Kuzul

There are several ways for a pitcher to be deemed “successful” in his career.

Closers, for instance, are judged mainly on their save conversion percentage and total saves, among other statistical measurements. Middle relievers can look at holds and inherited runners as a standard. Starting pitchers have myriad stats to determine their level of success.

To garner this success, hurlers typically use a combination of speed, control and a good mix of pitches through a given outing on the mound. Of course, not all of the three are required.

Greg Maddux made a Hall of Fame career by using pinpoint control and a good mix of pitchers, but very rarely reached 90 mph. Randy Johnson, meanwhile, lit up radar guns but featured two pitches for the most part—a fastball and a nasty slider.

But sometimes, there comes along a pitcher who has done well in the big leagues but might not posses some or any of the aforementioned qualities. So, who are these pitchers, and they able to sustain their levels of success without velocity, control or pitch variety? Here’s a look at some current MLB pitchers who have reached a level of success … somehow.

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So another spring training is drawing to a close. That means Opening Day is just around the corner, and teams are in a frenzy trying to finalize their 25-man rosters before the March 31 deadline. 

Managers and general managers are reviewing the performances of players who are on the cusp of a minor league assignment and a trip to the big leagues. Finishing touches are being put on before the big show, and there are still a lot of questions to be answered.

But along with this madness as each spring training camp comes to an end, star players are slated to open the new season on their team’s disabled list, which throws an even bigger monkey wrench into the organization’s Opening Day plans. 

So as we inch closer to the start of the 2013 regular season, it’s time to check out which superstars will miss the start of the new campaign thanks to an injury. And these aren’t just any superstars. These are the 2013 Opening Day Disabled List All-Stars, consisting of the very best, albeit disabled, players (one player at each field position, five starting pitchers and three relief pitchers).

Hopefully for these players’ clubs, their injuries will heal fast and they will be on the field in no time. 

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In this day and age, home runs get the most “ooh’s” and “aah’s” at baseball games from spectators. Fans come to the ballpark to see guys like Prince Fielder and Giancarlo Stanton hit mammoth tater shots that come close to reaching Mars’ orbit.

But there’s more than one dynamic to a baseball game. The stolen base is a key aspect to any successful player and team. Of course, players who can hit the long ball, and steal some bases are exponentially more valuable than the one-dimensional player. All-Stars such as Ryan Braun and David Wright are some examples of sluggers who are also bag-swipers.

In 2012, rookie sensation Mike Trout paced the Major Leagues with 49 stolen bases (the Padres’ Everth Cabrera seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the National League with 46 bags). Braun had his second consecutive 30/30 season (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases). And Jose Reyes reached 40 stolen bases for the fifth time in his career (he had 39 in 2011).

So as we sprint towards the start of the 2013 season, here is a look at who will likely be the tops in the stole base category when all is said and done.

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It’s been a wild ride this winter with big-name free agents signing their typical lucrative contracts, and teams making trades to potentially better themselves for the upcoming season (and possibly beyond).

We now sit just a little more than a month away from Opening Day. So with that in mind, with the offseason dust just about settled, it’s time to take a look at where each team sits with its roster.

Let’s recap each team’s major moves this offseason and preview what their lineups and pitching rotations will look like in the season ahead. Keep in mind, as of the publishing of this article, free agent standouts Kyle Lohse and Jose Valverde (among a few others) still remain unsigned.

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For a number of years, the New York Mets have had the distinction of having one of the worst farm systems in Baseball. Between poor drafts and unwisely trading away prospects for washed-up Major Leaguers, the Mets have not had the luxury of tapping into homegrown talent.

Homegrown talent has been a source of good fortune that has benefited teams recently such as the Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. These teams all showcased deep farm systems and were eventually able to field teams that mainly comprised of homegrown talent.

But the Mets are improving tremendously in that area. In fact, during a game last season, the Mets had a starting lineup consisting of all homegrown players for the first time in 41 years—a game in which they won, 3-2. Plus, ESPN’s Keith Law ranked the Mets’ system as the 14th best in the game, which is the highest rank of any NL East division teams. Of course, this is all due in-part to having decent draft slots, thanks to finishing with a sub-.500 record each of the past four seasons.

Heading into 2013, the Mets have the deepest farm system they have had in quite some time. And while some of the top prospects are not necessarily homegrown, CitiField will be the first place these youngsters call “home” in their big league career.

