Post by New York Mets on Sept 30, 2020 10:19:07 GMT -5
Dear Moneyballers,
it´s the Covid season and it´s weird and not fair and if I would have stayed awake just half an hour longer on this fatal September night the fake Mets would have won the World Series…but as we all know there is no crying in baseball so all this wont´t stop me from keeping up a neat little tradition and announce our 2020 All Star Teams.
Same as every year the methodology is simple. The players who scored the most points at their position are awarded with a place in their respective All Star team. If a player is eligible for multiple positions he is only considered for the position where he played the most games (e.g. Whit Merrfield qualifies at OF - not one of the other countless positions he played). Notable exception from non-Covid seasons: This year a DH is added to the NL squad.
Rosters are adapted to the original All Star roster sizes: 32 players per team with representatives of every organization – 20 position players and 12 pitchers. You can read more about the official All Star roster rules here if you feel really bored in quarantine: www.mlb.com/news/all-star-game-roster-rules-faq-c239654292
So here are the 2020 Moneyball All Stars:
AMERICAN League starting lineup:
> Catcher
Travis D´Arnaud (Los Angeles Angels)
Note: What a turnaround by D´Arnaud from being DFA´d by the real life Mets in 2019 to being a force in the middle of the strong Braves lineup just one year later. Typical Mets move.
> First Base
Freddie Freeman (Minnesota Twins)
Note: Last year the fake Orioles Pete Alonso was the AL´s 1B All Star - this year he didn´t even make the team. Freeman is new to the Moneyball AL after being traded to the twin cities last offseason in a multiplayer deal with up and coming Alec Bohm being the headliner going to the Reds. Still not enough of a return for my taste - Freeman scored the most points of all hitters and it´s not even close (Freeman 274 pts - Turner 240 pts).
> Second Base
DJ LeMahieu (Chicago White Sox)
Note: LeMahieu defended his title as the best 2B in the AL. A great all-around player who got even better after moving from hitter´s heaven Coors to Yankee Stadium last year.
> Third Base
Jose Ramirez (Minnesota Twins)
Note: Fantastic comeback by the real life Indian who dethroned Alex Bregman at 3B. Seems to be a bit harder to hit MLB pitching without a little help from outside. Twins got Ramirez from the Rays this offseason for prospects Oneil Cruz, Carter Kieboom, Mickey Moniak and Kevin Maitan. I guess TB would like to renegotiate this one. On a side note reserve 3B Kyle Seager is a real stunner to me. This is what a hot start can do to you in a 60 game season.
> Shortstop
Trea Turner (Los Angeles Angels)
Note: Turner scored the second most points of all hitters in our league after not being an All-Star in 2019.
> Outfield
Marcell Ozuna (Boston Red Sox)
Note: Ozuna and Jose Abreu (1B reserve) carried the Red Sox offense to the best record in all of Moneyleague. Both were top 10 hitters ranked 6 and 7 overall.
Bryce Harper (Oakland Athletics)
Note: Harper didn´t make the All Star team last year but should become a regular again after settling in nicely in Philadelphia. Elite haircut.
Mike Trout (Oakland Athletics)
Note: The best hitter of this generation. Last year´s world series winner from Oakland still has a monster outfield. Nothing more to see here.
> Designated Hitter
Fernando Tatis Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Note: The young shortstop cooled off after his epic start to the season but is still ranked 5th on the hitter list. It would have been interesting to see how his performance develops in a 162 game season.
> Starting Pitcher
Lance Lynn (Boston Red Sox)
Note: Nothing against Lynn but the Moneyball AL squad should do better. Surprisingly DeGrom came in at second with Nola, Hendricks and Maeda completing the AL rotation.
NATIONAL League starting lineup
> Catcher
J.T. Realmuto (Atlanta Braves)
Note: Probably the most important building block of the Braves world series winning team. Realmuto is a true difference maker in an otherwise weak crop at the catching position.
> First Base
Dominic Smith (Milwaukee Brewers)
Note: I still hate myself for trading away Smith to the Brewers in the offseason. I knew a breakout was coming. Can´t wait for 2020 to be over.
