Josh Hamilton was the biggest and most prized name in this 2012 free agent class.  Today, seemingly out of nowhere, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim swooped in and locked up the five-time all-star to a five year deal worth $125 million.  Everybody knows about the injury history and the drug and alcohol issues for Hamilton off the field.  When he is on the field and playing at full health, Hamilton is one of the most TALENTED players in all of baseball.  However, when looking at the complete package, is the former MVP really one of the best overall players in the game?

       Undoubtedly, Josh Hamilton has put up some big time numbers throughout his six year career.  Overall for his career, Hamilton has hit .304/.363/.549, averaging 35 home runs and an OPS+ of 135.  These are impressive numbers to say the least, but among the most intriguing questions regarding Hamilton is his consistency (or lack thereof) for an entire season.  Through the first 35 games of 2012, Hamilton batted .404 with 18 home runs (on pace to break Bonds’ all-time record).  However, he tailed off significantly for the remainder of the season batting .246 with 25 home runs in the final 113 ballgames. 

                In addition to his slugging streakiness, Hamilton struck out a lot, swung and missed at too many pitches, and just simply was not as disciplined as he should be.  Hamilton struck out 25.5% of the time in 2012 (19.7% career), compared to the league average of 18.2%.  He swung and missed at a whopping 32% of pitches in 2012 (25% career), while the league average is 15%.  He had the league's worst contact rate at 64.7%, a 10% dropoff from last season alone. Clearly, this indicates Hamilton’s temptation to swing at pitches out of the zone (he owned the league's highest chase rate), which has only increased over the past year and could foreshadow future struggles.   This is very important because of Hamilton’s talent level.  When he does make contact and puts the ball in play, he bats .335 for his career (.320 BABIP in 2012).  All the strikeouts (96 in 2012) and lack of plate discipline significantly impact his batting average and on-base skills.  Also, in 2010 when Hamilton captured the MVP award, he put up gaudy numbers.  However, that season was drastically different and better than his other campaigns because of a .390 BABIP.  This allowed him to put up numbers like a .359/.411/.633 triple slash with an OPS+ of 170.  Other than that  season, he has never had a BABIP above .333 and an OPS+ above 139. 

                Playing in Texas  has significantly impacted Hamilton’s play as well.  Looking at park factors for runs scored and home runs, Rangers’ Ballpark is significantly a better place to hit than Angels Stadium.  For home runs and runs, Rangers’ ballpark has park factors of 76 and 81, respectively (>100 favors hitters, <100 favors pitchers).  In Texas, these numbers are 117 and 118 respectively, making it among the most hitter friendly parks in all of baseball.  As proof of his home ballpark in Texas aiding him, Hamilton has hit 94 home runs (1,425 AB) at home in his career, compared to just 67 (1,400 AB) on the road.  Additionally, he has a 90 point slugging percentage decrease and 109 point OPS decline on the road compared to his numbers at Arlington. There is no question heading to Los Angeles will impact Hamilton’s hitting at home. 

                One more interesting item on Hamilton is his drastic splits when hitting against top pitchers in the league, and hitting against weaker pitching in the league.  According to Vince Gennaro's research, in which he ranked hitters (using OPS) by their performances against the top pitchers, average pitchers, and lesser pitchers, Hamilton had the most drastic difference against strong pitching compared to weak pitching.  For example, Hamilton’s OPS against top pitchers is .721 and his OPS against lower level pitching is 1.154.  That is a difference of 433 points!  This is a much larger gap compared to the league average difference of 182 OPS points.  For the MLB as a whole, hitters had an OPS of .641 against top pitchers and an OPS of .823 against weak pitching. In other words, Hamilton hit weak pitching only 12% better than average, but feasted on weaker pitching , being 40% better than league average. Include the fact that most pitchers faced in the postseason belong in the upper half quartile (stronger pitching), Hamilton could face further struggles to his already dismal postseason stats (.227/.295/.424). All in all, when Hamilton hits against top pitchers in his new ballpark, it could mean trouble for Hamilton and the Angels.

                Defensively, Hamilton is and has been rated as a below average center fielder. However, with Mike Trout firmly entrenched in center, Hamil ton will play left field, where he has been rated as a good defender.  In 2012, he saved 2 runs (in LF), and has been 11 runs above average in his career according to the Ultimate Zone Rating statistic. Additionally, Hamilton possesses a strong throwing arm which has led to five outfield assists. Despite having 7 errors in the outfield this past season, Hamilton is a good defender that should only improve defensively as he plays in left field full-time.

                Josh Hamilton has the ability to carry a team on his back for a certain amount of time.  However, staying consistent for an entire season has been a problem for him in the past.  Hamilton should absolutely help the Angels and makes their lineup more dangerous this upcoming season. However, there are definitely many concerns within various aspects of his game and the Angels are taking a serious gamble for $125 million. 

BY: NICK RABASCO

     After speculation that the Phillies were dangling pitcher Cliff Lee for an outfielder like Justin Upton or Jacoby Ellsbury, they did end up trading a starting pitcher for an outfielder. However, that pitcher’s name was not the former Cy Young winner.  Vance  Worley was sent to the Minnesota Twins along with minor league pitcher Trevor May for outfielder Ben Revere.  With Ellsbury and Upton most likely commanding lengthy and expensive contracts in the near future, the Phillies decided to go with a less expensive option. 
     
