EVIL~! alkeiper

Santana was 22nd in win shares and pitched for a 3rd place team. You honestly expect him to get a vote? As for A-Rod and the Rangers, I've gone over that many, many times. Let me just point out that the 2003 Rangers ranked eighth all time in runs allowed, behind only the 2000 Rangers, the '96 Tigers, two Rockies clubs, and three Phillies clubs from the Ruth era. No player could've dragged that team any higher.

Step two. When the clutch hitting argument fails, resort to pathetic name calling and dredge to slander the winner. Look pathetic and petty in the meantime.

Why is it that people buy this logic for Ortiz, and not for Rodriguez? Without A-Rod, who would the Yankees have played at third instead? Russ Johnson? The Yankees had more hitting threats outside of A-Rod? The Red Sox led the league in runs scored, so they were not exactly lacking themselves. The Yankees' best bench bat was Rey Sanchez. Think about that for a moment. In truth, none of this is really relevant to the issue. Coming up with arguments like what the team would be like without a certain player really clouds what should be a clear argument, and places more emphasis on teammates than on the player themselves. The purpose of the MVP is to identify the best player in the league. Anything else is either someone reading WAY too far into a literal translation of the word valuable itself, or (more commonly) is looking for ways to prop up their candidate when statistics have failed. Hitting. Alex Rodriguez had a higher batting average, higher On Base Percentage, and higher slugging percentage. Moreover, A-Rod did this while playing his home games in Yankee Stadium, a considerably harder park to hit in than did David Ortiz. Defense. Alex Rodriguez played 161 games at third base, and three at shortstop. Ortiz played ten games at first base. While at third base, Rodriguez helped his team win by turning balls in play into outs. This is not an argument that Ortiz had it easier by not playing defense. The point is that defense itself adds value to a ballclub. Baserunning. Ortiz had one steal. Rodriguez had 21 steals in 27 tries. Also, Rodriguez grounded into eight double plays compared to 13 for Ortiz. So you have a candidate who loses out on the three major categories. How do we close the gap. Clutch hitting of course! Ortiz had lots of clutch hits, since we all watch Sportscenter. One often repeated fact is that Ortiz had 20 home runs that either tied the game or put his team ahead. They never mention A-Rod's performance. He had a paltry 19 such home runs. But here is what really surprised me. Ortiz, Mr. Clutch, had nine intentional walks. A-Rod, the guy who's not clutch, had eight intentional walks. Ortiz gets pitches to hit in crucial situations because Manny Ramirez bats behind him. I just don't see where Ortiz's clutch performance gives him the edge over everything else. People love to use clutch to prop up their candidates for lack of better evidence. It's not working here. Ortiz is a fine hitter, and a worthy number two. He's not A-Rod.

There's a lot of prisons out there. That's the kind of young hungry athlete I'm talking about. Someone who fights because they have no other options to hit the big time. Like Tyson. That's a good point though. How come collegiate boxing is nonexistant? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The obvious answer is that it is not really a team sport. There are however several noteable amateur boxing events, such as the Golden Gloves boxing tournament and the Olympics. When I get some time, I should take a look at the background of boxing's better heavyweights. Might shed some light on the subject.

The Devil Rays finished last in runs allowed this season. Given that there is not any prospects on the immediate horizon in AAA, I don't see them improving their staff to the point where they can compete, at least next year. And I think Papelbon will have a long relief role next season, unless injuries take their toll on the starting staff.

Mazzone brings a wealth of experience to the Orioles' staff. Whether he can benefit and how much, I don't know. I suspect a great deal of the Braves' pitching success is due to Andruw Jones shagging fly balls in center field. There's just no way to predict what will happen. As for a top free agent pitcher, the only elite pitcher on the market is Roger Clemens, and I doubt he's leaving Houston.

When doing so won't elicit howls of asterik hunters and groups of "my day was better" fans. I doubt the figure is that high, but I believe it is substantial. I also don't think it is the disaster that everyone makes it out to be.

5 years/$50 Million is certainly not the worst contract I've heard of, and it may even be a good value. Furcal regularly produces 20+ win shares a season, and he would still only be 32 at the end of that deal. If there was one player I'd commit 5-6 years to on this market, it's Furcal.

Fifty-fifty. The American League will probably come down a little next season, as the lower tier inches up and becomes more competitive. It's hard to say until we see what the White Sox do this offseason, but even given their luck they're still a playoff contender. The Giants will certainly keep Bonds, as he's too much of an injury concern to shop at his price. I think Thomas will return to the White Sox, as very few teams will want to commit to him with his injuries, and it's a reasonable fit. If Thomas leaves, it would almost have to be to a last place team with nothing to lose.

