The Hall of Dizzy

 Eli Cash - contributing reporter

Over the course of the last 54 seasons we've seen numerous people voting on the Cobbfather elite, often times new voters not knowing the full history of the league and just looking at how many home runs or wins and strikeouts a player has. While those play a big part, there's so much more to a player's worthiness of the Hall of Fame. Here are the players enshrined in the Hall of Dizzy. These players are no longer eligible for the Cobbfather Hall of Fame.

Catcher

Elston Lloyd
Most Cash points of any catcher we've cataloged, a monitor score above 200. Hit over 500 HRs for his career with 7 seasons of 40+ HR. Currently standing at #39 All-time in career Home Runs. Leads all catchers in league history with 9 All-Star appearances and only bested by Kyle Crain for the most MVPs by a C. Though current Atlanta Expos catcher, Kyle Crain already has 2. His 3 rings are the most for any retired catcher. 

Al Samuel
He's just a step below Lloyd at 194 Monitor points and 415 Cash. But the biggest difference is his OBP above .400, and whose average was above .300 for all 14 seasons he was in the majors. Similar to Lloyd he has 3 rings, 9 all-star appearances, 1 MVP, but adds 1 gold glove proving he wasn't all bat. He even walked more than he struck out, how is he not in the Hall? He #3 All-Time in most .300+ seasons. That kind of production from behind the plate just doesn't grow on trees.  

Hector Ball
All time leader in HRs and RBIs for a catcher, at 525 over 15 seasons. That puts him at #36 for HR and #32 for RBI for all players. 10 seasons he knocked in more than 100 RBIs, with 5 of those seasons being 40+ HR. He added 1 MVP and 7 All Star appearances. 

Branch Borders
Not much to like about Borders bat, but his 8 Gold Gloves proved he offered a ton on defense and keeping runners at bay. Hall shouldn't be all about the bat, unless you're a chick who digs the long balls...or a Chicago Cubs fan...but same diff. Perhaps he's a bit of a stretch but you like to see the solid play behind the plate. 

First Base

Kendry Lunar
What's not to like about Lunar? He crosses Jill Bames' Monitor and Test scores and Eli Cash's points and he crossed the 2500+ Hits (2693). 500+ HR (629). 1500 R (1538). 1500 RBI (1850) and 1000 XBH (1116) with a career .350 OBP. 8 seasons with 40+ HR, 10 with 100+ RBI. First base is the toughest position to make the All-Star game but he made two appearances over the course of his career. The (positive) counting stats alone, he should be in the Hall! As of this posting, he's 9th all time in HRs, 7th all time in RBI, 9th all time in XBH, 22nd all time in Hits. Another head scratcher on why he's not in the Hall. 

Luis Carrasco
Very similar to Lunar, however a slight step behind him outside of producing more hits, one more All-Star appearance and has 3 rings to show for it along with 1 Gold Glove. He fell 1 run short of crossing the 1500 Runs mark, so let's count it! He ranks in at #14 All-Time in career hits, #22 All-Time in career Home Runs, and #12 All-Time in career RBI. If you need better stats than that, we might only a couple for Hall of Famers in the next 50 seasons!

Second Base

Wandy Guillen
Routinely ranks as the #3 or 4 all time second baseman. Test score of 63 and Monitor of 126 say he belongs in the Hall. Base stealers often get overlooked, but his 571 rank him 14th all time. His 1549 runs places him 25th all time. What really stands out are his 12 seasons of a .300+ batting average, which ranks him 7th all time, and his 7 all-star appearances. The only list he should be left off of his the top 25 all time Cobbfather players. 

Vic Crowe
Name a second baseman who has more HR or RBI? Only one, Hall of Famer Trey Padgett. Crowe should be in! He had 4 seasons that really stood out, but the rest of them were quite impressive as well. Like most top players, he had a long career; which obviously help the counting stats but why hold that against him? He's top 25 all time in HR, R, RBI, XBH, and ranks 51st in Hits. He's clearly in the decision of top 3 second basemen. 

Ernie McErnerney
Say his name 3 times fast, you can't! Ernie ranks 12th all-time in Hits, 46th in HR, 22nd in R, 29th in RBI, and 53rd in SBs. Some guys excel with power, others speed, others with getting on base. Ernie did them all! Unfortunately he was only able to gather 6 votes in S46 with less the 4 seasons to follow. Blame the blog if you want, it pushed for other players to be voted in.  

Shortstop

Esteban James
Given the Hall voters prefer Home Run hitters, you might find a single Shortstop voted in...yet. His .290 career OBP isn't great, not really good; but who can top 11 Gold Glove awards? He only played 13 seasons. We give him the inclusion due to his superb glove. Every pitcher in the Hall would have loved to have him manning short while they were on the mound. 

Albert Pineda
Albert is likely the best hitting Shortstop ever. 547 HR, 1520 RBI. .333 career OBP. 5 seasons of 40+ HR, and 100+ R, and 10 seasons of 100+ RBI. Four World Series rings, 7 All-star appearances. Ranks 28 all-time in HR, and his top 50 in R, RBI, XBH, and SBs. He legit hit better than a lot of 1Bs and DHs, yet still couldn't make it into the Hall. 

Trenidad Pujols
Tied for the most All-star appearances for a Shortstop, at 9. He ranks inside the top 75 in HR, R, RBI and barely top 50 in XBH and SBs. He also brought home 3 Gold Glove awards while still producing at the plate. It's amazing what these guys have to do to garner Hall votes. 

Third Base

Geronimo Johnson
Top 40 in H, RBI, and XBH. Top 50 in HR. The nay sayers will say this isn't the Top 50 Corridor, it's the Hall of Fame. To that I say, nuh-uh! He might be the low end of a Hall of Famer, but I think he belongs on the list. 

