sveumrules

Yeah, loved The Chair Company too. That was my first foray into the world of Tim Robinson beside his all timer Roundball Rock skit on SNL.

Defense is the big one for sure. The Brewers' +145 DRS is 3rd and their +112 FRV is 1st in MLB over the last three years. Along the line of finding guys with individual strengths, I think the Brewers seem to target certain batted ball profiles with the pitchers they acquire too. Over the last three years they are 3rd highest with a 105 FB%+, 1st lowest with a 96 LD%+, and 7th lowest with a 97 GB%+. Here are the average batting lines for each batted ball type in 2025... Ground Balls 245/245/269 Fly Balls 208/203/637 Line Drives 629/622/871 Obviously line drives are far and away the worst, so limiting them to the extent the Brewers have over the last three years is a really good starting point. Ground balls are the best since they rarely go for extra base hits, but the one advantage fly balls have is that as long as you can keep them from going for extra bases they have the lowest batting average among the different ball in play types. I think that all kind of ties into how Brewers' pitchers have a middling home run rate with an even 100 HR9+ (15th in MLB) over the last three years on account of all the fly balls, but with the tradeoff of being the very best at limiting hits (93 AVG+) and stranding runners on base (105 LOB%+) leading to them also allowing the fewest runs (87 ERA-).

Brewers have been among the best FIP beaters in all of MLB since Stearns / Arnold got here. From 2016-22 they posted a -0.16 gap (4th best in MLB) between their 3.94 ERA and 4.10 FIP which shook out to about an extra 13 wins between their 116.0 runs allowed based WAR (7th in MLB) and their 102.9 FIP based WAR (8th in MLB). Since Arnold took over in 2023 it they've taken things to a whole other level with a 3.66 ERA to go along with their 4.10 FIP (again) for an MLB best -0.44 gap. CLE is second all the way down at -0.29 gap. Put it all together and despite their 46.9 FIP based WAR placing them down at 12th in MLB over the last three years, their 69.9 runs allowed based WAR is tied with PHI for the most in MLB and shakes out to like 23 extra wins over the last three years.

