S57 Time for the Hall - Part 2

 Eli Cash - contributing reporter

Another refresher for those who missed the Part 1 - particularly the primer for a detailed explanation of the three scoring system we use. As a quick reminder, a sure thing for a hitter is 60/130/500, for a starter its 60/130/420 and for a reliever (who doesn't use the Test Score) is 130/250. 

SP

Jason Gates
It's crazy that he went from 10 votes down to 2, perhaps the blog is having an inverse effect on Gates getting in. This will be his 4th season and quickly running out of available years and he comps well compared to the other Hall of Fame pitchers. Similar to Galvis, he surpasses the Ws (252) and K (2,873) milestones; not quite up there with the super first ballot elites, but impressive still in just 17 seasons. Another area he is just like Galvis is the slightly higher than HoF average WHIP and ERA, but still ranks up there with the second tier of HoFers. His number of 15+ win and 200+ seasons ranks up there with the best. His 20 playoff wins is near the top with only 3-4 Hall of Famers having more. 
Votes Last Season: 2
Cash vote: YES

Juan Galvis
Enter S56 voting, Galvis was just 2 votes away from his selection but then turned out a dud, lossing an amazing 9 votes. He surpassed the Wins and Strikeouts milestones. Ended with a .614 win% and just shy of 3500 strike outs. Galvis won 15+ games 9 times out of 20 seasons. That falls just shy of the number of seasons for the first ballot pitchers like Munson, LaPorta, and James. His 7 seasons with 200+ K is very similar, just shy of the shoe-ins but above those who likely squeaked in. He only managed 4 Ws in the playoffs but you can't fault a man for not being on a playoff team.His 3 All-Star appearances would be the least of any Hall of Fame member. The other downside of Galvis is the higher than HoF standard in WHIP and ERA. Only Edgar Cortez who was elected during Season 24 has a higher WHIP. His 3.49 ERA would also be 3rd highest among all HoF starters. Only Cortez, who likely wouldn't get in by today's standards, and Ken Evans who has the second lowest Monitor score of all HoF pitchers. 
Votes Last Season: 6
Cash vote: YES

Sherman Berkman
Sherman 'the Herman' Berkman as he's known by his friends is an interesting case. He only played 16 seasons but still surpassed the K milestone, nearly totaling 3200; that's averaging nearly 200 K a season! Which is actually did 11 of those 16 seasons; and with a sub 3.00 career ERA you have to wonder how many wins did his bullpens blow? That has to be the only explanation as to why he didn't surpass the win milestone as well. His Monitor score falls just below Braeden Abercrombie and Randall Washington who didn't make the cut in recent ballots. One of few starters with a K/9 above 8 and a K/BB above 3. He brought home 2 Cy Young awards and 8 All-star appearances. Berkman also went from 13 votes all the way down to 3 votes, but with other available names on the ballot there's some sense to that since he's considered a borderline HoFer. 
Votes Last Season: 3
Cash vote: Borderline

Jeffrey Randall, Adrian Simon, and Gerald Kojima
These guys will not likely garner any votes and should be happy to be on the ballot. With ERAs above 3.50, WHIPs above 1.25, and K/9 below 7.1 they relied on the position players behind them to help them out of jams. Kojima holds 3 Cy Young between the group and accounts for 4 of the 9 All-Star appearances the group had. Randall however did prove useful in the playoffs with 12 W/SVs and nearly 3,000 K. If you are going to vote for any of them, he should be the one. Kojima is likely the best of the bunch and might garner a few votes himself. 

RP
Relief pitchers have it tough, I'm not sure how Sammy Felix got in, but maybe it was easier back in the early years when pitching strategies were a little different. Often times in these current times, the best RPs are used for more games and not as the closer but higher leverage situations. I personally think they are underrated but understand it's likely because of how fickle they can be season t season. With names like Al Balentien, and Tomo Hayashi not gaining access to the Hall, you have to wonder if any of them actually will. It shall be renamed, Hall of everyone but relief pitchers!

Jace Sale
This guy knew how to close out games. Not only is he the All-Time Saves leader but by nearly 200 saves. He pitched for 18 seasons as a closer and every single one of them he closed out and saved more than 30 games. He owns 5 Fireman of the Year Awards and only missed the All-Star game 3 of the seasons he played. He saved 12 games over the 7 years Boston made the playoffs. His Monitor Score ranks among the top, even for starting pitchers. I surprised to see he only had 10 votes last season, but maybe that's because of the amount of talent on the ballot last season. How in the world did he go from 10 votes in S53, to 15 in S54, and then DOWN to 12 last season. Get this guy in the Hall before he's no longer eligible. 
How is it this guy lost a vote? This is likely his last year, as he's been on the ballot for 5 seasons now, with this year being his 6th. Let's get the All-time saves leader and most Fireman of the Year awards into the Hall. 
Votes Last Season: 11
Cash vote: YES

There you go folks, S56 possible Hall of Famers. Let's see if anyone gets in this year!

VOTE HERE

S56 - Gloves

 Richard Castle - contributing reporter

The Cobbfather Gazette started a new look into ranking players by defensive value. As a first look we are omitting catchers for now, until we can find a better way to include passed balls, and all things related to stolen bases. Bold names indicate Gold Glove winners. Majority of the time they will be top of the list, and rightfully so, but sometimes a player in another league who was runner up might have been better than the opposing league. To make the lists easier, we'll list top 10 and bottom 10. If you guys are interested in a full list, let me know; perhaps we do that next year. 

First Base - Top 10

1. 7.51 - Geronimo Nunez - Boston
2. 6.32 - Yusmeiro Troncosco - Austin
3. 6.21 - Gary Halladay - Salem
4. 6.10 - Keith Halter - New Orleans
5. 5.63 - Quincy Bates - Pittsburg
6. 4.69 - Carlos Soto - Houston
7. 4.66 - Bendard Morton - Washington DC
8. 2.54 - James Kondou - Vancouver
9. 1.99 - Steve Lalli - Montreal
10. 1.16 - Emilio Molina - OKC

First Base - Bottom 10

1. -26.57 - Leo Wood - Dover
2. -15.22 - Alex Perez - Hartford 
3. -13.28 - Fritz Grahram - Augusta
4. -12.82 - Raul Fernandez - Montreal & Mickey Barmes - Helena
5. -11.65 - Ryne Truman - Tacoma
6. -8.75 - Chuck Rupe - Philadephia
7. -8.28 - Ehire Cruz - Salt Lake City
8. -7.78 - Omar Gonzales - Toyo
9. -6.81 - Nomar Rodgers - Atlanta
10. -5.84 - Chuck Brinson - Chicago

Second Base - Top 10

1. 16.31 - Brad Vernon - Vancouver
2. 5.32 - Ed Watanabe - Chicago
3. 5.14 - Alberto Castillo - Boston
• Likely an inning or game min above what we used
4. 4.49 - Wayne Brow - Colorado Springs
5. 4.14 - JP Avilan - Tokyo
6. 4.17 - Willie Martin - Buffalo
7. 3.90 - Vin Pirela - Philadelphia
8. 3.52 - Phillip Burnett - New York
9. 3.33 - Javier Quevedo - New Orleans
10. 2.34 - Yohan Nova - Houston

Second Base - Bottom 10

1. -17.63 - Charley Rhymes - Jacksonville
2. -13.22 - Tike Crosby - Milwaukee
3. -13.15 - Alex Kennedy - Tacoma
4. -12.19 - Damion Ni - Huntington
5. -11.35 - Brennan Howard - Montreal
6. -9.77 - Nicholas Cornely - Pittsburgh
7. -8.07 - Wandy Latos - Mexico City
8. -7.83 - Miles Cookson - Minnesota
9. -7.30 - Ronald Wilson - Washington DC
10. -6.80 - Roger Stinnett - Salt Lake City

Shortstop - Top 10

1. 6.74 - Marshall Banks - Colorado Springs
2. 5.57 - Christian Seung - Charleston
3. 3.62 - Yusmeiro Del Rosario - Philadelphia
4. 2.36 - Matty Doubront - Milwaukee
5. 2.24 - Michael Woo - Houston
6. 2.14 - Esteban Castro - Milwaukee
7. 2.08 - Brooks Jarvis - New York
8. 2.02 - Sammy Beltre - Minnesota
9. 1.79 - Howie Baltz- Huntington
10. 1.58 - Bart Higley - Minnesota

Shortstop - Bottom 10

1. -34.49 - Wayne Chatwood - Pittsburgh
2. -19.80 - Benji Astacio - Austin
3. -17.68 - Victor Abad - Vancouver
4. -12.23 - Jhonatan Castro - Salem
5. -11.60 - Norberto Martinez - Anaheim
6. -10.84 - Nestor Merced - Dover
7. -7.21 - Junior Wang - Mexico City
8. -6.44 - Mark Durrington - Washington DC
9. -4.55 - Enos Haas - Buffalo 
10. -3.35 - Lazy Bigbie - Tacoma

Third Base - Top 10

1. 5.65 - Rafael Rodriguez - Oklahoma City
2. 5.51 - Mariano Villano - Pittsburgh
3. 5.19 - Banjo Urlaub - Salt Lake City
4. 4.73 - Edwar Guerrero - Anaheim
5. 4.72 - Chili Lawton - Montreal
6. 3.43 - Vince Saarloos - Atlanta
7. 3.29 - Bernie Mendez - Tokyo
8. 3.00 - Charlie Hinojosa- Minnesota
9. 2.90 - Leonel Martinez - Hartford
10. 2.78 - Rip Bromberg - Huntington

Third Base - Bottom 10

1. -27.68 - Carmen Buller - New York
2. -24.30 - Chan Ho Jiang - Dover
3. -21.79 - Gus Koh - Tacoma
4. -20.25 - Jimmy Blaser - Milwaukee
5. -19.30 - Lawrence Parrish - Augusta
6. -14.00 - Jay Norton - Salem
7. -3.68 - Erasmo Rodriguez - Austin
8. -3.62 - Brett Caminiti - Columbus
9. -3.39 - Rocky Steenstra - Washington DC
10. -2.18 - David Quintana - Helena

Leftfield - Top 10

1. 11.42 - Dicky Chang - Salem
2. 9.99 - Ernest Clements - Austin
3. 6.67 - Juancito Martin - New Orleans
4. 5.77 - Tsubasa Maeda - Columbus
5. 5.26 - TJ Christenson - Atlanta
6. 4.65 - Julio Pascual - Pittsburgh
7. 2.93 - Jeanmar Furcal - Charleston
8. 2.42 - Warren Cobb - Hartford
9. 2.33 - Jose Castro - Sante Fe
10. 2.13 - Miguel Barrios - Boston

Leftfield - Bottom 10

1. -41.72 - Yuniesky Tavarez - New York
2. -23.91 - Cy Bettis - Dover
3. -20.16 - Louie Weiss - Huntington
4. -17.35 - Spud Campbell - Tokyo
5. -7.11 - Jason McGuiness - Oklahoma City
6. -6.31 - Earl Hawkins - Augusta
7. -6.18 - Leury Barcelo - Washington DC
8. -5.98 - Sammy Alou - Buffalo
9. -5.62 - Tony Kwon - Milwaukee
10. -5.26 - Dario Lester - Houston

Centerfield - Top 10

1. 9.16 - Lewis Gaetti - New York
2. 6.11 - JO Avila - Tokyo
3. 5.65 - Tyrone Greer - Sante Fe
4. 5.17 - Brian Lorick - Minnesota
5. 4.24 - Leonys Guerrero - Charleston
6. 3.53 - Gonzalez Liriano - Columbus
7. 3.08 - TJ Nick - Washington DC
8. 2.35 - Yu Iwamura - Augusta
9. 2.13 - Adam West - Atlanta
10. 1.66 - Bonk Burnett - Hartford

Centerfield - Bottom 10

1. -22.89 - Storm Phelps - Dover
2. -15.19 - Shea Crowe - Chicago 
3. -15.06 - Jordany Solarte - Pittsburgh
4. -12.69 - Larry Schultz - Austin
5. -10.03 - Jose Ontiveros - Anaheim
6. -9.07 - Sal Judge - Augusta
7. -6.82 - Alex Parrish - Milwaukee
8. -6.40 - Esteban Amaro - Salem
9. -5.63 - Brandon Stevens - Oklahoma City
10. -5.47 - Roy Richards - Tacoma

Rightfield - Top 10

1. 18.89 - Carl Conine - Austin
2. 9.22 - Rich Rendon - Augusta
3. 4.67 - Juancito Uribe - Boston
4. 3.71 - Hugh McMillan - Pittsburgh
5. 3.56 - Patsy Shipley - Vancouver
6. 3.33 - Noe Lecuona - Hartford
7. 3.30 - Leon Beck - Anaheim
8. 2.74 - Reymond Balboa - Philadelphia
9. 1.85 - Jonnie Daniels - Atlanta
10. 0.85 - Benny Saez - Charleston

Rightfield - Bottom 10

1. -26.38 - Roger Herman - New York
2. -21.20 - Lewis Suggs - Tacoma
3. -15.24 - Vic Nova - Colorado Springs
4. -12.47 - Yovani Franco - Buffalo
5. -12.28 - Aaron Piatt - Dover
6. -11.88 - Eric Mashore - Tokyo
7. -6.33 - Douglas Laxton - New Orleans
8. -5.37 - Brace Lansing - Oklahoma City
9. -5.07 - Max Escuela - Helena
10. -5.03 - Avisail Gonzales - Milwaukee

S57 - Rule 5 Draft coverage

Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter

We are underway with our Rule 5 draft coverage tonight. 

