Kuzul

With the Washington Nationals’ publicity machine on overdrive, baseball in D.C. could be at an all-time high.

Bryce Harper, as you all know by now, is christened as the next, next, next big thing.

Stephen Strasburg and his 14 strikeout debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates lived up to everything it was meant to be and more!

Obviously, two No. 1 picks will get the glory, we all know that, but what about the guys getting drafted in the 20th, 30th, and 40th rounds.

Myself, being from Canada and going to school in Nebraska from 1997-2001, I thought baseball in Canada had reached its pinnacle during those years. Yet in 2010, baseball in Canada is still growing, not yet reaching its ceiling.

There is the stigma that if you do not go to a big time Division I NCAA school, no one— let alone Major League scouts—would find you.

Luck for the baseball world, “bird dogs,” scouts, and anyone affiliated with MLB, NCAA, NAIA, or independent baseball will locate skill when necessary.

In 2010, technology is at its peak (for now).  We have up-to-the-second updates, news is at our fingertips, and Twitter and Facebook is used by nearly everyone located on planet Earth.

What does all this mean?

A Pensacola Pelican, a member of the Indy American Association, with 4.1 innings under his belt was taken by the Los Angeles Angels, with pick number 624.

To quote one of the all-time baseball movies starring baseball enthusiast and indy team owner, Kevin Costner, “If you build it, they will come.”

In this instance, “If you pitch, they will come,” and find you!

Kevin Johnson, has just completed his senior season with NCAA Division II University of West Florida—and Kevin Johnson is a good pitcher!  How good?

In his four years of high school, he compiled a 34-2 record with a career ERA of 0.77 and a single season record of 0.34!

All-Conference selections during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Alabama Southern Community College signified a time for better competition.  Follow that up with a 13-6 record, nearly 200 innings pitched, a 4.15 ERA, and compiling 148 strikeouts with West Florida.

Obviously, every player hopes to get drafted. In actuality, it’s a numbers game.

Have you caught a scout’s attention? Are your numbers so mind-blowing, that you can’t help but get drafted?

So many imperatives play a factor in this process that when you hear your name called it is relief, it is excitement, it is years and years of work that have paid off, leaving you where you started; with another challenge!

For Kevin Johnson, is MLB glory in his future? We may not know for five or 10 years.

However, scouts’ projections are not always right.

A 62nd-round pick might turn out to be the most prolific hitting catcher in our or any generation—Mike Piazza.  Maybe you can be a Craig Breslow, a 26th-round pick that has now appeared in 180 games and pieced together a career ERA under 2.80.

According to Johnson, he will continue to impress with what got him the attention of the Angels and probably many others.

“It’s going to be a different atmosphere because it’s going to be out in Arizona,” Johnson said. “I’ve never been to Arizona before, so I’ll have to adjust to it. It’s going to be a fun experience. As long as I throw strikes and let the defense work, I think I can move up in the organization.”

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Baseball has taken many hits in recent years; Steroids,  HGH, and the strike of 94′ that, no doubt is in the back of everyone’s mind.

It is rare when the good in sports get the front page.

More often than not, it is a suspension, or a press conference, for a reason other than a former All-Star retiring after the end of a brilliant career.

Chase Utley, the four-time All-Star second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, has teamed with Citizens Bank, once again launching the Helping Hands glove donation program. The program is meant to assist children who play in the Philadelphia Phillies Jr. RBI League.

According to “The Mercury” , new or used gloves will be collected throughout the 2010 season at Citizens Bank kiosk in “Ashburn Alley” (Citizens Bank Park) to benefit participants in the RBI League that are 12 and under.

“Citizens Bank has been supporting the Phillies Jr. RBI League since 2002 and we believe the partnership plays a vital role in helping inner-city children who want to play baseball,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, Citizens Bank president and CEO for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

This is not the only “extracurricular” activity that Utley has taken part in.

If you visit the official Chase Utley website , you can catch a glimpse of Chase Utley, the person, in action.

