Hello folks baseball is back in Spring Training and it is time to start grading out the AL East. I’m only doing the AL East to assess where I think the Red Sox sit in their division. We are going to do this fairly scientifically. I’m going to grade each player, at each starting position. The team with the best player at the position gets 5 points, 2nd 4 points etc. Get it? Good, if not go away. Each position gets 2 lists, purely statistical and purely sleeveless. At the end the team with the most points from both lists will be the scientific favorite to win the AL East. Then I’ll wrap it all up and tell if I agree or disagree with science or if I’ll have my own sleeveless prediction.
February 24th, we did catchers! February 25th, we did first basemen! February 26th, we did second basemen! , February 27th, we did third basemen! Yesterday, February 28th, we did shortstops!
Today, March 1st we do left fielders!
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
|
LF |
NAME |
TEAM |
OPS |
BABIP |
WAR |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
|
1 |
Gardner |
YANKEES |
0.759 |
0.342 |
3.2 |
0.273 |
8 |
52 |
24 |
|
2 |
Nava |
RED SOX |
0.831 |
0.352 |
1.8 |
0.303 |
12 |
66 |
0 |
|
3 |
Lough |
ORIOLES |
0.724 |
0.326 |
2.4 |
0.286 |
5 |
33 |
5 |
|
4 |
DeJesus |
RAYS |
0.729 |
0.295 |
2.1 |
0.251 |
8 |
38 |
5 |
|
5 |
Cabrera |
BLUE JAYS |
0.682 |
0.313 |
-0.9 |
0.279 |
3 |
30 |
2 |
SLEEVELESS ANALYSIS
|
1. Brett Gardner – Yankees |
Could blossom into one of the best OFers in the AL if he stays healthy. |
|
2. Daniel Nava – Red Sox |
Career year in 2013, could reproduce it, but I’m not sure. |
|
3. Melky Cabrera – Blue Jays |
Was it all HGH? Certainly seems like it so far. |
|
4. David Dejesus – Rays |
In my 5 OFer league I don’t want him as anything but my 6th or 7th OFer. |
|
5. David Lough – Orioles |
The addition of Cruz does not bode well for Lough. |
AL EAST RANKS
|
3/1/2014 |
Leftfielders |
Overall |
Points |
|
Yankees |
10 |
Blue Jays |
40 |
|
Red Sox |
8 |
Red Sox |
38 |
|
Orioles |
4 |
Orioles |
35 |
|
Blue Jays |
4 |
Yankees |
35 |
|
Rays |
4 |
Rays |
32 |
SUMMARY
My overall impression of left field in the AL East is that it is lacking a super star. Brett Gardner has the potential if he can stay healthy, and I think in the reconfigured Yankee lineup he might just shine. Nava is the next of a bad bunch. I don’t think that he is awful, but I expect him to fall back to earth a bit after his career year in 2013. Doesn’t it feel like Melky Cabrera has been around for 100 years? He only debuted in 2005 though at age 20 and is now only 29. It also feels like the PEDs were what made him the superstar he was in San Francisco. I don’t like DeJesus in Tampa at all, but like Lough in Baltimore even less, especially with the addition of Cruz.
