S3 Best Players

 Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

S3 Top Players

Since we often reference a player's fantasy points on the blog, let's take a quick second to explain them. It's simple really, 1 point for every base, run batted in, run, walk, and each stolen base. A player gets minus 1 point for every strike out and minus a half point for each caught stealing. On the pitching side, we use a point for every inning pitched, plus 2 points for every strike out, plus 3 points for a win, and plus 4.5 for every save. The goal was to put points into things that are more controllable to the pitcher - how long they last in a game and how many strike outs they achieve but still wanted to award the W/L/SV categories as well. The pitchers have a lot more chances to lose points, but again tried to keep them based on things that are more directly tied to the pitcher's control, minus 0.4 for each walk or earned run, minus 0.75 for each home run given up and every walk. They also get minus 2 for every Loss and blown save. This system was tweaked from Yahoo's Fantasy Baseball settings. 

We'll group players by position with their Fantasy Points, perhaps one year we'll add in the stats like extra base hits (xBH), Weighted Runs Above Average (wRAA), weighted On-Base Average (wOBA), weighted runs created plus (wRC+), weighted stolen bases (wSB). For pitchers we could do Adjusted ERA (100 is league average), etc. But for now it's just the Fantasy Points. Bold names indicate Silver Slugger. Underlined names indicate Gold Glove Winners.  

Top 20 Position Players

1. 1B Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 756
2. 1B Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 737
3. 1B Randy Uribe (Fargo) - 650
4. RF Koji Katou (St Louis) - 636
5. 1B Rajai Johnstone (Buffalo) - 631
6. DH Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 626
7. RF Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 625
8. 1B Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 623
9. DH Rubi Veras (Syracuse) - 614
10. LF Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 600
11. 2B Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) - 581
12. RF Ubaldo Johnson (Fresno) - 576
13. 2B Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 573
14. SS Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 562
15. CF Billy Ray Sowders (Trenton) - 560
16. 1B Len Priest (St Louis) - 553
17. RF Timothy Adams (Texas) - 553
18. CF Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 544
19. 1B Jason Bako (Trenton) - 536
20. 3B Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 529

Bottom 10 Position Payers

Requires a minimum of 300 At-Bats; this is generally full of Shortstops. 

1. CF Ed Ward (Helena) - 83
2. 3B Lyle Grove (Rochester) - 105
3. SS Jeff Webber (Los Angeles) - 108
4. SS Wilfredo Polanco (Montgomery) - 115
5. C Aaron Cepicky (Vancouver) - 174
6. SS Dennis Nomo (San Antonio) - 176
7. 1B Guy Syndergaard (Tacoma) - 181
1. Also the only guy with a negative fielding WAR on the list. 
8. C Matty Lopez (Montgomery) - 189
9. 3B Greg Lavarnway (Helena) - 198
10. 2B Brendan Brooks (Arizona) - 205

Top 10 Catchers

1. Ellis Curtis (Colorado Springs) - 524
2. Shin-Soo Ishii (Texas) - 509
3. Benny Lee (Tucson) - 450
4. Tyler Stull (San Antonio) - 443
5. Dan Key (New Orleans) - 419
6. Brad Randolph (Baltimore) - 398
7. Lyle Lush (Los Angeles) - 389
8. Sammy Kelly (Trenton) - 374
9. Julio Rodriguez (Indianapolis) - 364
10. Shooter Brewer (New York) - 352

Top 10 First Basemen

1. Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 756
2. Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 737
3. Randy Uribe (Fargo) - 650
4. Rajai Johnstone (San Antonio) - 631
5. Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 623
6. Len Priest (St Louis) - 553
7. Jason Bako (Trenton) - 536
8. Cedrick Harper (Boston) - 486
9. Matt Roberts (Baltimore) - 483
10. Dustan Nevin (Durham) - 481

Top 10 Second Basemen

1. Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) - 581
2. Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 573
3. Jarrod Baldoquin (Tacoma) - 456
4. Chadd Burgess (New Orleans) - 432
5. Mark Harper (Tucson) - 427
6. DT Franco (San Antonio) - 425
7. Harry Ugueto (Durham) - 403
8. Deven Sanchez (Mexico City) - 390
9. Pascual Pescado (Boston) - 381
10. Glenn Green (St Louis) - 374

Top 10 Shortstop

1. Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 562
2. Joe Winston (Baltimore) - 507
3. David Horton (Tacoma) - 422
4. Steve Ricarrdi (Mexico City) - 368
5. Sticky Cole (Indianapolis) - 360
6. Keith Sowders (Fargo) - 350
7. Adrian Ross (Buffalo) - 348
8. Ron House (St Louis) - 328
9. Allie McBride (Durham) - 315
10. RJ Santiago (Helena) - 276

Top 10 Third Basemen

1. Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 529
2. Jim Smith (Boston) - 502
3. Tyreace Moore (Syracuse) - 487
4. Vladimir Daniels (Tucson) - 482
5. Taijuan Fick (Chicago) - 469
6. Vern Ashley (Arizona) - 424
7. Alex Ortiz (New York) - 423
8. Jesus Alvarez (Los Angeles) - 421
9. JP Cabellero (Fargo) - 391
10. Alex Gonzales (Charlotte) - 390

Top 10 Left Fielders

1. Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 600
2. Edgmer Pena (New Orleans) - 524
3. Mickey Villegas (Los Angeles) - 520
4. Nate Hackman (Syracuse) - 518
5. RA Trahan (Trenton) - 505
6. Bump Newsome (Nashville) - 483
7. Brian Field (Indianapolis) - 478
8. Anthony Luke (Arizona) - 427
9. Tim Olsen (Fargo) - 417
10. Chance Bierbrodt (Montgomery) - 416

Top 10 Center Fielders

1. Billy Ray Sowders (Trenton) - 560
2. Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 544
3. Henderson May (Los Angeles) - 487
4. Mateo Lopez (Philadelphia) - 424
5. Wilfredo Melendez (Texas) - 405
6. Jumbo Nakano (Rochester) - 385
7. Arodys Esposito (Buffalo) - 354
8. Wayne Wolf (Syracuse) - 337
9. Sammy Little (Baltimore) - 332
10. Steve Holt (Salt Lake City) - 332

Top 10 Right Fielders

1. Koji Katou (St Louis) - 636
2. Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 625
3. Ubaldo Johnson (Fresno) - 576
4. Timothy Adams (Texas) - 553
5. Chris Gutierrez (Durham) - 445
6. JJ Marshall (New Orleans) - 443
7. Radley Frazier (San Antonio) - 441
8. Terry Cloud (Cincinnati) - 419
9. Horace Krizan (Fargo) - 418
10. Timothy Larkin (Tucson) - 416