Leftfield

Pascual Hernandez
A 58 Test Score, 175 Monitor Score says it all. His 589 HR, 1535 R, and 1679 RBI should help. A .355 career OBP and one of few players above .75 in BB/K show he got the job done at the plate. He ranks 15th all-time in HR, 16th in RBI, 43rd in Hits. For 8 seasons he hit 40+ HR, 100+ R, and 100+ RBI. For two more seasons he still had 100+R, and 100+RBI. Very few players can say they had 100+ R, and RBI for 10 seasons! He's a top 25-30 player without a doubt. 

Stubby Shaw
Interesting case, SS's Test score is only 55 and Monitor Score 110; neither say he's a sure fire to get in. But crosses the 2500 H (2776), 500 HR (506), 1500 R (1593), and 1500 RBI (1562) that very few players get near. 16th all-time in Hits, 19th in R, 26th in XBH, and top 100 in SBs. 

Centerfield

Thought about including Sting Bailey, Morgan Cerda, and Heath Kelly but ultimately decided against it. 

Rightfield

Edinson Hernandez
Edinson's story was covered well on the blog, he crosses the 2500 H, 1500 R, 400 SB, and 1000 XBH that few players do. His 14 seasons with more than 35 XBH ranks him 2nd all-time. He's 9th all-time in Runs, 12th in Stolen bases, 30th in Hits. Owns a career .366 OBP. If you like the current Atlanta Expos lead-off hitter, Matty Moss; you'd love having this guy on your team. Setting up your power hitters perfectly! Never got more than 11 votes in a single season. 

Al James
Another player who wasn't the power bat, but still produced. Top 30 player in R, RBI, and SBs. He's still top 70 in Hits and top 60 in HR. He's another that I'd consider on the lower tier of Hall worthy, but still worthy. 

Shawon Stoops
He's a top 50 bat in HR, R, RBI, XBH (he's 19th), and SBs. A .368 OBP is the high end for Hall of Famers. So he's yet another not quite top 2% HR hitter that was kept out of the Hall. 

Starting Pitcher

Dizzy Leonard
The new Hall of Fame is named after the guy, of course he's going to make it. The accolades just keep rolling in with this guy. You name the stat, and there's a 50% chance he's near the top of the list. Who else can say that? 

Career Records: #1 Batters Faced, #1 Batters Grounded Into Double Play, #1 (tied) Batters Hit By Pitch, #1 Earned Runs, #3 Games Started, #1 Hits Allowed, #1 Home Runs Allowed, #2 Innings Pitched, #3 (tied) Losses, #1 Number of Pitches Thrown, #1 Walks, #1 Wild Pitches Thrown, #8 Strikeouts

Single Season Records: #3, 4, & 5 in Batters Faced, #3 Innings Pitched, and #2, 3, & 4 in Number of Pitches Thrown

Randall Washington
Similar to some of the bats, he's likely on the low end of the Hall list but still worthy. And his 21 Playoff Wins/Saves is only bested by Hall of Famers Francisco Aramboles and Harry Mieses. 

Braeden Abercrombie & Lorenzo Gonzalez 
Combining these two guys into a single list because they rank well above other Hall of Famer starters in Test and Monitor scores and have the numbers to back it up. If the season is on the line, you want them on your staff!

Relief Pitcher

Al Balentien, Tomo Hayashi, Eduardo Jose
Relief pitchers always get overlooked so we'll keep this short since most will stop reading at this point. But these three guys belong in the Hall. Each were pivotal in the success of each team they played a part of. 

S55 On the Clock - redrafting S45

  Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter.

Another year of our new On The Clock series that looks back at decade old drafts. We finished out S44 with Tampa Bay (under sermonarthur) winning his second straight World Series title. Might I add, it was also the last time we had back to back champions; winning in 7 games against Honolulu (now Tokyo). There were 6 Type A Free Agents to sign, with only half of them landing in the first round and the other three falling to second round compensation. We'll take a look at each pick, where they are now, and who might have been a better pick (hindsight is everything!) for the first 15-20 picks. The Houston Space Cowboys landed a Type D at pick #21. 

Take a look at our original recap and let's see how the players have turned out after what should be their first couple of years in the majors. Let's take a look at what could have been the best possible outcome at each pick in a perfect world where everyone has a crystal ball. 

All-in, this group has accounted for 27 all-star appearances, 12 silver slugger awards, 1 gold gloves, 3 rookie of the year, and 9 world series ring

Asterisk denotes picks selected by another owner. Any stats listed are as of this initial draft of this article.

