need him to pitch like a #2, and instead, he might find himself pushed out of the rotation. The swing-and-miss stuff is still there, but he's got to limit the free passes and stay healthy going forward.

RHP Charlie Morton: B+ He's been a true #3 this year. A bit inconsistent, but kept us in most games, and he's had a few sparklers. Strikeouts are up this year, but so are home runs, and ground balls are down a bit. Still, it's probably the best he's pitched in his career.

RHP Edison Volquez: B+ Very solid as a #4 so far, keeping the walks down and using his stuff. He's had a recent stretch of excellent outings, including a complete game his last time out. A very pleasant surprise, but he still makes me nervous.

LHP Jeff Locke: B+ He came up due to some injuries, and he's pitched great. His touted control is back this year, and he's been efficient and going deep into games. He should be pretty consistent going forward.

RHP Brandon Cumpton: C- He's done alright in spot start duty, but he won't be a part of our rotation if we want to succeed.

RHP Vance Worley: B A few strong starts when called upon, but he struggled out of the pen now that he's been moved there.

LHP Justin Wilson: D+ Way too many walks, and he's been a lot less effective than a lefty with his stuff should be.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez: C He's done alright, but I'm nervous every time he takes the bump.

RHP Jared Hughes: B He's been surprisingly good this year. His sinker's been very effective. Still has more frequent stinkers than you'd like to see.

RHP Ernesto Frieri: F He's terrible.

LHP Tony Watson: A+ Just one rough outing and one unfortunate one all year, he's been excellent. Consistent, nearly unhittable. Strikes a ton of guys out, doesn't walk many, limits contact. He's our best reliever, and perhaps the best lefty out of the pen not named Chapman in the NL.

RHP Marc Melancon: A- He's still pitching well, but he's had some rough outings. Not as dominant as last year, but he's gotten the job done overall, I think.

C Russell Martin: A- He continues to play great defense and handle the pitchers well, but his offense has been especially outstanding. He's hitting in the 5th spot, and looks like he deserves to be there.

1B Ike Davis: C Ike's adequate. He's not a run producer or power hitter, but the man gets on base whether he's hot or in a slump. Sees a ton of pitches, draws a lot of walks, doesn't chase. You know what you'll get every time he's out there. Passable defense.

2B Neil Walker: B Great offensive season, second only to Utley in most offensive categories, but he's been pretty bad defensively. He's about an average defender for his career, so this could turn into an A in the second half.

3B Pedro Alvarez: C He's generated more defensive chances than any other third baseman in the NL, but he's also committed 18 throwing errors. Offensively, this is probably the best approach he's had in his career, but the power numbers haven't been there. If he starts hitting home runs like he did last year, he'll have a really solid offensive season, since he's been much better at getting on base this year than he was last year.

SS Jordy Mercer: C He's played good defense and hit pretty well of late, but a terrible first couple months held him back a bit. If he keeps up what he's been doing recently, his grade will look better in the second half.

LF Starling Marte: C He's coming around, defense and baserunning are still outstanding, but his bat hasn't been what it should be. Still a lot of upside for him to contribute, though. Just needs to get the average up and cut down the strikeouts.

CF Andrew McCutchen: A+ A favorite for the MVP, he's been a top five hitter in the NL this year, and he's also running the bases well and playing about average defense. He's been pretty clutch at times, too. Clearly the team's best player.

RF Gregory Polanco: B He's still adjusting, but I love his approach. Great eye and patient, he's been solid in the leadoff spot getting on base and causing some havoc with his legs. The power has shown, too. Just waiting on the contact to come around as he adjusts to Major League pitching. And he's still hitting about .280. He's going to be a special player.

Util Josh Harrison: A He's filled the utility role beautifully, made some great defensive plays, been a strong baserunner, a clutch hitter, and he can play anywhere, allowing Hurdle to give guys regular rests. A really nice spark for the team.

C Chris Stewart: B He's been surprisingly good at getting on base, but there's no power there. Steady behind the dish. About what you want from a backup catcher.

1B Gaby Sanchez: B- Can't hit righties, but as long as he only faces lefties, he mashes.

OF Travis Snider: C- Surprisingly effective in pinch hitting opportunities, but terrible when he starts, not very good defensively, and not a great baserunner.