Utley is not only a part of the RBI Program but is supporter of Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  Couple that with his involvement in the Philadelphia Futures, a mentoring program for inner city high school students, that has raised nearly $300,000 in the past couple of seasons, proves that Utley can use his celebrity for the greater good so to speak.

Being a lifelong Atlanta Braves fans, the Phillies are on my list of teams I dislike. This time I will give you a pass!

Kudos to you Mr. Utley for being one of the good guys.

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When was the last time that a baseball card created any headlines in the last 20 years?

More than likely you remember Wayne Gretzky purchasing the Honus Wagner card in 1991 for a staggering $451,000. Upon further investigation, that same card was sold again in 2007, for a reported $2,350,000.

To be honest, I remember in seventh and eighth grade, being driven to flea markets by my mom, trying to get that ever-elusive Ken Griffey Jr. No. 1 Upper Deck rookie card.

How fun was that?

Remember the Beckett price guides!?

It was a great time, right in the middle of the resurgent card boom, buying packs of cards to try and complete a set of Pro Set, Bowman’s, Topps, Fleer, and Upper Deck.

It became a weekend ritual to attend card shows in hotel conference rooms where it became commonplace to know the dealers, and meet up with friends, who were also looking for a Felix Jose rookie card!

Unfortunately, as we all know, excess is bad.

Before you knew, subsets became the new craze, pack that cost a couple bucks turned into $5 or $10 a pack. At that point, a hobby became a thing of the past.

Sure, the usual will create a stir, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth, the 1933 Goudey PSA Lou Gehrig.

Now, the card craze has once again found its diamond in the rough, a card so sought after, you could buy a car for its price.

Bidding began last week on eBAY for $0.99. Today the 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor Stephen Strasburg RC, topped $17,000; Unbelievable.

Apparently, the card is the only one in existence, obviously creating a demand. Bidding ends this Saturday.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, the owner is offering free shipping…

When it is all said and done, will there be an increase in baseball card interest?  Probably not, though it would be great to be able to purchase some “card holders” one more time.

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It is not that often that the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Indy Atlantic League are mentioned in the same sentence.

However, within a two-week span, fans have been entertained to record-breaking numbers!

The Fisher Cats hit a milestone by welcoming in their two millionth fan.

According to MiLB.com , lucky fan, 10 year-old Brendan Howard was greeted with quite the welcoming party when entering the stadium.

Howard was greeted by two front office members and a nice little gift package from team president/general manager Rick Brenner, valued at over $3,000.

Find below the details of the prize package:

• Two season tickets for the remainder of the 2010 season
• Nightly luxury suite rental at a Fisher Cats game for 18 people with two VIP parking passes
• Weekend rental of a Merchants Auto 15-passenger van
• One weekend stay/dinner at the Steele Hill Resorts
• $200 full vehicle detail from AutoFair
• Personalized autographed Fisher Cats jersey
• Four Canobie Lake Park passes
• $100 Meat House gift certificate
• $100 Gift Certificate from T-Bones/Cactus Jack’s
• Two Pats Peak ski lift tickets in 2011
• Atlas Fireworks $50 gift certificate
• One Valvoline instant oil change
• Four Chunky’s Cinema Pub passes
• VIP tour of Merchantsauto.com Stadium
• Ceremonial first pitch at a Fisher Cats game

Regarding the Atlantic League, how can this indy league in the northeastern United States compete with two million fans?

How about establishing a one day attendance record, bumping them over 21 million fans, covering 12 seasons.

Friday April 30, 2010, 30,667 fans enjoyed the home openers of the defending champion Somerset Patriots, Camden Riversharks, Lancaster Barnstormers, and the South Maryland Blue Crabs.

These two instances strengthen the fact that minor league baseball as one entity is thriving despite all the shortcomings in our current economic situation.

Through April, MiLB attendance saw the second highest attendance in its history, drawing over 5.9 million fans, compared to 2008 when attendance hit an all-time high of 6.6 million, on its way to their highest season total ever.

