The Braves Franchise Deep Six

A few years ago I got the idea of making all-time franchise depth charts. I started with the Yankees and got six players deep at each position before I didn't feel like going further. It was fun, but for whatever reason (probably my usual lack of focus) I didn't do them for any other franchises.

I've decided to try again. If I have the drive to stick with it, I plan to create all-time teams for each franchise. There'll be the 1st Team, as well as the 2nd Team, all the way to the 6th. (Sometimes you're splitting hairs even before you get to the 6th.) I'll then post them here in chart form for easy reading. And since it's been a few years since I made my Yankees depth chart, I'm going to redo that one.

To determine rankings, I plan to take into account not just raw numbers, but longevity and peak value, meaning these lists will be subjective enough to encourage debate (should anyone but me and my few loyal readers ever see them). I also have a few other rules to note:

1. A player can only count at one position for a franchise. He can't be both the left fielder on the 1st Team and the right fielder on the 4th Team, he's got to be ranked at only one position. I want to see a variety of players, not the same guys over and over. Maybe you'd disagree, but hey, it's my project.

2. I'm only counting starting pitchers at the pitcher position.

3. A player must have played at least three seasons for the franchise at a position to qualify for the depth chart. Rogers Hornsby was with the Boston Braves in 1928, and as he was still in his prime, he put up perhaps the greatest season ever for a Braves second baseman. However, it was also his only season with the Braves franchise, so it wouldn't feel right to rank him on their depth chart.

On the subject of the Braves, they're the first team I've finished for this project, so I thought I'd share it here as my monthly post:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Kid Nichols	Joe Torre	Fred Tenney	Bobby Lowe	Eddie Mathews	Johnny Logan	Rico Carty	Andruw Jones	Hank Aaron
2nd	Greg Maddux	Del Crandall	Joe Adcock	Glenn Hubbard	Chipper Jones	Rabbit Maranville	Sid Gordon	Wally Berger	Jason Heyward
3rd	Warren Spahn	Brian McCann	Earl Torgeson	Tony Cuccinello	Bob Elliott	Rafael Furcal	Lonnie Smith	Dale Murphy	David Justice
4th	Phil Niekro	Javy Lopez	John Morrill	Marcus Giles	Darrell Evans	Herman Long	Ralph Garr	Billy Hamilton	Tommy Holmes
5th	Tom Glavine	Hank Gowdy	Felipe Alou	Felix Millan	Jimmy Collins	Andrelton Simmons	Ryan Klesko	Hugh Duffy	Chick Stahl
6th	John Smoltz	Phil Masi	Freddie Freeman	Jack Burdock	Billy Nash	Jeff Blauser	Joe Connolly	Jim O'Rourke	Gene Moore

It's interesting to see that a franchise as historical as the Braves is fairly weak at first base, second base and left field. Especially second base. Glenn Hubbard sticks out like a sore thumb on that 2nd Team. Why couldn't they have kept Rajah around a bit longer? At pitcher, third base and center field though, they're especially strong.

Perhaps some of you think it's too early to have Freddie Freeman or Andrelton Simmons on these charts. All I can say is that first base is weak enough for Freeman to make it, and Simmons has been great enough in his young career that I feel confident about his place here. I could easily see both of them working their way up to higher teams in future editions of these depth charts.

I hope to have more to share with you next month.

2015 Predictions

With the regular season nearly upon us, I thought it was time to make some predictions for how it'll all play out! Not only will I pick playoff participants, I'll pick the results of the postseason! And you can take these to the bank, for my predictions are never wrong. Ever.

When it comes to playoff results, it's easy to know which teams have a chance simply by being aware of the Oligopoly. Granted, I'm not 100% certain who is and is not in the Oligopoly, but it's generally a pretty reliable guideline to use what you know of it. So here you go:

AL West

1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Houston Astros
5. Texas Rangers

The Athletics always find a way. They aren't a terribly compelling team, but they know how to maximize their potential.


AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals*
3. Minnesota Twins*
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Cleveland Indians

I still see Detroit as the best all-around team in the division. The Twins are my pick to be this year's surprise out-of-nowhere team, and I think the Royals have enough left from last year's run to contend again.


AL East

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Baltimore Orioles
3. New York Yankees
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays

The Red Sox never stay down for long. Just when you think you won't have to worry about them for a while, they revamp their team and look like a contender again. I hate them.


NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres*
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

The Dodgers are still the team to beat. The Padres have made a ton of moves, and I think it should boost them into a Wild Card spot this year, but that's about it.


NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Milwaukee Brewers

The Cardinals are pure evil. There's no way they don't win this division.


NL East

1. Miami Marlins
2. Washington Nationals*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. New York Mets
5. Philadelphia Phillies

The Nationals may be the talk of baseball, but I predict they'll underachieve, and that the young Marlins will beat them out for the top spot. I wish it weren't so, but that's how these things go.


Playoffs:

AL Wild Card: Royals over Twins

ALDS 1: Royals over Red Sox
ALDS 2: Tigers over Athletics

ALCS: Royals over Tigers

NL Wild Card: Padres over Nationals

NLDS 1: Cardinals over Padres
NLDS 2: Marlins over Dodgers

NLCS: Cardinals over Marlins

World Series: Cardinals over Royals

The only Oligopoly teams I have making the Playoffs are the Red Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers, so we know one of them has to win it. Since the Giants and Cardinals have alternated NL pennants this decade, the Cardinals win by virtue of it being an odd-numbered year. The Marlins may be the exception to the Oligopoly, so I could possibly see them upsetting the Cards in the LCS and then winning the World Series to an empty house at Marlins Park, but I'll stick with the safe choice for now.

As for the Royals, I have them making it back on the momentum of last year's magical run. They'll give baseball a brief ray of hope when they upset the mighty Red Sox in the first round, then beat out the Tigers. Like the 2011 Rangers though, the Cardinals will let the Royals get close, only to steal it away in the end. The Cardinals will have their perfect narrative of avenging the Don Denkinger call 30 years later, and their obnoxious self-loving fans will walk around puffed up with bragging rights once again. Ugh. Stuff like this is the reason I'm not getting particularly excited about this season.

Star-Spangled Ballplayers

The U.S. national anthem is a big part of baseball, almost as big as the players themselves. But what about the few players who have performed both in the game and in the pre-game patriotic ceremony? In my cursory search, I've found six players who have performed it, five with singing, one on the trumpet.

White Sox first baseman Lamar Johnson had a big day in 1977 when he sang the anthem and got all three White Sox hits, including two homers, in a 2-1 Sox victory:



Cub outfielder Dwight Smith had a soulful rendition:



Royals pitcher Jose Lima may be the most interesting member of this list, as he wasn't born in America, and he's clearly not singing in his first language. Lima was always known to be a character.

 <a href="http://video.msn.com?mkt=en-us&amp;brand=v5^544x306&amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:1bab105f-d181-44c6-82d9-84abf1afb7f4&amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;from=dest_en-us" target="_new" title="Lima sings the national anthem">Video: Lima sings the national anthem</a>


Former Dodger infielder Nate Oliver and former Oriole Jim Traber are both known to have sung the anthem, but I can't find video of either.

And then we have our trumpeter, former Cub utility man Carmen Fanzone, whose name you may have heard mentioned at the end of the Dwight Smith video. I think this is the anthem I most wish I could hear but can't.

Such a curious list, and definitely an exclusive one.

Congratulations Are in Order, As Well As a List Update

Congrats to our four new members of the Baseball Hall of Fame! Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio are all worthy additions in my book, and I'm glad to see none of them were snubbed. Now the speculation about next year begins...

Until then, you can check out my list of Hall of Famers' first Major League homers, updated to reflect our new additions.

Oligopoly FAQ

I've shared my theory about what I've termed "the Oligopoly" in real life and on the internet, and for the most part it's been met with confusion and questions about my sanity. I'm not here to be defensive, since I understand the skepticism of those who can't see. I've come to realize though, that this theory is easily misunderstood, as is my own claim to knowledge of it.

While I've discussed it in some detail in previous posts, I thought it would be good to write one comprehensive post explaining it fully, and clarifying both what it is and is not. For the first time I can recall in my life, I'm writing an FAQ, and answers will be as detailed as I think is necessary.

What is the Oligopoly?

Simply put, the Oligopoly is a select group of Major League Baseball franchises that are also media favorites. The theory is that starting in 2006, some inexplicable force has kept anyone outside this select group from winning the World Series.

So this is a conspiracy theory?

No, because I don't believe there's anyone conspiring. I don't think anyone is rigging games or pulling strings to get a certain result. It's just something that happens. There seems to be an intangible sort of magic that carries one of these franchises to the championship every year.

What are you saying, that there's voodoo involved?

I make absolutely no claim to know how it works, I just observe the pattern. Perhaps the good vibes from the media somehow give these franchises a psychological boost. I just don't know.

Which franchises are in the Oligopoly?

