Somebody at MLB Network is on crack.

I love that anything that has to do with the Braves is underdog status…literally, I love it.

Go Braves!

by kimrob1 on Feb 25, 2011 12:10 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

This makes no sense to me

And I really don’t think I’m being a homer by saying that.

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 25, 2011 12:41 PM EST reply actions

MLBN has been awful lately.

It’s almost to a point where I won’t watch that either.

McCann has been an All Star-level catcher for 4 years and he’s 41st. Buster Posey had 4 good months, and he’s 16th? Hmm…

Give me a break.

"That guy mvhsbball is really an insufferable schmuck." - FuquaManuel

by Scott Coleman on Feb 25, 2011 12:49 PM EST via mobile reply actions

well

I like Mac more and I’d take him over Posey but Buster did have 4 great great months as the #3 hitter. I’m not defending their choice but Buster is no slouch.

by redjohn on Feb 25, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions

That's not the point.

There’s no way, by any standard, that he is better than Brian McCann. It is just totally ludicrous.

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Feb 25, 2011 3:17 PM EST up reply actions

He didn't even have a great four months!

He had a great 3 weeks in the month of July and was an average hitter at his very best points before that and over the rest of the season.

by swainzy on Feb 25, 2011 3:18 PM EST up reply actions

just remember...

All the Amazing stuff Posey did in the Post season, and he has a WS ring, McCann on the other hand doesn’t, so Obviously those four straight All star appearances and silver sluggers Awards and the Fact the he`s the second best catcher in the majors doesn’t count at all….

by Bizarros on Feb 25, 2011 1:18 PM EST up reply actions

do you mean 5 straight all star appearances

why do you short change our guy? why do you hate the Braves so much?

by redjohn on Feb 25, 2011 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

my bad

5 sorry, still doesn’t matter… “Obviously” posey is 25 spots better….!!!!

by Bizarros on Feb 25, 2011 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

But think about this...

means…
… That he would be – on average – the best player on half of the ML teams, and no worse than 2nd best on the rest.

Now I dunno how they’re treating the pitchers, but I could probably come up with a dozen of them that I’d rank higher than Posey (including Lincecum). But to say that he’s better than McCann after a single year is a stretch at best… I seem to remember that same kind of discussion about Russell Martin.

Sandy Alderson: "There's 'no market' for Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, even if we wanted to trade them." (All you need to know about the Mets).

by carpengui on Feb 25, 2011 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

Character replacement fail.

Where it reads “1.” above … think “Number Sixteen” instead.

Sandy Alderson: "There's 'no market' for Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, even if we wanted to trade them." (All you need to know about the Mets).

by carpengui on Feb 25, 2011 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

auto-format

It wins every time.

by Bronn on Feb 25, 2011 1:34 PM EST up reply actions

The Preview button is your friend. :)

http://tonyalmeyda.blogspot.com/

by TonyAlmeyda on Feb 25, 2011 5:57 PM EST up reply actions

I actually think he's worthy of top 25

but I think Mac should be higher than him. I also think Heyward should be some where close to him

by redjohn on Feb 25, 2011 1:42 PM EST up reply actions

All his excellent postseason performances, like being out by a country mile and then deriding us when the blown call went his way. Yeah, he’s fucking GREAT.

Posey was out.

"Life is a lot like a baseball game- you want your team to win, you want it to be a thriller, you don't want it to be called short on account of nature, and you wouldn't mind if it went into extra innings." -Dante Shepherd, survivingtheworld.net

by J-Freak on Feb 25, 2011 2:09 PM EST up reply actions

I would expect ESPN to say something like this, but never MLB network.

Someone needs to make a Braves history class

by Brvsball on Feb 25, 2011 1:07 PM EST reply actions

Yeah, a bit ridiculous

Both McCann and Heyward were easily in top 50 in terms of WAR last season. Posey was not. He’ll be good, but there is no way that he is clearly better than both of them.

by Bronn on Feb 25, 2011 1:31 PM EST reply actions

iirc

WAR is a counting stat, so it is dependent on playing time, so there is no way he could outrank them.

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 26, 2011 9:07 AM EST up reply actions

I’m completely aware of that, but that’s really the point. Heyward should definitely be in the top 50 since he was posted one of the 50 best performances in his age 20 season. Posey hasn’t even played a full season, so it’s hard to say that he’s definitely that kind of hitter.

Since the whole sum of a player’s major league data doesn’t incorporate a full season. All he’s done is have one great partial season in which he wasn’t among the top 75 most valuable players for the year. In order to gain value, he’s going to have to play a lot more, and that means that they’ll need to use him more at first base, where he’s a bit less valuable. His value isn’t going to make another huge jump, I don’t think.

by Bronn on Feb 26, 2011 4:22 PM EST up reply actions

~~Somebody~~ Everybody but Tom Verducci at MLB Network is on crack.