IF Clint Barmes: C The guy can still play great defense, and this year, he's played all over the infield. Still a terrible hitter, but he's been better this year than the past couple in his limited at bats. Fills his role nicely.

Overall: C A disappointing but passable first half. We're still in the hunt, and we have a lot of guys who should improve as the season goes on. If we want to make the playoffs, though, I think we'll need a starting pitcher and a little bullpen help.
 

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the yankees are in desperate need of pitching
 

da55bums

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Sal Perez: A: this will be his complete breakout year offensively, defensively hard to find better
Eric Hosmer: D: this year should have seen more power and average should have stayed up, still young, could rebound like he did last 2nd half
Omar Infante:C: started off like I predicted, injured and couldn't hit; moved to the 5/6 hole rebounding nicely.
A Escobar:A: Defensively has tightened up and rebounded nicely offensively, given the green light running again.
Moose:F: needs to be sent down for the entire 2nd half or next years 1st half if they ever want to see him hit for average again.
Gordon:B+: great defense again, slight down grade for being under .290
Cain:B+: Yost is jacking this guy up, he needs to be 1st or 2nd in the order the entire season.
Aoki:D: The speed at 32 tends to decline but didn't think the batting average would too.
Butler:F: How can you get worse at 27, then even worse at 28...see Jeff Francour
Dyson;A: A 50th round pick has made the most out of it, great 4th OF and pinch runner.

Shields:C: waivering a bit before the all star break, might be the 15 gopher balls
Vargas:A: really? nobody saw him being this good or realized how good KC defense is.
Duffy:A-: didn't see him even being in the rotation til midseason at best, showing flashes
Ventura:A-: needed him or Duffy to come through, both have, so far
Guthrie:B: he is doing extactly what everyone expected, eat innings and not look like Kyle Davies.
Chen:F: he really out did himself last year, market correction this year.

Colman;F: really thought he would be the 8th at worst 7th inning guy this year
Bueno;C; an average loogy
Downs;D; better not give him too much rope.
Herrera;A; nice rebound from gopher ball sophmore season
Crow:B: actually doing better than I expected, but could blow up any time
Davis:A+: put his numbers up against any RP in the majors, he is up there with Watson/Bellentes
Holland; A+: good luck, the only one I would trust more is Kimbrel
 

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Brian McCann (C+) He has done a great job working with what’s left of the pitching staff, but his bat has not lived up to expectations to say the least.

Mark Teixeira (B) One of the nice surprises of 2014, his bat has been the biggest (if not the only) legit threat in the lineup.

Brian Roberts (C) He has managed to stay healthy and has managed to string together a few nice 3 or 4 game stretches, but has not been consistent at the plate or in the field.

Derek Jeter (C) He has delivered what can be expected from a 40 year old shortstop, he can still get hits but his overall performance isn’t doing his legacy any favors.

Yangervis Solarte (B-) The Yankees best story coming out of camp hit a wall a few weeks ago, but he has been tearing the minor leagues apart since being demoted, I expect to see him back up with the club soon.

Brett Gardner (B+) He has been the best everyday player on the team thus far, the contract the Yankees gave him will prove to be very team friendly for the duration.

Jacoby Ellsbury (B+) The former Red Sox player started off on fire but hasn’t made many headlines since, largely due to the fact that he’s stuck in a lineup that can’t get out of its own way.

Ichiro Suzuki (B) No one can stop Ichiro from hitting .300, unfortunately the majority of his hits are singles with no one on base.

Carlos Beltran (D) The consolation prize when Choo rejected a 7 year 140M offer from the Yankees has been no one’s consolation prize since. Beltran is the FA bust of the year.

Kelly Johnson (F) Unless you count the one year deal they gave Kelly Johnson, how this guy still has a job is beyond me.

Masahiro Tanaka (A+) The Yankees were a one man team through the first half and that man was Tanaka, he appears headed for Tommy John Surgery so all we can do is say thank you for the memories and hope he can still pitch well in his walk year (2016).

David Phelps (C) Yankee fans keep waiting for Phelps to turn into a steady starter, they desperately need one. Phelps has had great starts but has not been able to be consistent at all.

