Kuzul

For 10 consecutive seasons, fantasy baseball has had Albert Pujols dominate the first base position like no one else. However over the last couple of years, 27-year-old Miguel Cabrera has earned himself “Pujols-lite” status as he has gained the reputation of a high-average hitter with 35-home run power. Well, it’s time to welcome another 27-year-old to the discussion. Joey Votto has catapulted himself to the first round after a monster 2010 season and it’s between him and Cabrera on who will take over when Pujols inevitably breaks down in his mid-30s. Chris and I discuss who should get drafted first.

Chris: If there is one player that most closely resembles Pujols it’s Cabrera. In fact, he has a batting average of .326 over the past two years, which is better than Pujols’s batting average of .319 over that same time span. Since Cabrera made the move from Florida to Detroit three years ago he has averaged 97 R, 36 HR and 119 RBI to go along with a .314 batting average. The scary thing about Cabrera is that he’s still just 27 years old and is about to reach his prime in terms of power. He is already the second-best first baseman in fantasy and hasn’t fully reached his power potential. As a result he is a sure-fire top three pick and anchor to your fantasy team.

George: Chris, you mention that Cabrera and Pujols are very close in comparison, but the one major difference between the two is stolen bases. Last season, Votto swiped 16 bases, which lead all first basemen, and was two more than Pujols. How many bases did Cabrera steal? Three. Votto is on par with Cabrera in every other category (.324 BA, 106 R, 37 HR, 113 RBI) as they are both batters who can hit for power and a high average, but it’s clear that Votto has the advantage in the speed category. If he has another successful season in 2011 we might be calling him the heir to Pujols’ throne rather than Cabrera.

Chris: You’re right that Votto stole more bases than Cabrera last year, however I’m not entirely convinced that Votto will become a perennial 15+ base-stealer. After all, he stole only four bases in 2009 and seven bases in 2008. You also mention that Votto is on par with Cabrera in BA, R, HR and RBI. But you don’t mention that he was only on par last year. Between 2008 and 2009, Votto averaged 76 R, 25 HR, 84 RBI and six SB to go along with a .309 average. In those same two years Cabrera batted .308 and averaged 91 R, 36 HR, 115 RBI.

And oh by the way since Cabrera and Votto are both 27 years old, they were the same age in 2008 and 2009. As you can see, the difference between Cabrera and Votto is consistency. Votto has only had one great year whereas Cabrera has been consistently great since 2004. Cabrera has also averaged 158 games since ’04 while Votto has only averaged 144 games in his three big league seasons.

George: Both sluggers might be the same age, but by 2008 (Votto’s rookie year) Cabrera had already played in four full seasons. Votto has struggled with depression and anxiety issues in the past, but has still put up career averages of .314 BA, 89 R, 30 HR, 90 RBI and nine SB.  It’s often said that players don’t fully take off until their third season and if Votto’s 2010 was any indication of what he will bring in future seasons, there is no reason why he can’t be taken ahead of Cabrera in drafts.

As for the steals, it’s impossible to predict if he will repeat his 16-steal performance, but he did steal 24 bases in 136 Double-A games in 2006 and 17 bases in 133 Triple-A games in 2007. He might not steal 16 bases every year, but it’s not crazy to think he will be in the double digits.

Chris: I agree that Votto is a threat to steal double-digit bases but I don’t want to rely on him doing so because that is the only way he outperforms Cabrera next year. I think we can both agree that Cabrera and Votto are worthy of early picks and shouldn’t slip past the beginning of the second round. But to me, the first couple rounds are all about minimizing risk and I believe Cabrera is less of a risk than Votto. Cabrera has consistently put up exceptional numbers year in and year out so you know what to expect from him in 2011.

Votto on the other hand has only had one exceptional year and I do have some reservations about his power totals that year. In 2010 his HR/FB ratio of 25 percent was the highest in the league. The next closest was Jose Baustista and his 54 home runs at 21.7 percent. While 25 percent isn’t a totally fluky number, it is considering that Votto’s previous high HR/FB ratio was 18.5 percent. Before even thinking about taking Votto over an established stud like Cabrera, I need to see more than one great year from him.

