S60 Draft Recap

 Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter.

Yet another draft season in Cobbfather, so let's round up the Rule 4 draft. The blog continues to have the best scouts in the league! We'll do the same as last season and add in current ML comps to most players. As a reminder comps are to match their projections as closely as possible and not what they may end up like. It's up to you to develop your own talent, don't come looking for us to do the work for you. We'll too busy developing Tim Horton chains throughout America!

1. New York - Milt Baxter (SP) -  At this point I've lost track of how many seasons this franchise has had the #1 pick for but clearly with a sub .250 win %, they are on track for another one. It also cost a bit more to sign this one, at $5M for the future starter. If he meets durability, he should easily log 220+ innings over 33-35 starts a season. Fantastic future control, velocity, and handles righties with ease. A lot of his comps are relievers which just shows you the talent he offers he New York can get the max out of his development. He's in Rookie ball currently, but this owner will have him at AAA for the next 4-5 seasons without a doubt. If you're looking for a starter comp, I'd look at Joaquin Owen or Alcides Johnson; with the control of Johnson and velocity of Owen. He handles righties like Johnson and lefties like Owen. Basically take the best things each of those pitchers does and combine them together. Solid pick - but then again the #1 pick should be a sure thing. 
Initial OAV: 52, Age: 18

2. Pittsburgh - Preston Brock (2B) - What a core Pitt has drafted over the last few years LF Bruce, RF Schneider, and now 2B Brock. Assuming they can find the pitching staff to contend with these bats. Perhaps that's in the cards next year with another top 3 pick - depending on the end of season 'battle' with New York and Chicago; vying for that S61 #1 pick. Brock might have the highest upside in this year's draft and gives off Bernie Mendez vibes but also has a hint of Louie Weiss' early seasons. Makes an easy .290-.300 hitter with 30-35 HR, though doesn't offer much speed. As a refresher LF Bruce - 30 HR on a .260 avg, RF Schneider 35 HR, .295, 35 SB. Add in a power bat that can hit 50+ HR and this lineup becomes very scary. If I were Pitt, I'd concentrate on pitching to go with these bats and then find that power 1B via trade or free agency. Add in one of those defensive first Shortstops that are easy to find in the Rule 5 and you've got the making of a solid team. 
Initial OAV: 55, Age: 18

3. Philadelphia - Nash Selby (SS) - That range will keep Selby from playing Short and given the move off the prized position, the bat makes a little less sense. Though he might make a gold glove elsewhere on the diamond. He's slow though smart on the base paths, offers little power and struggles to make contact. He won't be doing much to keep Philly above .500 even as trade bait. Think Sammy Lorenzo or Brennan Howard - who? Howard at least was able to cover CF for Chicago and Montreal a few seasons back but he handled pitchers better. Believe it or not, Lorenzo managed a .260 career average his years in pitcher friendly Tacoma; that caught me a little off guard as I expect slightly worse numbers. Maybe his speed helped leg out a few more singles than we'll see from Selby. I'd say 0-10 HR, and 0-10 SB from Selby. 

Initial OAV:59, Age: 21

4. Austin - JJ Durham (RP) -  Another #4 pick for Austin; last year they went SS this year going after the pitcher; though never thought a reliever would go this early. Find me a pitcher with a better project first pitch. I'll wait....








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He's just 20 years old and it's already better than most major leaguers. Combine that with spot on control and handling hitters really well you have an ace reliever in your pocket. Might be better than last year's Parrish of Boston. If Durham meets projections he's better than 4x Fireman of the Year, 3x World Series champion Stephen Ramirez. 

Initial OAV: 54, Age: 20

5. Fargo - Josh Whiteside (P) - Sounds like Fargo misses out on their first draft pick, but looking like they'll get a Type D next year at pick #6. With a better draft class that could be a blessing in disguise for the Snowmen!

