By: Chad Ruter
-Before I get to the real point of this post, I’d like to share this article with you. Now I’ve heard people compare players to Michael Jordan (which I did once, and will never pull that kind of blasphemy again), but I have never heard a tandem comparison involving Jordan AND Scottie Pippen. Ludicrous I tell you!!
-Also, congratulations to my good friend Luke G. You guys know the process of why this keeps happening, right? Haha, just kidding! Buying a minivan puzzled me a bit…but now all the pieces make sense. You don’t have to send me your man card in the mail anymore.
Now for the real thing.
Everyone has thought about it. You’ve either been lounging on the couch, naked, eating Cheetos, driving alone for endless hours through the cornfields of Illinois, or sitting on the thinking chair in the bathroom and thought about creating the ultimate baseball team. Or maybe that’s just me? Anyways, if you were given an endless amount of money, and every player in Major League Baseball were available in free agency, what would your team look like? I would hope it looks a lot like this
Position Players: (In the order they would bat).
1. SS Jose Reyes (S) – A lot of people are down on Reyes a bit after the collapse he and the Mets had in September. Despite his tendency to be streaky, there is no other player in the Majors that I would rather have playing shortstop and leading off then this guy. He’s the best defender in the game at the position, he gets on base, can hit a homer if the situation warrants, and can steal tons of bases. The impact that Reyes has when he’s on the basepaths is incredibly underrated. Why do you think the 3-4-5 hitters get the grooved pitches that they do? It’s because the pitcher has got one eye on Reyes. (Sorry Justin…your man crush didn’t qualify).
2. CF Ichiro Suzuki (L)- He won’t make this list in a year or two because of his age (35), but he sure doesn’t play that old. He does a great job as a leadoff hitter for the Seattle Mariners, but he would be a perfect #2 hitter. He’s left-handed, slaps the ball all-around and can bunt for a hit while simultaneously moving a man over. Not only is this former Rookie of the Year and MVP award winner a premier hitter, but he also is the best outfielder in the game. He’s fast, gets great jumps, takes perfect angles, and has a rocket attached to the right side of his body. He played 3B in Japan, RF to begin his American career, and has now moved to CF to fill a team need. What player moves to CF from RF when getting older? Only this man. (The good news here Justin – Johnny Damon can grow a better beard).
3. 1B Albert Pujols (R)- Did you know his real name is Jose, and his middle name is Albert? Me either. 2007 was a down year for Pujols at the age of (27). Yea, he only hit .327/32/103 with a .997 OPS. If that’s an off year for someone, then God knows what would happen if he had an MVP season (which amazingly, he only has one of [2005]). Not only is he the most dangerous power hitter in baseball, but he’s turned himself into a Gold Glove first baseman. Pujols used to bounce around playing four positions during his first couple seasons. While many consider Alex Rodriguez the best player in the game, I’d take Pujols before him any day and twice on Sunday. (Do the Yanks have a 1B Justin?).
4. DH David Ortiz (L) – I used to despise the designated hitter rule until I was reading Keith Law’s chat recap one day, and someone asked him if he liked the DH rule. He said he did without a doubt, because you get to watch a professional hitter take a whack at the pitcher rather than a guy that will hit .175. Never thought of it like that. I do enjoy the intricacies of managing a National League game, but if we didn’t have the designated hitter, David Ortiz would’ve never played in The Show. He plays the game incredibly hard, and even though the word “clutch” is quantitatively indescribable, he comes up with the big knocks when his team needs it. He had another “down” season with only 35 homers – well off his 40’s and 50’s he had been posting, but he did record his highest career OBP at .445 in 2007. (Jason Giambi’s on the phone Justin…he claims he took steroids to get rid of that tape-worm. By the way…wanna guess what game this picture came from?).
5. 3B Alex Rodriguez – If there’s anything I hate more than talking about the Yankees, I surely haven’t found it. But sometimes you just have to give a guy whats due to him. Rodriguez has won multiple MVP’s, played two premium positions in the Majors, debuted at age 18 and was a regular by age 20, and at 32 years old just signed his second record-breaking contract in professional sports. His defense over at third base worries me a bit, but he also gets to more balls than a majority of guys – resulting in more chances for errors. With a lineup like I have surrounding Rodriguez, his atrocious playoff record doesn’t scare me. I ain’t never skerd! (Oh Justin. Gotta love the fact that one of the two Yankees I do put on this list happens to include the one you loathe!).