> Second Base
Tommy LaStella (Cincinnati Reds)
Note: At the cornerstone the NL sports heavily underrated Tommy LaStella and backup Hanser Alberto. Ozzie Albies made room for these newcomers by going on the IL early. Not fun fact: I always have to look up how Cincinnati is spelled when I do these write ups.
> Third Base
Manny Machado (Atlanta Braves)
Note: Another important piece of the Braves title run. Manny not only came back from an underwhelming 2019 - he did so by scoring the most points of any hitter in the National League. Machado came over to Atlanta this offseason from Cincy (Cincinnati?) for a significant return though: Andrelton Simmons, Jose Leclerc, Willi Castro, Michael Toglia and Marco Gonzalez. Well played from both sides!
> Shortstop
Corey Seager (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Note: Another surprising comeback. Or was it? Seager finally managed to stay healthy and put up the numbers that were expected from him for years. Talent, health, lineup protection - this performance level is here to stay.
> Outfield
Juan Soto (Colorado Rockies)
Note: After being a reserve player in last year´s NL All Star team I fully expect this ubertalented youngster to be a regular All Star for years to come.
Mookie Betts (Philadelphia Phillies)
Note: In a down year for the fundamentally strong Phillies organization Betts was the only bright spot in the lineup. But with super prospect Wander Franco waiting in the wings Philadelpha´s GM should feeld good about the future.
Whit Merrifield (Milwaukee Brewers)
Note: Every year I wait for Merrifield to come back down to earth. I guess it just won´t happen. It must have been about three years ago when I was offered Merrifield and a solid prospect for Chris Owings and quickly refused. Fake Mets management doing real life Mets things.
> Designated Hitter
Didi Gregorius (Colorado Rockies)
Note: Same as in the AL (Tatis Jr.) the DH position is occupied by a shortstop. Add players like Turner, Seager, Bogaerts and Story and it´s easy to see how the shortstop position has changed from defense only to well rounded top athletes.
> Starting Pitcher
Shane Bieber (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Note: Any other nomination would have been a shock. Bieber was the highest scoring player in all of Moneyball. Then came the Yankees...
AMERICAN League Reserves
C - Christian Vazquez (Baltimore Orioles)
1B - Jose Abreu (Boston Red Sox)
2B - Cavan Biggio (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B - Kyle Seager (Houston Astros)
SS - Trevor Story (New York Yankees)
OF - Kyle Tucker (Houston Astros)
OF - Kole Calhoun (Tampa Bay Rays)
OF - George Springer (Cleveland Indians)
SP - Jacob DeGrom (Minnesota Twins)
SP - Aaron Nola (Cleveland Indians)
SP - Kyle Hendricks (New York Yankees)
SP - Kenta Maeda (Los Angeles Angels)
RP - Devin Williams (Boston Red Sox)
RP - Liam Hendriks (Oakland Athletics)
RP - Brad Hand (Chicago White Sox)
NATIONAL League Reserves
C - Salvador Perez (Arizona Diamondbacks)
1B - Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs)
2B - Hanser Alberto (Milwaukee Brewers)
3B - Anthony Rendon (Chicago Cubs)
SS - Xander Bogaerts (Chicago Cubs)
OF - Mike Yastrzemski (Atlanta Braves)
OF - Eddie Rosario (Atlanta Braves)
OF - Charlie Blackmon (Chicago Cubs)
SP - Trevor Bauer (New York Mets)
SP - Yu Darvish (Milwaukee Brewers)
SP - Gerrit Cole (Los Angeles Dodgers)
SP - Lucas Giolito (Washington Nationals)
RP - Trevor Rosenthal (Miami Marlins)
RP - Mike Mayers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RP - James Karinchak (Arizona Diamondbacks)
AMERICAN League Fill-ins
SS - Dansby Swanson (Seattle Mariners)
SP - Hyun Jin Ryu (Texas Rangers)
OF - Wil Myers (Detroit Tigers)
SP - Mike Fiers (Kansas City Royals)
1B - Luke Voit (Los Angeles Angels)
SP - Dinelson Lamet (Minnesota Twins)
Final Vote
SP - Clayton Kershaw (Minnesota Twins)
NATIONAL League Fill-ins
SP - Jose Berrios (St. Louis Cardinals)
SP - David Peterson (San Francisco Giants)
SP - Justin Dunn (San Diego Padres)
SP - Zac Gallen (Pittsburgh Pirates)
OF - Michael Conforto (Atlanta Braves)
1B - Carlos Santana (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Final Vote
UT - Wilmer Flores (Colorado Rockies)
As always some random notes:
> The two world series teams have also sent the most players to the fake ASG with 5 players each. Our scoring system seems to work just fine - no need for adjustments if you ask me.