Quick Recap. Average Values to this point are at #1 (5.1 WAR), #2 (3.6 WAR), #3 (2.7 WAR), #4 (2.3 WAR), and now the thirty players who were fifth on their respective teams totaled 58.8 WAR for a 1.96 or rounded 2.0 WAR average. Pretty fitting that the middle player averages just shy of two WAR as that has always been the kind of the quick and dirty benchmark measure of an "average" player. The Team Depth Project Standings below are starting to show some interesting groupings as well with six of the nine regular spots now complete. There are six teams at the top who haven't been below average at any spot, plus three more that only missed by 0.1 WAR on the ninth spot. Then there are eight teams at the bottom that have been below average at every spot thus far, plus two more that only snuck above average by 0.1/0.2 WAR on the ninth spot. Pretty good illustration of how talent is concentrated more heavily among the competitive teams with only CIN making the playoffs or finishing above .500 of those bottom ten teams. NUMBER FIVE PLAYERS 01. Mookie Betts LAD (+1.4) 663 PA | 104 wRC+ | +8.6 DEF | 3.4 WAR [career worst season at the plate after dealing with some kind of virus entering spring training but closed the season with 210 PA of a much more Mookie-eque 147 wRC+] 02. Dansby Swanson CHC (+1.3) 645 PA | 99 wRC+ | 6.9 DEF | 3.3 WAR [tried to find out if Dansby was heir to the Swanson Hungry Man TV Dinner Empire and all I could find out is that his dad's named Cooter] 03. Ernie Clement TOR (+1.2) 588 PA | 98 wRC+ | +11.7 DEF | 3.2 WAR [pretty good example of the ok bat, good glove archetype who went off for 77 PA of 171 wRC+ during the Blue Jays World Series run. Extreme ball in play guy with a 3.7 BB% that ranks 267th of 272 players with at least 600 PA the last two years, and a 9.8 K% that is 5th lowest on that same list] 04. Ben Rice NYY (+1.0) 530 PA | 133 wRC+ | -6.8 DEF | 3.0 WAR [nice development for the 12th rounder from Dartmouth in 2021. Pretty even split on games between 1B (50), DH (48) and catcher (36) in 2025] 05. Jake Cronenworth SDP (+0.9) 515 PA | 117 wRC+ | +1.3 DEF | 2.9 WAR [got in on that 2022-23 Padres extension mania and still has 5/60 left through age 36. Keep banking a couple two tree WAR a year and its a perfectly cromulent deal] 06. Gabriel Moreno ARI (+0.7) 309 PA | 117 wRC+ | +10.1 DEF | 2.7 WAR [among 31 players with at least 700 PA behind the dish over the last three years Gabriel is at a 113 wRC+ (6th) | +32.5 DEF (11th) | 7.9 WAR (7th), only issue has been health as he's yet to reach 400 PA in a season] 07. Roman Anthony BOS (+0.7) 303 PA | 140 wRC+ | +0.9 DEF | 2.7 WAR [big time prospect came up and mashed big time. Wasn't just feasting on Fenway either with reverse home (120 wRC+) and road (158 wRC+) splits] 08. Jorge Polanco SEA (+0.6) 524 PA | 132 wRC+ | -12.3 DEF | 2.6 WAR [career best year at the plate with most of the damage coming in the hitter's nightmare of T-Mobile Park posting a 158 wRC+ at home. After only 45 total games at the DH spot for his career entering the season had 89 games there last year] 09. Caleb Durbin MIL (+0.6) 506 PA | 105 wRC+ | +3.6 DEF | 2.6 WAR [graded out solidly with +5 DRS | +1 FRV at 3B despite only 67 scattered games of professional experience there prior to 2025. Walked (30 BB) and got plunked (24 HBP) more than he struck out (50 K)] 10. Brent Rooker ATH (+0.4) 699 PA | 122 wRC+ | -18.4 DEF | 2.4 WAR [his 1442 PA | 136 wRC+ | 7.3 WAR make him the 4th best DH in MLB over the last three years behind Schwarber (139 wRC+ | 8.8 WAR), Marcell Ozuna (139 wRC+ | 9.3 WAR) and Ohtani (176 wRC+ | 21.5 WAR ROFL). Judge rounds out the top five with 608 PA of 191 wRC+ shaking out to a nice 6.9 WAR when in the DH spot] 11. Brandon Marsh PHI (+0.4) 425 PA | 116 wRC+ | -1.3 DEF | 2.4 WAR [among 144 players with at least 2,000 PA since 2021, Brandon's .371 BABIP is two dozen points ahead of Judge in second with a .347 BABIP. To find a player with higher BABIP over that stretch you have to lower the min. PA all the way down to 400 and that player is...Garrett Mitchell with a .376 BABIP] 12. Spencer Torkelson DET (+0.3) 649 PA | 118 wRC+ | -12.4 DEF | 2.3 WAR [nice mini breakout for the #1 overall pick in 2020 after 1,469 PA of 94 wRC+ to start his MLB career] 13. Brett Baty NYM (+0.3) 432 PA | 111 wRC+ | +2.1 DEF | 2.3 WAR [showing signs of life in his age 25 season after 602 PA of 71 wRC+ and -0.1 WAR to open his career. Also boosted his xwOBA to .335 after a combined .297 mark over those first 602 PA] 14. Jose Altuve HOU (+0.1) 654 PA | 113 wRC+ | -10.5 DEF | 2.1 WAR [after hitting for a 140 wRC+ and averaging 11.8 WAR per 1,336 PA over his ten year prime from 2014-23 Altuve has dipped to a 120 wRC+ and 6.0 WAR over 1,336 PA these last two years. Was a disaster in LF (-10 DRS | -5 FRV in only 371 innings) and not much better back at 2B (-8 DRS | -1 FRV in 499 innings). Had 156 hits last year and would need to average 153 hits over the four years remaining on his contract to reach 3K hits at age 39] 15. Alec Burleson STL (+0.1) 546 PA | 124 wRC+ | -12.4 DEF | 2.1 WAR [figured out the hitting part this year after 995 PA of 97 wRC+ to start his career. Among 103 players with at least 1,500 innings in the OF the last three years he comes in at -12 DRS (87th) and -17 FRV (96th) so might be headed to more regular DH duty] 16. Brandon Lowe TBR (-0.3) 553 PA | 114 wRC+ | -9.3 DEF | 1.7 WAR [the term "professional hitter" comes to mind. Eight seasons in MLB and has never had a wRC+ below 103. His career 123 wRC+ is one point off of previously referred to "professional hitter" Willson Contreras with a 122 career mark] 17. Josh Jung TEX (-0.3) 511 PA | 91 wRC+ | +5.6 DEF | 1.7 WAR [had a nice rookie season in 2023 with a 114 wRC+ and 2.8 WAR then chipped in 70 PA of 132 wRC+ during the Rangers World Series run. Will try to regain that form in his age 28 season] 18. Austin Riley ATL (-0.3) 447 PA | 103 wRC+ | +1.1 DEF | 1.7 WAR [after 2,070 PA of 136 wRC+ shaking out to 16.1 WAR from 2021-23 the Braves are surely hoping for a healthy return to form in 2026 after only 916 PA of 110 wRC+ for 4.1 WAR these last two years] 19. Kody Clemns MIN (-0.5) 379 PA | 98 wRC+ | +1.3 DEF | 1.5 WAR [son of Roger is at 781 PA of 81 wRC+ for 1.2 WAR since his debut in 2022. Anthony Rendon put up 614 PA of 87 wRC for 1.0 WAR over that same stretch. Andruw Monasterio is at 592 PA of 89 wRC+ for 1.0 WAR since his debut in 2023] 20. Miguel Vargas CHW (-0.7) 569 PA | 101 wRC+ | -6.9 DEF | 1.3 WAR [Acquired by the White Sox in the Edman / Kopech / Fedde three way at the 2024 deadline. Decent full season debut after 591 PA of 64 wRC+ to open his career. Has graded out terrible with a combined -8 DRS | -11 FRV in 1,569 innings at 2B/3B, but small sample of 536 innings at 1B has been better with +6 DRS | +1 FRV] 21. Rafael Devers SFG (-0.7) 395 PA | 126 wRC+ | -8.9 DEF | 1.3 WAR [the Giants 41 W - 31 L record on June 16th would have been good enough for the second Wild Card if the playoffs started June 17th. Instead that was the day Devers joined the team and they went 40 W - 50 L over their last ninety games] 22. Heriberto Hernandez MIA (-0.7) 294 PA | 118 wRC+ | -2.0 DEF | 1.3 WAR [nice half season debut for the 25 year old corner outfielder / DH. Actual .341 wOBA wasn't too far ahead of his .331 xwOBA] 23. Jackson Holliday BAL (-0.8) 649 PA | 96 wRC+ | -4.3 DEF | 1.2 WAR [after posting a 154 wRC+ that was just one point behind Daulton Rushing for the best mark in all of MiLB from 2022-24 (min. 1000 PA), Jackson (62 to 96 to ?? wRC+) could maybe be following that Brice Turang (61 to 88 to 124 wRC+) progression. Still just 22 years old] 24. Jo Adell LAA (-0.8) 573 PA | 112 wRC+ | -16.6 DEF | 1.2 WAR [after putting up 1,070 PA | 79 wRC+ | -17.9 DEF | -1.2 WAR from 2020 to 2024, this past year evened things out for the former top prospect] 25. Austin Hedges CLE (-0.8) 180 PA | 51 wRC+ | +16.9 DEF | 1.2 WAR [if you thought Patrick Bailey was all glove no bat, Austin Hedges would like you to hold his beer. Of 243 players with at least 2,500 PA since 2015 Austin's 50 wRC+ is 243rd and his +165.9 DEF is 2nd. Only five other players of the 243 are at a 75 wRC+ or under...Billy Hamilton (62), Martin Maldonado (68), Alcides Escobar (68), Nick Ahmed (73), and Orlando Arcia (75)] 26. Bryan Reynolds PIT (-0.9) 654 PA | 99 wRC+ | -11.1 DEF | 1.1 WAR [if the Pirates are going to have any chance of doing anything during the Skenes Era they'll need Reynolds to bounce back to that 2022-24 form where he hit for a 117 wRC+ and averaged 2.4 WAR per 654 PA] 27. Kyle Isbel KCR (-0.9) 409 PA | 79 wRC+ | +7.7 DEF | 1.1 WAR [if you thought Blake Perkins (career 85 wRC+ | +18 DRS | +18 FRV) was an all glove no bat CF, get a load of Kyle Isbel (career 78 wRC+ | +38 DRS | +36 FRV)] 28. Tyler Stephenson CIN (-0.9) 342 PA | 99 wRC+ | +0.8 DEF | 1.1 WAR [among 29 catchers with at least 2,500 innings since 2021, Tyler comes in at -23 DRS and -27 FRV (both ranking 27th). Strikeout rate exploded from a 23.4 K% over his first 1,637 PA all the way up to 33.9 K% last year] 29. Alex Call WAS (-1.2) 237 PA | 116 wRC+ | -3.0 DEF | 0.8 WAR [have to imagine he was pretty ecstatic when he found out the Dodgers traded for him at the deadline. Quintessential 4th OF type with a career 102 wRC+ and +9 DRS | +4 FRV between all three spots on the grass] 30. Mickey Moniak COL (-1.4) 461 PA | 110 wRC+ | -15.9 DEF | 0.6 WAR [number one overall pick in 2016, maybe the worst draft in history? Only one first rounder has cracked ten WAR on BRef with Will Smith (pick #32 at 23.0 WAR). Nick Lodolo (pick #41 at 8.5 WAR) is next closest]

There are a couple different methods out there for attempting to capture the ever elusive "clutch-ness" of a player. One is just straight Win Probability Added, where Isaac came in at +0.97 WPA good enough for fifth on the team behind Contreras (+2.34), Turang (+1.14), Durbin (+1.10), and Chourio (+1.02). Vaughn (+0.92) was just behind Collins before a small drop off to Yelich (+0.65), Frelick (+0.51), Hoskins (+0.41), and Bauers (+0.23) rounding out the Top Ten. FanGraphs also has a measure on that same linked leaderboard they label Clutch, which more or less compares how a player performs in high leverage situations versus low and medium leverage situations. For this stat the baseline is not zeroed out to the league as a whole, but rather to each individual player's own performance. For instance, Joey Ortiz was turrrible this year at the plate (67 wRC+) so he came out at -1.03 WPA. But his high leverage plate appearances (101 wRC+), were much better than his low leverage (54 wRC+) and medium leverage (77 wRC+) ones so his 0.62 Clutch was second on the team behind only Contreras with a 0.81 Clutch. By that measure Collins came in at 0.27 Clutch grouped together in a range from fourth to eighth on the team with Mitchell (0.33), Hoskins (0.31), Vaughn (0.25), and Chourio (0.20). Collins did really well in high leverage PA with a 142 wRC+ that was only behind Chourio (156 wRC+) among Brewers with regular PA, but Isaac also did decent in low leverage (118 wRC+) and medium leverage (122 wRC+) so that hurts his Clutch score somewhat by that methodology.

Nathan Fielder’s shows are singular experiences unto themselves. Rehearsal S2 was the pinnacle for me, but The Curse and Rehearsal S1 are well worth it too.

Right, the Bucks, Celtics, and Nuggets teams were all assembled under the previous CBA that was less punitive to tax paying teams. Celtics run was kicked off by trading Pierce/Garnett to Brooklyn for the picks that turned into Tatum/Brown. They’re the closest of that trio to doing it the way OKC has. Bucks and Nuggets were essentially treadmill franchises that lucked into Superstars then were doubly lucky to actually get a Championship out of it.

