Curveballs and Sliders 02.26.08: Top Bullpens & Benches

Posted by Jared Marcus on 02.26.2008

This week in Curveballs and Sliders we continue to preview the 2008 Major League Baseball season with a look at the bullpens and benches. We analyze and rank all 30 bullpens and rank all 30 benches.

LEADING OFF

Hello one and all, welcome to the yet another edition of Curveballs and Sliders on the road to Opening Day 2008. And while we are still just a few weeks into Spring Training, depth charts are already starting to become a little bit clearer. Last week we covered the lineups as most of them are pretty set already. There is still quite a bit of work to do as far as the rotations go and it is really very hard to rank them accurately without having a pretty good idea as to who will be the five starters for each team. Because of that we will hold off on rotations for another week, possibly two depending on what happens during this upcoming week, and today focus on bullpens and benches. Obviously there will still be a lot of fluctuation from the bullpens and benches I have listed below to the actual teams on opening day, but as opposed to the rotations, these changes will not have a great affect on the rankings. Any pitchers or position players fighting for spots at the back end of the bullpen or bench are not likely to be players that will have much of an impact once the season begins. However, before we get to that, let's review some comments from last week's column ranking all 30 MLB lineups.

Big Dirty wrote……………………..
HA!! The Dodgers and Astros above the Mets?!? HA! The Dodgers above the Phills?
HA! HA! I know the Dodgers are on the West Coast and all but, you have to get
espn somehow to watch one of the the most inept offenses in the league. Guys
on that team can't stay healthy and the addition of Andrew Jones (.250 BA,
150k's, +/- steroids) with out chipper and McCann to protect him is not a great
pick up. The Astros have 2 good hitters and should get only 50% credit for
being in that band box.
I know the Mets have some age but they still have the fastest team in the MLB.
No team can match Reyes, Castillo, Wright and Beltran in terms of speed at the
top. All of them are 30 steal threats and carrer + .280 hitters. I know Delgado
and Alou are old and injury prone but we are talking about a 5th and 6th
hitters. Plus if Delgado did not get injure in the first 2 weeks in September
he would have had 90 plus RBI and 25 HR's (at least). Take a look at his
numbers and how hot he was getting.
Last thing- I am not trying to be a Mets defender here but to not have Reyes
and Castillo as a top five 1-2 punch in the league is un real. I like Bostons
team but dont you think They would love to have Reyes as their lead off hitter
every day of the year! Johnny Damon is incapable of playing a whole season.
Reyes and Castillo combined are arguably a better or equal tandem to Damon and
Jeter at this point. Look at the #'s.

Hey Big Dirty, thanks for taking the time to comment.


Let me start by saying, since judging from your tone it seems like you don't know, I am an ENORMOUS Mets fan. One of the biggest in the world. But I have to be as objective as I can, and the Mets lineup is not as good as the ones listed above it. The Dodgers did not have a great offense last season, but this is a new year and they have a very different look. They added Andruw Jones who I expect to rebound. Rafael Furcal missed a month of the season and was playing hurt for at least half of it. It is a virtual lock that he will score more than 87 runs this year. More importantly, last year they only got half a season from James Loney (.919 OPS) and Matt Kemp (.894 OPS) and having them in the lineup for a full season will be a HUGE improvement. Plus Andy LaRoche will take over for Nomar Garciaparra who contributed very little last season. Taking all those things into account, they have improved significantly at four of the eight positions. And there is not one easy out or weak spot in the lineup. But if you were not aware of those things I understand your concerns with my ranking. Just a reminder, it is helpful to look at statistics like OBP and OPS rather than just HR, RBI and R to determine a good lineup.