Chase Whitley (D) Whitley was asked come in and hold down the fort while CC Sabathia was out, he was not able to do that and now that CC is likely done for the year (maybe forever) he will continue to get starts anyway, which doesn’t bode well for anyone except the pother team.

Hiroki Kuroda (B+) Early on it looked like Kuroda was going to pick right up where he left off in his disastrous second half last year, but he has turned it around and given the Yankees some solid starts.

Dellin Betances (A) With Tanaka gone he has the best stuff on the Yankees pitching staff, the only thing missing is the inevitable DL stint, we can only hope he can avoid Tommy John Surgery.

David Robertson (A) Notice how no one has talked about the Yankees missing Mariano Rivera? Thanks David Robertson for that, he’s a legit closer.

Michael Pineda (F) He embarrassed the entire organization and fan base with his idiotic use of pine tar and then disappeared….again.

Adam Warren (B+) It’s easy to overlook Warren but he was a huge part of the reason why the Yankee bullpen was among the best in baseball through the first half.
 

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Evan Gattis- B+ Before going on the DL, he was our b est offensive weapon. His defense still needs work, though he has done good throwing out base runners.

Freddie Freeman- A- He had a rough stretch for a couple of weeks, but other than that he has been the one offensive constant for the Braves. A very underrated defender too.

Tommy La Stella- B No power, not a lot of speed, but he makes consistent contact and has came up with some big hits. Defense hasn't been bad either

Chris Johnson- C+ He's been better lately, and his overall number aren't bad, but he has been extremely streaky this season. There have been a few stretches when I was happy if he fouled the ball off, and there's also been stretches where I was shocked when he didn't get a hit. Defensive liability.

Andrelton Simmons- A IMO, he's the best defensive shortstop in baseball. His offense has been decent, not great, but a run saved is just as good as a run driven in.

Justin Upton- B At times he's been our best player, at other times, he's struggled a lot. Leads the team in homers and RBIs and has improved his work with RISP. Average defense.

BJ Upton- D I really want to give him an F, but compared to his work last season, he has improved a good bit. I still hope to see Schafer in the lineup, but at least he is making more consistent contact and hitting above the Mendoza line this season.

Jason Heyward- C+ He's been average at best at the plate this season. He does do his job when it comes to moving runners over, drawing walks and stealing bases, but I'd like to see numbers closer to his rookie season. Heyward's best quality is his glove. He covers a lot of ground and has a cannon arm.


Dan Uggla- F- 13 million sitting on the bench, terrible glove, worse bat.
Ryan Doumit- C Has came up with a few big hits. Good switch hitting option off the bench
Gerald Laird- C not much with the bat, good job as a backup catcher
Ramiro Pena- D Has not shown the promise he did last season before getting hurt
Jordan Schafer- C+ He hasn't had enough opportunities at the plate, but his defense is great, and his role as a pinch runner makes him valuable to the team

Kimbrel A- Has been dominant at times, but he has faltered in a few games. Already has blown as many saves this season as he did all of last season

David Carpenter- F So good last season, piss poor this season

Luis Avilan- F see David Carpenter

Jordan Walden- C Was good at the beginning, got hurt, and has struggled since his return

Shae Simmons- A Talk about a Godsend from within the organization

David Hale- B He was good as a starter and aside from a couple rough outings good as a reliever


Julio Teheran- A He's been great this season. He's had 3 bad starts to blow up his ERA to the 2.70s, but outside of those he's been among the best in the NL

Alex Wood- C+ First inning problems have plagued him, and he didn't take to the pen, but all in all he's been very servicable as a starter

Mike Minor- D He hasn't been near as productive as last season

Aaron Harang- B- He has already earned double what we are paying him. His ERA might be in the mid 3's, but there have been 3 starts when he was knocked around, in the other games he has 3 earned runs or less, and has given us a chance to win most of his starts

Ervin Santana- C He started out like a house on fire, then struggled, now he's found a sort of happy medium.
 

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Evan Gattis- B+ Before going on the DL, he was our b est offensive weapon. His defense still needs work, though he has done good throwing out base runners.

Freddie Freeman- A- He had a rough stretch for a couple of weeks, but other than that he has been the one offensive constant for the Braves. A very underrated defender too.

