Post by New York Mets on Aug 30, 2019 3:27:49 GMT -5
The Moneyball playoffs are just around the corner – time for a little preview. Teams are listed according to their points scored during the regular season. Naturally comments and grades are highly subjective but someone had to do it. As always I apologize for my German English.
1) Chicago Cubs (5.346 pts)
Starting Lineup
We all know the Cubs collection of All Star caliber players. A lineup headed by Rendon, Baez, Bogaerts, Blackmon, Golschmidt, Rizzo is flat out unfair. Add breakout player Trey Mancini and white hot Mark Canha and you have the best offense in all of Moneyball. The Cubs lead the league in runs scored, homeruns, RBI and doubles. Also they have by far the most HBP - opposing teams seem to be not too happy about the Cubs dominance.
Grade: A+
Rotation
Because of injuries to key starters Sale, Kluber and Severino things look a little different here. The projected playoff rotation of Kershaw, Ray, Rodriguez, Hudson and Lauer (plus Thornton/Turnbull?) is ok but can blow up any time behind the Dodger´s ace.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
The relief corps is solid with Kirby Yates leading the pack. Edwin Diaz´s latest injury scare and overall inconsistencies keeps the pen from being elite. Bummer, Clippard and Greene are replacement level relievers like every team has some on its roster.
Grade: B-
Bench
Forsythe, Davis and Canha are certainly strong enough to hold down the fort in case of injuries or off days. But the Cubbies cannot afford many more injuries. Random note: There is no reserve catcher behind Caratini.
Grade: B-
Overall
Of course Chicago is strong enough to repeat its title but the path to glory is not as clear as it was last year. Too many injuries to the starting rotation have become a real issue. Still a strong bet to win it all again.
Grade: A-
2) Colorado Rockies (5.171 pts)
Starting Lineup
Starting LineupThe starting lineup was the foundation of the Rockies strong regular season. Yelich, Arenado, Bell and Soto can carry an offense on any given day. Add some veterans and surprises like Murphy, Ahmed and Soler and you have a championship team - a fact underlined by the Rockies leading the league in intentional walks. Better not pitch to these great hitters!
Grade: A
Rotation
The recent injuries to Jon Gray and German Marquez hurt the Rockies chances severely. Behind Greinke the duo of Lucchesi and Leake won´t win games by themselves like the Verlanders and Scherzers of this world can. Dillon Peters and/or Jose Suarez will probably be called up to take the places of Gray and Marquez in the playoffs.
Grade: C
Bullpen
The Rockies have Iglesias and a bunch of average relievers. Nothing special but it won´t hurt either. Gausman being used as a long reliever might add some extra points.
Grade: C+
Bench
Colorado is a top heavy team with basically no bench depth (no offense to lonely utility man Ryan McMahon).
Grade: D-
Overall
The Rockies will have to count on their elite hitters to make their title dreams come true. I believe that pitching wins playoffs in real life and in our league so I am afraid that there are some difficult days ahead if Greinke doesn´t perform. But make no mistake - the Rockies had the best overall record with 124 wins and this doesn´t come out of nowhere.
Grade: B-
3) Boston Red Sox (4.955 pts)
Starting Lineup
After the Rockies and Cubs monster lineups there is a significant drop off in terms of star power. Still the best team in the AL´s regular season sports a powerful and balanced lineup led by J.D. Martinez, Starling Marte and Jose Abreu. Add players like Semien, Urshela and Ozuna to the mix and you have a dangerous offense.
Grade: B+
Rotation
Lester, Lynn, Miley, Brault, Young and Burke will form the playoff rotation with Beede waiting in the Minors. Even with Lynn still pitching over his head this is average at best and could become an issue against teams with elite starting pitchers.
Grade: C
Bullpen
Boston´s pen is a clear strength. Jansen and Workman are a nice 1-2 closer punch. Lorenzen is underestimated in my opinion. These guys can score some crucial extra points in close matchups.
Grade: B
Bench
At first glance the bench looks rather thin (Santander and Pillar) but Boston has some potential contributors waiting for promotion in the minors with Travis, Pinder, Cuthbert, and Dickerson. The Red Sox should be able to field a full and competent team on any given day.