The Mets lineup by contrast has several holes and question marks. I would like to think that Carlos Delgado will rebound, and yes he was great in the second half, but who knows, he is still on the decline and not the player he once was? Also who knows how Jose Reyes will respond to his dreadful final two months. I am sure he will be fine, but it is an issue. Ryan Church is a solid player, but not necessarily an everyday player as he doesn't hit lefties well. That problem, in addition with the inevitable injury to Moises Alou creates a big problem in the outfield where Endy Chavez is the only possible replacement. Brian Schnieder is a good defensive catcher, but one of the worst hitters in baseball. Luis Castillo is a solid hitter in terms of average, but he doesn't walk much and has a bum knee. As far as an overall offensive player though, he is below average and he is only average for a second baseman. All these things considered, the only sure bets in the lineup are Wright and Beltran. When you really look at objectively, it is impossible to rank the Mets any higher than I did.

As for the Astros, they don't get less credit for being in that bandbox, they get more. Just as the Phillies do. That is where they play their games so obviously they are going to score more runs because of it. We are not analyzing talent here in terms of how they would do if all things were equal, we are analyzing how they will actually do, there is no other way to do it. And your comment about the Astros "having only 2 good hitters" makes me question your knowledge of the Astros altogether. Who are the "2 good hitters", I am very curious to know? Lance Berkman and his 34 HR, 102 RBI and .896 OPS in a down year? Carlos Lee and his 32 HR, 119 HR, and .882 OPS? Miguel Tejada and his 18 HR, 81 RBI and .296 AVG. in just 133 games in a down year? Or Hunter Pence and his 17 HR, 69 RBI, .322 AVG., and .899 OPS in just 108 games? It's hard to figure any scale where two of those four guys aren't good. Plus, don't discount how solid Ty Wigginton and J.R. Towles are for where they hit in the order. That lineup, combined with the ballpark, will produce a ton of runs this year.

Lastly, on the subject of the top 1-2 combos, you are either vastly overrating Luis Castillo or just plain overlooking him on Reyes alone. Jose Reyes, at this point, can not be rated as a better player than Derek Jeter or Jimmy Rollins. And Luis Castillo can not be rated as a better player than Johnny Damon or Shane Victorino, so how I ask can the Mets possibly rate better than them on the list. You advised me to look at the numbers, and trust me I did, you should check them again. All of your arguments seem to be based on a select few statistics, most notably average and steals, and there are many, many more important stats than those. The combos of Youkilis/Pedroia and Jeter/Damon will lose out to the Reyes/Castillo combo in terms of steals and runs, but Reyes and Castillo will lose every other battle. The other two combos will produce more HR, RBI and BB and have a higher AVG., OBP and OPS. Pair Reyes with a lot of other two hitters and he will make the list, but not with Luis Castillo.

Ken Schmidt, fellow 411 staffer writes…………..
Call me a homer all you want Jared but the Phillies lineup has to be top 3.
They only led the National League in runs scored and pretty much improved their
lineup over the offseason (Feliz filling a hole, Victorino getting a full time
spot, Ruiz being a year older). Putting them 7 borders insanity and not having
them 3 under the Tigers and Yankees is wrong. Matt Kemp, im trembling.

Hey Ken, thanks for reading and for writing, always nice when a fellow staffer weighs in.

Yes, you are a homer. But I can also understand your point of view. The Phillies did score more runs than any other team but the Yankees last season, however I would disagree that their lineup is improved. As I said last week, it will be nearly impossible for Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins to duplicate the production the Phils got from Aaron Rowand last season. And while Pedro Feliz is a nice addition for his power, especially in that ballpark, his sub-.300 OBP leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, I don't expect Jimmy Rollins to duplicate the numbers he put up last year, of course he will be great again, but not that great. I expect the Phillies to score less runs in 2008 than they did in 2009. You can call that wishful thinking or being a homer as a Mets fan, but it's the way I feel. As far as them being ranked 7th, it is always inevitable in doing lineup rankings that AL teams will dominate the top of the list since they have one extra hitter. However, to play devil's advocate with myself it is also entirely possible that the continued growth of Howard and Utley, plus improvements from Ruiz and Victorino as you mentioned could lead to the Phillies being even better in ‘08. The one difference though between the Dodgers and Phillies to me, and the reason I ranked the Dodgers higher, is that they do not have any weak spots in the lineup and actually have 10 legitimate starters when you take into account possible platoons with Andre Ethier and Juan Pierre and Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche. In other words, they have more room for error than the Phillies. Again, that's my two cents.