Initial OAV: - , Age: 21

6. Dover - Marshall Reynolds (SS) - The age old question with EVERY shortstop is will they develop into a major league shortstop or have to shift elsewhere around the diamond. In Reynolds case we think he shifts to Centerfield. But Ms G.O.A.T. what does his bat say? How does a streaky .265 sound with 10 HR? Think Roy Guerrero with A LOT more speed. Not a great comp because Roy was limited in At bats outside of S57 & S58 but he hit everywhere from .214 to .302. Perhaps the speed helps Reynolds leg out a few more singles so maybe a .270/.275 hitter? 
Initial OAV: 66, Age: 21

7. Chicago - Red 'Dead' Clark (P) - We've noted Chicago's direction in a recent blog post; expect the next 5 seasons for this franchise to have picks within the top 5. We'd have to dig deeper but a pitcher with two high pitches seems to be a common theme with this franchise; but that's only at quick glance. Red will struggle greatly against a heavy left handed lineup but see him similar to Hanser Whiten with less strikeouts. That's a 1.35 WHIP, and 3.75 ERA; in a bad year it might be closer to 1.45 WHIP and a 4.50 ERA. 
Initial OAV: 49, Age: 18

8. New Orleans - Pedro Santiago (SP) - Could this be a one season rebuild for NOHD? The control is great but everything else is lacking. Santiago will struggle against both lefties and righties, and might even struggle finding a rotation spot. You're looking at a pitcher with a 6.0 K/9, 1.50 WHIP, 5.30 ERA - adds up to an 85 ERA+ (reminder: 100 is league average). Back to the draft board!

Initial OAV: 53, Age: 21

9. Colorado Springs - Ted Payton (2B) - He's no Walter (Payton) or (Ted) Lasso but now officially a Loin. Might lack the range to stay up the middle but worth a shot! His closest comp is fellow 2B Bernie Molina though Payton will struggle a bit more against righties, offers a fair share less power but makes up for it with advance speed that will rival #6 Reynolds. If you temper Molina's .305 career mark you still end up with a .290+ hitter; though don't expect more than 10 HR from Payton at his prime. Steals are always hard to project because you don't know how the manager will run (or not run) his team; but Payton trains with Usain Bolt, let's leave it at that. 
Initial OAV: 49, Age: 18

10. Washington DC - Jerome Baez (SS) - Jerome fielding balls at Short is like watching Javier Baez swing at pitches out of the zone. A shift to Third is in his future. His speed doesn't quite match up Reynolds or Payton but still top notch. All three must have had similar base running coaches growing up as they will struggle a bit there. Unlike the other two Jerome offers a lot more power with that speed though struggles against lefties and righties. Hopefully that power/speed combo will help him in the batter's box. A slightly below contact ability will mean he's streaky season to season. He's likely somewhere in the middle of Ehire Cruz and Aaron Cannon; which is kinda funny to comp consider one had full time at bats and the other was stuck behind HoF Alex Tarraga. .265 with 30 HR is a safe estimate. 

Initial OAV: 60, Age: 19

11. Charleston - Willis Johns (SP) - Willis could probably throw 135 pitches every 5th day and be perfectly fine; and those pitches are decent quality at least the first two, though even his 3rd and 4th are close to ML quality. Every single one of his comps have lesser pitch quality, so keep that in mind. The closest I saw was S54/55 Bennie Swan; which isn't bad considering he went a combined 36-14 those years. WJ won't strike out many players and that might hurt him a bit against lefties, but that control and pitch quality that we mentioned should help. 1.20/1.25 WHIP with a 3.30 type ERA. Solid pickup for Charleston. 
Initial OAV: 59, Age: 21

12. Columbus - Wally Carreon (RF) - Columbus is rolling this season so any college aged help will get to the majors quickly. We are looking at Patrick Brady who unfortunately only three times had more than 200 at bats in a season; with the low contact it was a wide range, .260 to .295 average but was close to 25 HR those three seasons. The lowest average year it was only 15 HR. He won't make any All-Star games, but production is production!

