Bleacher Report - Articles by Dylan Sharek

Know Your Prospects: Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta Braves

Dylan Sharek — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:53:00 -0500

Jason Heyward was chosen by the Atlanta Braves as the 14th pick in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

Now, according to Baseball America and USA Today, he's the No. 1 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball. And with the Stephen Strasburg hype machine chugging along at full steam, Heyward has, in a way, become the forgotten uber prospect of 2009.

But hey, he's used to it.

Nearly half of Major League Baseball couldn't see Heyward's incredible promise; the then 17-year-old high school product from Georgia's McDonough High was passed on by 12 other teams in 2007's stacked draft class. Outside of Baltimore's Matt Wieters and Tampa Bay's David Price, he's thoroughly surpassed all of his contemporaries and will become 2010's premier impact prospect.

It's a funny story how Heyward fell to the Atlanta Braves. In the high school circuit, the lefthanded Heyward was a feared hitter renowned for his plate discipline. He was pitched around frequently and refused to chase anything out of the zone.

As a result, regional MLB scouts rarely saw a full at-bat. When the draft came around, no one was truly sure of the skills Heyward possessed because they simply hadn't seen them.

But for Atlanta Brave's scouting director Roy Clark, proximity to the prospect was both a luxury and an advantage.

Heyward was sent to the club's rookie level teams in the Gulf and Appalachian leagues after the draft. The short stints did little to clarify exactly what Atlanta had signed in Heyward, but the 17-year-old held his own.

Heyward finished third in the low Class A South Atlantic League in batting average (.323) and fourth in on-base percentage (.388) in 2008. A brief call up to the high Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans at the end of the season wasn't a success, but the rookie campaign was enough to solidify the rightfielder as Atlanta's No. 2 prospect behind righthander Tommy Hanson.

Any debate surrounding Heyward's potential disappeared as he rocketed through three levels of professional baseball in 2009. With the same high Class A Myrtle Beach club where he hit a paltry .182 to finish 2008, Heyward started his dominating season by hitting 10 home runs, driving in 31 runs and scoring 34 runs in just 49 games.

The performance garnered a promotion to the Double A Southern League, where Heyward slammed 7 home runs, 30 RBI, and 31 runs in 47 games. The plate discipline that had frustrated high school pitchers and intrigued pro scouts returned: in 195 plate appearances, Heyward walked 28 times compared to just 19 strikeouts. His batting average soared to .352.

The tremendous performance earned him a three-game showcase with the International League's Gwinnett Braves. He hit .364 in limited action.

Heyward's progression has many comparing him to former-Brave's wonderkid Jeff Francoeur. Others seem more satisfied comparing him to a young Frank Thomas, a franchise player that was once the epitome of patience, power, and discipline.

A hybrid of the two seems the most appropriate evaluation.

Heyward's offensive accomplishments often overshadow his defensive prowess. For a 6'4", 220 pounder, Heyward is surprisingly lithe patrolling the outfield. He profiles as an above-average corner outfielder with an extremely strong arm a notch below Francoeur's cannon. Some speculate that Heyward could possibly play centerfield, but his barely above-average speed makes the notion merely a pipe dream.

Offensive comparisons to Francoeur seem uninspired. Francoeur was a strikeout machine at the minor league level, notching 262 punchouts to just 88 base-on-balls. This hacking approach at the plate belied future struggles to come; Francoeur's inability to adapt to major league breaking balls earned him a return trip to the minors in 2008.

Heyward, on the other hand, has struck out just 138 times and earned 108 walks. His plate discipline has markedly improved at every level and his approach has been described as "cerebral" and "commanding."

It's incredibly optimistic to call him the "next Frank Thomas," but Heyward's plate presence is extremely polished for a 20-year-old.

Heyward and Francoeur's power numbers, however, are undoubtedly similar. In his first two full professional seasons, Heyward hit 11 and 17 home runs, respectively; Francoeur notched 14 and 18 through the same time period. No matter which level he begins the oncoming season in, Heyward will most likely test his power stroke at the expense of a few batting average points.

He doesn't have incredible speed, but he is just as smart on the basepaths as he is in his outfield routes: he's been successful 26 times out of 31 tries, an 84 percent success rate.

According to the Brave's brass and Heyward himself, there is no definitive timeline for Heyward's ascension to Major League Baseball. If he plays well enough in Spring Training, he'll make the team and if the team decides he's not ready, he won't.

But Atlanta has patience. And for a 14th pick that has the potential to be a game-changer, they'll make all the time in the world.

This article can originally be found at Blogging About Baseball.

Know Your Prospects: Jordan Brown, OF/1B, Cleveland Indians

Dylan Sharek — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:28:27 -0500

And he's sad, sad Jordan Brown,

He's the saddest slugger in the whole damn town.

He's better than a minor league star,

But with the Indians he won't go far.

-From Jim Croce's unreleased Jordan Brown.

The Cleveland Indians' hard-hitting, lefthanded first baseman/outfielder Jordan Brown is major league ready.

But from the Cleveland Indians' treatment of him, one would think otherwise.

Through four full professional seasons, Brown has excelled at every level: in 2006 he captured the high Class A Carolina League's Most Valuable Player award, in 2007 the Double-A Eastern League's Most Valuable Player award, and in 2009 the Triple-A International League's batting championship.

Still, Brown has yet to receive even a September call up to the big league club.

Yesterday, Brown's contract was purchased by the Indians, effectively protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft and thus ensuring he will be in the Cleveland system in 2010. And since Brown is blocked at all of his natural positions by prospects and established stars higher in Cleveland's depth chart, it would appear that he's destined for another year of toiling in Triple A.

While it's always nice to have a job, the cliched "change of scenery" was Brown's best chance at cracking a major league roster.

A University of Arizona product, Brown was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2005 amateur draft. Scouts liked his aggressive approach at the plate and fluid, compact swing from the left side. He wore out the gaps, possessed good pop, and showed average speed on the basepaths. His defense was suspect, so the Indians drafted him at first base instead of his natural position in left field.

After a run in the New York-Penn League, the Indians sent the 22-year-old Brown to the Carolina League's Kinston Indians in 2006.

Brown's first professional campaign was a tremendous success. He led the Carolina League with 87 RBI and notched 15 home runs and 71 runs in 125 games. His .290 average wasn't eye-opening, but Brown showed patience and a natural ability to work the strikezone, earning 51 base-on-balls in 473 official at-bats, enough for a .362 on-base percentage.

He earned the league's Most Valuable Player award and was promoted to Double-A Akron to start 2007.

Brown's statistics improved across the board at Akron. His average jumped 43 points to .333, a mark that secured the league's batting title. His on-base percentage went from .362 to .421. His walks went up, his strikeouts down. His slugging percentage boosted nearly 20 ticks.

Once again, Brown earned the league's Most Valuable Player award. The consecutive MVP seasons put him in the elite company of just one other player: the Indian's three-time All Star catcher Victor Martinez accomplished the feat in 2001-02.

Brown's stock took a major hit in 2008. Making the jump to Triple-A with the International League's Buffalo Bisons, Brown saw his production drop significantly against tougher competition.

For the fist time in his professional career, Brown didn't reach double digits in home runs, didn't knock in more than 75 RBI or score more than 70 runs. The great patience he showed at the plate disappeared and scouts openly wondered if he was pressing to hit home runs to impress the front office.

Around this time, Brown's defense also became a major cause of contention. One half of those following Brown's career saw him as a sluggish first baseman/left fielder with a poor arm and bad instincts; the other saw a hard-worker that had become a good first baseman , able to move deftly around the bag and make adjustments.

As a result of his 2008 stumble, Brown returned to Triple-A in 2009 with the newly affiliated Columbus Clippers. He stopped pressing and compiled his most impressive campaign to date, finishing atop the league in batting average with a .336 clip. His natural power returned and he hit 15 home runs to go along with 35 doubles.

A September call up seemed imminent on a floundering Cleveland team. It seemed a given.

On September 8, 2009, the Cleveland Indians made their last call up of the season. It wasn't International League batting champion Jordan Brown though, but utility infielder Niuman Romero.

To many, the snub signified the end of Brown's tenure in Cleveland.

Brown is blocked for the foreseeable future by an abundance of prospects higher in Cleveland's depth chart. Top 10 prospects Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, and the promising Nick Weglarz almost guarantee that Brown does not have a future at his natural positions of first base or the corner outfield spots. Designated hitter Travis Hafner has the role locked up until 2011 after signing a four-year contract extension in 2007.

With the front office wary of Brown's defense, he figures to be the odd man out in a deep Cleveland system, an assumption clarified by former-manager Eric Wedge :

"[Brown] had a great year this year. It's tough to find a position for him right now defensively. With Hafner being our DH this year and moving forward, that's where the pick gets tough for us."

Brown has not posted a fielding percentage below .989 at any position he has played at significantly (more than 40 games), meaning that some of the speculation regarding his defense could be based on his horrendous play during a short stint in rightfield during 2009 and an error-laden campaign at first base in 2008.

If Ultimate Zone Ratings were available for Brown, they would almost certainly reveal an average to below-average fielder with little range, justifying the criticism. Still, Matt LaPorta is far from a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, making Brown's future with the team even more murky and curious.

It's entirely fair to say that the Indians may not know what their plans are with Brown. They could be holding onto him simply because he's too good to give away without a return or to lose in the Rule 5 Draft.

Brown has voiced his disappointed about not being called up in 2009, stating he didn't expect for the Indians to purchase his contract in 2009.

But that's exactly what happened.

Sad, sad, Jordan Brown.

This article can originally be found at Blogging About Baseball.

Seattle's Franklin Gutierrez Robbed of 2009 Gold Glove Award

Dylan Sharek — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:58:03 -0500

There were very few things that Seattle Mariners centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez couldn’t catch in 2009; so few things that he earned the nickname “Death To Flying Things.”

A Rawlings Gold Glove award, baseball’s highest accolade for defensive prowess, however, was one of those things Gutierrez just couldn’t snag.

In an announcement made Tuesday, the official 2009 American League Gold Glove outfield consists of the stalwart defensive standards of Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter and first-timer Adam Jones.

Seattle’s Suzuki and Los Angeles’ Hunter both took home the award for their ninth consecutive seasons. Baltimore’s Jones, in just his second full Major League season, earned the Gold Glove despite playing, by all advanced defensive metrics, an average centerfield.

