Kuzul

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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Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s that time of year again.

The fields are being cut, the dirt is getting watered, and the mounds are being built up and pounded down.

Spring Training 2011 is upon us, and along with it a whole new flood of young players, free agent signings, offseason trades, and, of course, the prognostication and prediction as to where each team and player will stack up against their peers.

Pitchers will be looked at for their ability to win games and strike players out. Hitters will be analyzed for holes in their swing and their talent in both contact and power hitting. Speedsters and leadoff men will practice their leadoffs and jumps in the hopes of a good season of stealing bases and going first to third on singles.

But who is looking at the fielders?

Every player in the league—minus the 14 designated hitters in the American League—will be taking ground ball, fly ball, bunt, and every other kind of fielding practice that their managers and coaches can devise. Considering that every position player will spend around nine times as long playing defense than offense, it’s a small wonder that we rarely take the time to separate the Gold Glove gems from the solid defensive backstops—and also from the pure Fungo failures.

With Opening Day 2011 a little over a month away, we at Bleacher Report thought it was time to dust off the leather and rank not the 25 worst defenders, but the 25 most overrated defenders.

These are the players whom everyone seems to be watching when they make that one Gold Glove play that runs on ESPN for weeks, but they’re buying a hot dog for the Bill Buckner-esque plays they make time and time again.

Hopefully this year they can get the elf out of their glove, catch a can of corn, and throw it around the horn.

Don’t hold your breath.

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At first glance, identifying the five best catching prospects in the Houston Astros’ system is like deciding which Jersey Shore cast member to invite to your niece’s Christening. It’s a quandary, really*. Your options are pretty bad across the board.

Scouring the Houston system for promising catchers wasn’t easy; in fact, it was darn near impossible. Truth be told, I was tempted to just start and end this list with the words “Craig Biggio” and hope everyone reading was 45 or older. Fortunately, my better judgment won out; the last thing I need is all 12 Astro’s fans mad at me**. I’ve never messed with Texas, and believe me, I don’t plan on starting now.

But seriously, as Astros fans flock to the ‘net in need of baseball info, it’s our job at Bleacher Report to try our best to make the best of a bad situation, so I’ve compiled a list of the five most promising catching prospects in the Houston system.

Proceed with caution: you’re about to miss Brad Ausmus more than you ever thought you could.  

(Author’s note No. 1: Any Jersey Shore aficionado knows the clear answer to this question is Vinny. If a question is ever aimed at determining which of the Seaside gorillas is the most normal, acceptable, or redeemable, the answer is always Vinny.)

(Author’s note No. 2: Kidddingggggg…)

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Wait he still plays?

Like many baseball fans, I am guilty of saying this expression from time to time. It seems like more than any other major sport, baseball players still tend to have the ability to produce in the later stages of their careers.

Every team seems to have that one old hitter that you thought retired five seasons ago. Often times we poke fun at them, but it is not deserved.

Most championship caliber teams are guilty of having these kinds of players. There is a lot of value in having a hitter that has aged like fine wine.

They can keep they clubhouse under control, they mentor young players, and they have the “game-changer mentality” to come up with a big hit.

In this list I will rank the best hitters from each team over 35 years old (at the start of the 2011 season) based on current skill, not career statistics.

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As February dawns here in 2011, that can only mean one thing for baseball fans, here comes spring training. And with the breath of fresh air and the feeling that only a beginning can supply comes a time when all the questions are going to be tackled. For three months us Giants fans have been basking in the glow of a World Series victory, the first for the city. And now, the Giants must begin their first title defense in the history of San Francisco.

For a team that did relatively little in the offseason (besides locking players up), this spring training will still be phenomenally interesting, mostly due to the tumultuous nature of last season. Now, we know that spring training can be nothing more than a small exercise, and that none of our questions may be answered. Heck, just look at the lineup changes that went on during the season in 2010. However, it is still an incredibly important time of year, a time to review last year, but mostly preview the coming year and address the questions heading in.

In that case, let’s count down the 10 biggest questions facing the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants (feels good don’t it!) as the head into spring training.

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It’s the same old song and dance. Pablo Sandoval is trying to improve his habits at both plates, whether it’s dinner-time, or during the season.

Reports have reached the consensus that Pablo has shed over 20 pounds as of Christmas, and with spring training quickly approaching, one can only wonder how long he can keep his goals in sight.