Initial OAV: 64, Age: 22

13. Augusta - Brian Fulchino (C) - Fulchino....bless you....appears to be starting with the least talent of those drafted in the protected picks but as a catcher he just doesn't have the defense that often boosts that analysis. On that note, the pitch calling leaves a lot to be desired and might be better suited as a DH. Problem is, he doesn't bring the power most DH have. His comp is likely Arismendy Butera with less power and makes less contact. So not the best of comps out there; but it will work for now. Think of him as a streakier Butera in that case and knock of a few HRs. Could still be a .295+ hitter that reaches .300+ some years though limit him to 10-15 HR but keep him from running. 
Initial OAV: 40, Age: 18

14. Tucson - Will Wilkins (SP) - Fortunate for Tucson he has 8 different comps, unfortunate for Tucson  the majority were limited to a single season or two. Half of them pitched more than 100 innings so we'll take a closer look at them. That combined for a 1.55 WHIP and 5.50 ERA. That control is a killer even if that first pitch quality is so high. 

Initial OAV: 51, Age: 18

15. Minnesota - Brent Baptist (SS) - Already better than the majority of three of our ML rosters, Baptist heads to Minny after growing up on the outskirts of Detroit. If he sticks at Short he'll be a liability and not have any pitcher friends, so we'll see if he shifts elsewhere around the diamond. Like many before him in the draft, he'll be a bit streaky with that low contact rate but at least he brings some power and speed. I'm liking Jimmie Bryant or Brett Caminiti as a comp, They hit everywhere from .225 to .270 but also averaged 25 HR, he has the speed of Bryant and better base running than both so there's potential that he bumps that average a bit and should add plenty of steals if given the green light. 
Initial OAV: 70, Age: 22

16. Jacksonville - Avery Poreda (RP) - Poreda has above average pitches, even his 3rd is close to ML projected. He'll struggle against lefties and won't offer much in terms of strike outs. I assume if the opposing team has a lefty available to pitch hit, they will against Poreda, especially one with a good eye. Looking at reliever comps only, we see Hector Mota's name the most but also Jerry Ondrusek. 1.30 WHIP, 4.15 ERA with a 6.2 K/9 maybe? ERA+ has him right about 101, every so slightly above average. 
Initial OAV: 53, Age: 21

17. Vancouver - Trevor Bellinger (SS) - Distant relative of Cody, Trevor was saddened to hear he was drafted by a Canadian team. Some say his family even gave him a memorial service in the days following the draft. Canada will be glad to know we see Alex Tarraga as a comp....the year he retired and not all those MVP and All-Star seasons. Think more Rico Campos - from S54-S56 he hit .250-.295 though only added 5-15 HR. The first two seasons were only part time at bats. S56 is likely the one to look towards. 

Initial OAV: 63, Age: 22

And for special inclusion, #20. Boston - Evan Hall (2B) - I looked up scrub in Webster's dictionary the other day and this is what I found:
Scrub <noun> - see also Evan Hall. 
You don't want this guy, don't give him any love. I highly suggest you trade him to Scottsdale the first chance you get. You might get a AAA prospect back, accept it and run! Even if you have to include last year's draft pick to get Scottsdale to take Hall off your hands, DO IT!
Initial OAV: 44, Age: 18

That does it for the protected picks of the draft. Recap: 8 pitchers, 5 shortstops, 2 second basemen, 1 right fielder, and 1 catcher. Mixed bag of position players and pitchers drafted this year in the early picks. Of the official first round, 32 picks; 15 of them were pitchers. 

Bonus wise it was a mixed bag, with three players signing above slot within the first 32 picks, lead by New York's #1 overall pick who signed for $5.0M! Boston's #20 ($3.3M) and Hartford's #30 ($2.3M) were also above slot. To note, Hartford also overspent on #41 pick ($1.8M) and #89 ($1M). Outside the top 32 picks, Santa Fe's #88 ($3.1M) and Minnesota's #106 ($3.2M) were also well above slot.  

Let's go prospects, it's nearly your time to shine!! Check back in 10 seasons to see how things turned out and who ended up being the best pick of the draft. 

S60 Needs

 Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

Now that we've passed the halfway point of the season, and the deadline is just days away let's take a look at what the blog-o-sphere thinks the needs of each franchise are. We'll see who makes what moves by the deadline. 

