Kuzul

Three years ago, the Cleveland Indians were one win away from appearing in the World Series before the Boston Red Sox came back to win the 2007 American League Championship Series, four games to three.

In subsequent years, the Indians unloaded their potential World Series roster with a series of blockbuster trades.

Over the next two seasons, the Indians traded away starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, third baseman Casey Blake and starting catcher Victor Martinez. In exchange, Cleveland added a wealth of young prospects, the likes of which may not be felt for this year, but at some point down the road.

Through their trades, the Indians added outfielders Matt Laporta and Michael Brantley as part of their deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for C.C. Sabathia. Laporta, the seventh overall pick from the 2007 Major League Draft and the No. 1 rated prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers at the time of the draft, is expected to start at first base this season, allowing Travis Hafner to start as the designated hitter.

In dealing pitcher Cliff Lee, who was coming off of a Cy Young season the year before, the Indians added the Philadelphia Phillies top prospect at the time, pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

As part of the Casey Blake deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tribe added stud-catcher Carlos Santana (no relation to the musician), who entered the 2009 season as the Indians No. 1 prospect in the minors.

The Santana deal allowed the Indians to trade away their best player, catcher Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox. In that exchange, the Indians ended up with hard throwing pitcher Justin Masterson.

In two season, the Indians unloaded most of their best players, electing to hold onto Gold Glove outfielder Grady Sizemore and first baseman Travis Hafner, who from 2004 through 2007 batted in over 434 runs.

Since then however, Hafner has just 123 RBIs in the following three seasons.  

Sizemore, who was considered by many to be one of the best young players in baseball hasn’t been healthy the last two seasons, only playing in 33 games in 2010 before a knee injury ended his season.

The Indians middle infield is solid as Asdrubal Cabrera and Luis Valbuena return for their third season together.

With injuries and unproven young stars, the Indians best player may be outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who last season homered 22 times and drove in 90 runs while hitting .300 in 144 games. Choo has batted .300 or better each of the last three seasons.

The ace of the Tribes pitching staff, Fausto Carmona, who last season was awarded with his first All-Star appearance, was the subject of heavy trade rumors and may be again this season.

The rest of the Indians staff remains young, full of potential, and for the most part, untested. Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and a combination of Aaron Laffey, Mitch Talbot, David Huff and Josh Tomlin all could push for the fifth spot in the rotation.

After coming off of a 34 save season in 2008 for the Chicago Cubs, the Indians signed Kerry Wood to a two-year deal. Halfway into his second season with the Indians, Wood was traded to the New York Yankees. In a season and a half with the Indians, Wood managed just 28 saves.

This year; however, the Indians will enter with Chris Perez as their new closer. Last season, Perez finished with 23 saves and gave up just 12 runs in 63 innings of work, good enough for a 1.71 ERA, third best in the league for players with over 20 saves.

The 2011 Cleveland Indians are young, talented and unproven, yet the the Tribe have some good reasons to look toward the future.

From 1994 to 2001, the Indians made the playoffs six times and appeared in the World Series twice.

After a rough rebuilding period, the Indians were one win away from making their third World Series appearance since 1995.

If history has shown us anything, it has proved that the Cleveland Indians will once again be contenders in the near future.

It’s only a matter of time.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates had little reason to smile last season, holding the worst record in Major League Baseball by a full four games. At 57 wins with 105 losses, the Pirates won just 17 games on the road en route to their 18th consecutive losing season. That’s right, 18 years in a row they have had a losing season, which also happens to be the longest streak in professional sports today.

The worst, however, may have already passed as the Pirates have begun to pay attention to the growing talent in their farm system while slowly calling up the next wave of future Pirates and possible superstars.

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen leads the pack of youthful Pirates. At just 24, McCutchen has already established himself as the face of the Pirates. A former first-round pick, McCutchen splashed onto the Major League scene following the trade of Nate McClouth to the Atlanta Braves.

The move opened up a spot for McCutchen who has never looked back. On Aug. 1, 2009, McCutchen homered three times and drove in six runs against the Washington Nationals.

