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

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

Pujols reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Angels on a reported, 10-yr, $250MM contract earlier today. The defending champion Cardinals had already lost their manager, Tony LaRussa, who retired after the Cardinals won the World Series, and now have lost their best player as well. 

Pujols was said to be seeking an average salary that would put him above the deal that Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees after the 2007 season. At the very least, Pujols wanted to top the cash earned by Mark Teixeira, the highest paid 1st baseman in baseball. While he didn’t reach A-Rod numbers, Pujols easily surpassed the $22.5MM Teixeira earns per season.

Pujols has put up monster numbers ever since he hit 37 home runs and drove in 130 runs in his 2001 debut season. He was the NL Rookie of the Year that season and made the first of nine All-Star appearances. In 11 seasons in St. Louis, Pujols slugged 445 home runs, averaged 121 RBI, and posted a 1.037 career OPS. He also won a pair of championship rings (2006 in addition to this past season) and won three NL MVP Awards.

The overwhelming feeling was that Pujols would return to St. Louis, especially after the Miami Marlins were told they were out of the running.  Angels’ owner Arte Moreno and new GM Jerry DiPoto played things quietly though and seized the opening. They weren’t done for the day either.

Shortly after the Pujols agreement, it was learned the Angels had come to terms with starting pitcher C.J. Wilson on a five year, $75MM free agent contract. Wilson was thought to be either returning to Texas or signing with their division rivals. Opting for the latter, Wilson joins a rotation that already boasts Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana, though there have been rumors that Santana could be moved.

Wilson began his career as a reliever before bouncing back and forth between starting and relieving roles. He became a full-time starter in 2010 and was 31-15, 3.14 over the past two seasons. Wilson was the number one starter on the Rangers, but is considered a number two or three starter by most observers.

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.

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

The Cardinals spent all year with an offseason question looming over them.  By time they got there, though, they had two.  While one of them has already gotten an answer, the resolution to the other may chart the future of the organization for a long time to come.

KEY FREE AGENTS LEAVING THE TEAM
Albert Pujols’s contract has been an issue for the past two offseasons, but it finally came to a head after the 2011 World Series, when he filed for free agency.  Pujols, the dominant player in baseball for the last decade, is shopping around for a contract while still leaving the lines of communication open to a return to St. Louis.  Many people around baseball feel confident that he will be wearing the birds on the bat when the first pitch of 2012 is thrown.

While Pujols is the biggest free agent on the squad, he is not the only one.  Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson all came over (along with Marc Rzepczynski, who still is under contract for 2012) in the trade of Colby Rasmus and all of them are now testing the free agent waters.  While Patterson is easily dismissed, Jackson pitched very well for St. Louis down the stretch.  However, the Cardinals already have five starters under contract, so Jackson will be playing elsewhere next season.

Dotel is a different case, as he helped shore up a bullpen that went from a liability to a strength in the span of two months.  Along with the other old-timer free agent in the pen, Arthur Rhodes, Dotel will draw some interest from the Cardinals in returning.

On the offensive side of the equation, Rafael Furcal and Skip Schumaker are both free agents, as is Nick Punto.  While Ryan Theriot is technically under team control, he is expected to be non-tendered, making him a free agent as well.  It’s likely that one of Furcal, Schumaker and Punto will return to St. Louis, but it would be surprising if more than one of them did so.

KEY AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT
It’s hard to say that the defending World Champions need to do a lot of improving, but no team is perfect.  With the bullpen shored up, the most pressing need for the Redbirds is improvement in the middle infield, which ties in with all the free agent middle infielders the Cards have.  Furcal significantly improved the defense when he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers and did hit better once stationed under the Arch, but he still scuffled at times and is reportedly looking for a multi-year contract, which may not bode well for his return.

The team has already named Daniel Descalso, a super sub this past season, as the opening day second baseman.  It’s possible he’ll team with Tyler Greene, who has raked at AAA Memphis but never been able to find his footing in the big leagues.  If both of those men play to potential, though, the most glaring weakness of this team might be solved.