     Ben Revere has played about two-thirds of a season each of the past two years with 117 games in 2011 and 124 a year ago.  In those two years Revere has shown he can hit for a decent batting average and steal a lot of bases.  However, he has proven to hit for almost no power as he has yet to go yard in a major league game.  In 2012, Revere batted .294/.333/.342 with an OPS+ of 89 and 40 stolen bases.  With his speed and league-leading ground ball percentage (67%), Revere figures to be slotted in the leadoff spot for Charlie Manual’s squad.  The one thing that is worry-some for the Phillies is that he does not walk nearly as much as he should.  He walked just 29 times last year in 553 plate appearances.  Revere is also a great defensive outfielder.  Playing some of all three outfield positions in 2012, Revere made zero errors, saved 8 runs and had 8 assists.  Revere had a WAR of 2.4 last season and being just 24 years old, the Phillies expect him to improve on that number as he will man center field at the bank in 2013.  

      The Twins biggest problem is pitching, as they were second to last in the American league with a team ERA of 4.77.  After trading Denard Span to Washington, the Twins have now given up another outfielder for two young pitchers in Vance Worley and Trevor May.  Worley has two years of major league experience but has not thrown more than 133 innings in a season yet.  He was much better in his rookie year, with an ERA+ of 127, than his sophomore season (95 ERA+).  One noticeable difference for Worley was his BABIP.  In 2011 batters hit .283 off Worley on balls put into play, and in 2012 his BABIP was .340.  This could be a sign of some bad luck for Worley in 2012.  He did however not strikeout as many batters in 2012 as he struck out 7.2 batters per nine innings compared to his 8.1 mark in 2011.  Overall, this is a nice addition to a Twins rotation that certainly needs 
some help heading into 2013.  

Nick Rabasco

      This trade saw another power arm head to Minnesota, this time with Washington state native Trevor May. May entered the season as the Phillies' top prospect. During his breakout 2011 campaign for high A Clearwater, May had a 3.63 ERA and struck out a ridiculous 12 batters per nine innings. However, 2012 was a reality check as May struggled mightily with his control (4.7 BB/9) and home runs (22 HR in 149 innings) in double A Reading. His mid-nineties heat with excellent sink and a plus curveball still allowed him to strike guys out (9 K/9), but not at nearly the rate he was the year prior. Despite his prototypical pitcher's frame (6'5", 220 lbs), he struggled with maintaining his stuff and velocity throughout games, which lead to poor pitch execution (often leading to a home run). This combination of control issues and fatigue could lead him to the bullpen, where his stuff could play up and minimize his shortcomings. If May manages to regain his control, he should be a solid middle of the rotation starter. However, the jury is still out on May's ability to throw strikes, with most feeling a transition to the late innings is inevitable. Regardless, the Twins added a talented pitcher that should help their club in some capacity by 2014. 

First Impressions 

Winner: Twins: If the trade was just Revere for Worley, this would have about as equal a trade as possible. Although May isn't special per say, his talented arm was enough to swing this trade in favor of the Twins, a team in desperate need of pitching.

Loser: Phillies: Again, not a knock on Revere, but the Phillies really did not need to include a top prospect. Either way, the Phillies got a more than serviceable outfielder that should provide excellent defense and hold his own in the NL East.


Aidan Flynn

5. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
         Brandon Phillips has been the definition of durability and consistency for the Cincinnati Reds for the past six seasons.  He has played in at least 140 games for each of the past six years and his numbers have been very solid.  He’s coming off a 2012 in which he batted .281/.321/.433 with 18 home runs, 30 doubles and 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts.  The power numbers are very good considering his positioning at second base, as he has hit at least 18 home runs in each of the last 5 seasons and at least 30 doubles in each of the last 4 seasons.  However, defense is usually what lands Phillips on the highlight reels.  He is known for making countless plays at second base that require seemingly impossible athleticsim.  In addition, Phillips has saved a positive number of runs in each of his last 5 seasons, saving 11 a year ago.  He has consistently been at least a 3.5 win player in each of the past 3 seasons so I would expect to see him reach that mark again and with the possibility of being a 4 win player in 2013. 

4. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
         Ian Kinsler had a “down” year for his normal standards in 2012.  However, he was still able to be a productive player.  His walks were down (60) and strikeouts were up (90) which resulted in the lowest OBP of his career at .326.  However, he was still able to hit for good power with 42 doubles, 5 triples, and 19 home runs.  He also managed to swipe 21 bags in 30 attempts.  It’s Kinsler’s track record that makes it realistic that his numbers will improve and return to being more like his 2011 numbers of .255/.355/.477 with 32 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 118 OPS+ and a 7.1 WAR.  Although he does not particularly hit for a high batting average, Kinsler historically has made up for that with his on-base skills.  Defensively, Kinsler has also been above average at second base, saving 40 runs throughout his career, despite having a high number of errors in some of his seasons.  I expect Kinsler to be around a 4 to 5 win player in 2013 for the Texas Rangers. 

3. Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks
         Aaron Hill has not been as consistent as Phillips, but is coming off one of the best season of his career.  The Diamondbacks second sacker batted .302/.360/.522 in 2012.  Although he may be aided by the ballpark in Arizona, Hill hit for tremendous extra base hit power as a second baseman by slugging 44 doubles, 6 triples and 26 long balls.  Hill also adds a bit of speed to his offensive game, as he stole 14 bags in 19 attempts in 2012.  After a 2009 in which he launched 36 home runs for Toronto, his numbers took a steep decline in 2010 and 2011 and many thought 2009 was just a fluke.  However, he is still just 30 years old and he should come into 2013 feeling very confident and healthy after his great 2012 campaign.  Defensively, Hill has been average the past 2 seasons, saving 2 runs in 2011 and -2 runs in 2012.  Don’t expect to see any Phillips’ like plays from Hill at second base, but his offense is what will make him around a 4-4.5 win player again in 2013 for the Diamondbacks. 

2. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
        Dustin Pedroia has turned himself into a major fan favorite and team leader in Boston.  Entering his 8th campaign with the Red Sox, Pedroia has put up career marks of .303/.369/.461 with a 117 OPS+.  Dustin has dealt with a couple injury problems throughout his career, but it has not kept him from being a very productive second baseman.  He has proven to have solid power, speed and on-base skills throughout his career, earning him a Rookie of the Year and an MVP in his first two seasons.  Pedroia has hit at least 15 home runs in 4 of his last 5 seasons, at least 35 doubles in 4 of his last 5 seasons, and stolen at least 20 bags in his last 4 full seasons.  Defensively, Pedroia has proven to consistently be among the best, if not the best in the game at his position.  He has saved at least 11 in his past 4 healthy seasons (75 games in 2010) and has never committed more than 7 errors in his 7 seasons with Boston.  He is not coming off one of his best campaigns; however this may be a result of his nagging thumb injuries throughout the season.  If healthy, I expect Pedroia to return to form and be around a 6 win player in 2013.  

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
       Almost infamously traded to the Rangers as a prospect for Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano has made the most of his opportunity in the Bronx, slowly becoming the game's best second baseman. His consistency is unmatched as he has been able to stay on the field for 8 seasons and has a career line of .308/.351/.503 and a 123 OPS+.  He is also coming off his three best seasons, finishing in the top 6 in the MVP voting each year, winning 3 consecutive silver sluggers and 2 gold gloves.  Cano’s power numbers have also increased in the last few years, putting up a very impressive 48 doubles and 33 home runs (both career highs) in 2012.  He is also among the elite defenders in the game at second base as he saved 10 runs last year and 17 for his career.  He also committed just 6 errors last year.  Overall, Cano had the second highest WAR in all of baseball last season at 8.2.  It will be tough to match that number in 2013, but still just 30 years of age I would expect Cano to be anywhere from a 6-7 win player.  

HONORABLE MENTION: 
Neil Walker 
Marco Scutaro 
Dan Uggla

-Nick Rabasco

             An offseason in which the Nationals' major goal was to find a center fielder and leadoff hitter, the Nats killed two birds with one stone by acquiring outfielder Denard Span. On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins reached an agreement to send Span to the Washington Nationals  for minor league pitcher Alex Meyer. Span is signed through 2014 and has a $9 million club option for 2015.

                Denard Span will be moving from a rebuilding Minnesota Twins ball club to a Washington Nationals team who is expected to be amongst the best in the game again in 2013.  Span absolutely strengthens this team as he will provide some solid production from the outfield.  Expected to slot in as Washington’s leadoff hitter, Span has hit .284/.357/.389 throughout his 5 year career.  In this aspect, Span should certainly be an upgrade, as National leadoff hitters only hit a collective .276/.325/.419 for 2012. Span is also coming off a successful 2012 season in which he batted .283/.342/.395 and had a career high in WAR (4.8). In addition, Span provides above average speed as he stole 17 bases in 2012 and has shown the ability to steal 20-25 bags in the past.  To complete his all around package, Span is a terrific defensive center fielder who had 20 defensive runs saved and the highest dWAR (2.4) among outfielders in 2012. Span is a perfect match for a team in need of a center fielder and his deal is short enough that it should not block minor leaguer Brian Goodwin when he is ready. 

   To start our Positional Rankings, here are the top 5 backstops in baseball. Feel free to post comments regarding the lists. We appreciate the feedback and enjoy the rankings.

5: Matt Wieters (Baltimore Orioles)

                The young phenom out of Georgia Tech has developed himself into a very good and consistent player at the major league level.  He’s been, and will continue to be, a very important center-piece to the success of the Baltimore Orioles.  Entering his fifth big league season, Wieters has been able to stay healthy as he has played at least 130 games each of the last three seasons.  His career slash line sits at a very respectable .260/.328/.421.  His home run power has been consistent the past 2 years with 22 and 23 in 2011 and 2012 respectively.  His batting average took a dip down to .249 in 2012, however he was able to walk 60 times which is his career high.  He also managed an OPS+ of 107 after posting a 110 OPS+ in 2011.  Wieters has played very well behind the plate (knew I had to throw that phrase in there somewhere) with an total zone runs of 7, 10 and 9 for each of the past three seasons respectively.  He has also improved his caught stealing percentage each year, throwing out 39% of runners in 2012.  Wieters enters his prime years in 2013 and I predict that he improve in 2013.  Look for him to be a 3.5-4 win player next season. 

