New York Mets

The New York Mets are currently 24 - 21 on the season. Most people would look at their record and say that it was decent and nothing to be over happy about. I don't look at it that way though. I look at their winning percentage which is .533, or 53%. If you take that number and multiply it by the 162 game season, that will put the Mets at a final record of 87 - 75. I would gladly take almost 90 wins from a team that was expected to be the door mat of the National League East.

My expectations for the Mets this season was for them to compete and have a chance at beating each team that they played. I didn't expect them to come out and win the division running away. All I wanted was for them to compete, which is exactly what they are doing right now. I give a majority of the credit to Terry Collins, David Wright, and Johan Santana. Collins has brought in a winning mentallity to their locker room. I love the fact that he is realistic as well and he himeself admitted that all he wanted to do this season was compete. David Wright pushed his batting average over .400 with three more hits last night against the San Diego Padres. I also expected Johan to be effective. I was not going to be one of those fans who exepected him to come back and win the Cy Young award coming off shoulder surgery. I was going to be happy if his ERA ended around 3.50 or lower. Right now, his ERA is sitting at 3.24, which is more than I expected. I can't ask for much more out of him.

The encouraging part is that the New York Metropolitans win on both the road and at home. They are 12 - 9 at home and they are 12 - 12 on the road. The only concern I have for them is their run differential. They are -35 in that category, which is never a good sign. Either way, this season has been a success this far and I hope they can continue playing and winning. Go Mets.

Brandon Beachy

Brandon Beachy is one of the best young pitchers in the game today. He is currently 25 years old with room to grow. The Atlanta Braves star shut out the Miami Marlins last night by himself. The final score was 7 - 0. He only allowed five hits and gave up no walks. He has the lowest ERA in the major leagues among qualifying pitchers. It currently stands at 1.33. He has seven quality starts in the eight starts that he has made thus far. The only reason why he doesn't have eight is because he pitched five innings in his first start of the season. A pitcher needs to throw six innings to qualify.

Brandon Beachy isn't a household name yet. Soon enough, he will be a name that everybody remembers.

Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves.



Angels fire hitting coach, Trout doesn't care

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have fired their hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. Of course, everyone thinks that Hatcher is now the reason why Pujols is struggling and I don't believe that for a second. Kendrys Morales is batting over .300 and Mike Trout certainly hasn't had any problems hitting the baseball. Trout is all of 20 years old and has been a player thus far than Bryce Harper. Both have tremendous potential and its to early to judge. Harper gets all the media attention, but to this point, Trout deserves it more.

Pujols went 3 - 4 last night and that certainly won't hurt. Erick Aybar is another member of the Angels who has struggled mightily this season. It was even reported that he was going to be benched if he wasn't such a strong defender at short stop, a gold glover.

If you talk to anyone that follows baseball right now, the only thing you will end up talking about will be Albert. "What do you think is wrong with Pujols?" is the question you will receive. Some people say that is it because of the massive contract. That is another thing that I just can't believe. When you are in the batters box attempting to hit a 94 MPH fastball with a reaction time of less than a half a second, the last thing you are thinking about is your contract. See ball, hit ball.The fact of the matter is that he is chasing and swinging at pitches in the dirt. It is not something extremely complex and difficult to figure out. All he has to do is swing at strikes and the ball will do the rest. Maybe the best thing for him to do at this point would be to get a couple tips from Mike Trout.

The Angels young center fielder - Mike Trout.





Poor Washington

Its one step forward and two steps back for the Washington Nationals right now.

Positives:
Strasburg is back from Tommy John surgery and is still lights out
Bryce Harper is playing well and has not been rattled by the media or the major leagues
They have the lowest starting pitching ERA in all of baseball
ESPN was in town last night to broadcast their game in prime time

Negatives:
Ryan Zimmerman has been on the DL
Michael Morse has yet to play in a game this season due to injury. He was arguably their best hitter last year.
Jayson Werth broke his left wrist last night and there is no timetable for his return
Although they were playing in prime time last night, the Phillies reigned supreme
Adam LaRoche has missed three of the last four games with injury

The Washington Nationals looked to be the real deal and it appeared to be their year to possibly make a run at the division title with the Phillies having injury problems of their own. Now both the Phils and Nats are both dealing with major injuries. Maybe the Nationals need to hire a new trainer.

Ryan Braun (Going going gone)

4 - 4 with three home runs, a triple, and 6 RBI's. That's not a bad day at the office for the Brewers left fielder. This is the first time in the history of Petco Park that three home runs were hit by the same player in the same game. That is no easy feat to accomplish. He hit the home runs in his first three at bats and then, as an encore, he decided to take it easy on the Padre pitchers and only hit a triple.

Sadly for baseball fans, the first question to come to mind is, "Did he do it clean?" This is exactly why baseball needs to get rid of steroids. A player that accomplishes such a feat should not be hindered and bothered with questions like that. Fans should be able to enjoy the moment and not worry if he did it naturally or not. Even though he was "proven" not guilty, his name was still linked and will be forever.

