MLB Fantasy Team - With A Twist

By: Corey Donetz

I'm a lover of the game of baseball, and a fantasy draft enthusiast. All of this led to the idea of crafting a Major League Baseball team entirely out of players 23 years of age or younger. The team I constructed includes players only 23 or younger (to date). I used a mixture of stats (hard stats and sabermetrics) and the all important eye-test.

First off, we'll get to the position players. The majority of the players are right-handed, with the exception of the first basemen and two outfielders.

(Name/Age/Team/Handedness)

Designated Hitter:

Jesus Montero (22) Seattle Mariners (R) 

Montero is off to a slow start in his first full year, but like the rest of these players he's very young and has an extremely high ceiling of potential. He has played a lot of DH, but can also play first base and catcher.

Catcher:

Salvador Perez (22) Kansas City Royals (R)

Wilin Rosario (23) Colorado Rockies (R)

Perez was injured prior to the start of the season, but he is no doubt a professional hitter. In limited time due to getting hurt, Perez has shown how good of a hitter he is. Even at the young age of 22, he is already one of the best offensive catchers in the league. 

First Base:

Eric Hosmer (22) Kansas City Royals (L)

Freddie Freeman (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Freeman's numbers are better than Hosmer's numbers so far this season, but I believe that Hosmer is the better player and he will turn it around this year. Both players are very well-rounded, but their offense is their meat and potatoes.

Second Base:

Brett Lawrie (22) Toronto Blue Jays (R)

The Jays struck gold when acquiring Lawrie from the Brewers, and although he is very hot-headed, there is no doubting his skills on the field. He can hit for average, and has some pop in his bat. Lawrie has played mostly 3B with Toronto, but he can also play other spots in the infield including second base.

Third Base:

Will Middlebrooks (23) Boston Red Sox (R) 

Mike Moustakas (23) Kansas City Royals (R)

Moustakas has show spurts of how good he can be, but has been consistently inconsistent. Middlebrooks is among the leaders in almost every offensive category among rookies, and has a very respectable glove at the hot corner.

Shortstop:

Starlin Castro (22) Chicago Cubs (R)

Elvis Andrus (23) Texas Rangers (R)

Starlin Castro is an amazing talent, a career .300 hitter, and is arguably the best shortstop in baseball (top 3 in my opinion). Andrus is no slouch either, but when put on a team with Castro he'd have to be the second option. 

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The outfield gets a little tricky. My heart wants me to start Jason Heyward, but his defense of late has been lackluster, and has been very inconsistent at the plate. However, he and Harper can be switched pretty easily at this point and time. 

Left Field:

Bryce Harper (19) Washington Nationals (L) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Harper has tremendous arm strength, is hitting just under .300 since being called up to the big leagues and has an OBP of .372. At the incredibly young age of 19, you really can't ask much more than that. The power numbers will increase as he plays more.

Center Field:

Mike Trout (20) Los Angeles Angels (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Mike Trout has speed that is rarely possessed by anybody to play baseball. He can cover a lot of ground in the outfield, hit for average, steal bases, and has pop in his bat as well. If Trout can stay healthy he has the ability to be one of the most complete players to ever play.

Right Field:

Giancarlo Stanton (22) Miami Marlins (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Power. Stanton has a lot of it. He hits homeruns that only a few can even try to mimic. His average in 2012 is just under .300; if he can keep his average up, while still having the same power numbers, it could be very scary for opponents. He also has a canon in the outfield to go with the offense.

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Now for the pitching. There were two starting pitchers that got cut from the rotation and moved to the bullpen. Those two are Rick Porcello and Chris Sale. Porcello has struggled and would be the long relief option, while on the contrary, Chris Sale has been outstanding for the White Sox as a starter this year. Sale has great stuff and saw time in the pen before becoming a starter for the Sox this season. With lack of lefty options for the bullpen, Sale could bring a lot to this team in a set-up man role.

