Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

The Cleveland Indians look to have one of the most talked about, possibly most tumultuous offseasons the team has seen in a while.  As of the writing of this article, the Tribe can’t decide if they are re-signing Grady Sizemore or letting him go.  Not the superstar outfielder he once was, plagued by injury, the Indians were right to cut him in the first place.  The biggest question for his future with the Indians: Will a one-year deal be worth it?

The Indians finished just under the .500 mark in 2011 (80-82) after a rough opening start that then turned into one of the most successful runs the Tribe has seen as of late.  That quickly jump started the roller coaster that saw the Tribe ultimately fall 15 games behind the Tigers by the end of the regular season.  There are a lot of areas to be improved.  Primarily, Indians players have got to stay healthy and have got to be on the field.  As shown in the end-of-year report card, every aspect of the team could stand some help.

With so much up in the air, it’s hard to say just what is in place and what had yet to be determined.  Will Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Jason Donald, or Jack Hannahan man the second and/or third base positions next season?  Will Chisenhall even start in the Majors?  Pitching seems to be shaping up with the addition of Lowe, and most recently Scott Barnes.  Justin Masterson is the star-to-be on the mound.  Asdrubal Cabrera should be secure in his starting position next season as well as Carlos Santana.  The outfield, however, is anybody’s guess.  It also serves as one of the main areas of improvement.

Possible players seeing the end of their Indians stint: Trevor Crowe and Chad Huffman.  These two may lose their place to the Rule 5 Draft.  The team could probably use either one as trade fodder down the line, which is something I’m sure the team management is taking into consideration.

One player that will hopefully come into his own for 2012 is Beau Mills.  Mills could easily come up from the minors to help out Matt LaPorta at first base.  He has several years’ experience in the Minors and consistently bats better than .260 over the course of his MiLB career.  Last season, he moved up from Akron to Columbus, batting .300 in Akron and finishing in Columbus with a .269.  In 96 games, he had 67 RBIs on 101 hits.  He has been simmering, slowly improving and honing his skills.  If LaPorta can’t stay healthy, Mills could step in and fill the job, providing the Indians don’t have another name or two they are seeking out elsewhere.

And, that is the ultimate move to be seen: what players the Indians are seeking out elsewhere.  The team has a knack for putting together a group of players that ultimately brings one or two diamonds-n-the-rough, which are then usually, and un ceremoniously, dumped (read, traded) to other teams for older players or players that are essentially unknown.  In this offseason, the Indians need to get the positions set and start working on building a team of player, rather than a bunch of guys on the field all wearing the same uniform.

David “Tribecards” Henderson
Tribe Cards
@davidinark

These report cards were written by twenty nine talented individuals across the internet that keep a close eye on the team they cover.  It was the first of our “Featured Blogger” series.  The second part, an Off-Season Outlook, will be brought to you the remainder of this week.  The same writers will return in the Spring to provide a 2012 Season Preview about the teams.

This year’s Featured Bloggers are listed below along with their website and the link to their Report Card:

American League East
Baltimore Orioles - Austin Gisriel, Seamheads
Boston Red Sox – Michael Lynch, Seamheads
New York Yankees – William Tasker, The Flagrant Fan
Tampa Bay Rays – Yossi Feins, The Rays Rant
Toronto Blue Jays – Peter DeMarco, Some Thoughts On Baseball

American League Central
Chicago White Sox – Terry Keshner, Planet Back
Cleveland Indians – David Henderson, Tribe Cards
Detroit Tigers – Nick Waddell, Seamheads
Kansas City Royals – Todd Fertig, I-70 Baseball
Minnesota Twins – Von Hendry, Seamheads

American League West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Bryan Grosnick, Roto Hardball
Oakland As – Jason Leary, Junk Ball
Seattle Mariners – Nick Waddell, Seamheads
Texas Rangers – Dan Edmonson, Chicken Fried Baseball

National League East
Atlanta Braves – Andrew Martin, Baseball Historian
Florida Marlins – Eddie Gilley, Eddie Gilley Blogspot
New York Mets – AC Wayne, Mets Public Record
Philadelphia Phillies – Matthew Buesing, Fire And Ice Sports
Washington Nationals – Aaron Somers , District On Deck

National League Central
Chicago Cubs – Robert Harris, Blue Batting Helmet
Cincinnati Reds – Gary Schatz, Full Of Schatz
Houston Astros – Michael Barr, Fan Graphs
Milwaukee Brewers – Paul Heinz, Paul Heinz.com
Pittsburgh Pirates – Ryan Sendek, Analysis Around The Horn
St. Louis Cardinals – Daniel Shoptaw , C70 At The Bat

National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks – Patrick Lagreid, Baseball On My Brain
Colorado Rockies – Michelle Hoag, Rockies Woman
Los Angeles Dodgers – Paul F Sullivan, Sully Baseball
San Diego Padres – Michael Metzger, Padres Trail
San Francisco Giants – Julian Levine, Giants Nirvana

Bill Ivie is the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com and the founder of i70baseball.com, an official Baseball Digest website covering the Cardinals and Royals.

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BaseballDigest.com aims to keep up that tradition.  This season, we bring you a Report Card on each team in Major League Baseball from writers that cover that team directly.  At the bottom of each write up, you will find the writer’s name, website, and any other pertinent information.  

The Indians started off slowly with two losses but then the Tribe surprised much of the baseball community by becoming the best team in the league for quite a stretch.  Much to the chagrin of its fans, however, the league-leading days were numbered and the Indians found themselves quickly far behind the Tigers in the AL Central.  They did manage to maintain second place in their division, mainly because the season came to a gracious end.

Between injuries and awful performance, this hard look into the Indians of 2011 will not be pretty and will not even have sugar-coated sprinkles on it.  Though, even with the bitter flavor of the past season, there were some nuggets of sweetness.  Unfortunately, those nuggets provided very little reprieve.

Rotation: C

The Indians biggest failure belonged to the players who couldn’t stay healed enough to play.  From Sizemore to Hafner to Chisenhall, the Indians had to make the best of the players who could actually serve in the rotation.  Though some fans might say the rotation is a “B” considering what the team had to work with, the fact that the Tribe had trouble actually keeping a working rotation knocks them down to simply average.  There were a few stand-outs in Asdrubal Cabrera (who secured a Silver Slugger award), fan favorite Jack Hannahan, and Travis Hafner (when he was healthy).  In fact, the Indians only had four players to play in more than 100 games during the season.  Of course, much of the rest of the regulars on the team shared rotation duties.  Seven players rotated through 60 or more games during the 2011 season.

Bullpen: C

Chris Perez stood out as the Indians closer-to-beat.  He pitched in 64 games and managed end with a 3.32 ERA despite an almost perfect distribution of runs, earned runs, and walks (24, 22, and 26 respectively).   Fausto Carmona started the Indians off with the worst ERA in history for an Opening Day, allowing 10 runs and generating a 30.00 ERA before getting pulled.  Fortunately, the Indians found a groove to lead the league before allowing the team to slip into second place in the AL Central. Other notable pitchers in Ubaldo Jimenez (who was brought in to save the Tribe from themselves, but found himself failing to do so – ending with a 5.10 ERA and leaving Indians fans scratching their heads), Justin Masterson (12-10, 3.21 ERA), Rafael Perez (5-2, 3.00 ERA), and Josh Tomlin (12-7, 4.25 ERA).  Tony Sipp was something of a surprise, finishing out with a 6-3 record and a 3.03 ERA.  And Joe Smith had a very impressive scoreless streak from May to July, mainly due to his facing twice as many righties as lefties.  Still, a great highlight in the Indians season.  Alas, once the team lost its rhythm, none of the mound masters could not save the team from itself.

As for starters, there was none better than Justin Masterson.  His 12-10 record coupled with a 3.21 ERA demonstrates the tip of the iceberg.  He let up only 11 home runs (though, admittedly giving up 77 earned runs) and struck out 158 batters in 216 innings pitched.  Of the runs scored against him, 55/77 came from lefties and 9/11 homers were hit by left-handed batters.  Even that, though, was an improvement over his 2010 lefty stats.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: C

There are two words that come to mind when thinking about the Indians catchers: Carlos Santana.  He had a great start to the season (taking part in a triple play on April 3, then hitting a grand slam later the same month).  Unfortunately, he had a rough time defensively.  He ended up 4th overall in errors by a catcher.  Granted, he had to split his time between catching and 1B after Matt LaPorta’s meltdown.

Infield: D+

There is no easy way to say it: The Indians bombed defensively in 2011.  Sure, the Indians has moments of greatness (like the above-mentioned triple play) and sometime made the “Top 10″ plays of the week on a particular sports network, but when taking the season as a whole, the Tribe ended up as the scum on the bottom of the barrel.  Orlando Cabrera, Jason Kipnis, Matt LaPorta, and Carlos Santana (among the other players the Indians threw in to try to save the team) simply looked like a B-Movie version of “Major League.”  And not the second half of the movie, either.  This was a “Back to the Minors” season for sure.  The bright spot defensively came from Jack Hannahan.

Offensively, Asdrubal Cabrera earned himself a Silver Slugger award, batting .273 on the year with over 600 at-bats producing 87 runs on 165 hits, 32 doubles, 25 homers, and knocking in 92 RBIs.  No one else on the team came even close, regardless of position. Well, okay, Santana came close.  He had just over 550 at-bats, scoring 84 runs on 132 hits, 35 doubles, 27 homers and 79 RBIs.  He ended the season with a .239 batting average.  Looking at the numbers, the Indians appear to have done pretty well offensively which accounts for the great early to middle-of-the season record for the Tribe this past year.  In fact, it is the offense that saved the Indians from receiving a flat-out F in the category.

