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Prospectus Hit List for September 15



by Matt Sussman

Hit List for September 12 Hit List for September 17
Teams are ordered based on Adjusted Hit List Factor, a computer generated number, and the author isn't responsible for the order of the teams.

The penultimate penultimate Hit List of the season.

RkTmWLW1W2W3HLFAHLFWin Div% Win WC%Playoff%1-Day7-Day
1

83

66

92.5

91.1

91.3

.600

.619

0.0%

98.5%

98.5%

4.1%

3.6%

Some teams platoon their designated hitters. But the A's seem to have a triune DH: Adam Dunn (vs. righties), Nate Freiman (vs. lefties) and Alberto Callaspo (all other times).
2

82

67

81.9

83.6

82.8

.554

.534

11.8%

86.8%

98.6%

-0.9%

3.3%

If he hangs on as a backup catcher, in one year there will be a San Francisco jam band called Poison Susac.
3

79

70

78.3

81.6

82.0

.538

.518

5.6%

67.5%

73.1%

5.4%

27.9%

Today at work around PIttsburgh you may have heard a tale of Josh Harrison speeding around the bases in reverse to turn the triple-play single handedly. They are correct.
4

81

67

76.3

70.7

70.9

.505

.525

16.7%

48.2%

64.9%

-3.0%

-8.7%

Aaron Crow should stop giving up grand slams in pennant chases and go back to peddling whatever kids' cereal he is the mascot of.
5

80

68

86.2

82.1

81.5

.557

.577

0.0%

31.0%

31.0%

-3.9%

-16.6%

There are better ways to stay in the race than hitting 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position against the team directly ahead of you in the Wild Card. A rummage sale, for starters.
6

78

72

75.0

74.7

74.1

.503

.483

1.0%

23.8%

24.8%

3.0%

-4.6%

The Brewers just ordered their latest shipment of feathers and ... oh dear, Carlos Gomez found the shipment and he's ruffling them! Will no one stop him?
7

83

66

80.2

81.5

80.6

.546

.566

83.0%

13.8%

96.8%

5.2%

29.4%

Entering September, Phil Coke was 2-2. This month he is 3-0, all against the Indians.
8

85

64

83.9

88.7

86.6

.577

.558

88.2%

11.8%

100.0%

0.0%

0.1%

Clayton Kershaw's ERA jumped to 1.70. What's wrong with him? Start checking for fever, redness, dry throat, BABIPitis...
9

83

67

76.2

79.4

78.8

.529

.509

93.4%

5.5%

98.9%

0.2%

1.4%

Good work, St. Louis. Just keep telling Jhonny Peralta every year is a contract year.
10

76

72

74.7

75.1

74.0

.506

.526

0.2%

5.1%

5.3%

-0.7%

-8.6%

CC Lee threw a wild pitch yesterday during an intentional walk. Perhaps it was a nonviolent protest.
11

75

74

74.4

73.8

73.5

.498

.478

0.0%

4.6%

4.6%

-7.7%

-27.8%

Nobody's ever seen someone reach the playoffs with the rally cry of "Dig up, stupid," but maybe Atlanta will be the first.
12

77

71

77.6

77.1

76.7

.521

.541

0.0%

2.8%

2.8%

-1.2%

1.7%

Too bad the Jays squandered a chance to win on Sunday. Dramatic Mayberry home runs don't just grow on trees. Regular mayberries might, though. But they're not even in season.
13

76

72

70.7

69.3

70.0

.483

.503

0.0%

0.7%

0.7%

-0.5%

-0.9%

Chris Young? I knew the Yankees wanted to get young, but this is ridiculous!
14

72

78

75.5

81.8

82.0

.519

.539

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

It doesn't look like Wil Myers will get to defend his Rookie of the Year crown.
15

69

80

67.9

66.4

67.8

.455

.435

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

If you can get ejected for grabbing your crotch, then it's a good thing Jonathan Papelbon's cloud account wasn't hacked.
16

57

92

58.2

56.0

58.5

.385

.404

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

A sweep against a team with a winning record puts a moratorium on Rangers jokes for at least three days. Downside: there are more than three days left in the season.
17

72

78

73.6

68.6

68.5

.471

.451

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.0%

-0.0%

Look, if you don't like Jenrry Mejia's pantomime antics as closer, just try to beat the Mets much earlier in the game. Teams literally do this all the time.
18

68

80

67.4

62.5

63.3

.441

.422

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Show me all the birth certificates you want, but Cory Spangenberg is a fake name pulled from a rejected Saved By The Bell guest cameo.
19

63

86

67.5

66.7

66.7

.443

.463

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

The Twins have four wins this month, three of them by Trevor May. They're out of the playoff hunt but it may be a good idea to convert him into a first inning specialist.
20

61

88

62.8

62.5

62.1

.417

.398

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

As bad as Trevor Cahill's season has gone, at least he wasn't throwing many wild pitches, until he threw two of them on Sunday. That was literally all he had left.
21

89

60

85.7

83.9

83.9

.575

.594

100.0%

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.2%

You don't have to condone the Adderall suspension, but understand that Chris Davis had a super hard chem final to study for last week.
22

66

84

66.1

67.4

68.5

.447

.466

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

He already helped bring a Triple-A championship to Pawtucket, so imagine the disappointment if Rusney Castillo can't get Boston into the playoffs with 30 wins in the next week and a half.
23

68

81

65.1

65.8

65.5

.444

.463

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Jose Abreu is one of nine rookies in history with 35 home runs and 100 RBI, and he's the oldest one in the group, and yet at the same time the youngest. I just blew your mind.
24

65

84

64.8

70.4

70.8

.455

.435

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Finally, the future is now. Also now is Luis Valbuena is batting cleanup.
25

71

79

73.7

69.3

70.1

.473

.454

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Is there a Cy Young, but for September performances only? Do not tell Jonny Cueto there isn't; his thick lustrous hair may not be able to handle it.
26

59

90

65.9

68.2

64.2

.432

.412

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

There aren't many more ominous lead-ins to an MLB.com recap than "Jordan Lyles posted a quality start, but"
27

66

83

64.8

66.4

68.7

.446

.466

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

It's some kind of catharsis for Jose Altuve to have 200 hits, 50 stolen bases and be 30th in baseball in runs scored.
28

72

76

72.0

71.7

70.8

.484

.464

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.0%

-0.7%

Giancarlo Stanton wants to play again this season after suffering facial fractures by a pitch, and not just lie in bed and eat ice cream while being paid like a millionaire, which nobody would fault him for doing.
29

93

56

91.0

92.8

91.8

.619

.637

100.0%

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.0%

The smaller the magic number gets, the less people focus on the Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols contracts, whose numbers remain the same.
30

85

63

87.5

87.6

86.6

.586

.566

100.0%

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.4%

Imagine, if you will, an alternate reality where the Expos have Bryce Harper and they are bound for the playoffs. You still wouldn't try a Bryce Harper-branded poutine.