Not sure how much certainty we really have about how exactly Brewers Accounting goes toward allocating those buyout numbers. Like the Hoskins $4M buyout is set to be paid on 2/1/26. I'd think that counts toward the 2025 payroll since it precedes the start of the 2026 season. Woody's $10M buyout is paid in two $5M installments on 1/15/26 and 7/15/26. To me that reads as splitting it up into $5M each on the 2025 (first payment before season) and 2026 (second payment during season) payrolls.

With the #4 players complete, we are now half way done. Also thinking I'll group all the players from #11 through the end of each team's roster together in the final update for a snapshot of how the "back half" fared. After a drop off of 1.5 WAR from spot #1 to #2, then a 0.9 WAR dip from spot #2 to #3 we are starting to see a leveling off here at spot #4 with the fourth best players on their respective teams totaling 69.6 WAR for a 2.3 WAR average that is only down 0.4 WAR from the #3 spot. Can also see the top to bottom narrowing of the ranges for each spot as we move down the list with #1 having a 8.4 WAR range from Judge to Horwitz, #2 having a 5.2 WAR range from Carroll to McMahon, #3 having a 3.7 WAR range from Marte to Beck and now #4 having a 3.1 WAR range from Freeman to Tovar. The original #9 list had a range of 1.8 WAR top to bottom from Lukes to Miller. NUMBER FOUR PLAYERS 01. Freddie Freeman LAD (+1.6) 627 PA | 139 wRC+ | -10.4 DEF | 3.9 WAR [at 1,265 PA of 138 wRC+ for 7.8 WAR the last two years Freddie is down just a scooch from his eleven season prime where he hit for a 147 wRC+ and averaged 10.2 WAR per 1,265 PA, but still humming along on his way to Cooperstown] 02. Bo Bichette TOR (+1.5) 628 PA | 134 wRC+ | -6.0 DEF | 3.8 WAR [no doubt he can hit with a 120 AVG+ that ranks 8th of 233 batters with at least 1,500 PA since 2021. Power (104 ISO+) is a sliver above average, but he doesn't walk (69 BB%+) and the SS defense -19 DRS | -27 FRV might have Future 2B written all over it] 03. Michael Busch CHC (+1.2) 592 PA | 140 wRC+ | -10.1 DEF | 3.5 WAR [squeezed out of LAD, his 5.7 WAR playing 1B the last two years lands him 5th behind Harper (8.4 WAR), Freeman (7.9 WAR), Vlad Jr. (7.6 WAR), and Olson (7.3 WAR) on the leaderboard. Dodgers got back a pair of highly rated prospects in Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris] 04. Tyler Soderstrom ATH (+1.1) 624 PA | 125 wRC+ | -6.3 DEF | 3.4 WAR [pushed to LF with Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz in the DH/1B spots and graded out well with +10 DRS | +3 FRV in 867 innings. Had reverse home (119 wRC+) and road (132 wRC+) splits so wasn't just feasting on the minor league park in Sacto] 05. Trent Grisham NYY (+0.9) 581 PA | 129 wRC+ | -6.0 DEF | 3.2 WAR [after 1,815 PA of 92 wRC+ and .306 xwOBA from 2021-24, Trent found his stroke with a .366 xwOBA under the hood of his offensive surge. Wasn't some kind of short porch Yankee Stadium thing either with reverse home (104 wRC+) and road (151 wRC+) splits. Defense took a hit though with -11 DRS | -3 FRV compared to +26 DRS | +33 FRV for his career in CF entering 2025] 06. Bryson Stott PHI (+0.8) 560 PA | 100 wRC+ | +7.9 DEF | 3.1 WAR [odd year performer (100 wRC+ | 4.1 WAR in 2023), but even year slumper with 84 wRC+ | 1.3 WAR and 87 wRC+ | 1.8 WAR in 2022/24. His +16.2 BSR comes in 16th since his debut in 2022] 07. Eugenio Suarez ARI (+0.8) 437 PA | 141 wRC+ | -2.1 DEF | 3.1 WAR [nice four year run with 15.5 WAR placing him 31st in MLB right between Matt Chapman, Xander Bogaerts, Brandon Nimmo and Austin Riley. Looks like FA predictions are between 2/45 and 3/66] 08. Trevor Story BOS (+0.7) 654 PA | 101 wRC+ | -1.6 DEF | 3.0 WAR [nice bounce back after 274 PA | 70 wRC+ | +9.4 DEF | 1.0 WAR the previous two seasons. So far the Red Sox have gotten 6.6 WAR for $85M over the first four years of his contract with two years and $55M remaining] 09. Brandon Nimmo NYM (+0.7) 652 PA | 114 wRC+ | -4.5 DEF | 3.0 WAR [similar story as his trade partner Marcus Semien. After hitting for a 135 wRC+ and averaging 10.0 WAR per 1,315 PA from 2018-23, Brandon has hit for a 111 wRC+ and totaled 5.8 WAR over his last two seasons] 10. Jackson Merrill SDP (+0.7) 483 PA | 116 wRC+ | +2.3 DEF | 3.0 WAR [the other Jackson as he's known round these here parts dealt with injuries during his sophmore season but still managed to edge out Jackson the younger by a fraction on account of a slightly better batting line and defense in less playing time] 11. Jackson Chourio MIL (+0.6) 589 PA | 111 wRC+ | -1.9 DEF | 2.9 WAR [after May 28th Chourio was sitting on 252 PA of 87 wRC+. From May 30th through his injury on July 29th he put up 220 PA of 148 wRC+, not all that different than the 144 wRC+ he put up over his final 397 PA of 2024. Just needs to stay healthy and do it for a whole season] 12. JP Crawford SEA (+0.5) 654 PA | 113 wRC+ | -3.0 DEF | 2.8 WAR [with 14.6 WAR since 2021 JP comes in 11th on the playing SS leaderboard over that stretch. He's also 11th on the playing SS since 2023 leaderboard with 9.3 WAR. Just missed here at 12th on the fourth best player on their team in 2025 leaderboard] 13. Ivan Herrera STL (+0.4) 452 PA | 137 wRC+ | -9.7 DEF | 2.7 WAR [can definitely hit with a 134 wRC+ over 711 PA the last two years. Question is if he can catch with -10 DRS | -4 FRV and a 7.4 CS% in only 721 innings behind the dish so far.] 14. Gleyber Torres DET (+0.3) 628 PA | 113 wRC+ | -2.6 DEF | 2.6 WAR [over 3,673 PA from 2018-24 Gleyber hit for a 114 wRC+ and averaged 2.7 WAR per 628 PA] 15. Jung Hoo Lee SFG (+0.1) 617 PA | 107 wRC+ | -5.7 DEF | 2.4 WAR [had a solid first full season with the bat after an injury shortened debut in 2024, but a -18 DRS jumps out right away, though StatCast wasn't quite so harsh at -5 OAA | -2 FRV with 87th to 91st percentile rankings in arm value and strength] 16. Mauricio Dubon HOU (-0.1) 398 PA | 80 wRC+ | +17.1 DEF | 2.2 WAR [has put up 2,058 PA | 85 wRC+ | +36.8 DEF | 6.6 WAR since we traded him for Drew Pomeranz (26 IP | 54 ERA- | 60 FIP- | +0.99 WPA) and Ray Black in 2019. Braves recently traded for him to presumably be their starting SS pending further transactions?] 17. Jakob Marsee MIA (-0.1) 234 PA | 133 wRC+ | +1.8 DEF | 2.2 WAR [nice debut for the 2022 6th rounder acquired by the Marlins from San Diego for Luis Arraez (1,199 PA | 107 wRC+ | 2.0 WAR with SDP). Marsee's actual .363 wOBA was a little out in front of his .346 xwOBA so probably not a true talent 133 wRC+ kind of guy (few are), but should give MIA 2/3rds of a legit OF along with Kyle Stowers] 18. Sean Murphy ATL (-0.3) 337 PA | 97 wRC+ | +10.7 DEF | 2.0 WAR [first season with the Braves went to plan with a 130 wRC+ and 5.0 WAR but injuries have curtailed things the last two years. Could be a trade candidate with the emergence of Drake Baldwin or ATL could hold both and roll into the season with enviable catching depth] 19. Jordan Westburg BAL (-0.4) 352 PA | 115 wRC+ | +1.5 DEF | 1.9 WAR [wasn't ranked quite as highly as fellow Orioles prospects Jackson Holliday, or Adley Rutschman, or Colton Cowser, or Coby Mayo, but outproduced them all in 2025, and with only 352 PA to boot] 20. Josh Smith TEX (-0.5) 563 PA | 100 wRC+ | -4.2 DEF | 1.8 WAR [solid utility guy who played all eight non-catcher spots for the Rangers last year] 21. Jake Mangum TBR (-0.5) 428 PA | 95 wRC+ | +1.7 DEF | 1.8 WAR [not a bad rookie season for a guy who looks like the classic 4th OF profile with +3 DRS | +4 FRV in 933 innings at all three OF spots plus +3.7 BSR and 91st percentile sprint speed] 22. Luke Keaschall MIN (-0.7) 207 PA | 134 wRC+ | -1.4 DEF | 1.6 WAR [nice debut for the 2023 2nd rounder whose 155 wRC+ was 7th best in all of the minors from 2023 to 2024 (min. 500 PA). Might have been a little out over his skis though with a .363 actual wOBA compared to a .323 xwOBA in his MLB sample] 23. Nolan Schanuel LAA (-0.9) 564 PA | 109 wRC+ | -10.1 DEF | 1.4 WAR [among 120 players with at least 1,000 PA the last two years, Schanuel is 110th with 2.1 WAR. His 0.76 BB/K rate is 10th in MLB since his debut in 2023, and he hits for decent average (107 AVG+), but has no power to speak of with a 71 ISO+ that is in the same range as guys like Turang (70), Andres Gimenez (71) and Mauricio Dubon (71) over that stretch] 24. Lenyn Sosa CHW (-0.9) 544 PA | 100 wRC+ | -4.8 DEF | 1.4 WAR [decent uptick in production with a .326 xwOBA under the hood after 578 PA of 66 wRC+ and .303 xwOBA to open his career. His 3.2 BB% is thee very lowest of anyone in MLB (min. 1,000 PA) since his debut in 2022] 25. Daniel Schneemann CLE (-1.0) 422 PA | 79 wRC+ | +8.0 DEF | 1.3 WAR [had never heard of Thee Schnee Mann (not sure if that is a real nickname or not but it should be) until he was named a finalist for the AL Utility Gold Glove. For a guy who was the 1,003rd pick in the 2018 Draft it's all a win at this point] 26. Joey Bart PIT (-1.0) 332 PA | 101 wRC+ | +3.6 DEF | 1.3 WAR [former #2 overall pick by the Giants has a 112 wRC+ the last two years with the Pirates which ranks 8th among 33 players with at least 500 PA behind the dish over that time. His matching -10 DRS and FRV suggest he could still use some work on the behind the dish part though] 27. Mike Yastrzemski KCR (-1.0) 186 PA | 127 wRC+ | +0.5 DEF | 1.3 WAR [since 2021 grandson of Yaz (pending FA) is at 2410 PA | 107 wRC+ | -13.5 DEF | 9.6 WAR. Over that same stretch Trent Grisham (QO acceptor) is at 2344 PA | 102 wRC+ | +9.0 DEF | 9.7 WAR. Pretty dang close with a lil more bat for Yaz and a lil more glove for Grish] 28. Austin Hays CIN (-1.1) 416 PA | 105 wRC+ | -5.3 DEF | 1.2 WAR [had a decent run with the Orioles from 2021-23 where his 6.0 WAR playing OF placed him 35th in MLB. Cratered in 2024, got non-tendered, signed for $5M with the Reds for 2025. Prolly looking at another $5M one year deal kind of situation I'd imagine] 29. Jacob Young WAS (-1.3) 364 PA | 66 wRC+ | +12.2 DEF | 1.0 WAR [among 272 players with at least 600 PA over the last two years Jacob comes in with +26.1 DEF (9th) but a 77 wRC+ (254th). Kind of like if Patrick Bailey, Ke'Bryan Hayes or Andres Gimenez played CF instead of their actual positions] 30. Ezequiel Tovar COL (-1.5) 390 PA | 78 wRC+ | +5.7 DEF | 0.8 WAR [had the fielding (+12 DRS | +13 FRV) but no hitting (72 wRC+) in 2023. Got the wRC+ up to 94 with +10 DRS | +16 FRV good for 3.7 WAR after extending in 2024. Couple of injuries tanked his 2025]

