CarterHud

       The year was 2012. The 2011-12 NHL season had just ended, and like every season in their 15 year history after a move from Winnipeg, the Phoenix Coyotes weren\’t champions. But there was hope, as for the first time ever, they made it to the Conference Finals. Then, the team fell, coinciding with the lockout the following season, and the team hasn\’t made the playoffs since. Now the Arizona Coyotes, the team has finally seen some good news, and while an 86 point 2018-19 season didn\’t warrant a playoff appearance, there is hope. The team battled many injuries, including a lower body injury to starting goalie Antti Raanta that ended his season after 12 mediocre games. Forward Nick Schmaltz played in just 17 games after being acquired in November, and Derek Stepan, Alex Galchenyuk and Jakob Chychrun also missed amounts of time. If healthy, this could be the year.

        Additions: Phil Kessel, Carl Soderberg, Aaron Ness

        Subtractions: Alex Galchenyuk, Richard Panik, Nick Cousins, Kevin Connauton, Josh Archibald, Calvin Pickard, Mario Kempe, Pierre-Oliver Joseph

        Forwards
The Coyotes lacked a scoring punch, finishing 28th in the league in goals per game (2.55). Clayton Keller was an all-star, put saw a big drop in goals (9) and points (18). His 47 points did lead the team, though. He was very unlucky, with a weak 7% shooting percentage. To improve their top line, the Coyotes traded Alex Galchenyuk and former first rounder Pierre-Oliver Joseph to Pittsburgh for Phil Kessel. A point per game player last season, Kessel hasn\’t missed a game since 2009-10, Kessel has scored 61 goals the past two seasons. Derek Stepan missed 10 games, but also had his worst NHL season. His 15 goals was just his second lowest, but his lowest was in 2017-18. His 35 points was a career low, snapping a five year 50 point streak. His production has dropped in his two years in Arizona. Playing with either Kessel or Keller, or both, could get him back on his level. Vinnie Hinostroza was impressive, with 16 goals and 39 points in 72 games, all career highs. Three of the top six Coyotes forwards in points have left; Galchenyuk, plus Richard Panik and Nick Cousins in free agency. Carl Soderberg comes from Colorado, coming off a career high in goals with 23, plus his highest points total (49) since 2015-16. At age 33, Brad Richardson scored a career high 19 goals. His previous career high was 14, sustained way back in 2006-07. He also received Selke votes, and was third on the team in short handed ice time. Nick Schmaltz scored 14 points in 17 games after his trade from Chicago, but missed most of the season with a knee injury. He still got an eight year contract in the offseason. In year one of a six year, $26.7 million contract, Christian Dvorak missed 62 games, and scored just two goals in his 20 games. He had 15 in 78 games in his first two seasons. Speedy Michael Grabner had scored 27 goals in two consecutive seasons entering 2018-19. In his first season as a Coyote, he missed half of the season and scored just nine goals. The 11th overall pick in a stacked 2015 draft, Lawson Crouse has yet to break through, with a career high 11 goals in 2018-19. Conor Garland took a chance and ran with it. He scored 13 goals in just 47 games. That\’s a 22 goal pace in 82 games. Christian Fischer scored 11 goals after a 15 goal season, and had just 18 points, a 15 point drop off from 2017-18.

           Defensemen
The Coyotes were led by their deep defense. They were fifth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.68). Oliver Ekman-Larsson was named captain before the season, then scored 14 goals for the second consecutive season. He has scored at least 12 goals in six consecutive seasons, impressive for a defenseman. He was tied for eighth among defensemen in goals. Alex Goligoski scored just three goals after a 12 goal season, but had 20 assists for a 10th straight season. Defensive stalwart Niklas Hjalmarsson didn\’t score a goal despite playing in all 82 games, but he was second on the team in plus/minus (+8). The leader was Jason Demers, who was a +9, but played in just 35 games, as health continued to be an issue for him. He has missed 60 games over two seasons with Arizona. Another defender with injury issues, Jakob Chychrun had 20 points in just 53 games, which is an 82 game pace of 31 points. He is now 21, and if he can stay healthy, he can breakout in a big way. In a career high 71 games, Jordan Oesterle had a career high 20 points. Russian blue-liner Ilya Lyubushkin figures as the 7th defenseman. He shoots right, unlike everyone mentioned above expect Demers.

