Kuzul

When the Phillies added former Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt at the trade deadline last season, many believed the deal would tilt the National League’s balance of power in favor of Philadelphia.

Oswalt proceeded to pitch quite well; unfortunately for the Phillies and their faithful, the San Francisco Giants went on an improbable and impressive run to a World Series title behind their outstanding rotation and standout closer Brian Wilson.

This offseason GM Ruben Amaro has again attempted to shift the balance of power — this time with the re-acquisition of left-handed ace Cliff Lee. With Oswalt, Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton, the Phillies boast one of the greatest on-paper rotations in the history of Major League Baseball.

Will Philadelphia’s aces pitch to their collective, record-breaking potential, or will the Nationals, Marlins, Mets, and/or Braves find a way to stay stride-for-stride?

Please read on for my predictions.

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Moneyball is a baseball film starring Brad Pitt and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it’s set to open sometime in 2011.

Hoffman will perform as former big league manager Art Howe, and Pitt — one of the most famous people in the universe — will be playing Billy Beane, the “mastermind” general manager of the Oakland A’s.

Can you imagine that? Beane has been so successful in Oakland that a movie is being made about his innovations and triumphs as the A’s leading man. Not only is the film being made, but Beane’s character was given to one of the most recognizable faces in the business — a sex symbol, nonetheless.

And who can blame Hollywood for wanting a piece of this action? Beane has achieved so much during his time in Oakland…wait a second…

Has a Beane-led A’s team ever won anything?

This is Beane’s 13th season as GM of the Athletics, and his club has won the World Series zero times during his reign. Wait, it gets better.

In the previous 12 seasons, the A’s have won zero American League championships.

During that time period, they’ve only appeared in the ALCS once (2006). Beane’s Athletics performed well in that series against the Detroit Tigers…if “well” means getting swept. The Tigers made quick work of the light-hitting boys from Oakland.

Simply put, these results don’t make any sense. They don’t make any sense because Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is likely the most popular baseball book in publishing history. It may not only be the most popular baseball book of all time, it is arguably the most popular book of all sports.

Lewis’ detailed work elevated Beane to a stratosphere never before occupied by a general manager. As far as media coverage and attention, GM’s are often secondary to the skippers that patrol the dugouts of their respective teams.

Thanks to Lewis and Moneyball, things are quite different in Oakland. Beane is the star. The managers (Howe, Ken Macha, and Bob Geren) are puppets manipulated by the front office’s many strings and hindrances. 

The question is: does Beane deserve the stature he has achieved?

Many consider him the best general manager in the game; is he worthy of that distinction?

Well, at the very least, I can’t argue with his ability to evaluate starting pitching. It started with the extremely impressive trio of RHP Tim Hudson (an all-star again this year), LHP Barry Zito (having a bit of a bounce-back season), and LHP Mark Mulder.

Then there was RHP Rich Harden, an incredible but oft-injured talent. RHP Justin Duchscherer has been an all-star, and Beane’s trade for RHP Dan Haren came at exactly the right time in his career.

Today the A’s have a slew of capable young arms, including sinkerballer Trevor Cahill, flame-throwing lefty Gio Gonzalez, workhorse Dallas Braden (of the Perfect Game fame), electric closer Andrew Bailey, and potential long-term ace LHP Brett Anderson.

But the 2010 Oakland Athletics are a mere .500 ballclub. This infusion of impressive arms isn’t leading them to playoff-type success. And why, you ask?

Because Billy Beane teams don’t hit. Not since the steroid star power of 1B Jason Giambi and then-SS Miguel Tejada have the A’s had a lineup for opposing pitchers to fear. Their leading regulars this season are OF Ryan Sweeney (.294 BA) and limited-pop 1B Daric Barton (.279).

Although for Beane, it’s not about batting average; it’s about OBP and OPS. Unfortunately, Oakland’s on-base experts are 25th in the bigs in runs scored. What good is a razor-sharp understanding of the strikezone if you can’t drive in runners in scoring position?

Not much good at all, of course.

While we’re on the topic of offense, I can’t ignore the fact that Beane traded OF Carlos Gonzalez (aka “Cargo”).

Cargo, now an immensely popular member of the Colorado Rockies, is currently leading the National League in batting average at .326. In addition to that impressive average, he has 29 HR, 90 RBI, 20 SB, 86 R, and a .955 OPS.

With those outstanding numbers in mind, Cargo is locked in a nip-and-tuck MVP battle with Reds’ 1B Joey Votto. Both candidates have the statistics to warrant an MVP award, but Cargo is the better all-around player.

If the Rockies find a way into the postseason, in my opinion, Cargo should take home the hardware.

Can you imagine that? Beane, the “mastermind” at the helm of an offensively-starved franchise, traded an all-world talent when he was just 23 years old. Even worse, he traded Cargo for a one-year rental in LF Matt Holliday, who was shipped to the St. Louis Cardinals as soon as the wheels fell off the A’s 2009 season. 

Go figure.

And yet, in the end, I know Billy Beane is a talented executive. I completely understand the financial deficiencies of the Oakland A’s franchise. I know that Beane has drafted and developed some excellent major league ballplayers.

But…the best general manager in professional baseball? Really?

Hollywood, a full-length movie, and Brad Pitt? Really?

I’m sorry folks, but I’m not buyin’ it…

Unless Billy Beane is sellin’ it. I’d probably rip him off in a deal.

(John Frascella is the author of “Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land,” the first and only book centered on Boston ‘s popular GM Theo Epstein. Check it out on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble online. Follow John on Twitter @RedSoxAuthor.)

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When the garden variety Mets fan thinks about Luis Castillo, the first thing that rushes to their mind is the infamous dropped pop up against the Yankees.

If not that, it’s the ridiculous four-year contract extension that he received from general manager Omar Minaya. Twenty-five million dollars for a second baseman who was already old and physically drained.

Call me crazy, but I’ve always been able to sweep those disasters under the rug when it comes to Mr. Castillo. Now, I’m not an insider that’s prepared to dazzle you with astounding peripheral statistics; in fact, I’m just a 24-year old with a dead-end job that loves baseball with every ounce of my being.

But when I think about Luis Castillo, I think about everything that is right about the game of baseball. I think about everything that has allowed baseball to garner the weighty nickname of “America’s Pastime.”

Castillo isn’t a power-hitting second baseman. He wasn’t blessed with incredible natural ability, and he certainly won’t be a Hall of Famer.

But what Castillo is, is a winning ballplayer. He’s not the dynamic speedster he was with the Florida Marlins, and his range isn’t there defensively; but, technically speaking, he continues to play the game correctly .

He gets everything he possibly can from his 5-foot-11, 195-pound (drastically over-listed), broken-down body.

When his heartless Met teammates go down consecutively to start an inning, he takes the first pitch, instead of making it easy on the opposing pitcher by rolling over in one-two-three fashion.

In the ninth inning, when the Mets were down 13-1 against the Diamondbacks last week, he busted around the bases to score from first on a David Wright double. The way the Mets have been swinging the bats lately, that game was long over.

But Castillo never takes anything for granted. When I watch him play, I know he’s truly grateful for the blessing he’s received. He gets to play baseball, at the game’s very highest level, for a living.

When I watch Castillo play, I know that he understands how many people would kill to be in his position. That’s why he plays hurt until the Mets’ training staff is forced to shut him down. That’s why he busts it around the bases when it may not be the best idea for him physically.

Luis Castillo is a ballplayer, all the way down to his core. The game is in his blood. Every game matters. Every out matters. Every pitch matters.

And you can be damn sure that he knows that.

I pitch in an 18-and-older hardball league, and last night we had our final playoff game. In the bottom of the second inning, I was trailing 1-0 to a lineup that physically, was far superior to me.