> The list of star players which are not part of their respective All Star Teams is impressive: Arenado, Yelich, Bellinger, Marte, Albies, Acuna Jr., Bregman, Scherzer, Buehler etc. I would definitely go to war with these guys in any given year - as long as there is no virus or other unforeseen bullshit wrecking havoc on our beloved pastime.
> On a personal note my fake Mets were real close to winning it all in 2020 (see opening statement) with only one All Star on my team. Then again the Twins and Braves had five All Stars. Then again and again the Mariners (only represented with one All Star as well) made it to game 7 in the ALCS. I am still trying to figure out the secret formula for sustained success in our league. Is it star power? Depth? Emphasis on pitching? Luck? The search will go on this offseason and beyond.
> Wilmer Flores...lol!
> Awards go to the following players:
NL MVP: Manny Machado (Atlanta Braves)
AL MVP: Freddie Freeman (Minnesota Twins)
NL CY Young: Shane Bieber (Arizona Diamondbacks)
AL CY Young: Lance Lynn (Boston Red Sox)
NL ROY: Justus Sheffield (Tampa Bay Rays)
AL ROY: Jake Cronenworth (Boston Red Sox)
> After losing last year this time the American League team wins with a score of 5:4 (I refined my algorithm - the result was pretty close again). Congratulations!
That´s it for 2020. I apologize for my German English and look forward to better (baseball) times in 2021.
it´s the Covid season and it´s weird and not fair and if I would have stayed awake just half an hour longer on this fatal September night the fake Mets would have won the World Series…but as we all know there is no crying in baseball so all this wont´t stop me from keeping up a neat little tradition and announce our 2020 All Star Teams.
Same as every year the methodology is simple. The players who scored the most points at their position are awarded with a place in their respective All Star team. If a player is eligible for multiple positions he is only considered for the position where he played the most games (e.g. Whit Merrfield qualifies at OF - not one of the other countless positions he played). Notable exception from non-Covid seasons: This year a DH is added to the NL squad.
Rosters are adapted to the original All Star roster sizes: 32 players per team with representatives of every organization – 20 position players and 12 pitchers. You can read more about the official All Star roster rules here if you feel really bored in quarantine: www.mlb.com/news/all-star-game-roster-rules-faq-c239654292
So here are the 2020 Moneyball All Stars:
AMERICAN League starting lineup:
> Catcher
Travis D´Arnaud (Los Angeles Angels)
Note: What a turnaround by D´Arnaud from being DFA´d by the real life Mets in 2019 to being a force in the middle of the strong Braves lineup just one year later. Typical Mets move.
> First Base
Freddie Freeman (Minnesota Twins)
Note: Last year the fake Orioles Pete Alonso was the AL´s 1B All Star - this year he didn´t even make the team. Freeman is new to the Moneyball AL after being traded to the twin cities last offseason in a multiplayer deal with up and coming Alec Bohm being the headliner going to the Reds. Still not enough of a return for my taste - Freeman scored the most points of all hitters and it´s not even close (Freeman 274 pts - Turner 240 pts).
> Second Base
DJ LeMahieu (Chicago White Sox)
Note: LeMahieu defended his title as the best 2B in the AL. A great all-around player who got even better after moving from hitter´s heaven Coors to Yankee Stadium last year.