             Goalies
Antti Raanta had established himself as a good starting goalie entering 2018-19, but had a 2.88 GAA and .906 SV% in 12 games before his season ended early. In his absence, Darcy Kuemper had a career season. In 55 games, Kuemper had a .925 SV% with a 2.33 GAA, finishing 5th in Vezina voting. Depth goalies Calvin Pickard and Hunter Miska left, leaving Adin Hill as the third goalie. Hill had a .901 SV% and a 2.76 GAA in 13 games, filling in for Raanta.

             Deep Depths
Michael Bunting, a 4th rounder in 2014, debuted in 2018-19, scoring a goal in five games. He\’ll go back to the AHL this year. Michael Chaput scored 16 points in 16 games for AHL Tuscon after a trade from Montreal in February. Beau Bennett is back in North America after a five game run in the KHL last year. Hudson Fasching played in 22 games for the Sabres over three seasons, but spent 2018-19 exclusively with Tuscon. He scored 16 goals in 64 games. Aaron Ness lead AHL defensemen with 50 assists last year for Hershey. He now comes into Arizona\’s organization.

             Up and Coming
The 5th overall selection in 2018, Barrett Hayton will likely make his NHL debut this year, and likely stick as a regular. He had 66 points in 39 OHL games. A 19 year old center, the team could move Hayton to the wing to start. A 2015 first rounder, Nick Merkley has one game of NHL experience (in 2017-18). He has 73 points in 83 games over the past two AHL seasons. Kyle Capobianco played in two NHL games last year. In the AHL, he had 32 points in 40 games. He is NHL ready, though is likely blocked. He shoots left handed, like five of the Coyotes\’ six projected starters.

             2019 draft class
Round 1, 11th overall: Victor Soderstrom
Round 3, 76th overall: John Farinacci
Round 4, 98th overall: Matias Maccelli
Round 4, 107th overall: Alexandr Darin
Round 5, 151st overall: Aku Raty
Round 6, 174th overall: Danil Savunov
Round 6, 176th overall: Anthony Romano
Round 7, 200th overall: Axel Bergkvist
Round 7, 207th overall: Valentin Nussbaumer

               Management
With the Coyotes in the playoff hunt last year, and battling many injuries, Head Coach Rick Tocchet received minor Jack Adams support. He was a big reason the team was able to get Phil Kessel to waive his no-trade clause to come to Arizona. Tocchet was an assistant coach in Pittsburgh with Kessel. 30 year old GM John Chayka has rebuilt the team from nothing, and while they aren\’t Cup contenders, he has good job security, even under new owner Alex Meruelo.

              Projected lineup

Christian Dvorak – Derek Stepan – Phil Kessel
Barrett Hayton – Nick Schmaltz – Clayton Keller
Michael Grabner – Carl Soderberg – Vinnie Hinostroza
Lawson Crouse – Brad Richardson – Conor Garland
Extras: Christian Fischer, Michael Chaput, Nick Merkley

             Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Jason Demers
             Jakob Chychrun – Alex Goligoski
             Jordan Oesterle – Niklas Hjalmarsson
Extras: Ilya Lyubushkin, Kyle Capobianco

                            Antti Raanta
                            Darcy Kuemper
Extras: Adin Hill

              Prediction
The Coyotes haven\’t made the playoffs since 2011-12, but that drought looks like it will soon end. The team has two good goalies, an improved offense and a great defense. I predict the Coyotes will finish third in the Pacific Division, making the playoffs.

        It had been a recurring theme the last two or three seasons that the Ducks\’ window to win their second Stanley Cup was closing, as Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf turned to the wrong side of 30 years old. In 2018-19, that window completely shut. Perry had knee surgery before the season started, and when he came back, he gave the Ducks fourth line production, leading to a buyout after the season. Excluding the shortened 2012-13 season, it was Anaheim\’s first non 100 point season since 2011-12. Like 2011-12, they had 80 points. Getzlaf lead the team with just 48 points, and not including 2012-13, it was just the second time in franchise history without a 50 point scorer. The first time was when Paul Kariya\’s 39 points lead the second year Mighty Ducks in 1994-95. The rebuild is now in its second year for Anaheim, and things are looking even worse than they did last year.

