The Hands on Runs statistic determines how much weight an individual player carries in his line-up. Which players were most valuable to their team now that the 2008 season is over?
The Red Sox didn't have the best regular season record in 2008, but using our metrics for overall quality, they were the best team in baseball, followed by the Cubs. How did the other 28 teams do?
The story of Albert Belle can be summed up in one word: controversy. His talent on the field was matched by very few, and his propensity to deal with the media the way he did, made national headlines.
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By Christopher Reina
It is not uncommon for free agent classes to immediately appear overpaid, but due to a combination of injuries and under-achievements, last year's class has been dreadful during the first two months of 2008.
* Player: Rank, season FIC, Reina Value (current salary, 'deserving' salary)
Even beyond his performance, signing Andruw Jones created a situation where either a talented player (Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier) or an expensive player (Juan Pierre, Jones) would become a spare part. Jones is batting .165/.273/.271 with just two homers and has been one of the absolute worst performers in the entire MLB. He will be on the DL for the next four to six weeks following knee surgery, and hopefully for the Dodgers, he will come back rededicated to baseball.
Rodriguez has been battling a hamstring this season and has spent time on the disabled list. In the first year of his 10-year deal, Rodriguez has an OPS of .870; he has had a .900 OPS or better in all but two of his full MLB seasons.
Like A-Rod, Lowell already has a trip to the DL on his belt, and his OPS has dropped nearly 100 points from last season. Fortunately, the Red Sox were able to come to terms with Lowell on a short-term contract over the winter.
The Brewers very clearly had a better closer last season. Gagne has a 9.45 ERA during the month of May and a 6.98 ERA for the season. His BB/9 rate is at 7.45, inexcusably high and light years away from the 1.75 he had in 2002.
Silva has a 5.14 ERA and a K/9 of 3.42, proving that he is a glorified number five starter making number three starter money. Opposing batters have an .843 OPS against Silva, but he does have a 3.21 ERA at Safeco Field.
The Giants are certainly content with the initial returns of Aaron Rowand as he's hitting .341/.410/.545; all three are career highs. He also has seven homers, a slight drop in his AB/HR rate from 22.7 to 25.1, but less of a drop than expected given the adjustment from Citizens Bank Park to AT&T Park.
Rivera is having one of his most perfect seasons in an almost always perfect career. He has a 0.39 ERA (previous low is 1.38 back in 2005) and has walked just one batter in 23 innings, giving him an improbable K/BB rate of 21.00.
Cordero's K/9 has fallen from 12.22 to 10.65, but his ERA has improved from 2.98 down to 2.28. The success is unlikely to be sustained as his .221 BABIP eventually rises towards his career average of .314.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of the Reina Value. He may be reached at Chris.Reina@RealGM.com.