6. 2B Chase Utley (L) – Simply the best player at a position that receives little to no fanfare. It doesn’t help that some consider him the third best hitter on his own team (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins). He hits for power, he has pretty good speed, and plays above-average defense. Nobody is in the same dimension as him offensively at second base, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change for quite some time. The best part about Utley is that he plays at 100% at all times. He’s Mr. Hustle on a team built around playing the game hard – making him a perfect fit for my team. (Robinson Cano is good, Justin, but you’d have to double his numbers to get to Utley).
7. C Russell Martin (R) – Many of the other positions are no-brainers, but this isn’t one of them. Three guys could be considered for this spot, but I chose Martin over the likes of Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez because he’s durable (unlike Mauer) and he’s a perfect defender (unlike Martinez). He is one of the few catchers in the league that could go out and play all 162 games if he was asked to (played 151 last year), and at age 24 is just going to get better. He’ll have to move positions late in his career to preserve his bat, but he’ll stay behind the dish for another 10-12 years, and be the best in the National League the entire time. (Well Justin, if Jorge Posada wasn’t 976 years old with an awful 4-year contract, I might consider him…hip hip, Jorge!!)
8. LF Carl Crawford (L) – If there is a player in Major League Baseball that is talked about more in trade discussions than this guy, I’d love to know. He leads off in Tampa Bay out of necessity, but would be better suited to either hit 2nd or 6th. Not enough power for the middle, and not enough OBP for the top, but he mixes and matches his skills to succeed. He’s really not a great defender, but his speed makes up for a lot of his mistakes. He’s going to get paid big bucks this winter, and deserves every penny for what he’s had to put up with in Tampa Bay. (The only way Hideki Matsui would qualify here is if I trade him to Justin in fantasy baseball, and then play Justin’s team every week of the season).
9. RF Alex Rios (R) – Entering his fifth season in Toronto, Rios is being relied upon to spark an offense that lacks power. Rios himself won’t hit for many home runs himself, but the little things he does is what will make that team go. He makes my list because RF is really a down position for younger players. There are a lot of older guys like Bobby Abreu, Jermaine Dye, and Ken Griffey Jr. that I’d love to put here, but they are all starting to break down physically. (Plus, Abreu plays for the Yankees).
Starting Rotation:
1. Johan Santana (LHP)- Simply unstoppable – except for the 2nd half of 2007. Still has the best change-up in the biz.
2. Josh Beckett (RHP)- Have you seen his curveball? No? Don’t feel bad, neither do the batters.
3. C.C. Sabathia (LHP)- Pin-point control to go with a mid-90’s fastball. You have to love his guile too.
4. Jake Peavy (RHP)- Stats are a bit inflated due to Petco Park being as large as a canyon, but he’s got the stuff too.
5. John Lackey (RHP)- Nobody knows about him because he plays on the left coast. Quietly has finished towards the top of the Cy Young voting for a couple years now.
Bullpen: (Back three guys only)
Setup: Joba Chamberlain (RHP)- (Pronounced Job-uh) Thank God the Yankees used him as a setup man so I could put him here. High 90’s fastball, high 80’s slider with knee-buckling two-plane break and a devastating change-up that still isn’t fully developed. He only needs the first two to succeed, and if the Yankees are smart, they will keep Chamberlain in the bullpen for the first couple months of the season to keep his innings down. Look for him to go for about 120 IP in 2008.
Setup: Jaime Walker (LHP) – A lefty that can get both righties and lefties out is becoming a rare thing in the Majors, but Walker has been good for years. He’s very old (37), but will see continued success because he doesn’t rely on throwing it by guys to get them out. Deception is Walker’s calling card, and guys have a tough time picking up the baseball. He’d make my team.
Closer: Jonathon Papelbon (RHP) – It pains me to leave off guys like Joe Nathan and Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, but Papelbon is the guy. He just flat out dominates an opponent. He should be a starting pitcher with all the pitches and talent that he has, but closing games in the northeast is an incredibly publicized position, and can only be handled physically and mentally by a select few. Papelbon has had just one season of professional baseball with an ERA over 3.00, and that was his first year playing in the low-A New York Penn League. He has the perfect closer’s mentality, and if he sticks with it, could be the most devastating and dominating closer in the history of baseball. (Sorry Mariano – but you’re on the back end of your career, and despite being a great closer, blew a lot of memorable games too).
Manager – Joe Girardi
Pitching Coach – Leo Mazzone
Hitting Coach – Jeff Pentland
If you think you can beat that team – good luck.