Top 15 Starting Pitchers

1. Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 829
2. Harry DaSilva (Buffalo) - 823
3. Rolando Candelaria (San Antonio) - 794
4. Ned Gaillard (Syracuse) - 745
5. Donte Person (Carlotte) - 740
6. Allen Maysonet (Tucson) - 738
7. Derrek Cone (St Louis) - 734
8. Alex Price (Arizona) - 676
9. Louie Vizquel (Salt Lake City) - 668
10. Tony Sheehan (Trenton) - 664
11. Rando Rincon (Salt Lake City) - 655
12. Adam Loup (Chicago) - 647
13. Bernard Moran (Chicago) - 643
14. Magglio Mieses (Trenton) - 640
15. Jonathon Houston (Fresno) - 638

Top 10 Relief Pitchers
Requires less than 5 starts

1. Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 681
2. Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) - 650
3. Vic Mesa (Tucson) - 588
4. Kurt Spivey (Boston) - 585
5. Bono Grant (Chicago) - 520
6. Simon Sherman (Indianapolis) - 500
7. Jacob Sipp (Indianapolis) - 465
8. Cy Ingram (Indianapolis) - 464
9. David Gonzales (St Louis) - 454
10. Bingo Pryce (Boston) - 453

Bottom 10 Pitchers

Requires a minimum of 50 IP

1. Ernest Gaston (Arizona) - 66
2. Jonathan Bay (Charlotte) - 103
3. James Cormier (Syracuse) - 104
4. Ray McPherson (Indianapolis) - 109
5. Ryota Yamada (Texas) - 110
6. Kike Marquez (Tucson) - 112
7. Marvin Craddock (Louisville) - 114
8. Junior Belliard (Philadelphia) - 114
9. Arnold Kelly (Texas) - 115
10. Douglas Taylor (Tucson) - 118

Emperor of Hardball Stitches

 Gabrielle O. Alvarez-Tillman - contributing reporter

In Fresno, they call him The Emperor. In Tucson, he’s The False King, ever since Matthew Corey stepped onto the scene and made the earth move under their feet. But Steinbach’s track record is no one-hit wonder. Hardball Stitches’ first-ever NL Rookie of the Year didn’t stop there — he took home an MVP, a Silver Slugger, and an All-Star nod. Then, instead of resting, he came right back for an encore: another MVP, another Silver Slugger, another All-Star. Year after year, he’s proving he was born to be wild.

Now 27, Steinbach’s not exactly living on a prayer — but the shine isn’t as blinding as it once was. He’s on pace for a third straight 50+ home run season, though the .300 average and 200-hit milestones may slip away like sand through the hourglass. His batting average and OPS have dipped for a third straight year. Is this just a landslide where pitchers finally figured him out? Or is Fresno failing to give him enough help so he doesn’t have to carry that weight all by himself?

Enter Matthew Corey — the rookie who’s lighting up the sky like a rocket man. At just 21, he’s leading the NL in homers, average, and RBIs. That’s not just hot — that’s firework-hot. He’s also flashing the leather at a higher level than Steinbach, making him look like the total package. But the season is long, and it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. Can Corey keep it going, or will the dog days of summer turn his rhythm into nothing but a fading echo?

In the standings, Steinbach and Fresno have a 10-game cushion, sitting pretty with the wind at their back. Corey’s Road Runners? Stuck behind the 8 ball in the Wild Card chase, chasing cars they might not catch. If things don’t break their way, Corey may end up watching Steinbach from home, humming along to every rose has its thorn. But if he keeps swinging like this, maybe the kid really is ready to step into the spotlight — because when the lights go down in the city, only the true stars keep shining.

Franchy's Mysterious Injury

Star Pitcher Franchy Rolison Sidelined with Mysterious Shoulder Injury

All Eyes on Luchadors Owner and Notorious Heel Wrestler ‘Señior Perro’

MEXICO CITY — Just weeks after narrowly avoiding a bizarre name-based signing controversy, star pitcher Franchy Rolison has been sidelined indefinitely with what team doctors are calling a “mysterious, unexplained shoulder injury.”

Baseball insiders, conspiracy theorists, and at least one guy who sells churros outside Estadio de los Luchadores are convinced they know the culprit: Mexico City Luchadors owner and part-time wrestling villain Señior Perro.

Rolison was spotted leaving a training facility in a sling, muttering something about “being blindsided in the parking lot” and “definitely not by a talking dog in a gold lucha mask.” While no charges have been filed, suspicious circumstances abound.

Eyewitness Julio “Big Tamale” Herrera told reporters, “I saw a short, furry figure in a cape doing some kind of spinning elbow drop off the hood of a taco truck. Next thing you know, Franchy’s clutching his shoulder. It doesn’t take Scooby-Doo to solve this one.”

Facing growing speculation, Señior Perro hastily called a press conference—this time held inside a wrestling ring set up in the middle of a car wash—to deny any wrongdoing.

“This is ridiculous,” Perro barked, pacing in full wrestling gear. “I had nothing to do with Rolison’s injury. That day I was busy… uh… helping orphans learn to pile-drive… for charity. Also, my cape was at the dry cleaner, so it couldn’t have been me.”

Pressed for specifics, Perro offered a cascade of increasingly improbable alibis:

“I was in a three-hour cage match with a mariachi band.”

“I was taste-testing 400 varieties of salsa for the annual Fiesta del Picante.”

“I don’t even know how to do a shoulder-lock submission… anymore.”

When asked if he still harbored resentment toward Rolison after last month’s failed signing, Perro scoffed. “Resentment? Please. I’ve completely moved on. In fact, I sent him a lovely fruit basket just last week. Yes, it may have contained a single, ominously sharpened pineapple, but that’s just how we show affection in lucha culture.”

Rolison, speaking from his home, was more cryptic: “Look, I don’t want to point paws—I mean, fingers—but I’m pretty sure I know who did this. Let’s just say, if you hear someone growling in Spanish behind you, start running.”

The Luchadors’ front office has refused to comment, though one anonymous staffer admitted, “Honestly, we’re just surprised it took Perro this long to go full supervillain.”

The team has since signed emergency pitcher Nacho del Fuego, whose fastball tops out at 72 mph but whose walkout music “really gets the crowd going.”

Next week, the Luchadors face the rival San Antonio Yo-Yo Bros Yo. Security has reportedly been increased—especially around the bullpen—and several players have quietly invested in anti-bite shoulder pads.

