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The game of baseball can be truly amazing to watch at times—especially when one rookie player completely stuns a veteran so much that he forces an error.

That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday afternoon in an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Angels and the defending champion San Francisco Giants in Tempe, Ariz.

Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos forced 14-year veteran Miguel Tejada into making an error with sheer boldness.

Bourjos started the bottom of the fourth inning by laying down a beauty of a bunt to reach on a single. The next batter, Erick Aybar, blooped a double into right field. As the relay throw came in to the shortstop Tejada, Bourjos was already rounding third base with no signs of stopping.

Stunned, Tejada turned to throw but literally threw the ball directly into the ground, the ball rolling harmlessly toward the first-base dugout as Bourjos crossed the plate.

Speed kills.

Angels fans have known for a while now just how fast Bourjos can be. However now, the rest of the baseball world is seeing how Bourjos and his blazing speed can affect the outcome of any play, offensively or defensively.

Speed can be an amazing thing to watch in baseball. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson redefined the art of baserunning during his career, shattering every record in the books.

Just two seasons ago, the baseball world watched as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury successfully attempted a straight steal of home plate during a game against the New York Yankees on national television. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada never had a chance.

Peter Bourjos possesses that kind of speed.

Teammate and right fielder Torii Hunter is awestruck at what Bourjos is capable of as well.

“He’s a freak of nature,” Hunter told MLB.com. “He does things normal guys just can’t do. Me and Vernon (Wells) are here to help him become as good as he can be. The sky’s the limit.”

Not only does Bourjos possess incredible speed, with the ability to get to any ball in any part of center field, he has a bit of pop in his bat as well. Last season, in 181 at-bats, Bourjos hit six home runs, which would project to about 20 in a full major-league season.

As spring training moves to a close, Bourjos is finding his comfort level at the plate as well. “I feel like I’m having good at-bats,” he said. “I’m walking, stealing some bases. I’ve gotten a few good bunts down. As I’m getting more comfortable, I’m getting to know the pitchers better.”

If Bourjos continues on this path, the Angels will have found the leadoff hitter they’ve been searching for since the departure of Chone Figgins, and both Wells and Hunter can just sit back and continue to watch the development of a very special player.

For continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Angels, follow Doug on Twitter @HalosHub.

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With Opening Day only one week away and the list of injuries seemingly growing, fans across Dodgertown are left wondering if a door may open for one of several minor league prospects within the organization.

The track record of general manager Ned Colletti suggests that he much rather prefers middle-of-the-road veterans over the youngsters, however a handful of the farmhands have already shown positive value over the course of Cactus League play this spring.

There are still at least two to three roster spots wide open, and considering that Vicente Padilla, Jon Garland and Casey Blake may not be ready for the opener against the San Francisco Giants on March 31, management may indeed turn to one of the youngsters early.

The following slides show seven current minor league players who may be called upon much earlier than anticipated, offer a brief background on each, as well as offer a short summary on how each performed during their opportunities this spring.

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After a disappointing 2010 campaign, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed first-baseman James Loney only to a one-year deal.

With a decrease in home-runs and batting average each of the last four seasons, anything more than a one-year deal may have been questioned.

So, the question remains; Should the Dodgers give him one more year to get back on track, or put him on the trade block?

Well, here are some potential candidates if L.A. chooses the latter. 

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There are a number of terrific pitchers in the American League who have garnered much attention in recent years.

Last season, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners was the top dog, earning the AL CY Young award in spite of a 13-12 record. The year before, the honor went to Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke, who posted a 16-8 record and won it in a landslide over last year’s winner, Hernandez.

Other pitchers have gained accolades in recent years, but one pitcher has consistently flown under the radar when it comes to talking about the elite pitchers in the American League: Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver.

Last season, Weaver’s numbers were eerily similar to those of Hernandez. Both finished with a 13-12 record, both pitchers had exactly 34 starts, both had almost the exact same number of strikeouts, with Weaver just edging Hernandez for the AL lead, 233-232. And both had WHIPs under 1.10 (Hernandez 1.057, Weaver 1.074).

Both pitchers also shined for teams that were woeful offensively. The Mariners scored the lowest amount of runs for a team in a single season since the advent of the designated hitter in 1973, while the Angels scored a full 202 runs fewer than the previous season.

Yet, King Felix reigns supreme when it comes to the discussion of the best pitchers in the American League, while Weaver, who has compiled a 64-39 record with a 3.55 earned run average in five seasons, quietly goes about the business of great pitching without the accolades.

Bleacher Report will look into possible reasons as to why Jered Weaver appears to not gain a whole lot of respect outside of the Los Angeles area, and whether or not there is a conspiracy theory in effect.

Well, no, my name is NOT Oliver Stone, so we’ll just forget that last part.

For continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Angels, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

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It’s time we all take a breather from worrying about the sports themselves and focus on the players involved. This article is written with the intent of recognizing that there are bigger things that we should be focusing on at this time in the world rather than sports. On 3/11/2011 an unprecedented 8.9 earthquake rocked the country of Japan. It brought devastation, injuries, life loss and widespread panic but that was only the beginning.

After the earthquake hit, a gigantic 23 foot tsunami tore throw the coastal areas of Northeastern Japan. The waves pushed inland as much as six miles in certain spots devouring everything and anything in their way. We are reminded how strong the forces of nature that are out of our control truly are. If you are reading this article now, then please take a moment of silence to meditate on this tragic event and to pray to God for the safety of Japan and it’s people.

We hope the worst is now in the past but danger still looms as nuclear meltdown is the newest concern in Japan thanks to damage at three nuclear power plants inflicted by the mega-quake and powerful tsunami. You may be asking yourself, “How could this terrible, horrific event possibly tie into sports?”

In this gigantic melting pot known as the United States of America, the land of the free and home of the brave, we have taken in many Japanese athletes as our own and have grown to respect them in the process. We have looked up to them, we have cheered their names and now it’s time we reach out and send our condolences to them, their families and their friends. Our hopes and prayers are with you and we are thankful to have you all here competing in our nation. May God Bless America, God Bless Japan and God bless the whole world.

Here is a brief slideshow that points out all active major leaguers that come from Japan. Be sure to pray for all of Japan and it’s people but say a special prayer for these major leaguers and their families as they take time away from baseball to focus on this tragedy.

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Bobbleheads, t-shirts and refrigerator magnets.

Oh, my!

One of the pleasures a fan of a lousy team has to look forward to every season are the cool promotions that sucker you in to handing over a hundred bucks you may not have otherwise.

I’ve become an expert at this in recent years rooting on the Mariners, unfortunately. I have more dolls than any 31 year old man should, thanks to the annual Ichiro bobbles. Though, they’re sucking me in again this season.

This year’s edition includes a hit counter so we can follow him on his quest to 200 a season and 3000 overall.

I got to thinking, naturally, because that’s what this stuff does to me: what promotions would us fans who like a good old chuckle line up for, even though our favorite team would never do it?

This list is the byproduct of that thinking. I apologize in advance.

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First of all, the Dodgers finished fourth in the NL West last season, so let’s not kid ourselves…this isn’t about Dodgers versus Giants. But what can the Dodgers do to win the division?

On paper, the team is good. But how can they separate themselves from the Giants and Rockies? All three have a legitimate ace. All three have offensive holes. So what’s the difference? 

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When Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Scott Kazmir walked Juan Pierre on four pitches to start yesterday’s spring training game with the Chicago White Sox in Tempe, AZ, the 5,100 fans in attendance at Temple Diablo Stadium were probably thinking, “Oh, great, another stinker of a year from Kazmir.”

However, Kazmir settled down and pitched three strong innings for the Angels, giving up just two hits and the lone walk to Pierre, striking out one and throwing 24 of 41 pitches for strikes.

The game between the Angels and White Sox featured two comebacks of sorts: Kazmir coming back from a season during which he was 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA and decreased velocity with his fastball and White Sox starter Jake Peavy, who was felled in July 2010 with a torn latissimus dorsi muscle in his back.

Peavy was also effective, throwing two innings and allowing no hits while striking out two. Peavy hit 92 MPH at one point on the radar gun and threw 26 pitches overall.

However, Angels fans were much more concerned about Kazmir, especially after a rough first spring outing, when he gave up five hits and three runs in two innings of work. But his second outing clearly showed he is headed on the right track.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia no doubt breathed a sigh of relief after the outing by Kazmir as well.

“He’s feeling good physically. He feels much better with his delivery. And I think you’re seeing better results,” Scioscia told MLB.com. “We need him to feel good about where he is and start to execute pitches because he has talent.”

Especially encouraging was Kazmir’s ability to throw both his signature slider and his changeup for strikes. Last season, Kazmir completely lost confidence in his slider, once considered one of the nastiest among left-handers in all of baseball.

While Kazmir was satisfied with the results, he is still looking for more.

“It’s getting there,” he said. “Just picking up a ball and playing catch, everything feels so much better. But I’m not going to say I’m there, because I’m definitely not.”

Yes, it’s still early in spring. However, seeing anything positive from Scott Kazmir at this point in time is encouraging, considering the dark place that Kazmir is coming from.

For continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Angels, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s a fickle life in Major League Baseball. Here today, gone tomorrow is a phrase often used when referring to ballplayers who had a quick run of success before seemingly losing it altogether, or players felled by injuries who were unable to make it all the way back.

The stories of great fame and then injury go back many years in baseball, especially among pitchers. Dizzy Dean was a classic example.

Known as the Ace of the Gashouse Gang for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dean was the last pitcher to win 30 games in the National League, reaching that mark in 1934.

