AL Central

I do not think the Kansas City Royals will escape the clutches of last place. They don't have the right mix of players on the team to get the job done in the AL Central.

Keep An Eye On: Mike Aviles, ss/2b

Effectively wild, anyone familiar with the term?

It's a slang for a pitcher whose stuff is all over the place, yet effectively so to the point that he is able to get outs.

It happens when the batters have no idea what to expect in the batter's box. They step to the plate thinking that they might get walked, beaned, homer or strikeout, anything really, because the pitcher is so unpredictable.

Writing today from the comfort of his own electric chair, Josh Illes is the creator of the new blog The Pickup Artist. I call it The Pickup Artist because I plan on analyzing interesting in-season transactions throughout the baseball year.

But I also have a somewhat snarkier side to me, and many times I rant for no reason at all about not being able to understand a word that Eric Young is saying. Ok, so I may just rant about that once. I’m only kidding of course. I love E.Y.!

Ask casual fans of the Minnesota Twins who their best starting pitcher is and they'll probably answer Francisco Liriano.

No surprise here, the dynamic lefty captured imaginations with a dominating 2006 before losing all of 2007 to Tommy John surgery and spending most of 2008 at AAA Rochester.

This, of course, doesn't mean they are wrong. Liriano is a horse, no doubt, but whether he can recapture even part of his 2006 form remains to be seen.

On June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians held "Ten Cent Beer Night."

The club intended to offer as much eight-ounce Stroh's beer as fans could drink—and for only 10 cents a pop.

Now some background from before the Indians played the Texas Rangers that night.

Six days earlier there was a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

During his 13-year tenure as a Major League executive, former Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan acquired the reputation of being a prudent horse trader and a proponent of developing players from within the organization's ranks.

Of course, this  was a philosophy borne of necessity.

The bullpen was one big reason why the playoffs didn't make their way to the Metrodome last season. Without that tough two-week road trip in which game after game was blown, game 163 would not have been needed.

In the upcoming '09 season the Twins hope the bullpen will solve itself. The front office didn't go out and get some big name, and really, they didn't need to.

It's the middle of March, and spring training games are getting more competitive. Pitchers are pitching more innings, and players are starting to get back into the swing of playing Major League Baseball everyday.

This is an article I wrote for RBI Magazine, which can be found here.

Key Additions

SS Adam Everett, C Gerald Laird, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Brandon Lyon, C Matt Treanor, RHP Juan Rincon

Key Subtractions

OF Matt Joyce, LHP Kenny Rogers, SS Edgar Renteria, RP Kyle Farnsworth, CL Todd Jones

Yes, Detroit, it has been said before. So much more of the same for a weary Tiger bullpen that has no relief in site.

Yes, look at the picture above. I am still sore that no attempt was made to sign the all time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. It would be spectacular to hear "Hells Bells" blaring in Comerica, preceding the high leg kick and devastating circle change that has secured so many games.

Who will close in 2009? Well, we know it won't be Hoffman. So, what options exist?