PIECES THAT ARE IN PLACE
Cardinal GM John Mozeliak broke his own unwritten rule by negotiating two extensions during the regular season.  Both Lance Berkman, who was a bargain signing before a season that he was named Comeback Player of the Year, and Chris Carpenter, the spiritual (and actual) ace of the squad, are already under contract for next season.

As noted above, the Cards have a full deck coming back on the mound, with Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook being joined by a returning Adam Wainwright, expected to be fully healthy after a year recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Most of the young bullpen arms will return as well, as none of them have reached free agency yet.

Offensively, besides Berkman, much of the core will also be returning.  Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, and World Series MVP David Freese will be back as well as complementary parts such as Jon Jay and Allen Craig.

POSSIBLE TRADE PIECES WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION
The Redbirds seem to be fully loaded with bullpen arms as shown by the results of September and October.  It’s possible that one or two of those could be dealt in the right deal, and the most obvious one would seem to be Kyle McClellan.  McClellan bounced between the rotation and the bullpen and seemingly could be on the outside looking on for both of those roles.

There are a number of players at Memphis that seem to be blocked in the organization right now.  Bryan Anderson is not likely to unseat Yadier Molina or the projected backup catcher (Tony Cruz).  Mark Hamilton needs to play first base, but even if Pujols goes elsewhere that slot is taken at the big league level.

The most intriguing name could be Allen Craig.  Craig showed that he could definitely hit in the majors and took a shot at being World Series MVP.  That said, if Pujols returns Craig is a man without a position and while it is possible that he could be used as a regular fill-in, it is also possible that Mozeliak would dangle him to see what bites.

MOVES ALREADY COMPLETED
The only move the Cardinal brass has had a press conference for was to introduce the new manager of the squad.  Longtime manager Tony La Russa stepped down at the end of the World Series, ending a 32-year career in the dugout.  To replace him, St. Louis went to the other end of the spectrum and selected Mike Matheny, a former player who had no coaching or managerial experience at any level.  Matheny is well respected and regarded as a strong leader, and he will be surrounded with experienced coaches that should help his transition to the big chair.

MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE
There is no doubt that much of Cardinal Nation has been wanting to see young fireballer Shelby Miller toe the rubber in Busch Stadium for a couple of years now.  That wait might be over after next year’s All-Star Break.  Miller, who finished 2011 at AA Springfield, should make the move to AAA Memphis coming out of spring training, but a strong season there coupled with any struggles from Lohse or Westbrook in the rotation or some of the young arms in the pen and Miller might get that promotion before 2012 is out.  Once he makes it to the big leagues, it looks like he will be there for a long while.

Daniel Shoptaw
C70 At The Bat
@C70

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.  

You know how when you were in college, if the teacher was in a real good mood, you got a nice curve to some of your scores?  It is hard not to do the same when you are handing out grades for the team that just finished as World Champions.  I mean, those issues and foibles during the season look so cute now, like “look at how that team is so cute hitting into double plays.”  The afterglow of a championship is a powerful thing.

That said, it is time to take a serious look at a team that showed its fair share of schizophrenia this season.  A team that played just well enough to be tied for first a couple of weeks after the All-Star Break, but then famously found itself sitting 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the wild card just a month later.  They righted the ship, put on a furious run (helped out, of course, by a Braves collapse for the ages) and got into the playoffs, where they used that “every game is your last” mentality to battle through two rounds of National League playoffs and a World Series that will go down in history as one of the most dramatic.

Grades are reflective of the whole season.  The bullpen at the end of the year hardly resembled the pen that caused so much heartburn earlier, but all facets of the relief corp had to be taken into account for their final score.  So gather around the bulletin board, everyone, it is time to see how the final grades came out.

Rotation: B
The Cardinals may have had some pitching problems during the season, but by and large it did not come out of the starting staff, something that seemed so improbable in spring training.  When Adam Wainwright went down with season-ending surgery before he was able to throw a pitch that meant anything, it seemed certain that the Cards were going to have to outslug their opponents.

Instead, the Cardinals ranked eighth in ERA and quality starts and seventh in opponent OPS among National League starting staffs.  In fact, just about any significant category, the Cards were in the middle of the pack, a fairly notable achievement without their ace.  Chris Carpenter stepped up to fill in the gap and the rest of the staff showed just enough brilliance to offset what at times could be some ugly outings.

