Kuzul

Nearly ever kid dreams of growing up and becoming a professional athlete. However, this dream does not come true for over 99.9% of children. However, in the MLB, there are numerous players that look like they have no business being a professional. Regardless of their looks or size, these players have proved with their skills that they are deserving of their jobs.

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This week, we take a look at the best hitter-pitcher combo in the American League.

I’m one who believes total value wins championships. Not pitching, not defense and not a power bat. If you have the overall balance and more total value, you’re the best.

So, then, it would be important to have both a solid bat (who can play defense, but that’s not factored in here) and an ace on the mound. A door slammer if you will.

There are a few things I valued highly when sorting these rankings. Some of them will be viewed as unconventional to some readers, and that’s fine. I welcome any and all comments below.

For batters, I used an advanced metric called Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). The link can explain this to you far better than I can. In a nut shell, though, wRC+ is a park and league adjusted stat that combines everything a player does to contribute to runs scored.

Why is this better than conventional stats? It’s not Player A’s fault no one is ever in scoring position when he gets a hit, so RBI is kind of sneaky in that it doesn’t tell the whole story. Same with Player B who always gets stranded at third. His run total isn’t revealing everything.

For pitchers, I went with Fangraph’s version of WAR. Pretty much every way I looked at pitchers, they shook out in the same order. I put very little stock into stats like wins for pitchers, but having to defend that became a lot less likely now that Felix Hernandez won a Cy Young with such a low win total.

For both pitchers and hitters, I made some adjustments for expected regression due to age, luck etc.

Now that we have that stuff out of the way, let’s get to the results.

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Well, the Super Bowl is over, and that only means only thing: the countdown to Opening Day has just begun. There are 51 days left until then (as of Monday, February 7). That gives us just about a month and a half to prepare.

The Yankees have had an interesting offseason; and by interesting, I really mean disappointing. Highlighted by the failed signing of ace Cliff Lee, the Yankees also watched its two toughest division opponents go in opposite directions.

Before we look ahead to this season, let’s recap last year.

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New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano has replaced his agent, Bobby Barad, with high-powered sports agent Scott Boras.

Cano finished third in AL MVP voting in 2010 and was awarded the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Scott Boras is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, which represents about 175 professional baseball clients. Boras represents fellow Yankees Mark Teixeira and Rafael Soriano, and other big names around the majors such as Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran and Jered Weaver.

He is also the former agent of Alex Rodriguez and negotiated both of A-Rod’s record-breaking contracts, as well as some other massive contracts around the league.

So what does this mean for the Yankees now that Boras will be representing Cano?

The Yankees will look forward to a painful and frustrating negotiation over Cano’s next contract. The 2011 season is the final year on Cano’s previous contract, but the Yankees have options for $10 million and $14 million in 2012 and 2013. Should the Yankees choose to exercise these options, and they will, then the negotiations will begin soon after the deal is over.

If Cano can keep up his outstanding production from the first six years of his career, he will be in line for a hefty raise, and Boras will make sure he gets it. Of course, the Steinbrenners will have the money to make this deal, and of course, they need to sign Cano when his contract is up, but this is part of the reason the Yankees will be digging into their farm system over the next few seasons.

When Cano is up for a new deal, the Yankees will still be paying the enormous contracts of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter. Many teams in the MLB have payrolls for their entire team that come out to less money than the Yankees will be paying these guys in each of the next few seasons. Adding whatever deal Cano will be asking for to the pile will be overkill for the Yankees.

The fans will suffer from Boras taking over as Cano’s agent as well. Like I mentioned before, Boras has negotiated some of the largest contracts in Major League Baseball’s history. Some of these contracts are the reasons why ticket prices have skyrocketed around the league, especially at Yankee Stadium.

A higher payroll leads to a higher need for income, therefore ticket prices, as well as concession and souvenir prices, will continue to increase as long as contracts keep breaking new barriers.

I am not here to argue for a salary cap. There will never be one in baseball. But the way things are going, the middle class will be struggling to attend baseball games and fans will only be able to express themselves in the streets and in front of televisions.