It was an award that Gutierrez, who patrols Jones’ former-centerfield in Seattle’s Safeco Field, should have won.

In 2009, Gutierrez played the best defense of all Major League Baseball players, not just outfielders.

The .985 fielding percentage is not indicative of how amazing Gutierrez was defensively. The almost-antiquated statistic is an effective measure of how well a player performs routine plays, but it doesn’t effectively take into account non-routine plays involving range or arm accuracy or arm strength.

To put the inefficiency of the statistic into perspective, fellow Seattle Mariner Yuniesky Betancourt owned a .968 fielding percentage in 2009. And so did Texas Ranger shortstop Elvis Andrus. Yet, Betancourt is routinely lauded as the “worst defensive shortstop in the history of the world ” and Andrus is heralded as anything but.

Ultimate Zone Rating is quickly becoming the standard for measuring defensive efficiency. According to fangraphs.com, the relatively new metric is: “The number of runs above or below average a fielder is in both range runs, outfield arm runs, double play runs, and error runs combined.”

UZR exposes players’ defensive shortcomings. Yuniesky Betancourt’s negative-23.9 UZR reveals a molasses-like fielder with little range and the inability to make even routine plays. Andrus’ plus-11.7 shows a rookie with above-average range and defensive ability. Betancourt cost his team runs with his lackluster defense; Andrus saved them.

No player possessed a better UZR in 2009 than Franklin Gutierrez. In fact, it wasn’t even close.

Gutierrez saved his team 29.1 combined runs in 2009. Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton was the next closest centerfielder with a positive-11.0 mark. Among all fielders, Tampa’s Evan Longoria was Gutierrez’s closest contemporary, but still fell 10 points short, posting a UZR of plus-18.5.

His positive-29.3 range runs saved was also 10 points higher than the next closest everyday fielder.

Gutierrez’s UZR was the best in a season since the inception of the statistic in 2002.

When one takes into consideration his solid offensive season, Gutierrez was worth almost six wins over the course of the Seattle Mariner’s 2009 season. His estimated worth was $26.4 million, but he made just $455,000 this season. He’s arbitration-eligible this year and seems destined for a significant pay raise.

Gutierrez’s omission in the Gold Glove vote is just the most glaring gaffe betrayed on the award since Texas’ Michael Young won against a much more deserving field of shortstops in 2008.

The Gold Glove vote needs to be re-evaluated. Instead of taking into account just errors, fielding percentage and personal preference (it should be noted that coaches cannot vote for players on their own team) new and adjusted statistics like UZR and range runs must be included.

How can “Death To Flying Things” not be a Gold Glove winner?

This article can originally be found on Blogging About Baseball.

Know Your Prospects: Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs

Dylan Sharek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:11 -0500

Starlin Castro is the kind of baseball player that inspires introspection.

At just 6'1", 160 pounds, his wiry frame doesn't belay the fleet footed fielding he's renowned for or the quick and powerful wrists that have made him a force at all levels of his professional career.

He could be you or me.

Yet, Castro is anything but. At the green age of 19, he's one of 2009 Minor League Baseball's biggest and brightest breakout stars. There's murmurs among the Bleacher Bums that it's he, not heralded prospect Josh Vitters, who should sit atop the Chicago Cub's organizational rankings.

And with such an underdeveloped physique and incomparable successes against much older talent, it's an entirely fair assessment.

Castro's 2008 campaign with the Arizona League Cubs foreshadowed much stronger, more sustained accomplishments to come.

At 18-years-old, the righthanded shortstop/second baseman performed admirably in 50 games with the short-season club. His above-average range, soft hands, and solid arm sparkled and he posted a .953 fielding percentage between his two primary positions, a good mark for someone in his first year of professional play. His 19 extra-base hits in 196 at-bats belied an untapped power stroke and his .311 average effectively supplanted him over the Cub's other infield talents Junior Lake and Ryan Flaherty.

In 2009, any suspicions the Cub's organization may have had about Castro's talent dissolved.

Hoping for glance into Castro's potential, the Cub's scouting team pushed for Castro to start at high Class A, not low Class A Peoria or Boise. And so he went to high Class A Daytona in the Florida State League, where, true-to-form, he hit. 302 with three homeruns and 12 doubles in 96 games.

In the Florida State League All-Star Game, he went 4-for-4 with an inside-the-park homerun.

He jumped to Double A Tennessee in the Southern League and once again, it was same result, different place.

Where a 19-year-old should have batted around .250, Castro hit .288. His on-base and slugging percentages ticked up a notch. Playing at a premier position, Castro's coaches and teammates praised his instinctual fielding and acrobatic range. According to Cub's 2008 first-round pick and 3rd ranked prospect in Baseball America, pitcher Andrew Cashner:

"He saved me a lot this past season. He made some special plays out there. I think it's more instincts for him. Everything is very natural."

But it's his performance in the Arizona Fall League that has solidified Castro as the bonafide No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in the Chicago organization.

He's the youngest player in the league, but his .424 mark is 10 points higher than Cleveland Indian's 24-year-old catching prospect Matt McBride. His .981 on-base plus slugging percentage and 35 total bases are among the top 15 of the league's leaders. In the 2009 Rising Stars Showcase, the "finishing school" for MLB prospects, Castro went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Scouts immediately began the comparisons, ranging from Alfonso Soriano to Edgar Renteria.

Naturally, Castro's success has led to speculation about the timetable for his appearance in an MLB uniform . The common answer (both from sources within the organization and from Castro himself) is becoming increasingly clear: 2010.

For Cub's fans, the prospect of starting the minor league star's arbitration clock this early is daunting, especially when one considers the team's aggressive and marred track record promoting "super prospects" that didn't pan out (read: Corey Patterson, Hee Seop Choi and Bobby Hill).

The best solution for Chicago would be giving Castro half a year's at-bats in Triple A, and relevant to his progress, then making the decision to call him up mid-season or in September. This would postpone arbitration for another year, as the Orioles did with Matt Wieters in 2009, and would give him more at-bats versus tougher opponents.

It would also be remiss for the Cubs to discard Castro's current lack of true power and patience at the plate. And despite his flash in the field, Castro still has trouble turning routine defensive plays, committing 56 errors in his three seasons.

Following his 2009 campaign, Castro's revised scouting report should be eerily reminiscent to Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus' in 2009, a comparison which will only further Cubs follower's intrigue.

According to Baseball America , Andrus had:

"Plus range, sure hands, a strong, accurate arm and uncanny instincts. Andrus never will have better than below-average power, but he should be able to drive balls to the gaps if he can get stronger and understand his swing better. He profiles as an all-star caliber shortstop in the Edgar Renteria mold."

Disclaimer : It should be noted that Andrus had nearly twice as many professional at-bats as Castro currently has upon his call up to the big league club at the beginning of 2009.

Still, the now-Rookie of the Year candidate never played above Double A, showed tremendously similar power numbers, and committed just as many errors.

Andrus never hit as well as Castro at any point in his career. In his four professional seasons, Andrus posted batting averages of .293, .265, .267, and .295.

Yet Andrus has shown that he can be an impact player at the Major League level. For Cub's fans and the team's management alike, promoting Castro might be a temptation too grand to pass up.

This article can originally be found at Blogging About Baseball .

Know Your Prospects: Josh Vitters, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Dylan Sharek — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:16:30 -0500

After the 2011 season, the Chicago Cubs will have to make a choice: keep third baseman Aramis Ramirez and purchase his club option for $16 million, or let him hit the market and buy the remainder of the contract for $2 million.

Josh Vitters, the Cub’s 2007 first-round draft pick and indisputable No. 1 prospect, might be making that decision a little easier.

In his first bout with full-season baseball in 2009, 19-year-old Vitters paced the low Class A Midwest League, compiling 15 home runs and 46 RBI along with a .316 batting average in 70 games.

His dominant handling of the league’s pitching soon led to a promotion to high Class A Daytona in the Florida State League. He struggled mightily after the call, however, hitting just .238 with three home runs and 20 RBI in 50 games.

In the short-season Arizona Fall League, Vitters has shown signs of recovery; enough signs, in fact, to warrant a selection to the league’s Rising Stars Showcase. Vitters, batting .360 through 12 games, is sixth in the Winter League in batting average.

His power statistics, however, are down; in 50 at-bats, he’s yet to record a home run, but has rapped a triple and three doubles.

According to reports, Vitters will not participate in the Showcase after straining a pectoral muscle in batting practice last Wednesday.

Despite his inconsistency, Vitters stock has risen considerably. When 2010 prospect lists roll out, he’s certain to be among the top 20 (last year he was in the 40’s).

The 19-year-old prodigy still has a lot of developing to do, however.

Scouts love Vitters’ smooth stroke from the right-hand side, but are equally suspicious of his extremely low walk rate.

In 458 at-bats between Peoria and Daytona, Vitters induced a walk just 12 times, or in just 2.5 percent of his plate appearances.

To maintain such an unsustainable level of aggression would equate him with MLB contemporaries such as San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina and New York Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur.

Baseball America asserts that asking Vitters to change his approach “may border on heresy,” but Scouts, Inc. ’s Keith Law maintains that patience has to come in order for Vitters to become a “potential No. 3 hitter who’ll hit plenty of doubles and 25-plus home runs with a high average.”

It appears as though Vitters is content working with his current approach. In a recent Arizona Fall League article , Vitters stated:

"I’m not going up there looking for a walk. If I see a good pitch and I can drive it, I’m going to swing. It’s not a problem at all because I don’t strike out a lot."

Vitters is going to struggle in the higher levels of professional ball until he becomes more selective a hitter.

His collapse in the Florida State League, where pitchers can locate their off-speed offerings better than the Midwest League, was just a glimpse of the growing pains he’s almost certain to experience.

Vitters has amazing hand-eye coordination and has an uncanny ability to put the bat on the ball, drawing comparisons to Howie Kendrick to Vladimir Guerrero to Pablo Sandoval.

But for comparison’s sake, Sandoval, the least selective of the group, still walks about nine percent of the time.

Vitters’ defense was a cause for major concern when he was first drafted. Despite a tremendously strong arm, Vitters has struggled with footwork and agility at all levels.

Through 188 minor league games, he owns a weak .908 fielding percentage bolstered by 42 errors.

Vitters’ fielding percentage jumped from .909 in 2008 to .918 in 2009.

Supporters claim that Vitters’ shoddy play could be a product of the Arizona Fall League’s hard surfaced infields and un-groomed minor league parks.