However in 1937, Dean was struck by a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill, during that year’s All-Star game, fracturing his left big toe.

When Dean attempted to come back too soon after the injury, he altered his motion, which hurt his throwing shoulder, thereby robbing him of his famous fastball. Although Dean continued to pitch for several more seasons, he never approached his earlier success.

Another example was Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass. Between the years of 1968-1972, Blass was one of the better and more durable pitchers in the National League.

He amassed four 15-win seasons in five years, his best in 1972, when he posted a 19-8 record with a 2.49 earned run average, earning him a runner-up finish behind Steve Carlton in the NL Cy Young award balloting.

Blass also won two games for the Pirates in the 1971 World Series, including the clinching Game 7 victory in which Blass threw a four-hitter in Game 3.

However, in 1973, Blass slipped to 3-9 with a 9.85 ERA, and was in the minors the following season. Blass completely lost the ability to throw strikes, and his control never returned. He was out of baseball by 1975.

This season, there are quite a few pitchers who are attempting to either come back from injuries, or trying to salvage a mess of a season the year before.

We rank the top 10 pitchers who will be attempting a comeback to glory for the 2011 MLB season.

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On July 27, 1994, a 22-year-old outfielder named Garret Anderson made his MLB debut with the California Angels. Now, 17 years and 2,228 games later, he is calling it a career.

Angels fans will also remember Anderson as the owner of the franchise record books. In his fifteen years with the Halos, he set club records in almost every major offensive stat, including hits (2,368), RBI (1,292), runs (1,024) and total bases (3,743).

To be fair, though, that’s to be expected from a player who also has the most games played (2013), at-bats (7,989), plate appearances (8,480) and outs made (5,936) in team history.

For those fans who live outside Anaheim, he will be best remembered for the 2002 season, when he helped the Angels to their first-ever World Series championship and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting (albeit undeservedly).

He finished his career with 287 homers, 1,365 RBI (good for 77th on the all-time list), and an average just a hair under .300 (.293). So even if he wasn’t one of the defining offensive machines of his era, he’ll doubtlessly be remembered as a good hitter.

Except he really wasn’t.

Yes, Anderson finished with a solid batting average, and even if his power declined quickly, he still finished with an above-average .168 ISO. And yet, according to his 99 WRC+, he was actually a below-average hitter for his era.

What gives?

The answer is his .324 career OBP. If you’re thinking that a .324 OBP seems a little low for a guy who hit almost .300, you’re right. You don’t need to see the numbers to know that Anderson didn’t walk much.

But in this case, “doesn’t walk much” seems like an understatement. We’re not talking a guy like Ichiro Suzuki who makes contact with everything, or Pablo Sandoval, who swings at everything.

Anderson has never walked more than 31 times in a season. In 2002, when he was an MVP candidate, he walked 30 times in 678 trips to the plate.

Yes, Anderson’s most enduring legacy will be having one of the worst batting eyes of all time. 

Anderson’s career walk rate will stand forever at a putrid 4.7 percent. When you sent him up to the plate, the odds of him letting four bad pitches go by were less than one-in-20.

Want some perspective on that? In the history of Major League Baseball, 256 players have accumulated at least 8,000 plate appearances. Of those men, Anderson finishes 251st in walk rate. More than half (140) have career walk rates of at 9.4 percent or higher, or more than double Anderson’s mark. Twenty-seven players in that group walked thrice as often, and three men—Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Ted Williams—worked free passes with over quadruple Anderson’s frequency.

Of course, the game has changed dramatically over the last 100-plus years; the modern game has a new emphasis on plate discipline, so putting Anderson’s walk rate in a historical context isn’t quite fair. What happens if we instead compare him to his contemporaries?

Anderson’s career spanned 17 seasons, from 1994-2010. Over that span, 101 MLB players accumulated at least 6,000 plate appearances. Of those, his plate discipline is dead-last.

Vladimir Guerrero, the master of swinging at everything, has a walk rate of 8.5 percent. Miguel Tejada, who was quoted in Moneyball saying that, if he didn’t take more walks, “Billy Beane send me to Mexico,” has walked 32 percent more often than Anderson.

Things get even worse if one considers that nearly a quarter (24.2 percent) of his free passes have been intentional. Counting only the walks he earned while the pitcher was actually trying, his walk rate drops to just 3.6 percent.

A base on balls every 28 plate appearances? That’s about the rate at which my MVP Baseball 2005 team walked, and I could pretty much hit home runs at will.

Baseball lost a good player today—three All-Star appearances, a pair of Silver Sluggers, and 15 consecutive seasons of at least 108 games played is nothing to shake a stick at. But the only thing about Anderson that should be remembered in the annals of history is his complete inability to take ball four. 

For more of Lewie’s work, visit WahooBlues.com. Follow him on Twitter @LewsOnFirst or  @WahooBlues.

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