Opinion

Every season there is a sizable list of prospects who appear primed to make a major impact in the major leagues, but the team has no place to use them.  “Blocked prospect” is a phrase we’ve all heard, and it definitely applies to the Padres first baseman Kyle Blanks.  All he has to overcome in order to be slotted into the middle of the Padres lineup is Adrian Gonzalez, one of the best players in baseball. 

Welcome to Rudy Dominick & Johnny Lawrence's fourth weekly installment of Detroit Tigers information and analysis. Each Thursday, we will delve into all things Tigers. Read and digest, or skim and spit out our insightful banter.

Keep An Eye On—Scott Sizemore, Second Base—Erie Sea Wolves (AA)
(May 6—May 13)
.363 BA, 3 HR, 6 RBI

Leading up to the 2009 season for the Minnesota Twins, the question was how the team was going to find playing time for their five main outfielders.  

Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Carlos Gomez, and Delmon Young were all candidates to see significant playing time, but Ron Gardenhire was supposed to have a difficult time divvying up the playing time among them.  

Well, we are 35 games into the season and the play of the five aforementioned outfielders thus far have dictated their roles.  

As I remember watching some of these all stars of their days, and some of them are even all stars now. I watch as these ballplayers go through a process everyone will go through, old age. The hero's I used to know and love to watch on T.V. are no longer the best in baseball and have given the throne to the next generation of hitters and pitchers. This is a list of my personal favorite hitters and pitchers I used to enjoy watching as a kid.

Former Boston Red Sox player and current analyst and reporter for Comcast SportsNet New England, Lou Merloni, claimed last week that Sox management taught players how to use steroids during his tenure with the team.

Major League Baseball is my favorite professional sport. There is really nothing better than being able to sit back and relax and maybe enjoy a hot dog or some popcorn while watching a game on a beautiful summer day (though it in Arizona, you better hope the roof is closed). Baseball has always been a passion of mine from a very young age.

Since the beginning of interleague play, all the way up to the introduction of instant replay in MLB, I have been thinking of some other rules baseball should perhaps consider implementing.

Ryan Zimmerman grounded out sharply in his final at-bat of the night, realizing that San Francisco would be the final resting place of his prolonged accomplishment.

Zimmerman’s 30-game hit streak had come to a close, reminding those around baseball exactly how impressive "56" truly is.

With May in full swing and roughly two months before the first trade deadline, it's no longer early for the Oakland A's 2009 reunion tour with Jason Giambi to take off.

So far Giambi's return to the team he broke in with is a bust.

The San Francisco Chronicle's best columnist, Bruce Jenkins, described it as "pangs of regret surrounding Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra, and Eric Chavez."

Garciaparra and Chavez, and their bagful of injuries, was to be expected. They were both pennies tossed into a wishing well at best.

The Mets lost two out of three to the Braves, which isn’t a complete disaster, but the games were filled with baserunning blunders, fielding miscues and all around sloppy play. The good news is that they’re showing they have some fight in them by coming from behind the last two games (but falling short yesterday). But we’ll start with the bad news.

The Mets left last night for their west coast trip, which starts in San Francisco tonight. This will be a big test for them, as they are facing the Giants and Dodgers, both pretty much undefeated at home this season. 

Carlos Delgado and his lingering hip injury is the primary question mark entering the road trip. Delgado has missed several games the past two weeks and Jerry Manuel is openly pessimistic about the status of Delgado's return.