 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
We asked a panel of DMBL batting greats who they think should win the Kevin Mitchell Award, presented annually to the league's top pitcher. Batting Leaders
Just Give It To Me
Already
You want to talk about numbers? OK,
how about that I led the league in on-base percentage (.459), slugging
percentage (.696), OPS of course (1.155), runs created (157.9), runs
created per 27 outs (12.7), isolated power (.363), total average
(1.373) and AB/HR (9.8). I was second in intentional walks (15) and
secondary average (.588); third in home runs (48) and walks (105); tied
for third in batting average (.333); sixth in RBIs (120); ninth in
total bases (328) and tied for ninth in extra base hits (74). And
remember, I did it all in just 133 games! Give me a full season and I
would have led the league with 59 home runs and 146 RBIs. And if I
picked up four extra hits over those 29 games, I'd have won my second
Triple Crown, too! Damn... I guess I shouldn't have sat out those last
29 games. Well, hell, I was tired! You try carrying a team on your back
all season long! With me, this team is 6th in BA (.277), 4th in OBP
(.344), 8th in SLG (.436) and 6th in OPS (.780). Without me, they're
7th in BA (.272), tied for 10th in OBP (.324), 9th in SLG (.413) and
9th in OPS (.737). No offense to my teammates, but without me, y'all
are the Vancouver Iron Fist. Since this award is based on regular
season performance, I won't mention how I did in the post-season this
year (.348, 1.496 OPS, 10 HR, 15 R, 19 RBI in 14 games). Let's compare my numbers this year to
the stats put up by some of the punks who robbed me of my glory in
recent years. Hillsborough's Carlos Delgado
won it three years ago, when this team was playing in Vatican City.
That year, I hit .315 with a
1.138 OPS, 55 HR and 148 RBI; Delgado hit .345, but with a 1.109 OPS,
41 HR and 138 RBI. And I did it in 21 less games! I guess that year
batting average was the most important stat, huh? Well, too bad for
Delgado -- he had some decent numbers this year (.381 OBP, .494 SLG,
.875 OPS, 31 HR, 104 R, 91 RBI, 123.7 RC), but his batting average fell
all the way to .260. Jim Thome
took my award last year. He put up 65 HR, 138 R and 154 RBI, and I had
51 HR, 134 R
and 144 RBI. No contest, right? Not unless you factor in that I hit
.359 and a 1.239 OPS, to his measly .314, 1.210! Well, I guess batting
average wasn't important last
year. Thome had a decent year for the Sugar Bears (.257, .380 OBP, .563
SLG, .943 OPS, 34 HR, 91 R, 96 RBI), but nobody is going to be giving
him my award this year. The same goes for the other active players who have a Mitch on their shelf and had good-but-not-great years in 2004: Hoboken's Ryan Klesko (.284, .905 OPS, 25 HR, 62 RBI in 363 AB); Vancouver's Sammy Sosa (.239, .807 OPS, 46 HR, 111 RBI in 598 AB); or my teammates, Juan Gonzalez (.261, .824 OPS, 26 HR, 74 RBI in 333 AB) and Larry Walker (.283, .801 OPS, 3 HR, 31 RBI in 244 AB).
So that's it. I won it two years ago,
I should have won it last year and the year before that. And I will win
it this year, next year and probably the year after that. So if you
want
the Mitch, have a good season in 2007. Until then, you gotta wait your
turn. Barry Bonds is an arrogant prick, but he can mash with the all-time greats. Selected in the 9th round (#44 overall) of the inaugural DMBL draft by the Golden Falcons, he has never played for another team. Give Somebody Else
A Chance!
Gary Sheffield
had a monster season. First he carried the woeful Rats almost to a .500
record over the first quarter of the season (.312, .411 OBP, .624 SLG,
16 HR, 37 RBI in 202 PA), then he joined Matthew's Mighty Men of
Stanhope and almost led them to a division title (.331, .407 OBP, .632
SLG, 31 HR, 104 RBI in 506 PA). Combined between the two teams, the
Sheff -- who has never won a Mitch Award during his 10 years in the
DMBL, despite hitting .293 with a .490 SLG, .388 OBP in 5202 career ABs
-- led the league in RBIs (141) and sac flies (13) and ranked 2nd in
SLG (.630), runs (123), runs created (151.7) and total bases (379);
tied for 2nd in OPS (1.038); 3rd in total average (1.104), extra base
hits (88) and runs created per 27 outs (9.2); tied for 4th in isolated
power (.304); 5th in BA (.326) and secondary average (.447); tied for
5th in HR (47); 6th in OBP (.408) and tied for 8th in hits (196). How
does he compare head-to-head with Bonds? Well, Barry beat him in BA
(.333-.326), OBP (.459-408), SLG (.696-.630) and OPS (1.155-1.038), but
Sheff came out on top in hits (196-157), doubles (40-25), runs
(123-107) and RBIs (141-120). Bonds also edged him in home runs
(48-47). Of course, Sheffield had 111 more plate appearances -- but
that's because he missed just three games all season, while Bonds sat
out 29. Neither player is known primarily for his glove, but Sheffield
plays the more demanding position (right field) and had all-around
better fielding numbers than Bonds, who actually DH'd in about a third
of his games played this season. If you overlook his batting average
(.263), Honolulu's Jason Giambi had another
terrific campaign, but he too is waiting for his first Mitchell Award.