Outfield: F

Here’s a quiz: Name the Indians outfielder with the highest fielding percentage who played in more than 100 games. Oh, wait, there was only one player to play in more than 100 games: Michael Brantley.  How about more than 90 games? The same. More than 86? The same. Drop the threshold to 85 or more and Shin-Soo Choo appears on the list. In order to see anyone else, the appearance number must drop to 64 (Carrera).  It is not until we drop the threshold to 50 or more that we see the “I thought these guys were going to be great/used to be great” additions of Kearns, Sizemore, and Fukudome.  Between injuries and a general head-shaking collapse of the entire outfield, the Indians simply could not pull together any combination of players to bring the team out of its downward plunge.  What saved the team?  The huge jump they had at the start of the season.

Offensively, the outfield wasn’t abysmal, but weren’t very good overall, either.  Sure, Brantley, Duncan, and Choo all batted better than .250, but aside from Sizemore, they also led the team in strikeouts.  Duncan led the Tribe with 11 home runs. Yes, you read that correctly. Sizemore hit 10 and Brantley had 8 homers.  The Indians outfield was just about as invisible at the plate as they were in the field.

Top Offensive Player

It is no wonder Asdrubal Cabrera secured a Silver Slugger Award in 2011.  In the list of Indians appearing in at least 100 games, he led in at-bats, runs, hits, RBIs, stolen bases, batting average, and slugging percentage.  Take into account the entire team, and he led in at-bats, runs,  hits, RBIs, and stolen bases.  Take out Tomlin, Kipnis, Duncan, and Thome (who were all non-everyday batters anyway) and Cabrera leads in slugging percentage as well.  Overall, he was Top 5 in nearly every offensive category for the Indians in 2011 and receives my vote as the top offensive player.

Top Pitcher

While many Tribe fans would undoubtedly choose Chris Perez as having the greatest impact on the team from the mound in 2011, Justin Masterson served as the leader in the middle of the diamond.  As stated above, he made a vast improvement over 2010 against lefties.  Masterson proved to the team that he no longer deserved to be relegated to the back of the rotation.

David “Tribecards” Henderson

Tribe Cards

@davidinark

Epstein fired manager Mike Quade on Wednesday after just a little over one season in Chicago. The Sun-Times has the story.

Dodgers fans are ecstatic that the McCourts are selling. The LA Times has the full story.

The Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander was the most dominant pitcher in the game en route to 24 wins. Jose Bautista didn’t match his 54 home runs of a year ago, but had another 40+ home run season. Lance Berkman looked like his career was done in 2010, but he hit 30 home runs this season and is an NL MVP candidate. Jacoby Ellsbury was the king of the AL DL a year ago, but this season was a candidate for both the comeback player of the year and AL MVP awards.

Curtis Granderson had a bust out season, topping 40 home runs for the first time in his career. Teammate Derek Jeter picked up his 3,000th hit, while another, Mariano Rivera, broke the all-time record for career saves. Across town, Jose Reyes won his first batting title in what might be his last year as a Met.  Albert Pujols had an “off” year and still hit 35 dingers and Matt Kemp met and exceeded all expectations.  With all of that in mind, the finalists for the individual awards in each league should look something like this…

AL MVP – Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano (NY), Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), Jose Bautista (TOR), Justin Verlander (DET)

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander (Det)

AL Rookie of the Year – Jeremy Hellickson (TB), Ivan Nova (NY), Eric Hosmer (KC), Mark Trumbo (LA), J.P. Arencibia (TOR)

AL Manager of the Year – Manny Acta (CLE), Jim Leyland (DET), Ron Washington (TEX), Joe Girardi (NY)

AL Comeback Player of the Year – Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), Melky Cabrera (KC)

NL MVP – Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder (MIL), Matt Kemp (LA), Lance Berkman (STL), Justin Upton (AZ)

NL Cy Young – Ian Kennedy (AZ), Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee (PHI), Clayton Kershaw (LA)

NL Manager of the Year – Kirk Gibson (AZ), Ron Roenicke (MIL), Clint Hurdle (PIT), Charlie Manuel (PHI)

NL Rookie of the Year – Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel (ATL), Danny Espinosa (WAS), Javy Guerra (LA)

NL Comeback Player of the Year – Carlos Beltran (NY,SF), Lance Berkman (STL)

But baseball isn’t about the individual, it’s about the teams.

Early on the Indians, Royals, and Pirates played beyond expectation. In fact the Indians held first place in the AL Central for 85 days. The three teams would eventually fade, but the Arizona Diamondbacks did just the opposite. They were six games under .500 in mid-May, but played at a torrid pace the rest of the season to win the division title. Meanwhile Boston and Atlanta entered the final month of the season as virtual locks to make the post-season only to be eliminated on the final night of the season.

The LA Dodgers and the Mets had ownership and money issues, the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds were huge disappointments, and the Baltimore Orioles, despite much promise, finished last in the AL East for the fourth straight year. In the end the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks captured their divisions while the Rays and Cardinals entered the playoffs as wild card entries.

What’s that? How did the Baseball Digest team do at predicting the post-season teams? Let’s take a look.

Well it appears, ahem, one person knew what they were talking about with the AL East. Yes, that would be me. Michael Maher, likewise, was the only one of our bunch who had the insight to pick the Tigers in the AL Central. He was also the only one to pick the Rays to win the AL wild card. Four out of seven dentist, er writers, chose the Rangers correctly in the AL West, while none of us had the Diamondbacks sniffing a title in the NL West.

Bill Ivie stuck his neck out picking the Braves to win the NL East, while everyone else selected the Phillies. Needless to say, his neck hurts. Bill’s beloved Cardinals didn’t win the NL Central as he had selected, but he was brought joy on the night of Game 162 when they made the post-season. Meanwhile Simon Sharkey-Gottlieb, Kirk Verner, and Matt Wilson all correctly chose the Brewers for the Central crown, but just like the NL West, no one got the NL wild card correct either. So the finally tally of correct predictions..drum roll please…four writers with 3 right each. Meanwhile Josh Landsburg, Mark Healey, and Bill Ivie…um, better luck next year. (In fairness, Bill did get 2 playoff teams correct, just in the wrong spots)

Michael Maher 3
Drew Sarver 3
Simon Sharkey-Gottlieb 3
Matt Wilson 3
Shai Kushner 2
Kirk Verner 2
Josh Landsburg 1
Mark Healey 1
Bill Ivie 0

Please check back after the league championship series for updated standings, and be sure to bookmark Baseball Digest to view all of our post-season coverage.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr. will give the keynote address at the Hutch Award Luncheon on Feb. 1, 2012. Proceeds will benefit early cancer detection research at the Hutchinson Center .

This year’s Hutch Award nominees are:

• Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals
• Tony Campana, Chicago Cubs
• Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins
• Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
• Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
• Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians
• Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
• Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox
• Josh Willingham, Oakland Athletics

The Hutch Award recipient will be selected this fall through a vote of all surviving former awardees. A total of 46 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Baseball’s Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Willie McCovey and Lou Brock all received the Hutch Award; in recent years Jamie Moyer, Craig Biggio, Jon Lester, Mark Teahen and Tim Hudson have joined their ranks.

The Hutch Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of legendary baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – founded by Fred’s brother, Dr. Bill Hutchinson, after Fred succumbed to cancer at age 45 – is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases.

For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, or to learn more about the luncheon, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.

Before the season began, the Cleveland Indians were generally picked to finish in last place. They were one of the youngest teams in the league. Their best player, Grady Sizemore, was starting the season on the disabled list. Shin-Soo Choo was still dealing with the after effects of his off the field problem. Jack Hannahan was given the starting third base job by default despite rookie Lonnie Chisenhall’s outstanding spring performance. The rotation did not have a quintessential ace and looked more like a collection of number four starters. The Indians’ biggest offseason addition was veteran Orlando Cabrera. Despite some talent developing in the minors, it looked to be a long season in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Indians front office, however, did not believe that. Many times, front office personnel will pay lip service to being able to compete despite a flawed roster or have unrealistic expectations heading into the season based on a period of good play the previous year. The latter happened with the Seattle Mariners a couple of seasons ago. The former happens every season with multiple teams. But, the Indians weren’t in either group.

“When you looked at our team in the spring, we had a lot of young players. We knew we had talent, but young talent is uncertain and volatile. We knew we had talent on the Major League roster and at the other levels of our farm system. We just didn’t know how quickly they would proceed. We knew that if everything broke right, we could contend,” said Mike Chernoff, the Indians Assistant General Manager.

Chernoff and General Manager Chris Antonetti were right about the talent, but wrong about everything going their way. That combination of young talent, some veteran performances, and a weak division helped the Indians to get off 30-15. But, that start wasn’t a product of their expected stars. Choo wasn’t hitting; after a quick return, Sizemore slowed and landed back on the disabled list. Even with all of that, after 45 games, the Indians were the best team in Baseball. “The Cabrera’s (Orlando and Asdrubal) got off to hot starts. The bullpen kept us in close games and we got good performances from the rotation. If you look at our arms out of pen, they are all in their first or second year,” stated Chernoff.