From what I understand Haslam was primarily brought on board the ownership group for a cash infusion because Lasry didn't want to keep paying the tax. Edens has the Governorship (& whatever that entails) until 2028, Haslam is slated for the five years after that. The destruction of the Bucks is a lot more tied in to Middleton's, Lillard's, and now Giannis's bodies failing them to various extents since the Title Run. Hard to say Haslam really destroyed the Browns either. From 1999-2011 they had two winning seasons, one playoff loss, and averaged 5 wins a season. The Browns were a joke when Haslam bought the team in 2012 and remain a joke today, nothing was ruined along the way.

StatCast Park Factors has Fenway with a 122 rating for doubles, first place ahead of even Coors at 119. AmFam is 27th with an 87 rating for doubles, so about as big of a swing between extremes as there is.

Mitchell staying healthy enough to put up even like three hundred some PA at his career levels, plus Ortiz bouncing back closer to the midpoint between his 105 wRC+ from 2024 and 67 wRC+ from last year would pretty much cover for the likely regression incoming from Collins (122 wRC+) & Vaughn (142 wRC+) who could each lose twenty some points off their surprising 2025 marks. You get that plus breakout seasons from Contreras & Chourio? Whoo boy, could be some kind of fun summer.

Couple red flags for Duran are that he’s pretty much a platoon only guy with a 138 wRC+ vs RHP but only a 78 wRC+ vs LHP over the last three years. Also probably getting a little Fenway boost with a 131 wRC+ at home versus a 112 wRC+ on the road over that same stretch. Likely one of the best guys available via trade this offseason so not sure Ashby, Gasser, Mears would get it done. Think the headliner would probably have to be Peralta or one of Patrick/Henderson to really get the Red Sox attention.

Jansen, Hoskins, Quintana, Shelby Miller, and Eric Haase are all free agents. The Brewers cannot trade them.

When Hader was traded at the deadline in 2022 Chourio had already emerged as more or less the biggest star on the horizon after laying waste to the Carolina League at age 18. Here's how MLB ordered them for 2023... #1 Chourio (6.9 WAR so far) #2 Frelick (6.2 WAR) #3 Wiemer (0.6 WAR) #4 Mitchell (3.3 WAR) #5 Turang (6.8 WAR) #6 Quero (yet to debut) #7 Misio (0.7 rWAR) #8 Black (-0.1 WAR) #9 Brown Jr. (yet to reach AAA) #10 Gasser (0.7 rWAR) #12 Uribe (3.2 rWAR) #26 Henderson (1.2 rWAR) That's five core guys (Jackson, Sal, Brice, Jacob, Abner), three yet to be determined (Logan, Robert, Jeferson), one guy who's been effective when healthy (Garrett), and three looking like busts (Joey, Tyler, Eric). Pretty hard to complain about the overall results even with Mitchell and Black not fulfilling their hype.