Grade: B
Overall
This team is deep and balanced but I am afraid it will fall short against the top teams due to the mediocre rotation.
Grade: B
4) Philadelphia Phillies (4.828 pts)
Starting Lineup
Betts and Moustakas carry the Phillies offense. Besides these two Pham, Andrus and Ohtani provide most of the offensive output. Injuries to Encarnacion and Inciarte left significant holes in this team. A super speedy lineup (most SB)- solid but not scary.
Grade: B-
Rotation
Ryu, Fiers, German, Lyles and potential call up Plesac - that´s a decent playoff rotation if Ryu can overcome his latest issues and pitch like a CY Young favourite again. The injury bug also hit the Phillies starting pitching with Hill, Woodruff and Shoemaker being unavailable. Overall the starting pitching should be good enough to keep games close. Good to know: Philadelphia´s pitching scored the most starter wins in 2019.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
No high octane closer but long relievers Pomeranz and McHugh have some appeal just because of the numbers in IP/Ks coming with their workload. Similar to the rotation nothing overwhelming but it should work if the other parts of the team click.
Grade: C
Bench
Lopez, Sogard and Perez cover a lot of positional ground and give the Phillies the necessary flexibility to react to daily real life lineup settings. Goins is a potential call up. All of these players are capable of producing if the need arises.
Grade: B
Overall
I am not a huge fan of the Phillies chances this year. Too much depends on the performances of Betts, Moustakas and Ryu. Then again I have been very wrong before in my assessment of this organization.
Grade: B-
5) Oakland Athletics (4.701 pts)
Starting Lineup
The A´s field a great collection of world class talent led by Mike Trout. Teaming up with this future hall of famer are fantastic hitters like Lindor, Benintendi (though not as good as advertised in 2019), Harper and Chapman. Overall this is a lineup which is right up there with the Cubs and Rockies so it comes to no suprise that the Athletics have been walked more times than any other team. This offense will score a lot of points on a regular basis.
Grade: A
Rotation
Young star Walker Buehler is accompanied by veteran Tanaka to form a strong 1-2 punch. Behind them Bassitt and Melville have been pitching rather well lately though so maybe they can provide some much needed support. Anderson and Perez are the other (underwhelming) options for the playoffs. Compared to best rotations in our league the A´s hurlers are not more than slightly above average. Also I am concerned that the Dodgers will skip some of Buehler´s starts in order to save some bullets for their title run. That would obviously be a huge blow to Oakland´s rotation.
Grade: C+
Bullpen
Archie Bradley and Liam Hendriks are the key pieces in Oakland´s bullpen. The rest is neglectable but still the top two should score some crucial points via saves.
Grade: B-
Bench
JBJ, Cron and Fisher give the team some depth but the injury to super utility guy Rojas surely hurts. Hampson might get called up for the playoffs for additional flexibility.
Grade: B-
Overall
I love the A´s offense but the deciding factor will be the performance of the starting rotation. I am afraid it won´t be enough to go all the way.
Grade: B
6) New York Mets (4.559 pts)
Starting Lineup
When players like Castellanos, McNeil, Rosario and Villar have to carry your offense in the playpffs you are in trouble. A long list of injuries (Nimmo, Hicks amongst others) combined with underwhelming performances from key players (Hosmer, Lamb) make this lineup easy to pitch to. Perez is the team´s top HR threat with 21 bombs - that says it all. At least the fake Mets have hit the most singles in Moneyball.
Grade: C-
Rotation
The top 4 look great on paper with Strasburg, Bauer, Price and Boyd but there were some very rough outings (Bauer, Boyd) and injuries (Price) lately. Wojchienchowksi - or whatever his name is - and Teheran will be availabe if needed. Going into the most important games of the season the starting rotation seems to be not in a good shape. The talent is there (most strikeouts in the league) - but will it show up in the playoffs?
Grade: C+
Bullpen
The Mets pen lives and dies with the performance of Josh Hader. His multi-inning saves won the Mets some matchups in the regular season but his latest scuffles make the NYM relief corps a liability.
Grade: C
Bench
Even with nine man on the IL the Mets still managed to field a full lineup on a regular basis - and a not a shabby one. This is the deepest team in Moneyball which was a major factor in the road to the wild card game.