1. New York Empire - To no surprise, they selected nobody. Improving the ML roster only hurts the chances at a repeat #1 draft pick next season. 
2. Dover Hazmats - They had some room on the 40 man but after all those Free Agent signings, perhaps no room on the ML roster. In a typical year I wouldn't blame them for passing, but this year there was some ML talent that could have helped. 
3. Austin Sons' of Odin - Our first actual pick in the draft and they go Bob Fullmer. What is this, Fullmer House? Go back to Azgard with this pick!
4. Tacoma Aroma - Something smells around here and it's Reese Jacobs' ability to field at Shortstop. Just because he's highly rated, doesn't make him useable. Though his bat is great....if he could play shortstop. He'll be nothing more than a .300 wOBA (well below average) hitter at best. 
5. Mexico City Staring Frogs - When you draft a Shortstop in the Rule 5, this is the type of guy you get. Has potential to hit lefties, but will produce on the defensive side of the ball. Why is that a saying, the ball's round?!?
6. Pittsburgh Yinzers - $5 bet says the commish couldn't read yinzer so he passed up this pick altogether. No Pick. 
7. Colorado Springs From My Loins - This season is all about Jorge Johnson. We can't have any new rule 5 pick coming in and stealing his thunder! No pick. 
8. Augusta Alcoholics - The team goes for 2B Von Wright and I think this pick is Von Wrong! Perhaps the team likes his power which might...MIGHT net them 15 HR with maybe 3x more strikeouts than walks and a .305 wOBA. 
9. Washington DC Nationals - Fantastic pick here, can't believe the Nationals landed MIKE TRO....wait, it's his third cousin from Palo Alto, Cali whose only real experience is MLB the Show? Perhaps this guy is friends with Donovan Romano, except Chad doesn't have the home field of Santa Fe helping him out. Not a bad pick for the Rule 5. 
10. Milwaukee Metronomes - No pick is an interesting tactic for the Metronomes. Perhaps they didn't find any music to their ears this season. 
11. Salem Bourbon Makers - The Bourbon makers go with Santos Mercedo, P; but he's not projected to finish the season at the ML level. He'll likely be offered back, rejected by Helena and regulated to AAA ball.  
12. Santa Fe Surf Riders VIII - Now this is a pick. Controllable ML ready arm who should keep the ball on the ground most days; which is exactly what Santa Fe needs. Plus side, it comes at the expense of their division rivals. 
13. Charleston Offspring - Speaking of that division, Charleston makes a solid bullpen pick with S54 Fireman of the Year and All-Star, S55 All-Star and World Series champion Darby Hatcher who the Chicago Gunslingers had just traded for this season but decided to not assign him to a roster and let him walk. 
14. Buffalo Bisons - No pick
15. Jacksonville Lizard Kings - No pick
16. Anaheim Diablos - No pick
17. Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates - Canada was hungry, most likely because all they eat are Tim Horton's donuts and maple syrup shots; Les Padden is a diamond in the rough but is starting to look more like just a shiny rock. A polished turd is still a turd. 
18. Tokyo Nomo - All the way in Japan, the Nomo needed One Mo and selected Kike Guardado; which similar to Mexico City's pick at #5, projects as a solid defensive glove. What a fine pick this late in the first round. I would have expected him to go top 5, if not top 10 for sure. 
19. Vancouver Canucks - On the other side of Canada goes Miguel Perez who is healthy as an ox and has potential for a spot start or janitor pitcher. What this kid is famous for, is knowing how to throw just about every pitch there is; rumor has it he even knows how to throw an eephus pitch. 
20. Columbus Corgis - No pick
21. Philadelphia Harpers - We'd have to look back up who Philly has starting at Catcher, but Mateo's pitch call ranks up there with Lance Gilmartin, Gregorio Cordero, and Chuck Herdnon; but doesn't quite offer the bat to match. Still if the need is there for a backup or late inning defensive replacement for a middle of the road starting catcher; he's a solid bet for a few late innings. 
22. Boston Baseball Team - No pick
23. Minnesota North Stars - No pick
24. Helena Hot Dogs - No need, no pick
25. Oklahoma City Barons - No need, no pick
26. Salt Lake City Punk! - No need, no pick
27. Chicago Gunslingers - This is one way to rebuild, trade for a player and let them go in the rule 5. Gunslinger fans can forget about Odrisamer Duran.
28. New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers - NO.HD drafted 2B Michael Iwazaki; but what they should have done is held on to Ted Suppan with their big need of starting pitchers. 
29. Huntington Tropics - No need, no pick
30. Houston Space Cowboys - No need, no pick
31. Hartford Rising Stars - No need, no pick
32. Atlanta Expos - No need, no pick

Alright folks, that's the first round of the Rule 5, let's see if any of the picks in Rounds 2 thru 4 pan out. I'm sure we'll see plenty on the waiver in no time. Do we take any bets on who the first player will be? 

S57 - Time for the Hall - Part I

Eli Cash - contributing reporter

Another Hall of Fame season is upon us, speaking of which....VOTE HERE. 

For the new voters out there, be sure to skim past articles; particularly the primer for a detailed explanation of the three scoring system we use. As a quick reminder, a sure thing for a hitter is 60/130/500, for a starter its 60/130/420 and for a reliever (who doesn't use the Test Score) is 130/250. 

Players grouped by position. If you have a good retired player that I can include, please let me know. 

C

Marshall Van Ostrand
His voting support dropped off last year and rightfully so. We'll cover him quickly, His 9 All-Star appearances is 4th amongst all logged Catchers, falling just one behind Elston Lloyd, Al Samuel, and Lonnie Mills. On top of his 1 ring, he had 4 seasons of .300+ average, ending his career with a .393 OBP; which is still excellent for a catcher lead by his amazing BB/K rate of 1.30. His test says he's close to a shoe-in but his Monitor score is lacking. And the precedence set by not those who ranked ahead of him. Sadly, that might actually mean we never get a catcher in the Hall until Kyle Crain. 
Votes Last Season: 0

Cash vote worthy: NO

Lonnie Mills
This 9 time All-star proudly wears his single World Series ring and offered his teams a .300+ average for 9 of the 15 seasons he played. In his prime, he also offered 100+ RBI. His Test score says he's a no-brainer for the Hall but his Monitor is greatly lacking. If high average guys like Al Samuel, Jamie Summers, Julio Contreras, and Chris Foster weren't voted into the Hall; it's hard to support Mills. Those guys also had more All-Star appearances than Mills. Let him join the Hall of Dizzy. 
Votes Last Season: 7
Cash vote worthy: BORDERLINE

Fritz Butcher
A Butcher who doesn't cut it? I love that joke! Seven All-Star appearances, in only 11 seasons. Had he played another 4, we would most likely be talking about him in a different light. He averaged nearly 150 hits a season with 22 hr, and pulled down 75 runs/rbi combo but like Van Ostrand, no single season is outstanding considering he struck out more times than he had RBIs or Runs. 
Votes Last Season: 1
Cash vote worthy: NO

1B

Lee Schlitter
Not your prototypical First Baseman, Schlitter relied more on his speed and ability to get on base than a power bat. A combo that hasn't done well in HoF voting. Schlitter well surpassed the 2500 Hit milestone as well as the milestones for Runs and Stolen Bases. Ending his career with a .380 OBP and nearly a walk per strikeout. In his 16 seasons he made the All-Star game an amazing 10 times. For 4 seasons he had more than 200 hits, and for an additional 3 he still hit above .300. 13 seasons of scoring more than 100 Runs, 9 seasons with 35+ Doubles and 1 Gold Glove. I love a good 1-2 lead off hitter and that's exactly what you had with him, he averaged 176 Hits, 24 HR, 39 SBs, 114 Runs, and 84 RBI. While I may not have voted him last year due to other names, he gets the vote this year. He ranks Top 10 in Runs scored, #10 in stolen bases, and #16 in Hits. If that doesn't get you in the hall, then we need to rename it to the Homers Club in honor of only allowing power hitters in. 
Votes Last Season: 4
Cash vote worthy: YES

Vern Lowe 
Lowe didn't quite cross the major thresholds, but he did have 7 seasons with 40+ HR, 7 with 100+ R, and 9 with 100+ RBI, to go with 2 All-star appearances and 4 Gold Gloves. All-time he ranks in at #94 average in average, and #56 in HR. The 4 Gold Gloves just goes to show he wasn't all bat. One more solid season and he would have likely surpassed the HR, R, and RBI thresholds but retired after 13.  He ranks top 60 in HR, top 80 in RBI and XBH, and top 120 in Runs and SBs. You could easily make a case for him, but he'd be jumping names like Kendry Lunar, Don Sparks, Vic Park, Dorssys Tatis we just don't think he deserves to be mentioned above those guys. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote worthy: BORDERLINE

Birdie Kydd 
Yes he hit over 500 home runs, and managed 8 seasons of 40+ HRs which helped he cross the 100 RBI a season 9 times; but that's all there was to his game; HRs. He falls short of the RBI milestone. Compared to other Hall of Fame First Baseman or past eligible ones, does he stack up? One of the lowest OBPs and BB/K rate for any of them. Yes he won 2 Rings but it had a lot to do with the team around him. He was good, don't get me wrong; but does he belong in the Hall? That's for you to decide. And not that I'd hold it against him, but he was 8-48 in stolen base attempts. Maybe his 500 Cash Points and his 40 HR, 93 Run, 113 RBI career average convince you to get him in. 
Votes Last Season: 1
Cash vote worthy: NO

Charlie Lyons
Lyons surpassed the 2500+ hits and ranks 38 on the all-time list. He failed to pass 1500 in runs or RBIs but he still ranks top 70 all time in both. With 8 seasons above a .300 average, he also knocked in 100+ RBI 9 times, winning 1 ring and 4 All-star appearances. Unlike most 1Bs in the Hall, he failed to reach 40 HR in any of his 16 seasons. He averaged 24 HR, 85 R, and 88 RBI over those 16 seasons as well. Great player, just not sure he's Hall worthy. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote worthy: NO


2B

Jose Pizzaro
Averaged 158 Hits, 29 HR, 19 SBs, 84 Runs, and 96 RBI over his 15 seasons. Low Monitor Score with only a .332 OBP. 3 Seasons of .300 hitting with 3 All-Star appearances, an MVP, and 2 Gold Gloves. If Wandy Guillen, Vic Crowe, and Ernie 'I Miss Bert' McEnerney didn't make the Hall, Pizzaro doesn't deserve it either. Simple as that. Though he is one of few players that ranks in the top 100 of all major stats (H, R, HR, RBI, and SB) which is saying something about his consistency and value to a team. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote: NO