McKinstry reads to me kinda like an older Isaac Collins with more positional versatility. After posting a 79 wRC+ | .299 xwOBA over his first 1,207 career PA, McKinstry's 114 wRC+ certainly jumps out. But with a .333 actual wOBA to go along with a not all that improved .303 xwOBA under the hood there was likely a good bit of fortune in there. Issac had a similar gap last year with with a .344 actual wOBA but only a .319 xwOBA. Steamer pegs Collins to regress down to a 101 wRC+ next year and forecasts a drop down to a 90 wRC+ for McKinstry. Zach is a useful player on any hopeful contender, but I wouldn't give up a leverage arm like Megill for him.

There is a thread dedicated to the Brewers last trade with each team that Jim does a pretty meticulous job updating. Looks like the last Brewers last trade with KC was when we sent them Mark Canha for a PTBNL (that ended up being Cesar Espinal) in March of 2025. Before that we traded them minor league forum legend Cam Devanney and Ryan Brady for Taylor Clarke in December of 2023. Despite nice depth in the outfield, I'm not sure the Brewers are necessarily all that well positioned to deal anyone away. Sal and Jackson are surefire starters, they aren't going anywhere. Mitchell is hurt all the time so no one is probably going give up much for him. That leaves Perkins and Collins. Blake is a glove first (+18 each on DRS and FRV), limited bat (85 career wRC+) kind of guy. The Royals already have their own Perkins in Kyle Isbel with +38 DRS | +36 FRV and a 78 career wRC+. So it's pretty much down to Collins. His 122 wRC+ was nice on the surface but there was a .319 xwOBA under the hood compared to Isaac registering a .343 actual wOBA, so probably fair to say he got a little lucky. With that likely regression baked in, Steamer sees Collins as good for a 101 wRC+ in 2026. The Royals depth chart at FanGraphs currently has a collection of guys in LF named John Rave, Nick Loftin, and Dairon Blanco getting most of the PA so maybe there could be a match there. Only problem is if you deal Collins, then Mitchell gets hurt in spring training, you are left with no choice but to start Perkins, with Bauers and Yelich as your backups. Last year the two of them combined to start 41 games in the OF, I'd prefer to get that number as close to zero as possible. Only way to do that is keep your depth to cover for the inevitable.

Having a bunch of legit prospects waiting in AAA is also a pretty nice testament to how much the depth of the system has been improving over the last few years too. Think 2022 when Turang, Frelick and Mitchell (okay, and Wiemer too) were all in Nashville was the last time we had that many guys on the cusp.