Grade: A-
Overall
No star power, many players on the IL or out of game shape - the Mets playoffs might become a short not fun ride.
Grade: C
7) Los Angeles Dodgers (4.537 pts)
Starting Lineup
Very good top of the lineup with Bellinger (most hitting points scored), Torres, Donaldson and the rejuvenated Santana. Behind these great hitters there are some solid additional pieces like Kingery and Renfroe. The top guys basically guarantee a healthy number of points.
Grade: B+
Rotation
This is probably the best rotation in Moneyball with Scherzer, Cole, Bumgarner and Gray being four ace-level pitchers. It could take the Dodgers a long way.
Grade: A+
Bullpen
Average bullpen without any closer led by strikeout monster Nick Anderson. Then again does it matter with this rotation?
Grade: C-
Bench
LA made some last minute acquistions with Seth Brown and Curt Casali. Tyler Wade might get called up. That´s it and it´s not enough for my taste.
Grade: D
Overall
As I said - I believe that pitching wins championships so I like the Dodgers chances as long as the lineup doesn´t catch any significant injuries. The weak bench might hurt in the later rounds.
Grade: B+
8) Cleveland Indians (4.145 pts)
Starting Lineup
Other than Goerge Springer there are no truly elite hitters in the Cleveland´s lineup. Votto, Schwarber and Robles will have to step up in order to make this offense competitive. Random note: With Peraza being sent down to AAA the Indians have no shortstop going into the playoffs.
Grade: C-
Rotation
Almost traditionally the Indians organization is built around strong starting pitching. A recipe which led them to the title in 2018. With Nola, Castillo, Corbin and the improved Quintana leading the way the tribe had the most quality starts in 2019 and should give every opposing lineup quite some headache.
Grade: A-
Bullpen
Melancon closing games behind some average arms - not a lot to see here.
Grade: C+
Bench
There are some interesting bench pieces with Frazier, Osuna, Bote and Sanchez. Not overwhelming but these guys can fill holes competently if they play up to their potential. A backup shortstop would certainly be nice though.
Grade: B-
Overall
The great rotation is what makes this team dangerous. I wouldn´t be surprised if Cleveland makes it to the World Series again.
Grade: B-
9) New York Yankees (4.040 pts)
Starting Lineup
I am not sure what to make of the Yankees lineup. There are elite hitters like Judge, Gurriel and Story paired with the likes of Rowdy Tellez and Alex Gordon. Overall it´s ok but it could use some more balance.
Grade: C
Rotation
New York´s starting pitching is led by Hendricks and Odorizzi which looks like a solid top of the rotation. The two aces will be accompanied by Bailey, Gonzalez and Sparkman. At the end of the day this pitching staff probably can´t compete with the best of the best.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
Then again the Yankees have assembled an elite bullpen with current closers Kimbrel, Giles and Robles potentially going for the save on any given day. Strop and Kelley are strong additional pieces.
Grade: A
Bench
Super-utility guy Jace Peterson (2B, 3B, LF, RF) has to cover a lot of positions. He is accompanied by Adam Engel. No - that´s not a deep bench.
Grade: D
Overall
Some strong hitters and a powerful bullpen probably won´t be enough to make a deep run into the postseason. But there is always next year.
Grade: C+
10) Toronto Blue Jays (3.968 pts)
Starting Lineup
Toronto has some of the most exciting young players in its regular lineup - Hoskins, Vlad Jr., Bryant, Acuna Jr, Correa, Tatis Jr.. Wow. Unfortunately the injuries to Correa, Tatis Jr. and Polanco have hurt this strong starting nine badly. If complete Toronto´s lineup is right up there with any other team but with some key players missing in the playoffs this might become a short ride.
Grade: B-
Rotation
Flaherty, Hamels, Musgrove and Happ will form the playoff rotation. Obivously there is some drop off behind red hot Flaherty and Hamels veteran presence. Overall the Jays staff could us a lot of luck in the postseason and a some work in the offseason.
Grade: C+
Bullpen
Below average bullpen led by Sam Gaviglio. No thanks.
Grade: D
Bench
Due to way too many injuries Pablo Reyes and perhaps Abraham Toro will sit on a lonely bench.
