Lineup vs Lineup; 2015 Royals vs 2016 Cubs

I think I've decided to make these lineup comparison posts that I began yesterday into a series called "Lineup vs Lineup," a series in which I compare lineups from 2 different teams. They could be the same team in different seasons like I did in yesterday's post. It could also be different teams from the same season, something I'm definitely interested in trying out next as a way of finding which team, at least in my opinion, was truly the best in a certain year.

For today's post, however, I'm going to vary this as much as possible by doing 2 different teams from 2 different seasons. The catch? Both of these teams are recent World Series champions.

That's right, today I'll be comparing the lineup of the 2015 Kansas City Royals to that of the curse-breaking 2016 Chicago Cubs.

Now, the Cubs are an NL team which means no designated hitter, so in order to keep it simple, I decided to cut out that position completely and only focus on 8 positions, meaning a tie is possible. For the future, I'll try to do teams from the same league to avoid complications.

Without any further adieu, I'll begin comparing these 2 teams, and I'll start at the catcher position.

The catcher position for the 2016 Cubs is a tricky one. Despite showing huge potential after being called up in June, the Cubs did not make Wilson Contreras a full-time catcher. He instead split time with Miguel Montero and David Ross, who despite being a fan-favorite, didn't produce a whole lot offensively during his 166 at-bats. Salvador Perez didn't have his best year in 2015, but he played a full year and was very good offensively, which, in this case, is enough to give the Royals the advantage at catcher.

C Position; Advantage 2015 Royals

2015 was a breakout season for Royals 1st baseman Eric Hosmer. He set a career-high in RBI, hit .297 with a respectable 18 home runs and 33 doubles. It was the best season of his career up until that point or at least one of them. However, 2016 remains the best season of Anthony Rizzo's career as he hit over 30 homers, more than 100 RBI, hit nearly .300 while finishing 4th in the NL MVP race. Rizzo's season was nothing short of historic, something Hosmer was simply unable to match in his 2015 season.

1B Position; Advantage 2016 Cubs

The 2nd base position is pretty simple if you ask me. Ben Zobrist's performance in 2016 for the Cubs was greater than his 2015 performance for the Royals. Yes, he was on both teams. His batting average may have been slightly better in 2015, but I'm looking at overall productivity. Fact is, even though he had more at-bats, Zobrist was still more productive in 2016 than he was in 2015. He had more RBI in 2015 than he had since 2011, back when he was still with the Rays.

2B Position; Advantage 2016 Cubs

Neither Alcides Escobar in 2015 nor Addison Russel in 2016 dazzled anyone with their pretty dismal batting averages. Therefore, I had to look past that stat to find who was better in their respective season. And what I found was that honor went to Addison Russell. He hit 95 RBI for the Cubs in 2016, trailing just superstars Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant in the club category. He also played a very good shortstop defensively. Escobar may have been a big part of the Royals' success, but ultimately, Russell's value to the Cubs was something Alcides could not eclipse.

SS Position; Advantage 2016 Cubs

This matchup is frankly almost unfair for the Royals' 3rd baseman Mike Moustakas. The 2-time All-Star hit .284 in 2015 with 22 homers and 82 RBI. However, when you're up against the NL MVP, you don't really have a shot at beating him unless you're the AL MVP which wasn't Moustakas in 2015, it was Josh Donaldson. Bryant hit nearly .300, just like Rizzo. But he managed to hit 39 home runs to go along with 102 RBI. I'm sorry Mike Moustakas, but there's just no beating that.

3B Position; Advantage 2016 Cubs 

And with that, the Cubs have taken 4 spots in a row or the entire infield of competition. Moving on to the outfield.

Leftfield was a weird position for the 2016 Cubs. With Schwarber missing the entire season except for a couple of games, they relied heavily on Jorge Soler who also got injured. Bryant and Zobrist would play occasionally, but they truly lacked a reliable starter at that position. Therefore, the door was open wide for Alex Gordon and his 2015 performance that included an All-Star appearance, a .271 batting average, and 48 RBI in just 354 at-bats, to take the leftfield position in the name of the 2015 Royals team.

LF Position; Advantage 2015 Royals

Dexter Fowler surprised everyone when he showed up at Spring Training in 2016 to play one last season for the Cubs. And while his performance was all the Cubs could really ask for, it was Lorenzo Cain's 2015 performance for the World Champion Kansas City Royals that stole the show. Cain hit .307 with 72 RBI and even 28 stolen bases in 2015 for Kansas City. In fact, he even finished 3rd in the AL MVP race, something I never knew until today. To this day, his 2015 year will remain the best, by far, of Lorenzo's career and enough to beat out Fowler's 2016 season.