Tommy La Stella- B No power, not a lot of speed, but he makes consistent contact and has came up with some big hits. Defense hasn't been bad either

Chris Johnson- C+ He's been better lately, and his overall number aren't bad, but he has been extremely streaky this season. There have been a few stretches when I was happy if he fouled the ball off, and there's also been stretches where I was shocked when he didn't get a hit. Defensive liability.

Andrelton Simmons- A IMO, he's the best defensive shortstop in baseball. His offense has been decent, not great, but a run saved is just as good as a run driven in.

Justin Upton- B At times he's been our best player, at other times, he's struggled a lot. Leads the team in homers and RBIs and has improved his work with RISP. Average defense.

BJ Upton- D I really want to give him an F, but compared to his work last season, he has improved a good bit. I still hope to see Schafer in the lineup, but at least he is making more consistent contact and hitting above the Mendoza line this season.

Jason Heyward- C+ He's been average at best at the plate this season. He does do his job when it comes to moving runners over, drawing walks and stealing bases, but I'd like to see numbers closer to his rookie season. Heyward's best quality is his glove. He covers a lot of ground and has a cannon arm.


Dan Uggla- F- 13 million sitting on the bench, terrible glove, worse bat.
Ryan Doumit- C Has came up with a few big hits. Good switch hitting option off the bench
Gerald Laird- C not much with the bat, good job as a backup catcher
Ramiro Pena- D Has not shown the promise he did last season before getting hurt
Jordan Schafer- C+ He hasn't had enough opportunities at the plate, but his defense is great, and his role as a pinch runner makes him valuable to the team

Kimbrel A- Has been dominant at times, but he has faltered in a few games. Already has blown as many saves this season as he did all of last season

David Carpenter- F So good last season, piss poor this season

Luis Avilan- F see David Carpenter

Jordan Walden- C Was good at the beginning, got hurt, and has struggled since his return

Shae Simmons- A Talk about a Godsend from within the organization

David Hale- B He was good as a starter and aside from a couple rough outings good as a reliever


Julio Teheran- A He's been great this season. He's had 3 bad starts to blow up his ERA to the 2.70s, but outside of those he's been among the best in the NL

Alex Wood- C+ First inning problems have plagued him, and he didn't take to the pen, but all in all he's been very servicable as a starter

Mike Minor- D He hasn't been near as productive as last season

Aaron Harang- B- He has already earned double what we are paying him. His ERA might be in the mid 3's, but there have been 3 starts when he was knocked around, in the other games he has 3 earned runs or less, and has given us a chance to win most of his starts

Ervin Santana- C He started out like a house on fire, then struggled, now he's found a sort of happy medium.

Pretty much agree with your grades. I would give Harang an A-. I never thought they would get what he has provided.
Wood gets a B- from me. Switching from starting to relieving back to starting isn't easy.
 

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No question Simmons is the best SS (defensive) in the game. A very special player. His bat will continue to improve.
 

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Brian McCann (C+) He has done a great job working with what’s left of the pitching staff, but his bat has not lived up to expectations to say the least.

Mark Teixeira (B) One of the nice surprises of 2014, his bat has been the biggest (if not the only) legit threat in the lineup.

Brian Roberts (C) He has managed to stay healthy and has managed to string together a few nice 3 or 4 game stretches, but has not been consistent at the plate or in the field.

Derek Jeter (C) He has delivered what can be expected from a 40 year old shortstop, he can still get hits but his overall performance isn’t doing his legacy any favors.

Yangervis Solarte (B-) The Yankees best story coming out of camp hit a wall a few weeks ago, but he has been tearing the minor leagues apart since being demoted, I expect to see him back up with the club soon.

Brett Gardner (B+) He has been the best everyday player on the team thus far, the contract the Yankees gave him will prove to be very team friendly for the duration.

Jacoby Ellsbury (B+) The former Red Sox player started off on fire but hasn’t made many headlines since, largely due to the fact that he’s stuck in a lineup that can’t get out of its own way.

Ichiro Suzuki (B) No one can stop Ichiro from hitting .300, unfortunately the majority of his hits are singles with no one on base.