1. *Anaheim - Bonk Burnett (CF)
• An owner has to love seeing the top pick from their scouts being one of the tougher defensive positions to fill. Promoted immediately to AA and was up in Anaheim by S47. Once Anaheim was purchased by its current owner Bonk only spent one more season before being shipped off to Hartford
• Stats: 1191 games played, .289 avg, 389 hr, 95 sb, 825 r, 1012 rbi, 425 bb, 537 k. 7 all-star selections, 4 Silver Slugger CF award, a S47 Rookie of the Year, and an MVP award. Not to mention S47 HR Derby Champ and S53 All Star Game MVP. 
• Redraft Pick: Bonk Burnett (prev #1) - You can't argue those numbers coming from Centerfield!
2. *Iowa City (Augusta) - TJ Christenson  (2B)
• Christenson has turned into a solid 30/30, 100 run, 100 rbi, .280 hitter who is playing on year 1 of his 3 year extension with Atlanta and has his eyes set on another World Series Ring. If not for Bonkers going #1, Christenson would likely have been the top pick. 
• Stats: 1397 games played, .267 avg, 258 hr, 209 sb, 963 r, 893 rbi, 611 bb, 883 k. 5 all-star selections, a Gold Glove RF (S48), a NL Silver Slugger LF award (S53), and a World Series Ring. 
• Redraft Pick: TJ Christenson (prev #2) - Some would prefer one of the pitchers below him here, but I think this was the right move. 
3. Chicago - Rando Powell (SP)
• The first in a string of starting pitchers to go off the board, but let's see who has been the best since being draft. Powell has been on the move quite a bit, being traded S47 to Atlanta and then S52 to Vancouver where he's the #2 starter for a team hoping for a division title this season. 
• Stats: 253 games, 171 starts, 1219 ip, 72-63, 372 bb, 851 k, 1.39 whip, 4.70 era. Winner of a world series ring the year before he was traded to Vancouver; winning it with #2 overall pick Christenson - neither player received it for the team that drafted them.
• Redraft Pick: Zyphr Gross (prev #4) - The best pitcher from this draft class. 
4. Atlanta - Zyphr Gross (SP)
• Something has to be said for how many seasons he's played in Atlanta, it's not something that's easy to do. The players know, that if you look at the owner wrong; he ships you off to the worst place ever...Canada. Gross has routinely logged 200+ innings and 35+ starts the last few seasons for Atlanta so he's provided plenty of quality. 
• Stats: 292 game starts, 1842 ip, 132-65, 566 bb, 1492 k, 1.21 whip, 3.36 era. 4 all-star appearances and two world series rings. 
• Redraft Pick: Avisail Mujica (prev #5) - With Gross off the board, Atlanta has to settle for Mujica. 
5. Washington DC - Avisail Mujica (SP)
• He may not have any all-star appearances but that's not because of his production on the mound. He's been a solid piece of the Rising Stars rotation, giving 32 starts on average the last 4 seasons with at least 10 wins each year. 
• Stats: 260 games, 217 startss, 1318 ip, 81-57, 369 bb, 1189 k, 1.22 whip, 3.65 era. 
• Redraft Pick: Banjo Urlaub (prev #7) - Hard to argue the numbers he's put up. 
6. *Charolette (Huntington) - Neil Cashner (SP)
• Whatever happened to Cashner? I think ESPN did a 30 for 30 on his rise and fall into gambling. Drafted by the Evil Clowns, he survived the move of the Centurions, and becoming a Tropic where he spent his ML time, minus the single bullpen appearance he had with Mexico City in S54. For being a #6 pick, he did not live up to who the owner thought he was getting. 
• Stats: 67 game starts, 330 ip, 18-25, 128 bb, 238 k, 1.52 whip, 4.82 era. 
• Redraft Pick: Grayson Lowry (prev #28) - The biggest mover of the redraft is Lowry. Inagime how this franchise might have been changed. 
7. Pittsburgh - Banjo Urlaub  (SS)
• If we drafted by name he would have gone #2, behind on Bonk. I mean come on, Banjo?! And he's a shortstop! He's been a big part of Pittsburgh recent success and first place division standing. He somehow convinced the Pitt owner to sign him to an extension after his first arb year, keeping him in Pitt through S56. A couple of playoff appearances could drive up his stock. And while he's not a plus defender, he's definitely not an issue at Short. 
• Stats: 951 games played, .256 avg, 152 hr, 101 sb, 525 r, 510 rbi, 246 bb, 753 k. 1x all-star appearance.
• Redraft Pick: Teoscar Zurbaran (prev #13) 
8. Dover - Dan Nixon (SP)
• Nixon is still starting games in Dover as a mid-rotation arm and enters his 3rd arbitration year next season. Given his numbers I wouldn't be expecting a contract extension and likely sees his last ML innings. 
• Stats: 156 games, 126 starts, 731 ip, 35-58, 238 bb, 598 k, 1.53 whip, 5.72 era. 
• Redraft Pick: Josmil Velazquez (prev #14) 
9. Columbus - Alan Harris  (SS)
• Harris was a weak defensively at SS but after being acquired in a S54 roster dump trade to Anaheim, he's been shifted to 3B. He's on the 3rd year of the 3 year extension he signed prior to S53 so we'll see if Anaheim tries to retain him another season or not. He finished on a down year in Anaheim last season after the big trade and started with an early DL stint, but we'll see how he finishes the season. 
• Stats: 825 games played, .280 avg, 103 hr, 95 sb, 434 r, 450 rbi, 236 bb, 416 k. 1x Silver Slugger (SS). 
• Redraft Pick: Alan Harris (prev #9) - Stays with Columbus
10. Austin - Lou Porzio (RF)
• Should be no surprised that Porizo is still in Austin, the team is consistent about retaining their draft picks. Porzio came out strong his rookie season but has failed to live up to those lofty expectations he set. He's having a bit of a down season, but there's still quite a few games left to play. 
• Stats: 982 games played, .277 avg, 140 hr, 71 sb, 508 r, 483 rbi, 352 bb, 668 k. S49 Rookie of the Year, 1x all-star appearance, and 1x Silver Slugger (RF)
• Redraft Pick: Lou Porzio (prev #10) - Sticks at the same draft position
11. Vancouver - Deivi Camacho (SP)
• The commish promise a promotion but I don't think the 2 game start back in S51 is exactly what Camacho had in mind. Since then he continues to lead the AAA Canucks as their ace. A small tidbit, the scouting department was promptly fired after this draft.  
• Redraft Pick: Rando Powell (prev #3) - Powell slips down to #11 where he hopefully gets more innings than Camacho. 
12. *Florida (New Orleans) - Joey Kubitza  (SS)
• Fast forward to this season, see how the commish treats the Cobbfather players? He signed this guy to a $1M one year deal and releases him after just 3 games. I repeat, 3 games! The story of Kubitza is unfortunate, drafted by a rebuilding franchise who thought they were getting a decent centerfielder but was released from the franchise after his first arbitration deal; which was S54 - the next year the franchise won the World Series. Instead he ended up playing for Dover in the AL but at least getting full time at bats, unlike he was getting over the years in Florida/New Orleans. For being a #12 overall pick, you think you would have gotten more talent. 
• Stats: 683 games played, .265 avg, 34 hr, 11 sb, 169 r, 147 rbi, 103 bb, 262 k. 
• Redraft Pick: Ed Watanabe (prev #18)
13. Philadelphia - Teoscar Zurbaran (RP)
• Zurby is still enjoying time in the bullpen for Philly and routinely makes 70ish appearances a year. The Harpers bullpen would not be the same without him. 
• Stats: 501 game, 552 ip, 42-12, 70/89 saves, 168 bb, 371 k, 1.08 whip, 3.09 era. 1x all-star appearances and a world series ring. 
