Tuber Times 2063.38: Player Position Rankings
Posted: Tue May 27, 2025 2:15 am
Tuber Times
8 April 2063
Boise, Idaho
**********************************
by Tony Toney
There they are on our home screen. Boise positional rankings. We see them all day long but never comment. For whatever they're worth (as much as BBA Team Power Rankings) we'll comb thru them on a lark.
Catcher (10th)
24yo Tadanobu Otani
Tada is above-average defensively but his quality comes from his surprisingly productive bat. In 2062 he ranked 2nd in the JL in nearly all core stats to Cape Fear's Sam 'Mister' Butler. He led all of BBA catchers in runs scored (65) and ISO (.224) and his batter WAR of +2.8 ranked 5th in the JL. I might could find 5 BBA catchers I would swap for Tada but 9 is a stretch. Of course, his backup is 33yo 'Furball' bin Saleh who is on the roster because he is a Captain so I'm sure that drags the ranking down.
First Base (21st)
28yo Tracy 'Jigga' Allison
Jigga deserves more respect than this, but he is a strange fellow at the position. He led all BBA first basemen in 2062 with 63 steals and 14 triples. 2nd on the SB ranking had 37. But the roster also includes rookie William Coleman who ranked as high as 10th in BBA prospects before beginning his ML campaign this season. The Spuds are more set at 1B than 21st appears to say.
Second Base (29th)
26yo Fernando Segura
This we get because Segura, despite being an semi-elite defensive second baseman, has not brought his AAA offensive production to the majors...yet. He served up a +2.9 WAR at AAA in 2061 and +2.4 in 2062. But his numbers at ML level were atrocious including a -1.3 WAR and .459 OPS. He got a good jump on this season, though, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for him.
Third Base (10th)
25yo Bill Kuhn
Kuhn seriously lacks defensively committing 19 errors in 2061 and another 23 last season. But his bat makes up for that deficiency coming off consecutive 100+ RBI campaigns. He's roughly the 5th-best 3B in the JL, so 10th in all of BBA looks about spot on. It should also be noted that utility infielder Zhi-fu 'The Doctor' Huang is listed as a third baseman and led the position in stolen bases in 2062 with 53. The next highest was 27.
Shortstop (27th)
27yo Dan Raymond
Raymond is your typically "all-glove" shortstop. He brings nothing to the plate, but he was 2nd in the BBA in both ZR (+19.8) and EFF (1.089) behind Atlantic City's Jafar Seif al Din. With all that, he doesn't appear on any of the 2062 offensive stat rankings at the position. 27th looks about right and about what Boise GM Ben Teague's expects out of a shortstop.
Left Field (23rd)
27yo Cosmo Pan
There. Is. No. Way. Pan posted a +3.4 WAR in 2062. He's a well-rounded player so not a slugger or OBP/speed build, but there's just no way there are 22 leftfielders in the BBA better than him. Feel free to fact check us.
Center Field (19th)
27yo Amphibian Johnson
This looks about right. 'Toad' is a great CF, rating 11 on defense, but has a middling arm. He basically just holds his own at the plate dropping a +0.8 WAR in 2062 after a +2.8 in 2061.
Right Field (21st)
27yo Tsutomu Yamauchi
This checks out as well. Yamauchi is a fine RF but his is not the typical production from a corner outfielder. He produced a +2.6 WAR in 2062 and +1.6 the season before. He plays strong defense though his errors are more than average. A replacement for Yamauchi wouldn't surprise us, but he fits well in the Spuds lineup as constructed.
Starting Pitchers (16th)
33yo Josh 'Kid' Clark, 36yo Mahad 'Furball' Einan, 38yo Thomas Turner, 31yo Niegloslaw Woywitka, 26yo Dan Boman
As has been dissected, Teague put together a veteran rotation to pair with his young offense. Clark is a true ace not only walking hardly anyone (1.8 BB/9 in 2062) but logging the 2nd-best K/BB rate in BBA at 3.8 which is superior for a starter. Einan returns but is no longer the ace that he was leaned on to be last season. Similar to Clark, Turner had a BB/9 of just over 2.5 he just doesn't strikeout hitters as often. But his control also leads to weak contact and the +2.2 WAR from 2062. Woywi is a nearly textbook #4 with low walks but pitching to contact as well. His 2062 numbers included a 3.44 ERA and +1.3 WAR for Hawaii. Bowman is a young lefty that still has some stuff to develop. His 9 STA and Extreme Groundballer profile is, again, just what you want out of a #5. All that said, this being a mid rotation in the BBA is about right. That's not to say it's lacking quality, but it's a solid, classic rotation.
Relievers (14th)
RHP Abban 'Eeyore' Layar, RHP Buddhapalita Kankipati, RHP Tim Stops, LHP Samir Qasim, RHP Máximo Rivera
Not really clear why the rankings list Layar as the top arm out of the bullpen. He is solid, but Buddha is the most consistent & effective option in middle relief. Stops and Qasim are the classic R/L setup guys where Rivera is a firebreather best used in short stints where his high K/9 can take hold. We wouldn't go higher than 10th, but 14th feels a little low. This is an above-average BBA bullpen and should prove to be a strength over the season.
Closer (14th)
CL Mario Santos
The game vacillates from 10th down the 14th on Santos. He is, indeed, one of the top in the biz posting 26 saves in 2061 and 25 in 2062. His biggest weakness is allowing the one big mistake, evidenced by his Silver Goat 2062 trophy. His attention seems to wander but that was a focal point in his prep for this season so it should improve. We'll wait and see and hope.
