Baseball Prospectus 2001
contains Wilton projections for more than
800 hitters. Now that the season is underway, let’s take a look at Wilton’s
book projections for the rookie position players who made their NL teams’
rosters.
Later this week at BP.com, we’ll have a look at all the players who missed
the cut for BP 2001 and still made Opening Day rosters.
(Just to clarify: this only covers position players who are in BP 2001.
Not-in-book player comments will be on the site this week.)
In the National League, there were many fewer rookies on the first-week
rosters
than we saw in the AL:
Age TM AB BA OBP SLG EqA
Wes Helms 25 ATL 340 .265 .307 .426 .246
Rod Barajas 25 ARZ 405 .244 .283 .390 .223
Augie Ojeda 26 CHC 429 .247 .316 .345 .228
Julio Zuleta 25 CHC 385 .270 .315 .447 .252
Julio Zuleta wasn’t on the Opening Day roster, but was recalled when
Ron Coomer went on the DL. The only thing Coomer does that Zuleta
can’t do as well or better is play third base, and Coomer doesn’t really do
that well enough to make himself valuable. Zuleta deserves the platoon job
at first base.
Age TM AB BA OBP SLG EqA
Hiram Bocachica 25 LA 444 .255 .316 .403 .248
Timoniel Perez 24 NYM 321 .321 .377 .461 .291
Gary Bennett 29 PHI 299 .268 .342 .441 .261
Gary Bennett is probably one of the better backup catchers in the
league, but because he backs up a similar, but far superior, player in
Mike Lieberthal, will be restricted to a Keith Osik
two-starts-a-month role. He’d look nice behind a guy like Darrin
Fletcher.
Age TM AB BA OBP SLG EqA
Jimmy Rollins 22 PHI 529 .268 .330 .405 .248
Jack Wilson 23 PIT 416 .272 .322 .365 .235
Interesting…both Pennsylvania teams are going with rookies at shortstop,
the Phillies with a Rookie-of-the-Year favorite and the Pirates with a
glove whiz who stole the job in March. Wilton doesn’t put too much ground
between them, and Jack Wilson‘s glove is reputed to be worth the
minimal difference in the two players’ projected performances.
Age TM AB BA OBP SLG EqA
Albert Pujols 21 STL 281 .302 .344 .488 .274
Beware Wilton projections based on a minimum of data. Albert Pujols
has one season of professional baseball on his resume–a damn good one,
mind you–and that’s type of player with whom the system has the most
trouble. Then again, if Tony LaRussa can limit Pujols to starts against
left-handers in Coors Field….
Age TM AB BA OBP SLG EqA
Santiago Perez 25 SD 434 .242 .296 .359 .236
Pedro Feliz 24 SF 440 .241 .279 .414 .235
How To Make Russ Davis Seem Palatable.
Joe Sheehan is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Contact him by
clicking here.
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