Still the 19-year-old is diligently working to improve his play , taking extra infield repetitions and readying himself mentally before each play unfolds.

"I’m just trying to work on everything—agility and always being ready at every pitch. I know my hitting will always be there, and these things will help me be better," Vitters said.

Ultimate Zone Ratings aren’t available for Vitters currently, but one has to suspect he’d be close to the worst everyday starter in the minor leagues.

Aramis Ramirez isn’t a Gold Glove caliber third baseman either, but his tremendous offensive value offsets his career negative-9.9 UZR.

As it stands right now, Josh Vitters is nowhere close to a call-up. With three more years of development, he could be close.

That’s an $11.5 million decision the Chicago Cubs will have to make in 2012.

Commissioner Bud Selig Releases All-Underperformer Team Rosters!

Dylan Sharek — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:26:24 -0400

Rodriguez, Ordonez, Martin head list of former All-Stars turned flops.

___________________________

Team will play against minor leaguers in attempt to "get better," says Commissioner Selig.

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ST. LOUIS—With the official release of the All-Star rosters, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig also released the All-Underperformers team yesterday, the lineup comprised solely of players who have plummeted from stardom to mediocrity.

The team will be helmed by Cleveland Indian's manager Eric Wedge.

The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, the Dodgers' Russell Martin and the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez are first-time selections to the team. The Rangers' promising slugger, Chris Davis, also makes his first appearance after a powerful rookie campaign in 2008.

Martin, the perennial All-Star catcher whose power seems to have vanished into thin air, will handle horrible pitches from Yankees' hurler and All-Underperformer staff ace, Chien-Ming Wang.

The Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to come out of the bullpen for long relief duty along with schizophrenic Mets' pitcher Oliver Perez.

If the Indians' Fausto Carmona is not selected as part of the Minor League Baseball All-Underperformer team, he should make an appearance, pitching against the same players he's been going against since his demotion to Siberia in May.

The first base bag will be covered by Texas' power-hitting rookie Chris Davis. Despite blasting 15 home runs, Davis was on pace to shatter strikeout records universe-wide before he was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City yesterday.

Second base will be the deepest position on the All-Underperformer team, with the spot being occupied by pretty much anyone not named Chase Utley.

Even though it's unknown who will start the game, it's expected that Florida's Dan Uggla will receive most of the playing time.

Oakland's Orlando Cabrera, who was famously quoted as saying, "I suck, for real," last week, will also receive some opportunities.

Three time All-Star and former MVP Jimmy Rollins will be Philadelphia's lone representative at the game as the All-Underperformers' shortstop.

Rollins is batting a putrid .217 and owns the worst on-base percentage among active shortstops, despite being the Phillies' leadoff man.

After the selection was brought to his attention, Rollins was ecstatic, quoted as saying, "Wow! I know I predicted we'd win the World Series in 2008, but I could never predict an honor such as this!"

The hot corner will be patrolled by the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. It is his first inclusion on the All-Underperformer team after a streak of nine straight All-Star selections.

It's said that his hip is still ailing him and that his recovery from surgery threw off his cycles. Behind A-Rod will be Rockies' liability Garrett Atkins.

The outfield will be manned by the three-headed monster of the Tigers' Ordonez, the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero, and the Cubs' Milton Bradley.

Upon learning that they were likely to be included on the team and the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez was not, Ordonez and Guerrero got haircuts, saying that their dream of being part of the "hairiest outfield in all of baseball" was shattered.

The hair they chopped off outweighs the amount of combined home runs they've hit this season.

The exclusion of Ramirez from the team was a surprisingly development, but one that the fans had passionate responses towards.

Comments ranged from, "Manny's a piece of [expletive removed] who can't hold my jock," to, "Once a juicer, always a juicer. Manny can stay at home and sell barbecues for all I care. He's not even good enough to be named to this [expletive removed] team."

The game takes place in between the old-timer's softball game and the actual All-Star game on July 14.

Getting in Touch with Mike Veeck, One of Baseball's True Legends

Dylan Sharek — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:51:49 -0400

I’m obsessed with baseball. I mean, really obsessed.

If I didn’t have a girlfriend, I would still be living in my mother’s house collecting baseball cards, playing fantasy baseball, and Tivo’ing every game I could. It’s really good that Katlyn’s here to keep that in check.

Trust me, I know I’m a weirdo. And I’m okay with it.

So for the past couple months it’s been eating me up inside that the President of the Charleston Riverdogs, Mike Veeck, lives in the same town as me. I mean, it’s been really, really bothering me.

I’ve met Veeck at the Old Village Post House, where we shared some small talk about cutting bread. In an effort to not ruin his night and to leave him alone, I didn’t mention that I was one of the few people in this town who knows what he and his family means to baseball.

His grandfather was one of the owners of the Chicago Cubs when they were first losing. And his father, well it might be better to not get me started on his father. I mean, we’re talking about the slightly-off, one-legged, once owner of the Browns, Indians, White Sox, and Brewers, who sent a midget up to bat in a major league game, invented the exploding scoreboard, and signed the first black player in the American League, Larry Doby, to the Cleveland Indians in 1947. I could go on and on.

The fact that a Veeck offspring is living in the same town as me and isn’t mobbed by hordes of fans wherever he goes is mind-blowing to me. I want to scream at people on the streets, “DON’T YOU KNOW THAT THIS GUY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!” It would be a breakdown similar to Smykowski’s in Office Space.

Mike Veeck owns parts of six major league clubs, ranging from Massachusetts to Florida. His promotions (Tonya Harding Bat Night, Silent Night, No One Night) are some of the most popular and hilarious ever perpetrated on the baseball community. He no longer lives in the shadow of his grandfather or father, but is a bonafide force in the baseball world, earning recognition for his “Fun Is Good” way of business and for his soaring successes.

So the other day, I broke down. I sent an email to him basically confessing that I had no reason to email him other than to email him and let him know I existed. Looking back, it was extremely creepy and almost cryptic. It read:

"My name is Dylan Sharek. I live and die with baseball. It’s my own form of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

If I didn’t take the time to contact you, I would never have been able to forgive myself.

So I bit the bullet and sent this strange email.

We’ve met before but I didn’t want to interrupt your evening so I didn’t attempt the formalities. However, over the past couple months, knowing your family legacy, knowing we live in the same town, and taking into consideration my love for the game, it’s been eating me up.

I’d love the chance to sit down and have lunch with you, or just talk baseball, or maybe take in a Riverdog’s game together.

It’s uncomfortable for me to reach out like this, but it would really be an honor for me.

Thanks for your time.”

The next day, I received a phone call, not an email, from a living member of one of baseball’s most beloved, recognizable, and illustrious families.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t there to receive it.

The message said, in short: My name is Mike, not Mr. Veeck. Call back on June 1, I’m out of town. We’ll plan something then.

I can’t wait.

This article can be found at Blogging About Baseball.

MLB Fantasy: Hype Vs. Logic In Selecting Keepers

Dylan Sharek — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:11 -0400

Over the past couple years, taking chances based purely on potential has become a trend in fantasy baseball. In rounds where players should take a guy like the Angel's Torii Hunter, they instead go for the Ranger's unproven Nelson Cruz. Is missing out on a solid five category guy worth taking a flier on a career minor leaguer who hasn't proven he can consistently rake at the big league level? I'm not so sure, but for two buddies in my keeper league, it'll certainly become a point of contention:

A situation similar to this presented itself to me during this year's offseason. I had to choose five keepers on a pretty stacked team. I settled on the first four guys, but was tearing my hair out over that last spot. Do I take a chance on Texas' rookie masher Chris Davis or do I hold pat and stay with the game's most consistent slugger in Adam Dunn?

In my keeper league, we lose the round where the player was drafted for the first year. The second year, we use some kind of intense algorithm based on projected average draft position (ADP) and last year's round to figure out which round we'll be losing. It's retarded, but all you really need to know is that:

a) Adam Dunn is considered a 9th round pick.

b) Chris Davis was undrafted last year and is therefore considered a 23rd round pick.

From that standpoint, it makes sense to keep Davis. I'm not really losing a pick at all, and if I let Dunn go, there's a fairly good chance he could fall to me somewhere in the early part of the draft.

But what about the reason for this post? What about the degree of chance I'm taking by keeping Davis? Adam Dunn is the game's most consistent slugger, his stats more dependable than Alex Rodriguez, than Albert Pujols, and certainly Davis.

Do I give up this:

: Check out those last four years.

For this:

: This might be risky...

There is no doubt that Davis could have an eerily similar impact on fantasy teams as Dunn. In his minor league career, Davis performed the duties of a pure slugger, crushing 73 homers with a .302 average among the three stops (A, AA, AAA) and through three seasons. If Davis' short time in Texas last year is any indication, the power will continue even if scouts believe the batting average will dwindle due to a semi-poor contact rate.

In the end, I took the chance that I gawk at others for making. I kept Davis. His upside, the fact that he's basically free, the fact that he plays in hitter-friendly Arlington; all of it made me go with my gut instead of logic. Did I make the right move or did I fall victim to the Chris Davis hype machine?

Top Five Prospects With Impact

Dylan Sharek — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:53:15 -0400

This article can originally be found at Fantasy Baseball HQ.

I live in Charleston, practically right down the street from Oriole's prospect Matt Wieters' hometown of Goose Creek, South Carolina. I've heard Goose Creek and the words "hick" and "incest" in the same sentence. A common bar joke down here is, "Who here's from Goose Creek? Your donkey just took a shit outside the bar."

Joking aside, chances are you've heard of this year's two top prospects: Baltimore's catcher Wieters and Tampa Bay's LHP David Price. If you haven't, you're probably not going to win or even come close, so you should just quit now.

But I suppose there is some hope for you. There's a bunch of guys in this year's rookie class who promise to make a smaller impact and who, with a little luck, can improve your squad in some tangible way.

The following is a list of five guys, in no particular order, who I think will contribute in 2009. If you don't see the name of your favorite prospect it's because I don't see him getting the call this year. For instance, the Brave's Tommy Hanson has an adequate rotation blocking his future in Atlanta.

Mike Stanton of the Marlins probably won't make it to the big club because the Marlins have been slow in giving guys chances (see: Dallas McPherson). Hold your horses though, I'll be addressing "keepers" in the future.

And the top five guys I'm giving "blowies" to (Thank you, I Love You, Man) in 2009 is...