I am not violently opposed to the trade. My only objection would be that there's really not a hole at center field. Pat Burrell's arm would make him well suited for right, and the deal would save the Phillies $8.7 Million. You'd lose about two wins on the deal, so you would need to make sure you get a decent left fielder. The only concern is that it's not a good idea if the plan is to move Ryan Howard to left, and it doesn't solve our weaknesses at third and catcher. I'm going to lump these two together. A.J. Burnett will be overpaid. The question is whether it is better to pay too much, or not to enter the market and not gain any pitching. Burnett's got great stuff but he's not quite an ace. Given that the Jays already have Roy Halladay, a superior pitcher, Burnett is probably the wrong direction to persue. Halladay, Chacin, Towers, Bush and Lilly isn't a bad rotation to start with. With Dustin McGowan on the way, they're all the better off. What the Jays could use most is a mid-rotation starter. Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson might be ideal. The best thing the Jays have going for them is their young players, who should improve.

Sadly, the 2003 Baseball preview was the best part of the Torrie Wilson issue. Even if they did pick the Phils to finish last.

Rip is a common nickname. I've seen three baseball players named Richard who went by "Rip."

Vazquez has asked for a trade since he went to the Diamondbacks, so this is nothing new. He kept quiet and gave Arizona a fair chance this season.

Shoring up the right side of their infield should be a priority for the Dodgers. If they can sign a guy like Joe Randa to a one-year contract while they await their prospects, that would be ideal. Alex S. Gonzalez might also represent a good acquisition, as someone who can fill in for Cesar Izturis and then move around when Izturis comes back. The Reds have made poor choices in the amateur draft and have failed to develop their own pitching. Obviously they need to find starting pitching that can at least keep them in the game. Adam Dunn they absolutely should not trade. The Reds should consider either trading Griffey or moving him out of center. Griffey's increasing defensive decline is part of the problem. Yes. The only impressive portion of Eaton's performance this season was his W/L Record. He's an injury risk, and he hasn't beat the league average ERA since his rookie season. If they could receive Nix and Laird in return, that would be an excellent trade.

I don't think the Brewers would even take Pavano under that circumstance. I think Doug Melvin is more likely to seek a prospect, based on what we saw from the Danny Kolb trade.

Prospects, prospects, prospects. Stephen Drew, Carlos Quinten, and Conor Jackson are all top notch prospects, and you'll see them in Phoenix in the near future. Along with Shawn Green, Chad Tracy and Troy Glaus, they could sport a very formidable offense in the near future. The big issue for the D'backs is they most improve their bullpen, which was awful behind Jose Valverde. But given that the relief corps are easy to improve in an offseason, the D'backs could make a run at the division next season. Torii Hunter can hit the ball.

If he's a dolt, it's because he took time from his schedule to talk to Howard Eskin. I assume you meant A.J. Burnett. Frankly, Burnett is not worth the money he is going to get. Look at the fat lot of good he did for the Marlins down the stretch. There's no way the Phils can easily obtain a #1 starter, and in the absence of one they are better off building other areas of the team to cover for that. Besides, Brett Myers is a better pitcher than Burnett, without the injury history. As for the wins, remember that if the Phillies had won ONE more game against the Braves, they would have tied for the division. Had they beaten the Astros once, they would have won the wild card. That's what frustrates me. Craig Biggio hit Billy Wagner for a three run shot. If he flies out, the Phils are in the playoffs. Was that Ed Wade's fault? Bobby Abreu's? The Phillies desperately want to re-sign the player who gave up the home run. The Phillies missed out by a razor sharp margin. Was that poor planning or bad luck? Is Pat Burrell a special player? I'm not going to begrudge a GM for speaking highly of his players. As for your ideas, sure, every team would love to ditch their albatross contracts and sign the best players in baseball. Unfortunately, baseball GMs live in this strange world we call "reality." Thome's owed $45.5 Million, and the Phillies are going to have to eat a substantial portion of that. Lieberthal's owed $7.5 Million. He's not going anywhere. Bobby Abreu? The only player on the market at his level is Brian Giles, another player you would likely label a stats monkey. As for Abreu not being a winning player, the Phils improved by seven wins when he arrived. That Abreu doesn't WIN is one of the most asinine, stupid opinions I've dealt with on this board. Is it Abreu's fault that Lieberthal and Bell couldn't hit? Is it Abreu's fault that Thome missed four months? Is it Abreu's fault the team had a poor bench? Is it Abreu's fault the team lacked a number one starter? Is it Abreu's fault that Cormier tanked? Pull your head out of your ass. If it were so goddamned easy to accumulate empty statistics, everyone would do it. The Phillies won 88 games last year. They don't need to make a desperate all-in rush at the postseason to make a few drooling idiots happy during the NFL offseason. They can make a few moves and make the playoffs. The only real issue the Phillies need to figure out is that the park factors disguise that it was the offense, rather than the defense, that held back the Phils last season.