        Additions: Michael Del Zotto, Nicolas Deslauriers, Chris Wideman, Anthony Stolarz

        Subtractions: Corey Perry, Andrej Sustr, Jake Dotchin, Jaycob Megna, Ben Street, Andy Welinski

        Forwards
The Ducks biggest issue last year was their offense. They were the worst in the NHL at scoring goals, finishing 31st in goals per game (2.39). With Perry and Andrew Cogliano in Dallas, plus Patrick Eaves and Ryan Kesler out indefinitely, and no veteran replacement available, the Ducks will look inward for a solution. Former World Juniors standout Troy Terry and Team Canada\’s captain Max Comtois are two names that come to mind. Former first rounders Sam Steel and Isac Lundestrom provide young center depth. The team decided to extend Jakob Silfverberg rather then trade him at the deadline. Silfverberg was Anaheim\’s only 20 goal scorer, with 24. Rickard Rakell followed up on his 34 goal, 69 point breakout season by scoring just 18 goals and 43 points. Adam Henrique\’s three year 20 goals streak ended in his first full season as a Duck. Henrique and Rakell both play center, but the latter will likely move back to wing. Former 10th overall pick Nick Ritchie held out to start the season, and still finished with a career high 31 points, but 14 goals in 2016-17 remains as Ritchie\’s peak. Ondrej Kase is the most underrated Duck, but a torn labrum ended his season early. He scored 11 goals in just 30 games. Daniel Sprong finally got a chance after a trade from Pittsburgh, and scored 14 goals in 47 games in SoCal. After coming back for Cogliano, Devin Shore scored 12 points, but was a -12 in 34 games. Nicolas Deslauriers gives the team fourth line depth. Kiefer Sherwood failed to make an impact in his rookie season. Depth centers Carter Rowney and Derek Grant return.

         Defensemen
With four good top four defensemen, the Ducks traded Brandon Montour to Buffalo at the trade deadline, a move that will prove costly in the immediate future. In year one of an eight year contract, Cam Fowler had his worst season. He played in just 59 games, was a -14 and scored just 23 points. Not counting the lockout 2012-13 season, it was Fowler\’s lowest point total in his career. Hampus Lindholm regressed from his 13 goal 2017-18, but his 22 assists were his most since 2014-15. Josh Manson, the fourth of those top four defensemen, also regressed from a 30 assist, +34 season, as a two minute jump in ice time hurt him. The other three spots are up for grabs, but Jacob Larsson has a good chance at getting one. In his first real taste of the NHL, the 2015 first rounder had five assists in 49 games. Brendan Guhle, acquired for Montour, played in six games with Anaheim, and 50 more in the AHL, pre-trade. Josh Mahura had a good season in the AHL, and is primed for a starting role. Michael Del Zotto was decent in 12 games for the Ducks, before being traded to St. Louis. He is back for 2019-20. Korbinian Holzer and Chris Wideman provide veteran depth on the right side.

           Goalies
John Gibson saved the Ducks in 2018-19. His .917 SV% counters his weak 2.84 GAA that was caused by their terrible skaters. He was their only all-star as well. Ryan Miller was re-signed to back him up. Miller regressed after a great 2017-18 that started his backup career. He is still very serviceable, even at age 39. Anthony Stolarz gives them goalie depth that they need, with Chad Johnson gone, and Stolarz is a better option than Kevin Boyle.

           Deep Depths
The team signed Andrew Poturalski, who led the Calder Cup winning Charlotte Checkers (AHL) with 70 points in 72 games. Sam Carrick scored 32 goals with 61 points in 61 AHL games, and earned himself an NHL cameo. AHL goalie Kevin Boyle got an NHL chance last year. Defensemen Sam Benoit and Patrick Sieloff will likely stay in the AHL all year.

           Up and Coming
The Ducks don\’t have an overly deep farm system, but the guys that they do have will soon be NHL regulars. 2016 first rounders Sam Steel and Max Jones both played 20-30 NHL games in 2018-19, but they didn\’t stand out. Steel did have 11 points in 22 games, while Jones had just five in 30 games. Troy Terry will get a good shot this season. Isac Lundestrom might still be a year away from becoming a regular. Max Comtois will get a top-nine shot. Finnish defenseman Jani Hakanpaa could see regular time.

