2011 Reader Top 30, Runoff for #19

2011 Reader Top 30

With 1 vote separating them (at the time I’m writing this), we’ll go to a run-off vote for spot #19 between Austin Hyatt and Cesar Hernandez. The winner is #19, the “loser” is #20, and then we move on to #21. So, place your vote.

87 thoughts on “2011 Reader Top 30, Runoff for #19”

  1. 20 year old leadoff prospect with a career .300 average, plate discipline and 32 steals in 65 games versus a 24 year old pitcher with 22 innings of AA experience. This is not the hardest decision I’ve had to made.

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    2. The career .300 average includes 0 AB in Lakewood or Clearwater. He certainly has potential, but he needs to prove himself both those places then at least in Reading, which takes a lot of hope and projection as a second-baseman (a position that requires more offense than shortstop), despite his speed due to his lack of power. It takes much less to imagine Hyatt repeating his 2010 Clearwater numbers in Reading this year, passing Kendrick or Worley on the depth chart and appearing as a starting pitcher in Philadelphia as early as this season. Even if it takes him until 2012 to appear Philadelphia, 25 is not very old for a rookie to be making his major league debut. I agree a prospect’s age is very important, but it can be overblown. For whatever reasons (coaching decisions, health, maturity, physical or mental, I have no idea) after choosing not to sign with the Atlanta Braves, who selected him in the 23rd round in 2004, Hyatt got a late start at the University of Alabama. He redshirted a season, didn’t become a regular starter at Alabama until his 4th year, but shined in his 5th, the season the Phillies drafted him. Hernandez on the other hand has not been a prodigy either, but is on a normal age track. He is the same age or a bit older and one level behind last year’s Lakewood stars Valle, Cosart, Singleton, Colvin, and Rodriguez. I don’t want to appear as if I don’t think Hernandez is a good prospect, I do, but this is a hard decision. I think the age difference is more than counterbalanced by the position and proximity differences.

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      1. It takes a lot for me to imagine that a player will repeat a Clearwater line (a pitchers’ league) in Reading (a hitters’ league), particularly given that is where the gap in the level of experienced players is highest. It takes even more imagining than that to imagine Hyatt passing Worley on the depth chart. I’d be stunned.

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        1. Exactly. Hyatt, at his age should be dominating Clearwater. I by no means want to ignore Hyatt’s numbers, he’s a legit prospect, but counterbalancing them with age vs. level, I give them somewhat less weight than Cesar’s which are age-level appropriate.

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  2. A short follow-up: Originally vote Hernandez here, but switched to Hyatt. Can’t get beyond the numbers he has put up since entering pro ball 1 1/2 seasons ago…when he had been drafted at the age of 22 (??!).
    We cannot blame him for being drafted at that age, yet he has performed better than we could have expected, being elevated from prospective reliever to starting pitcher. He should be given credit for his accomplishments in this short time.

    There may be disputes about the MPH of his FB, yet scouts and pundits (s & p) give him more credit than so many here. Apparently he has surprised them too.

    Like others, I see him as the candidate most likely to move way up our list in ’11, AND likely to be the first prospect starter in our system to reach the bigs…with us or elsewhere. I’d rather it be here (See: Happ!–another guy who wasn’t given enough credit on his way through our system, and now is an essential part of the rotation in Houston).

    Take note: guys like (HOF) Glavin, etc. had terrific careers without blazing fast balls, more like 91-92. The ability to throw different pitches at different speeds plus good command brought them many years of fat paychecks.

    Hyatt, should his command gain in ’11, could be one of the same. Not too shabby!

    Give the guy some credit!

    HYATT!

    Hyatt!

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    1. “”There may be disputes about the MPH of his FB, yet scouts and pundits (s & p) give him more credit than so many here. Apparently he has surprised them too.”

      Where? I’ve seen practically no ink about Hyatt whatsoever. I tried finding more information about him and all I found was a lovely place to stay in Austin, Texas.

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    2. I like Zeid better than Hyatt. Better pitches for a RH pitcher. Fastball-Slider-Foshball(change) vs Fastball-change-up.
      Both will be relievers. Zeid has the better chance to be at the back end of the bull-pen.

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      1. That comparison would make sense if he had plus plus command and was Left Handed.
        He isn’t, so it doesn’t.

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  3. Cesar Hernandez,
    It is almost embarrassing that he has fallen this far. The Phillies front office (that protected him) and Sickels (who hates toolsy players, but rated him #11) must not know as much us readers.

