New York Yankees at Boston, not suprisingly, accounts for two of those, on April 22 and July 8, from Fenway Park.  The Yankees have one other Sunday Night appearance, April 15 vs. the Angels.  The two-time defending American League Champion Texas Rangers host Chicago in the April 8 SNB opener.

The World Series Champion Cardinals also have three appearances (May 20 and July 15, in addition to Opening Night April 4).

ESPN’s first seven Sunday Night games will feature at least one playoff team and several of MLB’s biggest stars will be on display, including the Angels’ Pujols; the Yankees’ Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano; Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury; Texas’ Josh Hamilton; Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria; Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard and Chase Utley; St. Louis’ Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman; Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp; Atlanta’s Chipper Jones and Brian McCann; Chicago’s Paul Konerko; and Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman.

This season will also mark the debut of analyst Terry Francona, who joins play-by-play commentator Dan Shulman and analyst Orel Hershiser in the Sunday Night Baseball booth. Sunday Night games are also available via ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and ESPN Mobile TV.

ESPN Radio’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast team will again be play-by-play commentator Jon Sciambi and analyst Chris Singleton.  ESPN Radio, entering its 15th season of MLB coverage, will also broadcast a game of the week each Saturday during the regular season, the State Farm Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and every Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series game.

The Sunday Night Baseball schedule as selected to date follows (all telecasts begin at 8 p.m. ET).  Game selections for the remainder of the season will be made three weeks (June and July 1, 22 and 29) or two weeks (August and September) in advance.

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Schedule
Date     Teams (all telecasts at 8 p.m. ET)
April 8     Chicago White Sox at Texas
April 15     L.A. Angels at N.Y. Yankees
April 22     Yankees at Boston
April 29     Tampa Bay at Texas
May 6     Philadelphia at Washington
May 13     Angels at Texas
May 20     St. Louis at L.A. Dodgers
May 27     Washington at Atlanta
June 3-July 1     TBD
July 8     Yankees at Boston
July 15     St. Louis at Cincinnati
July 22-Sept 23     TBD

The first baseman has begun again in a new organization after being traded by the Red Sox to the Padres, when Hoyer and Epstein were still the Red Sox Assistant GM and GM. Rizzo’s time with the Padres was short-lived, but the Padres are doing plenty right in stocking up on young talent this off-season.

They are intertwined with the Padres and Red Sox in a chip-trading bonanza that has changed each organization in significant ways.

Padres
91 losses – that’s how the Padres ended their 2011 regular season. But they ended the year and began 2012 winning in off-season acquisitions & loading up on top young talent.  That doesn’t mean instant success, but does give them a big jump in the reconstruction of the club.

The Padres parted with RHP Mat Latos, giving the Reds the righty starter they needed, and the Padres acquired two prospects in a four-player package, infielder/outfielder Yonder Alonso and catcher Yasmani Grandal, ranked 3^rd and 4^th in the Reds system by Baseball America.

If projections are correct, Alonso, already an advanced hitter, despite some struggles developing more power should be in the Padres lineup in the next two to three years. He spent 2011 with Triple-A  Louisville hitting .296 with 56 RBI. The Reds called him up in July after he’d made his MLB debut in 2011, getting a September call. The Reds desire to get him to the big leagues and not be blocked by first baseman Joey Votto led to converting him to left field, but that wasn’t a great success. Alonso’s value is in his bat, but the Padres could turn to him to take over first base heading into the future.

Grandal a 23-year old catcher with high upside spent 2011 at three levels, finishing the season with Triple-A Louisville hitting .305 overall.  Grandal dealt with injuries in 2011, including a concussion, both during the regular season and in Arizona Fall League, where he was shut down with an injury to his left middle finger. He’s a shoo-in to start the season at Triple-A and needs to put together consistent solid results.

With Austin Hedges also in the system, the Padres best catching prospect, this gives San Diego a couple of excellent options behind the dish. At nineteen Hedges needs a lot more developing and Grandal provides the club with a more seasoned young catcher to bring up if needed. Cory Spangenberg is ahead of him, but having this much catching in the system is a nice problem to have.

Cubs
While the Padres made various flashy moves, the acquisition of first baseman Anthony Rizzo singular power can’t be overstated.

Rizzo blazed his way through Triple-A pitching in 2011, hitting .331 in 356 at bats and collecting 101 RBI along the way.

The Padres AGAIN acquired a top prospect, with the Cubs giving up a lot AGAIN in singular form – pitching prospect Andrew Cashner couldn’t have been easy to deal. Cashner had shoulder issues last season, but he’s not on the high risk side.  The twenty-five year old has a 4.29 ERA in 60 appearances. If he goes to the bullpen, he adds a bit more depth to an area in need of improvement. Along with Cashner they also traded minor league outfielder Kyung-Min Na.

Rizzo could be a difference maker for a team that seems determined to build a farm system that will produce major league success.

Red Sox
The Red Sox have taken their hits. Looking at what they’ve lost over the past two seasons – Rizzo, as well as pitcher Casey Kelly to (a pattern here) the Padres – you could say that hurt them deeply in the future talent department. But that’s not the case.  In 2010, when the Red Sox gave up Kelly and Rizzo, as well as Reymond Fuentes and Eric Patterson, they got first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, one of the best in the game. They also signed Carl Crawford. Those two moves upgraded their lineup. At the end of 2011, when they fell to pieces in historical fashion, they looked like hard-luck losers in a game of failure.

But they have some excellent talent in the pipeline.  Pitching wise, Anthony Ranaudo is their top righty in the wings. He passed a big part of the test in his professional debut in 2011, pitching 127 innings between two levels (Low and High A), completing the season with a 3.97 ERA and 117 strikeouts. He needs a full season at High-A Salem, or possibly split-time between there and Double-A. But he’s going in the direction the Red Sox need.

Third baseman Will Middlebrooks is the Sox best prospect and proved himself between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2011. The Red Sox will surely start him in Triple-A Pawtucket, where he can get more at-bats, with the majority of them coming at Portland, with 356. In terms of major league readiness he’s close.

Their current rotation- a work in progress- has the ability to succeed with the benefit of good health, a bounce-back performance from Jon Lester, as well as a successful transition of Daniel Bard to starter, to right the ship. Their lineup is a force.

The three teams have made each other interesting now and a few years down the line, when all this acquiring and sacrificing will show who really won the trading game.

Five Questions With Yankees Brad Meyers
The Yankees picked up pitcher Brad Meyers in the Rule 5 Draft, nabbing him from the Nationals. In four years with Washington, the 26-year old pitched at every level, ending 2011 with Triple-A Syracuse going 6-5 in 92 innings, and a 3.48 ERA. The righty agreed to the ‘To The Farm’ five…

Jessica Quiroli: You pitched a lot at the Double-A level the last couple of years, but saw some time in Triple-A last season. What was the biggest difference in facing Double-A and Triple-A hitters?

Brad Meyers:  The biggest difference is that triple A hitters make adjustments pitch to pitch rather than at bat to at bat.  They recognize pitching patterns a lot quicker and will exploit them.  Triple A hitters play more off the weaknesses of a pitcher as opposed to double A hitters who will wait a couple of at bats to get the pitch they are looking for.  Also, triple A was the first time that I had to throw balls intentionally instead of strikes.  I never thought I could throw too many strikes, but there is definitely a balance between walking people and giving up more hits.

 Quiroli:  Is there a pitch you still struggle with that you are continuously trying to improve?

Meyers:  My slider can be inconsistent at times.  I would like to add some depth to it without dropping off too much velocity.

Quiroli:  What did you improve most in 2011?

Meyers: Last year was the biggest jump for me from double A to triple A.  I learned a lot about the type of pitcher that I am, what hitters are trying to do against you in certain counts/situations, and really did a better job at controlling the running game.

Quiroli: Switching gears. Do you have a horse in the football playoffs?

Meyers: I’m not a big football guy, but I do enjoy Sunday fun-day every couple weeks.  I got into a playoff pool and…

Quiroli: A team you’re rooting for to be in the Super Bowl?

Meyers: I have the Saints beating the Pats in the super bowl.  Tough to go against Rodgers, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the Saints offense all year.