George: It’s true that there aren’t many players as consistent as Cabrera. While Votto may join that crowd in a couple of years, he hasn’t been around long enough to gain that type of respect from fantasy owners. However, in his three years of professional ball, Votto has steadily increased his ISO (.209 to .276) and his walk percentage (10 percent to 14 percent). He has done all this while maintaining a steady strikeout rate (~21 percent) and line-drive rate (~23 percent). He has shown no reasons for us to doubt that he can continue to produce at an elite level.

With a lineup that includes Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips it shouldn’t be hard for Votto combine for 200+ R/RBI with similar power numbers. If you feel like “rolling the dice” with Votto, draft him ahead of Cabrera and gain that extra edge in steals in your league. Remember, only three first basemen (Votto, Pujols and James Loney) stole at least 10 bases in 2010.

More from our Debate Team series:

• Hanley Ramirez vs. Troy Tulowitzki

Check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings:

• Top 30 Catchers
• Top 30 First Basemen
• Top 30 Second Basemen
• Top 30 Third Basemen
• Top 30 Shortstops
• Top 60 Outfielders
• Top 60 Starting Pitchers
• Top 30 Relief Pitchers

Make Baseball Professor, the most personable fantasy baseball outlet on the web, part of your daily fantasy baseball routine for updated fantasy news and analysis. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated throughout the season.

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I am the first sports fan to admit that statistics spin tall tales as much as they inform.

While number-crunching has allowed us to distill fact from fiction when it comes to performance, stats have also cloaked deceptively bad players under the immunity blanket known as triple crown categories.

Stats are as damning to players as much as they immortalize (see Maris, Roger), and despite several encyclopedic volumes of evidence to the contrary, they are why Yuniesky Betancourt keeps finding work.

But the statistics of baseball have arrived at a crossroads, where the numbers underscore accomplishments that we can’t even see; skills and feats wrapped up inside the very nature of the player.

OBP/OPS/WAR is the new BA/HR/RBI.

Looking back over my young adult life watching the Red Sox play, it’s no great revelation that Pedro was an especially gifted pitcher. For the majority of the Dan Duquette years, he was really the only reason to go see the team on a soggy April day.

Digging deeper, past the awards and the win totals, we find a player who stood so completely above his peers as to transcend the superlatives used to describe him.

Many writers and baseball analysts aptly named him the best pitcher of his generation shortly after he left Boston.

As generous and hyperbolic as that label sounds, it still sells Pedro short and doesn’t really grasp how good this guy was. It’s nice to call him the Best, but I am compelled to defend his honor and try to articulate just how much better he was than everyone.

From his last year in Montreal in 1997, to Pedro’s next-to-last with Boston in 2003, baseball fans were treated to the greatest show on rubber, with all apologies to NASCAR.

In that time, Pedro racked up 118 wins and over 1700 strikeouts. He won three Cy Young Awards, was robbed of another and dazzled NL hitters in the most unforgettable All-Star pitching performance ever.

Tsk-tsk, I had you going, didn’t I?

This article isn’t about wins, hardware or any other subjective achievements. As we saw in 2010, 13 game winners on horrible teams can win Cy Youngs over 21 game winners on postseason clubs.

This article is about the nitty-gritty, invisible, Bill James-ian metrics that take stock of true greatness.

The first obvious stat that makes you take a step back is Pedro’s WHIP. For the statistically uninitiated, WHIP signifies Walks+Hits per Inning Pitched. Essentially, it examines the number of base runners the pitcher allows.

During his prime years from 1997-2003, Pedro allowed a microscopic WHIP of 0.94. A sub-1.00 WHIP means that the pitcher has, over the long haul, more innings without any runners than innings with runners.

This is usually reserved for the elite relievers, given how difficult it is to be so dominant as a starter over 200 innings per year.

Numbers written down have a certain blandness to them and don’t evoke the awe that Martinez deserves, so let me put it another way. Here’s a short list of active pitchers who have never had a sub-1.00 WHIP for even one whole season:

1. C.C. Sabathia
2. Roy Halladay
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Cliff Lee
5. Jon Lester
6. Chris Carpenter
7. Andy Pettitte
8. Felix Hernandez
9. Tim Hudson
10. Roy Oswalt

Do I have your attention now?