S1 Best Players

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

S1 Top Players

Since we often reference a player's fantasy points on the blog, let's take a quick second to explain them. It's simple really, 1 point for every base, run batted in, run, walk, and each stolen base. A player gets minus 1 point for every strike out and minus a half point for each caught stealing. On the pitching side, we use a point for every inning pitched, plus 2 points for every strike out, plus 3 points for a win, and plus 4.5 for every save. The goal was to put points into things that are more controllable to the pitcher - how long they last in a game and how many strike outs they achieve but still wanted to award the W/L/SV categories as well. The pitchers have a lot more chances to lose points, but again tried to keep them based on things that are more directly tied to the pitcher's control, minus 0.4 for each walk or earned run, minus 0.75 for each home run given up and every walk. They also get minus 2 for every Loss and blown save. This system was tweaked from Yahoo's Fantasy Baseball settings. 

We'll group players by position with their Fantasy Points, perhaps one year we'll add back in the stats like extra base hits (xBH), Weighted Runs Above Average (wRAA), weighted On-Base Average (wOBA), weighted runs created plus (wRC+), weighted stolen bases (wSB). For pitchers we could do Adjusted ERA (100 is league average), etc. But for now it's just the Fantasy Points. Bold names indicate Silver Slugger. Underlined names indicate Gold Glove Winners.  

Top 20 Position Players

1. 1B Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 689
2. 2B Vin Nunez (Syracuse) - 681
3. LF Rubi Veras (Syracuse) - 680
4. 1B Len Priest (St Louis) - 658
5. DH Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 637
6. 1B Dustan Nevin (Durham) - 628
7. 1B Matt Roberts (Baltimore) - 627
8. LF Mickey Villegas (Los Angeles) - 620
9. 3B Jim Smith (Boston) - 612
10. 1B Jason Bako (Trenton) - 609
11. 1B Rajai Johnstone (Scottsdale) - 601
12. CF Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 588
13. LF Edgar Nunez (Tacoma) - 581
14. 1B Wayne Pennginton (New Orleans) - 568
15. 3B Joe Winston(Baltimore) - 562
16. LF Anthony Luke (Arizona) - 545
17. CF Harry Ugueto (Durham) - 544
18. RF Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 544
19. SS Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 528
20. LF Walt Swindell (Cleveland) - 527

Bottom 10 Position Payers

Requires a minimum of 300 At-Bats; this is generally full of Shortstops. 

1. SS Terry Baxter (Fresno) - 31
2. SS Ross Holt (Cincinnati) - 64
3. SS Bosco Frazier (Fresno) - 86
4. C Alan Damon (Los Angeles) - 113
5. CF Marshall Gilkey (New York) - 118
6. 2B Larry Keyes (Nashville) - 118
7. 3B Lyle Grove (Tacoma) - 127
8. LF Tony DeRosa (Colorado Springs) - 133
9. SS Bruce LaPorta (Philadelphia) - 135
10. LF JA Grieve (Colorado Springs) - 137

Top 10 Catchers

1. Shin-Soo Ishii (Texas) - 527
2. Tyler Stull (Scottsdale) - 496
3. Julio Rodriguez (Indianapolis) - 450
4. Sammy Kelly (Trenton) - 438
5. Dan Key (New Orleans) - 432
6. Ellis Curtis (Colorado Springs) - 399
7. Benny Lee (Tucson) - 397
8. Darryl Sadler (Helena) - 382
9. Will James (Tacoma) - 381
1. Sadler was a Rule 5 pick from Tacoma)
10. Jose Silverio (Boston) - 358

Top 10 First Basemen

1. Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 689
2. Len Priest (St Louis) - 658
3. Dustan Nevin (Durham) - 628
4. Matt Roberts (Baltimore) - 627
5. Jason Bako (Trenton) - 609
6. Rajai Johnstone (Scottsdale) - 601
7. Wayne Pennington (New Orleans) - 568
8. Dixon Perez (Arizona) - 483
9. Curt Dunn (Cleveland) - 452
10. John Lansing (Chicago) - 441

Top 10 Second Basemen

1. Vin Nunez (Syracuse) - 681
2. Christy Winston (Fresno) - 481
3. Mark Harper (Scottsdale) - 460
4. Pascual Pescado (Boston) - 454
5. Santiago Tapies (Cleveland) - 447
6. Tim Olsen (Fargo) - 441
7. Beau McDade (Texas) - 439
1. That's one of the most Texas sounding names I've heard
8. Davey Dawkins (Charlotte) - 420
9. Glenn Green (St Louis) - 400
10. Skip Cooper (Mexico City) - 379

Top 10 Shortstop

1. SS Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 528
2. Vern Ashley (Arizona) - 473
3. Chris Gutierrez (Durham) - 458
4. David Horton (Tacoma) - 403
5. Oswaldo Candelaria (Scranton) - 372
6. Felipe Tabata (Cleveland) - 361
7. David Feldman (Scottsdale) - 340
8. Tony Slowey (Fargo) - 338
9. Douglas Altherr (Vancouver) - 328
10. Omar Rodriguez (Texas) - 304

Top 10 Third Basemen

1. Jim Smith (Boston) - 612
2. Joe Winston(Baltimore) - 562
3. Alex Martin (Trenton) - 473
4. Tyreace Moore (Syracuse) - 464
5. Taijuan Fick (Scottsdale) - 446
6. JP Cabellero (Fargo) - 436
7. Lewis Glanville (Montgomery) - 430
8. Alex Gonzales (Charlotte) - 421
9. Alex Ortiz (New York) - 414
10. Dingo Roberts (Indianapolis) - 394

Top 10 Left Fielders

1. Rubi Veras (Syracuse) - 680
2. Mickey Villegas (Los Angeles) - 620
3. Edgar Nunez (Tacoma) - 581
4. Anthony Luke (Arizona) - 545
5. Walt Swindell (Cleveland) - 527
6. Edgmer Pena (New Orleans) - 515
7. RA Trahan (Trenton) - 514
8. Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 491
9. Vincete DeSoto (Charlotte) - 471
10. Nap McAnaney (Durham) - 471

Top 10 Center Fielders

1. Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 588
2. Harry Ugueto (Durham) - 544
3. Wilfredo Melendez (Texas) - 477
4. Eugene Dirks (Chicago) - 445
5. Adrian Sexson (Charlotte) - 433
6. Zephyr Daly (Scranton) - 414
7. Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 408
8. Midre Baez (Fresno) - 397
9. Allie Walls (Mexico City) - 396
10. Norberto Reynoso (Scottsdale) - 386

Top 10 Right Fielders

1. Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 544
2. Luis Padilla (Boston) - 505
3. Timothy Adams (Texas) - 495
4. Bono Betancourt (Arizona) - 474
5. Benji Richardson (Charlotte) - 464
6. Koji Katou (St Louis) - 449
7. Radley Frazier (San Antonio) - 437
8. Timothy Larkin (Tucson) - 420
9. Rey Cookson (Colorado Springs) - 417
10. Phil Wallace (Scottsdale) - 394

