MLB's All-Hype Team at the Start of 2016 Spring Training
For rising star Mookie Betts and prominent trade acquisition Todd Frazier, it's far from a disaster that they've landed berths on the 2016 MLB All-Hype Team.
What it means is the Boston Red Sox right fielder and the Chicago White Sox's new third baseman posted such impressive overall numbers in 2015 that they're now the subject of unrealistic expectations.
There are two types of players who landed spots on this squad. The first group includes ascending giants of the game like Betts. The second is composed of free-agent additions and trade pickups like Frazier who joined their new employers at exorbitant price tags.
All of the players on this list impressed in 2015, but after digging through the overall track records, considering sample sizes, home/road splits and first-/second-half splits, there's no guarantee those numbers will repeat in 2016.
Catcher
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The All-Hype Team Catcher: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
Admittedly, there weren't a ton of options at this spot.
Take one look at MLB.com's offseason tracker—there weren't many prominent catchers who swapped clubs either via trade or free agency.
But one exception to that trend was Matt Wieters, whom the Baltimore Orioles brought back after the 29-year-old accepted their qualifying offer.
That means Wieters, whose past two campaigns have been largely spoiled as he's recovered from Tommy John surgery, will be making a cool $15.8 million during the upcoming campaign.
That's a lot of loot for a guy who hit .267. For that reason, going the qualifying-offer route was an easy call for Wieters.
"As soon as I decided, I was pretty much at peace with the decision and nothing over the course of the whole offseason made me question that at all," Wieters told Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
If Wieters repeats his 2015 numbers in 2016, the O's certainly won't be at peace with this move.
Honorable Mention: N/A
1st Baseman
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The All-Hype Team First Baseman: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
Last year, Chris Davis was a monster.
The first baseman exited stage left at Camden Yards 29 times and 47 overall, which means he was the home run king of the baseball world. That supreme pop is why the Baltimore Orioles dished out $161 over seven seasons (including deferred money) to the masher.
The scary part about making that kind of investment in Crush Davis is that he's just one year removed from an absolutely brutal 2014 when he hit .196 with 26 jacks and 173 punchouts in just 525 plate appearances.
There's just one reason the Orioles gave Davis so much cash: power. If that power vanishes—like it did in 2014—this is going to be all bad for Baltimore.
Honorable Mention: Mike Napoli, Cleveland Indians
Second Baseman
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The All-Hype Team Second Baseman: Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals
Daniel Murphy went out of his mind last fall, thumping seven homers in 14 postseason games for the New York Mets.
But that power surge was an aberration—not a sign of what is to come for the Washington Nationals' new second baseman, who inked a three-year, $37.5 million deal. Since debuting with the Mets back in 2008, the lefty hitter cracked 62 long balls in 903 games for New York.
The bigger issue, though, is his glove.
In the field, Murphy is a liability.
Last season, Murphy cost New York six runs in just 69 games at second, per Baseball-Reference.com. In 2014? 10 in 126 games. The year before that? 13 in 150 games.
Honorable Mention: Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
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Shortstop
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The All-Hype Team Shortstop: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
For a guy with only 27 games on his big league resume, the expectations are awfully high for Corey Seager.
As the Los Angeles Dodgers aim to win a fourth consecutive NL West crown, the 21-year-old is the dude at shortstop.
Seager, who MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus both tabbed as the No. 1 farmhand in baseball, built up the expectations thanks to his stellar late-season cameo when he hit .337 and 13 extra-base hits in 27 games. As shiny as those numbers are, it's worth remembering that the sample size is beyond small.
What's more, Seager doesn't exactly have a significant track record of major success at the highest levels.
Last year in Triple-A, Seager posted a .278 average and a .783 OPS in the Pacific Coast League. Those stats are respectable—especially since he was 20 for the majority of the campaign—but they don't jump off the page, either.
Honorable Mention: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
Third Baseman
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The All-Hype Team Third Baseman: Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox
For the Chicago White Sox, who ranked last in the AL in homers during the season that was, there's a lot to like about the acquisition of Todd Frazier.
Last year, the Home Run Derby champ launched 35 dingers for the Cincinnati Reds. That's a lot of yard shots. The problem is that just 10 of those came after the Home Run Derby during his miserable second half. Following the All-Star break, Frazier was a total dud, hitting .220 with a .664 OPS in 72 games.