Again, Pedro managed to average a sub-1.00 WHIP and the closer-like stinginess that comes with it for seven seasons. Kudos to Johan Santana, who pulled off the feat twice during his years in Minnesota.

I’d be glad to hear from you about any other recent starters who managed it over a full season.

Another astounding component of Martinez’s game was his ability to pitch with the finesse, as if he didn’t also have the stuff to blow guys away. The combination left many batters with bats on their shoulders and zeros in the score books.

Over those seven years, Pedro boasted a K/9 ratio of 11.3. That is power.

Over the same stretch, he amassed an anemic walk rate of 2.0 BB/9. That is finesse.

In fact, it’s better than Cliff Lee.

Take a look at this hitting line: .197/.252/.297

No, that’s not Cesar Izturis’ career stats. And it isn’t the numbers of a decently hitting pitcher. That is the aggregate BA/OBP/SLG that opponents hit off Pedro from 1997-2003.

Yep, the amalgamated production of the average hitter against Pedro had the contact rate of Mark Reynolds, the patience of Jeff Franceour and all the power of Juan Pierre.

This imaginary player might make a team for the sheer entertainment value of his futility.

But now, I wish to speak of the Year 2000, a year which held promise for all of us at the dawning of a new millennium. In typical Dan Duquette fashion, the Sox starting strong and fizzled late.

But their mediocrity was not a product of the season of Pedro Martinez. Take a look:

1.74 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, 1.3 BB/9, Opponents’ BA/OBP/SLG: .167/.213/.259

If any among you think that this is not that greatest modern day pitching performance over a full year, let them speak now or forever hold their tongue. Pedro’s ERA was less than half of what the next best AL pitcher (Roger Clemens, 3.70) accomplished.

The last point I want to make is to remember the era in which Pedro Martinez excelled. The late 90’s and early 00’s saw an emphasis on offensive-minded, “Billy Beane”-style of play.

Run scoring was at an all-time high since the days of Lou Gehrig and the steroid era was bearing the fruit of multiple 50 home run seasons. ERAs were bloated and the careers of many pitchers were cut short.

Through the offensive juggernaut days of 10 years ago, Pedro rose above and dominated baseball. He showed power, control and absolute mastery of the art of pitching.

He was the best of his generation, and we have seen none like him since, though I hope future generations of fans are so lucky.

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The Toronto Blue Jays finished the 2010 season 85-77, earning them fourth place in the AL East, arguably the toughest division in the league. One of the major highlights of the Blue Jays’ season was their power at the plate. The Blue Jays led MLB with 257 home runs in 2010, surpassing their previous record of 244 by the 2000 Blue Jays team.

Jose Bautista led the team and the league with 54 home runs—12 home runs more than perennial All-Star Albert Pujols, who finished the season second in HRs. Bautista also ranked third in the league for RBIs with 124. This was a breakout year for Bautista who came into the season with only 69 home runs and 211 RBIs over 736 games. 

Hopefully Bautista will be able to continue with his impressive performance at the plate in 2011.

Toronto Blue Jays tickets for home games throughout the 2010 season averaged $70.72, making them a consistent presence in the top 10 leaderboard for average ticket prices.

Although it might be surprising to see this Canadian team commanding such high prices in a secondary ticket market, this is a trend that occurs across all major sports out of Toronto. The most expensive ticket for the 2010 season was for their last home game on September 29th against the New York Yankees, which averaged $87.63 per ticket. 

Blue Jay ticket prices will remain the same on the primary market for the 2011 season, so we expect that tickets on the secondary market will still be in high demand and should remain in, or around, the top 10 throughout the 2011 season.

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The MLB winter meetings have a lot of fans glued to their technology of choice. Twitter, ESPN, XM Radio, the Internet in general are all being utilized to absorb every nugget of info on the dealings going on in Orlando. 

So, lying in bed last night, with my headphones on pumping MLB Network Radio into my ears and my smart phone in my hand to comb tweets, I was made aware of the Red Sox stunning signing of Carl Crawford almost as soon as it happened. 