• Redraft Pick: Billy Ray Peterson (prev #22) 
14. *Tucson (Salt Lake City) - Josmil Velazquez  (1B)
• He was a beast when playing in Colorado, but has come down to earth since the franchise moved and he was traded. This was the perfect spot to Josmil to go, finding himself ready for a hitter's park. 
• Stats: 1178 games played, .303 avg, 311 hr, 0 sb, 755 r, 922 rbi, 437 bb, 587 k. S48 Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger (1B)
• Redraft Pick: Miguel Castillo (prev #25) 
15. *Seattle (Salem) - Leslie McCartin  (2B)
• Had a short major league career, where we saw him get full time at bats for his last season, S54. He remains an unsigned FA. Definitely not the output Seattle was hoping for.
• Stats: 391 games, .241 avg, 14 hr, 89 sb, 164 r, 94 rbi, 113 bb, 199 k. 
• Redraft Pick: Shane Malone (prev #53) - Another big mover, this one sliding into a top 15 pick. 
16. Louisville (San Juan) - Thomas Foster (RP)
• Forster is committed...and should likely be committed somewhere else. 10 years strong for the San Juan Fudds, all of them in the minor leagues. 
• Redraft Pick: Nefi Brogna (prev #24) - Any pick here would have been better, even Cy Damon who was the last pick for the first round. Plenty of other options, but we'll stick with the defensive minded player here for the final protected pick. 
17. *Boston - Ray Aaron (SP)
• Aaron has risen through the ranks in Boston and still considered one of their starting pitchers. This season was his Arb3 so we'll see if he's offered an extension or ends up signing elsewhere next season. Only time will tell if there's any real value to his game. Surely a rebuild roster would appreciate his inning eating's. 
• Stats:  200 games (all starts), 62-80, 1211 ip, 390 bb, 939 k, 1.40 whip, 4.84 era
18. Houston - Ed Watanabe (SS)
• Signed on the cheap by Chicago prior to S54 on a 3/$3.6M deal. I know plenty of players who make more than $3.6M in a single year who didn't produce Silver Slugger numbers. But prior to that Houston traded him to Montreal in S51 (packaged deal with the headliner and current closer Derby Hatcher going back to Houston), who traded him to Atlanta the following year in S52 (Larry Niemann). He was released after going through his first year of arbitration. 
• Stats: 802 games, .258 avg, 150 hr, 6 sb, 376 r, 435 rbi, 206 bb, 548 k. 1 World Series rings with Atlanta in S53 and Silver Slugger with Chicago in S54. 
19. Augusta (Montreal) - Buzz Howard (2B)
• Buzz became a Rule 5 draft S49 by the previous Boston owner and made it through 3 arbitration years but was never offered an extension after last season and still hasn't resigned with anyone this year.  
• Stats:  666 games, .256 avg, 94 hr, 32 sb, 250 r, 351 rbi, 230 bb, 440 k. 
20. Sante Fe - Ivan Prince (RP)
• Santa Fe this season was at the height of their monster contracts so no surprise their scouting was low and Prince never made the majors or carried much trade value. 
21. Houston - Avisail Osuna (RP)
• Anybody selected within the top 25 picks carries some trade credit, Osuna is no different. He stuck around Houston until S50 (packaged for Leonys Guerrero, who was traded just one season later in a blockbuster deal) when he was traded to Wichita (now Augusta). Unfortunately Osuna never cracked an ML roster over 7 years of pro ball.
22. *Charlette (Huntington) - Billy Ray Peterson (1B)
• When you think Billy Ray you think more Arkansas than Lincoln, New Hampshire; but that's neither here nor there. Just before the start of S53, he signed a FA deal with Chicago at 5/$27M where he's been all over the board.
• Stats:  904 games, .282 avg, 143 hr, 1 sb, 442 r, 497 rbi, 338 bb, 477 k. 1x All-star. 
23. Atlanta - Alejandro Latos (2B)
• An interesting journey for Latos. A college senior he ended up not signing with Atlanta and spent the rest of the season working out in his own gym. Was signed to the New Orleans franchise where he spent many years in the minor system showing fantastic speed but the concern with his arm strength and ability to get on base kept him in the minors; when he was finally traded back to Atlanta during S54 in the William Thompson deal. Sadly enough for Latos, New Orleans ended up winning the title that year. But Latos finds himself in another bench role hoping for a ring with Atlanta this season. 
• Stats: 46 games played, .293 avg, 0 hr, 9 sb, 16 r, 5 rbi, 7 bb, 16 k. 
24. Milwaukee - Nefi Brogna (SS)
• A solid defensive Shortstop has found his groove, signing a 5/$33.4M contract this past offseason with the Columbus franchise. This after winning his first World Series ring with the New Orleans franchise who used him as a backup and defensive gem late in games. Columbus seems to have transitioned him back into a starter.
• Stats:  927 games, .218 avg, 41 hr, 62 sb, 260 r, 240 rbi, 173 bb, 554 k. 1 World Series ring. 
25. Buffalo - Miguel Castillo (RP)
• The current closer in Buffalo who finds themselves in a strange spot - looking at a below .500 record for the first time since S15! That said, no surprise this owner found a useful piece this late in the first round.  He's been mostly a SuA for the Buffalo team, occasionally pitching in over half the games of the season. 
• Stats:  475 games, 41-21, 25-49 saves, 698 ip, 256 bb, 448 k, 1.22 whip, 3.35 era. 1 World Series ring and 1x All Star (S51)
26. Colorado Springs - Nick Keeler (SP)
• Retired after just 6 professional seasons and didn't quite crack the ML roster. Nothing to see here. 
27. *Trenton (Hartford) - Larry Schultz (CF)
• Drafted by now New Orleans franchise owner, SeniorPloppie. Schultz only lasted a year before being traded to Austin in S46 (packaged for Donovan Romano), where he current resides and enters his Arb3 next season. Given his defensive issues in center and the amount of times he strikes outs; which is nearly as many hits in a season he gets; I'd expect he gets released before his next Arb hearing and doesn't end up signing anywhere else. 
• Stats: 683 games, .242 avg, 68 hr, 71 sb, 300 r, 267 rbi, 177 bb, 564 k.
28. Chicago - Grayson Lowry (3B)
• Solid pick this late in the draft and an interesting journey for the young kid from Hempstead, New York. Stay with me on this one....S45 drafted, S47 traded (packaged for Koyie Ward + $2.5M) to Atlanta. S48 traded (packaged for Ernest Paulson + Rougned Pulido + $5M) to Huntington. S49 Rule 5 selection but immediately traded (Ross Romero - the #2 rule 5 pick that season) back to Huntington (I bet he's happy Ploppie is back as an owner) where he played a few seasons until he was traded S54 (packaged for $5M + Fausto Cruz + Alfredo De Aza) to Colorado Springs where he's the third youngest player on the ML team at age 28. His power bat has been traded quite a few times for some notable pitchers. 
• Stats:  624 games, .266 avg, 206 hr, 0 sb, 392 r, 500 rbi, 205 bb, 520 k. 1 All-star appearance, 1 Silver Slugger 3B, and S53 Home Run derby champ!
29. Cincinnati (Minnesota) - Brady Hentgen (SS)
• Hentgen ended up a S49 Rule 5 selection before being released S54 and claimed off waivers where he's currently playing for the OKC Barons as a role player. 
• Stats: 328 games, .253 avg, 34 hr, 52 sb, 143 r, 121 rbi, 59 bb, 185 k. 
30. Oklahoma City - Brent Belinda (SS)
