Wow. That was some MLB trade deadline week. It was a whirling dervish of baseball transactions. A hardball bazaar. Something that should have been narrated by Crazy Eddie.
According to the transaction logs at MLB.com, there were 122 trades this season between Opening Day and Friday's July 30 deadline. Forty-two of those took place on the last three days of this season's trade window.
For some context, here's the best possible 26-player roster you can construct among players traded since the start of the season, using fWAR as the deciding metric:
Starting lineup
Adam Frazier (LF, 2.7 fWAR)
Trea Turner (SS, 4.2)
Kris Bryant (3B, 2.8)
Nelson Cruz (DH, 1.7)
Anthony Rizzo (1B, 1.5)
Starling Marte (CF, 3.3)
Joey Gallo (RF, 3.3)
Willy Adames (2B, 3.1)
Yan Gomes (C, 1.1)
Bench
Eduardo Escobar (2.1)
Javier Baez (2.0)
Myles Straw (2.0)
Kyle Schwarber (1.7)
Keibert Ruiz (0.0)
Starting rotation
Jose Berrios (2.3)
Max Scherzer (2.1)
Kyle Gibson (1.8)
Andrew Heaney (1.5)
Tyler Anderson (1.4)
Bullpen
Craig Kimbrel (Closer, 2.1)
Richard Rodriguez (1.3)
Andrew Chafin (1.0)
Kendall Graveman (1.0)
Daniel Hudson (1.0)
Ryan Tepera (0.8)
Phil Maton (0.6)
Total fWAR: 48.4
That's a heck of a team! And the only one of those players who was traded before July 22 was Adames, who moved from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee on May 21.
Needless to say, a lot of talented faces headed for new places in a short period time. Which, obviously, makes this a perfect time to take stock.
Let's see how the new pecking order stacks up with the trade deadline dust storm that's just starting to settle.
Note: As usual, power rating reflects the team's performance to date, the quality of the current roster and the strength of the club's schedule to this point in the season. Average simulation wins, and the playoff probability percentages, reflect 10,000 simulations of the remaining schedule based on each team's individual player forecasts and projected playing time for the rest of the campaign.
1. San Francisco Giants
Power rating: 99.0
Avg. simulation wins: 95.6 | Change since pre-deadline Stock Watch: +7.8
Division %: 31.2 | Playoff %: 95.4
Pennant %: 10.8 | Title %: 4.7
The addition of Kris Bryant gives the Giants a star-level bat for a lineup built on depth and matchups more than the concentrated production that an elite hitter can provide. Bryant is used to bouncing around the diamond, so while his first start for San Francisco was at third base, Gabe Kapler will have to figure out how to best leverage the rest of his roster when, as expected, regular 3B Evan Longoria soon returns from a shoulder injury. One player whose playing time is likely to nosedive is LF Alex Dickerson, who, coming off two strong seasons by the percentages, just has not been able to get it going for any sustained length of time in 2021.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Power rating: 98.7
Avg. simulation wins: 97.6 | Change: -4.2
Division %: 62.7 | Playoff %: 98.7
Pennant %: 37.1 | Title %: 22.9
Oh, to be young, rich and a Dodger. That description applies to much of Dave Roberts' star-laden roster after the stunning dual acquisition of Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. While the addition of Turner gives the Dodgers some cover in the event that Cody Bellinger can't get it going, the best possible development for Roberts would be for Bellinger to find his stride in what has been a horrendous, injury-riddled campaign for the 2019 NL MVP. If he doesn't, and Bellinger is still hovering around a .160ish batting average toward the end of the season, you have to wonder just how big of a role he might be asked to play in October.
3. Houston Astros
Power rating: 98.4
Avg. simulation wins: 96.3 | Change: +5.9
Division %: 87.0 | Playoff %: 94.8
Pennant %: 25.7 | Title %: 12.3
When the Astros swung a deadline day trade to add reliever Phil Maton in exchange for starting CF Myles Straw, my kneejerk reaction was that it was the first of a combo of moves. The need for added bullpen depth was clear for Houston before the deadline and it addressed that with multiple additions. But after Straw was dealt, it figured Houston would follow that move with a trade for a new center fielder, like Minnesota's Byron Buxton. It didn't happen. Now, in addition to getting his pitching staff healthy and figuring out his new bullpen hierarchy, Dusty Baker's big to-do item the rest of the way is to get Chas McCormick acclimated to an everyday role in center, not his natural position.