The next thing I was aware of was that if there was a trophy for winter meeting dealings, the Sox would have it on a truck to Boston by sun-up. 

Sleep would not come easily.

Even though the Yankees are about to sign Cliff Lee (after breaking their own promise to stay at six years or less by offering a seventh in response to the Crawford signing), the Red Sox have blown away the league with their two gigantic acquisitions of Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.

A change in the years offered to Cliff Lee may come with an increase in the dollars, but that has not been mentioned so far. 

Assuming Lee signs with the Yankees, he could conceivably be the highest paid number two rotation guy in the history of the sport—assuming that the Yanks do the smart thing and keep the incumbent CC Sabathia in the ace spot. 

With a contract length of seven years, Cliff Lee will turn 39 in his last season.  While it is certainly possible that he’ll still be a good starter by the time the contract nears its end, the likelihood that he will still be worth the $23 million plus that he’ll be getting is extremely small.

The Red Sox, on the other hand, assuming the seven year extension that has been mentioned to be in the works for A-Gon, would have him under contract until 2018 and Crawford until 2017, meaning that each would turn 36 in the last year of their respective deals.

The Yankees have pushed Lee’s offer to seven years in part to deal with the he two Red Sox acquisitions, who also happen to have a history of faring well against Cliff Lee. In ten at-bats, Gonzalez is hitting in impressive .700 with an OPS of 2.00. Crawford posts only a .222 career, but almost half of his at-bats Lee were in 2010 where otherwise he has a .364 average and a .909 OPS.

Some more statistical info:  Cliff Lee, since 2008, posts an average 3.5 WAR (wins above replacement player).  For the same time period, Crawford posts a 3.83 WAR and Gonzalez comes in with a 5.4 WAR.

Combine this with the idea that Lee (like most hurlers) is a bit less proficient in Fenway and Yankee Stadium and that Crawford and Gonzalez will, by most expert opinions, thrive in both of those southpaw friendly parks, the balance of power in the AL East has shifted toward Bean Town—at least on paper.

Reports say that there is a deal in principal with Gonzalez for a seven year extension worth about $154 million.  There has been some conjecture that the Crawford signing might affect that plan, but it has also been reported that both Gonzalez and Boston have expressed great interest in making the relationship last.

Assuming that New York makes the playoffs, which is a safe bet, their having picked up Lee will be of more benefit.  Lee’s performance in the post season has been markedly better than in the regular season—almost a full two runs lower in terms of ERA.

Rumors abounded that the Yankees back-up plan was to scoop up Crawford in the event they lost the Lee sweepstakes.  Now that this “plan B” is gone, it is wonder that they have stepped up the offer to the left-hander.

Also left in the cold by the Red Sox late Wednesday move are the Anaheim Angels.  They had been considered the front runner to get Crawford.  With both he and Jason Werth signed, the Angels will now have to settle for some player that most consider a step or two down from Crawford—Adrian Beltre’s name has been mentioned.

It has been a good few days for Boston fans who had been sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches, ready to storm down Yawkey Way during Sunday evening’s hiccup in the Gonzalez negotiations.  They are now ready to nominate  Sox GM Theo Epstien for Man of the Year.

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An important and long overdue message was sent to the baseball world the other day when Felix Hernandez, a 13-game winner, was announced as the winner of the 2010 Cy Young award over CC Sabathia, a 21-game winner.

The message was unequivocal. Twenty-one of the 28 voters believed the 24 year old should win the award, and for a good reason. Hernandez had the lowest ERA, the most innings pitched, the least amount of hits per nine innings and the most games started in the league. He also had more strikeouts and less walks than Sabathia.

Besides the fact that this was the right decision, this vote was a massive step towards the demise of a statistic that was once regarded as the most important method for evaluating a pitcher: the win.

“This confirms the Cy Young is an award not only for the pitcher with the most wins but the most dominant,” Hernandez said as he celebrated his first Cy Young award.

Hernandez is the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young award with 13 wins or less since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. That, alongside the overwhelming majority that voted for Hernandez, suggests people are beginning to uncover the ridiculous effects of considering wins.

