Hello Fans,
MLB has the Golden Glove Awards for each position in both leagues to recognize the best overall defenders. Each player has to possess a ‘mazing mitt, roving range, and an accurate arm. Also, they have the Silver Slugger Awards to recognize the best all around hitters. Your high average and power combo guys are choice picks. However, here at the View From The Dish, we now have the first annual Caked On Clay Awards, or more simply, the COCAs. We want guys who do everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! They gotta catch it. They gotta hit it. They gotta throw it. They gotta hustle too. And they MUST get dirty. A LOT. They even gotta fill up the water buckets when it’s 110 degrees in the shade on a Texas summer afternoon. OK, that’s probably not a realistic expectation in this day and age, but you get the idea. Oh, and we’re not going for this one in each league stuff. No way, we want THE best guy.
OK, so we have some other requirements too. Players must have finished out the 2012 season on the active roster (no DLs) and in good standing (not suspended). Therefore, you can write off well known names like Melky Cabrera, Mariano Rivera, Carl Crawford, Bartolo Colon (not that he’d get picked), and Nick Markakis. They had to put up the numbers in 2012, reputations alone won’t cut it. We’re also not recognizing DHs. I know, I know. They’re pivotal players in at least half the games played. They have defensive positions though. If the stick is good enough to carry them over a guy who plays ‘O’ and ‘D’, then they’re in. Drive in a buck-fifty and you’ll get your COCA. Bat two bucks-fifty, play great ‘D’, and don’t run out ground balls, save the trip to the mailbox. It’s not our fault they play part time folks.
There’s no way to start a team selection process by position other than using the score book designation numbers for each position. So at Number 1, we have a guy who can get the strikeouts regularly, to say the least, didn’t make an error all year, hit .277 with a bomb and seven RBI. He got the dirty work done and was looking to do much more, but the boss didn’t ask him to so we won’t hold that against him. He’s one of the biggest talents and draws the game has to offer. We’ re talkin’ ’bout the famous Stephen Strasburg. He put up 197 K’s in jsut 159-1/3 innings, good for a closer-like ratio of 11.1 K’s per 9 innings pitched. He grabbed 15 W’s to just 6 losses and didn’t allow many base runners with a WHIP of just 1.15. And while he possesses and throws an over powering fastball often, therefore, the hitters know it’s coming, he still lost the ball just 15 times. He also said he has to do what the bosses tell him as far as playing time, but would never agree with the decision that shelved him in early September as the Nationals’ G.M. Mike Rizzo said was the plan all year, despite the team’s success and run to the playoffs. With great power, precision, and perspective, he’s our man on the mound.
Who’s going to be our dish guy? Well, there were some great seasons by the men with the best views out there in 2012. Switch-hitting, great game calling Matt Wieters led the Orioles to a playoff berth. Yadier Molina, always great on ‘D’, had a HUGE season with the bat too, hitting .315 with 22 long balls. Joe Mauer re-emerged from injuries, hitting .319 with a whopping .416 OBP. And A.J. Pierzykski hit a career and ’12 catcher-high 27 homers. The COCA goes to the lone masked man with a 100 RBI campaign. Plus, he’s the Comeback Player of the Year after that devastating broken leg and torn ligaments injury in 2011. Not that it’s a factor here, but his post-season was pretty good too as the Giants captured their second title in three years. He hits and calls great games for a staff that includes Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, for whom he caught a perfecto this year. Buster Posey, a.k.a. Gerald, won the N.L. batting title at a .336 clip and added 24 bombs and a .408 OBP. Plus, he had an unbelievable .957 OPS. That’s tough to do when you’re catching well over 100 games and throwing out 30+ percent of base stealers. Posey gets the COCA as he’s got the grit, the hit, and the mitt.
