SABR Gamer

Bad call.

Lol http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/439/825/7f8.gif

Axford. No, not even close. Marmol by a mile. By a mile? Yes, Axford had a rWAR below -1, and a fWAR around -1, he was terrible. At least Marmol was worth half a win last year. ETA: That much of a difference for relief pitchers is huge.

Axford. No, not even close. Marmol by a mile.

Yeah, sorry to Carcillo, but his injury may have been one of the best things that happened to the Hawks this season. saad would have been up early in the season even without the carcillo injury though He was up nut he was a healthy scratch Would he have been on the top line though? Dex, this is what I was getting at. I don't think Saad would have been given the same chance to show what he had without Carcillo, at least not as soon. I don't know if his season turns out the same if Carcillo doesn't go down right away.

Now having a second look, ZiPS has him as the best 1st basemen in baseball in 5 years. Only other 1B to make the top 30 for 2018 was Votto at #26.

Soler and who combines for the corner OF? Almora? I was under the impression that he had a chance to be special if he could stick in center but that he probably wouldn't be much of anything special as a corner OF. I don't think that corner OF would come close to top 5 in baseball by 2016. I sure hope Rizzo is a top 10 1B, but some projections have him struggling to break into that level. How do you figure that....ZIPS projects Rizzo as a top 15-20 player in baseball in the next 5 years. I would think that puts him at one of the top 2-3 players at his position. I've heard/seen people refer to him as having an Adam LaRoche future. I can't recall seeing any reference to being a top 15 player in all of baseball, but that would be sweet. http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/zips-breakout-anthony-rizzo/ This was about fantasy, but that doesn't include his defense which would only make him more valuable in real life. And then Dan Szymborski had Rizzo as the 15th best player in a 30 best players of 2018 piece on ESPN.com. I'm guessing those are what he was talking about. The ESPN piece was based on ZiPS projections. It was just 2018 WAR from ZiPS. Rizzo was 15th best in baseball. ETA: ZiPS top mlb players in 5 years: 1. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels Projected 2018 stats: .273/.367/.508, 28 HR, 6.5 WAR No. 1 is probably the least surprising player on the list. Trout was so good in 2012 that even if that turns out to be his best season, he can still very easily be a perennial MVP candidate. People do tend to overrate how much very young superstars improve, but Trout could give back nearly half his 2012 WAR and still be one of the very best in baseball. 2. Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals Projected 2018 stats: .287/.377/.573, 38 HR, 6.4 WAR Harper didn't have the year that Trout did -- nobody did, really -- but he probably has more room to grow, especially in power potential. Even if he's a hair behind Trout long-term, there's no shame in that, and the Nats will be best served to at least sound out Harper on a long-term deal soon, though it's unlikely agent Scott Boras will bite. 3. Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers Projected 2018 stats: 2.89 ERA, 202 K, 50 BB, 5.7 WAR In 2018, Kershaw will be just 30, and in the long term, he's probably the safest pitcher in baseball. One of just two pitchers in the top 10 for 2018, Kershaw is already on a Hall of Fame path. 4. Giancarlo Stanton, RF, Miami Marlins Projected 2018 stats: .270/.369/.580, 38 HR, 5.5 WAR This is his projection if he stays a Marlin, which seems unlikely given ownership's proclivity toward extreme thrift. Put Stanton in a park that favors right-handed sluggers, like Camden Yards, and he could move up the list. 5. Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants Projected 2018 stats: .291/.368/.469, 18 HR, 5.3 WAR While catchers are inherently risky, Posey has already survived a gruesome ankle injury and put up an MVP season just a year later. He's not going to hit .336 that often going forward, but he has staked his case as the best catcher in baseball. 6. Manny Machado, SS/3B, Baltimore Orioles Projected 2018 stats: .268/.336/.489, 26 HR, 5.3 WAR He is generally believed to have plus-power potential, and the computer agrees with the scouts. As noted for Stanton, Camden's a good home for a right-handed power hitter. The only question now is if the O's play him at short, which this projection assumes. As a third baseman, he drops out of the top 10. 7. Jurickson Profar, SS, Texas Rangers Projected 2018 stats: .274/.358/.475, 20 HR, 5.0 WAR Profar is likely to start the season in Triple-A, thus delaying the Rangers' final decision on how to solve the middle-infield logjam. In the end, the Rangers will have to make the room for Profar, and if he is in fact the player traded, they better fill some other serious needs. 8. Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs Projected 2018 stats: .293/.341/.478, 19 HR, 4.7 WAR Can he stay at short? The stats have generally been more positive (or at least, less negative) on Castro's defense than the eye has been. Wherever he ends up, by 2018 he's likely to be one of the best hitters for average over the past decade, though he's not going to ever be a guy who racks up walks. 9. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals Projected 2018 stats: 2.91 ERA, 168 K, 47 BB, 4.5 WAR With his Tommy John surgery behind him and the Nats being careful with him in 2012, he's a lot less risky than he was a year ago. One of Strasburg's top comps in ZiPS is Roger Clemens, and it's a testament to how accomplished Strasburg is (despite relatively little professional experience) that the comparison isn't ridiculous. 10. Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta Braves Projected 2018 stats: .259/.349/.492, 28 HR, 4.4 WAR Along with Freddie Freeman, who just missed the top 30, Heyward will hopefully anchor the middle of Atlanta's lineup for the next decade. Even if he never becomes a hitter for average, his power and glove still make him a star. 11. Justin Verlander, RHP, Detroit Tigers Projected 2018 stats: 3.47 ERA, 163 K, 48 BB, 4.4 WAR Five years of 15 wins and Verlander will enter the 2018 season with roughly 200 wins at the age of 35. Even if he isn't the latest pitcher to be "The Last 300-Game Winner," Verlander is likely to be entering the homestretch of a Hall of Fame career and surpassing Hal Newhouser as the best pitcher ever in Tigers history. 12. Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners Projected 2018 stats: .254/.337/.418, 21 HR, 4.4 WAR Zunino is in the most precarious position of any player on this list. He needed no time whatsoever to transition to professional ball after Seattle selected him third overall in the 2012 draft, terrorizing the Northwest League for a month and then continuing his trail of destruction after being promoted all the way to Double-A. However, the track record is so limited that his projection could change a lot over the next couple of years. 13. Yu Darvish, RHP, Texas Rangers Projected 2018 stats: 3.50 ERA, 180 K, 69 BB, 4.3 WAR It's easy to forget how young Darvish still is, having just turned 26 in August. He walked more batters than you would like in his MLB debut, but he still has a great deal of upside as he gets more comfortable with a new league in a new country. 14. Mat Latos, RHP, Cincinnati Reds Projected 2018 stats: 3.45 ERA, 163 K, 45 BB, 4.3 WAR Johnny Cueto got more press, but for the second half of the season, it was Latos who was truly the staff ace. Still just 25 years old, Latos made his miserable April seem like a distant memory. 15. Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs Projected 2018 stats: .273/.356/.520, 34 HR, 4.3 WAR Ignore Rizzo's cup of coffee with the Padres, his .285/.342/.463 line with the Cubs in 2012 is a far more accurate representation of where he is as a player. The Theo Epstein Cubs aren't done rebuilding yet, but if they can round up a worthwhile third baseman, the infield will already be one of the best in baseball.