    32 Stolen bases in 65 games, 326 Batting avg, 390 OBP.
    At 20, he is FOUR(4) years younger, but ONLY TWO(2) levels behind a 24 year old who had nearly a 5.00 ERA in his first 4 games at Reading.

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    1. The Phillies front office also protected Galvis, a player just 6 months older and THREE (3) levels ahead of Hernandez. The fact that they are protected proves that both are major league prospects, obviously, but also implies that both might have something to contribute to a MLB team for a full season in 2011. Hernandez as a pinch runner and back-up infielder and Galvis as a late inning defensive replacement and back-up infielder are my guesses. I have been voting Hyatt for a while, but have Galvis then Hernandez close behind, 13-15 on my list.

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      1. If Hernandez makes the Majors in 2011, I’ll eat this laptop.

        Putting them on the 40 man had nothing to do with help they could provide this year, but with help they can provide in the next 3 years. Galvis should get nowhere near the majors this year either (lest he make Brian Bocock look like Tony Gwynn), but at least his glove is a tremendous tool.

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        1. I think what Ken meant is that they were put on the 40 man to protect them from Rule 5, but usually players are only selected in Rule 5 if they have at least one skill that could give them value on an ML roster that year. In other words, they would not have protected those guys unless they thought there was at least some chance they would get selected.

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    3. He may be only 2 levels behind but there’s a little bit of a difference between shortseason and Reading

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  4. Hyatt only had 4 starts at Reading…what about his 12 wins and 156 strikeouts in 124 innings. Imagine if we gave up on pitchers after a handful of starts. I think Brody Colvin had an ERA around 11 in April last year. Not knocking Hernandez but like Hyatt’s numbers 15-5 ERA under 3 and 270 Ks in 205 IP in 2years

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  5. In the last round, some commenters said they would have voted for Hyatt higher on this list if his fastball was really 94 and his slider were solid. It is hard to find out the true pitch speeds of class A-ball pitchers (this was a similar issue for Julio Rodriguez) but Baseball America reports make it sound like Hyatt’s fastball really has touched 94 and averages 90-92 and that his slider is solid. However, those are not Hyatt’s best strength. His best pitch reportedly is his changeup, said to be the best of all the Phils minor leaguers.

    These 3 pitches explain his great strike-out ability, 181 Ks in 146 innings last season and a SO/9 always at least 10 all 4 of his sometimes brief stops on his 1.5 season tour up the Phillies minor league ladder. He has also shown good control with a career SO/BB ratio of 4.6. These are some of the of the reasons I rank Hyatt #13 and have been voting for him the past half dozen rounds.

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  7. Cesar Hernandez,
    Choice between a potential major league middle reliever or a potential major league starting 2B.

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  8. Alan didnt someone maybe even PP list like 4 scouting reports on hyatt…i thought your line was very funny but info is there…there is no shame in 20 for hernandez

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    1. There is when he’s #9 on your personal list. Hernandez’s placement on this list is downright embarassing.

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      1. It’s no more embarrassing than any other year. The same dim arguments placed Mathieson over Singleton last year. How about Savery over Johnathan Villar?
        There must be a Reading Phillies and Iron Pig, season ticket holder, voting block. Everyone in baseball knows the Phillies’ prospects were in Lakewood and Williamsport except Phillies fans. We think 9 or 10 of last years’ Reading Phillies will be big Leaguers in two years.

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  10. Hernandez. Garcia gets my vote next round as I had him higher than either guy. Hernandez was next and Hyatt after him. Then I need to start reviewing the rest of the field.

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  11. Hyatt, but it could go either way for me. I agree that Hernandez probably has the higher ceiling, perhaps but quite a lot, but I want to see more before I buy into the Hernandez hype. I find it pretty amusing that people use words like “embarassing” to describe how a bunch of fans vote on young prospects. It’s good that people are passionate about this, but, please, there has to be a limit.

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  12. Hernandez for me. He should be close to ten spots higher.

    Don’t get me wrong. I like what Hyatt’s done, and I have him around this spot on my own list – but Hernandez could be a solid lead-off hitter who can pick it at second base. That’s tremendous value, even if he is a long way away.

    Hyatt’s upside is a backend starter, but he’ll probably end up in relief – especially if his fastball plays up in shorter outings.

    Both of these guys are really excellent low cost finds by the Phillies scouting department.

