Here's mine:
C - Russell Martin, Dodgers - The guy could be the best catcher in baseball - with Mauer and McCann having down/injury-plagued seasons he'd get my vote - and he's certainly put up the best numbers this year. Yet he really doesn't get a lot of hype.
1B - Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox - Hard to pick an underrated first basemen, as most first basemen receive a lot of publicity. Other than his long hit streak earlier this year, Youkilis has gone largely unnoticed playing in Boston. He remains a tough versatile player and the Red Sox would not be the same team without him.
2B - Dan Uggla, Marlins - Hard one to pick. I gave serious consideration to Kelly Johnson and Dustin Pedroia, but ended up going with Uggla, who is overshadowed by both Cabrera and last year's ROY winner, Hanley Ramirez, in Florida.
SS - Orlando Cabrera, Angels - Strong defensive player and having a monster offensive season in a relatively average Angels lineup. Overshadowed by Jeter, Tejada, and Young in the AL, but the guy was a key cog in Boston winning the WS a couple years ago, and could be the same for LAA in a few months.
3B - Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals - Zim got off to a very slow start this year, as did the Nationals. It's no coincidence that the improvement in the Nats' record has coincided with Zimmerman getting hot.
OF - Raul Ibanez, Mariners - If he played in a marquee market, Ibanez would be a household name. In Seattle, he is just another guy, but he is really coming into his own. He's good to hit .290-.300 every year, and he is adding some pop to his bat. 33 HR and 123 RBI last year, and while the numbers are slightly down this year, look for this guy to really help the Mariners make a run at LAA.
OF - Alex Rios, Blue Jays - Amidst the rash of injuries the Jays have suffered this year, Rios has been the constant. Even Wells' numbers have been mediocre, but Rios is hitting .289 and is 3rd in the AL in HRs out of the leadoff spot. Playing in Canada doesn't help a player achieve notoriety, but Rios should emerge as a perennial All-Star in the upcoming seasons.
OF - Matt Holliday, Rockies - Vlad and Ordonez are the only two outfielders with better numbers than Holliday, and that is close. Playing in Colorado hurts on two fronts. It's a small market obviously, but people assume his numbers are Coors-aided. Maybe they are a little, but Holliday's road numbers are still as good as anyone in the NL's.
SP - John Lackey, Angels - The guy's a little overweight, doesn't look like the prototypical ace, and he plays in a market where he doesn't get much recognition. But he is consistently among the ERA leaders in the league, and he has already won Game 7 of the WS.
SP - Jamie Shields, Devil Rays - Kazmir gets all the publicity in Tampa, and rightly so, but Shields has been arguably the second best pitcher in the AL, behind Haren, this season.
SP - Chris Young, Padres - Since joining SD, Young just hasn't given up many runs. Petco is a pitcher's park, but his road numbers are astounding. 17-4, 3.18 ERA.
SP - Ian Snell, Pirates The bad news is that he pitches in Pittsburgh. No publicity, no run support, and no bullpen behind him. Still, there is plenty of good with Ian Snell. His numbers were pretty good last season, but a couple awful starts killed his ERA. Not so much this year, as he has learned how to limit the damage in pressure situations.
SP - Jon Garland, White Sox - If asked who has the most wins the past two seasons, Garland would probably be about your 50th guess. And I don't blame you. His other numbers are somewhat average. But, there's a lot to be said for knowing how to win, and Garland has done that more than anyone else since the start of the 2005 season.
LHR - Mike Gonzalez, Braves - Left-handed hitters simply cannot hit him. The most amazing pitching sequence I have seen this year was when Gonzalez entered a game against the Phillies. Up by a run, with men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs, he struck out blossoming star Shane Victorino and MVP Ryan Howard on six pitches, including four swinging strikes. He then induced Chase Utley - perhaps the best hitting 2B is the history of the game - into a slow dribbler to 2nd to end the inning.
RHR - Pat Neshek, Twins - His funky delivery is what attracts notice. His career stats are what should. 7-2, 89 K, 17 BB, 1.75 ERA, 0.77 WHIP. No one has been more dominant the past two years.
CP - JJ Putz, Mariners - Putz is having a season as strong as any closer has ever had. Opposing hitters are hitting 0.84 against Putz in save situations. His WHIP this season is 0.58. Those numbers are unconscionable. Yet, if you polled 100 random baseball fans on the best closer in the game, 2 or 3 would say Putz. Papelbon, Rivera, Nathan, Hoffman get the publicity at the closer position, but Putz is the best of the bunch.
