Red Sox
Initial Rankings for MLB 10 The Show Released
Earlier this week MLB 2K10 revealed its team numeric ratings. MLB 10 The Show has now divulged its rankings of all 30 Major League teams across four categories. The New York Yankees are this year's overall No. 1.
The Show's rankings come in four flavors: Overall, hitting, pitching and defense. I've broken them out here.
Overall Team Rankings
1 Yankees
2 Red Sox
3 Phillies
4 Dodgers
5 Rays
6 Braves
7 Angels
8 Rockies
9 Cubs
10 Rangers
11 Diamondbacks
12 Twins
13 White Sox
14 Giants
15 Blue Jays
16 Cardinals
17 Mets
18 Brewers
19 Reds
20 Orioles
21 Mariners
22 Astros
23 Athletics
24 Tigers
25 Padres
26 Marlins
27 Royals
28 Nationals
29 Pirates
30 Indians
Team Hitting Rankings
1 Yankees
2 Red Sox
3 Phillies
4 Rangers
5 Rays
6 Rockies
7 Angels
8 Cubs
9 Braves
10 Dodgers
11 Twins
12 Blue Jays
13 Diamondbacks
14 Orioles
15 Mets
16 Giants
17 Reds
18 White Sox
19 Brewers
20 Cardinals
21 Marlins
22 Mariners
23 Nationals
24 Astros
25 Pirates
26 Padres
27 Royals
28 Indians
29 Tigers
30 Athletics
Team Pitching Rankings
1 Yankees
2 Dodgers
3 Red Sox
4 Braves
5 Diamondbacks
6 White Sox
7 Phillies
8 Athletics
9 Cubs
10 Angels
11 Twins
12 Rays
13 Giants
14 Tigers
15 Cardinals
16 Rockies
17 Brewers
18 Padres
19 Mariners
20 Royals
21 Reds
22 Mets
23 Rangers
24 Astros
25 Blue Jays
26 Nationals
27 Pirates
28 Indians
29 Orioles
30 Marlins
Team Defense Rankings
1 Red Sox
2 Mets
3 Mariners
4 Dodgers
5 Phillies
6 Yankees
7 White Sox
8 Rays
9 Astros
10 Blue Jays
11 Rangers
12 Orioles
13 Cardinals
14 Tigers
15 Royals
16 Angels
17 Athletics
18 Nationals
19 Reds
20 Pirates
21 Giants
22 Braves
23 Twins
24 Rockies
25 Indians
26 Cubs
27 Diamondbacks
28 Brewers
29 Marlins
30 Padres
Again, I am plainly astonished at the rank given to Boston's hitting. I'll admit to not being the most sophisticated analyst of stats but this seems either reputational in nature or based on past performance, and in David Ortiz's case, past performance that's two years ago. By the same token, I'm flummoxed by the Red Sox' No. 2 rating in pitching, but that's an incremental difference between it and the No. 1 where I believe it should be. The Phillies' No. 7 pitching is a real eye-popper to me. The Roy Halladay trade was Dec. 16 and I can scarcely believe these rankings reflect a roster before that date.
Other notes: The Cardinals and Cubs are almost completely swapped compared with MLB 2K10. They go from 7 and 13 in 2K10, respectively, to 9 and 16 here. Might not be an apples to apples comparison because 2K gave ratings, and these are positions relative to one another, but still, it's curious.
Update: EnigmaNemesis points out this Operation Sports thread, featuring an SCEA community manager, explaining how the ratings are developed. “Player ratings are not done by human hands,” he says. It's all done by a program that examines the past three years, with the most recent year given the most weight.
MLB 10 The Show is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and releases March 2.
MLB 10 The Show Team Rankings [Pasta Padre]
Send an email to the author of this post at owen@kotaku.com.
The Minnesota Twins scored one run on two hits off RHP Josh Beckett in the first inning of tonight's Grapefruit League opener at a chilly City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, FL (it was 45 degrees when the final out was recorded). Afterwards, Beckett and seven relievers shut down the opposing offense on two hits over the final eight innings in the Sox 2-1 win.
Besides Beckett, only LHPs Hideki Okajima and Brian Shouse allowed singles in the ballgame. Red Sox pitchers combined to strike out four and issue three walks.
The Red Sox offense was largely shut down until the sixth inning when they scored the game-tying run. Two innings later they plated the game-winner off reliever Jose Lugo.
Beckett got off to a rough start as leadoff hitter Denard Span singled, advanced to second base on a groundout and scored on an rbi-single by DH Jason Kubel. He then settled down and induced an inning-ending double play off the bat of Michael Cuddyer.
That would be all the scoring in the game until the bottom of the sixth inning as most pitchers from both sides looked strong. After Beckett retired the Twins in order in the second, Jonathan Papelbon duplicated the feat, throwing 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes. Okajima allowed two base runners as he struggled through his inning of work, but Daniel Bard followed with a perfect inning and Ramon Ramirez added a hitless inning to send the game into the bottom of the sixth.
Twins starters Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey each allowed one hit in two scoreless innings of work. Relief pitcher Pat Neshek, returning to action after Tommy John surgery back in 2008, added a perfect frame.
The Red Sox tied the game off reliever Mike Maroth in the sixth inning. Leadoff hitter Dusty Brown doubled to left field. He was replaced by pinch runner Darnell McDonald. Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury walked and 2B Dustin Pedroia cracked an rbi-single to left. The move to insert a pinch-runner proved to be prescient, as McDonald barely beat the throw home. The rally ended when pinch hitter Lars Anderson grounded into a double play and 1B Aaron Bates flew to right.
Brian Shouse, Scott Atchison and Joe Nelson each pitched a shutout inning. Atchison earned the win and Nelson the save courtesy of C Mark Wagner's rbi-single in the eighth inning.
The Red Sox lead the race for the Governor's Cup, 1-0.
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After the game, Josh Beckett critiqued his effort: “I felt like I kept the ball down well. Five ground balls and two hits—one a line drive and the other one a ground ball—so (with respect to the) things that we've been working on the last two weeks, I'm getting there.”
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