Our not-the-hottest Corner Man needs to have the traditional trait of being a power man. Honorable Mention goes to the Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion, who smashed 42 homers and 110 ribbies and even threw in 13 stolen bases. However, his mitt is good, but it also kept him in the DH role for 82 games. We need an everyday mitt out there to go with that pop at the plate. Adrian Gonzalez, who surprisingly finished with a .299 average, 108 RBI, and MLB first-sacker leading 188 hits is a good choice. He always fields exceptionally well too, but ’12 showed a power outage for him as he hit just 18 homers. Our guy hit 33 dingers, 35 two-baggers, and racked up 100 RBI in a tough pitcher’s home park. He also led his league with nine sac flies and was seventh in Total Bases at 291. On ‘D’, he was third in putouts and assists at first base and fifth in fielding percentage. He didn’t hit in the .300s like Prince Fielder, but his Defensive WAR (wins above replacement) is 0.0, good for third in the Bigs, whereas Fielder was negative 1.4 with the glove. He had a career year in ’12 and we’ll see if he can do it again, but the COCA is Adam LaRoche’s of the Nationals.
Ten or twenty years ago we thought we were at the all-time height of watching great second basemen take over the game with the likes of Ryne Sandberg, Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, etc. Well, it either continues still to this day, or it started over. Take your pick. You cannot deny the talents and HOF potential of Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia. They played well, particularly Cano with 33 HRs and 94 RBI. Pedroia was hurt a lot and probably played more than he should have. Any team needs that fiestiness and never-say-die approach. Rightly so, Cano has been complemented for his strong arm and smooth defensive plays. He’s also been criticized for not making some of the easy plays or appearing not to hustle and focus on every play. We’re going with a guy that has spunk and has something to prove, an edge as well as the ability to make those ‘he-just-did-what’ type of plays. Everyone thinks of our pick as a little guy, but he’s a solid 6’0″ and 200 pounds. He brought 30 doubles, 18 bombs, 77 RBI, and 15 stolen bases to the offense. He made just five errors, good for a .992 fielding percentage. Cano had a fabulous season. And props go to Darwin Barney for being a defensive wizard for the Cubs. However, the COCA winner has him beat on ‘O’ as we award Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
THE hot-corner winner is a no brainer. Despite his negative 0.2 Defensive WAR and his 13 errors, which aren’t as bad as they may sound as Aramis Ramirez’ seven was the fewest, and only two others were under ten in booted balls. He plays everyday, even when he wraps us such things like the Triple Crown. Yes, the first one in forty-five years since Yaz in ’67. Miguel Cabrera was THE do-all in his three-hole spot in the Tigers’ lineup. Forty-four parked balls, 139 ribs, and .330 average are impressive numbers, league leader or not. He also put a .393 OBP and .999 OPS. That combination of dominance is video game-like. Hey, throw in his 40 doubles, 205 hits, and 80 percent success rate stealing bases (4 of only 5, but it counts) just for the fun of it. Plus, he struck out less than 100 times (98), which is becoming rare for today’s big men. Clearly, he had one of the best offensive season ever. He’s got the COCA. Honorable mention goes to Adrian Beltre, who went for .321, 36 HR, 102 RBI, and 194 hits.
Who’s best fit to fill that big hole between second and third? The COCA winner led the majors in Total Chances, Fewest Errors, Fielding Percentage (obviously) Innings, D-WAR, and Assists. Don’t worry, he carries a big stick too. For shortstops, he was sixth with 158 hits, tenth with 30 2Bs, third with 22 HRs, and fourth with 68 RBI, which are big coming from the top end of Baltimore’s lineup. J.J. Hardy takes it down for 2012. We’re not sure if he can keep super prospect and all-around talent phenom Manny Machado at bay for much longer, but his ’12 season was complete. We wished he had kept that average out of the .240 range, but his pop off set it. Honorable mention goes out to Ian Desmond of the Nats, who put up 25 bombs and a .292 average. Also, props to the ‘ageless one’, at least on offense, Derek Jeter. He led the A.L. with 216 hits at a clip of .316 while passing Willie Mays on the hit list to crack the top ten all-time. WOW! Stay tuned to that traveling circus folks. His negative D-WAR were too much to overcome and Hardy offers all around balance to complement Cabrera on the left side.
