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You read who I thought were the 10 best hitters in baseball entering the 2011 season, and now here’s a list of the 10 best pitchers in baseball.

This is a very tough list to make because there is so much good pitching these days, but these 10 stand out above all. You could have made a ranking of the top four pitchers in the game and listed every Phillies starter but that would’ve been too easy.

Which pitchers are the most dominant, who you always expect to carry their team to a win when they take the mound? Here’s a list of the 10 best pitchers in baseball, with nine of them being starters.

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Spring training is almost here and as we get closer to the 2011 baseball season kicking off, let’s take a look at who the best hitters are.

For the last decade, Albert Pujols has arguably been the league’s best and most complete hitter. Although not old by any means and coming off a terrific 2010 season, he is now 31 years old and perhaps he might not be the absolute best anymore.

Is that even possible? Who else would even match up to him? You’d have to take into account producing in all three major categories, such as batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.

So, without further ado, here’s a look at the top 10 hitters in baseball as we near the start of a new season.

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One of the most disappointing moments of the Mets’ 2010 season was not having a healthy outfield. Before last season even started, the Mets learned they would be without Carlos Beltran as he underwent knee surgery in January.

They did have Jason Bay, the team’s biggest offseason acquisition, but after not performing for a majority of the season, he went down with a concussion in July and never returned.

Their only constant in the outfield was Angel Pagan who developed into an All-Star caliber ballplayer. This season, the Mets hope to have more certainty in their outfield with the same three guys, although where Beltran and Pagan will play is the big question coming into this spring.

Here is a complete breakdown of what to expect from the outfield trio.

Left Field: Jason Bay         

Age: 32    

Years: 8

Bay had as bad and disappointing a first season with a new team as possible in 2010 with the Mets. The Mets needed a leftfielder entering last season after the 2009 disaster with Daniel Murphy. New York went ahead and gave Bay a hefty contract for four years worth $66 million.

Just like David Wright in 2009, Bay struggled to get adjusted to the dimensions of Citi Field, hitting only three homeruns at home. It looked as if he was always uncomfortable at the plate, showing frustration every time a potential homerun would die at the warning track.

After being a strikeout machine and underperforming throughout the summer, Bay suffered a concussion at Dodger Stadium in late July after banging into the leftfield fence, eventually ending his first season in New York. He played in 95 games batting .259 with only 47 RBI.

Bay has said this offseason that he feels healthy and is past his post-concussion syndrome, and with one season at Citi Field under his belt, there are no excuses to not put up his pre-2010 numbers.

He must cut down on the strikeouts, be more patient and produce in the clutch if he wants to prove to the Mets that his contract wasn’t a bust.

Projected numbers:  .275 AVG, 21 HR, 98 RBI

Center Field: Carlos Beltran         

Age: 33    

Years: 11

About a year ago at this time, Beltran underwent knee surgery that apparently shocked the Mets and their front office. There was plenty of controversy surrounding him getting surgery without the team’s permission and whether or not it would lead to his Mets days being over.

While the Mets were off to a good start to the season without him, there would be an update almost weekly on when exactly he was returning. Immediately after the All-Star break, Beltran returned and was placed in centerfield after speculation of whether he would move to right.

The Mets actually were eight games above .500 in the first half and trailed the Wild Card by only one game. Whether it was coincidence or not, the Mets were never the same after Beltran returned. They lost three-of-four to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants and went 2-9 on their West Coast trip to start the second half of their season.

Beltran didn’t look mobile or effective playing center from his first game at AT&T Park and sometimes looked lost. He would misplay trajectories and run into walls while balls would carom away, looking embarrassed for a once Gold Glove-caliber centerfielder.

This offseason, Mets new manager Terry Collins has said Beltran will most likely move to right field with Pagan moving to center.

Although Beltran wasn’t looking good at his natural position, he did look good at the plate over the final month of the season. In September, he hit .321 with five home runs.

The Mets will have to use all of spring training to decide what would be best for Beltran concerning his outfield position.