Due to overwhelming response, here is an extended list, 11-20 top MILB players to follow.

A few things. A lot of these guys were considered for the top ten. The selection process is difficult because, whether you know it or not, there are numerous minor league players using Twitter. That led to adding an Honorable Ten list.

Reminder about how this was decided: frequency, interaction, humor, overall just compelling feed. Interacting with their fans/followers was big in deciding. Tweet frequency counted a lot as well. Humor matters. Every single guy that made these lists had a way with a joke or making fun of themselves. When their personalities shine through, the flow of the content is fun and interesting to read. For guys trying to make it to the big leagues, they experience a lot of transition and adversity. Every player named in the Twitter Ten and Next Ten shares a fascinating look into the unique life of baseball.

Starting with #11, a player whose use of Twitter gives him an important connection to fans. After being so protected by his team, that connection has been meaningful.

11. Bryce Harper @BHarper3407 – Washington Nationals
12. Cody Decker @Decker6 – San Diego Padres
13. Tyson Gillies @TysonGillies21 – Philadephia Phillies
14. Thomas Neal @TdaddyNeal – Cleveland Indians
15. Will Middlebrooks @16WMBrooks- Boston Red Sox
16. Mike Trout @Trouty20 – Anaheim Angels
17. LV Ware @LV_Ware – Atlanta Braves
18. Deck McGuire @deckmcguire – Toronto Blue Jays
19. Ryan Tatusko @RyanTatusko – Nationals
20. Michael Crouse @_crouse_ – Blue Jays

Honorable Ten Mentions:

1.Bryan Harper @BHarp45 – Nationals
2. Chris Swauger @cswag8 – St. Louis Cardinals
3. Matt den Dekker @UpperDekker – New York Mets
4. Bryan Longpre @BryanLongpre- Blue Jays
5. Jack Murphy @JackMurphy219 – Blue Jays
6. Justin Fitgerald @jfitgerald31 – Giants
7. Trent Mummey @trentmummey7 – Baltimore Orioles
8. C.J. Cron @CCron24 – Angels
9. Jordan Comadena @Funky2414 – Houston Astros
10. Kellin Deglan @keldegs – Texas Rangers

The Rangers’ bid is a desperation move for a team that won two straight American League pennants, but failed to capture their first World Championship. They lost Cliff Lee, one of the top five pitchers in all of baseball, to free agency after the 2010 season, and this year lost one of the top free agent prizes in fellow left-hander C.J. Wilson. The Rangers signed closer Joe Nathan earlier this month and plan to move current closer Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation. Texas’ plans for Feliz are not expected to change if they ink Darvish to a deal.

Texas’ bid also shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Baseball fans constantly hear owners bemoaning the fact that they are losing money, that there are haves and have-nots, that the Yankees are spending like crazy, and teams need to tighten their purse strings.  While the true small market teams (Pittsburgh, KC) tend not to spend money earned from the luxury tax, there are plenty of other teams, not just the Yankees, who are more than willing to open their checkbooks.

With bad feelings still lingering from the 1994 player’s strike, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf infuriated most of his fellow owners when he signed then free agent Albert Belle to a five year, $55MM deal in November, 1996. At the time, the contract was the first to average more than $10MM per season.

Things have escalated since then; Alex Rodriguez signed not one, but two outrageous contracts in excess of $250MM. The first was with the Texas Rangers in December, 2000, and then A-Rod topped that with a new deal with the New York Yankees seven years later. Since 2000, more than 30 contracts have been signed in excess of $100MM in total. Boston used to consider itself a small market team, but it can no longer say that after the franchise doled out $142MM to free agent Carl Crawford last off-season and gave trade acquisition Adrian Gonzalez a $154MM extension.  One year earlier they shelled out $82.5MM for John Lackey, whose best days were behind him.

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria cried poverty, but got a new stadium and suddenly had the cash to pay out over $191MM this off-season for free agents Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle. Angels owner Arte Moreno did not land Crawford in 2010 as many expected him to, but perhaps he was waiting to reel in the biggest catch this off-season. Albert Pujols pulled in the second richest contract – $254MM - in baseball history when he signed with the Angels earlier this month. He was joined by Wilson, who bolted the Rangers for a five year deal in excess of $77MM.

There is still one more large payout to be handed out this winter, to free agent 1st baseman Prince Fielder. The Rangers are among those expected to court the Milwaukee Brewers’ standout. A team that was on the verge of bankruptcy a short time ago could very well join the nearly dozen teams with a $100MM or greater payroll. And as the salaries go up, so do the tickets, hot dogs, parking, and beer.

Considering that Matt Kemp, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke, James Loney, Howie Kendrick, Josh Hamilton, and Andre Ethier are among next year’s potential free agents, the “spend trend” will certainly continue.

Update – As a reader astutely pointed out, Matt Kemp recently signed a new mega deal. One must be careful when mixing cold medicine and writing.

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.

Consistency – Like their game on the field, this was of the highest importance. Consistent, fairly frequent content…

Content – Sharing updates and engaging with followers is what baseball fans are looking for from their team’s rising stars.

Humor – All the guys chosen get high marks in that area.

Finally, Personable – Sounds silly, but I see plenty of guys completely ignore compliments, recommendations, and questions. That’s not good Twitter etiquette.

These ten players utilize the social media tool to reach baseball fans, relating their unique experiences, and making even more of a name for themselves off the baseball field.

I also decided to include independent baseball players, despite not being affiliated with the major leagues, indy league has become more important to major league teams. And certainly more popular. And had I not allowed them, I would’ve had to omit the number one pick. And that would’ve been impossible.

1. Michael Schlact @michael_schlact Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Atlantic League)

2. Ryan Westmoreland @RWesty25 Boston Red Sox

3. Deck McGuire @deckmcguire Toronto Blue Jays

4. Jiwan James @jiwan23 Philadelphia Phillies

5. Justin Jackson @JaxChillinONE Toronto Blue Jays

6. Richard Giannotti @JustMeGee Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

7. Brandon Douglas @BrandonDouglas5 Detroit Tigers

8. Ian Kadish @BearJew36 Toronto Blue Jays

9. Zack Wheeler @WheelerPro45 New York Mets

10. Kevin Rath @KRath702 Chicago White Sox

Twitter has been a source of controversy and debate in connection with athletes, but those ten players have successfully reached baseball fans on social media. It’s an interesting concept. Athletes, particularly young ones, are hotly protected by their teams and agents. But there’s a way to be themselves and socialize, as well as increasing their visibility, without embarrassing themselves or those invested in them.

In the future, more minor league players will surely join with the hope of creating a following before they’ve made it to the majors. They can look to these ten to know exactly how it’s done and the value of the experience.

All players were listed with team they were with in 2011. Free agency wasn’t taken into account.

I was the first player drug-tested in baseball, and I am the one who asked for it.” – Babe Dahlgren

The recent news that 2011 MVP Ryan Braun is appealing a failed “banned substance” test wasn’t expected, but after hundreds of failed tests for recreatiional or performance-enhancing drugs for baseball players, even the fact that a reigning MVP not thought to be the strerotypical behemnoth wasn’t all that’s shocking.

Let’s face it, we live in an era where its hard to imagine people choosing integrity over the millions that can be made with the popping og a pill or the injecting of a needle. Ryan Braun may indeed be innocent, and if he is, he will have the power, resources and platform to defend himself.

Some other players never got that opportunity.

There was another player who once took a drug test, the first one in known baseball history. It was paid for by then-MLB Commisioner Judge Kenesaw Moutian Landis, and it came back clean. For some reason, Landis and several of the commisioners that followed him, refused to make the results public, or provide ther player with some level of justice.

Instead, Babe Dahlgren, once considered the best fielding first baseman in baseball, was sentenced to a life as a baseball vagabond,  and even after his playing days, plagued with the inaction of a baseball industry that turned it back on him a long time ago.

The whole story is chronicled in the book, Rumor In Town: A Grandson’s Promise to Right a Wrong, written by Dahlgren’s grandson, Matt Dahlgren.

Sadly, two of the most respected figures in baseball history played a large role in Dahglren’s misery, and it is perhaps that reality which is responsible for the lack of coverage and discussion of these events.

