| |
The Cheap
Team 2005
by Daniel Paulling
May 7, 2005
Every season I take it upon myself to choose a
team of players that earn less than what Yankees’ third baseman
Alex Rodriguez earns. Well, this season, I took this one step further:
no player on my 25-man roster earns more than one million dollars.
So sit back, relax, and if this is your first Cheap Team, get ready
to be amazed.
C Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians – So, uh, why did
I choose this guy? Well, last season Martinez hit twenty-three bombs
with 108 runs driven in. He kept up his walk numbers, his OBP was
excellent, and his slugging percentage was great. He’s an all
around hitter and he can produce numbers similar to a corner outfielder
behind the plate. That is outright amazing. Salary: $700,000
1B Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians – Martinez’s
teammate in Cleveland, Hafner clubbed twenty-eight bombs last year
with 109 RBIs. These numbers aren’t brilliant for a first baseman,
but he puts up numbers very similar to Derrek Lee (minus the steals).
Salary: $377,400
2B Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles – Wow! Look
at his numbers so far this season: .421 batting average, six homers,
a .507 on base percentage, and an OPS over 1.300. I would have chosen
Roberts as my second baseman anyway because he has good defensive
talent, as well as a bit of speed. Salary: $390,000
SS Khalil Greene, San Diego Padres – He was definitely
not added to this team for his offense; there’s plenty of that
to go around. Greene is a very strong defensive player and with
Roberts should form a double play combination that rivals Luis Castillo
and Alex Gonzalez in Florida. Salary: $355,000
3B Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers – Blalock was a staple
the past two years on my team and he earns a spot on it again this
season. However, I lost his teammate Teixeira to the one million
dollar mark. I will still take Blalock’s bat, however. Despite
his difficulty against left-handed pitchers, Blalock hit 32 bombs
and drove in 110 runs. His batting average, on base percentage,
and slugging percentage were all excellent, no worries there. This
is probably Blalock’s last year on the team, but it won’t
be because of lack of numbers. Salary: $850,000
LF Miguel Cabrera, Florida Marlins – Where did this
guy come from? Everyday he looks more and more like the next Albert
Pujols. The-baby-faced one has tremendous talent for a 22 year old
and he has put it all together, something that is extraordinary
for a player his age. Last year he hit 34 bombs with 112 runs driven
in. Definitely sounds like he earns a spot on The Cheap Team. Salary:
$370,000
CF Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Devil Rays – I know
that he is not really a center fielder, but if Sweet Lou got his
thinking cap on, Crawford would be starting there everyday. Last
year, CC stole 59 bases, and 55 the year before. His defense is
excellent and definitely is underutilized in left field. His power
has been increasing, icing on the cake. Salary: $625,000
RF Scott Podsednik, Chicago White Sox – Seventy
stolen bases last year? I know his OBP was horrible, but having
70 stolen bases is amazing in this day and age. I would love to
have him near the top of my lineup wreaking havoc any day of the
week that ends in “y.” Salary: $700,000.
DH Lew Ford, Minnesota Twins – There were several
better choices, but these players have not proven themselves just
yet at the major league level. However, for the choice of DH, I’m
going with Ford, a solid player. He is a very useful guy to have
around because he can fill in at several positions without embarrassing
himself. The 20 bombs he is capable of is just extra icing. Salary:
$365,000.
So how did my lineup fair? Well, in years past I had the likes of
Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman on here, both great players. These
guys have moved on to bigger contracts (darn them). Teams in the
past were built on power, but this one seems to be nearly all speed
oriented, which is not entirely a bad thing. Also, the team defense
is excellent, an added bonus. My lineup would look a little something
like this:
RF Scott Podsednik
2B Brian Roberts
CF Carl Crawford
LF Miguel Cabrera
3B Hank Blalock
1B Travis Hafner
C Victor Martinez
DH Lew Ford
SS Khalil Greene
Pitchers:
SP Dontrelle Willis, Florida Marlins – The choice of staff
ace is a little weighty, but it really matters who they are one
through five and not so much how they are lined up. Willis has the
talent to lead a rotation and be a fine stopper, something that
I did not miss. He is a power pitcher, who can last long into games.
In other words, he’s a good starter to have, even as the front
man. Salary: $378,500.
SP Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics – If the A’s
have a “Big One” starter, it’s Harden, not Zito.
This youngster is quite comparable to Tim Hudson, with a nasty splitter,
but Harden has high 90s heat. Hudson only pitches in the low 90s.
Expect a great season from this youngster, however he won’t
be as good as his fast start predicts. Salary: $750,000.
SP Oliver Perez, Pittsburgh Pirates – Perez pitched
wonderfully last year, increasing his strikeout rate tremendously,
while lowering the amounts of walks allowed. In the early going,
Perez has not pitched all that well, but expect improvement soon:
I, and many experts, believe Perez to be the next great lefty. For
my sake, he better be! Salary: $381,000.