If he can hit consistently, play a solid defense where he’s not hurting the team and get some games off to rest, he could be a big help this season. There are a lot of big “ifs” though.

Projected numbers:  .280 AVG, 24 HR, 108 RBI

Right Field: Angel Pagan         

Age: 29    

Years: 5

In his third season with the Mets, Pagan had his best year to-date. He solidified himself as a productive ballplayer, playing good defense, showing speed and hitting for average as well.

Even after hitting .306 the previous season, there was concern as to whether or not Pagan could stay healthy. Injuries had always been a problem for him, but he finally put together an injury-free season and played in a career-high 151 games in 2010.

Maybe the most impressive thing about his season was stealing 37 bases, putting up numbers that compared very closely to those of Jose Reyes. Along with batting .290, he hit 11 home runs and drove in 69 runs. He had more than 30 doubles, seven triples and only committed five errors in the outfield—four of those coming in centerfield interestingly enough.

He played 33 games in right field and didn’t commit a single error, leading you to believe that moving him away from that position may be a negative thing. In center, he always seemed uncomfortable tracking down balls, while he looked like a Gold Glover in right. With a potential move to center for Pagan this season, he will have to work hard at becoming a better all-around outfielder.

This season, some people aren’t buying that he’s going to be consistent at the plate. There’s no reason to think that, and perhaps he can still get better.

Collins has said he will be batting Pagan second in the batting order after Reyes. If Pagan duplicates what he did in 2010 and Reyes performs like he should if he stays healthy, that one-two punch could be the best in baseball.

Projected numbers:  .295 AVG, 12 HR, 75 RBI

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The Tampa Bay Rays made some bold moves on Friday, coming to contract terms with some veteran players still trying to hang around in the big leagues.

Two former teammates in Boston, Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, get back together in the AL East. Damon was signed to a one-year, $5.25 million contract and Ramirez to a one-year, $2 million contract.

This has been a very tough offseason for a team that over the last three seasons, progressed better than anyone in the league, considering where there were as a franchise.

The Rays—or Devil Rays—won no more than 70 games in each of their first 10 seasons. After becoming the Rays and changing their image, they magically won 97 games in 2008 and made it all the way to the World Series. They would go down to the Phillies in five games, but at least they showed people that there was another powerhouse around.

After having a decent season but missing the playoffs in 2009, the Rays won 96 games last season and returned to the playoffs. They’d lose in five games to Cliff Lee and the Rangers in the ALDS, knowing that this was to be their last promising season.

That’s because all of their young players that helped the Rays win two of three AL East titles, were going to leave due to a very low budget in Tampa Bay. Some of the players that left were Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, and Rafael Soriano to name a few. That’s a ton of talent coming off the team in one offseason.

Crawford and Soriano perhaps are the biggest losses. Crawford had developed into an All-Star caliber outfielder and base stealer, and Soriano was the American League’s best reliever last season. More importantly, they both went to an intra-division rival—Crawford to the Red Sox and Soriano to the Yankees.

In other words, after three seasons of exciting baseball and threatening to win the World Series, the Rays are back to what they were pre-2008. That’s only until Friday, according to the Rays; they figured that trading in the younger talent for washed up veterans would be the best way to go about making up for their losses.

It’s true that Damon and Ramirez have resumes and are popular players. But, at this point, what are they on the field?

Johnny Damon is 37 years old and saw a major drop off in production last season in his only year in Detroit. He hit only eight home runs, the least of any season for him since 1997 with the Royals. He only drove in 51 runs, the least of any season for him since 2001 with the Athletics.

He is not the player he was anymore in Boston and the Bronx. He doesn’t have the speed he had in his prime, nor the power, nor the ability to play everyday in the outfield. 

He spent most of his time last season as a designated hitter for the Tigers, but that makes the move to acquire both him and Manny confusing. If Damon can only be a DH at this point, what’s Manny going to be?