4. Tampa Bay Rays
Power rating: 96.6
Avg. simulation wins: 93.5 | Change: -2.9
Division %: 30.5 | Playoff %: 76.8
Pennant %: 10.4 | Title %: 4.7
While the Rays look like a virtual cinch for a return to October baseball, the position from which they will launch their defense of the American League pennant is very much up in the air. Now that Tyler Glasnow won't be returning to the pitching staff this season, Tampa Bay needs to get every player healthy before the playoffs. Nick Anderson. Pete Fairbanks. Collin McHugh. Chris Archer. Oliver Drake. With Glasnow not around to give the staff at least a couple of starts of length each series, the well-chronicled depth of the Rays' bullpen will be heavily tested if Tampa Bay expects another deep run. They need most or all of their best relievers healthy to be able to piece it together.
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Power rating: 93.9
Avg. simulation wins: 93.8 | Change: +7.1
Division %: 89.2 | Playoff %: 92.7
Pennant %: 17.1 | Title %: 7.2
The Brewers have allowed the fewest runs per game in baseball despite playing in a hitter's ballpark. Their rotation and high-leverage relief units are both elite. They rank fourth in both defensive efficiency and defensive runs saved. All this is to say that Milwaukee has entered the small circle of teams vying for baseball's best record on the basis of elite run prevention. The offense, on the other hand, has been average. It's been average even though the one upper-echelon hitting star -- Christian Yelich -- has been hurt, is currently on the COVID-19 injured list and has struggled to a .235/.382/.367 slash line. And while Yelich has shown scant evidence he's ready to revert to MVP form, if you're a title-starved Brewers fan hoping to experience what the Bucks accomplished with an NBA championship, wouldn't you really love to see what this club looks like if Yelich starts hitting like Yelich?
6. Chicago White Sox
Power rating: 93.7
Avg. simulation wins: 92.2 | Change: -0.1
Division %: 98.3 | Playoff %: 98.4
Pennant %: 21.3 | Title %: 9.7
Assuming Luis Robert comes back strong from his long IL stint due to a hip injury, Tony La Russa's primary objective the rest of the way will be to put his pitching staff in order for October. Part of that is balancing the need to massage the workloads of his key hurlers with keeping them in a comfortable rhythm. Part of that is figuring out who among a strong five-man starting rotation gets left out at playoff time. And a big part of that is establishing some kind of rhythm with his newly deepened bullpen, which now features dual All-Star closers in Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks. If these sound like the kind of problems that confront a team positioning itself for a World Series run, that's because they are.
7. San Diego Padres
Power rating: 91.7
Avg. simulation wins: 90.2 | Change: -3.7
Division %: 6.2 | Playoff %: 74.5
Pennant %: 9.9 | Title %: 5.1
The Padres' bullpen is a good news/bad news proposition. The good news: The top six San Diego relievers by win probability added (Mark Melancon, Daniel Hudson, Craig Stammen, Pierce Johnson, Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan) have, together, posted the best WPA figure in the majors among top sixes in this metric, based on rosters after the deadline. The bad news: That sextet also ranks second in total batters faced among the current top sixes around baseball's bullpens. In other words, the Padres' current group of key relievers have been really good this season, but they've had to work really hard to be that way. Given the lack of pitching depth added at the deadline, Hudson aside, Jayce Tingler's big challenge the rest of the way will be to balance the workloads of his best relievers to pursue the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West, hold off the Reds and the rest in the wild-card chase, and still have something left to make a charge in October.
8. Boston Red Sox
Power rating: 91.7
Avg. simulation wins: 94.9 | Change: +3.5
Division %: 49.5 | Playoff %: 87.5
Pennant %: 16.9 | Title %: 8.3
If you refer to the comments here about the Padres' bullpen workload, the same applies to the Red Sox, whose current top six (Matt Barnes, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Taylor, Adam Ottavino, Phillips Valdez and Hansel Robles) have faced 130 more batters than any other club's current bullpen top six. Alex Cora has to massage that workload the rest of the way in a tight division race and through a postseason in which Boston could be holding the AL's top seed. Getting Chris Sale back will boost the club's prospects in a number of ways, but one way in which he shouldn't be expected to help right away is in terms of bulk innings. Cora will need two or three relievers not listed above to step up during the stretch run.
