Fan News

The New York Yankees were supposed to see a familiar face out on the mound on Tuesday night for the first time in a couple of months, but Mother Nature had other plans.

Shortstop Yunel Escobar has been suspended for three games by the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Dan Shulman of ESPN.

Shulman tweeted on Tuesday:

Ryan Howard's highly anticipated return following his devastating Achilles tear was the talk across Philadelphia for quite sometime, but once Howard took to the field, it was clear that he was not same player he once was. The injury has definitely left a hitch in Ryan's step and the Phillies are left with a player they owe a lot of money to in the coming years.

There is certainly a tight race for the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year award. A number of outstanding performances have been put in by young stars and no one has really run away in the race.

Wade Miley has been outstanding for the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is certainly possible that he manages to win the award this season.

There are two hitters that will challenge each other and Miley for the award. Todd Frazier has put together a solid season and his numbers make him one of the favorites to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.

One of my favorite activities as both a scout and prospect analyst is identifying potential breakout candidates—both pitching and position prospects. Typically, the process involves combing the low minors for raw, high-upside talent, as statistics don’t always tell the whole story.

On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a two-year player development contract with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League (AAA). The players will leave Las Vegas and begin playing baseball in Buffalo as soon as next year. The contract runs through to 2014.

The Miami Marlins signed Heath Bell in the offseason as part of their expensive and aggressive push to win in their new stadium for 2012.

If anything has gone over worse than the dancing Marlins statue in center field, it has been Heath Bell's first year in Florida.

As recently as a couple weeks ago, nobody could touch Seattle Mariners ace righty Felix Hernandez. In 12 starts between the end of June and the end of August, King Felix compiled a 1.42 ERA and pitched five complete-game shutouts. One of those, of course, was the 23rd perfect game in MLB history.

When August turned into September, King Felix looked like he was a shoo-in for his second AL Cy Young Award in the last three years. All he had to do was keep doing what he had been. Not exactly a whole lot to task given his track record.

This Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, Matt Harvey will look to end his rookie season on a good note. 

The flame-throwing righty is 3-5 in nine games started with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and 63 strikeouts. 

Harvey won't be able to finish his season with a .500 record, as the New York Mets look to rebound after a 3-1 loss last night to the Phillies.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are hanging around the playoff picture. They do not have a spot in the dance yet with 15 games to go. But ask current Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols about how a team can make a late run.