Although he was considered an 2010 All-Star snub, McCutchen has made enough of an impact to be considered one of the best young center fielders in the league.

If McCutchen is Batman, then Pedro Alvarez may be Robin. The second overall pick in the 2008 draft was actually selected in the 14th round of the 2005 draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Alvarez, however, didn’t sign and went to play college ball at Vanderbilt, where he set a school record for home runs in a season and earned a number of awards, including National Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and was selected to the USA National Team. Alvarez also lead Vanderbilt to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title in 2007 where he was named tournament MVP.

Alvarez was called up in June of 2010 and after struggling for part of the season, Alvarez finished the season strong, including being named National League Rookie of the Month for September. Alvarez looks to the be the corner stone for the Pirates for many years.

The Pirates continued the youth movement with former first-round pick and starting second basemen, Neil Walker and outfielder Jose Tabata, who was brought over from the New York Yankees in the Xavier Nady trade back in 2008.

Still a few years away, the 2009 fourth overall pick, Tony Sanchez might be second most highly regarded catcher in the minors after New York Yankees’ Jesus Montero.

The Pirates pitching staff may be one of the youngest in the league, with Kevin Correia being the eldest at just 30-years-old. Ross Ohlendorf (brought over in the 2008 trade for Xavier Nady from the Yankees), Paul Maholm (first-round pick), and Brad Lincoln, the fourth overall pick of the 2006 draft lead a youthful Pirates pitching staff.

The Pirates pitching staff could still be joined by the 2010 second overall pick, Jameson Taillon, who stands at 6’6″ and throws a fastball that touches the upper 90s as well as Rudy Owens, the left-handed hurler who was the Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year honoree. Last season, Owens finished 12-6 with a 2.46 ERA while playing for Double-A Altoona of the Eastern League.

Finally, relief pitcher Evan Meek, the only Pirate in the 2010 All-Star Game, might be one of the most underrated relievers in the league today. Meek finished the 2010 season with a 2.14 ERA in 70 total appearances.

At the All-Star break, Meek’s ERA was just 0.98, the third lowest in the league after Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Tigers closer Jose Valverde.

In the end, the Pirates may still suffer a 19th and possibly a 20th straight losing season before things start to turn for the better, but in the meantime, the Pirates are on the right track. They have the talent and farm system in place, the only question will be is, do they have the time to develop that farm system before McCutchen and Alvarez come up as trade bait or free agency.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Before I get started, a tip of the cap from all of us in Red Sox nation to Theo Epstein, our maverick genius, our watchful protector, our Dark Kni-…never mind. But I stand in awe of what the 37 year old son of Brookline, MA has accomplished.

For the services of Adrian Gonzalez, he still managed to keep Jose Iglesias and our draft picks. Under the cover of darkness, he locked up one of the most complete outfielders in the game and disrupted the Yankee-Lee negotiations with his free hand.

For his next trick, he avoided any long, bloated contracts for relievers and secured the services of two solid bullpen arms, one from a division rival. Bruce Wayne he is not, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find a cape and mask in his secret lair.

Lost in the frenzy over the immediate impact the new additions will make, I’m equally amazed at how well Epstein & Co. has set up the Red Sox to remain successful over the next several seasons. As much excitement as the 2011 campaign holds, I am equally looking forward to the team’s potential 2, 3, and as much as 5 years down the line. Here are a few reasons why…

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Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

During a five-year period from 2005 to 2009, Chase Utley was one of the most valuable assets in fantasy baseball, averaging 151 games, 111 runs, 29 HRs, 101 RBI, 15 steals and a .301 batting average per season as a second baseman.  

A thumb injury which required surgery forced him to miss seven weeks last season, ending his five-year streak of awesomeness. Although Utley did return in time to post an impressive September line, Utley’s time as the top fantasy second baseman has likely ended.

This isn’t to say Utley isn’t still capable of 25 HRs, 15 steals and a .290 average. Rather, Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia have finally caught up to Utley as they both enter their prime years. Utley, on the other hand, is now 32 years old.