From Gotham Baseball’s Spring 2011 Issue, “Going Nine: The Other Babe”

“The guy can do everything, and I have a hunch that he invents plays as he goes along. If an old-timer were to swear to me on a stack of testaments that there was every a greater defensive first baseman than Ellsworth ‘Babe’ Dahlgren of the Yankees I wouldn’t believe him.” John Lardner, The New Yorker, June 13, 1940

According to Matt Dahlgren, Babe was also the victim of a vicious rumor, that he was a marijuana smoker. Mike Lynch of Seamheads.com summarized it best, stating that the rumor was “started by a Hall Of Fame manager, perpetuated by a Hall of Fame executive, and buried by a Hall Of Fame Commissioner.”

Dahlgren started his career in the Boston Red Sox system and was poised to become the team’s first baseman until the Bosox got Philadelphia A’s slugger Jimmie Foxx. Babe hoped for a trade and got one, to the Yankees, where Lou Gehrig was entrenched. Determined to prove that he belonged, Dahlgren took his game to the Yankees’ top farm team in Newark in 1937, where he hit. 340 for the Bears, one of the greatest minor league champions in baseball history.

He would make the Yankees in 1938 as a utilityman, but played in just 27 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. In 1939, he would make the most of an opportunity he desperately wanted, he just hated the way it happened.

Replacing Gehrig, Dahlgren hit a home run, a double off the top of the fence and two drives that were caught against the fence in a 22-2 rout over Detroit. “I especially admired Gehrig because he was a first baseman like me,” Dahlgren told Newsday’s Joe Gergen in 1988. “I never dreamed one day I’d be in New York to take the man’s place.”

He would hit only .235 that year for the Yanks, but he would hit 15 home runs and drive in 89 runs batting seventh or eighth in a powerful lineup. In the World Series that year, Dahlgren would hit his only World Series home run, helping the Yankees sweep the Reds. The future looked bright for the 27-year old Dahlgren. Then he went home to San Francisco, and his life would never be the same.

Local legend Lefty O’Doul hated the fact the Joe McCarthy, and not he was the manager of the New York Yankees, telling anyone who would listen that “Ol’ Marse Joe” was a bush-button manager and that anyone could manage the Yankees. An Associated Press photographer took a picture of Dahlgren receiving batting tips from O’Doul at a off-season (the reality was that they barely talked that day). Combine the cracks that O’Doul made that day, “The Yankees have to send me their players to learn how to it.” a thin-skinned heavy drinker in McCarthy, and a now-veteran first baseman who was well-liked by his teammates and the local press, and you had the makings of a very bad situation.

Dahlgren had another solid year in 1940, hitting .263 / 12/ 73, and played a brilliant first base, but when the Yankees did not win the pennant. McCarthy seemed to blame Dahlgren, citing a key error down the stretch that cost the Yankees a ball game.

He was sent to the Boston Braves in 1941, and was dealt midway in the season to the Cubs, where he really played well, hitting .263 / 23/ 89 for the season. While he was having the best year of his career to date, McCarthy was telling the New York sportswriters – who all liked Dahlgren, thought he was a superb first baseman, and were watching Johnny Sturm hit just .235 with no power and nowhere near the glove – that Dahlgren’s arms were too short to play first base.

Really.

The longer the season wore on, the longer it looked like McCarthy had had a personal beef with Dahlgren, and the writers pressed McCarthy on the trade. Now, remember, it was the 1941 season, and Joe DiMaggio was setting his magical streak and Ted Williams was hitting .406 for the Red Sox. Dahlgren was happy in Chicago, playing well and finally getting the accolades he deserved.

Then, almost instantly, Dahlgren would spent the rest of his career, from 1942, getting traded from Chicago to St. Louis to Brooklyn (where Branch Rickey would accuse him of smoking marijuana, the first time Dahlgren would hear of the rumor) to Philadelphia (where he became an All-Star) to Pittsburgh (where he would drive in 101 runs and hit .289 in 1944) and finally back to St. Louis, where he would finally be discarded.

In the midst of the incredulous rumor, Dahlgren informed then-Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis of the rumor, and the Judge, according to the book, paid all the expenses for what would prove to be a “clean” drug test for Dahlgren. But Landis and every subsequent Commissioner – up until his death in 1996 – failed to address Babe’s cause.

Dahlgren also died not going who had started the rumor. He had always assumed that it was Rickey, because of the way the situation had played out. It wasn’t until his grandson Matt, who wanted to write the manuscript that would become “Rumor in Town” (Babe’s original manuscript, as well as a letter from Landis proving the rumor existed, were lost in a fire at Babe’s home in 1980), that the origin of the rumor surfaced.

Dahlgren was doing research for his book when someone suggested the aforementioned Marty Appel, arguably the preeminent Yankees historian, for stories about his father.

Appel told him about a conversation he had with New York Times sportswriter John Drebinger in 1973, recalling McCarthy talking to a small group of baseball insiders at the end of the 1940 season. McCarthy, Appel remembered Drebinger telling him, noted that the Yankees would have won the pennant in 1940 had it not been for an error that Dahlgren made in a late-season game against Cleveland. “Dahlgren doesn’t screw up that play if he wasn’t a marijuana smoker.”

Tired of being made a fool for suggesting that the obviously proportionally-limbed Dahlgren’s arms were more than long enough, McCarthy decided to spread a rumor so incredible, so scandalous that few would ever repeat it. But the ones that did cost a good man his career.

“Rumor in Town” might be a promise by a grandson to his grandfather to right a terrible wrong, but one would hope that it also motivate Major League Baseball to right a terrible injustice. To date, the case is one that MLB doesn’t feel needs to be reopened.. And that is a big a tragedy as was the rumor that cost Babe Dahlgren his career.

But as the cleanup effort continues and attention moves away, the things that bound the community — like youth baseball — may take years to be reborn.

“Pitch In For Baseball” has for years been helping to fix that.  The charity’s efforts, with the support of heavy hitters like MLB, Little League Baseball, the IBAF, USA Baseball and others, have helped thousands of kids get back on the field or, in many cases, experience the game for the first time.

“In these situations, kids tend to feel no one cares about them,” said David Rhode, PIFB Executive Director.  “We have the opportunity to say there are people who care about what has happened, and who are ready to help.”

PIFB is the central organization for collecting and redistributing new and “gently used” youth baseball and softball equipment to needy communities both in the United States and around the world. The goal is to spread the game by providing kids with the proper equipment to learn and pay the game.

The recently-completed Japan effort, supported by the Major League Baseball Players Trust, included a delivery of equipment, including bats, baseballs, gloves, catcher’s gear, batting tees, helmets and equipment bags, and a visit by Milwaukee Brewers pitcher and Ishinomaki native Takashi Saito.

Takashi Saito meets the Kazuma team

“I am honored to represent my fellow Major Leaguers in presenting the equipment to the youth of Ishinomaki,” Saito said in a statement.  “I am truly grateful for the support the players have pledged to my native land, and on behalf of all players I can say we look forward to doing more in the future to help recovery efforts and to ensure that people around the world don’t forget that so much more needs to be done before life returns to normal.”

Closer to home, the PIFB team was able to move even more quickly in Joplin.  Former major leaguer Dan Smith, who pitched for for organizations in a 12-year pro career, including stints with the Red Sox and Expos, and lives in Joplin, contacted PIBF for help.  Rhode’s team worked with the Joplin Little League and within two weeks, the shipment was on its way.

A former major leaguer making an even bigger impact with PIFB is Roy Smalley III, who serves as president.  The All-Star member of the Twins and later the Yankees has utilized his substantial connections in the game as well as those of his father Roy Smalley Jr., who died in October and was also a former big leaguer, to the charity’s great benefit.

“Adding Roy Smalley III to ‘Pitch In,’ it’s like night and day,” said Rhode.  “He adds an incredible stamp of credibility.  Probably, a lot of athletes lend their name to something and don’t have much involvement.  I’m on the phone with him constantly; he is as passionate as can be about what we are doing, and has been a huge part of our success the past two years.  He connects us to the baseball industry in ways we couldn’t without him.”

While the distribution side and the success stories in outfitting kids across the world with equipment get most of the attention, the biggest surprise for Rhode has been on the collection part of the equation.

“The people who collect the equipment are the backbone of what we are trying to accomplish,” he added.  “There has been a tremendous impact that young kids have had, which we hoped for but it has exceeded anything we could have dreamed.  From Eagle Scout projects to Mitzvahs to community service, they are doing awesome work every day.  If we don’t have equipment in the warehouse, there’s nothing for us to talk about and do.”

Some of that equipment ended up in Iraq, dubbed “Operation Homerun: Baseball in Bagdad,” which presented an additional challenge.  It’s not as simple as filling out a FedEx form and shipping it off.  But it did show PIFB’s creativity in finding new ways to move the equipment — in this case via the military.

“We don’t always have the opportunity to go through normal channels,” explained Rhode.  “Sometimes it’s embassies, local post offices, transportation ‘off the grid,’ to ensure it gets there.”

People interested in helping with equipment or monetary donations, as well as those who want to alert PIFB to a need in their area, can contact the organization through its Website or Facebook page.

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.

A Look Back at Boston’s 2011 Season
First, they had that horrific 0-6 start which led to their 11-15 April finish and this was after being tabbed as the AL heir to the Pennant due to their roster with the additions of 1B Adrian Gonzales (moving Kevin Youkilis to 3B) and LF Carl Crawford. Then they went on a tear where they were one of the hottest teams in baseball…until September rolled around. At this point I think we all know what happened then (too much probably), so I won’t rehash it here.

Boston’s Offseason So Far…
This resulted in ownership not picking up longtime manager, Terry (Tito) Francona’s 2-year option leaving the team in search of a replacement. Then there was the long and drawn out process of the Cubs prying away GM Theo Epstein to be their new head of Baseball Operations. Although Boston has promoted Ben Cherrington, who has held almost every possible Baseball Operations position since being hired by Dan Duquette (Boston’s former GM, who is now the new GM of the rival Orioles), they still have not reached an agreement on the compensation package for Epstein who was still under contract with Boston. The next step and the team’s top priority, as new GM Cherrington noted when hired, was to find a new manager.

In the process they lost out on the chance to resign longtime closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies via Free Agency (signed to a record breaking contract for closers, 4 years at $50M with an option for a 5^th year). I’m not sure if this was a rookie mistake, a poorly communicated course of action or just the reaction to the current team situation (the seemingly disharmony between the front office, team field management and the players) because Papelbon didn’t even offer the Red Sox, the team who drafted him and the only place where he has played in his career, the chance to match or beat the offer. Seeing how his annual salary won’t be much different than his 2011 salary with the Red Sox is what makes this decision that much more interesting. Maybe Papelbon, who is not known to be the brightest bulb in the box, just didn’t realize that the reason why the Red Sox hadn’t contacted him yet (he did sign a lot earlier in the offseason that I would have estimated) was because they were solely focused on hiring the next team manager. Oddly enough, shortly after Papelbon’s signing, reports came out that Cherrington contacted either Ortiz or his agent to at least discuss the team’s interest in their longtime DH. Hmm…interesting. Does that move hint towards a rookie mistake in not extending the same courtesy to their former closer or were they simply just ready (and expected) to see him walk and sign elsewhere?

Happy Valentine’s Day, Boston
That brings us to the latest news…the hiring of the 45^th Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine (former manager of the Texas Rangers from 1985-1992, Chiba Lotte Marines in 1995, the New York Mets from 1996-2002 and another stint with the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2004-2009 where he won a Championship in 2005). Many people have questioned the signing and even the interest in Mr. Valentine by the new GM due to Valentine’s longtime friendship to team President & part principle owner, Larry Lucchino, but if you look into this signing more closely his hiring actually makes sense. As the rumored leaked out of Valentine’s candidacy, I have to admit, as a fan, I wasn’t happy (not knowing much of the man except that he managed the Mets in the US and the Marines in Japan aside from the fact that he had the reputation of not getting along with upper management). However, in the last 24 hours and a little research, I have come to the conclusion that outside of Joe Torre or current Yankees bench coach Tony Pena (my personal preferences for the Boston managerial job), Valentine was the best choice for the job and here are some of the reasons why I now think so…

As Tim Kurkjian writes in his recent article entitled, “Bobby Valentine’s one of a kind” concerning how Valentine would handle the personalities in the clubhouse after the issues that came to view after the season ended, “Valentine will not allow Josh Beckett to not work in between starts. Valentine will find out how three of Carl Crawford’s five tools disappeared last year, and he will make sure he finds them in 2012.” Kurkjian also writes, “He has no patience for some of the clichéd teaching techniques today, and the common misconceptions about the game.”

Kurkjian goes on to state how age has changed Valentine since his last stint managing in MLB,  “He’s not as smug and as arrogant as he used to be, but not much else has changed. No one sells a team, and the game, better than Valentine. When he takes on a project, “I have to do the whole thing,” he said.”

Kurkjian also mentions Valentine’s effect he has had on the game he writes, “Valentine managed seven years in Japan. He won a championship, but he did much more. In some ways, he changed the way they played baseball in Japan. He changed the way players approached the game and he humanized the players, which wasn’t easy given the structured nature of Japanese baseball.”

Scott Lauber recently spoke with Valentine’s former GM in NY, Steve Phillips about his relationship with his former manager and if he think he would be a good fit in Boston and this is what he had to say, “I think Bobby would be great,” Phillips told the Herald by phone today. “You’ve got an experienced manager who has opinions, who is a new-age thinker. Bobby, he’s not an old-school guy. He thinks outside of the box — a lot. Stats mean something to him. Numbers mean something to him. He actually suits the philosophy of the Red Sox very, very well. Based upon how I would evaluate the Red Sox, I think Bobby would be an excellent fit for them.”

“With the Mets, Phillips said Valentine sat in on meetings in which suggestions were made. He described Valentine as “very vocal,” yet receptive to ideas, especially if they were presented in a respectful way.”

By the way, Lauber started off that article with this statement (for those of you who don’t remember), “Nobody had a more volatile relationship with Bobby Valentine than Steve Phillips.

As the Mets’ GM-manager tandem for six seasons (1997-2002), Phillips and Valentine frequently feuded, often through the media.”

To wrap things up on Boston’s new manager, here are a few more practical reasons why I have come to this conclusion about him. These facts come from the David Schoenfield article entitled, “So … what kind of manager is Bobby V?”. He is in favor of a running offense and with Ellsbury and Crawford in the lineup, that’s a good thing. He also knows how to handle a rotation and keeps them in longer than most managers do these days. He also doesn’t shy away from necessary platooning, which might be required in RF in 2012 and he isn’t afraid to use all 25 men on the roster. That last fact might mean more playing time for players such as Jed Lowrie, Jose Iglegias, Mike Aviles or whoever else might find their way onto the roster in 2012. To see what I mean, please check out Schoenfield’s article for yourself.

It will be interesting how players such as Beckett and Crawford get along with Valentine after he was so critical of them from the broadcast both on Sunday nights…

The bottom line is this…I originally pegged Valentine as an old school, pre-Moneyball type of manager, but to my surprise he embraces anything that will give his team an advantage and that includes sabermetrics (or advanced statistics for those who do not like the former word).

Remaining Free Agents from the 2011 Team
RP Dan Wheeler – if he can pitch in 2012 like he did in Tampa that any team would love to have him, but last season was one where he was inconsistent (probably due to injury) which makes him a questionable option.

P Tim Wakefield (45) – if they don’t get anyone from outside the system to pitch in 2012, then I would definitely bring him back on cheap money due to his recent back problems. I‘d bring him back in that scenario due to his flexibility to spot start on a moment’s notice, be a long man out of the pen or even a 7^th or 8^th inning set up to whomever the closer may be.

C Jason Varitek (39) – with Ramon Hernandez & Chris Iannetta are both in new homes already, unless they make a surprise signing, I think they should bring back the captain as their back up. All bets are off if they sign a starting catcher & move Salty to a backup role.

