Rankings/List

There can be no doubt about it: the cream of the Philadelphia Phillies minor league crop is none other than Domonic Brown. A potential five-tool star at the major league level, Brown was recently promoted from Double-A to Triple-A and will probably get a September call-up with an eye towards making the Big Club in 2011.

But Brown isn't the only reason to get excited about the Phillies' minor league system.

Let's have a look.

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The Boston Red Sox All-Time Starting Rotation

Imagine you are responsible for selecting a fantasy starting rotation and pitching staff to represent the Boston Red Sox. Your staff would have to face the fantasy staffs of all the other major league teams. Who would make your rotation? Who would you select for back up and relief roles?

In sports and competition, sometimes adrenaline and frustration can combine for an ugly mix. Many times players just take out their frustrations on the water cooler. Other times, players take it out on each other. The result? Dugout blowouts caught by the cameras for everyone to see.

We saw two examples of that over the weekend as a pair of teammates in Chicago and Tampa Bay hashed out their differences in a less than cool manner.

That's the newest Cincinnati outfielder, Gary Matthews Jr.

If the Reds' skipper wasn't such good pals with his pop, they would trade him for a warm six-pack and a couple of Slim Jims.

Rather than someone that no one would want, let's take a look at some Reds' needs and some prospects they may be willing to trade.

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The A's have had plenty of talent leave Oakland over the years.

Regardless of the fact that the team has had a three-peat of World Series wins in the 1970s, and remains competitive in a small-market, it seems that the Athletics get lost in a league that is dominated by big-market teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The departure of talent from the East Bay can be attributed to three things:

1) The city of Oakland. The A's need to separate themselves from the Raiders and Mt. Davis.

Although pitching has dominated the headlines and the landscape of Major League Baseball this season, there have still been some fairly potent lineups in the first two and a half months across the league, mainly in the AL.

They say pitching wins championships, but it doesn't hurt to have a good offense to go with a good rotation, and as evidenced by this list, having a good offense usually means you have a good team.

So which offenses are the worst in the AL? Which ones have room to improve? Which ones are over-performing?

Many baseball fans might not realize it, but left-handed relief pitchers have always been a hot commodity. Whether its to secure a lefty specialist role or bring the heat from another angle, southpaw relievers have played a vital role on many successful teams, and some have put up intriguing career numbers.

Back in June 1994, New York Mets closer John Franco recorded his 253rd career save to lead all left-handed relievers in career saves.

This article should be called Tulowitzki Two for obvious reasons. For starters, one of the top three second baseman just landed on the DL with a broken foot.

Second, this position, like shortstop, has very few elite players on top, and then a tremendous drop-off in talent and statistical production. It’s important to remember that replacing this kind of player for the long run is a difficult task.

So let’s approach this a little differently than we did with Tulo because it doesn’t sound like Pedroia will be out as long.

It's never too early to determine who is at least in the running for awards in Major League Baseball. Sports Illustrated recently put out a column stating there are only three major candidates for the AL MVP.

I call shenanigans.

While a no-hitter is always impressive, they are starting to become "routine" this year. With the All-Star break just around the corner there have already been four no-hitters (two perfect games) so far this season. If it weren't for the infamous call that cost Armando Galarraga his perfect game, 2010 would have five no-hitters and would be on its way towards the all-time record of seven in one season, which happened in 1990 and 1991.

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