What could $35,417,967 buy - Outfield/DH/Synopsis
The infield was pretty good, but this is where the real mashing is going to happen on this team. Check out the kind of production we're getting here!
Left Field -- Carl Crawford - .305 BA, .830 OPS, 18 HR, 58 SB - $2,625,000
- The lone Ray on the team, we all know just how good C.C. is - and can be. He is explosive at the top of the lineup, runs down everything in left, and plays the game the right way. You might be able to get more pop from some players, but you're hard-pressed to find a more exciting ballplayer.
Center Field -- Gary Matthews - .313 BA, .866 OPS, 19 HR - $2,387,000
- I've NEVER been sold on this guy. I think his "tools" have always been terribly overrated, and I would probably bet money that his 2006 season was a fluke. Still, you can't argue with the numbers he put up last year, and he would've been a solid addition to this club. He also plays very good defense. Strikes out too much, though.
Right Field -- Jason Bay - .286 BA, .928 OPS, 35 HR - $1,000,000
- WOW - what a bargain! Bay is a masher, plain and simple, and he gets you a ton of production at a discount price due to his service time. He will terrorize pitchers in the middle of this lineup, and gives you a solid foundation to help build around for years to come.
Designated Hitter -- Travis Hafner - .308 BA, 1.098 OPS, 42 HR - $2,700,000
- There's nothing I can say about T-Haf that hasn't already been said. Maybe the best hitter in the American League, he put up those numbers while losing 30 games to injury. He also comes nice and cheap - although that is certainly not going to last forever.
The Bench
- Juan Rivera, Outfielder -- .310 BA, .887 OPS, 23 HR - $1,250,000
- Wes Helms, Utility -- .329 BA, .965 OPS, 10 HR - $800,000
Synopsis
Of course there is no way that a team like this could have ever been put together, but its still fun to dream, right? The only real deficiency is that there isn't much depth in the outfield, though I would probably give Brandon Phillips an outfielders glove and have him shag some flies during Spring Training. Still, I'm confident in this team's ability to contend for the World Series. :)
The starting lineup looks like this:
- SS - Hanley Ramirez
- LF - Carl Crawford
- RF - Jason Bay
- DH - Travis Hafner
- CF - Gary Matthews
- 1B - Nick Johnson
- 3B - Rich Aurilia
- C - Josh Bard
- 2B - Orlando Hudson
I like our chances. :) I think I'm going to pop this team into Out of the Park Baseball over the weekend, and have it play 162 games against the 2006 Cardinals, and see who comes out on top.
Come back tomorrow for a very special post. :)
The problem with your line-up is no team can "buy' most of these players, unless they are the controlling team.
Also, Sarge Jr. just signed for $10m/yr, didn't he?
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Thanks for your feedback! That's exactly why I said in my earlier posts that I didn't expect any GM to ever be able to put this team together. I simply wanted to know what kind of production you COULD have gotten from players that would have fit under the 2006 Devil Rays payroll.
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