• Anaheim - Relief Pitching. They lead the league in percentage of inherited runners scored, allowing 41% to cross the plate where league average is just 29%. A late inning defensive replacement could actually improve the existing bullpen as well. They are also #2 in blown saves. An updated bullpen would go a long way for this season's team. 
• Atlanta - Starting Pitching. This likely has more to do with their starters slow start than it does their talent. After the first 40 games their pitching had a 50 grade rating on a 20-80 scale. After the most recent update, they  are up a 70! They've allowed a few more fly balls this season than league average.  
• Augusta - IFA. The team falls near the bottom in most stats but not really at the bottom in many; so props to them for not bottoming out. But what they need is New York and Chicago to spend their IFA budgets elsewhere or to find an IFA that those two franchises do not. You've got to ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
• Austin - Defense. The team ranks near the bottom in the league in DER (Defense Efficiency Ratio), meaning they are not making the most use out of balls put in play. Pair that with leaguing the league in Unearned Runs and you can see how even the slightest defensive upgrades would improve this team. 
• Boston - Run on the same cylinder. The team is actually doing well and slightly above average in most every category. Is it a clubhouse issue and the team just isn't jellying together?  The slightest adjustments might see them turn the corner. I'd expect a late season run for these guys. 
• Buffalo - Cher to turn back time. Buffalo is on pace for their worst franchise season ever; which is surprising given bjc30's successful track record season after season; he even took the division last year but unless they can turn things around, they are looking at a potential lottery draft pick. Buffalo fans have to hope for a pick within the top 10 but it might be in the 10-12 range. 
• Charleston - Glasses. The club leads the majors in worst K/BB, so anything to help the team see better at the plate would be a big improvement. They also need some more power in their lineup. So either PEDs, corked bats, or a new weight room at their facility would be an upgrade!
• Chicago - A Major League lineup. Cutting ties with 75% of the ML roster and signing players still on the FA market would go a long way to improve this team from the "talent" that it is. I can think of one other need, but let's go with the first. It's debatable, but their 25 rating on a 20-80 scale finds them in last place for their lineup. They also aren't playing much defense, it may not be accounted for in errors but their DER is league worst. 
• Colorado Springs - Less focus on fielding. The team is 4th in DER but we all know when Colorado Springs rebuilds they go glove first; so the plan is working. There seems to be a disagreement between team owner and AI's rankings but they are near the bottom in run differential and and are near the top of the league in singles. Base hits are great, but you need 4 of them in an inning to score a single run. Beat you didn't do that math in your head! If they could pick up a few bats their record would show it. 
• Columbus - Time. Columbus picked up some help in their mid-season trades with Charleston and Scottsdale; they are now considered one of the two favored teams to win the National League with Tacoma. Their pitching received the top rating and while their bats were just a 65; I'd expect with Smalling and Garces now on the roster that will improve. Just give it time. 
• Dover - Draft Redo. This team already has the easiest division in the majors; the winner of it will most likely have a losing record. But given SS Reynolds outlook, the club could likely go for a redo of this season's draft.  If they want to win the division, improving their defense and picking up a starter who can log some quality starts would be key. Both would go a long way; though neither likely gets them above .500 for the season. 
• Fargo - A Prospect. After their Rule 4 draft pick not signing, and zero IFA signings, this rebuilding franchise just needs a single prospect to call this season a win. They did however unload Fred Carter for depth; just not sure they picked up a solid future Major Leaguer. 
• Hartford - Quality Starts. The team ranks down there with Charleston, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver for lowest quality starts in the league. Their defense has been slightly better than league average but have also limited unearned runs. Their bats have the power but they could use a little more contact and runners on base. 
• Helena - Pitching. The hitting on this team has been top of the league, but they rank well below average for quality starts,  but just leave average in OAV and strike outs, though they are also slightly below average on walks and even lower on HRs. The IR% is league average; not that there's anything being average; right Vancouver? But in this case, this is supposed to be a top 5 team; with some pitching upgrades would go a long way. 
• Houston - The AL to chill the F out. Any other run Houston would be sitting pretty and while the are a great team they haven't distanced themselves from the other top AL teams....yet. The team is doing all the right things and should end up paying for the Al title. If you wanted to point out one thing it's the base running, 74 SBs but a league leading 46 CSs. 
• Huntington - Pitching. Though much like Houston and Atlanta this is likely more of a slow start than anything. Huntington has the pitching, they just need to turn it on for the second half. The QS% is league average, their IRS% is slightly high but they just added some bullpen help, their DER is a bit low but not by much. Their K/BB is lowest in the league by a good margin so they are not giving up many free outs. 