One can only imagine what prices will be like at Yankee Stadium by 2014; a reality that many fans will be dreading.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In Major League Baseball today, fans are privileged to see several star hitters and pitchers square off every season.

The MLB schedule allows every team in their respective league to play each other, while mixing in inter-league play in the middle of June.

In 2011, the Boston Red Sox and their potent lineup will try to dismantle the Philadelphia Phillies, who have perhaps the best starting pitching staff on paper since the Atlanta Braves of the mid 90’s.

Aside from the prime sluggers and Cy Young candidates, 2011 refreshes bitter rivalries between New York Yankees great Alex Rodriguez and Athletics ace Dallas Braden; and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips Vs. Cardinals youngster Jaime Garcia.

It was difficult to narrow the list of premiere match-ups down to 20, but the following hitter-pitcher duels will surely cause headlines…

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Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada are no longer the New York Yankees’ “Core Four.”  After a 16-year career, Pettitte announced his retirement today. 

In an official press conference in New York, the left-handed starter acknowledged thoughts of retiring after last season, but said he felt obligated to return after the Yankees were unable to snare free agent starter Cliff Lee.

Pettitte realized his heart was just “not where it needs to be” after starting workouts.  Instead, the veteran will stay home and spend time with his family.

Pettitte is the first of the four to call it quits. However, while Jeter and Rivera have new contracts that go beyond 2011, Posada is entering the final year of his current deal.

Early indications show that this will also be the backstop’s last year in pinstripes, regardless of whether he retires or not following the season.

The Yankees had held out hope that Pettitte would return. Now, New York has a big hole in their starting rotation as Spring Training approaches.

CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett will have the three top rotation spots. After that, the window is foggy.

Continue to the full article on Double G Sports.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

You will never see it on CNN or Fox News.

It will never appear on the front page of any newspaper across the globe.

You will never see it in a documentary on Discovery or the History Channel.

It will never be spoken of in any church on any given Sunday.

Yet according to many Yankee fans and sports media alike,  Andy Pettitte seemingly walks on water.  He is apparently the Yankees own personal second coming and the only one that can salvage their upcoming season.

Andy Pettitte, all by himself at the ripe old age of 38 and coming off his best statistical season cut short by injury, can save the entire Yankee season single-handedly.  

Apparently.

Andy Pettitte, the man that left the pinstripes for the uniform of the Houston Astros (for whatever reason you want to believe), can single-handedly save the season for Derek Jeter and company just by showing up it seems.  It was apparently because he left that the Yankees never won during his absence and only when he came back did they win again.  Yes, I get it. Right.

Apparently his mojo went on strike last season.

Andy Pettitte, the man who puts everyone through the same “will he or won’t he” dance every off season—the one who needs to decide every off season if he wants to play for the team that put him on the map—has, and he alone, the mojo that can fix what’s wrong with the Yankees of 2011.

Oh YES! Testify my brother!

Imagine that—Andy. Pettitte. Is. A. Super.Hero.

Newsflash.  If the Yankees landed Cliff Lee, you know the other dude that apparently walks on water, the Yankees would not be calling Pettitte and the fans would not be clamoring for his return so much.

If WE GOT LEEEE!!!!!, it would be nice to have Andy too.

Now—WE DID NOT GET #%&^$ LEE!!! WE NEED #^z*(^&$ PETTITTE!

If the Yankees landed Lee, Pettitte would be playing because the pressure would be off.  Without Lee, Pettitte knows he will be looked upon to be a savior.  It’s not a role he wants, never has.

Who the heck wants to come back for the grind with a sketchy back at age 38 if you are expected to hoist the team on it?

Andy Pettitte is many things but stupid is not one of them.

As a Yankee fan, Andy Pettitte will always hold a special place in my heart—but Andy was the one Yankee that taught me to not get used to Yankees staying Yankees.

The Yankees “Desperately Need” Andy Pettitte?

He would be nice to have, he surely could help, but “Desperately Needed”?

Sorry but this Yankee fan refuses to drink the Kool-aid so many of you are apparently drunk on.

