Baseball

So much for staying together for the kids.

Now I know what it must feel like for those poor children on Jon & Kate Plus 8 watching their parents go through a bitter custody battle, because it appears the same thing is happening to Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays organization - they're breaking up.

For years we have been hearing about the promise of Billy Butler, though he had never quite lived up to the hype.

Well, at least until 2009, when he got his first full season in the Major Leagues and posted the following line:

608 At-Bats
.301 Batting Average (183 Hits)
21 Home Runs
93 RBI
78 Runs
1 Stolen Base
.362 On-Base Percentage
.492 Slugging Percentage
.335 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Over the past 10 days or so, rumors have encircled the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, centered around the potential trade of current Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson to the Cubs. Chicago has made it a priority to find a center fielder with an above-average bat this winter, and with a career line of .272/.344/.484, Granderson certainly fits that bill.

How many times have you heard that the Yankees buy their players? How many times have you heard how the Yankees buy their championships?

If you have never heard of Aroldis Chapman, or if you have only heard dribs and drabs about him, then you had better get ready—because over the course of the next few weeks and months you are going to hear an awful lot about him.

I first read about him last spring while preparing for one of my fantasy baseball auctions. The rules in one of my leagues provides for a reserve roster, and permits team owners to acquire ANY player for its reserve roster, including players from the NL (notably, those who may become free agents), collegiate baseball, and international baseball.

It’s almost time to let the real “Hot Stove Season” begin in earnest.

Barring some unforeseen blunder by the Baseball Writers Association of America, Joe Mauer will be crowned the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player on Monday afternoon.

When that announcement becomes official, the clock starts.

What do Brendan Harris and Gene Larkin have in common?

In a perfect world, the answer would be simple: nothing (aside from having last names that sort of seem like they could be first names, but don’t completely seem like they could be first names).

The correct answer, however, is that both players were the best option off the bench for their respective Twins teams. For the 1991 Twins, this was a good thing. For the 2009 Twins, this was…well…less good.

The 2009 American League MVP award will be handed down on Monday, and Joe Mauer is the front-runner to take home the trophy. 

There are a number of players in pursuit of the Golden Boy, including Derek Jeter and Mark Teixiera. 

Jeter has certain unmeasurable qualities that have earned him the title of Yankee Captain, and Teixiera was the most powerful weapon on the best team in the majors. 

Remember when I said that in a month I'd hate that set of predictions in my last article?

Yeah...

It's been approximaetly eight days, and I hate them already.

Why?

It's really quite simple: A bunch of revelations.

Since then, Gonzalez has become a Scott Boras client, Rafael Soriano has been hyped as the best reliever on the market, and the Marlins have, according to several reports, pulled back on the level of urgency to dump Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla.