Who has the 2008 AL East's top bench (three or four shown)?
BAL (Fahey, Redman, Quiroz) | 2 (1.80%) |
BOS (Cora, Moss, Crisp or Ellsbury) | 63 (56.76%) |
NYY (Betemit, Molina, Duncan) | 24 (21.62%) |
TB (Riggans, Zobrist, Floyd) | 7 (6.31%) |
TOR (Thigpen, Scutaro, McDonald) | 15 (13.51%) |
For the most part, using the ESPN.com depth charts, I tried to ID one C, one IF and one OF for each team, though this was harder in some situations than others -- for instance, BOS doesn't really have an identified backup C right now, while one of Ellsbury and Crisp (but not both and probably not neither) will be on the bench to start most games.
Mick - the Sox won't break that way. Either Crisp or Ellsbury will be traded in the Santana trade. If that trade doesn't get done - Crisp will be traded seperately for a bag of used balls and a "I never used Steroids" Clemens card. Ellsbury is leap years ahead of Crisp. Their third spot will go to a back up catcher.
Scutaro and JMac will be an exceptional 2nd base and SS back up team - leaving us exposed at third when Glaus comes down with the Chicken Flu or whatever it is he'll get this year. Bear in mind either Stairs or Johnson is also on the bench depending on whether a lefty or righty is pitching against us.
Ellsbury's inclusion really skews this one as presented. As for Crisp, don't be so sure they trade him even if Ellsbury starts. As Curt Schilling has pointed out, Crisp is an amazing fielder with legit speed (7 3B, 28 SB, 6 CS), whose bat is unexciting but not terrible. That's a great form of late inning option and insurance for any team to have. If Boston is looking to move him, would I replace Reed with Coco? Yes, I would.
Even so, if the vote was BOS (Cora, Moss, Crisp) vs. TOR (Thigpen, Stairs, McDonald), then suddenly the vote gets a lot closer and there's an argument that Toronto wins.
I put Mirabelli on the list instead of Ellsbury/Crisp. And Stairs should be on the Jays' list instead of JMac.
This quite clearly gives the best bench to the Yankees with Projected OPS (Bill James) of 843, 823 and 622 for Duncan, Betemit and Molina.
The Rays or Jays would be next - Floyd, Zobrist and Paul have projections of 818, 755 and 612 and Stairs, Scutaro and Thigpen project to 803, 700 and 724.
The Sox would be fourth with Moss, Cora and Mirabelli coming in at 780, 659 and 674. I didn't feel the need to look at the Orioles.