• Mexico City - Move to NL. This team in the NL is competing for the League Title, in the AL it feels like they fall into Tier 2 but luckily the playoffs are anyone's game so they have shot at least; just might be an uphill battle. But if there's one city that can do it, it's Mexico City. Un cerveza por favor!
• Minnesota - Extra Base Hits. Slightly below average in hits but towards the top in singles. Let's push the limits a bit. Pitching could use some improvements but all the single ladies in Minny can't score by themselves. 
• Montreal - Stop Being Average. They are gearing up for a Wildcard 2 slot, but the team's power rankings and stats to date say they are almost exactly league average. Don't get us wrong, that's not a bad thing; but are they gunning for a title or are they rebuilding? Hard to do both.  
• New Orleans - Reality. The team entered a rebuild but you wouldn't know that by the standings. They are currently fighting the Eastern Canadians for Wildcard 2 but the team is over performing. What they really need is a dose of a reality check to bring them back down and improve their draft stock next season. Oh and to stop running so much; 46 SB, 34 CS. OUCH!
• New York - Help. The team was looking quite awful to start the season but a hot streak has helped. To be honest what this team needs now is to shift out of their rebuild instead of stockpiling prospects at AAA and get back to a respectable franchise.  
• Oklahoma City - Hits with runner's in scoring position. Pitcher's are rarely an issue with the pitcher's park in OKC, but the bats just haven't come around this year. The team is league average in batting average and runs scored; but lacks some power. They lead the league in stolen bases, per usual, but if you can't knock those guys in; what does it matter that they stole a base? 
• Philadelphia - A break. Just like the needs article back in S54, the team needs a break. They keep trying to climb out of the bottom of the league and miss the bottom 10 this year but they are only in the division race because nobody seems to want to win the division; all teams are under .500. The team had a great run, but maybe this is the year they deal Al Cervantes for some additional prospects. 
• Pittsburgh - Major League players. The team hah fallen slightly below the New Yorks and Chicagos of the world but without the cool factor of being New York or Chicago - but at least their murder rate in the city is less? All three teams have very similar production; perhaps its just a strength of schedule issue difference between the three? Either way, some new ML players would turn this team around; though the current free agents have been sitting around long enough that I doubt they add much this season. 
• Salem - Pitching. Salem has the highest ERA and IRS% of the top 10 teams. If they are going to survive in the playoffs they'll need to fixture those issues. Pitching can be a difference maker come playoff time. Appears it might be a control issue, as they are granting too many free bases with too few strikeouts.  
• Santa Fe - Playoffs to start. The team is doing all the right things and while we could say they need to improve pitching, that's easier said than done in such a hitter friendly park. The team is playing great defense which will help that pitching and their bats are playing as expected. Curious to see how the teams performs comes playoff time. 
• Scottsdale - The next offseason to get here. This past off-season the new owner was able to shed some contracts and recently traded away their higher long term contracts so they are making progress for that rebuild. But they also have decisions to make on Spud Campbell and Jackson Benson; do they try and move their young talent for prospects while their contract values are right and still offer years of control? I'm sure they'd listen to any deal another franchise would be willing to make. But since those trades the team has nose dived, the owner better make adjustments before they become a top feeding team. Getting Lowry back from injury will help the bats and Foster back to help the rotation. Don't get us wrong, still a long way from having a winning record but we don't think they bottom out. 
• Tacoma - Power. A power bat for a 1-2 punch with reigning NL MVP 1B Page. Their power ranking dropped drastically due to the hitting or lack there of. Now yes, they play in a huge pitcher's park; but you still need to score runs. They had a chance to acquire some bats in the offseason but holding steady. We'll see if it pays off this year. Either way, I'd look for them to make some tweaks next season if this one doesn't work out for them. Their future is bright even if they are below average in hitting across the board. 
• Tucson - Pitching. Saying pitching this season seems repetitive but Tucson is well below average on the pitching side of the game, in fact the 4th worst ERA and 3rd most HR, 4th most BB, and bottom 10 K. Seems a deal between them and Tacoma could balance out both teams. Perhaps Laxton in a deal? Not sure it makes Tucson a playoff team this year, but it might be geared more for next season. 
• Vancouver - Same thing as S54 Needs - move out of Canada. Oh and walk more / strike out less. The team is bottom 5 in the league in K/BB and in Free Outs, where they average 8 CS+K a game which means they basically limit themselves to 6 innings a game. Git Gud Canada! By the way, same report as S54...guess Canada really is behind the times and slow to catch up to America the beautiful! 
• Washington DC - One More Year. The club is looking at being above .500 for the first time since S53 and only the second time since S39!!! Keltic needs to stick with his game plan on the rebuild even if the division is getting weaker. Give it at least another year before you go full steam ahead! 