1. Brett Anderson, LHP, Oakland and Trevor Cahill, RHP, Oakland - It's going to be hard finding a pair of rookie pitchers who will amass more innings than these two during the 2009 season. Oakland's pitching staff, without the brittle Justin Duschereoeureruoer, is utterly anemic and Billy Beane will be looking for someone, anyone, to eat innings in the rotation. Anderson profiles as the better prospect simply because he's a lefty and because he has a better array of pitches than Cahill.

I, however, prefer Cahill.

Both pitchers moved through Oakland's farm system at the same rate during the 2008 season, both first pitching in High A Stockton and then AA Midland. Both pitched extremely well, but Cahill's Batting Average Against (BAA) between the two stops was a paltry .182 while Anderson's was .237.

In addition, Cahill accomplished this while pitching 20 more innings than Anderson. Yes, the differences between AA and Major League Baseball is exponential, but if Cahill polishes his change up to go along with his plus 2-seamer and plus knuckle-curve, he and Anderson should be on an even keel come June or so.

With Oakland's improving offense and defense, I'd look for each of them to grab (generously) 11 or so wins with 100 strikeouts and a 4.5 ERA.

2. Neftali Feliz, RHP, Texas - Over the past couple years, Texas has had its fair share of fireballers come and go. They traded Chris Young (not the outfielder) to San Diego for peanuts in 2005. They traded Edinson Volquez, Cincinatti's new ace, for Josh Hamilton. While that trade panned out well for both sides, it has to hurt seeing Volquez's success when the pitching staff you're fielding is helmed by Kevin Millwood.

So it was nice to see them get something back in Neftali Feliz, who is clearly the Ranger's top prospect. Acquired in the Mark Teixeira deal, Feliz routinely hits 99 on the gun. Like all flamethrowers, he has trouble with control, something hitters will take advantage of at the big league level.

Throwing from the 3/4 arm slot, Feliz also tosses an able curve and change up, though they need refining. Like Volquez, Feliz has an extremely high ceiling that will only be limited by Texas' patience with him.

Feliz won't break camp with the Rangers, but should be one of the first to get the call should any of the volatile rotation implode or get injured.

3. Jordan Schafer, OF, Atlanta - With the trade of Josh Anderson, it looks like Atlanta has made Jordan Schafer its Opening Day centerfielder. Gregor Blanco should put up some fight but, in my opinion, it's the hot-hitting Schafer's job to lose. It's hard to believe that this time last year, Schafer was on the verge of being sentenced to a 50-game HGH suspension. C'est la vie.

Schafer should contribute at the big league level in much the same way Hunter Pence did during his rookie season in Houston. Expect a slightly lower batting average and possibly a few less homers, but scouts see Schafer as a 20/20 guy so there's room for big impact. Like Carl Crawford, Schafer tends to notoriously streaky so keep an eye on him if he heats up.

If, by chance, he loses the job to Blanco, he could provide a boost to teams midseason just as Pence did in 2007.

4. Travis Snider, OF, Toronto - There's a lot of people who like Snider more than I do. But, I think it's simply because Toronto baseball sucks. The boring product on the field (Alex Rios taking a step back last year hurt), the dreary ass stadium, or that goddamn Astroturf; there's just something about Toronto's recent clubs that just feels faceless and uninteresting.

But Toronto really does have an exciting player in Travis Snider, their opening day left fielder. He's got a sweet left-handed swing that should hit well in Toronto's gaps and on the Astroturf.

Between three minor league levels last year, Snider hit 23 bombs, adding an exclamation point to his great season by stroking 2 more during his September call up with the big club.

With an ailing Vernon Wells, I'm looking at Snider as this year's impact rookie. His minor league track record, although short, is solid and extremely consistent and should earn him a spot right in the middle of Toronto's order.

It is fair to predict a .275/20/90 season from him with Toronto's current lineup, with possibly even more upside if Rios bounces back and Wells' health improves.

5. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, Washington - I like the underdogs. I'll watch a Nationals' game before I watch a Cub's game simply because I haven't seen many of the Nationals' players. And what's better than learning about a new team?

So, I've been keeping my eye on this guy for a while. For a few years, he was overshadowed by his teammate Ross Detwiler but now Jordan Zimmermann has burst onto the scene with an amazing Spring Training, pitching four scoreless outings before giving up five runs in his flu-plagued fifth. Still, his efforts were enough to make the Nationals' rotation.

To be honest with you, there is no telling what Zimmermann's 2009 holds. He is less proven than Cahill, Anderson, and a few other prospects that could burst onto the scene, but he is a polished pitcher for his age.

He needs to work on a changeup, but still, Zimmermann has four pitches that are serviceable at the big league level. He could be good or bad. That's why I'd grab him anywhere after the 17th round or so.

Honorable mentions: Cameron Maybin, OF, Florida, Jarrod Parker, RHP, Arizona, Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh

Baseball Season Is Finally Here

Dylan Sharek — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:10:06 -0500

When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with wide receiver Santonio Holmes in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIII, I rejoiced.

Not because the touchdown all but secured a victory for the Steelers, but because it signaled a changing of the guard.

So long, football. Hello, baseball.

And while it may just be in my head, I swear the weather is already better, the birds are chirping, dandelions are blooming, and the glass is half full.

Football season is one of the toughest times of the year for me. All of the time ESPN dedicates to baseball highlights gets replaced by football previews, injury reports, or Terrell Owens. Baseball Tonight gets the Conan O’Brien treatment, only appearing every once in a while, and usually late at night, instead of its primetime 7 p.m. slot. Sports radio no longer cares about the Red Sox; it’s all Brady, all the time.

It may seem stupid and trivial, but for someone who lives and thrives with baseball, it hurts. It’s my own form of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

This offseason, some things have helped. The MLB Network is one of them. I’d rather watch another painfully boring and predictable 2005 World Series game between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros than any football game. Even though the host on “Prime 9” makes me want to jab pencils into my ears, at least it’s something.

Perhaps the saddest thing I’ve done to get my baseball fix (and I am in no way, proud of, or promoting, this) is mock fantasy baseball drafts. They’re pointless, usually repetitive, and completely fruitless, but it promotes baseball arguments between the participants. Few people can talk as in-depth about baseball as fantasy nerds. I mean, who besides fantasy players can name anyone in the Pittsburgh Pirates minors besides Jose Tabata? Not many.

Convincing my girlfriend that this level of dedication to baseball is in any way healthy is an ongoing process.

But since baseball season is here, I don’t have to hide anymore. There are others like me and I know it. They’ve been sitting patiently, watching the ESPN ticker for the recent signings, logging onto MLB.com when no one’s looking, and oiling their gloves. They’ll be coming out of the woodwork any day now, showing their true colors.

The hats and jerseys will find their way out of the deep recesses of closets. Browns fans will come back to the Indians. The few Dolphins fans will once again be the few Marlins fans.

Like Darth Vader, they’ll come back from the Dark Side.

The players will return in less than two weeks. The World Baseball Classic will begin in a little more than three. On April 5, the Braves will take on the World Champion Phillies in the first game of the 2009 season.

Then, on April 6, it’s Opening Day.

Green grass. Blue skies. The crack of the bat.

I can't wait.

What Is Wrong with the World Baseball Classic?

Dylan Sharek — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:10:52 -0500

Josh Hamilton chose to focus on Spring Training. Carlos Pena went down with an abdominal injury. A.J. Burnett stated, "It's just not for me."

Others simply said "No."

Among those who will not be joining the American team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic are: 2008 American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, 2008 National League Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, 2008 NL Most Valuable Player runner-up Ryan Howard, and perfect closer Brad Lidge. You can add CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Cole Hamels, Brandon Webb, and Ben Sheets to that ever-growing list, as well.

Most of those names represent the upper echelon of Major League Baseball.

Without their participation, the team fielded by the United States in 2009 will not resemble the best America has to offer.

This year's squad, while certainly an improvement over 2006, is a shadow of what it could be.

While other countries like Japan, Cuba, and Korea have no problem securing their stars, American team manager Davey Johnson has struggled, despite personal pleas to some players, to form the penultimate U.S. group.

After Johnson grabbed Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter as his first starter (and seemingly a player ambassador), he shot straight for the top, adding AL MVP Dustin Pedroia to the roster shortly thereafter. Additional player responses trickled in, denials mixed almost evenly among commitments.

Some have valid excuses. Sheets is an injury-prone free agent, and for him to pitch is playing with fire. Lincecum, the San Francisco Giants' young star, pitched 80 more innings in 2008 than his previous career-high and should be given some time off as to not exacerbate an issue that should have been addressed at the end of last season.

Others, such as Howard, Teixeira, Sabathia, Halladay, and Lidge, are extremely durable and have relatively clear injury histories. Their non-participation leaves one scratching one's head.

Japan's Ichiro Suzuki participated in the 2006 Classic and vows to "try to win the WBC in earnest again." Takashi Saito, despite a lingering elbow injury, wants to be "blessed with the opportunity." Red Sox ace Diasuke Matsuzaka is poised and ready to repeat his 2006 WBC MVP performance. Fellow Red Sox player Hideki Okajima is expected to commit despite his immense value to the Sox bullpen.

With the Japanese players' responses, the word "honor" is constant.

Almost all of the surprising Cuban team will be returning in an effort to best its second place finish in 2006. The team is a source of international pride and is full of the island's biggest stars, including outfielders Yoandy Garlobo, Frederich Cepeda, and Osmany Urrutia.

The only players not likely to return are pitcher Yadel Marti and outfielder Yasser Gomez, who have been removed from the team's roster for attempted defection. The rest of the team is bolstered with first-class stars from the country's 2008 Olympic and 2004 International Baseball Federation World Cup teams.

In 2006, South Korea was playing for far more than national pride; they were playing for exemption from mandatory military service. This year, that crux is no longer applicable, but still most of the team will return to play for their home country. The Korean team is coming off an amazing run at the Beijing Olympics, where it went undefeated in nine games on the way to capturing the gold.

The Japanese, Cuban, and Korean sentiment of playing for pride and honor is not completely lost on American superstars.

Alex Rodriguez is playing for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 World Baseball Classic despite holding the largest contract in the history of Major League Baseball. There's been a lot said about A-Rod's motivation and heart, but it's clear that he's a passionate ballplayer, no matter what picture the media portrays of him.