Carlos Beltran (D) The consolation prize when Choo rejected a 7 year 140M offer from the Yankees has been no one’s consolation prize since. Beltran is the FA bust of the year.

Kelly Johnson (F) Unless you count the one year deal they gave Kelly Johnson, how this guy still has a job is beyond me.

Masahiro Tanaka (A+) The Yankees were a one man team through the first half and that man was Tanaka, he appears headed for Tommy John Surgery so all we can do is say thank you for the memories and hope he can still pitch well in his walk year (2016).

David Phelps (C) Yankee fans keep waiting for Phelps to turn into a steady starter, they desperately need one. Phelps has had great starts but has not been able to be consistent at all.

Chase Whitley (D) Whitley was asked come in and hold down the fort while CC Sabathia was out, he was not able to do that and now that CC is likely done for the year (maybe forever) he will continue to get starts anyway, which doesn’t bode well for anyone except the pother team.

Hiroki Kuroda (B+) Early on it looked like Kuroda was going to pick right up where he left off in his disastrous second half last year, but he has turned it around and given the Yankees some solid starts.

Dellin Betances (A) With Tanaka gone he has the best stuff on the Yankees pitching staff, the only thing missing is the inevitable DL stint, we can only hope he can avoid Tommy John Surgery.

David Robertson (A) Notice how no one has talked about the Yankees missing Mariano Rivera? Thanks David Robertson for that, he’s a legit closer.

Michael Pineda (F) He embarrassed the entire organization and fan base with his idiotic use of pine tar and then disappeared….again.

Adam Warren (B+) It’s easy to overlook Warren but he was a huge part of the reason why the Yankee bullpen was among the best in baseball through the first half.
like many you call Teixeira a " nice surprise" this year. The guy came to NY expected to be a .300 hitter or close while hitting HR's and driving in runs. Today he's considered a nice surprise while hitting .240 and making $23millon. This is no surprise and the 17 Hr's and 47 RBI's doesn't cut it. He isn't being paid to hit .240 but expectations are so pathetically low people actually think this guy is having a good yr. Ridiculous. Our team sucks and as usual he's part of the reason.
 

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like many you call Teixeira a " nice surprise" this year. The guy came to NY expected to be a .300 hitter or close while hitting HR's and driving in runs. Today he's considered a nice surprise while hitting .240 and making $23millon. This is no surprise and the 17 Hr's and 47 RBI's doesn't cut it. He isn't being paid to hit .240 but expectations are so pathetically low people actually think this guy is having a good yr. Ridiculous. Our team sucks and as usual he's part of the reason.

He's a nice surprise because there was chance his wrist injury could have ruined his career.
 

navamind

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He's a nice surprise because there was chance his wrist injury could have ruined his career.

His offense is in line with prior to the injury (122 this year, it was 120 from 2010-12). Not quite worth the money, but to say he's been hurting the Yankees offense is insane. Especially when he leads the freaking team in OPS+. After 2009, Teixeira pretty became Ryan Howard with a Gold Glove. Which is still a very valuable player. But Tex's defense doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be.
 

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Pretty much agree with your grades. I would give Harang an A-. I never thought they would get what he has provided.
Wood gets a B- from me. Switching from starting to relieving back to starting isn't easy.

I have no problem with that.

I guess I knocked Harang down slightly because of the starts he has been knocked around, but over the course of a season, every starting pitcher will have those days. I admit that I thought his first few starts were just delaying the inevitable of him blowing up, and then the game in Miami where he gave up 9 runs made me think I was right. Fortunately I have been very wrong about Harang so far, and if he does falter in the second half and we have to use David Hale, we really can't complain about Harang.

And I wasn't a fan of taking Wood out of the rotation to begin with. Gavin Floyd was decent, but I never really trusted him, and this broken elbow could be a career ender. I guess I bumped Wood down a bit because of his Pen struggles.
 

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No question Simmons is the best SS (defensive) in the game. A very special player. His bat will continue to improve.

He's taken to the number 2 spot in the order very well. He's basically a league average hitter right now, and improving along the way. I can handle average offense with spectacular defense, but I think before long we will see very good offense with spectacular defense. Signing him and Freeman to extensions were the Braves' best off season moves IMO.
 