Top 15 Starting Pitchers

1. Harry DaSilva (Buffalo) - 801
2. Franchy Rolison (Trenton) - 762
3. Glenallen Cepicky (Boston) - 752
4. Derrek Cone (St Louis) - 755
5. Magglio Mieses (Trenton) - 744
6. Donte Person (Carlotte) - 695
7. Ned Gaillard (Syracuse) - 694
8. Marcus Carpenter (Buffalo) - 693
9. Hideki Lim (Tacoma) - 690
10. Cristobal Rojas (Buffalo) - 688
11. Kiki Rodriguez (Mexico City) - 657
12. Polin Aceves (Trenton) - 653
13. Alen Baldwin (St Louis) - 652
14. Dillon Rupp (Scottsdale) - 648
15. Rando Rincon (Salt Lake City) - 631

Top 10 Relief Pitchers
Requires less than 5 starts

1. Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 637.3
2. Bono Grant (Chicago) - 550
3. Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) - 481
4. Raimel Rodriguez (Fresno) - 475
5. Braulio Sanchez (Trenton) - 461
6. Josias Tatis (Helena) - 447
7. Ryan McPherson (Indianapolis) - 445
8. JJ Palmer (Syracuse) - 434
9. Willie Blanco (Scottsdale) - 416
10. David Gonzales (Salt Lake City) - 382

Bottom 10 Pitchers

Requires a minimum of 50 IP

1. Keenyn Murray (Scranton) - 26
2. Charlie Foster (Los Angeles) - 69
3. Robinzon Profar (Scranon) - 70
4. Sherry Pribanic (Vancouver) - 91
5. Mac Griffin (Boston) - 91
6. Michael Lawrence (Los Angeles) - 113
7. Heinie Grissom (Arizona) - 114
8. Melvin Ricarrdi (Arizona) - 116
9. Welington Segui (Nashville) - 119
10. Rube Robertson (Nashville) - 120

S1 Fat Wallets: The Top 5 Earners in Every Position

Eli Cash - contributing reporter

In the hallowed dugouts and under the bright stadium lights of Hardball Stitches, where mythic plays and crushed dreams converge, there's one question that echoes as much as the crack of a bat: Who's raking it in? Baseball has always been a game of stats, strategy, and style, but in this league of diamond kings, the salaries are as eye-popping as the homerun arcs. 

I'm Eli Cash, your loyal chronicle of chaos and lore, here to pull back the curtain on the financial heavyweights of Hardball Stitches. From catches calling shots to outfielder with rocket arms, we're taking a tour through the league's most lucrative contracts by position. 

Think of it as a grand expose, equal parts awe and absurdity. Some names you'll expect - icons as unshakeable as the seventh-inning stretch. Others might surprise you, new talent bursting onto the scene with a bat in one hand and checkbook in the other. What drives these numbers? Is it skill, charm, or something more arcane like a fictional budget? 

Grab your popcorn, baseball fans, because it's time to see who's cashing in and how they're leaving their mark on Hardball Stitches. Let's get started.

Catcher 

1. $7.5M - Sammy Kelly - Trenton
2. $6.5M - Benny Le - Tucson
3. $5.6M - Ellis Curtis - Colorado Springs
4. $5.0M - Lyle Lush - Los Angeles
5. $4.2M - Brad Randolph - Salt Lake City

First Base

1. $8.0M - Rajai Johnstone - Durham
2. $5.2M - Terrell Robinson - Cleveland
3. $5.0M - Wayne Pennington - New Orleans
4. $4.4M - Larry Albers - Colorado Springs
5. $4.4M - Chick Wood - Trenton

Second Base

1. $8.5M - Vin Nunez - Syracuse
2. $8.0M - Mark Harper - Scottsdale
3. $8.0M - Geoff Munoz - San Antonio
4. $7.5M - Davey Dawkins - Charlotte
5. $6.9M - Santiago Tapies - Cleveland

Shortstop

1. $9.2M - Arquimedes Villanueva - Chicago
2. $8.3M - Joe Winston - Baltimore
3. $7.5M - Wilfredo Melendez - Texas
4. $6.8M - Steve Ricarrdi - Mexico City
5. $6.8M - Oswaldo Candelaria - Scranton
6. $6.8M - Junior Gonzalez - Cleveland

Third Base

1. $11.5M - Alex Martin - Trenton
2. $9.3M - Jim Smith - Boston
3. $6.3M - Brendan Craig - Vancouver
4. $6.0M - Jimmie Lee - Los Angeles
5. $6.0M - Alexi Chirinos - Montgomery

Leftfield

1. $9.5M - Rubi Veras - Syracuse
2. $9.3M - Harry Feliz - San Antonio
3. $8.8M - Edgar Nunez - Tacoma
4. $6.5M - Corey Smalley - St. Louis
5. $6.0M - Walt Swindell - Cleveland
6. $6.0M - Tex Baxter - Philadelphia
7. $6.0M - Edgmer Pena - New Orleans

Center Field

1. $9.8M - Juna Mota - Tacoma
2. $8.0M - Bump Newsome - Texas
3. $8.0M - Allie Walls - Mexico City
4. $7.5M - Zephyr Daly - Scranton
5. $7.5M - Adrian Sexson - Charlotte

Right Field

1. $20M - Koji Katou - St. Louis
1. Our first max contract!
2. $9.0M - Benji Richardson - Charlotte
3. $7.0M - AJ Bour - Mexico City
4. $5.0M - Curt Dunn - Cleveland
5. $4.6M - Len Priest - St. Louis

Designated Hitter

1. $5.3M - Benito Gonzales - Montgomery
2. $3.6M - Tony Gentry - Philadelphia
3. $3.4M - Mendy King - Vancouver
4. $3.2M - Cliff Johnson - Boston
5. $1.5M - Babe Houston - Montgomery

Starting Pitcher

1. $17.5M - Shae Grossman - Durham
2. $17.5M - Javier Nieves - Cleveland
3. $12.0M - Kiki Ozuna - New Orleans
4. $12.0M - Louie Vizquel - Salt Lake City
5. $8.0M - Anthony Crow - New Orleans

Relief Pitcher

1. $13.8M - Armando Ceda - Durham
2. $8.3M - Bono Grant - Chicago
3. $7.8M - Vic Mesa - Charlotte
4. $7.3M - David Gzonales - Salt Lake City
5. $6.0M - Rico Polanco - Baltimore

S1 Upcoming ML Rookies

 Amy Amanda 'Triple A' Allen - contributing reporter

Hello Hardball Stitches fans, Jessica appears to have the Major League covered in her recent Top Players series, but let's take a look at some of the names still in the minors that could make a difference this season. For now we'll cover those ready for promotions, but there are plenty who will make an impact by being traded for ML talent. All positions listed are based upon currently positions within their franchise - the blog is not responsible for you not looking at their glove to know where they actually belong. In future years we'll provide thoughts on players, but this year there are far too many ready for the big leagues that we'll just break them down into a single list. 

