| Authored by Christopher Reina - 28th March, 2008 - 4:17 pm
 In the take this with a David Eckstein grain of sand category, we examined the statistics of the entire 2008 Spring Training and gleaned out the top performers based on our Field Impact Counter (in parenthesis below).
Click here for more information about the Field Impact Counter and the Reina Value
Hitters
1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (40.9)
His elbow may or not fall off soon, but there is zero doubt Pujols has been his normal extraordinary self this spring, slugging .793 with five homeruns and seven doubles.
2. Melvin Mora, Baltimore Orioles (40.6)
Mora is looking to be one of the lone productive spots on an otherwise rebuilding (I.e. horrible) Baltimore club. He is batting .440/.517/.740.
3. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers (39.3)
Crowded outfields are the themes for both Los Angeles-area teams, but Ethier is making a clear argument he deserves to be in right field on a daily basis. He has hit six homeruns to go with his .488 OBP.
4. Hunter Pence, Houston Astros (39.3)
The 2007 NL rookie class could become an extraordinary one with names like Troy Tulowitzki and Ryan Braun already household ones, but Pence could become the best of the group. He has hit four homeruns and seven doubles, giving him a .707 slugging percentage.
5. Eugenio Velez, San Francisco Giants (38.8)
He might be atrocious defensively, but his speed is really incredible. He has stolen 14 bases while maintaining an .807 OPS.
6. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees (37.7)
When will Cano finally move up in the Yankees lineup? He has a 1.158 OPS this spring in 60 at bats.
7. Joey Gathright, Kansas City Royals (37.1)
Gathright has stolen 11 bases to complement his .379 OBP.
8. Rafael Furcal, Los Angels Dodgers (35.5)
Furcal has surprisingly hit four homers this Spring to go with five triples (one more than he had in all of 2007!) and two doubles.
9. Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves (35.4)
Parado has hit eight doubles and has an OPS of .844 playing his way onto the roster as a utility man.
10. Chris Burke, Arizona Diamondbacks (35.3)
Burke has played well enough to make Bob Melvin make it a priority for him to see at bats whether it be at second, third or first. He has hit four homeruns and has a line of .362/.439/.724.
Pitchers (maximum 3.50 ERA)
1. Jared Weaver, Los Angeles Angels (133)
A Cy Young caliber pitcher will have a season FIC total of about 300, so these numbers are inflated since losses haven't added up, but there is no doubt Weaver has been very good, posting a 1.37 ERA, striking out 19 while walking just three.
2. John Maine, New York Mets (112)
Even though Johan Santana is now in Mets' orange and blue and has pitched well this Spring (21 K's in 20 innings/3.15 ERA), Maine has been even better. He has struck out 28 batters in 25.1 innings while maintaining a 1.78 ERA.
3. Darren O'Day, Los Angeles Angels (91)
The submarine slinger has struckout 14 batters over 16.2 innings.
4. Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds (87)
While Josh Hamilton looks ready for primetime in Texas, Volquez, who the Rangers had to give up, has been equally if not more impressive. He has struck out 26 batters in 20 innings while walking just four batters. He has a 2.70 ERA and won himself a place in the starting rotation.
5. Jake Westbrook, Cleveland Indians (84)
Westbrook hasn't give a single run over 14 spring innings while striking out 16 and walking just four.
6. Joe Nelson, Florida Marlins (82)
Nelson will begin 2008 in Triple-A despite an impressive spring where he posted a 2.70 ERA and struck out nine batters in 10 innings.
7. John Lannan, Washington Nationals (80)
Like Nelson, Lannan will begin the season in Triple-A even though he has pitched well enough to earn a spot with the big league club. He has given up just five earned runs over 20.2 innings while striking out 16.
Teammate Joel Hanrahan has also been superb, striking out 15 over 13 innings while giving up just two hits and two walks. He will begin 2008 in the bullpen as he is out of options.
8. Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds (78)
If Volquez works out, the Reds will have a surprisingly nice rotation since Arroyo and Aaron Harang (who also looks good this spring) are two of the most dependable starters in the NL. Arroyo has a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings of spring work.
9. Carlos Villanueva, Milwaukee Brewers (78)
Villanueva has earned a slot in the Brewers' rotation by yielding just seven earned runs in 24 innings while striking out 17.
10. Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies (77)
Myers returns to starting duties and posted a reliever like ERA of 1.13 while striking out seven over 16 innings.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of the Reina Value. |