He's going to be playing on the star-studded Dominican team, a group that outlasted the Americans in 2006. Rodriguez will not be playing for himself, but for a dream of his mother's and for the hope that his home country can win the Classic.

According to Rodriguez, it will be a very special day for him and his family to once again play in a Dominican uniform.

Most of the other participating American players in the Classic have unquestionable heart, too.

There's Pedroia; the dirtdog, the underdog, and the MVP. There's Mark DeRosa, who'll play anywhere asked, as long as it's on the diamond. There's Chipper Jones, who's done it all and has nothing left to prove. There's David Wright, who's played 160 games in three of his four full professional seasons. There's Curtis Granderson, who lives, breathes, blogs, and sleeps baseball. There's Grady Sizemore, who plays every game like it's his last and who, with one botched diving catch, can become this century's Ken Griffey Jr.

And then there's the rotation of Roy Oswalt, Scott Kazmir and Jake Peavy—perennial Cy Young contenders looking to play the game they love on the world stage.

It's clear that some American stars are being held back by the teams they play for. In the 2009 Classic, besides Rodriguez and Jeter, there are no Yankees. There's only two Phillies, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, despite invitations extended to Howard, Lidge, and Hamels.

After spending nearly $425 million acquiring Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira, New York will not take a chance on injuring its newest stars. It's an understandable situation, albeit, an unfortunate one.

Philadelphia players, fresh off their "World" Championship victory, do not offer a similarly pertinent reason.

Another example of a player being denied entrance into the World Baseball Classic by the team he plays for is the Cleveland Indians' breakout semi-star Shin-Soo Choo. A Korean native, Choo wishes to play for his home team, despite the unforgiving promise of military service in the near future. Still, he is not allowed, simply stating that, "If the [Indians] say no, I can't."

While it is commonplace for Major League Baseball teams to protect their stars in events such as the Classic, the event's coordinators have taken steps to ensure player's safety.

There is a pitch count. While the pitch count will increase in 2009, it is still relatively small, hovering somewhere around 75 pitches, depending on round. While the level of competition at the WBC is heads and tails above Spring Training, pitchers will not be overextended or overworked in game situations. For example, pitchers are not be allowed beyond the pitch limit and are removed after completing their last batter, even if it means being removed in the middle of an inning.

In addition, there is a large enough bench where players can be replaced if they begin to feel uncomfortable with the workload.

Of course, there is no way to completely protect superstars' safety. There is an inherent risk playing in the World Baseball Classic, just like there is an inherent risk in Spring Training, the Home Run Derby, the All-Star Game, or driving in a car, or walking on ice.

Another strike against the WBC is that it removes players from their home club's Spring Training.

This year, WBC players must report to camp with pitchers and catchers, a new regulation. This way, players can catch up with new teammates and take the necessary steps management feels they must make in order to be in game-ready shape.

Critics of the World Baseball Classic also believe that players suffer down years following participation. While it is true that some players did suffer breakdowns following the 2006 Classic, others compiled career years.

One famous breakdown is former Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis. In 2005, Willis was 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and finished second in the NL Cy Young voting. In 2006, Willis' ERA jumped to 3.87 and he finished 12-12. It's been downhill ever since.

Others who suffered include Moises Alou and Chad Cordero.

On the other side of things, several players actually broke out, posting their best career numbers in 2006.

David Ortiz mashed 54 home runs and 137 RBI.

Albert Pujols hit 49 round-trippers and knocked in 137.

Johan Santana posted a league leading 2.77 ERA and 245 strikeouts.

The breakdown/breakout argument has many flaws.

First, in players such as Willis and Cordero, there were always questions regarding their performance sustainability. Willis' violent, unorthodox mechanics were bound to break down at some point. In addition, Willis had always posted relatively pedestrian walks and hit per inning pitched outside of his career year in 2005. In the case of Cordero, who was never truly bad, it was merely a case of a bad body catching up to him.

Did it help Ortiz, Pujols, and Santana warm up for the MLB season? Truthfully, who knows? All three were proven stars hitting their prime and there's no real way to tell.

The World Baseball Classic has the potential to create a new international buzz for baseball not seen since the Mariner's signing of Suzuki.

But with the Major League's Cy Young award winners, MVP candidates, and award winners sitting the event out, how is the team America is putting forward represent the best we have to offer?

It doesn't.

With nearly equal parts of American baseball fans, media, players, and managers vilifying or heralding the Classic, it is apparent that there is something holding back this extremely promising event.

Is it simple indifference by premier American players towards our (not Korea, Japan, or Cuba's) great pastime? Or is there something more.

If top-tier American players continue to deny invitations to play, the American team will severely dilute the World Baseball Classic product.

A Case For Jamie Moyer And 300 Wins

Dylan Sharek — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:57:46 -0500

Unless something goes horribly wrong, 5-time Cy Young award winner Randy Johnson will win his 300th game during the 2009 Major League Baseball season.

The newly-signed San Francisco Giant is five wins away from joining the exclusive 23-member club. After making 30 starts during the 2008 season, he is a virtual lock to reach the magic number, barring an early season injury.

Jamie Moyer, 46, is the oldest active player in the MLB and also the next closest to 300 wins, with 246 victories through 22 seasons. Moyer is considered by critics to have no chance at the elusive number due to his advanced age and finesse pitching style.

Moyer has made a living as a methodical pitcher with a deadly circle change when paired with an able fastball and curve. Over the years, he has relied more on guile and approach than natural stuff.

The Big Unit, as Johnson is nicknamed, is a power pitcher who wins games using a devastating slider and overpowering fastball. Through his 21 seasons, Johnson stands at second place on the career strikeout list behind Nolan Ryan. Despite declining physical condition and velocity, 6'10" Johnson is still an overwhelming presence.

By baseball analysts, Johnson is widely considered the only 300 game winner for the foreseeable future.

I disagree.

Jamie Moyer will reach 300 wins.

Jamie Moyer’s career did not begin like Randy Johnson’s. To say that Moyer’s early career was tumultuous would be an understatement.

He pitched inconsistently and spent long stints in Triple-A. He badly injured his shoulder in 1991 and missed most of the year. He was so horrible he bounced around teams six times and switched leagues twice between 1986 and 1996. In 1996 though, he settled in with the Seattle Mariners.

Upon joining Seattle in 1997, Moyer hit his stride. Was he trusting his stuff more? Locating better? Why it happened, no one can be exactly sure. Still, Moyer posted a career high in wins and quickly became the staff’s number three starter.

In 1999, after compiling double digit wins in consecutive years, Moyer was looked upon by the Seattle faithful to replace the staff’s departed ace.

That ace? None other than Randy Johnson.

Moyer rewarded the team with double digit wins and an above .500 record in six of his eight seasons. Seattle writer Art Thiel dazzled at Moyer’s consistency:

“With neither fastball nor flamboyance, Moyer has silently strung together seasons of 17-5, 15-9, 14-8 and 13-10 while the Mariners search futilely for somebody to be Randy Johnson. In those four years, Johnson, the game's pre-eminent pitcher, has only 15 more wins than Moyer.”

In 2006, Moyer signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and continued his solid, yet unspectacular pitching, again grabbing double digit victories in consecutive years.

Over the past four seasons, parts with the Mariners and the rest with the Phillies, Moyer has been a beacon of consistency not seen in many of today’s eminent starters.

Over that time, Moyer has won a total of 54 games, six more than Johnson. He’s won more than 300 game winners Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux in the same period, too. He has nine less wins than CC Sabathia and 12 less wins than Johan Santana, a stunning comparison considering Sabathia and Santana are usually in a class amongst themselves. His highest win total for a season during that time was last season’s 16 wins.

Moyer has an uncanny ability to win with his underwhelming stuff, compiling a .571 win percentage throughout his 22 year career. He simply finds a way to win.

Moyer’s older than the hills and he has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down. Keeping up this pace is honestly not out of the question.

This offseason, Moyer inked a 2-year, $13 million extension with the Phillies, taking him through his age 48 season.

While nothing is written in stone with a player in his mid-forties, Moyer has been incredibly durable. He spent time on the disabled list in 1991 for a shoulder injury and again in 2000 after a batted ball injured his kneecap.

Other than those two occasions, Moyer has proved to stay healthy and avoid common injuries seen in older pitchers such as shoulder fatigue and elbow tendintis. Many actually compare Moyer’s career to Tommy John, another pitcher who worked into his late 40’s but famously broke down.

Over the past eight seasons, Moyer has started at least 30 games in each of them.

One reason is that Moyer’s slow, easy windup presents no significant wear and tear on his lean body other than the natural discomfort associated with doing an unnatural motion. He has complained of shoulder soreness before, but of nothing substantial. It appears as though Moyer’s soft-tossing has helped to lengthen his career much like a knuckleball pitcher. Charlie Hough and Phil Niekro both pitched well into their late 40’s. Niekro made it to 48 and is the oldest pitcher to win 16 games in a season. Moyer has his number.

Say, optimistically, that Moyer collects 30 wins during his next two years with the Phillies. That would leave him 24 wins away, or another two-year extension from reaching the 300 club.

Moyer has the drive to make it to that number.

“I'm sure if you ask Jamie, he'll say that he will play out a few more contracts," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said after Moyer signed his latest two-year deal. "If his stuff does go backward, he'll try to figure it out and how to pitch through it."

That’s the great thing about Moyer; his tools and career have been so unpredictable that he’s had no choice but to adapt. And he’s made all the necessary changes to win.

I firmly believe that Moyer has the right tools to reach 300 wins. He has a knack for winning games. He has a good offense behind him. He is injury free. He has a non-violent windup that doesn’t create problems for his body. And, perhaps most important, he is as consistent as any of today’s top starters.

I hope to see number 50 reach 300 wins at 50 years old. It’d look real nice.

LaRussa Tabs Carpenter As Possible Cardinal's Closer

Dylan Sharek — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:24:10 -0500

Tony LaRussa continued his extreme favoritism towards veteran players Saturday when he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he would consider using Cardinal's right-hander Chris Carpenter as the team's closer.

Carpenter, the 33-year-old former Cy Young award winner, is coming off an injury shortened year in which he pitched only 15 innings for fourth place St. Louis. In September, Carpenter came down with triceps tendinitis in his return from 2007 Tommy John surgery.

Carpenter seems like a rather odd consideration for the closer role, considering the Cardinals have seemingly two closers waiting-in-wings.