          2019 draft class
Round 1, 9th overall: Trevor Zegras
Round 1, 29th overall: Brayden Tracey
Round 2, 39th overall: Jackson Lacombe
Round 4, 101st overall: Henry Thrun
Round 5, 132nd overall: Trevor Janicke
Round 6, 163rd overall: William Francis
Round 6, 186th overall: Mathew Hill

          Management
Dallas Eakins is the new head coach, after coaching the Ducks\’ AHL team, the San Diego Gulls. He was Edmonton\’s head coach for all of 2013-14, and the first 31 games of 2014-15. Bob Murray is still the GM, as he has been for over a decade. He is on the hot seat, so that will be an interesting story line to watch.

          Projected lineup

Nick Ritchie – Ryan Getzlaf – Troy Terry
Rickard Rakell – Sam Steel – Jakob Silfverberg
Devin Shore – Adam Henrique – Ondrej Kase
Max Comtois – Carter Rowney – Daniel Sprong
Extras: Nicolas Deslauriers, Derek Grant, Max Jones

             Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson
             Cam Fowler – Jacob Larsson
             Brendan Guhle – Jani Hakanpaa
Extras: Josh Mahura, Chris Wideman, Michael Del Zotto, Korbinian Holzer

                        Josh Gibson
                        Ryan Miller
Extras: Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Boyle

           Predictions
The Ducks are retooling, and while having a top 10 goalie in the league definitely helps, it is a big transition year, so you can\’t expect much success. Unless Terry, Steel, Guhle and Larsson become studs, then it will be another lowly year for the Ducks. I project them to finish 8th in the Pacific Division this year.

From NHL.com

        The Detroit Red Wings have acquired F Adam Erne from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2020 4th round draft pick.

         The Wings could use forward help, and Erne gives them just that. He is a bottom six winger that will improve the team. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was the GM of the Lightning in 2013, when they drafted Erne 33rd overall. So Yzerman obviously likes him. Erne is an RFA, now the only one on the Wings, and will command less than $4.57 million a year, also known as Detroit cap space. They also have Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen on LTIR.

          Erne, 24, scored seven goals with 13 assists for 20 points in 65 games for the Lightning this season. In his NHL career, all in Tampa Bay, Erne has scored 13 goals with 14 assists for 27 points in 114 games.

          The Lightning have just over $9 million in cap space, and they\’ll need to use all of it, maybe more to sign their only RFA remaining, Brayden Point. They didn\’t have the space to sign Erne as well. Erne is replaceable on the 4th line.

         The 2019 MLB season might have the best rookie class in a very long time. Many rookies are making major impacts for their team, some were all-stars, two of them went head to head in the Homer Run Derby final, and a handful more were all-stars. This postseason, we\’ll see some of the following players, though a lot of them are a big part of their team\’s youth movement and will one day help them get to the playoffs. Also, Mike Tauchman, Giovanny Gallegos, Daniel Vogelbach and Carson Kelly might be looked at as rookies, but lost status in 2018.

          35: Ty Buttrey, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
Buttrey debuted for the Angels last year, with four saves in 16 games after being acquired from the Red Sox for Ian Kinsler. He is still a rookie, and while he has just two saves, he has an impressive 3.46 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.

          34: Danny Jansen, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Jansen is part of the young Blue Jays infield (yes, the catcher is part of the infield), and also leads rookies with a 15.3 DEF. The player in second, Nicky Lopez, has a 5.3 DEF. Of players with at least 300 Plate Appearances, Jansen is third in the majors in DEF, behind JT Realmuto and Christian Vazquez. His .212 average, .658 OPS and 74 OPS+ aren\’t impressive, but he does have 11 home runs, tied for 16th among catchers.

          33: Nestor Cortes, Jr., LHP, New York Yankees
This could be biased, but Cortes has been huge for the Yankees this year. He doesn\’t actually have a start, but in 20 games, he has a 4.18 ERA, a 5-0 record and 45 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. He has been the bulk guy after an opener many times this year, and with all the Yankees\’ injuries, the 24 year old has stepped up big time.

          32: Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins
There is a lot of pitchers at the bottom of the list, but it\’s nearly all hitters at the top. 12 of the top 15 are position players. Alcantara leads rookies in innings pitched, with 135.2. He was an all-star, with a 3.82 ERA at the break, though that has now gone up to 4.44, which is still respectable for a 23 year old on a terrible team.

