John Frascella's NFL Draft Grades: Wait... My Jets Just Won the First Round??

 

Photo Credit: Associated Press

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... intros are boring. Let's get right into what everybody wants to see and read: 

1. Travon Walker, Edge, Jaguars

Frascella's Big Board: No. 1 overall 

Relativity Grade: A

I know Travon sort of came on late as a consensus No. 1 kinda guy, but to me he really does look the part. With the pressure that Josh Allen already gets for Jacksonville, Travon comes in with less stress and can swim in his wake at times. The duo should work well together. I don't take any issue with this No. 1 overall selection by the Jags. 

2. Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Lions

Frascella's Big Board: No. 7 overall

Relativity Grade: B-

Hutchinson is a typical "you know what you're gonna get" type of pick. On the bright side, we love his effort and passion for the game. On the downside? You really wanna know how I feel? I think he runs weird and isn't explosive at all, relative to where he was selected in this draft. But Dan Campbell will pump him full of confidence and Hutchinson will do his best to be a leader for this rebuilding Detroit team. 

3. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Texans

Frascella's Big Board: No. 9 overall

Relativity Grade: C+

Something just doesn't feel right, here. I don't like taking corners this high in general, and I don't like so many of the reports on Stingley's attitude and demeanor. The tape doesn't blow me away, either. And, in the end, I don't trust the Texans' evaluators. Feels like Stingley will ultimately become a run-of-the-mill corner and we'll wonder why he wasn't selected at the end of the 1st round, as opposed to the beginning. 

4. Sauce Gardner, CB, Jets

Frascella's Big Board: No. 6 overall

Relativity Grade: B

I'm not gonna lie, my physical reaction to this pick wasn't good. I was with my buddies and dropped to the ground with a faux heart attack. And it wasn't a heart attack from excitement and happiness. Nope, I just wasn't happy with this pick in the slightest. Ultimately, GM Joe Douglas had a larger plan that I simply couldn't see at the time. I wanted Thibodeaux here, but our pass rusher came later on in the 1st round. 

5. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Giants

Frascella's Big Board: No. 3 overall

Relativity Grade: A

Not too many guys "looked the part" to me in the first round of this ugly NFL Draft. But, like Travon Walker at No. 1, Mr. Thibodeaux was one of those rare players. As I said, I wanted my Jets to nab him at No. 4. A fun tidbit on Thibodeaux, already: 

Todd McShay just reported that he had information on how bad the Kayvon Thibodeaux interview went with the NYG

"historically bad"

It's very refreshing to hear the #Giants may have leaked deceptive information to get their guy...haven't seen much of that the last two regimes

— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) April 29, 2022

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll both came from Buffalo, and these guys know what they are doing. They are locked in and in-step with a league that is always rapidly changing and evolving. If they like Thibodeaux, and I like Thibodeaux, I really do think he's one of the top three overall players in this divisive draft class. 

6. Ickey Ekwonu, OT, Panthers

Frascella's Big Board: No. 5 overall

Relativity Grade: A-

A safe pick in this spot, indeed. There's still an outside chance that Ekwonu isn't the best offensive lineman in this draft, though. Evan Neal, Charles Cross and Zion Johnson have loads of pro potential, as well. So that's why I go A- here instead of pure "A". 

7. Evan Neal, OT, Giants

Frascella's Big Board: No. 10 overall

Relativity Grade: B

See, it's funny how things can change quickly. At No. 5, I was lockstep with Schoen and Daboll. Here... I had Neal as low as the fourth-best OL in this draft. In an initial iteration of my Big Board, I actually had Neal in the early 20s in terms of my player evaluation. I don't think he's explosive. I think he's a steady guy who eventually just blends in. Is that what you want at No. 7 overall? But, I'm safely assuming that Schoen and Daboll know more about football than I do. And I like this management pair, so I'm bumping Neal up to the last spot in my top 10. 

8. Drake London, WR, Falcons

Frascella's Big Board: No. 11 overall

Relativity Grade: B-

This Relativity Grade gets an extra "ding" because of the receivers who were taken after London. You'll see how I feel about Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams in a bit. I don't think London is significantly separated from Chris Olave or Jahan Dotson, really. And to be honest, I don't particularly love those two guys, either. The only thing saving Atlanta here is that they have a good history with "hands" players: Kyle Pitts, Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones, dating backwards. The organization seems to "know" receivers. We'll see. I can barely rank London as my No. 3 overall wide receiver in this draft class. 

9. Charles Cross, OT, Seahawks

Frascella's Big Board: No. 12 overall

Relativity Grade: A-

Just seemed like a very easy pick for Seattle. They are in rebuilding mode, and a lot of teams simply start from the O-Line. I've seen mocks with Cross as the best offensive lineman in the class, too. Still, I'm not going full "A" because... why did the Giants pass on Cross, whom many considered to be a bit safer selection in that spot? Hmm. And Seattle hasn't been doing anything right lately, either. So I'm going A- when at first glance, this could have potentially been an A. 

10. Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets

Frascella's Big Board: No. 2 overall

Relativity Grade: A+

And with this, Joe Douglas began his ascension back into my good graces. 

Watch the film on Wilson, and you know the kid can do it all. He's confident, he's cocky and he can beat you every which way in open space. The only question is this... in so many of his highlights he is WIDE open. Is that because he's the best route runner on the planet? Or is college coverage often that soft and that weak? I mean, you can tell from my A+ grade, I think Wilson is the real deal. He won't beat pro coverage like that, but he'll beat it nonetheless. Benefits from the presence of Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios, Corey Davis, Michael Carter, CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin taking defensive attention away from him as a rookie. Lord knows, Zach Wilson is gonna need Garrett Wilson's help this season. 