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    1. From Chuck Lamar…

      “2B Cesar Hernandez: “Very good athletic ability. Has some plus tools, including speed. Has shown the ability to hit in four minor league seasons, all on the lower level. We project him to play second in A ball next summer. He’s currently holding his own in the Venezuela Winter League. Even though he only played in a short-season rookie level (Williamsport) in 2010, we didn’t want to take a chance to lose him in the Rule 5 draft. He has enough tools that a club could carry him for a year.'”

      http://philliesinsider.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/11/prospect_scouting_report.html

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  14. Cesar Hernandez, 2B

    A young infield prospect vs. a best case Chad Durbin.

    Someone who has played younger than the league average age,
    vs. someone who was older than the league average age.

    Valuable position played vs. #5, 6, or 7 in the bullpen.

    Hasn’t PP taught you anything yet?

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  15. I voted for Cesar Hernandez in this spot. Surprised Hyatt got this many votes this early, but kind of glad both these guys have been placed, cause now they can move on to the interesting part of the process once people let go of their ridiculous biases and quit stumping more for those who are moving into the minor league up-down class.
    More on Cesar- you know he probably had the same long term upside when he began playing in Venezuela some 4 years back. Now one good half season stateside and he’s the cause celebre, everybody’s nephew. Looking back on the list I could imagine a #10 placing , but not ahead of the top 9, but that would require alot of projection. Tempering that acessment is the fact that, despite some professional acclimation for some 3 years, he was not placed on a full season squad and not placed there for the entire season despite the Lakewood reliance on low level minor league veterans for many stretches of the season.
    Hyatt-there was a full write-up on Hyatt, on http://www.milb.com when he was named pitcher of the something some time back. Says 94 mph fastball, slider, change-up , something like that.
    John Sickels- I highly doubt John Sickels has personally scouted every player he issues an opinion on. Believe that most opinions come from looking at stats, and some personal observations and seeing YouTube flexing in the batting cage videos. So it is very possible some on here may be more astute in many cases. Especially if one knows the stats that are really important instead of fluff invented by a showoff, and possessed of sound reasoning and good judgement, like you know who.

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  17. Hernandez is putting up Galvis like number in his Winter League. (.582 OPS)
    Still zero HRs in the US in two years.

    In his 4th professional year he put up good numbers against just drafted 18yr old HS Kids in the NYP league.

    I’m not getting on his bandwagon until he both repeats his numbers and does something at LWD.

    The Santana was 3yrs younger and a level higher while Singleton was 2yrs younger and a level higher. Galvis is about the same age and 3 levels higher.

    Maybe after 4yrs a light went on and is Galvis Winter League numbers are a fluke, but I prefer actual success.

    Hyatt has dominated every place he has been since drafted and in 2010 he skipped a level, won just about every award possible in the league into which he skipped and still put up very good numbers at the 3rd level he has increased since 2009.

    At some point his so-so pre-draft BA scouting report needs to be reconsidered in light of actual performance and post draft reviews.

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    1. That winter league performance is all of 39 at bats spread over 14 games. He’s clearly being used as a bench bat in a league which consists of advanced competition. The Venezuelan Winter League consists of mostly AAA talent, and we’re going to dock Hernandez for that? He’s one of the youngest players in the league!

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      1. Well, that is why they are “Galvis” type numbers who has been pushed to very high levels at a young age without success.

        But I’m not impressed that it took until his 4th your for Cesar to get to the NYP league or that in his 4th pro year he had decent numbers vs some kids fresh out of high school. The complete lack of power makes some of his other numbers against those HS kids less impressive.

        As I said, If he repeats those numbers in Lakewood I will start to pay more attention. But his progress will likely look like 21 at LWD, 22 at CLW, and 23 at Reading. This would not be much different than where HYATT stands. And this would assume that he can repeat his numbers and do it with progression.

        Hyatt has already done all of these things.

        Hernandez may be next on my list, but Hyatt has done everything and more that could be asked from him and in both regards to numbers, awards, progression, and professional reviews.

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        1. I don’t know where you got the impression that the NYP league is a league of just drafted 18-year old HS kids. It isn’t. It is basically a league of just-drafted college 21-22 year olds, with some 19-yr old HS kids from the prior year’s draft and some Latino guys who were in rookie league in 2009. It is a lot tougher league than GCL, although the best of the 2009 HS draftees will skip NYP and go on to Lakewood.

