The Buehrles, animal lovers and supporters of Best Friends Animal Society, started the petition on Change.org after learning that they would be unable to move to the Miami Marlins’ hometown due to breed-specific animal restrictions in the county. Instead, the Buehrle family, along with their pet pit bull Slater, moved to neighboring Broward County.

“Every day that I look at my sweet-natured, certified Canine Good Citizen pit bull, I can’t imagine having to give him up, or even worse, having Slater taken from me based solely on the way he looks,” said Jamie Buehrle, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “Let’s start making owners responsible for their pets regardless of their breed and celebrating all breeds including pit bulls. I am so happy with the response to my petition on Change.org and the thousands of people helping to change the breed discrimination law in Miami-Dade.”

Mark and Jamie Buehrle

News of the online petition campaign’s success is drawing national attention to HB 997 and SB 1322, which would repeal the only county-wide breed specific legislation in Florida. The Buehrles are encouraging baseball fans and dog lovers sign their petition campaign on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change.

“Within the first week, thousands of people have already joined the Buehrles’ campaign,” said Change.org Director of Organizing Stephanie Feldstein. “The Buehrle family was affected by Miami-Dade County’s pit bull ban, and even though they were able to keep Slater safe, they decided to start a petition to help other families and their pets stay together. That’s what Change.org is all about – empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them.”

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

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.

Drew Cumberland – The future is full of possibilities for Cumberland and the Padres needn’t have worried about losing the infielder.

There wasn’t much doubt he’d remain with the team that drafted him in . After a forced early retirement due to a condition that caused concussion symptoms, such as migraines and blurred vision, Cumberland hadn’t played in 2011. He received clearance to continue his career, but the Padres, understandably, left him exposed. There was no reason to assume he’d return.

His minor league career had so far proven him to be a solid defense man and hitter, despite a history of injuries. The Padres will continue to develop the 22-year old, but with a new aspect involved. The question is whether or not he can be an everyday major league player in the future with a condition that could cause a number of issues.

Pat Venditte - A reliever who can pitch lefty or righty, Venditte is a valuable asset in a number of situations. But his Yankees possibilities might not be endless. Rule 5 eligibility was perhaps the best thing for him, but he went unselected. The Yankees aren’t hurting for bullpen arms, but he could be an extra option late in the season. Venditte, who is 26, has proven himself to be tireless and teachable, no matter what happens.

But after two years at Double-A Trenton, an opportunity to face more advanced hitters would be a valuable one.

Brad Meyers – The Yankees selected the RHP from the Nationals, the team that drafted him in 2007. Meyers has consistently achieved, logging an impressive number of innings every season since his debut. He pitched at three levels – -Harrisburg, Auburn, and Syracuse- finishing at Triple-A Syracuse with a 2.43 ERA in nine starts. In an interesting move, the Yankees decided to convert Meyers from a starter to a reliever, deepening their organizational pitching. Meyers has an opportunity to continue the excellent results he posted in 2011. By giving him spot starts and using him in long relief, he learns more about the kind of pitcher he is and whether he’s comfortable in a relief role.

Should he be offered back, no telling whether the Nationals would convert him back.

Jordan Danks – Danks was left exposed, but remains with the White Sox, his exclusion from the 40-man a bit surprising to begin with.  The twenty-five year old is a highly touted outfielder, but more than that, in his second stint with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights he improved in several areas. His total RBI (65) was up from 2011, as were walks (57), but he tends to strike out a lot and he only hit 14 home runs, a very slight improvement from the previous season.

He’s got the potential to develop a bit more power and could certainly be a late-inning replacement

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.

Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams was recently quoted by the Chicago Tribune as saying the South Siders are open to making moves that will make them “a little younger, take us a step back and live to fight another day…”

In other words, the Sox are determined to cut payroll even if that means they’ll be a bad team in 2012.

The White Sox shelled out $127 million in 2011, the fifth-highest payroll in baseball, yet finished just 79-83, 16 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the A.L. Central. The Sox were also underachievers in attendance, drawing slightly more than two million fans to U.S. Cellular Field, 21^st in the majors, so it’s understandable that their focus is now on cutting costs. One way the Sox might do this is dealing a team strength – starting pitching – or letting it walk away. Williams has reportedly been getting trade offers for reliable starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd and the ace of the staff, Mark Buehrle, is a free agent and has been shopping his talents.