The counter argument is simple, and was summed up just the other day by the National League Cy Young award winner, Roy Halladay. “Ultimately, you look at how guys are able to win games,” he said.

I don’t know if Halladay ever learned basic conceptual baseball, but someone should tell him that it is mathematically impossible for a pitcher to win a game on his own. He can pitch scoreless and hitless innings for 350 straight years, but until his team scores a run, he will never, ever win the game.

Now, it is true that a pitcher can severely help his team win a game. If a pitcher pitches a no-hitter, his team is more likely to win than if a pitcher gives up 15 runs. But those statistics are more accurately represented in other independent statistics.

ERA, strikeouts, walks, home runs allowed, etc., are all independent statistics; they are affected solely by the pitcher, and have no connection to his team’s offensive performance. In other words, a pitcher can give up 13 earned runs and still win the game (as Eddie Rommel did in 1932), or a pitcher can pitch a perfect game (as Roy Halladay did last year) and be awarded in the same way.

The win reflects absolutely nothing. You can pitch a horrible game or a great game, and it will all be recorded exactly the same when it comes to wins. ERA and other independent statistics, on the other hand, specifically illustrate a pitcher’s performance, and are thus a much better gauge of a players ability.

Starting in 2011, people will be able to cite historical evidence as to why wins should not be considered in the Cy Young discussion. “Hernandez won it in 2010,” they will say. “And he didn’t even win 14 games.” They will be right, and the Cy Young award will begin to have meaning.

Listen to Jess on What’s on Second: The Seamheads.com Radio Hour Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Follow him on Twitter  @jesskcoleman, or send him an e-mail at jess@jesskcoleman.com.

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The St. Louis Cardinals officially kicked off their hot stove season with their first major move of the off-season, inking mid-season acquisition Jake Westbrook to a two-year deal worth $16.5 million. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and a mutual option for 2013.

The deal takes care of one of the items on this offseason’s agenda: finding a fourth starter. If Westbrook can replicate his second half numbers from 2010, the deal could pay off big for the Cardinals in the future.

After coming over in a three-team deal that sent All-Star right fielder Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres, Westbrook dominated the National League. His 4-4 record was not indicative of how well he pitched. He posted an ERA of 3.48 and far outpaced his career strikeout rates. What he really excelled at was getting groundballs. Had he mustered enough innings to qualify, his stellar groundball rate would have only been equaled by Braves ace Tim Hudson.

With the free agent market for pitchers very thin beyond  Cliff Lee, who the Cardinals had virtually no chance of signing. With that in perspective, this deal looks like a bit of a steal for St. Louis. Perhaps, because of his much-improved performance after moving into the National League and under the tutelage of masterful pitching coach Dave Duncan, Westbrook felt he needed the Cardinals as much as, if not more than, they need him.

“I didn’t want it to get to the point where I had the [possibility] of the Cardinals maybe finding somebody else and thinking that I didn’t really want to be there,” Westbrook said. “I knew I wanted to be a part of this team, and I was glad to get something done now. Now I can just not worry about it. I’m looking forward to a full season with the Cardinals.”

Now that Westbrook has been inserted into an already strong rotation that consists of former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter, this year’s runner-up Adam Wainwright, dazzling prospect Jaime Garcia, and former 16-game winner Kyle Lohse, the Cardinals seem to be ready to sit pat on the starting rotation.

“We’re all thrilled,” General Manager John Mozeliak said. “We really think it sets up our rotation to be very strong in 2011.”

However, Mozeliak hints that the Redbirds may be in the market for a sixth starter, to provide extra depth for a rotation that has experienced some injury issues in the past, although not enough to make adding another starter a necessity.

The Cardinals’ first order of business, however, remains signing an extension with star first baseman and three-time Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols.

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2010 contained one of the best crops of rookies, especially in the National League, of recent years. Many of them, including Stephen Strasburg, Jaime Garcia, Starlin Castro, Ike Davis, Gaby Sanchez, Mike Stanton, John Axford, Jonny Venters, and many more, will likely become household names in the years to come as a new generation of superstars.