Grade: D
Overall
The Blue Jays have the pieces to be one of the top teams for years to come but injuries to key players and mediocre starting pitching make the 2019 title dreams a longshot.
Grade: C-
1) Chicago Cubs (5.346 pts)
Starting Lineup
We all know the Cubs collection of All Star caliber players. A lineup headed by Rendon, Baez, Bogaerts, Blackmon, Golschmidt, Rizzo is flat out unfair. Add breakout player Trey Mancini and white hot Mark Canha and you have the best offense in all of Moneyball. The Cubs lead the league in runs scored, homeruns, RBI and doubles. Also they have by far the most HBP - opposing teams seem to be not too happy about the Cubs dominance.
Grade: A+
Rotation
Because of injuries to key starters Sale, Kluber and Severino things look a little different here. The projected playoff rotation of Kershaw, Ray, Rodriguez, Hudson and Lauer (plus Thornton/Turnbull?) is ok but can blow up any time behind the Dodger´s ace.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
The relief corps is solid with Kirby Yates leading the pack. Edwin Diaz´s latest injury scare and overall inconsistencies keeps the pen from being elite. Bummer, Clippard and Greene are replacement level relievers like every team has some on its roster.
Grade: B-
Bench
Forsythe, Davis and Canha are certainly strong enough to hold down the fort in case of injuries or off days. But the Cubbies cannot afford many more injuries. Random note: There is no reserve catcher behind Caratini.
Grade: B-
Overall
Of course Chicago is strong enough to repeat its title but the path to glory is not as clear as it was last year. Too many injuries to the starting rotation have become a real issue. Still a strong bet to win it all again.
Grade: A-
2) Colorado Rockies (5.171 pts)
Starting Lineup
Starting LineupThe starting lineup was the foundation of the Rockies strong regular season. Yelich, Arenado, Bell and Soto can carry an offense on any given day. Add some veterans and surprises like Murphy, Ahmed and Soler and you have a championship team - a fact underlined by the Rockies leading the league in intentional walks. Better not pitch to these great hitters!
Grade: A
Rotation
The recent injuries to Jon Gray and German Marquez hurt the Rockies chances severely. Behind Greinke the duo of Lucchesi and Leake won´t win games by themselves like the Verlanders and Scherzers of this world can. Dillon Peters and/or Jose Suarez will probably be called up to take the places of Gray and Marquez in the playoffs.
Grade: C
Bullpen
The Rockies have Iglesias and a bunch of average relievers. Nothing special but it won´t hurt either. Gausman being used as a long reliever might add some extra points.
Grade: C+
Bench
Colorado is a top heavy team with basically no bench depth (no offense to lonely utility man Ryan McMahon).
Grade: D-
Overall
The Rockies will have to count on their elite hitters to make their title dreams come true. I believe that pitching wins playoffs in real life and in our league so I am afraid that there are some difficult days ahead if Greinke doesn´t perform. But make no mistake - the Rockies had the best overall record with 124 wins and this doesn´t come out of nowhere.
Grade: B-
3) Boston Red Sox (4.955 pts)
Starting Lineup
After the Rockies and Cubs monster lineups there is a significant drop off in terms of star power. Still the best team in the AL´s regular season sports a powerful and balanced lineup led by J.D. Martinez, Starling Marte and Jose Abreu. Add players like Semien, Urshela and Ozuna to the mix and you have a dangerous offense.
Grade: B+
Rotation
Lester, Lynn, Miley, Brault, Young and Burke will form the playoff rotation with Beede waiting in the Minors. Even with Lynn still pitching over his head this is average at best and could become an issue against teams with elite starting pitchers.
Grade: C
Bullpen
Boston´s pen is a clear strength. Jansen and Workman are a nice 1-2 closer punch. Lorenzen is underestimated in my opinion. These guys can score some crucial extra points in close matchups.
Grade: B
Bench
At first glance the bench looks rather thin (Santander and Pillar) but Boston has some potential contributors waiting for promotion in the minors with Travis, Pinder, Cuthbert, and Dickerson. The Red Sox should be able to field a full and competent team on any given day.
Grade: B
Overall
This team is deep and balanced but I am afraid it will fall short against the top teams due to the mediocre rotation.