Chris Perez, the Cardinal's number two prospect heading into 2008 according to Baseball America, appeared to be the favorite for the position heading into the 2009 offseason. Perez pitched ably during 2008, tossing 41.2 innings while striking out a batter an inning. During his rookie campaign, the right-handed flamethrower also collected seven saves with his mid-90's sinking fastball and effective 85-87 mph slider.

While Perez did not exactly light batters up early on in his call-up, he settled down late in the 2008 season, posting a remarkable August in which he compiled six of his seven saves and a 0.00 ERA after being promoted to the closer position. He evened off in September, however, which caused LaRussa to remove him from the role.

Jason Motte grabbed one of Perez' blown saves in September and showed St. Louis management what he was capable of. During his September call up, Motte posted a 0.82 ERA and through 11 IP, he struck out 16.

Motte has not always been on the Cardinal's radar as a possible closer, but after his outstanding start, Motte is hard to ignore. Profiling as a setup man prior to 2008, Motte's dominant strikeout rate and composure have to make him a candidate heading into 2009. Despite the small sample size, Motte has all the makings of a closer: a heater in the high 90's, an improving slider, and a junkball splitter.

In addition, LaRussa has right-handed veteran Ryan Franklin who has enjoyed a resurgence in St. Louis and had moderate success filling in for Jason Isringhausen last year.

To mention Chris Carpenter as a possible closer for St. Louis is illogical and a tactical mess. LaRussa has three quality arms in his bullpen willing and ready to close out games, and not enough consistent starting pitchers.

To take Carpenter, as injury prone as he is, out of the mix means that the Cardinals will have to get a full year from Adam Wainwright and repeat years from Kyle Loshe, Todd Wellemeyer, and right fielder Ryan Ludwick in order to compete.

If Tony LaRussa continues his pigheadedness towards playing his budding stars in the roles they are most comfortable with, it is almost guaranteed that the 2009 Cardinals will not resemble the competitors fielded in 2008.

MLB Network: The Best $10 I Ever Spent

Dylan Sharek — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:27:26 -0500

My girlfriend has competition. It's called the MLB Network.

I'm only 23 years old and because of that I've missed a lot of amazing baseball. I've tried my hardest to learn as much as I can about baseball's past through long and meandering searches through baseball-reference, Ken Burns' Baseball, YouTube, Baseball Think Factory and the other amazing references available to me in this day and age, but nothing can replace watching something in its entirety and experiencing it with your own eyes and ears.

Today I watched Mickey Mantle hit a home run in the context of an entire baseball game.

It was absolutely one of the most electrifying moments of my life.

The MLB Network's kinescope broadcast of Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game signifies a significant moment in the lives of many young baseball men like me. Sure, I've seen games from the late '60s and the '70s, but these games showed the stars of yesteryear in their twilight or on the gradual decline to retirement.

But tonight, I saw Hall of Famers in their prime take their hacks just like I watch Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez take theirs. I learned that Sal Maglie pitched damn, damn well that day in 1956 and that players took huge pride in their defense, something the record books had never been able to convey to me.

I learned that baseball, no matter how much I may hate the economics behind it, has not changed one bit. It is still nine guys going out on the world's most perfectly designed playing field playing the world's most beautiful, intricate game.

It truly is timeless, transcending decades and depressions.

I do not know if MLB Networks will continue to showcase classic footage. But for a $10 upgrade to the premium cable package, I watched something in 2009 that my father hasn't been able to watch in his 50 years as a baseball fan. That alone makes it worth every penny.

I look forward to Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter, and Barry Larkin's insight into baseball from a player's perspective. While I enjoy John Kruk and Karl Ravich, I hope MLB Network never invites someone like Steve Phillips into their midst.

Right now, this channel is showcasing baseball in the way it should be.

Simply.

Here's to a great 2009 and all the baseball that comes with it.

Mark Teixeira Signing Ultimately a Good Thing for Baseball

Dylan Sharek — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:19:57 -0500

So they've gone and done it. While Yanks fans are licking their chops and feeling like kids on Christmas morning, the rest of the baseball world is gathering up torches and pitch forks and organizing a march for Steinbrenner's head.

And truthfully, I don't understand what everyone is so up-in-arms about.

Even as a Boston fan, I think this is a good thing.

Now, I am no stranger to making bold predictions or going against the conventional wisdom of some of the big-wigs here at Bleacher Report, but how is this signing not one of the best things to happen to baseball in recent memory?

The Yankees are now officially, without argument, the most reviled franchise in baseball history.

That alone makes me excited for what 2009 will bring.

I can't wait to see Kevin Youkilis go up against Joba Chamberlain. You can practically cut the tension with a knife and it hasn't even happened yet!

And I wholeheartedly, maybe naively, expect the Red Sox to win three quarters of these head-to-head matchups.

While I can't predict what will be the state of the Yankees clubhouse, I can say there is more to winning than simply playing together. Things like cohesion, caring, tenure, and goals.

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will be reborn.

I predict that Cubs and White Sox fans will hold hands and cheer in the streets if either one steals a game from George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman's magnificent beast.

I recall being irritated when the Rays snagged their fair share of games from the Yankees this year, knowing they were making up ground on my favorite team.

Now I could give two poops. I just want to see someone, anyone, beat the Yankees. The Orioles now have something to play for.

Every single non-Yankee fan wants the Yankees to fail horribly. And anything short of a World Series ring will be a victory.

It's the Coalition versus the Axis of Evil. Sports' ultimate David versus Goliath.

This signing will undoubtedly end up being a good thing for baseball. Hatred for the Yankees will bring people together just like Sammy and Mac did in '98. Or the Yanks' flagrant lack of respect for money will lead to a salary cap. Win, win.

I will still enjoy baseball in 2009 unlike a lot of people I have encountered on this site.

I leave you with a quote that reassures me when baseball gets dark, when our pastime looks like it's turning to shit.

If this quote has stopped resonating with you, then maybe your time is up. If it hasn't, look at this signing as a spark for our forgotten game, instead of the apocalypse.

"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it.

"They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.

"And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters.

"The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again.

"But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

Red Sox to Only Sign Asian Players for Next Five Years (Humor)

Dylan Sharek — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:06:23 -0500

In a startling announcement made this morning, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein proclaimed that the team will only be signing players of Asian descent for the foreseeable future.

What has been dubbed as the team's "Sayonara Plan" apparently began in late 2006 and early 2007 with the pursuit and subsequent signing of former Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka's solid 2007, paired with the success of Red Sox reliever and fellow countryman Hideki Okajima, has fueled Esptein's obsession with signing each and every player out of Asia.

On Dec. 5, the precocious Epstein made further strides by inking Junichi Tazawa to a three-year, $3.3 million deal. It is commonly believed the 22-year-old Tazawa will begin his career in Double-A before making an appearance in the majors.

Epstein is currently rumored to be in negotiations with Japanese import and former Chunichi Dragons pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. Kawakami projects as a middle- or back-of-the-rotation starter.

Epstein refused to comment on which other Asian imports he is interested in, but hinted that the Seattle Mariners could have a replacement at catcher for Jason Varitek in Kenji Johjima.

We will report any progress on the Kawakami signing as soon as we get it.

MLB Hot Stove: I Don't Care Who Ends Up Where Anymore

Dylan Sharek — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:22:08 -0500

Over the past couple years, Major League Baseball's Hot Stove has reminded me more of a high school hallway than a professional sport's offseason.

"Did you hear about Jake and the Cubs?"

"No, what happened?"

"They broke up again."

"Not again! Things were going so well! I really thought they were going to make it this time..."

This is the only time of year where we hang on every word, trying to be the first to hear the new gossip or break the newest news. I can't tell you how many times I've logged onto my favorite insider source and looked at Mark Teixeira's potential destinations. One second he's going to stay with the Angels, the next he's shipping off to Boston, the next he's going to join the once-again evil empire, the next he's going to Washington. I keep logging in though because I have to.

Aside: Do any of us truly believe he's going to land in Washington? A place destined for mediocrity for probably another decade? A team worse than the Kansas City Royals? It would be like Barry Zito signing his Giants contract in the post-Bonds, pre-Lincecum time period. You know how it goes: I'll eat my hat if...

This is the only time of year when Brian Fuentes is a huge deal. He's like the nerd who got a makeover and is now dating the super hot Shelby Hayes. How many times during the season did you hear the Rockies' lefty closer's name uttered in the same breath as K-Rod or even yet, the all-time saves leader? It's only during the offseason Fuentes can be mentioned in their class.

This is the only time of year we get to catch up with old friends.

"Hi, I'm Matt Clement."

They always pop up this time of year. Guys who we haven't seen, better yet, thought of, in years.

"OMG Tammy, did you hear that Scott Erickson is thinking about coming back to school?"

Well, he is.

This is the only time of year when we look at baseball as nothing more than a waste of money and in a way, time. The team's are nothing more than logos handing out wads of millions to pretty boys, to middle relievers who will definitely bring so-and-so to the World Series for sure this year, and already rich, greedy ballplayers. And once they make all the trades, signings, etc., we have to wait months until we get to see it come to fruition.

So why am I caring so much if only matters once April hits?

It's simple.

We still think there's going to be a player who signs for something more than money. We're holding out for the everyman who realizes he gets to play our favorite pastime as a job and get paid millions for doing so.

We want to see our teams improve, even if we can't see it now.

We get occasional beautiful moments. Greg Maddux retiring is one of them. Last year, it was every team's unwillingness to sign Barry Bonds.

Lastly, we love baseball. We love the purity of the sport. The beauty of a man moving from second-to-third-to-home on a hit and a sac fly.

We need something. If we can't have the grass or the game, we might as well have the gossip.

Until April, I'll be hanging out near locker No. 416. See you there.

My Journey Through Baseball Card Addiction

Dylan Sharek — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:02:12 -0500

It's November and it's cold outside. I exhale another Marlboro breath and wonder which part is smoke and which part is moisture. It doesn't really seem to matter these days...

I stomp out what remains of the butt, and with my sole gloved hand reach for the handle of the forlorn, now-defunct, church. The room is not much warmer than outside.

I see nine people seated around a foldout table, seated in foldout chairs. Everyone’s got coffee. It, along with the cigs, is now a part of my everyday life.

Barry, a bigger man, is wearing an authentic Pedro Martinez Red Sox jersey with grey Red Sox sweatpants. It doesn’t look like he’s taken them off in years. He’s seated at the head of the table and fidgets as I slowly make my coffee and then take a seat.