11. Chris Olave, WR, Saints

Frascella's Big Board: No. 19 overall

Relativity Grade: C-

Like... huh? You trade up and don't take Jameson Williams here? Especially as a rebuilding team? (Again, I'll talk more about Williams, coming up next.) Sean Payton steps away, and I guess things get wacky in New Orleans. This move seemed completely out of touch with the projected runout of this draft. Again, I'm not so sure Olave is even better than Jahan Dotson. I very well might have taken Dotson over Olave, in a vacuum. 

12. Jameson Williams, WR, Lions

Frascella's Big Board: No. 4 overall

Relativity Grade: A+

Yes sirrrrrrrr! You can see what Dan Campbell and the Lions are doing, here. Hutchinson was the "safe" pick up top. Now they go major upside in Williams. We all know about the reasonable injury concerns at this point, but this was a no-brainer for Detroit given the current state of their franchise. You gotta take a chance on a potential No. 1 receiver for your quarterback after Jared Goff completely loses grip on the job. 

In all honesty, pre-injury, Williams was neck-and-neck with Garrett Wilson for me. Kind of reminded me of old draft comparisons between like, Henry Ruggs and CeeDee Lamb or Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. Do you take a shot on the explosive speed? Or do you go with the more complete all-around player? At full health, I have Williams as the No. 3 overall player in this draft class. For now, with the injury considerations, I'm giving Thibodeaux the slight edge for that spot and distinction. 

13. Jordan Davis, DT, Eagles

Frascella's Big Board: No. 20 overall

Relativity Grade: C+

Just doesn't do it for me. This early? He's a blah player, in terms of explosiveness, dominance and Pro Bowl potential. As I said to my buddies during the draft, if you're gonna go DT within the top 15 picks, you should want the guy to wow you like Derrick Brown to the Panthers in 2020. He's a kid who jumps off the screen at you. Jordan Davis is certainly not that. But hey... hat's off to the Eagles for nabbing A.J. Brown!

14. Kyle Hamilton, S, Ravens

Frascella's Big Board: No. 18 overall

Relativity Grade: B-

This was very close to being a C+. You deal Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and draft this kid within the same hour or so? How is Lamar Jackson going to improve as a passer, coming off injury? And to me, Safety simply isn't an impact position in the NFL. We have to draw the line, somewhere. I still think Jamal Adams is a pretty good Safety - how much impact did he actually have on the Win column for the Jets? How about the Win column for Seattle since transitioning? There's no one-to-one correlation at this position. Losing Hollywood Brown could really hurt Baltimore and Jackson. Adding Hamilton this early in the draft isn't gonna make that much of a difference. (Though, to be fair, he is the best Safety in this class.)

15. Kenyon Green, OL, Texans

Frascella's Big Board: No. 25 overall

Relativity Grade: D

Lot of post-Round 1 articles indicating that Green was easily one of the top "reaches" of the evening. I can totally see why the other experts would think that. My Big Board of 32 is in relativity to the players who were actually selected in the first round. If we went into undrafted players thus far, I'd have the following above Green: 

Nakobe Dean, Andrew Booth Jr., Malik Willis, Boye Mafe, Matt Corral and Sam Howell. 

The Texans simply don't know what they are doing. 

16. Jahon Dotson, WR, Washington

Frascella's Big Board: No. 21 overall

Relativity Grade: B

Good idea to get Terry McLaurin some help within this passing attack. Things just haven't worked out with youngster Antonio Gandy-Golden on this front. Curtis Samuel has to prove he can stay healthy, too. So Dotson is a safe pick, here. He's not gonna knock your socks off - like say, McLaurin - but he's a complementary player who is gonna have to be of assistance to shaky Carson Wentz. 

17. Zion Johnson, OL, Chargers

Frascella's Big Board: No. 16 overall

Relativity Grade: A

The Chargers have been getting things right, lately. I don't think there's any question that - at the pro level - Zion will be a better and more productive football player than Kenyon Green who went No. 15 overall. Zion's a good, solid lineman who is ready to play at the game's highest level. Justin Herbert will enjoy his company. 

18. Treylon Burks, WR, Titans 

Frascella's Big Board: No. 22 overall

Relativity Grade: B-

Could have been a solid "B", but this reeks of some desperation in the wake of the A.J. Brown trade. Considering the preexisting strength of Tennessee's defense and running game, I think they should consider WRs George Pickens, Christian Watson and Skyy Moore in the second round, too. Just in case Burks was a tiny bit of a reach. Things were getting a little thin in this spot here in the first round, but it still feels like a quick trigger of sorts. 

(You may not necessarily get a synopsis from here on out.)

19. Trevor Penning, OT, Saints

Frascella's Big Board: No. 23 overall

Relativity Grade: B-

20. Kenny Pickett, QB, Steelers

Frascella's Big Board: No. 14 overall

Relativity Grade: A-

Again, this could have been an "A", but personally there's a good possibility I would have taken Malik Willis here. Mitchell Trubisky is still just 27 years old, and I'm not necessarily sure Pickett is better than him. There are some similarities, admittedly. Thus, I'd rather take a shot on the more dynamic player in Willis. Still, the Steelers had to take a quarterback here. And Pickett was definitely one of the top two quarterbacks on the board. Just not sure he was the "right" one, thus the A- instead of the A. 

