Kuzul

Man, Ruben Amaro blew it.

He had Cliff Lee in his possession, and threw him away for nothing so that he could acquire Roy Halladay.

And now? The Philadelphia Phillies are screwed. Sure, they picked up Roy Oswalt, but he’s not Cliff Lee, and they had to give up J.A. Happ to get him.

Amaro could have had the best pitching staff in baseball, and he threw it all away.

He sucks.

Except…

It isn’t true. It is a myth. It is a Phillies’ myth, one that Phillies fans have latched onto, and one which they need to let go of.

Here is a look at six such myths.

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Sure, they have a possible Triple Crown candidate in Joey Votto—and fellow All-Stars Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen. The pitching staff has been solid, if not spectacular, led by the most consistent pitcher in the majors: Bronson Arroyo.
 
But the glue that keeps this team together is the bench. They are unsung heroes that have proven to be the WD-40 to the Reds’ machine when it gets a bit rusty. The players that were expected to be afterthoughts have instead been essential to the Reds success.
 
Dusty Baker has told media members that the team would be lost without them. Votto calls them “essential” to the team’s good fortunes. Here are the unsung heroes of the 2010 Reds.

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The announcement was made yesterday that Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg is once again heading to the disabled list with a forearm strain.

After going on the disabled list in late July with an inflamed right shoulder, Strasburg was making just his third start since returning from that injury when he was pulled with the forearm injury.

With so many over-hyped, can’t miss prospects flaming out in the last few seasons, one has to wonder: Is Strasburg the next Hall of Fame hurler, or is he heading for an injury-shortened career that falls far short of expectations?

Why He Is the Next Great Pitcher

The fact of the matter is, the Nationals have nothing to play for right now, and they have no reason not to be overly cautious with a hefty investment such as Strasburg. This could simply be a matter of the Nationals making it clear to him that he is to tell them whenever something does not feel right, regardless how minor it is.

It is important to note that these are unrelated injuries, and there is no reason to think that something like a forearm strain will not be cleared up and no longer an issue after his 15 days are up.

The fact of the matter is, when Strasburg has been healthy, he has been nothing short of amazing and has lived up to the hype. With a sparkling ERA of 2.91 and his as advertised repertoire of pitches racking up 12.2 K/9, he has shown that he can dominate since his 14-strikeout debut.

The Nationals are an up-and-coming team and should be on their way to playing competitive baseball within the next few seasons.

With a solid core of players like Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan, Ian Desmond, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen among others, and fellow phenom Bryce Harper heading up one of the better minor league systems in baseball, the Nationals will certainly be a fun team to watch in the years to come.

Why He Is the Next Epic Flop

While the forearm injury is most likely nothing serious, the earlier shoulder injury is a concern, as there may be no bigger red flag for a hard-throwing pitcher than a shoulder problem.

Strasburg seems to have smooth enough mechanics, but the same was said about the effortless way in which Mark Prior pitched, and he is perhaps the most epic flameout of all-time.

Looking closer at Prior’s case, while he did suffer various other injuries early in his career, it was a shoulder injury in 2006 spring training that led to his downward spiral. He missed three months to open the season and was then shut down in August when the shoulder injury flared back up.

The beginning of the next season ended for Prior before it even started, as he underwent shoulder surgery in spring training of the 2007 season and never pitched in the big leagues again. While this is only one case, it shows how significantly a shoulder injury can flare up time and again. With Prior and Strasburg put on equally high pedestals coming out of college, it is a fair comparison to make.

The Verdict

While it is certainly too soon to write Strasburg off or anoint him the next Hall of Fame pitcher, the early injury problems are certainly enough to make Nationals fans squirm a bit. With the team looking to the future and having little to play for this season, the Nationals have no reason not to be overly cautious with their prized arm.

Time will tell if the arm problems continue, but one thing is for sure: The future of the Nationals will greatly hinge on the health of Strasburg’s right arm.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2010 season has been kind to the Baltimore Orioles minor-league system.

This is great news, because the 2010 season has been a plague for the big league club, who aside from snagging manager Buck Showalter, has failed to incite any real excitement.

As such, the race for Orioles Minor League Player of the Year honors is heating up, and for the first time in a good long while, there are actually more than a few promising nominees.

This year’s crop doesn’t feature any superstar names like Brian Matusz or Chris Tillman, but it has more than a few mid-level prospects, and some really big surprises.

So, let’s get to it, and see who might be taking home some organizational hardware.

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It has been a rough season for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The team entered with a new starting rotation and high expectations of making the playoffs, but none of that has gone as planned. The team currently sits at 59-65 and may be the most consistently inconsistent team in 2010.

But with just over a month left in the season, let’s take a look at some of the good things that make up the Brewers. They have a great young core in Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, John Axford, Casey McGehee, Alcides Escobar, Jonathan Lucroy, Corey Hart, and Lorenzo Cain. The team also plays at one of the most unique ballparks in the MLB.