SS

Terrance Ricarrdi
There are no Shortstops in the Cobbfather Hall of Fame, but surely a few are deserving, but is Ricarrdi the right one to start with? 2 Gold Gloves, a .307 OBP, though he did have 2 of his 13 seasons with 40+ HR. He averaged 120 hits, 34 home runs, with 80 runs and 85 rbi a season, and 9 All-Star appearances. Still digging through the archives, but I have not seen another Shortstop with more appearances than Ricarrdi. With only two +/- more seasons he would have gotten to 500 home runs. On the downside, his .317 OBP is quite low for a HoF hopeful; even for a SS. He cracks the top 80 in HR but is outside the top 200 in hits and nearly outside the top 200 in runs scored. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote: NO

3B

Cookie Rodriguez
Cookie has the highest monitor score of all eligible 3Bs this season, and he rounded all four bases 544 times in his 15 year career, but to the tune of a .335 OBP and a .43 B/K rate. For 3Bs his numbers feel soft in comparison to those already in the Hall; but he did receive a single vote last season. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote: NO

RF

Crash Meacham & Wilfredo Alberro

He should be honored to even be on the ballot...and we've used our limit of words on them already. Moving on. 
Votes Last Season: First Ballot
Cash vote: NO

LF

Yohan Mairena

Yohan falls below HoF Andres Candelaria on the Monitor Score and failed to cross any of the major barriers over the course of his 15 seasons; though he owns a .382 OBP; above all other LF HoF members and below players like Swann and Taylor who were not elected to the Hall. But he is also one of few years with 2+ MVPs - that's 4% of Cobbfather history. But does his Hall of Chance depend on those two great years he had when he was the league MVP, perhaps so. 
Votes Last Season: 7
Cash vote: NO

Bryan Foster
Gregory Treinen-lite. Make use of your vote elsewhere. 
Votes Last Season: 0
Cash vote: NO

Midre Mantalban
With recent talk of Jorge Johnson earning his 3k hit and thus being a shoe-in for the Hall, well M&M fell just 70 hits shy of his 3k; something only a select few have done. He's #5 on the all-time hit list, just within the top 100 in runs and just outside the top 100 in RBI and XBH. If you think Jorge Johnson belongs in the Hall, you better be voting for Midre as he'll set some precedence for guys who can hit but don't hit bombs. 
Votes Last Season: 5
Cash vote: NO

CF

None

No worthy Right Fielders on the ballot this year. 

DH
None
No Designated Hitters on the ballot this year. 

VOTE HERE

Part Two coming later for pitchers...

S57 Franchise Wins

Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

With Season 56 complete, let's take a look at the updated franchise rankings. 56 seasons would be 9,072 games, with a .500 record being 4,536 wins. How does your franchise stack up, does it have a history of winning or constantly rebuilding? Sometimes it just takes the right dedicated owner to get things turned around. Number of World Series championships are in [ ]. Lots of movement this season with Chicago seeing the biggest jump, up 3 spots to #6 overall. Mexico City and New York both slip one slot for the second year straight. 

1. Houston - 5191 [6] 
2. Atlanta - 5020 [7] (+1)
3. Buffalo - 4983 [3] (-1)
4. New Orleans - 4778 [4] (+1)
5. Santa Fe - 4757 [2] (-1)
6. Chicago - 4694 [3] (+3) 
7. Oklahoma City - 4691 [4] (-1)
8. Boston - 4682 [1] (-1)
9. Salt Lake City - 4665 [1] (-1)
10. Jacksonville - 4627 [3] (+1)
11. New York - 4603 [0] (-1)
12. Colorado Springs - 4589 [2] 
13. Pittsburgh - 4551 [4] 
14. Hartford - 4548 [0] (+1)
15. Minnesota - 4532 [0] (-1)
16. Columbus - 4514 [0] 
17. Vancouver - 4480 [1] 
18. Salem - 4460 [1] 
19. Philadelphia - 4457 [1] 
20. Milwaukee - 4431 [1] 
21. Washington DC - 4426 [2] 
22. Tokyo - 4420 [0] 
23. Anaheim - 4389 [4] (+1)
24. Austin - 4382 [1] 23 (-1)
25. Mexico City - 4365 [4] (-1)
26. Helena - 4349 [1] (+1)
27. Dover - 4334 [0] (-1)
28. Montreal - 4329 [0] 
29. Charleston - 4321 [0] 
30. Huntington - 4241 [0] (+1)
31. Augusta - 4220 [0] (-1)
32. Tacoma - 4123 [0] 

S57 - IFA Spending in 3...2...

 Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Approaching the end of Free Agency, and the international market is about to hit the ground running...or so many franchises hope. Let's take a look at all the big spending that's about to happen this season. 

Helena, Huntington, and Atlanta are the only teams outside the top 17 picks, meaning they might have a little more to spend in IFA than the others. Though given New York's lack of signing their draft prospect last season; proves he's willing to roll the dice. However this year with the #1 pick, I wouldn't expect him to pass on signing such a top talent. Their season is a a complete loss if they don't sign their top pick AND land a top IFA. That's three teams with more than $40M to spend and one dang near$40M. There's going to be some extremely bummed people by the end of this season when 8 teams walk away with a borderline AAAA/ML IFA prospect instead of an all-star or game changer like Weiss, WYW, or Tarraga who is likely to retire after this season. 

Good luck on the IFA market to everyone, even that Canadian team. 

S57 - The demise and rise of Alex Tarraga

Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

First it was first ballot Hall of Famer Gregor Lopez signing with Nashville for one last hurrah, now it's future first ballot Hall of Famer and fellow Buffalo Bison Alex Tarraga. He just signed on for his 19th major league season with the lowly rebuilding New York Empire. The team is guaranteed to win less than 62 games this season and vie for the S58 #1 Rule 4 pick. Vegas has them as the early favorite for both. His contract is just a single season, at $675k. Pocket change from the over $210M he made in his career. That's not even talking about his endorsement deals with Depends and Crocs. 

Over the offseason his power took a major hit and will likely continue to drop over the course of this season. Last year was the first time in his career that was his league average in OPS and managed a lowly .327 wOBA. Maybe it's New York big market or maybe the rumors are true and Tarraga's interest in becoming the next big Broadway star are true and he's going to be staring in the Off, Off, Off-Broadway musical number about Gregor Lopez's The Perfect Catch tv series. AT's accomplishments:

• Top 15 in Average (.310)
• #2 in GIDP at 384 behind Jorge Johnson's 405
• #4 in Hits at 3,065; 50 more hits and he moves up a slot.
• #1 in HRs at 844
• #2 in Intentional Walks, just 5 behind Albert Cruz's 206.
• #5 in ISO Power, trailing only younger active players like Kyle Crain, Omar Gonzales, Bonk Burnett, and Shea Crowe (in that order). But will any of them maintain the higher rates over their career or does it become the eventual #1 record holder? 
• #5 in Number of Pitches Seen, 25 behind #4 and 1,366 behind #3. 
• #4 in Runs, trails #3 by just 40 runs. Though NY might be lucky to put that up all season.
• #1 in RBIs
• #1 in Runs Created, and #2 in Runs Created per 27 Outs behind active player Omar Gonzales.
• #3 in Slugging % behind only active players such as Kyle Crain and Omar Gonzales. 

Hands down he has to be the greatest player in Cobbfather history. 

The Gazette photographers caught a photo of AT taking batting practice at t-ball field nearest his home. Lopez held his own his last season, but this could easily be the sad end to an otherwise fantastic career. 

In other news/rumors around the league:

• 5-time and current NL Fireman of the Year , Ronnie Andrews of the New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers is rumored to be pushing HoF voters to elect Jace Sale into the Hall this year, likely with hopes that if/when he wins his record 6th Fireman of the Year award it helps his own cause being included in the Hall. 
• Teams in on 32 yr old Bonk Burnett's services appear to be: Tokyo, Houston, Dover, Columbus; with only Tokyo being possible for a near max offer. Still plenty of time left. 
• Many Cobbfather insiders wonder if there's something going on in New Orleans clubhouse between the position players and the pitchers. Or maybe it's the new Owner, either way 75% of their starting rotation decided to leave in Free Agency rather than return to defend their title. Louis Combs choosing Tokyo, Miguel Park going to Helena, and Bennie Swann showing some love to Philadelphia. What's worse is, with that payroll, everyone knows NO-HD doesn't have the scouting department to make all those plus picks into quality prospects. 
• Lots going on in Pittsburgh too, many players seem to think or rather hope they are on the move including Hugh McMillan (LF - 30 HR .293 AVG), Jordany Solarte (CF - 13 HR, .295 AVG), Julio Pascual (COF - 30 HR .270 AVG), and Nicholas Cornely (2B - 16 HR .290 AVG). Bring your buggy, you nebby jagoffs every player up and down this franchise's roster is available. This owner started to redd up last season when they move franchise cornerstone Rip Bromberg to Huntington. 
• Rumors say the Commissioner is thinking about banning the entire state of Oklahoma from playing baseball. If you can't beat him, ban 'em appears to be his new motto.  

S57 - Bills Update

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

We've hit the last day of Arbitration and moving towards Free Agency. Our top 5 big spenders are:

• Philadelphia Harpers - $111.0M
• Chicago Gunslingers - $110.2M
• Oklahoma City Barons - $106.3M
• Pittsburgh Yinzers - $101.6M
• Sante Fe Surf Riders VIII - $101.2M

Our bottom 5 spenders include:

• Augusta Alcoholics - $17.7M (will they go for 4 straight years of $40+ prospect spending?)
• Tacoma Aroma - $22.6M (outside of first season, has yet to be above $55M)
• Mexico City Staring Frogs - $25.3M (Mas Tequila!)
• New York - $27.4M (a long way from S55's $134M)
• Montreal - $37.7M (the exchange rate must be worse for French Canadians)

Here's a look at the payrolls post-arbitration, listed by how much budget they have remaining. Could be spent on free agents / IFAs / buying division titles / ponzi schemes / Tim Horton's donuts / their favorite twitch streamer.  

Take out the rebuilding teams who will be looking to transfer money for IFA spending, the FA market is looking like this:

1. Dover - 65.3M (this is the team to watch)
2. Tokyo - 41.1M (Proven to be a big spender)
3. Boston - 40.1M (has to deal with Atlanta more than any other team on this list)
4. New Orleans - 37.1M (Get ready for SP spending!)
5. Milwaukee - 33.0M (jbb in his 29th season, will look to get back on top of the division)
6. Anaheim - 26.2M (looking for owner's first second or above finish in the division)
7. Columbus - 20.6M (doesn't have much competition within the division this year)
8. Hartford - 18.9M (will they get Bonk to resign with them? Will Bonk get a max deal?)
9. Vancouver - 17.3M (boo canada!)
10. Pittsburgh - 16.4M (not likely to spend much, but are they rebuilding?)
11. Chicago - 15.8M (tight division race, he knows where to find talent)
12. Santa Fe - 15.8M (will spend every bit on these millions remaining)
13. Minnesota - 15.8M
14. Jacksonville - 15.5M
15. Salem - 15.5M
16. Salt Lake City - 15.2M
17. Philadelphia - 14.0M
18. Houston - 13.8M
19. Oklahoma City - 6.7M

S56 Best Hitter by the Ages

 Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

The Cobbfather history books are now a lot like Youtube. You start by looking up Randy Johnson taking out a bird with his fastball and you end up at cats falling off fences. Here are last season's best hitters by age. We'll list wOBA and OPS+, and as a reminder a score of 100 in OPS+ is league average. 95 would be 5% worse than league average. 105 being 5% better. Used a minimum of 200 ABs. 