SP Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks – Webb is notorious
for having a high WHIP, but this is major league baseball, not fantasy
baseball. To have Webb as a number four starter is great because
he has talent, is young, and can produce. He’s not in the range
of the guys listed ahead of him, but he is a darn good starting
pitcher. Salary: $715,000.
SP Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals – This was a very
difficult decision because I really like Jeremy Bonderman for the
fifth slot. However, I’m going to pick Greinke, despite less
experience at the major league level than Bonderman, because of
how well he pitched last year. He nearly walked absolutely no one,
while striking out quite a few hitters. I would love to see that
home run rate go down, perhaps he’s throwing too many strikes.
Alas, that’s another article for another time. Salary: $330,500.
How did the starting rotation fare? Well, it’s long on
potential, but less talented than in years past. In four years,
all of these guys will have put in Cy Young caliber seasons, but
they are very young right now. For this team to succeed, the learning
curve would have to be sped up quite a bit, but I have faith that
these guys would produce this year.
(Bench)
C Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins – This guy should be
starting, but I am going to have him backing up Victor Martinez
due to his knee troubles. The plus is that Mauer has the bat to
fill in at first base and DH, so he does not need to be behind the
plate all the time. Salary: $325,000.
MI Angel Berroa, Kansas City Royals – Berroa has brilliant
defensive talents, which is why I added him to this team. He can
also steal quite a few bases, plus he can pinch hit and steal bases.
Salary: $500,000.
OF Kevin Mench, Texas Rangers – Mench matured quite
a bit last year down the stretch, something that bodes well for
the 2005 season. He has improved his swing, which should cut down
on the bad streaks, as well as give him more hits, something opposing
pitchers definitely do not want. Salary: $345,000.
OF Austin Kearns, Cincinnati Reds – It seems quite foolish
to spend this last bench spot on a player like Kearns because of
injury concerns, but he is still very good. If he assumed the role
of outfielder/third baseman/first baseman, that should cut down
on his injuries, which would help his career as one of the great
young hitters in the game. Salary: $930,000.
The bench is a little weak, not much talent in terms of corner infielders.
Mauer can play first base, but it would require some teaching, just
like with Berroa and Kearns at third. I do, however, like the balance
of speed with Berroa and power with Mench and Kearns.
(Bullpen)
Longman: Tanyon Sturtze, New York Yankees – Sturtze
has quietly become an arm in the Yankee bullpen that Joe Torre can
count on. If Sturtze can ride the momentum of his postseason success,
he might just become the next great 7th inning man. However,
on this team Sturtze is a Longman because of his ability to pitch
for more than 2 innings. Salary: $850,000.
6th inning: Yhency Brazoban/Ryan Wagner, Los Angeles
Dodgers/Cincinnati Reds – These two youngsters are being
groomed for future closing roles with their respective teams. And
no wonder. These guys have filthy stuff, Wagner having maybe the
best slider in the major leagues. Salary: $319,500/$380,000.
7th inning: Brendan Donnelly/Scot Shields, Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Donnelly
and Shields are both excellent setup men in Los Angeles, and definitely
have the talent to pitch the same way on my cheap team. Any manager
that can choose between to two is lucky, especially for the seventh
inning. Salary: $420,000/$925,000.
8th inning: Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim – Many people wondered why Angels manager Mike
Scioscia didn’t pitch Troy Percival in the eighth and K-Rod
in the ninth. This is a moot point, as Percival is now closing in
Detroit, while K-Rod is doing a better job in Anaheim. This kid
has some of the filthiest stuff in the major leagues, but can’t
compare to the man he’s setting up. Salary: $440,000.
Closer: Brad Lidge, Houston Astros – Pure power.
Pure competitor. Pure talent. Heck, this choice was an easy one.
Last year Lidge struck out 157 hitters, more than some starting
pitchers. He was absolutely dominating in the postseason, something
that should be taken into account. Lidge would not only be the closer
for the cheap team, but probably any team in the major leagues.
Lidge’s stuff is just that good. Salary: $500,000.
The bullpen is unquestionably the strength of this year. Guys pitching
in the sixth inning are closers on most any other team. All of these
guys have the talent to throw sixty innings with a sub 2.00 ERA.
For a young rotation like mine, a bullpen that can pitch is the
most important thing.
So how does this team compare to past cheap teams? Well, the payroll
is slightly less than in previous years, but the talent level is
a little worse. There are not forty home run guys in my lineup,
which I would love to have. Plus, the rotation is full of question
marks like Oliver Perez and Brandon Webb. The bullpen, however,
is probably stronger than in the years past. This team could win
100 games.
Share your thoughts or comments in our forums.
|
|