S60 Power Rankings

Richard Castle - contributing reporter

Atlanta must have read the blog as they've come on strong this 1/4 of the season since our last update. We are not at the mid-way point of the year with teams making final decisions on being buyers or sellers. By record after game 80/81, here are the top 5 records:

• 56-24
• Houston (AL-S), Columbus (NL-E)
• 56-25
• Tacoma (NL-N)
• 55-26
• Helena (AL-W)
• 55-25
• Atlanta (AL-E)
• 51-30
• Santa Fe (NL-S)

In the AL, Minnesota and Dover are still in a tight 1 game race with Dover on top currently. Philly is not far behind though all of the NL North is still sub-.500. In the East, Atlanta has run away with the division again even though Boston has the 6th best record in the AL. The AL South is gearing up to have 3 of its 4 teams in the playoffs. Houston leads the division but not quite by double digits yet, Huntington and Mexico City are looking to secure the wildcards. Out West, Helena has run away with division. 

For the NL, Tacoma has started to run away with the division, up to a near double digit lead after Harford and Montreal continue trying their best. Columbus has basically won the East but nice to see Washington DC with a winning record though I'm not sure they capture a wildcard spot or not. New Orleans "rebuild" has them in line for a Wildcard 2 slot at the moment; which wouldn't be awful for the franchise as they work to reshuffle money into their draft. It's only a 5.5 game lead, but Santa Fe will win the division. OKC appears to continue to struggle and has them 6 games back from Salem who looks to win the division for the first time since S39 when they went 76-86. What a year that was! It will be staeben's second playoff with the franchise. After some trades, I'd look for Scottsdale to drop in the standings and fall close to those awful Canadians in Van...nope, can't even say their name. 

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 current playoff standings and highlighted in bold. The big droppers were Montreal and Jacksonville, while the big gainers were Mexico City and Santa Fe. But overall looks like the expected teams are the ones currently in a playoff spot - no surprise there. Along with some changes in order for the bottom three teams. I'd have to check the records, but I'm not sure if we've seen a franchise with a 25 / 25 ratings; perhaps we get there this year. 

