2046 UMEBA Postion Rankings (Shortstop)
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:36 am
Gareth Hale
Baseball Research International Contributor
We now examine the shortstop player pool within the UMEBA. All referenced 2046 stats are current as of 6/23.
Rúbem Bordonhos (55/55), Athens
This twenty-nine year-old Brazilian spent seven years with Seattle, where he accumulated an unimpressive 5.7 WAR. A good defender, Kuwait City brought Bordonhos to the Unified in the hopes he might be able to contribute offensively as well against UMEBA pitching. He did, posting a 115 OPS+ in '43. The somewhat tragic contraction of the championship Alhafr brought him to Beirut. There, he continued his above average offensive play, though down a bit (perhaps because of a higher concentration of pitching talent in the league). He came to Athens via trade this offseason, and his high-level of play continues (116 OPS+ and 1.9 WAR in 74 games).
Rakim Stevenson (50/50), Bucharest
Stevenson is a darn good defensive shortstop who, when he's hitting at all, is a very valuable piece. Drafted by San Antonio in the third round in 2036, Stevenson never caught on and the Outlaws gave up on him after two years in the minors. The old Cairo Chariot Archers scooped him up on a minor league deal. He would appear for Cairo in 2043, where he would post a 1.3 WAR in a full season of play. Contraction would bring him to Bucharest, where he has been since. In '45 he really showed what he could do, tallying a 98 OPS+ and 4.3 WAR on the season. In '46 so far, despite his disappointing OPS+ of 63, he remains an above-replacement contributor.
Matthew Hewat (50/55), Mumbai
Part of the Australian invasion of the late '30s to early '40s, and the fourth overall pick in the UMEBA 2042 draft, Hewat made his major league debut last season. While he is without doubt a slick defender, he is not a fully finished product at the plate. Mumbai is hoping he'll develop on the job. In the meantime, his value to the team is entirely to do with his skill with the glove. So far this year, he's posting an OPS+ of 57 and a WAR of 1.1. One hopes that playing him at this level won't harm his confidence and end up stunting his growth as a hitter. If it doesn't, Hewat may soon find himself at the top of this list.
Richard Drouin (50/50), Jerusalem
Drouin is arguably playing out of position, which may be having a negative effect on his value. Used primarily as a second baseman during his seven-year tenure in the BBA's Brooklyn, for whom he had a couple of good years, Drouin has been moved to shortstop by the Hammers, who don't appear to have a better option on their roster. Drouin's value is going to be determined by his offensive production, and unfortunately he's underachieved this season. So far in '46, Drouin is putting up an OPS+ of 89 and a WAR of -0.4, but he should pick it up before the year is out.
O-min Paek (45/45), Tripoli
Paek looks like a model utility bench player, the kind that often comes in late in games as a defensive replacement, with a bat that just won't carry him into the every day lineup. He signed on to the Des Moines international youth complex back in '35 at the age of 16. He would spend the entirety of his Brewster career in the minors. Manama picked him up in '45, and he put up some decent stats for the team's AA club. Tripoli acquired him through the Rule 5 draft this winter and gave him a shot in the bigs. Paek's made 67 starts at shortstop for Tripoli, giving them above-replacement value (OPS+ 87 / WAR 1.0).
Winston 'Bullet' Abernathy (45/45), Cairo
After being moved over from second base when the team faces right-handed pitching, New York City native Winston Abernathy is in a bit of a platoon situation with the woeful Rick Chambers (who before this season, had never played above the single-A level, and has turned in a performance in line with expectations (68 OPS+ / -0.4 WAR)). Shortstop is not Abernathy's primary position, but it is one he can field competently. He brings something to the table many on this list do not; some hitting ability. This is enough to land him near the middle of these rankings. So far in '46, he's put up a 98 OPS+ and 0.7 WAR splitting time between second, short, and third.