Thoughts?
C - Russell Martin, Dodgers - The guy could be the best catcher in baseball - with Mauer and McCann having down/injury-plagued seasons he'd get my vote - and he's certainly put up the best numbers this year. Yet he really doesn't get a lot of hype.
1B - Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox - Hard to pick an underrated first basemen, as most first basemen receive a lot of publicity. Other than his long hit streak earlier this year, Youkilis has gone largely unnoticed playing in Boston. He remains a tough versatile player and the Red Sox would not be the same team without him.
2B - Dan Uggla, Marlins - Hard one to pick. I gave serious consideration to Kelly Johnson and Dustin Pedroia, but ended up going with Uggla, who is overshadowed by both Cabrera and last year's ROY winner, Hanley Ramirez, in Florida.
SS - Orlando Cabrera, Angels - Strong defensive player and having a monster offensive season in a relatively average Angels lineup. Overshadowed by Jeter, Tejada, and Young in the AL, but the guy was a key cog in Boston winning the WS a couple years ago, and could be the same for LAA in a few months.
3B - Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals - Zim got off to a very slow start this year, as did the Nationals. It's no coincidence that the improvement in the Nats' record has coincided with Zimmerman getting hot.
OF - Raul Ibanez, Mariners - If he played in a marquee market, Ibanez would be a household name. In Seattle, he is just another guy, but he is really coming into his own. He's good to hit .290-.300 every year, and he is adding some pop to his bat. 33 HR and 123 RBI last year, and while the numbers are slightly down this year, look for this guy to really help the Mariners make a run at LAA.
OF - Alex Rios, Blue Jays - Amidst the rash of injuries the Jays have suffered this year, Rios has been the constant. Even Wells' numbers have been mediocre, but Rios is hitting .289 and is 3rd in the AL in HRs out of the leadoff spot. Playing in Canada doesn't help a player achieve notoriety, but Rios should emerge as a perennial All-Star in the upcoming seasons.
OF - Matt Holliday, Rockies - Vlad and Ordonez are the only two outfielders with better numbers than Holliday, and that is close. Playing in Colorado hurts on two fronts. It's a small market obviously, but people assume his numbers are Coors-aided. Maybe they are a little, but Holliday's road numbers are still as good as anyone in the NL's.
SP - John Lackey, Angels - The guy's a little overweight, doesn't look like the prototypical ace, and he plays in a market where he doesn't get much recognition. But he is consistently among the ERA leaders in the league, and he has already won Game 7 of the WS.
SP - Jamie Shields, Devil Rays - Kazmir gets all the publicity in Tampa, and rightly so, but Shields has been arguably the second best pitcher in the AL, behind Haren, this season.
SP - Chris Young, Padres - Since joining SD, Young just hasn't given up many runs. Petco is a pitcher's park, but his road numbers are astounding. 17-4, 3.18 ERA.
SP - Ian Snell, Pirates The bad news is that he pitches in Pittsburgh. No publicity, no run support, and no bullpen behind him. Still, there is plenty of good with Ian Snell. His numbers were pretty good last season, but a couple awful starts killed his ERA. Not so much this year, as he has learned how to limit the damage in pressure situations.
SP - Jon Garland, White Sox - If asked who has the most wins the past two seasons, Garland would probably be about your 50th guess. And I don't blame you. His other numbers are somewhat average. But, there's a lot to be said for knowing how to win, and Garland has done that more than anyone else since the start of the 2005 season.
LHR - Mike Gonzalez, Braves - Left-handed hitters simply cannot hit him. The most amazing pitching sequence I have seen this year was when Gonzalez entered a game against the Phillies. Up by a run, with men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs, he struck out blossoming star Shane Victorino and MVP Ryan Howard on six pitches, including four swinging strikes. He then induced Chase Utley - perhaps the best hitting 2B is the history of the game - into a slow dribbler to 2nd to end the inning.
RHR - Pat Neshek, Twins - His funky delivery is what attracts notice. His career stats are what should. 7-2, 89 K, 17 BB, 1.75 ERA, 0.77 WHIP. No one has been more dominant the past two years.
CP - JJ Putz, Mariners - Putz is having a season as strong as any closer has ever had. Opposing hitters are hitting 0.84 against Putz in save situations. His WHIP this season is 0.58. Those numbers are unconscionable. Yet, if you polled 100 random baseball fans on the best closer in the game, 2 or 3 would say Putz. Papelbon, Rivera, Nathan, Hoffman get the publicity at the closer position, but Putz is the best of the bunch.
Thoughts?
