Kuzul

Carl Pavano is a fascinating example of the relationship between expectations and performance.

The 12-year major league veteran has pitched for 5 teams and earned over $47 million throughout the course of his career. There have been seasons in which he looked poised to become an ace (like in 2004 when he went 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA and made his first All-Star team with the Florida Marlins), and there have been seasons in which he looked like he might have to retire from baseball (like in 2008 when he only managed to pitch 34.1 innings with a 5.77 ERA while with the New York Yankees).

It’s like watching Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Is he an ace, or is he garbage?

The answer, it seems, is that Pavano’s performance largely depends upon which team he is pitching for. Take a look at his career ERA at his last three extended stops (ignoring the 125 innings he threw for Cleveland in 2009).

Florida (2002-2004): 3.64, 485.0 innings

New York (2005-2008): 5.00, 145.2 innings

Minnesota (2009-2010): 3.97, 294.2 innings

That seems like a rather unusual career path. Even in his five years as a young, up-and-coming pitcher for the Montreal Expos, Pavano’s ERA was still a respectable 4.83 over 452.2 innings. Why would a player who seemed on the cusp of stardom suddenly forget how to pitch once he got to New York?

The truth is that some players simply can’t handle the limelight and constant media attention that comes with playing in a big market city like New York, Boston, Chicago, or Los Angeles. There’s an intense amount of pressure to live up to expectations, which in Pavano’s case included a four-year, $38 million contract. Yankees’ fans expected Pavano to pitch like an ace and he crumbled, suffering countless injuries and setbacks (including missing the entire 2006 season) and managing only a meager nine wins in his four seasons in pinstripes.

Yet, once Pavano relocated to the small market haven of Minnesota, he reestablished himself as a major league pitcher. Now he’s a free agent again and on the look out for the last multi-year contract of his career.

Big market clubs better beware, though. Pavano doesn’t pitch so well when he’s sweating under the heat of all the cameras and lights focused on him.

What other players struggle to perform underneath the spotlight? Here’s a list of the top 10 riskiest free agents for big market teams.

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Roy Halladay is the National League’s Cy Young Award winner for the 2010 season. That much is certain, and why wouldn’t he be? He led the league in wins, complete games, innings pitched, shutouts, and finished in the top three in every other statistic of importance.

As for the others that could be considered, Johnson doesn’t have the wins, Jimenez’s ERA is much higher than the other three, and Wainwright falls just slightly behind Halladay in nearly everything, and looks to be the second place finisher. Besides, none of those three teams made the playoffs, which does factor into Cy voting; whether it should or not is a discussion for another time.

This is certainly not the first time that a pitcher had shown to be a clear choice for the Cy Young Award. In fact, it seems to happen fairly frequently. Over the last 25 years, there are 15 instances of very easy selections for the Cy Young Award.

Multiple winners are limited to two appearances on this slide for more variation, so Clemens or Maddux isn’t going to show up 4+ times.

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It’s yet another awards season. The latest awards given were the Rookies of the Year. Obviously, there is controversy with awards given, especially the rookie ones.

It’s hard to objectively judge, especially with rookies, as some play in substantially fewer games. It’s one of those awards where any position can win.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best rookie seasons in the past decade.

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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.

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The National League Rookie of the Year announcement was made earlier today, and Giants catcher Buster Posey deservedly took home the honor. He received 20 of the possible 32 first-place votes, and beat out fellow phenom Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves.

Posey helped lead the Giants to the World Series title, and he could also be considered an NL MVP candidate for his contributions.

With Posey’s great season, this is a good time to look back at some of the other great debut seasons posted by catchers recently, as catcher may be the toughest position to man as a rookie.

So here are the top 10 seasons from rookie catchers in the past 20 years, including this year’s phenom, Buster Posey.

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With the MLB offseason in full swing, big free-agent signings are on the horizon and many teams are already trying to get the best fits.

Each year there are some signings that work out very well for some teams, and there are other signings that contribute nothing.

The 2010 offseason should be no different, as there will be a fair share of undervalued and under-appreciated players available. On the other hand, there will be some overvalued or overrated players that will be there for the taking.

This offseason, it seems as if there is a high amount of overrated players that will be out in the open for clubs to scoop up to add to their teams.

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Each season, players seemingly come out of nowhere and become catalysts for their team. Whether it is a high-profile rookie, a second-year player, or simply someone who finally got their chance, new stars pop up each and every season.

What follows is a list of the 25 players most likely to breakout in 2011. There are a number of top prospects on the list, as well as some former top prospects who have still not lived up to their high billing.

So as the offseason wheelings and dealings begin to unfold, here are the 25 guys who will make their teams better with a breakout season in 2011.

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The 2010 season is likely to go down as the “Year of the Pitcher,” but it could also be adequately labeled the “Year of the Rookie.”

Two rookies, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, led the San Francisco Giants to an unlikely championship. The much-hyped Jason Heyward made good on his reputation as a five-tool stud, and Stephen Strasburg was brilliant in his brief MLB stint.

Don’t forget Ike Davis, Jaime Garcia, Gaby Sanchez, and Starlin Castro—and that’s just in the National League.

Yesterday, Bleacher Report’s Featured Columnists continued our 16-part series previewing Major League Baseball’s end-of-season awards with the results of our AL Rookie of the Year vote. Today, we look at the best newbies in the Senior Circuit.

So read on, see how we did and be sure to let us know what we got wrong!

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Sparky Anderson Dead read the headlines this morning. The baseball world has lost one of it’s most prized possessions. 

Sparky Anderson was the prototypical manager for me. He was a no nonsense, hard nosed, motivator that was beloved by fans and his players.

He started his managerial career in Cincinnati in 1970 and then moved onto become the Tigers skipper in 1979. While manager, he compiled over 2,000 wins and three world series titles. He will be missed for his love of the game and for the lives he has shaped. 

That latter is what I would like to concentrate on here. Anderson was manager of the Big Red machine of the 1970’s and of the Tigers that won it all in 1984. Throughout his years he has touched the careers of many fantastic ball players. Here are the best. 

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The MLB season is over and the offseason has officially begun. Some teams will look to improve, while others simply hope to keep the talent they have.

Many player will be on the move this offseason, perhaps a Hall of Fame shortstop, a notable pitching ace, or maybe one of the league’s best sluggers.

Regardless, always remember that these are bold predictions, and in honor of the title that they shall be.

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