Bryce Harper

The Washington Nationals brought Bryce Harper to the major leagues to play in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. The previous day, he was playing for the Syracuse Chiefs and the game was snowed out. The very next day was spent flying over to Los Angeles and arriving at 2:00 A.M., then preparing for his major league debut the same day. Harper went 1 - 3 with an RBI. He also displayed his arm strength by throwing an absolute bullet to Wilson Ramos. The runner would have been out, but Ramos dropped the ball.

This should be the beginning of a very successful career for Harper. Its hard to believe that he is only 19 years old. Most people at that age are almost ready to finish their freshman year in college. He is playing in the MLB and needs to make sure to enjoy it and have fun. If he puts unecessary pressure on himself, he will not succeed. He has a long career ahead of him and needs to play the game for the right reasons.

Here is the link to the amazing throw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyGj8dwlMUo

He also made an amazing catch against the wall while playing center field.



David Wright Makes History

New York Mets third baseman David Wright now holds the record for most RBI's in franchise history. Wright hit a two - run home run last night, at Citi Field, off Mark Buehrle last night to straight away center field. His career RBI total with the team is now 735 and he passed Darryl Strawberry for the honor. The past few years Wright has been criticized for his lack of power and injury problems so it was fitting that he hit a long home run for the record.

Some have questioned whether the Mets should sign him to a long term deal or not. I see no reason why they shouldn't. He doesn't need to sign a ridiculous deal like the Angels did with Pujols. I see nothing wrong with signing him for four or five more years to a deal with a lot of incentives. When healthy and not playing in the Grand Canyon that used to be Citi Field, he is a productive player at a premier position.

David Wright. The Mets all - time leader in RBI's.



Yankees Big Three

Who says the Yankee's are getting old? Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera have something to say about that. Jeter is batting .411 on the season with 4 home runs and 13 RBI's. Last night in Arlington, he went 4 - 5 with an RBI. A - Rod is hitting .250 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI's. He went 1 - 2 last night along with 3 RBI last night, with a home run. Rivera came into the ninth inning and shut the door for his fourth save this season.

If you listened to the media last year, Jeter and A - Rod were terrible according to them. They began to ask questions like, "Is it time for Jeter to retire?" The answer was an easy one, absolutely not. The captain of the Yankee's still has "it". The only reason why Jeter should retire is if he is no longer able to play or if he isn't having fun playing the game any longer.

A - Rod is currently trying to chase down Bonds/Aaron for the most home runs in major league history. This year he surpassed Ken Griffey Jr. on the list. Just another accomplishment for a famous Yankee.

Rivera continues to set the record for saves in a career each time he saves another game. This may or may not be Mo's last season. He said that he is the only one that knows if this will be his last season or not. I see no reason why he should retire. He is 42 and his cutter can still reach 93 MPH at that age which is remarkable. He is still extremely effective in the ninth inning. He still has the ability to play, so it leaves the decision entirely up to him.



The Grandyman Can!

Yankee's outfielder Curtis Granderson hit three home runs in the first four innings of last night's game against the Minnesota Twins. He eventually hit two more singles in his next two at bats and went 5 - 5 on the night. Granderson used to be the center fielder of the Detroit Tigers and imagine what that line up would be if he were at the top leading off. Austin Jackson was sent there in the trade to get Granderson to the Yankee's in the first place and I know that Jackson is a very good outfielder, but Granderson is simply better. Not by a lot, but enough to make their line up even more potent.

Granderson made history last night by becoming the first person to ever hit three home runs at the new Yankee Stadium. He received a curtain call from the Yankee faithful after his third bomb of the night.



Bartolo Colon: 38 consecutive strikes

Bartolo Colon, of the Oakland Athletics, threw 38 consecutive pitches for strikes last night against the Angels. That includes foul balls and ball that were put in play. That number is amazing and most guys would not be able to through that many strikes in the bull pen. That is incredible. I personally believe that this is more impressive than Cliff Lee and Matt Cain last night.

Lee pitched 10 innings and let up no earned runs. Cain was able to pitch 9 shutout innings. The unfortunate part of this story for them is that fact that Cain got a no decision out of it and even though Lee pitched 10 innings, he also got a no decision and his team lost. What does a guy have to do to win a game?

Colon was more impressive though because sometimes the call depends on the home plate umpire. To be pounding the zone like that explains why he was able to give his club a victory.



Jamie Moyer: Getting it done!

A 78 MPH fastball will win some games for you as long as you can locate it. Moyer, at the age of 49, has become the oldest pitcher to win a game in major league history. He has also faced 8.9% of all the batters in major league history, and that is a fact. Even taking into account players like Babe Ruth and the all time greats that played before he was born.

Its different to say that he one this game as a member of the Colorado Rockies and not the Philadelphia Phillies. This is an impressive accomplishment because the guy is almost 50 years old and he is still doing what he loves. Plus, it cannot be forgotten, that he is coming off Tommy John surgery.



Bobby V: Stop talking

Bobby Valentine has never been afraid of speaking his mind, but now he needs to stop. Yesterday, he questioned Kevin Youkilis and his commitment toward the team. Nobody really has any idea what Valentine was trying to do. If he was trying to fire his team up and inspire them or inspire a certain player, he picked the wrong guy to do so. Youkilis has always played hard.

Dustin Pedroia was the first to defend him and say that he was confused by Valentine's actions, here are some of his quotes below:

"I really don't know what Bobby is trying to do," Pedroia said. "That's not the way we go about our stuff around here. He'll figure that out. The whole team is behind Youk. We have each other's backs here."