4: Miguel Montero (Arizona Diamondbacks)

                The 28 year old Diamondbacks backstop has put together back to back very solid (nearly identical) seasons.  Montero has been sturdy the past two years as well, playing in at least 140 games each year.  He is coming off an impressive slash line of .286/.391/.438 with an OPS+ of 120 in 2012.  His home run power tends to sit in the mid-teens with 16 in 2009, 18 in 2011 and 15 a year ago.  One thing that noticeably improved for Miguel in 2012 was his plate discipline.  He worked 73 walks last year with his previous career high at just 47.  He did however strikeout 130 times, going over the 100 mark for the first time in his career.  Overall his offensive production is very solid for anyone, and well above average for a catcher.  Defensively, he has been terrific and amongst the league’s best.  He has thrown out 32 runners each of the last 2 seasons.  His caught stealing percentage is 40% and 42% in 2011 and 2012 respectively.  His total zone rating has also been solid the past 2 years at 10 and 8 runs above average, respectively.  He also was a well above average pitch framer going by Mike Fast's catcher framing data. When the whole package is put together, Montero should be about a 4 win player in 2013 as his consistency with the bat and glove has been a big key for him. 

3: Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)

                Joe Mauer has been one of the best players in the game throughout his 9 year career, winning 3 batting titles and partaking in 5 all-star games.  The number one overall selection out of high school in the 2001 draft is still just 29 years old as he heads into 2013. Mauer has been one of the best in the business at getting on base with a career OBP of .405.  After an injury plagued 2011, Mauer bounced back and had a typical Joe Mauer all-star season in which he hit .319/.416/.446 with an OPS+ of 141.  With consistency becoming a theme with these catchers, Mauer has been just that throughout his career.  He has been able to stay on field (with 2011 being one exception), has batted over .300 in all but 3 of his 9 years and has never hit below .287.  In addition his OBP has never dipped below .360 (2011) in a single season, and has been over a 100 OPS+ in every season.  Mauer’s biggest campaign came back in 2009 when he won the American League’s most valuable player.  That year he won what we here at BTP believe would be a better Triple Crown option, with a slash line of .365/.444/.587.  He also led the league with a 171 OPS+ and that is all the more impressive considering Mauer’s postion on the field.  Speaking of defense, Mauer has been very solid throughout his career.  He has thrown out 32% of runners in his career.  However, in 2012 he only caught 74 games and spit up his other games at DH and first base.  2012 also marked the first year in which Mauer’s defensive runs saved went under 0 at -6, which possibly hints at future time at first base.  Although Mauer may be slowing down a bit at the catcher position, he is still among the league’s elite hitters in the game which puts him at number 3 on the catcher countdown.  I would expect the Minnesota home grown product to be around a 4-5 win player in 2013. 

2: Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals)

                With Yadier Molina, I think it is appropriate to begin with defense.  The St. Louis backstop established himself as a defensive gem very early in his 9 year career.  During his first full season in 2005, Molina threw out a whopping 65% of would be base stealers.  He is also coming off an impressive season in which he gunned down 48%.  His career defensive runs saved  has amounted to 86 in his career with 36 combined runs saved the past two years. There’s no question Molina’s defensive skills are tops in the game right now, and expect more great glove work from Yadier in 2013.  As for offense, Molina has always been solid for a catcher.  However, in 2011 and 2012 he broke out as an elite offensive weapon for the Cardinals.  In 2012 he batted a career high .315/.373/.501 with an OPS+ of 127.  He was also able to steal a surprising yet impressive 12 bases which is also a career high.  Molina has been impressive in the postseason for the Cardinals as well, leading them to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.  He has a career .299/.352/.388 line in 63 career playoff games.  Molina had a WAR of 6.7 in 2012, a difficult number to repeat in 2013.  I still expect Molina to be an elite catcher and should be around a 5-6 win player. 

1: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)

The number one catcher heading into 2013 is also one of the best players in all of baseball period.  He is just 25 years old and only has 2 1/2 years of experience in the major leagues.  What he has accomplished in that short amount of time, howeve,r is what makes him the game’s best catcher.  He is coming off a well-deserved Most Valuable Player award in 2012 after winning the Rookie of the Year in 2010.  Many people thought it would take Posey a while to become the player he was in 2010 after a horrific knee injury in 2011 that limited him to just 45 games played that season.  His critics were proved wrong as Posey hit .336/.408/.549 with an OPS+ of 172 in 2012.  That knee injury proved to be a non-issue for Buster as he caught 114 games in 2012.  He is an important reason as to why the Giants’ pitching staff was among the league’s best in 2012.  He has never had a negative total zone run total or defensive run saved total in his career as a backstop and has a career TZR of 12 and DRS of 11.  He has also thrown out 33% of baserunners in his career which is above league average (27%). Posey was an All-American shortstop at Florida State, making it all the more impressive that he was able to not only make a transition to catcher, but he was
able to thrive at a young age. It is also not a coincidence that Posey’s Giants won the World Series in both seasons Posey was healthy.  Of course, in his injury year of 2011, the Giants did not even reach the postseason.  Overall, Posey had a WAR of 7.2 in 2012 and look for him to be around that mark again in 2013. 