Player(s) To Look Out for in 2012
SS Jose Iglesias will get some platoon time under Valentine if he proves he can hit. If not, they may bring him up as a defensive specialist late in games. OF Ryan Kalish will get a serious look if he can stay healthy. If they do not resign either Varitek or Ortiz, then that would open up a roster spot for C/DH Ryan Lavarnway who has the ability to impress with his bat in 2012.

Holes that Need to be Filled
RF, 4^th & 5^th starter, bullpen arms and possibly a closer.

Now with Valentine’s propensity to platoon players, I could see them not make a move at all and go with both Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick. Otherwise, look for them to pick up someone like Michael Cuddyer or Josh Willingham now that Theo signed David DeJesus to play RF for the Cubs in 2012.

Possible free agent 4^th and 5^th starters could be selected from the following list: Mark Burhle, Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang, Edwin Jackson, Paul Maholm, Roy Oswalt, C.J. Wilson and Chris Young. From this list, Harang’s tendency to be a fly ball pitcher may not do well at home in Boston and it is unclear in Young, Oswalt and Capuano can stay healthy for the entire year. On top of that, I think that Wilson will cost more than he’s worth.

Possible free agent RPs could come from the following list: Heath Bell (if they don’t want Bard to close at this time or he becomes a starter), Matt Capps (in a set up role), Todd Coffey, Octavio Dotel, Chad Durbin (who can spot start), Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow, Chad Qualls (in a set up role), Jon Rauch and Joel Zumaya (if he can stay healthy).

Possible Trade Bait
The top names I would expect to see traded would be anyone who they can move that refuses to play under Valentine (there have been rumors of player unrest over the selection of Valentine) including Josh Beckett. Other possible options would be Kevin Youkilis, Josh Reddick, Marco Scutaro or Jed Lowrie (depending on which wins the starting SS job in the spring) and Matt Albers (although he may not bring back much on his own). This would happen if Iglesias has a good Spring Training or it allows them to get a decent 4^th or 5^th starter, a right fielder or a quality arm in the bullpen.

Peter Schiller
Baseball Reflections

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.  

After the Red Sox added some key offseason acquisitions to an already potent roster, it seems that most pundits were ready to anoint them champions before a pitch had even been thrown.  They began the season losing 10 of their first 12 before righting the ship and posting an 81-42 record from April 16 through the end of August.  But the wheels fell off in September and the Sox did what they used to do best; they choked down the stretch and blew a double-digit lead in the wild card race.  When the season mercifully ended, they were in third place and out of the postseason picture for the second straight year.

Rotation: C
The trio of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz combined for a very good 3.24 ERA but none reached 200 innings.  Buchholz was limited to only 14 starts by a back injury and the rest of the rotation, especially John Lackey who was historically bad (6.41 ERA in 28 starts), was a disaster.  Save for his first two seasons, Daisuke Matsuzaka has been a bust who can’t stay healthy, Tim Wakefield is nothing more than an innings eater at 45 and neither Andrew Miller or Kyle Weiland could fill the void left by injuries.  Erik Bedard was solid after coming over in a trade withSeattle, but made only eight starts while battling a balky left knee.

Worst of all, though, was the rotation’s performance down the stretch: Beckett pitched to a 5.06 ERA over his final eight starts, Lester posted a 5.40 ERA in his last six starts and Lackey’s ERA was an absurd 9.13 in his final five starts.  After manager Terry Francona left the team, rumors emerged that the trio would hang out in the clubhouse during games, drinking beer, eating fried chicken and playing video games.  It’s not hard to see why Boston went only 7-20 in September.

Bullpen: B-
Amid speculation that the Red Sox would be better off trading him and giving the closer job to Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon enjoyed another very good season, saving 31 games while blowing only three opportunities all season.  Unfortunately two of his blown saves came in his last four appearances, including on the last day of the season, which proved to be the final nail in the team’s coffin.  Still, he’s one of the best closers in baseball.  Bard was lights out for a good stretch of the season as Papelbon’s setup man and boasted a 1.76 ERA at the trade deadline, but he crashed and burned in September, posting a 10.64 ERA in his final 11 appearances.

Alfredo Aceves may have beenBoston’s most valuable pitcher—he went 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA pitching mostly out of the bullpen, made four starts, and finished 15 games.  He was the glue that held the staff together.  On the flip side, Dan Wheeler (4.38) and Matt Albers (4.73) were subpar, and Bobby Jenks (6.32 in 19 games) was a waste of money.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: D
Once a highly-touted prospect, Jarrod Saltalamacchia finally earned some playing time but did little with it, batting only .235 with an anemic .288 on-base percentage.  He did manage to belt 16 homers and drive in 56 runs, and he showed flashes of his potential when he slugged .545 between June and July, but he’s too inconsistent at the plate and not very good behind it.  He threw out 31% of would-be base thieves, a far cry from Jason Varitek’s 14%, but posted below average numbers otherwise.  He’s a better option than Varitek (.221/.300/.423), whose best days are far behind him, but only Varitek and Marco Scutaro were worse defensively on the Red Sox.  Rookie Ryan Lavarnway has hit well at every stop in the minors but his catching skills are questionable.

Infield: A-
The foursome of Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Marco Scutaro were mostly outstanding, especially the two on the right side of the infield—Gonzalez and Pedroia—both of whom recently earned Gold Gloves.  Gonzalez (.338/27/117) and Pedroia (.307/21/91) will also earn much-deserved MVP votes.  Youkilis (.258/17/80) suffered through injuries again and saw his average drop almost 50 points below his 2010 mark, but he was still above average at the plate and did a nice job filling the third base void left behind by Adrian Beltre.  Scutaro (.299/7/54) posted a career-high 110 OPS+ but wasBoston’s worst defensive player, something you definitely don’t want out of your shortstop.

Calling David Ortiz an infielder would be an insult to infielders but he did play 13 innings at first base and if he weren’t a designated hitter, he’d be a first baseman so this is where he fits best.  Ortiz (.309/29/96) enjoyed his best season at the dish since 2007 and remains one of the most respected sluggers in baseball.

Going into his fifth year in the bigs, Jed Lowrie still hasn’t seized the opportunity given him as he continues to battle injuries and inconsistency.  Mike Aviles proved to be a valuable mid-season acquisition, as he batted .317 in 38 games while playing five different positions, and Drew Sutton batted .315 while playing six different positions, but had only 54 at-bats all season.

Outfield: D+
Thank God for Jacoby Ellsbury or this group would have earned an F.  The center fielder had a season for the ages, becoming only the seventh player in modern big league history with 100 runs, 200 hits, 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 steals in the same season.  But he’s in a class of one because he’s the only player to achieve those numbers in a season in which he committed no errors.  In fact, Ellsbury has committed only two errors in five seasons and was finally rewarded with his first Gold Glove.  That’s the good; the rest is either bad or ugly.

New left fielder Carl Crawford landed a huge seven-year deal worth $142 million in the offseason, then proceeded to have his worst campaign since he was a fresh 21-year-old way back in 2003.  He batted only .255 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs, and stole only 18 bases after averaging 50 withTampaBay from 2003-2010.  He also played terrible defense for a guy who was coming off a Gold Glove season in 2010.  Fortunately for Crawford, nothing was worse than the early season platoon of J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron in right.  Drew batted only .222 and slugged a pathetic .302 during his customary battles with injuries that limited him to 248 at-bats.  Cameron was even worse, hitting .149 in 94 at-bats before he was sent packing toFloridain early July.

By mid-July 24-year-old prospect Josh Reddick was the team’s starting right fielder and he did a workmanlike job, batting .280 with seven homers and 28 RBIs while playing a solid if unspectacular right field, a notoriously difficult position to play in FenwayPark.  After proving to be a valuable commodity in 2010, Darnell McDonald crashed back to earth and provided little until the end of the season when he batted .382/.421/.529 in his last 18 games.  To his credit, at least someone was doing something during their September swoon.

Top Offensive Player:
Ellsbury.  You can certainly make a case for Gonzalez who led the team in OPS+ at 155, but Ellsbury’s offensive runs and wins above replacement are head and shoulders above anyone else on the team, and he excelled at all phases of the game.