9. Oakland Athletics
Power rating: 88.7
Avg. simulation wins: 89.8 | Change: -3.0
Division %: 12.4 | Playoff %: 45.2
Pennant %: 6.3 | Title %: 2.8
The A's got better at the deadline, adding a much-needed outfielder in Starling Marte and a lefty reliever in Andrew Chafin who lengthens an already-deep bullpen. Oakland now features a well-rounded and deep big league roster that still lacks some star power. Which is far from a death knell for Oakland's playoff chances, as it tries to hold off the Yankees, Blue Jays and Mariners in the wild-card chase. Still, if the A's are going to get some kind of star-like production from their position group, it's hard not to point the finger at sub-.200-hitting third baseman Matt Chapman. Chapman leads the AL in striking out, an alarming data point that comes one season after he struck out 54 times against just eight walks in 2020. Oakland needs Chapman to get going, but lately, things seem to be getting worse, not better.
10. Toronto Blue Jays
Power rating: 88.3
Avg. simulation wins: 88.1 | Change: +1.6
Division %: 5.7 | Playoff %: 33.8
Pennant %: 5.6 | Title %: 3.0
If Thanos could reconfigure his finger snap to eliminate the existence of oblique injuries, how much better would baseball be? What a frustrating and annoying injury, one that makes many fans say something like, "I don't think I even have an oblique." This tangent is relevant to the Blue Jays, because it's an oblique injury that seems to stand in the way of Toronto piecing together something like an ideal October roster. The formula is, first, clinch a playoff spot. Toronto has less than a 50-50 shot at that, but let's go with it. Well, then you have a playoff rotation of newly acquired Jose Berrios, who was terrific in his Toronto debut against Kansas City on Sunday, Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray and emergent rookie Alek Manoah. Then you have new closer Brad Hand at the back of the bullpen, set up by the dynamic duo of Jordan Romano and Julian Merryweather. Except ... Merryweather's ongoing fight against an oblique injury shows no sign of reaching a resolution anytime soon. Thanos, now is your chance to redeem yourself.
11. Atlanta Braves
Power rating: 84.1
Avg. simulation wins: 82.1 | Change: -3.9
Division %: 11.0 | Playoff %: 14.1
Pennant %: 2.1 | Title %: 0.8
The Braves' outfield is just not going to be as sensible as it appeared to be on paper before the season, when it seemed like you could just pencil in Ozuna-Pache-Acuna 162 times. But give Atlanta's front office credit for trying to cover for the fact that none of that trio is currently on the big league roster. Just over the last few weeks, the Braves have brought in Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, familiar face Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario in a desperate attempt to stay viable in the NL East pillow fight for the division title. One thing you can say about each of the trio of Pederson, Soler and Duvall: They've all shown the ability to get stupid hot at various junctures of their career. Who knows? Maybe the Braves can catch lightning in a bottle.
12. Cincinnati Reds
Power rating: 82.8
Avg. simulation wins: 86.2 | Change: +10.7
Division %: 8.8 | Playoff %: 24.7
Pennant %: 2.3 | Title %: 0.9
Joey Votto's turn-back-the-clock power surge has been one of the more joyful developments of the 2021 season, up to and including the moment he hit the orange stripe atop the right-center field wall at Citi Field on July 31, coming that close to tying the record for most consecutive games with a homer. That long double capped a stretch of just over a month in which Votto hit .347/.455/.812. The streak is over, but it remains to be seen if Votto has cooled. Now the attention in Cincinnati can fully return to the Reds' roughly one-in-five shot at returning to the postseason. If they are going to overcome those odds, the Reds will need to play well above their team OPS+ of 92 through the end of July. A smoking-hot Votto helps, but obviously he can't do it alone. With Aristides Aquino back in the lineup, Jonathan India establishing himself, Jesse Winker still having a fine season and Nick Castellanos due back soon, things may be lining up for a spirited Cincinnati stretch run.
