From: niguma@ug.cs.dal.ca (Gordon Niguma)
Subject: Lists: The Best Players In Baseball
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 18:57:17 GMT

In <1993Jan7.063346.2962@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> nlu@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:

>In article <C0Gww7.98F@cs.dal.ca> niguma@ug.cs.dal.ca (Gordon Niguma) writes:

>>Best Players Overall:
>>RP: Dennis Eckersley

>This is very arguable.  Eckersley had a great season, but wasn't really as good
>as the media hyped him to be.  Of course, you can't argue with his consistency.

   He used to be better (like in 1990, that was a SCARY year), and with his age
anything is possible. I still think he's the best guy to bank on.

>>3B: Edgar Martinez (yes, over Pendleton)

>But over Gary Sheffield?  Sheffield is also just 24.  Martinez had the better
>season in '92, but it's a tossup right now for '93, even assuming that Martinez
>has recovered from surgery.

 As a follower of the A.L. sometimes I forget the obvious. I forgot.
Embarrassing.

OF: Ken Griffey Jr. 

>Van Slyke, Tartabull, and Mack had better season than Griffey, but of course
>Griffey's year is actually considered an off-year, and he's only 22.

 I am still holding to my belief that Puckett and Van Slyke are falling 
dramatically. They both shot up last year but I don't think they will maintain
that pattern. They were showing clear dropoffs from their peak years. That's
why I didn't believe they are among the best.
  Tartabull was going to make my team because he's a very productive run 
producer. Mack's great too but I don't think he really approaches Griffey.

>>Best Players For Expansion Club To Have (under 25 years old or 25):
>>SP: John Smoltz  

>This is quite debatable.  Smoltz's own team Steve Avery, for example, might
>be a better candidate.

  This is one thing I thought I should get into. I thought about Avery and I
believe that Smoltz is more likely to succeed mainly because his strikeout 
rate is higher. You have to be concerned about the number of innings both of
them have thrown at such a young age (the Bill James-Pete Palmer doctrine).

>>3B: Dean Palmer or maybe Jeffries (still only 25)
>What about Sheffield?

  The obvious choice. I forgot about him, which is pretty obvious after ignoring
him in favor of Jeffries.

>>OF: Phil Plantier
>Plantier might be a bit early to argue for, although he's certainly capable
>of great things...

  No one else really stood out aside from Griff and Juan Gone...

>>C: Eric Wedge (please play him! Make Gorman look like an idiot...)
>Unfortunately, the Rockies say, as of this moment, that Joe Girardi would
>start...  They are probably bigger iditots than Gorman.

  How is that possible 8-)? Girardi seems to be the guy they like and it'll
probably take an injury to get Wedge into the lineup. How's his defense after 
the injury?

						Gord Niguma
						(fav player: John Olerud)


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