• Didn't last long in OKC, as he was traded in S48 (packed for Jason Gates +$5M) to now Mexico City. Gates went on to an All-Star appearance that season and a Silver Slugger P award. 
• Stats:  456 games, .257 avg, 24 hr, 29 sb, 160 r, 137 rbi, 173 bb, 325 k.
31. *Honolulu (Tokyo) - Dave Patel (RF)
• S44 saw the franchise lose in the World Series, and as they continued to push for another run and they did not sign Patel. 
32. Helena - Rodney Lord (SP)
• Retired after just 3 seasons, never making it above Low-A.
33. New York - Williams Boyd (2B)
• The last pick before the comp picks start, is Boyd who after 6 professional seasons, couldn't quite make it to the show. 
34. Chicago - (Tony James - Type A) - Kristopher Rudolph (P)
• Proving to be a quality SuA for Chicago's NL leading record this season. Hasn't seem more than 30 games in a given year, but he's getting the job done and on to the next bullpen piece. Enters Arb3 next season so we'll see if he sticks around. 
• Stats:  133 games, 14-9, 13/18 saves, 69 bb, 232 k, 1.24 whip, 3.26 era.
35. Atlanta - (Willis Fox - Type A) - Wayne Brow (SS)
• Would you be surprised to learn Atlanta traded him? Okay, me neither as he went S48 (Ron Steenstra - salary was covered) to Buffalo. Even ended up winning a World Series ring the following year - S49. After 6 seasons with Buffalo he was released just prior to his Arb3 season. Averaged close to 335 at-bats a season while with Buffalo. May not have been much of a bat, but was a plus defender at SS. Currently playing on the first of a 2/$4M deal with Colorado Springs. 
• Stats:  720 games, .226 avg, 78 hr, 54 sb, 271 r, 260 rbi, 45 bb, 397 k. 1 World Series ring. 
36. *Charlette (Huntington) - (Frank Perez - Type A) - Mule Gearrin (CF)
• Turned into a S49 Rule 5 draft pick who was accepted back. After his Arb1 season he was prompted released. 
• Stats:  452 games, .248 avg, 36 hr, 71 sb, 203 r, 175 rbi, 134 bb, 363 k.
37. Pittsburgh - (Joe Holmes - Type A) - Valerio Manuel (CF)
• What a journey. Manuel was a Rule 5 selection S49, joining the Atlanta Expos but was only to play 56 games before being traded to Helena for the remainder of the season. Enjoying his first real FA contract where he signed a 4/$21.6M with Santa Fe this past off-season. Hit for the cycle in S49.
• Stats:  819 games, .251 avg, 51 hr, 173 sb, 379 r, 237 rbi, 197 bb, 403 k. 
38. *Tampa Bay (Mexico City) - (Samuel Ramirez - Type A) - Ralph McPherson (SS)
• Short lived career, lasting just 6 professional seasons, none of which were at the highest level. Living the retired life working at the local Walmart.
39. Atlanta - (Carl Martinson - Type A) - Wally Saberhagen (P)
• Traded to Austin S48 (packaged for Ben Nicolino - who funny enough was traded back to Austin S50) but has a minor league ERA just shy of 5.00. 
40. *Iowa City (Augusta) - (Pedro Parraz - Type B) - Gary Krist (2B)
• Made it through 2 arb years but released S53 by the new and current owner. 
• Stats:  421 games, .240 avg, 38 hr, 2 sb, 114 r, 129 rbi, 82 bb, 211 k.
41. Atlanta - (Walt Hall - Type B) - Heinie Lanier (2B)
• Atlanta didn't sign him.  
42. Pittsburgh - (Efrain Ferguson - Type B) - Jerry Hensley (P)
• Saw a 3 seasons worth of starts with the Yinzers as a back of the rotation arm, eating what innings he could. But released to avoid any of his arb years. 
• Stats:  90 games (90 starts), 22-38, 496 ip, 187 bb, 358 k, 1.43 whip, 4.66 era.
43. Philadelphia - (Yasmany Gonzalez - Type B) - Willie Golub (LF)
• Traded to Buffalo S46 (packaged for Kendrys Villa) where he saw some time with the major league club where his first three seasons he logged over 100 games per and at least 310 ABs. S54 (Tom Newfield + Chris Morgan) he was dealt to (now) Nashville. Once the new owner took over, he let Golub walk rather than enter his Arb3 season. 
• Stats:  545 games, .258 avg, 74 hr, 3 sb, 184 r, 208 rbi, 107 bb, 261 k. 
44. Louisville (San Juan) - (Starling Corcino - Type B) - Hak-Ju Chong (CF)
• 28 yr old still in AAA. 
45. Houston - (Todd Thomas - Type B) - Ugueth Vazquez (P)
• Free agent, last played S54. Was traded S48 (for Shannon Bunch) to SeniorPloppie's old franchise (now Mexico City) but picked back up by Houston via Rule 5 in S49. Released after 3 seasons and resigned with the Columbus franchise.
• Stats:  190 games (97 starts), 42-51, 4/4 saves, 760 ip, 412 bb, 605 k, 1.53 whip, 5.04 era.
46. Augusta (Montreal) - (Hal Ogden - Type B) - Lenny Fonda (CF)
• After being traded S46 (at deadline for Starlin Burns) and S54 (straight up for Edgmer Fernadez), he is now on his sophomore season for the rebuilding Salt Lake City franchise. 
• Stats:  143 games, .205 avg, 5 hr, 2 sb, 27 r, 24 rbi, 19 bb, 86 k. 
47. *Trenton (Hartford) - (Kris Saarloos - Type B) - Stephen Jay (3B)
• Trenton didn't sign him.  
48. Oklahoma City - (Harvey Kraemer - Type B) - Gail Gilmore (P)
• Still serving as a SuA for the Barons as they continue to battle the Commissioner's team for the division title. Solid bullpen arm this late in the drat, exactly the value you'd think about getting when losing a Type B pick. 
• Stats:  336 games, 35-48, 118/146 saves, 375 ip, 170 bb, 327 k, 1.33 whip, 3.84 era.
49. Helena - (Victor Fontana - Type B) - Trot Booth (DH)
• Drafted as a catcher, but my grandmother was better at pitch calling than Booth was. Retired after S53 after being released and not finding a new team to play for. 
• Stats:  421 games, .267 avg, 65 hr, 0 sb, 167 r, 213 rbi, 119 bb, 294 k. 
50. *Iowa City (Augusta) - (Marcus Henson - Type B) - Bart McDade (SS)
• Claimed off waivers twice in S52 and now playing for the Mexico City franchise at the big league level starting games this season at 2B, 3B, SS, and CF. 
• Stats:  330 games, .252 avg, 23 hr, 9 sb, 140 r, 111 rbi, 118 bb, 312 k.
51. Atlanta - (Alex Amaral - Type B) - Anthony Hamilton (P)
• Atlanta didn't sign him. 
52. Philadelphia - (Rhiner Castro - Type B) - Felipe Carrara (SS)
• Has been a career minor leaguer and still trying to crack the majors with Philly. 
53. *Trenton (Hartford) - (Kenny Mann - Type B) - Shane Malone (C)
• Follow me here...Kenny Mann was traded by former New Orleans owner MiniHouston to SeniorPloppie who owned the franchise at the time but now SeniorPloppie is running the New Orleans franchise and competting against Shane Malone and the Hartford team. He's been a lety platon but he's getting the job done. Good value for such a late pick. 
• Stats:  623 games, .278 avg, 128 hr, 16 sb, 246 r, 305 rbi, 150 bb, 219 k. 
54. Oklahoma City - (Bob Graves - Type B) -  Tim King (2B)
• Received a partial season look during S50 for OKC and is a free agent this season after a couple of seasons for the OKC AAA squad. 
• Stats:  141 games, .262 avg, 12 hr, 6 sb, 37 r, 38 rbi, 23 bb, 70 k.
55. Atlanta - (Jair Hernandez - Type B) - Osvaldo Tarasco (P)
• Atlanta didn't sign him. Is anybody surprised at this point? 4 player in the first round they didn't sign this season. 
56. Philadelphia - (Geraldo Ramirez - Type B) - Cy Damon (P)
• Retired. Ended up as a Rule 5 draft pick in S50, only lasting 3 seasons - 84 games with 51 starts for the Oklahoma City Barons who had just kicked off a rebuild that season. Damon ended up playing for the Barons during the 3 worst seasons for the franchise since S36. Maybe it was Damon dragging them down? 
• Stats:  84 games, 51 starts, 10-30, 330 ip, 109 bb, 224 k, 1.49 whip, 4.83 era.

