Draft Lots of Yankees and Phillies

By R.J. Anderson

The last time we saw competitive major league baseball, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies played in the World Series. Fittingly, those two teams are battling for something in the spring. This time it’s purely about bragging rights, and purely about the number of players in the top 100 B-Rank. The Yankees and Phillies both feature eight players apiece; the Red Sox hold seven; the Dodgers six; the Twins, Rays, Astros, and Cardinals with five; and five teams only have one player making the cut, including the Royals, Pirates, and Padres.

Number of players ranked within the top 100:
8 – NYY, PHI
7 – BOS
6 – LAD
5 – MIN, TB, HOU, STL
4 – SEA, FLA
3 – BAL, LAA, TEX, ARI, ATL, MIL, NYM, SF
2 – CLE, DET, TOR, CHC, CIN, COL, WAS
1- CWS, KC, OAK, PIT, SD

Number of hitters ranked within the top 100:
6 – PHI
5 – NYY, TB
4 – BOS, MIN, HOU
3 – LAD, STL, BAL, LAA, TEX
2 – SEA, FLA, ARI, ATL, MIL, NYM, CLE, TOR, CHC, CIN, COL, WAS
1 – SF, DET, CWS, PIT, SD
0 – KC, OAK

Some time later in your draft, a decision will have to be made between two players of similar caliber. The difference very well could be the quality of the lineup surrounding said players. That’s where the following data should help. If the decision comes down to Marco Scutaro (B-Rank of 213) or Everth Cabrera (190), then a quick scan of the differences between Boston’s quality of hitters and San Diego’s can pay dividends. Especially since so many leagues rely heavily on stats like RBI and R, two numbers that favor players in strong lineups over those surrounded by anemic offenses.