As a Dodger last season, Manny spent some time in the outfield being the goofball he is, but played every game as a White Sox as a DH. He’ll be 39 during the season and just like Damon, he’s past his prime.

He did manage to bat .298, but only hit nine home runs in 90 games last season. That’s a pace for 16 home runs—only he won’t play in 162 games anymore.

Obviously, they both can’t be the DH and neither of them can really perform in the outfield. What’s even more concerning for the Rays is that both older players would have to play in the outfield on turf. You’d figure either player would want to go to a team that plays 81 games on grass. So, therefore, health becomes a concern. 

Most likely, Damon will be the one to get more time in the outfield, replacing Crawford, and Manny will be the primary DH.

Still, signing these two doesn’t make the Rays any stronger than they were a day ago. Perhaps instead of winning 75 games, they’ll win 78.

It’s not going to draw any fans to the stadium if that was the plan. Nobody showed up for a 95-win team that was a pennant contender, so nobody will show up to see two players finishing off their careers. 

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With about six weeks remaining until spring training begins, it’s time to start looking at how the 2011 Mets roster will shape up.

The Mets didn’t really make any big moves this offseason, however, they brought some veterans in to help out in different places.

Let’s take a look at the infield the Mets will have to start the season. Depending on whether or not the team is competing, any of these guys could always be traded at the deadline in somewhat of a rebuilding season.

But right now, it’s pretty clear who three of the four infielders will be. Who will be the second baseman? Now, that’s the biggest question perhaps on the entire roster. Here’s a breakdown of the Mets infield.

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Mets new general manager Sandy Alderson is well respected across Major League Baseball. He’s supposed to be smart, and is known for building some good teams.

He admitted at his inaugural press conference that the team wouldn’t be spending for high-priced free agents like the three that were out there. The Mets didn’t have room in their outfield for a Werth or Crawford in the first place and Cliff Lee would be too expensive for the Mets budget. Heck, Lee didn’t even want the Yankees’ money, so forget about the idea of him taking Mets money.

None of that is the problem with what Alderson has done or hasn’t done. The problem is the moves he’s made that will certainly effect the roster in 2011.

Yes, next offseason will be big for the Mets as they’ll have a ton of money to spend. But, Alderson has been quoted telling certain media members that he feels this Mets team can be competitive in 2011 “if everything goes right.”

The Mets have always had that mindset. It’s what hurt them mightily in 2009 when then-manager Jerry Manuel insisted his injured players would return in time for a playoff run. The team never got any players back, and in fact kept losing guys to injury.

Now, Alderson brings his talents to the Mets front office, but his moves so far better not be an indication of what’s to come during his entire tenure. He’s hurt the bullpen, while adding absolutely no starting pitching to an extremely depleted rotation.

He’s made all but two moves thus far, both during the Winter Meetings and both very minor—although the players will be on the Major League roster.

He signed veteran backup catcher Ronny Paulino—who by the way was suspended for steroids this past season. Alderson’s entire Oakland A’s team were players who were on steroids, but at least they were more talented than Paulino is.

Paulino is only going to turn 30 during the season, but hasn’t really done anything extraordinary in his career. Last season in 91 games with the Marlins, he hit .259 with four home runs.

He had a couple of good seasons under the pressure of playing in Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, he hit .310 in 442 at-bats, which is great, but it was in Pittsburgh and he was younger.

He is much younger than Henry Blanco, but Blanco arguably had a better season than Paulino last season.

Alderson insists that Josh Thole will be the team’s starting catcher but that a platoon is possible with Paulino starting against left-handers. Paulino is the team’s lone offensive signing, which isn’t anything, to be frank.

Then comes the big signing of veteran reliever D.J. Carrasco. He’ll be 34 when the season starts, and he pitched in a career-high 63 games last season with the Pirates and Diamondbacks. He was part of the trade that also sent former Met Ryan Church to the Diamondbacks.