Any franchise that's won the World Series since 2006 is an obvious member, meaning the Cardinals, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Giants. Other franchises believed to be Oligopoly members are the Dodgers and Mets, since the national media would obviously have no objection to either one winning the World Series. There are other franchises that may or may not be Oligopoly members, such as the Angels, Braves and Cubs, but one can't be certain.

Wait just a second here...you don't even know for certain who's in it?

I'm only saying I don't know the full extent of the Oligopoly. While the Angels and Braves aren't overwhelming media favorites, I could see a title for either franchise being favorably received by the media. As for the Cubs, while they're a clear media favorite, they're also a franchise that derives a lot of mystique from not winning the World Series, so perhaps the media would be disappointed not to have that narrative any longer. There are other teams you could make cases for, so I wouldn't necessarily rule them out, but I don't believe they're members.

This makes no sense! Why would a franchise in a relatively small market like the Cardinals be in it instead of a bigger-market franchise like the White Sox, or even the Tigers?

Because neither one of those franchises has ever dominated historically, and both lack a brand that transcends their region. The Cardinals are one of baseball's flagship franchises, and let's face it, the media never tire of talking about what a strong organization they have.

OK, but what about the Phillies? You claim they're in the Oligopoly, but do you really think they have a brand that transcends their region?

No, and I wouldn't say the Mets do either. However, I believe the Mets to be Oligopoly members, because the media have always loved giving them attention, and the Phillies are part of the northeast regional media lovefest. Before the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, the city's title drought that extended back to 1983 got tons of media play, despite being dwarfed by the droughts of cities like San Diego, Buffalo and Cleveland. The media like talking about Philadelphia enough that a Phillie World Series title, while nowhere near as glamorous as say, a Yankee title, is still pretty darn cool to them.

It sounds to me like you're working backwards. Aren't you just making a post hoc rationalization for why certain teams win?

I can see how it would look that way to the skeptic, but I ask you to take a look at some of the teams that have lost the World Series since the start of the Oligopoly: The 2006 Tigers, 2007 Rockies, 2008 Rays, 2010-11 Rangers, 2012 Tigers and 2014 Royals. Right there you have seven teams. All are from franchises that aren't particular media favorites, and none has a widely-recognizable brand. Each of them lost to a team that fit the Oligopoly criteria. The only one on that list I'd consider clearly inferior to their opponent is the 2007 Rockies. Given normal odds, you'd think at least one or two of these teams would've won. It sure seems like more than a coincidence, doesn't it?

But the Royals came close! They lost Game 7 of the World Series by a single run! What if they had won that game?

Then I would have declared the Oliopoly dead. However, they didn't win, so it does nothing to refute the theory.

Why do you use 2006 as a cutoff? Is there something special about that date?

Because the 2005 White Sox are the last World Series Champion I don't believe to be part of the Oligopoly. My little pet theory is that as a White Sox fan, this is my punishment for finally being allowed to see them win it, but I don't necessarily believe that. Why it started at that time remains, like most things Oligopoly-related, a mystery.

So you think this Oligopoly is just going to continue for all eternity, and no one outside this group is ever going to win the World Series again?

No. I have a feeling it'll come to an end at some point, and I'll probably be rejoicing when it does. For the time being though, we're stuck under the dark cloud of media favorite dominance.

What would it take for you to declare the Oligopoly dead?

A team would have to win the World Series that is a clear non-media favorite. If I can't plausibly argue that said team is an Oligopoly member, then it will be proof that the Oligopoly is no longer in effect.

And which teams would those be?

There are 14 teams I am all but certain are not in the Oligopoly. If one of them won the World Series, I'd declare the Oligopoly dead:

• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Cincinnati Reds
• Cleveland Indians
• Colorado Rockies
• Houston Astros
• Kansas City Royals
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Minnesota Twins
• Oakland Athletics
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• San Diego Padres
• Seattle Mariners
• Tampa Bay Rays
• Toronto Blue Jays

I'm nearly certain about the following teams being non-members too, but I could imagine a case being made for any of them. If one of them won the World Series, I'd probably declare the Oligopoly dead, but there'd be lingering doubts:

• Baltimore Orioles
• Chicago White Sox
• Detroit Tigers
• Miami Marlins
• Texas Rangers
• Washington Nationals

Doesn't any of this sound nuts to you?

Sure. I don't want to believe this is true, but after seeing the same thing happen year after year, it's hard not to feel like it's true. I would love to have optimism about the teams I like getting a chance to hoist the World Series trophy, but the Oligopoly has numbed me to such hopes. Hopefully it'll come to an end sooner rather than later. Until it does though, I'll continue to be a pessimist.