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

You may already know the name, but for those that do not, in the months leading up to the 2010 MLB draft, you will hear it many times: Bryce Harper.

The master plan for the Washington Nationals is finally falling into place.

Play possum for two years and set yourself up to draft, possibly, the two most highly regarded picks in the history of the game, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.

We all know about Strasburg, 13-1 at San Diego State, 1.32 ERA in 15 starts, 195 strikeouts in 109 innings of work.  We are also familiar with his meteoric rise through the minor league ranks in ’10; 5-1 in seven starts, 40 strikeouts in 34 total innings of work, and while with the Nats triple-A affiliate Syracuse Chiefs, he is holding opponents to a .027 batting average.

According to Curt Schilling, Strasburg has the mentality to be successful,

“I go back to the mentality,” Schilling said. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s gonna deal with adversity for the first time in his life at the big-league level. It’s not gonna be in the minor leagues. That’s gonna come back to his upbringing and what kind of kid he is. And again, everything I’ve heard, he’s good, he’s great, he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

“He won’t have extended bad periods of time, again, because he commands the baseball so well. He’ll be able to go out in the big leagues on nights where his other two or three pitches are not working, and win with just a fastball.”

On to Harper.

In a 2009 Sorts Illustrated article, SI stated that the Nats acquiring Strasburg and Harper is like the equivalent of getting LeBron James and Dwight Howard.

Of course when dealing with “superstars” of this magnitude, you will be dealing with uber agent Scott Boras.

The Nats, as I see this, having dealt with Boras and his dealings in the Strasburg negotiations, should not have a problem when and if Harper is selected as the No. 1 pick.

Harper, is according to scouts, more talented than Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez at the same age, and while putting this into perspective, his numbers at the College of Southern Nevada speak for themselves.

He had 23 home runs, 68 RBI, a .417 batting average, .917 slugging percentage, .509 OBP, and 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

Whether or not Harper is selected as the top pick, the hype machine is will more or less be operating at full speed when the draft starts June 7.

Isn’t that what makes baseball a great game?

You have a player, widely regarded as the “second best” prospect ever, almost a lock to be the No. 1 pick on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

However, how many times have we seen or heard this before?

Mark Prior, in his junior season at USC put together numbers matching Strasburg’s, 15-1. 1.70 ERA in 18 starts, 202 strikeouts in 138 innings.  Released by the San Diego Padres in 2009, has not seen MLB action since 2006.

Kerry Wood, 14-0 in high school, 0.77 ERA in and 152 strikeouts in just over 81 innings.  Plagued by injuries over his career, went from can’t miss starter, now closer for the Indians and has not had an ERA below 3.20 since 2003.

Brien Taylor, 213 strikeouts, despite throwing just 88 innings during his senior high school season.  A $1.55 million signing bonus led to seven minor league seasons, a 22-30 record, never advancing past double-A.

Matt White, 0.65 ERA in high school, USA Today High School Player of the Year, $10 million signing bonus equals seven minor league seasons and a career ERA hovering around 4.60

Only time will tell if Harper can live up to the lofty expectations set upon him by scouts and other professionals, but also those established by Harper himself.

You ask, why are scouts in awe over an un-established player?

Perhaps it was his home run derby display at the Third Annual Power Showcase held at Tropicana Field in January of 2009, where he hit a blast estimated at 502 feet, and a barrage of six consecutive shots that traveled an average of 469 feet.

Or is it because he tops out at 96 mph on the radar gun?

Best ever or potential bust, only time will tell, but it will be one heck of a journey!

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As a former bat boy for the Tampa Bay Rays, baseball has been a lifelong goal for Jesse Litsch.

Originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 37th round of the 2003 Amateur Draft, you can say that Litsch fell into the Toronto Blue Jays’ lap.

Not signing with the Rockies was probably the best thing for this former South Florida Community College Panther.

Instead of dealing with the thin air of Colorado, Litsch had his chance to develop in the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre.

Litsch has been nothing more than beneficial to the Jays since his Major League call-up in 2007.