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        2. “… when he produces at the higher levels… Hyatt has already”

          Hyatt hasn’t produced at the higher levels. He produced in High A.
          Guys like to give credit for Reading, as if he has already mastered it, but don’t want to count his WHIP and ERA because its only 4 games. If your counting his K/9 for 4 games , you have to count the rest of that hideous line.
          Fact of the matter is Hernandez will be 21 in Lakewood and Hyatt will be 25 in Reading(2 levels above). Hyatt projects as a middle reliever. Hernandez projects as a starting 2B. Advantage Hernandez.

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    2. FYI, HS kids don’t go to NYPenn. HS kids go to the GCL. College players go to the NYPenn. That means Hernandez was playing against 21 and 22 year olds … and in cases like Hyatt, 23 year olds.

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  18. Many vote for younger players at lower levels because it allows the imagination to speculate the best possible scenario. This optimistic thought-process is often described as projectability by some, but it shouldn’t be IMO. I’d rather recognize those who have a history of producing, particularly at the higher levels. Nothing against Hern, but Hyatt gets my vote here.

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  19. Cesar Hernandez seems like an easy call here. I would have been voting for him the last couple of rounds if it weren’t for my (vain?) effort to get Mathieson on the ballot for the later rounds, which I promise I will shut up about now. I agree that Hernandez probably should have been ranked considerably higher already–that spot currently occupied by Phillippe Aumont looks about right to me.

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    1. Mathieson, Bastardo, and Zagurski all have less than 50 IP in the major leagues, so they may be technically eligible for consideration using PhuturePhillies rules of a couple years ago (<50 IP and <130AB), but there were no eligibility rules set forth this season and most readers and voters here don't seem to consider them eligible. Some didn't want to consider Brown or Worley either. This skews the voting against minor leaguers with MLB experience. I am fine with leaving them out, but the ambiguity is bothersome to people like you and I. Personally, I decided to only nominate clearly eligible rookies and to vote on them or anybody already on the ballot. Because one has to subtract out major league DL and September roster time, it is really hard to figure who has official rookie status by major league rules. Does anybody know a website that lists the official rookie status of major league player?

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  20. eh, i think it’s time for me to stop participating. after the top 15 names, it gets to the point where i recognize almost nobody (and that’s after following this site for two years!!)

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  21. Like the descriptions of everyone’s opinions. Both are propsects and could easily hit a wall in their projection. I like both of them but K-rate for Hyatt wins out for me.

    Hernandez was aparrently protected because of his speed. Another major league team could have stashed him as a pinch runner and emergency fielder. I worry that his lack of power will impact his ability to get on base. Why in the world would any pitcher walk him as a steal threat? Galvis seems like a power hitter by comparison. How much do I rank his limited time in Winter League (compared to Brown’s Sept or Hyatt’s Reading)? Due to his age, even a poor season may be part of his developmental curve.

    If Hyatt is Chad Durbin then he does not even make the list. His Reading starts could be a small sample size or an indication of his wall. I am willing to believe he could stay a backend starter with 3 decent pitches. For me that gives him the possibility of a Worley or Happ projection. Because of his age, his window of opportunity is smaller so this year will really determine where he moves on this list.

    Here’s an end of year quote for Hyatt:
    “He’s got an outstanding changeup and his velocity and command of his fastball are good enough,” he added. “He’s got to improve his control of his offspeed pitchers, and that could be the difference. But we expect him to progress and start out at Double-A.”

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    1. I don’t get the “if Hyatt is Chad Durbin, then he does not even make the list.”
      I’ll be quite happy if Hyatt or our #20 prospect, which I guess will be one and the same, turns into Chad Durbin. The preponderance of the guys this far down the list are not going to have a major league career as good as Chad Durbin’s. We are not going to list 30 guys who will have a significant major league contribution. If 10 of them do, we’ll have done quite well.

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      1. Agree that Durbin is a useful part of a major leaguer roster. And, that I would a win for the Phillies if Hyatt becomes Durbin.

        I guess what I mean is that a Durbin expectation is probably not a top 30 prospect with the toolshed types the Phillies have. A guy like Durbin starts out as a potential starter and then ends up as middle reliever.
        I would much rather start naming off high potential guys as prospects than Durbin-upside guys. That is why Stutes will likely not make my list, though I think he could contribute to a big league pen pretty soon. I would probably go for Dugan, Collier, Walter, Garner ahead of Hyatt/Stutes.