• Catchers
• John Hearn - St. Louis - AAA
• Shin-Soo Ishii - Texas - AAA
• Brian Matsuzaka - Charlotte - AA
• Shooter Brewer - New York - AAA
• Darryl Sadler - Tacoma - A+
• First Base
• Liam Steinbach - Fresno - AAA
• Jason Bako - Trenton - AAA
• Dustan Nevin - Durham - AAA
• Bucky Ward - Boston - AAA
• Wayne Pennington - St. Louis - AAA
• Will James - Tacoma - AA
• Charles Tuivailala - Los Angeles - AA
• Clint Melker - Philadelphia - AAA
• Jeremy Gray - Philadelphia - AAA
• Second Base
• Victor Ayala - Charlotte - AAA
• Ivan Gonzalez - Scranton - AAA
• John Wayne - Tucson - AAA
• Shortstop
• Yadier Mendoza - Philadelphia - AAA
• Chan Wang - Vancouver - AA
• Jason Wagner - Tacoma - AA
• Frank Ball - Cincinnati - AA
• Third Base
• Roy Munro - Salt Lake City - A-
• Jeremy Prinz - Cleveland - AAA
• Left Field
• Matt Roberts - Baltimore - AAA
• Andy Barker - Syracuse - AAA
• Randy Uribe - Fargo - AAA
• Center Field
• Tyreace Moore - Syracuse - AAA
• Jeff Gray - Indianapolis - AA
• Brian Fujikawa - Vancouver - AAA
• Michel Camacho - Tacoma - AAA
• Right Field
• Mickey Villegas - Los Angeles - AAA
• Designed Hitter
• Tony Parnell - Baltimore - AAA

And that's just the position players, let's take a look at the pitchers. We had to stop the list somewhere, there are plenty that appear to be ready or close to ready for the majors. 

• Starters
• Derrek Cone - Montgomery - AAA
• Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - AA
• Bernard Moran - Chicago - AA
• Ned Gaillard - Syracuse - AAA
• Gregory James - New York - AAA
• Dayan Martin - Montgomery - AAA
• Marcus Carpenter - Buffalo - AAA
• Darwin Solis - Scranton - AA
• Stubby Lowry - Trenton - AAA
• Allen Maysonet - Tucson - AAA
• Adam Loup - Scottsdale - AAA
• Bernie Rosado - St. Louis - AAA
• Neal Barker - Scranton - AA
• Douglas Tomlinson - Buffalo - AAA
• Francisco Cordero - Nashville - AAA
• Vinny Jenson - Nashville - A+
• Relievers
• Adam Saltalamacchia - Scranton - AAA
• Rubi Sanabia - Tacoma - AAA
• John Ni - Buffalo - AAA
• Hank Donovan - Colorado Springs - AAA
• Audry Despaigne - Charlotte - AAA
• Jimmie Esposito - Scranton - AAA
• Roger Williams - Indianapolis - AAA
• Steve Hannity - Nashville - AAA
• Matt Rhodes - Helena - AA
• Robin Burns - Trenton - AAA
• Bingo Pryce - Boston - AAA
• Max Aguilera - Los Angeles - AAA
• Ryota Yamada - Scranton - AAA

S1 - Best Players - Relief Pitcher Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; coming out of the pen; I need to think about what my walk-in music would. Maybe something with some mystery!

• Ricky 'Wild Thing' Vaughn (Major League)
• Willie Blanco (Sco) - 32 yr old
• Bono Brant (Chi) - 28 yr old

• Kenny Powers (Eastbound and Down)
• Jose Rios (Tex) - 28 yr old
• David Gonzales (SLC) - 29 yr old
• Victor Mota (Far) - 30 yr old

• Jim Morris (The Rookie)
• Hector Hunter (Phi) - 31 yr old
• Braulio Sanchez (Cin) - 31 yr old
• Jimmie Querecuto (Nas) - 32 yr old
• Luis Martin (ind) - 31 yr old

• Ryan Dunne (Summer Catch)
• JJ Palmer (Syr) - 31 yr old
• James Henley (Tuc) - 35 yr old
• Rico Polanco (Bal) - 35 yr old
• Otis Brown (Phi) - 33 yr old
• Walt Braun (SA) - 22 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best Control
• Otis Brown (Phi) - 99
• Willie Blanco (Sco) & Trent Minor (MC) - 95
• Jimmie Querecuto (Nas), Steve Knecht (Chi), Melvin Ricarrdi (VC), & Howard Murton (NO) - 94
• Rico Polanco (bal) & Madison Bourdrea (SA) - 93
• Best Velocity
• Houston Conway (Bos) & Eugene Wilkerson (StL) - 100
• Gill Lee (Tex) - 95
• Walt Braun (SA) & Ramon Wang (Tac) - 94
• Bono Grant (Chi) - 93
• Highest combo P1/P2
• Nathan Resop (MC) - 99 P1, 87 P2
• Luis Martin (Ind) - 88 P1, 93 P2
• Nathan Dale (Cha) - 92 P1, 87 P2
• Angel Flande (Mnt) - 100 P1, 87 P2
• Highest Paid
• David Gonzales (SLC) - $7.3M
• Willie Blanco (Sco) - $6.8M
• Rico Polanco (Bal) & Jacque Miyakazi (VC) - $6.0M
• Brualio Sanchez (Cin) - $5.8M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Bob Kelly (Bal)
• Xander Aceves (MC)
• Chance Byrne (SA)
• Armando Ceda (Phi)
• Trent Cressend (Bos)
• Sandy Caruso (CSP)

S1 - Best Players - Starting Pitcher Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; now let's take a look at the pitcher. Chicks dig the long ball, but pitching is where it's at. 