The hot start was the single best story of the early season. The Indians kept winning, but the injuries began to mount. For a small market team, a rash of injuries is typically devastating because the bench is usually thin and it forces them to accelerate the development of their prospects. “The greatest challenge was filling in. At one point, we had 40 percent of our rotation and the top five guys in our regular lineup on the disabled list. One of the challenges of a small market team is you can’t build depth on the Major League roster so you build from Minors. The credit has to go to our scouts and player development team for building that depth. It was the most significant challenge we faced this year,” said Chernoff.

While the division race was getting tighter, the Indians kept plugging those holes. The farm system started to bring some players to the Major League level. Lonnie Chisenhall was brought up. Alex White made his Major League debut. Later in the season, second baseman Jason Kipnis was called up. The young talent began to infiltrate the roster. Asdrubal Cabrera, finally healthy, put together an All-Star season and Carlos Santana continued to develop.

Despite all of the positives after the first 45 games, they won just 23 games against 46 losses in their next 69 games. At the non-waiver trade deadline, they were in second place, but only 1.5 games behind the Tigers. Most believed that the Indians had their run, but that they had some luck mixed in to yield those results. The Twins and White Sox were under-performing. The Tigers slept walked through most of the first half before finally overtaking the Indians. The Indians’ pitching showed signs of weakness, especially in the power department. Despite good results, the Indians lacked a starter with strikeout ability. Justin Masterson led the rotation with 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings. While solid, the lack of strikeouts puts way too much pressure on a team defense.

It looked like the Indians should’ve started the “preparing for next season” plan under the idea that they showed some promise and now it was time to sell off some assets to continue to stock the farm system. Antonetti and Chernoff did the exact opposite. They packaged prized prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz along with Joe Gardner and Matt McBride for the Colorado Rockies’ ace, Ubaldo Jimenez. The trade was surprising on a number of levels. The Indians have always been an organization that values prospects. They gave up two of their best prospects for a pitcher who had struggled since the All-Star break of last season. He was a pitcher who showed up out of shape for Spring Training this season and had lost some velocity in the early season. The velocity loss and slow start are concerns, but outside of Coors Field, Jimenez pitched like the pitcher he showed he could be over the past three seasons. Before the trade, he demonstrated that he was still an ace outside of Coors Field. Away from Coors, Jimenez started 10 games. In 61.1 innings, he allowed just 40 hits, 23 runs, 26 walks, and struck out 67 batters. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The question remained as to whether or not the Indians lost focus on their plan. They weren’t expected to compete. They were looking at 2013 as the real target date for their best prospects to all be at the Major League level. Could a big start be enough for them to put all of their chips in and unload their farm system? The Seattle Mariners did that a couple of seasons ago when they misread a good season filled with good fortune for a real contender that was just a couple of high priced players away from contention. It is a dangerous path, especially for a small market team. If they misread the situation and trade from their farm system, it could set back the organization a good five years at minimum.

“It was never a short term type of deal. We’re looking at a window of having a core together and adding a guy like Ubaldo Jimenez to impact a potential playoff run and what we think will be a competitive window over the next couple of seasons, it was a move we felt we had to make in order for us to get to that level. We knew his velocity was down and that he had some injuries early. We know with a good offseason, he can be the ace,” said Chernoff.

It was a unique situation to be in for the Indians. They valued their prospects, but they had the chance to acquire a 27 year old pitcher who could and should be their ace over the next couple of seasons. He comes with two more years at an affordable price. If he performs to his 2010 standards, the Indians have a great value. “With that contract and his stuff, he was an ideal fit for our club. Pitchers with his capabilities don’t come on the market all that often and they aren’t often that cost efficient.  We liked the pitching prospects we gave up, but they are pitching prospects. Jimenez is more of a sure thing, “ added Chernoff.

Adding a pitcher like Jimenez was paramount for the organization if they truly wanted to contend. The organization lacks a big strikeout pitcher. Jimenez is one of them. He’s averaging 9.2 K/9 during his first 8 starts. While he started slow, he has seemingly found the form that the Indians were looking for. In his last four starts, he has pitched 26 innings, allowed 18 hits, 11 walks, and has struck out 26 batters. His 3.12 ERA and opponents batting line of .191/.290/.309 are in line with the ace-level stuff that the Indians were banking on.

The reality of the season finally came for the Indians. They are no longer contenders thanks to their own poor play, so many injuries, and the Tigers’ hot streak. They are now struggling to finish .500 on the season. Although the beginning of the season began with so much promise, it would be a mistake to label this season as disappointing. The youthful Indians gained valuable experience. They were able to promote Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis. Carlos Santana is more experienced. Michael Brantley played well for a large stretch of the season. Asdrubal Cabrera is one of the better shortstops in Baseball. “We certainly wanted to win the division, but we are happy with the progress we’ve made in a lot of areas. Jason Kipnis surprised us. We knew he was talented, but you never expect that type of performance right off the bat. Lou Marson came on in the second half, which allowed us to move Carlos (Santana) around. Jason Donald has filled in well. And, Carlos Santana gives us great power from that position and gets on base,” said Chernoff.

Santana is still one of the best offensive prospects in the game. At quick glance, Santana has posted a disappointing season as he has a .236/.348/.446 batting line. But, a .348 on base percentage is significant from a catcher as are his 31 doubles and 23 homeruns. It is often overlooked how difficult it is for a young catcher to manage a staff and learn how to hit at the Major League level. It is especially important to someone like Santana, who hasn’t been a catcher all that long. “It’s important to remember that he’s only been a catcher for four years. As a hitter, he needs to develop a more consistent approach. Sometimes he gets stuck in pull mode. He continues to patient, but just needs to develop the consistency to hit where the ball is pitched,” continued Chernoff,  “Defensively, it is also about consistently. Staying in game, calling the right pitches, his footwork needs to consistent. Those are things that most young catchers need to work on.”

Perhaps the Indians would be best served to move Santana to another position in order to maximize his offensive potential. Chernoff isn’t quite ready to do that. “We’ll continue to evaluate. There’s no reason why he can’t be the catcher of the Cleveland Indians. Because his bat is so good, keeping the 1B option open is important. Most catchers will catch 120 games a year. We need another position, whether it is first base or DH, to give him another 20 to 30 games.”

As the season heads into the final couple of weeks, the Indians’ goals have obviously changed. The playoffs aren’t happening. But, the organization believes it has a winning club. Finishing with more than 81 wins after dealing with all of the injuries would be an accomplishment. The season has given the young Indians experience to use next season both on and off the field. Being in first place and playing meaningful games in August is a help. Getting to pick the brain of someone like Jim Thome, a player whom Chernoff says has already become a go to guy in the clubhouse for the younger players, is invaluable. All of that helps. But, Chernoff is insistent on the notion that this season hasn’t impacted the organizational plan.

“We felt we could contend this year and we did. The focus didn’t change, but it certainly sped up the process this season with our success. And that’s great. We’re focusing on winning. Look, we’re a small market team so we’re probably not going to sign the top free agents, but we are looking at putting out the best team we can. If that means signing a free agent that fits our budget, then we’ll do it. We have a window with our core offense and Ubaldo Jimenez leading our staff. We will contend next season,” said Chernoff.

The 2011 season didn’t finish like the Indians imagined. They looked like the magical team before all of the injuries hit. But, this season is the type of foundation-setting season for a young team with some high end talent. The entered the season without a number one starter. They will enter next season with Ubaldo Jimenez fronting the rotation. That is a major upgrade. The young bullpen will return in tact.

There are many questions and flaws that must be fixed. It is certain that the Indians won’t compete with the Tigers and White Sox on the free agent front. But, the organization has shown an ability to develop talent and make good trades. With their young core in place, an ace to lead the staff, a young bullpen, and a developing star in Santana, the Indians can compete in 2012. That alone validates their 2011 season. Success can be defined in many ways. The 2011 Indians have been successful. They’ve set up the 2012 Indians to be legitimate contenders for the Central Division crown.

The Indians have been struggled of late (7 losses in 10 games) and have dropped 6.5 games back of Detroit in the AL Central. The Tribe’s regular DH Travis Hafner recently made his second trip to the disabled list this year and may need season ending foot surgery.

Thome entered Thursday’s play with an .842 OPS with 12 HR and 40 RBI in 238 plate appearances for the Twins. Eight of Thome’s home runs have come since July 1 and he has  a .910 OPS in the second half of the season. The fan favorite hit 334 of his home runs in a Cleveland uniform before he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2002 season.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Facing the Detroit Tigers this evening, Thome homered off right-hander Rick Porcello in the 5th inning for his 599th career home run. Thome didn’t wait long to join Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa in the exclusive home run club.

With lefty Daniel Schlereth on the mound and two men aboard, Thome drilled number 600 the opposite way in the 7th inning for a 5 RBI night.

Thome’s home run break down:

#1 – 10/4/91 vs. NYY Lee Guetterman

#100 – 5/14/97 vs. TEX Bobby Witt

#200 – 4/15/00 vs. TEX Mark Clark

#300 – 6/14/02 vs. MIN Eric Milton

#400 – 6/14/04 vs. CIN Jose Acevedo

#500 – 6/16/07 vs. LAA Dustin Moseley

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Jimenez actually started the game for Colorado tonight as the two teams continued to hammer out the final details of the deal. He allowed four runs, four walks, and a pair of hits as no one could blame him if he were pre-occupied.

White was listed by Baseball America as the #2 prospect in the Indians farm system prior to this season and the top rated pitcher in the organization. White, the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of North Carolina, has a 2.37 ERA in 30 career minor league appearances (29 starts). He has a heavy fastball that hits the mid-90′s and relies on his 90-92 mph sinker to get batters out.

