“What does he have, 13 at-bats? I only have 10.”
–Giants prospect Derin McMains on Barry Bonds taking the Spring Training Home Run lead (San Francisco Chronicle).
I’m back with Part 2 of my 4 part feature on rankings (part 1 is here). Today, I’m looking at the outfield and designated hitter (I know some don’t consider it a position, but there are some players that shouldn’t play in the field).
Left Field
1. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox – Hitting makes him number 1, so we won’t mention his fielding.
2. Jason Bay, Pirates – The Padres must be kicking themselves for trading him.
3. Hideki Matsui, Yankees – Godzilla has extended his stay in New York, and should continue to play well.
4. Carl Crawford, Devil Rays – Even after a “disappointing” season, he still is an elite, young player.
5. Adam Dunn, Reds – Would move up further is he didn’t strike out so much.
6. Carlos Lee, Brewers – One of the veteran presences on a good young team.
7. Barry Bonds, Giants – If he could play everyday, he would be in the top 3.
8. Pat Burrell, Phillies – Excited Phillie fans with a season that showed why he was a first overall draft pick.
9. Preston Wilson, Astros – The Juice Box is Coor Field lite. Look for some of his old stat lines.
10. Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks – On the decline with a mediocre team.
11. Nick Swisher, Athletics – The “Moneyball” draftee is showing he was worth the worry.
12. Cliff Floyd, Mets – Had a solid, healthy season. Can he repeat?
13. Matt Murton, Cubs – Will be a future top 10 player at the position, if Dusty doesn’t block him.
14. Matt Holliday, Rockies – The best of the young Rockie outfield. Should build on solid season.
15. David Dellucci, Rangers – OBP machine will spend more time in the field this year.
16. Raul Ibanez, Mariners – Ibanez is solid, but won’t set the world on fire.
17. Garret Anderson, Angels – Was a great player, in his day. Look for deceases in playing time and health.
18. Shannon Stewart, Twins – When he came to the team, he was a spark plug; now he’s just blocking young guys.
19. Scott Podsednik, White Sox – A speedster who can’t get on base; what good can he provide?
20. So Taguchi, Cardinals – Will finally get the chance to show the U.S. why he should be a starter.
Center Field
1. Grady Sizemore, Indians – The most complete CFer in the game.
2. Andruw Jones, Braves – If only the rest of his game was on par with his power and defense.
3. Carlos Beltran, Mets – Even after he didn’t live up to the hype, he still is a top player.
4. Johnny Damon, Yankees – Will slip down the rankings each year in New York.
5. Jim Edmonds, Cardinals – All out play is taking a toll on his body, but should rebound from sub-par season.
6. Ken Griffey Jr, Reds – If healthy, he could be the Junior of old. He showed flashes of it last year.
7. Juan Pierre, Cubs – Moving out of Florida could go either way: a smaller park would be better for hitting, or people may notice he doesn’t have an arm.
8. Vernon Wells, Blue Jays – We’re still waiting for his play to catch up to the hype.
9. Torii Hunter, Twins – May start slow, as he isn’t 1005 from last season’s injury.
10. Brad Wilkerson, Rangers – Going from one extreme park to the other. Look for an increase in power numbers.
11. Coco Crisp, Red Sox – Coco could shoot up the list now that he isn’t hitting in Jacobs Field.
12. Randy Winn, Giants – 2nd half spurt was a fluke, but he is a solid player with good, but aging hitter around him.
13. Aaron Rowand, Phillies – Hopefully a change of scenery should get his bat back on track.
14. Brady Clark, Brewers – May be on the way out if Weeks, Hall, and Hardy play better.
15. Willy Taveras, Astros – After a strong debut, he should continue to contribute.
16. David DeJesus, Royals – The next player to price himself out of KC.
17. Mark Kotsay, Athletics – If the back is healthy, he should do well. If not, he could play his way out of Oakland.
18. Rocco Baldelli, Devil Rays – 2 injuries to come back from, and multiple prospects to take his place if he fails.
19. Mike Cameron, Padres – Still better defensively than offensively, but should do well this year.
20. Brian Anderson, White Sox – Potential Rookie of the Year candidate.
Right Field
1. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels – His signing a few seasons ago was genius. He will continue to produce.
2. Bobby Abreu, Phillies – One of the best 5-tool players in the majors. Should rebound from Homer overload at the All Star Game.
3. Gary Sheffield, Yankees – Sheff’s shoulders may bother him again, but he will put up the same numbers. A decline will be coming soon.
4. ICHIRO, Mariners – He should have left Seattle when he had the chance. He will be solid but imagine him in a better line up.
5. JD Drew, Dodgers – He will play well, when healthy. I think he will duplicate his Atlanta numbers.
6. Jeff Francoeur, Braves – Frenchie will continue what he started in debut.
7. Geoff Jenkins, Brewers – One of the most under rated players in baseball.
8. Milton Bradley, Athletics – Laid-back atmosphere will help anger problems.
9. Jermaine Dye, White Sox – World Series MVP will continue what he has done.
10. Kevin Mench, Rangers – Team will rely on him to pick up some offense lost by Soriano trade.
11. Jose Guillen, Nationals – Will be slowed by wrist problems, but should have a decent season.
12. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers – Should bounce back from unlucky injury.
13. Reggie Sanders, Royals – Enjoyed a career year before a freak injury. Won’t happen with the lineup in KC.
14. Jeremy Hermida, Marlins – Along with Cabrera, he will be the nucleus of the future Marlins.
15. Jay Gibbons, Orioles – Has a big contract to live up to. Hasn’t shown why he got it though.
16. Moises Alou, Giants – Had a few good recent seasons, but slowly fading away.
17. Austin Kearns, Reds – Retained over Wily Mo based off of potential.
18. Brad Hawpe, Rockies – Any power hitter can look good in Colorado.
19. Xavier Nady, Mets – Trade to Mets will give him an opportunity to play.
20. Jason Kubel, Twins – 2004 Minor League Batting Champ should get a good amount of playing time after missing last season with a bad knee.
DH
1. David Ortiz, Red Sox – Big Papi is one of the top hitters in the game; too bad his fielding isn’t.
2. Travis Hafner, Indians – Really broke out over the last 2 years. Should see some time at first.
3. Shea Hillenbrand, Blue Jays – Squeezed out of the field by Overbay, but should play better as DH.
4. Jonny Gomes, Devil Rays – There’s so much talent in the D-Rays OF that he gets most of the DH time.
5. Dmitri Young, Tigers – Delmon’s big brother can still hit. Could be traded to a contender at the deadline.
6. Frank Thomas, Athletics – Getting past his prime, but still has a little left.
7. Juan Rivera, Angels – Needs regular playing time to break out, but it should come soon.
8. Phil Nevins, Rangers – Struggled last year, but a full year in Texas should fix his problems.
9. Carl Everett, Mariners – Didn’t hit well in a hitter’s park, so don’t expect too much this year.
10. Rondell White, Twins – Should add some pop to a flat offense.
Around the Pulse
See part 1 for the pimps.