21. Trent McDuffie, CB, Chiefs

Frascella's Big Board: No. 24 overall

Relativity Grade: B

22. Quay Walker, LB, Packers

Frascella's Big Board: No. 13 overall

Relativity Grade: A

The Packers have been hot with defensive players, lately. Sure, they are an offensive organization known for Aaron Rodgers, Matt LaFleur, Davante Adams and Aaron Jones in recent years, but don't forget about Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, De'Vondre Campbell, Preston Smith and Jaire Alexander on the flip side of the ball. If the Packers stay elite in the absence of Adams this season, it'll be in large part because of this quietly stacked D. 

23. Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

Frascella's Big Board: No. 15 overall 

Relativity Grade: A-

Looks like a steal here, for sure. Like I said earlier, this current Bills' administration knows what the hell it is doing. I would have taken Elam over McDuffie at No. 21. I also would have waited for Elam, as opposed to reaching for Stingley like the hapless Texans did. 

24. Tyler Smith, OT, Cowboys

Frascella's Big Board: No. 26 overall

Relativity Grade: B

25. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Ravens

Frascella's Big Board: No. 17 overall

Relativity Grade: A

In the famous sports book Moneyball, there's a lot of talk about "Defective Players". In baseball, maybe the guy is overweight. Maybe he doesn't "look the part". Maybe he grades out poorly on the athleticism metrics. Well, in football here, there's supposedly a problem with the size of Linderbaum's hands. But have you seen this kid get up field and block? Kyle Hamilton may not have been the right pick at 14, but the Ravens nailed this one right here. 

26. Jermaine Johnson II, Edge, Jets

Frascella's Big Board: No. 8 overall

Relativity Grade: A+

And here's the second of two "Defective Players," back to back. I already tweeted about JJ2 today: 

A note on Jermaine Johnson:

If we were reading or watching "Moneyball," JJ2 would be referred to as a "Defective Player," meaning there's some excuse for underrating him.

Jermaine Johnson is still just 23. That's not old. He is not "Defective". #Jets got a steal. #NFLDraft

— John Frascella (@LegendSports7) April 29, 2022

And that right there pretty much sums up how I feel. I think most of us had Jermaine as one of the top 10-15 overall players in this draft class. He simply fell because he is 23 years old, which is just absolutely ludicrous. This is "old world thinking" from the many teams who passed on him. Joe Douglas made a genius move here, trading up to get one of the best players in the draft. In my last-minute mock, I actually had JJ2 going 5 overall to the G-Men: 

 

John Frascella's Official Mock Draft!!

1. #Jaguars: T.Walker
2. #Lions: Thibodeaux
3. #Texans: Ekwonu
4. #Jets: Hutchinson
5. #Giants: Jermaine Johnson
6. #Panthers: Evan Neal
7. Giants: Cross
8. #Falcons: Garrett Wilson
9. #Seahawks: Stingley
10. #Jets: Gardner#NFL #NFLDraft

— John Frascella (@LegendSports7) April 28, 2022

Just an absolute steal for my Jets. I feel a lot better about the Sauce Gardner premature selection, now. 

27. Devin Lloyd, LB, Jaguars

Frascella's Big Board: No. 27

Relativity Grade: B+

28. Devonte Wyatt, DT, Packers

Frascella's Big Board: No. 28

Relativity Grade: A-

29. Cole Strange, G, Patriots

Frascella's Big Board: No. 32

Relativity Grade: F

Yes sirrrrrrr! We've got the Talk of the Town, right here. Here's the instantly famous Sean McVay clip: 

Rams reaction to Patriots selection of Cole Strange at #29.

This is hysterical. pic.twitter.com/ADzqt4lizQ

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 29, 2022

And like, come on. We all know the deal at this point. Belichick is a dinosaur now. McVay is totally locked in on the heartbeat of the league. Cole Strange represents an absolute disaster of a pick in this spot. Hands down, the worst pick in the draft. 

30. George Karlaftis, Edge, Chiefs

Frascella's Big Board: No. 29

Relativity Grade: B+

31. Daxton Hill, S, Bengals

Frascella's Big Board: No. 30

Relativity Grade: A-

32. Lewis Cine, S, Vikings

Frascella's Big Board: No. 31

Relativity Grade: B+ 

PICK POWER RANKINGS

1. Jermaine Johnson II: A+

2. Garrett Wilson: A+

3. Jameson Williams: A+

4. Kayvon Thibodeaux: A

5. Travon Walker: A

6. Quay Walker: A

7. Tyler Linderbaum: A

8. Zion Johnson: A

9. Ickey Ekwonu: A-

10. Charles Cross: A-

11. Kaair Elam: A-

12. Devonte Wyatt: A-

13. Kenny Pickett: A-

14. Daxton Hill: A-

15. Lewis Cine: B+

16. George Karlaftis: B+

17. Devin Lloyd: B+

18. Sauce Gardner: B

19. Evan Neal: B

20. Jahon Dotson: B

21. Trent McDuffie: B

22. Tyler Smith: B

23. Aidan Hutchinson: B-

24. Drake London: B-

25. Kyle Hamilton: B-

26. Treylon Burks: B-

27. Trevor Penning: B-

28. Derek Stingley Jr.: C+

29. Jordan Davis: C+

30. Chris Olave: C-

31. Kenyon Green: D

32. Cole Strange: F

JOHN FRASCELLA'S BEST AVAILABLE

Nakobe Dean: A-

Malik Willis: A-

Andrew Booth: B+

Boye Mafe: B+

George Pickens: B+

Bernhard Raimann: B

Roger McCreary: B

Matt Corral: B

Sam Howell: B

Jalen Pitre: B

Christian Watson: B

Skyy Moore: B

I truly hope you enjoyed this piece... and bring on the debate, we welcome it at Aaron Torres Media!