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Typically, in the game of baseball, there are positions that are expected to generate a lot of offense, and some that are more defensive-oriented with little power threat.

In general, the latter positions are usually second base, shortstop, center field and catcher. But the corner infield and outfield positions have historically produced higher offensive numbers. But, so far in 2011, one position has neglected that precedent—third base.

Some examples for this power outage are injury-related, some are due to aging athletes playing past their prime, and some are just anomalies. But whatever the reason, many teams around baseball have had poor power numbers from their hot corner patrols.

Case in point: Last season, Major League third basemen combined to hit .263 with 567 home runs, to go along with a .418 slugging percentage. In 2009, they totaled 588 home runs, and slugged at a .421 mark.

But so far in 2011, third baseman have hit just 146 home runs (just five more than ML second basemen), with a .245 batting average and a .368 slugging percentage.

We can take a look at some individual performances to truly get to the bottom of this head scratcher. For instance, two of the game’s brightest third baseman over the past five or six seasons have been sidelined much of the year with injuries.

The Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman has appeared in just eight games in 2011, and none since injuring himself on April 9. Zimmerman has been on the 15-day disabled list ever since, suffering from a torn abdominal muscle. He is currently on a rehab assignment, but no definitive timetable has been established for his return to the lineup.

Mets’ third baseman, and good friend of Zimmerman’s, David Wright is also sidelined on the disabled list. Wright suffered a stress fracture in his back while making a defensive play against the Astros on April 19. A month later, he was placed on the disabled list, and is now expected to be sidelined until some point in July.

The Rays’ Evan Longoria played the first two games of the season, and then missed a month due to an oblique injury. Since his return on May 3, Longoria has just four home runs and a .244 batting average. He endured a span of 56 at-bats without a long ball earlier this year, and just hasn’t been able to find a groove at the plate so far.

There are some third baseman that are overall healthy, but just haven’t produced to their precedent standards.

For instance, Cubs’ third baseman Aramis Ramirez has averaged 28 home runs per season from 2001-2010. So far in 2011, he has three—and he hit his second and third each with the last 10 days. He does have a respectable .288 batting average on the season, but so far his offensive stats resemble more of a middle infielder than a third baseman.

Scott Rolen has just two home runs so far in 2011 and a .245 batting average. He missed about 19 games for the Reds earlier this year with a neck injury, but at 36 years of age, Rolen’s days as an offensive threat could be close to over.

Similarly, Chipper Jones could be nearing the end as well. He has just six home runs on the year, and his slugging percentage is 100 points lower than his career mark.

After a 23-home run campaign in 2010, the Brewers’ Casey McGehee has struggled much of 2011. He has just four home runs on the year to go along with a paltry .227 batting average.

There are also some teams that don’t currently have a legitimate, typical third baseman. The Florida Marlins, for instance, have used a combination of Emilio Bonifacio, Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs to man the hot corner. And though they are all professional hitters, none of them have the proven ability to smash 20-plus home runs on a consistent basis.

The same holds true for the Angels (Alberto Callaspo), Indians (Jack Hannahan), Diamondbacks (Ryan Roberts) and the Royals (Wilson Betemit).

The Toronto Blue Jays are a team worth highlighting. They have the game’s best home run hitter over the last season and a half playing right field, when he has spent much time at third base in his career.

Jose Bautista hit an MLB-best 54 home runs a year ago, and is once again leading the world in big flies with 20. And though he’s played over 350 games at third base, the Jays are content in letting Jayson Nix and Edwin Encarnacion (who have combined to hit six home runs all year) waste away at third base.

Of course, not every Major League third baseman is having a poor season. Adrian Beltre is certainly proving his worth to the Texas Rangers, who signed him to a blockbuster five-year, $80 million contract this past winter. Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis and Placido Polanco all have quality seasons so far in 2011.

There may be a shift coming in Major League Baseball. Several perennial third base All-Stars are now past their primes and have shown serious decline in offensive production. A new generation of hot corner patrol is on it’s way (witness Mike Moustakas’ debut for the Kansas City Royals Friday night).

