2010 Milwaukee Brewers

[200tang]

Those were some awesome Championship series. Should be a close WS unless the Cardinals ridiculous rotation just shuts the Yankees out.

[HoustonGM]

2010 World Series

Game 1 - The Yankees scored three times off starter Adam Wainwright and doubled that off the bullpen, which was more than enough to take a 1-0 lead in the Series as C.C. Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain combined to hold St. Louis to one run.

Game 2 - The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname as they pummeled the vaunted Cardinal pitching staff, scoring 6 times off Chris Carpenter and knocking him out of the game before he could record the final out of the second inning. Robinson Cano led the way with 4 RBI as the Yankees rocked the Cardinals 13-4. Alex Rodriguez suffered a sprained neck in the game which will unfortunately keep him out for the final 2-5 games of the series.

Game 3 - The Cardinals got back into it with a strong 7 inning, 2 run start from Brad Penny. They hit Andy Pettitte hard as three Cardinals racked up 2 RBI each on their way to a 7-3 victory.

Game 4 - The Cardinals evened the series at 2 games apiece thanks to an awesome performance from fourth starter Kyle Lohse. Lohse worked 8 shutout innings and was backed up by a 7 run performance from his offense, led by Ryan Ludwick who went 3 for 5 with two doubles and 3 RBI.

Game 5 - Adam Wainwright bounced back to allow just 1 run on 3 hits in 7 innings in the fifth game of the series. The game, though, was decided in extra innings as Allen Craig smacked a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th off the legendary Mariano Rivera.

Game 6 - The series headed back to New York with the Yankees trailing 3-2. The Yankees hit Chris Carpenter hard once again, powered by home runs from Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. They also got a fantastic start from A.J. Burnett who tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout to force a 7th and final game.

Game 7 - Ryan Ludwick led the way for St. Louis with a 3 run home run as Brad Penny went 8 shutout innings. Heading into the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals held a 4-0 lead. Robinson Cano got a two RBI single and the Yankees scored once more off reliever Dennys Reyes, as they threatened to come back in dramatic fashion. Ryan Franklin was called upon for the final out and successfully converted the save as the St. Louis Cardinals upset the defending champion New York Yankees and won the thrilling 7 game series!

2010 World Series Champions - St. Louis Cardinals

Allen Craig was awarded the World Series MVP in large part for his walk-off hit in Game 5.

[HoustonGM]

2010 Milwaukee Brewers Stats

Spreadsheet View

POS	PLAYER NAME	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	K	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
C	Gregg Zaun	115	453	402	39	102	17	0	11	48	0	1	44	59	.254	.333	.378	.711	152	18	5	2	2	2
1B	Prince Fielder	157	681	593	106	160	36	2	40	114	0	1	77	152	.270	.361	.540	.901	320	17	9	0	2	17
2B	Rickie Weeks	140	605	540	71	129	19	3	14	46	17	2	56	156	.239	.319	.363	.682	196	4	8	0	1	1
SS	Alcides Escobar	123	504	482	52	122	10	9	6	48	9	5	17	74	.253	.280	.349	.629	168	4	2	2	3	0
3B	Casey McGehee	146	598	543	74	153	26	5	18	56	0	1	51	90	.282	.341	.448	.789	243	21	0	0	4	5
LF	Ryan Braun	161	707	641	101	176	27	7	32	95	16	3	49	97	.275	.331	.488	.819	313	7	9	0	8	3
CF	Carlos Gomez	123	527	494	63	131	25	5	11	56	20	8	25	91	.265	.304	.403	.707	199	1	4	0	4	3
RF	Corey Hart	145	617	562	71	148	31	6	28	89	2	7	43	110	.263	.323	.489	.812	275	14	8	0	4	1
																								
OF	Jody Gerut	98	252	235	28	63	11	2	8	30	0	1	14	39	.268	.310	.434	.744	102	6	1	0	2	0
IF	Craig Counsell	65	208	191	23	45	10	2	2	18	1	1	11	31	.236	.288	.340	.628	65	4	4	0	2	1
C	George Kottaras	44	158	135	9	28	6	1	3	19	0	0	20	35	.207	.310	.333	.643	45	0	1	0	2	0
3B	Mat Gamel	53	146	128	11	24	9	0	1	8	0	0	15	48	.188	.281	.281	.562	36	4	2	0	1	0
OF	Jim Edmonds	68	114	98	16	23	5	0	6	9	0	0	15	23	.235	.333	.469	.802	46	4	0	0	1	1
IF	Luis Cruz	35	80	77	9	15	2	1	3	9	0	0	3	6	.195	.225	.364	.589	28	2	0	0	0	0
C	Angel Salome	12	47	41	4	11	5	0	1	7	0	0	5	11	.268	.362	.463	.825	19	1	1	0	0	0
3B	Adam Heether	15	24	24	4	5	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	.208	.208	.292	.500	7	1	0	0	0	0
3B	Taylor Green	4	15	13	2	3	0	0	1	3	0	0	1	3	.231	.267	.462	.729	6	2	0	0	1	0
2B	Joe Inglett	2	8	8	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	.125	.125	.250	.375	2	1	0	0	0	0
OF	Trent Oeltjen	2	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	.500	.500	.500	1.000	1	0	0	0	0	0
																								