Duh. Been that way.

"Life is a lot like a baseball game- you want your team to win, you want it to be a thriller, you don't want it to be called short on account of nature, and you wouldn't mind if it went into extra innings." -Dante Shepherd, survivingtheworld.net

by J-Freak on Feb 25, 2011 2:08 PM EST reply actions

I was watching the show with my brother yesterday (he’s a Mets fan), and as soon as I saw Posey I just changed the channel.

He is the most overrated player in the major leagues right now. Easily.

by SnipeShot on Feb 25, 2011 2:55 PM EST reply actions

they are seeing posey

as a heyward level prospect
at catcher..

i mean i get it..

mccann has a great bat for a catcher, but compared to allstars, it’s just great for a catcher
Posey might be a great bat period, and he is a stellar catcher..

if he is a talent like heyward (doubtful) then he is ranked higher than mccann by a ways

by willlinn on Feb 25, 2011 2:57 PM EST reply actions

Right now

Not potential.

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Feb 26, 2011 12:03 AM EST up reply actions

I was going to jump on his comment

But it’s just wrong in too many ways

by Bronn on Feb 26, 2011 12:57 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah

any MLB network rankings that I have seen have been really crappy. Just really really poor analysis, and it seems like everyone there drinks hype kool-aid all day. Say all you want about ESPN, the analysis is better.

by Andy Braves Fan on Feb 25, 2011 3:10 PM EST reply actions

this.

mlb network is to analysis what michael jordan was to baseball- lots of hype, absolutely no substance.

by Daniel McCracken on Feb 26, 2011 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

I think there are two factors at fault for most of that. One, they hire dopes like Mitch Williams to provide “analysis.” I could have told you without ever watching him that that would not end well. Second, they have a tendency to go around the desk and get the opinion of each guy in turn, and it comes across like they don’t intend for them to ever say the same thing twice. One guy has to take a stand for guy A, the next has to take a stand for guy B, etc., which muddles down whatever point they were trying to make to begin with. That would be great for programming like Prime 9, call the guys in and have them debate who belongs in what slot, but from the standpoint of the frontline analysis they claim to be going for, that’s a horrendous idea.

80% of their coverage is crap. I don’t want to say all because that would require me to damn Costas, Verducci and Gammons, but if they replaced Leiter, Williams, Reynolds, Magrane, and Plesac I wouldn’t shed a tear. Oh, and Greg Amsinger. My god, how I hate Greg Amsinger.

Ripken is nothing special, but he seems to have his head screwed on better than the rest, and Vasgersian is the perfect guy to be an anchor and game-caller, but the rest of the analysis board should be replaced forthwith.

"Life is a lot like a baseball game- you want your team to win, you want it to be a thriller, you don't want it to be called short on account of nature, and you wouldn't mind if it went into extra innings." -Dante Shepherd, survivingtheworld.net

by J-Freak on Feb 27, 2011 3:05 AM EST up reply actions

Joe Magrane is one of the best guys they have on there as far as ex-players go, in my opinion.

by 2Brave2Bscared on Feb 27, 2011 10:14 AM EST up reply actions

ive always liked harold reynolds

by austinhb on Feb 27, 2011 10:55 AM EST up reply actions

agreed

I think MLB network does a decent job at bringing in good baseball story-tellers. I would add our own fan favorite John Smoltz to guys I like (though that may be the homer in me, and he is more of an interview guy). But they have no good analysis.

by Andy Braves Fan on Feb 28, 2011 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

Don't think they are being consistent at all..

If they rank the NL ROY at 16, and then rank someone who is equally(cough, heywards better, cough) as good at 68, you aren’t staying true to how you’re ranking players. If they are ranking by fantasy draft status I can get it, if only because it’s tough to get elite-good C’s but you can find OF’s fairly late in drafts, but then they rank McCann (top 3-5 catcher in baseball) at 41.. IMO Posey is nowhere close to top 15, and neither is Heyward.
Pujols, halladay, cliff lee, Adrian gonzo, utley, Zimmerman, longoria, crawford, cano, mauer, sabathia, lincecum, wainwright, votto, tulowitzki, Santana, wright, Hamilton, felix Hernandez, greinke, morneau(when healthy), arod, Tex, price. Not in a specific order either, but those players I think have more proven track records of being GREAT year in and out. The Catcher position doesn’t vault a player higher, and the fact that he’s only done it for one year means he could fall off. JMO. Now if we rank by how much each player means to their teams success, that list above is scrapped entirely.

by murph35 on Feb 25, 2011 4:12 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Even in fantasy you’d get laughed out of the draft if you took ANY catcher in the second round, and Posey is most definitely not the best catcher.