HONORABLE MENTION:

A.J. Pierzynski (Free Agent, spent 2012 with Chicago White Sox)

Carlos Santana (Cleveland Indians)

A.J. Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers)

             Tuesday night brought the unexpected news of a major blockbuster between the Miami Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays. Akin to the Red Sox-Dodger deal in August, big names and big money is being moved between the two franchises, and should have huge ramifications for the futures of both teams. Although these consequences will be detailed later in the article, here are the details of the trade: the Toronto Blue Jays will acquire shortstop Jose Reyes, right-handed pitcher Josh Johnson, left-handed pitcher Mark Buehrle, outfielder Emilio Bonafacio, catcher John Buck, and $4 million (Blue Jays will eat the other $167 million remaining on the contracts); the Miami Marlins will acquire shortstop Yunel Escobar, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, right-handed pitcher Henderson Alvarez, minor league left-handed starter Justin Nicolino, minor league outfielder Jake Marisnick, catcher Jeff Mathis, and minor league right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani .

    The American League East just got even stronger, if you can believe that to be possible.  The Toronto Blue Jays made themselves an instant force with one big blow, landing major talent from the Miami Marlins.  The Jays are coming off just a 73 win season in 2012 and have already let manager John Farrell go to the Boston Red Sox.  However, they have filled 2 gaps in their starting rotation and added a sparkplug shortstop in Jose Reyes.  They have also received catcher John Buck, back for his second go-around with the club, and Emilio Bonifacio.  

    Let's start with the pitching.  Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle are two guys that Toronto can immediately move to the front end of the rotation.  Johnson has the talent to be a legitimate ace and he has shown that ability when he lead the league in ERA and ERA+ (2.30, 180) in 2010.  The big question surrounding Johnson is his health and durability.  He has only managed to throw 200+ innings once in his 8 year career.  He is coming off a decent season in 2012 in which he had a 3.81 ERA and 104 ERA+ in 191.1 innings.  The ability to be a 6+ WAR pitcher is there (2009 & 2010) for Johnson. The only question, once again, is his health and durability.  However, durability is not a question for the other rotation piece Alex Anthopoulos picked up, crafty lefty Mark Buehrle. Buehrle returns to the American League after just one season in the senior circuit and is heading into his age 34 season. He has thrown at least 200 innings in a whopping 12 straight seasons, with his most serious injury being a day-to-day cut from opening a mayonnaise jar.  He has been extremely consistent with his production as well.  He has never had a season with an ERA over 5 and just one season with an ERA over 4.28, with his career mark at 3.82.  He also has had just one season (4.99 ERA, 95 ERA+) with an ERA+ of under 100.  He will however give up his share of base hits despite tossing 2 career no hitters, one of which being a perfect game.  He averages 234 hits per season.  His command is very good, walking an average of 5.4% of hitters compared to the league average of 8.6%.  When it's all set and done, the Blue Jays should be very pleased with these two additions to their starting rotation.  

     Offensively, Toronto has added some nice pieces as well.  They have added two elite base-stealers to go along with Rajai Davis (40 SBs in 3 of his last 4 seasons).  Reyes is coming off a 40 stolen base season while Bonifacio is coming off a 30 steal season.  There's no question that the Jays now have the ability to cause havoc on the base paths night in and night out.  However, despite this speed and talent, there are some question marks.  With Reyes, he has struggled to consistently stay on the field throughout his career. From 2009-2011 he played in 36, 133 and 126  games respectively.  However he is coming off a 160 game season in 2012, which is a good sign for where his health stand heading into 2013.  Reyes can swing the bat as well, with a career line of .291/.342/.440.  He is also one season removed from winning a National League batting title with a .337 average.  Reyes has great tools as well defensively with a rocket for an arm, however he has struggled to be consistent.  He has committed at least 15 errors at shortstop the past three seasons and has a career defensive runs saved total of -18 runs while coming off his career worst defensive season (-17) in 2012.  He has also had a negative UZR over the past four seasons, with his 2012 mark at -2.8.  As for Bonifacio, the question is getting on base.  He owns just a .329 OBP, which has hindered his stolen base opportunites in the past.  He is coming off a tough year in which he played just 64 games and hit .258/.330/.316 with 30 steals in 33 attempts.  The Blue Jays are hoping Emilio can return to his break-out season of 2011 that saw him hit .296/.360/.393 with 40 steals in 51 tries.  The Blue Jays also were able to snag veteran and former all-star backstop, John Buck.  Buck is a guy who can backup J.P. Arencibia or fill in at DH here and there if needed.  He had the best season of his career back in 2010 with the Jays, finishing at .281/.314/.489 while hitting 20 long balls.  However, he has declined the past two seasons and is coming off a campain in which he hit .192/.297/.347 and 12 home runs in 106 games played.  Considering where the Blue Jays finished last year, their fan base should be very excited to see this trade occur.  Any team who can add Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck all in one trade has definitely improved for the upcoming season.  -Nick Rabasco


              What a season it has been for the Miami Marlins. An offseason that provided a state-of-the-art, publicly funded stadium, brand new uniforms, a re-branding of the franchise, star player signings, and the most obnoxious structure in sports sent unprecedented excitement throughout a notoriously poor baseball community. Then, the regular season started. The Marlins went 8-14 in the first month and new manager Ozzie Guillen (hired to appeal to the Hispanic/Latino Miami population) outraged the entire city with his remarks regarding his admiration of Fidel Castro, which resulted in a five game suspension. The Marlins would continue to struggle and finished with a worse record (69-93) than in 2011, despite having a payroll $44 million more in 2012.

