Dein erstes Forum » rkansas. Even if OU wins the leag

When youre hitting over .300, leading the league in homers, and a lock to knock in 100 runs, youre going to be in the heart of the MVP discussion. At 24 years old, Kris Bryant has put up these numbers going into the final month of the regular season, not only making his case for top value in 2016, but also making it known that he could be this productive for the next decade.Yet when you try and check his defensive box, you cant. Bryant is one of the best super-utility players of this era, playing multiple positions, each requiring a different skill set and preparation. It has made him an irreplaceable asset in the Chicago Cubs machine and set the tone for all of baseball to take notice of the power of versatility. Bryant is a utility player who isnt just there to give better players a day off. Hes a fixture in one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball.No matter how you slice Bryants stats, hes clearly playing at a superstar level, but his versatility gives him an edge in the MVP race that cant be discounted -- and might be historic.With baseball defenses shifting all over the field to account for hitting tendencies, you can award bonus points toward Bryants MVP case. He has left field, center field, right field, first base, shortstop and third base in the defensive section of his resume. With shifts, he is playing everywhere between those traditional defensive spots, too. According to Baseball Info Solutions, Bryant has at least break-even Defensive Runs Saved at every position he has played. Overall, with five Defensive Runs Saved, Bryant rates fairly well, 89th among all players regardless of position, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He also rates well in his positioning metrics, with the one exception of when balls are hit to his left and he is playing third base. And these days, positioning is every bit as important as skills.Bryant wont be in the Gold Glove conversation for any particular position (maybe this is the year we add utility to the Gold Glove?). Still, looking at Bryant only through this lens misses his true defensive value.If you look at the past 15 years of utility players -- those who played at least 10 games at three different positions, with at least 300 plate appearances -- Bryants 2016 WAR (7.6) ranks second, trailing only the 2009 season of teammate Ben Zobrist (8.6), according to Baseball Info Solutions and based on FanGraphs WAR totals. And we still have another month left in the season.Lets say youre not a big WAR fan as a case for MVP. Well, consider what Cubs manager Joe Maddon calls the hidden value in versatility. The analytics are now refined enough to track every ball and where theyve been hit off every pitcher. From this data, you can produce a weight representing the frequency at which a ball is hit to a certain position on the field, based on real historical evidence. When it comes to the infield, it makes sense to put your best defender where you can now project the majority of balls will be hit.Javier Baez is the Cubs best defensive infielder, so you want him to play where the most action is. Defensively, because Bryant can move around, you can place Baez where he most benefits the overall defense. If Bryant was only a pure third baseman, you could not upgrade third base defensively without losing Bryants bat. Now you can keep Bryants bat and cover, with your best defender, the spot where most of the balls are projected to travel.Utility defense is nothing new to baseball -- the need to have someone on the roster who can play just about anywhere is a time-honored tradition -- but in the case of Bryant, youre adding a deadly bat. It is rare air to be a force offensively while providing so many defensive options for a manager. According to Elias, only once in the history of the MVP award has a winner played 10 or more games at three different positions. Johnny Bench, 1970 National League MVP, played more than 10 games at catcher, first base and left field.Playing a single position used to be an art form, signifying a ballplayer was uniquely suited to his specialty. But now, no infielder has a true position. Even a shortstop knows being called a shortstop may not provide any clue as to where hell physically be on any given play.The impact of Bryants versatility goes beyond defense. It is felt in pitching and bench depth. It reduces the need to use two players for any one move. Whomever pinch hits could play defense at the position of their strength, and Bryant can then just be moved to accommodate him. This can also help in a double switch.New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi expressed the pitching benefit of having a swing man like Bryant. I need that guy. ... It can allow me to carry an extra pitcher.Bryant is an everyday All-Star starter and a versatile bench player all wrapped up into one. Theres no need for a specialist on the bench for every situation, and having one fewer specialist on the bench gives the Cubs an extra arm -- especially beneficial for the playoffs, and before rosters expand in September.This is all outside the actual physical challenge Bryant is undertaking by playing multiple positions. To be up to speed from so many angles on the field, to learn the slices, hooks, dips and dives of a variety of positions both in the infield and in the outfield, and to do it well, is a skill. You must have game-ready knowledge of cut-offs and relays, double-play pivots, rundowns, scooping balls out of the dirt and playing balls off an ivy-covered brick wall. At times, Bryant is navigating all of this in the same game.It was often said during my career, particularly by legendary baseball sage Syd Thrift, Have bat, will travel. Your career goes only as far as your hitting, but now with Kris Bryant, we find that if you know how to use more than one glove while putting up offensive numbers, you -- and your team -- can go even further, and do so using fewer position players.Whether or not Bryant wins the NL MVP Award, to me, this is the very definition of value.Sergio Romero Jersey . 