Top Pitcher:
I have mad respect for Jon Lester and I trust him more than Beckett, but considering what went down when the season was on the line, I have to give the nod to Aceves.  He started only four times and wasn’t great as a starter but he was exactly what the team needed when they needed him.  In his 35 appearances from July on, he went 7-1 with a 1.82 ERA.  Over the course of the entire season he held opposing hitters to a .467 OPS with runners in scoring position and was at his very best in high leverage situations.

Mike Lynch
Seamheads.com
@Seamheads

In being named manager, Matheny beat out fellow prospective employees Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing, Chris Maloney, Ryne Sandberg, and Terry Francona.  Matheny was a tough as nails catcher, who spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, including four years (2000-2003) in St. Louis. His career was cut short due to concussions he had suffered in his career.

Like former player Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox), Matheny becomes a Major League manager with no managing experience. He had been a minor league instructor in the Cardinals’ organization prior to the hiring.

Next Stop Boston

One job down, two major positions left to go. The Red Sox continued their search this past week by interviewing former White Sox and Pirates’ manager, and current Tigers’ third base coach Gene Lamont.  His last managerial stint was the 2000 season, but he told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t wanted to.

“I’ve wanted to manage all along,” Lamont said yesterday at Fenway Park [map] after interviewing for the Red Sox [team stats] opening. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough.”

Boston has also spoken with Phillies’ bench coach Pete Mackinin, Torey Luvollo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Dale Sveum. Other than Sveum’s 12 games as interim manager for the Brewers in 2008, none of the candidates other than Lamont have Major League managing experience.

Whoever the new manager is, he’ll have a new closer as well. Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a four year deal with the Phillies this past week to take over as their closer. Boston thought they had a closer in waiting in Daniel Bard, but the fireballing right-hander struggled in his set up role in 2011 and the Red Sox are not likely to go with such an inexperienced late innings guy.

The Ivy League

The other big job left is, of course, at the ivy covered walls of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Reportedly, the decision is down to four candidates, three of which are major candidates for the Red Sox job- Mackinin, Sveum, and Alomar Jr. Joining them is Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux.

The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan took a look at the competition.

Meanwhile, recently fired manager Mike Quade is a candidate to take over the Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, NY.

Moves and Rumors

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported that Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit has received several offers and will sign with a new team by the end of the month. Pittsburgh declined options for 2012 and 2013, which set Doumit free.

Minnesota is expected to sign veteran utility man Jamey Carroll to be their starting shortstop in 2012. The Twins dealt J.J. Hardy prior to the 2011 season and subsequently used a variety of players at the position. The 37-yr old played 146 games for the Dodgers last season, and recorded a .359 OPS. The move is a little odd in that Carroll has only played 224 games at shortstop in his 10 year big league career. In fact, he’s played more games at both third base and second base.

The Marlins met with free agents Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, and reportedly made an official offer to Pujols. His current team, the St. Louis Cardinals, said they will not increase their current offer. SI’s Jon Heyman reported the Cardinals offered Pujols a nine year, $210MM deal prior to the 2011 season.

The Closer

Great news this weekend with the safe recovery of Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos, who had been kidnapped in his native Venezuela.

Sad news though as former big league pitcher Charlie Lea passed away at age 54. The one time Montreal Expo and no-hit pitcher was found dead in his home Friday in Tennessee. He had been a color commentator for the Memphis Redbirds since 2002. Baseball Digest extends condolonces to his friends and family.

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.

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.

It was a night filled with agony and anticipation mixed with a pulsating sense of dread, fear, and hope. Finally, exhalation, for the Rays and Cardinals. The Red Sox and Braves fell to earth and saw all hope shattered. Rookie Freddie Freeman’s face as he grounded into a double play to end the Braves chances, put the harsh period on what looked like a sure thing. The heartache etched into his young face as he watched the opponent celebrate.

In the mix of all the action young rookies and hopeful prospects such as Freeman were trying to make an impact, rising to the occasion  to show the team what they are capable of. For them it’s one part sports contest, one part audition.

For Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances it was a chance not to help the team clinch a playoffs spot, that was done, but it was to showcase a little bit more of his talent. He allowed one hit and two walks, striking out two Orioles batters. It looked good early for the Yankees and the game appeared to be in cruise-control. But Betances name will now be attached to one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history. The Rays rallied from a seven-run deficit to defeat the Yankees 8-7. Betances did what he needed to do, pitching two innings, allowing a hit and two walks. He also struck out two. Looking ahead to 2012, he can rest assured that he’s passed a very big test. The Rays were simply entering into some sort of unimaginable destiny.

On September 4th Tampa was nine games back in the Wild Card on September 3rd, trailing the confident Red Sox. On September 28th they were down seven runs going into the eighth inning and preceded to win the game 8-7 in the 12th inning. Evan Longoria was the star of the upset, but the bullpen had a one-run lead to protect. Rookie relievers Jake McGee and Brandon Gomes played a big part in the Rays holding on.  Gomes pitched a scoreless 11th and McGee did the same in the 12th when the ball was handed over to closer Kyle Farnsworth. McGee had pitched 33 innings for Triple-A Durham before his call-up in May, finishing with a 2.70 ERA and 38 strikeouts. His Durham teammate Gomes had put in 25 innings for the Bulls with a 1.07 ERA. The Rays called on him in May after sending McGee back to the minors.

The Yankees pen also brought out a few young arms including George Kontos, possibly the Yankees most major league ready reliever, and Andrew Brackman pitched in the loss. Kontos pitched 2/3 an inning allowing no runs and no hits. Brackman also pitched in short-relief , also scoreless in his 1/3 of an inning of work.  The Phillies were also not in a do-or-die situation, nothing more than winning a ballgame and setting a franchise record with 102 wins, they too put some of their young pitchers in the spotlight. Justin De Fratus picked up his first major league win when he pitched a scoreless 12th. Michael Schwimmer pitched two innings of one-hit baseball.  De Fratus made his major league debut on the day the Phillies clinched the National League East, add the 28th, a second non-pressure situation to his major league resume. Not a bad way to begin. Career milestones and Phillies milestones seem to go hand in hand for him.

The Phillies National League rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, called Allen Craig up in June from Triple-A Memphis with 42 at-bats under his belt between there and Double-A Springfield.  Playing the role of spoiler, the Houston Astros could do nothing with Chris Carpenter whose glittering start included eleven strikeouts. Craig went 2-5 with a home run in the Cardinals 8-0 victory. It was a comeback no one believed would happen. The Braves were in control with an 8 1/2 game lead for the wild card.

As the Cardinals fought their way back, Braves closer Craig Kimbrel was closing in on a most unfair destiny. Will people remember that the 23-year old rookie set a major league record with 54 saves in 79 appearances? Hopefully, but add him to the Braves disastrous ending. September was his undoing. He blew three saves in eight opportunities. Let it also be remembered that the Braves were not hitting and the Braves pen was worn out. It was a nothing game to the Phillies. Not a game they needed anyway. The Braves season ended in a 4-3 loss to their long-ago longtime rival.

Ryan Lavarnway was behind the plate for the Red Sox when Robert Andino hit the game-winning single that gave the Orioles, a team with nothing but pride to play for, the 4-3 victory. Lavarnway’s was another face in a crop of prospects that experienced that historic day in baseball. All Lavarnway can do is look forward to his bright future. One that all who watched that brilliant night of baseball got a good look at.

Most Impressive Team - Omaha Storm Chasers  No longer the Omaha Royals, the 2011 innaugual season of the Storm Chasers is a good ‘ol baseball story. Affiliated with the Royals since it’s inception in 1969, the newly named Pacific Coast League team begins a new era on the right foot as they head back to the playoffs after a twelve year absence. While the development of players is the point of it all, there was one really good reason why the Chasers success would be a sweet victory. 2011 marked Mike Jirschele’s 8th season as the Triple-A club’s manager and his 12th in the Royals system. They had never finished higher than third in his entire tenure, including last season, and when he arrived in 2003 they finished in 11th place with. The fact that the team had not been to the playoffs since 1999, gave young players a little something more to play for. With players like Mike Moustakas, Mike Montgomery, and Eric Hosmer on their roster at some point during the season, fans had many great reasons to support the team.