CF Position; Advantage 2015 Royals

With the score currently Cubs 4 Royals 3, it all comes down to right field. If the Cubs win, they win the matchup. But if the Royals win, it ends in a tie.

Let me be clear, neither Alex Rios for the 2015 Royals nor Jason Heyward for the 2016 Cubs are your typical starters for a World Series-winning team. Rios hit .355 in his 385 at-bats for the Royals in 2015. Heyward hit an abysmal .230 with just 49 RBI as an everyday starter for the 2016 Cubs. So, why did I choose Heyward over Rios? One word, defense. Heyward remains one of the best defensive players in the game, and that was the case in 2016 as well. He won his 4th career Gold Glove in right field for the 2016 Cubs, which is what sets him apart from Rios. To be clear, neither of their performances in their respective seasons were all too good. But it was Heyward's defense that ultimately saved him and won this matchup for the Cubs 5-3.

Better Off Now?

I often wonder how the teams that are doing well or not so well in today's game stack up to how they were doing 3, 5, or 10 years ago.

I remember the year I got most into baseball was 2016. The Red Sox team was looking better than they had in years, maybe even back to the '07 season. Furthermore, my 2nd favorite and my Dad's favorite team, the Cubs, were looking like they could actually win it all, and they did.

I've been comparing the 2018 Red Sox to the 2016 Red Sox quite a bit recently, but I realize those 2 teams are too close in history to one another. So, I decided to test out an idea for a new post series by comparing the 2018 Red Sox typical starting 9 to the 2013 World Series-winning Red Sox's lineup.

To determine which players I compare, I take the World Series lineup for the 2013 Red Sox and put it against the typical 2018 Sox starting lineup. If I choose to continue this, I may have to iron out a few kinks and avoid using lineups when players were injured, etc.

Anyways, I'm starting with DH which was a very tough call and frankly, a toss-up. Don't get me wrong, David Ortiz's 2013 season was one of the best all-around seasons of his career. He hit over .300 with 30 homers and over 100 RBI. However, J.D. Martinez's historic start to 2018 has been astonishing. He just hit his 21st home run an hour or so before I wrote this post, and he has over 50 RBI and it's only June 9th. I'm not saying J.D. is the better player, but from what I've seen of him so far, I'd have to give him the edge.

DH Position; Advantage 2018 Red Sox

Despite my extensive searches through my Red Sox binders and boxes, I was unable to find a card of 2013 catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Despite me not having any cards of him, which is quite surprising, I still consider him the far superior catcher in comparison to Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon. Of all the teams he played for, Salty played the best in Boston, and 2013 was by far his best season. He reached his career high for batting average in a single season and quickly became a fan-favorite, hitting 40 doubles as well.

C Position; Advantage 2013 Red Sox 

Comparing the 2013 Red Sox to the 2018 Red Sox who have barely played a third of their games can be tricky. You never quite know if players such as Mitch Moreland will stay as good as they are right now for the remainder of the season. So, I'm simply assuming that these players will continue to put up similar numbers for the rest of the 2018 season. Therefore, if Mitch Moreland can continue to hit around .295 this year which matching his impressive totals in RBI and doubles, he'll beat out the 2013 Red Sox's first baseman, Mike Napoli. 

1B Position; Advantage 2018 Red Sox

Eduardo Nunez has done a fair job playing second base for most of the 2018 season given that Dustin Pedroia returned to the DL just 11 at-bats and 2+ months into the season. The only remaining starter from the 2013 team, Pedroia garnered multiple MVP votes in 2013 and had the 2nd most RBI he's ever had in a single season, even surpassing his 2008 AL MVP totals. He did all of that while hitting .301 and reaching the All-Star game which he has not been to since. 

2B Position; Advantage 2013 Red Sox

Let me be clear, Stephen Drew was not a big part of the reason why the 2013 Red Sox won the World Series. Sure, he had 67 RBI, but he also hit just .253 and wasn't thought to be the best teammate. On the contrary, Xander Bogaerts, from what I've heard, is a pretty good teammate and has been putting on a show for much of the 2018 season. While he hasn't hit the stride he reached before his ankle injury, which was unfortunately expected, Bogaerts is still hitting .283 with 34 RBI and has been playing a solid defensive shortstop. He'll probably be in the final All-Star game vote position where he's been numerous times before, given the strong shortstop competition in the AL.