Giambi, batting in the heart of the league's second-worst offense (.247
BA, .712 OPS, 711 runs), put up a .429 OBP (2nd), .608 SLG (3rd), 1.038
OPS (tied for 3rd) and 147.4 runs created (3rd). He led the league in
home runs (50), walks (140) and secondary average (.618) and was tied
for second in intentional walks (15). In the post-season, Giambi
continued to contribute despite a mediocre batting average (.262),
hitting 4 HRs for 7 R and 8 RBI in 12 games. Another guy who put up
huge numbers
despite a weak supporting cast was Carolina's Aubrey
Huff. The 26-year-old slugger, playing in just his second full DMBL
season, led the league in extra base hits (92), doubles (50) and total
bases (397), and was 2nd in BA (.338), hits (229); 4th in runs created
(142.4); tied for 4th in triples (8); 5th in runs (113); 6th in OPS
(.960) and SLG (.586); and had a 19-game hitting streak, tied for
fifth-longest this year. He also had an active 17-game hitting streak
going when the season ended. Other guys who hope strong '04
campaigns will result in their first-ever Mitch Award: Let's Try A New
Position  By Ryne
Sandberg In the 13-year history of the Kevin Mitchell Award, just one guy who played a position other than OF, DH or 1B has won it. One! And did you know who that one guy is? Bobby Bonilla, who won it as a "third baseman" in 1991. Bobby Bo may have had some nice numbers that season, but he wasn't exactly a great glove man, was he? I know that Bonds, Sheffield, Giambi, Huff, Pujols and Thome all put up monster numbers, but just about every team in the league gets monster numbers from those positions. But think of the tremendous advantage it gives a manager to get incredible production from a middle infielder or a catcher! Let's take a look at the players who contributed from elsewhere on the diamond. Casey Stengel once said, "If you don't have a catcher, you're going to have a lot of passed balls." Lots of teams were content to put a glove man behind the plate and let the other eight spots in the lineup do the damage: Hillsborough's Jason Varitek had 632 plate appearances despite hitting just .202 with a .279 OBP and a .372 SLG (.651 OPS), but he wasn't even the worst: five other catchers had at least 200 plate appearances with an OPS lower than Varitek's! Imagine the extra punch a lineup gets when the catcher is actually able to contribute.  The most
impressive season, by far, turned in by a catcher this season was
Phoenix's Javy Lopez. "The Other J-Lo" was 2nd
in RBIs (135); tied for 3rd in home runs (48); was 4th in slugging
percentage (.604) and AB/HR (12.2); 5th in total bases (353); 7th in
isolated power (.295); tied for 7th in extra base hits (76); was 8th in
total average (.959); 9th in runs created (123.3); and tied for 9th in
batting average (.310) and runs created per 27 outs (7.9). He was 5th
in OPS (.961), behind two outfielders (Barry Bonds
and Gary Sheffield), a first baseman (Jason Giambi) and a designated hitter (Edgar Martinez). Another way of looking at it:
Lopez had 123.3 runs created, while the "league average" catcher was
worth about 55.5, roughly what Honolulu's Jason
Kendall did this season (.268 BA, .705 OPS, 57.3 RC in 501 PA). The
difference between Lopez and the theoretical league-average catcher is
67.8 runs, or roughly the difference between Sheffield (151.7 RC) and D'Angelo Jimenez (82.8 RC)! Even more remarkably,
the difference between Lopez and the runner-up catcher is a whopping
36.3 runs created, the largest gap between 1st and 2nd place at any
position. By comparison, Barry Bonds beat out
the runner-up outfielder (Gary Sheffield)
by just 6.2 runs created.Other catchers who turned in strong 2004 campaigns were Columbia's Ivan Rodriguez (.307, .830 OPS, 45 2B, 74 R), who was that "runner-up" in runs created by a catcher (87.0); Hoboken-Newark's Greg Myers (.282, .823 OPS, 20 HR, 76 RBI, 84.0 RC); Stanhope's Jorge Posada (.285, .867 OPS, 25 HR, 79 RBI) and Tijuana's Ramon Hernandez (.323, .855 OPS, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 83.7 RC). Another position where offense is chronically anemic is shortstop. Eight shortstops had OPS's of .700 or less, and only half of the league's teams could count on better than 80 runs created from the #6 position. But while the "league average" shortstop was putting up about 70.5 runs created -- a production level on par with Carolina's Angel Berroa (.258 BA, .682 OPS, 69.7 RC in 649 PA) -- three teams had shortstops actually breaking the 100-runs created plateau, ranking them among the top hitters in the DMBL! By far, the leading hitter --  and one of the strongest Mitchell
