Ok, enough already. Admittedly, I’m a little old fashioned when it comes to baseball and sabermetrics. I’m coming around a little bit, though. While I still think the multiple formulas out there for WAR (wins above replacement) still seem awfully arbitrary to me, they generally seem to be in the neighborhood of making sense most of the time. Guys like Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Giancarlo Stanton, and Yadier Molina get justifiably awesome scores. Guys like Ryan Ludwick, Gordon Beckham, and Travis D’Arnaud get suitably poor scores. And perpetually and criminally underrated guys like Hunter Pence and Brett Gardner get a bit of deserved props. And then there’s the curious notion that Corey Kluber (excellent, don’t get me wrong) had a higher WAR than Kershaw. Just sayin’, who would you rather have as your number one guy?

Then there are stats like UZR (don’t worry, we’re getting to pitch framing in a second) which measure a fielder’s defensive value based on how many runs they purportedly save based on defensive prowess. Ok, Billy Hamilton somehow outscored Juan Lagares in this metric. Hamilton’s blazing speed is indisputable, and it no doubt helps him chasing down batted balls. But he takes poor routes, and isn’t fast to react to the ball being hit. Lagares lacks the speed of Hamilton, but reacts practically instantly to batted balls, and takes near perfect routes every time. How do you figure? Chase Headley leads the pack for third basemen, far ahead of the immeasurably superior Nolan Arenado. Somehow, Luis Valbuena and Cody Asche chart, while the outstanding Juan Uribe isn’t even on the list. Soooooooo, yeah. 

Finally, we get to pitch framing. Admittedly, this is a bit of a homer area for me, being a Dodger fan. In brief, before he signed with the Blue Jays, Russ Martin was a popular pick to go to the Dodgers in free agency because of his high pitch framing stat, something new VP Andrew Friedman is supposedly high on. Couple that with the fact that incumbent AJ Ellis is ranked low in that “statistic,” the writing is on the wall, right?

Let’s just put this to bed as simply as possible. This “metric” is as close to absolute crap as you can get. Here’s why. If you have pitchers that throw predominantly strikes, you don’t have to “frame” pitches. 

Now, that’s not to say that there isn’t value in being able to receive a pitch in a manner that doesn’t resemble a seizure. There are plenty of catchers who stab at every ball thrown to them. And they’re all in AA ball or below. 

Two of the leaders in the pitch framing “stat” in 2014 were Martin and the Rays’ Jose Molina. One of the worst was the Dodgers’ AJ Ellis. Martin caught the likes of Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano. Both guys have superb stuff but struggle with command from time to time because of youth in Cole’s case, or persistent mechanical issues in Liriano’s case. In Molina’s case, he’s catching guys like Jake Odorizzi, Chris Archer, and Alex Cobb; brilliant young talents who have the ability twirl gems any time they are on the mound…but also have the command issues that come with being hard throwers in early stages of what might become brilliant careers.

Plenty of pitches to frame for both of those catchers, right?

Here are a few names for you. Clayton Kershaw. Zack Greinke. Dan Haren. Hyun Jin Ryu. Every single one of those pitchers, even Ryu in his brief career, are universally recognized as having good command. Exactly how often does the catcher need to “steal” a strike by “framing” a pitch?

AJ Ellis’ 2015 status with the Dodgers was secure the moment that Clayton Kershaw told Andrew Friedman that AJ was his guy. You don’t eff with your all-universe pitcher and his favorite catcher.

But none of that matters. The bottom line is, guys that throw strikes get calls. Let’s put it this way. Catchers who have to catch a staff of pitchers who don’t necessarily know where the ball is going are going to have to “frame” more pitches than catchers with a staff of guys with solid command.

Guys who throw the ball where the catcher is set up are going to get more strike calls than guys who make the catcher reach for the pitch. Ask any umpire from little league to the pros.

Now for part two of why this pitch framing crap is just that…crap. The two most impactful pitches a pitcher can throw are strike three or ball four. Strike three gets you an out, ball four means a base runner, at the risk of stating the obvious. Those two pitches also share something in common. They signify the end of an at bat. If a borderline call goes against the pitcher on the first pitch, he can still recover to make good pitches after that and get the hitter out. Or, if Jose Molina perfectly frames a borderline pitch for a strike on the first offering, there is nothing to say that the hitter can’t line the next pitch into the gap for a double. 

So can we please knock off this bull butter about pitch framing?  Can we please stop helping Scott Boras get richer? Please?

The Guy: Max Scherzer

Overview: Arguably the best player available via free agency this year, the 30 year old bet on himself last year and that appears to have paid off. He turned down a 6-year contract worth $144 million following his Cy Young 2013 campaign, but he should earn more than that on the open market this off-season. He is a Boras client, so this one might take a very long time to work itself out.

Potential Suitors: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers

Shaun’s Thoughts: New York Yankees. The Yankees are in desperate need of a lot of talent, and no more position is of greater need than starting pitcher. Scherzer would immediately step in as the ace of the staff now that CC Sabathia has taken a big step back and it appears Michael Pineda can’t be productive unless he has some extra help from foreign substances not so hidden on his neck. There is no signing I am more confident in than Scherzer to the Yankees.

Dark Horse: Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have completely overhauled their front office, and while they have guys coming back from injury, they need to make moves to keep up with the bottomless pockets of the Los Angeles Dodgers and defending World Series champs San Francisco Giants. Signing Scherzer would give them an ace to match up against Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner.

Torsten’s Thoughts: I agree with Shaun, the Yankees are the only team that makes sense for what Scherzer is likely to cost. He’s the only true ace level pitcher available, and while I think the Yankees need to do quite a bit of roster modification to get back to consistent success, scooping up the best available players doesn’t hurt.

Dark Horse: Giants. I can’t see him going back to the D’Backs, who shipped him off for cheap when they were convinced his arm wouldn’t hold up under his high impact delivery. I can, however, see the Giants locking down a second ace to partner with Bumgarner. They quietly had a payroll around $160 million last season, so you know they don’t mind spending. A core group of Pence, Panda, Posey, Bumgarner and Scherzer sounds like a nice way to be competitive for the next half decade or so.

The Guy: James Shields

Overview:  The third member of the “Big 3” of pitchers in free agency this season will face questions over his lack of production in the post season. There may be some concern over how long his body will hold up given the incredible number of innings he has pitched over the past few seasons, but there is little question he is one of the three best arms available this off-season.

Potential Suitors: Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers

Shaun’s Thoughts: Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox must sign one of the top three starters in free agency this year, and I belief they will end up having to settle for number three. Their first run will likely be to bring back Jon Lester, but in the end it will the former Tampa Bay Rays starter, James (I still call him Jaime) Sheilds.