"Maybe that works in Japan," Pedroia said, referring to Valentine's success as a manager in that country.

Whatever is going on in Boston needs to stop if they have a chance at even making the playoffs at this point.

Vin Scully returns for Jackie Robinson Day

The Los Angeles Dodgers announcer returned to the microphone yesterday on Jackie Robinson day. He missed the previous five games, including the Opening Day for Dodger stadium, due to a bad cold. Scully is one of the best of all time and that is why he is in the Hall of Fame.

Since his broadcasting career started in 1950, he has called three perfect games, 19 no-hitters, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star Games. He also called Kirk Gibson's famous home run and Hank Aaron's 715th home run.



Baseball news

Since the Mets and Phillies open up a three game series today, I have a bit of news from each team. Lets start with the Mets. To update a previous story about David Wright, doctors have cleared him to resume baseball activities. The Mets were 4 - 0 when he was in the line up and are 0 - 2 without him. The organization said that his status for the game will be decided at game time.

Now, on to the Phillies, Pat Burrell signed a one-day minor league contract with them and retired as a member of the Phils. He is fourth in team history in home runs, eighth in RBI's, and ninth in extra base hits. He will retire with two World Series rings to his name. One with the Phillies in 2008 and one with the Giants in 2010.



Tim Lincecum rocked by Rockies

Tim Lincecum got destroyed last night by the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say, it was the shortest pitching performance in his career. He pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and two walks with six earned runs. In his two starts this season, he has pitched 7 2/3 innings, 14 hits, three walks, and 11 earned runs. That translates to a WHIP of 2.22 and an overall ERA of 12.91.

I believe that the Giants pitcher may be due for a bad year, here is why:

In 2007, he had a WHIP of 1.28 and a ERA of 4.00.
In 2008, he had a WHIP of 1.17 and a ERA of 2.62.
In 2009, he had a WHIP of 1.05 and a ERA of 2.48.
In 2010, he had a WHIP of 1.27 and a ERA of 3.43.
In 2011, he had a WHIP of 1.21 and a ERA of 2.74.

He is not throwing his fastball for as many strikes as he has in the previous year. So when he finally throws it for a strike, it is getting hit all over the ball park. Plus, whenever he throws that pitch, the velocity has gone down every year since his rookie season. It has been a growing concern ever since the trend was noticed. I don't believe that Lincecum will be able to pitch like he has for the past few years, I believe that he will struggle this season.



Wright brakes his pinkie

David Wright of the New York Mets broke his pinkie finger on his right hand sliding back into first base in a game against the Washington Nationals. This is the worst news possible for the Mets at this point. Wright has been on fire this season. A broken pinkie would mean adjustments to a swing that is perfect right now. The Mets superstar played through a stress fracture in his back last year and only batted .226.

Mets fans are finally excited and this is not what they needed. Terry Collins said he is not sure if Wright will go on the DL or not. Hopefully he can play around the injury. When he is at the plate, he could leave the pinkie extended off the bat and that should not be to difficult. The problem will arise when he is playing defense. All of your fingers are needed when throwing a baseball and if the swelling goes down, he should be able to play. Wright is being fitted for a specially made splint for the pinkie in Manhattan. Lets hope he will be able to play through this injury.

As you can see in this picture, the ball is resting on his right pinkie finger.



Mets Are Undefeated!

That's right, my New York Mets are undefeated four games through the season!

Fun Fact:
New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers: 7 - 1
Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies: 3 - 9

They moved the fences in at Citi Field and its their pitching that is winning them ball games. Here are the scores of their games:

vs. Atlanta: 1 - 0
vs. Atlanta: 4 - 2
vs. Atlanta: 7 - 5
vs. Washington: 4 - 3

Even in the game that was 7 - 5, Jonathon Niese took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.  Mike Pelfrey pitched decently well last night in their win over the Nationals. He was bending, but he never broke. He allowed 10 hits and walked only one batter. That turns out to be a WHIP of 1.94, which is a very high WHIP. Daniel Murphy, whose defense was being questioned, made a great diving play right behind second base to prevent the Nationals from scoring late in the game. He then came up and delivered the game winning hit, a line drive into right field. Mets fans left Citi Field chanting, "Undefeated! Undefeated!" showing that people are still excited about this team, which is what is needed after years of not being competitive.

Mets fans finally have a reason to smile.



Opening Day!

Its is finally here: Opening Day of 2012. Everyone starts out with hope and the promise of a fresh start. Fans get to see their old favorites return, young players grow and develop, the new faces in the lineup, the team chemistry. All of it comes out of this one day.

Its the one time of the year where the Pirates have the same record as the Yankees. Neither team is superior to one another on this day. Speaking of the Pirates, they start the season off by playing their in state rival, the Phillies. Jim Thome of the Phillies will be playing his first game at first base in numerous years after serving as a designated hitter in the American League.

The Mets get Johan Santana back after rehabing for a year and a half to recover from shoulder sugery. Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw are setting out to defend their Cy Young award. Prince Fielder gets to hit behind Miguel Cabrera and the two of them could be the most powerful duo in the game today.

No matter who you root for, their is nothing to dislike about the Opening Day in baseball.



