Troy Tulowitzki vs. Hanley Ramirez

Posted by Brady

Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of MLB Network. And for those of you who do not have MLB Network, they are currently running a 10 part series called “Top 1o Right Now”. They go through all nine positions on the baseball diamond, and manager, to determine who the best is right now. And while most of the positions should be pretty easy to figure out (Pujols, Mauer, Longoria, Cano, blah, blah, blah) I got to thinking about the shortstop position. And for my money, it comes down to two players. Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez. The difficult thing about deciding who the better player is how much weight you put on different aspects of the game. Especially with players this similar.

There is a reason Troy Tulowitzki has a Gold Glove, and Hanley Ramirez doesn't. We might as well be comparing Derek Jeter to Ozzie Smith.

Both Tulowitzki and Ramirez are middle of the order hitting shortstops with power oozing out of them. For their careers their ISO is virtually the same. Tulowitzki at .205 and Ramirez at .207.  Not only do they have virtually the same amount of power, they strike out at similar rates. 18.1% for Ramirez. 19.1% for Tulowitzki.

One however could make a case that Ramirez is very lucky, having never posted a BABIP under .327. His career mark is a spit-take inducing .347. Tulowitzki’s .319 mark seems paltry by comparison.  Keeping in mind that Ramirez is doing this in Sun Life Stadium.

Park Factors have that at a 105 (above 100 favors hitters, under 100  favors pitchers) and Tulowitzki is putting on his clinic at Coors Field, which comes in at 115!

This seems to be one time where Coors Field  comes into play. When it comes to OPS+ (which adjusts for ballparks) Troy Tulowitzki comes in at 114. Though, over the last two years he’s put up an OPS+ of 134. Compared to Hanley Ramirez’s 135 career mark, and 136 over the last two years.

I just find it AMAZING that Hanley Ramirez is a short stop. His bat plays anywhere. Stick him at first, and leave him there. Forever.

Since these are both shortstops, we would be hapless to not mention defensive contributions. There is a reason Troy Tulowitzki has a Gold Glove, and Hanley Ramirez doesn’t. We might as well be comparing Derek Jeter to Ozzie Smith. Tulowitzki has given Colorado 20.4 UZR and Hanley Ramirez has given Florida -39.3 UZR. As a former middle infielder, that makes me cry. Ramirez has negative marks in every advanced defensive metric imaginable. Where as Tulowitzki has positive marks in them all, except RngR (Range Runs Above Average). He has a career mark of -3.2. Hanley Ramirez? -24.6. That means that he has to almost go to the left when the ball goes to his right. I just find it AMAZING that Hanley Ramirez is a short stop. His bat plays anywhere. Stick him at first, and leave him there. Forever.

Doing this research just cemented what I already believed. Troy Tulowitzki is the best short stop in baseball. He may hit less away, but who doesn’t?

If I am the head of an expansion team, I am doing everything I can to get Troy Tulowitzki at my short stop position. And leaving Hanley Ramirez in a galaxy far, far away.

NL Silver Slugger Awards

Joey Votto was phenomenal for the Reds this year, and played a huge part in getting the Reds a playoff birth. He has a shot at winning this years NL MVP

Posted by Wilchiro

A couple of days ago, BaconSlayer09 talked about the American League Gold Glove awards, as the love affair with overrated shortstop Derek Jeter continues. Needless to say, many people believe that the Gold Glove Awards are just turning into jokes, as voters look are now turning to fame instead of using statistics to determine their votes. Today, I am going to be discussing the National League Silver Slugger Awards, and making my picks based on stats, not fame.

Catcher: Brian McCann (ATL) - McCann was arguably the second best catcher in baseball this season, and he well deserves this award. He had the highest overall WAR of 5.3 over every other NL catcher, to go along with more power, as he hit 21 homeruns and 77 RBIs. His triple slash line of .269/.375/.453 was also among the top in that category. Runner Ups: Carlos Ruiz (PHI), Buster Posey (SF), Geovany Soto (CHC).

First Base: Joey Votto (CIN) – You might be wowed to see that Albert Pujols is not my selection for this award, but he is not far behind. Votto led the league in WAR on the year with an impressive 7.4 mark, to go along with 37 homeruns and 113 RBIs. His triple slash line of .324/.424/.600 beat out Pujols in all three categories as well. Runner Ups: Albert Pujols (STL), Aubrey Huff (SF), Adrian Gonzalez (SD).

Second Base: Dan Uggla (FLA) – Although Dan Uggla did not lead the NL in WAR, he did lead all 2B in the league with 33 homeruns and 105 RBIs. His triple slash line of .287/.369/.508 was near the top in the league, as Uggla netted an All-Star appearence this summer. Even through all of the possible trade talk within the last few days, My pick is for Dan Uggla to win the 2B Silver Slugger in the National League. Runner Ups: Rickie Weeks (MIL), Brandon Phillips (CIN), Chase Utley (PHI).

Despite leading all NL 3B in WAR, Ryan Zimmerman did not land a spot in the All-Star game, though a Silver Slugger award is well deserved

Third Base: Ryan Zimmerman (WAS) – Although David Wright of the New York Mets could put up a debate for the award, my pick is for the young 3B of the Washington Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman. He led all 3B in the league with a 7.2 WAR, beating everyone by 2+ whole points in that category. After barely missing this years All-Star game, Zimmerman slugged 25 HR and 85 RBIs to go along with a slash line of .307/.388/.503. Runner Ups: David Wright (NYM), Scott Rolen (CIN), Placido Polanco (PHI).

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki (COL) – This was another relatively easy pick. Many people thought that Hanley Ramirez could make a run for the award, but Tulo beat him by a landslide. After an electric September, “Tulo” finished with a .315/.381/.568 slash line, beating all shortstops in those categories. He also slugged 27 HRs and 95 RBIs on the season. Runner Ups: Hanley Ramirez (FLA), Stephen Drew (ARZ), Starlin Castro (CHC).