The left-handed Pomeranz was the #4 prospect according to Baseball America and second rated pitcher. He throws in the low 90′s and uses his curveball as his out pitch. Pomeranz’s change up is still a work in progress. The 5th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Pomeranz has recorded 112 strikeouts and just 38 walks in 91 career minor league innings.

BA ranked Gardner as the number 9 prospect in the Indians organization. With a two seam fastball in the low 90′s, Gardner uses his  sinker to retire most batters.

McBride has been in the Indians system since he was selected in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft. Since 2007 he has played at multiple levels every year, including this season. The 26-yr old has career splits of .282/.345/.467 and is a good contact hitter. McBride was originally drafted and played in the organization as a catcher, but has made a smooth transition to first base and has played the outfield as well.

In Jimenez, the Indians get a front of the rotation starter as they answer the Tigers’ acquisition of Doug Fister earlier in the day. Jimenez’s contract runs through 2014, but reportedly the option for the final year will be dropped as a result of the deal.

The Tribe isn’t done either and hopes to land outfielder Ryan Ludwick from San Diego by tomorrow.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Done Deals

Boston – Kansas City: The Red Sox have added to their depth by picking up Mike Aviles from the Royals for infielder Yamaico Navarro and pitcher Kendal Vez. In Aviles, the Red Sox get a player who can play 2B, SS, and 3B, all positions that have seen players banged up this season. He also swings a decent stick. Aviles fell victim to the youth movement in KC and was sent to the minors at one point this season. He could face a demotion again when Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie returns from the DL.

Texas – Baltimore: The Rangers spoke with a number of teams about relievers and were hoping to land the Padres’ Heath Bell.  But the asking price was too high for the pitchers that Texas most coveted. So instead, the Rangers went a cheaper route by sending corner infielder Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter to the Orioles for Koji Uehara.

It’s a low risk move for both teams. Uehera is good, but not outstanding. He’s a strikeout pitcher despite not having overpowering stuff, but also can’t be used on back-to-back days due to his tendency to get banged up. Davis has been a productive hitter in the minor leagues, but hasn’t been able to put it together in “The Show”. He strikes out way too much and can’t hit left-handed pitching. Unless the Orioles deal Derrek Lee, Davis will probably only see occassional playing time at DH and 1B.

Hunter is a #4 starter at best. He pitches to contact and isn’t going to blow anyone away.  The Rangers’ number one pick in 2007, Hunter got off to an 8-o, 2.31 start last season, but went 5-4, 5.07 in his final 14 starts plus one relief appearance. Hunter is also an injury risk and missed a good chunk of this season with a groin injury.

Detroit – Seattle: The Tigers wanted to shore up their starting rotation for the stretch run and feel they did so by picking up Doug Fister from the Mariners. Fister can’t be judged by the 3-12 record he amassed with a bad Mariners club. In 21 starts, Fister allowed less than a hit an inning and walked just two hitters per nine innings while he struck out 5.5 batters. He also allowed just four home runs and had a 2.8 WAR with the Mariners.

Reliever David Pauley accompanied Fister to give the Tigers some depth in their bullpen. In return, Seattle received pitcher Charlie Furbush, outfielder Casper Wells, third baseman Francisco Martinez and a player to be named later.

Furbush is a 25-yr old left-handed strikeout pitcher that was used as both a starter and reliever by the Tigers. No word yet if he’ll replace Fister in the rotation or Pauley in the pen. Wells is a fourth outfielder that can play all three outfield spots, but doesn’t hit much.  Martinez is a highly touted third baseman, but only the second best hot corner man in the Tigers organization. The 20-yr old Venezuelan is still developing his power, but had pretty good splits (.282/.319/.405) for Single-A Erie.

Arizona – Washington: The Diamondbacks added to their rotation by sending infielder Zach Walter, a former 9th round draft pick, to the Nationals for veteran starter Jason Marquis. The soon-to-be 33-yr old joins his sixth organization after 1+ seasons in the Nation’s capital. Marquis was 8-5, 3.95 in 20 starts this season and averaged six innings each time out. With a WHIP over 1.4 and 0.8 WAR, Marquis is a shaky back-end-of-the-rotation starter. He missed most of last season with elbow surgery.

Rumors

Ubaldo Jimenez: The Rockies have reportedly lowered their demands since they have yet to make a deal.  The Red Sox, Reds, and Indians are said to be negotiating the most, while the Yankees are still in play.

Hiroku Kuroda: The Dodgers right-hander really doesn’t want to leave LA, but has reportedly told the cash-strapped team that he’d be willing to accept a trade to the Rangers, Red Sox, or Yankees.

Josh Willingham and Ryan Ludwick: The A’s and Padres outfielders are still being talked about and are expected to be moved at some point this weekend. Right now it appears A’s GM Billy Beane is asking too much for Willingham.

Heath Bell: Unless the Padres lower their demands, the team’s closer won’t be going anywhere.

Denard Span: The Nationals have been working for days to try to land the Twins’ outfielder. A rumor spread earlier this afternoon that the Twins were trying to get the Yankees involved in a possible three-team deal.

Rafael Furcal: The shell-of-himself shortstop is close to being sent from the Dodgers to the Cardinals.

Update 7:20 PM

Hiroki Kuroda has refused to waive his no-trade clause and will remain an LA Dodger. The ramifications of Kuroda off the market is that the Rockies can now boost their asking price back up for Ubaldo Jimenez.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

“I was better at baseball than pretty much anything else,” he said.

Lee attended high school Benton High School in Benton, Arkansas, but before then he was already shaping into an athlete.

“I knew at a really young age. It was probably when I was ten or twelve years old,” he thought for a moment, then said. “I was decent at basketball.”

There were surely many kids with talent and desire to play sports, but despite any uncertainty, Lee had a clear sense of direction.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I knew I could then, but I wanted to from a really young age. I feel fortunate that I knew what I wanted to be doing that young. I wanted to do something with it. Deep down inside I always wanted to play professionally for sure.”

Lee set about trying to improve, driven by ambitions and a natural ability. As he continued to excel, he knew baseball was his ticket.

“The older I got the more I realized it was reality and I was at least going to get a chance to get a scholarship and play in college.”

Lee was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1997, but opted for college at Meridian Community College instead. He was again drafted in 1998 by the Baltimore Orioles but chose to move onto the University of Arkansas.

There was some time spent as a position player when he played the outfield. But once he got to college, his destiny was clear to everyone around him.

“Until I got into college I played outfield and hit, but once I got into college it was just pitching. I was a decent outfielder and hitter too, so I was able to play more positions. But I think it was pretty evident to myself and a lot of my coaches that pitching was probably what got me at least a scholarship and into professional baseball.”

He was drafted again in 2000 by the Montreal Expos in the 4th round. From there, the road to the big leagues for Lee was not a well-traveled one.

“I made it to the big leagues in 2002. So it was pretty quick.”

Before his major league debut in 2002, he spent time at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, going 12-5 with a 3.64 ERA. At Double-A Harrisburg (now the Washington Nationals Double-A affiliate), he went 7-2 and finished with a 3.24 ERA.

Looking back at those days, however, there were plenty of respected veteran baseball men guiding Lee. His cutter, so important to his success, was developed with the help of his A-ball pitching coach, Ace Adams.

“A lot of credit goes to him.”

There were others who saw what he needed to adjust.

“Louie Issac helped me out in Cleveland with a lot of mechanical stuff.  Carl Willis my pitching coach in Cleveland along with Louie helped me a lot. Tommy John was pitching coach in Double-A and he helped me on two-seam fastballs and just how to pitch.”

He knows that minor leaguers battling to make it to the big leagues struggle to stay focused and confident. But he remembers those days. Lee, like any other successful major league player, keeps it simple.

“Nothing comes easy. You have to be blessed with talent, but nothing replaces hard work. Nothing replaces repetition.”

He still recalls his first encounter with a big league veteran that he held in high regard. When he walked into a major league clubhouse for the first time, he needed to know he belonged.

“I walked in the clubhouse and the first person I saw was [former major league pitcher] Terry Mulholland. And he’d been playing forever it seemed like. And just how I was expecting those guys to be way different, I was expecting something out of the ordinary, but they were just regular guys. What jumps out the most is him just sitting there talking to me and welcoming me. I don’t really know how to explain how it felt but it was a very surreal moment for me.”

He goes back to those minor league guys working hard to keep the self-doubt away.

“It’s a one in a million chance, but someone’s got to do it, so why can’t it be you? The game is the same it’s been since Little League, except the guys at this level are more consistent. It’s about taking batting practice, taking ground balls, as long as that’s what you do in Little League, it’s just the same game, but it’s whoever is most consistent and does their repetitions.”

Lee recognizes the shift in the youth of today. Getting a real bat and glove and actually playing cannot be replaced by electronic baseball. The native of Arkansas sees it one way.

“You have to get from behind the computer screen and video games and get out in the yard and play.”

*Photo courtesy of Meridian Community College

Manny Ramirez was born on this day in 1972 in the Dominican Republic. Ramirez grew up in New York City and became on the baseball diamond what it would be like to live as the most respected basketball player in the city, the most respected player of the day at Rucker Park. Selected to the All-City team three times in his four years of high school, Ramirez is a member of the New York City Public School Athletic Hall of Fame. He was named Player of the Year in 1991 after hitting for a .650 average, 14 home runs in 22 total games.