OK now it’s time for Numbers 7,8, and 9. I’m not a big fan of grouping outfielders together as there are different skills involved between playing left, center, and right. Left is usually filled by a weaker arm, but quicker guy than the one in right. The centerman is the fastest and rangiest of the three. His arm is at least mediocre. Anyway, after looking at the talent out there, our guys can and do play anywhere in the outfield. Sometimes I like the WAR stat. Other times not so much. We’ll take one guy that kills it with ‘real’ stats and in things like WAR. Our second is a do-all that carries his team with ‘real’ numbers and surprises in D-WAR. And our third pick is perhaps the most talented guy in ball and is for the group OVER the age of 21, but whose overall WAR somehow lacks. There is some instinct and preference involved as the above picks surely indicate as well.
The first OF is rookie sensation Mike Trout. The Angels didn’t make the playoffs, but just missed thanks largely to the arrival of Trout. He re-energized the team and took the pressure off of a struggling Albert Pujols, which let him find his groove as well. Trout had an amazing season, perhaps top twenty-five worthy. Upon being called up, in just 139 games, he scored 129 Runs, pounded 182 hits, 27 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 30 HRs, 83 RBI, batted .326 with a .399 OBP, and .963 OPS from the one-hole. That is just SICK!! And we can’t even count how many amazing catches he hauled in and homers he prevented while roaming center. We’re talking Mays and Mantle all-around abilities here fans. Granted, it’s just one year, but regardless of profession, any 21-year old typically masters a craft later on in a career so sit back and watch this guy entertain you. To justify the legendary comparisons, his WAR of 10.7 is the best since Pujols’ 10.9 back in 2003. Half man, half amazing.
Our second OF is Andrew McCutchen of the now relevant Pirates. He can and sometimes has to do it all for his team. He plays an excellent center field, chasing balls all over the gaps while anchoring the three-spot in the lineup. He went .327 average, 29 2Bs, 6 3Bs, 31 HRs, 20 SB, .400 OBP, and .953 OPS. He only made one error and added three assists so we’re ignoring his negative 0.2 D-WAR. Don’t understand that one. His overall WAR is 7.0. Love it. Plus, he’s as fun to watch as anybody, has no problems with being ‘the man’, and just turned 26 and may get even better. Somehow.
Our last man to round out the lineup is a controversial figure. He’s had off field problems, but deals with his mistakes publicly and honestly. SI phrased it best this summer with a cover phrase of ‘fragile brilliance’. That’s a bit dramatic, but good. He can get hotter than anybody as well as over-aggressive and slump bad. He’s been around a while. Has a four homer game to his credit. Can play left or center and flat out go get it. He’s fast. Intense. He’s a big guy too. And a free agent. Many of you are tired of him. We’re not. Some criticized his second half, but the WHOLE season still counts. Here’s his line: In 148 games, he was the number one OF with 43 HRs and 128 RBI. Add 31 2Bs and a .931 OPS to that along with the 2nd highest extra base hit total, 76, and 324 Total Bases, good for fourth. His talent and strength are at times unmatched and he can do special things in all aspects of the game at any time. You HAVE to have this guy on your squad. Josh Hamilton, here’s your COCA. Honorable mention goes to Carlos Gonzalez (.303/22/85) and Ryan Braun (.319/41/112).
Well, there you have it, the 2012 COCAs. Five NLers to four ALers. That seems fair considering the Senior Circuit clubs won the All-Star Game and the World Series. The young and talented Nationals were the only club to claim two. Four East Coast guys (Strasburg, LaRoche, Hardy, McCutchen), Two West Coasters (Posey and Trout), and three Midwest players (Phillips, Cabrera, and Hamilton). That’s good balance. In retrospect, it’s hard to believe we don’t have Robinson Cano and Ryan Braun on our squad. They probably can’t play better seasons, nor can anyone else for that matter. However, the votes are in, the stats are analyzed, and the preferences are weighed. Hey, there’s always next year.
Later Fans.