Award candidates -- is Tijuana's Edgar Renteria,
who had the league's longest hitting streak -- 31 games, just one short
of the all-time record set in 1997 by Newark's Jim
Eisenreich. Renteria led the league in hits (230) and runs (124);
was 2nd in stolen base percentage (.815); tied for 2nd in doubles (49);
tied for 3rd in batting average (.333); was 4th in stolen bases (22);
tied for 4th in intentional walks (13); was 6th in runs created
(131.6), the most runs created from any position other than 1B or OF;
was 7th in OBP (.399); and was one of just four players to play in 163
games this season... The other two shortstops to crack the 100-RC
barrier were Harrison's Melvin Mora (.306,
.877 OPS, 33 2B, 110 R, 119.2 RC in 700 PA) and Hillsborough's Alex Rodriguez (.274, .884 OPS, 49 HR, 116
RBI)... Three other perennial candidates from the shortstop position
had good but not great seasons: Honolulu's Miguel
Tejada (.268, .752 OPS, 21 2B, 85 RBI); Phoenix's Nomar Garciaparra (.276, .781 OPS, 10 3B, 92 R)
and Stanhope's Derek Jeter (.297, .735 OPS,
28 2B, 112 R).The other up-the-middle position, second base, had an even weaker pool. In fact, the "league-average" second baseman was good for just 58.1 runs created, just slightly more offense than what was contributed by the average catcher! The only Mitchell Award candidate from this group was Newark's Marcus Giles. The diminutive rookie stood head-and-shoulders above the competition by generating 127 runs -- about 69 more runs than the average second baseman. That makes him even more valuable to his squad than Lopez was relative to the average catcher, or Renteria compared to the average shortstop! My colleague Deion Sanders will take a closer look at Giles's accomplishments in the rookie section, below. Third base, like shortstop, is another "feast or famine" position where teams have either a very good hitter -- and a Mitchell Award candidate -- or a very bad one. Five third basemen played nearly every day despite contributing an OPS below .700, an exercise in futility led by Honolulu's Joe Randa (.233, .634 OPS, 42.3 RC in 480 PA). The league-average third baseman produced about 78.5 runs, or slightly worse than the numbers put up by Columbia's  Placido Polanco
(.281, .747 OPS, 80.4 RC in 670
PA). That's why it's so nice when a manager can pencil a guy like Corey Koskie into the lineup. The 30-year-old
third baseman started the year in Harrison, hitting an incredible .365
with a .444 OBP in 104 AB, before getting traded to Westwood in the
deal that sent Carlos Beltran to the Rats.
Koskie continued his hot hitting, leading all DMBL third baseman in OBP
(.414) and runs created (119.8), while hitting .314 with an .890 OPS,
40 2B, 86 R and 76 RBI. Newark's Bill Mueller
also had a strong year from the hot corner, hitting an even .300 (.885
OPS) with 44 2B, 20 HR, 105 R, 121 RBI and 118.3 RC. Right behind them
was Stanhope's Mike Lowell, who led all third
basemen with 47 HRs, and hit .286 with a .950 OPS, 107 RBI and 115.2
RC. Vancouver's Eric Chavez hit .289 (.827
OPS) with 42 2B, 110 R and 103.9 RC. The only other third baseman to
have at least 100 runs created was Tijuana's Hank
Blalock, who also will be talked about in our rookie
section."Ryno" was a key member of the Austin Outlaw dynasty that went 388-248 (.610 W%) and finished first in the league or the division each year between 1991-1994. A player representative during the 1995 lock-out, Sandberg was so embittered by the negotiations that he also sat out all of '96. He would return in '97 and play two more seasons, ending his career with a .289 BA, .818 SLG, 144 2B, 121 HR and 515 RBI, all as a second baseman.