Moving on down the line to the thirty players who were third on their respective teams by FanGraphs version of WAR. After a 5.1 WAR average for the #1 spot dropped all the way down to a 3.6 WAR average for the #2 spot it looks like these thirty players totaled 82.2 WAR, or an average of 2.7 WAR each. Not quite as steep as the 1.5 WAR fall off from spots one to two, but still almost a full win lost on average between spots two and three. As a decent comparison point for how top heavy talent distribution is there are now only 1.9 WAR separating spot #3 and spot #9, compared to 2.4 WAR separating spot #1 and #3. The Team Depth Project Standings below also serve as a quick & dirty proxy for how much a team's top three players correlate with their overall standing on the team WAR leaderboard. The Top Eight teams in the TDPS below all finished in the Top Nine of position player WAR on the FanGraphs leaderboard. The lone outlier is of course the Brewers (currently 11th) who should start climbing from here on out with WARs between 2.9 (Jackson Chourio) and 1.9 (Andrew Vaughn) in the four through eight spots. Obviously feel free to chime in if anything jumps out to you along the way, and I'll keep compiling & updating as I get each spot wrapped up. In the meantime, the third best players on their respective teams rankings... NUMBER THREE PLAYERS 01. Ketel Marte ARI (+1.9 WAR) 556 PA | 145 wRC+ | 0.0 DEF | 4.6 WAR [premier offensive 2B in MLB with a 140 wRC+ over the last three years while no other current keystone man has gotten their wRC+ into the 120's during that stretch] 02. Kyle Tucker HOU (+1.8) 597 PA | 136 wRC+ | -5.1 DEF | 4.5 WAR [entering 2025 Kyle had a career 139 wRC+ and averaged 4.9 WAR per 597 PA. His 23.4 WAR since 2021 is 10th in MLB. Is this just what $400M looks like now?] 03. Jazz Chisolm Jr. NYY (+1.7) 531 PA | 126 wRC+ | 5.3 DEF | 4.4 WAR [does a little bit of everything with a 117 wRC+ the last four years, +21.3 BSR coming in 7th on the bases over the last five seasons, and +8 DRS | +13 FRV at 2B for his career] 04. Andy Pages LAD (+1.4) 624 PA | 113 wRC+ | +8.4 DEF | 4.1 WAR [third best player for the Dodgers and still no Freddie or Mookie. LAD won the World Series with Pages hitting 078/113/098 (-45 wRC+) over 55 postseason PAs. Ben Sheets career batting line is 076/113/082] 05. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR (+1.2) 680 PA | 137 wRC+ | -12.5 DEF | 3.9 WAR [played like a $500M man in the playoffs with 89 PA of 241 wRC+, but regular seasons have been more of a rollercoaster with wRC+ marks of 166, 132, 117, 164, and 137 the last five years. His 143 wRC+ from age 22 to 26 is exactly the same as Miguel Cabrera, who put up 4,560 PA of 167 wRC+ and 43.6 WAR from age 27 to 33 before it was over with another 2,795 PA of 93 wRC+ and -2.1 WAR from age 34 to 40] 06. Pete Alonso NYM (+0.9) 709 PA | 141 wRC+ | -17.7 DEF | 3.6 WAR [after hitting for a .249 batting average / .262 BABIP over his first 3,607 PA, Pete cranked it up to a .272 batting average / .305 BABIP in his second walk year. His 41 doubles were ten above his previous career high] 07. Sal Frelick MIL (+0.9) 594 PA | 114 wRC+ | +2.8 DEF | 3.6 WAR [good surface level improvement after 747 PA of 89 wRC+ to open his career. Might have been some luck in the mix with his actual wOBA jumping to .332 from .297 his first two years, while his xwOBA saw a more modest gain of .284 to .298] 08. Bryce Harper PHI (+0.8) 580 PA | 131 wRC+ | -8.2 DEF | 3.5 WAR [after his first MVP in 2015, Bryce put up 2,740 PA of 132 wRC+ for 14.9 WAR before winning his second MVP. Since the second trophy in 2021 he's at 2,193 PA of 139 wRC+ for 14.7 WAR. Maybe due for one more heading into his age 33 season] 09. Alex Bregman BOS (+0.8) 495 PA | 125 wRC+ | +4.6 DEF | 3.5 WAR [from 2020-24 Bregman hit for a 124 wRC+ and averaged 3.3 WAR per 495 PA. Didn't feast on the Monster as many predicted with reverse home (106 wRC+) and road (143 wRC+) splits] 10. Jacob Wilson ATH (+0.8) 523 PA | 121 wRC+ | +3.0 DEF | 3.5 WAR [nice first full season for the son of Jack. two thing to keep an eye on are his SS defense with -14 DRS | -4 FRV so far, and how he fares outside of Sacto with a 140 wRC+ in the minor league park last year compared to a 103 wRC+ on the road] 11. Xander Bogaerts SDP (+0.5) 552 PA | 104 wRC+ | +8.9 DEF | 3.2 WAR [from 2015-22 with BOS Xander hit for a 122 wRC+ and averaged 4.8 WAR per 665 PA. In his first season with SDP in 2023 he hit for a 119 wRC+ and put up 4.6 WAR over 665 PA. Last two years have only been a 100 wRC+ and 3.4 WAR per 665 PA. Eight years and $200M remain thru age forty.] 12. Patrick Bailey SFG (+0.5) 452 PA | 70 wRC+ | +35.2 DEF | 3.2 WAR [among 229 players with at least 1,000 PA since 2023 Bailey comes in at +97.2 DEF (1st) and 76 wRC+ (225th). Among 82 players on that leaderboard with a 100 wRC+ or lower Bailey is the only one to crack ten wins, with Bryson Stott (96 wRC+ | 9.0 WAR) and Maikel Garcia (93 wRC+ | 9.0 WAR) getting the closest of the rest] 13. Drake Baldwin ATL (+0.4) 446 PA | 125 wRC+ | +3.9 DEF | 3.1 WAR [deserving NL ROY winner with a solid all around season at the plate. Only real red flag is the throwing with 88 SB the third most allowed in MLB and his 13.7 CS% second lowest among 31 catchers with at least 600 innings last year] 14. Randy Arozarena SEA (+0.2) 709 PA | 120 wRC+ | -11.6 DEF | 2.9 WAR [how shallow has LF become league wide? Going back to 2021 there are only five players to crack ten WAR while playing LF with Steven Kwan (14.8 WAR), and Ian Happ (14.4 WAR) just ahead of Randy (12.2 WAR) then a couple of moonlight LF sneaking in with Yelich (10.4 WAR) and Yordan Alvarez (10.2 WAR). First five years that FanGraphs has positional splits (2002-06) the top five LF (excluding Barry and his 37.5 WAR lol) were between Carl Crawford (17.2 WAR) and Luis Gonzalez (13.7 WAR) with six more over ten and Raul Ibanez (9.5 WAR) just missing out] 15. Riley Greene DET (+0.2) 655 PA | 121 wRC+ | -8.0 DEF | 2.9 WAR [best position player on the Tigers over the last three seasons has crushed RHP with a 140 wRC+ during that time, but might be time for a caddy with an 85 wRC+ vs LHP over that same stretch] 16. Willson Contreras STL (+0.1) 563 PA | 124 wRC+ | -5.0 DEF | 2.8 WAR [elder Contreras has pretty much been the epitome of the "Professional Hitter" with his 130 wRC+ over the last four years sneaking him just inside the Top 25 in MLB over that stretch] 17. Jonathan Aranda TBR (-0.2) 422 PA | 146 wRC+ | -6.3 DEF | 2.5 WAR [nice breakout for Aranda with a .381 xwOBA under the hood after posting a 99 wRC+ and .313 xwOBA over is first 333 career PA. Small sample of only 943 innings at first base over the last two years (31st in MLB) but the metrics like him to the tune of +8 DRS (4th) and +3 FRV (8th)] 18. Otto Lopez MIA (-0.4) 594 PA | 86 wRC+ | +11.9 DEF | 2.3 WAR [last two years Otto is at 1028 PA | 88 wRC+ | +23.5 DEF | 4.8 WAR. Last two years Joey Ortiz is at 1017 PA | 86 wRC+ | +25.0 DEF | 4.5 WAR. Finkle is Einhorn] 19. Jake Meyers HOU (-0.4) 381 PA | 107 wRC+ | +5.4 DEF | 2.3 WAR [nice offensive improvement after 1,014 PA of 83 wRC+ from 2022-24. Looked good under the hood too with his xwOBA jumping to .323 in 2025 after being down at .289 from 2022-24] 20. Ramon Laureano BAL (-0.4) 290 PA | 145 wRC+ | -2.7 DEF | 2.3 WAR [neither Jordan Westburg, nor Jackson Holliday, nor Adley Rutschman, nor Colton Cowser, nor Coby Mayo could outproduce half a season of the journeyman Laureano who has played for five teams in the last three years] 21. Marcus Semien TEX (-0.6) 534 PA | 89 wRC+ | +6.4 DEF | 2.1 WAR [after missing only 14 games from 2018-24 bad luck struck Semein's foot in the form of an errant foul ball and he missed the last 33 games of 2025. Mets hoping for a rebound of sorts with the bat, but after hitting for a 123 wRC+ and .331 xwOBA over 2,339 PA from 2019-23, Marcus has only managed a 96 wRC+ and .315 xwOBA these last two years] 22. Harrison Bader MIN (-0.7) 307 PA | 118 wRC+ | +2.3 DEF | 2.0 WAR [our first re-appearance of the project. On the Phillies for two months, Harrison was the 7th best ninth best player in baseball. On the Twins for four months, he was the 22nd best third best player] 23. Mike Trout LAA (-0.9) 556 PA | 120 wRC+ | -14.0 DEF | 1.8 WAR [after 6,159 PA of 172 wRC+ for 81.5 WAR thru age thirty, Trout has totaled 1,044 PA of 127 wRC+ for 5.7 WAR the last three seasons. Has five years and $177M left on his contract] 24. Vinnie Pasquantino KCR (-1.2) 682 PA | 116 wRC+ | -16.9 DEF | 1.5 WAR [after an encouraging 136 wRC+ and .374 xwOBA over 298 PA in his 2022 debut, Vinnie has put together 1496 discouraging PA of 111 wRC+ and .335 xwOBA in the three years since] 25. Bo Naylor CLE (-1.2) 414 PA | 85 wRC+ | +8.2 DEF | 1.5 WAR [among thirty players with at least 750 PA behind the plate since 2023, Bo comes in at 988 PA (17th) | 88 wRC+ (23rd) | +28.6 DEF (14th) | 5.0 WAR (17th). Nothing too remarkable. But his +0.2 BSR is the only positive base runner on the list, with JTR (-0.2) / Jake Rogers (-0.7) just missing out and Alejandro Kirk bringing up the rear at -14.0 BSR] 26. Jared Triolo PIT (-1.2) 376 PA | 86 wRC+ | +6.1 DEF | 1.5 WAR [not only was Triolo the third best player for PIT last year, his 3.4 career WAR since debuting in 2023 represents the 4th highest total for a Pirates position player over that stretch behind Oneil Cruz (5.5 WAR), Bryan Reynolds (5.4 WAR) and the since departed Ke'Bryan Hayes (4.1 WAR)] 27. Matt McClain CIN (-1.3) 577 PA | 77 wRC+ | +6.8 DEF | 1.4 WAR [batting line crashed with a .287 xwOBA under the hood after posting a 129 wRC+ and .332 xwOBA in his 2023 debut. Reds likely hoping that shoulder surgery which sidelined him for all of 2024 was the primary culprit] 28. Mike Tauchmann CHW (-1.3) 385 PA | 115 wRC+ | -4.3 DEF | 1.4 WAR [pretty consistent platoon OF with between 350 and 401 PA, 108 to 115 wRC+, and 1.0 to 1.7 WAR each of the last three seasons. Out of 93 players with at least 750 PA as an OF the last three years Mike's 3.8 WAR is 54th] 29. Daylen Lile WAS (-1.3) 351 PA | 132 wRC+ | -13.0 DEF | 1.4 WAR [nice age 22 half season debut at the plate with his .360 actual wOBA not too far ahead of his .347 xwOBA. If early returns on his defense are to be believed (-14 DRS | -10 FRV in only 624 innings, woof) he might be destined for DH only] 30. Jordan Beck COL (-1.8) 588 PA | 90 wRC+ | -4.2 DEF | 0.9 WAR [you may recall that 0.8 WAR was the average ninth best player so Beck clears that threshold anyway. The above line is also a marked improvement over his 184 PA of 31 wRC+ resulting in -1.0 WAR from his 2024 debut so there is that]

I don't doubt Areinamo will have a nice MLB career, but with guys like Pratt, Made, and Pena ahead of him up the middle, plus Wilken and Fischer at 3B, and then guys like Turang, Durbin and Ortiz already established MLBers with multiple years of control left, it's unlikely we would have a place for him anyway.