Carrasco wasn’t bad at all, and in fact is a decent signing to help in the bullpen. Last season with the two clubs, Carrasco pitched to a 3.68 ERA and allowed only 68 hits in 78.1 innings pitched.

But, once again, he’s never pitched in more than 63 games and should be happy that Willie Randolph or Jerry Manuel isn’t the manager. Those guys pitched their relievers in 80-plus games on a yearly basis.

Which leads us to the continued bad moves by Alderson. It was reported on Thursday that long-time Mets lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano is close to signing with—of all teams—the Yankees. So, the Mets have essentially replaced a quality left-hander with an average right-hander. Also, Hisanori Takahashi was let go and has signed with the Angels.

Alderson has damaged the bullpen to an extent and made an irrelevant signing by getting Paulino.

Then comes the starting rotation. The way it is right now probably has the Phillies laughing right in the Mets’ faces. While they have the second coming of the “Four Horsemen”, the Mets don’t even have four starters.

Johan Santana is to be sidelined until perhaps the All-Star break, having undergone surgery on his left shoulder, and the Mets’ opening day starter will be Mike Pelfrey.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with Pelfrey starting on opening day as he did win 15 games last season, but R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese as starters two and three? That doesn’t quite cut it.

The Mets didn’t have to sign Lee. They needed to—and still could—sign some starters to at least add any kind of rotation depth. Whether it be taking a flyer on Carl Pavano or signing Chris Young and/or Jeff Francis, the Mets need to throw out more than three starters next season.

It’s almost Christmas and they have three starting pitchers and a below-average bullpen led by head case closer Francisco Rodriguez.

So far, Alderson receives an “F” as a grade as he’s failed. He can improve upon that in the next three and a half months, but he doesn’t seem to be concerned about where his team is at now, which is nowhere.

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The MLB Winter Meetings take place next Monday through Thursday and with a new regime in place, you’d figure a big trade will be made or at least attempted. After all, it’s long overdue that the Mets part ways with a member or two of their “core.” Why it’s called that is confusing since the Mets have never won a pennant with those players.

Two guys come to mind when thinking of core members to trade and they are Jose Reyes and David Wright. If neither of them are dealt, this would be their seventh full season together. So, which one should the Mets think of dealing?

Jose Reyes doesn’t seem to be a Sandy Alderson type of guy and David Wright rebounded to a have a solid season in his second at Citi Field.

If only one were to go, it’ll come down to who fits the new system more. Playing at a spacious ballpark such as Citi Field, the team should be built around three things: pitching, defense, and speed. Concerning Reyes and Wright, they both fall into the categories of defense and speed.

Reyes when healthy is obviously one of the quickest runners in the game and when his head is into it, he can play solid defense. The admitted lapses, though, is a huge problem. Reyes said during the season that he can’t concentrate through the course of a game with the pitcher throwing 100 pitches. Is that the type of guy Alderson and the Mets want to bring back when trying to start new?

Plus, the nagging and recurring hamstring and leg injuries are of major concern. Will those problems all hurt the Mets and his trade value? It’s very possible if the Mets are looking for some nice starting pitching in return.

The ideal team to make a trade for Reyes with is the Red Sox. They’ve been starving for a shortstop since dealing Hanley Ramirez away to the Marlins for Josh Beckett and they have the starting pitchers the Mets would want.

They can trade guys like Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester which would help the Mets in the rotation and finally give the Red Sox a premiere shortstop. Plus, the Red Sox have asked the Mets about Reyes in the past.

When it comes to Wright, he’s more of a dynamic player than Reyes at this stage of their careers. He almost never gets injured as he’s been on the disabled list once in his career and that was for a concussion.

He’s entering his prime as he’ll turn 28 in December and after an awful statistical 2009 season, he hit 29 home runs and drove in over 100 runs this past season. He can also play defense as he could’ve won the Gold Glove this season—he’s won two in his career—and he can also steal bases better than a lot of third baseman.

Other than a high number of strikeouts, he brings more potential to the table than the man to his left on the infield.