Left Field: Carlos Gonzalez (COL) – This was a tougher decision. I really that that Cards’ LF Matt Holliday could put up a strong case for the award, but after an abseulute break-out season, I have to give it to him. Afterall, he did slug 34 HRs with 117 RBIs, while maintaining a triple slash line of .336/.376/.598 to go along with it. Runner Ups: Matt Holliday (STL), Ryan Braun (MIL), Josh Willingham (WAS).

After suffering a month of injuries, Troy Tulowitzki was fantastic in September, slugging over half of his season total homeruns during that time

Center Field: Chris Young (ARZ) – Many people might question my pick for Chris Young, but I have my reasons. Many people might say that Torres, Rasmus, or McCutchen deserve the award, but all three relied on luck as opposed to skill for the majority of the season. Young posted a .296 BABIP, while Torres had a .331, Rasmus had a .354, and McCutchen had a .311. Young also had the highest amount of HRs in the league among CF’s  with 27, and the highest amount of RBI’s with 91. Runner Ups: Andrew McCutchen (PIT), Andres Torres (SF), Colby Rasmus (STL).

Right Field: Corey Hart (MIL) – Why not Jayson Werth, Jay Bruce, or Jason Heyward? I’ll tell you why. Hart posted more HRs and RBIs then any other RF in the league with 31 and 102, while maintaining a solid triple slash line of .283/.340/.525. He also relied on more skill as opposed to luck, posting a .324 BABIP on the year, down from Werth’s mark of .352, Bruce’s mark of .334, and Heyward’s mark of .335. Runner Ups: Jayson Werth (PHI), Jason Heyward (ATL), Jay Bruce (CIN).

Note: These predictions are not those of the Pine Tar and Pocket Protectors Writing Team. If you disagree with these rankings and are dissatisfied with them, please send all hate mail to Wilchiro.

Breaking Down Hanley Ramirez

Posted by Wilchiro

Hanley Ramirez is the 26 year old Shortstop for the Florida Marlins. He was brought over to Florida in a deal that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston, which heavily favored them at the time.

Hanley Ramirez is arguably one of the best players in baseball.

Things have changed since then. Hanley is now arguably one of the best SS in the game, and he is one of those rare Shortstops throughout baseball that will give you speed, Batting Average, Power, and a cannon for an arm. There is only one other SS throughout the game that can be described by those words, and his name is Troy Tulowitzki. Hanley Ramirez is consistent with the numbers that he puts up year after year. In five years in the pros, Hanley has posted a .300 average in four of them. People with knowledge of the game say that a WAR of five or better is All-Star caliber material. Ramirez has posted a five WAR or better in three of his five seasons, combining for a 28.5 WAR overall. His power is legit for a SS, as he has posted 20 or more homeruns throughout his exceptional career. He is a big speed source, as he has posted 25 or more stolen bases every year of his career, and 50 or more twice.

As quoted by David Golebiewski of FanGraphs, “For most major league shortstops, a .300/.378/.475 slash line would be a cause for celebration.” Not for Hanley Ramirez. Some say that Hanley Ramirez has had a “Down” season. In a certain sense, that is the case. H-Ram has posted a .327 BABIP on the season, a career worst, and down from his projected xBABIP. He has also posted a 51.0 GB%, something that needs to be taken into account when looking at his shortage of pop on the season. His wOBA on the season of .373 is also considerably low, and his OPS of .853 is low, which are more factors of an unlucky season. His Defense is also well below average, as shown by a combined  -10.2 UZR on the season. For conventional fans, his Fielding Percentage for this year was a measley .971.

But even this “Down” season does not stop Hanley from being one of the premier shortstops of the game. He was still 2nd in AVG, 2nd in OBP, 2nd in OPS, 2nd in wOBA, 2nd in SLG, and 2nd in BABIP. In a typical season, he would have won each of these categories easily, blowing his opponents away, even in the Homerun and RBI categories.

Even in this "Down" season, H-Ram has posted exceptional numbers.

If Hanley Ramirez were set on the trade block this offseason, teams from all around the MLB would offer overwhelming packages to get him… afterall, he is one of the premier shortstops in the game, and he’s affordable. One Dodger fan I know even says that he would require an Albert Pujols-esque package, or certainly close to one. Why wouldn’t the Marlins ask for that kind of a return? If the Marlins were indeed going to at least dangle him this offseason and see what he could net, there are a number of teams that would show interest.

In the American League, The Red Sox, the team that originally traded him away, Could offer a package consisting of Casey Kelly, Jose Inglesias, and Josh Reddick. The up and coming Baltimore Orioles might have interest, and could offer several appealing pieces including Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, and Mychal Givens. The Tigers could be interested, and could offer a package built around Jacob Turner or Casey Crosby. The Mariners could show interest as they lack that big bopper in the middle of the lineup, and Michael Pineda could be involved. The Angels might like him, and could offer some nice pieces.

In the National League, The Giants would show sincere interest, with veteran Juan Uribe leaving to free agency. They might be willing to offer a solid package consisting of left handers Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner. The Padres might show limited interest, as it seems that Everth Cabrera is not panning out and they could be a division threat next year. If Orlando Cabrera does not resign with the Reds, they would be interested as well. The St. Louis Cards would show interest, but don’t have the pieces to acquire him in a deal. But of course, this all depends wheather H-Ram is made available in the first place.

To wrap my post up, Ramirez did have a down year, but I do not personally believe that this will be the case in next year’s MLB season. I think that it is a pretty safe assumption that Hanley will return to his typical Hanley Ramirez-esque numbers in 2011.