Dark Horse: Kansas City Royals. The Royals may not have a ton of money, but their run to the World Series  could allow them to spend some extra cash this off-season, and bringing back Shields would be a great help to them. They have some very good young arms, but their potential future ace, Kyle Zimmer, can’t stay healthy, and Sean Manaea isn’t ready for the big leagues, so there isn’t a real impact arm like Yordano Ventura that the Royals can count on coming up in 2015.

Torsten’s Thoughts: Kansas City. Generally, I never question Shaun when he says a guy is going to the Red Sox. I think their front office is pretty astute, however, and will be unwilling to invest the money Shields would command in an arm with that many miles on it. Shields’ poor post-season performance may have knocked just enough off of his price tag, though, for him to stay in Kansas City. The immediate future is bright there.

Dark Horse: Dodgers. I don’t think the market is going to be super robust for Shields. He’ll get some offers, but if he stays on the market for a bit, look for the Dodgers to throw an offer out, and if he’s willing to sacrifice 10-15 million on the back end for a perennial post-season shot, he may end up in a different shade of blue.

The Guy: Yasmani Tomas

Overview:  Tomas is just the latest in the influx of Cuban talent defecting to America, and he hopes to break records when it comes to the size of his contract. He has worked out with some teams at third base, but in reality he is a corner outfielder. He is incredibly talented, and is just 24, giving him as much upside as any player on the open market this year.

Potential Suitors: Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners

Shaun’s Thoughts: Philadelphia Phillies. The only thing that may prevent the Phillies from signing him is the fact he is not on the downside of his career. This Phillies have made a habit of signing older players to long, over-priced contracts lately, but with the shakeup in the front office, maybe they will finally get a little younger. Tomas would be a great fit given Darin Ruf and Domonic Brown look like they aren’t true long term fits in that outfield. Tomas would be a great addition.

Dark Horse: Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles may as well be re-named Little Havana given the number of Cubans the Dodgers have signed, so why not add another. Juan Uribe will regress back to replacement level sooner than later, and Hanley is likely to sign elsewhere. If the Dodgers think Tomas can play third and truly believe Corey Seager is the future at short (I think he ends up at third) then Tomas could certainly end up in Los Angeles.

Torsten’s Thoughts: Mariners. There are a few teams who are pushing hard for the Cuban slugger, including the Phillies so Shaun may be right on there. Personally I find Seattle to be a more attractive city, and a team with the pitching to compete immediately. Tomas could help finally fill the Mariners’ perpetual power void.

Dark Horse: Cardinals. He makes sense on a lot of levels here. The Cards are known to take the prudent approach so a 9 figure salary commitment might eliminate them, but still. I was also tempted to say the Red Sox here, but that would be if they trade Yoenes Cespedes, and as of this moment, that hasn’t happened.

The Guy: Victor Martinez

Overview: Martinez might have been the best pure hitter in all of baseball in 2014 despite being 35 years old. He set career highs in home runs, batting average, and OPS, and was an even bigger threat than the multi-time MVP Miguel Cabrera. Tigers fans were wondering who would step in following the departure of Prince Fielder last season, they may be asking who will step in with the departure of Victor Martinez this year.

Potential Suitors: Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, New York Mets

Shaun’s Thoughts: Chicago White Sox. Not only would signing Victor away from a division rival be a huge perk for the White Sox, getting a power bat in the DH slot that could out-produce Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn with just a single roster spot is a necessity. Victor maybe one of the oldest impact players on the market, but that has never stopped the White Sox before.

Dark Horse: Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates need help at first base, and while Victor is primarily a DH, he can still play the position well enough. Adding a bat like Victor along with a few ancillary pieces could make the Pirates real contenders in the NL Central again.

Torsten’s Thoughts: Tigers. I personally think he was their most important offensive player in 2014, and that includes Miguel Cabrera. They will probably lose their best starting pitcher, but to lose their best hitter too? That would be a criminal mistake for a team who is a couple (or five) bullpen upgrades away from again being a World Series favorite.

Dark Horse: Royals. Yep. His age will drop his price tag a little and they will probably want a little more out of the DH spot than Billy Butler has given them. V Mart can also play a little first, and catch in a real pinch, so you don’t automatically lose him in National League parks. It’s unlikely this happens, but it’s on the radar. 

The Guy: Nelson Cruz

Overview: Cruz has long been a formidable power bat, but he put up numbers greater than he ever had before in 2014. He launched an impressive 40 home runs this season on just 166 hits, so roughly one of every four hits left the ballpark. Playing both DH and outfield allowed him to stay fresh and healthy enough to play in 159 games, and should be in for a big paycheck this offserason.

Potential Suitors: Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners

Shaun’s Thoughts: Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles made some moves showing they are in win now mode last season, but losing Cruz would be a massive obstacle to overcome. So their number one priority this off-season needs to be re-signing him. The fact they extended him the qualifying offer also gives them a leg up in negotiations, but if they intend on getting him signed, they need to be willing to give him some years on the deal.

Dark Horse: St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards could really use a power bat that can play a corner spot in the outfield, and while Cruz is best fit to get days off from the field and see time as DH, if he goes to an NL team, a team like the Cardinals would be a great fit.

Torsten’s Thoughts: Orioles. Pretty much everything Shaun said. There are a lot of things that go into where a guy ends up. Cruz had a spectacularly successful “fresh start” in the relative anonymity of playing in Baltimore. He does carry the baggage of being a part of the Biogenesis scandal, and the reputation of being susceptible to nagging injuries, so don’t expect the market to be what it normally would for a player of his offensive acumen. On that note, how the @#$% does a guy who led Major League Baseball in home runs miss out on a Silver Slugger award?

Dark Horse: Phillies. Shaun already touched on their front office philosophies of recent times. Cruz is in his mid-30s, ill-equipped physically to play the outfield full-time, but hey, he just led MLB in home runs. Would you really be that surprised if the Phillies suddenly offered him a six year deal for $115 million? Be honest.

The Guy: John Lester, SP

Overview: The premier starting pitcher on the market, Lester is a bona fide ace with a track record of success on the game’s biggest stage. He was traded by the Red Sox before the deadline last season for Oakland slugger Yoenes Cespedes. He pitched well down the stretch, but Oakland still limped across the finish line before ultimately losing to Kansas City in the Wild Card play-in game.