Lastly, the one thing I will vehemently disagree with you on is Matt Kemp…..last year in 300 at bats, Kemp posted an OPS of .894, perhaps you should be trembling a bit more.


Alright, that will do it for the feedback, let's move on the baseball……………………



THE TWO HOLE

Spring Training is now in full swing as the cactus and grapefruit league games began later this week. Over the next few weeks we will learn a lot about the shapes of teams starting lineups, pitching rotations, bullpens and benches. Of course, as we have previously discussed here, we already know a pretty good deal about those things. At this point, barring injuries, most of the important decisions have already been made regarding lineups. Spring Training is more a time to settle the bottom of the lineups and fill out the backs of bullpens, as well as the last few spots in the rotations. Seeing as how bullpens and benches are usually the last items to be settled, it would seem silly to tackle those topics at this point, but guess what, we are doing it anyway. Last week we analyzed all 30 lineups and I want to save the pitching staffs for another week in hopes that some of the battles for the final rotation spots become a little bit clearer. Therefore this week we are going to look at bullpens and benches.

We will start with the bullpens, what used to be an extremely underrated aspect of a baseball team and has now become one of the most important factors in building a winner. Baseball front offices, media and fans have all come to realize in the last 5-10 years just how important a good bullpen can be. While you need a strong lineup and strong rotation to be amongst the games best teams, it is often the bullpen that ultimately separates the very good teams from the great ones. As I said above, most bullpens have yet to be filled out completely, but at this point all the major pieces are in place and that is what these rankings are really based on. I have listed the bullpens based on the projected top six guys, though some teams will obviously go with more and a few may even use less. However, the point is that the parts at the back end of the rotation that are not solidified yet probably aren't important enough to affect the rankings much anyway. The last few relievers on most clubs are all interchangeable anyway. So with that, let's take a look at all 30 Major League Baseball bullpens based on the pitchers who are projected to make the team at this point……..



RANKING THE BULLPENS

1) Boston Red Sox – Jonathan Papelbon (Closer), Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Mike Timlin, Julian Tavarez, Javier Lopez
The Red Sox pen faded a bit down the stretch last year, but they still have the deepest and strongest group of relievers in the game. Papelbon is the best closer in baseball and Okajima, Delcarmen and Lopez all had breakout seasons in '07. Plus Mike Timlin still has gas in the tank.

2) Cleveland Indians – Joe Borowski (Closer), Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, Aaron Fultz, Masahide Kobayashi, Jensen Lewis
It's strange that a team with such a shaky closer could rank this high, but honestly, Joe Borowski was the only thing that kept them from the #1 spot. Betancourt and Perez are two of the top setup men in baseball and Jensen Lewis looks primed to breakout. If and when Borowski falters this year, this team will have no shortage of adequate replacements waiting in the wings. Aaron Fultz is still a solid pitcher and if Kobayashi delivers this will be the deepest pen in baseball.

3) Chicago Cubs – Bob Howry (Closer), Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood, Michael Wuertz, Scott Eyre, Jose Ascanio
The biggest problem the Cubs bullpen had entering last season was their closer, Ryan Dempster. This year they have moved him to the bullpen and in doing so established their pen as the best in the NL. Bobby Howry is the early favorite to replace Dempster, but regardless of who wins the job among Howry, Wood and Marmol, the Cubs will have themselves quite a little three-headed monster shutting teams down late in games. Plus Wuertz and Eyre are among the best middle innings pitchers in the league.

4) Minnesota Twins – Joe Nathan (Closer), Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier, Juan Rincon, Dennys Reyes, Jesse Crain
Last year's number one bullpen took a bit of a tumble after sub-par seasons from Rincon and Reyes. But Joe Nathan is still one of the game's best as is Pat Neshek and Matt Guerrier joined the ranks of the elite last season. Expect those three to continue to perform as well as a likely bounce back from Rincon.