Grade: B
4) Philadelphia Phillies (4.828 pts)
Starting Lineup
Betts and Moustakas carry the Phillies offense. Besides these two Pham, Andrus and Ohtani provide most of the offensive output. Injuries to Encarnacion and Inciarte left significant holes in this team. A super speedy lineup (most SB)- solid but not scary.
Grade: B-
Rotation
Ryu, Fiers, German, Lyles and potential call up Plesac - that´s a decent playoff rotation if Ryu can overcome his latest issues and pitch like a CY Young favourite again. The injury bug also hit the Phillies starting pitching with Hill, Woodruff and Shoemaker being unavailable. Overall the starting pitching should be good enough to keep games close. Good to know: Philadelphia´s pitching scored the most starter wins in 2019.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
No high octane closer but long relievers Pomeranz and McHugh have some appeal just because of the numbers in IP/Ks coming with their workload. Similar to the rotation nothing overwhelming but it should work if the other parts of the team click.
Grade: C
Bench
Lopez, Sogard and Perez cover a lot of positional ground and give the Phillies the necessary flexibility to react to daily real life lineup settings. Goins is a potential call up. All of these players are capable of producing if the need arises.
Grade: B
Overall
I am not a huge fan of the Phillies chances this year. Too much depends on the performances of Betts, Moustakas and Ryu. Then again I have been very wrong before in my assessment of this organization.
Grade: B-
5) Oakland Athletics (4.701 pts)
Starting Lineup
The A´s field a great collection of world class talent led by Mike Trout. Teaming up with this future hall of famer are fantastic hitters like Lindor, Benintendi (though not as good as advertised in 2019), Harper and Chapman. Overall this is a lineup which is right up there with the Cubs and Rockies so it comes to no suprise that the Athletics have been walked more times than any other team. This offense will score a lot of points on a regular basis.
Grade: A
Rotation
Young star Walker Buehler is accompanied by veteran Tanaka to form a strong 1-2 punch. Behind them Bassitt and Melville have been pitching rather well lately though so maybe they can provide some much needed support. Anderson and Perez are the other (underwhelming) options for the playoffs. Compared to best rotations in our league the A´s hurlers are not more than slightly above average. Also I am concerned that the Dodgers will skip some of Buehler´s starts in order to save some bullets for their title run. That would obviously be a huge blow to Oakland´s rotation.
Grade: C+
Bullpen
Archie Bradley and Liam Hendriks are the key pieces in Oakland´s bullpen. The rest is neglectable but still the top two should score some crucial points via saves.
Grade: B-
Bench
JBJ, Cron and Fisher give the team some depth but the injury to super utility guy Rojas surely hurts. Hampson might get called up for the playoffs for additional flexibility.
Grade: B-
Overall
I love the A´s offense but the deciding factor will be the performance of the starting rotation. I am afraid it won´t be enough to go all the way.
Grade: B
6) New York Mets (4.559 pts)
Starting Lineup
When players like Castellanos, McNeil, Rosario and Villar have to carry your offense in the playpffs you are in trouble. A long list of injuries (Nimmo, Hicks amongst others) combined with underwhelming performances from key players (Hosmer, Lamb) make this lineup easy to pitch to. Perez is the team´s top HR threat with 21 bombs - that says it all. At least the fake Mets have hit the most singles in Moneyball.
Grade: C-
Rotation
The top 4 look great on paper with Strasburg, Bauer, Price and Boyd but there were some very rough outings (Bauer, Boyd) and injuries (Price) lately. Wojchienchowksi - or whatever his name is - and Teheran will be availabe if needed. Going into the most important games of the season the starting rotation seems to be not in a good shape. The talent is there (most strikeouts in the league) - but will it show up in the playoffs?
Grade: C+
Bullpen
The Mets pen lives and dies with the performance of Josh Hader. His multi-inning saves won the Mets some matchups in the regular season but his latest scuffles make the NYM relief corps a liability.
Grade: C
Bench
Even with nine man on the IL the Mets still managed to field a full lineup on a regular basis - and a not a shabby one. This is the deepest team in Moneyball which was a major factor in the road to the wild card game.
Grade: A-
Overall
No star power, many players on the IL or out of game shape - the Mets playoffs might become a short not fun ride.