Below are the thirty players who had the second highest fWAR on their respective teams for 2025. With a 5.1 WAR average for spot #1 and a 0.8 WAR average spot for #9 that would be something like a 0.5/0.6 WAR drop for each spot on the way down, but we know that talent is top heavy and isn't distributed evenly so I thought we'd see a little bigger drop from #1 to #2, maybe even a whole win. Turns out these thirty players totaled 108.7 WAR for an average of 3.6 WAR, a full win and a half down from the #1 spot. The top four second best players on their respective teams all cleared the 5.1 WAR average for the #1 spot with the next four coming up a couple few tenths short. The range has also predictably narrowed from 8.4 WAR top to bottom for the #1 guys, to 5.2 WAR for the #2 guys. Will also include the updated Team Depth Project Standings as a separate post. NUMBER TWO PLAYERS 01. Corbin Carroll ARI (+2.9 WAR) 642 PA | 139 wRC+ | +2.5 DEF | 6.5 WAR [with 16.2 WAR Corbin ranks 9th in MLB since his first full season in 2023 while his +33.6 BSR is a full ten runs ahead of EDLC in second place at +23.5. Among 113 primary OF to get at least 1,500 PA from age 22 to 24 since 1947 Carroll's 16.2 WAR nestles him between guys like Mookie (16.8 WAR), Soto (16.6 WAR), Reggie (16.3 WAR), Raines (15.8 WAR), Yaz (15.5 WAR), and JRod (15.5 WAR)] 02. Juan Soto NYM (+2.2) 715 PA | 156 wRC+ | -17.2 DEF | 5.8 WAR [among 335 players with at least 2,500 PA thru age 26 since 1947 Soto comes in at 18.7 BB% (1st) | 158 wRC+ (6th) | 42.3 WAR (11th). The ten guys ahead of him on the WAR leaderboard are seven HOFers plus Trout, Pujols and A-Rod. The eleven guys below him are six HOFers plus Bonds, Mookie and Andruw Jones who might make it in yet this year] 03. Julio Rodriguez SEA (+2.1) 710 PA | 126 wRC+ | +5.9 DEF | 5.7 WAR [with 21.2 WAR Julio ranks 10th in MLB since his debut in 2022, it also ties Barry Bonds for 12th among 73 primary OF with at least 2,000 PA from age 21 to 24 since 1947. Probably hindered somewhat by playing in the pitcher friendly environs of Seattle with career 120/137 wRC+ splits for home/road and even more extreme 114/154 wRC+ career splits for 1st/2nd half] 04. Maikel Garcia KCR (+2.0) 666 PA | 121 wRC+ | +14.9 DEF | 5.6 WAR [pretty sure next to zero baseball fans would have had Maikel down as a Top Five second best player on a team before the 2025 season, but here we are. After posting a 78 wRC+ and .307 xwOBA over his first 1,164 PA he stepped things up to the tune of a 121 wRC+ and .335 xwOBA last year. Garcia's +29 FRV | +15 DRS has him in contention with Matt Chapman (+16 FRV | +34 DRS) and Ryan McMahon (+21 FRV | +36 DRS) for the second best defensive five after Ke'Bryan Hayes with +37 FRV | +50 DRS over the last three years] 05. Kyle Schwarber PHI (+1.3) 724 PA | 152 wRC+ | -19.5 DEF | 4.9 WAR [after posting an impressive 167 ISO+ over his first three years in Philly, Kyle went off for a 208 ISO+ bettered only by Judge, Ohtani, and Raleigh in his walk year. Has a shot at 500 HR with 340 bombs already banked (including 187 the last four years). Forty three different players have hit at least 160 HR from age 33 onward since 1947, but by rough count at least half were Steroid Era guys so *] 06. Cody Bellinger NYY (+1.3) 656 PA | 125 wRC+ | +5.1 DEF | 4.9 WAR [nice bounce back after a 108 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR in 2024. Fueled pretty heavily by a 152 wRC+ at Yankee Stadium versus a 97 wRC+ on the road and some pretty nutso reverse splits with a 180 wRC+ vs LHP compared to only a 105 wRC+ vs RHP. This after posting 120 home / 123 away and 136 lefty / 115 righty wRC+ splits with the Cubs (1,125 total PA). For the four seasons he was a productive hitter with the Dodgers before that (2,083 total PA) it was 140 away / 133 home and 119 lefty / 146 righty wRC+ splits] 07. Nico Hoerner CHC (+1.2) 649 PA | 109 wRC+ | +13.5 DEF | 4.8 WAR [among 306 players with at least 1,000 PA since 2022 Nico comes in at +19.7 BSR (6th) and +50.6 DEF (11th). Super consistent at the plate between a 102 and 109 wRC+ each of the last five seasons] 08. Alejandro Kirk TOR (+1.1) 506 PA | 116 wRC+ | +24.9 DEF | 4.7 WAR [bounced back with the bat after putting up a 94 wRC+ from 2023-24. Among 34 catchers with at least 2,000 innings since 2022 he comes in at +60 FRV (2nd) | +48 DRS (2nd) | +38.2 framing (5th)] 09. Will Smith LAD (+0.5) 436 PA | 153 wRC+ | +1.6 DEF | 4.1 WAR [the Fresh Prince's 22.4 WAR since his debut in 2019 is 3rd among all catchers behind JT Realmuto (25.1 WAR) and Cal Raleigh (22.9 WAR). Continued the streak of a Will Smith winning the World Series every year of the 2020's] 10. Corey Seager TEX (+0.4) 445 PA | 138 wRC+ | +5.6 DEF | 4.0 WAR [his career 136 wRC+ is third among all SS since 1947 behind only ARod with a 147 wRC+ during his eight years at the six and Banks with a 139 wRC+ over his seven prime SS seasons] 11. Shea Langeliers ATH (+0.3) 523 PA | 132 wRC+ | 0.0 DEF | 3.9 WAR [traded to the A's by the Braves for Matt Olson. Killed it vs LHP (184 wRC+) and on the road (148 wRC+), had more modest success vs RHP (116 wRC+) and in Sacto (118 wRC+). Among 33 catchers with at least 1,500 innings since 2023 he comes in at -33 DRS (33rd) | -24.9 framing (32nd) | -25 FRV (31st)] 12. Manny Machado SDP (+0.2) 678 PA | 123 wRC+ | -3.5 DEF | 3.8 WAR [batting has been right in line with his career averages the last two years, but after averaging +15.4 DEF per 1,321 PA thru 2023 Manny's managed -7.1 DEF over his last two years and 1,321 PA. Has 8/301 remaining on his contract] 13. Ceddanne Rafaela BOS (+0.2) 587 PA | 91 wRC+ | +19.0 DEF | 3.8 WAR [second really big defense first profile to show up after Masyn Winn at the end of the #1 players list. Comes in at +32 DRS and +28 FRV the last two years among OF so pretty much between him, PCA (+26 DRS | +37 FRV), Daulton Varsho (+38 DRS | +22 FRV), and Jacob Young (+25 DRS | +31 FRV) for best in the business] 14. Matt Chapman SFG (+0.1) 535 PA | 118 wRC+ | +5.9 DEF | 3.7 WAR [entering 2025 Chapman had a career 118 wRC+ and averaged 3.9 WAR per 535 PA] 15. William Contreras MIL (even) 659 PA | 113 wRC+ | +6.5 DEF | 3.6 WAR [down year compared to 2023-24 (129 wRC+ | +27.2 DEF | 11.3 WAR) but I'll give him a pass since catching and hitting MLB pitching with a mangled finger has to suck majorly. William's 15.0 WAR these last three years ties him with Darrell Porter for 12th among 136 backstops with at least 1,000 PA from age 25 to 27 going back to 1947. Eight of the eleven guys ahead of them are HOF or likely to be soon so he's right on the cusp. Perfect time for a career year] 16. Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL (-0.1) 412 PA | 161 wRC+ | -11.2 DEF | 3.5 WAR [2026 is the last guaranteed season of his extension, though the Braves hold club options for 2027/28 so Ronald will likely hit FA heading into his age 31 season. With 31.9 WAR (16th in MLB since his debut in 2018) over 3,666 career PA, he has averaged 5.2 WAR/600 PA. Stay healthy enough to put up 15 or so WAR over the next three years and he might be able to coax another $400M out of somebody, throw another MVP calibre season in there pushing it closer to 20 WAR and could be looking at half a billion.] 17. Steven Kwan CLE (-0.4) 693 PA | 99 wRC+ | +7.6 DEF | 3.2 WAR [so far Steven has been an even year savant (125 and 131 wRC+ in 2022/24) and odd year middler (99 wRC+ in both 2023/25). Base running has fallen off from +10.3 BSR first two years to +0.7 BSR last two years but remains the premier defensive LF with his +68 DRS since 2022 thirty five runs above second place and his +32 FRV twenty three runs ahead of second place] 18. Zach McKinstry DET (-0.4) 511 PA | 114 wRC+ | +0.7 DEF | 3.2 WAR [maybe a big offensive leap year for Zach with a 79 wRC+ | .299 xwOBA over his first 1,207 career PA. Maybe not though with a .333 actual wOBA to go along with a not all that improved .303 xwOBA under the hood. Played five different positions (mostly 3B/SS/corner OF) and that's not even counting his two innings at 1B or 0.1 IP] 19. CJ Abrams WAS (-0.5) 635 PA | 107 wRC+ | -3.3 DEF | 3.1 WAR [excellent base runner with +18.2 BSR ranking 6th in MLB since 2023. Fielding in dispute candidate with -1 DRS at SS since 2023 fair to middling but his -31 FRV is twice as bad as JP Crawford's second worst -15 FRV mark] 20. Yandy Diaz TBR (-0.7) 651 PA | 135 wRC+ | -19.8 DEF | 2.9 WAR [his 140 wRC+ since 2022 is 10th in MLB. Extra impressive with a 52.6 GB% that is 3rd in MLB over that span behind only Yelich (57.1%) and William Contreras (53.0%) among 179 hitters with at least 1,500 PA] 21. Brendan Donovan STL (-0.7) 515 PA | 119 wRC+ | -0.1 DEF | 2.9 WAR [super consistent for batting average fans between .278 and .287 each of his four seasons. Rare Cardinal that is not a Brewers killer, with a career .591 OPS versus Milwaukee. Rumoured offseason trade candidate] 22. Taylor Ward LAA (-0.7) 663 PA | 117 wRC+ | -6.2 DEF | 2.9 WAR [recently traded to the Orioles for oft injured former top prospect Grayson Rodriguez who has 238 IP of 100 ERA- | 91 FIP- in his two MLB seasons] 23. TJ Friedl CIN (-0.7) 685 PA | 109 wRC+ | -3.5 DEF | 2.9 WAR [mad respect for any undrafted free agent that not only makes it to the show, but has also clocked seven wins over his two healthy seasons] 24. Isaac Paredes HOU (-1.1) 438 PA | 128 wRC+ | -2.1 DEF | 2.5 WAR [part of the Cubs package to the Astros along with Cam Smith (1.0 WAR) for Kyle Tucker (4.5 WAR). Houston has two more years of Paredes and five more for Smith] 25. Xavier Edwards MIA (-1.1) 619 PA | 95 wRC+ | +3.8 DEF | 2.5 WAR [the original "slap-AHEM" prospect per Blake Snell. -11 DRS | -12 FRV for his career at SS, but the metrics liked him at 2B to the tune of +12 DRS | +7 FRV last year] 26. Ryan O'Hearn BAL (-1.2) 361 PA | 135 wRC+ | -2.9 DEF | 2.4 WAR [the second best Oriole wasn't any of their highly ranked prospects like Jordan Westburg, or Jackson Holliday, or Adley Rutschman, or Colton Cowser, or Coby Mayo, it was four months of a 31 year old at the bottom of the defensive spectrum who got traded at the deadline] 27. Ryan Jeffers MIN (-1.5) 464 PA | 113 wRC+ | -0.8 DEF | 2.1 WAR [has carved out a nice little niche the last three years with his 117 wRC+ ranking 5th among 23 primary catchers with at least 1,000 PA. But among 33 catchers with at least 1,500 innings over that same stretch he's at -13 DRS (28th) and -22 FRV (30th) behind the plate] 28. Kyle Teel CHW (-1.7) 297 PA | 125 wRC+ | +0.7 DEF | 1.9 WAR [acquired from the Red Sox for Garrett Crochet. 125 wRC+ is nice for a catcher in his MLB debut, but small sample early returns on his defense were less encouraging with -4 DRS | -3 FRV over just 501 innings] 29. Oneil Cruz PIT (-2.0) 544 PA | 86 wRC+ | +0.9 DEF | 1.6 WAR [fell off some at the plate after posting a 108 wRC+ over 1,000 PA from 2022-24. Might have been some bad luck in there though as his xwOBA only went down to .321 compared to .326 for 2022-24. DRS of -16 thinks the OF has been a disaster, FRV at +5 is a little more optimistic] 30. Ryan McMahon COL (-2.3) 401 PA | 87 wRC+ | +5.1 DEF | 1.3 WAR [for his career Ryan McMahon has an 89 wRC+, for four months with the Rockies last year he had an 87 wRC+, for two months as a Yankee he had an 84 wRC+. He is who we thought he was, I'm not sure if he has been let off any kind of hook however]