P	Randy Wolf	32	72	69	8	10	2	0	2	6	0	0	3	25	.145	.181	.261	.442	18	0	0	7	0	0
P	Yovani Gallardo	31	69	67	9	14	3	0	3	9	0	0	0	19	.209	.203	.388	.591	26	2	0	3	2	0
P	Pedro Martinez	22	49	45	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	18	.022	.061	.022	.083	1	2	0	6	2	0
P	Dave Bush	23	42	39	1	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	14	.103	.143	.128	.271	5	0	1	7	1	0
P	Brandon Webb	21	42	39	6	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	15	.077	.143	.128	.271	5	0	0	6	0	0
P	Amaury Rivas	17	35	34	2	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	12	.206	.229	.206	.435	7	1	0	5	0	0
P	Manny Parra 	51	18	18	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	.222	.222	.333	.555	6	0	0	0	0	0
P	C. Villanueva	60	7	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.143	.143	.143	.286	1	0	0	0	0	0
P	Josh Butler	4	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
P	Trevor Hoffman	49	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
P	Mitch Stetter	71	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.666	1	0	0	0	0	0
P	Chris Narveson	1	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
P	LaTroy Hawkins	72	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
P	Claudio Vargas	16	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	1	0	0
P	Todd Coffey	16	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0

Player Name	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	HB	BK	WP	BF	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
Randy Wolf	16	9	.640	3.39	32	32	0	2	0	0	215	197	86	81	21	78	146	4	0	1	908	1.28	8.3	0.9	3.3	6.1	1.87
Yovani Gallardo	13	11	.542	3.39	31	31	0	1	0	0	204.2	164	87	77	17	103	232	5	0	11	869	1.30	7.2	0.8	4.5	10.2	2.25
Dave Bush	9	9	.500	4.39	23	23	0	0	0	0	151.2	131	76	74	21	57	98	6	0	5	635	1.24	7.8	1.3	3.4	5.8	1.72
Pedro Martinez	6	5	.545	3.92	22	22	0	0	0	0	135.1	138	64	59	19	41	112	4	0	3	582	1.32	9.2	1.3	2.7	7.5	2.73
Amaury Rivas	6	4	.600	3.76	17	16	1	1	0	0	105.1	106	48	44	12	26	80	3	1	1	439	1.26	9.1	1.0	2.2	6.9	3.08
Brandon Webb	5	6	.455	3.80	13	13	0	2	1	0	92.1	77	48	39	7	28	74	5	0	2	384	1.14	7.5	0.7	2.7	7.2	2.64
																											
Joakim Soria	0	1	.000	4.34	37	0	35	0	0	26	37.1	40	18	18	2	18	43	0	0	5	170	1.56	9.7	0.5	4.4	10.4	2.39
Manny Parra	5	6	.455	4.83	51	3	17	0	0	2	78.1	74	42	42	7	42	69	2	2	6	346	1.49	8.5	0.8	4.8	8.0	1.64
C. Villanueva	5	2	.714	4.73	60	0	15	0	0	0	70.1	67	37	37	12	26	71	4	0	11	304	1.33	8.6	1.5	3.3	9.1	2.73
LaTroy Hawkins	6	5	.545	4.04	72	0	21	0	0	2	62.1	63	29	28	6	24	49	2	1	0	271	1.40	9.1	0.9	3.5	7.1	2.04
Mitch Stetter	4	3	.571	3.57	71	0	13	0	0	0	53	50	22	21	5	26	59	3	0	4	233	1.43	8.5	0.8	4.4	10.0	2.27
																											