While Utley’s plate discipline stats don’t suggest much regression, a trend in his batting average over the last few years is somewhat peculiar:

• 2007: .332
• 2008: .292
• 2009: .282
• 2010: .275

While a bounceback season is fully expected, this downward pattern is worth mentioning.

Surprisingly, one area of Utley’s game that hasn’t declined is his base stealing efficiency:

• 2008: 88 percent (14 out of 16)
• 2009: 100 percent (23 out of 23)
• 2010: 87 percent (13 out of 15)
• Career: 88 percent (96 out of 109)

Given a full season of health as the Phillies’ No. 3 hitter, Utley can still be one of the most productive players at his position.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Check out the Home Run Heroics Forum to discuss the hottest baseball topics, including the upcoming 2011 fantasy baseball season!

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ 2011 Big Board:

• Nos. 1-10 Is Pujols Still The Top Pick?
• Nos. 11-20 Where Do Votto, A-Rod and Halladay Fit In?
• No. 21: Dustin Pedroia

MLB Trades: Fantasy Impact:

• Frank Francisco Traded to the Blue Jays, Who Will Be The Team’s Closer?
• Mike Napoli Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact
• Vernon Wells Traded to the Los Angeles Angels: Fantasy Impact
• Adrian Beltre Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why Five Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero & Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are some athletes in today’s world of sports that will seemingly never play for a team other than their current club.

Certain players are synonymous with their teams, and wrapping one’s head around the notion that they may play for a different team is just not plausible.

The likes of Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, and Albert Pujols could each be placed in this category.  

However, there was once a time when seeing Brett Favre, Michael Jordan, or Joe Montana in a different uniform was thought to be ludicrous.

Pujols is St. Louis. He has spent his entire career a Cardinal, brought them a title, is the face of the franchise, and his charitable work around the community has done wonders to endear himself to St. Louis residents.

Pujols is a free agent after the coming MLB season, and negotiations with the team have not been progressing, and a potential doomsday scenario is fast approaching for Cardinals fans.

Many members of Cardinal faithful would struggle to find the meaning of life in a Pujols-less world.

While it is quite likely Pujols re-signs with St. Louis to finish his career a Cardinal, there is the distinct possibility the best player in the game today takes a more lucrative offer to play elsewhere, ala LeBron James.

Here are the five most likely destinations if Pujols were to hit the open market.

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This winter has exposed cracks in the New York Yankees’ organization.  What was once the proudest and most cohesive unit in baseball has reverted to the days of factions between the New York front office, headed by GM Brian Cashman, and the Tampa brain trust, led by the Brothers Steinbrenner.

The winter was mostly inactive, until the Steinbrenners overruled Cashman in signing Rafael Soriano, a free agent Cashman didn’t want because he wanted to protect the Yankees’ first round draft pick.  Recently, Cashman allowed himself to go on the record suggesting Yankee captain Derek Jeter move to the outfield by the end of Jeter’s contract, igniting a media frenzy in the New York papers.

Numerous sources indicate that Cashman may leave the Yankees organization for a smaller market club when his contract ends after the season.  And to that, Yankee fans should say good riddance.  Brian Cashman has been the most overrated general manager in all of sports for the last ten years.  

While Cashman has made some good moves over the course of his tenure (trading for Scott Brosius and Chuck Knoblauch in 1998, getting major contributions from Shawn and Aaron Small in 2005), most have been relegated to obscurity (Chili Davis anyone?).

The only reason Cashman has been able to survive for so long was that he was able to win multiple World Series Championships with teams that Gene Michael built.  

His mistakes are further covered up by the Yankees’ huge payroll, which allows the team to eat bad contracts without problems, like Carl Pavano’s in 2004 (who Cashman greatly considered bringing back this offseason) or AJ Burnett’s in 2008, contracts that would devastate other teams.