The Top 10

The list of the top 10 players in the league has been release, according to ESPN. This list is composed of five pitchers and five batters. There are two Detroit Tigers in the top four (Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander). The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim picked up the number one player in the league today in this past free agency, Albert Pujols.

Pujols is very consistant and is very rarely injured. The guy hits the ball with great power, but he also hits for a very high average. That is what separates him from a player like Ryan Howard. Howard hits just as many, if not more, home runs that Pujols. The strike out totals and terrible batting average is what holds the Phillies first basemen back.

Clayton Kershaw is ranked at number seven and has the potential to rise to the top spot. When he first came in to the league, he immediately drew comparisons to the great Sandy Koufax. His curveball is devastating and his numbers from this past season are remarkable. Its no wonder why he has won his first Cy Young at the age of 23.

I believe Robinson Cano should be ranked a little higher than 10. The guy hits for average, power, drives in runs, and is very good defensively. He is the best second baseman in the game today.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7769773/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-1-10

The number one player in Major League Baseball, Albert Pujols.



More player rankings

There are 7 players, on this list of 15, that play for the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. That is the reason why those three teams combined for a record of 289 - 197 in the 2011 season. The majority of the hitters on this list hit a lot of home runs.

In the list, there is a comment about Mariano Rivera and it basically says that he should not be ranked 12th and that the list must be a lifetime achievement award. Whoever said something so irrational, knows nothing about baseball. The guy has made himself a hall of fame career by using one pitch. Plus, the consistency you get from him is second to none. In my opinion, he is still the best closer in the game today.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7740099/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-11-25

Mariano Rivera.



Los Angeles Dodgers - No longer for sale

The number required to by the Los Angeles Dodgers was $2 billion. That is the largest amount of money spent to by a team in history. Here is a list of notable teams that have been purchased recently along with their price tag and year in which they were purchased.

Los Angeles Dodgers: $2 billion, 2012.

Chicago Cubs: $845 million, 2009.

Boston Red Sox: $700 million, 2002.

Houston Astros: $615 million, 2011.

Texas Rangers: $561 million, 2010.

Those numbers are amazing because none of the other ball clubs were even remotely close to what the Dodger's were sold for. Even the Miami Dolphins of the NFL were only sold for $1.1 billion. The Dodger's are one of the two most historic baseball teams in history. The other being the New York Yankees. The group that just purchased the Dodger's is one that has Earvin "Magic" Johnson involved. Another person that is involved is baseball executive Stan Kasten.

Magic has said in interviews that he will be heavily involved. But he is going to be involved in the recruiting of free agents. He also said that he can help sell the Dodger brand and help bring back old fans who may have abandoned ship after years of turmoil.

Here is a quote that you might want to remember: "It's time to turn the page and move toward a new chapter in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers." - Ned Colletti.

Historic Dodger Stadium.

Players 26 - 50

Matt Cain has got to be one of the most underrated players in the league. I had no idea that he had a sub 3.00 ERA this past season. He also racked up a good amount of strikeouts, 179 in total. Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies is ranked at 46 and I see no reason why he isn't inside the top 25. He is a legitimate 30 - 30 threat that plays great defense. Cargo, as they call him, is one of the few players that is a true five tool player. Jose Reyes, the new shortstop of the Miami Marlins, is ranked 26th. When healthy, he is fully deserving of this ranking, if not a higher one. But health is half the battle.

Players ranked from 11 - 25 come out later today. Then on Tuesday, April 3, ESPN will release their top 10 players in the game today.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7735379/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-26-50



Into the top 100

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7748916/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-51-100

ESPN has now released their players ranked 51 - 100. There are not a lot of surprises in this list in my opinion. I think that most of the players deserve to be within this range. The only thing I might even disagree on is where they are ranked within this range. That has been my personal view on this entire list to this point. As always, feel free to comment below and give me your thoughts.

Later today ESPN will release their rankings of players from 26 - 50. Then, on April 2nd, they will let us see their rankings of players 11 - 25. The next day will have the top 10 players in baseball. I can't wait to see who they have at the top of the league.

The real deal?

Yoenis Cespedes has hit his first home run in his major league career. It came in the second game of his career. Some people said that he wouldn't be able to adjust to the pitching quickly and the power numbers would go down because of it. What a way to silence some of those critics. It is FAR to early to make any serious judgements on this guy. Career's last seasons and not just game to game. It is very encouraging though for A's fans. They would have a nice outfield with Coco Crisp stealing bases and Cespedes hitting home runs. To bad for them, they would probably end up trading them away. Just take a look at their moves this offseason.



Derek Jeter Not in Top 100

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7734671/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-101-150

ESPN chose not to put Yankee short stop Derek Jeter in the top 100 players in the major leagues. He was ranked as the 115 best player today. The superstar is now 38 years old and that has to be why he is ranked that low. Jason Heyward does not deserve his ranking in my opinion. He has done nothing to deserve it and hit below .250 last season. Justin Masterson is ranked 148 and could rise into the top 100 in the next few seasons easily.