If Buehrle leaves, the White Sox will have the feel of a team that’s starting over as the lefty has been the rock of the staff for a decade. But his departure would free up about $14 million in salary. And with another talented lefty, 22-year-old Chris Sale, ready to leave the bullpen for a role in the starting rotation the Sox might save about $13 million and, possibly, get as much production.

Forty-four-year old infielder Omar Vizquel is also a free agent and is unlikely to be back. The same can be said for left fielder Juan Pierre who was one of former manager Ozzie Guillen’s favorite guys but now that Ozzie’s gone the 34-year-old Pierre and his $8.5 million salary probably won’t fit in next season.

The gargantuan salary (and player) the White Sox would really like to unload is that of designated hitter Adam Dunn who is on target to make $14 million in 2012 and $15 million each of the two seasons after that. Dunn fell into the black hole of ignominy in his first year with the Sox hitting an almost unfathomable .159 with 11 home runs. It’s probably more likely that Dunn will bounce back in 2012 than it is that some other team would take his salary off Chicago’s hands. Dunn has pledged to work harder this offseason than he ever has before and the White Sox are hoping, and paying dearly, for that effort.

Since it appears inevitable Dunn will be back in 2012 and seeing as he won’t be getting much time at first base in place of Paul Konerko or in the outfield it’s incumbent upon Dunn to get better because DH was, by far, Chicago’s least productive position in 2011.

The White Sox also desperately need more production in center field as Alex Rios hit .227 with a mere 44 RBI. Like Dunn, Rios is being paid handsomely for ugly numbers as he’s on the books for $12 million in 2012 and signed through 2015.

Another high-priced veteran the Sox seem to be stuck with is pitcher Jake Peavy who will make, (gulp) $17 million next year after struggling through another bad season. If Kenny Williams were to unload the salaries of Dunn, Rios and Peavy before spring training he would be named Executive of the Year before a game is even played. But none of that seems likely.

Other than Peavy, Chicago’s rotation is solid but, obviously, will be completely turned upside down if Buehrle, Danks and Floyd depart. The bullpen appears steadier with Sergio Santos now entrenched as the closer and Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton due to return as reliable setup men.

The Sox infield is good with Konerko at first, youngster Brent Morel apparently taking over at third and Alexei Ramirez at shortstop. Gordon Beckham hit just .230 last year but he’s probably the best defensive second baseman in the American League and, at age 25 and not making much money, will get a few more chances to prove his worth. The White Sox also don’t need to make any moves at catcher as reliable veteran A.J. Pierzynski will be back and talented youngster Tyler Flowers appears set to take over in 2013.

Besides Flowers and minor league outfielder Jared Mitchell, outfielders Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro de Aza are other Sox youngsters who could make some South Side noise in 2012. Sox faithful should also keep an eye on Addison Reed. Reed was called up late in 2011 and appeared in six games in relief, striking out 12 in seven and-a-third innings. This was after Reed started the year at Single-A Kannapolis and pitched his way all the way up to Chicago going through four minor league levels. Reed posted an ERA of 1.26 at those various stops and was named the minors’ Best Overall Reliever.

Reed has a powerful fastball-slider combination and has been working on his change-up and, for what it’s worth, he pitched alongside Stephen Strasburg at San Diego State so maybe a little of the magic rubbed off. The Sox have greater needs than the bullpen in 2012 but no team ever lost because of too much good pitching and Reed’s continued development might make this a warmer winter to sit through on the South Side.

Of the many questions surrounding the White Sox in the winter of 2011-12 the greatest has to be this: Can Robin Ventura manage? The Sox stunned everyone by bringing in Ventura after Ozzie Guillen flew the coop to Florida and no one truly knows if Ventura, who has never managed before, can do the job. The Sox also have a new hitting coach, Jeff Manto, who is already hatching plans to bring the swings of Dunn, Rios and Beckham back from the dead. If Manto succeeds he will be a genius, Ventura will be a success and the Sox will be contenders no matter who’s pitching.

But for now the winter has South Side fans feeling cold and quite uncertain of who they’ll have, and what they’ll see, in the spring.

Terry Keshner
Planetback.com
@tk9710

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 Chicago White Sox entered 2011 with playoff expectations, boasting a high-priced lineup of veteran hitters, an experienced pitching roster and a seasoned coaching staff.  But the Sox hitters fell flat and Chicago never truly threatened even in a weak American League Central, finishing 79-83 and manager Ozzie Guillen left town.  It was a long year.

