Daisuke All-Stars: Part IV Pacific Coast Lineup

Starting Lineup

C J.R. Towles

1B Mike Jacobs

2B Russ Adams

SS Ruben Tejeda

3B Ian Stewart

LF Ben Francisco

CF Tony Gwynn Jr.

RF Juan Rivera

DH Xavier Nady

            Towles, a catcher for the Astros from 2007-2011, is a quintessential backup catcher: decent defense and no bat. According to his Wikipedia page, Mike Jacobs “in 2003, after a successful year with the Double-A Binghamton Mets, won an award.” Jacobs has a bit of power, but not enough to keep him in the majors as fulltime starter at 1B. The Blue Jays took Adams 14^th overall in the 2002 draft ahead of players like Joey Votto, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, and Nick Swisher. He reached the majors in 2004 and spent 2005 as a starter. From then on, he served as a utility infielder. Ruben Tejeda, while only 23, has over 1300 plate appearances in the majors. As evidenced by his .261/.326/.321 batting line, he possesses little power and relies on his contact ability to reach base consistently. Following the 2004 season, Baseball America named Ian Stewart the fourth best prospect in all of baseball. While Stewart has displayed power in the majors, hitting 25 home runs in 2009, he also has a career K rate of 27.3%. Ben Francisco has played for the Indians, Phillies, Blue Jays, Astros, Rays, and Yankees. Francisco has been traded four times in his career, most famously to Philadelphia along with Cliff Lee in 2009. With a little bit of power, Francisco’s value comes as a fourth outfielder. The son of Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn Sr., Tony Jr. has carved out a career as a defensive speedster. His .244/.312/.318 career batting line speaks to his lack of power and on-base skills. One of the few remaining ex-Expos in the major leagues, Rivera premiered in 2001 for the New York Yankees. Anyone who has played fantasy baseball has owned Rivera at some point expecting a very good or great hitter. Instead Rivera has been, at his best, good with a little bit of power, but mostly just league average. Xavier Nady has an awesome first name. He was also the Padres best prospect in 2002 according to Baseball America. In 3199 plate appearances, Nady has an adjusted OPS 100—meaning that his numbers in those 3199 PA are exactly league average.

Bench

C Eli Whiteside

BE Ben Broussard

BE Reid Brignac

BE Brad Snyder 

            Whiteside has played for the Orioles, Rangers, and Giants. In 2010, he caught fellow Daisuke All-Star Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter. Like Towles, Whiteside’s catching ability rather than his bat has kept him playing professionally. Broussard played first base and leftfield for the Indians, Mariners, and Rangers. Broussard has a particularly noticeable platoon split. He hit .270/.331/.462 against RHP, while only batting .225/.288/.393 against LHP. Brignac has only produced a .221/.262/.311 batting line but his excellent defense has led him to bounce around from the Rays to the Rockies and Yankees. The 18^th overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft, Snyder  appeared 20 games in 2010 and 2011. The quintessential Quad-A player, Snyder has a .285/.358/.490 in 4767 minor league plate appearances.