Trevor Hoffman	1	0	1.000	3.45	49	0	29	0	0	18	47	45	18	18	6	15	35	0	0	0	193	1.28	8.6	1.1	2.9	6.7	2.33
David Riske	0	2	.000	2.45	33	0	13	0	0	2	33	36	10	9	2	12	25	1	0	0	146	1.45	9.8	0.5	3.3	6.8	2.08
Claudio Vargas	0	1	.000	2.37	16	0	8	0	0	0	19	18	7	5	1	4	13	0	0	0	81	1.16	8.5	0.5	1.9	6.2	3.25
Josh Butler	1	1	.500	2.65	4	3	0	0	0	0	17	13	5	5	1	6	13	3	2	0	72	1.12	6.9	0.5	3.2	6.9	2.17
Todd Coffey	1	2	.333	7.88	16	0	5	0	0	2	16	23	14	14	5	5	12	0	0	5	77	1.75	12.9	2.8	2.8	6.8	2.40
Chris Narveson	0	0	.000	5.40	1	1	0	0	0	0	5	5	4	3	1	2	4	0	0	0	23	1.40	9.0	1.8	3.6	7.2	2.00
A.J. Murray	1	0	1.000	0.00	3	0	2	0	0	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	14	0.50	4.5	0.0	0.0	4.5

EDIT: Missing Doug Davis

[200tang]

Top 10 Prospects

1. Jesus Montero [NYY] (C)

There are still serious questions about his ability to stay behind the dish, but the bat will allow him to play any position and still be a star. The 20 year old Montero crushed A pitching this year with a 1.113 OPS in 82 games before the Yankees finally promoted him to AA where he actually struggled a bit and put up an OPS of .771.

Path to the ML - The only person really blocking him from a ML job is Jorge Posada who had a career year putting up a .988 OPS in 433 ABs. He was injured very often this year and his defense is quickly deteriorating to the point where Montero may win the job out of ST next year if he can impress.

2. Dustin Ackley [SEA] (2B/OF)

Nobody in the minors currently has the upside that Ackley does and in his first pro season at class A he hit the ball well and finished the season with an .869 OPS and earned 36 ABs in the ML where he struggled mightily. The defense is still a work in progress, but his bat will get him in to a ML lineup.

Path to the ML - Chone Figgins is signed until 2013, although he can slide over to 3B and take Willy Aybar's spot in the lineup. Ackley does have a chance to push for a starting job out of ST next year, but don't be surprised if he spends at least half the year in the minor leagues, if not the entire year.

3. Zach Stewart [TOR] (SP)

Despite having a rough 9 innings in the ML this year where he gave up 6 ER in 4 games (1 GS), Stewart still has perennial Cy Young favorite upside. Among SP prospects there's probably not a better slider in the minors and Toronto will definitely look to build up around their core.

Path to the ML - As I noted earlier, he managed to get 9 innings this year when rosters expanded and while he's only pitched as high as 24 innings in AA, it wouldn't surprise me to see him stick in the rotation out of ST next year. He's clearly more talented than guys like Morrow/Rzepcynski/Cecil.

4. Josh Vitters [CHC] (3B)

Talk about a great cup of coffee, Vitters was a huge reason the Cubs ended up stealing a spot in the playoffs as he hit .464/.464/.571 in 28 AB's off the bench, mostly as a PH.

Path to the ML - With Aramis Ramirez likely heading to FA this year and Vitters tearing the cover off the ball in his short time in the ML it seems like the path is completely cleared for Vitters.

5. Mike Stanton [FLA] (RF)

There weren't many better hitters in the minors last year than Mike Stanton who put up a 1.010 OPS in A ball with 22 HR and a .608 SLG. There are still holes in his swing to work out and he'll likely never hit for a high AVG despite the .305 AVG in A ball this year, but he will be one of the best bats in the league once he starts to make the fixes.

Path to the ML - With the acquisition of Delmon Young this year it looks like an OF spot won't be open for at least another year or so and considering the type of player Stanton is it might be for the best that he get another year or so in the minor leagues. Expect him to push for an OF job on the ML club around the ASG next year or opening day of 2012.

6. Jose Tabata [PIT] (RF)

Tabata had a strong showing this year in the ML hitting .328/.361/.483 and he appears to be ready for a starting RF job and looks like he'll be one of the best all around players in the game with strong defensive and offensive abilities.

Path to the ML - A lot depends on what happens to Jeff Clement this year because the OF was a strong point for the Pirates this last year, but if Clement goes away and they move the hot hitting Garrett Jones to 1B it will open up RF for Tabata to slide in to. That does look like the best way to go and I expect him to be in the opening day lineup for the Pirates next year.

7. Domonic Brown [PHI] (RF)

There aren't many stronger arms in the minors and he has everything you'd want out of an offensive player to go with that. He raked in AA with a .915 OPS this year and managed 18 AB's in the ML where he managed to hide his .300 OBP with a .444 SLG & .278 AVG.