> Third Base
Jose Ramirez (Minnesota Twins)
Note: Fantastic comeback by the real life Indian who dethroned Alex Bregman at 3B. Seems to be a bit harder to hit MLB pitching without a little help from outside. Twins got Ramirez from the Rays this offseason for prospects Oneil Cruz, Carter Kieboom, Mickey Moniak and Kevin Maitan. I guess TB would like to renegotiate this one. On a side note reserve 3B Kyle Seager is a real stunner to me. This is what a hot start can do to you in a 60 game season.
> Shortstop
Trea Turner (Los Angeles Angels)
Note: Turner scored the second most points of all hitters in our league after not being an All-Star in 2019.
> Outfield
Marcell Ozuna (Boston Red Sox)
Note: Ozuna and Jose Abreu (1B reserve) carried the Red Sox offense to the best record in all of Moneyleague. Both were top 10 hitters ranked 6 and 7 overall.
Bryce Harper (Oakland Athletics)
Note: Harper didn´t make the All Star team last year but should become a regular again after settling in nicely in Philadelphia. Elite haircut.
Mike Trout (Oakland Athletics)
Note: The best hitter of this generation. Last year´s world series winner from Oakland still has a monster outfield. Nothing more to see here.
> Designated Hitter
Fernando Tatis Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Note: The young shortstop cooled off after his epic start to the season but is still ranked 5th on the hitter list. It would have been interesting to see how his performance develops in a 162 game season.
> Starting Pitcher
Lance Lynn (Boston Red Sox)
Note: Nothing against Lynn but the Moneyball AL squad should do better. Surprisingly DeGrom came in at second with Nola, Hendricks and Maeda completing the AL rotation.
NATIONAL League starting lineup
> Catcher
J.T. Realmuto (Atlanta Braves)
Note: Probably the most important building block of the Braves world series winning team. Realmuto is a true difference maker in an otherwise weak crop at the catching position.
> First Base
Dominic Smith (Milwaukee Brewers)
Note: I still hate myself for trading away Smith to the Brewers in the offseason. I knew a breakout was coming. Can´t wait for 2020 to be over.
> Second Base
Tommy LaStella (Cincinnati Reds)
Note: At the cornerstone the NL sports heavily underrated Tommy LaStella and backup Hanser Alberto. Ozzie Albies made room for these newcomers by going on the IL early. Not fun fact: I always have to look up how Cincinnati is spelled when I do these write ups.
> Third Base
Manny Machado (Atlanta Braves)
Note: Another important piece of the Braves title run. Manny not only came back from an underwhelming 2019 - he did so by scoring the most points of any hitter in the National League. Machado came over to Atlanta this offseason from Cincy (Cincinnati?) for a significant return though: Andrelton Simmons, Jose Leclerc, Willi Castro, Michael Toglia and Marco Gonzalez. Well played from both sides!
> Shortstop
Corey Seager (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Note: Another surprising comeback. Or was it? Seager finally managed to stay healthy and put up the numbers that were expected from him for years. Talent, health, lineup protection - this performance level is here to stay.
> Outfield
Juan Soto (Colorado Rockies)
Note: After being a reserve player in last year´s NL All Star team I fully expect this ubertalented youngster to be a regular All Star for years to come.
Mookie Betts (Philadelphia Phillies)
Note: In a down year for the fundamentally strong Phillies organization Betts was the only bright spot in the lineup. But with super prospect Wander Franco waiting in the wings Philadelpha´s GM should feeld good about the future.
Whit Merrifield (Milwaukee Brewers)
Note: Every year I wait for Merrifield to come back down to earth. I guess it just won´t happen. It must have been about three years ago when I was offered Merrifield and a solid prospect for Chris Owings and quickly refused. Fake Mets management doing real life Mets things.
> Designated Hitter
Didi Gregorius (Colorado Rockies)
Note: Same as in the AL (Tatis Jr.) the DH position is occupied by a shortstop. Add players like Turner, Seager, Bogaerts and Story and it´s easy to see how the shortstop position has changed from defense only to well rounded top athletes.
> Starting Pitcher
Shane Bieber (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Note: Any other nomination would have been a shock. Bieber was the highest scoring player in all of Moneyball. Then came the Yankees...