So, to Brian Cashman I say, “Be careful what you wish for.”  Leaving a great gig like the Yankees will be a day you rue for years to come.  Sure, you may get more power with a mid-market club, but you’ll miss the ability to sign any free agent you want, as well as the pomp and circumstance of New York.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Rafael Soriano, the best relief pitcher on the free-agent market this year, has reached a three-year deal with the New York Yankees worth about $35 million. The Yankees have opted for Soriano since their initial interest in Kerry Wood didn’t develop into a deal and they’re better off for it.

Wood’s injury history is well-documented and he struggled mightily in the AL. Despite posting an ERA of 0.69 in 26.0 short innings, Wood also walked 18 hitters and survived due to a strikeout rate reminiscent of his early days as a starter.

Rafael Soriano also has strikeout potential, and though his K’s took a hit last year in the AL East, he still set down 8.2 guys per nine innings. Soriano has not been entirely injury-free in his career, nor has he ever shown the promise that Kerry Wood did in his early days, but it’s hard not to imagine him as a more reliable late-inning arm for the Yankees over the next one-to-three seasons.

The nature of this deal is unusual for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the amount of money Soriano is getting is rather high, to say the least. Non-closer relievers with seven-figure salaries are really unheard of, and while I don’t deny that Soriano is the best relief pitcher to be a free-agent this year, his contract is a product of Scott Boras’ classic high selling and the Yankees’ bottomless wallet. The other strange thing is that Soriano can opt out of his deal after either of the first two seasons.

It’s hard to tell what he’s going to do, but since he was searching for a closers’ job (for four years, no less) he will probably jump ship if he thinks one such job is available. The reason he didn’t get such a deal was because the teams who didn’t already have a reliable ninth-inning guy balked at the asking price, and of the teams who could use a good set-up type (virtually every team), only the Yankees would be willing to dip into their funds to the tune of 10 million or more per year.

Because a number of teams are going to have expensive closers coming off the books after 2011, I wouldn’t be altogether surprised to see Soriano leave after one year in search of a closing job. The Mets, Tigers, and Reds head the list of teams who might be interested. These three teams have been known to spend money on closers. Francisco Rodriguez got 37 million from the Mets over three years and there is no way they pick up his $17.5 million option for 2012. With a lot of silly money coming off the board after 2011, to the tune of at least $48 million, they could offer Soriano a lucrative deal to close games. The Tigers could just resign Jose Valverde, but Soriano is perhaps a slightly better pitcher for an extra four or five million annually. I think the Reds would be willing to think long and hard about replacing Francisco Cordero with Soriano if the option presented itself.

The list of possibilities extends beyond those three teams. The Cardinals have a solid closer in Ryan Franklin—who has been good but probably should not be your team’s best reliever. They should aim to strengthen their bullpen if they have money left over after locking Albert Pujols up for another decade. I think the Phillies are unlikely to pick up their 12 and a half million option on Brad Lidge for 2012 and could just as well put that money toward a few years of Soriano. The Angels will probably aim to strengthen their bullpen and I doubt they think just resigning Fernando Rodney the solution to their late-inning issues. I expect Soriano to have a multitude of options if his 2011 season is productive enough for him to expect a high-paying ninth-inning job elsewhere.

It is not especially unlikely that he pitches well enough, especially considering his stellar 2010 season. Soriano has that great combination of strikeout ability and control, with career K/9 and BB/9 ratios of 9.62 and 2.69 respectively. The strikeouts dipped to 8.23 per nine innings last year, perhaps because the AL East is a tougher division than the NL East or AL West, but

The biggest gripe a Yankee fan should have with Soriano is his fly-ball rate. With only 0.62 grounders per fly and only one season with a ratio of 1.00 or higher, Soriano can be expected to give up a few home runs. He was lucky in 2010 with only 4.8% of fly balls leaving the park and cannot be expected to repeat that. To be fair, he got a rather high percentage of pop ups, as opposed to line drives, but these statistics are somewhat unpredictable.

With his lowered strikeout rate came a lower walk rate. Soriano’s 2.02 walks per nine innings was bested by only 10 relief pitchers with 50 or more innings in 2010. His 2.69 career mark is better than all but 32 relief pitchers with 300 or more innings pitched (as a reliever) over the past fifteen years. His batting average on balls in play was .212, an extremely low figure even for Soriano with his career mark of .256.