Rotation: B-
The White Sox had a talented rotation in 2011 that kept the Sox on the fringe of contention most of the year as the hitters struggled.  The Sox felt so strongly about their starters they actually used a six-man rotation for part of the season led by longtime ace Mark Buehrle and the always-reliable Gavin Floyd and John Danks.  Phil Humber was the staff’s pleasant surprise for the first half before fading.

Bullpen: B+
The South Side bullpen was a team strength with Sergio Santos claiming the closer’s role and finishing with 30 saves in 36 opportunities.  Chris Sale emerged as one of baseball’s top lefty relievers matching Santos with a WHIP of 1.11 and Jesse Crain and former closer Matt Thornton were reliable inning-eaters.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: B+
It was another solid year for backstop A.J. Pierzynski who hit .287 and had more than 1,000 innings caught for the tenth straight year but only threw out 20% of base stealers.  Backup Tyler Flowers hit just .209 but showed promise, especially with the glove.

Infield: C
The White Sox finished with the second-best fielding percentage in the American League, .987, and made just 79 errors.  Shortstop Alexei Ramirez and second baseman Gordon Beckham were solid and sometimes dazzling and first baseman Paul Konerko is underrated defensively.  Youngster Brent Morel proved solid at third after taking over for the struggling and then-traded Mark Teahen and the ageless Omar Vizquel continued to play the field like he’s 30.  Offensively, Konerko was his usual awesome with 31 home runs and 105 RBI.  Beckham was miserable at the bat, hitting just .230 with 44 RBI and while Ramirez hit a respectable .269 with 70 RBI, he struck out 84 times and, like the rest of the Pale Hose lineup, rarely came up with the big hit with runners in scoring position.

Outfield: D+
The White Sox outfield was anchored by All-Star right fielder Carlos Quentin who hit just .254 but with 24 home runs and 77 RBI.  The Sox also received a passable offensive contribution from left fielder Juan Pierre who hit .279 with 80 runs.  Utility man Brent Lillibridge provided sparks where he could and rookie Alejandro de Aza looked terrific as a late season call-up hitting .329 with 23 RBI in just 154 at-bats.

Centerfielder Alex Rios had a terrible year, hitting .227 with 44 RBI.  Rios and de Aza were decent with the glove and each has a solid arm but Pierre and Quentin were defensive liablilities in 2011 and the White Sox, as a team, had a Defensive Efficiency Rating of .687, among the worst in the A.L.

Designated Hitter: F
In his first season with the White Sox, Adam Dunn hit .159 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI and 177 strikeouts.  Nightmare.

Top Offensive Player
Paul Konerko was terrific again in 2011, hitting .300 with 31 home runs, 105 RBI, with many big hits in the clutch and making his fifth All-Star team.  He’s the White Sox’ heart.

Top Pitcher
Mark Buehrle was 13-9 with a 3.59 ERA and compiled his 11^th straight season with at least 200 innings pitched, 10 wins and 30 starts – the longest such active streak in baseball.

Terry Keshner
Planetback.com
@tk9710

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.

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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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.

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.

Chicago has sent pitcher Edwin Jackson, acquired at least year’s deadline, and IF/OF Mark Teahen to Toronto for reliever Jason Frasor and prospect Zach Stewart. The Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly working on a swap that would send Jackson to LaRussa-land for outfielder Colby Rasmus.

Rasmus and manager Tony LaRussa have not seen eye to eye during Rasmus’ time in St. Lou and even some fans have been annoyed at Rasmus’ perceived inconsistency. The deal also is said to involve cash above the $1MM ceiling and would have to be approved by the Commissioner’s office.

Jackson was 7-7, 3.92 in 19 starts for Chicago after going 4-2, 3.24 in 11 starts after he was acquired from Arizona last July. He’s due the remainder of $8.35MM for this season. Frasor will help bolster a shaky White Sox pen after spending his entire 7 1/2 year career with Toronto. He was 2-1, 2.98 in 44 appearances for the Blue Jays this season.

Stewart moves to his third organization in three years. He was the centerpiece of a deal that sent Scott Rolen to Cincinnati in 2009. He was 0-1, 4.86 in three starts for the Blue Jays this season, with 10 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched. after an outstanding season at Double-A New Hampshire, the 24-yr struggled at Triple-A this season, going 5-5, 4.20 in 16 starts.

The 29-yr old Teahen played five season for Kansas City before joining the White Sox the last two seasons. He was hitting .203 with 3 HR and 11 RBI in 51 games.

Update 1:25 pm

Blue Jays and Cards have reportedly agreed on deal; waiting on Commisioner’s approval of cash involved.

Update 1:58 pm

ESPN’s Buster  Olney is reporting the deal would send Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters to the Blue Jays with  Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Marc Rzepczynski and Corey Patterson going to St. Louis. Olney also reports that Miller will be sent to the White Sox to complete the deal made  earlier today.

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.

These are the saddest of possible words:
“Tinker to Evers to Chance.”
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double –
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
“Tinker to Evers to Chance.”

July 21 is the 130th anniversary of the birth of Evers, the tall, thin middle infielder whose scrappy play earned him the nickname “Crab”. It was that style that helped Evers make his debut at age 19 for the Chicago Orphans. (The Orphans became the Chicago Cubs two years later.)

Evers was not only famous as part of the most famous double play combination, but he is also the player who pointed out  the play that became known as “Merkle’s Boner” during the 1908 season. New York Giants rookie Fred Merkle failed to advance to second base on what would have been a game winning hit for the Giants. Instead the play turned into a force out and ended up a tie game. The Cubs later won the make up game and topped the Giants by one game for the NL Pennant. They went on to  capture the World Series as well, defeating the Detroit Tigers.

As for Evers’ career, he was known much for his defense than his offense, but he did win the NL MVP Award as a member of the 1914 Boston Braves.  After playing 12 seasons with the Cubs, Evers was dealt to Boston prior to the ’14 season and ended up winning a second World Series title. Evers hit .279 with one home run, 40 RBI, 87 walks, 87 runs, and 12 steals in his MVP year. Just as offensive numbers were lower in those days,  errors were a lot higher,primarily due to poor mitts and field conditions. Evers committed 17 errors in his MVP season, one of the lowest totals of his career and finished with a lifetime .955 fielding percentage.

Johnny Evers had a big hit in the 1914 World Series. The Boston Herald’s Arthur Sampson recounted it in a 1950 piece in Baseball Digest. Click here to read all about it.

After four seasons with the Braves, Evers played a final season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1917. Evers, who was a player/manager for the Cubs in 1913, went on to a brief managerial career after his playing days ended. He managed the Cubs to a 41-55 record in 1921, but was fired in early August. In 1922 Evers joined the Chicago White Sox coaching staff and actually played in a game due to an injury to second baseman Eddie Collins and a shortage of extra infielders. He went 0-3 with two walks. (Evers would repeat the feat while a coach for the Boston Brave in 1929. The then 47-yr old Evers made a defensive appearance in one game.)

In 1924 Evers took over the rival White Sox when manager and former teammate Frank Chance was sidelined with a bronchial infection. Evers would be a bookend manager, going 10-11, before Edd Walsh and Eddie Collins managed the next 30 games. Evers then took over again for the final 102 games (41-61). Later in life, Evers worked as a scout for the Braves and managed in the International League. The Veterans Committee elected Evers to the Hall of Fame in 1946.  He died the following year of a brain hemorrhage and was laid to rest in his hometown of Troy, NY.

Also Born Today

CC Sabathia (Vallejo, CA 1980): Carsten Charles Sabathia is loved by his teammates and fans alike. The 6’7″ southpaw, whose weight has fluctuated above 300 lbs at times, is one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball. He’ll pitch this evening against the Tampa Bay Rays with a seven game winning streak on the line and a league high 14 wins. Sabathia was the 20th overall pick for the Cleveland Indians in the 1998 amateur draft out of Vallejo HS in his hometown.

His six-plus seasons in Cleveland included a Cy Young Award, but with free agency pending he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers at the 2008 trade deadline.  His 11-2, 1.65 record led the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time since 1982. Sabathia signed a seven year, $161MM contract with the New York Yankees and was an integral part of the their 2009 World Series championship.

