People often forget how rare it is to find a truly great switch hitter.

In general, the switch hitter himself is not all that rare of a commodity, you see them in nearly every game. But once in a great while you will find one that is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to utilizing this special skill.

I have compiled a list of, who I consider to be, the top ten switch hitters of all time.

Enjoy. I look forward to your feedback.

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Congratulations to Andre Dawson on his razor thin selection to the baseball Hall of Fame.

After 20 years of being on the ballot, Dawson finally found himself as the biggest name available outside of Mark McGwire, and the writers graciously punched his ticket for a trip to Cooperstown this summer.

But is this the best way to select baseball immortality?

In 1989 Dawson received just 14 percent of the vote in his second year of eligibility and the prospects of Hall of Fame admission were slim.

Matt Holliday has officially signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Let me steal a line from Jack Buck here: "Pardon me while I stand and applaud."

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Okay, I'm back. Despite what pessimists say, this is a great signing for the Cardinals. I'm not here, however, to talk about the contract itself. I'm going to answer some questions that, for a lack of a better word, stupid people continue to ask.

Q: With Holliday making $17 million per season now, Pujols will want to be paid more than that in his next contract.

Followers of the off-season Yankees are left thinking about a single bench position. Let's take a look at the roster. They will carry 12 pitchers. 

These are the nine position players (I note lefty, righty, and switch in parentheses):  C Posada (S); 1B Teixeira (S); 2B Cano (L); SS Jeter (R); 3B Rodriguez (R); LF Gardner (L); CF Granderson (L); RF Swisher (S); and DH Johnson (L).

For all intents and purposes, Francisco Cervelli and Jamie Hoffman have made the team: C Cervelli (R); OF Hoffman (R).  

This article was first reported at Boston Sox Journalism.

The Boston Red Sox certainly proved one thing this offseason: there is no such thing as a "bridge year" in Beantown.

The Red Sox opened their wallet, made investments, and acquired players either through trade or free agency that could be a huge help to the team in 2010 and for years to come. Today, I will be running down each acquisition and what it means for the Red Sox starting in April.

On December 6, I did a featured slide show entitled: Predictions for the Top 25 MLB Free Agents of 2010, which can be seen here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/303582-predictions-for-the-top-25-mlb...

Many of those free agents have signed, and some have still remained. Of those who signed are:

Matt Holliday: Prediction: Cardinals. Signed with: Cardinals
Jason Bay: Prediction: Mariners. Signed with: Mets
John Lackey: Prediction: Yankees/Mets. Signed with: Red Sox
Andy Pettitte: Prediction: Yankees. Signed with: Yankees
Randy Wolf: Prediction: Mets.

January 6, 2010. If you're a baseball fan, chances are you know what that date means.

It is a great day for anyone who loves baseball. On January 6, 2010, the Baseball Writers Association of America will announce who, if anyone, they will bestow the greatest honor any baseball player can receive, induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

The San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday that infielder Juan Uribe will return for a second season by the bay, a one year deal worth 3.25 million dollars, much more then he made last season.

What does this mean you ask? It means that Uribe will see much more time on the field then he did last season, which makes the typical Giants fan like you and me jump up for joy.

Because of this, GM Brian Sabean deserves some applause. However, only Sabean knows how to screw up a good thing.

To commemorate Randy Johnson's retirement, here are some details about his earliest days in the majors, pitching for the Expos. The Big Unit made his major league debut on September 15, 1988 as the tallest player ever to play in the majors, supplanting 6-foot-9 Johnny Gee, a left-handed pitcher who played for Pittsburgh and the New York Giants during the Second World War.

A newspaper reported:

Twins left-handed relief pitcher Jose Mijares has long been a highly-rated prospect, with a low-90s fastball and an excellent slider. He appeared to live up to the hype as a rookie in 2009, posting a 2.34 ERA.

Ah, but wait.

Mijares' FIP was 4.01 last year. His xFIP was even worse at 4.43.

Those numbers suggest that Mijares was one of the luckier pitchers in baseball last year.

So, is Mijares a very good pitcher, or is he just an average pitcher who benefited from good fortune in 2009?