He has continuously seen success with his fastball (averaging 92.9 mph in 2010) and his slider. Both have been worth a positive runs above average total for six years running. Soriano started to throw a cutter about 15% of the time in 2010. That worked for him too and might be key to limiting damage from good lefty hitters. I think there may be someone in New York who can help him with the cutter if need be.

There are so many things to like about Soriano in the Yankees bullpen. The results he’s gotten and the stats that underlie these results, such as his above average first-pitch strike rate or his tendency to get guys to swing at pitches out of the zone and miss them, both at rates above MLB average in 2010. In 2010 he posted an FIP of 2.81. That’s probably what we can expect Soriano’s ERA to look like next year.

Another interesting benefit is that Soriano’s deal opens the door for the Yankees to give Joba Chamberlain another shot at the rotation. Joba performed better than people think last year, as his 4.40 ERA hid a FIP of 2.98. Joba’s strikeout rate was up to 9.67 per nine IP and he walked fewer than three per nine for the first time since 2007. His BABIP should be slightly lower and while we cannot expect his talents to perfectly translate from the bullpen to the rotation, he at least deserves another chance. That is, unless the Yankees are comfortable with Sergio Mitre as their fifth starter.

The Yankees needed another good righty for their bullpen. It was good that they made the move for Soriano. Even if they only have him for one year. Even if he doesn’t repeat his brilliance of 2010. The remaining right-handed free agent relievers are minor-league deals waiting to happen. There’s Blaine Boyer and Lance Cormier of the few-strikeouts/many-walks variety. There’s Manny Delcarmen and Juan Cruz of the plenty-of-strikeouts-but-way-too-many-walks variety. Then there are the likes of Kelvim Escobar, Chris Ray and Justin Ducherer who could be good if they weren’t so brittle. The best remaining options are probably Jon Rauch, Chad Durbin, and Chad Qualls, none of whom have the talent or the potential that Soriano has.

This signing was a good one. Soriano, far and away the best relief pitcher available, was worth seven figures annually in an oddly structured deal because it adds depth and talent to the bullpen, could push Joba into another chance at starting, and it gives Soriano a chance to win in 2011 and add to his already impressive resume in anticipation of an opportunity to close in 2012 or beyond. Both sides should be happy.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Perusing the internet as I do, I came across the latest piece by Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci, which was a very interesting read.

The best-selling author discussed young pitchers in the major leagues and claimed many have been overworked by their teams.

The game of baseball has changed drastically since the early 1900′s. Instant replay is part of the game, albeit minimally, steroids have been injected and the average salary is over a million dollars.

But pitchers haven’t changed. Way back when, if starters didn’t throw 200-plus innings they must have missed time due to injury. Rotations have expanded since the days two pitchers pitched a majority of the games, as five now make up every staff, but there are still 200 innings out there for young pitchers especially to throw.

Verducci notes that “Last year … 29-and-younger pitchers made 3,497 starts, the second most in the 13 seasons with 30 teams and a 21 percent increase from 1999.”

There is nothing wrong with this. Pitchers are paid to pitch, pitch effectively, and pitch deep into ballgames. Yet, only eight pitchers 25 or younger threw over 200 innings, while only 31 made 25 or more starts. So, despite the vast increase in the amount of starts made by pitchers considered young by baseball’s standards, overprotection is a big part of the game.

Despite giving many examples of young pitchers who increased their workload from the previous season and succeeded, Verducci “developed a rule of thumb that pitchers 25 and younger should not increase their workload by more than 30 innings.”

Why not? Building upon the previous season is called progress. Pitching more means they can handle more—that they are ready for an increased role. There were finesse pitchers and power pitchers in the early to mid-20th century, just as is the case now.

Pitchers are throwing the same speeds they did back then, twirling the same curveballs and baffling opposing hitters with the same changeups.