However, the two who, in most opinions, will shine the brightest for years to come, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey, had fabulous seasons, not just for rookies, but also as compared to players of all ages. As was just announced, Posey was selected as Rookie of the Year (ROY) for his efforts in leading the San Francisco Giants to a World Championship, narrowly beating Heyward of the Atlanta Braves.

Heyward was a top prospect that had been lighting the minor leagues on fire and made the club from Spring Training, while Posey was among an elite class of minor league catchers who hit for average and power, which included Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Indians and Jesus Montero currently of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Let’s look at a stat line of the two during the regular season (Heyward is first):

A few things immediately stand out upon observing the stat lines. The first, and the most important observation, is the disparity in games, plate appearances, and at-bats. Those led to the gap in runs, hits, and total bases, which is due to Heyward making the team from the season’s start in April as opposed to Posey’s call-up in late May. Posey did offer more homeruns per at-bat than Heyward, but Heyward had enough speed to swipe 11 bags to Posey’s none.

The most accepted interpretation of the definition of the Rookie of the Year is a rookie who added the most value to a team. One sabermetric stat that attempts to quantify this is WAR, which is Wins Added over Replacement. Basically, if an arbitrary low-end player was in Jason Heyward’s place for the course of the season, the Braves would have won 4.4 less games. For Posey, that would have cost the Giants three games.

Keep in mind that both teams literally secured their playoff spots on the last day of the regular season, meaning both teams would have missed the playoffs, hypothetically.

In this debate, to argue for Buster Posey, some might argue with average-based statistics. Though Heyward’s batting average was significantly lower than Posey’s, his on base percentage (OBP) was a good bit higher, and it was enough for eighth in the MLB. Likewise, had Posey had enough plate appearances to qualify, his .305 BA would rank 18th.

Heyward’s high OBP was mostly due to his impeccable plate discipline, which accounted for 91 walks to Posey’s 30. Also, don’t be fooled by on-base plus slugging percentage. OPS+ is a more accurate stat which adjusts for ballpark differences.

With the average based-stats being incredibly comparable, the deciding factor becomes the gap in longevity, and therefore impact, on their respective ballclubs. Though his postseason presence was unquestionable, the postseason should not and is not be taken into account in the ROY. However, for the regular season only, Heyward unquestionably proved his worth.

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For the tenth time since 2000, the Cardinals have Gold Glovers in their clubhouse.

This time, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols paired up to make a defensive duo for the Redbirds.

For Molina, this award comes as no surprise. It’s his third straight, placing him on the verge of joining an exclusive club composed of Johnny Bench, Del Crandall, Charles Johnson, and former Cardinal Mike Matheny—the only National Leaguers to win the award more than three times.

“Winning the award for a third year means a lot to me,” said Molina. “It’s why I work hard every day to be one of the best at my position. I’ll continue to work hard to be the first to win four.”

With his most recent victory, the question has become not whether Molina is the premier defensive backstop in baseball, but by how much he outpaces his peers. This season, Molina’s 17 Zone Runs led all catchers, and was nearly double the total of runner-up Humberto Quintero. His 1.6 Defensive WAR also led all catchers by a wide margin, and Molina was fourth in the league in both categories.

Teammates have nothing but good things to say about the backstop.

“He’s unbelievable,” staff ace Chris Carpenter said of Molina, who has been his catcher since he won the Cy Young Award in 2005. “He’s like the guy in the book ‘The Blind Side.’ Everybody talks about the wide receivers and quarterbacks and running backs that make those great plays, but none of that happens if the lineman does not do his job. … Yadi is the unsung hero. He does so many things behind the scenes like calling pitches and blocking balls. It’s not just about throwing guys out. He’s an amazingly smart catcher, and it definitely gives me an advantage having him back there.”

What he really excels at, though, is shutting down the opponent’s running game. He led the league in caught stealing percentage once again this season, with 48.5% of runners caught.

Cubs fans will not soon forget the play Molina made against them last year. With a left-handed batter at the plate and a man on first, Molina deftly picked a breaking ball out of the dirt, wheeled around, and threw around the batter, picking the runner off at first.

