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Prospectus Hit List for June 4



by Ben Lindbergh

Hit List for June 3 Hit List for June 5
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.

Answering such important questions as "How will Wilin Rosario explain himself to his grandchildren?"

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

30

25

34.2

37.5

37.0

.603

.622

81.3%

6.5%

87.8%

0.3%

-4.4%

Maybe the most surprising thing about the Tigers’ season: in 379 combined plate appearances, Alex Avila and Victor Martinez have hit like Rey Ordonez. It bodes well when you’re in first place and the biggest surprises are bad.
2

35

21

34.5

34.0

33.7

.581

.601

69.3%

19.0%

88.3%

-0.4%

2.7%

After the way Jon Daniels’ Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Davis deals turned out, some team should probably try to trade for Mitch Moreland, just to see what happens.
3

35

23

35.2

35.6

35.0

.570

.589

44.1%

30.7%

74.7%

2.0%

4.3%

LOOGY Andrew Miller has held right-handed hitters to a .129 average and allowed a .316 average to lefties. Which is less sustainable: that split, or Jose Iglesias’ .512 BABIP?
4

36

22

36.8

36.9

35.8

.593

.574

39.8%

51.0%

90.8%

2.5%

3.4%

You know that annoying alarm that keeps beeping until you buckle your seatbelt? One of those should be beeping in Dusty Baker’s office until he stops batting Zack Cozart second.
5

38

19

38.4

35.6

34.7

.592

.573

51.8%

42.1%

93.8%

1.0%

7.1%

Yadier Molina hit a home run, threw his helmet in celebration, and was suspended for the rest of the season.
6

35

24

33.7

34.8

33.7

.550

.569

28.0%

38.2%

66.2%

5.1%

22.1%

Yoenis Cespedes is so last season’s freakishly athletic Cuban outfield phenom. More like Yawnis Cespedes.
7

31

25

31.0

32.1

32.6

.546

.566

18.3%

27.3%

45.5%

-1.8%

11.0%

In the ultimate ironic twist, the mainstream media will start singing Ben Zobrist’s praises just as he starts to decline, forcing self-loathing sabermetricians to write about how overrated he is.
8

32

25

29.4

27.1

27.5

.536

.556

31.0%

29.1%

60.1%

2.7%

-17.7%

In a press conference at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Hal Steinbrenner said he hopes Alex Rodriguez will “act like a Yankee.” “I’m already old, overpaid, and on the DL,” A-Rod responded. “What more does he want me to do?”
9

25

33

27.4

29.1

27.8

.517

.537

2.3%

10.7%

12.9%

-2.6%

-9.9%

A four-game sweep by the Astros triggered the new CBA’s automatic closed-door clubhouse meeting clause.
10

35

22

35.0

34.2

32.8

.556

.536

79.3%

7.9%

87.2%

0.3%

6.4%

The Pirates tried to steal their fourth win in five games against Atlanta this season. And they would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that Medlen kid.
11

30

27

30.0

30.0

30.5

.511

.531

15.7%

15.5%

31.2%

-2.9%

-5.3%

Nick Swisher’s stats are like a better-looking version of Bud Selig’s suit: not very sexy, but reassuring in that they’re always the same.
12

32

25

30.3

30.7

30.9

.506

.526

6.5%

17.8%

24.3%

-1.1%

6.7%

Injured reliever Pedro Strop will throw a simulated game today. His probable line: three simulated batters faced, two simulated walks, and a simulated homer.
13

32

25

31.1

31.7

31.9

.539

.519

48.2%

10.4%

58.6%

-5.9%

-1.8%

Jesus has already been demoted to the minors, but Miguel Montero (.206/.296/.291) is still making the “Worst-Hitting Catcher Named Montero” sweepstakes interesting.
14

35

23

31.1

30.5

30.9

.526

.506

8.3%

48.1%

56.4%

-4.9%

5.1%

After a scoreless inning last night, Jared Hughes has now thrown a league-low 23.9 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. Memo to Jared Hughes’ opponents: stop swinging.
15