Potential Suitors: Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees,

Torsten’s Thoughts: Red Sox. I do like conspiracy theories, but this isn’t one of those. I think Lester has always wanted to be in Boston for the duration of his career. It just makes sense to me that he would want to go back to the team he built his career with, and won championships with. From a team perspective, the Sox have the money bring him back, and with as popular as Lester is with the fans, it would be a public relations failure if they didn’t at least give it a very public effort. If the team does ultimately balk at Lester’s asking price, the next logical stop could be Chicago and Theo Epstein.

Dark Horse: Angels. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time the Halos have come out of nowhere to snap up the biggest free agent on the market. And if there’s something that’s holding the team back from being as good as it could, it’s a rotation that isn’t as deep as some other contending teams.

Shaun’s Thoughts: Chicago Cubs. I said it right after Lester was traded by the Red Sox, he is headed to Chicago to reunite with Theo Epstein. The Cubs need at least one front end starter along with a mid-rotation arm. Their top priority has to be Lester, and I doubt they get out-bid on him.

Dark Horse: Texas Rangers. The Rangers are my dark horse to be big players this off-season. They need a lot of help at several positions, and a second elite arm to pair with Yu Darvish would be a great move for them.

The Guy: Pablo Sandoval, 3B

Overview: The big fella seems to save his best performances for the biggest stages. His weight is a perpetual concern, rightfully so, and may be a deterrent for teams looking to throw an obscene amount of money at one of the top available hitters on the market. Switch hitters with pop don’t grow on trees though, and for a fat dude he defends third base competently. Another thing working against him is the surprising amount of talented young third basemen out there right now. Donaldson, Arenado, Rendon and Carpenter’s teams won’t be looking to upgrade. Dependable vets Adrian Beltre, David Wright, and Juan Uribe are still holding down their respective forts. Chase Headley is out there too for what’s likely to be a considerably smaller commitment than Panda. And depending on who you ask, Hanley Ramirez may move to the hot corner too this off-season.

Potential Suitors: Giants and Red Sox

Torsten’s Thoughts: Giants. I can’t see any way that Panda leaves the bay. He’s immensely popular in San Francisco and has won multiple championships. I would be shocked if he went anywhere else. That said, the thought of Panda flicking doubles off the Green Monster from the left side of the plate all year is probably giving the Red Sox’ management team wet dreams. Expect them to make a serious offer for the big guy to join Xander Bogaerts on the left side of their infield.

Dark Horse: Padres. Look at that pitching staff. This team is ready to contend. They just need to figure out a way to score some runs. Goodness knows they have some payroll flexibility and the laid back San Diego lifestyle could hold some appeal to the Panda.

Shaun’s Thoughts: Boston Red Sox. Will Middlebrooks is simply not cutting it at third, and Xander Bogaerts looks like he will stick at short, so the Red Sox need help at third. One potential filler is Garin Cecchini, but there are still plenty of questions as to whether or not he can stick at the position. A strong bat in the middle of the order is the second biggest need for the Red Sox, behind top end starter, and the Panda would be a great fit. The only snag I could see preventing this from happening is the Red Sox reluctance to give out long term contracts, especially to a player who has weight issues in the past.

Dark Horse: Seattle Mariners. The positional need isn’t there, but the need for a right handed power bat certainly is. The Mariners have not been shy about giving big contracts after singing Robinson Cano last season, this could be the type of move needed to compete in what should be a very stron AL West next season.

The Guy: Russell Martin, C

Overview: If there was ever a great year to be a free agent catcher, this is it. Especially if you’re a guy who just revived his career with his best season over half a decade. Martin will likely command at least 4 years and 60 million on the open market, drastically reducing his suitors. The question is, who is he? Is the guy who fancied himself a power hitter and tried to hit every pitch he saw into the stratosphere? Or is he the guy who shortened his swing and got on base at a career-high clip of over 40% and drastically reduced his strike out rate last season? Either way, he’s a competent defender and catcher is shallow this year, so his agent shouldn’t stray too far from his telephone.

Potential Suitors: Pirates, Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers

Torsten’s Thoughts: Pirates. The interwebs are blowing up with Martin to the Cubbies rumors, and they will pursue him aggressively. I think the Pirates, however, will essentially write him a blank check. Oh, you want 70 million instead of 60? 5 years instead of four? The bottom line is this, the Pirates are a team on the rise with young pitching studs like Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon. They’ll want a veteran catcher to shepherd those guys to stardom. The Cubbies, while on the rise too, gave Edwin Jackson and his 6.33 ERA 27 starts last season.  Dodgers new VP of Everything, Andrew Friedman will want to make a splash too, but will probably make do with the adequate AJ Ellis and wait for guys like Matt Wieters and Sal Perez to become to expensive for their current small market homes.

Dark Horse: Braves. If I had Evan Gattis and wanted to preserve his mammoth power for as long as possible, I’d be looking for ways to move him out from behind the plate. Just sayin. The appeal of catching guys like Julio Teheran and Craig Kimbrel can’t be discounted either.

Shaun’s Thoughts: Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite Torsten’s man crush on A.J. Ellis, catcher is a massive need for the Dodgers. It would also be a great full-circle story for Martin to finish up his career with the team that he broke through with. Torsten mentions the appeal of catching Teheran and Kimbrel in Atlanta, but last I checked the Dodgers have a decent pitcher or two.

Dark Horse: Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have been purely awful in the draft of the past handful of years, so what is the big deal in giving up a first round pick they would likely screw up anyway? They don’t have the money to land Martin, but he would be a great fit there, and he has had some success himself in the AL East.

The Guy: Hanley Ramirez, SS (3B?) (LF??) (DH?????)

Overview: When he’s healthy and motivated, Hanley Ramirez is the best offensive player in baseball. He’s nearly impossible to fool, his ungodly bat speed means you can’t throw it past him, power to all fields, and runs well enough to stretch singles into doubles and steal 20+ bases. Problem is, he’s rarely healthy and motivated at the same time, and he might be the worst defensive shortstop in baseball. But oh heavens. That bat…

Potential Suitors: Dodgers, Yankees

Torsten’s Thoughts: Yankees. Sure, they gave him a qualifying offer but the Dodgers are looking to reduce their payroll and the Yankees…well, they’re the Yankees and they have a spot for him. Ok, here’s the deal. In 2013, Ramirez found new life with the Dodgers. The brain trust of Don Mattingly and Ned Colletti led him to believe he had a long-term future with the Dodgers. They’d get an extension done with him, with the understanding that when his range further deteriorated, he’d move to third full time. And Hanley was ok with that, provided they didn’t bounce him back and forth. Not only that, he defended shortstop far more adequately than anticipated. Now, the problem with the braintrust of Mattingly and Colletti is, they’re circular firing squad. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more inept manager than Mattingly in any sport anywhere, and Colletti is little more than a puppet. So when things didn’t get done, Ramirez became disenchanted. Think he wants to stay? I doubt it.

