The 2010 MLB season featured plenty of break-out performances. From Joey Votto and Carlos Gonzalez to David Price, there were plenty of new stars in the game.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have players that already have experienced success in their careers, but in 2010, they were considered disappointments. Whether it be due to injuries, age or just poor performances, here are 10 players that need to play much better in 2011.
As the “hot stove” season begins to cool down and teams finalize their spring trainning rosters, it’s time to take a look at the state of your team’s farm system.
Sure you may be a contender in 2011, but will your franchise have sustained success? What top prospects are poised to have a break-out season like Jason Heyward or Buster Posey?
Here are the power rankings for each team’s farm system’s heading into the new season.
The 2010 MLB offseason has provided lots of excitement, surprises and shock. The money that’s been thrown around is upsetting to G.M.’s across the sport.
Cliff Lee to the Phillies, Jason Werth to the Nationals, Carl Crawford to the Red Sox and plenty of other players have switched teams.
The roller coaster ride isn’t over yet. Pitchers and catchers don’t report for another two months, which means the hot stove is still burning red hot.
Your club (yes, even the Phillies) still have holes that need to be filled on their roster.
Here are the needs for every team.
There has been a lot of focus on the 2010 free agent signings during the “hot stove” season.
But what about a good old-fashioned trade?
Now that Cliff Lee is off the board, the pool of free agents has begun to slither away.
Here is a look at 10 teams that could potentially be involved in a blockbuster trade that might shift the course of power in both the American and National League.
Some teams have aging sluggers that need a fresh start, some have a big-time player that has become too expensive, while others need that slugger and are willing to dip into their farm system to get him.
Which teams will pull the trigger?
The 2010 MLB winter meetings are in the books and the market has been set.
After watching Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn and Jason Werth rake in the dough, most of baseball’s GM’s are angry at the amount of cash being thrown around. Carlos Pena, who hit under .200 last season, scored a $10 million contract from the Chicago Cubs.
Then there are the Cincinnati Reds.
General manager Walt Jocketty went to the meetings in search of a lead-off man. When a player in the Reds price range wasn’t available, Jocketty decided to focus on signing players on his own roster.
2010 National League MVP Joey Votto has avoided any and all questions regarding a long-term contract. So the Reds decided to lock-up the next young stud in line.
The 23 year-old Jay Bruce will be a Cincinnati Red for a long time after signing a huge contract this week. Bruce’s deal is for $51 million over six years with an option for a seventh at $12 million.
Is this a contract the Reds will regret when they are shelling out over $10 million for his services in 2016?
Or are the Reds getting a bargain for a young star that has yet to reach his potential?
Aside from a awful slump in July, Bruce had a encouraging 2010 season. He hit .281 with 25 homers and 70 RBI, and one division clinching home run. He made a huge improvement in his performance against left handed pitching, raising his average 67 points to .277.
He is a sure handed right fielder that was in contention for a gold glove this past season. He had seven assists and committed only three errors in 356 chances over 146 games.
He is a 23 year-old that already has 68 career homers. When his contract runs out he will only be 30. So the risk of shelling out big bucks to an over-the-hill Bruce wont be an issue till his next contract.
He has endured two significant injuries in his major league tenor. He broke his wrist while diving to catch a fly ball in ’09, and had a hip issue this past season. Neither injury leads you to think there will be lingering issues and he has never had a knee or elbow injury.
Why could this deal come back to haunt the Reds?
Throwing $51 million at a 23 year-old that has had one good season is a big risk for a small market team. Bruce’s career average is a mere .257. He practically cost the Reds Game 2 of the NLDS with his huge error on a routine fly ball against the Phillies.
He only hit six homers away from Great American “Small” Park. In 44 games against winning teams in 2010, Bruce hit two home runs with 11 RBI (courtesy of Lance McAlister).
Anytime the Reds throw around $51 million the fan base is going to be weary (cough CoCo Cordero cough), but it looks as if the Reds made the right move.
