More Positional Hijinx

Since I have chosen not to recap the AL Central position-by-position rankings, I have sacrificed the ability to defend or criticize my own picks. Thus, ridiculous-sounding rankings like Mike Cuddyer as the best third baseman in the division pass through without caveat, even though the rest of those on the hot corner are even worse. As Twins fans, we’re familiar with Cuddyer’s disappointing developmental path which often overshadows the strengths he has. He’s fragile, a bad defender and inconsistent on offense, but anyone who can hold down third while approaching an .800 OPS is not such bad shakes. Plus, he’s young enough to improve from here. On the dark side, the official Twins website leads off with a story about the offensive boost the team can expect from Tony Batista. Since mlb.com has pretty reliable depth charts, I won’t fault you for slotting Batista in at third and bumping the Twins down to fourth in the 3B rankings between Mark Teahen and Aaron Boone (hey, at least Batista can catch). With that uncertainty in mind, it’s onward with OF/DH rankings.

Left Field

1. Jason Michaels- He played part of a platoon very successfully in Philadelphia last year and got traded to Cleveland to replace Coco Crisp after being shopped all winter to those nominal contenders lacking a CF (NY, BOS, CHC). He will not be a star, but neither will the rest of this crop.

2. Craig Monroe- I get the feeling that people see Detroit’s climb out of the depths of their sub-replacement level season as a result of big name free agent acquisitions like Rondell White, Pudge Rodriguez, Jason Johnson, Magglio Ordonez, Troy Percival, Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers. In reality, under-the-radar players like Monroe, Chris Shelton and Brandon Inge have done more to overcome that fate.

3. Scott Podsednik- I’m fudging the PECOTA rankings a bit because Podsednik’s defense is clearly more valuable than his offense and gets overlooked by some performance analysts. Yes, he’s brutal offensively- enough so to easily rank below little-known veterans like Monroe and Michaels-, but if his BA recovers, he’s not so bad.

4. Shannon Stewart- As Twins fans, we recognize Stewart’s decline, but I think we still romanticize his brief brush with stardom. He’s no longer an asset, and he’s probably going to become a noticeable liability this year.

5. Emil Brown- Among the Royals problems, he is not the one who will do the most damage. He’s a 31 year old journeyman who had a good season, but these the type of player who can be a 4th OF on a champion, not the top run producer.

Center Field

1. Grady Sizemore- Forget the AL Central, Sizemore should give Carlos Beltran a run for best CF in the game. He plays great defense, runs well, hits for power, has some patience- toolsy enough for scouts, and enough numbers for analysts.

2. David DeJesus- Even though I just called Emil Brown KC’s best run producer, DeJesus should easily assume that mantle this year, assuming injuries keep Mike Sweeney off that list again. As Beltran’s replacement, DeJesus had high expectations and let down. This year, he projects to a strong 27.8 VORP.

3. Curtis Granderson- Here’s another one of those crucial positional battles. Nook Logan’s nickname does not compensate for the 26 run deficit in VORP. He might strike out a bit much for the prototypical CF, but his power numbers more than make up for it.

4. Torii Hunter- I know nobody wants to see Hunter below unproven players, but Hunter is getting old, which compounds the problem of his ankle injury to impact him on offense and defense. If he has not already passed the torch to Mauer as the face of the team, the time is near.

5. Brian Anderson- No Aaron Rowand, but he’s not all that far behind Hunter in this race. Altogether, the CF in the division are better than the LF on Sizemore’s strength alone, but the depth goes 1-5.

Right Field

1. Magglio Ordonez- I’m giving him too much credit for avoiding injury and retaining skills from before his knees fell apart. Even though it defies explanation, I could not put Lew Ford on top of the list after his miserable 2005.

2. Lew Ford- PECOTA actually likes Ford as a candidate to rebound a little, and he has done a good job staying healthy the last couple of years. He gets bonus points for his ability to spot start in CF, but if you want a big arm in RF, he’s probably not the guy- not that Stewart could do any better.

3. Reggie Sanders- His projection gives him only 228 PAs, obscenely low for a system that does not predict catastrophic injuries. It is as if they expect him to retire mid-season or lose his job, even though .267/.323/.458 looks pretty good in the middle of the patty-cake Royal lineup.

4. Jermaine Dye- Fantasy owners somehow still think Dye is that 30-30 threat that made stops in Atlanta, KC and Oakland before a gruesome leg injury that effectively cost him multiple seasons. His HR power is subject to home-field park effects in the Cell and he has very few other skills.

5. Casey Blake- He contributed plenty to Cleveland’s missing the playoffs last year and could do the same this year if the team doesn’t find someone else to play RF. They did well to hide his bat in the IF while they could, but slotting him in at an OF corner exposes his weaknesses.

Designated Hitter

1. Travis Hafner- This ranking is an example of the failure of this particular ranking system. Hafner is one of the best offensive players in the division, more than doubling the projected output of any other DH, but the difference between him and 2-5 is the same as it is for Jason Michaels or Magglio Ordonez who have a relatively small advantage. Note that the Indians are in first or last in every category in this column.

2. Mike Sweeney- With Thome and White, he contributes to an injury-plagued bunch who DH because they have to. Of course he can hit, but his injury is a question of when, not if. He recently said that he does not regret signing with the Royals long term. Really? How good can the schools and community be? Also, quite a solid rebound for the Royals.

3. Jim Thome- As one of the most hyped players of the offseason, you would think Thome has a higher ceiling, but he’s another injury waiting to happen. Also, keep in mind that he didn’t hit last year when he was able to make it to the plate.

4. Dmitri Young- I’m not high on slow singles hitters who lack patience, especially as they get older, but Young has a little power.

5. Rondell White- Maybe it is disappointing that he ranks at the bottom, but Lecroy or their other alternatives would perform even worse, if not rank lower. I don’t know how far into the future PECOTA extends, but with Lou Piniella and Bob Watson on his top-comps list, White stands as good a chance as anyone at gaining employment in baseball once his playing career ends.

OF-DH ranking Records

Cleveland: 12-4
Detroit: 10-6
Kansas City: 8-8
Twins: 5-11
Chicago: 5-11

Overall Standings (Through nine categories)

Detroit: 24-12
Twins: 21-15
Cleveland: 21-15
Chicago: 15-21
Kansas City: 9-27