            It's clear 2012 was a season to forget for the Marlins, which prompted this major transaction. The two big major league players heading to South Beach are Yunel Escobar and Henderson Alvarez. Escobar, seemingly the model of inconsistency, suffered a horrendous offensive campaign with a 75 OPS+ and whose attitude resulted in a suspension following writing a homophobic slur on his eyeblack. Escobar has flashed his potential before (4+ WAR in 2009, 2011) but with his current makeup issues, one has to wonder if he'll ever return to that level of production. Alvarez, basically a replacement level starter in 2012 (.1 WAR) faced a steep decline from his solid rookie season. His superb K/BB rate in 2011 of 5.00 decreased dramatically to just 1.46 as he saw he BB rate increase and K rate decline. Not necessarily a good sign going forward for any pitcher. At this point, he should just be an innings eater for the Fish.

            Among the minor leaguers the Marlins are receiving include highly-touted outfielder Jake  Marisnick, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, and lefty Justin Nicolino. According to Baseball America, Marisnick is the team's second best prospect with claims of five tool potential. Although he only hit .249/.321/.399 this year, he has plus speed that he utilizes well in center field. He does have some swing n' miss in his game (100 K's), but his strength should at least allow him to have average power if the average does not come along. Hechavarria is among the best defensive shortstops in the minors, and is adept to making both the routine and flashy plays thanks to his cannon for an arm. His hitting ability remains suspect as his triple-A numbers were inflated by playing in hitter friendly Las Vegas and had just a .645 OPS in the majors. As for Nicolino, he profiles a decent mid to back end of the rotation option for the Fish in the near future. He is the classic soft tossing lefty that hits his spots on a routine basis (a la Jamie Moyer) and pitched very well (2.46 ERA, 1.5 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) in high A Lansing.

            However, arguably the biggest prize of all for the Marlins is their newfound financial freedom, saving $160+ million in commitments over the next several seasons. This money could be used to reinvest in the free agent market (something I highly doubt in respect to last year's signings being a complete flop, but still possible) or could be used to lock up talent to long term deals such as 23 year old Giancarlo Stanton (158 OPS+, 5.4 WAR, and league leading .608 SLG). Even that could be in question given Stanton's immediate reaction following the trade, possibly discouraging him from staying in Miami long term. Now normally, trades that dumps unreasonable contracts and are able acquire cheap, young, talent is usually a clear win. Yet, it is not that cut and dry, given the circumstances surrounding the Marlins spending spree last year and the current state of their fan base. After the dismantling of World Series Championship teams and alienation of the baseball community on numerous occasions, 2012 was supposed to be a redemption for past mistakes and failures by ownership. This move only underscores previously ingrained thoughts that the current management group will not allow this team to be successful. Loria's clear ineptitude toward running a franchise has become flat out embarrassing and his continued mistakes have become laughable (unless you are a Marlins fan, my condolences). Don't get me wrong, I completely agree that if mistakes are made and the opportunity arises to wipe that slate clean, take advantage of it. Yet, it seems unlikely that Loria and the front office will reinvest that money into the on-field product given their previous history. At some point, for Marlins fans and just baseball fans alike, this act is getting old. -Aidan Flynn

First Impressions:

Winners: Blue Jays: Toronto was able to add an all-star caliber shortstop, and two very solid pitching options that can fortify an injured riddled rotation in 2013. One concern going forward is the health of both the acquired players and the team in general, but on paper the Jays look to be major contenders for the American League East Division Championship.

Losers: Miami Marlins: Miami was able to hit the reset button, but have basically forfeited the 2013 season and the next several years in general. Lack of trust to reinvest money into the on-field product will have long-term repercussions on baseball in Miami. Do not be surprised if owner Jeffrey Loria is forced to sell the team in the near future. The alienation of the fans and its lack of desire to stay competitive makes this trade a loss for the Fish.

                Heading into the 2012 season, the Texas Rangers were already established as a dominant force in the American League.  The 2-time defending AL champs looked poised to make another run at a third straight fall classic.  They were off to a blazing start in 2012, going 11-2 through the first 2 weeks of the season.  All-star and former MVP Josh Hamilton looked like a lock for his second MVP award by hitting .368/.421/.763 in April and May combined.  He also must have thought he was back in the 2008 home run derby again (28 home runs in one round!), blasting a record 4 long balls at Camden Yards against the Orioles on May 7th.  At this point everything seemed to be going right for Texas.  However, the 162-game baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint, and consistency plays a big role throughout the year. 