I was at a minor league game in Harrisburg one time and he was the pitcher for the opposing Portland Sea Dogs. This was when he was still in the Red Sox minor leagues before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. I was able to get close to the bull-pen while he was warming up and talk to the catcher. I remember what he said because it was so true and accurate. This is what he said to me, "This guy is the real deal. He will be in the majors in no time." Now, a few years later, he is the number one starter for the Indians and is ranked 148 in all of baseball and is still very young.

Justin Masterson as a member of the Portland Sea Dogs.



Opening Day (Technically) and player rankings

Here is your list of players from 151 - 200.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7740507/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-151-200

Who do you think will come in at number one? Or are there any suprises on this list? Bryce Harper is ranked at 190 and hasn't played in the major leagues. Fair or foul?

On a real baseball note, today is Opening Day! Kind of. The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners played the first game of the season over in Japan today. Ichiro went 4 - 5 with an RBI in the game. Not a bad start for the Japanese player. Felix Hernandez was strong in his first outing. He threw eight innings while allowing only five hits. He struck out six and allowed one earned run. They went on to win the game in 11 innings thanks to Dustin Ackley. The final score was 3 -1.

Ichiro in Japan.



201 - 250

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7728604/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-201-250

Just a continuation of ESPN's list of the top 500 players in the major leagues today. What are the odds? There are three Toronto Blue Jay players in a right. Francisco Cordero comes in at 201, Colby Rasmus comes in at 202, and then Yunel Escobar comes in at 203. Young prospect Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves is two spots ahead of Johan Santana who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his shoulder. Good luck trying to explain this one to me. Yoenis Cespedes is ranked at 223 when he hasn't even played a single inning in the big leagues. That is ridiculous. So therefore, we will end today on that note. You have seen my view on today's list. Feel free to let me hear your point of view.



Halfway there

ESPN has now come out with their list of players from 251 - 300. There are some interesting people on this list so feel free to take a look. One thing that caught my eye was Alfredo Aceves of the Boston Red Sox. He holds a career record of 24 - 3. Yet he is ranked 257. Its awfully weird how different people are viewed. Good luck finding another pitcher with a winning percentage like that.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7706318/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-251-300

Down to number 301

ESPN has already released their third list of players on their countdown of the top 500 players in the game today. Here is the link:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7709474/mlb-ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-301-350

If you have any objections or find that they did a good job compiling this list, feel free to let me know. The next list will be put out later today with players ranked 251 - 300. Then, after that, the list will pick back up on Monday, March 26 with players from 201 - 250.



Player rankings/Pitching news

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7697789/ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-351-400

There was some major news regarding some front line pitchers yesterday. Chris Carpenter, who was great for the Cardinals during the postseason, is going to miss the season opener because of his neck. Carpenter was attempting to recover from a bulging disk in his neck and he suffered a set back.

The Kansas City Royals announced that their closer, Joakim Soria, might need to undergo his second Tommy John surgery. He had the first surgery back in 2003. The Royals have three viable options they could go to in Jonathon Broxton, Greg Holland, or Aaron Crow. Broxton had 84 saves for the Dodgers and he is the only pitcher of the three to have experience as a closer.

Then there was a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery. You might have heard of him before, his name is Stephen Strasburg. Davey Johnson has named him their Opening Day starter for this 2012 season. The team he goes against is the Chicago Cubs. This is a very interesting situation because Strasburg has never been to Chicago. Let alone pitch on Opening Day in Wrigley Field, which is one of the most famous stadiums in America. If anyone has the ability to be successful in this situation, it would be Strasburg. Last year, he was 1 - 1 with a 1.50 ERA in five starts coming back from the injury.



Player rankings

ESPN took 34 of their experts and they set out to rank the top 500 players in the major leagues today. I thought this list and whole idea seemed pretty cool and wanted to share it with all of you. All credit goes to ESPN here, I did not come up with this list.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7687515/mlb-ranking-top-500-major-league-baseball-players-2012-nos-401-500

B.J. Upton and Desmond Jennings

Take a look at this brutal collision as the two outfielders were chasing down a fly ball in the left-center field gap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIKs4sNcuSA

Upton and Jennings being carted off the field after the collision.

Phillies Deteriorating?

Just a few years ago, there could have been a great argument made that the Philadelphia Phillies had the best infield in the entire league. Today though, the only healthy member of that very infield is Jimmy Rollins. At first base, their slugger Ryan Howard tore his achilles tendon getting out of the batter's box in their last game of the year and is still recovering from surgery. Chase Utley missed a good amount of games last season with injuries and has missed 46 spring training games in a row. Jimmy Rollins is healthy, but is still trying to prove that he can get the job done at shortstop for a team that wants to win a championship this year. Placido Polanco was the no doubt about it starter a few years ago, but like Rollins, he is running out gas.

The Phillies are still one of the best teams in the league, but with all the trades they have made to acquire their great rotation, it leads you to wonder what they will have in a few years. Most of their young prospects are now the young prospects of other teams. It will be interesting to see what their team is like in several years when father time catches up with their major pieces.

 

Fenway Park is now listed on the National Register

The home of the Boston Red Sox is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Red Sox's organization wanted to have Fenway Park recognized on the register because the stadium, "will be counted among America's most treasured historical places."