Sven Burel (45/45), Beirut
This twenty-eight year-old Belgium native came to Beirut this year via Atlantic City, where he played at slightly above replacement level for six seasons. He came to the Unified with a reputation as a defensive wizard throughout the infield, but with a famously feeble bat (career OPS+ 58), so everything we said about Paek goes double for Burel. One might have reasonably expected a slight improvement in offensive performance this year against UMEBA pitching, but that hasn't happened. To date this season, he's accumulated a 54 OPS+ and 0.5 WAR.
James Holman (45/45), Manama
Holman joined the Pearls in 2043 after seven years in the Brewster. He's been a good piece for the Manama infield, though he's had difficulty with consistently good offensive performance throughout his career. Last season the Illinois native posted an OPS+ of 110 and a 3.0 WAR. Now in his age thirty-two season, Holman's production is taking quite a dip, with his OPS+ on the year down to 76, and his WAR hovering right around replacement level at 0.2. The good vibes around Holman are dissipating.
Rodrigo Ríos (45/45), Riyadh
Once upon a time, Ríos was a second round pick in the BBA amateur draft. He never really lived up to what potential he appeared to have. That Ríos had 244 appearances in the Brewster is a bit of a head-scratcher. Yet another utility man with no bat, Riyadh took a chance on him in 2046. He's turned in a slash line of .207/.251/.250. The Crescents have recently picked up another shortstop, Zach Swanson, in an effort to improve here. Swanson's first six games with the club don't hint at much promise, though.
Gustavo Gutiérrez (40/40), Baghdad
Another New York City product, Gutiérrez played in five non-consecutive seasons (five cups of coffee, really) at the big league level while in the Brewster. The phrase 'emergency backup' comes to mind. He joined the Unified in '43, playing for now-contracted C.S.K.A., where he was given 612 at-bats and rewarded the team's faith with a 72 OPS+ / -0.8 WAR season. Curiously, he went back to the BBA after his team was contracted, where he knocked around the minors for a couple years. The Kings signed him to a minor league deal this winter. His play doesn't seem to have warranted his 61 starts this year (OPS+ 56 / WAR -0.3).
Baseball Research International Contributor
We now examine the shortstop player pool within the UMEBA. All referenced 2046 stats are current as of 6/23.
Rúbem Bordonhos (55/55), Athens
This twenty-nine year-old Brazilian spent seven years with Seattle, where he accumulated an unimpressive 5.7 WAR. A good defender, Kuwait City brought Bordonhos to the Unified in the hopes he might be able to contribute offensively as well against UMEBA pitching. He did, posting a 115 OPS+ in '43. The somewhat tragic contraction of the championship Alhafr brought him to Beirut. There, he continued his above average offensive play, though down a bit (perhaps because of a higher concentration of pitching talent in the league). He came to Athens via trade this offseason, and his high-level of play continues (116 OPS+ and 1.9 WAR in 74 games).
Rakim Stevenson (50/50), Bucharest
Stevenson is a darn good defensive shortstop who, when he's hitting at all, is a very valuable piece. Drafted by San Antonio in the third round in 2036, Stevenson never caught on and the Outlaws gave up on him after two years in the minors. The old Cairo Chariot Archers scooped him up on a minor league deal. He would appear for Cairo in 2043, where he would post a 1.3 WAR in a full season of play. Contraction would bring him to Bucharest, where he has been since. In '45 he really showed what he could do, tallying a 98 OPS+ and 4.3 WAR on the season. In '46 so far, despite his disappointing OPS+ of 63, he remains an above-replacement contributor.
Matthew Hewat (50/55), Mumbai
Part of the Australian invasion of the late '30s to early '40s, and the fourth overall pick in the UMEBA 2042 draft, Hewat made his major league debut last season. While he is without doubt a slick defender, he is not a fully finished product at the plate. Mumbai is hoping he'll develop on the job. In the meantime, his value to the team is entirely to do with his skill with the glove. So far this year, he's posting an OPS+ of 57 and a WAR of 1.1. One hopes that playing him at this level won't harm his confidence and end up stunting his growth as a hitter. If it doesn't, Hewat may soon find himself at the top of this list.