Remember the Twins have Jason Kubel ready to return next season. Kubel can hit as well as any prospect in the game. Right now the Twins need to target infield help. Rafael Furcal would be ideal, but probably out of their price range. Bill Mueller appears more likely. If Wright isn't one of the five best starters on the team, relief work is the only solution, short of eating his contract. The Yankees are stuck with Pavano. No team, especially the Brewers, is going to take a $30 Million contract. And I would be quite surprised if there's a bargain starter on the market. Letting Zito go the free agency route is probably the ideal solution. He devours innings and I'm not sure the Athletics can replace him.

Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina are established. Carl Pavano's not an ace, but he's a good mid-rotation guy when healthy. From there, you leave jobs up for grabs in Spring Training. Shawn Chacon and Chien-Ming Wang are probably the best options. A move to long relief could maximize Wright's output. And Aaron Small is a swingman. For Lyle Overbay, I see maybe a 1 for 1 trade, with some team trading something they have in surplus. Maybe a mid-level starter, as the Brewers are set everywhere in the lineup. It's time to rebuild. Brad Ausmus is too old to commit to at catcher. The Astros should look to sign a left handed first baseman to platoon with Jeff Bagwell, and move Lance Berkman back to left field. I think the Astros should consider just saying no thanks to Roger Clemens, and making a run for Rafael Furcal or Brian Giles. They desperately need offense, and they have nothing in the system. Something tells me Jamey Wright could succeed outside of Colorado. Paul Byrd's quite good when healthy. Matt Lawton is very much under the radar due to his relegation to the Yankees bench and the positive steroid test. He still boasts a .368 career OBP. Rich Aurilia's decent and there's little else available at second base. Finally, Mark Bellhorn is available, and he's got upside when he puts it all together.

I saw the press conference this time around. Nice to take a pot-shot at Moneyball right off the bat. I'd like to bring out two player lines... Player A: .253/.336/.453, OPS+: 110 Player B: .286/.355/.477, OPS+: 113 Player A is Hee Seop Choi ($350,000). Player B is Shawn Green (Dodgers owed $16 Million, but Arizona re-structured). The Dodgers have a gap at first base? If some manager actually let Choi play, they'd solve that problem.

Howard weighs anywhere from 230-260 lbs. He in the outfield would be every bit as bad as Greg Luzinski. And Garry Maddox isn't around anymore to cover the slack. The problem with Thome is that he has $45.5 Million left on his contract.

It doesn't matter where Furcal goes if he does not resign. If he leaves, you need to find a replacement. Wilson Betemit had a breakout year, hitting .305/.359/.435 in 246 at bats. Betemit posted a great split against righties, and the Braves could either give him a shot, or sign a stopgap like Royce Clayton for a season to platoon. If Furcal leaves, Betemit is probably the best option. I really think the Phils should seriously consider trading Ryan Howard. Howard does not boast a tremendous amount of plate discipline, he's already 25, and he is not likely to age well. His value is high and he could solve the bigger issues at third base and catcher. And if Thome tanks, you can find another first baseman somewhere. I would give the center field job to Jason Michaels. If Mark Mulder is the Cards' opening day starter, that's set in stone. I doubt they would give the center field job to Shane Victorino outright. I still note that one day some runner is going to try and take an extra base on Victorino, and you're going to see a hell of a throw.

Absolutely. Nady's an established quality hitter. Johnson's a good prospect, but there's a chance last year was an abberation. Nady's better than Nevin, who he's replaced. There's a good story regarding Ben Johnson. When the Padres traded Carlos Hernandez and Nate Tebbs to the Cardinals, they received Heathcliff Slocomb and a minor leaguer. Padres' GM Kevin Towers asked for one of two prospects, Johnson or Albert Pujols. Walt Jocketty kept Pujols. The Cardinals have several options in the outfield via free agency. Brian Giles, Juan Encarnacion, Rondell White, Jeromy Burnitz are available. Plus, J-Rod might be a platoon option. Morris will probably be too expensive to sign at his level of ability. Julian Tavarez is a more attractive signing (the only time Tavarez and attractive will appear in the same sentence), but there are tons of middle relievers available each season.

I apologize for any formatting problems. Voting results ¬ Player, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points Chris Carpenter, Cardinals 19 12 1 132 Dontrelle Willis, Marlins 11 18 3 112 Roger Clemens, Astros 2 2 24 40 Roy Oswalt, Astros 2 2 Chad Cordero, Nationals 1 1 Andy Pettitte, Astros 1 1 Some odd third place votes. No arguments here again, as any of the top three would have been acceptable choices. Looking at the voting, all of those third place votes came at the expense of Roger Clemens.

Cleveland may very well have been the best team in the Majors this season. Remember they did win 93 games. They will be a major force next season. The popular choice for improvement is the Milwaukee Brewers. They have more young talent than any team in baseball.