Moe Drabowsky (Ozanna, Poland 1935): Born with the given name Myron, Drabowsky signed as a bonus baby with the Chicago Cubs in 1956. He began his career as a starter before switching over to a full time reliever for the final 10 of his 17 big league seasons. He won a career high 13 games with the Cubs in 1957 and also set his career high in losses that season with 15. His career would span three decades and saw him play with eight organizations. He finished with an 88-105, 3.61 record with 33 complete games and 55 saves. He set a record by striking out 11 Dodgers in 6.2 innings in the 1966 World Series. Life a lot of lefties Drabowsky was considered a flake and also was a bit of a prankster. He once even gave a hot-foot to then baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Drabowsky worked as a special pitching instructor for the Orioles for 13 years before he passed away in 2006.

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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.

Dayan Viciedo, RF, Charlotte Knights, International League, White Sox – Viciedo has raised his average every month since the start of the 2011 season. He finished June hitting .371, 43 hits, nine of them doubles. He’s begun July at an excellent pace. He’s gotten nine hits in his last ten games, hitting .325. July also saw him being selected to play in the Futures Game. Overall, he leads the league with 62 RBI and 16 home runs. Highlight: Hard to choose between the July 1st two-home run-game or the July 7th three-RBI-game.

Michael Maness, RHP, Batavia Muckdogs, New York Penn League, St. Louis Cardinals – Maness has a 0.32 ERA in three starts in July, allowing just 2 earned runs in 28 innings. In four innings of relief he had a 0.oo ERA. Since June 19th he’s walked just three batters. Highlight: On July 1st he went six innings, allowing a run (unearned) a hit, and a walk.

Darin Gorski, LHP, St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League – Gorski has dominated the league all season. He has not had a loss yet and collected 9 wins. He’s also leading the league in strikeouts with 102 and his 1.82 ERA is the FSL lowest. Between June 12th and mid-July he has been a revelation: 9 hits, 10 earned runs, 29 strikeouts in 37 innings. He finished June with a 0.79 ERA. Highlight: A one-hitter on June 27th against the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

Tyler Townsend, 1B, Frederick Keys, Carolina League, Baltimore Orioles – Townsend is on the 7-day DL, but before July 13th he was on an offensive tear. Between June 1st and July 11th he put together a seven-game hit streak. He leads the league with 50 RBI. He’s also collected 23 doubles and 13 home runs. Highlight: On July 9th he had a 3-hit, 4-RBI game. He also hit a home run and drew a walk.

My eye on… Anthony Gose, CF, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Eastern League, Toronto Blue Jays

Gose is putting up good numbers for the Fisher Cats, hitting .256, with 39 RBI and 9 home runs in 88 games this season. 

“I think he’s definitely gotten himself in place to be a better player,” said Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano. “Defensively he’s doing ok. I think he’s got the potential to be Gold Glove caliber in the outfield. If he can consistently bring it on a day to day basis it can be.”

In a a game in early July, Gose exhibited quick thinking and feet on the bases, laying a bunt down, as well as getting a hit off of Phil Hughes. His speed and ability to use it smartly showed improvement. He appears to be translating his tools into skills.

“He’s gotten better on the bases. I think his getting caught percentage is a lot better than last year,” Fasano said.

Gose is in his first season at the Double-A level and exhibiting good pitch recognition and even better patience at the plate than earlier in the season.

Richard Michael Gossage was born in 1951 in Colorado Springs, CO where he still makes his home today. After a stellar career at Wasson High School, Gossage was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 9th round of the 1970 amateur draft. He appeared in 13 games combined that year for the Gulf Coast rookie White Sox and low level ‘A’ Appleton Foxes with mixed results, but a year later as a starter he made everyone in the organization stand up and take notice.

24 of Gossage’s 25 appearances for Appleton in 1971 were indeed as a starting pitcher and he excelled. An 18-2 record, 1.83 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 187 innings jumped off the page at everyone. He also allowed just 141 hits and 50 base on balls. His performance earned the 20-yr old an invitation to the big league spring training in 1972. He then continued to open eyes that spring and went north will the ball club.

Manager Chuck Tanner, who later became Gossage’s manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the front office decided to move Gossage to the bullpen despite his prior year’s performance. It was felt that his electric stuff would work even better out of the pen. He made 36 appearances his rookie season, but despite a 7-1 record, his other numbers weren’t up to his minor league standards. He walked five batters per nine innings, allowed 72 hits in 80 innings, and posted a 4.28 earned run average. Control issues would be the reason was Gossage shuttled back and forth between the Majors and minors the next two seasons.

Bob Rubin of the Miami Herald profiled Gossage after the reliever saved 33 games in 1980. Click here to read all about it.