Miller Park is famous for its food, fans, and events. Everyone loves both the bratwurst and Bernie Brewer’s home run slide, but there is more to the stadium.

Here are the ten greatest things that make up Miller Park.

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Manny Ramirez‘s days with the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be coming to an end, as the general consensus around baseball is that he will end up on waivers early this week. 

Monday was the first opportunity the Dodgers had to put Ramirez on waivers because it was the first business day after Ramirez came off the disabled list, but they are not expected to do so.

According to baseball sources, the only thing that will come in the way of Ramirez being on a different team before Aug. 31, the deadline for playoff roster eligibility, is his no-trade clause. 

Ramirez’s contract is not as bad as one would think for teams pondering the need for a DH. 

Any team that makes a move for Ramirez would owe a portion of his $20 million salary that is divided. What makes Ramirez’s contract affordable is the fact three-fourths of the salary is deferred.

Playoff contenders like the Chicago White Sox, who are getting no production at DH with Mark Kotsay or Andruw Jones, or a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, who don’t have a solid DH, would have to pay Ramirez $1.1 million for the rest of this season and around $3.3 million in deferred salary.

It all comes down to Ramirez waiving his no-trade clause. He can use his no-trade clause to reject any waiver move or trade to any team. He also could even ask for money just to waive his no-trade clause.

If Ramirez were claimed by another team via waivers and he proceeded to veto it, then the Dodgers would have to remove him from waivers. They would be unable to trade him for the remainder of the season as well.

Not a bad idea for a rival of a possible playoff team to do, solely to keep Ramirez away from another team. If you’re out of the race, why not claim Ramirez off waivers, knowing he’ll reject it, and keep him away from a contending rival?

Dirty, yes. Hilarious also.

No one knows what you’d get out of Ramirez, however. He has missed 59 games this season due to injury and just came off the disabled list for a calf strain.

On the other side of that, Ramirez does become a free agent after this season, and if he would like to get paid again, he may suddenly have a breakout last month of the season.

Ramirez is a huge risk, but he’s an improvement for a couple American League playoff contenders—when he decides to play.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Recently, Major League Baseball has been buzzing about the future of several managers. From Tony LaRussa to Joe Girardi, these men are starting to make more headlines than this year’s looming free agent class. 

There could now even be a “Joe Torre Watch” as he is one of the most prized managers in the game and could be relocating this offseason. He has a few destinations to choose from.

The Chicago Cubs may want him as their successor to Lou Piniella, who is retiring after many years in the big leagues. The favorites to replace Piniella are currently Ryne Sandberg and Joe Girardi, if he chooses to pass on returning to the Yankees for the Cubs. Girardi and Torre have both won World Series Championships, but to do it with the Cubs would be historic.

The New York Mets have just joined the hunt for Torre, as many close friends and baseball executives could see a return to the Big Apple for the former Yankees and Mets skipper. 

But Los Angeles and retirement are big factors in his decision. Torre could either pass on all offers and ride off into the sunset or comeback and make one more attempt at winning it all in Dodger blue. 

Those who have started to believe that Torre will retire have started to point towards possible successors. 

Near the top of everyone’s list is Don Mattingly. Mattingly followed Torre from New York after not getting the managerial job there. It seems as if it is set in stone that once Torre is finished, the former Yankees captain would take over. 

But here comes a surprise from Bob Nightingale of USA Today. He believes that the Mattingly promise may never actually happen as a new contender for the possible managerial role has popped up with Tim Wallach. 

Wallach has been the Dodgers’ Triple-A manager since January 2009. Before that he served as the hitting coach for the Dodgers, until he was replaced by Eddie Murray. He has since won 80 games with the Isotopes and was named Manager of the Year. 

Wallach does seem to be quite suitable for the job. Mattingly and Wallach seem to have similar resumes. 

It all comes down to how big can they come up on the big stage and how successful can they make a team with a peculiar situation in the front office.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In a recent CNNSI.com column, Tom Verducci posits that Josh Hamilton is now the best player in baseball. The premise for this supposition is laid out nicely in the following passage from Verducci’s column:

“The legend of Josh Hamilton, Texas Ranger, is growing on a nightly basis. There is nobody like him in baseball, and possibly nobody this good, this big, this fast and this unique—a 6’4″, 235-pound sledgehammer of a hitter who can run balls down in center field and fly around the bases and hit for such a high average—since Mickey Mantle in his prime.“

Another tasty piece of Hamilton-love comes later in the column when Verducci states:

“In 65 games since June 1, just when the Texas heat is supposed to wilt players, Hamilton has hit .423. He also sets himself apart from other great sluggers because he is one of the game’s best base runners and can play Gold Glove-caliber defense in the middle of the field.”

Hamilton is having a fantastic season, no one can doubt that. And, with the Texas Rangers running away from the rest of the AL West and poised to win their first division title since 1999 and only the fourth in team history, Hamilton is a bona fide AL MVP candidate.