A pitcher’s goal every time he takes the mound should be to finish what he started. If it isn’t, why pitch? The emergence of the bullpen in the last 30 years has shortened the game drastically to the point that some pitchers may go into an outing thinking six or seven innings would be sufficient.

Nine would be better though, and even a solid bullpen shouldn’t keep this from happening at a prolific rate.

Young pitchers want to show what they are made of. They all want to be aces. They all want to make the Hall of Fame. How can they do that if they are held back?

The way they are treated by team’s is the same reason why some MLB-ready prospects are kept on the farm to control their future salaries and keep them under team control longer.

MLB Trade Rumors’ Ben Nicholson Smith wrote about this in April of 2010:

“If teams wait until late April to call on a player without major league service time, they can save considerably. Players who make their big league debuts after April 19th (that’s Monday) this year won’t spend enough time on a major league roster to earn a full year’s service time, so their free agency will be pushed back a year.”

Some teams abide by this, and some don’t. Top prospects excelling in the minors have been called up prior to April 19th before, with Atlanta’s slugging outfielder Jayson Heyward being a prime example.

Those teams chose not to wait, just like some teams let their young pitchers pitch without any restrictions. Split between the minor leagues and San Francisco Giants, 21 year old Madison Bumgarner increased his inning total by 73 this past season.

Verducci noted ten other pitchers 25 and younger who had increases of 38 innings or more.

Just as there is the hope that prospects will be promoted based on their readiness, I hope more teams let their young arms loose. After all, it was the norm in the 1920s.

There’s no reason it shouldn’t be again, no matter how much the game has transformed since then.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The big news out of the Chicago White Sox camp this offseason was their acquisition of Adam Dunn. Dunn finally gives the White Sox the left-handed presence they have wanted for the past couple of seasons.

While Dunn might have been the headliner for the White Sox this offseason, he is one of the many moves they made concerning their bullpen. There has been a lot of changes to their pen, so let’s take a look at who is in, who is out, and where the chips may fall in 2011.

Out

Bobby Jenks, RHP: Last year’s closer was non-tendered in November and was signed by the Boston Red Sox in December. Jenks had a 4.44 ERA in 52.2 IP.

J.J. Putz, RHP: Putz was a valuable part of the White Sox bullpen in 2010, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 10.8 K’s/9 in 54 innings. He was a force in the eighth inning, where he posted a 1.04 ERA. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks to be their closer.

Scott Linebrink, RHP: Linebrink had a 4.40 ERA and struck out 8.2 batters per innings in 57.1 innings for the White Sox in 2010. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in December and never lived up to the four-year, $19 million contract he signed prior to the 2008 season.

In

Jesse Crain, RHP: Crain appeared in 71 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2010. He posted a solid 3.04 ERA and 8.2 K’s/9 in 68 IP. Even as a right-handed pitcher, he held left-handed batters to a .198 BAA last year.

Will Ohman, LHP: The latest bullpen acquisition by GM Kenny Williams, Ohman signed a two-year, $4 million contract on Friday. Ohman held lefties to a .229 BAA and just five extra-base hits in 99 plate appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and Florida Marlins last season.

Already There

Matt Thornton, LHP: Perhaps the most solid reliever the White Sox have. Thornton struck out 81 in 60.2 IP in 2010 and is equally deadly on righties as he is on lefties. Righties only hit .203 against him and lefties hit .199. He is one of the better relief pitchers in baseball.

Sergio Santos, RHP: The converted SS has really found a home in the White Sox bullpen. Santos had a 2.96 ERA and struck out 56 in 51.2 innings with Chicago in 2010. He has a wicked splitter but does struggle with control.

Tony Pena, RHP: Pena comes into the game if the White Sox are up by five runs, down by five runs, or there are no other options. He is like an old fashioned “Swing Man”, as he did start three games in 2010. He had a 5.10 ERA in 100.2 IP.

Chris Sale, LHP: Sale was the 13th pick in the 2010 June Draft and then made his White Sox debut on August 6th. That’s called firing through a system. Sale didn’t disappoint when he got to the White Sox, as he posted a 1.93 ERA and averaged 12.3 K/9 in 23.1 IP.