It wasn’t until 1975 that the player nicknamed “Goose”, by teammate Tom Bradley, (because of the way he stuck his neck out when looking for the sign from the catcher) started to put it all together at the Major League level. He led the American League that year with 26 saves, struck out 130 batters in 141.2 innings pitched, and allowed 99 hits (just three of which were home runs). His play earned him the first of his nine All-Star appearances, and he finished sixth in the 1975 AL CY Young voting.

Despite his fabulous year, the White Sox decided to move Gossage back to the starting rotation for the 1976 season. The results were semi-disastrous. Goose lost 17 games, struck out just 130 in 224 innings, and allowed 214 hits. The team led by Paul Richards also lost 97 games, so that winter owner Bill Veeck decided to make some changes. In December, Gossage along with lefty Terry Forster were shipped to Pittsburgh for outfielder Richie Zisk and pitcher Silvio Martinez. Zisk hit 30 home runs and produced 101 RBI in his one and only year in Chicago and never approached those numbers again. Meanwhile Gossage’s best days were ahead of him.

Back in the bullpen in 1977, Gossage saved 26 games and combined with Kent Tekulve and Grant Jackson for one of those dominant relief corp in baseball. But free agency loomed for Gossage and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, despite having the reigning AL CY Young winner Spark Lyle on his team, was greatly intrigued.  And whatever George wanted, George generally got. He landed Gossage with a six year deal on November 22, 1977. It was a move that eventually led to third baseman Graig Nettles’ famous quote on Lyle, “He went from CY Young to sayonara.”

Gossage’s intro to New York was a rough one. He lost the first game of the season when he gave up a 9th inning home run to none other than Texas’ Richie Zisk. His next appearance was a blown save to Milwaukee and another loss. After mop up duty in his third appearance, Gossage lost another ninth inning game, this time to Toronto. His 0-3 record led to boos when the Yankees returned home. Gossage loves to retell the story today of when center fielder Mickey Rivers jumped on the hood of the bullpen car, yelling “NO”, to stop Gossage from entering a game.

Though he also had a blown save in the ’78 All-Star game, Gossage turned things around (a league leading 27 saves) and helped the Yankees come back from a 14.5 game deficit to Boston in the AL East. He then protected a one run lead in a one game playoff between the two teams, getting Carl Yastrzemski to pop up to Graig Nettles to end the game. Gossage went on to make four All-Star appearances while with New York, led the league in saves twice and finished third in the AL CY Young voting in 1980. But Gossage began to clash with owner George Steinbrenner as the 1980′s marched on and he decided to depart as a free agent after the 1983 season. He signed with San Diego and helped them to their first World Series with 25 saves.

After four years on the left coast, Gossage spent time with the Chicago Cubs, had a second tour with the Yankees before rounding out his career with the Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s, and Seattle Mariners. He also pitched in Japan during the 1990 campaign. In 22 big league seasons, Gossage finished with 310 saves and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Today, the Goose is active in youth sports and serves as a Spring Training instructor for the Yankees.

Also Born Today:

Gary Matthews Sr. (San Fernando, CA 1950): “Sarge” was a star baseball player at San Fernando High and was selected as the 17th overall pick in the 1968 amateur draft by the San Francisco Giants. The southern California native made his MLB debut in northern California for the Giants in 1972, hitting .290 with four home runs in 20 games. He then won the NL Rookie of the Year award a year later when he hit .300 with 12 HR and 58 RBI. After five years by the Bay, Matthews signed with Atlanta as a free agent. He spent four years there and made his first All-Star team before being dealt to the Phllies prior to the 1981 season. He was a member of the 1983 NL pennant winning team and also reached the playoffs with the Phillies in 1981 and the Chicago Cubs in 1984. Matthews retired after splitting the 1987 season with the Cubs and Seattle Mariners.

Jesse Crain (Toronto, ON 1981): The Canadian born Crain attended the University of Houston and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2002 draft. Crain debuted with the Twins in 2004 and finished eighth in the ROY voting in 2005 when the reliever went 12-5, 2.71 with one save. Crain had his ups and downs for the next several seasons, but in 2010 he put up strong numbers with 60 strikeouts in 68 innings. The timing couldn’t have been better as the free agent to be signed a three year deal with the Chicago White Sox during this past off-season.

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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.

“That was the most difficult part. I’d never been anywhere else. Walla Walla [Washington, Class-A Padres] isn’t exactly close to West Virginia.”

