Catcher: Ralph Butt v. Clark Foster- Ralph Butt has been one of Seattle’s under-appreciated offensive weapons this season, who has played a large role in helping Seattle post a team .368 OBP. Butt has posted a .401 OBP and an .837 OPS. Foster is one of the most exciting catching prospect in the MBBA, and his numbers this year were solid, if unspectacular, as he posted a .760 OPS. Defensively, Foster is considered to be the superior player, and he has only allowed 5 passed balls to Butt’s 8. When it comes to controlling the running game, however, Butt has been better as he’s thrown out nearly 42 percent of the people who have attempted to steal on him, while Foster has thrown out almost 33 percent. Of course, those numbers could also be attributed to Seattle’s pitching staff. If you were starting a franchise, there is no question you would want to pick Foster who is young, cheap, and likely to improve, but for this one playoff series, the advantage goes to Butt.
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First Base: Grant Hardin v. Duane Whitley- Whitley certainly fits the bill as a “traditional” first baseman: big, lumbering, and left-handed. Hardin, on the other hand, is the opposite. He plays multiple positions, does not hit for very much power, and can steal bases. This contrast in styles makes for an interesting comparison of the two players. Whitley’s value stems entirely from his bat, but that bat provides a lot of value. Although Whitley hasn’t stolen a base all year, and his defense is viewed as a negative, Whitley is an excellent hitter. Whitley posted an.854 OPS this season while hitting 22 home runs and driving in 114. Whitley is probably the team’s best hitter, and is a vital part of the team’s offense. He is also a bit of an anomaly: a power hitter who almost never strikes out. Hardin, on the other hand, is not a traditional first baseman. In fact, he played second base for much of this season. Wherever he played, however, Hardin put up offensive numbers. This year, Hardin posted a very solid .786 OPS while stealing 19 bases and only being caught 3 times. Hardin also provides excellent defense at first base, and he’s also much younger than Whitley. Ultimately, this decision is similar to the Butt v. Foster debate. If you were starting a team, you would likely take the younger, more versatile Hardin. For a seven game series, however, it’s impossible to pass up the offensive prowess of Whitley.
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Second Base: Roman Empire v. Ernie Stauffer- Continuing the theme of “established veteran compared to rising young player,” this comparison features one of the game’s established stars in Empire against the twenty-five year old Stauffer. This season Empire continued to show that a good batting eye generally doesn’t diminish with age, as his superb OBP was largely responsible for his .826 OPS and .375 wOBA. Although Empire’s defensive abilities have started to erode, he can still play a competent second base and he is a key part of Seattle’s lineup. Stauffer, on the other hand, is a young player who is just entering is his prime. He is universally recognized as a very strong fielder, and his hitting is also quite good. This season, he posted a .773 OPS and a .335 wOBA; these are both very strong numbers, but they don’t quite measure up to Empire’s. Neither Empire nor Stauffer is a threat on the basepaths. To pick between the two, a manager must decide what they value more: offense or defense. While Empire’s offense is clearly superior, some might prefer Stauffer’s defensive capabilities. With that in mind, however, Empire’s terrific offensive game makes him the pick, although by this time next year, the results will likely be different.
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Shortstop: Dave May v. William Rowland: May has had a fantastic season, and seems like a top candidate for Frick League Rookie of the Year Award. May has put up an .869 OPS and a .369 wOBA while also stealing 15 bases. May has been a key part of Seattle’s lineup all season. Although May started this season as a first baseman, his defensive talent stood out, and eventually Seattle made the unprecedented decision to move him to shortstop in the middle of the season. Although the move has come with some struggles, May appears to be getting more comfortable every day, and if the transition goes well, May’s value will be even higher as a shortstop. William Rowland is also a very solid player who put up a .792 OPS and .330 wOBA. Although he is faster than May, that speed has not necessarily translated to success on the basepaths, as he has only stolen 8 bases in 16 attempts. Although Rowland is a better defensive player than May, the league consensus is that the gap in their defensive abilities is minimal, and May’s offensive prowess makes him the pick here.
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Third Base: Trey Williams v. Jake Urban: The “new school v. old school” dichotomy continues, but in this case, there isn’t much debate. Urban is still a very talented player, and although his numbers this season were not up to his usual standards, there is no question that he is capable of taking over a game, or a series, with his bat. He also plays a competent third base, and he certainly makes his team better when he’s on the field. For all of Urban’s skills, however, he can’t hold a candle to what Trey Williams did this season, but in all fairness, who can? This season Williams simply set the Johnson league on fire, hitting .373, which will put him in the top 25 for single-season batting averages. Whole articles can and will (spoiler alert!) be written about Williams’ season, but it is also worth mentioning that Williams put up these numbers while also shifting from shortstop to third base in mid-season without a single complain, and he put up fantastic defensive numbers at both positions. Williams’ move to third base has played a big role in the team’s defense improving as a whole. For all of these reasons, it’s clear that Williams is the pick.