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Do not -- repeat, do not -- eliminate the losers of Week 5s biggest games.Unless its Clemson. (More on that in a bit.)The Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten will take center stage as each league features a game between top-10 undefeated teams, but none of those teams playoff hopes are walking a tightrope this week like the Tigers. Clemsons chances of returning to a semifinal will sink like Howards Rock if they lose at home to Louisville.A one-loss team isnt doomed in October, you argue. True. Look back at the first two years of the CFP: Six of the eight teams lost a game, and some of them were ugly. Thats why Stanford, ?Wisconsin, Michigan (and maaaaybe Louisville) could all survive a loss this weekend.Clemson might not be so fortunate.Heres a deeper look at whats at stake in the three biggest games of Week 5:No. 8 Wisconsin at No. 4 Michigan (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) What it means for the winner:?A Wisconsin win would further legitimize the Badgers playoff hopes and should convince more people to buy into them as a serious contender in the Big Ten. Even after wins against LSU and Michigan State, Wisconsin is still playing in the shadow of the Big Tens East Division. This would be its second straight road win, though, against one of the Easts best teams. For Michigan, it would be the first win against a ranked opponent, which the Wolverines résumé needs after playing just one team so far (Colorado) with a winning record. If Michigan wins this one, though, it should be 7-0 heading into Michigan State on Oct. 29 and in a great position with the committee.The road back for the loser:?Both could certainly rebound to win their respective divisions and possibly meet again in the Big Ten championship game, but the margin of error shrinks drastically. Michigan still has road trips to East Lansing, Iowa and Ohio State -- the latter being the only game on its schedule that ESPNs Football Power Index does not project the Wolverines to win. Wisconsin has a bye week to recover from a loss and will need it -- to prepare for Ohio State. Of the three games featuring undefeated teams, this one would be the easiest to recover from because it is cross-divisional.No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson (8 p.m. ET, ABC) What it means for the winner:?A Louisville win puts the Cardinals atop the Atlantic Division standings and changes the balance of power in the ACC, where Clemson and Florida State have been the leagues lone national title contenders in recent years. Louisville already throttled Florida State 63-20, but thats only half the equation. A win in Death Valley would leave no doubt Louisville is the ACCs new king. A win for Clemson, and the ACCs three-way tiebreaker doesnt seem so far-fetched anymore. If Clemson wins, and then Florida State beats Clemson in Tallahassee on Oct. 29 -- and none of them lose again -- the ACC would then turn to SportSource Analytics to break its tie.The road back for the loser: If Clemson loses, the three-way tiebreaker goes out the window, along with the Tigers playoff hopes. Clemson would then need Louisville to lose twice, and Dabo Swinney has a better chance of throwing a pizza party for Florida State fans than that happening. Check out the rest of Louisvilles schedule: The only ranked opponent remaining is a Thursday night road trip to Houston. Its a tough game Louisville could certainly lose, but not one that would keep it out of the ACC championship game. Louisville plays the Coastal Divisions two weakest teams this year in Duke and Virginia. ESPNs Football Power Index projects the Cardinals to win every remaining game. Clemson would need Louisville to have a complete meltdown to get back in the ACC race. If Louisvillle loses, it would need Clemson to lose twice -- another long shot, as Clemsons toughest remaining opponents are FSU and Pitt.ddddddddddddIt also could still hope Florida State beats Clemson and it wins the three-way tiebreaker. Bottom line: The loser of this game no longer controls its position in the playoff picture.On the playoff bubbleNorth Carolina at No. 12 Florida State (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) Playoff plotline: The Tar Heels are heading to Tallahassee confident off a win against Pitt, and FSUs playoff hopes are already on life support. An upset here, and the Noles are done.No. 22 Texas at Oklahoma State (Noon ET, ABC) Playoff plotline: The Longhorns had a bye week to recover from their devastating road loss to Cal, but they havent even played a conference game yet. Texas has no margin for error, but if it can win out, it can get back in the CFP debate.Oklahoma at No. 21 TCU Playoff plotline: The Sooners can still win the Big 12, but TCU is in a better playoff position because it has only one loss, which was in double overtime to Arkansas. Even if OU wins the league, it will have a difficult time getting into the top four with two losses and no league title game to help compensate for it.No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Georgia Playoff plotline: The Vols asserted themselves as the team to beat in the SEC East with last weeks win over Florida, but if they come out flat and stumble in Athens, its anyones game. Instead of appearing to have a serious playoff contender, though, the East will again look average, with little hope of upending the West champ.Week 5 superlativesMost intriguing mascot battle: Zippy the Kangaroo vs. Flash the Golden Eagle. Psst, hey Kent State, want to know a secret? Kangaroos cant walk backward. Look it up. Get her on her heels and you might win ...Upset watch: Tennessee at Georgia. The Bulldogs havent looked great this season, struggling against Nicholls, being fortunate to escape Mizzou with a win, and then losing to Ole Miss, but we havent seen Tennessee respond to success yet, and Nick Chubb might want to make a statement against the team he tore his ACL against -- that is, if he has recovered from a sprained ankle.Can-miss game: Alcorn State at Arkansas. Poor Alcorn State, the rebound date for Arkansas after it lost to Texas A&M. ESPNs FPI gives Arkansas a 99.5 percent chance to beat the 1-2 FCS team.Player in the spotlight: Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibrook. The Badgers appeared to have found their QB in the win over Michigan State, but Michigans defense has pressured opposing quarterbacks on 42 percent of their dropbacks this season, second-highest rate in the Power 5.Matchup to watch: Louisvilles offensive line vs. Clemsons defensive line. Its the nations No. 1 offense against the No. 3 defense, and it all starts up front. Clemson, led by Christian Wilkins, Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence, ranks in the top 10 nationally in tackles for loss (38) and is giving up fewer than 100 rushing yards per game.Under the radar: Utah at Cal. This matchup was a thriller last year, when the Utes won 30-24. This time, the Bears are averaging 45.5 points per game, and the Utes are allowing just 15.8. Somethings gotta give.Must-win game: Too many. Texas, Florida State, TCU, Clemson, Louisville -- theyre all likely eliminated from the CFP conversation with a loss.Dont forget about: Ole Miss lost to Memphis last year. The Rebels certainly didnt forget. Memphis is off to a 3-0 start under first-year coach Mike Norvell, but ESPNs FPI pegs the Rebels chances at earning revenge at 86 percent. ' ' '