• 21 - David Quintana - HEL - $327k - .386 wOBA, 137 OPS+
• 88 R, 45 HR, 123 RBI, 2 SB, .284 AVG
• 22 - Louie Weiss - HUN - $343k - .457 wOBA - 181 OPS+
• 131 R, 49 HR, 131 RBI, 5 SB, .332 AVG
• 23 - Wei-Yin Wan - HUN - $378k - .448 wOBA - 175 OPS+
• 141R, 47 HR, 113 RBI, 2 SB, .330 AVG
• 24 - Dilson Rojas - SAL - $378k - .437 wOBA - 166 OPS+
• 99 R, 47 HR, 110 RBI, 21 SB, .296 AVG
• 25 - Jemile Frandesen - HAR - $1.5M - .474 wOBA - 195 OPS+
• 61 R, 29 HR, 70 RBI, 2 SB, .330 AVG
• 26 - Bennie Serra - HOU - $378k - .421 wOBA - 158 OPS+
• 73 R, 46 HR, 105 RBI, 3 SB, .285 AVG
• 27 - Jordany Solarte - PIT - $7.3M - .371 wOBA - 127 OPS+
• 106 R, 13 HR, 67 RBI, 26 SB, .295 AVG
• 28 - Kyle Crain - ATL - $6.8M - .472 wOBA - 194 OPS+
• 120 R, 59 HR, 157 RBI, 0 SB, .353 AVG
• 29 - Douglas Laxton - NO - $7.4M - .480 wOBA - 197 OPS+
• 102 R, 41 HR, 111 RBI, 10 SB, .349 AVG
• 30 - Vin Pirela - PHI - $7.3M - .398 wOBA - 145 OPS+
• 98 R, 52 HR, 132 RBI, 0 SB, .289 AVG
• 31 - Omar Gonzales - TOK - $20M - .489 wOBA - 202 OPS+
• 149 R, 63 HR, 141 RBI, 19 SB, .339 AVG
• 32 - Anibal Castillo - SLC - $20M - .377 wOBA - 131 OPS+
• 92 R, 32 HR, 98 RBI, 11 SB, .290 AVG
• 33 - Will Roth - OK - $5.9M - .406 wOBA - 151 OPS+
• 78 R, 24 HR, 117 RBI, 4 SB, .335 AVG
• 34 - Yovani Bonilla - VC - $3.8M - .355 wOBA - 116 OPS+
• 45 R, 12 HR< 53 RBI, 15 SB, .294 AVG
• 35 - Bey Combs - CHR - $7M - .362 wOBA - 123 OPS+
• 90 R, 28 HR, 87 RBI, 25 SB, .275 AVG
• 36 - Vic Nova - CSP - $5M - .324 wOBA - 95 OPS+
• 63 R, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 27 SB, .269 AVG
• 37 - Harry Padilla - DOV - $2.8M - .319 wOBA - 94 OPS+
• 50 R, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 9 SB, .273 AVG
• 38 - Jorge Johnson - CSP - $6M - .301 wOBA - 83 OPS+
• 43 R, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB, .280 AVG

Top Tens - Fantasy Scoring edition

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Take cues from the celebration of Season 50, where we did a few Top 10s, let's take a look at a few more as we continue to document some of the history of Cobbfather on the blog. Any team from S50 on, is listed in bold. Looking a little closer, just goes to prove most top teams don't end up winning the world series, and in most instances not even their league. Go underdogs!

Top 10 Overall Fantasy Teams

1. S6 Rochester Rolling Rocks (Chicago) - yanks21 - 7807
2. S1 Fargo Rat Bastids (Dover)- mrploppie - 7795
3. S2 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 7775
4. S55 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 7729
5. S11 Houston Space Cowboys - rawdk27 - 7672
6. S2 Huntington Heat (Atlanta) - hooner65 - 7656
1. AL Champ
7. S1 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 7593
8. S56 Hartford Rising Stars - jverrier85 - 7496
9. S21 Dover Diamond Dogs (Pittsburgh) - jiml60 - 7449
1. NL Champ / World Series Champ
10. S8 Sante Fe Dope Smugglers (Huntington) - mrploppie - 7447

Bottom 10 Overall Fantasy Teams

1. S7 Durham Radicals (Augusta) - jwinkler16 - 1895 - 15 W
1. What a tank job!
2. S2 Mexico City Gingros (Huntington) - pieo - 3203 - 34 W
3. S11 Nashville Mayhem (Austin) - geltzig - 3293 - 39 W
4. S3 Cheyenne Chiefs (Tokyo) - friarcynric - 3552 - 35 W
5. S1 Mexico City Gringos (Huntington) - pieo - 3732 - 47 W
6. S27 Iowa City Kernels (Mexico City) - jibe - 3750 - 51 W
7. S56 New York Empire - alexng6888 - 3806 - 44 W
8. S37 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 3873 - 38 W
9. S1 Pittsburgh KAA-POW (Pittsburgh) - geltzig - 4017 - 52 W
10. S38 Helena Hot Dogs - alanharwell - 4032 - 41 W

Top 10 Offensive Teams

1. S2 Huntington Heat (Atlanta) - hooner65 - 5221
1. AL Champ
2. S1 Fargo Rat Bastids (Dover) - mrploppie - 5061
3. S1 Colorado Beer Bashers (Helena) - EBzer - 4873
4. S2 Colorado Beer Bashers (Helena) - EBzer - 4871
5. S2 Sioux Falls Great Danes (Minnesota) - The_Kid - 4772
6. S11 Houston Space Cowboys - rawdk27 - 4768
7. S12 Hartford Huskies (New York) - tchagnon - 4712
8. S6 Rochester Rolling Rocks (Chicago) - yanks21 - 4673
9. S8 Santa Fe Dope Smugglers (Huntington) - mrploppie - 4647
10. S7 Tucson Tornados (Colorado Springs) - veener - 4642

Top 10 Offensive Teams (post S13 - when code was changed)

1. S21 Dover Diamond Dogs (Pittsburg) - jiml60 - 4455
1. NL Champ /  World Series Champ
2. S55 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 4437
3. S54 Hartford Rising Stars - jverrier85 - 4416
4. S44 New York Empire - alexng6888 - 4375
5. S56 Hartford Rising Stars - jverrier85 - 4366
6. S26 Texas Giddy Ups (Houston) - rawdk27 - 4362
7. S28 Texas Giddy Ups (Houston) - rawdk27 - 4304
1. AL Champ / World Series Champ
8. S52 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 4275
9. S56 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 4266
10. S47 Colorado Springs From My Loins - topoftheworl - 4259
1. AL Champ

Top 10 Pitching Staffs

1. S43 Oklahoma City Barons - klown61455 - 3442
1. NL Champ
2. S2 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3333
3. S52 Chicago Gunslingers - slashtc - 3330
1. NL Champ
4. S32 Texas Giddy Ups (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3311
5. S55 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 3292
6. S15 Vancouver Canadians (Anaheim) - sowden - 3287
1. AL Champ /  World Series Champ
7. S43 Honolulu 'Apapanes (Tokyo) -  tonicawf - 3269
8. S46 Oklahoma City Barons - klown61455 - 3268
1. NL Champ
9. S20 Pittsburg Fighters (Hartford) - pb15 - 3261
10. S38 Little Rock Travelers (Mexico City) - jibe - 3230

Top 10 Pitching Staffs (pre S13 - when code was changed)

1. S2 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3333
2. S3 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3194
3. S11 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 3145
1. AL Champ
4. S6 Rochester Rolling Rocks (Chicago) - yanks21 - 3134
5. S3 Sacramento Fighting Cornish Hens (Oklahoma City) - FW_Kekionga - 3078
6. S1 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3077
7. S7 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 3077
8. S4 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 3064
1. AL Champ / World Series Champ
9. S5 Tampa Bay Tankers (Huntington) - mrploppie - 3062
10. S10 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 3038
1. AL Champ / World Series Champ

120+ W Teams

1. S30 Texas Giddy Ups (Houston) - rawdk27 - 127
2. S55 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 124
3. S6 Rochester Rolling Rocks (Chicago) - yanks21 - 123
4. S43 Oklahoma City Barons  - klown61455 - 123
5. S2 Florida Shark Waves (Houston) - rawdk27 - 122
6. S42 New York Empire - alexng6888 - 120
7. S7 Atlanta Expos - ekoontz41 - 120

Top 5 AVG

1. .297 - S16 Kansas City Tweakers - dirtyhill03
2. .297 - S28 Texas Giddy Ups - rawdk27
3. .297 - S56 Hartford Rising Stars - jverrier85
4. .295 - S51 Colorado Cab Blast - coach34
5. .293 - S52 Colorado Cab Blast - coach34

Bottom 5 AVG

1. .223 - S38 New York Empire - alexng6888
2. .223 - S48 Philadelphia Harpers - TheManUtley
3. .225 - S36 Honolulu 'Apapanes - tonicawf
4. .225 - S37 New York Empire - alexng6888
5. .226 - S36 New York Empire - alexng6888
6. .228 - S55 Tacoma Aroma - mcadnrews

Top 5 SB% (League average from season 1 is 68%)

1. 90.0% - S5 Florida Shark Waves - rawdk27
2. 88.5% - S1 Memphis Goats - furniss13
3. 88.3% - S8 Austin Rock Stars - rbf_4
4. 88.2% - S8 Florida Hurricanes - ekoontz41
5. 86.7% - S11 Vancouver Canadians - sowden / S45 Buffalo Bisons - bjc30

Bottom 5 SB% (League average from season 1 is 68%)

1. 33.7% - S55 Huntington Tropics - cwiddoes
2. 36.8% - S38 Helena Hot Dogs - alanharwell
3. 37.0% - S56 Chicago Gunslingers - slashtc
4. 37.3% - S42 Chicago Gunslingers - slashtc
5. 41.9% - S46 Dover Hazmats - drichter

Top 5 K/9

1. 8.023 - S43 Honolulu 'Apapanes - tonicawf
2. 7.871 - S51 Chicago Gunslingers - slashtc
3. 7.814 - S15 Nashville Puppies Under A Blanket - jpelot
4. 7.803 - S48 Chicago Gunslingers - slashtc
5. 7.809 - S39 Baltimore Tarrifs - LaFay21

Bottom 5 K/9

1. 5.586 - S27 Iowa City Kernels - jibe
2. 5.784 - S43 Sante Fe Surf Riders VIII - POKEYSAN
3. 5.773 - S44 Dover Hazmats - drichter
4. 5.794 - S47 Philadelphia harpers - TheManUtley
5. 5.652 - S52 Anaheim Diablos - goldenbaer88

Games Played

1. 32 Franchises tied for first with 162 per season for 56 straight seasons

S56 Let's Make a Deal

 Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

Hindsight is 20/20, while it will be a few seasons before we know how well these deals worked out for both teams, let's go ahead and take a look back at a few deals that were made this season, and there were many of them this year - only 22 this season. Nine of which Salt Lake City was involved in.

All grades are just for this season alone, with the understanding that looking back in 4-5 seasons that grades could drastically change. 

Dover (50-112) sent nine year pro Roger Stinnett (2B) to Salt Lake City (93-69) for three prospects; Yamid Rodriguez (SP), Xnder Odor (P), and Dickie Haren (C). Only Yamid has seen reasonable time this season but he's bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Stinnett comes with an extended contract through S59 and $7.4M per, though the last year is a mutual option. The 2B has been a solid add for SLC's lineup; whose fight for the AL West came down to the last series of the season. This shows Dover's commitment to a rebuild, as many say this trade was about shedding Stinnett's contract and also helped their chances at landing a top pick. We don't rate prospoects in this coverage, feel they could have gotten something better in return for a 35-45 HR, 100+ RBI 2B even if he's just a .255 hitter besides just freeing up budget.
Dover - TBD. Salt Lake City - A

Washington DC (71-91) packages Benny Ward (LF) and Brock Hogan (3B) to Salt Lake City (93-69) for prospects Fred Russell (SP), a former #8 overall pick; and Mac Lee (SP), a $6M IFA signing just last season. SLC later dealt Hogan (3B) to Mexico City (59-103) for $3M, Boone Dowd, no relation to MLB great Jon Dowd, and Ivan Douglas (1B). Douglas was then packaged to Colorado Springs (69-93) along with Ross Coleridge (RP) for $5M + Anibal Castillo (CF). All in, that nets SLC: $8M + Anibal Castillo (CF) + Boone Dowd (RP) + Benny Ward (LF).  Washington DC stats some pitching prospects who show promise in the minors. Though their limited splits may keep them from being successful at the major league level. Russell at least has high velocity and better pitch quality. The Hogan return for Mexico City was likely more about shedding the contract of Dowd who struggles with innings and pitch counts; though don't let that power fool you he could end up providing some value at the major league level too. Castillo was an expiring contract for Colorado Springs, so we assume it was more of a move up next year's draft than anything. Douglas didn't do much at the majors this year but at 22, could we see some improvement? As a SuB, Coleridge was as expected - 1.45+ WHIP, 5.00+ ERA. 
Washington DC - TBD. Salt Lake City - A+. Mexico City - B+. Colorado Springs - B.