SS Position; Advantage 2018 Red Sox

Neither Will Middlebrooks nor Rafael Devers impressed people with their batting averages in their respective seasons. Middlebrooks hit .227 in 2013 which was far worse than I originally thought he did. Devers hasn't fared much better, hitting .229 so far this year. The reason I give Middlebrooks the edge is that not only has he played a better 3rd base, but a lot less was expected of him. Rafael Devers was stellar after being called-up last season, and he's certainly been pulled down to Earth after his strong April to begin the 2018 season.

3B Position; Advantage 2013 Red Sox

Over the last month or so, Andrew Benintendi has been one of the best players in baseball. Over the last 30 days, Benny is hitting an unbelievable .345 with 10 homers and 28 RBI. Jonny Gomes played pretty well in LF for the 2013 Red Sox and made solid offensive contributions. However, he did not play at the level Benintendi is currently playing at. And if he keeps this up, I'll have no reason to think twice about choosing Andrew over Jonny.

LF Position; Advantage 2018 Red Sox

2 years removed from his historic 2011 season, Ellsbury followed up with a fabulous 2013 and an end to his time as a Boston Red Sock. Ellsbury hit .298 for the Sox in 2013 and stole an MLB leading 52 bases that year. He additionally provided 53 RBI and a good defensive job in centerfield. While Jackie Bradley Jr. is the best defensive centerfielder in the game, his offense is nothing short of mediocre, hitting just .194 as of today. To me, there's no debate. In his last season with Boston, Ellsbury shined and easily beats out Bradley on this ranking.

CF Position; Advantage 2013 Red Sox

We're currently tied 4-4, meaning it comes down to the RF position. You can probably guess how this is going to go.

Unless he has a horrible performance when he comes back from his injury early next week, Mookie Betts easily beats out Shane Victorino for the RF position, ultimately giving the 2018 Red Sox the      5-4 win over the 2013 squad. He's leading the league in batting average as I speak, and will certainly make an effort to climb the ranks in all sorts of other categories once he's back. Victorino was good in 2013, don't get me wrong. But few players over the last few years, even in all of baseball, could match how Mookie Betts is doing right now.

RF Position; Advantage 2018 Red Sox

Final Results; 

2018 Red Sox 5 

2013 Red Sox 4

Top 5 Players Who Should Be Traded at the Deadline

If you ask me, this baseball season has been moving pretty fast, especially the last couple weeks of baseball games. After all, it seems like not too long ago I was watching the tough Opening Day loss for the Red Sox against the Rays, followed by their impressive and historic 17-3 start which culminated in my first Soxumentary set.

Before you know it, it'll be the All-Star break, followed by the trade deadline at the end of July. With all that on my mind, I thought I'd share the 5 free agents that need to be traded at or before the deadline. Unintentionally, this list ended up being all American League players, but I can assure you there are some NL players who will certainly be traded at the deadline this year, possibly Starling Marte, for example.

Here they are; the top 5 players (somehow all from the AL) who should be traded at the deadline this year.

#5 Jed Lowrie

After a couple of months, a player's performance starts to be referred to as a strong season, not just a strong season. And given Lowrie's .294 batting average through nearly 250 at-bats so far this season, it seems pretty likely this Jed Lowrie is here to stay for the entire 2018 season. Lowrie already has 42 RBI and sits tied for 13th in baseball in that category. There are a lot of clubs who could use a well-rounded infielder to hit at the top of their lineup. However, with Cano's 80-game suspension looming over the ballclub, even with their recent success, I'd say Jed Lowrie to the Seattle Mariners makes the most sense out of all the possibilities. 

#4 Mike Moustakas

After not getting the contract, size or money-wise, over the offseason, Mike Moustakas seemed to reluctantly sign a 1-year contract to remain with the Kansas City Royals. Unfortunately, this season doesn't seem to be going any better for the Royals than last year, but that doesn't mean Moustakas isn't having a strong season. Given that whichever team trades for him only has him for the rest of the year, they aren't stuck with him if he doesn't work out. I could definitely see the Twins, Braves, or Diamondbacks making a push to get the 2-time All-Star on their team for a postseason push.

#3 Cole Hamels

For a good 2-3 years of his time in Philadelphia with the Phillies, there were seemingly endless trade rumors involving Cole Hamels. Flash-forward 3 years and Hamels is in the midst of yet another round of trade rumors. This time, it's the Rangers who are sellers, not buyers. Just as they did last season to acquire Sonny Gray, the Yankees are looking to make a push for Hamels, but I could see the Indians or even my Boston Red Sox making a push for Hamels to strengthen their eventual postseason rotation.