Some Giants fans have written off the panda as nothing more then a marketing ploy to sell the hats, but if you take a look at his red-hot 2009 batting average which sat at .330, the idea of willing to work with him becomes much more feasible.

Let’s take a look at some ways that Pablo, in true form, can help the Giants make a miracle into a repeat.

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With the NFL playoffs in full swing and conference showdowns this weekend bringing the four remaining teams closer to the ultimate prize, it’s easy to see why football is on the mind of the sporting world. With the college football season finally at its end, fans of the sport are eagerly turning towards the pro circuit and how could they not?

Jets at Steelers? Intense matchup.
Packers at Bears? Great rivalry.

Last weekend’s games were really exciting as well. All right, well maybe not the Seahawks game, but my point is clear enough.

Even with these (mostly) great games, I still somehow find myself contemplating the upcoming Major League Baseball season and the chances of a repeat for the 2010 champs, my hometown San Francisco Giants. Maybe I’m focused on baseball because spring training tickets just went on sale or maybe it’s simply because the astonishing fact that the Giants won the World Series continues to amaze me, but San Francisco baseball remains at the pinnacle of my sports brain.

While those explanations are certainly true to an extent, I believe the true reasoning behind my great interest in the best of the west is my apprehension in regards to the team’s credibility. Most fans following a World Series victory by their team would not have to worry about it because, after all, the best way to silence critics is to go out and win it all, right? Right? Well, apparently not for this team.

Even with the title, and a convincing one at that, the Giants still don’t seem to get the recognition one might expect. It seems that every few days I’m reading a new article about how the Giants will likely finish an uncompetitive third in a supposedly revamped NL West or how one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball will falter in 2011. It seems that to everyone outside of the Bay Area, the Giants are destined to return to their post–Barry Bonds form. It seems to me that one is not enough for 2010’s most surprising team. Still, written or spoken words of grandeur are easy to use and it remains uncertain how and if Bruce Bochy can really engineer a repeat performance.

Remember that the Giants were incredibly fortunate all year in that their pitching staff stayed fairly healthy, especially the starters. That luck can simply not be expected again and some members of bullpen core like Dan Runzler and Chris Ray may have to step in. You can also never expect to have the highest ERA of all your starting pitchers to be 4.15, courtesy of Barry Zito. Although with a full season of Bumgarner and the rest of the staff, I’d say they have a pretty good shot. However, this pitching staff is still young and I believe it is only going to improve.

On the offensive side of the ball, the 2010 Giants simply managed. The hitters were hot and clutch in the playoffs (a deadly combination) but only Aubrey Huff was consistent during the regular season and Juan Uribe provided some pop. With Uribe gone and Huff far from a lock to go .290/26/86 again, the bats need to improve and improve with the pieces that are already there. A full year of Buster Posey at the plate will help and Miguel Tejada should be an improvement at shortstop. The variable will be minor league prodigy Brandon Belt, a big, lefty first baseman who I had the pleasure of watching at Single-A in San Jose before he tore through the farm system. If Belt’s .352/23/112 numbers in the minor leagues are a sign of things to come, the Giants will be as ready as any other team to win it all in 2011.

I’m clearly ready for baseball season but, for now, I guess I’ll just have to wait for Spring and hope that football will tide me over until I can finally smell garlic fries and freshly mown grass at the ballpark.

Plaut Out.

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The world series was won.  The parade is over.  Now it’s time to look at the division as a whole and really ponder about who is going to come out on top in 2011.  Many changes have been made to all teams in the division and fans from Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado and especially San Fransisco all know that their team has a chance to compete.  Let’s go down the list of teams in the division and see who has the best shot of coming out on top in the NL West.

As a Dodger fan, I’ve been waiting way too long for another world series to land in Los Angeles.  The last world series the Dodgers competed in was in 1988 when they won.  The cheers can still be heard in Dodger Stadium from Gibson’s walk off.  Since then, the Boys In Blue have yet to make it past the National Championship Series while loosing it recently, two years in a row to the Philadelphia Phillies in ’08 and ’09.  

2010 was a bust for the Dodgers while they struggled to win towards the end of the season.  Disappointed fans erupted up all over the city while their team subsequently imploded.  It was a sad and wasted last season for manager Joe Torre as he left with an under .500 record for the first time in over 10 years.  The departed Manny Ramirez was good and bad news for some fans, however his short reign of Mannywood will always be remembered in Chavez Ravine.  