All he did was solidify a rotation spot for the 2008 season, and compile a solid 13-8 record with a respectable 3.58 ERA.

Despite rarely touching 90 mph on the radar gun, Litsch is able to get outs while throwing a combination fastball/cutter nearly 70 percent of the time.

Even more amazing is that 91.5 percent of the time that Litsch throws any pitch within the strike zone (2008), the ball is put in play. Numbers that high could seemingly mean disaster, but in the end it tells you that Litsch, who has less than three full years of  MLB experience, knows how to play this game, and can get hitters out by finessing the strike zone while keeping the ball in play and letting his fielders do the work.

Unfortunately, 2009 ended prematurely for Litsch, who complained of forearm pain that ultimately led to Tommy John Surgery.

Over one full season since Litsch made his final start, it appears that he may finally be back on the road to a full recovery.

All signs are pointing to a return to the Jays, mid-June at the very least, as newly appointed GM Alex Anthopolous wants all players recovering from Tommy John Surgery to rehab for at least 12 full months.

Litsch is set to make his home debut May 16 in Dunedin against the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, Bradenton Marauders.

His first rehab assignment scheduled for May 11 will be on the road against the Palm Beach Cardinals.

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It is no surprise that 2010 is a going to be a struggle for the Jays. It is also no surprise that attendance is at an all-time low.

Alex Anthopolous made changes during the offseason that ultimately set the tone for this year, and more than likely the next two as well; rebuilding.

When fans hear the word rebuild, success is years away, and in a city where attendance has struggled to climb the ranks as results of intermediate play, it gives you an idea about where the club’s focus is—rekindling the fan’s interest with a young, successful product.

With the witness of a cellar-dweller Tampa Bay Rays team that has seemingly figured out how to succeed in the ultra competitive American League East, enthusiastic Toronto fans, appear to be far and few between. As early as it is in the season, 2010 has been as bad to Jays as it has been good.

A veteran Jay is having a rebirth of sorts.

Vernon Wells has, for now, returned to his All-Star caliber-self, leading the Jays early on with 8 home runs, driving in 17 RBI,  slugging a staggering .688, while on pace to a career high in OBP at .388.

Yet the pitching staff, no doubt missing perennial Cy Young candidate Roy Halladay, is now being led by the 26-year-old “wily veteran,” Ricky Romero.

Romero, who has a career 3.95 ERA, in 34 career starts, has been plagued by issuing too many walks in his appearances.  More specifically, nearly four base on balls per game, limiting Romero to six innings or less.

Apparently, Romero has turned the page.

Reducing his walks by nearly one per game, inducing more than twice as many ground balls than fly balls, and limiting batters to a .168 batting average, spells nothing but success for the new ace of the Jays staff.

With all the positives, the Jays are still outgunned by at least three other members of the AL East, and with a recent 3-7 skid, the Jays have fallen four games out of the division lead and wild card race.

Again, attendance will be the measuring stick of their season; success equals results and results equal more fans through the turnstile.

In the meantime, how can the Jays peak the interest of the fans?

Take advantage of possibly the biggest media trendsetter in recent memory: Twitter.

On April 27 against the Boston Red Sox, the Jays introduced “Tweeting Tuesdays.”

According to the Jays website , Blue Jay Twitter followers had the opportunity to interact with the club and other followers during the game.

“We recognize that fans appreciate both the entertainment and social aspects of coming to a live Blue Jays game.” said Anthony Partipilo, VP of Blue Jays Marketing and Merchandising.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to embrace social technology, and to further enhance that experience. We are always looking for ways to make coming to a Jays game an even better place to connect with family, friends, and like minded Jays Fans.”

It may not be going the Blue Jays way on the field, however, this game is also a business, and when your product may not be the best it can, you must credit them for thinking outside of the box, attempting to gain interest in an unconventional, yet, in this day in age, very familiar way.

To become a part of “Twittering Tuesdays”, go to twitter.com/bluejays

This article can also be found on The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com