Dark Horse: Mets. If Hanley is willing to accept a move to first base, they can shift Lucas Duda to right field full-time and suddenly, that’s a decent offense. And it’s New York, so there’s money there, and plus, I hear they have big apples.

Shaun’s Thoughts: New York Yankees. The Yankees need someone to step in for the retired Derek Jeter, and Hanley is a big enough name to fit the bill. If the Yankees are able to find someone else to play short, they could also move Hanley to third and block the headache that is A-Rod. The Yankees have never been shy about giving out big contracts, and while you may here more about a cap on their payroll again, don’t believe a word they say.

Dark Horse: San Francisco Giants. They are likely to lose a third baseman with Sandoval on the market, and Hanley has already come out and said he would be willing to change positions if he needs to. The Giants would like to bring the Panda back, but with his weight concerns, they might go with a more sure thing in Hanley instead.

The Guy: David Robertson

Overview: Quietly, Robertson has been one of the American League’s best relief pitchers for the last six or seven years. And when he was tasked with the duty to take over for the greatest closer that ever lived, he didn’t wilt under the pressure. In fact, he thrived. So let’s summarize. His numbers are consistently good so his success is not a fluke. Successfully inherited closer role from Mariano Rivera and didn’t crack under the pressure. Throws 100 with an elite strike out rate. What’s not to like?

Potential Suitors: Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers, Nationals

Torsten’s Thoughts: Yankees. They made him a qualifying offer. 15.3 million is obscene for a reliever, but the Yanks are prepared to pay him that. The Dodgers and Tigers, two World Series contending teams undone by catastrophically bad bullpens, would probably slaughter children to get him in their pens too, but once you’ve experienced success in New York, there’s little like it. It’s likely Robertson has dreams about Yankees fans revering him fifteen years from now the way they do Mariano.

Dark Horse: Orioles. Yeah, they already have a great pen. But Zach Britton wasn’t confidence-inspiring in the post-season, and they are built to be long-term postseason participants. Just think, they closed out their season without Chris Davis and Manny Machado, and barely had Matt Wieters for any of it. Yeah, they’re here to stay while the Yankees face an uphill climb to get back.

Shaun’s Thoughts: Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are so desperate to get a quality bullpen, they just may jump on the Robertson despite the qualifying offer attached to him. Now, maybe they have learned from their recent past that simply signing or trading for the biggest names won’t do the trick when it comes to building a strong bullpen, but like I said, they are desperate.

Dark Horse: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels were bounced from the playoffs by a team that dominated with elite late inning arms, and they have struggled in the pen for a while. Robertson could either fit in at closer or as a set-up guy.

Torsten’s Steal of Free Agency: Mike Morse signs a one-year 8 million dollar deal in St. Louis. If that team is missing anything, it’s power. I feel dirty for even writing this, but it has to be said. The devastating death of Oscar Taveras left a hole in MLB’s hearts, but it also left a hole in the Cardinals’ line-up. It sucks to put it in these terms, but the kid was a stud, and his projected production from right field will have to be replaced somehow.

Shaun’s Steal of Free Agency: Justin Masterson signs a three year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A three year deal would leave Masterson still 32-years old when he hits the market again, and the Pirates feel very good about their ability to resurrect pitching careers, just look at Francisco Liriano.

It’s week 1. Enjoy it, for this will probably be the week in which your decisions will be the easiest. No random player has come out of nowhere yet with a huge game (think Kevin Ogletree) to make you second guess everything you ever knew about setting your fantasy line up. There also aren’t too many game-time decisions for key players as the toll of a long season isn’t yet reflected on injury lists. The bye weeks are still a month away. Basically, you’re starting the guys you drafted the highest.

However, even in week 1, you may be having an internal conflict over a flex spot, to the tune of “which of these borderline guys do I slot in there?” And if you’re not having one of those conflicts, keep reading anyway. Because we’re funny.

If you got him, start him.

RB – Frank Gore: Quick, what do Carlos Hyde, Kendall Hunter, Marcus Lattimore, and LaMichael James have in common? They’re all currently or in the recent pass have been the trendy guy to take over at running back in San Francisco when the aging Gore finally starts acting like most backs in their 30s. It’s been predicted for a couple of seasons now, which is why he was probably available way later in your draft than you anticipated, but it hasn’t happened. And it won’t happen this week against the horrid Cowboys defense either. The Niners will probably be up huge at halftime so he may not play much in the second half in an effort to preserve his body. But two first-half scores are a real possibility.

RB – Toby Gerhart: I was surprised to find a lot of people taking a wait and see approach with Adrian Peterson’s former understudy, wanting to see him have a good game or two before trusting him with a spot in their lineup. I understand that, but in addition to being huge and deceptively mobile for someone with said hugeness, he’s an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield. And Jacksonville may very well be down by three or four scores at half time, meaning they’re gonna throw it. In addition to 60-75 potential rushing yards, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Gerhart with as many as 8 catches for a similar yard total.

WR – Golden Tate: A trendy breakout pick this season as Calvin Johnson’s partner in Detroit, I have my reservations. That said, they have the Giants week 1, and a weak secondary means they may be triple covering Megatron, leaving single coverage and acres of space for Tate. You wouldn’t start him over, say, Keenan Allen, but you might consider it if it’s between him and Cecil Shorts.

TE – Zach Ertz: All on in this guy. If you look at his numbers from his rookie year, they seem ok at first blush. Now consider the meager snap total he played to accumulate those numbers. He won’t have Jimmy Graham numbers when it’s said and done, but he’ll be in the neighborhood of 900 yards and 8 scores.

If you got him, sit him.

RB – LeGarrette Blount: The aptly named bruiser in Pittsburgh’s backfield will probably pile up some gaudy touchdown numbers this year, but it won’t happen in week 1 against Cleveland’s underrated (some would go so far as to say excellent) defense.

RB – Trent Richardson: This is not because I’m buying into the “OMFG, Cleveland was right about this guy!!! He SUCKS!!!” nonsense that’s flying around. This is because it’s going to be very tough to run the ball on Denver. He’ll be a fine flex play in many weeks, this just ain’t one of them.

WR – Kenny Britt: As a Rams fan, I was greedily rubbing my hands together at the prospect of snagging him late in all my drafts. Then Sam Bradford, with whom he’d developed huge chemistry, went down. Not that I think Shaun Hill is terrible, but Britt’s value is as a downfield threat, mitigating his production with Hill under center. Beside, St. Louis will be running the ball against Minnesota anyway.