Lock up a guy that wants to be Red and has yet to hit his prime before the demand will be much higher. It’s not unrealistic to assume that his production will only increase in his third full season in the bigs. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic in his ability to vastly improve his batting average against lefties.
He has never gotten in trouble and respects the game. Never heard of Bruce in any sort of drama or controversy.
Overall this was a great move by the Reds and a positive sign for the future. Watching the 31 year-old Werth cash in for over $120 million caused Jocketty to act now so the franchise wouldn’t be crying later.
The Reds are very young and signing long term deals before the player explodes on the scene nationally is essential. Votto is going to be more expensive, and the Reds want to save room for him and Johnny Cueto as well.
This is the first step in showing the players on the team and around MLB that the Reds are committed to winning and will spend the money to do it.
Bruce is now one of the faces of the franchise and the Reds will not be worrying about right field for a long time. Bruce is now set for the next six to seven years financially at 23. How many people his age can say that?
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Baseball is a unique sport for a lot of different reasons.
One of them is payroll. Unlike the NBA, NFL and NHL, there isn’t a salary cap in MLB.
That’s the main reason the Yankees and Red Sox are able to compete every year while the Pirates are close to 20 years of consecutive losing seasons.
Traditional big spenders like the Angels and the Tigers are going to have some money to blow. But there are some traditionally cheap teams looking to dish out some dough as well. Don’t sleep on the Orioles, Nationals and A’s to make a splash in free agency.
Here is the rankings on how much money teams have for free agency this off-season.
The 2010 MLB season provided a few teams that finished well above expectations..
Who would have guessed that the San Diego Padres would be on pace to make the playoffs all the way up to the last game of the season?
Who would have guessed that the Cincinnati Reds, a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in 15 years, would hold off the mighty St. Louis Cardinals for supremacy in the N.L Central?
And of course, there is the Rangers and Giants. Who would have thought that two average teams in ’09 would defeat the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees?
This is good news for teams around the league. A young scrappy team with a veteran manager could thrive in 2011. Or how about a team with a bunch of talented young pitching? Picking up a few free agents could be what gets a team over the hump.
Here are 10 teams that could break through in 2011.
The votes are in and your 2010 National League MVP is the Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto.
The vote wasn’t even close as Votto received 31-of- 32 first place votes. The Cardinals Albert Pujols finished a distant second and the Rockies Carlos Gonzalez finished third.
“It’s pretty fricking awesome to beat Albert Pujols for the MVP Award,” he said.
Votto, 27, hit .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI.
Pujols led the NL in home runs (42) and RBI (118), and Cargo led the N.L in average at .336, but Votto’s team was the only one to make the postseason.
In just his third full year in the majors, Votto led the NL in on-base percentage (.424) and slugging percentage (.600).
Let’s take a look at why Votto could compete for the next 10 MVP’s.
The 2010 season reached its conclusion and that can only mean one thing: The hot stove season is underway!
How will your team upgrade this offseason?
An integral part of any team is its closer. Look no further than the World Series champion Giants, a team that had a lights out postseason from closer Brian Wilson. It was an essential key to their success.
Having a reliable closer makes it so much easier on fans and coaches alike. A shaky closer can raise any manager’s blood pressure.
If you’re a fan of the Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, Rays, White Sox, Nationals, Marlins, Braves or Red Sox, pay attention.
Here are the power rankings for the top 10 free-agent pitchers that have the ability to be solid closers in 2011.
The 2010 MLB season was quite the ride.
We had six no-hitters (well, seven technically), which ties the record set in 1969 and 1990.
There were plenty of midseason transactions that would alter the course of the rest of the season. A few small-market teams proved that sporting a payroll under $100 million doesn’t mean your team is automatically out of it.
We had brawls and 20-inning games. We saw a team come back from 10 runs to win a game.
We followed three players that had a chance for the Triple Crown all the way up to the end of August. We watched a few bench-clearing brawls.
We said goodbye to a legendary player and manager.
We watched a team go through bankruptcy, only to find themselves in the World Series a few months later. And we watched a tortured franchise finally be able to call themselves the champs.
Here are the top moments of the season that was in baseball.