Most Impressive Manager - Andy Haines, Greensboro Grasshoppers – It was down to the wire for the Grasshoppers. They defeated the Kannapolis Indians in extra innings to become second-half champs of the Northern Division. Haine’s knows he has to help the development of players at a low-level. Excellence is not easily achieved. But the Grasshoppers finished with a 79-60 overall record and spent May and June notching victories. They have been a consistent team with excellent offense. Starting pitchers like James Leverton came through in the final stretch . It is not easy to manage at that level. But Haines understands the job and that’s the key. Now after a twelve-year absence, the Grasshoppers are playoffs bound.

Most Impressive Hitter – Paul Goldschmidt, Mobile BayBears, Southern League, Arizona Diamondbacks – Goldschmidt is exactly what the Diamondbacks need. The first-baseman is providing excitement Arizona baseball fans are lacking. Before his call-up, he was putting together a tremendous season for the Double-A BayBears. He led the minors with 30 home runs and 94 RBI. The twenty-three-year-old also worked an astounding 82 walks. His .626 SLG percentage is the league’s best to end the season.

Most Impressive Starting Pitcher -Matt Moore, Durham Bulls, International League, Tampa Rays – Strikeouts. That is the first word you likely think of when reflecting on Moore’s 2011 season with the Bulls and Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. His 210 K’s led all of minor league baseball. 163 of them were in the Southern League before his promotion. He went 4-0 for Durham with a 1.37 ERA in his final ten starts.

In this installment, we check in with Collin McHugh, a pitcher for the Double-A Binghamton Mets.  McHugh writes refreshingly about his experience on the mound at Fenway Park for the 6^th annual Futures at Fenway game.  Click on the link below for the full article, and check back with BaseballDigest.com for more insight in the future.

Fenway Park: Futures at Fenway Game

It’s not every day that you get to pitch a game at historic, Fenway Park. Actually, it’s never for most people. Until the other day, I was “most people”. I had never pitched in front of more than 9,000 people (Brooklyn opening day, 2009) in my life, and I assumed that pitching in a big league park was reserved for…well, big leaguers. Yet somehow, in the craziness of this season, I was given the opportunity to pitch the Futures at Fenway game.

Every year, two of the Boston Red Sox affiliates (usually AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket) play a game at Fenway Park as a treat for Red Sox nation to see their future Sox and for the players to get a taste of the Bigs. This year the B-Mets drew the game against Portland. Exciting! I realized that this game would be a good opportunity for Ashley to visit friends in Boston and to catch a game at Fenway, even if I wasn’t going to be pitching. You see, I made the assumption that in a starting rotation stacked with 2 former Big League pitchers and 3 other top prospects, I would be at the end of the queue for this rare opportunity. Plans were set in place anyway. Ashley would be in Boston for that weekend, and I would be at Fenway. Again, exciting!

Click here for the full article.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

It also often helps them determine which name they’d like to put on the back of a customized jersey.

To put on a Major League uniform for the first time and make an impact is one thing. To do it in a foreign land, amid culture shock on top of the always present obstacles for rookies is another. Hideo Nomo is one of those players to accomplish the feat and was the first Japanese player to ever relocate permanently in order to play in MLB.

Aside from his ROY honors, when you hear the name Hideo Nomo, the first thing that comes to mind is his unique wind up motion. In the Nippon Professional Baseball league, Nomo was a coveted talent racking up over 1,200 strike outs from 1990-1994 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Earning the nickname ‘The Tornado’, after media and opponents witnessed his unique back-to-the-plate delivery, early on Nomo gained national attention in his debut season with the Buffaloes striking out 287 hitters in 235 innings. His stats earned him the 1990 Pacific League MVP and Rookie of The Year honors.

Fans and members of the media were more appreciative of the results Nomo produced than the Buffaloes however. After the 1994 season, wrapping up a stretch within the first four years where he compiled 17 or 18 wins per season, Nomo demanded a multi-year contract.

What was the Buffaloes’ loss, turned out to be the Los Angeles Dodgers’ gain.

After retiring from Japanese baseball in order to get out of his contract with the Buffaloes, Nomo found a new opportunity in Los Angeles. His career in the States started off oddly enough, very similar to the way his career began in Japan. Due in large part to his unique delivery, batters were unable to solve the pitching mystery Nomo presented every five days in each start and he ended up leading the league in strike outs with 236, finished second in ERA at 2.54. Along the way, he broke Koufax’s team record of strike outs per nine innings with 11.101 to Koufax’s 10.546, started the All-Star Game and won the NL Rookie of the Year award.

Many would argue that a professional ballplayer with years of experience in Japan should not be up for MLB Rookie of The Year voting consideration. I understand that mentality, however, a player’s first year in the league is just that, no matter where their prior experience comes from. Also, it can be argued that the player coming in from Japan or some other international location is up against much more than the rookie of the year contender that is from the United States. The language, culture, nuances, and comfort are not the same as they were in their other league. The player from the international league has to figure out how to survive on the playing field as well as within their new surroundings off the field. The argument could certainly be made that an outstanding rookie campaign by an international star is much more difficult. That argument was made in 1995 and the pro-Nomo side won. Future star, Chipper Jones, finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race that year as voters gave the advantage to Nomo. Or perhaps I should say, disadvantage.

Baseball Digest’s John Kuenster highlighted Hideo Nomo’s performance as one of the bright spots of the 1995 season. An interesting read about one of the great young pitchers to wear the Dodgers’ uniform.

Like other great puzzles that are tough to figure out such as the Rubik’s Cube, Sudoku or ‘what happened to Tony Soprano at the end of ‘The Sopranos’?', eventually the answer is found and they get a little easier to figure out. (Ok, perhaps that Sopranos one is still left up in the air). NL batters finally got used to seeing an opposing pitcher’s back before the release of a pitch and Nomo’s efficiency lacked as his stats became less impressive. Despite finishing as the only other pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in each of his first three seasons, the early years of his MLB career are definitely the most impressive.

There must be something in the water at Dodger Stadium. When Nomo won the NL Rookie of the Year, he became one of 13 Dodger debuts to earn the honor, the most of any team in the National League. Dating back to 1952, the team has had a rookie win the award in back-to-back seasons three times. The most recent time coming in a stretch where Nomo was one of those rookies as the team won the award in five consecutive years (Eric Karros, 1992; Mike Piazza, 1993; Raul Mondesi, 1994; Nomo, 1995; Todd Hollandsworth, 1996). In recent years the Florida Marlins have dominated the category however, for a stretch, it was the Dodgers system producing the best young talent in the league, Nomo included.

One stand out highlight of Nomo’s latte portion of his career came on April 4, 2011. It was Nomo’s first start as a member of the Boston Red Sox and he would once again come out of the gates quickly with his new team. The Orioles were the team he would face that day and they would provide Nomo with a no-no as the team was unable to muster up a single hit against Beantown’s new star pitcher. In doing so, Nomo became the fourth pitcher in the history of the game to throw a no-hitter in both the American and National Leagues. After a couple more productive years after returning to his first major league home in America from 2002-2003, Nomo started to fade.

His career path led to signing with the Kansas City Royals, who ultimately released him on April 29, 2008. Nomo retired from MLB that same July. Nomo was both a journeyman and a pioneer in his time as a professional baseball player. In MLB, he would go on to spend time displaying his unique ‘tornado’ wind up for fans across the country, proudly wearing the uniform of the Dodgers, Mets, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Devil Rays and Royals.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the meaning of the name ‘Hideo’. Turns out it means ‘excelling man’. After analyzing Nomo’s career, you’ll realize he compiled over 3,100 strike outs in his time between the NPB and MLB competition. Excelling man? Sounds about right to me.

Hideo Nomo turns 43 today.

Also Born Today

Frank Robinson turns 76 today. Robinson’s career saw him spend time  playing with the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and Indians. He managed the Indians, Giants, Orioles and Expos/Nationals. At the end, it all added up to a plaque in Cooperstown. Robinson is the only player to win MVP honors in both the American and National Leagues and finished his career with a batting average of .294, 586 home runs, 2,943 hits and 1,812 RBI. Robinson won the World Series with the 1966 and 1970 Orioles, winning MVP honors in 1966. Other career highlights include NL Rookie of the Year (1956), 14 All-Star appearances (MVP in 1971), AL Manager of the Year (1989) and he had his number retired by both the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles.