TE – Austin Sefarian-Jenkins: See the description for Toby Gerhart. A lot is being made of this guy being a red-zone target. Ok, but it may be worth remembering that Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans are both HUGE, and therefore also red-zone targets already… If you have Jenkins, he’s probably not the only TE on your roster. Start the other guy.

I always enjoy doing a deep sleeper projection too, but those hardly should apply in week one. But let’s say you massively neglected wide receiver in your draft, and two of your top options are Wes Welker and Dwayne Bowe. Or in an equally unlikely scenario, you forgot that wide receiver was an actual position in your league, and now need to scrounge the waiver wire before kick off. Consider Cody Latimer, who quietly seems to have edged in front of Andre Caldwell on the depth chart in Denver. And with Welker’s suspension, it’s a decent bet he’ll be on the field.

Lastly, if you’re streaming defenses, you may consider the Bears for this week only. They project to be pretty bad, but Buffalo’s offense has looked abysmal in the pre-season, and they’ll be playing in Chicago.

That’s pretty much all! Knowing us, we’ll probably oversleep a week or two but we plan to run this feature every week, so check back for winning fantasy advice often!

Well, as heartbreaking as today’s loss to Belgium in the round of 16 was, it’s important to remember that few if any expected the USMNT to progress from the group stage. After all, they had Germany, Portugal, and old nemesis Ghana to deal with. But, lo and behold, they accomplished that feat. So that’s a win. Then they take on a beatable Belgium team in the first knockout stage match, and appear content to do little apart from defend and hope to get lucky on a counter attack until they were down two goals in the final minutes of the added 30. So that’s…well, a loss in more ways than one. Don’t get me wrong, this Belgium squad is a dangerous combination of fast, skilled, and huge, reasons why they were a popular dark horse pick to win the whole tournament. I have to laugh there, actually. Looking at it, how unheralded can a team with English Premier League stars, Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, and Marouane Fellaini be? Everton’s Kevin Mirallas isn’t a slouch either, and we haven’t even gotten to Kevin DeBruyne, the best player on the field not named Tim Howard just a few hours ago. But, while they won all three of their group stage matches, the competition was weak and their play looked, at times, uninspired. So there was hope for the U.S. It turned out to be hope unfulfilled, but nevertheless, optimism abounds for the future. Let’s take a look at why some of that optimism is certainly warranted, and why some of it should be taken with a grain of salt. 

The Good

Wow, there appears to be some phenomenal young talent on this U.S. team. Moreover, they don’t seem intimidated in the least by playing on the world’s biggest stage. DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Johnson look like the real deal, and are only beginning to scratch the surface of their potential. Julian Green, in the few minutes he was given, scored a spectacular goal to give the U.S. late hope against Belgium. 

In addition, Matt Besler looks like a future star in defense. No disrespect to a solid MLS Sporting Kansas City side, but he won’t be there for long. And at age 27, he’s absolutely young enough to anchor the U.S. defense for the next four years as they work toward their next qualification. Both Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez acquitted themselves well as Besler’s partner in the middle, and don’t forget Ghana match hero John Brooks, another youngster. The future of the U.S. central defense is very bright. 

And now, for a nice helping of crow for THIS critic. I’ve said before that I have never been the biggest Tim Howard fan. I’ve felt for years he was a decent but overrated keeper, and that the U.S. could do better. And while he played pretty well in the group stage, his performance against Belgium was the stuff of legend, and my heart broke for him as he wept in his post-game interview. I can honestly say, no individual performance has ever been better for the USMNT. No individual has ever left more on the field than Howard this last game. The media is often quick to call a semi-routine save spectacular or incredible, but no fewer than six of Howard’s 16 saves were truly remarkable. And no keeper in the world would have stopped either of the two Belgium goals. My hat is off, sir. Well done. 

The Bad

What alien abducted Michael Bradley and put on his jersey? Considered to be one of the best players on the team, he was terrible. His play improved slightly against Germany and Belgium, as he managed to sprinkle a few good passes in with his constant give-aways in bad areas, but all in all, he was historically bad. I scratched my head after he decided in his mid 20s to join MLS side Toronto, after featuring prominently (and performing well) for noteworthy European sides, Heerenvee, Borussia Moenchen Gladbach, Chievo and Roma. But at this point, it appears that well before his prime should even be hit, he can no longer compete at the highest level. He shouldn’t be considered for the shirt in the future, unless he experiences a miraculous turn-around.

Three of the better performers for the U.S. this World Cup were Jermaine Jones, Howard, and Kyle Beckerman. Why is this bad? Because the youngest age of this threesome is 32. It’s highly unlikely any of them will be wearing the U.S. shirt in four years. You can add Clint Dempsey to this list too. Deuce may not always have been brilliant, but his workrate never wavered, and he scored two huge goals. He’s also 32, and unlikely to be around in four years. 

For all the credit coach Jurgen Klinsmann is getting for the team making it through the group stage, there are some alarming questions. How did he stick with Bradley for every minute of the tournament with the talented Mix Diskerud sitting on the bench? Were the apparent U.S. tactics of defending, defending, and then more defending his call? We saw that when things got desperate, this team could pose a real threat offensively. Anyone who saw the last ten minutes of the Belgium game can see that. Of course, it’s never that simple. The Belgians, with a two goal lead, decided to sit back. But still. Lastly, how was Beckerman on the bench for the last game? He was undeniably solid for every minute of the group stage, and then he’s not in the line up for the knock out game? It’s just weird, man. Right?

And lastly, where are the strikers of the future? We saw that the team had no suitable replacement for Jozy Altidore as a featured striker. The truly scary thing is, Altidore isn’t even that good. He’s not bad, and when he goes on a hot streak he can score goals in heaps, but he’s not star level. Maybe Aron Johansson will continue to improve, and maybe we’ll see an emergence from Juan Agudelo at some point, but for all the optimism the other positions portend, the attackers leave uncertainty. 

Fearless Forecast for 2018

Are you ready for this?  I think the U.S. will earn a world ranking high enough by the time the 2018 World Cup groups are drawn that they’ll earn a seed. That doesn’t mean they won’t get another group of death, so to speak, but they’ll end up in no worse of a group situation than they were in this year, and they’ll make it out of the group stage again. And this time, they’ll win a knock out stage game. Maybe two. But no more than that. Hey, progress! 

Hey, Torsten, they will have to qualify before that happens! I know. And they will. It won’t be without a nervy moment or two, but they’ll get there. 

Player to Watch for the Future

Alejandro Bedoya. Nobody works harder and nobody runs more. Part of this is because his first touch is so bad that he’s chasing his own mistakes a lot of the time. But, that said, his commitment defensively was impressive, and he would be a candidate to step into the holding midfielder role sure to be vacated before long by Jones and Beckerman. At 27, he’s still young enough to refine his game. 