One can argue that Andy Pettitte is a borderline Hall of Fame pitcher right now but we know he won’t get in. He is a Yankee and well there is that lil’ PED thing.  No one can argue that he is now, and will always be a legendary Yankee.  No one can argue (except the BBWA and the Elitist Brethren of the H.O.F), that he has been one of the best left handed pitchers in the history of the game.

However, and with all due respect to the many columnist out there including some of my fellow Bleacher Report columnists, stating that the ‘Yankees Desperately Need Andy Pettitte” is quite frankly a joke.

Could they use him?  Absolutely.

Could he help them?  Sure if he stays healthy.

Will he all by his awsome-ness save the season?  Umm…no.

Listen folks, I have been a Yankee fan since 1976.  Andy Pettitte is one of my all-time favorite Yankees, but he is neither the saving grace or nail in the coffin of this team.

It’s time to get real.

Yes I get the fact that he not only knows how to pitch in New York, but he knows how to win in New York.  I get that.

Yes I get that he is a big game pitcher and his presence on the mound motivates the players behind him.

I also understand that he is but one man.  He is 38 years old.  He is prone to injury.  His heart is not 100 percent committed to the game or the team.

Did you get that last part? His heart is not 100 percent committed to pitching.  I don’t think that when he came back from injury last year he was fully committed either.  I think the injury was a wake up call that he just did not want or need to do this anymore—or at least for a whole season.  I think before the season was over last year he knew that was it—or that was it for an entire season.

See where I am going? (Hint…repeated references to “entire season”…hint, hint).

The Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee, whom by the way also does not walk on water despite what the media and some fans believe, and all the sudden the Yankee Universe is coming to an end and Andy Pettitte is the only one with pinstripe tights and cape?

Shoot, why even play the season, just hand the trophy to Philly for the next five years and send everyone on vacation.

There is a reason the games are played on the field and not paper.

Come on people, this is nothing new in the world of the Yankees.  Pettitte would be nice to have but the Yankees are hardly desperate here.

Let’s look at this realistically.  How many games do the starters need to win the East or the Wild card and make it to the playoffs?

In a very strong East and in an improved American League in general, the Yankees, or any team for that matter, will not get into the post with anything less than 90 wins, in my opinion of course.

With a very good staff, okay we will use the Philadelphia Phillies dammit—a team can only hope for 63-65 wins max (18, 15, 12, 10, 8= 63) and that is really pushing the envelope.  Most team only get 40-48 wins per starting rotation but most teams don’t make the playoffs.  A good chance to dance requires a minimum of 55 wins out of the rotation with a decent bullpen backing it up.

The Yankees have, arguably, one of the best pens in the game (on paper). So what about the starters?

What can we expect given the rotation New York is fielding this year WITHOUT Pettitte?

The 2010 San Francisco “World Champions” top three starters won 43 games. They had a rotation of six and their “regular” top five starters won a total of 58 games.

More relative, if slightly less recent, we can look to the 2009 World Champion Yankees who went with a 4 man rotation most of the year and their 4 starters won a total of 55 games. 

Sabathia won 19, Pettitte won 14, Burnett, yes that guy, won 13 and Joba Chamberlain (I just threw up a little in my mouth), won nine.

C.C is still around.  Anyone think he can’t win, oh say 18 games in 2011?

Hughes chipped in eight wins in relief that championship season and turned in 18 wins a year later despite stamina problems the second half which should be corrected come this season.  He may not win 18 games again this year but is anyone doubting he cannot win oh say 14, like Pettitte did in 2009?

Can anyone on the Yankees current Staff win 12?  Yes, A.J Burnett, who averages 12 wins per season, and won 13 in 2009 when the Yankees won it all.  Yes he is coming off a poor season of 10 wins but they Yankees pitching staff is focusing heavily on his mechanics and I believe he can win 12 games this season, simply because he won 13 for New York in 2009.

That’s 44 wins among three starters right there people.

 “Desperate”?

How many wins will Ivan Nova notch?  No one ones but I would not be scared to bet the house on eight wins.