The one negative of this whole situation is the fact that they will have to contact the Massachusetts Historical Commission for approval to make changes to the ballpark. The fact is though, there should be nothing to change about Fenway. Fenway Park is the most historic stadium in baseball. The old Yankee Stadium could have made a case for the most historic, but not the new Yankee Stadium. Fenway Park truly deserves to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fenway Park. The home of the Boston Red Sox.



Johan Santana



Johan Santana threw two good innings in a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. In the two innings of work, he allowed one hit, no runs, and one base on balls. The encouraging sign was put into perspective by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina when he said, "He threw me one, I just didn't see it. He had me fooled." Referring to Santana's changeup.

That is the most encouraging part of yesterday's outing in my perspective. Santana has always been known to have the best changeup in baseball when he is healthy. That is the main reason why he has been successful. Or in the past few season, what has been his achilles heel. In his dominanat seasons, his changeup is unhittable. When he has had his down year's, it has been because his changeup is not fooling batters.

In recent years, the gap between his fastball and changeup has grown closer. Which makes the pitch easier to hit. When he is healthy, the difference between the two pitches can be 10 MPH, if not more. Mets fans can't expect Santana to perform like a Cy Young candidate, even though that would be nice, but they can expect an ERA around 3.50 or lower and about 25 starts from him. The Mets will win a lot more games if Johan Santana can be affective this upcoming season.

Andrew McCutchen

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Andrew McCutchen have come to terms on a six year, $51.5 million contract. This contract is great for both sides.

Lets start with the Pirates organization first:

• The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992.
• They have traded away really good players and prospects in the past and if they would have stayed in a Pirates uniform, things could have been a lot different for this franchise.
• They now have two of their outfielders signed to long term deals.
• McCutchen seems to be the real deal and is productive.

Now this is good for McCutchen because:

• He deserves the money.
• He is a great lead off hitter that is a legitimate five tool outfielder.
• McCutchen can be the cornerstone of their organization and the type of guy you can build a team around.

Regardless of who the contract favored, its great for Pirates fans to see the face of the franchise entering his prime in their colors.

Ball to the face

You can't help but laugh. A.J. Burnett, who was acquired in a trade with the Yankees right before spring training, fouled a bunt off his face. He didn't do this is a spring training game or anything, he did it in batting practice. After it hit him, he put both of his hands on his knees and stood there for a minute in shock, and quite possibly, pain. According to ESPN, Burnett joked around and said, "Where did the bone go?" after the incident.

The Pittsburgh Pirates sent him back to Pittsburgh for further evaluation. They have yet to announce the severity of his injury. Burnett was supposed to be their Opening Day starter. That will not be the case though if he did serious damage to his eye.

Burnett being attended to by a team trainer.



Spring Training Games Start Today

Its finally here! The first spring training game in between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida State Seminoles. The game means next to nothing and is not meant to be all that competitive. But think about this for a minute. If you were on the field playing against the Phillies and beat them, you could go the rest of your life saying that you beat the Philadelphia Phillies. That would be one of the coolest feelings in the world, even if it was only a spring training game.

Its not only fun and exciting for college teams, but its exciting for the major league clubs as well. You get to see all the pieces of your team working together. You get to see the improvement of your players. If you involved with fantasy baseball, you get to root for your players which makes the game even more fun. No matter how your involved in baseball, there is something to have fun with. That's why I love this game.

Members of the Grapefruit League.



Zimmerman Gets Paid

Ryan Zimmerman has signed a six year, $100 million extension with the Washington Nationals. The deal also includes a full no-trade clause. He has now become one of six players that has a contract through the 2019 baseball season. "I've wanted to be the guy that everyone looks to. I've wanted to be the so-called leader. I relish being that guy. I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way," said Zimmerman. This all but guarantee's that Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, and Bryce Harper will all play in the same game, at the same time, on the same field, on the same team.

Wow.

Most deals that guarantee one player so much money and are for long amounts of time are not reasonable and they are ridiculous (See Albert Pujols). But Zimmerman is a complete player in every sense of the word. He is easily one of the top three defensive third baseman in the game, if not the best. He can also do some real damage with the bat. He is a career .288 hitter, which is impressive for a guy who hits about 20 - 25 home runs a year. Another great thing about Zimmerman is his durability. In his seven year career, he plays in about 120 games a season. That number is misleading though because in 2005 he only played in 20 games because he was a late season call up. Its also lower because this past season he only played in 101 games because of an abdominal strain. Either way, at only 27 years old, Zimmerman deserves this deal and will earn every penny.

Ryan Zimmerman

Miami Marlins

All the talk coming from Miami is about Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Ozzie Guillen, and the new stadium. Nobody is talking about their 22 year old right fielder named Mike Stanton. In his first full year as a starter he belted 37 home runs. These home runs were not barely clearing the fence either, they were tape measure shots that may still be in the earth's orbit along with Pujols home run that came of Brad Lidge. This kid has the potential to be scary good. He now has Reyes, Hanley, and even Emilio Bonafacio to protect him now in the batting line up. Gaby Sanchez is a decent player to have at first base as well. Watch out for Mike Stanton this year. He could be the key to their success this season.



Omar Vizquel

Omar Vizquel has announced that he will most likely call in quits after this upcoming season. The 44 year old short stop is signed to a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. This will be his 24th season in the majors which is a remarkable feat. Vizquel has the best fielding percentage all time among qualifying short stops. The number you ask? An amazing .985. If you round up, that is 99%. Yes, you read that right, 99%. Vizquel also said that he would like to begin a managerial career after his playing career is over.