Ramirez’s success carried over into the major league system where he developed skills early on that would earn him a call up to the big leagues. After being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1991, Ramirez was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America after hitting .333 with 31 home runs and 115 RBI in 129 games, splitting time between AA and AAA ball. His major league debut came on September 2nd that same year and he went on to help the Indians reach to World Series in 1995 and 1997. Ramirez left the Indians and joined the Red Sox in 2000.

Baseball Digest ran a feature on Manny Ramirez’s early success in the big leagues in their April 1999 issue in an article titled ‘Manny Ramirez: Maturing of a Big League Star. Again, the irony. You can read it by clicking here.

Ramirez’s time with the Red Sox however is what most baseball fans associate with when it comes to his contributions to the sport.

In his time playing in front of the fans in Beantown, Ramirez was an All-Star each season (2001-2008), a World Series champion twice (2004, 2007), a nine time Silver Slugger Award winner and a World Series MVP (2004). Manny Ramirez was one of the key faces of the world champion Boston team of destiny in 2004 that called themselves ‘Idiots’ along with teammates Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Johnny Damon. Ramirez and friends were responsible for bringing happiness to an entire nation of fans that thought that type of happiness was never to be seen in their lifetime. The Red Sox hadn’t won the World Series since 1918 and finally, the trophy would reside in Boston. Finally, the chants of NINE-TEEN, EIGHT-TEEN would come to an end, greatly, due to the contributions made by Ramirez.

His legacy would become tainted a few years later, after he brought a second championship to the city of Boston. Once it became known that he had failed a drug test and was caught by the league using performance enhancing drugs in May of 2009, people started to have a different opinion of Ramirez, myself included. The drug that he tested positive for was human chorionic gonadotropin (hCg). It is a women’s fertility drug that athletes use to help rebuild a testosterone cycle after coming off of a steroid cycle.

Instead of the phrase ‘Manny Being Manny’ remaining a definition of Ramirez simply loving the game of baseball, acting like an ‘idiot’, hitting home runs at will alongside teammate David Ortiz and leading the championship starved Boston Red Sox to multiple titles, the phrase became somewhat of a punchline. It became a reason to doubt Ramirez’s talents and his contributions to the game. It made me want to list him in the same vein of players who deserve an asterisk next to their career stats due to the performance enhancing drugs the numerous failed drug tests say they took while playing the game.

‘Manny Being Manny’ became a cute catch phrase that I became tired of hearing tossed around by people as if it were an excuse for a friend or family member that allows you to laugh off a well known, but unspoken need for help with a serious problem, ultimately enabling him to compete unfairly in a sport I have grown to love.

In 2011, his failing of a drug test in Spring Training, followed by a second test that also resulted in a positive result. pushed Ramirez into retirement. As opposed to serving the 100 game suspension that would have been enforced, Ramirez decided it was time to call it a career.

I am sure there are many that believe there is no reason to take from Ramirez’s accomplishments. That because he played in the ‘steroid era’, this somehow releases him from ownership of his actions because ‘everyone was doing it’. I am not one of these people. To look at his numbers without a name attached, one may think ‘yes, guaranteed hall of famer’. As soon as you add the name ‘Manny Ramirez’ to the otherwise impressive numbers, along with failed drug tests, it is hard to think of anything other than, ‘what an idiot’.

Also Born Today:

Tony Campana turns 25 today. Campana is currently a center fielder with the Chicago Cubs. Due to injuries to Marlon Byrd and Reed Johnson, Campana has been called up to the major league team and is contributing in his rookie season. After 15 at-bats, he is currently hitting .267 for the club and brings a great amount of speed to the line up. Campana was drafted by the Cubs in the thirteenth round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Scott Eyre turns 39 today. Eyre was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the ninth round of the 1991 amateur draft. He has pitched for the White Sox, Blue Jays, Giants, Cubs and Phillies. In 2002, he led the National League in fielding percentage for pitchers.

Ryan Maloney is a Staff Writer for BaseballDigest.com, the author of popular Chicago Cubs blog Prose and Ivy and contributing writer to MLB.com/Entertainment.

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Berkman’s numbers had dropped drastically the last couple of years, especially when the switch-hitting first baseman was facing a left-handed pitcher. But Berkman, who has moved back to the outfield with the St. Louis Cardinals, came out swinging this season. He hit .393/.455/.753 in March/April with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Though his numbers are still pedestrian in limited exposure to left-handed pitching, Berkman has absolutely destroyed right-handers to the tune of a 1.352.  Berkman kept the pace through the first two games in May with a home run, five RBI and four hits in eight at-bats.

The American League Central division standings are upside down. Favorites Minnesota and Chicago are at the bottom of the division while the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals are 1-2 in the standings. The Tribe rolled out to a 20-8 start, thanks in large part to outstanding starting pitching and effective relief work. One-time Boston prospect Justin Masterson has started 5-0, 2.25, thanks to outstanding control, which has been a major issue for Masterson in the past. Though he walked five batters in one of his wins, he’s allowed just eight walks in his  five other starts. Masterson has also allowed less than a hit per inning. The right-hander’s only no-decision came in his last start when he limited the Tigers to two earned runs over seven innings in a game the Indians eventually won.

Masterson’s teammate Josh Tomlin also entered his start Wednesday night with an unbeaten mark (4-0, 2.45). Like Masterson, Tomlin has limited the number of opposing men on base and has a better than 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. The 26-yr old had shown promise since being selected in the 2006 amateur draft, including a 12 game stint with Cleveland last season. The Indians bullpen, which has allowed 27 earned runs in 79.1 innings pitched, has seen superb seasons from closer Chris Perez (1-1, 2.77, 8 SV), Vinnie Pestano (0.82 ERA) and left-handers Rafael Perez (2-1, 0.00) and Tony Sipp (1-0, 2.08).

Maybe the biggest surprise has been the Indians offense, which has averaged 5.36 runs per game, good for second-best in the American League. The Indians’ lineup has produced a balanced attack and received a boost when Grady Sizemore returned with force after missing the start of the season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery. The centerfielder has busted out a 1.058 OPS with four home runs and nine RBI in 13 games.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the power-packed Chicago White Sox lineup looks more like a bunch of Punch-and-Judy hitters. It’s the overwhelming reason the White Sox are off to an 11-21 start. Just when things seemed like they were at rock bottom, Chicago was no-hit by Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano this past Tuesday night. Liriano entered the game with a 9.13 ERA and had allowed over 10 hits per nine innings pitched.

Chief among the lack-of-offensive offenders is free agent DH Adam Dunn. The first year AL player is adjusting to a new league and being a full-time DH, but that being said, he entered Wednesday’s play hitting just .157 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and an anemic .582 OPS. He’s not alone though; outside of Paul Konerko (.298-8-24) and Carlos Quentin (.283-6-17), none of the White Sox regulars are hitting. The team is averaging less than four runs per game while the pitching staff has put up a decent 4.37 ERA.

Houston Astros first baseman Brett Wallace has heard the murmurs, “He’s a bust”, and things of that nature. The still just 24-yr old was drafted by the Cardinals with the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was then dealt to Oakland in July, 2009 as part of the deal that brought Matt Holliday to St. Louis. Eight months later, the A’s dealt Wallace to the Toronto Blue Jays for fellow prospect Michael Taylor, who was part of the Roy Halladay deal. Finally, in July, 2010, Toronto sent Wallace packing to Houston for a “project” minor leaguer in part of a three-way deal that landed Roy Oswalt in Philly.

Wallace showed 20-HR power in the minors and had a career .863 OPS in three minor league seasons. He got a cup of coffee with the Astros last season, but his splits (.222/.296/.319) were nothing to write home about. This season, Wallace was given the chance to prove himself at the Major League level, and so far he’s got everyone taking notice.  He has an NL third-best .383 average with a pair of home runs, nine doubles, 10 RBI, 10 walks, and a .990 OPS.  The Astros, who are surprisingly fourth in the NL in scoring, have even moved Wallace into the clean up spot. Only time will tell of course if Wallace can do it over the long haul.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

At Ivie League Productions, we look to capitalize on the success of that website to produce others similar to it.  We also lo

ok to continue to provide top quality internet radio programming on a nightly basis.  Currently, you can find shows five nights a week from Ivie League Productions, ranging in topics from all over baseball.  The Sunday night show that was launched over a month ago is hosted by David Mitchell and Mark Donahue and supports the very site we announce to you today.

Today, it is my pleasure to bring you a team of writers dedicated to covering the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.  The writers here will be impartial observers of the team and will aim to keep the pulse on what you, the fans, are feeling.  They have been tasked to bring the best coverage of the teams that they can and I have no doubt they will succeed.

I have said many times that the people that write for me on the various websites I represent are my favorite writers from around the world.  This site is no different and I invite you all to add this site to your bookmarks, your Google Readers, or any other way you would like to read the content.  The various voices will aim to entertain and inform you in as unique a way as possible while discussing the game we all love.

So welcome, to Battle Of Ohio Baseball, we all hope you enjoy.

Bill Ivie is the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com and the founder of Ivie League Productions.
His love of the game comes second to very few things in his life.
Follow him on Twitter.

www.indyindians.com

BD.Com: What was your first job in baseball?

Burleson: I had an internship working in Jacksonville, Florida as an office manager in 1974. Then I went to the Indianapolis Indians in 1975 as a ticket manager. This is my thirty-seventh year with the Indians.

BD.Com: What are your responsibilities for the Indians?