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  22. John K If you go to the phillies site and click on minor league at the top you will get to see stats for every player in each team. Then when you come back here you will hear about the players potential to couple with the stats, age, progression etc. to give you a better idea of how good they are or may be.
    Don’t know if that help;s but it helps me.

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  23. I don’t hold Hyatt’s Reading starts against him. End of season, tired, just getting acclimated to a much tougher situation. His CLW numbers are quite good, although his age is a deduct. Runoff is fine. I voted Hernandez again, but was considering Hyatt for #20, anyway.

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    1. Hyatt at 19 or 20 overall, is no crime, but he is not a better prospect than Hernandez. Hernandez should have made the list over at least 5 other players(including Hyatt).

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  24. Hernandez is the easy choice for me in this run-off, for all the reasons stated. Usually I prefer players who are farther along the development chain with a higher probability of reaching the MLB, but Hyatt appears to me to have a low ceiling whereas Hernandez has a high ceiling. That higher ceiling more than makes up for the probability of achieving it (at least for me).

    Some people have compared Hyatt to Worley – that is not a good comparison since Worley is more than a year younger than Hyatt. Worley had a FIP of 2.81 in CLW when he was in his 20-year-old season (turned 21 at end of season). Hyatt had a FIP of 2.13 in CLW when he was in his 24-year-old season (turned 24 halfway through season). They’re not comparable. That said, I think Hyatt is a great story and I’d love to see him succeed in AA this year.

    I still prefer Galvis to both and apparently have him waaaaay too high on my personal list (#15). Hernandez is #18 and Hyatt is #22 for me.

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  25. After reading some of the comments I’m unclear as to why Garcia wasn’t chosen ahead of both of these guys. Its getting close to the point where celing vs likihood really becomes hard for me. The ceiling for some guys remaining is much higher than the guys we’re choosing but its impossible to know the liklihood of them getting there. That’s usually the most interesting part for me.

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    1. Agreed – to me, Garcia’s ceiling seems like it’s probably an everyday 2b on a worse team than the Phils are right now, or a nice utility guy on a contender. Maybe like a Jason Donald type role (PLEASE NOTE:) without comparing the two as players…he’s close to the MLB right now, and it’s hard to argue that proximity in his case shouldn’t come into play. Hernandez ceiling may be higher, but he is quite far away from MLB at this point. And citing the Phils as the scouting report you rely on is fine, but keep in mind they also have to justify roster moves and could always be spinning for their own benefit. And saying they must really like him to protect him – they could be playing a hunch that some team was going to grab him – they can’t afford to lose and middle infield prospects at this point.

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        1. Donald can not play as an everyday SS. He is a very good two week fill in at 3 positions, a better Nick Punto, if you will. There is value in that, but you are 1 1/2 bad seasons from coaching high school ball.

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  26. I have voted for Hernandez a number of times already, and will do so again here. Hyatt has some promise too, but I still say i’d have to take Hernandez over him at this point in time.

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  27. Both players should have gone higher. The Phils have never, to my knowledge, protected a player who just finished SS ball. It means they really like him, and they know of at least another organization who does, too.

    I’ll vote Hernandez, but not denigrate Hyatt, who I think has big-league potential, too.

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    1. I’ve seen that comment so many times I have to clarify something. The Phils protected Hernandez because he’s been around for 4 years, even though he’s just getting to Low A ball, and they fear they could easily lose him to another team. Other teams would see a young enough player who could absorb in essence losing a year while sitting on a major league bench and he has enough usable skills in his fielding and running to help a bad team for a year before they send him back down to the minors. This picture is far from the Phils think he’s their future 2B. I enjoyed the comment that 1 1/2 years of bad play makes you a high school coach. How true!

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  28. With what we’ve spent on our top 4 starters, how can we justify keeping Kendrick at his new salary? I would rather move Kendrick, keep Blanton for a net $6M more, and use Worley as the sixth reliever / sixth starter oif there’s an injury.

    Second most desirable would be to move both Blanton and Kendrick, allow Worley to be the 5th starter, and trade for someone mid year if he struggles.

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    2. I don’t see how they can do that. Somebody has to be the injury-reserve #6 starter. I think that will be Worley’s role this season and that he will be in the Allentown rotation until he is needed. If both Blanton and Kendrick are traded, what will the team do if (really more when as things go in a normal MLB season) a starter has some down time. A WS contender needs at least one and preferably two potential starters and relievers in reserve. We will have some guys who could be major league starters and relievers for lesser teams thrust into the unenviable spot of biding their time in Allentown, so that the big league Phillies have backup depth. Happ and Kendrick have both been in that position in the past.