24

32

23.4

25.8

25.8

.508

.488

15.0%

4.9%

19.9%

4.0%

-3.2%

Yasiel Puig batted .517 in spring training, but he’s hit only .500 in the majors so far. Not so easy now, is it?
16

30

27

27.0

28.6

30.0

.508

.488

24.9%

7.5%

32.4%

3.2%

-4.1%

Since the end of April, Marco Scutaro has hit .409/.463/.545 in 122 plate appearances, with a .419 BABIP. Scutaro hot streaks are scary.
17

30

28

31.9

33.5

32.5

.506

.486

9.6%

6.1%

15.8%

-4.0%

-3.3%

“Knuckleballers,” Wilin Rosario will say, shaking his head, when his grandkids ask about his league-leading passed ball totals. Kids aren’t smart, so they’ll probably fall for it.
18

24

33

24.5

23.9

25.3

.464

.484

0.2%

1.3%

1.6%

0.2%

-1.7%

Melky Cabrera makes his return to AT&T Park tonight, where he’ll hope to receive the welcome Giants fans traditionally extend to notorious PED users who played well in San Francisco: a standing ovation.
19

25

33

24.1

26.9

27.6

.460

.480

0.4%

0.9%

1.3%

0.3%

-1.7%

Raul Ibanez hit his 10th home run, and now trails only Chris Davis, Domonic Brown, and Evan Gattis in homers per plate appearance. So this season’s proceeding pretty much as expected.
20

23

31

26.0

22.1

22.6

.453

.473

1.1%

1.2%

2.3%

0.2%

-1.3%

The good news: the Royals have lost fewer days to injury than any other AL team. The bad news: that means they can’t use injuries as an excuse.
21

28

29

25.4

24.9

25.3

.491

.471

15.4%

13.7%

29.0%

2.3%

-10.8%

When Bryce Harper gets back, he’ll be on a strict outfield fence collision limit. Rob Dibble is already writing a rant about it.
22

23

32

27.4

28.6

28.7

.486

.466

0.1%

1.9%

1.9%

-0.2%

-0.5%

Don’t look now, but Ryan Sweeney is hitting .303/.395/.515. No, really, don’t look. It’s a super-small sample.
23

24

31

23.1

23.0

21.9

.446

.466

1.4%

1.2%

2.6%

-1.6%

-5.6%

Sure, the White Sox have been a historically inept offensive team, but that was before Gordon Beckham got back. Wait, that was before Gordon Beckham got back?
24

25

29

25.4

24.0

25.1

.435

.455

0.5%

0.7%

1.2%

-0.2%

0.9%

Subtract the number of K’s recorded by Twins starters from the number of K’s recorded by Tigers starters, and you’d still have more K’s than the starters on six other teams.
25

28

30

24.0

24.8

24.5

.457

.437

4.6%

4.4%

9.0%

2.6%

1.7%

Another day, another Domonic Brown homer. “A home run is the greatest hit in baseball,” said Charlie Manuel, flaunting his ignorance of the latest research on rally-killing.
26

26

31

25.3

24.9

24.8

.457

.437

2.2%

0.7%

3.0%

-0.2%

1.0%

Carlos Quentin sat out the first game of San Diego’s series in Los Angeles with a sore shoulder, delaying this season’s longest, loudest boo by a day.
27

21

35

22.4

23.0

24.4

.444

.425

0.0%

0.4%

0.5%

-0.2%

-0.5%

For the second straight day, Milwaukee loses a home run after replay review. Come on, reality. Throw the Brewers a bone.
28

22

32

21.9

21.8

21.2

.442

.423

0.7%

0.9%

1.6%

-0.5%

-0.5%

After a couple good games over the weekend, Ike Davis felt back into bad old habits with a hitless Monday. It was an off day, but still.
29

21

37

20.3

17.9

20.1

.363

.382

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Six wins in a row for the Astros. Come on, do they really need that no. 1 draft pick?
30

16

42

19.7

16.5

16.3

.348

.330

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Step one: scroll up to the White Sox comment. Step two: replace “White Sox” with “Marlins” and “Gordon Beckham” with “Casey Kotchman.” Step three: sink into an even deeper despair.