Kuzul

Good day to all of you baseball fans. We still have a little more than a month before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, and the rumors are flowing hot and heavily.

Not only are players moving, but you have Fredi Gonzalez getting fired in Florida because apparently no one is really good enough to manage the Marlins.

A few days ago we found out that the Texas Rangers were all but taken out of the Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee sweepstakes because a judge’s ruling in court over the bankruptcy proceedings.

There’s a ton going on, a lot of rumors to cover, players on the move, and so much more.

Who’s going, who’s staying, who’s going to make the biggest splash, who will be winners and losers, and who will shock us all?

Let’s get to it…

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As Major League Baseball inches closer and closer to the trade deadline, the trade rumors will become more of a hot button topic among all baseball fans.

The two biggest names on the market right now are Houston’s Roy Oswalt and Seattle’s Cliff Lee.

When you break down the possibilities of each team that will be chasing both of these pitchers, you’ll find different problems that each team will have to face if they want to get a deal done.

We’ll cover those problems, the teams in the running, and several other rumors making the rounds. We’ll also talk about who the biggest movers and shakers will be at the deadline and perhaps a few surprise moves either at or before the trade deadline.

Ready? Let’s get it…

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In the flavor of Father’s Day this weekend, we take a look back some of the most important and productive fathers of big leaguers in baseball history. The 10 duos make up some of the most famous pairs in baseball history. In some cases the son outperformed the father, others the father was the standard-bearer in the family.

In this list, however, we take a look specifically at the dads. For these sons could never had their careers if not for their fathers paving the way. There have been more than 10 dads who have fathered future big leaguers, but this is a look at the 10 BEST fathers who later watched their sons suit up in Major League Baseball.

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The beauty of watching a baseball game is that there is always the chance that you could see something that has never been done before, or that may never be done again.

What follows are what I feel are the 10 most shocking game day moments in baseball history. That is not to say that these are the 10 most impressive moments, but instead the 10 moments that made people say “wow, I can’t believe that just happened”.

There may be no better demonstration of someone being shocked than the expression on George Brett’s face in the accompanying picture, but the pine tar incident is not No. 1.

My list almost certainly has excluded some “wow” moments, so I encourage you to suggest anything and everything I may have left off.

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As we inch closer and closer to Major League Baseball’s trade deadline at the end of July, the rumors will start flying fast and furious.

There have already been a few rumors shot down in the last few weeks, including one that was about to send an ace to a team that wouldn’t have any way of picking up his remaining salary because of their financial trouble.

Why some of these rumors get started is beyond me, but that’s what makes baseball, and the trade deadline, fun. We can talk about players, possible moves that our teams should or shouldn’t make, and how those potential trades could affect said team in the playoff race.

So who are the hot names making the rounds on the rumor sheets right now?

I’m glad you asked, let’s get to it.

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In his book, “The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract,” Bill James described Darrell Evans as “probably the most underrated player in baseball history.”

James supported his argument by pointing out that while Evans had a low batting average (.248), he had a very high “secondary average,” which is a statistic Bill James uses to measure, well, everything else.

Whatever. I’ll take his word for it.

So in honor of Bill James and the underrated baseball player poster-boy Darrell Evans, I present the list of the 25 most underrated players in baseball history.

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In the next few weeks, Major League Baseball will embark in trade frenzy. Every team must quickly decide whether they are a buyer or seller.

Do they have a chance to compete this year? Is it better to hold the pieces for a run next year? Should they sell any valuable assets to rebuild for years to come?

It is not easy for a general manager to make these decisions. As much as the team is concerned with on-field performance, it must also consider revenue and profit, and may have to dump larger contracts to be in the green.

The next fourteen slides will take a look at all thirty teams (by division) and evaluate whether they are buyers, holders, or sellers, along with some potential targets.

Let’s Begin

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The MLB draft means more than just a replenishment of the many major league farm systems.

Like a political poster, the draft screams change and, more importantly, hope for a winning future.

MLB’s worst teams are giddy at the prospects of achieving this winning future; they look at their top draft picks as not only tickets out of last place, but also as keys to the pennant.

Some of these teams are in such dire need for improvement that they could use the help now sooner rather later.

So who will get to the majors first? Who has the potential to start helping right away?

Here is a list of baseball’s readiest prospects.

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This season has been one of many ups and downs for many teams in Major League Baseball. From winning streaks to losing streaks and from perfection to injuries, there are a multitude of story lines. Let’s see what songs best represent different teams throughout the league. Keep in mind, this is according to the title of the song, not the lyrics.

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In 2009, Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer each won his league’s Most Valuable Player Award.

For Pujols, it was a unanimous victory and his third MVP Award, tying the non-Bonds record of three, held by many players.

For Mauer, it was almost unanimous – some Tiger-homer voted for Miguel Cabrera – and his first MVP, putting him on the long list of catchers to have won the AL MVP Award.

Other than their 2009 Most Valuable Player Awards, Pujols and Mauer have something else in common – they each lead this list of the top ten players who may one day be the best player to ever play their position.

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