Fan News

What is the best way to measure a pitcher’s skill?

Is it his strikeout rate, demonstrating the pitcher’s ability to prevent batters from hitting the ball? Is it innings pitched, showing his durability? Is it WHIP, the talent to keep runners off the base paths?

The Baltimore Orioles are very close to re-emerging as a force in the American League East. They have the core of a solid lineup in place. The offense is led my right fielder Nick Markakis (.293/.347/.453) and features several emerging young hitters.

J.A. Happ was the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year, however that wasn’t the case when the award was announced on Monday afternoon.

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan beat out the Phillies left-hander by receiving 17 first place votes compared to Happ’s ten first place votes.

Final count: 105-94.

Coghlan hit .321 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 128 games during his first season in the big leagues. After the All-Star break, the 24-year-old hit .370 with a MLB-leading 113 hits.

It is impossible to make the claim that Ladell Betts is a better running back than Clinton Portis. Not only has Portis delivered the goods in Washington , but over his tenure in the NFL, he’s one of the best of all time.

Tim Lincecum has taken the baseball world by storm over the past two-and-a-half seasons. Depending on who you ask, he is at or near the top when asked to name the best pitchers in the game.

Lincecum won the Cy Young Award in 2008, and he put himself in a position to win another in 2009 with an even better year. Regardless of the outcome of this year's ballot, he will face a landscape in 2010 that he has never before dealt with in his life.

Seeing how it is award season now, with the Rookie of the Year awards coming within the next hour, I thought it'd be good to look at this past decade as a whole and name my awards.

While it will be difficult to name the Rookie of the Year as a decade (you'll see what I'll do there), I'm throwing in a new category and replacing an old.

No more Most Valuable Player. We're talking Player of the Decade for each league, and let us not forget the franchise of the decade for both leagues.

Forward, march!

It’s no secret that the Phillies are in need of another reliable starting pitcher, because you can’t count on Cliff Lee being as great as he was down the stretch and carry the entire pitching staff throughout a full season.

We all can hope that Cole Hamels finds a way to focus on baseball rather than the off-the-field issues and prove to everyone that last year was just a hiccup in what will turn out to be a brilliant career.

Would Travis Hafner have been an MVP if he didn't break his hand in 2006?

Is Nap Lajoie the greatest Indian you've never heard of?

Is Manny Ramirez one of the best Cleveland outfielders in the history of the franchise?

More importantly, which Indian had the greatest ever offensive season at his position?

Major League Baseball has been asking fans this question in an effort to choose each team's best collection of stars. They are calling it MLB 9s.