Path to the ML - There's quite a logjam in the OF for the Phillies. Werth's contract WAS going to end this year, but after hitting 1.013 they re-signed him to a longer deal that will block Brown from at least one OF spot. That leaves Victorino & Ibanez fighting for playing time against Brown and even though Ibanez put up a respectable .791 OPS, he'll likely be the loser once Brown is ready to go. I expect Brown to have a shot at an opening day position, but will likely spend at least half a year in the minors.

8. Madison Bumgarner [SFG] (SP)

The strikeouts weren't stellar, even for a 20 year old in class A, but he's clearly got talent and could contribute to most ML staffs right now. Bumgarner may not have overpowering stuff, but he knows how to keep hitters off balance.

Path to the ML - In the event of an injury he could find himself in the ML, but with the Giants' rotation locked up past 2010 and all performing very well it looks like Bumgarner will likely be moved along through the system slowly and spend all of 2011 in the minors. ETA is likely to be mid 2012 or opening day 2013.

9. Ryan Tucker [FLA] (SP)

While he lacks the upside of anyone else on the list, he's close enough to the ML and has enough upside to make it this high. There's still questions about his health and how deep he'll get in to games, but the talent is there and it hasn't stopped him so far.

Path to the ML - With Jarrod Washburn's contract over this year and Andrew Miller being..bad..it looks like Tucker could and likely will have a starting spot opening day next year.

10. Julio Teheran [ATL] (SP)

There's a lot of risk putting a kid as raw as Teheran on a list like this, but the upside is just too huge to leave him off. He's still got a ton of work to do, and despite being called 'raw', he's actually advanced for his age and understands how to use his pitches effectively.

Path to the ML - Well, considering he's still at least 2.5 years away it's hard to tell for sure exactly who will be blocking him by then. The Braves have a lot of good pitching prospects above him who could keep him in the minors a little longer, but I expect that when he's ready they'll make room for him.

[HoustonGM]

2010 Major League Baseball Awards
These are chosen by 200tang and I. Gold Gloves will be announced once we sim to that point in the game and will be decided by the game.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
American League
A pair of teammates dominated the ballots in the American League, with Minnesota Twins first basemen Justin Morneau edging out teammate Joe Mauer. Morneau obliterated his previous career highs in nearly every offensive category. His .317/.439/.640 line was coupled with 49 home runs and 155 runs batted in. The slugger also scored 130 runs in his fantastic season.

National League
Washington Nationals third basemen Ryan Zimmerman beat out division rival right fielder Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies in a close vote. Like Morneau, Zimmerman set new career highs in a whole host of stats. He boasted an overall line of .310/.406/.593 with 41 HR and 121 RBI while playing stellar defense at the hot corner. His offensive outburst caused opposing pitchers to pitch around him at a level that only Albert Pujols had seen since Barry Bonds left the league - he paced the majors with 48 intentional walks. While Werth had an ever-so-slightly better season at the plate, Zimmerman's excellent defense at third was the deciding factor.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League
Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester took home the American League Cy Young award after going 21-4 with a 2.96 ERA in 213 innings. Lester, who led the AL in ERA, beat out reliever Rafael Soriano's historical season to earn the award. Soriano allowed just 3 earned runs in 70 innings - a 0.39 ERA - but the voters opted for the starter's workload of Lester.

National League
The Cardinals had three of the top four pitchers in earned run average, and they wound up splitting votes as the award went to Philadelphia Phillies starter Roy Halladay. Halladay, second in the league with a 2.50 ERA, posted a 21-7 record and threw 227 innings. His ERA was nearly half a run worse than leader Chris Carpenter (2.04), but he threw nearly 30 extra innings and posted much better peripherals while pitching in a hitter's park. Halladay struck out 198 batters while walking just 22 - a K:BB ratio of 9:1. His 2.33 DICE led the majors by over .6 and he also paced the league with 9 complete games.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
American League
It was a relatively weak class of rookies in the American League this year. The award went to Tampa Bay Rays starter Wade Davis. Davis made 27 starts on his way to a 13-8 record and posted a 3.86 ERA in 170 innings. He beat out Athletics first basemen/designated hitter Chris Carter (.280/.361/.472 in 375 AB) and Mariners left fielder Michael Saunders (.281/.321/.460 in 502 AB).

National League
20 year old top prospect Jason Heyward, right fielder of the Atlanta Braves, battled some injuries but still earned his Rookie of the Year award by hitting .280/.400/.490 in 113 games. He hit 22 HR and drove in 63 runs while walking nearly as many times as he struck out (77 BB, 78 K). Other candidates included Reds starter Mike Leake (10-11, 3.50 ERA, 177.2 IP) and Pirates third basemen Pedro Alvarez (.244/.333/.432, 21 HR, 78 RBI).