by king of games on Feb 25, 2011 4:45 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed

Just trying to wrap my head around them ranking posey that high, and no matter how you slice it, it’s just flat out wrong how high they rank him.

by murph35 on Feb 25, 2011 5:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Don't

you could cause permanent damage to your head.

by Andy Braves Fan on Feb 28, 2011 2:15 PM EST up reply actions

Buster Posey = Matt Wieters 365 days ago.

by apoxonbothyourhouses on Feb 25, 2011 6:16 PM EST reply actions

+100

by goesbetterwithbeer on Feb 27, 2011 12:30 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

(cough) If Prado was on the Phillies he would have made it. Top 30, too.

"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Feb 25, 2011 6:28 PM EST reply actions

He did make it

it was 2 ahead of heyward i believe.. or maybe it was uggla.. i dont remember

by austinhb on Feb 25, 2011 6:54 PM EST up reply actions

Prado was #66

Which shocked me. Love Prado, but ahead of Heyward?

by goesbetterwithbeer on Feb 27, 2011 12:31 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Aroldis Chapman was 100

and Hanson wasnt on the list

The game is the game.

by a hooter's baby on Feb 25, 2011 9:12 PM EST reply actions

It's a northern bias guys.

We’ve been living with it for years. For instance, if the Yanks or BoSox went on the same 9 game winning streak as we did last year, it would have been the lead story on EVERY Sportscenter from the 5th game in a row onward. We got some credit and a little billing, but NOTHING compared to what would have happened if those guys had done it.

Being an Alabama and SEC fan, you see it in college football all the time. Hell, the national writers at ESPN are pretty much flat out saying they want someone else to win it. What I’m saying may have a conspiracy theorist ring to it, but I don’t care. It’s true. Always has been and always will be. Thanks for my soap box time

"I do whatever they want me to do," he said. "I’ll punt it if that’s what they want." Julio Jones after rushing for a 56 yd TD vs Miss. St.

by coachrob on Feb 26, 2011 11:39 AM EST reply actions

Which makes perfect sense, given that Posey is from Georgia and plays for a team on the West Coast.

LIVE EST

Tape-delayed for the West Coast

by TheLetter2 on Feb 26, 2011 3:33 PM EST up reply actions

This

Took the words right outta my mouth.

"Life is a lot like a baseball game- you want your team to win, you want it to be a thriller, you don't want it to be called short on account of nature, and you wouldn't mind if it went into extra innings." -Dante Shepherd, survivingtheworld.net

by J-Freak on Feb 27, 2011 3:07 AM EST up reply actions

See? We can achieve common ground.

LIVE EST

Tape-delayed for the West Coast

by TheLetter2 on Feb 27, 2011 10:21 AM EST up reply actions

Don’t get too comfortable. He was still out and I hate him, but that “northern bias” bit is rubbish in this case.

"Life is a lot like a baseball game- you want your team to win, you want it to be a thriller, you don't want it to be called short on account of nature, and you wouldn't mind if it went into extra innings." -Dante Shepherd, survivingtheworld.net

by J-Freak on Feb 27, 2011 11:48 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

good point

…since the fan base for the yankees is almost equal to that of the braves

by JohnRocker4CyYoung on Feb 26, 2011 8:57 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t buy that at all.

This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Feb 27, 2011 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

MLB Network = TROLLS

Anything off their 10x daily list shows should be taken with a huge grain of salt. All that garbage is out there for is to try to drum up sort of conversation, which in turn just misinforms fans. If they had been around during Philly W.S. run I’m sure they would’ve annointed Cole Hamels as the best SP in the majors. Just ‘cause Mitch “Oops I blew the World Series” Williams and Harold “Innapropriate hug outside Boston Market” Reynolds say he’s better on some bullshit list doesn’t make it so.

BTW- No Smoltz on top 9 sliders list? Eat a dick, MLB Network.

by goesbetterwithbeer on Feb 27, 2011 12:27 PM EST via mobile reply actions

The fact that Posey is ahead of Heyward

is beyond laughable.

By the time they retire, I bet Heyward had a 30+ lead in WAR

How do I feel? Like f**king success - Jordan Schafer

We had the midget mafia over at second base: Me, Uggla and Conrad - Matt Young

by ATLandUNC on Feb 27, 2011 3:41 PM EST reply actions

Posey might end up being worth more than Heyward in 2011

But, by the tiniest, slimmest of margins. There’s no reason to think there’s a gap over 50 players in that area. Posey has the advantage of being a catcher, but Heyward is quite simply going to be the more valuable hitter.

by Bronn on Feb 27, 2011 4:58 PM EST up reply actions