In another off-season deal, Dover (50-112) continued their push for a high draft pick by dealing $1.5M + Andy McLaughlin(CF) to Houston (110-52) for prospects Benji Lopez (2B) and diamond in the rough prospect Mac Howard (SP). McLaughlin has played a bit of 2B for Houston and produced quite well for the defending champs. He also has a mutual option contract S57 that Houston will need to decide on. Howard saw a promotion from A- all the way up to AAA but we assume that's it for him. Unless the world flips upside down, he won't...or shouldn't...see a pitch at the ML level. Lopez's splits might make him more of a role player than a fulltime spot in the lineup. 
Dover -TBD. Houston - A. 

Huntington Tropics (104-58) in their push for the division and improved playoff standing, traded away McKay Howell (DH), Matthew Monroe (RP), and Brett Crawford (RP) to Washington DC (71-91) for closer Enrique Franco. Franco shifts to a closer by committee setup and having the type of season you'd expect by moving to the AL but has been a big boost to the pen. Howell and Monroe are still just prospects; with Monroe projected to join the major league club's bullpen in a couple of years. Howell would only play the field if he were in Chicago; but he'll hit at some point. Solid power and hits righties well. Crawford replaced Franco as the Nationals closer with similar success as Franco. Solid deal for both teams. 
Huntington - A-. Washington DC - B+. 

To no surprise, it's Salt Lake City (93-69) in the next deal, sending a pair of S55 picks #16 Deacon Belinda (SP) and #49 Lou Mason (RP) to reshuffling Buffalo (77-85) for S53 #26 pick Ricky Kirk (SS) and Felipe Valdez (3B). For Buffalo Belinda seems the more promising of the two. Valdez has a ton of power but doesn't project to be much. Kirk's glove is a little weak for Short, but some owners won't care. At the plate he has good power as well which hopefully makes up for the awful eye and low contact ability; though he's still managed a respectable batting average this year with 25+ HR power - also added in 15+ SBs. 
Salt Lake City - B+. Buffalo - TBD. 

In a surprise move, Pittsburgh (62-100) throws in the towel of 2 straight division titles and elects to start a semi-fire sale. First they sent $2M + Michael Craig (RP) to Boston (86-76) for pitching prospect who doesn't make sense to cover.  Craig has had a quite season for the Boston Baseball Team but still productive. 
Pittsburgh - D+. Boston - A-. 

Pittsburgh (62-100) then received Julio Valdes (C) and Raimel Duran (SP) from Huntington (104-58) for $2M + Rip Bromberg (3B). Valdes is a DH playing in the NL and a former #28 pick back in S53, but shows some promise mostly due to his pure power bat. He'll struggle against lefties but as long as he develops and hits righties he'll provide some run support for the Yinzers. Duran transitioned to AAA very well and still has a little growth left in him. He could project into a mid or back of the rotation type arm one day.
Pittsburgh - B-. Huntington -B+.

A third deal to follow that up, Pittsburgh (62-100) then traded $2.9M + Banjo Urlaub (3B) to Salt Lake City (93-69) for $2M S55 IFA Felipe Julio (RF) + former diamond in the rough Elvis McKay (RP). McKay transitioned to the closer role after they dealt Craig earlier, though he's only saved 39 of 50 chances. Not great....unless you are in rebuild mode and looking for a high draft pick. Then he's the perfect closer for your team! Julio has potential for great power and a fantastic eye. Worse case he's a lefty platoon. Urlaub on the other hand saw a career low batting average this season but still 25ish HR with nearly 20 steals. But when you hit close to your weight and strike out more than twice the times you walk, it can't be considered a good season. The potential is still there and he's a FA next season, but we'll see if he resigns with SLC before then. 
Pittsburgh - C. Salt Lake City - B.

Augusta (71-91) sent 25 yr old Jimmie Bryant (3B) to Jacksonville (80-82) for long term prospects S50 #56 pick 24 yr old Rich Rendon (2B) who was given a promotion to the big leagues and 22 yr old Doc Hooker, former S53 #29 pick. In nearly 500 ABs, Rendon was average at the plate and Hooker should see some time next season at the majors. Bryant on the flip side had a small dip in average and power but still made some growth at the plate. 
Augusta - B. Jacksonville - B. 

Salt Lake City (93-69) sends prospect Brady Daniels (DH) who appears to be a high contact hitter with little power and even less speed for Luis Espinosa (DH) + his remaining salary ($4.7M) to Augusta (71-91). SLC got a DH for the big league lineup, though his power numbers dropped off a bit after the move. Perhaps that was partially to being slotted in the 2 hole in the lineup or maybe it was the new stadium. 
Salt Lake City - B+. Augusta - TBD.

It's not rare for Atlanta (116-46) to be considered the top team in the league and still be making moves. This time sending a pair of young(ish) in Cesar Tavarez (P) and Quilvio Infante (SP) to Anaheim (80-82) in exchange for $2.2M + Joshua Lough (RP) + Hiram Helms (RP). Infante made 24 starts, going 6-8 over 149 innings with a 1.17 WHIP and 3.26 ERA. Tavarez ended up replacing Lough in the bullpen and saved 28 of 31 games over 46 outings. Helms barely saw time for Atlanta but Lough was the prize of the deal, shifting to a setup role that saw him pitch in 56 games for 104 innings, more than any other full season combined. And with great success, 1.04 WHIP, 2.16 ERA. He'll be a great add to the bullpen in the seasons to come and worth a slight overpayment to get him. 
Atlanta - A. Anaheim - A+. 

In yet another Salt Lake City (93-69) deal, we see them move S56 #8 pick Brock Hogan (3B) to Mexico City (59-103) for $3M + Boone Dowd (RP) + prospect S53 #42 pick Ivan Douglas (1B). The money covers Dowd's S56 salary but Salt Lake City will still be on the hook for S57-59 (59 is a Team option). Compared to the last few seasons in Chicago and Tacoma, his numbers were down across the board. For signing such a surprise contract with Tacoma, he sure has been on the move, being traded every season of his current deal. Douglas was later moved with Ross Coleridge (P) to Colorado Springs (69-93) for $5M + Anibal Castillo (CF). The money covers 2/3rds of his remaining salary and gives SLC a quality starting CF. His numbers were about on pair with his norm. 
Salt Lake City - A. Mexico City - TBD. Colorado Springs - B

Jacksonville (80-82) sent prospect Cesar Blanco (SP) to the rebuilding Colorado Springs (69-93) for Grayson Lowry (3B). Blanco earned a promotion to the big leagues but only made 1 start for 2/3rds of an inning. Lowry found a spot as the #4 hitter with a .604 slugging percentage. He even finished out the season with a near .300 average for the new home team. Blanco is looking like a slightly below league average pitcher but we'll see what his new owner is able to get out of him but his comps are Santo Estrella and Josmil Tovar. 
Jacksonville - A+. Colorado Springs - B-

Colorado Springs (69-93) followed up that deal, sending prospect Lou Hartman (2B) over to Tacoma (56-106) for big leaguer Guilder Osoria (RP). GO was given the go for 33 games, going 2-2 with 2/2 saves. Low whip and slightly below average ERA seemed promising. 
Colorado Springs - B+. Tacoma - C+

Back at it, Jacksonville (80-82) elected to send prospect Bert Swann (2B) and Anthony Clayton (SP) to New 'the #1 pick is mine' York (47-115) for $1.6M + Del Alvarez (SP). Clayton was exactly what New York needed, 15 starts, 1-13 record, 1.70 WHIP, and a 4.71 ERA. Could have asked for anything better from him. Swann a long time minor leaguer finally got his promotion and will until he hits Arb most likely. Swann started just 16 but hit just .161; so job well done? Alvarez on the other end had a near 1.20 WHIP with a sub 3.00 ERA mixed between 13 starts and 6 relief appearances. Jacksonville will hope he can continue that same stuff the next two seasons, only 31 he should be alright just not sure he matches his Jacksonville performance from this year. 
Jacksonville - A-. New York - B

Our next deal saw Philadelphia (85-77) send a trio of prospects in Nigel Leroux (RP), Matt Eiland (CF), and Javier Moya (2B) of to Buffalo (77-85) for Don Hernandez (CF) as they made their unsuccessful push for the division title. Hernandez had a good stretch though struck out a bit too much. This was his Arb3 season, so we'll guess he hits Free Agency as Philly debates a rebuild or push harder to take back the division. Leroux was S55 #21 pick, Eiland S50 #18, and Moya S54 #98 pick. 
Philadelphia - B. Buffalo - TBD. 

In a surprise deal, Salt Lake City (93-69) trades away Olmedo Nunez (C/DH) to Columbus (85-77) as both teams continue to push at their divisions. In return, SLC gets prospects S55 #1 pick Ewell Little  and S54 #19 pick Rubi Pujols. The blog wasn't so kind to Little in our writeup, especially for going #1 overall; but we'll see what happens with his future in Utah. Columbus picked up a solid hitting catcher to hit behind Drew Ducati and his amazing S56 numbers. Nunez was also just off signing a backloaded 3/$23.3M extension. 
Salt Lake City - B-. Columbus - A-.

With a busy late season, Jacksonville (80-82) sent a trio of prospects, S55 #24 Dernell Wates (1B), S54 #30 Fred Martin (P), and diamond in the rough S52 #354 pick Randolph Jacobs (2B), bringing back $2.3M + Domonic Malone (2B) from Dover (50-112). Malone put up exactly what you thought he would, but also has 2 more seasons under contract; the last of which is a mutual option. 
Jacksonville - B. Dover - TBD.

Colorado Springs (69-93) traded an aging secretly injured Koyie Ward (SP) plus $2.2M that covers half his remaining salary to Tokyo (83-79) for prospects Asdrubal Unamuno (2B) and Heinie Browne (RP). First start for Tokyo and Ward goes down with a 200+ day injury, labrum tear. Brutal! While is $17M S57 mutual option contract was likely to be declined, this injury leaves no doubts. Happy early retirement Koyie Ward, good luck with your Hall of Fame ballot. Tokyo was looking at 4 games out of 2nd wildcard and 10 games out of the Division at the time so this one stings a little. 
Colorado Springs - TBD. Tokyo - B (can't fault them for the injury)

In a near miss of a trade, New Orleans (104-58) mistakenly tried sending 30 yr old 2x LF Silver Slugger, 4x All-Star, S53 Co-MVP, back to back LF Gold Glove winner the last two seasons, and S54 World Champion Juancito Martin; who had just signed an extension this past season plus $1.7M to Salt Lake City (93-69) for the expiring contract of lefty specialist Mikey Abbott and former #1 pick Ewell Little who projects as a 1.30 WHIP / 4.50 ERA type of pitcher. On that note, we were taught if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.....
Would be scores: New Orleans - F. Salt Lake City - A+

In the final deal of the season, Houston (110-52) send S54 #59 pick prospect Frank 'The Tank' Sweeney 'Todd' (2B) and S55 #31 pick Eugene 'I'm not going to pick on him because of his last name' Dickerson (3B) to the Augusta (71-91) team for S54 #39 pick prospect Anderson Toussaint (CF). We'll see how this deal looks in a year or two. 
Houston - TBD. Augusta - TBD.

That about does it for S56's trades. 

S56 Record Books

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Winner Winner....Chicken Dinner 

Just before the major hurricane season begins, New Orleans brings the title back to the NL; being the only NL team to successfully win the World Series in the S50s. The bats of NOHD struggled over the season but sure did turn it on for the playoffs. This is the franchises 4th World Series. Congrats to SenorPloppie for taking the team back to World Series fame. 