Other notable picks:

• #70 - Geoffery Sewell (C) - *Tucson (Salt Lake City)
• Stats: 751 games, .292 avg, 106 hr, 14 sb, 313 r, 333 rbi, 199 bb, 529 k. 1x Silver Slugger (C)
• #255 - Ross Romero (RP) - Chicago
• Stats: 468 games, 48-31, 40/59 saves, 333 bb, 609 k, 1.42 whip, 4.28 era. 1x all-star appearance.
• #296 - Gabriel Quixote (P) - *Florida (New Orleans)
• Stats: 134 games, 45 starts, 28-18, 6/8 saves, 402 ip, 134 bb, 305 k, 1.40 whip, 4.51 era
• #300 - Sticky Baez(1B) - Louisville (San Juan)
• Stats: 371 games, .309 avg, 75 hr, 2 sb, 204 r, 255 rbi, 165 bb, 208 k. 1x All-star
• #305 - Gary Witt (C) - *Jacksonville (Nashville)
• Stats: 756 games, .229 avg, 87 hr, 6 sb, 242 r, 281 rbi, 180 bb, 546 k. 
• #346 - Apollo Barker (RP) - *Honolulu (Tokyo)
• Stats: 359 games, 37-45, 12/28 saves, 532 ip, 188 bb, 389 k, 1.55 whip, 5.68 era.
• #351 - Ham Buddie (P) - Chicago
• Stats: 142 games, 43 stars, 24-22, 7/7 saves, 452 ip, 173 bb, 353 k, 1.49 whip, 5.59 era.
• #431 - Harold Eiland (C) - Augusta (Montreal)
• Stats: 868 games, .236 avg, 79 hr, 3 sb, 266 r, 291 rbi, 263 bb, 572 k.
• #625 - Scooter Nixon (RP) - Augusta (Montreal)
• Stats: 287 games, 16-28, 11/17 saves, 379 ip, 147 bb, 277 k, 1.53 whip, 4.72 era.