If that guy shows up in 2016, the White Sox will be ruing this trade with the Reds.
Honorable Mention: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
Left Fielder
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The All-Hype Team Left Fielder: Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays
There's no way to put this kindly—Corey Dickerson is a Coors Field mirage.
Sure, the 26-year-old owned a nifty .299/.345/.534 slash line (.879 OPS) in parts of three seasons with the Colorado Rockies. But let's take a gander at his home/road splits:
- Home: 1.085 OPS
- Away: .695 OPS
Yikes. That's just staggering. And it's puzzling that the Tampa Bay Rays would part company with Jake McGee (2.41 ERA in 2015) in this four-player trade. Unless Dickerson drastically outperforms his career numbers, this move is going to look ugly for the Rays.
Honorable Mention: Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
Center Fielder
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The All-Hype Team Center Fielder: Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs
Only a fool would question Jason Heyward's defensive prowess.
Last season, the six-year vet saved the St. Louis Cardinals 24 runs in 147 games between center field and right field, per Baseball-Reference.com.
That's crazy. But crazy enough to justify Heyward's eight-year, $184 megadeal considering his bat is good (.797 OPS in 2015) not great?
Looking at the market, the answer is "No."
Alex Gordon, who is an older version of Heyward, raked in a four-year, $72 million deal. Meanwhile, Yoenis Cespedes, who was also a 2015 Gold Glover and who outpaced Heyward across the board offensively, earned a three-year, $75 million payout.
Honorable Mention: Denard Span, San Francisco Giants
Right Fielder
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The All-Hype Team Right Fielder: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
The future is blindingly bright for Mookie Betts.
Last season, his first full go-around with the Boston Red Sox, Betts did serious damage, amassing 42 doubles, 8 triples, 18 home runs and an .820 OPS as he cemented his status as a franchise cornerstone at Fenway Park.
As a result of that impressive showing, the expectations are now beyond lofty for Betts. Back in January, ESPN's Buster Olney opined that the right-handed hitter should be a contender for the game's top honor in 2016: "This is a good sleeper MVP candidate behind the usual suspects of [Mike] Trout, [Miguel] Cabrera, [Josh] Donaldson: Mookie Betts, who had a .923 OPS after June 10."
A sleeper candidate, indeed.
Betts was monstrously impressive in 2015, but he was also No. 19 on the AL MVP ballot. Considering the table-setter only turned 23 in October and is entering just his second full season, jumping all the way to No. 1 in the voting would be one quantum leap.
Honorable Mention: Gerardo Parra, Colorado Rockies
Starting Pitcher
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The All-Hype Team Starting Pitcher: Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks
You can't say the Arizona Diamondbacks aren't bold.
This winter, the NL West hopefuls splashed out $206.5 million on Zack Greinke and sold the farm—and then some—to bring Shelby Miller to the desert.
In the five-player swap with the Atlanta Braves, which also netted the D-backs minor league lefty Gabe Speier, the club parted ways with center fielder Ender Inciarte, righty prospects Aaron Blair and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson.
ESPN's Keith Law, a self-described Miller "fan," couldn't help but scoff at the deal: "The cost is comically high."
And the cost isn't the only cause for concern. There's also the way that Miller wobbled down the stretch. After spinning a 2.38 ERA in the first half, the right-hander lugged around a 3.83 ERA after the Midsummer Classic.
Honorable Mention: Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Dodgers and Mike Leake, St. Louis Cardinals
Relief Pitcher
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The All-Hype Team Relief Pitcher: Ryan Madson, Oakland Athletics
It's no mystery why the Oakland Athletics—owners of the lousiest bullpen ERA in the AL in 2015—snapped up Ryan Madson on a three-year, $22 million pact.
Last season, the vet was the definition of dominant for the Kansas City Royals, logging a 2.13 ERA and racking up 58 strikeouts in 63.1 frames.
As strong as those numbers are, there's also plenty of risk in this multiyear deal for Oakland. After all, Madson is 35, and he didn't throw a single big league pitch in 2012, 2013 and 2014 due to recovery from Tommy John surgery and a temporary retirement.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Clippard, Arizona Diamondbacks
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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