John Frascella is a published sports author and Senior Writer for Aaron Torres Online. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things football, basketball and baseball. 

Yankees Twitter Accounts to Follow: Subway Series Here We Come!

 

Photo Credit: Elite Sports NY

Since I already did this for the Mets, and we might be on our way to a Subway Series this season, I figured why not? I'll do this for Yankee fans, too. Public service announcement and list, right here: 

LEADERSHIP

Aaron Boone @AaronBoone

Dillon Lawson @DLawson_Yankees

Matt Blake @Blake_Matt

Casey Dykes @CaseyDykes

PLAYERS

Aroldis Chapman @AChapman_105

Gerrit Cole @GerritCole45

Nestor Cortes @Cortes_1012

Clay Holmes @ClayHolmes21

Michael King @7Kinger14

Jonathan Loaisiga @loaisiga43_

Lucas Luetge @LucasLuetge

Jordan Montgomery @Gumbynation34

Clarke Schmidt @ClarkeSchmidt

Luis Severino @LuisSeverino94

Jameson Taillon @JTaillon50

Kyle Higashioka @the_higster

Jose Trevino @HipHipJose5

Josh Donaldson @BringerOfRain20

Marwin Gonzalez @marwinGF9

Isiah Kiner-Falefa @Isiahkf11

Anthony Rizzo @ARizzo44

Gleyber Torres @TorresGleyber

Miguel Andujar @MAndujarPapa

Joey Gallo @JoeyGallo24

Aaron Judge @TheJudge44

Tim Locastro @TimmyLo16

Giancarlo Stanton @Giancarlo818

MEDIA

David Cone @dcone36

Jack Curry @JackCurryYES

John Flaherty @flash17yes

Michael Kay @RealMichaelKay

The Michael Kay Show @TMKSESPN

Bob Lorenz @boblorenz

Meredith Marakovits @M_Marakovits

Nancy Newman @NancyNewmanYES

Paul O'Neill @PaulONeillYES

Ryan Ruocco @RyanRuocco

Chris Shearn @ChrisShearnYES

Ken Singleton @29alltime

Kristie Ackert @ByKristieAckert

Bryan Hoch @BryanHoch

Brendan Kuty @BrendanKutyNJ

Sweeny Murti @YankeesWFAN

Mark Feinsand @Feinsand

George Owens @GeorgeHOwens

Randy Miller @RandyJMiller

Jim Murdoch @ReporterJim

Eric Hubbs @BarstoolHubbs 

Delia Enriquez @dfiregirl4

Erik Boland @eboland11

Pete Caldera @pcaldera

MarlyRivera @MarlyRiveraESPN

Yankees Magazine @YanksMagazine

Yankees Videos @snyyankees

Lindsey Adler @lindseyadler 

WFAN Sports Radio @WFAN660

OFFICIAL YANKEES

New York Yankees @Yankees

Yankees PR Dept. @YankeesPR

Yankee Stadium @yankeestadium

Enjoy!! And please let me know if there is anyone else you'd like me to add. @MetsDepression on Twitter. 

Frascella's NBA Playoff Report: Morant is an Alien, Trae Young's Collapse & Much, Much More

 

Photo Credit: Sporting News

Yeah, I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. EST watching basketball last night. And yes, this happens to me every freakin' year. 

How could I go to sleep on a night headlined by Ja Morant, Chris Paul and Karl-Anthony Towns? It was a wild night in the NBA Playoffs, indeed. Let's get into some key observations and potentially controversial hot takes: 

1. Ja Morant just might be the best basketball player in the universe. 

The Grizzlies just keep falling behind. And who are they, really? You, casual basketball fan... how much do you really know about Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke? Have you been keeping up on Xavier Tillman and Ziaire Williams, lately? 

I'm sure these names would be far more likely to ring a bell: D'Angelo Russell (former No. 2 overall selection in the NBA Draft), Anthony Edwards (former No. 1 overall pick) and the aforementioned Karl-Anthony Towns (actually the No. 1 overall pick in Russell's draft class). Veteran Patrick Beverley is known for his defense and bizarre antics, too. 

And yet, these "unknown" Grizzlies went 56-26 in the regular season, while the "known" Wolves won just 46. This is a 2 vs. 7 matchup, and now the higher-seeded Grizz are up 3-2 in the best of 7. So how, exactly, did we get here? Two words: 

Ja. Morant. 

Just take a second to take in this dunk right here. 

Like... huh?? And kid has been doin' shit like this all season. And to be honest, it's not even about "name" players or dunks or highlight reels. It's simply about the fact that Morant can control an entire game on both ends of the floor. Last night, in what was very close to a must-win, he flourished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. The Grizzlies fell behind again (as I had mentioned earlier), and Ja's all-around dominance pulled them up from the pit. 

Just everything about him clicks as a potential "best player in the world". Cool name. Cool look. Absolutely insane athletic ability. Truly bonkers technical basketball skills on both ends of the floor. And the kid is still just 22 years of age. 