This year the Dodgers added some new acquisitions such as Jon Garland, Matt Guerrier and Blake Hawksworth to shore up the pitching in both the rotation and the bullpen. Russel Martin decided his time with the Dodgers was over and in came Dioner Navarro and a starting job for Rod Barajas.  Navarro was with the Dodgers in 2005 and half of 2006 before being traded to Tampa Bay.  

Overall, the Dodgers really didn’t make any key moves this offseason to show that they really want to compete in the season ahead.  Although they added Juan Uribe and Tony Gwynn Jr., it doesn’t look like 2011 will be any different from 2010.  However, if key players such as Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathon Broxton continue to evolve into their own and reach their full potential this season without injury, then the Dodgers will be an unstoppable force that will easily be able to compete for a title.

The San Diego Padres were left upset by the events towards the end of the 2010 season when all they had to do was win a couple of games and they would have been set to compete in the playoffs.  You could hear the cries of agony from Padre fans all across the California coast.  

The age of Adrian Gonzalez is over and in come the new look Padres. Their phenomenal pitching got them as far as they did last season winning 90 games however it wasn’t enough to win the division.  With Gonzo gone, short stop Jason Bartlett, first baseman Brad Hawpe and comical second baseman Orlando Hudson have found their way into the Padres starting line up.  

Also, with Chase Headley still at third, the infield is looking good for 2011.  The Padres’ rotation hasn’t changed much except with the addition of Aaron Harang who should eat up some innings to relieve the bullpen of the long gap to Heath Bell.  Other than that, the Padres have relatively the same bullpen and outfield as last season with the addition of young Cameron Maybin in center field.  

Even without the presence of Gonzalez, the Padres are looking like a young team that is ready to compete and maybe even win more games than last season.  Look for them to be a competitor in the hunt for their first world series.

The Colorado Rockies look to throw their hat in the mix as they resigned Carlos Gonzalez to a hefty deal reassuring fans that they are ready to play ball.  Todd Helton hasn’t aged a bit and Troy Tulowitzki is as productive as ever as long as he can stay healthy.  The Rockies have a bunch of guys who can put the bat on the ball and rack up a lot of hits.  

They also have a decent rotation with young phenom Ubaldo Jimenez as the ace.  Young Jhoulys Chacin looks like his days in the big leagues may be in stone for 2011 as long as he keeps his swagger.  Last year he came up and did very well for the Rockies as a 22-year-old rookie.  

This year the Rockies rotation should be pretty decent as long as they all can stay healthy. With the addition of Jose Lopez, they should have even more power in the infield.  The outfield is looking pretty good as well with Cargo, Dexter Fowler and Seth Smith.  Overall, the Rockies should be putting up numbers on the scoreboard and as long as they don’t get hurt, they shouldn’t have a problem fighting for first in the west.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a lot of issues to deal with as we move into the 2011 season.  With the loss of the two main power producers in Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche, the D-Backs will be looking to their youth as the power supply.  Justin Upton and Chris Young look to keep the team in contention although it is going to be very hard to do considering the team is in a rebuilding stage.  

New additions such as Xavier Nady, Melvin Mora and Juan Miranda hope to help the team win more than just 65 games.  First base should be interesting as youngsters Juan Miranda and Brandon Allen share the duties.  Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew have stayed put in the middle infield and hope to contribute some “pop” as well to the lineup.  

The rotation for the D-Backs is very young and the only notable veterans were recently added either last season or this offseason such as Zach Duke, the former Pirate, and Joe Saunders, who they received in turn for Dan Haren during the 2010 season.  Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy and Barry Enright all show promise as they made their way to the show last season.  

The bullpen was also revamped, which was definitely needed, with closer JJ Putz.  For 2011, the D-Backs are going to need a positive direction under new manager Kirk Gibson and maybe with some luck, they’ll be able to compete with other teams in the league.  If any team would be considered a “sleeper” team in 2011, this would be the team.

Last but certainly not least, the World Champion San Fransisco Giants.  They are going to have a hard time protecting their title with all the moves that other teams have made this offseason.  The Giants rotation should stack up as still one of the best in baseball.  The only question in the rotation remains with Barry Zito.  He hasn’t had a winning record since he joined the Giants in 2007.  