Molina currently has 33 pick-offs through his first six full seasons. At that pace, he’ll shatter the record of 81 set by Ivan Rodriguez, and will challenge the major league record of 94, held by pitchers Andy Pettitte and Kenny Rogers.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched Molina play. His laser-cannon arm, plus nearly telepathic connection with first baseman Albert Pujols, are reminiscent of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who, like Molina, is the most cerebral player in his sport.

Speaking of Pujols, this was his his second such award, and although he isn’t the revolutionary defensive wizard Molina is, he was still clearly the best player at his position. Albert led the league in putouts, double plays, fielding percentage, and range factor, and led all first basemen in assists.

He becomes the third Cardinal first baseman to win the award twice, joining defensive wizards Bill White and Keith Hernandez.

Pitcher Adam Wainwright and shortstop Brendan Ryan were also in contention for the award, but missed out to Bronson Arroyo and Troy Tulowitzki, respectively.

The winners were Arroyo, Molina, Pujols, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Tulowitzki, Reds third baseman and former Cardinal Scott Rolen, and outfielders Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn, and Carlos Gonzalez.

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Miracles happen, especially in sports. 

After a decade of futility the Tampa Bay Rays stunned the baseball world by winning the AL pennant in 2008, the organization’s first ever winning season.

The following year the Mariners, a preseason footnote in the AL West, won 85 games under GM Jack Zduriencik’s inaugural season. 

This season fans hopped on the San Diego Padres’ bandwagon and watched the team battle, albeit successfully, for the NL West Division crown.

Every year, as if on cue, a team marches towards contention following a remarkably quick and unsuspected turnaround.  As baseball nears the season’s climatic end, one is left to wonder which team is prepared to go unnoticed and quietly slip on the proverbially glass slipper come next April?

The Cleveland Indians.

The Indians 2010 season was a disaster. The team struggled from the start and frustrations began to mount as the team quickly faded out of contention. 

Underperforming players struggled to right the ship, young players failed to adjust to the rigors of big league life, injuries forced role players into every day jobs and veteran players were traded to make room for promising prospects. 

However, there are reasons for hope at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, despite a dismal 69-93 record.    

Trevor Crowe was thrust into one of those aforementioned everyday roles after Grady Sizemore succumbed to injury.

Crowe, a former first round pick out of the University of Arizona, displayed grit and hustle, but provided little help.  In 479 plate appearances he hit .251/.302/.333, and cost the team 12 runs according UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating). 

Using WAR (Wins Above Replacement), Crowe essentially cost the team one win over the course of the season. 

A healthy Grady Sizemore is expected for the 2011 season, but a productive Grady Sizemore is another question.

Sizemore, the team’s regular centerfielder, was one of baseball’s eminent budding young stars prior to the 2009.  He looked like he was on the edge of superstardom after ranking among the sport’s elite from 2006 to 2008.

Then the wheels fell off.

A disappointing 2009 was plagued by injuries, and the internet release of compromising photos in the offseason seemed to set the tone for this year. 

He often looked uncomfortable, and at times lost, in the batter’s box.  After hitting .211/.271/.289 in 33 games Sizemore eventually called it a lost season. 

It’s hard to predict which Sizemore will be patrolling centerfield in 2011, but remember only two seasons ago he posted a 7.1 WAR—essentially an eight game improvement over Trevor Crowe.

Injury also wrecked the season of Carlos Santana, one baseball’s top rookies.

Santana made his debut on June 11, and instantly became a much needed force in the middle of the Indians’ lineup. The team nearly played .500 (22-25) before a nasty collision at home plate ended his season. He hit .260/.401/.467 while the rest of the Tribe catchers hit .203/.279/.309 combined.

Santana’s offense and Lou Marson’s late inning defensive ability should quietly rank among the league’s best catching tandems in 2011.   

The team’s next biggest disappointments, outside of injury, were Matt LaPorta and Luis Valbuena.

LaPorta, considered the key piece in the Sabathia deal, hit .221/.306/.362, and earned a midseason demotion to Triple-A. 

It is still too early to toss him by the wayside with the likes of Jeremy Sowers and Michael Aubrey, but the front office’s patience has to be running thin. 