Freddy Garcia has a decent chance to make the Roster.  He rebounded last year and won 12 games for Chicago. I am not fool, so I am not expecting that so let’s be reasonable and give him eight.

Okay.  Of those five starters, if that is how it falls (and who the heck knows), without Pettitte the Yankees starting rotation would notch 60 wins…

“Desperate”?

Garcia does not make it and Sergio Mitre is there? Okay—five wins for him, that’s still 57 wins by starters.

That is still two more than the 2009 World Champion Yankees and one less than the pretenders to the throne last season.

Hell, Sabathia could go down on injury in his first game and everyone else wins less than 10 games and the Yankees finish last.  What would Andy’s presence do then?

There is a reason they play the game one out and one inning at a time people.  No team wins games in the off season.  Calm your doom engine down.

The 2011 Yankee Bull pen, on paper, is a lot stronger than the 2009 version so excuse me if I actually seem hopeful. 

Pettitte, at best, would contribute maybe 14 wins, his yearly average, if healthy and playing a full season which it appears he won’t do.  At age 38,  the chances he works the entire season anyway given his health issues is a huge risk without enough reward for him, his family or the club.

Even if he returned and won 11 games, it is possible that Nova or Garcia can equal that total.

STOP before you go there—no way shape or form am I suggesting Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia are equal to Andy Pettitte.  I am using realistic reasoning here (hopeful is another word), to get everyone off the “we need Andy or Armageddon is a coming’” bandwagon of doom.

Oh and btw, before you start on the “Andy is a big game pitcher and we will need him for the playoffs!”  He is.  I cannot argue with that however, no one knew when he pitched his first post season game that he would be the post season stud he has become.  Another in pinstripes can be born this season, who knows.

Andy Pettitte is a big game pitcher.  Andy Pettitte is one of the greatest Yankees and left handed pitchers in the history of the game.

Andy Pettitte is also one man, aged 38, coming off a great season that fell far short due to injury.

Andy Pettitte is not the answer folks.  He is a cog in the machine—he is not the machine itself.

However, have faith though my friends, all is not totally lost.

Andy Pettitte is also a business man and a smart one at that.  He learned something of value from Roger Clemens, his former mentor.  No, I am not talking about using PEDs.

Pettitte has learned to earn a full season’s salary for half a season of work so if the Yankees are somehow still in the show at the half way mark, rest assured the call to Deer Park Texas will be made and Pettitte will once again don the pinstripes in yet another quest for Glory.

However, it would only happen under certain conditions.

The rotation the Yankees have, as rag tag as it is, is not far off from the cluster mess that showed up in 2008.  If each performs up to expectations or level of talent, the Yankees will be in position to make that call for Mr. Big Game at the mid mark.

Before he answers the call, it must be right for Pettitte. 

In order for that to happen the Yankees must be healthy.  They need Sabathia at his ultimate Cy Young best, Hughes to live up to his hype, Burnett to get his head from out his backside and just pitch and Nova, Garcia or someone else to step up and do the unexpected .

Pettitte will be back for the stretch run is there is one and if and only if it’s almost a certainty they will get in.  Andy wants to be along for the ride.

He just does not want to drive the bus.

Like I said earlier—the man is not stupid.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Opening Day 2011 is less than two months away, and Spring Training will begin in less than three weeks. Last year’s successes are now a thing of the past. Teams now look ahead to focus on a having a successful 2011. 

The foundation for any good team is good starting pitcher. While some teams like the Phillies are blessed with an abundance of great starting pitching, others like like the Pirates will struggle to field even one Major League-level starting pitcher. 

With the start of the new season, teams will look to get off to a good start and send their best pitcher to the mound on Opening Day. The following will rank all 30 teams based on their Opening Day (projected) starting pitchers.

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As Spring Training nears closer, baseball fever is beginning to run rampant. With only one week left in the NFL season, it’s only a matter of time before people start looking south to Florida for hints at what’s to come in the new season.

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be breaking down a division each week before making my final predictions for how the season is going to turn out.

First up, the loaded AL East.

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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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