Sunday, July 24, 2011

Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Phil Nevin, or Brien Taylor?

The overall number one pick.  We all wish we had it, and some will sacrifice season after season and their corresponding entry fee to get it.  Some owners tank it - others just operate franchises that flat out suck.  Here are the rewards for finishing in the basement.  Whether they were an all-time great in the mold of A-Rod, a franchise player like Chipper, a star player in their own right like a Phil Nevin, or a total bust like Brien Taylor is a completely different story!  Below is the list of the first sixteen seasons of number one selections...

  1. Ned Gold (beesore) - Multiple Silver Sluggers, a few Gold Gloves, an MVP, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer.  Vic Rincon went second, Erick Venafro tenth.  Chipper
  2. Robert Jackson (orangeman7) - Ten All-Star appearances, eight Silver Sluggers, a THREE TIME All-Star game MVP, a few gold gloves, and still active!  Bey Wilson went second.  Grant Atchley went twenty second.  Chipper
  3. Josh Bell (jaddison) - He'll hit his 500th home run this coming season.  He should also record his 2,000th strikeout.  Multiple 60 error seasons.  Rob Piper went fourth.  All-time homer king Eddie Stewart went at thirteen.  Nevin
  4. Khoury Hernandez (jana23) - A few All-Star games, a few Silver Sluggers.  Just joined the 400 home run club.  Better than solid, less than spectacular.  Stevie Walton went third.  Eugene Crawford went tenth.  Nevin
  5. George Ransom (startgame) - Currently selling Indian trinkets on the Grand Canyon rim.  Never played a game.  F.P. McMillan was selected thirteenth. Taylor
  6. Bubbles Hendrickson (dschwa55266) - No explanation needed.  Mike Wight went second.  Dennis Douglas went twenty second.  A-Rod
  7. Ray Hafner (bagpipes28) - Two time All-Star who never came close to meeting his potential.  Dewey Hardy went at number twenty two.  Lewis Mattingly went twenty ninth.  Nevin
  8. Willie Romero (RubeRant) - Several All-Star appearances, but a career .250 hitter with 15-20 home run production does not match what the expectation once was.  Joe Durham was taken twentieth.  TWENTIETH! Nevin
  9. Benji Pimentel (dspahlinger) - A Rookie of the Year and perennial Silver Slugger and All-Star.  And only 27 years old.  The real deal.  Mitchell Ramsey went fifth.  A-Rod
  10. Alex Bunch (defendo) - The most dominant pitcher since Billy Cannon.  Enough said.  Hughie Cummings went third.  Damaso Martinez went thirty first. A-Rod
  11. Julio Prieto (shawnnj) - Just came off a fantastic season, helping the Jacksonville Five to a World Series win.  Appears to be in his prime, having collected 413 hits over the past two seasons.  Scot Darr went fourth, Darryl Rivers went fourteenth.  Chipper
  12. Kennie Seaton (tlow1108) - Has averaged 49 home runs and a .303 batting average for his ML career.  Not much else to explain on this one.  Keith Flaherty went third.  Dingo Ellis went fourth.  A-Rod
  13. Fritz Wyatt (piratestros) - Tied with Alex Bunch for tops in career WHIP.  Amongst the top five in career ERA.  Kris Parnell went twelfth.  A-Rod
  14. Rudy Smoak (tlow1108) - Just came off his "breakthrough" season, going 18-7 with a 2.50 ERA for the Cool Pops.  Ron Randall went fifth.  Jury still out, but looks good
  15. Aubrey Cummings (tlow1108) - At only 24 years old, Cummings looks like the real deal after posting a 3.35 ERA in his first two seasons.  B.C. Cedeno went second, and Del Johnson went ninth.  Jury still out, but looks good

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses... And I'll make 'em rich bitch!

Below, you will find the biggest (or most expensive, anyway) international signings in Sandlot history, along with the signing owner, season signed, and current franchise.  Simply click on the players name to bring up their profile.

28.0 million - Yusmeiro Escobar (tlow1184): At only 23 years old, the jury is still out on Escobar, but so far, he looks to be the real deal.  Helped lead the powerful Cool Pops lineup to a World Series title in season 18.
SIGNED: Season 13     CURRENT FRANCHISE : St. Louis Cool Pops

25.0 million - Geraldo Rodriguez (defendo): The 25 year old third baseman already has a Silver Slugger award to his credit in season 16 and has posted a .280 batting average with 88 home runs and an .811 OPS in 549 games. 
SIGNED: Season 14     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Charleston Jitterbugs

24.0 million - Willie Mateo (tlow1184): The slugging 23 year old catcher hit .296 while bashing 36 home runs in his sophomore campaign for the world champion Cool Pops.
SIGNED: Season 14     CURRENT FRANCHISE : St. Louis Cool Pops

24.0 million - Jumbo Polanco (tlow1184): Currently at the Low A level.  Will be an important piece to the St. Louis franchise once their core group of stars get through the arbitration years and demand their huge paydays.
SIGNED: Season 18     CURRENT FRANCHISE : St. Louis Cool Pops

23.8 million - Tomas Duran (defendo): The three-time All-Star hurler has a career 72-33 major league record with a 3.34 ERA.  Scary?  He's only 26.  Scarier yet?  He's number three in the rotation!
SIGNED: Season 11     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Charleston Jitterbugs

23.3 million - Al Gonzalez (crazydoc): The season 18 Rookie of the Year posted a 13-6 record with a 2.96 ERA in his freshman campaign.  At a mere 22 years old, Gonzalez is still improving.  In a season which saw five international free-agents signed for a combined 116.4 million dollars, Gonzalez may prove to be the best of the lot.
SIGNED: Season 14     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Florida Beaches

23.0 million - Yuudai Suzuki (cwiddoes): The rookie had an All-Star campaign in season 18, posting a 16-8 mark while tossing 207 innings, striking out 186 to go with an impressive 3.77 ERA.  Should help anchor one of the top young pitching staffs in all of Sandlot.
SIGNED: Season 14     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Jacksonville Five

23.0 million - Hideo Saito (defendo): Currently at the AA level, the 19 year-old hurler looks like the real deal.  Check back in a few seasons.
SIGNED: Season 17     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Charleston Jitterbugs

22.6 million - Vasco Silva (sweetsalve): Currently at the Low A level for the upstart Durham Nukes, Silva's ability to avoid giving up the longball in the friendly confines of Durham's home park will play a factor in his eventual success.
SIGNED: Season 18     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Durham Nukes

22.0 million - Jimmie Mercedes (tlow1184) : The 19 year-old posted a 4.01 ERA in season 18 at the High A level.  At this early stage his low velocity is a cause of concern as the youngster surrendered 21 home runs in limited action.  Time will tell.
SIGNED: Season 17     CURRENT FRANCHISE : St. Louis Cool Pops

22.0 million - Humberto Garces (teasea) : The 25 year old Garces has proven to be the consummate inning-eater in his young career, compiling a 70-47 record while posting a 4.00 ERA thus far.  He also has two Silver Slugger awards to pair with his two trips to the mid-summer classic.
SIGNED: Season 11     CURRENT FRANCHISE : Augusta Moose

21.6 million - Alex Molina (tlow1184) : The heavy hitting 25 year-old shortstop swatted 40 home runs while batting .296 during the Cool Pops championship campaign.  With two Silver Slugger awards already, Molina is unquestionably the top offensive SS in Sandlot.  The offensive production more than compensates for his 35 errors.
SIGNED: Season 11     CURRENT FRANCHISE : St. Louis Cool Pops