Burleson: I am responsible for the profitability of the organization and to position the Indians to continue to profit in the future. We have made a profit every year since 1973. I am on the AAA baseball marketing committee and play a significant role in our relationship with the International League and the other teams in the league.

I am also responsible for Indians projection in the community in terms of political connections and I am also on the Indianapolis Chamber Board of Directors.

We have also joined the Indiana Chamber and I volunteer as the Chairman of the Board for the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis. (a) The Indianapolis Chamber has a mentoring program and I am also involved in that.

BD.Com: Given the downturn in the economy, what are the Indians doing to not only hold the attendance but to increase it over last year?

Burleson: We try to maintain a focus on our brand and mission. Our brand of baseball is up close and that means when you come to an Indians game, you are seated close to the action, you are seated close to family and friends and we are located very close to the most dynamic downtown in the country, Indianapolis.

Our mission is provide Indians baseball as affordable and memorable family fun so if we keep our focus on the fans and if we do that, we will come out in good shape.

BD.Com: What College did you go attend and did you consider a career in baseball?

Burleson: I went to Oho University sports administration program as an under graduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Masters in Sports Administration in 1974. I was always thinking of a career in baseball.

BD.Com: What do you love the most about your job?

Burleson: There are a lot things; I would hesitate to say anyone thing the most. I love the game itself. I am always fired up when we have a home game that day or that night. I like the interaction of the fans and seeing people enjoying themselves at Victory Field.

BD.Com: What is the most difficult part of your job?

Burleson: The most challenging part of my job is deciding on how to spend my time.

BD.Com: Who was your mentor in baseball?

Burleson: I worked for Max Schumacher, president and chairman of the Board of the Indians for thirty-five years. I would say he was most helpful.

BD.Com: Where were you raised?

Burleson: I was born and raised in Tallmadge, Ohio, a suburb of Akron. I graduated from Tallmadge High School.

BD.Com: What is the most outstanding memory you have with the Indians?

Burleson: I would say the 1986 Indians who were then an Affiliate of the Montreal Expos. We played the Denver Bears, an Affiliate at that time for the Cincinnati Reds. That was the year we celebrated the 100th year of professional baseball in Indianapolis.

We were in the American Association at that time. We won the Eastern Division, Denver won the West. We played a best of seven for the Championship. After six games, we were tied, three games each. In game seven, we were behind 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. We rallied, down 4-3 with the bases loaded, two out. The Denver pitcher was Rob Dibble; the hitter for the Indians was Billy Moore. He hit a two ball, two strike pitch for a two run single to win the game and the Championship. That is my greatest memory; it does not get any better than that.

BD.Com: Do you follow any other teams in Baseball?

Burleson: We are an Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates so I follow them closely.

BD.Com: The Pirates have had some difficulties over the past ten or fifteen years. How do you think they will do this year?

Burleson: They have a lot of good young players there now and should begin to turn things around.

BD.Com: What makes you successful on your job?

Burleson: I am in a great environment. Our Board of Directors and the city fathers did a great job in the building Victory Field (b) that has been recognized as the best Minor League park in America.

Our board has given me the permission and authorization to spend a good bit of my time to project the Indians in the community giving me a lot of leeway in terms of how I do that. I have great support from above and also from below.

Our Assistant General Manager, Randy Lewandowski, does a great job in meeting with the staff in terms of generating revenues and keeping expenses down and trying to create new revenue streams. With that kind of support, that enables me to be successful in terms of my responsibility.

BD.Com: Are you married?

Burleson: I am not married. I have a twenty-six year old married daughter.

BD.Com: Do you have any favorite baseball movies you have enjoyed?

Burleson: I would say Beat the Drum Slowly (c) with a young Robert DeNiro, one of his earliest films. It was a baseball movie but beyond that, it was a well-acted film.

BD.Com: Who are a few Major League players you enjoy watching?

Burleson: Past years, Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers and Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates. Currently, a few players on the Pirates who played for us, Andrew McKutchen, Neal Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata.

BD.Com: What is your greatest accomplishment with the Indians?

Burleson: Helping to create an environment where our employees want to be here and they create an atmosphere where our fans want to be here.

BD.Com: What is your favorite ballpark (not counting your own) to watch a game?

Burleson: I love PNC Park in Pittsburg; I have seen a lot of games there, it is a great place to watch a game. I also saw the Pirates play in Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.

BD.Com: Steroids was a problem for baseball although it appears to be solved now. What are your thoughts on that subject?

Burleson: My focus as an AAA General Manager has been on the Minor Leagues and the players have been tested for steroids for many years and that helped to make AAA baseball more evenly competitive and more healthy for those who participated in it.

BD.Com: What are your thoughts on aluminum bats used in college baseball?

Burleson: I do not like aluminum bats.

BD.Com: How do feel about the use of instant replay in the Majors?

Burleson: I am not a fan of instant replay.

BD.Com: What are the prospects for the Indians this year?

Burleson: We will have a much-improved club. The Pirates AA team in Altoona, PA won the Eastern League Championship and a lot of those guys will be coming here. They had especially strong pitching and some of those guys will move into the Indians rotation. We will have a new centerfielder, right fielder and shortstop from that club.

Dean Treanor, our pitching coach last year will be our new manager. We expect him to do an excellent job leading the Indians. Dean was a manager in the Pacific Coast League before joining the Pirates organization.

BD.Com: What advise would you give a young person considering a career in baseball?

Burleson: My advice would be to attend a university that has a sports administration program and take advantage of the opportunity to get a good education combined with as much practical experience as you can.

(a) The Indians have received numerous awards during Burleson’s association with the club. In 2005, The Yard magazine recognized the franchise as its Minor League Team of the year. In 2000, Baseball America honored the Tribe as its Triple A team of the decade for the 1990s.

(b) Victory Field: Recognized as the “Best Minor League Ballpark in America” by prominent publications such as Baseball America and Sports Illustrated, Victory Field opened its gates July 11, 1996.

(c) The story of the friendship between a star pitcher, wise to the world, and a half-wit catcher, as they cope with the catcher’s terminal illness through a baseball season, starring Robert DeNiro.

Norm Coleman is a writer, actor and photographer. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California.

Salazar, who played for the 1984 pennant winning San Diego Padres, was leaning on the railing at the top of the dugout when he was struck. Thankfully, no brain damage occurred, but his left eye was removed Tuesday after undergoing three surgeries in attempt to save it.

AL East

Baltimore: What would a season be without Brian Roberts having some kind of physical issue? This spring it’s been his back acting up after a head first slide into 1st base tweaked something. Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that Roberts has a 50/50 chance of playing this weekend.  First year Oriole Derrek Lee has yet to see game action due to tendinitis in his right wrist, but may also play this weekend. Pitcher Koji Uehara (sore elbow) is scheduled for a bullpen session, while catcher Craig Tatum’s fight to be the back up to Matt Wieters continues to be delayed by a sore oblique. Free agent pick up Justin Duchscherer is still a couple of days away from throwing as he continues to recover from hip surgery.

Boston: J.D. Drew was considering retirement earlier this year, but his nagging left hamstring inury feels great now and he’s ready to split outfield time with Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron.

New York: Joba Chamberlain is out indefinitely, but Sergio Mitre has begun to throw again after both suffered strained obliques. Francisco Cervelli has, for the moment at least, lost the back up catching job after he fractured his foot on March 2. He’ll be out until mid-April.

Tampa Bay: Reliever J.P. Howell is not expected back in the majors until May as he continues to rehab from shoulder surgery. Shortstop Reid Brignac missed some time last week with a sore groin, but is back in action. Jeremy Hellickson finally pitched in a game last Friday after missing time with a bad hammy.

Toronto: It’s slow and steady for possible closer Frank Francisco after his right pec tightened up on him while throwing. Having thrown in only two games this spring it is not likely Francisco will be ready for the season opener. That means Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor could open the season as closer. New manager John Farrell told the Toronto Sun, “While warming up in his last scheduled outing he felt some tightness in his right pec. He came in yesterday, threw long toss and another 15 pitches off the mound. He improved as far as the feeling goes but we’re going to work him through some long toss and continue on the flat ground.”

“We feel like if we can get him three or four games (additional) before we leave camp he’ll be fine. He’s not overly concerned or overly alarmed. He feels this is a spring training aches and pains type thing that he’s going through. The red flag is not up per se with Frankie.” The Blue Jays could also be without reliever Octavio Dotel who has been shutdown with a bad hamstring. Farrell also announced that former starter Dustin McGowan will work out of the bullpen when, and if, he’s ready to come back from a pair of shoulder surgeries. The one time highly regarded prospect hasn’t thrown in a Major League game since 2008. 2nd Baseman Aaron Hill has been slowed by a quad injury, but should be ready for opening day.

AL Central

Chicago: Jake Peavy continues his come back from last year’s surgery to repair a torn latissimus dorsi muscle.  After his last start on Monday, Peavy told ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla that he would be ready to go when the season starts. He may miss his next start though with a virus. Dayan Viciedo suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch on March 10 and is likely out a month.

Cleveland: Grady Sizemore hopes to make his spring training game debut this weekend or Monday. Sliding is the final piece of the puzzle in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery. Since that’s how he hurt the knee, he is concerned. “It’s probably the last thing we’re going to try out,” Sizemore told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a concern — since that’s how I hurt it, and the fact that it’s the leg that I’ll be landing on. We’ll want to do what we can to protect that in any way we can.”

