How Well Do You Recall The Aughts?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've been futzing around with the aughts. My quick way of meauring the productivity of a batter is to take his OPS+, subtract 60, and multiply it by his plate appearances. Nymr doesn't like it but it works for me.

So I've been measuring the Mets of the Aughts, trying to find out the best players at each position. It came upon me that I can do even better, position by position, by using that cool new baseball-reference.com stat sOPS+, which measures a players OPS not compared to the league, but compared to his peer group at that position. So a catcher with an OPS+ of 117 compared to the league might have a 135 when compared only to catchers. That's the ticket.

So, anyway, I've got some data. And I challenge you to guess what it is I've got.

• Give me the top 10 most productive Met players at each (or any, if each is too big a drag) position during the aughts using (sOPS+ - 60) X PA.
  
  
• For an eleventh challenge at each positon, give me the most counterproductive Met player at that spot during the aughts using (sOPS+ - 60) X PA. This has to be a guy who failed, but continued to get plate appearances.
  
  
• Finally, rank the positions according to how the Mets did overall relative to their peers in the league (what their sOPS+ is) during that period.

For the purposes of this exercise, there are 11 positions --- the standard nine plus pinch hitters and designated hitters. Keep in mind also that we are measuring a guy's productviity at each position seperately. So you may think one pretty good season (or half season) should get a dude into the top ten, but it's less likely if the guy played a few positions.

Try and have fun and resist looking back at the seasons, or at each other's answers.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frinstance, I haven't done the sorting yet, but here are my guesses for the ten most productive Met firstbasemen of the aughts:

[*:dqfv6vx4]Delgado[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Zeile[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Vaughn[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Phillips[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Piazza[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Murphy[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Mientkiewicz[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Clark[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]Valent[/*:m:dqfv6vx4]
[*:dqfv6vx4]McEwing[/*:m:dqfv6vx4][/list:o:dqfv6vx4]

And the most counterproductive: Bell

[Chad ochoseis]

2B:

1. Alfonzo
2. J. Reyes
3. Castillo
4. Valentin
5. Easley
6. McEwing
7. Cora
8. Scutaro
9. A. Hernandez
10. Woodward

Most counterproductive: Matsui

[Guest Edgy DC]

That's the spirit.

I award 10 pints if you have a correct guy and have him ranked in the right slot. If you're off by a slot, you get nine points; two slots, eight points, etc.

Mendoza's crack at the top keystoners of the aughts is game, but it only netted him 46 points out of a possible 110. I got 76 points out of the firstbasemen.

By the way, I count 39 distinct firstbasemen in the aughts, and 33 distinct secondbasemen.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

So, anyway, I've got some data. And I challenge you to guess what it is I've got.

* Give me the top 10 most productive Met players at each (or any, if each is too big a drag) position during the aughts using (sOPS+ - 60) X PA.

C Piazza
--LoDuca
--Phillips
--Pratt
--Santos

1B Delgado
--Zeile
--Vaughn
--Piazza
--Muffy
--Phillips

2B Valentin
-- Alfonzo
-- Castillo
-- Matsui

SS Reyes

3B Wright
--Alfonzo
--Wigginton

LF Floyd
--Alou
--Agbayani
--Tatis
--Chavez

CF Beltran
--Cameron
--Payton
-- Chavez
-- Shinjo


RF Green?
--Francoeur
--Church
--Cameron
--Hidalgo
--T Perez
--Cedeno

UT/DH Chavez ?

* For an eleventh challenge at each positon, give me the most counterproductive Met player at that spot during the aughts using (sOPS+ - 60) X PA. This has to be a guy who failed, but continued to get plate appearances.

C Schneider
1B Meintkiewicz
2B Cairo
SS Ordonez
3B Wigginton
LF Chavez
CF Duncan
RF Spencer
PH/DH Anderson

* Finally, rank the positions according to how the Mets did overall relative to their peers in the league (what their sOPS+ is) during that period.

CF
SS
C
3B
2B
1B
UT/DH
LF
RF

[Guest Edgy DC]

Good effort --- half-hearted in a sense, in listing only five-ish guys at each position, but more whole-heartedly in taking it to the end.

Keep in mind that at DH and PH, I'm giving guys credit only for the productivity they earned at those "positions."

[HahnSolo]

I did no statistical research, but I will give CF a crack

Beltran
Payton
Cameron
Agbayani
Chavez
Hamilton
Shinjo
Perez
Pagan
Matthews Jr.

Least productive:
Jeff Duncan