Playoff Hitting Stats: .323 avg, .925 ops, 23 HR, 112 RBI, 115 R, 9 SB
Playoff Pitching Stats: 11-4, 4/4 saves, 134 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 4.23 ERA, 36 bb, 77 k. 
Outstanding Position Player: Gregorio Cordero (C) - .418 avg, 1.249 ops, 17 R, 6 HR, 21 RBI
Outstanding Pitcher: Danys Solis (SP) - 0.94 era, .208 oav, 0.94 whip, 22 k, 6 bb, 3-0, starting 5 of their 15 games and only gave up 3 earned runs; all of which came in Game 5 of the World Series. Throughout the NLDS and NLCS he had not given up a single run. 

Congrats again and let's get ready for the start of Season 57!

Major League

All-Star Weekend

American League tops the National League again this time in extras, 5-4.
All Star Game MVP - Alexander Sandberg (Boston) who drove in the winning run. 
Home Run Derby Champ - Kyle Crain (Atlanta) - 30 total HRs (15 - 7 - 8)
Longest HR - 534' - Kyle Crain (Atlanta)
Futures Game MVP: Felipe Julio (Pittsburgh) driving in the game-winning run for the World Team.

American League 

Division Titles
AL North: Minnesota North Stars
AL East: Atlanta Expos (7th straight) 
AL South: Houston Space Cowboys (3rd straight)
AL West:  Salt Lake City Punk! (2nd straight)
Wildcards: Huntington Tropics & Helena Hot Dogs

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Al Cervantes (Phi Harpers) - 221
Average: Kyle Crain (Atlanta Expos) - .353
Home Runs: Kyle Crain (Atlanta Expos) - 59
Runs: Wei-Yin Wan (Hun Tropics) - 141
Runs Batted In: Kyle Crain (Atlanta Expos) - 157
Stolen Bases: Matty Moss (Atl Expos) - 74
Longest Hit Streak: David Quintana (Hel Hot Dogs) - 21

Pitching
Wins: JC Wall (Atlanta Expos) - 24
Quality Starts: Tony Lim (CSP From My Loins) - 27
Saves: Seth Buford (Hou Space Cowboys) - 44
ERA: Mitch Dillard (Hou Space Cowboys) - 2.80
Strikeout: Alan Street (Atlanta Expos) - 201
OAV: Mitch Dillard (Hou Space Cowboys) - .208
WHIP: Nick Shackelford (Phi Harpers) - 1.03

Fielding
Plus Plays: Marshall Banks (CSP From My Loins) - 25
CS%: Cyrus Simmons (Anaheim Diablos) - .390
C ERA: Kyle Crain (Atlanta Expos) - 3.04

Awards
MVP: Kyle Crain (Atlanta Expos) - 21 votes
Cy Young: Mitch Dillard (Hou Space Cowboys) - 20 votes
Rookie of the Year: David Quintana (Hel Hot Dogs) - 25 votes
Fireman of the Year: Seth Buford (Hou Space Cowboys)

National League

Division Titles
NL North: Hartford Rising Stars
NL East: Columbus Corgis
NL South: New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers (6th straight - 2nd under current ownership)
NL West: OKC Barons 
Wildcards: Chicago Gunslingers & Vancouver Canucks 

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Omar Gonzales (Tok Nomo) - 214
Average: Douglas Laxton (NO Hurricane Dodgers) - .349
Home Runs: Omar Gonzales (Tok Nomo) & Shea Crowe (Chi Gunslingers) - 63
Runs: Omar Gonzales (Tok Nomo) - 149
Runs Batted In: Alex Perez (Har Rising Stars) - 143
Stolen Bases: Pedro Alberro (OKC Barons) - 83
Longest Hit Streak: Warren Cobb (Har Rising Stars) - 25

Pitching
Wins: Nigel White (Har Rising Stars) - 24
Quality Starts: Midre Benavente (Col Corgis) - 24
Saves: Ronnie Andrews (NO Hurricane Dodgers) - 54
ERA: Nigel White (Har Rising Stars) - 2.04
Strikeout: Alton Drew (Chi Gunslingers) - 197
OAV: Julio Alomar (Buf Bisons) - .192
WHIP: Nigel White (Har Rising Stars) - 0.98

Fielding
Plus Plays: Pedro Hernandez (Sal Bourbon Makers) - 31
CS%: Gregorio Cordero (NO Hurricane Dodgers) - .360
C ERA: Gregorio Cordero (NO Hurricane Dodgers) - 2.92

Awards
MVP: Omar Gonzales (Tok Nomo) - 20 votes
Cy Young: Nigel White (Har Rising Stars) - 25 votes; 4th straight Cy
Rookie of the Year: Ed Wood (OKC Barons) - 21 votes
Fireman of the Year: Ronnie Andrews (NO Hurricane Dodgers) - ties for most all-time

Trivia

We need some more time to fact check, Kyle Crain's triple crown this year in the AL (HR, RBI, AVG) was the first we've seen in Cobbfather (though not likely the first ever). Crain has been on a tear since entering the league. Some would say he's on pace to outperform future first ballot Hall of Famer Alex Tarraga. Speaking of him, will he retire this year or does he have another season in his tank? He will sign with another team for a single season similar to Gregor Lopez who was elected this season with 22 votes. 

Minor League

AAA: 

AL #3 Minnesota takes NL #2 Buffalo, 4-2.

Best Record: Boston Baseball Team - 103-41

Worst Record: New York Empire - 23-121

AA: 

AL #1 Boston wins over NL #4 Santa Fe, 4-0.

Best Record: Boston Baseball Team - 114-30

Worst Record: Pittsburgh Yinzers - 21-123

A+: 

AL #1 Augusta topples NL #6 Vancouver, 4-0.

Best Record: Salem Bourbon Makers - 112-32

Worst Record: Atlanta Expos - 25-119

A-: 

NL #2 Tacoma sweeps AL #3 Mexico City, 4-0.

Best Record: Boston Baseball Team - 112-32

Worst Record: Chicago Gunslingers - 13-131

Rookie: 

NL #4 Tacoma beats AL #3 Philadelphia, 4-3. 

Best Record: Helena Hot Dogs - 59-17

Worst Record: Chicago Gunslingers - 7-69

Record Books

• 20 2B - 20 HR -20 SB Club
• This is typically 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs but that's so rare in HBD that we'll change it slightly.
• Leon Beck (Ana) - 22 - 22 - 23
• Adam West (Atl) - 27 - 23 - 21
• Bey Combs (Chs) - 28 - 28 - 25
• Warren Cobb (Har) - 40 - 26 - 23
• Lisalverto Lobaton (Hou) - 27 - 21 - 29
• Yohan Nova (Hou) - 25 - 29 - 22
• Rip Bromberg (Hun) - 24 - 23 - 20
• Jimmy Blaser (Mil) - 34 - 20 - 22
• Edwards Ferrara (Mon) - 24 - 22 -25
• Josh Hunt (NO) - 22 - 41 - 22
• Roger Stinnett (SLC) - 21 - 37 - 21
• James Kondou (Van) - 27 - 21 - 47
• Tomas Urias (Van) - 25 - 20 - 25
• 30 HR - 30 SB Club
• Drew Ducati (Col) - 31 - 46
• Paco Garces (SLC) - 30 - 33
• 40 HR -40 SB Club
• None
• 50 HR Club
• Omar Gonzalez (Tok) - 63
• Shea Crowe (Chi) - 63
• Kyle Crain (Atl) - 59
• Shawn Long (Chi) - 56
• Vin Pirela (Phi) - 52
• Bonk Burnett (Har) - 51
• Grayson Lowry (Jax) - 50
• 20 W Club
• JC Wall (Atl) - 24
• Nigel White (Har) - 24
• Mitch Dillard (Hou) - 21
• 200 K Club
• Alan Street (Atl) - 201
• 40 SV Club
• Ronnie Andrews (NO) - 54
• Kevin Kashmir (Col) - 46
• Seth Buford (Hou) - 44
• Damon Edwards (SLC) - 43
• Elvis McKay (Pit) - 41
• Stephen Ramirez (Atl) - 40
• 30 Plus Plays Club
• Pedro Hernandez (Sal) - 31
• Brad Vernon (Van) - 30

Looking at the single season records, here is anybody who placed within the top 5 of a category. 

• HITTING
• Runs Created: #5 Omar Gonzales (Tok) - 181.82
• PITCHING
• Balks: TIED #1 - Dioner Amezaga (Mon) - 4 - TIED RECORD
• Batters Face: #3 - Tony Lim (CS) - 1,186
• Innings Pitched: #2 - Tony Lim (CS) - 285
• Saves: #2 - Ronnie Andrews (NO) - 54
• K/BB: #2 - Victor Ortega (Har) - 5.44
• FIELDING
• Good Plays (2B): TIED #4 - Brad Vernon (VC) - 30
• Put Outs (3B): #2 - Jimmy Blaser (Mil) - 202
• Put Outs (3B): #5 - Chan Ho Jiang (Dov)
• Bad Plays (CF): TIED #1 - Yuniesky Tavarez (NY) - 32 - TIED RECORD
• Second place only had 18. 
• Errors (CF): #1 - Yuniesky Tavarez (NY) - 22 - NEW RECORD
• Bad Plays (RF): #2 - Roger Herman (NY) - 26
• Bad Plays (RF): TIED #4 - Lewis Suggs (Tac) - 24
• Good Plays (RF): TIED #3 - Carl Conine (Aus) - 17
• That's a spread of 43 plays between Austin (52-110) and New York (47-115). 
• Errors (SS): #4 - Wayne Chatwood (Pit) - 71
• Second place only had 36
• Stolen Base Attempts: #2 - Yem Lee (Tac) - 175

Moving on to team records.