The Red Sox can also use a third baseman with Adrian Beltre most likely not returning and they were rumored to have offered Jacoby Ellsbury for Wright around the trade deadline. The Mets have no need for Ellsbury unless they trade Carlos Beltran but perhaps one of those Red Sox starting pitchers can be dealt in return.

If you’re looking for pure speed and warning track power, you’d want to keep Reyes. If you’re looking for some speed along with power and overall smart baseball, you’d want to keep Wright.

It’s an interesting debate and one should be traded, but the Mets must have a replacement for either position which is hard to find.

If the Mets enter 2011 with both Reyes and Wright on the roster, they’ll be looking at another season of the same old team. Something must change for the sake of a new feel and look.

The Mets have stated they’d be willing to speak to teams about Reyes. When it comes to Wright, the Mets already called him a day after the season ended to tell him he’s staying aboard. Stay tuned.

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The Mets hired their new manager on Tuesday, as Terry Collins was named the 20th skipper in franchise history. The Mets fired Jerry Manuel immediately following the season after two-and-a-half years in the dugout.

There were options for the Mets other than Collins, as they interviewed 10 candidates, but they went with the least known name, not giving the fans Wally Backman or Bob Melvin.

It just doesn’t seem like this is the right fit for the Mets after years of struggles. There are five reasons the Mets shouldn’t have hired Collins, and here they are.

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New Mets general manager Sandy Alderson made it pretty clear when he took the job: don’t look forward to big free agent signings this offseason or any huge trades unless they’re perfect. That means that this current Mets roster will be virtually the same come Opening Day in Miami.

Actually, it won’t be the same for a negative reason. Ace starting pitcher Johan Santana will miss some time recovering from shoulder surgery and it’s not clear when he’ll be ready to pitch in 2011.

So, if this were the offseason heading into 2012, the Mets would’ve went after Cliff Lee to fill the void. Next offseason, the Mets may be the biggest spenders in baseball as some big contracts will come off the books. Notably the ones of Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, and if the Mets elect, Francisco Rodriguez. Jose Reyes will also be a free agent.

It isn’t next offseason, though, and therefore the Mets will start the season with Mike Pelfrey as the “ace.”

In 2010, the Mets went through a major youth movement. The season didn’t start out like that and the plan was to compete. But as the season went along into the summer, Ike Davis was called up from the minors, Josh Thole eventually became the starting catcher, and Ruben Tejada got a lot of time at second base. There were a bunch of other youngsters contributing like Jon Niese and in September, Lucas Duda.

At the end of the season, after a bunch of games featuring seven rookies in the starting lineup, the team won 79 games. That was with Pelfrey winning 15 games and with Santana pitching dominant baseball at times and with the team putting together two eight-game winning streaks.

The team was too young and too inconsistent with a lot of dead weight on the roster. As of today, just days before Thanksgiving, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are still on the roster. It looks like the exact team that produced 79 wins in 2010, will return for 2011.

So, where does that leave the Mets? You can’t really expect an increase in victories and should really expect a decrease with the loss of Santana and his 11 wins and 2.98 ERA.

The lineup will be the same with rookies on the right side of the infield and Wright and Reyes on the left side. The outfield has potential but Jason Bay was a bust up until his season-ending concussion in his first season with the Mets. Carlos Beltran hasn’t played a full season since 2008 and Angel Pagan has to play like he did last season.

The starting rotation is a complete mess made worse by Santana’s injury. There are three guys that can be relied on with Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese but the latter two are question marks.

Can Dickey’s knuckler be as effective to the tune of 11-14 wins? Can Niese rebound from late-season struggles? Even if all three mainstays perform up to their best capability, who’s pitching the other two games?

Hisanori Takahashi was not re-signed and Pat Misch isn’t a viable option. The Mets could perhaps sign a second-tier free agent starter such as Jorge De La Rosa, Carl Pavano, or Javier Vazquez but they can’t sign two of them.

Pavano and Vazquez were both busts as members of the other New York team and haven’t proven to be effective in big games.