• Billy Chapel (For Love of the Game)
• Harry DaSilva (Buf) - 29 yr old
• Franchy Rolison (Tre) - 31 yr old
• George Avery (CSP) - 30 yr old
• Hideki Lim (Tac) - 29 yr old

• Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh (Bull Durham)
• Laynce Johnson (Bos) - 33 yr old
• Magglio Mieses (Tre) - 27 yr old
• Rando Ricon (SLC) - 31 yr old
• Artie Hollins (Ari) - 28 yr old
• Boomer McClain (LA) - 31 yr old
• Jin-Chi Takada (Tac) - 31 yr old
• Alen Baldwin (NO) - 26 yr old

• Henry Rowengartner (Rookie of the Year)
• Walter Lewis (Phi) - 33 yr old
• Donte Person (Cha) - 30 yr old
• Dillon Rupp (Sco) - 30 yr old
• Scooter Timlin (Cle) - 28 yr old

• Rigo Sanchez (Trouble with the Curve)
• Timo Wang (SLC) - 28 yr old 
• Bud Brand (Chi) - 32 yr old
• Vic Mesa (Cha) - 31 yr old
• Ryuu Yosida (Syr) - 28 yr old
• Todd Parker (LA) - 33 yr old
• Cookie Velazquez (CSP) - 30 yr old
• Aroldis Rios (Cha) - 33 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best Control
• Bommer McClain (LA) & Aaron Bailey (Dur) - 99
• Jin-Chi Takada (Tac) - 97
• Dan Edwards (NO) - 96
• Vic Mesa (Cha) - 95
• Best Velocity
• Santos Beltran (Cle) - 95
• Bud Brand (Chi) - 94
• Davey Santana (Swb) & Enrique Trajano (SA) - 93
• Harry DaSilva (Buf), Ned Mercedes (Tuc), & Vinny Schneid (SA) - 92
• Highest combo P1/P2
• Donte Person (Cha) - 96 P1, 91 P2
• Glen Morris (Hel) - 88 P1, 86 P2
• Felipe Tavarez (Dur) - 87 P1, 86 P2
• Kevin Martin (NY) - 97 P1, 75 P2
• Junior Ryu (Cle) - 99 P1, 73 P2
• Tanner Regan (Bal) - 91 P1, 81 P2
• Highest Paid
• Franchy Rolison (Tre) & Vic Mesa (Cha) - $7.8M
• Hideki Lim (Tac) & Laynce Johnson (Bos) - $7.3M
• Dillon Rupp (Sco) - $6.8M
• Jonathon Houston (VC) & Aroldis Rios (Cha) - $6.5M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Shae Grossman (Tre)
• Louie Vizquel (Mnt)
• Javier Nieves (Mnt)
• Anthony Crow (Fre)
• Kiki Ozuna (Nash)
• Glenallen Cepicky (CSP) 

S1 - Best Players - Center Field Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; no catchers or DH types here; this is Centerfield and lucky no more ballparks with Tal's Hill to figure out. 

• Willie Mays Hayes (Major League)
• Vin Nunez (Syr) - 26 yr old

• Bobby Rayburn (The Fan)
• Juan Mota (Tac) - 28 yr old
• Timothy Adams (Tex) - 25 yr old
• Midre Baez (Far) - 34 yr old

• All The Way Mae (League of their Own)
• RA Trahan (Phi) - 23 yr old
• Bump Newsome (Tex) - 32 yr old
• Chris Gutierrez (Dur) - 24 yr old
• Charles Jung (Bos) - 27 yr old

• Edward Cullen (Some vampire movie)
• Geoff Munoz (SA) - 29 yr old
• Adrian Sexson (Cha) - 29 yr old
• Zephyr Daly (Swb) - 33 yr old
• Eugenio Flores (Tac) - 34 yr old
• Harry Ugueto (Dur) - 28 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Most Power
• Charles Jung (Bos) - 100
• Juna Mota (Tac) - 91
• Chris Gutierrez (Dur) - 90
• Bump Newsome (Tex) - 84
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Eugene Dirks (Chi) - 99
• Timothy Adams (Tex) - 98
• Leonel Gregorius (Cha) - 93
• Dennis Bergeron (Bal) - 92
• Best Eye
• RA Trahan (Phi) - 93
• Geoff Munoz (SA) - 92
• Vin Nunez (Syr) - 91
• Juan Mota (Tac) - 89
• Highest Paid
• Juan Mota (Tac) - $9.8M
• Bump Newsome (Tex) - $8.0M
• Adrian Sexson (Cha) & Zephyr Daly (Swb) - $7.5M
• Midre Baez (Far) - $6.8M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Chief Bowe (MC)

S1 - Best Players - Right Field Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; Right Field

• Roy Hobbs (The Natural)
• Benji Richardson (Cha) - 32 yr old

• Bump Bailey (The Natural)
• Edgmer Pena (NO) - 28 yr old
• Rey Cookson (CSP) - 26 yr old
• Vince Curtis (Bos) - 26 yr old

• Lucy (Peanuts)
• AJ Bour (MC) - 30 yr old
• Francisco Sardinas (Ari) - 28 yr old
• Jesus Alvarez (Tre) - 29 yr old

• Harley Quinn
• Len Priest (StL) - 28 yr old
• Rabbit Clarke (LA) - 31 yur old
• Doug Spencer (Sco) - 30 yr old
• Ernest Drew (NY) - 32 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Most Power
• Harry Guerrero (SA) & Jose Silverio (Tuc) - 99
• Cooper Coppolecchia (Tex) - 98
• Benji Richardson (Cha) - 93
• Mark Bradshaw (Syr) - 91
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Len Priest (StL) - 97
• Benji Richardson (Cha) - 96
• Vince Curtis (Bos) - 84
• Alfonso Osuna (Nas) - 78
• Best Eye
• Len Priest (StL) - 98
• Babe Houston (Mnt) - 91
• Edgmer Pena (NO) - 90
• Vince Curtis (Bos) - 84
• Highest Paid
• Benji Richardson (Cha) - $9.0M
• AJ Bour (MC) - $7.0M
• Edgmer Pena (NO) - $6.0M
• Len Priest (StL) - $4.6M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Koji Katou (Ind)
• Phi Wallace (Tac)
• Curt Dunn (Phi)
• Ron Farrell (Bos)

S1 - Best Players - Left Field Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; moving to the outfield - Left Field specifically. 