13. New York Yankees
Power rating: 81.2
Avg. simulation wins: 90.5 | Change: +0.3
Division %: 14.3 | Playoff %: 58.3
Pennant %: 13.4 | Title %: 7.8
Yankees fans can prop their near-term hopes on the club's deadline acquisitions, which won't be hard to do if Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo start poking a preponderance of home runs to the alluring right-field seats at Yankee Stadium. Still, the big-ticket item for the Yankees from here on out -- both in order to stake claim to a playoff spot, and do some damage thereafter -- is to get Gerrit Cole back to some level of consistent dominance. Yes, baseball's sticky-stuff crackdown seems to have wreaked as much havoc on Cole's game as anyone. But we've also seen him morph into beast mode since then, shutting out the Astros in a complete-game masterpiece before the All-Star break in which he threw 129 pitches. If New York is going to nab a wild-card spot, they need seven innings or so of something close to that from Cole in the majority of his remaining starts. He's currently on the COVID-19 IL, and his shellacking at Tampa Bay last week was not a great sign.
14. New York Mets
Power rating: 80.0
Avg. simulation wins: 87.4 | Change: -4.4
Division %: 65.0 | Playoff %: 67.2
Pennant %: 15.7 | Title %: 7.8
With Francisco Lindor still on the injured list and Brandon Nimmo's hamstring an immediate concern, the Mets have bigger worries than what to do with their regular lineup when everyone gets healthy. One of the biggest of those worries is the ongoing struggle of sub-.200-hitting outfielder Michael Conforto. Conforto missed five weeks earlier this season with a hamstring malady of his own. However, he didn't hit well before that injury (.692 OPS), and he hasn't hit well since the injury (.608). Conforto is hitting an astonishing .121 against lefties. The Mets' generally underachieving offense is big story leading into the stretch run, and no one needs to regress to normal production more than Conforto for New York to hang onto its NL East lead.
15. Philadelphia Phillies
Power rating: 79.4
Avg. simulation wins: 84.2 | Change: +8.5
Division %: 23.9 | Playoff %: 27.4
Pennant %: 4.7 | Title %: 1.9
As the Phillies embark on what they hope will be a successful stretch run pursuit of the Mets, the biggest obstacle between here and there seems to simply be figuring out the right structure for their pitching staff. The addition of Kyle Gibson at the deadline surely helps the rotation and if Zach Eflin can get back soon from his knee problem, the Phils will have a legit five-deep rotation. The bullpen is bolstered by the acquisition of veteran reliever Ian Kennedy, who would deepen the relief contingent alongside the breakout star of the Phils' firemen crew, lefty Ranger Suarez. Except ... after the deadline, it was reported that Suarez will be stretched out as a starter. Maybe it's a stroke of genius?
16. Cleveland Indians
Power rating: 78.9
Avg. simulation wins: 79.0 | Change: -1.0
Division %: 1.5 | Playoff %: 2.0
Pennant %: 0.1 | Title %: 0.0
We've mentioned a few times that the Indians have a plethora of young middle infielders who will eventually take the spots held through last season by Lindor and Cesar Hernandez. There are plenty of things the soon-to-be Guardians need to sort out, but establishing some sort of identity among Amed Rosario, Owen Miller, Andres Gimenez, Tyler Freeman, Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio, et al., would begin to help their beleaguered fans get past what they've lost in familiar faces.
17. Seattle Mariners
Power rating: 78.5
Avg. simulation wins: 80.8 | Change: +9.4
Division %: 0.3 | Playoff %: 1.5
Pennant %: 0.1 | Title %: 0.0
The Mariners are mathematically alive for a playoff berth, though the odds are closer to the chances-of-getting-struck-by-lightning zone than actual contention. That's what happens when your dossier is dominated by red fluke flags: a severely negative run differential, an obscenely good record in one-run and extra-inning games, a bizarrely disparate batting record with runners in scoring position as compared to the overall numbers. But that doesn't mean Seattle fans should preemptively check out. Root for Jarred Kelenic. Root for J.P. Crawford. Root for Cal Raleigh, Abraham Toro and Logan Gilbert. You'll be doing so for awhile and, who knows, maybe while you're rooting for the future, you'll get a pleasant surprise for the here and now.
18. Chicago Cubs
Power rating: 78.2
Avg. simulation wins: 74.9 | Change: -18.4
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.1
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
The Cubs' primary task for the rest of the season will be provide enough distraction at Wrigley Field to keep their fans from fully processing the collection of players they are watching on the field. Plenty of Harry Caray videos, plenty of 2016 World Series highlights. They might also trot out those guys who go around dressed as the ghosts of Tinker, Evers and Chance. Beyond that, pretty much the only thing left is to root for Kyle Hendricks' pursuit of a 20-win season.