AMERICAN League Reserves
C - Christian Vazquez (Baltimore Orioles)
1B - Jose Abreu (Boston Red Sox)
2B - Cavan Biggio (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B - Kyle Seager (Houston Astros)
SS - Trevor Story (New York Yankees)
OF - Kyle Tucker (Houston Astros)
OF - Kole Calhoun (Tampa Bay Rays)
OF - George Springer (Cleveland Indians)
SP - Jacob DeGrom (Minnesota Twins)
SP - Aaron Nola (Cleveland Indians)
SP - Kyle Hendricks (New York Yankees)
SP - Kenta Maeda (Los Angeles Angels)
RP - Devin Williams (Boston Red Sox)
RP - Liam Hendriks (Oakland Athletics)
RP - Brad Hand (Chicago White Sox)
NATIONAL League Reserves
C - Salvador Perez (Arizona Diamondbacks)
1B - Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs)
2B - Hanser Alberto (Milwaukee Brewers)
3B - Anthony Rendon (Chicago Cubs)
SS - Xander Bogaerts (Chicago Cubs)
OF - Mike Yastrzemski (Atlanta Braves)
OF - Eddie Rosario (Atlanta Braves)
OF - Charlie Blackmon (Chicago Cubs)
SP - Trevor Bauer (New York Mets)
SP - Yu Darvish (Milwaukee Brewers)
SP - Gerrit Cole (Los Angeles Dodgers)
SP - Lucas Giolito (Washington Nationals)
RP - Trevor Rosenthal (Miami Marlins)
RP - Mike Mayers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RP - James Karinchak (Arizona Diamondbacks)
AMERICAN League Fill-ins
SS - Dansby Swanson (Seattle Mariners)
SP - Hyun Jin Ryu (Texas Rangers)
OF - Wil Myers (Detroit Tigers)
SP - Mike Fiers (Kansas City Royals)
1B - Luke Voit (Los Angeles Angels)
SP - Dinelson Lamet (Minnesota Twins)
Final Vote
SP - Clayton Kershaw (Minnesota Twins)
NATIONAL League Fill-ins
SP - Jose Berrios (St. Louis Cardinals)
SP - David Peterson (San Francisco Giants)
SP - Justin Dunn (San Diego Padres)
SP - Zac Gallen (Pittsburgh Pirates)
OF - Michael Conforto (Atlanta Braves)
1B - Carlos Santana (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Final Vote
UT - Wilmer Flores (Colorado Rockies)
As always some random notes:
> The two world series teams have also sent the most players to the fake ASG with 5 players each. Our scoring system seems to work just fine - no need for adjustments if you ask me.
> The list of star players which are not part of their respective All Star Teams is impressive: Arenado, Yelich, Bellinger, Marte, Albies, Acuna Jr., Bregman, Scherzer, Buehler etc. I would definitely go to war with these guys in any given year - as long as there is no virus or other unforeseen bullshit wrecking havoc on our beloved pastime.
> On a personal note my fake Mets were real close to winning it all in 2020 (see opening statement) with only one All Star on my team. Then again the Twins and Braves had five All Stars. Then again and again the Mariners (only represented with one All Star as well) made it to game 7 in the ALCS. I am still trying to figure out the secret formula for sustained success in our league. Is it star power? Depth? Emphasis on pitching? Luck? The search will go on this offseason and beyond.
> Wilmer Flores...lol!
> Awards go to the following players:
NL MVP: Manny Machado (Atlanta Braves)
AL MVP: Freddie Freeman (Minnesota Twins)
NL CY Young: Shane Bieber (Arizona Diamondbacks)
AL CY Young: Lance Lynn (Boston Red Sox)
NL ROY: Justus Sheffield (Tampa Bay Rays)
AL ROY: Jake Cronenworth (Boston Red Sox)
> After losing last year this time the American League team wins with a score of 5:4 (I refined my algorithm - the result was pretty close again). Congratulations!
That´s it for 2020. I apologize for my German English and look forward to better (baseball) times in 2021.