What do you say when "the sky is the limit" isn't enough? 

2. The Minnesota Timberwolves are the most underrated team in the NBA. 

Sure, I just went to lengths to explain how and why they are trailing the Grizzlies 3-2 in their opening round playoff series, but... these young Wolves are f'n good. These ain't the same old, disappointing Wolves. 

"KAT" is still just 26 years of age. "DLo" is also still just 26. Edwards is a baby; 20 years old! And don't forget promising forwards Jarred Vanderbilt (23) and Jaden McDaniels (another baby, 21). Minnesota is absolutely building something, here. 

I haven't gotten into my official rankings yet, but seeing what I've seen this postseason, Edwards already looks like a top 20-25 player in the game. Towns was already top 10-15, depending on your own personal opinion of him. 

And speaking of Towns, this has been a breakout postseason for him. In his first go-around, back in 2017-18, his Wolves got crushed by Chris Paul, James Harden and the then-interesting Rockets. Charles Barkley famously ripped into Towns for his exceedingly underwhelming postseason performance. Then, the Wolves missed the playoffs in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. Bad taste in Towns' mouth? Long "playoff hangover"? 

Happy to see him back now, with a better team. 28 and 12 in Game 5, 33 and 14 in Game 4, 15 and 11 in Game 2 and 29 and 13 in Game 1. Much, much better. And this on the heels of an all-time dud, 3-of-11 and fouling out in the pressure-packed playin game against Paul George and his Clips. I've been impressed by the way he's bounced back from that disaster on a national stage. 

These young Wolves aren't done, yet. Though, for now, I would prefer to see the Grizz vs. the Warriors in Round 2. 

3. Wait... Trae Young is NOT clutch??

Flash back a year and Trae Young was the Toast of the Town. Flashy, brash, making big shots in the playoffs. He was livin' that Miller High Life. 

Quick cut to the present:

1-of-12 in Game 1 @ the Heat (loss). 3-of-11 in Game 4 (loss). 2-of-12 in Game 5 (loss, ousted from playoffs). 

Tough one to call, really. The Heat are a different animal. From what I've seen, the best defensive teams in the NBA are the Heat, Celtics and Suns. When the Warriors try on D, they are probably #4. As for Miami, the plan was simple: consistently double Trae because we aren't afraid of anyone else on Atlanta's roster. Clint Capela, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic were all dealing with various degrees of injuries. Lou Williams, a savvy playoff vet, was also out. So Spo and Pat Riley were smart, as always. Just make someone else beat us. Trae wasn't able to thrive out of the double team, at all. It was just plain ugly out there. 

4. Speaking of "making somebody else beat us"... did DeAndre Hunter just announce himself as a rising star? 

Just 24 years of age, DeAndre Hunter went 9-of-13 for 24 points in Game 4 against that tenacious Miami D. In the series-concluding Game 5 he one-upped himself with the best game of his career, 11-of-21 for 35 points, 11 rebounds, 3 threes and 3 steals. And this was particularly difficult to do while Trae was deferring to him and showing zero confidence. 

Atlanta's gonna need this next year. They need players "three" and "four" with Trae and Hunter, too. Yeah, they made the playoffs, but this current roster construction isn't much of a threat right now. Everything changes a bit if Hunter continues this level of play next season. 

5. CJ McCollum has never actually passed a basketball. 

Look, I'm the first one for aggression out there on the court. Go after it! Shoot your shot! Be in attack mode blah, blah blah. But CJ McCollum truly takes all this to a completely different level. 

Have you been watching the Pelicans play? At least Brandon Ingram tries to involve his teammates in the pick and roll. McCollum went just 7-of-22 in last night's ugly loss to Phoenix, and I'm pretty sure he took a shot every single time he touched the ball. He's been a difference maker for the Pelicans in general, but the playoffs are a whole 'nother animal. You gotta trust your teammates and keep them involved. Especially when you are a player like McCollum who breaks down the opposing D off high screens. 

Jonas Valanciunas was 7-of-11. He is consistently a monster, to me. McCollum has to make a concerted effort to keep "Big V" fed and involved. The Suns play much better basketball as a team. The Pelicans simply won't be able to win 2 in a row with McCollum playing totally selfish Iverson ball. 

6. Chris Paul continues to be the most polarizing postseason player of all time. 

Here's a playoff comparison to Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash. Out of that group, in the playoffs, he's 1st in points per game and 1st in field goal percentage. He's 2nd in assists per game. Basically, he blows everybody out of the water on paper. 

But of course, That Ring is still missing. This year, he's doing a helluva job against a hungry Pelicans team in the absence of young superstar Devin Booker. Paul's teams take on his personality. The Suns are pesky and relentless on D. Offensively, they share the ball and play for each other. I actually think CP3 is one of the most underrated professional athletes of all time. I hope he gets That Ring this season. 

7. Dillon Brooks had basically the worst game I've ever seen... yet the Grizz still won. 

I like Dillon Brooks! He's a tough guy. He gets after it and competes. 

But... 3-of-18 from the floor in 35 minutes of play? Are you kidding me, man? And in a deadlocked 2-2 series?? 

But hey, ya gotta give the kid credit, he certainly didn't stop shooting. This probably came from Morant and impressive head coach Taylor Jenkins. You've been doing it for us all year. Just keep shooting. We believe in you. 