• HITTING
• None
• PITCHING
• None
• FIELDING
• None

Career Records

• Bold indicate active players - they will stay listed until they retire or make the top 15. Includes current team.
• * indicate HoF members
• Batting
• Home Runs
1. Alex Tarraga (Buf) - 844
2. *Albert Cruz - 771
3. *Ahmed Ratliff - 723
4. *Willie Cerda - 714
5. *Johnny Sherman - 701
6. *Brutus Henry - 660
7. Omar Gonzales (Tok) - 650
8. *Jerrod Griffiths - 646
9. *Zach Charles - 631
10. Kendry Lunar - 629
11. *Howard Greer - 617
12. Gregory Treinen & *Omar Berroa - 612
13. *Jordan Abernathy - 605
14. *Raul Galvez - 598
15. Keith Halter (NO) - 595
16. Pascaul Hernandez - 589
17. Buddy Poole - 582
18. *Sean Gosling - 578
19. Timothy Steinbach & Shea Crowe (Chi) - 572
20. Neifi Gandarillas - 569
• Geronimo Nunez (Bos) - 524
• Alex Perez (Har) - 514
• Chuck Brinson (Bos) - 493
• Yoervis Colome (NO) - 482
• Al Martinez (Pit) - 478
• Jumbo Sakamoto (Ana) - 453
• Baseline - 430
• RBI
1. Alex Tarraga (Buf) - 2,104
2. *Albert Cruz - 2,032
3. *Johnny Sherman - 2,008
4. *Brutus Henry - 1,898
5. *Willie Cerda - 1,885
6. *Ahmed Ratliff - 1,867
7. Kendry Lunar - 1,850
8. *Zach Charles - 1,846
9. Timothy Steinbach & *Rafael Benitez - 1,831
10. *Jerrod Griffiths - 1,783
11. Luis Carrasco - 1,741
12. *Howard Greer - 1,736
13. *Eugene Brantley - 1,705
14. *Raul Galvez - 1,692
15. Pascaul Hernandez - 1,679
• Keith Halter (NO) - 1,670
• Omar Gonzales (Tok) - 1,591
• Jorge Johnson (CSP) - 1,548
• Yoervis Colome (NO) - 1,510
• Chuck Brinson (Bos) - 1,457
• Shea Crowe (Chi) - 1,449
• Geronimo Nunez (Bos) - 1,431
• Al Martinez (Pit) - 1,417
• Anibal Castillo (SLC) - 1,393
• Harry Padilla (NY) - 1,320
• Jumbo Sakamoto (Ana) - 1,314
• Alex Perez (Har) - 1,290
• Jeff Newfield (Chi) - 1,277
• Bey Combs (Chr) - 1,203
• Baseline - 1,200
• Hits
1. *Yoenis Portillo - 3,245
2. *Johnny Sherman - 3,232
3. *Eugene Brantley - 3,114
4. Alex Tarraga (Buf) - 3,065
5. Franisco Baez - 2,995
6. *Andres Candelaria - 2,991
7. Jorge Johnson (CSP) - 2,982
8. *Rafael Benitez - 2,982
9. *Albert Cruz & Midre Mantalban - 2,930
10. *Brutus Henry - 2,885
11. *Ubaldo Alvarez - 2,875
12. Harry Padilla (Dov) - 2,854
13. Ernie McEnerney - 2,819
14. *Zach Charles - 2,815
15. Lee Schlitter - 2,811
• Geronimo Nunez (Bos) - 2,391
• Chan Ho Jiang (DOv) - 2,379
• Yoervis Colome (NY) - 2,361
• Anibal Castillo (CSP) - 2,350
• Chuck Brinson (Chi) - 2,331
• Al Martinez (Pit) - 2,318
• Carmen Buller (NY) - 2,303
• Jeff Newfield (Chi) - 2,277
• Omar Gonzales (Tok) - 2,265
• Keith Halter (NO) - 2,196
• Bey Combs (Chr) - 2,118
• Shea Crowe (Chi) - 2,068
• Baseline - 2,000
• Runs
1. *Yoenis Portillo - 2,061
2. *Andres Candelaria - 1,927
3. *Johnny Sherman - 1,921
4. Alex Tarraga (Buf) - 1,881
5. *Mendy Kondou - 1,852
6. *Brutus Henry - 1,847
7. Lee Schlitter - 1,819
8. *Trey Padgett - 1,811
9. Harry Padilla (Hel) - 1,790
10. Edinson Hernandez - 1,752
11. Geronimo Nunez (Bos) - 1,743
12. *Ubaldo Alvarez - 1,728
13. *Willie Cerda - 1,710
14. *Zach Charles - 1,708
15. *Albert Cruz - 1,691
• Yoervis Colome (NY) - 1,546
• Omar Gonzales (Tok) - 1,536
• Keith Halter (NO) - 1,508
• Jorge Johnson (CSP) - 1,473
• Al Martinez (Pit) - 1,337
• Shea Crowe (Chi) - 1,358
• Chan Ho Jiang (NY) - 1,326
• Bey Combs (Chr) - 1,243
• Chuck Brinson (Chi) - 1,218
• Anibal Castillo (SLC) - 1,210
• Baseline - 1,200
• Stolen Bases
1. William Katou - 957
2. Harry Padilla (Dov) - 886
3. Al Munson - 853
4. Matty Moss (Atl) - 798
5. Jim Ramirez - 781
6. Marcell Johnson - 716
7. Ron Weinhardt - 701
8. Ken Stammen - 697
9. Robinzon Espinoza - 692
10. Bryce May - 682
11. Dennis Gulan - 663
12. Wilt Pittinger - 654
13. Yasmany Cubillan - 650
14. Benji Marin - 628
15. Calvin Hukata & Lee Schlitter - 618
• Vic Nova (CSP) - 553
• Geronimo Nunez (Bos) - 534
• Baseline - 490
• Pitching
• Wins
1. *Gregor Lopez) - 349
2. *Chick Munson - 334
3. *Norman LaPorta - 325
4. *Thomas Hutchinson - 315
5. JC Wall (Atl) - 304
6. *Bob Graves - 304
7. *Alberto Beltre - 300
8. *Magglio Exposito - 294
9. *Lyle Wallace - 282
10. *Francisco Aramboles - 281
11. Juan Galvis - 278
12. *Carlos Colome - 276
13. *Yeico Oliva & Midre Tavarez - 273
14. *Harry Mieses - 271
15. *Armando Merced - 270
16. Don Monahan - 266
17. Dizzy Leonard - 264
18. Red Collins - 262
19. Ryan Fisher & William Thompson (NO) - 261
20. *Jimmie Hartman & Arismendy Costilla (Hou) - 257
• Louis Conley (NY) - 249
• Rico Bonilla (Chi) - 248
• Yovani Parraz (Nas) - 247
• Koyie Ward (CSP) - 232
• Doc Cortes (Pit) - 224
• Max Abreu (CSP) - 218
• Yuudai Park (Was) - 212
• Baseline - 200
• Saves
1. Jace Sale - 758
2. Rodrigo Ontiveros - 571
3. Al Balentien - 490
4. Jung Hasegawa - 482
5. Pedro Estrella - 470
6. Eduardo Jose - 466
7. Anthony Gordon - 464
8. Artie Stone - 455
9. Felipe Barrios - 440
10. Marvin Walsh - 438
11. Ronnie Andrews (NO) - 437
12. Arthur Camilli - 424
13. Roger Hermida - 420
14. Abdul Melton (Tok) - 418
15. Walt White - 410
16. Troy Hudek - 397
17. *Sammy Felix - 396
18. Davey Torrealba - 382
19. Jhoulys Olmedo - 371
20. Shane Williams - 355
• Baseline - 300
• Strikeouts
1. *Chick Munson - 4,190
2. *Gregor Lopez - 3,949
3. *Alberto Beltre - 3,885
4. *Norman LaPorta - 3,857
5. Ryan Fisher - 3,757
6. Juan Galvis - 3,484
7. Bob Graves - 3,482
8. Koyie Ward (CSP) - 3,454
9. Dizzy Leonard - 3,446
10. *Francisco Aramboles - 3,428
11. Harry Mieses - 3,403
12. Yovani Parraz (Mty) - 3,392
13. Edgar Cortez - 3,352
14. Don Monahan - 3,324
15. Yeico Oliva - 3,319
16. *Magglio Exposito - 3,317
17. Vasco Serra - 3,304
18. *Armando Merced - 3,237
19. Jair James - 3,201
20. Sherman Berkman - 3,182
• Rico Bonilla (Chi) - 3,093
• Mac Inouoe (Dov) - 3,024
• Louis Conley (NY) - 2,911
• Yuudai Park (Was) - 2,884
• William Thompson (NO) - 2,722
• Doc Cortes (Pit) - 2,703
• Sergei Griggs (CSP) - 2,427
• Arismendy Costilla (Hou) - 2,362
• Max Abreu (CSP) - 2,342
• Yamil Torres (Aus) - 2,340
• JC Wall (Atl) - 2,337
• Sergei Griggs (CSP) - 2,335
• Nigel White (Har) - 2,260
• Bennie Swann (NO) - 2,118
• Mike Lobstein (SLC) - 20,46
• Santiago Terrero (SFE) - 2,031
• Bommer Pearson (Pit) - 2,010
• Baseline - 2,000
• Fielding
• Plus Plays (C)
1. Alejandro Unamuno - 6
2. Marshall Van Ostrand - 6
3. Stevie Ross - 5
4. Mike Walls - 5
5. Braulio Guardado (Buf) - 5
• Plus Plays (1B)
1. Alex Tarraga (Buf) - 232
2. Keith Halter (NO) - 178
3. Vic Park - 176
4. Julian Barber - 175
5. Will Maxwell - 160
• Plus Plays (2B)
1. Malcom Brach - 227
2. George Dubler - 198
3. Benny Lee - 163
4. Kevin Coomer - 150
5. Dennis Gulan - 137
• Plus Plays (SS)
1. Riccio Manzanillo - 280
2. Esteban James - 242
3. Ubaldo Trevino - 228
4. Sal Thompson - 223
5. Rymer Mota - 204
• Plus Plays (3B)
1. Roberto Bennett - 257
2. Alving Palmeiro - 256
3. Sean Gosling - 204
4. Jeanmar Furcal - 174
5. Willie Seay - 162
• Plus Plays (RF)
1. Ryan Martin - 104
2. Mendy Kondou - 80
3. Davy Oliver (Bos) - 72
4. Louie Cubillan (Aus) - 52
5. Dario Priest - 51
• Plus Plays (CF)
1. Wilfredo Rincon - 224
2. PJ Roberts - 217
3. Eli Espinosa - 214
4. Ariel Espinoza - 200
5. Colt Brosius - 192
• Plus Plays (LF)
1. Yoervis Colome (NO) - 103
2. Midre Mantalban - 90
3. Julio Pascual (Pit) - 89
4. Harry Gonzalez - 89
5. Harry Amarista - 85
• Plus Plays (P)
1. Lewis Peterson - 68
2. Thomas Lyon - 62
3. Bryant Landrum - 49
4. Tony Corpas - 47
5. Braeden Abercrombie - 47
• Runners Caught Stealing
1. Lyle Bradford - 725
2. Branch Borders - 719
3. Jeff Newfield (Chi) - 698
4. Parker Johnston - 624
5. Sean Dahl - 618
• Catcher Earned Run Average
1. Jesse Taylor - 2.78
2. Chris Berg - 3.00
3. Timothy Small - 3.00
4. Stevie Ross - 3.09
5. Walt Green - 3.13
• Gregorio Cordero (NO) - 3.26
• Kyle Crain (Atl) - 3.32

Award Winners
(* indicates Hall of Famer member)