           31: Josh VanMeter, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
VanMeter has been up and down for the Reds this year, but in 52 games, he has four homers, four stolen bases, 12 RBIs, a .277 average, and a .851 OPS. Nothing here that will blow you away, but nothing bad. The OPS helped him the most. With the team claiming Freddy Galvis off waivers, VanMeter will probably see a drop in play.
       
           30: Nate Lowe, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
Lowe and the next guy on this list don\’t have many games played, but have impressive numbers, so I included them on the list, along with two other teammates. Yep, that\’s right. The Rays have four rookies on this list. Lowe has a .294 average with five homers and 13 RBIs in 30 games. He has a .875 OPS and 130 OPS+. He has 46 homers over the last two seasons, including minors and majors.

           29: Mike Brosseau, 3B/2B, Tampa Bay Rays
The other half of the Rays young duo with impressive numbers in just about 30 games, the undrafted Brosseau has less at-bats than Lowe, despite playing in one more game, but also has five homers. He also has 14 RBIs, a .302 average, .864 OPS and 125 OPS+.

           28: Marcus Walden, RHP, Boston Red Sox
This starts the run of relievers, with the next four players (including Walden) coming out of the pen. The oldest player on the list, the 30-year-old Walden has helped a Boston bullpen that has been in shambles this season. In 60 innings, he has a 3.30 ERA with 62 strikeouts, plus a pair of saves. He also has an impressive 1.050 WHIP.

           27: Jacob Webb, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Like Walden, Webb has been a surprise reliever for a contender that desperately needs bullpen help. Webb has a very impressive 1.39 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 32.1 innings this year. A 4.30 FIP has him falling a little bit, but it doesn\’t deny how good Webb has been.

           26: Yoan Lopez, RHP, Arizona Diamonbacks
The Diamondbacks lost their closer, Brad Boxberger in the offseason, and just released the struggling Greg Holland. Yoshi Hirano has been inconsistent, and the same could be said for Archie Bradley. With that said, Lopez has probably been Arizona\’s best reliever this year. He has been very consistent, though he had a rough week in July. He has a 2.54 ERA in 46 innings, but he has just 32 strikeouts which hurts his FIP. On July 21st, he had a 2.79 ERA, the highest he has had all year.

           25: Nick Anderson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
The only player on the list to play for two teams this year, Anderson has spent most of his time in Miami before the trade deadline deal to Tampa. The 29-year-old has allowed one hit with 11 strikeouts in five innings with Tampa. Overall, he has a 3.51 ERA with 80 strikeouts in just 48.2 innings. He likely would have been the Miami closer if not traded.

           24: Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White SoxA top five prospect entering 2019, Jimenez has been inconsistent in his freshman season, with 19 home runs, but a .237 average, a .747 OPS and a 94 OPS+. His -8.5 DEF is fourth lowest among rookies, and second lowest on this list.

           23: Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals
None of the players mentioned up to this point were supposed to have a big impact this season. After what teammate Juan Soto did last year, expectations were high for Robles, the 22 year old listed as the Nats\’ top prospect. He has come through defensively, with a 4.1 DEF. Offensively, he has just a .733 OPS with an 85 OPS+. He does have 15 homers and 17 stolen bases, but the he also leads the league being caught stealing seven times.

           22: Kevin Newman, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
Newman struggled offensively late in 2018, his first taste of major league baseball. He has adjusted, with a .304 batting average, seven homers, 41 RBIs, 10 stolen bases (he has been caught a third of the time), a .767 OPS and 101 OPS+.

            21: Dakota Hudson, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Hudson had success out of the bullpen last year, but as a starter in 2019, he has a 4.01 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 121.1 innings. Don\’t worry about the strikeouts, he isn\’t a strikeout pitcher. Only twice has he allowed more than three earned runs in a game. He also has 12 quality starts.

            20: Spencer Turnbull, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Turnbull came out of nowhere to become the second best pitcher in the Tigers\’ rotation this season, behind Matt Boyd. Despite two recent IL trips, he has been very consistent, with a 3.68 ERA in 107.2 innings, with 98 strikeouts. That\’s about as high as his ERA has been this year, excluding three bad starts to open the year. The highest was 3.72, just before his latest start.