1. .701 - Tacoma Aroma (NL-N Champ)
2. .682 - Columbus Corgis (NL-E Champ)
3. .668 - Atlanta Expos (AL-E Champ)
4. .668 - Houston Space Cowboys (AL-S Champ)
5. .644 - Helena Hot Dogs (AL-W Champ)
6. .627 - Mexico City Staring Frogs (AL Wildcard 2) 
7. .612 - Huntington Tropics (AL Wildcard 1)
8. .594 - Hartford Rising Stars (NL Wildcard 1)
9. .591 - Santa Fe Surf Riders VIII (NL-S Champ)
10. .588 - Oklahoma City Barons 
11. .574 - Salem Bourbon Makers (NL-W Champ)
12. .559 - Boston Mass Hysteria
13. .545 - New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers (NL Wildcard 2)
14. .531 - Tucson Toros
15. .529 - Scottsdale Sazeracs 
16. .522 - Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates 
17. .501 - Washington DC Nationals
18. .475 - Philadelphia Harpers
19. .472 - Vancouver Canucks
20. .467 - Anaheim Diablos 
21. .453 - Buffalo Bisons 
22. .453 - Jacksonville Lizard Kings 
23. .451 - Dover Hazmats (AL-N Champ) 
24. .424 - Minnesota North Stars 
25. .419 - Fargo Snowmen
26. .407 - Colorado Springs From My Loins
27. .403 - Augusta Alcoholics
28. .360 - Charleston Offspring
29. .328 - Austin Son's of Odin
30. .282 - Chicago Gunslingers 
31. .265 - New York Empire
32. .237 - Pittsburgh Yinzers

S60 The Worst List

 Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

With the first power rankings of the year up, let's shift gears to the bottom of those rankings. In the current 'era' of rebuilding in Cobbfather, let's take a look at players that may not be up to snub. We compiled a list of players who don't have a single value (contact, power, vL, vR, eye) above a 80 rating. Over the years the average ML starter has at least a 70 across the board, so we'll take that into account. And given the specialty of bench/role players to possibly be defense first (or only) we've elected to only look at players who have a starting gig, and if it's a platoon we've only taken into account the side of the plate they are platoon on. Another words if they platoon vL and their vR is a 12; we've ignored them on this list. We have also only taken into account the vL & vR w/ DH for AL teams and vL & vR w/out DH for NL teams. 

We've created our own formula to rank each player which also includes their defensive ranking so this isn't just a look at their hitting ratings; though that was the initial starting process. At some point we hope to get The Best article posted as well, just depends on how long it really takes to get this one researched. 

Editor note: It took a while to write this so in the every changing scenery of the ML rosters; adjustments could have already been made to remove these lesser players. 