Roy Oswalt may join team mid season

Roy Oswalt announced that he may join a major league club at about the midway point in this 2012 season. He failed to get any offers that were to his satisfaction before spring training began. So instead, he said that he will remain in shape and be prepared to start day one on the job.

Oswalt has always been better after the All - Star break, so if a team needs a pitcher to help them get into the playoffs, Oswalt's phone number will be on speed dial. His career winning percentage after the All - Star break is .739 (Source: ESPN). The Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Houston Rangers were all interested, but they couldn't get a deal done between the two of them.

Source : http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7607108/roy-oswalt-willing-join-team-midseason-source-says

Ryan Braun Wins Appeal

Ryan Braun's 50 game suspension is no more. The Brewers left fielder won his appeal on a 2 - 1 vote.

My question is this: How? First off, how is the test wrong? Second, and most importantly, how is it a 2 -1 vote?

He either used performance enhancing drugs, or he didn't. There is absolutely no middle ground. Two scenarios are possible here. The test was wrong and led to a false positive and in that case, what is Major League Baseball doing? They have worked so hard to get steroids out of baseball, yet their test provides false information. How does that happen? The second scenario is that the test was accurate and the two people who voted that he was innocent need to be off that panel.

Seriously, someone please tell me how is isn't unanimous. The one person that voted Braun was guilty, what did he see that the other two didn't? Yet again, baseball gets its publicity because of possible steroid use. GET STEROIDS OUT ALREADY!

Buster Posey

Bruce Bochy, manager of the San Francisco Giants, has told his all star catcher not to block the plate any longer. This is all because of the violent collision that Posey was involved in this past season where he tore three ligaments in his ankle and broke a bone in that same left leg.

I was really angry when I heard about this news. Catchers are supposed to block the plate, that's part of the job. How do you think Yogi Berra would have reacted if Casey Stengel would have told him not to block the plate? Yogi would have told him absolutely not, he would continually block the plate. The catchers job is to be a good defender, to manage the pitching staff, block wild pitches, call out defensive alignments. Their job is not to get out of the way of players trying to score.

A third base coach is a lot more likely to wave a guy home now on a play at the plate because he should know that Posey will be hesitant. Is this really what baseball has come to? Play the game the way its supposed to be played.

Right way.




Wrong way.

Manny Ramirez

Man Ram is back. Again. He has signed a one year deal with the Oakland Athletics for half a million dollars. Before he can play this season, he must serve his 50 game suspension for his use of performance enhancing drugs for the second time.

The A's most likely signed Manny because they recently signed Yoenis Cespedes and he was interested with the idea of playing with Manny. The A's should expect next to nothing of Manny because the earliest he will be able to play will be on his 40th birthday, assuming there are no rain outs.

When will he just retire? (Brett Favre anyone?)

Get steroids out of baseball. Seriously.

Yoennis Cespedes

The Oakland Athetics have signed Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes for four years and $36 million. That contract surpassed the one that Aroldis Chapman signed with the Cincinnati Reds who also came from Cuba. Cespedes is 26 years old and is now entering his age 27 season, his prime. Cespedes has been able to perform and put up great numbers. He also did well playing for his native Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. As with almost every prospect, Cespedes has the talent to perform, but is still very raw. The other concern was how he would transition and adapt to major league pitching. I see no reason why he would struggle with the transition. I think Cespedes will have a productive career in the MLB.

Yoenis Cespedes

Its almost that time of year

That's right. Baseball is almost back!

Pitchers and catchers will report on February 19, 2012. Although, the Mariners and A's will get to report a week earlier, February 12, 2012. When pitchers and catchers report and spring training begins for teams, there should be a national holiday. There is nothing more exciting than the beginning of a new season.

A team like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox have their sights set on making it to the World Series and winning it this year. Title aspirations are everywhere and you hope that your team is the one to make it there. On the contrary, for teams that are not going to be in the World Series, don't worry. There is something for everyone when spring training comes around. For example, the chances of the Royals making a serious push for the title are slim, possible, but slim. But all hope is not lost as you can see your future stars mature and get better every time that they play.

People may say that baseball isn't our national pastime anymore, but there is hope every time spring training comes around. No matter who you root for, there is something to look forward to and that's what makes baseball great.

Prince Gets Richer

Prince fielder is just the lastest player in the major leagues to sign a massive contract. This time, the Detroit Tigers are the team that decided to open up their wallet and pay. Their man: Prince Fielder. The Tigers signed him for nine years and over the course of those nine years, they will pay him 214 million dollars. Going into this year's free agency, people were curious to see who would receive the better deal, Pujols or Fielder? Pujols cashed in with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for ten years and he is making 254 million dollars.

Regardless of who got paid more, why is baseball the only sport that gives out contracts for a riduculous amount of years and a riduculous amount of money? Albert has passed his prime and is now 32years old. How can anyone justify paying him roughly 25 million dollars a year at the age of 42. He is a power hitter, he will not have the bat speed or the power at the age of 42. You could still argue that Prince Fielder is in his prime, but his body type is not meant to last and produce over the next nine years of his career. I would be more understanding if he was a contact hitter, because it is much easier to rely on your contact rather than your power. Fielder though is purely built for power. I just don't understand how anyone could make that kind of an offer for just one player.