----
Stay tuned for more awards to come!

[HoustonGM]

2010 Major League Baseball Awards
Continued

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
American League
There's only one possible pitcher for this award and that's Rafael Soriano of the Tampa Bay Rays. Soriano posted a ridiculous 0.39 ERA in 70 innings - the lowest ERA ever of any season of at least 70 innings. He allowed just 24 hits and 15 walks for a 0.56 WHIP while striking out 44 batters. He successfully converted 34 of 36 save opportunities.

National League
In a similar cakewalk, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton took home the award for the best reliever in the NL. Broxton put up a 1.44 ERA in 81 innings while striking out 99 batters. He led the majors with 48 saves.

HANK AARON AWARD
American League
Along with taking home the MVP, Twins first basemen Justin Morneau was given this award for the best offensive season in the American League for his .317/.439/.640 line with 49 HR and 155 RBI.

National League
Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth placed a close 2nd to Ryan Zimmerman in the MVP voting, but got the Hank Aaron award as a constellation prize. Werth posted a .293/.401/.612 line with 42 HR and 141 RBI.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
American League
There were many strong candidates for this award in both leagues. In the American League, Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton emerged against the tough competition. After injuries limited him to just 86 games in 2009, Hamilton came roaring back with a monster season, hitting .300/.356/.540 with 31 HR and 142 RBI. Some of the other candidates that received votes were Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre (.312/.353/.485), White Sox OF Andruw Jones (.251/.347/.538), White Sox SP Jake Peavy (14-9, 3.66 ERA), Tigers DH Carlos Guillen (.315/.387/.518), Royals SS Mike Aviles (.299/.323/.448), Rangers DH Vladimir Guerrero (.311/.371/.506) and Rangers SP Colby Lewis (9-1, 2.69 ERA).

National League
As with the American League, there was a significant group of candidates. In the end, Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano won over the most voters. Soriano bounced back from the worst season of his career to hit .292/.353/.548 with 35 HR and a career high 111 RBI. Others that received votes were Diamondbacks 2B Kelly Johnson (.274/.343/.513), Nationals SP Scott Olsen (13-7, 3.38 ERA), Cubs C Geovany Soto (.274/.378/.462) and Braves SP Tim Hudson (12-13, 3.92 ERA).

BREAKOUT POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
American League
Awarded to a non-rookie that has broken out and reached a new level of performance, the American League award went to Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Once the centerpiece of the Rangers trade of Mark Teixeira to Atlanta, Salty had posted 2.5 disappointing seasons in Texas until breaking out with a .286/.350/.470 line this year. The catcher hit 18 HR and drove in 59 runners.

National League
A catcher also won the National League Breakout Position Player of the Year Award, as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero earned it with his sick .321/.383/.576 line. He hit 25 HR and had 81 RBI.

BREAKOUT PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
American League
Just like the position player version, this award goes to the non-rookie pitcher that has reached a new level. In the American League, the award was given to Oakland Athletics starter Brett Anderson. Anderson posted a 3.65 ERA, 7th best in the American League, while putting up an even better 3.05 DICE - the best figure in the AL, all in 202 innings. The 22 year old looks primed to start a run of seasons as the A's ace.

National League
New York Mets starter Jon Niese would be a rookie if not for having accumulated enough service time to lose the title. Nonetheless, his strong season earns him the Breakout Pitcher of the Year Award. Niese had an even 11-11 record with a 3.48 ERA in 191 innings.

SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
American League
C – Joe Mauer - MIN - .381/.453/.560, 16 HR, 98 RBI
1B – Justin Morneau - MIN - .317/.439/.640, 49 HR, 155 RBI
2B – Robinson Cano - NYY - .312/.354/.519, 32 HR, 147 RBI
3B – Evan Longoria - TBR - .304/.403/.547, 34 HR, 103 RBI
SS – Marco Scutaro - BOS - .306/.377/.423, 4 HR, 81 RBI
OF – Nelson Cruz - TEX - .317/.399/.624, 42 HR, 136 RBI
OF – Josh Hamilton - TEX - .300/.356/.540, 31 HR, 142 RBI
OF – Nick Markakis - BAL - .333/.397/.503, 17 HR, 106 RBI
DH – Carlos Guillen - DET - .315/.387/.518, 24 HR, 99 RBI

National League
C – Miguel Montero - ARI - .321/.383/.576, 25 HR, 81 RBI
1B – Albert Pujols - STL - .309/.424/.576, 36 HR, 124 RBI
2B – Chase Utley - PHI - .276/.371/.523, 33 HR, 108 RBI
3B – Ryan Zimmerman - WSN - .310/.406/.593, 41 HR, 121 RBI
SS – Hanley Ramirez - FLA - .336/.415/.552, 25 HR, 101 RBI
OF – Jayson Werth - PHI - .293/.401/.612, 42 HR, 141 RBI
OF – Andre Ethier - LAD - .296/.379/.547, 36 HR, 135 RBI
OF – Alfonso Soriano - CHC - .292/.353/.548, 35 HR, 111 RBI
P – Carlos Zambrano - CHC - .247/.284/.519, 5 HR, 18 RBI

[HoustonGM]

I'll mention some other noteworthy seasons, mostly on the negative side.

The Braves got terrible seasons out of two of their players - Nate McLouth and Chipper Jones. McLouth played just 88 games and struggled to the tune of a .184/.289/.334 line. Chipper Jones looks like his career is ending with a whimper, as he hit just .218/.344/.344 - his power evaporated. It remains to be seen if he'll return for another season or retire.

There were three primarily pinch-hitters that saw significant action while seemingly battling for the worst offensive season of all-time. Marlins outfielder Brett Carroll got 127 at bats while hitting just .118/.170/.150. Astros outfielder Jason Bourgeois made 121 at bats with a .174/.206/.231 line. The corpse of Gary Matthews Jr. somehow made 74 at bats despite "hitting" .095/.200/.122.

Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista had an odd line - .193/.306/.396, 28 HR, 54 RBI.

Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan ran into more outs on the bases than anybody else - he matched his 28 stolen bases with 28 caught stealing.

Rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals started off strong but got hammered in his final 10 starts and he finished with a 6-6 record and a 5.08 ERA in 111.2 IP.

On the good side, some veterans posted career best seasons. White Sox first basemen Paul Konerko hit .289/.393/.602 while setting a career high with 45 home runs. Second basemen Ty Wigginton hit a combined .270/.332/.519 with 35 HR and 106 RBI with the Orioles and Cubs. Giants catcher Bengie Molina posted the best season of his career by hitting .328/.383/.507 with 17 HR and 72 RBI.

[HoustonGM]

GOLD GLOVE AWARD
American League
P - Felix Hernandez - SEA
C – Gerald Laird - DET
1B – Kevin Youkilis - BOS
2B – Gordon Beckham - CHW
3B – Brandon Inge - DET
SS – Erick Aybar - LAA
OF – Michael Cuddyer - MIN
OF – Ichiro Suzuki - SEA
OF – J.D. Drew - BOS

National League
P - Adam Wainwright - STL
C – Nick Hundley - SDP
1B – Albert Pujols - STL
2B – Clint Barmes - COL
3B – Casey Blake - LAD
SS – Ronny Cedeno - PIT
OF – Jayson Werth - PHI
OF – Matt Kemp - LAD
OF – Kosuke Fukudome - CHC

[CatKnight]

Impressive work you two

[200tang]

Milwaukee Review

Team Leaders HERE

Overall it was a great season, but I think all of our fans will remember this season for the disappointing ending, when we lost the wild card on the final day of the year. Looking at the performances from all of our players it seems like almost everyone either played way below their expectations or way over them and heading in to next year it makes it a little difficult to properly assess everyone.



Position Player Report Cards
[Grades are based on expectation of that player and role on the team]

INFIELD

C Gregg Zaun - He got on base at a league average 33% and threw out 24% of base runners. He struggled with staying healthy, but at 40 years old that doesn't surprise anyone. MID-SEASON GRADE : B ; GRADE : B

1B Prince Fielder - He didn't have quite the season I envisioned with an OPS of only .901, but there's nothing I can realistically complain about. MID-SEASON GRADE : A ; GRADE : A

2B Rickie Weeks - This was easily the worst year Rickie Weeks has ever had with an OPS of .682. The only positive is that arbitration should be good for us. MID-SEASON GRADE : D ; GRADE : D

SS Alcides Escobar - It was his first full year in the major leagues and boy did it show. Escobar fell flast on his face offensively as he hit .253/.280/.349 and got caught 5 times in 14 base stealing attempts. MID-SEASON GRADE : D ; GRADE : D-

C George Kottaras - As far as backup catchers goes, he was one of the worst in the game but still servicable and set a career high throwing out 25% of base stealers. I still think Kottaras can do better, but this year was a bit of a dissapointment. MID-SEASON GRADE : C- ; GRADE : C-