• Catcher
• This one is tricky given how much effect a catcher's pitch calling could have on a rotation; depending on which camp you belong to in that debate. Some say a 10 point difference in PC is worth very little in terms of cERA but others will say it's worth at least 0.20 in cERA adjustments. Others will say a veteran pitching staff doesn't need the PC as they'll call their own pitches. 
• Cleuluis Lowry (Hartford) - Just shows that even a championship caliber team can have a lowly starter. Pitch calling of 88 should help out those pitchers even though the need for a high pitch calling is highly debated by other experts in other leagues. I will add this one might not be fair because it appears Hartford might be making catching adjustments at the time of this writing. 
• Ratings: 36, 39, 50/44, 11
• First Base
• Dennis Tamura (New York) - He'll win the AL Gold Glove without a doubt but given his Rookie level production at the plate, we have to include him here. He'd be close to winning a Gold Glove at Shortstop as well if it weren't for the slightly underrated glove. Surprisingly he's actually hitting .243 avg/.506 ops with 3 more k then hits and 19 more k then bb. Tamura is actually the worst rated bat in all of Cobbfather at the ML level...and he's a starter!
• Ratings: 39, 5, 20/33, 19
• Second Base
• Vic Arguelles (New York) - This 35 rated power hitter is actually batting in the cleanup spot for New York. He also falls below league average defensively at every category. He sports a career 18 HRs and a .238 avg/.632 ops over 1054 at-bats. We'll see what the worst shortstop looks like, but this might be the worst overall starter in Cobbfather. How is he even above AA?
• Ratings: 63, 35, 54/33, 57
• Third Base
• Dellin Garces (Pittsburg) - The only thing holding Garces back from a potential gold glove is his accuracy rating but give the contact and power; he had to make this list. Last year he ended the season with 3 hr and a .237 avg/.579 ops; striking out 6 more times than he had hits. 
• Ratings: 43, 14, 48/53, 46
• Shortstop
• Another tough one to gauge given the importance of a solid shortstop, many owners decide to take the hit at the plate to help prevent runs in the field. Close calls were Lewis Gaetti (Chicago) & Rob Webster (Philadelphia) but both are above average in the field. Though Gaetti's bat basically belongs in A- and Webster in AA. But where's the line at Short? When you start looking at defensive liabilities at short, their bats get closer to the 60/65 range. Babe Benincasa (Columbus) comes to mind as his arm strength and accuracy are more than 5 points below average but his bat is supposed to be nearly twice as good as the other two mentioned. Platoons are generally more often used here. With so many ifs, we'll leave The Worst Shortstop off the list...for now. 
• Left Field
• Timo Hara (New York) - Now if this was the worst starter on this franchise nobody would bat an eye, though seeing his ratings shows just how easy it is to find major league average hitters for Left Field. I'd imagine the majority of owners might not like Hara as an option but would find it acceptable for a rebuilding franchise to have a AAA/AAAA player in their lineup. 
• Ratings: 64, 62, 61/55, 69
• Center Field
• Some say this is another tough spot as we've seen all ranges of fielders playing CF in Cobbfather, from DH types to Catchers to alternate Shortstops. Do they receive a lot of action in the field? No, but enough to still cause a difference to potential runs given up. 
• Manuel Cueto (Chicago) - Is this the worst catcher we've seen in Chicago, by no means but at least those guys had bats. Cueto's career .234 avg/ .576 ops goes a lot way to help the rebuilding team gain an earlier pick in the follow year's draft. 
• Ratings: 30, 17, 54/50, 53
• Right Field
• What should be the 4th easiest spot to fill even with a bat first type player. 
• Ober Martin (New York) - Similar to Left Field these are awful numbers and likely to be a AAA/AAAA depending on their defensive ratings. Decent as backup option if they offer that speed or glove. But Martin offers neither of those. 
• Ratings: 63, 69, 56/67, 39
• Designated Hitters
• Steven Sutcliffe (New York) - Defensively he's close to average 2B with a slight hit to his arm strength so he might not turn double plays on the speedy guys, but that bat is atrocious. There are SO many other bats that could be used as a DH but New York is gunning for that 5th straight #1 overall pick in next year's draft. No wonder the team has a sub .200 expected win percentage. 
• Ratings: 33, 39, 41/41, 62
• Starting Pitchers
• We started our search for the worst SP by starting with all players who have less 70 ratings in Control, vL, & vR; that narrowed it down to just 14 players. Pittsburgh's James Langels & Gene Torres take the cake for worst starters, Chicago has all 5 members of his rotation on the list. That's 5 of the 14 players - or 36% of the list. Andre Justice, Antonio Morton, Chipper Durham, Mike Woodson, and Paul Hill. If Slash's words "...certainly planning to push the envelope on some things..." weren't heard loud and clear before, they sure are now. 
• Relief Pitchers
• We decided to omit the Type B relievers because they are generally used less and thus less important to the quality of the team - though they do still matter. 
• To no surprise, two of the four pitchers who fall in the sub 70 ratings belong to the Chicago Gunslingers. Denard Jones and Sam Ross - both SuA. Though in Ross' defense his Control is actually a 70. But Jones is the worst SuA/LRA in the league. I will say while Chicago's pitchers have awful ratings, their pitch quality is typically higher which is why they haven't been as bad as you'd assume. So...things could be worse. 

Synopsys - New York has the worst position players and Chicago has the worst pitchers. With Pittsburgh right there with both of them. Those teams will easily be 1 - 2 - 3 in next season's draft if things don't change.  

Every player on this list warrants a demotion back to the minors, you could probably find an out of shape blog writer to hit or pitch better than these guys. But then again, that means replacing 90% of the New York ML roster and Chicago's full rotation.  The only position player who I don't consider to be on a bottom 3 team is the Catcher, who plays for a top NL team. New York/Chicago, your open letter might be coming soon. 

Based upon views of others outside of the world, the integrity of Cobbfather is definitely in question ever since New York took rebuilding to the full tanking extreme. Feels like I haven't seen teams this bad since jwinkler's S7 147 Loss.