#2 Josh Donaldson

Unbelievably, Josh Donaldson isn't even the best American League East division 3rd baseman whom I expect to be traded at the deadline this year, but that doesn't take away from the fact that, when healthy, he's a top 20 player in baseball. The 2015 AL MVP has been rumored to test free agency, so a trade to teams like the Cubs or Angels would make sense for both sides. It's unclear where his destination will be once he hits free-agency, but first things first, it's time for the Blue Jays to move on. They lost Encarnacion after the 2016 season. They had their chance and blew it, now it's time to move on.

#1 Manny Machado

Just like the Blue Jays, the Orioles have had numerous chances to come out as AL Champions, maybe even World Series champions. Unfortunately for them, their window has officially closed, but that will only encourage them to capitalize on Manny Machado's value more and faster. A safe bet for the All-Star game starting lineup, Machado has been constantly rumored to join the New York Yankees, which I will pray every day in order for that not to happen. Regardless of where he ends up, I guarantee Machado will not be wearing an Orioles jersey after this year's trade deadline. 

Frankenset Page 9

It seems as if, since I do roughly 1 frankenset page a week on either Wednesday or Thursday, I use the first few lines to talk about what's currently going on in baseball before I get to talking about the 9 cards I've selected for the page.

As I speak to you now, Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez is on fire. He's hitting .317 with a major league-leading 20 homers and 52 RBI. Even with the ever-popular Shohei Ohtani in the conversation, I don't think anyone can stop Martinez from making the All-Star game as a starter.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer seem like they'll be the All-Star starters and possibly even Cy Young, candidates. Giancarlo Stanton has struck 78 times already, yet still has an impressive 33 RBI. And finally, the Seattle Mariners currently sit alone at 1st place in the AL West for the first time in years. 

Oh yeah, and there's a team (Yankees) with a .690 win percentage that's not in first place. Yeah, playoff seeding needs to be done by record, not division. If you don't think this is enough to convince you, take a look at the 2015 NL Central division. 

Anyway, I may be getting a little off-track, but I like the idea of using these lines before the frankenset page as a way simply to talk about what's currently going on in baseball. Now, here's page 9 of my frankenset showing cards.

#73 1999 Flair Showcase Row 3

I assume the Flair Showcase brand is similar to the Topps Gold Label set, given that this set has different "row" just like Gold Label has different "classes." I haven't seen many Flair Showcase cards before, so I don't think the brand lasted all too long. On a side note, Bartolo Colon has just tied Juan Marichal on the all-time wins list with 243.

#74 1976 Topps Traded Oscar Gamble

I put Gamble's most iconic card in the frankenset months before he passed away in January of this year. Immediately following his passing, I began to see this easily-recognizable card posted on tons of baseball card blogs. 

RIP Oscar.

#75 1991 Topps Jack Morris

I must say, I'm a pretty big fan of the 1991 Topps set as a whole. The photo quality and choices were far ahead of its time and the set design was simple but well-executed. Furthermore, I don't think I've ever seen the Tigers logo at the bottom of the card before in my life. I wonder if it was actually their logo or if Topps decided to put this on the card anyway.

#76 1971 Topps Ted Savage

It's cards like this Ted Savage card that makes me like 1971 Topps so much. One of just 2 Topps sets to feature black borders, '71 features some incredibly bright and colorful jerseys as well as shots that perfectly capture what 70's baseball was all about.

#77 1998 Topps Stars Edgardo Alfonzo

I recall this card being included in a random box I bought at a card shop a little over a year ago. It's numbered to 9,799 on the back which is pretty high for a serial number, but that's how they did things in the 90's. Since he plays for the Mets, I didn't know where else to put this card other than a frankenset.

#78 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club Jack Murphy Stadium

I don't know the exact details about this card. In fact, I only know what COMC told me about the card. With that being said, it looks like a stadium giveaway from either 1992 or 1993 which all in all is a pretty cool thing to have, even if Fred McGriff isn't a guy I collect.

#79 1990 Pacific Baseball Legends Gene Conley

Gene Conley isn't a player I'm all too familiar with, but I really like the cards I have from the Pacific Baseball Legends brand, specifically the 1990 set. On the first frankenset page, I featured a card from this exact same set of Tommy Agee. If I remember correctly, his card is card #2 in the set.

#80 2016 Panini Donruss Andrelton Simmons

If I'm going to put an unlicensed card like this Andrelton Simmons Panini Donruss card in my frankenset, I typically need something to distract me from the fact that it's unlicensed. In this case, it's the bright red alternate Braves jersey that Simmons has on that does the trick.

#81 2003 Upper Deck MVP Juan Encarnacion

Unless he was traded or signed before the season started, I'm guessing Juan Encarnacion was part of the surprising 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins team. Additionally, I believe this is one of the last Upper Deck MVP sets, however, I happen to like the design of this set quite a bit.