5) Los Angeles Angels – Francisco Rodriguez (Closer), Scot Shields, Darren Oliver, Justin Speier, Dustin Moseley, Chris Bootcheck
K-Rod and Shields is one of the best relief combos in the league and though Justin Speier and Darren Oliver struggled at times last season, they should return to the ranks of top tier middle innings eaters again this season.

6) Chicago White Sox – Bobby Jenks (Closer), Octavio Dotel, Mike MacDougal, Matt Thornton, Scott Linebrink, Ehren Wassermann
The Sox overhauled their bullpen last year and had great results, this year they have taken it a step further with the additions of Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel. Bobby Jenks is now clearly among the elite in terms of closers and Ehren Wassermann could emerge as one of the game's best setup men.

7) San Diego Padres – Trevor Hoffman (Closer), Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Kevin Cameron, Justin Hampson, Justin Germano
Trevor Hoffman finally started to show signs of decline last season and his days as a closer are clearly approaching the end, however he is still able to do the job at an above average level. Meanwhile, Heath Bell,Cla Meredith, Kevin Cameron and Justin Hampson are one of the best young relief groups around.

8) Los Angeles Dodgers – Takashi Saito (Closer), Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel, Hong-Chih Kuo, Scott Proctor, Eric Stults
There are few better combos in baseball than Saito and Broxton, however this year the Dodgers pen isn't as good behind them as it has been in year's past. Joe Beimel should again be a solid contributor and Scott Proctor should improve as well, but regardless, the top two make easily make this a top 10 bullpen.

9) New York Mets – Billy Wagner (Closer), Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Schoeneweis, Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith
The Mets bullpen had it's share of struggles last season with the injuries to Duaner Sanchez and the inconsistencies early on of Heilman and Schoeneweis. However, by the end of the season Heilman and Schoeneweis were practically lights out, joining Feliciano and Wagner to once again form one of the leagues best pens. This year Duaner Sanchez looks healthy and ready to go making this once again a staff to look out for.

10) Milwaukee Brewers – Eric Gagne (Closer), Derrick Turnbow, David Riske, Salomon Torres, Brian Shouse, Claudio Vargas
This ranking depends largely on the health of Eric Gagne, as well as his ability to rebound from a morbid stint in Boston at the end of last year. Obviously those are big ifs, but if Gagne performs this bullpen could surprise people. Derrick Turnbow rebounded last season from his previous struggles and Brian Shouse and David Riske are very solid relievers.

11) Cincinnati Reds – Francisco Cordero (Closer), David Weathers, Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Jared Burton, Jeremy Affeldt
After years and years of closers by committee, the Reds finally have a number one caliber closer again. Coredero should take a lot of the burden off the guys who rightfully belong in the setup role, meaning that improvement should filter down to all levels of this pen. Bill Bray and Jared Burton are definitely guys to watch if you're looking for breakout relief seasons.

12) Toronto Blue Jays – B.J. Ryan (Closer), Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen, Brian Tallet
The Jays lost B.J. Ryan for most of '07 and it looked like a disaster at first, but then they found Jeremy Accardo who was more than capable as a fill in. Now they have two closer caliber pitchers to throw at the back end of games as well as solid middle innings guys in Downs, Tallet and Janssen.

13) Arizona Diamondbacks – Brandon Lyon (Closer), Tony Pena, Chad Qualls, Juan Cruz, Doug Slaten, Dustin Nippert
The D-Backs found lighting in a bottle last season with Jose Valverde, then promptly traded him to the Astros. Now the one thing they are lacking is a lights out closer, though this pen could be one of the deepest in the league. Brandon Lyon will get the first crack at closing, though don't be surprised if Tony Pena or Chad Qualls ultimately end up with the job. Regardless, this staff includes five pitchers who are very credible relievers.