They had two runners in scoring position with two outs, and the count was 1-2. After seven consecutive breaking balls over the span of two at bats, I guided a 70 MPH fastball over the meat of the outside corner.

As I drifted off the mound, ecstatic about escaping the jam, the umpire never raised his hand. He never made a sound.

The very next pitch, the number nine hitter tapped a roller up the middle for an RBI single. The opposition never looked back. My team never recovered.

That pitch mattered. Not getting that call was like getting drilled in the back by a 90 MPH fastball. I knew that one pitch was the entire game.

On second thought, maybe I’m not making any sense.

I guess all I can really say is…

Luis Castillo knows what I’m talking about.

(John Frascella is the author of “Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land,” the first and only book centered on Boston ‘s popular GM Theo Epstein. Check it out on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble online. Follow John on Twitter @RedSoxAuthor.)

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No outs, the tying run is on second base, and the Yankees are down by a single run.

Before I continue, I’ll set the scene. 

One night earlier, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon blew a save in devastating fashion, allowing a game-tying two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez, and a walk-off bomb to journeyman OF Marcus Thames.

Papelbon’s back on the mound, and his shortstop immediately lets him down. Rodriguez, leading off the ninth inning and facing the fiery right-hander for the second consecutive game, grounds one in the hole to Marco Scutaro.

Boston’s coaching staff has Scutaro positioned perfectly. That precise positioning goes for naught, as Scutaro boots the grounder en route to his second error of the evening. 

2B Robinson Cano follows up with an opposite-field double. Rodriguez comes around to score, and Papelbon – once again – is in a world of trouble.

Up comes burgeoning fan favorite Francisco Cervelli. The young back-up catcher is hitting .375 with 15 RBI in limited time. If those numbers aren’t impressive enough, Cervelli is hitting .647 with runners in scoring position.

.647. Seriously.

So we’re back to where we started: no outs, the tying run is on second base, the Yankees are down by a single run, a haunted closer has the fresh memory of a heart-wrenching loss on his mind, and New York has a guy with a .647 batting average with RISP at the plate.

Red Sox fans can only be thinking one thing, “Here we go again, and how many times have I thought this in my life?”

Papelbon is feeling the pressure, even if he isn’t showing it. He’s struggling to get outs. His confidence isn’t where it normally is. He’s questioning his ability to get these Yankees hitters out.

So what does Joe Girardi decide?

To give Papelbon a free out, of course. Girardi calls for the sacrifice bunt, taking the bat out of the hands of his best clutch hitter to this point in the season, and giving away a freebie to Paps and his teammates.

There’s a pitcher out there who is desperate for an out, scratching and clawing to find his groove, and you bunt with a guy who is hitting .647 with RISP? You bunt when the tying run is already in scoring position?

Now this play would make sense if Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Rodriguez, or Cano were batting behind Cervelli, but they obviously weren’t. The surefire Hall of Famers, Thames, Juan Miranda, and Randy Winn were set to follow Cervelli in the order.

Really think about what Girardi opted for here. Not only does he take the bat out of the hands of the best contact hitter of the foursome (Cervelli), he also gives Boston an out, and puts all the pressure on arguably the worst three positioned players on the Yankees roster. 

Sure Thames came through the night before, but wouldn’t you rather have three cracks at an RBI as opposed to two? Wouldn’t a single by Cervelli likely score the run from second base anyway?

Generally speaking, sabermetricians hate the sacrifice bunt; and though I don’t agree with all of their cutting-edge strategies, I do agree that the sac bunt is an illogical and mathematically unsound play. Some situations definitely call for it (a pitcher in the batter’s box), but the Cervelli situation was not one of them.

Girardi blew that potential comeback, and there’s no convincing me otherwise. He left the game in Winn’s hands, a man who is batting .136 with runners in scoring position.

I guess Cervelli’s .647 wasn’t good enough for Joe.

(John Frascella is the author of Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land, the first and only book centered on Boston’s GM Theo Epstein. Check it out on Amazon or follow John’s Twitter @RedSoxAuthor).

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com