Did I miss anything? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading.

Now that opening weekend is in the books, here are a few thoughts from the Dodgers D’Backs two game series down under.

The Australians knocked it out of the park as hosts. The Sydney Cricket Grounds is an incredible venue, filled with majesty and splendor. And that’s me seeing it through the television. I can only imagine the gravity I would feel being there. The fans were top notch, cheering pretty much everything that both teams did. 

Vin Scully, at 85-years-old, still has it. Yeah, he stumbles a bit more often these days, but what of it? Two moments stand out. The first was when he told the story behind a statue that was erected in center field to honor a notorious heckler from a century ago who tormented the cricket players. Hearing Vinny laugh when recounting some of the heckler’s famous taunts, including “I wish I was a pigeon and you were a statue,” was hilarious. The second was when he was giving a play by play of using the smart phone his daughter had set up for him to compare the times of day in Sydney and Los Angeles, and it not quite going according to plan. I can’t imagine a Dodgers season without him. 

The loss of Patrick Corbin is crippling to the D’Backs. At the risk of stating the obvious, most teams would be suffering pretty significantly if their ace was hurt. But Corbin is the real deal, and Arizona just doesn’t have the resources in reserve that the Dodgers do. It shows, as deputy opening day starter Wade Miley was okay, but you need better than ok to beat Clayton Kershaw. If something, God forbid, would happen to Kershaw, there are at least a few capable arms in reserve that could step in.

Hyun Jin Ryu is very impressive. The Dodgers had their own deputy in Ryu, who was taking the place of Zack Greinke, he of the calf strain and general unwillingness to traverse continents. Ryu was not spectacular; several balls were hit pretty hard and he left a couple of pitches over the plate. But when the going got tough, he was at his best. Appallingly bad defense gave the D’Backs six outs in the fourth inning, but that’s when he stepped up to bail out his infielders with his best pitching of the game. Healthy, he’s a virtual lock to at least repeat his 14 wins from last year.  

Yasiel Puig is going to give me, and probably Don Mattingly, ulcers before the season is done. You love him for his talent. You love him for his hustle. You love him for his enthusiasm. His apparent willingness to start hitting the cut-off man gives you hope. His boneheaded baserunning decisions were apparently not cured by a Winter off, however. And if the perception that he is pretending to feel pain or injury after swinging and missing is true, that’s unacceptable.

I would not want to be on Kirk Gibson’s bad side. Long removed from a playing career where he was known for his intensity, it hasn’t faded. Watching Trevor Cahill walk one batter after the other, you could see him seething just below the surface. I wonder why the camera man kept panning over to Gibby after each base on balls. All it made me do was fear for Cahill’s safety. Anyone know if he was allowed back on the team plane? In any case, I admire it. Gibby is a great manager.

Mattingly is not. Donnie Baseball still has a chance to learn the craft, but he needs to understand that he is under a microscope, contract extension or not. He’s great at some things. The players like him, and you have to give him credit for being willing to engage an umpire when he feels like his team is getting the shaft. But the game planning and decision making have to get better. Lefty righty matchup or not, batting Justin Turner second and Andre Ethier seventh in game 1 is indefensible. Sitting Scott Van Slyke in favor of Mike Baxter after Van Slyke was responsible in one way or another for every run the Dodgers scored is head scratchingly bad. Hey, if you wanted to get some guys playing time for making the trip, say that! But if all wins, whether they’re games 1 and 2 or 101 and 102 count the same, there’s no reason bring along Chone Figgins when he and Dee Gordon are essentially the same player, but Gordon is just better at everything. Including now, center field. Mattingly is fortunate to be steering the ship of a very strong team whose performance can often mask his poor choices. He’s likable, so I hope he gets it one day, but that day ain’t here yet. 

Miguel Montero is not right. Last season a back injury cost him his effectiveness, both defensively and offensively. While his swing looks ok, his defense does not. Montero has long been known for being a good defender, and while he still can block the ball in the dirt, his throwing is bad. Really bad. He’s another guy the D’Backs can ill afford to lose. For their sake, I hope Miggy gets it back. 

Paul Goldschmidt is all that and a bag of chips. He’s Miguel Cabrera good. 

Adrian Gonzalez leads the Dodgers in stolen bases. Yup.

Well, that’s about it. Anyone else glad baseball is back? It was kind of a tease though, wasn’t it? Now we have to go through another week of fake games before the real ones start up again. I hope I remember to eat. 

As my fourth and final fantasy baseball draft (not counting five mocks) of the season approaches, I’ve noticed a few things. First and foremost, I pretty much rule at fantasy football. I have turned a profit every year for the last ten, a minimum of 80% of my teams make the playoffs, and if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, “How the @#$% did you end up getting all of THOSE guys,” I’d…I should have thought of a way to end that sentence before writing this article. Let’s just sum it up by saying once again that I rule.

Of course I do. Fantasy football is easy. You’re trying assemble a team of yards and touchdowns. If you really wanna get all crazy, you throw in receptions for PPR leagues. Essentially your draft strategy can be oversimplified to, “Take the best available player for the first five rounds before making only slight modifications for positional need and then swing for the fences late.” If you end up with a team loaded with good players, you don’t have to stress over which flex option to play, the awesomeness of your every week starters should assure you a winning record and a playoff spot, where essentially anything can happen.

But this isn’t fantasy football. It’s fantasy baseball, where you have more positions to fill, more statistics to worry about, more players to know, more lineups to set, and more stress in general. Stress! About a fantasy sport!!! Imagine that. It’s no wonder why I, your average man of dashing good lucks (according to my wife) and average intelligence (a generous analysis, according to my “I didn’t marry you for your brain, honey” wife have performed poorly in fantasy baseball compared to fantasy football. So this year, I’ve decided to prove to myself that I can do it. It’s why I’m playing in four leagues, instead of my customary one or two, and why I took the time to partake in multiple mocks. It’s time to become more than a one trick fantasy pony, and show that I’m not just another pretty face in the room.