14) Florida Marlins – Kevin Gregg (Closer), Matt Lindstrom, Justin Miller, Lee Gardner, Taylor Tankersley, Ricky Nolasco
This ranking is really based heavily on potential and projection. Kevin Gregg was surprisingly impressive as the closer last season, but beyond him there is still a lot of uncertainty on the ceiling of these pitchers. Lindstrom, Miller, Gardner and Tankersley have all showed flashes of brilliance, and given reason to believe that each of them have closer type arms. Lindstrom is the most proven as he had a big season in '07, expect similar seasons this year from Miller and Gardner.

15) St. Louis Cardinals – Jason Isringhausen (Closer), Ryan Franklin, Russ Springer, Randy Flores, Tyler Johnson, Todd Wellemeyer
This is a very solid, yet very boring bullpen, and here they are ranking smack dab in the middle of everyone. Izzy is on the downside of his career, and no longer records many strikeouts, but he is still very effective. The rest of this crew also gets the job down, they just do it with little flair and little power.

16) Washington Nationals – Chad Cordero (Closer), Jon Rauch, Luis Ayala, Saul Rivera, Jesus Colome, Tyler Clippard
Chad Cordero has faded in recent years but is still a solid second tier closer. Jon Rauch has emerged as a top tier setup guy and Saul Rivera and Jesus Colome are coming off career seasons.

17) San Francisco Giants – Brian Wilson (Closer), Brad Hennessey, Jonathan Sanchez, Tyler Walker, Vinnie Chulk, Randy Messenger
Brad Hennessey struggled as the closer last season, but he will return this year in his usual role of setup man. Brian Wilson takes over 9th inning duties and it should be a big improvement. Jonathan Sanchez should also make a leap this year, assuming he doesn't move to the rotation, and could eventual blossom into a Jonathan Broxton type pitcher. Tyler Walker is also primed for a big season after returning from Tommy John surgery last August.

18) Oakland A's – Huston Street (Closer), Santiago Casilla, Joey Devine, Alan Embree, Dana Eveland, Kirk Saarloos
This could be a very good bullpen or quite a mediocre one. However, given the A's track record with pitchers I am more inclined to believe they will be successful. Joey Devine Dana Eveland and Santiago Casilla could surprise with big years and Huston Street is one of the best in the business.

19) Baltimore Orioles – George Sherrill (Closer), Chad Bradford, Jamie Walker, Brian Burres, Jim Hoey, Dennis Sarfate
The O's closer situation was very up in the air until the Erik Bedard trade, but in that deal they found their man in George Sherrill. Sherrill could be a pleasant surprise in the role, and Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker are very good relievers as well. The rest of the pen is untested for the most part, but there is upside there as well.

20) Kansas City Royals – Joakim Soria (Closer), Jimmy Gobble, Leo Nunez, Joel Peralta, John Bale, Yasuhiko Yabuta
Joakim Soria came out of nowhere last year and turned into a lights out closer. There is no reason why he can't duplicate that and there is little reason to think that other bullpen mates, Leo Nunez, Joel Peralta and John Bale can't make similar leaps this season.

21) Philadelphia Phillies – Brad Lidge (Closer), Ryan Madson, Tom Gordon, J.C. Romero, Clay Condrey, Chad Durbin
The Phillies pen has become a lot shakier in the recent days with the news that Brad Lidge will probably miss the start of the season. Lidge and injuries are not a good mix and even though he is expected back in mid-April, it may not bode well for the rest of the year. Tom Gordon is no longer the pitcher he once was and the Phils will be in trouble if they have to rely on Gordon as their closer for too long. J.C. Romero had a big bounceback year in '07 and Ryan Madson is very good, but the rest of this pen is a big question mark.

22) Houston Astros – Jose Valverde (Closer), Oscar Villareal, Shawn Chacon, Fernando Nieve, Doug Brocail, Geoff Geary
It's not likely that Valverde will be as good in '08 as he was in '07, especially considering the move in home ballparks, but he will still pile up the saves. Behind him there is potential for a decent group, but nothing special.

(Edit: Thanks to reader Big Dirty for pointing out an interesting issue. I should have addressed this in the original draft because he's right, it's an enormous difference, but I didn't. And that issue is Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees have stated that Joba will begin the season in the bullpen, but I assume that he will make his way into the rotation by May, regardless of what they say, so for that reason I left him out of the Yankee bullpen picture and planned to include him when I do the rotation rankings. However, it is also possible that he will stay in the bullpen for much of the season. If he does, the Yankees move up to somewhere around #10. Yes, he is that big of a difference maker, even as a reliever)

23) New York Yankees – Mariano Rivera (Closer), Kyle Farnsworth, Brian Bruney, LaTroy Hawkins, Chris Britton, Ross Ohlendorf
For those of you that hate the Yankees, and I know there are many, you can be excited, because finally the team is starting to slip down some of these lists. The bullpen was a slight question mark heading into last season, but nothing compared to how iffy it is heading into this one. Other than Mariano, there is not much to like here.

24) Seattle Mariners – J.J. Putz (Closer), Brandon Morrow, Eric O'Flaherty, Ryan Rowland-Smith, R.A. Dickey, Ryan Feierabend
J.J. Putz emerged as one of the top 2-3 closers in all of baseball last season yet this team still ranks towards the bottom of bullpens. They have a lot of potential with Morrow, Rowland-Smith and Feierabend, but it seems like those guys are still a year away from really breaking out. Expect improvements from last year, but not by leaps and bounds.

25) Texas Rangers – C.J. Wilson (Closer), Eddie Guardado, Joaquin Benoit, Wes Littleton, Kazuo Fukumori, Frank Francisco
Another fairly boring group, none of these guys are really going to overpower you other than possibly Benoit. Who knows what is going to happen with the closer's job and who knows how Eddie Guardado will fare after missing almost all of 2007. Kazuo Fukumori could be a big key though if he lives up to the hype.

26) Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Troy Percival (Closer), Al Reyes, Dan Wheeler, Gary Glover, Trever Miller, Juan Salas
Troy Percival had a great comeback last year and he parlayed that into a closer's job with the Rays. While it was a great story, I am not sure Percival is really able to be a closer again. Behind him is Al Reyes who had a good, if inconsistent '07 season and two guys who were brilliant in '06 but had dismal ‘07's in Dan Wheeler and Trever Miller. Expect those two to bounceback, but don't expect that to be enough to save the Rays pen.

27) Pittsburgh Pirates – Matt Capps (Closer), Damaso Marte, Ty Taubenheim, John Grabow, Byung-hyun Kim, Franquelis Osoria
Another team with potential as John Grabow and Ty Taubenheim could turn into top notch relievers at any time. If that does happen in '08 this team will shoot up the rankings because the duo of Capps and Marte is already an imposing twosome.

28) Colorado Rockies – Manny Corpas (Closer), Brian Fuentes, Luis Vizcaino, Ryan Speier, Taylor Buchholz, Micah Bowie
Corpas and Fuentes are another top setup/closer combo, but the rest of the group is adequate at best.

29) Atlanta Braves – Rafael Soriano (Closer), Peter Moylan, Will Ohman, Jeff Ridgway, Tyler Yates, Royce Ring
Oh what a difference a year makes. Last year the Braves entered the season with a revamped pen that ranked among the best in baseball. Bob Wickman was the closer, Mike Gonzalez the setup man and Rafael Soriano the third best guy in the group. Now, Wickman is gone, Gonzalez is out until mid-season and Soriano is the number one guy. He should do a fine job as the closer and Peter Moylan is a top tier setup man, the problem is that no one was recruited to fill out the rest of the staff, and on paper it doesn't look promising.

30) Detroit Tigers – Todd Jones (Closer), Fernando Rodney, Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, Francisco Cruceta, Zach Miner
The team with the best lineup in baseball and one of the better rotations has only one problem, unfortunately it's a big one. The Tigers didn't want Todd Jones back as the closer, but had little choice when Joel Zumaya needed off-season shoulder surgery. He is likely going to miss at least half the season leaving Jones as the lone option. Fernando Rodney is the one power arm in this group and he is battling injuries as well and it now looks like he is iffy to start the season. If Rodney misses any significant time at all, this team will struggle with getting people out late in games.