A Cubs fan with a hilarious sign directed towards Prince Fielder.

Darvish signs with the Rangers

On the last day possible, the Texas Rangers got the deal done with the Japanese ace who was formerly with the Nippon Ham Fighter's. The deal is for $60 million, $56 million guaranteed, over the next six years. Including the posting fee to talk to Darvish, it cost the Rangers $111 million to sign Darvish.
For the Red Sox's to sign Dice - K, it cost them $103 million and to be quite honest, it has been worth any of that. Dice - K has severely underperformed and was not a $103 million player. Most scouts feel like Darvish is different though, they feel like he has but better control of his fastball and his pitching repertoire has every pitch in it except a fastball.

The Rangers also said that they feel like Darvish is built to pitch a lot of innings and like he is going to be effective. I don't believe that though because Darvish has to get used to pitching every fifth day, the mound is a different height, and the ball is a little bit bigger.

The newest member of the Texas Rangers.

Dogers Active in Free Agency

The Dodgers were able to retain two of their arbitration eligible players yesterday in Andre Eithier and James Loney. Eithier will turn 30 this year as the season is starting and this was his last year to be eligible for arbitration and he will become a free agent at the end of the year. Loney will also be a free agent at the end of this coming season and was in danger of not being a part of the team because he put up very disappointing numbers before the all - star break.

Signing the two of them was good for the Dodgers, but they must resign Clayton Kershaw. To lose a great young pitcher who has drawn comparison's to Sandy Koufax would be a big blow to the Dodger's. Clayton asked for ten million dollars in his first year of arbitration, which is a lot of money in a players first year of arbitration.

The arbitration hearings will take place during the first three weeks in February.

Yankees trade Jesus Montero

The New York Yankees traded away their top prospect in Jesus Montero along with Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners in return for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Montero was expected to be the heir to Jorge Posada's position, but then Francisco Cervelli took the spot and played well for the Yanks. So then Montero had to wait until he devoloped more in the minor leagues to start for the Yankees.

The Yankees biggest problem this past season was their pitching rotation. The team was relying to heavily on Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett. In typical Yankee fashion, they went out and did whatever they had to do to improve their team.

In addition to Pineda, they signed Hiroki Kuroda who was formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kurodi was a very nice addition who can give them quality innings and win them some games. That is the difference between the Yankees and most other teams in baseball. They will go out and do whatever it takes to get better and that is why they have the most World Series trophies in history.

Bud Selig Gets Extension

The owners of the thirty major league teams voted to extend Bud Selig's contract for another two years until 2014. Selig had previously said this past season would be his final year as commisioner, until the owners were asking him to remain as commisioner. If Selig would act as commisioner until his contract runs out, he would be 80 years old.

Then, if Bud Selig were to be the commisioner until September of 2016, he would surpass Kennesaw Mountain Landis as the longest acting commisioner in history.

For the vote, the owners voted almost unanimously, 29 - 1. Its no real suprise that the owners wanted to keep him because while the NFL had its lockout along with the NBA, baseball has remained stable. To address the serious streroid problem in the game, he has put in place performance - enhacing drug rules that are strict and have reduced the use of them. Selig also added a wild card team into the playoffs and made instant replay available for home run calls in 2008.

Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin is the only inductee of the 2012 Hall of Fame class. Larkin spent his entire playing career with the Cincinnati Reds. He was inducted on his third ballot.

Some highlights of Larkin's career are:

A .295 batting average. 2, 340 hits, 379 stolen bases, the 1995 National League MVP, a 12 time All Star, and a nine time Silver Slugger Award winner.

The voting next year for the Hall of Fame will be very interesting because all of the players who are on the ballot played during the steroid era. Some of the names up for election are Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, and David Wells. Players like Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro have not gotten a lot of votes for the Hall of Fame in the past and both players were connected to steroids. I can't wait to see the voting for next year's Hall of Fame.

The Dodgers have another suitor

Joe Torre has resigned from his job as executive vice president of Major League Baseball. He stepped down so that he could attempt to purchase a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have had numerous people rumored to be interested in the buying the team including Magic Johnson, Steve Garvey, Mark Cuban, and now Torre.

If your a Dodger's fan, you probably want Mark Cuban to purchase the team because he has the money and isn't afraid to spend it to put a winning team on the field. He has been known to do whatever it takes to make his team good and competitive for a championship. The front office of the MLB doesn't want Cuban to buy the Dodger's though because they think he is to flashy and refined enough for the game. That was proven when Cuban attempted to buy the Chicago Cubs and he was not allowed.

Regardless of who purchases the Los Angeles Dodger's, they almost have to be a better owner than Frank McCourt ever was. His lavish spending took away from the storied franchise. Through all the turmoil though, the Dodger's were able to have a winning season. You wouldn't believe that if you just listened to the media though. The team has some holes, but it also has the Cy Young award winner and Matt Kemp who was a very legitamate MVP candidate. Some even gave him votes for MVP over Ryan Braun. The Dodger's situation will work out in time and the owner will be very happy with his purchase.