Now that we have looked at who is in, who is out, and who remains, here is where I think the chips will fall for the White Sox bullpen in 2011:

Closer: Sale. With the addition of Ohman, a lot of people think that means Sale will move to the rotation. Unless the White Sox trade either Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy, or John Danks, I don’t see how that can happen.

I think Sale remains in the pen and ends up the White Sox closer in 2011.

Eighth Inning Setup Man: Thornton. Thornton will take over for Putz in the eighth and he will be used against righties and lefties in that spot

Left-Handed Specialist: Ohman. Pretty easy call here. Ohman will be used to get a tough lefty out late in the game or if Thornton is unavailable to pitch that day.

Right-Handed Specialist: Crain. Crain held righties to a .228 BAA last season, so he will come on in the seventh to get a pair of righties out.

That’s how I see the White Sox bullpen shaping up. Overall, it looks pretty nasty and should be one of the top bullpens in the American League in 2011.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The first week in January is one of baseball’s most exciting time periods.

Sure, the regular season has been in hibernation for a few months, and a World Series champion has been crowned. The Hot Stove is cooling down quickly, with most big name free agents having already been signed to lucrative deals.

However, during that first week in January, grown men who have given their lives to the game of baseball wait by their telephones like children wait by the tree on Christmas morning, waiting for a call that welcomes them into baseball immortality—the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

On January 5, 2010, the Hall of Fame welcomed two newcomers into it’s elite ranks—second baseman, Roberto Alomar, and right handed pitcher, Bert Blyleven. They come from different walks of life.

Alomar, who hails from Ponce, Puerto Rico, spent just two years on the ballot before having his plaque engraved. On the other hand, Blyleven, born in Zeist, Netherlands, spent 15 years on the ballot before achieving greatness.

More than anything, this got me to thinking—how many of today’s great players will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown?

Narrowing that down even further, I wondered, “Just how good is Roy Halladay?”

Halladay, 33, completed a smooth transition into the National League in 2010, posting a record of 21-10 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He took the National League by storm, finishing first in the NL in wins (21), innings pitched (250.2), CG (9), BB/9 (1.08), LOB % (82.7%), and WAR (6.6).

He finished second in a number of other categories, including strikeouts (219), and third in other categories, including ERA (2.44), pitching his way to the National League Cy Young Award, the second Cy Young Award of his career.

According to the Baseball Writer’s Association of America, Halladay was, without a doubt, the best pitcher in the National League in 2010. Though voting was completed before the post-season, the baseball world would know of Halladay’s lore before the award was announced.

On May 29, 2010, Halladay threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins, and a few months later, on October 6, 2010, he threw a second no-hitter, this time against the Cincinnati Reds.

He became just the second pitcher in the history of baseball to throw a post-season no-hitter—the first since Don Larsen of the New York Yankees threw arguably the greatest game of all time, a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game Five of the 1956 World Series.

Halladay’s 2010 accomplishments have been well documented, but the most recent season was far from an oddity for the man who also won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

During that season, he posted a record of 22-7, with stats that nearly mirrored those he posted in 2010, creating the argument that moving to the National League added years to the ace’s career.

Premature as it may be, we must ask ourselves—”Are we witnessing one of the greatest pitcher’s of all time? Will this man eventually have a spot in Cooperstown?”

There is plenty of evidence to support his case.

Through the first 13 years of his career (which includes just two games in 1998), Halladay has posted a career record of 169 – 86, to go along with a career ERA of 3.32.

Over the course of his career, he has won 20 games three times, and in 2003, came close by winning 19.

He posted an ERA under four 11 times in his career and—more impressively—posted ERA’s below three, six times, including a rookie season that boasted an ERA below two.

His resume already includes some very impressive feats, including winning the Cy Young Award twice, being selected as an All-Star seven times, being named the Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2010, leading the league in wins twice, and throwing two no-hitters.

Though his accomplishments are impressive to date, his career is far from over.

He has yet to rank in the top 50 in any of the major pitching categories, though that can change the longer he extends his career.