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Left Field: Josh Tyler/Ivan Salas v. Billy Beauford- Both teams use some form of platoons in the outfield, so it’s necessary to factor in multiple players when evaluating overall positional strength. Josh Tyler has been a very solid left fielder for Seattle, as he plays great defense and crushes right-handed pitching, to the tune of an .890 OPS. Because of his weakness against lefties, however, the Storm have begun to use Ivan Salas against southpaws. Salas is something of an unknown. Although there are tales of his prodigious power, his results haven’t matched those stories…yet. The Storm hope that Salas can make an impact during his limited at-bats. Because Beauford has played the most innings of left field for Montreal, he gets listed in this preview. Although Tyler has a slightly higher OPS and wOBA than Beauford does, Beauford’s past history of success, combined with his spectacular defensive abilities in left field, make Beauford the pick here.
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Center Field: Mike Marceau v. Bob White/Chase Stoll/Frank Harris- Without injured centerfielder Tipper Kengos, this isn’t much of a contest: Mike Marceau was acquired to provide injury assurance and not much else, which is perfect, because he hasn’t provided much else except for competent defense and great speed. Bob White, in contrast, has put up very good offensive numbers and he is one of the top hitters on his team. For that reason alone, without even considering Stoll and Harris, the pick is clearly White and the Blazers’ group of center fielders.
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Right Field: Austin Gibson v. Weston Fitzpatrick- Gibson has been another key cog in Seattle’s offensive machine. Although some skeptics might point out that Gibson’s RBI total is inflated because of the table-setters who hit in front of him in the lineup, there is no questioning Gibson’s .891 OPS or .383 wOBA, and his 23 home runs in what is considered a pitchers’ park speak volumes about Gibson’s power. While Gibson was an unmitigated disaster playing center field, he is a plus defender in right field, and his move to that position has certainly helped the team’s overall defense. Weston Fitzpatrick is a different type of player. As his nickname suggests, Fitzpatrick’s game is based largely on speed. Due to his poor batting eye, however, Fitzpatrick does not get a chance to display his speed as often as Blazers fans would like. Although Fitzpatrick is also a plus defender, the gap in offensive skills between Gibson and Fitzpatrick makes Gibson the clear choice.
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Designated Hitter: Richard Rollins v. Yves Riviere- This is an interesting contrast of styles: Rollins’ game is based on extra-base hits, which helps to explain his .489 slugging percentage. Rollins has been the Storm’s most underrated hitter for most of the season, and he has been absolutely terrific against righties. Riviere, on the other hand, generally hits for less power but has a terrific eye and gets on base at a higher rate than Rollins does. This is the toughest call between any two players, and as a result, this goes down as a tie.
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Bench: Seattle’s GM Nathan Eagan believes that the team’s bench is one of its most underrated assets. Although some of these players might not count as “bench” players because they often start against left-handed pitching, they count for the purpose of this article. Both Keith Moss and Steve Watkins start against left-handed pitchers, and their stats reveal how much better they are when facing southpaws. Watkins also has tremendous defensive versatility, and can play most of the positions on the defensive spectrum. Manuel Roman is a solid backup catcher, and Phan Ta is a very good hitter who is a terrific asset to use off of the bench. Seattle also has great options it can turn to in later innings when defensive replacements are needed. Vincent Adams, recently acquired in a trade from New Orleans, provides tremendous defense at all four infield positions, and Shawn McClure plays fantastic defense at the corners. Montreal’s bench features many of the outfielders listed above, when they aren’t starting, along with Gideon Camm, who provides solid defense along with game-changing speed. Alfonso Mercado provides a good bat off the bench, while Ludovic Evangelista provides fantastic defense.
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Conclusion: Many baseball fans like to repeat the axiom that “good pitching beats good hitting.” Whether or not that is true is debatable, but Seattle fans will certainly hope that’s not the case over the coming week. Seattle’s offense is superior to Montreal’s, and it has superior team stats to Montreal in all categories except for strikeouts. While Seattle’s offense is fantastic, its pitching leaves a lot to be desired, and the pitching matchup will be discussed tomorrow, when we analyze the rotation and bullpen of both teams, and make our series prediction.