Catching sensation Carlos Santana seems to be full recovered from his left knee surgery, but the Tribe is playing it cautious just the same.  It has included playing Santana at 1st base, something the The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes spoke to manager Manny Acta about. “It’s all about Carlos getting more at bats,” said manager Manny Acta. “We wanted get him as many at bats as possible, but with him coming back from surgery, you can’t throw him back behind the plate every day.

Outfielder Trevor Crowe has been bothered by a fatigued rotator cuff all spring, but hopes to test it out by throwing tomorrow. The injury has already cost him an extra outfield spot on the Major League roster. Pitcher Anthony Reyes made his spring debut this week after having Tommy John surgery back in 2009.

Detroit: The Tigers official website reported Monday that both infielder/outfielder Carlos Guillen and reliever Joel Zumaya will start the season on the DL. Guillen is still recovering from knee surgery, while Zumaya has been slow in coming back from elbow surgery.

Kansas City: Jason Kendall continues his rehab from off-season right shoulder surgery; he’s played in a couple of games, but is likely to start the season on the DL.

Minnesota: Closer Joe Nathan continues his comeback from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’s appeared in six spring games so far, and although the results have not been good (5.1 IP 6 H 6 ER), he’s feeling good. If Nathan’s struggles continue into the regular season, manager Ron Gardenhire will simply go to Matt Capps to close. 1st Baseman Justin Morneau is seeing regular time after returning from lingering concussion symptoms. Catcher Joe Mauer appeared in his first spring game yesterday as the DH after sitting out due to off-season left knee surgery. The Twins M&M boys are expected to be ready to go on opening day.

Michael Cuddyer could play in his first spring game tomorrow after having a wart removed from his foot three weeks ago.

AL West

Los Angeles: Free agent Scott Downs was supposed to bolster the Angels bullpen, but he’s out indefinitely after breaking his toe on Saturday. The injury occurred while he was playing with his kids. 1st baseman Kendry Morales, who infamously broke his leg last season after hitting a game winning home run, has yet to play in a game this season. In fact, he’s yet to run the bases and is not likely to be ready for opening day. “He’s going to get his work in here and tomorrow he’s back out there on the progression,” Mike Scioscia told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Wednesday. “He’s moving forward. He still has some things he has to do before he gets in games and running the bases is one of them.”

Oakland: A’s closer and former AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey is out indefinitely with a strained elbow. Bailey left Monday’s game in excruciating pain and paid a visit to renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Bailey and the A’s were relieved to find out it was just scar tissue that was causing the pain and the reliever should be able to begin throwing again next week. It’s unknown though if he’ll be ready for the season opener. If that’s the case, manager Bob Geren would use Brian Fuentes as closer.

Oft-injured Rich Harden has been out with a strained lat, but according to the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, is scheduled to resume throwing tomorrow. Harden will start the season on the DL as will infielder Adam Rosales who is out until May after having foot surgery. Lefty specialist Craig Breslow is also questionable for opening day as he recovers from a hamstring strain.

Seattle: Closer David Aardsma has thrown on flat ground three times in his rehab from hip surgery, but has yet to step on a mound. Brandon League is expected to be the interim Mariners closer once the season start, though skipper Eric Wedge hasn’t announced his decision. New starting catcher Miguel Olivo missed two weeks with a strained groin, but caught a bullpen session yesterday, and barring a setback, should be ready for the M’s opener. Lefty Nate Robertson will be out a month after hvaing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow yesterday.

Texas: Nothing significant to note; a nice way to start 2011 for the defending AL champions.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

For one thing, while the Indians didn’t bring in anyone of significance, they didn’t lose anyone of significance either. Instead, the team has retained it’s core veteran players such as Shin-Soo Choo, Fausto Carmona, and Grady Sizemore while allowing their emerging youngsters another year to develop and help replace some of the significant loses the team took in trading away stars C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Victor Martinez. The franchise is also hoping for key bounce-back seasons from players like Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera to help anchor their squad both in the field and at the plate.

Even if everything goes right, this is a team with a lot of holes that will have difficulty competing for the Central crown. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be intriguing story lines to watch. The team is hoping to see their group of young players take another step forward as well as having the next wave of talent begin to make it’s impact felt. There is a sizable contingent of Minor League players on their way to the show and their performances in 2011 will go a long way in determining what the next steps for the franchise will be.

Starting Pitching: In 2010, the Indians starting rotation was one of baseballs worst as their combined 4.53 ERA ranked 25th of the 30 MLB teams, ahead of just Kansas City and Baltimore in the American League. In Carmona and the emerging Carlos Carrasco the team has a pair of cornerstones to help build around. The team is also hoping that the talented, but heretofore under performing arms of Justin Masterson and Mitch Talbot can help solidify two other spots. The fifth spot is an open competition thus far between David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin. The most likely meaningful impact in terms of starting pitching that could arrive in 2010 would be former first round pick Alex White. Though if last years first round pick Drew Pomeranz were to get off to an incredible start, I guess he is a remote possibility as well. I rather doubt top prospect Jason Knapp would be ready at any point in 2011. However, following along with the performances of all three of those young arms will certainly be a big part of the Indians 2011 season.

Bullpen: While The Indians might not have the best bullpen of anyone in the AL Central, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that theirs has the fewest question marks heading into the season. The unit will once again be anchored by the Perez’ (Chris and Rafael) with Joe Smith, Tony Sipp,  Jensen Lewis, and the newly acquired Chad Durbin helping to round out the rest. The addition of the solid and sometimes very good Durbin should only help to improve a unit whose 3.83 ERA in 2010 was solid enough.

Infield: Question marks abound here. We know that the team will open the season with Asdrubal Cabrera at short, and Matt LaPorta at first and the team has high hopes for both, but they each have their own question marks. Asdrubal is coming back off a season largely lost to injury and LaPorta, for all his promise, still hasn’t hit in the Majors. At second and third, the team will likely go with some combination of Luis Valbuena, Jason Donald, and recently acquired veteran Orlando Cabrera. Thankfully, while second and third are probably the teams two biggest MLB question marks, the presence of top prospects Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis also means that long-term solutions at those positions could be at hand. Another player who isn’t talked about quite as much but who could also play a role both now and in the future is Cord Phelps. Phelps profiles as a solid/average second baseman and should Kipnis stick, could end up becoming trade bait to help solidify another area for the team.

Outfield: The team thought it had things set in the outfield heading into the year with All-Star (and perennially underrated) Choo in right, former All-Star Sizemore in center, and the exciting Michael Brantley in left. Unfortunately, Sizemore’s recovery from mircofracture surgery hasn’t gone as well as was hoped and there are concerns that he’ll miss more than just the start of the season. Further complicating matters, his presumed backup Trevor Crowe, has a balky shoulder and also looks as though he wont be ready for the start of the season. In the event that neither are ready to go, the Indians will likely slide Brantley to center and give Austin Kearns the job in left.

Carlos Baerga graced the cover of the April 1994 issue of Baseball Digest, and in a clumn by longtime BD contributor George Vass, it begged the question, “Are The Indians Ready For Prime Time?”. The team will eventually win its first pennant since 1954 in the following season, but would lose the 1995 World Series to the Atlanta Braves. Re-live the excitement of those rebuilding years, and compare them to today’s efforts by visiting the historical archive of this issue and every other issue of Baseball Digest here.

Catcher: While Buster Posey of the Giants got far more attention in 2010, Carlos Santana might be the best catcher to have made his debut in 2010. Had it not been for a nasty knee injury suffered on a play at the plate, he might have been the American League Rookie Of The Year. Santana figures to bring a middle-of-the-order impact bat to a team that desperately needs one to pair with Choo. He’ll also provide solid/average defense. Backing up Santana will be last years opening day catcher, Lou Marson.

Manager: Manny Acta is a well respected figure within the Indians front office and his job shouldn’t be on the line in 2011 unless there is some kind of unexpected breakdown within the locker room. Though from everything we’ve heard, he runs a balanced ship and has the respect of his players. His job in 2011 will simply be to keep the veterans from getting to frustrated and keep the younger players motivated to continue to improve, it’s not and easy job by any means, but Acta is up to the task.

Front Office/Ownership: The Indians were forced to cut payroll this off season as gate receipts fell to their lowest levels since Progressive Field opened. At the outset of the off season fans were told to expect a payroll in the 45m-50m range. As of right now, I have them pegged at almost 46.5m exactly, so they’re right in that range. While that may leave room for the Indians to make a deadline acquisition, odds are still stronger that the team could look to sell off some of the veterans it brought on this off season to further it’s rebuilding efforts.

Corey Ettinger provides extensive analysis of the American League Central Division at his own blog, AL Central In Focus. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @Coreyettinger for the latest updates, random thoughts and general tomfoolery.

Those words were spoken by the late, great Tom Cheek, the “voice” of my hometown Toronto Blue Jays on October 23, 1993. And he was right: Joe Carter never hit a bigger home run than the one that won the second consecutive World Series title for the Blue Jays. Being seven years old and having a babysitter that night, I wasn’t allowed to stay up and see the home run live (thanks Mom and Dad!), but I remember the days that followed vividly. Toronto was simply on fire, and the parade down University Avenue was an outpouring of love for our heroes. With that one swing Joe Carter, a baseball player from Oklahoma, had joined the ranks of Gretzky, Lemieux, and so many other hockey players as one of Canada’s greatest sports heroes.