The former University of Florida alum has proven he can hit minor league pitching, and it wouldn’t be hard for him to take a step forward next year—considering how low he has set the bar. 

LaPorta may not be the impact bat the team thought he was, but any player who posts a career minor league line of .296/.390/.563 will have SOME positive major league value. 

Luis Valbuena, like LaPorta, earned an in-season demotion to the minor leagues.  Valbuena often looked like a black hole in the lineup and on the field. He hit .193/.273/.258 and cost the team almost seven runs on defense, according to UZR. His WAR total of -1.5 was among baseball’s worst. 

The emergence of Cord Phelps, Jared Goedert, Josh Rodriguez and Jason Kipnis will provide plenty of options, and upgrades, for Manny Acta to use next season at second and third bases. 

There is reason to believe in Cleveland baseball, again. The young pitching staff took a step forward after the All-Star break.

Fausto Carmona had his most productive season since the team’s magical run in 2007.  Justin Masterson was lights out for the final 5-7 weeks of the year, Carlos Carrasco started to capitalize on his vast potential and the farm system has some of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball. 

Hope runs eternal during spring training. Perhaps next spring the Indians will slip on the glass slipper and run all the way towards late season contention. 

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As a New York Yankees fan it is easy to get to know the players in the American League.

Due to geographical circumstances and interleague play, I have learned more about some of the teams in the National League, like the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Over the past few seasons, the San Francisco Giants have not come to the Bronx and have not factored in the postseason.

The Giants actually resided in New York City from 1930-57, in which the franchise won five World Championships and 17 pennants. Since making the move to San Francisco, the city still awaits for their Giants to bring a World Series title to the Bay.

Mainly known as the home to starting ace Tim Lincecum (“The Freak”), who has won the Cy Young Award the past two seasons, the Giants are another team residing in the NL West along with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

The organization’s biggest star, Barry Bonds disgraced the team’s mainstay. It seemed that the last special baseball moment for the Giants was Bonds hitting for his home-run record. It is his record because MLB can’t count it as baseball history when it was unauthentic.

Other than a cheat and a freak, there wasn’t much reason to get to the Giants over the last five seasons, until now.

After watching a few Giants games I understand their team’s appeal. The Giants players are scrappy, good, fundamental baseball players who are darn fun to watch because they never seem to give up.

STRENGTHS:

The team’s biggest asset is pitching. Three aces: Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, follow Lincecome.

The Giants starters finished the regular season with a 3.36 ERA, which was the lowest in baseball. The Giants rotation also tossed a total of 1461 innings, gave up the least hits with 1279, 546 earned runs, and struck out the most batters.

All stats led the majors for 2010. They tied for third place with the Dodgers and Marlins for the least home-runs allowed with 134 in total.

The Giants have the top closer in baseball, Brian Wilson. A guy I would want on my team. Not only can Wilson shutdown batters, but he radiates a superior, daunting presence from the mound, making batters wince. Wilson led the majors with 57 saves in 73 save opportunities.

The Giants only offensive strength comes from pure, home-run hitting power. It is the only way the Giants know how to win.

Strategy is finding a way to beat the other team by holding up the opponent’s hitters and capitalizing at the plate on the two, three or four mistakes the opponent’s pitchers inevitably make.

WEAKNESSES:

The Giants approach has no surprises.

Slow is an understatement, as the team is tied with the cubs for the slowest runners in baseball stealing just 55 bases on the season.

The batters hit into a lot of double plays and rely too much on home-runs with nothing else as an offensive back-up. It explains how the Giants wins/losses coincide with the starting pitcher’s performance.

It is not a safe way to make the playoffs, as small ball can get a team those extra wins when other aspects are slumping. In many ways the Giants are an upgraded or superior version of the Toronto Blue Jays, as Toronto’s pitching keeps improving so does the team’s record.

How do I think the Giants will do against the Texas Rangers?

The Giants pitchers need to set the tone and dominate the games from the start. Other than Cliff Lee, the Texas Rangers pitching doesn’t hold a candle to the Giants. Keeping the speedy Rangers completely off the base-pads is essential.

I see no reason why the Giants couldn’t win it in six, only because Lee will win both his starts almost without a doubt.

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