• Walter 'The Whammer' Wahmbold (The Natural)
• Rubi Veras (Syr) - 27 yr old
• Edgar Nunez (Tac) - 32 yr old

• T-Rex Pennebaker (Mr 3000)
• Deven Bickerton (Tac) - 27 yr old
• Harry Feliz (SA) - 28 yr old
• Vincente DeSoto (Cha) - 26 yr old

• Pedro Cerrano (Major League)
• Walt Swindell (Cle) - 30 yr old
• Raymond Balester (Chi) - 33 yr old
• Corey Smalley (StL) - 30 yr old
• Anthony Luke (Ari) - 26  yr old

• Brooks (The Rookie)
• Nap McAnaney (Dur) - 29 yr old
• Tex Baxter (Phi) - 30 yr old
• Bob Woodward (StL) - 28 yr old
• Al Ruffin (Far) - 29 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Most Power
• Rubi Veras (Syr) & Denard Redmond (SA) - 100
• Nap McAnaney (Dur) - 99
• Buck Gwynn (Nas) - 96
• Ronald Rivera (Sco) - 94
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Al Ruffin (Cin) & Chadd Dye (Bal) - 96
• Edgar Nunez (Tac) - 93
• Mac Pan (VC) - 90
• Vicente DeSoto (Cha) - 87
• Best Eye
• Rubi Veras (Syr) - 100
• Walt Swindell (Cle) & Victor DeRojas (Sco) - 93
• Edgar Nunez (Tac) & Corey Smalley (StL) - 87
• Jim Charleston (MC) & Ryota Wan (Chi) - 86
• Highest Paid
• Edgar Nunez (Tac) - $8.8M
• Corey Smalley (StL) - $6.5M
• Walt Swindell (Cle) & Tex Baxter (Phi) - $6.0M
• Raymond Balester (Chi) - $5.6M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Yoervis Salas (Bal)
• Placido Olivo (VC)

S1 - Best Players - Third Base Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; looking at Hot 'lanta corner

• Roger Dorn (Major League)
• Taijuan Fick (Sco) - 26 yr old
• Jim Smith (Bos) - 29 yr old
• Lewis Glanville (Mnt) - 30 yr old

• Sam Tuttle (For Love of the Game)
• JP Caballero (Far) - 27 yr old
• Alex Gonzales (Cha) - 26 yr old
• Jimmie Lee (LA) - 33 yr old

• Ray Mitchell (Angels in the Outfield)
• Sergei Fabregas (StL) - 27 yr old
• Alexi Chirinos (Mnt) - 31 yr old
• Bartolo Nunez (CSP) - 26 yr old
• Albert Zorrilla (Buf) - 29 yr old

• Gus 'Bus' Matthews (The Benchwarmers)
• Moose Zavada (Fre) - 28 yr old
• Jo-Jo Boguesevic (Swb) - 27 yr old
• Brendan Craig (StL) - 31 yr old
• Jim Wise (SLC) - 25 yr old
• Socks Bradford (Chi) - 26 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best All Around Defense
• Jim Smith (Bos) - 77 range, 82 glove, 81 arm, 91 accuracy
• Taijuan Fick (Sco) - 88 range, 80 glove, 74 arm, 76 accuracy
• Jim Wise (SLC) - 76 range, 87 glove, 83 arm, 78 accuracy
• Leo Gwynn (Tre) - 83 range, 68 glove, 78 arm, 83 accuracy
• Most Power
• Brian Whang (Tac) - 100
• Geraldo Yamamoto (Syr) & Dixon DeWitt (Dur) - 98
• Kenn Seelbach (VC), Rafael Bonilla (Hel), Terry Cloud (Cin), & Jared Spiers (SA) - 97
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Jim Smith (Bos) - 76
• Taijuan Fick (Sco) - 71
• Jim Wise (SLC) - 70
• Bartolo Nunez (CSP) - 68
• Best Eye
• Moose Zavada (Fre) - 86
• Jim Wise (SLC) - 80
• Bartolo Nunez (CSP) - 77
• Taijuan Fick (Sco) - 73
• Highest Paid
• Jim Smith (Bos) - $9.3M
• Brendan Craig (StL) - $6.3M
• Jimmie Lee (LA) & Alexi Chirinos (Mnt) - $6.0M
• Enny Guerrero (Far) - $5.6M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Harry Lukasiewicz (Cha)

S1 - Best Players - Shortstop Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; shifting again this time across second base over to shortstop and changing to only 3 tiers for this one. 

• Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez (The Sandlot)
• Arquimedes Villanueva (Chi) - 26 yr old

• Tanner Boyle (Bad News Bears)
• Joe Winston (Bal) - 28 yr old
• Oswaldo Candelaria (Swb) - 34 yr old
• David Horton 'Hears A Who' (Tac) - 25 yr old
• Wilfredo Melendez (Tex) - 29 yr old

• Snoopy (Peanuts)
• Alex Ortiz (NY) - 23 yr old
• Junior Gonzalez (Cle) - 31 yr old
• Allie McBride (Dur) - 22 yr old
• Felipe Tabata (Cle) - 29 yr old
• David Feldman (Sco) - 27 yr old
• Edwar Gutierrez (CSP) - 30 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best All Around Defense
• Omar Rodriguez (Tex) - 92 range, 91 glove, 98 arm, 97 accuracy
• Bosco Frazier (Fre) - 89 range, 90 glove, 96 arm, 99 accuracy
• Yeico Felix (Tre) - 93 range, 88 glove, 91 arm, 91 accuracy
• Steve Ricarrdi (MC) - 94 range, 89 glove, 90 arm, 97 accuracy
• Kenny Laffey (VC) - 89 range, 94 glove, 91 arm, 96 accuracy
• Wilfredo Polanco (Mnt) - 89 range, 88 glove, 98 arm, 95 accuracy
• Most Power
• Wayne Wolf (Syr) - 100
• Arquimedes Villanueva (Chi) - 94
• Bill Gonzales (NO) - 76
• David Horton 'Hears a Who' (Tac) - 74
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Raul Mendez (Bal) - 96
• Steve Ricarrdi (MC) - 94
• Ron House (StL) - 86
• David Horton (Tac) & Edwar Gutierrez (CSP) - 82
• Best Eye
• Wilfredo Melendez (Tex) - 83
• Rico Ambriz (Syr) - 81
• Keith Sowders (SLC) - 80
• Douglas Altherr (VC) - 79
• Highest Paid
• Oswaldo Candelaria (Swb), Junior Gonzalez (Cle), Steve Ricarrdi (MC) - $6.8M
• Felipe Tabata (Cle) - $6.5M
• Dwight Lane (Phi) - $6.3M
• Otis Bryant (Swb) - $5.8M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Alex Martin (Buf)
• Grayson Ryan (Far)

S1 - Best Players - Second Base Edition

 Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; shifting slightly over to second base. Adjacent to the tall kid at first, this was always the shortest kid on the team in little league.  