Although no rotation can match up to the Phillies on paper, the Giants still have an arsenal that will definitely strikeout a ton of helpless batters.  With new addition Miguel Tejada at short and the rest of the infield staying the same as 2010, it should be interesting to watch the team bond as they’ve basically kept the same team.  It will be interesting to see Buster Posey’s first full season in the big leagues.  

In the end, Cody Ross was added to right field, but other than that, there haven’t been any real impacting transactions that stand out.  Nonetheless, the Giants have the best shot at winning the division and possibly making it past that in the post season.

Like every season in every sport, the team that can stay healthy and win games will be the victor.  It should be an interesting 2011 season.  Will there be a version 2.0 to “season of the pitcher”, or will there be home runs left and right?  With spring training just around the corner, only time will tell what new and exciting adventures await baseball fans.

The National League West will without a doubt be the toughest division in the league with multiple teams that have shots at being very successful in the near future.  You never know what team might come out of no where and sweep everyone off their feet.

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Word out today is that 2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria is to sign with the Cincinnati Reds for one-year, $3M deal.

This comes month removed from the Giants‘ offer of one-year $1M, which he called, “a lack of respect.” He added, “To play for a million dollars, I’d rather stay with my private business and share more time with my family. Thank God I’m well off financially and my money is well invested.”

Then why does it matter whether you sign for $1M or $3M?

It’s obvious that it was the money. Coming back to a winning team like the Giants to go back to the playoff and perhaps make it back to the 2011 World Series clearly wasn’t one of his top priorities. Heck, to his credit, the man has two World Series rings to show for it. Two more than a lot of all-star caliber players out there.

Edgar could care less whether he plays for a contending team or not.

This is why I have mad respect for players like J.T. Snow, who shows loyalty to a team and took a huge pay-cut to come back with the Giants.

Granted, Edgar only played with the Giants for two years and perhaps there is no loyalty or love there. But it says a lot about a person who shows gratitude to a team who signed a aging and a declining player.

In addition, Edgar only played 72 games receiving a $9M paycheck in 2010. $2M difference—now was that really a lack of respect, Edgar?

Regardless, Edgar is gone; so is Juan Uribe, who was a vital part of the Giants offense and the postseason run.

Now, what does this mean to the Giants in 2011?

Losing Edgar doesn’t mean much at all to the Giants than losing Uribe. Really, the Giants were looking to sign Edgar as a backup shortstop. There are other decent players available that can warm the bench and give high-fives, namely Orlando Cabrera and Ramon Santiago.

Defensively, the Giants have Miguel Tejada to fill the shortstop spot. Playing 156 games for the Orioles and the Padres respectively, is more reliable at the spot than Edgar was.

Offensively, the numbers Uribe put up is more than what Miggy’s done. But don’t let the numbers fool you.

There is a huge difference in his stats between the two teams he played for last year. Playing with the Padres, Miggy flourished, matching his stats with the Orioles in half the at-bats playing for the Padres. Perhaps playing for the contending team, NL West leader had him playing harder. For what he was hungry for and wanted to reach, the World Series ring.

I have no doubt Miggy will be playing with the same intensity this year for the Giants.

So you ask, what does Pablo Sandoval got to do with this?

There is a whole lot riding on Pablo and his off-season approach for the success of the Giants’ 2011 season. Without Uribe’s versatility and the bat to cover third base, Pablo needs to man that corner.

From his breakout year in 2009, last year was dismal at best. With so much expectations for him to continue his success from 2009 to 2010, fans were disappointed to say the least.

Most people pointed fingers at the obvious; From personal matters like divorce and San Bruno gas explosion where his place went up in flames to his weight issue. There is a lot to say about a player’s performance which rides on their physical ability but also a lot rides on a player’s mental stability—mental issues which includes his personal matters, I think it’s something he had to get over. Because of it, his weight became an issue, in my humble opinion. 

It is reported that he is staying in Arizona, near the Giants trainers (of his own will) to work on his weight issue and train. There are reports out there of Pablo losing 10 to 15 pounds. The man is 5’11” reportedly weighing in at 245 pounds, but I am not so sure on that number. In 2010, Pablo came into spring training weighing in at a whopping 262 pounds. Which is said to be 15 pounds less than his playing weight during his breakout offensive year of 2009.