Here’s a brief overview of my leagues. The two I’ve been playing in consistently the last few years, performing at a consistently mediocre rate, are a 15 keeper and 5 keeper league. Nothing fancy, just assemble the best team you can and keep the best players for the next year. To mix it up a little bit, I jumped into a start from scratch league, and I also took over a 10 keeper team in a points league. This one will probably be the true barometer of whether I’m making any progress or not. I haven’t decided yet whether the team’s previous manager is a mad genius or an incompetent suckbag of fail (that’s a real thing, Wikipedia it… on second thought, don’t. I don’t have time to create a Wikipedia page for it). It’s a points league so starting pitching is hugely valuable. My predecessor managed to land Jose Fernandez, so that’s good. He also seemed to have a good eye for young talent as Wil Meyers and Manny Machado were also on the roster. And then there’s Matt Cain, and Victor Martinez…and if we grimace slightly Panda Sandoval (third base is appallingly barren, it appears)…and where the heck are my other four keepers going to come from? That’s where the good ends the awful begins. Well, in a league where pitching is massively valuable, people will pay massive prices, so I managed to flip Fernandez for Matt Moore, Yasiel Puig and George Springer. Also flipped a draft pick for Domonic Brown. Gritted my teeth and kept Nelson Cruz, for lack of anyone better. And immediately drafted Doug Fister (I think he finishes top 5 in the NL Cy Young voting this year) and Francisco Liriano with high picks to solidify my rotation. Now, to see if I’m genius or a fool.

Since I titled this article “Things I’ve Noticed,” I should probably get to that. First and foremost, I like reading fantasy advice columns as much or more than anyone. I don’t always take the advice but I almost always find the columns to be insightful and entertaining, whether I agree with them or not. Fantasy writers come in good and bad, and they don’t make them much better than Matthew Berry, but even his fantasy baseball advice is bet hedged – in that “well, if this guy is here, I’d take him, but this other guy, you can get similar stats from player c three rounds later.” That’s not a criticism, it’s just an observation, and I think I get it now.

1) As different as the stats and stuff are for fantasy baseball and fantasy football, so are the team managers. What position a guy is gonna go for, and therefore who may be available to you three or four picks down the road is way more difficult to predict. In football, if you’re picking in four spots, and the three guys ahead of you already have a qb, Matt Ryan will still be there when you select. Can’t say that for baseball.
2) Mock drafts are pretty useless after the first few rounds. The few that I did, people seemed to check out by round 5 and let auto pick handle the rest.
3) Everyone likes Ryan Braun, and nobody likes Melky Cabrera. Remember when Cabrera was doing his best Clue Heywood impersonation, minus the whole leading the league in nose hair thing, and then tested positive for PEDs? And remember how he is essentially now a pedestrian player? Well, Ryan Braun was a superstar, then it came to light that he was slamming massive amounts of PEDs (and trying to ruin honest people’s lives), but people are still drafting him like a superstar. Maybe he still is one, without all the artificial enhancement, but maybe he’s Cabrera. I won’t spend a second round pick on him, and that’s not even principle talking…ok, maybe a little.
4) People love Billy Hamilton but hate Dee Gordon. I’m ambivalent towards both, but stolen bases are a category so… you can make similar comparisons using Jonathan Villar and Rajai Davis. One guy is getting snapped up, the other is waiver wire fodder. I don’t understand it. Maybe I should, but I don’t.
5) People sure do use ground ball percentage as a heavily relied upon stat when measuring whether a pitcher’s stats from the previous season were artificially good or bad due to luck. There may be some merit to it, but there are pitchers whose game plans are to pitch toward weak fly ball contact. Some are good, (see Greinke, Zack) others terrible (see Bauer, Trevor). Just because Greinke gave up more fly balls than your average top notch pitcher doesn’t mean it wasn’t by design.
6) Holy hotcakes, Batman, people sure are in a hurry to snag Masahiro Tanaka and Jose Abreu. I get it in dynasty leagues, but really?
7) I buy into the theory that you can get saves late…but there’s a difference between a Kevin Gregg save and a Greg Holland save. There’s a difference between a Fernando Rodney save and a (dammit, why isn’t there a closer with the first name, Rodney!?) Jason Grilli save. There’s a difference between who is closing for the Cubs and who is closing for…a team that isn’t awful.
8) I hate that holds are a statistic in general, but the fact that they are a stat in fantasy baseball is truly infuriating. They take the art out of finding the aforementioned save late on. It means that you can’t smugly sit there knowing that by week 7 of the regular season, you’re going to look like a genius for snagging Cody Allen off the waiver wire because John Axford is a ticking time bomb as Cleveland’s closer. Someone will have grabbed him in the 18th round or so because holds are a @#$%ing category now. Why am I playing fantasy baseball again?
9) Conversely, I like how many leagues now deduct points from hitters who strike out. Makes you really think about where you should take Pedro Alvarez. Funnily enough, on a related note, I took Mark Reynolds with the last pick in one of my drafts. It’s 16 teams so it’s deep, and pickings were slim. The clock was at 7 seconds, the autopick was someone who was hurt, I think. In any event, I panicked and took Reynolds. That was over a week ago and I haven’t dropped him yet, mainly because I haven’t gotten to it yet. I was looking at my roster yesterday and noticed he had that little new news item asterisk by his name on my roster, and I absent-mindedly clicked on it to see what it was. Turned out he doubled and knocked in a few runs, but the point is, I actually looked at a fantasy news item for Mark Reynolds, something no successful fantasy player of the last decade has ever done. This isn’t looking good for me.
10) You shouldn’t select your keepers in a keeper league too far ahead of the deadline. You don’t want to wait for the last second either, because what if something happens that keeps you away from being able to do it? But there is no reason to pick your keepers a month ahead of time. I did that in the league Shaun and I are drafting in this Sunday, my last of the season, and I’m livid with myself for who I kept. I won’t get into who I should have kept over whom I did, I’ll give you a hint. The names Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp, and Craig Kimbrel are part of the conversation.

I noticed like three other things when I was writing this column, but I’m too lazy to change the title so we’re stopping here. Look for podcasts coming soon from your favorite sports blog that most people have never heard of.

While the vast majority of my prospect writing can be found at Grading on the Curve, I decided I should publish my own personal top 100, and figured The Stain is a good spot to do that.  So, here it is, my top 100 prospects in all of baseball.