                From April 9th on, the Rangers led the AL West quite comfortably.  However, the Oakland Athletics caught fire in July and kept it rolling until the finish line.  They slowly snuck up behind Texas and before you knew it, they were just 2 games back heading into a showdown 3-game season to close out the campaign.  The Rangers dropped all three games in Oakland, being outscored 19-9 in the series.  One of the biggest problems in this series was the lack of production from Josh Hamilton, the same guy who had the incredible start to the year.  He was a combined 2-13 with 6 strikeouts, 6 men left on base, and zero extra base hits.  This series cost the Rangers a division title and a free pass right into the ALDS.  Instead, they had to play a very loose Orioles ball club who had nothing to lose going up against the heavyweight Rangers.  This proved to be a big problem as the Rangers fell to Baltimore 5-1, with the offense sputtering again.  In the Wild Card game alone, Hamilton struck out twice, grounded into a double play, and grounded out to the pitcher on eight combined pitches. This is just a blatant lack of plate discipline for a guy who wasn't lighting the world on fire either at the time. Down the stretch, Hamilton hit just .245 from June 1 to the end of the season.  That won’t get the job done batting out of the number three spot in the lineup.  Elvis Andrus ended up having a solid season but was also fairly inconsistent, especially down the stretch.  In September and October Elvis hit just .233/.285/.333.  That as well won’t get the job done batting near the top of the order.  Just as these two very important offensive pieces struggled, so did the Ranger pitching staff. 

                Matt Harrison and rookie Japanese sensation Yu Darvish were rocks in the rotation all season.  Harrison threw 213.1 innings and had an ERA of 3.29 and ERA+ of 138.  Darvish logged 191.1 innings with a 3.90 ERA and 116 ERA+.  After these two men, the rotation was either very inconsistent or riddled by injuries.  Colby Lewis was off to a solid start (3.43 ERA 133 ERA+) before going down for the season with an injury after making just 16 starts.  Neftali Feliz , the former closer, was converted to the rotation and made only 7 starts (3.16 ERA 145 ERA+) before he had his season come to a halt.  They had to rely on guys like Derek Holland and Scott Feldman who proved to be unsuccessful in 2012.  Holland ended the year with a 4.67 ERA and 97 ERA+ in 175.1 innings and Feldman ended with a 5.09 ERA and 89 ERA+ in only 123.2 innings.  Because of these problems Texas added Roy Oswalt and Ryan Dempster mid-season.  These looked like solid moves at the time but neither panned out.  Both had ERA’s north of 5 and ERA+’s below the league average of 100.  The combination of a struggling starting rotation and two offensive superstars who failed to produce at their normal rates down the stretch is the reason Texas fell apart in 2012 (although I guess you can give some of the credit to the magic that is the Oakland A’s, if you are one to believe in that sort of thing). 

                Look for Texas to be right back in the race for a division crown in 2013.  Texas will return Darvish and Harrison as a nice 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.  They will also have Feliz back healthy and they have to hope for a bounce back season from Derek Holland.  Although Texas  has money to spend, is seems unlikely they will re-sign free agent Josh Hamilton, as General Manager Jon Daniels will allocate that money to better alternatives .  I look for them to possibly add a starting pitcher and an outfield bat.  I personally believe Nick Swisher is a good fit.  A deal of about 4-5 years would be acceptable for Swisher.  He has proven to be extremely durable and very consistent throughout his career and I think Texas should look at him for a Josh Hamilton replacement.  Additionally, they have been linked to Zack Greinke (3.48 ERA, 8.48 K/9, 3.10 FIP), this year's top free agent pitcher, in hopes that he could be the ace they have lacked the past several seasons. Regardless, the formula that made them so successful back in 2010 and 2011 is starting to lose its luster and look for Daniels to be aggressive in order to reach October immortality. 

      The Kansas City Royals have added some depth to their starting rotation by receiving right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana and $1 million from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor league pitcher Brandon Sisk.  Sisk, at age 26, had back to back solid seasons with AAA Omaha with a 1.41 ERA in 32 innings in 2011 and a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings in 2012.  He is a decent piece to look to for LA in case of an injury or struggles in the bullpen for 2013. 

      The bigger part of this deal clearly is Santana.  The talented right hander will be heading into his age 30 season in 2013 and the question mark for him is consistency.  He has showed flashes of brilliance throughout his career including tossing a no-hitter in 2012 in Cleveland.  He has enjoyed four seasons (2006, 2006, 2010-11) of having an ERA+ of over 100.  His back-to-back solid seasons in 2010 (3.92 ERA) and 2011 (3.38 ERA) are great signs.  However, going back to consistency, he has had his share of struggles.  He has had three seasons of sporting an ERA of over 5.  Unfortunately for Santana, his 2012 ERA of 5.16 is fresh in everyone’s mind.  Another glaring problem in 2012 was home runs.  Santana served up a ridiculous 39 long balls in 2012 which lead the entire league and was 12 more than his previous career high of 27. This is due to his crazy home run per fly ball percentage of 14.8, which is almost double the league average of 7.6%. He also posted a career low ERA+ of just 73.  He has also shown the ability to throw over 200 innings over the course of a big league season.  However the innings have not been as high during his more unsuccessful seasons.  The Royals can only hope they are getting the 2011 Ervin Santana and his ridiculous HR/FB will regress to his career norms. 

First Reactions:

Winner:  Royals.  They only gave up a minor league reliever and this is a low risk move for them.  Kansas City is in great need of starting pitching and Santana is a guy that has the ability to eat some innings and be successful for the organization moving forward.