Starting Pitcher:

Stephen Strasburg (23) Washington Nationals (R)

Madison Bumgarner (22) San Francisco Giants (L)

Jarrod Parker (23) Oakland Athletics (R)

Matt Moore (22) Tampa Bay Rays (L)

Michael Pineda (23) New York Yankees (R)

For all of these pitchers the main key is staying healthy. Strasburg and Pineda have both already encountered major injuries. Strasburg has recovered and returned with great stuff, Pineda will try and do the same once he is healthy again. 

 Closer:

Addison Reed (23) White Sox (R) 

Relief Pitcher:

Rick Porcello (23) Detroit Tigers (R)

Julio Teheren (21) Atlanta Braves (R)

Drew Smyly (22) Tigers (L)

Kelvin Herrera (22) (R)

Chris Sale (23) White Sox (L)

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Lineup:

1. Mike Trout CF (R)

2. Starlin Castro SS (R)

3. Bryce Harper LF (L)

4. Giancarlo Stanton RF (R)

5. Jesus Montero DH (R)

6. Eric Hosmer 1B (L)

7. Will Middlebrooks 3B (R)

8. Salvador Perez C (R)

9. Brett Lawrie 2B (R)

SP: Stephen Stasburg (R)

With the lack of lefties Harper and Hosmer were split up to balance the lineup. The lineup has decent speed throughout, with a lot in the top. Lawrie at the bottom helps turn the lineup over well, an of course the power in the middle of the lineup.

For a team of players all 23 and younger, this would certainly be a team to be reckoned with.

Follow me on Twitter: @TheFutureIs_Now

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*Photo Credits: ESPN.com

Sources: 

ESPN.com

FanGraphs.com

BaseballReference.com

MLB.com

Affiliates of MLB.com

Twitter.com

MLB Surprises

Top 5 surprises of the 1^st half of the MLB Season

By: Corey Donetz

5: Jose Reyes; .354 AVG (1^st) , 124 hits (1^st), 22 doubles, 15 triples (1^st), 32 RBI, 30 stolen bases (2^nd).

Reyes couldn’t have picked a better time to have an MVP type season. In a contract year, Reyes leads the Major Leagues in batting average, triples, and hits, while ranking second in stolen bases and third in runs scored. Reyes has led the Mets to an above .500 record, and is widely regarded as the best/most exciting player in the league this year. Good play from Reyes isn’t a surprise, but not many could’ve predicted these types of numbers from Reyes.

4: Josh Beckett; 7-3, 106 IP, 2.12 ERA (2^nd), 0.906 WHIP (2^nd), 91 K’s.

If I were to tell you Beckett would have the 2^nd best ERA on his own team before the season started, you probably wouldn’t have believed me, let alone have the 2^nd best ERA in the American League. Beckett has allowed just 5.5 hits per nine, which ranks best in the American League.  He has been the constant for the shaky Boston rotation so far. Beckett’s play has kept the Red Sox within striking distance of the New York Yankees for 1^st place in the A.L. East, and to lead the Wild Card race. He was named to the 2011 All-Star team for his play. Beckett has relied heavily on his 2-seam fastball, which has been a key to the strikeout totals, and limiting base runners, allowing less than one per inning (0.906 WHIP). Staying healthy will be key for Beckett as the season continues following the all-star break.

3: Freddy Garcia/Bartolo Colon;

Garcia: 7-6, 92 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.271 WHIP, 57 K’s.

Colon: 6-3, 84.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.055 WHIP, 78 K’s.

Coming into the season one of the biggest question marks for the New York Yankees was the back end of their rotation. Colon and Garcia have combined to go 13-9, with more consistency than anyone could’ve imagined. The two pitchers have found the fountain of youth and have given the Yankees a solidified rotation behind ace C.C. Sabathia leading them to a first place record. Aside from a short D.L stint from Colon, the two have stayed healthy for the most part, which is another added surprise to Yankees fans. If Colon and Garcia can keep this up, along with stellar play the Yankees have gotten around the diamond, a 1^st place finish seems pretty evident for New York.