That's all for the bullpens. Now onto the benches…………


BATTING THIRD…………….


Ranking the benches was more difficult than the bullpens because of the fact that it is almost impossible to predict what reserve players will do from year-to-year. Often times the top bench players emerge as the season goes on and have more to do with mindset than actual talent. Looking at benches on paper and how they actually perform are two drastically different things. Some teams could have big names on the bench, guys that could be starters for other teams, but that doesn't mean their bench will be any better than a team with a bench full of lifelong reserves. Being able to pinch hit and sub in on the fly is an incredible skill that is hard to quantify and is makes being a reserve in baseball much more difficult than it is in any other sport. While benches are not nearly as important as bullpens, they are similar in the fact that they could make the difference between being a very good team and a great one. Obviously benches in the N.L. are much more important than benches in the A.L. because of the lack of a DH, and because of that the N.L. benches usually carry more players. For the purposes of this exercise I have given every N.L. team a six man bench and every A.L. team a five man bench.

Just like the pitchers above, these are the projected benches at this time and are subject to change, but for the most part, any changes that may come between now and Opening Day probably won't be significant enough to affect these rankings. So let's stop wasting time and get to ‘em………………….


RANKING THE BENCHES

1) Washington Nationals – Paul LoDuca/Johnny Estrada (C, whoever isn't starting), Elijah Dukes (OF), Nick Johnson/Dmitri Young (1B, whoever isn't starting), Aaron Boone (INF), Christian Guzman (INF), Ryan Langerhans (OF)

2) Los Angeles Angels – Jeff Mathis (C), Maicier Izturis (INF), Kendry Morales (1B), Reggie Willits (OF), Juan Rivera (OF)

3) Colorado Rockies – Scott Podsednik (OF), Marcus Giles (2B), Ian Stewart (INF), Chris Iannetta (C), Ryan Spilborghs (OF), Jeff Baker (INF/OF)

4) Toronto Blue Jays – Matt Stairs (1B/OF), Shannon Stewart (OF), Marco Scutaro (INF), Rod Barajas (C), John McDonald (INF)

5) Philadelphia Phillies –Chris Coste (C), Jayson Werth (OF), So Taguchi (OF), Wes Helms (INF), Greg Dobbs (INF/OF), Eric Brunlett (INF)

6) Cincinnati Reds – Javier Valentin (C), Norris Hopper (OF), Scott Hatteberg (1B), Ryan Freel (INF/OF), Jeff Keppinger (INF), Juan Castro (INF)

7) Kansas City Royals – Miguel Olivo (C), Alberto Callaspo (INF), Ryan Shealy (1B), Shane Costa (OF), Joey Gathright (OF)

8) Florida Marlins – Luis Gonzalez (OF), Matt Treanor (C), Alfredo Amezaga (OF), Cody Ross (OF), Alejandro De Aza (OF), Jose Castillo (INF)

9) Chicago White Sox – Toby Hall (C), Juan Uribe (INF), Joe Crede (INF), Jerry Owens (OF), Pablo Ozuna (INF/OF)

10) Texas Rangers –Jason Botts (1B/OF), Gerald Laird (C), Kevin Mench (OF), Nelson Cruz (OF), Ramon Vazquez (INF)

11) Atlanta Braves – Javy Lopez (C), Scott Thorman (1B), Josh Anderson (OF), Brandon Jones (OF), Omar Infante (INF), Martin Prado (INF)

12) Arizona Diamondbacks – Chad Tracy (INF), Miguel Montero (C), Chris Burke (INF/OF), Jeff Salazar (OF), Augie Ojeda (INF), Trot Nixon (OF)

13) Boston Red Sox – Doug Mirabelli (C), Coco Crisp (OF), Sean Casey (1B), Alex Cora (INF), Bobby Kielty (OF)