             19: Zach Plesac, RHP, Cleveland Indians
In a year that the Indians have lost their top two starters to a fractured arm and leukemia, Plesac has stepped up big, with a 3.27 ERA in 14 starts (77 innings). His FIP is pretty high (5.04) due to a low 6.5 K/9. With Trevor Bauer now traded, Plesac has an even bigger role. The Indians are flying, and Plesac has only had three bad starts this year, but got the win in one of them.

             18: Oscar Mercado, CF, Cleveland Indians
Mercado has fulfilled the center field position for the Indians, and while he is having a good season, none of his numbers are eye-popping. He has nine home runs and stolen bases, which are both decent. He has a .272 average and .755 OPS, which are both decent. He has a 1.0 WAR, which is just decent. Nothing bad, but nothing good.

             17: Nick Senzel, CF, Cincinnati Reds
The 2nd overall pick in 2016 finally got his call to the bigs this year, and like Mercado, has been good, but nothing special. He has a .273 batting average, with nine homers, 10 stolen bases and a .776 OPS. It isn\’t amazing, but it is slightly better than Mercado.

             16: Michael Chavis, 1B/2B, Boston Red Sox
The injuries to Steve Pearce, Mitch Moreland and Dustin Pedrioa, plus the release of Eduardo Nunez gave Chavis two places to play, and while he started off hot, he has cooled down since. He has 18 homers and 58 RBIs, but the batting average is down to .254, and the OPS is down to .766. Chavis is also out for the next 3-4 weeks with a sprained left AC joint.

             15: Mike Yastrzemski, OF, San Francisco Giants
The grandson of hall of famer Carl Yastrzemski, Mike has a .266 average, with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .821 OPS. He also has a 114 OPS+. He has given help to a Giants outfield that desperately needed it.

             14: Austin Riley, LF/3B, Atlanta Braves
Riley slugged in the minors, and was red hot to start his MLB career. He has slowed down since, with a .242 average, a .798 OPS and 98 OPS+. He does have 17 homers and 45 RBIs in just 66 games, which is an impressive feat. We may not see Riley again until 2020. He is out indefinitely with a partial tear of the LCL in his knee.

             13: Luis Arraez, 2B, Minnesota Twins
Arraez has only played in 52 games, and has just two home runs and 15 RBIs, but he has been so impressive for the struggling Twins. He has a .350 batting average, with a .421 OBP, a .867 OPS and a 131 OPS+. His power numbers aren\’t good, and he may start to slump, but Arraez has been a big sleeper in the American League this year.

             12: Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Hiura has only played in 55 games, but he has been amazing in them. He has hit 14 home runs, with 32 RBIs and seven stolen bases, plus a .299 batting average, a .955 OPS and a 141 OPS+. The lack of games played does hurt him a little bit.

             11: John Means, LHP, Baltimore Orioles
Means has been one of the very few bright spots on the lowly Orioles this year. He was their only all-star, and has lead their rotation with a 3.36 ERA in 101.2 innings. He also has a good 1.161 WHIP. Means came out of virtually nowhere, and has been the best story on his team.
 
             10: Chris Paddack, RHP, San Diego Padres
Paddack looked like a finalist for the rookie of the year award back in May, when he had a 1.93 ERA on May 20, but a minor league trip and some recent struggles have lowered his chances. He has a still impressive 3.26 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 110.1 innings with a .934 FIP.

              9: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
The top prospect in the MLB up until his call up, Guerrero Jr. has been smoking balls, hitting some of the hardest hit balls in all of baseball this year. He has a .276 average, 13 homers, 52 RBIs and a .812 OPS this year, while stealing the show at the home run derby. But, everything can\’t all be positives. Guerrero Jr. has a -10.5 DEF, which is the worst among all rookies.

               8: Alex Verdugo, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Verdugo was always a top prospect, but also had been blocked in the Dodgers system, and still was, even after the team traded Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp in the offseason. But an injury to AJ Pollock opened up a spot in center for Verdugo. In 106 games, he has a .294 average, with 12 homers, 44 RBIs and four stolen bases.
 
               7: Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Walker qualifies as a rookie, despite debuting with the Orioles in 2014. He has replaced Paul Goldschmidt at first, which was a tough task. Walker has a .263 average, with 20 home runs, 53 RBIs, seven stolen bases and a .829 OPS. There is no doubt that Walker hasn\’t been great.