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  29. The Kendrick contract is mind-boggling. Okay, I’ll say it – it’s stupid. I guess they are trying to trade Blanton and just did not want to leave the job completely to an untested player (Worley). Yes, he gives you innings, but he is barely a major league pitcher. Kendrick is probably worth just about as much as Francisco, but $2.45 million? Wow. Innings = dollars, but it really shouldn’t be that way; especially when the innings are so terribly mediocre.

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    1. I agree to being a bit surprised that Kendrick was worth $2.45 million and I’m not a big KK fan. Having said that, you can’t argue with the fact that he’s won at least 10 games all three years he was given the chance to start and he threw over 180 innings last year with no arm troubles. But $2.45 mill…wow…

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        1. Sure, the number is high. But that’s the value of an unspectacular 10-game winner. I can’t really get angry with them for not squeezing every penny out of Kendrick, signing him for, say, $2 million, when others have been so richly (and in some cases, questionably) rewarded with long-term contracts for their contributions. In the real world, $400,000 is of course a lot of money, but in baseball salary terms it’s nickels and dimes, and its probably worth something from a young-player morale standpoint to reward someone who, for all his mediocrity, has certainly provided the team valuable innings for close to the league minimum.

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    2. Once they agreed to arbitration they were committed to sign him. Look at what Lannan just received from the Nationals and Kendrick would have exceeded that in arb.
      I am a Worley fan but as I mentioned this time last year, I see him in a relief role in the majors. I think Stutes is being overlooked here even though he has made great strides in the transition to the pen. Lots of movement on the fastball–needs to improve control.

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    3. The contract was predictable. Daily News Phillies beat writer David Murphy pegged it right a day or so ago in his constantly updated, excellent, but excruciatingly detailed High Cheese blog.
      http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/

      “Earlier this week, the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $2.3 million deal with pitcher Armando Galarraga, who was in his first season of arbitration. Meanwhile, the Nationals agreed to a $2.75 million deal with John Lannan. ”
      “So when you look at this year’s market as a guide, $2.75 million would seem to be the absolute ceiling for a pitcher like Kendrick.”
      “History suggests they wind up settling for somewhere around Galaragga’s deal. “

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      1. The fact that the result may have been predictable doesn’t make it wise. Think about this way. The team would have been far better off saving the money and using the savings to sweeten the pot for above-slot draft signings. To sacrifice that for a year of KK? Not worth it. Bring on Vance Worley.

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  31. I think we need to advance these picks a little faster, there’s really no reason we need to stay on a vote-off for more then 24 hours… especially on the 20th pick. Additionally, you should implement a tie break procedure, meaning in the event of a tie, the player who won the vote prior to the tie break wins, or, perhaps voting will be halted at an odd number, that way we can stop with this tie shit.

    Btw, went with hernandez

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  34. I don’t think we really need Runoffs at this point for future picks.
    If someone wins by 1 vote, so be it.

    If it’s a Tie, It’s a tie.
    I don’t think the List will come to an End if There is a Tie for 19/20 and perhaps just slot whoever loses this runoff for the next spot.

    I could see such care for the Top 10 picks or so, but at lower levels it starts to become less important, especially since there are definite philosophical differences in rating some prospects.

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    1. “If it’s a Tie, It’s a tie.
      I don’t think the List will come to an End if There is a Tie for 19/20 and perhaps just slot whoever loses this runoff for the next spot.”

      Speechless.

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  37. Just a note, the runoff kills 2 birds with one stone, in 2 days, so its no different from voting for #19 one day, then #20 the next, especially since the guy who loses #19 is going to win #20. We’re going 1 per day. Its mid January. We have months before there are meaningful games. Not sure what the rush is.

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    1. I agree! I like the runoff. If I voted originally for neither, then it gives me a chance to make a meaningful vote and think harder about 2 guys I otherwise would not have. If I had voted for one of them, then I know I only have to vote for him one last time plus I get to read more people’s thoughts about him than I would have otherwise.

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  38. I don’t believe you need a ton of great #6 options on this pitching staff. There will be a guy or two in camp that step up as an option – this year’s Nelson Figueroa or Rodrigo Lopez or RA Dickey. Trade Kendrick and Blanton…

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