So, the rotation is a mess and the bullpen is awful as of now. It could get better but two key pieces are missing. As mentioned, Hisanori Takahashi was not brought back as he could’ve been a setup man to Rodriguez.

And the even bigger loss if he isn’t brought back would be Pedro Feliciano. He’s been the best left-handed specialist in baseball over the last five seasons and if he’s gone, the bullpen is officially terrible.

Nothing concerning the current or even possible Opening Day Mets roster gives you much hope for 2011. It’s going to be another grind and it’s almost like what the Knicks went through over the past two seasons. Not expecting much until some money is cleared to work with, which it will be.

This Mets team looks like a 75-79 win team at the highest and there’s not much to improve that right now.

Can you wait for 2012? You’re going to have to have patience in order to witness this team play meaningful games in October again.

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The New York Mets have finally taken the right steps towards building a respectable front office. They’ve brought in Sandy Alderson to be general manager, J.P. Ricciardi to be a special assistant and Paul DePodesta to be vice president of player development and scouting.

That’s all fine but those guys don’t play and even when the new manager is signed, the team is still the same on the field. Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez to name a few, are still on the roster.

Perhaps Beltran is healthy and can play out his final season but it shouldn’t be a given. In a walk year, Beltran is motivated to earn a final big contract from another team. If the Mets feel he’s healthy enough to play 145 games in 2011, then there should be other teams interested in trading for him.

Right now, the Mets outfield consists of Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan. Bay still has to prove he can play in New York and Pagan may be better suited to play center field daily.

Plus, Beltran just brings a bad feel to this team. There’s always something about him and it may be time to part ways one year early.

It’s either that or change up the core, but Jose Reyes has already had his option picked up and David Wright was phoned and told he’s staying.

If the current three of Reyes, Wright and Beltran all remain Mets, it would be the seventh season of that trio, and still only one playoff appearance. Eventually those kinds of groups have to be split up. It’s not as if they’ve done what the Yankees’ “core four” have done.

Looking at the other players who should be cut or traded just because it’s the right thing to do, three guys come to mind.

Of course, right in the center of that conversation is Oliver Perez. There’s no point in giving an explanation as long as you are a true Mets follower, and he must be cut.

Just like Beltran, he has one year remaining ($12 million) but he can’t be traded. It wouldn’t hurt for the Mets to eat the money because they’ve said they’re not signing any big free agents anyway.

Another guy that must go is Luis Castillo. He can’t do anything anymore. The only thing he’s good for is slap hits to the opposite field. He has no power whatsoever, can’t steal anymore with bad knees and carries around a bad attitude on the field. He always shows bad body language after making an error or doing something wrong at the plate.

He can be traded because there are teams, notably the Cubs, who have shown interest in him. The Cubs you’d figure are going to rebuild next season. Lou Piniella is no longer the manager, the team has had bad seasons, and they traded some players away last season. Derrek Lee, Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly are gone, and perhaps they’d make a trade for Castillo.

Another team could be the Mariners if they swap bad contracts. Chone Figgins could come the Mets way if possible and produce in a change of scenery situation. The bottom line is, there are options for getting rid of Castillo.

The final player the Mets should trade away, although they’ve said he’s returning, is Francisco Rodriguez. He’s only going to be 29 years old by the start of the season and he obviously can still close games, but there are two reasons why he should leave.

First of all, who knows where his head is at with the problems with his girlfriend. The second thing is, why bring back any negativity from the disaster that was the 2010 season?

The problem with letting him go is that the Mets didn’t re-sign Hisanori Takahashi and by not going after big free agents, they wouldn’t have a closer in 2011. There aren’t any available ones on the market anyway and Bobby Parnell won’t cut it.

The point is, this current Mets 25-man roster can’t stay the same. Year after year, the Mets have kept the same players and have gotten nowhere and with a new front office, things must change. If a couple of the aforementioned players aren’t let go, the Mets will have another irrelevant season.

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