Loser:  Angels.  Received a 26-year old reliever and lost depth in their rotation.  Not a move that will tear down the team, but will especially hurt if team cannot resign RHP Zack Greinke. 

              Some say he’s going to be the best player the game has ever seen and a lock for 500 home runs, if not many more.  This high praise started in high school for Bryce Harper at age 16, when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and was dubbed as baseball’s “chosen one.”  As a freshman in high school Harper hit a moonshot that traveled 570 feet.  That’s the type of strength this young phenom was blessed with.  Bryce was so advanced for his age that he dropped out of high school after his sophomore year, got his GED, and went to College of Southern Nevada. Scouts would have been happy with just surviving against much older competition. Instead, he dominated and won the Golden Spikes Award, in honor of the best player in amateur baseball.  After just one year at Southern Nevada, he declared for the MLB draft and was selected with the number one overall pick in 2010 by the Washington Nationals. 

                Harper, just turning 20, has jumped through the minor league system and has started in both center-field and right-field for 2012's best regular season team, the Washington Nationals. In addition to his outfield versatility, Harper possesses power and bat-speed that is far and away already better than most major league hitters.  He lived up to all the hype and expectations hitting at a .270/.340/.477/.817 clip with 22 home runs in 2012.  His 22 home runs are the second most by a teenager in Major League history (Tony Conigliaro with 24). There’s no question the power is there for Bryce, but he has excelled in other facets of the game as well.  He has shown great patience at the plate, a trait most young hitters lack, with a walk rate of 9.4%, which is higher than the league average of 8%.  He is also above average in categories such as WAR (5.0) and OPS+ (119).  He’s no Mike Trout in terms of speed (but then again, who is?), however he does have above average wheels and has the ability to steal bases, as he was 18 out of 24 (75%) in 2012.  With impressive tools like hitting for average, hitting for power and speed on the base paths, Harper fills out the remaining tools just as well.  Bryce, a converted outfielder after being a catcher much of his amateur career, was clocked throwing 96 MPH in high school.  Today, he utilizes his rifle in the Washington outfield.  Harper had a very impressive 8 outfield assists in his rookie campaign.  Even though Harper made 7 errors, he is still young and had a well above league average 14 defensive runs saved.  Remember, he should have just finished up his freshman year in college. Instead, he's posted some of the greatest teenage numbers in baseball history.

                These types of numbers at such a young age make people wonder what this kid can do in the future, which may be scary.  Additionally, Harper is praised for the things that do not show up on the stat sheets.  His intense fire and passion for playing the game of baseball is what makes him so successful early on in his career.  To some, he may come off as being arrogant and cocky.  However, I look at him as being confident and a guy who simply plays the game how everyone should play it by running every ball out as hard as he can.  Just consider yourself a clown if you want to question Harper’s ability to play baseball at its highest level, bro.  

   As the 108th World Series is about to kick off, we here at BTP wish to unveil our first annual Behind the Plate Award Winners, in honor of each player's tremendous season. We carefully selected each player after much conversation and debate, trying to ensure we selected the most deserving candidates. Many of our awards derive their names from the players that best exhibited what each award represents. A short description for each award is as follows:

Best Player Award: Pretty self-explanatory, we wanted to remove the term "valuable," as it can be interpreted several different ways.
Walter Johnson Award: Named after arguably the greatest pitcher of all-time, this award is presented to the pitcher who had the best season in his respective league.
Babe Ruth Award: Named after arguably the greatest hitter of all-time, this award is presented to the hitter who had the best season in his respective league.
Mariano Rivera Award: Named after arguably the greatest relief pitcher of all time, this award is presented to the reliever who had the best season in his respective league.
Mike Trout Award: Named after the player who arguably completed the greatest rookie season of all time, this award is presented to the rookie who had the best season in his respective leagve.
Connie Mack Award: Named after the winning-est manager in Major League history, this is presented to the best manager in his respected league.
Branch Rickey Award: Named after one of the most innovative and influential executives in Major League history, this is presented to the executive that made the best transactions toward improving his club for the 2012 season.

And without further adieu...

Best Player Award: 
American League: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
National League: Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants

Walter Johnson Award: 
American League: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
National League: R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

Babe Ruth Award: 
American League: Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers
National League: Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants


Mariano Rivera Award:
American League: Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays
National League: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves


Mike Trout Award
American League: (Surprise!) Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
National League: Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals

Connie Mack Award: 
American League: Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
National League: Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals

Branch Rickey Award:
American League: Billy Beane, Oakland Athletics
National League: Mike Rizzo, Washington Nationals

All BTP 1st Team:
C: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1B: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
2B: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
3B: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
SS: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals
OF: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
DH: David Wright, 3B, New York Mets
SP: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
SP: R.A. Dickey, New York Mets
SP: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
RP: Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays
RP: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
RP: Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds

All BTP 2nd Team:
C: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
1B: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2B: Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks 
3B: Chase Headley, San Diego Padres
SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
OF: Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals
OF: Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers
OF: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
DH: Adrian Beltre, 3B, Texas Rangers
SP: Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds
SP: Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
SP: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
SP: Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
RP: Kris Medlen, Atlanta Braves
RP: Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles
RP: Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants