Kelly Shoppach as the backup C because no way Wedge runs with only one catcher and all the other FA catchers are terribad.
Marcum or Oswalt on a one-year deal because please no more Hector Noesi.
Nick Franklin and a reliever (say Pryor) to Detroit for Rick Porcello and stuff because these teams line up perfectly.
#1 SP Felix
#2 SP Kuma
#3 SP Erasmo
#4 SP Rick
#5 SP Marcum
CL Wilhelmsen
RH Capps
LH Furbush
RH Kelley
LH Perez
RH Kinney
LH Luetge
1. Ackley 2B
2. Seager 3B
3. Morales DH
4. Morse 1B
5. Montero C
6. Saunders LF
7. Gutierrez CF
8. Wells RF
9. Ryan SS
Andino
Shoppach
Ibanez
Liddi
Gutierrez and Morse each get one day off per week vs. RHP because they're injury prone. Wells gets one day off per week vs. RHP because platoon splits. On Guti's day off Saunders moves to center and Ibanez plays LF. On Morse's day off Morales plays 1B and Ibanez DHes. On Wells' day off Saunders takes RF and Ibanez plays LF. Morales gets one day off per week vs. LHP because he's recovering from an exploded ankle; on that day Montero DHes and Shoppach catches. Montero gets one day off per week vs. RHP because catchers need to rest; on that day Shoppach catches. Andino is the defensive replacement for extra innings when you want to pinch hit for Ryan. He also gets occasional SS starts if Ryan's hurt. Liddi is mostly just in case of emergency, but against tough LHPs he can spell Ackley by playing 3B and moving Seager to 2B.
.
Right about one year ago, we celebrated the 1977 White Sox. They went from 97 losses to 90 wins, making Bill James' top ten all-time list of unlikely reversals. They did it precisely by punting defense.
Not only did they go from 65 wins to 90, but that's actually how much they improved, in one winter, by stockpiling DH's. They went from 586 runs to 844 runs in one winter. Their pitching got a little worse; actually it's safe to assume their pitching didn't get worse. :- ) But in 1977, the Sox had a 114 offense and a 97 pitching - plenty to make a run at the World Serious.
Mo' Dawg, who watched them play, summed it up neatly:
.
Oscar Gamble had bigger hair than Billy Preston, but the guy could flat out hit.
Richie Zisk was one of my favorite players of the era. Couldn't catch a cold but rattled shots around major league parks with regularity.
Man, Joge Orta was that team's 2B. He was a bat first/ glove third type of guy, too. He led the league in 2B errors 4 times!
Not many guys remember Brian Downing, but he was a terrific offensive catcher at times.
Ralph Garr played OF like he was on roller skates......on ice.....on drugs. He could hit, though. That team was lots of fun to watch.
They also had Chet Lemon raking, in CF, and Eric Soderholm was sort of the Ben Zobrist of his day.
.............
| Position | OPS+ |
| C | 75 |
| 1B | 87 |
| 2B | 79 |
| SS | 61 |
| 3B | 110 |
| LF | 99 |
| CF | 110 |
| RF | 84 |
| DH | 95 |
So it's pretty interesting to see a few things shaking out here. First of all, remember Jesus Montero's career splits?
| Pos | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| as C | .309 | .350 | .493 |
| as DH | .242 | .285 | .356 |
For some reason that Dr. D has NEVER understood, 99,000 fans in the stands have sworn up-and-down that Montero can't catch. What they know that we don't, who knows. But let's suppose for a second that he can - and that, with the gear on every day, he rakes like the pheenom he's always been. That's a pretty good step towards the 1977 Sox, a catcher who hits .300 and slugs near .500.
Kendrys Morales was gaining steam like a runaway locomotive in 2012, and he's playing for a contract this year, so let's lay him out his 2011, and give Morse his 2011 also:
| AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| Morales DH | .306 | .355 | .569 |
| Morse 1B | .303 | .360 | .550 |
| Montero C | .309 | .350 | .493 |
Now, you've got to include the CF and 3B who actually did hit last year. And let's merge Wells 2012 vs LHP with Ibanez 2012 vs RHP:
| AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| Morales DH | .306 | .355 | .569 |
| Morse 1B | .303 | .360 | .550 |
| Montero C | .309 | .350 | .493 |
| Seager 3B | 110 OPS+ | ||
| Saunders CF | 110 OPS+ | ||
| Ibanez/Wells LF | .255 | .330 | .510 |
You still have your SS/2B combo, so you get to hope for Ackley to assume his throne, and all you're left with is a deal for a corner outfielder. I'll give five or six players out of the #2 farm system in baseball and .... settle for Stanton, I guess.
Ready the Yoo-Hoo shower,
Dr D
Comments
Realistically, you may have to spend the dinero on pitching... still not sure where the payroll's at; looks like you got room to ramble still...
Let's see, your three card monte left me a little blurry-eyed amigo but ... you've always got two premium defensive OF's in there with Ibanez, no? Either Wells or Saunders in a corner at all times?
You've mentioned Shoppach a few times. Any general reason, other than availability? Has anybody figured out what Kottaras is (momentarily) unemployed?
Call it ~20 WAR on the pitching side. 6 from Felix, 3 each from Iwakuma and Porcello, 2 each from Marcum and Erasmo, and 4 from the bullpen. On offense... 1 WAR from Shoppach, 0.5 from Ibanez. 1.5 WAR each from Ackley, Wells, and Morse. 2 each from Montero and Ryan. 3 each from Seager, Saunders, Morales and Guti. So 42 WAR, plaus replacement level... pegs the Mariners as something like an 85/86 win team. Pending, of course, Ackley/Montero breakouts. Say 110 on both sides of the ball?
Plenty of cash left over after Morse. 'Sides, Porcello and Shoppach are cheap. Yes, Ibanez is never in the outfield without two other premium defenders.
As for Shoppach, he's just the best FA catcher left available. I suppose you could trade a guy to get someone better, but Zunino'll be here in June... d'you really want to give up talent for a half-season stopgap?
Not too far off on the lineup stuff, thirteen. Wish it wasn't Rauuuuuullll* there, however. But I can live with it.
* = Arrrrgh.
Thanks for the White Sox props, Doc. Some of my best writing (unfortunately)! One of my favorite teams to watch. But, then, I loved to watch George Gervin, too.
moe
BTW: Franklin as McLemore has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Also, if Romero whacks the snot out of ST, does he get an early call? Do we Catricala him? Is Catricala the warning against an early call (like every other team does) or is he the reason why you do it?
And a funny question for you...how much worse than Jaso is Kottaras? You know...the guy who is USED to playing back-up catcher and slugging .400+.
If I'm Z...I snap Kottaras up in a heartbeat...I then go ahead and spend some jack on Shaun Marcum and offer the universe for Giancarlo Stanton.
You know how we got rid of Jaso because he couldn't frame pitches and he was mediocre-to-bad at everything else behind the plate? Kottaras is a worse defender than Jaso.
Bryan Anderson is a 26 year old lefty-hitting catcher with D (30% CS rate, 74PB in 630 games in the minors) who never hit it off in St. Louis, and ended up as a minor league free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the White Sox this off-season. He OPSed ~.750 in the minors, but
'cause Jaso and Kottaras are apples-to-apples and Beane broke his arm flushing the toilet so hard.
M's will certainly go for a glove-first C to combine with Montero. There isn't any question about it.
Looks like a promising Zunino Lite for some org, though not sure how the timing is for us right now ...
Interesting 'put Bat...