In 1981 he played in 63 games for Walla Walla, hitting .242 with 13 RBI and 56 walks.  He moved through the ranks at a good pace, spending 1982 at Advanced-A Reno, then 1983 at Double-A Beaumont. He started 1984 with the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars and spent that season and all of 1985 there. After playing six games for the Stars in 1986, he made his major league debut for the Padres

“Getting used to seeing good pitching everyday was also difficult. In high school you’re seeing maybe one good pitcher maybe all season. In junior college, maybe one good pitcher a week or every two weeks. They’re throwing harder and they’ve got more movement on the ball.”

Upon being called up Kruk was hitting .464 and appeared ready to hit major league pitching. But he needed veteran leadership and got it.

Padres teammate Tony Gwynn made a huge impact on Kruk. A particular piece of hitting advice came when Kruk was trying to work through the kinks as a rookie.

“He said if you hit to the left, you’re driving a Mercedes. If you try hitting it to right, you’ll be driving a Pinto. I learned how to hit from him. I learned how to hit in a lot of different situations. I wanted to see what he was seeing.”

The biggest issue for many a young hitter proved to be challenging for Kruk as well.

“I had to learn patience. And it was the first time I wasn’t playing everyday.”

Kruk was a natural hitter and he attributes that to an old-fashioned approach to learn hitting growing up.

“We didn’t have no hitting guy from the age of  six years old. We just hit to hit. And it’s the way I’m teaching my kids, especially in golf. I tell them to figure out a way to get the ball in the hole. That’s the way I was with hitting. I figured out a way to hit. I’d done that my whole life. They ruin kids today with these hitting gurus.”

He went on to have a ten-year career with the Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and, briefly, the Chicago White Sox, where he retired in 1996. It was just announced that he was chosen to be inducted to the Phillies Wall Of Fame.

In 2000 he returned to baseball as manager of the Double-A Reading Phillies. The experience was eye-opening and not at all what he expected.

“I was told, here’s the prospects and you can’t coach them.”

Kruk explains that teams then and today are controlled by concerns about agents who want to protect their clients.

“Agents are potentially destroying baseball. They are ruining it. Because you have teams who want to call agents and see if they improve something with one of their players and then they want to go back to the player and discuss it with him. ”

At the time he was with Reading, Marlon Byrd was the Phillies top hitting prospect and was struggling at the plate early in the season. Kruk recalls the frustration Byrd felt with Kruk’s lack of involvement.

“Marlon came to me and asked me when I was going to work with him. I told him that I’d love to, but explained why I wasn’t. He said to me, “This is my career.” And after that we spent a lot of time together.

He finds the changes in baseball baffling, despite the obvious influence of money.

“You can’t discipline them anymore. I don’t know where we got away from the game and how it should be played. It’s like you have to get a political pardon to work these top young players.”

But it isn’t just today. Kruk recalls what teammate Kevin McReynolds went through with the Padres.

“He was a top pick and they tried to treat him with kid gloves. And he didn’t wnat that. It really upset him. They wanted him to DH [McReynolds was an outfielder] and be really careful because of an injury he’d had. Today, it’s worse. I know for a fact you can’t coach prospects now. That’s why as a coach it was so frustrating. I can’t take a .200 hitter and make him a .300 hitter. I can’t do it. No one can. It was awful.”

It isn’t surprising that the popular ESPN analyst has no new designs on a minor league baseball coaching career. However, his competitive spirit and love of teaching still exists.

“If I were to do anything it would be to coach college baseball or women’s softball. I love the way those girls play the game.  They love it. And it would be fun.”

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.

“The best thing about GameSlam is that it really gets you tuned back into the game of baseball,” said Guillen.  “I am a big fan of social networking and mobile games, but this is the first game that isn’t a distraction.  Instead, it’s a way to make watching baseball even more fun by involving fans in the action.”

“We couldn’t think of a better person to endorse our game,” said David Domm, COO/CFO and Co-Founder of Game Time Live, the maker of GameSlam.  “Ozzie is authentic, charismatic, and one of our home-town heroes.  Plus, he understands the social connections between sports fans and professional athletes.  We know that both he and his fans will have a great time connecting and having fun with each other in the GameSlam stadium.”

GameSlam is a free-to-play real-time sports prediction game.  GameSlam can be played on Mac and PC and is coming soon to iPhone/iPad/iPod, Facebook and Android devices.