“Okay, now that everyone’s here, who wants to start?” he says.

I raise my hand, eager to get it over with. Barry nods at me. Here we go again.

“Hi everyone. My name’s Dylan and I’m addicted to baseball cards.”

Of course, I’m not really addicted to baseball cards. It’s introductions like this that got me into trouble during college. Imagine how pissed my English teacher was when I presented a laundry list of maladies only to reveal the culprit, and topic of my senior paper, as Senioritis. It wasn’t pretty.

The truth is I haven’t really opened a pack of baseball cards since 1994, the same year my favorite sport and my favorite sport’s players ripped my heart out and pounded it into submission for 232 days.

If the 1994 Major League Baseball strike hadn’t occurred though, I could very well be sitting in that worn-out church chatting with Barry.

I can remember gobbling cards up like crack, cigarettes, or any other serious addiction. A new product came out? I had to have it, no matter how broke I was or how broke my parents were. There’s a one-of-a-kind Robin Ventura card located in Beijing, China? I’d probably consider the trip. A Phil Nevin rookie card (1992 first pick!) in the bottom of a jar filled with razor blades? Ouch.

If I had somehow found a way to quell my appetite for cards for a short amount of time, a few triggers could easily set me off. One of them was Cecil Fielder.

Cecil Fielder electrified the baseball world by clobbering 51 home runs in 1990. No player had broken the fifty-HR mark since George Foster did it in 1977. Throughout the ‘80s, reaching that number looked futile.

After being sold to the Hanshin Tigers following the 1988 season, Fielder lit up Japan’s Central League by whacking 38 homers, well above what he’d been able to do in parts of four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.

In 1990, Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers for a measly $1.25 million. He rewarded their optimism with four consecutive 40 home runs, 100 RBI seasons. In the strike shortened 1994 season, he still hit 28 homers and drove in 90.

I fell in love with the character of “Big Daddy” Fielder. His shit-eating grin. His ever-growing paunch. The mammoth home runs. He was a new breed of slugger, one that hadn’t been seen in over a decade.

I was a Cecil Fielder fiend. I remember my father and I rummaging through flea markets, card shows, and even gas station card selections looking for rare Fielder cards. Before I knew it, I had reverse negative cards, cards with no backs, cards with upside down backs, cards with no fronts, cards from Japan, cards from Citgo, and every base card put out. I mean, it was truly ridiculous.

And then the strike hit. I was done. Cold turkey.

A few months ago, I bought a box of baseball cards for the first time in over a decade. I don’t know what made me do it. Was it the memories of my childhood? The joy of nabbing my favorite players? An innate and primal urge to throw away my money? I really don’t know.

All I do know is that things have changed.

I opened my box of 2007 Bowman Heritage at a local card shop in front of the owner. It was cheap, but it was based on the 1952 Bowman design and I’m a sucker for all things classic. As I ripped through pack after pack, I realized a few things.

First, half of the players are not in the major leagues. I got a card of Jeremy Papelbon, the famous Sox closer’s brother, who has not even reached AAA yet. It was cool, but after a while it really wasn’t fun getting cards of people who I have no chance of watching play.

Second, the owner scowled when I pulled out a card with a Jose Reyes jersey in it. I was ecstatic! Jose Reyes is an amazing ballplayer! But I guess in the grand scheme of today’s collecting, I guess it’s just another card that happens to have a piece of jersey on it.

“It would be good if it was numbered,” the owner said. Bah humbug.

If the owner doesn’t think this card is cool, then how many of them are there out there? How many of this card does he have? Come to think of it, where is Topps getting all of these Jose Reyes game-used jerseys? What does he wear to the games all summer?

This card should make me the coolest kid on the block, the kid everyone wants to trade with. Instead, I felt like I’d been duped.

Third, I looked through the stacks of cards I’d just collated and noticed that I had literally five Joba Chamberlain cards. And the thing is, they all looked different. One had a different picture. One looked to have a different background. One was a prospect card. One was thick and shiny. One might be a little different than the one next to it because I think there’s a bird flying in the sky in the background. Exactly what the hell was going on here?

In short, nothing.

“They’re all worthless because they’re just spin-offs of the base card. His cards are pretty bland in this product,” he tells me.

I should tell you that I didn’t buy this box to get cards that were “worth” something. I bought this box for fun, to see what one of my favorite pastimes had become. But by the end of this experience, I felt that collecting baseball cards had become a game of greed by both collectors and the companies that produce them. The whole experience felt cold, forced, and slimy.

Back in the 1990s, you went for the whole set, not just the big names. You collected to get your favorite player, to make a dream team, to decorate your bike, or to poke the eyes out of Yankees players. That means that pulling a Phil Plantier from 1992 Score could be the greatest thrill in the world if it completed your NINE HUNDRED AND TEN card set. Any inserts were just the icing on the cake—not an expectation.

During this recent foray into collecting, I pulled a shiny card that featured Ken Griffey, Jr. in his Seattle Mariners uniform. I didn’t ask the owner what it was worth, what he thought about it, or whether it was special.

I simply brought it home and added it to my Cecil Fielders.

Dylan Sharek is a former baseball card addict. He had been clean for 15 years until he relapsed in 2008. He claims he has not touched a pack in six months.

The 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team: Infield

Dylan Sharek — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:19:41 -0500

Every pitching staff and bullpen needs a capable offense and defense backing them up. Today's edition of the 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team goes 'round the horn with a unique bunch that can both hit and field with the best of 'em.

Ryan Doumit, Catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates – Something about Ryan Doumit’s deep set, beady eyes reminds me of an alien. And maybe I am right; maybe Doumit is an alien. His skills are otherworldly.

In 2008, the Pirates scrapped the idea of utilizing Doumit as a glorified fourth outfielder/catcher backup, and gave him the chance to win the team’s starting catcher job.

Doumit rewarded the hopeless Pirates by batting over .300 for the first five months of the season. By late June, Doumit had stolen the job from the struggling Ronny Paulino.

Doumit, who bats switch and can play first base and the outfield, finished the season batting .318 with 15 long balls and 69 runs batted in. Unless Doumit decides to “phone home,” the job will be his to lose in 2009.

Honorable mentions: Kelly Shoppach (Cleveland), Chris Iannetta (Colorado), Mike Napoli (Anaheim)

Kevin Youkilis, First Base, Boston Red Sox – Yes, I am well aware that Kevin Youkilis may win the American League’s Most Valuable Player award tomorrow. Sometimes it takes a year in which nobody whacks 40 home runs for a player of Youkilis’ caliber to get noticed.

In no way does Youkilis scream “franchise player.” He doesn’t have the marketability of A-Rod. He doesn’t hit home runs like Miguel Cabrera. He isn’t the underdog like Dustin Pedroia. Youkilis quietly does so many things above average, but below eye-popping, that he never gets the credit he deserves.

Truthfully, it is hard to keep a guy like Youkilis on an underrated list after his 2008. What keeps him here is the unrecognized things: his ability to play first base, third base, and the outfield and to play them extremely well, his hustle and grit, his ability to hit in the clutch and most spots in the batting order. The list goes on and on…

If I were GM, I would start a team with Youkilis at the helm. That is how underrated I think he is, and how confident I believe he can outperform 2008.

Honorable mentions: Aubrey Huff (Baltimore), Adrian “If I Were On a Good Team, I’d Be Even More Of a Monster” Gonzalez (San Diego), Jorge Cantu (Florida)

Placido Polanco, Second Base, Detroit Tigers – When a team signs Placido Polanco, they know what they’re getting. He’s a lock to bat right around .300 with a handful of home runs and 50-60 RBI while missing a few games along the way. He’s also an above-average fielder, having won a Gold Glove during his 2007 campaign.

This year, Polanco played in 141 games and compiled another no frills and solid campaign for the surprisingly lackluster Tigers.

Second base is an interesting position. It seems like the players are either amazing or somewhere right in the middle. Placido plays the middle slightly better.

Honorable mention: Kelly Johnson (Atlanta)

Jhonny Peralta, Shortstop, Cleveland Indians – Jhonny Peralta is a walking LASIK surgery advertisement.

After bursting onto the scene in 2005, Peralta’s production decreased his sophomore year, with vision problems cited as the main cause.

However, for the past two years, Peralta has posted incredible numbers from a generally popless position. This year, he ranked third among shortstops in runs scored (104) and home runs (23) and first in RBI (89).

Those numbers place Peralta in the top tier of shortstops with only Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes, but I don't see any video game developers knocking on his door.

Honorable mentions: Hanley "Why the F Can't I Buy An MVP Vote" Ramirez (Florida), Orlando Cabrera (Chicago)

Melvin Mora, Third Base, Baltimore Orioles – People shouldn’t forget a name like Melvin. But unless you live in Baltimore, chances are you have.

After a couple down years by his standards, Mora bounced back in 2008, nearly replicating his 2004 season, in which he earned an All-Star nod and even a few MVP votes.

In an Orioles season which saw very little positives, Mora mashed 23 homers, knocked in 104, and played in more games than 2007. Third base was a generally weak position this year with the usual players making contributions and those mid-tier guys taking a step in the wrong direction.

Honorable mentions: Edwin Encarnacion (Cincinnati)

As usual, please leave your comments and suggestions. Who would you have picked? What on earth was I thinking by choosing Kevin Youkilis? Where'd I go wrong?

Next edition: The 2008 MLB All-Underrated Outfield and Reserves.

National League MVP Candidates: Second-Biggest Crapshoot of 2008

Dylan Sharek — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:01:07 -0500

In the coming week, the Baseball Writers Association of America will vote for both its American and National League Most Valuable Players.

While the American League race is truly anyone's guess, the National League's race is shrouded in questions, too.

Will the voters show the gumption to vote for someone who played only half a season in the N.L.? Will they vote for a guy who struck out 200 times and batted .250? Or will they take a chance on a dark horse candidate?

My guesses are as follows.

Most Valuable Player

Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers – Manny Ramirez is going to win the National League Most Valuable Player award while playing only half his games in Dodgers’ blue.

There, I said it. Shoot me.

At this point in time, everyone knows (read: has heard the legend of) what happened after Manny’s trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Long story short: a Bunyan-esque figure swooped down from the heavens and arrived in L.A. just in time to take a struggling .500 team all the way to the playoffs while batting a valiant .396 with 53 RBI in 53 games.