14) Chicago Cubs –Henry Blanco (C), Daryle Ward (OF), Ronny Cedeno (INF), Matt Murton (OF), Mike Fontenot (INF), Sam Fuld (OF)

15) Minnesota Twins – Mike Redmond (C), Alexi Casilla (INF), Nick Punto (INF), Craig Monroe (OF), Jason Pridie (OF)

16) San Diego Padres – Michael Barrett (C), Chase Headley (OF/3B), Oscar Robbles (INF), Robert Fick (OF/1B), Jeff DaVanon (OF), Craig Stansberry (INF)

17) St. Louis Cardinals – Scott Spiezio (OF/INF), Aaron Miles (INF), Brendan Ryan (INF), Jason LaRue (C), Skip Schumaker (OF), Ryan Ludwick (OF)

18) New York Yankees – Morgan Ensberg (INF), Wilson Betemit (INF), Jose Molina (C), Chris Woodward (INF), Shelley Duncan (1B/OF)

19) Baltimore Orioles – Jay Payton (OF), Freddie Bynum (INF), Jay Gibbons (OF), Guillermo Quiroz (C), Brandon Fahey (INF)

20) Detroit Tigers – Marcus Thames (OF), Vance Wilson (C), Brandon Inge (3B), Ryan Raburn (INF), Timo Perez (OF)

21) Los Angeles Dodgers – Gary Bennett (C), Nomar Garciaparra (INF), Mark Sweeney (1B/OF), Andre Ethier (OF), Delwyn Young (OF), Chin-lung Hu (INF)

22) New York Mets – Endy Chavez (OF), Ramon Castro (C), Damion Easley (INF), Ruben Gotay (INF), Jose Valentin (INF), Brady Clark (OF)

23) Milwaukee Brewers – Mike Rivera (C), Craig Counsell (INF), Gabe Gross (OF), Tony Gwynn Jr. (OF), Abraham Nunez (INF), Vinny Rottino (INF)

24) Houston Astros – Brad Ausmus (C), Darin Erstad (OF/1B), Mark Loretta (INF), Geoff Blum (INF), Reggie Abercrombie (OF), Victor Diaz (OF)

25) Pittsburgh Pirates –Ryan Doumit (C/1B/OF), Nate McLouth (OF), Doug Mientkiewicz (1B), Chris Gomez (INF), Josh Wilson (INF), Chris Duffy (OF)

26) Cleveland Indians – Kelly Shoppach (C), Jason Michaels (OF), Andy Marte (INF), Jamey Carroll (INF), Ben Francisco (OF)

27) Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Shawn Riggans (C), Johnny Gomes (OF), Willy Aybar (INF), Eric Hinske (INF), John Rodriguez (OF)

28) Oakland A's – Ryan Bowen (C), Mike Sweeney (1B), Matt LeCroy (C/OF), Jack Hannahan (INF), Donnie Murphy (INF/OF)

29) Seattle Mariners – Willie Bloomquist (OF), Greg Norton (INF), Jamie Burke (C), Mike Morse (INF/OF), Miguel Cairo (INF)

30) San Francisco Giants – Kevin Frandsen (INF), Rajai Davis (OF), Fred Lewis (OF), Guillermo Rodriguez (C), Nate Schierholtz (OF), Eugenio Velez (INF)



That will do it for the benches and bullpens, as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Questions? Comments? Feedback? Hatred?....Get it in ASAP. Thoughts on your favorite team? Were they ranked too high? Too low? Let me know!.........AHHH I'm a poet and didn't…….never mind…………let's just move on.



CLEANING UP


Sorry, no installment of "The Greatest" this week. I know, I know, I just came back a month ago and already I am getting lazy. I am sorry but I just didn't have time this week to get to it, plus I am working on a big project that will begin in this space next week. I promise "The Greatest" will return next week as we will begin to unveil the all-time greatest lineups for each of the 30 MLB franchises.

So that will do it for this week's column. See you all next week as the Curveballs and Sliders countdown to the 2008 MLB season continues. Don't miss it!!!! Until then………………………..

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