19. Miami Marlins
Power rating: 77.5
Avg. simulation wins: 69.2 | Change: -2.6
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
When you think about a team playing out the string, it doesn't really seem that exciting, no matter the context. Really though, it doesn't have to be that way for the Marlins. They aren't going anywhere in 2021. But a measured approach at the deadline that was dominated by the acclaimed pickup of Jesus Luzardo sets Miami's tone for the next couple of months. This October's postseason? Not going to happen. But a strong finish in which Luzardo at least makes a solid late-season appearance or two would send the Fish into the winter with a chance to really rev up their fan base going into 2022.
20. Washington Nationals
Power rating: 77.3
Avg. simulation wins: 71.6 | Change: -2.9
Division %: 0.1 | Playoff %: 0.1
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
Hey, Juan Soto is still there. And that, more than anything, can assure Nationals fans that what GM Mike Rizzo called a "reset" is not some kind of half-decade scavenger hunt for make-good prospects and draft picks. Plus the good thing about a deadline flurry of subtraction that involves getting back MLB-ready prospects is that your fans can get a taste of what's to come. So it is for Nats fans, who shouldn't have to wait long to see Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray in action.
21. St. Louis Cardinals
Power rating: 77.3
Avg. simulation wins: 81.6 | Change: -5.3
Division %: 2.0 | Playoff %: 5.0
Pennant %: 0.5 | Title %: 0.2
The Cardinals added veteran starters Jon Lester and J.A. Happ, who will give them innings, and while they aren't likely to spark a late St. Louis run at a long-shot playoff spot, perhaps they will at least help the Redbirds extend their streak of winning seasons to 14. Or not -- neither lefty has been particularly good this season. The acquisition of Happ in exchange for John Gant (and prospect Evan Sisk) is particularly interesting. Happ is the bigger name, of course. But if you compare ERA, FIP or ERA+ for any period -- this year, back to 2020, back to the start of Gant's MLB career in 2016 -- it's Gant who has better numbers, albeit in fewer innings. Again, it's very interesting.
22. Los Angeles Angels
Power rating: 76.7
Avg. simulation wins: 81.1 | Change: -2.0
Division %: 0.3 | Playoff %: 1.7
Pennant %: 0.1 | Title %: 0.0
Since the start of the 2017 season, when Mike Trout was already a two-time MVP and clearly identified as being on the fast track to Cooperstown, he's hit .303/.442/.630 with 49 homers, 109 RBIs, 21 steals, 132 walks and 125 runs scored per 162 games played. He's also missed more than a quarter of the games the Angels have played during that time. The excitement from the Angels' stretch run will be derived from Shohei Ohtani's quest to pair a 50-homer season at the plate with a 10-win, 150-strikeout season on the mound. But amid all that, for the future, the Angels and Trout have to formulate some kind of plan to keep him in the lineup.
23. Detroit Tigers
Power rating: 76.3
Avg. simulation wins: 73.4 | Change: +12.2
Division %: 0.1 | Playoff %: 0.1
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
Long, tortured rebuilds are not a great thing for fans of a team undergoing one. For Detroit fans, they entered this season following a club with a four-year winning percentage of .365 (59 wins per 162 games) that was the worst in baseball. Through 40 games of this season, Detroit was 14-26, which, as a .350 percentage, was a step in the wrong direction. Since then, the Tigers have gone 37-31. With the Indians in front of them, having subtracted at the deadline, Detroit can ride the wave over the last two months, pushing for a .500 record and a real chance at second place in the AL Central. It doesn't get them into the playoffs for the first time since 2014, but it does give the Tigers a platform from which to really take off in 2022.
24. Colorado Rockies
Power rating: 73.8
Avg. simulation wins: 70.2 | Change: +14.9
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
Rockies fans don't have a whole lot left to root for this season, though they do have a chance to wish a long, awkward goodbye to Trevor Story. But what they really have to root for doesn't come around until the middle of next season, when we all get to find out who the Rockies have in mind as a compensatory pick that was so valuable they couldn't do Story the solid of trading him to a team with a chance to win.