3B/2B Casey McGehee - At mid-season he was hitting .290/.358/.469 and ended up finishing with .282/.341/.448, showing that 2009 was less of a fluke than people thought. He managed to play a lot of 2B over the course of the season when Rickie Weeks let us down and without him we may have not been very close to a wild card berth. MID-SEASON GRADE : B- ; GRADE : B

IF Craig Counsell - Well, it seems like Counsell may finally end up calling it a career as hitting .236/.288/.340 doesn't help you find many jobs in the major leagues unless you combine that with well above average defense at a premium position. MID-SEASON GRADE : C+ ; GRADE : D+

3B Mat Gamel - The supposed 3B of the future for us was absolutely dreadful this year finishing with a .188/.281/.281 line in 128 AB and poor defense. A bit of the shine has begun to come off of this once prized prospect. MID-SEASON GRADE : C- ; GRADE : F

SS Luis Cruz - He managed to make 77 ABs for us and had a career year with a .589 OPS. MID-SEASON GRADE : B ; GRADE : D-



OUTFIELD

RF Corey Hart - He had a good year with an .812 OPS while establishing a new career high 28 HR. MID-SEASON GRADE : A- ; GRADE : A-

CF Carlos Gomez - He finally started to hit for more power and belted 11 homers in 123 games, but he still got caught at a high rate on the basepaths and didn't get on base as much as we'd like. MID-SEASON GRADE : B- ; GRADE : C+

LF Ryan Braun - This is honestly one of the biggest surprises this year in all of baseball. He set a career low in OPS (.819) and his power was the big reason why. He still managed to swipe 16 bases while playing good defense so I won't complain much, but he's definitely better than his numbers this year. MID-SEASON GRADE : C+ ; GRADE : B-

OF Jim Edmonds - After missing all of 2009 we decided to sign Edmonds to a minor league deal and boy did it pay off. Edmonds ended up playing 4 different positions with an .802 OPS and was an offensive force off the bench when we needed that clutch hit. MID-SEASON GRADE : B ; GRADE : A-

OF Jody Gerut - He was arguably the second most valuable hitter per PA at mid-season on our team and while he didn't finish at quite that pace, he was still ~2.5 WAR type of player at the end of the year. MID-SEASON GRADE : A ; GRADE : B+




Pitcher Report Cards

SP Yovani Gallardo - He ended up making 31 starts for us this year and it was all quality as he struck out 232 with a 3.39 ERA. MID-SEASON GRADE : A+ ; GRADE : A

SP Doug Davis - After throwing a no hitter to start the year it was all down hill from there and he was eventually released. MID-SEASON GRADE : F ; GRADE : N/A

SP Randy Wolf - I have to admit I was surprised at the season he had this year. He ended up throwing 215 innings with a 3.39 ERA and made 32 starts. MID-SEASON GRADE : B+ ; GRADE : A

SP Pedro Martinez - He finished out the year strong and ended up getting 22 starts inbetween injuries while racking up 112 K's. MID-SEASON GRADE : C ; GRADE : B

SP Dave Bush - He bounced back from a dreadful 2009, but he's still just a random back end starter. MID-SEASON GRADE : C ; GRADE : C

SP Amaury Rivas - Talk about a surprise, before the season I didn't think Rivas would get much if any time in the majors but after impressing in some spot starts he managed to pitch 105 innings of quality baseball with a 3.76 ERA. MID-SEASON GRADE : B- ; GRADE : A-

SP Brandon Webb - He was the big acquisition we made at the deadline and while I think he could have pitched better than what he gave us (92.1 IP, 3.80 ERA), there's nothing to complain about. MID-SEASON GRADE : N/A ; GRADE : B-

LR Manny Parra - Talk about pitching to expectations : 4.83 ERA in 78.1 IP. MID-SEASON GRADE : C ; GRADE : C

RP David Riske - After coming off the DL he's been tough to hit in 33 total innings this year. MID-SEASON GRADE : B ; GRADE : B

RP Carlos Villanueva - He had a rough second half after being arguably the best reliever on the team in the first half, but still an okay year where he mopped up 70 innings for us. MID-SEASON GRADE : B+ ; GRADE : C-

RP Mitch Stetter - A 3.57 ERA In 53 IP doesn't leave much if anything to complain about, especially when you're a southpaw. MID-SEASON GRADE : C+ ; GRADE : B

RP Claudio Vargas - He filled in for several injuries throughout the year and pitched great with a 2.37 ERA & 2.95 DICE. MID-SEASON GRADE : C ; GRADE : A