8 April 2063
Boise, Idaho
**********************************
by Tony Toney
There they are on our home screen. Boise positional rankings. We see them all day long but never comment. For whatever they're worth (as much as BBA Team Power Rankings) we'll comb thru them on a lark.
Catcher (10th)24yo Tadanobu Otani
Tada is above-average defensively but his quality comes from his surprisingly productive bat. In 2062 he ranked 2nd in the JL in nearly all core stats to Cape Fear's Sam 'Mister' Butler. He led all of BBA catchers in runs scored (65) and ISO (.224) and his batter WAR of +2.8 ranked 5th in the JL. I might could find 5 BBA catchers I would swap for Tada but 9 is a stretch. Of course, his backup is 33yo 'Furball' bin Saleh who is on the roster because he is a Captain so I'm sure that drags the ranking down.
First Base (21st)
28yo Tracy 'Jigga' Allison
Jigga deserves more respect than this, but he is a strange fellow at the position. He led all BBA first basemen in 2062 with 63 steals and 14 triples. 2nd on the SB ranking had 37. But the roster also includes rookie William Coleman who ranked as high as 10th in BBA prospects before beginning his ML campaign this season. The Spuds are more set at 1B than 21st appears to say.
Second Base (29th)
26yo Fernando Segura
This we get because Segura, despite being an semi-elite defensive second baseman, has not brought his AAA offensive production to the majors...yet. He served up a +2.9 WAR at AAA in 2061 and +2.4 in 2062. But his numbers at ML level were atrocious including a -1.3 WAR and .459 OPS. He got a good jump on this season, though, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for him.
Third Base (10th)
25yo Bill Kuhn
Kuhn seriously lacks defensively committing 19 errors in 2061 and another 23 last season. But his bat makes up for that deficiency coming off consecutive 100+ RBI campaigns. He's roughly the 5th-best 3B in the JL, so 10th in all of BBA looks about spot on. It should also be noted that utility infielder Zhi-fu 'The Doctor' Huang is listed as a third baseman and led the position in stolen bases in 2062 with 53. The next highest was 27.
Shortstop (27th)
27yo Dan Raymond
Raymond is your typically "all-glove" shortstop. He brings nothing to the plate, but he was 2nd in the BBA in both ZR (+19.8) and EFF (1.089) behind Atlantic City's Jafar Seif al Din. With all that, he doesn't appear on any of the 2062 offensive stat rankings at the position. 27th looks about right and about what Boise GM Ben Teague's expects out of a shortstop.
Left Field (23rd)
27yo Cosmo Pan
There. Is. No. Way. Pan posted a +3.4 WAR in 2062. He's a well-rounded player so not a slugger or OBP/speed build, but there's just no way there are 22 leftfielders in the BBA better than him. Feel free to fact check us.
Center Field (19th)
27yo Amphibian Johnson
This looks about right. 'Toad' is a great CF, rating 11 on defense, but has a middling arm. He basically just holds his own at the plate dropping a +0.8 WAR in 2062 after a +2.8 in 2061.
Right Field (21st)
27yo Tsutomu Yamauchi
This checks out as well. Yamauchi is a fine RF but his is not the typical production from a corner outfielder. He produced a +2.6 WAR in 2062 and +1.6 the season before. He plays strong defense though his errors are more than average. A replacement for Yamauchi wouldn't surprise us, but he fits well in the Spuds lineup as constructed.
Starting Pitchers (16th)
33yo Josh 'Kid' Clark, 36yo Mahad 'Furball' Einan, 38yo Thomas Turner, 31yo Niegloslaw Woywitka, 26yo Dan Boman
As has been dissected, Teague put together a veteran rotation to pair with his young offense. Clark is a true ace not only walking hardly anyone (1.8 BB/9 in 2062) but logging the 2nd-best K/BB rate in BBA at 3.8 which is superior for a starter. Einan returns but is no longer the ace that he was leaned on to be last season. Similar to Clark, Turner had a BB/9 of just over 2.5 he just doesn't strikeout hitters as often. But his control also leads to weak contact and the +2.2 WAR from 2062. Woywi is a nearly textbook #4 with low walks but pitching to contact as well. His 2062 numbers included a 3.44 ERA and +1.3 WAR for Hawaii. Bowman is a young lefty that still has some stuff to develop. His 9 STA and Extreme Groundballer profile is, again, just what you want out of a #5. All that said, this being a mid rotation in the BBA is about right. That's not to say it's lacking quality, but it's a solid, classic rotation.
Relievers (14th)
RHP Abban 'Eeyore' Layar, RHP Buddhapalita Kankipati, RHP Tim Stops, LHP Samir Qasim, RHP Máximo Rivera
Not really clear why the rankings list Layar as the top arm out of the bullpen. He is solid, but Buddha is the most consistent & effective option in middle relief. Stops and Qasim are the classic R/L setup guys where Rivera is a firebreather best used in short stints where his high K/9 can take hold. We wouldn't go higher than 10th, but 14th feels a little low. This is an above-average BBA bullpen and should prove to be a strength over the season.
Closer (14th)
CL Mario Santos
The game vacillates from 10th down the 14th on Santos. He is, indeed, one of the top in the biz posting 26 saves in 2061 and 25 in 2062. His biggest weakness is allowing the one big mistake, evidenced by his Silver Goat 2062 trophy. His attention seems to wander but that was a focal point in his prep for this season so it should improve. We'll wait and see and hope.