What people outside of Toronto often forget is that Carter was more than the guy who hit one of the most famous home runs in history. He was a regular 30-home run, 100-RBI machine, won a pair of Silver Sluggers, and played in five all-star games. Today, Baseball Digest looks back at Joe Carter’s career on his 51st birthday.

Carter was born in Oklahoma City and played his college baseball at Wichita State University, winning College Player of the Year in 1981. The Chicago Cubs selected him second overall in the 1981 draft. Within two years, Carter had reached the big leagues; however, he only appeared in 23 games for the Cubs in 1983. Carter began 1984 back at triple-A Iowa, and was traded to the Cleveland Indians in June as part of the deal that brought Rick Sutcliffe to Chicago. He would then spend the rest of 1984 in Cleveland, hitting .275 with 13 home runs.

The 1990 blockbuster trade that sent Joe Carter from San Diego to Toronto sent shockwaves throughout the baseball world.  Dan Schlossberg wrote about the trade in Baseball Digest’s May 1991 issue.  Click here to check it out!

In 1986, Carter broke out to lead the American League with 121 RBI while hitting a career-best .302 and reaching the 200 hit mark for the only time in his career. The following year, Carter posted a 30-30 season, becoming the first Indian to achieve that feat. Despite his power numbers and acute base running, the Indians were concerned with Carter’s defensive play. Following the 1989 season he was traded to the San Diego Padres for a package including future Indians stars Carlos Baerga and Sandy Alomar, Jr.

After one season out west, where his numbers fell off at Jack Murphy Stadium, the Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays completed a blockbuster trade that changed the course of both franchises. In a swap of four marquee names, the Padres sent Carter and a young second baseman named Roberto Alomar to Toronto in exchange for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez. While the Padres ignited a fire sale two years later that was led by trades of McGriff and Fernandez, Carter and Alomar formed the nucleus of the Blue Jays’ championship clubs.

Carter was finally noticed in 1991 when he hit 33 home runs, won a Silver Slugger award and made his first of five All-Star teams. Along with Alomar and fellow newcomer Devon White, Carter immediately became a star in Toronto and earned his place as one of the most popular Blue Jays. In 1992, he finished third in MVP voting and was again an All-Star, while playing a key role in helping the Blue Jays franchise shed its tag as the team that couldn’t win.  He was a key contributor to the Blue Jays’ first World Series win in 1992(hitting .273 with 2 home runs), and made the final out of the Series playing first base. After the game, Carter said that he would be part of Toronto history forever after being involved in the final out. Nobody could have known he’d play an even bigger role in history the following October.

After spurning a free-agent offer from his off-season hometown of Kansas City, Carter returned to Toronto and had another solid, 30-home run season in 1993. His heroics in game six of the World Series overshadowed his regular season by a great deal. Down 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two men on base and staring at a game seven, Carter strode to the plate to face the erratic Mitch Williams of the Philadelphia Phillies.  After working the count to two and two, he took a pitch that was low and inside — Williams later said it was a “terrible pitch” — and jacked it into the Blue Jays left-field bullpen.  In one magical moment, all 52,000 fans at SkyDome and an entire country (minus Expos fans) were in a complete frenzy.

Joe Carter’s home run remains the moment that defines not just Blue Jays baseball, but baseball in Canada.  The image of Carter bouncing around the bases like a kid in his backyard after hitting the Series-winning home run is one of the most iconic images of the 1990s, and in the game’s history on both sides of the border. Tom Cheek’s call of his home run remains one of the most celebrated sports calls in Canada’s sports history. I still remember waking up the next morning and watching the home run on video, then mimicking Carter’s jumping around the bases all over my living room.

The Blue Jays franchise began a freefall after the high of back-to-back titles and as the franchise went south, so did Carter’s production. While still hitting his career averages in home runs and RBI, and continuing to lead the club in both categories in 1994 and 1995, the overall decline in his numbers were noticeable. Carter began to see more time at both first base and designated hitter, as his fielding difficulties became more noticeable with age. In 1997, his final season with the Blue Jays, Carter hit only .234 while popping just 21 home runs. After longtime manager Cito Gaston was fired with five games remaining, Carter showed his displeasure with the move by switching from his longtime number 29 to Gaston’s 43 for the remaining games.

Carter signed with the Baltimore Orioles for the 1998 season for what was subsequently his final campaign. In July, Carter was traded to the San Francisco Giants and gave them some power off the bench during a Wild Card race. The Giants lost a one-game Wild Card playoff at the end of the season to Carter’s original team, the Chicago Cubs. Fittingly, the final at-bat of Joe Carter’s career was a pop-out to first base at Wrigley Field – his first big-league ballpark – that ended the game and clinched the Wild Card for the Cubs.

Carter retired after 16 seasons, seven with the Blue Jays, with a career average of .259, 396 home runs, and 1,445 runs batted in. He averaged 162 hits and 29 home runs per season. Carter left the Blue Jays in 1997 with 203 home runs, which was at the time a club record – only one home run higher than George Bell. His mark has since been passed by both Carlos Delgado and Vernon Wells. Carter remains in the top ten in nearly every Blue Jays offensive category.

Today Carter remains a fixture in the Toronto area, spending his time on many charity projects including an annual golf tournament, and often can be seen at Blue Jays games.  He has often been quoted as calling Toronto his “second home”. His status as a sports icon in Toronto, and across the entire country of Canada, has remained strong since his retirement. His name and number 29 was placed in the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre in 1999, and he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Mary’s, Ontario in 2003.

Also Born Today:

Jeff Kent turns 43 today. Probably best known for his six tumultuous seasons hitting with Barry Bonds in San Francisco, Kent was a three-time Silver Slugger winner and won the 2000 NL Most Valuable Player award. He also played for the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Astros and Dodgers over his 17-year career, and finished his career with 377 home runs. Kent should be considered in the discussion of the best offensive second basemen in history. Despite being traded for David Cone in August of 1992, the Blue Jays gave Kent what turned out to be his only World Series ring after winning the title in his rookie season.

Jeff Burroughs turns 60 today. The native of Long Beach played outfield for the Senators, Rangers, Braves, Mariners, Athletics and Blue Jays over a 16-year career. Drafted first overall by Washington in 1969, Burroughs won the AL Most Valuable Player in 1974 with Texas – just his second full season in the major leagues. He finished his career with 240 home runs and 882 RBI.

Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, a proud Canadian baseball fan, has joined the staff at BaseballDigest.com as an intern for the 2011 season.

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First reported by USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale on Jim Bowden’s radio show, Brian Cashman reportedly contacted Twins’ GM Bill Smith about Liriano’s availability. Later reports had a rumored Yankees offer of pitching prospect Ivan Nova and light hitting/good glove infielder Ramiro Pena. Needless to say, rumored or real, the Twins would not ship Liriano for that minor of a package.

Both teams should be wary of how they proceed. Liriano underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of 2007 and limited him to 76 innings in 2008. Liriano struggled mightily in 2009 as he tried to regain his form- he pitched to a nearly 6 ERA and allowed 21 home runs. Last season, Liriano finally started to look like the 2006 version of himself. He averaged over nine strikeouts per nine innings, recorded a 3.62 ERA, and allowed less than a hit per inning.

But there are some details that should be pointed out. First, Liriano threw a career-high 191-2/3 innings (nearly 55 innings more than his prior top innings count) and seemed to wear out in September. His post-season performance against the Yankees was nothing to write home about either (5.2 IP 4 ER 6 H 3 BB 7 K). And his regular season ERA was more than a full point higher on the road than in his spacious home ballpark (Target Field).

Liriano complained of shoulder soreness and a tired arm shortly after reporting to spring training a few weeks ago and his initial bullpen sessions were cancelled. Manager Ron Gardenhire downplayed it as tendinitis, but the Twins have to be concerned about their pitcher with the nastiest selection of pitches. Part of the reason for the early spring issues was that Liriano did not consistently do his off-season strengthening exercises. As Scott Miller of CBS Sports pointed out, that showed a lack of maturity.

There is talk that Minnesota will wait until the July trade deadline gets closer to have a better gauge of the market (Minnesota has Liriano under control for another season, so they may not be in a rush to do anything as well), but if the Twins do move Liriano, they are better off moving him sooner rather than later.  Shoulder injuries and any necessary surgeries are much trickier and take longer to come back from than elbow injuries. Liriano’s shoulder may not be a serious issue at all, but buyers should beware of what they may be purchasing/giving up prospects for in return for the 27-yr old.

The Washington Nationals should finally get a look at Chien-Ming Wang on a mound. The Taiwanese hero and two-time 19 game winner with the New York Yankees is scheduled to pitch in a minor league intrasquad game on Friday. Not so good news for his teammate Cla Meredith who will have to undergo Tommy John surgery today.

Twins beat writer Joe Christensen tweeted this morning that Justin Morneau is making progress in his recovery from concussion symptoms, but was still not cleared by doctors on Tuesday to participate in any exhibition games.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett who took a baseball to the head and suffered a mild concussion on Monday has been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Scott Boras has one less big name client- Mark Teixeira. There was no reason given for the dismissal.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti told the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes that he does not expect outfielder Grady Sizemore to be ready for opening day (April 1). “It’s still a possibility,” said Antonetti. “But I’d say it’s less likely than more likely that he’ll be ready for the start of the season. We’re hopeful it will still be near the start of the season. Whether that’s a few days or a few weeks, we just don’t know yet.”

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos assured fans that GM Andy MacPhail is “…not going anywhere.”  MacPhail’s contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. “Andy and Buck [Showalter] are a great combination,” Angelos told the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.