The best candidate might be a
25-year-old, 5-foot, 8-inch tall second baseman taken with the 264th
pick of the 2003 draft. Marcus Giles was
invited to spring training and given a chance to win a job as a utility
infielder, but he surpassed all expectations by crushing the ball all
spring, winning the starting job at second base. Opposing pitchers are
still trying to discover how to get him out. In his debut season, Giles
hit .319 (.916 OPS) with 198 hits, 49
doubles, 28 home runs, 110 runs and 107 RBIs, in just 149 games. Those
numbers are particularly impressive when you compare them to the
league's other second baseman: He led all players at his position in
BA, OBP (.376), SLG (.540), OPS,
hits, doubles, extra base hits (79), total bases (335), runs, runs
created (127.0),
runs created per 27 outs (7.6), secondary average (.324) and total
average (.929). And it wasn't even close: Tijuana's Bret
Boone was the runner-up in runs created (127.0 to 106.7), RC/27
(7.6 to 5.9), total average (.929 to .799) and OPS (.916 to .829).
Giles also is a terrific defender, tying for 4th among
DMBL second basemen in fielding percentage (.986) and ranking 5th in
total chances per game (5.34). Giles wasn't the only "Sugar Cub" this
season: Newark, in addition to having three rookies in their starting
rotation, also got veteran production from rookies Hideki
Matsui (.299, .804 OPS, 35 2B, 67 RBI in 398 PA) and Jeff DaVanon (318, .889 OPS, 41 R, 40 RBI in 301
PA). Tijuana's 22-year-old third baseman, Hank Blalock, also turned in an outstanding
freshman campaign. Blalock, drafted by the Banditos in the 6th round
(#76 overall) of the 2002 draft, was stashed away for two years in the
minors. Stanhope's Nick Johnson is not truly rookie, having lost his eligiblity after sitting on Stanhope's bench for the entire 2003 season, but the 24-year-old first baseman played in every game this season and acquitted himself quite well (.285, .394 OBP, .870 SLG, 26 HR, 114 R, 104 RBI, 101 BB). Johnson's teammate, 25-year-old Milton Bradley, is another first-year non-rookie. The switch-hitting outfielder also burst onto the DMBL scene this year, hitting .327 (.933 OPS) with 42 2B, 61 R and 71 RBI in just 420 plate appearances. Big things are expected from both youngsters for years to come. Deion Sanders had one of the greatest years in DMBL history with the Cheyenne Warhawks in 1993 (.384 BA, 1.056 OPS, 295 H, 62 3B, 164 RBI), but then quit baseball to pursue a career in professional football. Brief comeback attempts in 1996 (.212, .598 OPS) and 1998 (.234, .577 OPS) didn't go very well, and now "Prime Time" is back in the NFL as a cornerback with the Baltimore Ravens.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The experts polled are not affiliated with the DMBL, yet they are more than happy to offer their expertise. Other questions answered by the experts can be found in our Press Box Archive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Barry Bonds
By Kevin Mitchell
Carolina's Jim
Edmonds (.249, .900 OPS, 45 HR, 111 RBI);
Columbia's Trot Nixon (.286, .976 OPS, 32 HR,
83 RBI, 21 IBB); Newark's Manny Ramirez (.295,
.866 OPS, 28 HR, 112 RBI); Philly's Albert Pujols (.303,
.944 OPS, 41 HR, 132 RBI) and Magglio Ordonez (.307,
.881 OPS, 47 2B, 128 RBI); Phoenix's Luis Gonzalez
(.340, .945 OPS, 40 2B, 76 RBI); Stanhope's Todd Helton (.294, .834 OPS, 43 2B, 111 R);
Tijuana's Vladimir Guerrero (.310, .929 OPS,
35 HR, 100 RBI); and Vancouver's Edgar Martinez (.298,
.962 OPS, 32 HR, 110 R). 
By Deion
Sanders
Y'all know I rewrote the record book in
'93. Eleven years later, nobody has come close to topping my .384
batting average or my 295 hits that year, and let's not even talk about
my 62 triples -- hell yeah, 62 triples. But maybe y'all didn't know
that I put up those numbers as a 
He finally made his debut this season
and rewarded the Banditos for their patience, hitting .322 (.890 OPS)
with 35 2B, 27 HR, 79 R and 88 RBI (105.0 RC) in 622 PA. Among rookies,
Blalock was 1st in batting average and behind only Giles in 2B and
RC... The second-youngest batter taken in this year's draft, Hoboken's Miguel Cabrera (born April 18, 1983), has a very
long and lucrative career ahead of him if he can live up to the promise
of his first taste of the DMBL this season (.310, .898 OPS, 16 HR, 54
RBI in 360 PA). Having Cabrera in a Cutter uniform for the forseeable
future will make Hoboken fans a little less bitter about the rookie the
franchise selected 42 spots earlier, Morgan Ensberg,
who apparently couldn't handle the hype of being the fifth pick of the
2004 draft (.236, .667 OPS in 662 PA). But the biggest bust by a rookie
batter this season was turned in by Honolulu's first-round pick (#10
overall), Bo Hart, who hit just .229 (.590
OPS) in 590 PA.