The common benchmark for pitching is wins, and 300 is the “guarantee marker.” Well, in order for Roy Halladay to win 300 games by the age of 40, he would have to average 19 wins per season over the next seven seasons.

Though it is possible, it is also unlikely.

On the other hand, the Baseball Hall of Fame finally opened it’s doors to Bert Blyleven in 2011, and his resume featured just 287 wins, though he was on the ballet for an incredible 15 years, the last of his eligibility.

According to Baseball-Reference.com’s Similarity Scores (through age 33), Halladay ranks favorably among two Hall of Fame pitchers —Carl Hubbell and Jim Bunning.

Through age 33, Hubbell posted a record of 170 – 94, with an ERA of 2.79.

He played for a total of 16 seasons with the New York Giants, and finished with a career record of 253 – 154, with an ERA of 2.98.

He threw an incredible 3,590.1 innings over the entirety of his career with the Giants, and finished with an impressive accolades resume of his own, including nine All-Star selections, two National League MVP awards, and the ability to call himself a World Champion, something Halladay has yet to do in his career.

Bunning’s line through age 33 featured much of the same.

Through his first 11 seasons, Bunning posted a record of 156 – 104, and an ERA of 3.53. Over the course of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a record of 224 – 184, with an ERA of 3.27.

Like many Hall of Fame pitchers, he boasts several career accolades, including nine All-Star selections and pitching a perfect game.

Though Carl Hubbell and Jim Bunning pitched in a different era, where many starting pitchers threw complete games and logged ridiculous amounts of innings with incredible frequency, the fact of the matter remains the same—through the first 13 years of his career, Roy Halladay has pitched like a potential Hall of Famer.

He already boasts several of the game’s greatest feats, including winning the Cy Young Award in both leagues, being selected as an All-Star in both leagues, leading both leagues in wins, and throwing multiple no-hitters, including a perfect game.

If, over the course of the next seven seasons, Halladay can compile 55 more wins, which seems like a great possibility, he will have surpassed those of Jim Bunning, and if he can win 84 more games, he will have pulled even with Carl Hubbell.

You can also make the argument that he has already achieved more in the game, minus winning the World Series, than Hubbell or Bunning ever have, and finishing out his career would simply make Halladay a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Several intangibles also give Halladay a boost, in the minds of eligible voters.

In an era plagued by the clouds of steroids and performance enhancing drugs, Halladay has dominated both leagues while never testing positive for a substance. He has never been involved in controversy, and has represented Major League Baseball with the greatest of pride.

So the question remains—Will Roy Halladay be a Hall of Fame pitcher when his career is over?

Based on his track record, it’s hard to believe that he won’t be.

If Jim Bunning and Carl Hubbell are the litmus test, then Halladay arrives in Cooperstown as a First Ballot player. As mentioned, he has already achieved, in just 13 seasons, many of the feats that voters look for—no-hitters, 20-win seasons, and notable awards, including the Cy Young, twice.

Two things, in my mind, would hold him up, assuming he finishes his career on the track he’s heading—new statistics and wins.

We live in an ever-evolving world, and with the introduction of SABRmetrics a few years back, baseball statistics have changed greatly.

With more and more baseball writers familiarizing themselves with said stats, a deeper evaluation of those eligible for the Hall of Fame has gone underway. Though SABRmetrics favor Halladay highly, you never know what the future holds.

In the same regard, Halladay will have to pass at least Bunning in wins at this point, and though he may not be a sure-fire 300-game winner, if anyone has the chance to pitch effectively into his forties’, it is Roy Halladay.

However, with his accomplishments, and a resume that is likely to be added to, it is hard to believe that Halladay won’t win over 250 games, and perhaps, finish his career with just two Cy Young Awards.

Though nothing in baseball is guaranteed, pitchers like Roy Halladay don’t come along often.

The Hall of Fame features just 60 pitchers as of 2011, but several years in the future, the consensus says that Cooperstown will be opening it’s doors for one more, the only question that remains is—what hat will he wear?

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