And yeah, he kept shooting, then Morant, Desmond Bane (25 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and Brandon Clarke bailed him out (21 points and 15 explosive rebounds). That's what teammates are for, I suppose. Just wanted to point out how bad the struggle was for Brooks. In both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, you could see him struggling with his shot, mentally. He was "pulling the string." I would have been out there telling him to "shoot through" the ball! Don't baby it, kid. 

Morant vs. Steph Curry... here we come???

John Frascella is a published sports author and Senior Writer for Aaron Torres Online. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things basketball, baseball and football. 

Mets Twitter Accounts to Follow: A Comprehensive List to Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Sporting News

Just a public service announcement and list, that's all... 

LEADERSHIP

Steven Cohen, Owner @StevenACohen2

Sandy Alderson, President @MetsGM

Jeremy Hefner, Pitching Coach @Jeremy_Hefner53

Mr. Met @MrMet

PLAYERS (including minor leaguers)

Chris Bassitt @C_Bass419

Trevor May @IamTrevorMay

Max Scherzer @Max_Scherzer

Edwin Diaz @SugarDiaz39

JD Davis @JDDavis26

Trevor Williams @MeLlamoTrevor

James McCann @McCannon33

Tomas Nido @tnido24

Robinson Cano @RobinsonCano

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ENJOY!! And let me know who you would like me to add to the running list... 

Manager of the Year? Not So Fast. How the Mets are Winning in Spite of Buck Showalter

 

Photo Credit: Forbes

The New York Mets are currently in 1st place in the NL East, and they also happen to have the 2nd best record in all of baseball (12-5, .706 winning percentage). The Mets also have a new Manager, stern-faced veteran Buck Showalter. 

So it's awfully easy to say... Wow! Buck's doing a great job so far! 

And honestly, taking the easy way out is never the way to go. We gotta dig a little deeper. We gotta look a little harder. We gotta watch a little closer. And I've been watching Buck like a hawk since the first play of the first game of the season. Every little move is under close analysis. 

Long story short, here's a bunch of reasons why I think the 2022 Mets are winning in spite of Showalter:

1. Buck's lineup construction has been bordering on horrific. 

Let's make it nice and easy and start with a couple games ago against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Buck had Robinson Cano batting 6th, ahead of both Mark Canha and Jeff McNeil. Let's take a look at all of the details on this: 

A: Current batting averages: Cano .206, Canha .324 (highest batting average on the entire team) and McNeil .302, almost 100 points higher than Cano. 

B: Current OPS: Cano .544, Canha .734 and McNeil .807. Cano not even close. 

C: Current ages: Cano 39, Canha 33 and McNeil 30. Cano is a grandpa here, very very close to retirement. 

2. Buck has drastically undervalued Mark Canha from day 1. 

At either the end of the preseason or very beginning of the regular season, SNY put up an awesome stat about Canha. Over the course of the past four seasons - I believe it was minimum total plate appearances of 1,000 - Canha is amazingly 7th in all of baseball in OPS. And the first 6 names were all the names you would think of: Soto, Trout, Bryce Harper, etc. So in that alone, you can see how good Canha is right there. 

I've personally always been a fan - drafting Canha frequently in my deep fantasy leagues - but I do understand that he didn't get much media exposure playing in Oakland. So yeah, for context, Canha is a really good f'n hitter. He has a professional approach - works the count, doesn't panic, doesn't chase, makes you come to him - and this is a guy who was a prominent offensive producer and contributor for an Oakland team that racked up a ton of wins in the past three seasons or so. 

And yet, back on April 7 Opening Day, Canha was placed 7th in Buck's terrible order, behind rusty old Cano from the very beginning. In addition, JD Davis - who has no speed and hits a lot of hard ground balls and liners - was batting 2nd that day, which made absolutely no sense. (Davis eventually hit into a rally killing routine double play with the bases loaded when Buck absolutely should have pinch hit with one of his multiple lefty options on the pine.) 

My true, honest, real opinion? Buck doesn't have much of a personal history with Canha. He doesn't know that much about him. He's not one of "his" guys. And to me, that kind of old school, worn out mentality simply isn't acceptable. 

3. Buck overvalues and overrates the players he knows well. 

Primarily, we're talking about Cano and Eduardo Escobar, here. Showalter managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2010 through 2018. During that time, of course, he saw an awful lot of the division rival New York Yankees. From 2010 through 2013, Cano was a perennial American League all star with the Yanks. In 2010 he finished 3rd in the AL MVP voting. 6th in 2011. 4th in 2012 and 5th in 2013. He was the Silver Slugger for his position in all 4 of those seasons. 

So yeah, I think you get the point here... when Buck saw a lot of Cano, Cano was considered the best "pure hitter" in baseball at the time. He was a consistent hit machine with a cool demeanor and beautiful stroke. Showalter is 65 years old now. And honestly, he looks much older than that. The guy is simply stuck in the past, seeing the Cano that he remembered, the one he wants to see now. A quote from the New York Times from Buck on Cano during the preseason:

“Those are the little things you look for,” Manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s competing. He’s got that look in his eye. I’ve learned through the years, don’t sell guys like him short. He’s got a pretty good pedigree.”

"That look in his eye"? That's what we are going on, nowadays? What year is this, 1934? In the era of cutting edge analytics, what the hell does the look in Cano's eye have to do with anything? 

The reality on Cano, now? He's a washed up ballplayer approaching 40 years old who missed all of 2021 for his SECOND major PED suspension. You think he doesn't know he's done? Why do you think he was taking PEDs in his late 30s in the first place?