But perhaps Verducci’s enthusiasm needs to be tempered a bit.

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At the beginning of August, the Giants trailed the Padres by one game and led the Wild Card race.

They came off a month where they won 20 of their 28 games. They led the majors in runs scored.

But since then they are 7-8 and have fallen to five games back in the division. Now they are on the outside looking in on the playoff picture.

What happened? Three things.

Power outage:

Since the Giants entered the month of August, the offense has sputtered along with little consistency (unless you count consistently bad).

In their 15 games, they have scored a total of 54 runs. That is good for 3.6 runs per game.

One of those games they scored 10 runs in. If you take that game out, 44 runs in 14 games is 3.1 runs per game.

The only solace I can find in this is it’s not a surprise. We knew the offense needed help, and now we are seeing why. Many people started to drink the Kool-Aid of a really hot month for the offense.

This offense is still only 18th in RBIs, even after leading the league in runs for a month. What does that tell you?

Where’d the pitching go?

The one strength of this team was supposed to be pitching. More specifically, the starting pitching.

Well, the Giants have gone 13 games without a starting pitcher picking up a win.

Some of that is Barry Zito getting lit up and Tim Lincecum not being able to find the strike zone. And some of it has to do with the offense not scoring enough runs.

Whatever the case, it has not been good.

Lincecum entered August with an ERA of 3.10. In three starts it has ballooned to 3.62, and he has an ERA of 9.00 and an 0-3 record in that time.

Zito’s ERA in August is higher than in any other month this season. His 4.91 ERA has earned him two no decisions and last night’s loss.

Matt Cain’s ERA is much like his career. Good, but not good enough for this offense. He has an August ERA of 2.89 and one win in his three starts.

Jonathan Sanchez’s mouth has gotten him into trouble lately, and his performances have not helped the case. Despite starting the month with six shutout innings against the Rockies, his performances have mirrored his career: Inconsistent.

In his last two starts, he has given up seven runs in nine and a third innings (6.75 ERA).

Even young Madison Bumgarner has not been impervious to this trend. In three starts, he has an ERA of 4.86 and has allowed 31 baserunners in 16.2 innings. That’s almost two an inning!

But this is not the most troubling part about this month.

The competition is better

Remember who the Giants played last month?

The Nationals, Brewers, Rockies, Dodgers, D-Backs, Mets, and Marlins.

Now, take a look at the standings. Only two of those teams are above .500 and those two teams are only four and two games above .500.

They have a combined winning percentage of .471.

This month?

Cardinals, Reds, Phillies, Braves, Padres, Cubs, Rockies, and D-Backs.

They play or have played each division leader, and the top Wild Card contenders this month.

All but two of those teams have a record above .500. The combined winning percentage? .554.

The offense is having trouble with the tougher pitching staffs and the pitching staff has forgotten how to keep runners off the base paths.

But as I said in another article (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425012-giants-playing-with-fools-gold), this could very well be the month that makes or breaks the Giants.

It is starting to lean toward break.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The signing of Christian Yelich came last night for the Marlins although it didn’t receive the hype of a Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg signing.

Yelich signed for $1.7 million as the deal got done with minutes left until the midnight deadline. Yelich was the Marlins’ first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Taken out of Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California, Yelich stands at 6’4″ and weighs 190 pounds.

With Westlake, he hit .428 with nine home runs and 28 stolen stolen bases. 

Anything sound familiar?

Well, he follows a recent trend of the Marlins picking high school bats from California in early rounds. First-rounder Matt Dominguez (2007), second-rounder Mike Stanton (2007), and first-rounder Kyle Skipworth (2008). 

Nevertheless, Yelich, 18, projects to be an outfielder, more specifically a center fielder with speed to hit at the top of the order. 

On a major league level, Yelich has a swing which has been compared to Mark Grace and some have compared him to James Loney.

But for better description, Yelich could be described as a cross between Logan Morrison (power and plate discipline) and Chris Coghlan (speed and defense). 

Outlook

The long-term plan would be for Christian Yelich to be up in a few years, similar to Mike Stanton.

This would be a best case scenario. 

Yelich figures to be in the Marlins minor league system in 2011 and 2012 and could figure to be up sometime in 2013.

Yet this all depends on the outfielder alignment for the Marlins in the next few years.

Currently, rookies Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton occupy the corner outfield positions and figure to man them for many years to come with the veteran Cody Ross nestled in center.

Another outfielder, 23-year-old Cameron Maybin, who was sent down because of his early season struggles has bounced back nicely in Triple-A New Orleans, hitting .336 with two home runs, 17 RBI to go along with five stolen bases in 28 games.

He figures to be their center fielder if the Marlins do not tender Cody Ross this offseason.

But anything can happen in a few years and the Marlins could always take a page from 2003 when they traded Adrian Gonzalez if they were ever in contention and trade Yelich, but for now, Christian Yelich figures to be something special in the minor leagues for the Marlins. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com