Rankings/List

In baseball, the art of being able to recognize and take pitches out of the zone is key to success. Although hitting statistics like home runs and batting average are glorified, walks greatly contribute to wins. Here are the five most disciplined hitters, based on their O-Swing % (the amount of pitches out of the zone at which they swing). 

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Just because it is after July 31st does not mean that trades are prevented from going down. The Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves are showing that by pulling off a deal that will send Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee to Atlanta.

It is a significant move for the Braves who lost Chipper Jones for the season due to an ACL injury and are without a corner infielder.

Wind the clocks back five years

 The White Sox team that went coast-to-coast in first place were truly a complete team that had it all. In June of that season Bobby Jenks stepped up to become the man that Ozzie Guillen went to in the 9th after injuries hampered Dustin Hermanson. Ozzie did have some other options at the time with Cliff Politte and Damaso Marte as options.

The Little World Series officially begins on Friday with teams from all over the globe seeking Little League glory. Sixteen teams will descend on the hallowed ground of Little League baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania with the goal of hoisting the championship banner.

Many baseball experts discuss the pitcher who has been unlucky, who just cannot seem to win no matter how well he pitches. Roy Oswalt is the main example being used this season, and his 8-13, 3.36 ERA season is indicative of a player whose win-loss record should be flipped.

Since the days of Walter Johnson, the fastball has been a pitch that, when mastered, can blow hitters away.

Many pitchers enjoy looking at the radar gun on their fastball, but here are the ones that really come in at high velocity.

These are the top 10 flamethrowers of 2010 so far ...

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For one reason or another, the Twins always seem to get the better of the White Sox in Minnesota. Last night, that reason was Jim Thome.

The slugger belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning off reliever Matt Thornton to give the Twins a 7-6 win. More importantly, Thome's walk-off gave the Twins a four-game lead in the division race over his former team.

Here's a look at the 10 of the most important walk-off homers of the 2010 Major League Baseball season:

With the passing of Bobby Thomson Monday night (August 16), it brought to mind some of the players in MLB history who will NEVER get into the Hall of Fame, despite some legendary individual performances.

Thompson certainly is on that list, along with seven of his fraternity brothers.

What follows are the Top 8 Baseball Players Of Great Feats Who Will Never Get Into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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These rankings are based on a 300 point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can receive in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category.

The 5 offensive categories used:

HR’s, RBI, Runs, Average, and SB’s  

The 5 pitching categories used:

As of August 16, thirteen teams find themselves within six games of a playoff spot.

So while Boston, New York, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Chicago, Texas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, and Colorado will relish playing each other, that doesn't mean they should glaze over the rest of the schedule.