As for Escobar, here's a direct Buck quote on him: 

“Real calmness about him,” Showalter said. “He doesn’t need to show anybody — those guys are always trying to show everybody what a good guy they are. You see people are drawn to him very quickly. Much like Robbie [Cano] and a lot of our guys. Those types of guys bring a certain calmness through storms.”

Both Buck and Escobar had the greatest success of their careers with the Arizona Diamondbacks' organization. Buck won 100 games as Arizona's Manager in 1999 (the most of his 21 years as a big league Manager) and Escobar finally made his first all-star game with Arizona last season. Based on the quotes, you can see the correlations Buck is making between the two veteran infielders, Cano and Escobar. 

And, great! Veteran leadership, rah rah bullshit, it's all good! (Obviously, I like Escobar better than Cano anyway, because the former is both younger, better and a switch hitter.) But we can't be making a batting order - on a legitimate contender - based on "veteran presence" and "that look in their eyes." Escobar is just a lifetime .257 hitter with a measly .311 OBP. He's been batting 5th for Buck since Opening Day because of his veteran status. Just to be clear, my lineup would be (vs. righties, because you face far more righties than lefties):

1. Brandon Nimmo, CF

2. Francisco Lindor, SS

3. Starling Marte, RF

4. Pete Alonso, 1B

5. Mark Canha, LF

6. Eduardo Escobar, 3B

7. Jeff McNeil, 2B

8. Dom Smith, DH (vs righties), JD Davis DH (vs lefties)

9. James McCann or Tomas Nido, C 

Notice, Cano would have been out of my lineup from day 1. Nearing retirement, and he was a Brodie Van Wagenen acquisition. He'd be just a Lenny Harris-type veteran lefty pinch hitter for me. 

4. Buck has undervalued J.D. Davis from the beginning. 

Did you know that Yu Darvish named J.D. Davis as one of the best hitters in baseball? Quote, "When I faced him, I knew right then he was special and I even told my teammates that." He ranked him as the 4th toughest hitter he faced in 2019, behind only Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Josh Bell. Thus, to Darvish, Davis was the highest-ranked righty hitter. 

Yu Darvish is 6'5", 220 pounds with filthy stuff. He's a 5-time MLB all star. He's finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting, twice. He's even gotten MVP votes in his career! And this guy says JD Davis is one of the best in the game? I absolutely give that comment serious credence. Now, let's look at Buck's usage of Davis:

He has just 20 total at bats this season. That in comparison to:

Cano, who has 34 at bats. Luis Guillorme has almost exactly the same amount of at bats as Davis (2 total home runs in his career in 5 big league seasons). Travis Jankowski also has nearly the same amount of at bats as Davis (lifetime .241 hitter, notorious quadruple-A player). 

Meanwhile, the facts and stats say the complete opposite on Davis: the more you play him, the better he does. In 6 pro seasons, his biggest workload came in 2019, where he hit .307 (career best), .895 OPS (career best), 22 homers (career best), 22 doubles (career best), 126 hits (career best) and 57 RBI (also a career best). 

So, Buck looks at those numbers and thinks... yeah! This guy has to be a part-time player. Definitely not a guy who deserves more playing time. But Cano... yeah! He's definitely earned his playing time as a washed up, known cheater who can't hit his way out of a paper bag at this juncture of his lengthy career. 

And again, look at the way the years and seasons line up. Buck was managing in the American League in both 2017 and 2018. During those two years, JD Davis was essentially a rookie throughout, just trying to find his footing in the bigs with the Houston Astros. Not surprisingly, with zero pro experience, he struggled hitting .226 and .175. You don't think Buck remembers that? The last time Buck managed, prior to this season, JD Davis was "an out" when he looked at the scouting report. Again, this is a case of an old man being frustratingly stuck in his ways. Players evolve. Things change, pal. 

5. Buck has also undervalued Dominic Smith from the beginning. 

Did you know that Dom Smith finished 13th in the 2020 NL MVP voting? Yup. He finished ahead of Darvish, as well as fully established players like Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Belt and Max Fried. 13th in the entire league. So you have JD Davis mentioned as a top 5 guy, Dom Smith in the top 13, yet Cano has more at bats than both of them. You can't tell me this isn't going on! Buck is simply playing Cano because he used to be good when he saw him play a lot, up close and personal. 

If the Mets want to be a World Series contender - not simply a playoff contender - they need to maximize the talent on their roster. That means hitting Davis and Smith over Cano at the DH spot. Plain and simple. 

6. Opinion and rumor: Buck forced the trade of Miguel Castro because he didn't like him on the Orioles. 

Actually, Gary Cohen threw this right out into the open the first game of the season. He said that Showalter was frustrated by Castro's wildness during their collective time together in Baltimore. Magically, right before the start of the regular season, Castro is dealt to the Yankees for crappy lefty, Joely Rodriguez. Even Cohen thought the trade and timing were both "curious". This article covered all the bases quite well, actually. 

Long story short, Castro is younger, throws harder and is both more durable and effective than Rodriguez. Miguel Castro was an extremely valuable and dependable reliever for the Mets. Buck was again... stuck in the past. This isn't the Castro you had way back when in Baltimore, Buck! The kid has gotten much better. He's polished up and totally refined his game. Now the Mets' major weakness is its bullpen and Castro is sorely, sorely missed. In my opinion, it was a terrible trade forced by Buck because Castro wasn't one of "his guys". 

7. Opinion and rumor: Buck tried to force another trade right before the season, too. 

This was the potential Dom Smith deal to the Padres. I just don't like the way Buck is operating, here. I've had multiple diehard Mets fans text me that Smith "clearly isn't a Buck guy." Based on what?? He tried to trade him, last minute, before the kid even played a regular season game for him! It's both ridiculous and unprofessional. Castro and Smith are "new school" type players. Buck has been dismissing them from the get go; that's baby stuff and it shows a real lack of long-term thinking and evolutionary thinking. 

8. Buck's tactical maneuvers have been mind-numbingly bad. 

Again, we just have to go with an example. In a recent game, late, 1st and 2nd no outs... Buck opted to sacrifice bunt with Guillorme. Of course, at this point, we all know why the sacrifice bunt is an absolutely terrible play at the major league level. And, who did Buck sacrifice to get to...

Travis Jankowski??

You're giving away a precious out, trying to set up a game winning hit against a guy throwing 99 MPH for...

Travis Jankowski??

I mean, need I really say more? Obviously Jankowski struck out, totally overmatched. The following batter struck out as well, and Buck blew the Mets' opportunity to win the game. Later on, they won because Francisco Lindor has been Mr. Clutch with the stick. The win had absolutely nothing to do with Buck's managing; in fact, they should have lost again because of Buck. The players bailed him out, as they have been doing consistently. 

9. In 21 MLB managerial seasons, Buck Showalter has NEVER won a World Series. 

That sentence explains itself. 

10. The Yankees finally returned to glory once they moved on from Showalter. 

Not much to explain here, either. Joe Torre immediately led the Yanks to the Promised Land. Buck, as has always been the case in his overrated career, was simply unable to get the job done. 

11. The Diamondbacks won a World Series as soon as they moved on from Showalter. 

Go from Buck to Bob Brenly? You immediately win a World Series with essentially the same players. Buck is always the one holding a strong group of players back. The proof is in the pudding. 

I mean, I can go on for days, as you can see. But what's the point? The key idea is simple: 

The Mets have a very strong team this season, and Buck Showalter will eventually be the reason why they don't win the World Series. 

John Frascella is a published baseball author and Senior Writer at Aaron Torres Online. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things baseball, basketball and football. 

Paul, Billups, Nash, Kidd & Parker: Which PG you got?

 

Photo Credit: Orange County Register 

A debate raged on in one of my local chats the other day... is Chris Paul ultimately a loser? Overrated? Rather than babble on aimlessly, let's simply take a look at the stats and facts, compared to other recent greats at the point guard position:

Playoff Points Per Game:

Chris Paul: 20.7 (1st)

Chauncey Billups: 17.3 (T-3rd)

Steve Nash: 17.3 (T-3rd)

Jason Kidd: 12.9 (Last)

Tony Parker: 17.9 (2nd)

Playoff Field Goal Percentage: 

Chris Paul: 48.1% (1st)

Chauncey Billups: 41.1% (4th)

Steve Nash: 47.3% (2nd)

Jason Kidd: 39.1% (Last)

Tony Parker: 46.1% (3rd)

Playoff Assists Per Game: 

Chris Paul: 8.4 (2nd)

Chauncey Billups: 5.7 (4th)

Steve Nash: 8.8 (1st)

Jason Kidd: 8.0 (3rd)

Tony Parker 5.1 (Last)

Chris Paul is 1st in points per game, 1st in FG% and 2nd in assists. 

Adding some numbers and figures per JF Sports Executive, Frankie Valeriano: 

Playoff Wins:

Chris Paul: Per Stats Muse: Chris Paul has a 65-64 record in the playoffs in his career.

Chauncey Billups: Per Stats Muse: Chauncey Billups had a 79-67 record in the playoffs in his career.

Steve Nash: Per Stats Muse: Steve Nash was 57-63 in the playoffs in his career.

Jason Kidd: Per Stats Muse: Jason Kidd was 79-79 in the playoffs in his career.

Tony Parker: Per Stats Muse: Tony Parker had a 137-89 record in the playoffs in his career.

NBA Championship Rings:

Chris Paul: 0 

Chauncey Billups: 1

Steve Nash: 0 

Jason Kidd: 1

Tony Parker: 4

Fantasy Baseball Draft Report Card: "Cherry Pickin' Lines"

Photo Credit: ESPN

Team: Cherry Pickin' Lines

Manager: Matt DeSantis 

Infield: It's like Marty got the memo of "guys I hate." That would include Kolten Wong, Matt Chapman and Yoan Moncada. Eugenio Suarez can be a freakin' headache, as well. On the bright side we have Freddie Freeman, but... this infield should have the lowest BA in our league. Strikeout totals will be extremely high too, but at least that isn't a category. 

Infield Grade: C+

Outfield: Lookin' much better with Castellanos and Springer leading the way. Jared Walsh was a beast last season, as well. Robbie Grossman was mentioned as a possible sleeper in a few articles, too. 

Outfield Grade: A- 

Starting Pitching: Buehler-Giolito-Fried-Snell... strong. Seems like Marty went with a number of pitchers, relatively early. This is a good staff. Got good value on Ryu, Greinke and Wood, too. Clevinger and Taijuan Walker are likely to be headaches. 

Starting Pitching Grade: A

Relief Pitching: How did he know in advance with Kimbrel? Otherwise, not much cookin' here. No depth, at all. 

Relief Pitching Grade: D+

OVERALL: B+