Notes: Albert Pujols, Power Rankings, Prospects

• As of 1/17/2010, the Giants are projected by the Hardball Times to lead the majors with 96 wins.
• According to a tweet from Buster Olney, the Giants could be a possibility to sign Albert Pujols in 2011. Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito will still be on the books next year, and the Giants will have two first basemen in Brandon Belt (assuming he lives up to the hype) and Aubrey Huff (although he'll move to OF if Belt takes over first). I just don't really see Pujols in a Giants uni'...
• Splashing Pumpkins participated with other blogs in the MLBBlogBuzz in voting on Power Rankings. Check out the final power rankings for 2011. The Giants ranked 5th. 
• If you're into sabermetrics and enjoyed the FIP video I posted earlier, Bradley Woodrum made another installment -- about LOB%. 
• Dr. B of When the Giants Come to Town has released his 2011 Top 50 Giants Prospects list. 
• Happy 26th Birthday Emmanuel Burriss!

2010 Silver Slugger Awards

The 2010 Silver Slugger Awards were announced today. Like the Gold Glove Awards, voting is conducted by Major League coaches and managers:

AL
C Joe Mauer
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Robinson Cano
3B Adrian Beltre
SS Alexei Ramirez
OF Jose Bautista
OF Carl Crawford
OF Josh Hamilton
DH Vladimir Guerrero

NL
C Brian McCann
1B Albert Pujols
2B Dan Uggla
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Troy Tulowitzki
OF Ryan Braun
OF Carlos Gonzalez
OF Matt Holliday
P Yovani Gallardo

Not a single San Francisco Giant took home a Silver Slugger Award, but unlike the Gold Glove Award, there was really no standout candidate for the Giants that deserved the award. Arguments could be made for Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey, possibly, but ultimately, I think the Silver Slugger Awards were given to the right players.

It'll be interesting to see if Posey wins the Silver Slugger next year, however, because beyond McCann, I don't really see much competition for the award at the catcher position.

National League Gold Glove Winners Announced: Andres Torres...Denied.

The National League Gold Glove winners were announced earlier today:

C - Yadier Molina
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Brandon Phillips
3B - Scott Rolen
SS - Troy Tulowitzki
OF - Michael Bourn
OF - Shane Victorino
OF - Carlos Gonzalez
P - Bronson Arroyo

Notice something? Andres Torres is missing...I'm not personally surprised, but he was clearly snubbed. Let's look at the UZR of the three outfielders who won Gold Gloves:

Michael Bourn: 17.6
Shane Victorino: 2.6
Carlos Gonzalez: -2.7

Let's compare that to Andres Torres: 21.2 (best among qualified NL OF). Yes, he got snubbed. As did Alexei Ramirez (whose UZR of 10.8 is vastly superior to Derek Jeter's mark of -4.7). The most pathetic part, in my opinion, is the fact that managers and coaches vote for the Gold Glove awards. One would hope that they would be the most knowledgeable. Are errors, putouts, and assists all these people care about it? Range is probably the most critical, as it determines whether the fielder even gets to the ball in the first place. It's simply too critical to leave out of the equation.

Yes, UZR is not the be-all and end-all of fielding metrics. But seriously? Andres Torres, according to UZR, was 21.2 runs above average for his team, whereas Carlos Gonzalez was 2.6 runs below average, and Shane Victorino was only 2.6 runs above average. It's just too much of a difference to ignore.