This reassures me that his weight has nothing to do with his bad offensive production last season; it’s more his mental issue, having to deal with personal ordeals.

If you’ve watched Pablo play defense last year or even during his postseason appearance, it’s obvious that his weight is a huge issue in playing third-base. Numerous times, he threw over Aubrey Huff’s head at first-base because of getting to the ball late and having to rush his throws.

His massive body running towards short grounders made you feel uncomfortable, like watching a horrible car accident about to happen. Heavy footed, you’d think it was Bengie Molina playing at third.

With Mark De Rosa healthy to come back this season, he can help Pablo man third-base. But if the Giants can get the lightweight, nimble Pablo Sandoval and the offense that was 2009, the Giants would have pretty potent fire power up and down their lineup, along with pretty solid defense.

Maybe even a hopeful phenom Brandon Belt would make some noise at the spring training this March, the Giants would be very solid.

With two months left ’til we hear “play ball” ring out in Arizona, the Giants and their fans have a lot to look forward to. Perhaps “less” to look forward to in Pablo.

Either way, it will be an interesting 2011 for the Giants.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Picture a young kid, no older than 12, hitting hundreds of baseballs into a ragged net, or throwing them at a makeshift backstop. They grow up with huge dreams, living in an impoverished nation of less than 10 million people.

Aside from the location, their dream sounds none to different than the one we all had, right? Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two out. The pennant on the line. With one swing, you win a ring, the love of a city, and secure financial stability for your family.

Of course, these two things aren’t really alike at all.

Picture that young kid again. Except this time he’s the target of a scout, or as they’re called locally: a buscon. The kid can run like the wind. He’s tall and strong. His parents, like so many here, are poor. Or, perhaps his parents aren’t around at all.

So, instead of being in school like we were when having these dreams, the kids are at a makeshift academy, ran by buscones. They live here, eat here and learn baseball here all under poor conditions. They’re sometimes honing their baseball skills under the direction of former prospects who went through the same situation.

There are lots of stories to be found about buscones. The large chunks of the signing bonus some take in return for the training. The way some of them help the kids lie about their ages and pump them with drugs: often of the performance enhancing variety.

Like anything, this isn’t always the case. One report from MLB identified Dominican imports committing identity fraud at a clip of 60 percent in 2002, but had that number reduced to 25 percent by 2009. So, progress has been made.

And, there are some success stories. From David Ortiz to Hanley Ramirez. Miguel Tejada to Vladimir Guerrero. Considering the size of the country, some big name players have emerged. Big money is going to players who are unpolished and untested, but have real athletic ability.

Like the steroid problem in the ’90s, when bad PR comes out, MLB moves fast and hard with corrective actions. Sandy Alderson was tasked with cleaning up some of the mess. Drug testing, identity verification, better facilities for training, English lessons and other steps have been taken within the academies ran by MLB clubs. Twenty-eight of the 30 clubs now have an academy in the DR.

There are less and less instances of exploited prospects being trust into American culture with added pressure to perform well at their craft. The kids are being taken care of better now. So, are the risks lower for teams?

Word came out on Monday that the Seattle Mariners have signed 17-year-old shortstop Esteilon Peguero, with a signing bonus of $4.9 million. Only three players in Mariners history have received bigger bonuses: Dustin Ackley, Ichiro Suzuki and Jeff Clement.

I asked Dave Cameron, co-founder of USSMariner.com and editor at FanGraphs.com if Mariners fans should be even a little stoked, regardless of how little we can possible know about Peguero, considering the size of the bonus. “These kids are lottery tickets,” he said, “but when they hit, they can be a big deal.”

It seems there is still quite a bit of risk involved. Peguero could be the next diamond in the rough, or he could be a sunk cost that returns home to poverty after several years of performing below expectations.

The good news is that regardless of the outcome, they’re being better taken care of during the process. They aren’t being told to lie about who they are. They’re living and training better. They’re even being offered an education outside of baseball by some teams. They aren’t just being treated as a future payday anymore.

The system still isn’t perfect. Neither for the teams or the players. There’s still some corruption and millions of dollars might still be sunk on a kid who never makes it to the show. But if they’re not just glorified slaves sold off to the highest bidder anymore, it’s a gamble much easier to live with.

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