• MVP
• 9 Time
• Alex Tarraga (NL - S39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 50, 52)
• 8 Time
• None
• 7 Time
• None
• 6 Time
• *Willie Cerda (AL - S23, 25, 30, 31, 32. NL - S29)
• 5 Time
• None
• 4 Time
• *Albert Cruz (AL - S22, 23, 24, 27)
• Kyle Crain (AL - S52, 53, 55, 56)
• Omar Gonzales (NL - S48, S49, S51, 56)
• 3 Time
• Don Sparks (NL - S27, 30, 31)
• Omar Berroa (AL - S39, 41, 43)
• Yoervis Colome (AL - S44, 47, 50)
• 2 Time
• Brian Taylor (NL - S1, 2)
• Moises Terrero (AL - S1. NL - S3)
• Jordan Abernathy (AL - S2, 4)
• *Rafael Benitez (AL - S6, 10)
• *Dan Carter (NL - S7. AL - S11)
• *Bill Everhart (NL - S6, 13)
• *Johnny Sherman (AL - S9, 14)
• *Brutus Henry (AL - S12, 16)
• Morgan Cerda (AL - S18, 19)
• Dustan Jackson (AL - S20, 21)
• Ray Rudolph (NL - S19, 24)
• *Sean Gosling (AL - S35, 36)
• *Raul Galvez (AL - S34, 37)
• Haywood Swann (NL - S36, 37)
• *Yoenis Portillo (NL - S34, 38)
• Yohan Mairena (NL - S38, 40)
• Shea Crowe (NL - S54, 55)
• 1 Time
• Stuart Paulson (AL - S1)
• Ed Morris (AL - S3)
• Buddy Poole (NL - S4)
• Hector Ball (AL - S5)
• Martin McCarty (NL - S5)
• Charlie Dickinson (AL - S7)
• Zach Charles (AL - S8)
• Marvin Mays (NL - S8)
• Dennis Jefferies (NL - S9)
• Jose Rijo (NL - S10)
• Stevie Stanley (NL - S11)
• Chico Villarreal (AL - S12)
• Fred McNamara (NL - S12)
• Clarence Loney (AL - S13)
• Al Samuel (NL - S14)
• *Mendy Kondou (AL - S15)
• Ollie Brock (NL - S15)
• Jose Pizzaro (NL - S16)
• Elston Lloyd (Al - S17)
• *Andres Candelaria (NL - S17)
• Howard Greer (NL - S18)
• *Eugene Brantley (AL - S21)
• Pascual Hernandez (NL - S21)
• Felipe James (NL - S22)
• Vic Park (AL - S25)
• Vic Crowe (AL - S26)
• *Ahmed Ratliff (NL - S26)
• Vladimir Troncoso (AL - S28)
• Dorian Whitaker (NL - S28)
• Timothy Steinbach (AL - S29)
• Jared Gonzales (NL - S32)
• Francis King (AL - S33)
• Julian Barber (NL - S33)
• Yasmany Cubillan (NL - S34)
• Edinson Hernandez (NL - S35)
• Greg James (AL - S38)
• Gregory Treinen (AL - S40)
• Carl Rossy (AL - S42)
• Geronimo Nunez (NL - S44)
• Andres Estrada (AL - S45)
• Birdie Kydd (AL - S46)
• Bonk Burnett (AL - S48)
• Felipe Benitez (AL - S49)
• Al Cervantes (AL - S51)
• Keith Halter (NL - S53)
• Juancito Martin (NL - S53)
• Wei-Yin Wan (AL - S54)
• Cy Young
• 6 Time
• *James Haselman (AL - S13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22)
• *Gregor Lopez (NL - S36, 39, 41, 45, 50, 51)
• 5 Time
• *Norman LaPorta (NL - S13, 14, 21, 25, 26)
• *Jair James (NL - S38, 40, 44, 46, 47)
• J.C. Wall (AL - S45, 49, 50, 51, 55)
• 4 Time
• *Carl Sosa (AL - S5, 6, 8, 10)
• *Don Monahan (NL - S20, 23, 27, 28)
• Nigel White (NL - S53, 54, 55, 56)
• 3 Time
• *Chris Pendleton (AL - S7, 12. NL - S17)
• *Thomas Hutchinson (AL - S21, 24, 26
• *Francisco Aramboles (AL - S25, 27, 28)
• *Chick Munson (AL - S31, 36, 38)
• *Magglio Exposito (AL - S40, 42, 47)
• Gerald Kojima (AL - S41, 44. NL - 48)
• 2 Time
• Francis Munoz (AL - S1, S2)
• Justin Powell (NL - S5, 8)
• Vasco Serra (NL - S7, 8)
• *Barry Carew (NL - S6, 9)
• *Alberto Beltre (NL - S11. AL - S16)
• *Harry Mieses (NL - S15, 16)
• Lewis Peterson (NL - S18, 22)
• *Douglas Banks (NL - S19, 24)
• *Red Collins (NL - S30, 33)
• Sherman Berkman (NL - S37, 38)
• Carlos Colome (AL - S33, 39)
• *Bob Graves (AL - S34, 42)
• *Jimmie Hartman (AL - S35, 43)
• Louis Conley (AL - S43, 46)
• William Thompson (AL - S52, 53)
• Arismendy Costilla (AL - S48, 54)
• 1 Time
• Calvin Pong (NL - S1)
• Harry Farr (NL - S2)
• Tony Saunders (AL - S3)
• Octavio Solano (NL - S3)
• *Ken Evans (AL - S4)
• Billy Cox (NL - S4)
• was also Fireman of Year - S4
• *Sammy Felix (NL - S5)
• was also Fireman of Year - S5
• Timo Green (NL - S6)
• Emmett Rhodes (AL - S9)
• Julio Rodriguez (NL - S10)
• *Edgar Cortez (AL - S11)
• Alex Andrus (NL - S12)
• Emmanuel Cora (AL - S15)
• Carlos Pena (NL - 15)
• was also Fireman of Year - S15
• *Victor Almanzar (AL - S17)
• Ron Gross (AL - S23)
• *Yeico Oliva (AL - S29)
• Josh Stark (NL - S29)
• Randall Washington (AL - S30)
• Quilvio Odor (NL - S31)
• Felipe Sosa (AL - S32)
• Erubiel Morales (NL - S32)
• Ryan Fisher (AL - S34)
• Monte Daley (NL - S35)
• Olmedo Valdez (AL - S36)
• Ned Morris (NL - S36)
• Alan Street (NL - S49)
• Rico Bonilla (NL - S52)
• Mitch Dillard (AL - S56)
• Fireman of the Year
• 5 Time
• Al Balentien (NL - S34, 35, 39, 40, 41)
• Jace Sale (AL - S35, 37, 40, 42, 48)
• Ronnie Andrews (NL - S49, 51, 53, 54, 56)
• 4 Time
• Arthur Camilli (AL - S11, 13, 14, 20)
• 3 Time
• *Sammy Felix (NL - S2, 3, 5)
• Billy Cox (NL - S4, 6, 7)
• Anthony Gordon (AL - S2, 7, 10)
• Allen Cox (AL - S16, 18, 19)
• Rodrigo Ontiveros (NL - S24, 25, 30)
• 2 Time
• Leon Meyer (NL - S9, 12)
• Jung Hasegawa (NL - S17, 19)
• Marvin Walsh (NL - S16, 20)
• Homer Butler (NL - S18, 21)
• Gus Masaoka (AL - S23, 24)
• Walt White (AL - S22, 27)
• Antonio Ishida (AL - S26, 28)
• Jhoulys Olmedo (AL - S29, 32)
• Troy Hudek (AL - S33, 34)
• Eduardo Jose (NL - S37, 38)
• Yeico Miranda (AL - S38, 39)
• Abdul Melton (NL - S45, 46)
• Christopher Romero (AL - S46, 47)
• Ron Steenstra (NL - S48, S50)
• Steve Etherton (AL - S50, S51)
• 1 Time
• Julio Perez (NL - S1)
• Valerio Rodriguez (AL - S1)
• Paul Watson (AL - S3)
• Jeremi Welsh (AL - S4)
• Pat Smith (AL - S5)
• Yamil Alvarez (AL - S6)
• Luis Gonzales (AL - S8)
• Del Campos (NL - S8)
• Pat Smith (Al - S9)
• Wilson Bonds (NL - S10)
• Thurman Sandford (NL - S11)
• Felix Tamura (AL - S12)
• Mark Ogawa (NL - S13)
• Carlos Pena (NL - S14, 15)
• Roger Hermida (AL - S15)
• Edwin Radlosky (AL - S17)
• Jayson Klesko (AL - S21)
• Manuel Estrada (NL - S22)
• Will Ogden (NL - S23)
• Carlos Pena (AL - S25)
• Dock Kramer (NL - S26)
• Tomo Hayashi (NL - S27)
• Chris Rivera (NL - S28)
• Will Morris (NL - S29)
• Carlos Prieto (AL - S30)
• Bob Berg (AL - S31)
• Juan Belliard (NL - S31)
• Jiggs Cuddyer (AL - S32)
• Andre Harper (NL - S33)
• Braeden Abercrombie (AL - S37)
• Larry Maday (AL - S41)
• David Gabriel (NL - S42)
• Deivi Perez (AL - S43)
• Felipe Barrios (NL - S43)
• Alfredo De Aza (AL - S44)
• Eric Pride (NL - S44)
• Roger Franco (AL - S45)
• Tony Espinosa (AL - S47)
• Bobby Davis (AL - S49)
• Ted Torres (AL - S52)
• Jayson Roof (NL - S52)
• Antonio Zhang (AL - S53)
• Darby Hatcher (AL - S54)
• Stephen Ramirez (AL - S55)
• Benji Rodriguez (NL - S55)
• Seth Buford (AL - S56)

Franchise Titles
(bold is recent winner)

• 7 Titles
• Atlanta (S3, 10, 26, 27, 29, 51, 53)
• 6 Titles
• Houston (S4, 7, 8, 28, 33, 55)
• 5 Titles
• None
• 4 Titles
• Anaheim (S15, 18, 19, 32)
• Mexico City (S36, 41, 43, 44)
• Oklahoma City (S40, 42, 45, 47)
• Pittsburgh (S2, 21, 22, 23)
• New Orleans (S31, 35, 54, 56)
• 3 Titles
• Chicago (S9, 11, 12)
• Buffalo (S24, 39, 49)
• Nashville (S17, 37,50)
• 2 Titles
• Colorado Springs (S20, 48)
• Washington DC (S6, 14)
• Santa Fe (S1, 30)
• 1 Title
• Austin (S16)
• Boston (S38)
• Helena (S46)
• Milwaukee (S5)
• Philadelphia (S52)
• Salem (S13)
• Salt Lake City (S34)
• Vancouver (S25)
• 0 Titles
• Augusta
• Columbus
• Dover
• Hartford
• Huntington
• Minnesota
• Montreal
• New York (AL)
• San Juan
• Tacoma
• Tokyo

S56: NL New Orleans v AL Huntington, 4-1
S55: NL Hartford v AL Houston, 2-4
S54: NL New Orleans v AL Atlanta, 4-3
S53: NL Buffalo v AL Atlanta, 0-4
S52: NL Chicago v AL Philadelphia, 0-4
S51: NL Buffalo v AL Atlanta, 3-4
S50: NL Tucson (Tokyo) v AL Monterrey (Jacksonville), 0-4

S49: NL Buffalo v AL Atlanta, 4-0
S48: NL Montreal v AL Colorado Springs, 0-4
S47: NL Oklahoma City v AL Colorado Springs, 4-3
S46: NL Oklahoma City v AL Helena, 0-4
S45: NL Oklahoma City v AL Colorado Springs, 4-3
S44: NL Honolulu (Tokyo) v AL Tampa Bay (Mexico City), 3-4
S43: NL Oklahoma City v AL Tampa Bay (Mexico City), 3-4
S42: NL Oklahoma City v AL New York, 4-2
S41: NL Memphis (New Orleans) v AL Tampa Bay (Mexico City), 3-4
S40: NL Oklahoma City v AL New York, 4-3
S39: NL Buffalo v AL Milwaukee, 4-0
S38: NL Portland (Tacoma) v AL Boston, 3-4
S37: NL Oklahoma City v AL Jackson (Jacksonville), 3-4
S36: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Little Rock (Mexico City), 0-4
S35: NL Montgomery (New Orleans) v AL Houston, 4-3
S34: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Salem (Salt Lake City), 1-4
S33: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Houston, 2-4
S32: NL Montgomery (New Orleans) v AL Cheyenne (Anaheim), 4-3
S31: NL Montgomery (New Orleans) v AL Texas (Houston), 4-1
S30: NL Monterrey (Santa Fe) v AL Atlanta, 4-3
S29: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Atlanta, 2-4
S28: NL Seattle (Tacoma) v AL Texas (Houston), 3-4
S27: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Atlanta, 2-4
S26: NL Florida (Washington DC) v AL Atlanta, 1-4
S25: NL Salt Lake City (Vancouver) v AL Texas (Houston), 4-1
S24: NL Buffalo v AL Pawtucket (Milwaukee), 4-2
S23: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Charlotte (Huntington), 4-0
S22: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Atlanta, 4-2
S21: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Colorado Springs, 4-2
S20: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Colorado Springs, 2-4
S19: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Vancouver (Anaheim), 2-4
S18: NL El Paso (Austin) v AL Vancouver (Anaheim), 3-4.
S17: NL Buffalo v AL Tampa Bay (Jacksonville), 0-4.
S16: NL El Paso (Austin) v AL Durham (Augusta), 4-0.
S15: NL Los Angeles (Salem) v AL Vancouver (Anaheim), 1-4.
S14: NL Cincinnati (Washington DC) v AL Durham (Augusta), 4-2.
S13: NL Los Angeles (Salem) v AL Kansas City (Helena), 4-1.
S12: NL Rochester (Chicago) v AL Atlanta, 4-2.
S11: NL Rochester (Chicago) v AL Atlanta, 4-1.
S10: NL Rochester (Chicago) v AL Atlanta, 1-4.
S9: NL Rochester (Chicago) v AL Houston, 4-1. 
S8: NL Honolulu (Vancouver) v AL Houston, 3-4.
S7: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Houston, 4-1.
S6: NL Cincinnati (Washington DC) v AL New York (Milwaukee), 4-2.
S5: NL Sacramento (Oklahoma City) v AL New York (Milwaukee), 0-4.
S4: NL Dover (Pittsburgh) v AL Florida (Houston), 2-4.
S3: NL Sacramento (Oklahoma City) v AL Chicago (Atlanta), 3-4.
S2: NL Pawtucket (Pittsburgh) v AL Huntington (Atlanta), 4-0.
S1: NL Memphis (Santa Fe) v AL Trenton (Atlanta ); 4-0.