• Kelly Leak (Bad News Bears)
• Sal Bell (Fre) - 32 yr old
• Santiago Tapies (StL) - 29 yr old

• Yeah-Yeah (Sandlot)
• Mark Harper (Sco) - 31  yr old
• Christy Winston (Ind) - 28 yr old

• Marla Hooch (A League of their Own)
• Tim Olsen (Far) - 29 yr old
• John Lansing (Ind) - 26 yr old
• Rusty Rickard (Cha) - 25 yr old
• Pascual Pescado (Bos) - 29 yr old

• Mickey Scales (Little Big League)
• Ehire Caminero (Cin) - 26 yr old
• Davey Dawkins (Cha) - 32 yr old
• Brian Drake (Tac) - 31 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best Glove/Range
• Ben Jones (Tuc) - 94 range, 99 glove
• Evan Sosa (Tuc) - 89 range, 86 glove
• Maikel DaSilva (Buf) - 88 range, 86 glove
• Larry Keys (Nas) - 85 range, 85 glove
• Most Power
• Rusty Rickard (Cha) - 83
• Tim Olsen (Far) - 80
• Sal Bell (Fre) - 77
• Santiago Tapies (StL) - 72
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Mateo Cruz (Swb) - 88
• Bryant Bryant (CSP) - 85
• Sal Bell (Fre) - 84
• Christy Winston (Ind) - 81
• Best Eye
• Davey Dawkins (Cha) - 97
• Mark Harper (Sco) - 90
• Adron Leary (Sco) - 85
• John Lansing (Ind) - 82
• Highest Paid
• Mark Harper (Sco) - $8.0M
• Davey Dawkins (Cha) - $7.5M
• Skip Cooper (NC) - $6.3M
• Brian Drake (Tac) - $6.0M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Gerald Simmons (SA)
• Richardo Pujols (SLC)
• Aaron Nen (Cle)

S1 - Best Players - First Base Edition

Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, with another edition of Best Player; this time with the first basemen. These were the tall kids growing up who weren't the most athletics. This is also the guy, you get all the gossip from as they love to chat it up. If there's one thing to say about these initial First basemen in Hardball Stitches, it's their fantastic power and eyes - paired with a lack of contact and ability to hit both lefties and righties - a few make the exception. 

• Jack Elliot (Mr Baseball)
• Rajai Johnstone (Dur) - 30 yr old

• Stan Ross (Mr. 3000)
• Terrell Robinson (Cle) - 31 yr old

• Clu Haywood (Major League)
• Cliff Johnson (Tac) - 36 yr old
• Larry Albers (CSP) - 31 yr old
• Gorkys Fuentes (SLC) - 28 yr old
• Chick Wood (Phi) - 30 yr old

• Shermy (Peanuts)
• Otis Blackmon (Buf) - 30 yr old
• Sonny Nanita (Far) - 28 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best Glove
• Rajai Johnstone (Dur) - 50
• Sonny Nanita (Far) - 46
• Tony Chapman (Tre) - 45
• Otis Blackmon (Buf) & Bo Taft (SLC) - 44
• Cliff Johnson (Tac) - 43
• Most Power
• Rajai Johnstone (Dur) - 100
• Jerry Stein (Tex) - 99
• Barry Outman (StL) - 98
• Terrell Robinson (Cle), Omar Mateo (LA), & Del Dolis (Tuc) - 94
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Terrell Robinson (Cle) - 93
• Sonny Nanita (Far) - 92
• Rajai Johnstone (Dur) - 91
• Gorkys Fuentes (SLC) - 87
• Best Eye
• Marcus Kingman (SWB) - 99
• Mendy King (Ari) - 98
• Philip Pisciotta (SA) - 94
• Otis Blackmon (Buf) - 90
• Highest Paid
• Rajai Johnstone (Dur) - $8.0M
• Terrell Robinson (Cle) - $5.2M
• Larry Albers (CSP) - $4.4M
• Otis Blackmon (Buf) - $4.2M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Eddie Vance (Cin)

S1 - Best Players - Catcher Edition

 Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Jessica Fletcher here, you favorite woman of mystery, free agency, player ratings, and all things Canadian American! First we start off with the catchers, the man behind the plate! Don't ever forget lesson number one: don't think, it can only hurt the ball club. We've split this list into four groups - players are in no particular order within the group (unless you want them to be, then do as your heart desires)

• Dottie Hinson
• Ellis Curtis (CSP) - 29 yr old
• Benny Lee (Tuc) - 30 yr old
• Benito Gonzales (Mnt) - 28 yr old
• Sidney Bush (LA) - 24 yr old
• Lyle Lush (LA) - 32 yr old
• Stuart Beckett (Nas) - 27 yr old

• Crash Davis
• Tyler Stull (Sco) - 25 yr old
• Dan Key (NO) - 27 yr old
• Greg Harmon (StL) - 25 yr old
• Julio Rodriguez (Ind) - 29 yr old

• Jake Taylor
• Don Fitzgerald (Swb) - 32 yr old
• Sammy Kelly (Tre) - 30 yr old
• Esmailyn Sierra (Cha) - 33 yr old
• Willy Cambridge (MC) - 28 yr old
• Brian Zhou (Cin) - 34 yr old

• Hamilton 'Ham' Porter
• Ketel Hebert (Buf) - 33 yr old
• Deck Conway (NY) - 27 yr old
• Tito Hujimoto (Buf) - 33 yr old
• Brian Flynn (SA) - 32 yr old

But let's dive into the specifics

• Best Pitch Calling
• Sammy Kelly (Tre) - 97
• Dustin Casanova (VC) - 93
• Theodore Fleming (Bal) - 92
• Kip Cowart (NO), Allen Klein (Chi), & Chris Small (Fre) - 89
• Most Power
• Benito Gonzales (Mnt) - 99
• Dustin Casanova (VC) - 98
• Ellis Curtis (CSP) - 95
• Izzy Waters (CSP) - 94
• Benny Lee (Tuc) - 91
• Highest Contact Hitter
• Kenshin Choi (Fre) - 85
• Aaron Cepicky (Bal) & Sammy Kelly (Tre) - 84
• Tyler Stull (Sco) & Esmailyn Sierra (Cha) - 82
• Stuart Beckett (Nas) - 80
• Best Eye
• Benny Lee (Tuc) - 100
• Kenshin Choi (Fre) - 99
• Don Fitzgerald (Swb) - 96
• Harry Tatis (Phi) - 93
• Sammy Kelly (Tre) - 92
• Best Arm
• Dustin Casanova (VC) - 86 arm, 82 accuracy
• Darby Corder (Tex) - 82 arm, 86 accuracy
• Matty Lopez (Mnt) - 87 arm, 79 accuracy
• Tyler Stull (Sco) - 85 arm, 79 accuracy
• Kip Cowart (NO) - 85 arm, 79 accuracy
• Don Patterson (Bos) - 80 arm, 83 accuracy
• Highest Paid
• Sammy Kelly (Tre) - $7.5M
• Lyle Lush (LA) - $5.0M
• Brad Randolph (Tex) - $4.2M
• Brian Zhou (Cin) & Tony Gentry (Phi) - $3.6M
• Brian Flynn (SA) - $3.4M
• Available Upcoming Free Agents
• Ehire Arruebarrena (Chi)
• Delino Fernandez (Swb)