Once Middleton's health failed him for good (& then Giannis got hurt right before the 2024 playoffs) the Championship window was realistically closed. Last year would have taken a miracle, this year will take a miracle. Some might say the eight seed Heat, five seed Mavs and four seed Pacers making the Finals in B2B2B years took some kind(s) of miracle(s). The Bucks went All In to placate their Superstar, it didn't work out just like the majority of All In pushes don't work out, and now we're experiencing the ugly aftermath. All that really matters at this point is Giannis staying healthy enough to play out the season through its conclusion (whatever that may be) or at least until the trade deadline if the front office tries to cash in before something major befalls him.

No, still way too early. Over the first 13 games when they were 8 W - 5 L and Giannis was healthy Turner was +55 cumulative in On/Off the eleven games he played with Giannis. During this seven game losing streak with limited to no Giannis he has been -46 cumulative in On/Off. Myles was brought in to be a complement to Giannis, not a stand alone player. So far in his minutes on the court with Giannis the Bucks are +8.3 points per 100 possessions. If they can both stay mostly healthy the rest of the season and keep playing at that level when on the court together Turner will have done exactly what he was brought here to do.

Last time Middleton was healthy in 2023-24 the Bucks main lineup of Dame | Beasley | Khris | Giannis | Brook was +15.6 points per 100 possessions. The trio of just Dame / Khris / Giannis was +17.0 points per 100 possessions. The Celtics main lineup in 2023-24 of Holiday | White | Brown | Tatum | Porzingis when they won it all was +11.3 points per possessions. When the Nuggets won it all in 2022-23 their main lineup of Murray | KCP | MPJ | Gordon | Jokic was +12.6 points per 100 possessions. OKC's five man Championship lineup last year with SGA | Williams | Dort | Chet | Hartenstein was +14.4 points per 100 possessions. When Khris, Giannis and Dame were all healthy the team was Championship calibre as intended. The Bucks recent seven game skid has been a schedule loss with a B2B after an In Season Tourney game, Giannis got hurt game, Giannis misses four games, Giannis first game back (probably too early) on the road at NY. Before that they were right where they were supposed to be at 8 W - 5 L even with KPJ down and out after the first nine minutes of the season If Giannis can stay healthy enough to hit the 65 games needed to get his 8th consecutive 1st Team All NBA nod (can only miss ten games rest of the way) they shouldn't have a problem getting back up to the six seed.

You're close. What Adrian Griffin got was the last stretch of healthy Middleton, with him playing 37 of those 43 games he coached. Khris only played 16 of the the 36 games Doc coached after taking over midseason, then 23 of 49 games before being traded at the deadline the following season. If NBA front offices believed Griffin was a true talent level .698 W% guy he would have gotten another HC gig by now.