Building a team from S45 draft.

C: Shane Malone (#53)

1B: Josmil Velaquez (#14)

2B: Ed Watanbe (#18)

SS: Banjo Urlaub (#7)

3B: Alan Harris (#9)

LF:  TJ Christenson (#2)

CF: Bonk Burnett (#1)

RF: Grayson Lowry (#28)

DH: Sticky Baez (#300)

SP1: Zephyr Gross (#4)

SP2: Avisail Mujica (#5)

SuA: Kristopher Rudolph (#34)

ClA: Teoscar Zurbaran (#13)

Pretty solid lineup if you ask me. 

Next year we'll take a look at S46 draft. 

For the Records
S45 - 27 all-star, 12 silver slugger, 1 gold gloves, 3 rookie of the year, and 9 world series ring
S44 - 17 all-star, 4 silver slugger, 8 gold gloves, 1 fireman of the year, and 6 world series ring

S55 Updated Rankings

 Richard Castle - contributing reporter

Activity has been lacking on the blog, but Skynet is always busy running the rankings. Here we are at the halfway point, let's jump right to it:

In the AL - As expected, the Atlanta Expos have fully pulled away from their division, even after going 3-7 over the last 10. Same goes for the Houston Space Cowboys, who have an even larger lead over their division, at 18 games. The AL North and West are still up in there. With the two wildcard teams being the only other AL teams above .500 (Minnesota North Stars and Boston Baseball Team). 

In the NL - With Chicago off to a hot start the first half of the season and Hartford a slightly slower start' has given the Gunslingers a 12 game lead on the division. We expected it to be much closer, but we'll see how the second half plays out. With no surprise Pittsburgh and New Orleans have pulled away. The NL West matches its AL countertop and is a toss up with half the game to paly. 

If we look at how each team has expected to win based off recent play, here is what we'd see. Champs and Wildcard are listed based on expected win percentages. Current playoff teams are highlighted in bold. Outside of the AL West, the expected top teams are currently in line for the playoffs. 

1. .800 - Atlanta Expos (AL-E Champ)
2. .668 - New Orleans Smell (NL-S Champ)
3. .655 - Chicago Gunslingers (NL-N Champ)
4. .640 - Vancouver Canucks (NL-W Wildcard 2)
5. .638 - Pittsburgh Yinzers (NL-E Champ)
6. .624 - Houston Space Cowboys (AL-S Champ)
7. .608 - Oklahoma City Barons (NL-W - Champ)
8. .608 - Hartford Rising Stars (NL-N Wildcard 2)
9. .603 - Philadelphia Harpers (AL-N Champ)
10. .574 - Boston Baseball Team (AL-E - Wildcard 1)
11. .569 - Minnesota North Stars (AL-N Wildcard 2)
12. .523 - San Juan Fudds (NL-S)
13. .494 - Sante Fe Surf Riders VIII (NL-S)
14. .490 - Huntington Tropics (AL-S)
15. .476 - Salem Bourbon Makers (NL-W)
16. .474 - Colorado Springs From My Lions (AL-W)
17. .473 - Milwaukee Metronomes (AL-N)
18. .468 - Dover Hazmats (AL-N)
19. .465 - Nashville Music Notes (AL-S)
20. .437 - New York Empire (AL-E)
21. .433 - Buffalo Bisons (NL-E)
22. .427 - Columbus Corgis (NL-E)
23. .415 - Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates (NL-N)
24. .409 - Mexico City Staring Frogs (AL-S)
25. .408 - Augusta Alcoholics (AL-E)
26. .386 - Austin Son's of Odin (NL-S)
27. .382 - Helena Hot Dogs (AL-W Champ)
28. .381 - Tacoma Aroma (NL-N)
29. .380 - Salt Lake City Punk! (AL-W)
30. .372 - Washington DC Nationals (NL-E)
31. .364 - Anaheim Diablos (AL-W)
32. .352 - Tokyo Nomo (NL-W)

A String of Firsts - S55 - Washington DC

Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter.

The Washington DC has made quite a few top half draft picks over the last few seasons, let's take a quick dive into them (yes, he's given his permission). 