Grade: C
7) Los Angeles Dodgers (4.537 pts)
Starting Lineup
Very good top of the lineup with Bellinger (most hitting points scored), Torres, Donaldson and the rejuvenated Santana. Behind these great hitters there are some solid additional pieces like Kingery and Renfroe. The top guys basically guarantee a healthy number of points.
Grade: B+
Rotation
This is probably the best rotation in Moneyball with Scherzer, Cole, Bumgarner and Gray being four ace-level pitchers. It could take the Dodgers a long way.
Grade: A+
Bullpen
Average bullpen without any closer led by strikeout monster Nick Anderson. Then again does it matter with this rotation?
Grade: C-
Bench
LA made some last minute acquistions with Seth Brown and Curt Casali. Tyler Wade might get called up. That´s it and it´s not enough for my taste.
Grade: D
Overall
As I said - I believe that pitching wins championships so I like the Dodgers chances as long as the lineup doesn´t catch any significant injuries. The weak bench might hurt in the later rounds.
Grade: B+
8) Cleveland Indians (4.145 pts)
Starting Lineup
Other than Goerge Springer there are no truly elite hitters in the Cleveland´s lineup. Votto, Schwarber and Robles will have to step up in order to make this offense competitive. Random note: With Peraza being sent down to AAA the Indians have no shortstop going into the playoffs.
Grade: C-
Rotation
Almost traditionally the Indians organization is built around strong starting pitching. A recipe which led them to the title in 2018. With Nola, Castillo, Corbin and the improved Quintana leading the way the tribe had the most quality starts in 2019 and should give every opposing lineup quite some headache.
Grade: A-
Bullpen
Melancon closing games behind some average arms - not a lot to see here.
Grade: C+
Bench
There are some interesting bench pieces with Frazier, Osuna, Bote and Sanchez. Not overwhelming but these guys can fill holes competently if they play up to their potential. A backup shortstop would certainly be nice though.
Grade: B-
Overall
The great rotation is what makes this team dangerous. I wouldn´t be surprised if Cleveland makes it to the World Series again.
Grade: B-
9) New York Yankees (4.040 pts)
Starting Lineup
I am not sure what to make of the Yankees lineup. There are elite hitters like Judge, Gurriel and Story paired with the likes of Rowdy Tellez and Alex Gordon. Overall it´s ok but it could use some more balance.
Grade: C
Rotation
New York´s starting pitching is led by Hendricks and Odorizzi which looks like a solid top of the rotation. The two aces will be accompanied by Bailey, Gonzalez and Sparkman. At the end of the day this pitching staff probably can´t compete with the best of the best.
Grade: B-
Bullpen
Then again the Yankees have assembled an elite bullpen with current closers Kimbrel, Giles and Robles potentially going for the save on any given day. Strop and Kelley are strong additional pieces.
Grade: A
Bench
Super-utility guy Jace Peterson (2B, 3B, LF, RF) has to cover a lot of positions. He is accompanied by Adam Engel. No - that´s not a deep bench.
Grade: D
Overall
Some strong hitters and a powerful bullpen probably won´t be enough to make a deep run into the postseason. But there is always next year.
Grade: C+
10) Toronto Blue Jays (3.968 pts)
Starting Lineup
Toronto has some of the most exciting young players in its regular lineup - Hoskins, Vlad Jr., Bryant, Acuna Jr, Correa, Tatis Jr.. Wow. Unfortunately the injuries to Correa, Tatis Jr. and Polanco have hurt this strong starting nine badly. If complete Toronto´s lineup is right up there with any other team but with some key players missing in the playoffs this might become a short ride.
Grade: B-
Rotation
Flaherty, Hamels, Musgrove and Happ will form the playoff rotation. Obivously there is some drop off behind red hot Flaherty and Hamels veteran presence. Overall the Jays staff could us a lot of luck in the postseason and a some work in the offseason.
Grade: C+
Bullpen
Below average bullpen led by Sam Gaviglio. No thanks.
Grade: D
Bench
Due to way too many injuries Pablo Reyes and perhaps Abraham Toro will sit on a lonely bench.
Grade: D
Overall
The Blue Jays have the pieces to be one of the top teams for years to come but injuries to key players and mediocre starting pitching make the 2019 title dreams a longshot.
Grade: C-