Baseball

When the Seattle Mariners drafted Phillippe Aumont 11th overall in the 2007 MLB draft, many believed he could develop into an ace starter.

However, in 2009, he was transitioned to the bullpen. With his trade to the Philadelphia Phillies eariler month, he has the potential to be a future closer.

Prior to last season, Mariners Director of Minor League Operations, Pedro Grifol, said, “He’s a potential workhorse with well above-average stuff. He has the ability to develop into a top-of-the-rotation type pitcher.”

As the first decade of the 2000s comes to a close, it seems like a fine time for a little reflection.

The Twins have arguably been one of baseball’s best franchises during the past decade.

Largely under the watch of underrated skipper, Ron Gardenhire, the Twins have won the American League Central five times.

Even more impressively, the club has maintained a high level of competitiveness all decade long, as Minnesota only finished lower than third one time, way back in 2000.

The success of the club as a whole has come as a result of numerous players over the last ten years.

First off, it is officially Christmas now, at least where I live. So, Merry Christmas to all you readers!

Okay, happy junk out of the way and onto business. This one will be short, as getting up early for Christmas Mass puts a damper on the college lifestyle of sleeping in.

All I hear about is how signing free agent Matt Holliday to a long-term deal will be detrimental to the signing team.

Let's look at that, shall we?

Ever since the Washington Nationals settled in the nation's capitol in 2005, the franchise has consistently been the laughing stock of the National League East, and at times even the entire Major Leagues.

After a quick start in 2005 that placed the Nationals first in the NL East at the halfway mark, their downward spiral began, and so did their constant struggles.

The team has never finished higher than fourth in the division and has only won more than 80 games once.

Various news outlets are reporting tonight that the New York Mets have signed Kelvim Escobar to a one-year Major League contract.

The 33-year-old right hander has pitched for two teams throughout his big league career, first with the Toronto Blue Jays and most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.

During his career, Escobar has amassed a win/loss record of 101-91 and compiled an ERA of 4.15.

His best season came in 2007 when he made 30 starts, compiled a record of 18-7, and maintained an ERA of 3.40.

Say what you want about San Francisco GM Brian Sabean (I'm personally not a fan), but the man can build a defense.

The Giants were the fourth-best defensive team of 2009 according to UZR, behind the Mariners and Rays (by quite a bit), and just falling behind the Reds.

In particular, San Francisco's fielders showed incredible range, saving about 60 runs with range alone, according to the team's UZR breakdown. They were actually below-average at the other three components (arm, double plays, and errors), but only slightly, so the defense saved about 51 runs overall.

Game No. 7–Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees–2004 ALCS Game Four

With the end of the decade nearing, Sportmeisters Derek and Ryan have decided to present their top ten games of the past decade. Today’s discussion is on the tenth best game from 2000-2009. What follows is a transcript of their discussion.

Yesterday, I took a look at the pitcher with the highest True ERA/ERA differential in the majors: Reds closer Francisco Cordero, whose 2.16 ERA was 2.70 runs lower than his 4.86 True ERA.

If you'd like to take a look at the reasons for this discrepancy, you can check the article out here.

In the offseason, much is made of the comings and goings of established major league players in free agency.

But many often overlook the same thing happening in the minor leagues.

In the "Recapping Minor League Free Agent Losses" series, I'll be looking at what, if anything, each team is losing at the minor league levels.

I'm not going to bother covering every player, because not all of them are very important and I have little to say about many of them. I'll just be touching on those who I think could be of value to another team in free agency.

In the offseason, much is made of the comings and goings of established major league players in free agency.

But many often overlook the same thing happening in the minor leagues.

In the "Recapping Minor League Free Agent Losses" series, I'll be looking at what, if anything, each team is losing at the minor league levels.

I'm not going to bother covering every player, because not all of them are very important and I have little to say about many of them. I'll just be touching on those who I think could be of value to another team in free agency.