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All-Star Break Grades
As the mid-summer classic has come and gone, I am setting here in my office on a lazy Wednesday afternoon with no games to be played looking back on the season so far. I have decided that now would be as good a time as any to evaluate how each of my players has performed so far. The following will be a grade for every player who is on my current roster.
C Ed Herrmann- B+ - He probably should have been an all-star. He is hitting .300 with a .562 slugging percentage, which leads the league, and his bat has carried us at times. I only wish his defense were better. My pitchers have a 5.51 ERA and base stealers are successful 75% of the time when he is behind the plate.
C Duane Josephson- C+ - He is supposed to be a good hitter and a bad receiver. However pitchers only have a 3.51 ERA when he catches, while he is only .223. That is a problem when he is supposed to be my best right-handed pinch-hitter, and that is what I was counting on from him.
1B Ossie Blanco- A+ - Ossie has been way better than I expected him to be, and I am grading based on expectations as much as anything. I never dreamt he would have 14 homers by the All-Star break or that he would hit as high as .288, and his 23 doubles are the third most in the American League.
1B/ OF Tommie McCraw- D - Tommie hit a pinch-hit grand slam on opening day. That was his only hit in the first half of the season. The only thing keeping him from an F is that he is a good pinch-runner to have on the bench.
1B Bob Spence- A+ - Since coming up from Tuscon, Bob has slugged .577 in 26 pinch-hit at bats. I might have to find an opportunity for him to start a game in the second half.
2B Tito Fuentes- D - I traded for him because I wanted his offense despite his poor defense. He hasn't been terrible in the field, but he has been terrible at the plate.
2B Bobby Knoop- D - His bat is terrible, but his glove is good. If his bat were at least mediocre, he would be my starting 2B. It isn't.
2B/UTIL Bart Shirley- A+ -Bart is another guy that needs to make some starts. He has hit .324 despite coming off the bench, and his defense at 2B is good. His range factor is about the same as Knoop's.
2B/UTIL- Rich McKinney- B - His offensive numbers are not very good, but he has had some big hits in some big moments. His defense has been very good, and he can play anywhere on the field except for catcher.
3B Bill Melton- A- -Bill is an All-Star and a slugger. The only thing missing is that his defense is pretty average, which is a problem when I have a pitching staff that doesn't strike people out.
SS Luis Aparicio- B -The veteran's defense has been great, and he has handled himself well as our lead-off hitter. My only complaint is that he is not getting on base that much, although he is contributing in a lot of other ways offensively, including being seventh in the league in doubles.
RF/LF/1B Carlos May- D -Per the scouting report, Carlos should be our best offensive player, but he spent most of the first half mired in a slump. We need him to come out of it.
LF Joseph Talley- F -He was tearing up the minors, and the scouts think he should be doing the same here. He isn't.
CF Ken Berry - B -He is supposed to be a great defender and a poor hitter. He has actually been decent at the plate, but he hasn't gotten to as many balls as I would like. Some of that may be the pitchers' fault.
CF Buddy Bradford- D -If not for one game-winning, pinch-hit homer, I would probably give him an F. He has struggled, but he is supposed to have some ability. Being out of options has kept him from being demoted.
SP Tommy John- B- -He has been up-and-down. At time he has been an ace, but he gives up too many balls in play to be consistent. He needs more help from the defense.
SP Joe Horlen- C+ -His season has just been weird. His ERA is high and his 3-15 record is brutal. Yet, he has other numbers that suggest that he should be pitching better than he is. I think he has been victimized by defense even more than John has.
SP Jim Magnuson- B -Three of his four starts have been exceptional. I would like to see him do it for a longer period of time before I give him an A.
SP Gerry Janeski- F -The scouts seem to think that he is our third best starting pitcher; yet, he has been our worst. I don't know what to do with him.
SP Rich Hinton - F -He is young, but he has been bad. I wish I had better options at Tuscon.
Stopper Wilbur Wood - B+ -He struggled early on but has been better lately. I don't know where we would be without him.
RP Danny Murphy- C -He has only pitched 17.1 IP this year, but they haven't been great. They haven't been terrible, either.
RP Denny O'Toole- C -He has been a lot like Murphy, but I have used him more. They have been interchangeable.
RP Floyd Weaver- B+ -Floyd has been way better than I expected him to be. He has been my second best reliever, and I have used him quite a bit in close games.
LR Jack Hamilton- B- -He would have had an A two weeks ago, then he started pitching poorly. I'm not sure what to expect from him now.
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