               6: Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
The other Lowe on the Rays, B.Lowe has been hurt since the all-star game with a right shin contusion. He was named to the all-star game, with a .276 average, 16 home runs and 49 RBIs, plus five stolen bases, and a .862 OPS. There is no doubt in my mind Lowe would hit 30 homers this year if not hurt, and maybe 100 RBIs too. The injury shouldn\’t deny how good Lowe has been. He should be activated very soon.

               5: Mike Soroka, RHP, Atlanta Braves
The top pitcher on this list, Soroka has been dominant all year, with a 10-2 record, a 2.32 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 128 innings. His season ERA has never been above 2.46. With Mike Foltynewicz and Dallas Keuchel struggling, Soroka has been monumental for the Braves at age 22.

               4: Bryan Reynolds
Reynolds has been the most underrated rookie this season, by far. Acquired for Andrew McCutchen, Reynolds has a .333 average, with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs, plus a .935 OPS and 143 OPS+. If the season ended today, Soroka would likely finish third in the National League in Rookie of the Year voting, but my pick would be Reynolds.

               HONORABLE MENTIONS
It is normal to do honorable mentions on a list before the number one spot. But the top three players are on another level then the previous players, so it seemed right to put them in now. These three players have been amazing this year, but it didn\’t seem right to put them on the list because of their limited games played.

               Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
Smith has played in just 22 games this year, but has hit seven home runs in them, with 23 RBIs, a .313 average, a 1.106 OPS and 181 OPS+. With how good he\’s been, I\’m surprised they didn\’t trade top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz at the deadline, potentially for closer Felipe Vazquez.

                Aristides Aquino, OF, Cincinnati Reds
\”The Punisher\” has played in just 11 games, but has given us both the most homers hit by a player in their first 10 MLB games, plus the best nickname in the league. He has hit eight home runs, though the previously mentioned record is seven. He has 16 RBIs, and a 1.617 OPS.

                Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
The son of former Rockie Dante Bichette, Bo has a .394 average with a 1.187 OPS, with four homers, eight RBIs and two stolen bases in just 15 games. He is the third member of the Blue Jays\’ young infield on this list (Danny Jansen and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the others. Cavan Biggio and Rowdy Tellez didn\’t make the list).

                 3: Yordan Alvarez, DH, Houston Astros
Back to the regular list, Alvarez\’s 51 RBIs in his first 45 MLB games is an MLB record. He also has hit .355, with 17 home runs, a 201 OPS+ and a 1.164 OPS. He should be the runaway choice for AL Rookie of the Year.

                 2: Fernando Tatis, Jr., SS, San Diego Padres
Tatis really could be at the top of this list. The top player (who you all know by now) and Tatis will both battle for NL Rookie of the Year, and Tatis is a worthy selection. He is just 20, and has hit 22 home runs, with 53 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, a .315 average, a .591 slugging percentage and a .969 OPS. All of those numbers are impressive in general, but are even better when the player can\’t have a beer in the U.S.A.

                 1: Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
Alonso will likely break Aaron Judge\’s rookie home run record, just two years later. With a month and a half remaining in the season, Alonso has hit 38 home runs, with 85 RBIs, a .258 average, a .955 OPS and a .592 slugging percentage. The close slugging percentage and OPS show how neck and neck Alonso and Tatis Jr. are.

      It has been five months since the NHL trade deadline, where many players, mostly rentals, were sent to new teams. We now have some hindsight to those trades, and we\’ll be taking advantage of that. Here are some of the trades that happened in the final two weeks in February, with a grade of who won the trade. Also, I didn\’t include the Mikael Granlund for Kevin Fiala trade, along with the Brandon Montour deal due to the fact that all players involved are still with their new team with at least one more year under contract.

       Flyers send Wayne Simmonds to Nashville for Ryan Hartman and a conditional 2020 4th round pick. The pick would become a 3rd rounder if the Predators made it to the second round, which they did not do.

       Simmonds was in the middle of a down year for Philly, and was a pending free agent. He had 16 goals with 11 assists in 62 games with an abysmal -20 rating. The rating wasn\’t a point of concern. Simmonds was a career -66, with 242 goals. He hasn\’t had a plus season since he was 21 in 2009-10. He was 30 years old and showing signs of regression, and never succeeded in Nashville, with just one goal in 17 games. He won his first award at the end of the season, but that was the Mark Messier award for leadership. He signed a one year deal in New Jersey on July 1st.