1) Byron Buxton – OF – Minnesota Twins

2) Xander Bogaerts – SS – Boston Red Sox

3) Miguel Sano – 3B – Minnesota Twins

4) Taijuan Walker – RHP – Seattle Mariners

5) Oscar Tavares – OF – St. Louis Cardinals

6) Javier Baez – SS – Chicago Cubs

7) Francisco Lindor – SS – Cleveland Indians

8) Archie Bradley – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

9) Kris Bryant – 3B – Chicago Cubs

10) Austin Hedges – C – San Diego Padres

 

11) Gregory Polanco – OF – Pittsburgh Pirates

12) Addison Russell – SS – Oakland A’s

13) Jonathan Gray – RHP – Colorado Rockies

14) Carlos Correa – SS – Houston Astros

15) Mark Appel – RHP – Houston Astros

16) Robert Stephenson – RHP – Cincinnati Reds

17) Albert Almora – OF – Chicago Cubs

18) Noah Syndergaard – RHP – New York Mets

19) Lucas Giolito – RHP – Washington Nationals

20) Jameson Taillon – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates

21) Dylan Bundy – RHP – Baltimore Orioles
22) Yordano Ventura – RHP – Kansas City Royals
23) Eddie Butler – RHP – Colorado Rockies
24) George Springer – OF – Houston Astros
25) Raul Aldaberto Mondesi – SS – Kansas City Royals
26) Joc Pederson – OF – Los Angeles Dodgers
27) Kevin Gausman – RHP – Baltimore Orioles
28) Nick Castellanos – 3B – Detroit Tigers
29) Alex Meyer – RHP – Minnesota Twins
30) Julio Urias – LHP – Los Angeles Dodgers

31) Kyle Zimmer – RHP – Kansas City Royals
32) Max Fried – LHP – San Diego Padres
33) Aaron Sanchez – RHP – Toronto Blue Jays
34) Kyle Crick – RHP – San Francisco Giants
35) Jorge Soler – OF – Chicago Cubs
36) Henry Owens – LHP – Boston Red Sox
37) Jackie Bradley Jr. – Boston Red Sox
38) Andrew Heaney – LHP – Miami Marlins
39) Billy Hamilton – OF – Cincinnati Reds
40) Clint Frazier – OF – Cleveland Indians

41) Jorge Alfaro – C – Texas Rangers
42) Tyler Glasnow – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates
43) Marcus Stroman – RHP – Toronto Blue Jays
44) Travis D’Arnaud – C – New York Mets
45) Corey Seager – SS – Los Angeles Dodgers
46) Kolten Wong – 2B – St. Louis Cardinals
47) Rougned Odor – 2B – Texas Rangers
48) Colin Moran – 3B – Miami Marlins
49) Austin Meadows – OF – Pittsburgh Pirates
50) Blake Swihart – C – Boston Red Sox

51) Lucas Sims – RHP – Atlanta Braves
52) Kohl Stewart – RHP – Minnesota Twins
53) Garin Cecchini – 3B – Boston Red Sox
54) CJ Edwards – RHP – Chicago Cubs
55) Matt Wisler – RHP – San Diego Padres
56) Mike Foltynewicz – RHP – Houston Astros
57) Erik Johnson – RHP – Chicago White Sox
58) Jonathan Singleton – 1B – Houston Astros
59) Maikel Franco – 3B – Philadelphia Phillies
60) Rosell Herrera – SS – Colorado Rockies

61) Matt Barnes – RHP – Boston Red Sox
62) Chris Owings – SS – Arizona Diamondbacks
63) Allan Webster – RHP – Boston Red Sox
64) David Dahl – OF – Colorado Rockies
65) Sean Manea – LHP – Kansas City Royals
66) Trey Ball – LHP – Boston Red Sox
67) Zach Lee – RHP – Los Angeles Dodgers
68) Eddie Rosario – 2B – Minnesota Twins
69) Hunter Harvey – RHP – Baltimore Orioles
70) Braden Shipley – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

71) JP Crawford – SS – Philadelphia Phillies
72) Arismendy Alcantara – 2B – Chicago Cubs
73) Allen Hanson – SS – Pittsburgh Pirates
74) AJ Cole – RHP – Washington Nationals
75) Reese McGuire – C – Pittsburgh Pirates
76) Christian Bethancourt – C – Atlanta Braves
77) Mookie Betts – 2B – Boston Red Sox
78) Jorge Bonifacio – OF – Kansas City Royals
79) Jake Odorizzi – RHP – Tampa Bay Rays
80) Jonathan Schoop – 2B – Baltimore Orioles

81) Gary Sanchez – C – New York Yankees
82) Stephen Piscotty – OF – St. Louis Cardinals
83) James Paxton – LHP – Seattle Mariners
84) Joey Gallo – 3B – Texas Rangers
85) Miguel Almonte – RHP – Kansas City Royals
86) Brian Goodwin – OF – Washington Nationals
87) Hunter Dozier – 3B – Kansas City Royals
88) Luis Sardinas – SS – Texas Rangers
89) Ross Stripling – RHP – Los Angeles Dodgers
90) Matt Davidson – 3B – Chicago White Sox

91) Manuel Margot – OF – Boston Red Sox
92) Josmil Pinto – C – Minnesota Twins
93) Trevor Bauer – RHP – Cleveland Indians
94) Casey Kelly – RHP – San Diego Padres
95) Phillip Ervin – OF – Cincinnati Reds
96) Hak-Ju Lee – SS – Tampa Bay Rays
97) Jesse Biddle – LHP – Philadelphia Phillies
98) Chi Chi Rodriguez – RHP – Texas Rangers
99) C.J. Cron – 1B – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
100) Raimel Tapia – OF – San Diego Padres

Group at a Glance: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, and Japan. Some groups are made up entirely of teams that would surprise nobody if they advanced as far as the quarter or semi-finals. Then there are groups, like Group C, that are made up entirely of teams that would likely not earn more than a point or two in the group stages if the groups had shaped up differently. Somehow, Colombia is ranked high enough in the FIFA world rankings to have earned a seed, but that’s neither here nor there. Greece is a former European champion, and though most of their participants from that team have since retired, you can make the argument that their discipline and organization can serve them well on big stages. The Ivory Coast has fire power up front with Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, and Arouna Kone. And Japan made it out of the group stages last time so they shouldn’t be discounted.

Favorites to Advance: Ivory Coast and Japan. The Ivory Coast does have some elite players on it, and if they move Yaya Toure back into defense from midfield to pair with brother, Kolo, they should just about be able to defend well enough to win the group. Japan always impresses me with their selfless, team-first approach across all sports. And there is some talent there too. Nothing short of Sepp Blatter being caught in a bathhouse with 16 hookers and being forced to retire in shame would make me happier than Colombia, the seeded team of the group, going winless and finishing last in the group. Nothing against Colombia, but processes that don’t work are rarely changed unless the whole not working thing is featured in a bright spotlight. A seeded team finishing last in their group could do that.

Player(s) to Watch: The Japanese backline, namely Maya Yoshida, the 6 foot 2 center back currently holding his own quite will with Southampton in England’s Premier League. They’ve got some good talent, including Inter Milan’s Yuto Nagatomo, but they’re going to be way outsized by pretty much every opponent, and will need to be on point. Yoshida, as the biggest of the backs, will be under the microscope. Wait, that makes no sense…