Bottom line, if the All-Star game was today, who would you choose to be play third base for either league? The choices this year seem to be awfully thin…perhaps the thinnest the game has seen in the last decade.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Is perfection contagious? Maybe, maybe not. But since 2010, there have been more no-hitters and perfect games thrown in Major League Baseball than from 2007-2009 combined. And on Saturday, Tigers‘ ace Justin Verlander added to that number.

If perfection is not contagious, then this is all a coincidence. But when you take a close look at the time-line of the no-nos thrown in the last 12 months or so, there seems to be a common link between all of them.

Verlander’s second no-hitter of his career comes five days after Francisco Liriano no-hit the Orioles. It’s also almost exactly one year to the day of Dallas Braden’s perfect game, last Mother’s Day—which was about three weeks after Ubaldo Jimenez’s no-hitter.

Exactly 20 days after Branden’s perfecto, Roy Halladay joined the parade, tossing a perfect game of his own. Edwin Jackson and Matt Garza each pitched a no-hitter, almost exactly a month after each other.

Here is an in-depth recap of the eight no-hitters thrown since last season.

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Perhaps it’s just coincidence and happenstance, but it seems like the New York Mets have had the worst luck and/or timing when it comes to collecting talent on their roster.

Whenever they would obtain a perennial All-Star-type player or former MVP, that player would prove to be a huge bust and completely tank with the Mets.

On the flip side, the Mets seem to always trade away or let go of players who would go on to lead All-Star, MVP and even Hall of Fame careers.

The talent that has come and gone through the Mets is quite extraordinary. So, let’s take a look at some of the top players, past and present, the Mets either gave up on too soon, or brought in too late in their respective careers.

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There aren’t many rivalries in baseball bigger than that between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

Ever since the Phillies stunned the Mets by overcoming a seven-game deficit to win the division in ’07, there has been a growing feud between the two squads.

Tuesday marks the first time the two will meet in 2011, as a three-game series will commence at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets are trying to prove that, with the changes they made and the team that they have, they are good enough to take on the mighty Phills.

But the Phillies have won the division four consecutive seasons, and have one of the most intimidating pitching staffs since the ’71 Orioles.

This three-game series will be a quick test for the Mets’ pitching staff, who are without ace Johan Santana. Newcomer Chris Young will get thrown into the fire right out of the gate, as he will start the first game of the series. In five career starts against Philadelphia, Young has a 2-2 record with a 4.50 ERA.

He will be opposed by left-hander Cole Hamels. The Mets have fared well against the workhorse, leaving him with a 2-8 record over 13 career starts. But Hamels is coming off a career-year, when he struck out more than 200 batters for the first time in 2010.

Game two of the series will feature Mets’ Opening Day starter Mike Pelfrey matching up against the Phillies’ No. 5 starter, Joe Blanton.

Pelfrey struggled in his first career Opening Day start, surrendering five runs in only 4 1/3 innings against the Florida Marlins. Blanton is making his first start of the new campaign.

Jonathan Niese and reigning Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay will square off in the series finale on Thursday. Halladay, who went 4-0 against the Mets in 2010, was his typical self against the Astros on Thursday. He allowed one run over six innings of work picking up a no-decision.

Niese looked sharp in his first start of the season, tossing seven innings and allowing only two earned runs against the Marlins on Saturday.

The Mets may be finding the Phillies at their worst these next three games. The Phillies are without star second baseman Chase Utley and closer Brad Lidge.

Both are on the disabled list, with no exact return date scheduled. The Mets will still have their hands full with the rest of the Phillies’ juggernaut lineup and rotation.

The two teams finished at 9-9 against each other in 2010.

So as dominating a team as the Philles were, and as bad of a team that the Mets were, when going up against one another, they were pretty much evenly matched.

If the Mets can capitalize on the short-handed Phills, it could give them the momentum they need to get the 2011 season off to a roaring start.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Opening Day is upon us! And each year, teams are destined to begin their regular seasons with certain core players on the disabled list, down with some sort of ailment. But it seems like more than ever in 2011, big-name players have been hitting the disabled list early and often.

So with that, I have comprised an All-Star team consisting of players who have been injured in some capacity since the end of last season and will start the 2011 regular season on the disabled list. This list is made up of one player at each infield position, three outfielders, five starting pitchers, a middle reliever and a closer.

Of course, like any All-Star team, there will be snubs and there will be controversy. I invite readers’ gripes, compliments and opinions.

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