Richard Drouin (50/50), Jerusalem
Drouin is arguably playing out of position, which may be having a negative effect on his value. Used primarily as a second baseman during his seven-year tenure in the BBA's Brooklyn, for whom he had a couple of good years, Drouin has been moved to shortstop by the Hammers, who don't appear to have a better option on their roster. Drouin's value is going to be determined by his offensive production, and unfortunately he's underachieved this season. So far in '46, Drouin is putting up an OPS+ of 89 and a WAR of -0.4, but he should pick it up before the year is out.
O-min Paek (45/45), Tripoli
Paek looks like a model utility bench player, the kind that often comes in late in games as a defensive replacement, with a bat that just won't carry him into the every day lineup. He signed on to the Des Moines international youth complex back in '35 at the age of 16. He would spend the entirety of his Brewster career in the minors. Manama picked him up in '45, and he put up some decent stats for the team's AA club. Tripoli acquired him through the Rule 5 draft this winter and gave him a shot in the bigs. Paek's made 67 starts at shortstop for Tripoli, giving them above-replacement value (OPS+ 87 / WAR 1.0).
Winston 'Bullet' Abernathy (45/45), Cairo
After being moved over from second base when the team faces right-handed pitching, New York City native Winston Abernathy is in a bit of a platoon situation with the woeful Rick Chambers (who before this season, had never played above the single-A level, and has turned in a performance in line with expectations (68 OPS+ / -0.4 WAR)). Shortstop is not Abernathy's primary position, but it is one he can field competently. He brings something to the table many on this list do not; some hitting ability. This is enough to land him near the middle of these rankings. So far in '46, he's put up a 98 OPS+ and 0.7 WAR splitting time between second, short, and third.
Sven Burel (45/45), Beirut
This twenty-eight year-old Belgium native came to Beirut this year via Atlantic City, where he played at slightly above replacement level for six seasons. He came to the Unified with a reputation as a defensive wizard throughout the infield, but with a famously feeble bat (career OPS+ 58), so everything we said about Paek goes double for Burel. One might have reasonably expected a slight improvement in offensive performance this year against UMEBA pitching, but that hasn't happened. To date this season, he's accumulated a 54 OPS+ and 0.5 WAR.
James Holman (45/45), Manama
Holman joined the Pearls in 2043 after seven years in the Brewster. He's been a good piece for the Manama infield, though he's had difficulty with consistently good offensive performance throughout his career. Last season the Illinois native posted an OPS+ of 110 and a 3.0 WAR. Now in his age thirty-two season, Holman's production is taking quite a dip, with his OPS+ on the year down to 76, and his WAR hovering right around replacement level at 0.2. The good vibes around Holman are dissipating.
Rodrigo Ríos (45/45), Riyadh
Once upon a time, Ríos was a second round pick in the BBA amateur draft. He never really lived up to what potential he appeared to have. That Ríos had 244 appearances in the Brewster is a bit of a head-scratcher. Yet another utility man with no bat, Riyadh took a chance on him in 2046. He's turned in a slash line of .207/.251/.250. The Crescents have recently picked up another shortstop, Zach Swanson, in an effort to improve here. Swanson's first six games with the club don't hint at much promise, though.
Gustavo Gutiérrez (40/40), Baghdad
Another New York City product, Gutiérrez played in five non-consecutive seasons (five cups of coffee, really) at the big league level while in the Brewster. The phrase 'emergency backup' comes to mind. He joined the Unified in '43, playing for now-contracted C.S.K.A., where he was given 612 at-bats and rewarded the team's faith with a 72 OPS+ / -0.8 WAR season. Curiously, he went back to the BBA after his team was contracted, where he knocked around the minors for a couple years. The Kings signed him to a minor league deal this winter. His play doesn't seem to have warranted his 61 starts this year (OPS+ 56 / WAR -0.3).