Kuzul

All major league teams are now full bore in camp and the countdown until March 31st can’t get here quick enough. With teams going through their full workouts and games starting last weekend, who are the “old timers” that came into camp maybe a little more fit than last year? Bleacher report will look at these aging stars and see if they can regain or increase their numbers from last year.

Begin Slideshow

Baseball season is finally here!

With the first spring training games played this past weekend, fans got to see the first look at what their 2011 team will look like. From getting to see their team’s big-time prospects to the veterans, everyone is starting to make their predictions on everything from how a particular player will perform in 2011 to the which team will in the World Series this season. 

Although not all teams played this past weekend, most did, and thus, we can start to get an idea of who we should keep an eye on this spring.

With that, based on this weekend and the talk about them this winter, let’s take a look at some of the players you should be keeping an eye on as spring training progresses. 

Begin Slideshow

In 2010, Troy Tulowitzki put up monster numbers for a shortstop. He showed tremendous power and led shortstops around the league in the majority of statistical categories. Last season, Tulowitzki was not the only shortstop who had a very successful year. Let’s now take a look at the top ten shortstops in Major League Baseball.

Begin Slideshow

Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, Don Mattingly.  You know the names because you’ve heard them a million times, and strung together you probably already know what the topic is: great players who never won a World Series.

In basketball, football and even hockey to a certain degree, greatness is measured with rings.  Despite complete and utter statistical dominance, Wilt Chamberlain is considered by knowledgeable basketball fans to be inferior to Bill Russell.  Why?  Count the rings.

Dan Marino’s offensive statistics blew away those of Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and John Elway, and yet we remember all three of those guys as better quarterbacks than Marino.  Why?  Count the rings.

But this is not the case in baseball.  Ted Williams was the greatest hitter of all time, regardless of the fact that he never won a championship.  Walter Johnson was the greatest pitcher of all time, regardless of the fact that he made the postseason exactly once during his career.  In baseball, we measure ability based upon performance, which is why we have players whom we consider great who nevertheless never won a championship.

Let’s take a look at the team-by-team power rankings of the best players never to win a World Series championship.

Begin Slideshow

Offseason transactions through the history of baseball has often caused a hype for a team’s favor before the season even starts.

Sometimes this hype over a team is created by these transactions, and sometimes this hype can come just from the team’s performance the year before. Sometime it is the combination of both these factors that lead to a mania in favor of one team winning the World Series. We have seen that beginning this year with the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies who acquired Cliff Lee this offseason.

Begin Slideshow

It happens every year. One team has unreasonably high expectations for their team, signs a couple of free agents, and when they fail to meet their goals, they become sellers at the trade deadline.

Need an example? How about last year’s Seattle Mariners. In theory, Cliff Lee would have been great if they had an offense. However, their lack of success forced them to trade Lee to the Rangers, a team better suited for Lee.

On the other side, there are always buyers at the trade deadline. Maybe a team doesn’t expect to be in playoff contention in July, however now that they are, they need one more player to piece together the puzzle and put them over the edge.

A good example is the Milwaukee Brewers of 2008. It was their acquisition of CC Sabathia that helped them reach the playoffs through the wild card. 

Another common way for players to switch teams midseason is by under performing. By August, if a team is not content with the way one of their players is playing, they have to option to put him on waivers. 

An example of this is the Alex Rios scenario of 2009. The Blue Jays, unhappy with Rios, placed Rios on waivers, where the White Sox picked him up. His .199 batting average in 2009 with the White Sox probably made the Blue Jays happy they let him go.

There are many other reasons that a player is moved during the season—  these are just the main ones. In this article, I will speculate as to which players I believe will be moved in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

The 2010-2011 MLB off season was one for the books. Whether it was news regarding Carl Crawford’s free agency or whether or not Zach Greinke would be traded, there was never a dull moment this winter for baseball fans. Very few teams remain in the same position as they were in November.

While there are still a handful of significant free agents still on the market such as Carl Pavano and Vladimir Guerrero, it is time to reflect on the unfolding of this winter. Which deals were the most significant? Who were the winners? Who is going to regret their aggressive behavior down the road?

In this article, I will examine the 25 most significant transactions from free agent signings to trades to re-signings. These transactions are not ranked based on how good the player(s) involved were, but how much the transaction will affect the team’s outcome. 

Begin Slideshow

Before gaining entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a player must wait five years after his retirement to become eligible and then be named on 75 percent or more of the total ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Former pitcher Bert Blyleven did not achieve entry until his 14th try, and he is not alone in the annals of Cooperstown when it comes to having a long time to wait.

Because so few players were getting elected and inducted to the Hall in its early years, other mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that the Hall properly honors baseball’s true heroes. Still, the most prestige, and the greatest joy, is conferred upon those who are able to reach the promised land the old-fashioned way.

Setting aside (for now) those men who got into the Hall via either the Veterans or Old-Timers Committees, some 15 Hall of Famers went in on their 10th ballot or later.

Begin Slideshow

You can almost smell it, can’t you?

The warm breezes of spring air gently blowing across green grass.  The intoxicating aroma of dirt mixed with chalk.  You’re starting to hear the distant sounds of wood cracks and leather pops.

It’s sometimes difficult to think of baseball being just around the corner when you’re stuck in the doldrums of a cold, snowy January.  But the college football season is over.  The NFL Playoffs are in full swing and will be a memory before long.  That means that Spring Training will be here before we know it.

Before we get there, though, there are a number of things that still need to be addressed as we look towards the coming season.  Free Agents left to sign.  Trades left to make.  And Hot Stove news to evaluate.

Who’s done enough to hoist that trophy next October?  And who still has to do more?  Get all that information and more, right here, right now, while it’s piping hot.

Begin Slideshow

There is nothing more intimidating for a hitter than being stared down by a power pitcher who can blow a fastball right by them. Fans also get excited as these pitchers light up the radar gun and rack up the strikeouts.

The rankings on this list will be determined by a combination of the pitchers’ talents, stats and their ability to bring the heat.

Begin Slideshow