RobToxin

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Having the worst record in baseball I think qualifies everyone to get an F.
 

navamind

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He's taken to the number 2 spot in the order very well. He's basically a league average hitter right now, and improving along the way. I can handle average offense with spectacular defense, but I think before long we will see very good offense with spectacular defense. Signing him and Freeman to extensions were the Braves' best off season moves IMO.

an 87 OPS+ isn't league average, but it is about average for a shortstop. that being said, there's plenty of room for improvement for him offensively. I'd be shocked if he batted only .265 given his BABIP and BB/K numbers.

Simmons won't have to hit that well to be a top shortstop.
 

Chewbaccer

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an 87 OPS+ isn't league average, but it is about average for a shortstop. that being said, there's plenty of room for improvement for him offensively. I'd be shocked if he batted only .265 given his BABIP and BB/K numbers.

Simmons won't have to hit that well to be a top shortstop.

Agreed
 

Jim Rome is Flaming

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C:
Castillo (B-) His offense really needs to improve, but his defense has been stellar. If he could get to a .260/.350/.400, he's a top 10 catcher in the MLB IMO.

1B:
Rizzo (A) Really put it together at the plate this year. With a line of .275/.381/.499 and 20 HRs, I am really happy he got into the ASG as I feel he really deserved it.

2B:
Barney (F) His defense can't make up for a .576 OPS.
Bonifacio (C) Started out hot, has since cooled to .261/.307/.340. Doesn't walk enough or provide any power, but he's basically a stopgap anyway.

SS:
Castro (B+) Has been hitting much better than last year, and the power has started to come in. But I'd still like to see him take some more pitches, and his defense still has room for improvement.

3B:
Valbuena (B-) Provides decent defense, works counts well, and generally doesn't make dumb mistakes. But he's never going to be more than a bench player on any contending team.
Olt (C-) Plays good defense, and hits HRs. Besides that, he's pretty useless. I don't see him as a valuable piece of our rebuild.

OF:
Coghlan (B+) He's been a pretty solid OF, and has slugged really well, about 30% of his hits have gone for extra bases. I wouldn't mind if he stuck around as a backup OF when the kids start getting called up.
Lake (C-) He needs to be sent down. I still think he has potential, but sitting in the majors at .218/.245/.377 isn't doing anything for him. Maybe if he goes down he can find his stroke.
Sweeney (C-) I didn't really expect anything out of him coming into this year, and he has failed to produce in pretty much every category. Don't want to see him on the Cubs next year.
Ruggiano (A-) One of my favorite Cubs this year. Works counts, doesn't make many mistakes, and has hit for a great average this year (.292) Hopefully he can stick around with us for a few years.
Schierholtz (D) Has provided basically nothing. I'd cut my losses trade him for a bag of baseballs.

SP:
I'm going to include Samardzija and Hammel, since their production is what landed us Russell, Straily & McKinney.
Samardzija (A) Really put it together this year. Was pitching deep into games as well. Sad to see him go, but it was the right move after he rejected the contract we offered him.
Hammel (A) Pleasant surprise of the season. Came into the year hoping he could be an average #5, and put up an ERA under 5. Breaking down the A's trade, he basically landed us McKinney & Straily. Not bad for a 1 year rental.
Arrieta (A) Really great to see him put his stuff to good use. He's always had the talent to become a solid starter, but finally has it all working this year. He'll most likely cool off and settle into an ERA in the high 2's or low 3's, which is more than anyone expected before the season.
Wood (C) Pretty disappointing after the season he had a year ago. Would be really nice if he could get back to where he was last year, but I'm not overly optimistic.
Jackson (C-) He is what he is at this point. Which is a below average #5 starter.
 

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But Simmons also gets bonus points for hitting a 4th inning home run at some point in September last season, which got me a hell of a deal on 4 new BFG tires on my old Ford. I needed them too, I would get poked by wire if I ran my hand across the tires before getting them changed.
 

Loneranger

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He's a nice surprise because there was chance his wrist injury could have ruined his career.

and what about BEFORE his wrist injury when he was a roBUST .250 hitter with a premium price tag ? FYI I'm not a Tex fan , he's a fuckin joke IMO and the Yanks have gotten screwed by him like so many others. He simply isn't that good no matter how many wrists he has
 
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