Soler and who combines for the corner OF? Almora? I was under the impression that he had a chance to be special if he could stick in center but that he probably wouldn't be much of anything special as a corner OF. I don't think that corner OF would come close to top 5 in baseball by 2016. I sure hope Rizzo is a top 10 1B, but some projections have him struggling to break into that level. How do you figure that....ZiPS projects Rizzo as a top 15-20 player in baseball in the next 5 years. I would think that puts him at one of the top 2-3 players at his position.

Terrible call.

I wish Rizzo would remember he's supposed to be good.

We should go for Rodon.

The Cubs Way: Cubs hitters: 0 walks Cubs pitchers: 7 walks I wonder what Theo is thinking.

Yeah, sorry to Carcillo, but his injury may have been one of the best things that happened to the Hawks this season.

Well, they are basically tied with the Penguins for the best offense, and tied with Boston for the best defense.

Like Shark, I was solid for four innings then it all fell apart. Kyle seems to mistake players for each other every game. For a guy who thinks he knows everything, he misses some pretty simple stuff. It's the stathead in me. It's hard to get used to actually watching the games. Haha okay, I'll go along with you for this one. Although, to be fair, I am a stat-head and can recognize the players :P

Like Shark, I was solid for four innings then it all fell apart. Kyle seems to mistake players for each other every game. For a guy who thinks he knows everything, he misses some pretty simple stuff.

Gregorious had nothing to do with the Upton trade, unless I am missing information.

He's overthrowing cause he's running out of gas and trying to make up for it, I think. Keep reaching for those, Castillo. Castillo isn't playing.

Pathetic. Can they really justify keeping Marmol as the closer?

I BLAME YOU!

Lillibridge would have found a way to get no outs there.

And he just hit a grand slam Sorry, you probably saw that but my time zone is different and it looked like you posted that an hour ago. You can change your time zone in the preferences.

It's been 2 appearances....

Neifi, (Schmidt voice) all day.

He has a better plate approach than Lillibridge.