2: Cleveland Indians; 1^st Place, 45-39, 25-15 (Home), 20-24 (Road).

The Tribe has led the A.L. Central for essentially the entire season thus far, and has succeeded greatly and appears to be a playoff contender during a time when many thought the team would be rebuilding. Cleveland’s offense is anchored by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and the resurgence of DH Travis Hafner. Cabrera is hitting .292 and leads the team with 14 homeruns, 49 RBI, 100 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, and 12 stolen bases. The MVP caliber season led to Cabrera being named to the A.L All-Star team. Cleveland’s bullpen has been a pleasant surprise as well; led by closer Chris Perez who is 20 for 21 in save opportunities posting an impressive 2.30 ERA. Josh Tomlin leads the tribe with ten wins, while Justin Masterson has a 2.85 ERA, going 6-6 through season’s 1^st half. Cleveland has a slim lead over Detroit in the A.L Central, it will be interesting to see if they can keep it up after the all-star break and close out the division as the season winds down.

1: Pittsburgh Pirates; 2^nd Place, 45-41, 21-20 (Home), 24-21 (Road).

The Pirates are led by a plethora of young talent, with the spotlight on centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has a .291 average, 12 homeruns, 46 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He leads the team in average, homeruns, runs scored, stolen bases, and is second in RBI. Perhaps the biggest surprise within the Pirates has been their pitching as a whole. All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan has gone 25 for 25 in save opportunities, posting an incredible 0.93 ERA. Jeff Karstens has gone 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA, while Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton have won 11 and 7 games, respectively. Pittsburgh is 45-41, just 1.5 games behind the Cardinals for 1^st place. It’s been quite some time since the Pirates were relevant, and with the N.L Central still wide open, they have a chance at winning the division if their young players can keep winning. The second half story for the Pirates will be if their pitching can remain as consistent as it was in the first half of the season.

Nova Time

By: Mike Wagenman

Coming into the 2011 season, the Yankees most glaring weakness was their starting rotation.  Not knowing how free agent signings Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon would fair, much pressure was put squarely on the young shoulders of 24-year old Dominican right hander Ivan Nova.  As the season has progressed, the Yankees have held their own, owning the third-best record in the majors and sitting only 1 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox.  However, the Yankees have had as many injuries to their pitchers, both starters and relievers, as any team in baseball, putting more pressure on Nova to succeed.

After being called up last summer, Nova has been tagged as a young pitcher with a world of potential, but who is inconsistent in every sense of the word.  Some days his command is pin point, but on other days he has the control of Rick Ankiel.  Some days his fastball can touch 96 MPH, but on others it may only reach 91 MPH.  Nova may string together two or three straight quality starts, but has the potential to follow those up with starts where he can barely make it out of the third inning.  Monday in Cincinnati, Nova wowed and surprised everyone with a start unlike any other in his career.

The night didn't start out well for Nova, as Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips started the first inning with back-to-back singles.  After inducing reigning NL MVP Joey Votto to ground into a run scoring double play, Nova settled in for good.  He allowed just two hits over the next 7 2/3 innings, and did not allow a runner in scoring position.  His command of his fastball was masterful, pounding pitch after pitch into catcher Russell Martin's glove without forcing him to move it.  "He worked off his fastball all game.  He threw it where he wanted, when he wanted, and that made all of his other pitches really effective,"  Martin said of Nova.  Nova concurred with Martin.  "Today, I used my changeup a lot, because I know they have a lot of power hitters," Nova said. "You don't want to let them hit your fastball. I started mixing it in from the beginning, and we kept doing that all game."

Other than command, the key to Nova's success was throwing strikes early and often.  He threw first pitch strikes to 18 of 28 hitters and threw 70 of 105 pitches for strikes, leading to 23 of 26 Reds hitters being set down.  The Yankees are hoping for more of the same from Nova, and especially more consistency from him.  If he can give them more starts like the one last night, New York will be in good shape come September and October.