25. Minnesota Twins
Power rating: 70.7
Avg. simulation wins: 72.1 | Change: -9.4
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
It's hard to come up with something to recommend to Twins fans to root for over the next two months. When a team negatively defies expectation to this extent, it's about as deflating as it gets. I write that, repeating as I have a few times recently that I don't see the Twins as an organization in decline or anything like it. There is a real opportunity this winter to reshuffle and push right back into relevance in 2022. For now, there is always Byron Buxton, who should get back on the field at some point between now and the end of the campaign. We've seen so little of him lately that it might be easy to forget just how scintillating he was early in the season. So a little reminder: Buxton is hitting .369 in 110 plate appearances. His 220 OPS+ currently ranks as the 18th-best single-season figure among AL or NL players with at least 110 plate appearances in a season, ranking right between Mickey Mantle in 1957 and Lou Gehrig in 1927.
26. Kansas City Royals
Power rating: 69.3
Avg. simulation wins: 72.0 | Change: -5.0
Division %: 0.1 | Playoff %: 0.1
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
What is there to root for, Royals fans? Young players starting to flourish, of course. Brady Singer is still searching for consistency. Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic have both looked better after demotions earlier this season. Jackson Kowar is still trying to rediscover his early dominance in Triple-A after a shaky three-game MLB debut. And then there is the big one: Bobby Witt Jr. continues to mash at Omaha and he if keeps it up a few more weeks, it seems likely he'd see his first big league action next month.
27. Texas Rangers
Power rating: 65.0
Avg. simulation wins: 60.3 | Change: -8.3
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
Rangers faithful have seen some productive starting pitching (Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson) leave town over the past year. While Lynn is contending for an AL Cy Young Award for the White Sox, the pitcher for whom the Rangers dealt him -- Dane Dunning -- has enjoyed an encouraging first season for Texas. Can Spencer Howard, the acquisition from Philadelphia for Gibson and reliever Ian Kennedy, follow in his footsteps? Howard has been on the shelf with blister trouble but should be ready to return to action soon. If Howard can display some of the promise that made him a recent top prospect, Texas fans might be able to warm themselves over the winter thinking of a future one-two rotation combo of Howard and Dunning.
28. Baltimore Orioles
Power rating: 62.9
Avg. simulation wins: 60.3 | Change: +2.2
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
The Orioles have trudged through another rebuilding campaign, showing promise in some areas but not really providing a comprehensive glimpse of what is going to emerge on the other side of all this losing. Baltimore's approach at the deadline suggests that at least the front office -- one that's been willing to trade or release anyone and everyone who doesn't figure into the next good Orioles roster -- thinks the rebuild is nearing fruition. The evidence for that is the ongoing presence of productive young veterans on the roster such as Trey Mancini and John Means. With that note of happy tidings sounded, Orioles fans can sit back and enjoy the truly epic season being put up by CF Cedric Mullins, who also could have been traded last week. Mullins can target becoming the first Oriole to post 25 homers and 25 steals in the same season since Reggie Jackson in 1976.
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
Power rating: 62.3
Avg. simulation wins: 63.7 | Change: +1.0
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
The Pirates have seen some great fielders over time. On the list of multiple Gold Glove leaders, you have Bill Mazeroski ranking third with eight wins at second base and Roberto Clemente tied with Willie Mays with the most wins as an outfielder with 12. Andy Van Slyke, Barry Bonds, Harvey Haddix, Tony Pena, Dave Parker and Starling Marte are others who have won multiple Gold Gloves while playing for the Bucs. I bring this up because in Ke'Bryan Hayes, the Pirates have their next great defender. Despite getting just 47 starts this season because of injury, Hayes has made good on the defensive promise suggested by his minor league scouting grades by ranking a close third in defensive runs saved among NL third basemen and second in outs above average. The missed games won't help his cause, but this season seems as good as any for Hayes to land the first of what figures to be more than one Gold Glove for the Pirates.
30. Arizona Diamondbacks
Power rating: 57.9
Avg. simulation wins: 57.1 | Change: -8.1
Division %: 0.0 | Playoff %: 0.0
Pennant %: 0.0 | Title %: 0.0
I tried. I really did. I've tried to trace through a reason for every team why their fans will want to tune in for the stretch run. But let's face it -- the sooner this Diamondbacks fiasco is over, the better. The fans in Phoenix can look forward to October for the cooler weather. Well, maybe. I've been in Phoenix in October, and it can get hot as hell then, too.