RP Todd Coffey - He sucked at the ASG and never got another chance to prove that his first half was a fluke. MID-SEASON GRADE : F ; GRADE : F

RP LaTroy Hawkins - After a strong first half he sort of forgot how to pitch in the second half and blew up in the final series of the year. MID-SEASON GRADE : B+ ; GRADE : D+

RP Trevor Hoffman - A very strong second half helped him bring his numbers down and he had a very respectable season with a 3.45 ERA in 47 innings. The age is definitely starting to show though. MID-SEASON GRADE : C- ; GRADE : B

RP Joakim Soria - Luck seemed to hit Soria hard this year as his 2.84 DICE is miles better than his 4.34 ERA. MID-SEASON GRADE : B ; GRADE : C+

[HoustonGM]

Retirements

The end of the 2010 season prompted numerous retirements. Below is a list of players that announced their retirement. Those in bold are of particular significance.

C Michel Hernandez, IF Miguel Cairo, IF Ryan Freel, C Eric Munson, 1B Dan Johnson, C Steve Holm, SP Sidney Ponson, SP Mike Hampton, IF Abraham Nunez, RP Joe Nelson, OF Shelley Duncan, RP Randy Flores, IF Vinny Rottino, RP Jorge Campillo, OF Jim Edmonds, IF Joe Inglett, OF Adam Stern, RP Kiko Calero, C Paul Hoover, RP Mike Hinckley, IF Josh Wilson, SP Noah Lowry, SP David Purcey, OF Wily Mo Pena, OF Joey Gathright, SP Kris Benson, 3B Eric Chavez, OF Chris Denorfia, OF Jeff Salazar, IF Augie Ojeda, C J.D. Closser, IF Alex Cintron, SP Daniel Cabrera, C Jason Varitek, SP Adam Eaton, RP Carlos Martinez, SS Omar Vizquel, OF Brad Wilkerson, SP Eddie Bonine, SP Tony Armas, RP Victor Marte, C Mike Redmond, 1B Jason Giambi, RP Kurt Birkins, RP Kip Wells, RP Steven Jackson, 3B Melvin Mora, 3B Wes Helms, OF Jerry Owens, 1B Mark Kotsay, 2B Aaron Miles, OF Craig Monroe, OF Jason Michaels, 2B Ronnie Belliard, IF Craig Counsell, OF Reid Gorecki, SP Bartolo Colon, RP Bob Howry, RP Miguel Batista

[200tang]

I remember when Shelly Duncan was supposed to be amazing.

[ragecage]

I guess Chipper is still holding on for dear life then.

[HoustonGM]

I remember when Shelly Duncan was supposed to be amazing.

He's one of many top Yankee prospects that were overhyped, traded away, and busted.

[200tang]

Milwaukee - Arbitration/Contracts/Releases

Offered Arbitration

2B Rickie Weeks [3.4M] - Despite having the worst season of his career, we think he'll have a bounce back year.
OF Jody Gerut [2.2M] - We'll need an outfielder off the bench next year and we hope to get similar production from him.
CF carlos Gomez [2M] - Despite not being the greatest hitter in the world, he's still a cheap gold glove defender.
RF Corey Hart [5.2M] - He's coming off the second best offensive year of his career. We hope for more of the same this year.
RP Manny Parra [800K] - You always need SP depth.
RP Carlos Villanueva [1.5M] - His production wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad either and he soaked up a lot of innings.



New Contracts

1B Prince Fielder [22M/5Yr] - Most teams who needed a 1B/DH were probably saddened to hear that Fielder had signed a $110M contract with us, but Brewers fans rejoiced. We've locked up our best hitter on the team through his peak and in to his early 30's and have hopefully sent a message to our fans that we expect to contend every year.



Releases

IF Craig Counsell - The age finally started to show this year.
OF Jim Edmonds - He had a good year, but the money he wanted was just too much for a bench bat trying his best to avoid decline.
SP Dave Bush - He had an okay year last year, but we're looking to upgrade his rotation spot.
SP Brandon Webb - He was our only Type A FA and while I would have loved to sign him to a deal it just wasn't realistic.
SP Pedro Martinez - Just like Edmonds, he had a productive year in 2010, but the age is just too hard to ignore.
RP Trevor Hoffman - Pedro Martinez..Jim Edmonds..yeah..
RP Claudio Vargas - Despite having 2 good years with us in 2009 & 2010, we just don't think the production matches the talent and we'd rather avoid re-signing him and getting burned for it.
RP Todd Coffey - He's really bad...
SP Chris Capuano - Hasn't been the same since the early part of his career and couldn't get it back.