Ramirez will win the award for two reasons: his team made the playoffs on the strength of his resume and he batted .396 for the Dodgers and .332 for entirety of the 2008 season. These are two things his main competitors can not claim...

Runner-up

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies – It would be a true shame, and an embarrassment for the Baseball Writers Association of America, if Howard wins the 2008 National League MVP award while batting a paltry .250.

The only reason I haven’t ranked Howard No. 3 is because the past is on his side. In 1944, Marty Marion won the N.L. MVP award while batting .267 (the lowest average for a MVP recipient) for the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

However, Marion was a superior glove and was nicknamed “the Octopus” for his fielding, a luxury Howard doesn’t have.

I do not see the BBWAA rewarding Howard for his one-dimensional slugging accomplishments while there are much more rounded, albeit not World Champions, in the field of contenders.

To me, rewarding Howard’s 2008 performance would be like giving Jack Cust an MVP if the Holliday-bolstered Athletics make the playoffs next year. We are no longer in the juiced-up Bonds era and a more complete player deserves the award (see: Ryan Howard circa 2006). Hopefully the BBWAA's obsession with RBI is over...

Third Place

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - Pujols deserves to place second, or even first, but won’t because his team didn’t make the playoffs. It’s a shame because Pujols didn’t have much to work with from the start.

Unlike Howard, who has Jimmy Rollins and the incredible Chase Utley, Pujols was protected by then no-name Ryan Ludwick and an aging Troy Glaus. In a way, this makes Pujols’ season even more incredible.

Any other year, a .357 average, 37 homers, 116 RBI, and excellent glove work would be an almost-lock for MVP. However, Pujols placing any higher than third is unlikely given that the last player to win an MVP award on a team that finished worst than third was Andre Dawson in 1987.

The Others (in order):

4) Carlos Delgado, New York Mets - .271/38 HR/115 RBI—Delgado played clutch second half baseball and propelled his team into the playoff race in one of the best comebacks of 2008.

5) Lance Berkman, Houston Astros - .312/29 HR/106 RBI—After the Big Puma's ridiculous May and June, his star (and MVP) chances faded. Towards the end of the year he slowed but the 'Stros would have been lost without him.

6) Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers - .285/37 HR/106 RBI—Braun is not a fluke, but his September and October performance left a little something to be desired. He played surprisingly good defense, too. He and Berkman are interchangeable.

7) David Wright, New York Mets - .302/33 HR/124 RBI—Wright did what Delgado did except from a more formidable spot in the lineup.

8) Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals - .299/37 HR/113 RBI—It would be hard to not give Ludwick some nods for his extremely surprising 2008 campaign. We'll see if he can do it next year. I considered Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto around here, too.

9) Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves - .364/22 HR/75 RBI—My god! Jones was outstanding once again but there's no way he places higher than nine/ten with the amount of games he played.

10) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants - 18-5, 227 IP, 265 K's—Two words: The Franchise.

The 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team: Bullpen

Dylan Sharek — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:57:32 -0500

If there's one thing chicks don't dig, it's relief pitchers.

Closers aside, the only respect relievers usually get is from their managers and the people they back up. It's a sad situation as a solid relief corps can mean the difference between a playoff spot and a long winter. (Ahem, Mets fans.)

Today, I round out the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Underrated Team's pitching staff by finding those underappreciated and unrecognized mop-up men, long relievers, lefty specialists, seventh-inning guys, setup men, and closers.

Joel Hanrahan, RP, Washington Nationals

For a pitching staff as dismal as Washington's, Hanrahan is a ray of hope. A converted starter, Hanrahan worked exclusively out of the pen in 2008 and ate up 84 innings as Nationals starters attempted and, more often than not, failed to work six solid innings.

While Hanrahan's ERA may not sparkle (3.95), his versatility and ability to miss bats (over one strikeout per inning) makes him invaluable.

Towards the end of the season, Hanrahan took the closer reigns after Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala were dealt. He'll look to retain the role next year.

Craig Breslow, RP, Minnesota Twins

Craig Breslow doesn't like to stay in one place for too long. In three years, he's played for four teams. And while Breslow hasn't exactly lit up (insert city name here)'s skies with his pitching in the past, he's been far from horrible.

Given the chance to pitch consistently in 2008, the lefty specialist K'ed batters with solid regularity and kept opponents off the scoreboard, while sporting a 1.91 ERA through 47 innings. In doing so, he earned himself a roster spot in 2009.

Taylor Buchholz, RP, Colorado Rockies

Once pegged as the top prospect in the Houston Astros organization by Baseball America, Buchholz stumbled during his first call up in 2006 as a starter, posting a 5.89 ERA and going 6-10.

He was acquired by the Rockies in 2007 as part of the Willy Taveras deal, but once again faltered in a starting role. Buchholz was quickly moved to the pen and saw nearly all his stats improve.

In 2008, Buchholz flourished, cementing his status as the Rockies' setup man with a 2.17 ERA through 66.3 innings. With Brian Fuentes leaving via free agency, he is quite possibly the Rockies' closer in the wings if he can beat out Manny Corpas and newly acquired Huston Street.

Brad Ziegler, RP, Oakland Athletics

Ziegler is God. Seriously, he might be. The 28-year-old sidearmer came out of nowhere in 2008 to pitch 39 scoreless innings to start his career, decimating a record that had stood since 1907. There was little fanfare for the accomplishment and Ziegler quietly finished 3-0 with 11 saves and a 1.06 ERA through 60 innings.

Ziegler's stellar rookie season was overshadowed by his teammate Joey Devine's arguably better one. In an affirmation that Oakland's 2008 season was almost completely forgettable, Ziegler received only one American League Rookie of the Year vote for all his efforts.

Joakim Soria, RP, Kansas City Royals

Soria was acquired through the Rule Five Draft from the San Diego Padres in 2006 and wasted no time proving himself. During his 2007 rookie campaign, Soria struck out 75 through 69 innings, while notching 17 saves. He did not receive a single Rookie of the Year nod.

In 2008, "The Mexicutioner" bested those numbers by saving 42 games, striking out 66 in 67 innings, and posting a 1.60 ERA. He earned an All-Star spot ("Who the heck is this pitching? Anyone? Anyone?") and helped the Royals out of the AL Central's basement for the first time in five years.

Soria is arguably the best player that nobody has heard of. In a perfect world, he would have garnered at least one R.O.Y vote in 2007, and at least one vote in this year's Cy Young or M.V.P. race. Call me crazy!

Honorable Mentions

John Grabow (Pittsburgh), Jim Johnson (Baltimore), Matt Thornton (Chicago), Joe "I'm Possibly the Most Consistent Closer In the Game" Nathan (Minnesota)

I appreciate all comments, criticisms, suggestions, and hate mail, so feel free to send it along.

The 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team: Pitching Staff

Dylan Sharek — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:47:30 -0500

Baseball has been ruined for me. I'm talking about the jersey and hat combo wearing, not shaving until they lose, "Yankees suck" kind of baseball. It's gone and I have no one to blame but myself. For, you see, I play fantasy baseball.

My allegiance to one particular team is gone. I find myself just as likely to be rooting for the Royals as the Red Sox because Brian Bannister pitched a good game for me the other day and Youk went 0-fer.

In some ways, fantasy baseball has made real baseball miserable and stressful to watch. In other ways, it's made it amazing. I can ball park stats for pretty much every player in Major League Baseball and every player that could potentially be added to an MLB roster.

It has exposed me to the unsung heroes of the game-the guys that lead their team, but don't get any credit.

And that's why I'm here. I now present to you, the 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team.

Let’s start with the pitching staff.

Aaron Cook, SP, Colorado Rockies - In the past, "Ginger" (as I like to call him) worked as a middle and back end of the rotation innings eater for the Colorado Rockies.

This past year, he made giant strides in becoming the pitcher many saw glimpses of during the 2007 season. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he has a nasty sinker that when paired with a good slider and a moderate fastball can be deadly. This year, his ERA hovered right around 4 and the guy won 16 games for a sub-.500 Rockies team.

Gavin Floyd, SP, Chicago White Sox – Chicago saw something in this guy that Philadelphia didn’t and it’s paid dividends. Floyd became major league ready this year and enamored Chicago fans with his low 90’s fastball, big-league hook, and alright change.

Next year Floyd will attempt to top his 17 wins and 3.84 ERA. Not bad for a guy who is still relatively unknown behind proven names like Buerhle and Vazquez.

Jesse Litsch, SP, Toronto Blue Jays – I cannot remember a more surprising move than when the Jays sent Jesse Litsch to Triple-A Syracuse midseason. He was pitching admirably, albeit with an ERA approaching 4.50 through July, for an anemic Jay’s offense with an injured Vernon Wells and a pop-less Alex Rios.

It was shocking to me and apparently lit a fire under Litsch as he posted a stellar 4-1 record in September and finished 13-9 with an ERA under 4.00 for the second consecutive season. Next year, Litsch will attempt to get his name recognized in the best-in-the-majors rotation of Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, and Marcum.

Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City Royals – Besides the Josh Hamilton and Rick Ankiel stories, Greinke’s is the feel good story of 2007/2008.

Once one of the top prospects in baseball, Greinke was sidelined with severe social anxiety and depression for almost all of the 2006 season. He returned the following year to pitch in 52 games, mostly as a reliever, before returning to the rotation in 2008. This year, Greinke posted career highs in IP, K’s/9, wins, and ERA while mired at the top of the starting rotation for the perennially awful and forgotten Royals.

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Houston Astros – The diminutive Rodriguez does not look like he belongs on a Major League mound. At 5’11” and 160 pounds, he is far from intimidating. But over the past three years he has routinely pitched like Randy Johnson at Minute Maid Park while getting lit up away from home.

This year, Rodriguez evened out his home/away record and while he pitched less innings, notched a better K/9 rate, an equal amount of wins, and a better ERA than 2007. If he can stay healthy and keep his splits intact, I expect him to make a name for himself among National League pitchers.

Honorable mentions: Aaron “Down Year” Harang (Cincinnati), Paul Maholm (Pittsburgh), Todd Wellemeyer (St. Louis), Ted Lilly (Chicago Cubs), and Jamie “I’m Still Alive and Freaking Good” Moyer (Philadelphia)

Next up, I will delve into the 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team’s relief pitching. While pretty much every reliever is unknown and under-appreciated, I’ll attempt to grab some shockers.

I appreciate all comments, criticisms, suggestions, and hate mail, so feel free to send it along.