• S43
• #18 Graham Hitchcock (CF) - Released before his Arb3 in S53, was not picked up by anybody. After a solid rookie season, it was downhill from there; only receiving one more season of full time at-bats.
• S44
• #9 Boone Hines (2B)- Released before his Arb3 in S53, and currently on the last year of a 3/$16.2M deal he signed with Anaheim Diablos. Received full time at-bats throughout the 5 seasons with DC but was not very productive. 
• S45
• #5 Avisail Mujica (P) - Traded as a 26 yr old to the Hartford Rising Stars who promptly moved him from the bullpen to the starting rotation where he's been solid in their play at the top of the NL. Coming back to DC were Harold Eiland (C) and Rocky Steenstra (3B). Eiland left and signed with the San Juan Fudds this season to a 2/$8.8M deal. Steenstra was quickly promoted and is still playing for DC today, and unless traded will be through S57 at $4M per season. Steenstra funny enough had been traded to the same team, just under a different owner only a year prior to be reacquired by DC. 
• S46
• #3 Rocky Steenstra (3B) - was sent packing along with S44 supplemental round pick Domonic Malone (2B) prior to S48 for a single season of Doc Cortes. For compensation, DC selected Rigo Plata (2B), who has yet to make his ML debut, and Britt Bergmann (P), who was left unprotected and drafted in the Rule 5 by Houston in S54. Steenstra would eventually be reacquired by DC the very next season. 
• S47
• #4 Randall Kennedy (P) - Did not sign, Type D pick (S48 - #4) was used on Albert Tomlin (P) who is being used as the ace of the DC rotation and topped 200 innings for the first time last season, going 8-14 with a 5.24 ERA. 
• S48
• #1 Olmedo Nunez (DH) - Drafted ahead of future MVPs - Juancito Martin and Kyle Crain. His 3rd ML season has by far been his best, hitting 53 HR and recording 153 RBI. Traded just a game into this season (S55) to Salt Lake City Punk! Coming back to DC were three prospects - Benny Ward (LF), Gerry Holt (C), and Fausto Silverio (P). We'll see which ones end up making it to the majors and having an impact even remotely close to Nunez. 
• S49
• #7 Bernard Morton (RF) - At the age of 26, he's on his 4th ML season with his rookie year being his best, totally over 180 hits, 32 HR, and 108 runs, 100 rbi, on a .285 average. His OPS has gone down every year since. 
• S50
• #6 Erik Henry (P) - Did not sign, Type D pick (S51 - #7) was used on Daniel Federowicz (RF) who has shown promise after two full seasons in the majors. Last year's 23 HR, 14 SB, and .298 average was his best. At just 26 his numbers are shaking out to be his best season yet. 
• S51
• #4 Zach Fussell (SS) was left until protected and drafted this season, S55, in the Rule 5 draft by the Columbus Corgis at pick #1.
• S52
• #5 Dee Valle (2B) - Shifted to 1B, but promoted to the majors at 21 years old but seems to be struggling. We'll see if he can come around and eventually be worth that 5th overall pick. The blog projected him as a .280ish hitter with 12-15 HRs on the season. 
• S53
• #4 Brook Page (P) - Currently starting for the AAA team. Given the history of the team, I wouldn't be surprised by a call-up next season at age 21. 
• S54
• #20 Cameron Kelly (SS) - Currently starting SS for the AA team. Being outside the top 15 picks, he was not covered by the blog in the draft recap. 
• S55
• Lined up for the #8 pick in this year's draft. 
• S56
• As the waiver stands today, they are looking at pick #2. 

S55 First Power Rankings

Richard Castle - contributing reporter

Thanks again to Skynet who produces our rankings for us. It's been, what's becoming the typical, early trade season. By record as of this writing:

• 33-7
• Atlanta (AL-E)
• 30-10
• Chicago (NL-W)
• 28-12
• Hartford (NL-W), Houston (AL-S)
• 27-13
• Pittsburgh (NL-E)
• 26-14
• New Orleans (NL-S), Vancouver (NL-W)

Atlanta, Houston, and Pittsburgh have already started pulling away from their divisions.

If we look at how each team has expected to win based off recent play, here is what we'd see. Champs and Wildcard are listed based on expected win percentages. Current playoff teams are highlighted in bold. 

1. .825 - Atlanta Expos (AL-E Champ)
2. .723 - Vancouver Canucks (NL-W Champ)
3. .717 - New Orleans Smell (NL-S Champ)
4. .710 - Hartford Rising Stars (NL-N Champ)
5. .649 - Oklahoma City Barons (NL-W - Wildcard 1)
6. .644 - Pittsburgh Yinzers (NL-E Champ)
7. .637 - Houston Space Cowboys (AL-S Champ)
8. .609 - Chicago Gunslingers (NL-N - Wildcard 2)
9. .599 - Boston Baseball Team (AL-E - Wildcard 1)
10. .595 - Minnesota North Stars (AL-N Champ)
11. .545 - Huntington Tropics (AL-S - Wildcard 2)
12. .533 - San Juan Fudds (NL-S)
13. .527 - Colorado Springs From My Lions (AL-W Champ)
14. .525 - Philadelphia Harpers (AL-N)
15. .497 - Nashville Music Notes (AL-S)
16. .448 - New York Empire (AL-E)
17. .429 - Sante Fe Surf Riders VIII (NL-S)
18. .426 - Mexico City Staring Frogs (AL-S)
19. .419 - Columbus Corgis (NL-E)
20. .418 - Salem Bourbon Makers (NL-W)
21. .417 - Milwaukee Metronomes (AL-N)
22. .416 - Buffalo Bisons (NL-E)
23. .409 - Dover Hazmats (AL-N)
24. .394 - Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates (NL-N)
25. .392 - Tacoma Aroma (NL-N)
26. .381 - Augusta Alcoholics (AL-E)
27. .365 - Anaheim Diablos (AL-W)
28. .363 - Salt Lake City Punk! (AL-W)
29. .351 - Austin Son's of Odin (NL-S)
30. .349 - Washington DC Nationals (NL-E)
31. .339 - Helena Hot Dogs (AL-W)
32. .320 - Tokyo Nomo (NL-W)