       Hartman was acquired at the previous trade deadline from Chicago for a first round pick, then scored just 13 goals in 85 games in parts of two seasons for Nashville. He was an RFA at the end of the season, and he also struggled with his new team, but still had double of Simmonds\’ goal total (2) and point total (6). He was traded to Dallas at the end of the season, but non-tendered and signed a two year deal with the Wild. The pick could become an NHL talent, and Hartman gave the Flyers more value, and they currently have Tyler Pitlick, who they received for Hartman.

        Winner: Flyers

        Rangers trade Kevin Hayes to the Jets for a first round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a 2022 4th rounder.

         Hayes was also a free agent at the end of the year, a trend you will see a lot. He had 42 points in 51 games, so it made sense why he was an attractive target. He was okay in Winnipeg, with five goals and eight assists in 20 games, and scored two goals in the first round, but the return was too high. His rights were traded to the Flyers, who signed him to a seven year, $50 million deal that already looks terrible.

         Lemieux scored three goals in 19 games, and is currently an RFA, but the first round pick was traded back to Winnipeg with Neal Pionk for Jacob Trouba, another player that was then grossly overpaid. But the return for Trouba was light for Winnipeg, especially since it was originally theirs. So there is no argument for saying the Winnipeg wins this trade.

         Winner: Rangers

          Senators trade Ryan Dzingel to the Blue Jackets for Anthony Duclair and two second round picks (2020 and 2021).

          Dzingel was another attractive option on the trade market. A pending UFA that was just 26. He has great speed, and popped 22 goals in 57 games. He was perceived as a cheap option, and the return was fair. But he scored just four goals in 21 games for the Jackets, not playing with Matt Duchene and Mark Stone anymore. Those other two were also traded.

          Duclair on the other hand, was a success in Ottawa. He scored eight goals with six assists in 21 games. He re-signed to a one year deal, as he was an RFA. He will be 24 when 2019-20 starts, and could get a nice role with the lowly Senators. They also haven\’t used their picks yet.

          Winner: Senators

          Blue Jackets acquire Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman from the Senators for a first round pick, Vitali Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson. There was also a conditional first rounder, but the conditions were not met.

           Duchene was the premiere player on the trade market, and he commanded a good price. He had 27 goals and 58 points in 50 games with Ottawa, though that didn\’t transfer. He had just four goals with 12 assists in 23 games, but he scored 10 points in 10 playoff games, helping Columbus win their first playoff series in franchise history, then signed a seven year deal in Nashville. Bergman was flipped for Adam McQuaid.

           Both Abramov and Davidsson are prospects, so it is tough to judge them, but the 20 year old Abramov made his NHL debut with Ottawa, and it was a rough one, as he was a -3 in one game. The pick was used on Lassi Thomson, which was perceived as underwhelming. For the first time on this list, the buyer will win a trade.

           Winner: Blue Jackets

           Bruins acquire Charlie Coyle to Minnesota for Ryan Donato and a 2019 5th round pick.

           This was the first big trade of the trade deadline season. Coyle scored just six goals in 21 regular season games, and the trade looked like a big loss. But he was one of their best players in their Stanley Cup run, with nine goals and seven assists for 24 games. He still has one more year until he is a UFA.

           Donato was an instant success in Minnesota, with 16 points in 22 games. He is 23, and has been a big prospect. The Wild used the pick to move up into the second round, drafting goalie Hunter Jones. Despite Coyle\’s playoff surge and the fact that he is still under contract, I like Minnesota\’s haul better.

           Winner: Wild

           Rangers trade Mats Zuccarello to the Stars for a 2019 2nd rounder and a 2020 2nd rounder.

           Zuccarello was an instant hit in Dallas, scoring in his first game, but he then got hurt, and would play in just one more regular season game. He had three points in two games. He had 11 points in 13 playoff games, and ended up being a good pickup. But he eventually signed with Minnesota in the offseason.

            Zuccarello was a fan favorite, and while it was hard for fans and teammates to see him go, the trade was a no-brainer for GM Jeff Gorton. The Rangers drafted Matthew Robertson with the 2nd rounder.

            Winner: Rangers