Eddie Plank was born on this day in 1875. Plank pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Terriers and the St. Louis Browns. Eight times, Plank finished a season with twenty or more wins. He has the 13th most wins in MLB history, led the American League in shutouts twice and has more career shutouts by a left-hander than anyone in MLB history (66). Plank’s win-loss record of 326-194 matched with his career ERA of 2.35 and 2,246 strike outs earned him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame by vote of the Veteran’s Committee in 1946.

Ryan Maloney is a staff writer for BaseballDigest.com, author of the popular Chicago Cubs blog titled ’Prose and Ivy, and a contributing writer to MLB.com.

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It’s a race that is easily similar to the last Red Sox, Yankees race when Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz battled for the hardware. That race was too close to call from the get-go, some making the argument that Rodriguez makes more of an impact because he plays the field while Ortiz gained support through clutch hits.

This season there are three worthy candidates to win the award, two of them who play 81 of their games in Fenway Park and one of them who resides in New York. A strong argument can be made for each player, but in the end there is one that does stand out among the rest.

Jacoby Ellsbury, a player who at one time seemed so lost at the plate, has developed into an All-Star caliber player. The 27-year-old had been known as a speedster, one that continually slapped at the ball hoping to find a hole.

Once on base, pitchers paid close attention to the player who stole 70 bases only two seasons ago, except this season they have more to worry about from Ellsbury. He already had most of the tools to be a great center fielder: speed, hits for average and rarely struck out, but one aspect eluded him — power.

However, he has proved this season that all he needed was time. Now entering his prime, Ellsbury is in the midst of a career-season, one that has seen him more than double his highest home run output to 23 home runs.

As the table-setter for one of the best offensive teams in baseball, Ellsbury is very valuable to the Sox, utilizing his speed to get into scoring position for the traditional power hitters. However, the point can be made that the Sox did not need his production to be where they are today.

Residing in one of the most hallowed positions in all of Yankees history, Curtis Granderson continued his hot-hitting from the end of last season into this year, showing that maybe the Yankees did receive the better part of the deal.

While Granderson struggled for much of his time in New York during his debut season with the club, Austin Jackson, the man sent to the Tigers in the trade, showed tremendous promise. It seemed one-sided in favor of the Tigers until Granderson discovered his power stroke, one that has helped make the Yankees lineup that much more potent and deeper.

The 30-year-old has set a career-high this season with 36 home runs along with 103 RBI’s and over 100 runs scored. Single-handedly, he makes a huge difference to the Yankees lineup because of his deadly combination of power and speed.

However is he the clear-cut choice for the American League MVP award? A .277 batting average and 137 strikeouts certainly does not help make for a compelling case, especially when faced up against Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox.

The A.L. All-Star first baseman came over to the Red Sox during the off-season and has escaped from obscurity that has hampered his superstardom. The Red Sox tried many times to pry him away from the San Diego Padres for a few reasons: his Gold-Glove caliber play at first, unassuming, business-like attitude and a swing meant for Fenway Park.

Gonzalez, a natural through-the-ball hitter, has pelted the Green Monster to a tune of a .345 batting average and has also blast 23 home runs. During the early days of April when the team struggled to produce any semblance of offense, it was A-Gon who supplied the pop.

He has been nothing but consistent all season, helping save runs on defense, supply pop on offense and be a team-leader in the clubhouse. The Red Sox brought him in to help win a championship and size him up for a ring.

Over the last month, A-Gon can help lead the Sox into the postseason while solidifying his position as the American League’s MVP.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

George Kell had an impressive major league career than spanned fifteen seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. In addition to being named an All-Star ten times, Kell batted over .300 nine times, including beating out fellow Hall of Famer Ted Williams for the AL batting title in 1949 while striking out just 13 times that season.

In a July 2006 Baseball Digest article, Bill Dow wrote about fan favorite George Kell. Click here to check out the article!

Kell’s 13 strikeouts in 1949 were par for the course during his playing days. In over 7,500 plate appearances, he struck out just 287 times. By contrast, he walked 621 times during his career.  He twice led the league in hits and had 385 career doubles to go along with 50 triples.

After retirement, George Kell began a forty year broadcasting career for the Detroit Tigers that spanned 1957-1996.  In 1983, the Veteran’s Committee inducted Kell into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The beloved announcer passed away in his sleep on March 24th, 2009.

Also Born Today:

Hall of Famer George Davis(1870-1940) was a sensational ballplayer at the turn of the century, leading the league in outfield assists before shifting to the infield and leading the league again at the shortstop position. He was the first player in history to hit a triple and a home run in the same game.

Julio Franco(b. 1958) appeared in 23 MLB seasons between 1982 and 2007, despite spending the 1995 season in Japan and playing in Japan, Mexico and South Korea between 1998 – 2000.  He played one game as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999.

Mark Bellhorn(b. 1974) played ten seasons in the big leagues, but may be best remembered as a member of the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.  Bellhorn homered in Game 6 and Game 7 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees, and became the first second baseman to homer in three straight postseason games when he slugged a two run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series.

Michael Maher is a senior writer for BaseballDigest.com.  He can be reached at MinorLeagueSpotlight@Gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @BD_Maher and check out his blog.

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This 27-year-old not only leads off for the team with the best record in the American League, but has arguably become the team’s Most Valuable Player. He is someone who can change the game at any point, making him dangerous to pitch to for any pitcher.

His name — Jacoby Ellsbury. The former first round draft pick of the Red Sox in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft made his M.L. debut during the 2007 season, showcasing the ability that left Sox scouts drooling over his potential.

In a 33 game stint, Ellsbury hit a robust .353 with 11 extra base hits, including three home runs. But that only told half the story because on the defensive side, he proved to be a difference maker.

Taking graceful routes to the ball and easily tracking down line drives in the gaps, Ellsbury showed the stuff of an elite defensive player. Looking back, it was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

The question heading into the 2008 campaign surrounded what would Ellsbury could do over a course of a full season. The answer: change games with his speed.

Ellsbury would steal 50 bases over the course of the season on top of hitting .280, prompting a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting. The next season saw Ellsbury top his old mark for stolen bases, swiping a total of 70, which led the American League.

The only part of the game that had not yet shown up for the young phenom was his power stroke. Over his first three years in the bigs, Ellsbury only blasted a total of 20 home runs. With power hitters surrounding him in the lineup, pitchers tended to go right after him, knowing full well that he was not a threat to hit one out.

However, during a 2011 season that has witnessed the Red Sox possess the highest scoring team in baseball, scoring an imposing 5.5 runs per game, it is Ellsbury who at 27 years of age, has blossomed.

Centerfield used to be the glamour position throughout baseball’s history. With players such as Joe Dimaggio, Ken Griffey Jr, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, it was easy to see why the youth wanted to follow in their heroes footsteps.

Unfortunately, the once special position lost it’s flair over the years, with players such as Jim Edmonds giving way to defensive specialists such as Juan Pierre. But in 2011, the Red Sox possess arguably the games best in center in Ellsbury.

As previously noted, Ellsbury always had the speed, a keen batting eye and hit for a high average, but this year his power stroke has arrived. Already one of the games best leadoff hitters because of his ability to get on base, the A.L. Player of the Month for July has become a dangerous hitter, capable of blasting a mistake out of the park.

A previous career high of nine home runs has already been more than doubled. Ellsbury has hit 19 on the year, including seven during the month of July, two of which were walk-off victories for the Sox.

In a pivotal showdown against the New York Yankees over the weekend, it was Ellsbury who hit the back-blowing three-run home run off of C.C. Sabathia, giving the Sox a commanding 7-2 lead, en route to a series victory.

The question now for the Red Sox is this: Where would they be without their five-tool center fielder?

The Red Sox don’t want to learn the answer because their MVP candidate has helped carry them throughout the regular season, helping raise the hopes of Red Sox Nation that this is indeed their year.

With Ellsbury leading the way, the Sox are off to a fast start, steamrolling toward the postseason.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.