Bullpen: C
When you average an F and an A together, it has to come out to a C, right?  There is no doubt that the bullpen was the weakest link in the Cardinal chain at the beginning of the season.  It started on Opening Day, when Ryan Franklin allowed a solo home run to Cameron Maybin to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.  It became more evident the next week, when the relief corp belied its name in blowing back to back games against the Giants.

Eventually, the Cardinals cut Franklin and Miguel Batista and turned the duties over to a younger group of players.  The Colby Rasmus trade made at the July trading deadline brought in two different arms and moved Kyle McClellan from the rotation to the bullpen.  The group quickly became a dominant force, with live arms coming out of the pen in almost every situation.  The strongest measure of how this facet of the team had come about was in the NLCS, when the relievers pitched more innings than the starters, and the Cards still won four games to two.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: A
Yadier Molina may have lost a little bit of his luster behind the plate to the serious observer, allowing more wild pitches and passed balls than in past years.  That said, a dimmer gold is still gold, as proven by the Gold Glove he won after the season was over.  Besides still superb defense, Molina chipped in what might have been his best offensive season ever, easily setting career highs in home runs and OPS.  Gerald Laird and, for a time, Tony Cruz backed up Molina and did so with acceptable results, though with Molina playing in 139 games, there were not many opportunities.

Infield: B-
Any infield that has a NLCS and a World Series MVP on one side and Albert Pujols on the other can not be all bad, can it?  Pujols missed out on some of his yearly benchmarks this year but still showed that he is one of the top players in baseball.  David Freese stayed relatively healthy (though he did miss much of May and June) and posted career highs in a number of categories as well, though he saved his best hitting for the playoffs and will never buy a meal in St. Louis again after Game 6 of the World Series.

Where the grade comes down is in the middle infield.  Ryan Theriot was brought in and Brendan Ryan was shipped out, a move the Cardinals felt all year long at Theriot made error after error and did not hit enough to make up for his stone hands.  Eventually the club traded for Rafael Furcal, who did not hit much either in St. Louis but at least was able to play above-average defense.

At second base, Skip Schumaker started off very cold and then got hurt, returning in mid-May from injury and finally warming up his bat.  Daniel Descalso got a lot of time at all the different infield positions, often being switched into games as a defensive replacement for Freese but also seeing time at second and short, and played with a great glove along with a knack for getting some timely hits.

Outfield: B
There was a lot of intrigue in the outfield this season, but the one constant was the new guy out there.  The signing of Lance Berkman raised a lot of eyebrows in the offseason, as he had not played outfield in a long time.  However, his offseason training regimen actually got him into the best shape in his life (or at least the past five years) and he played an above-average outfield.  Any miscues he might have made were quickly eliminated by his bat, as he returned to the player Cardinal fans were used to seeing terrorizing them from an Astros uniform.  His 31 home runs and 97 RBI carried the team when Pujols struggled earlier in the year and when Matt Holliday was out with, well, whatever ailment he was out with at the time.

Holliday’s year was like something out of House, M.D.  After getting three hits, including a home run, on opening day, he had to have an emergency appendectomy.  He then had a quadriceps injury in May that kept him out for about a week.  He also had a finger issue that sidelined him in September and reoccurred in the playoffs.  He was taken off the roster for Game 7 of the World Series after injuring his pinky and spraining his wrist in Game 6.  It got so bad that when a moth landed in the ear of a player, well, you knew it had to be Holliday.  Between all the injuries, Holliday was his productive self and none of the injuries look to affect him in the future.

Center field was the domain of Colby Rasmus, whose tumultuous time in St. Louis came to a halt in July when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson.  Rasmus was having another down year and there was friction again between him and Tony La Russa.  John Mozeliak was blasted for that trade at the time, but there is no way the Cardinals are kings of the baseball world without it.

The Cards also got key contributions from Allen Craig, Jon Jay, and occasionally Schumaker out in the outfield, covering for when Holliday was hurt or when the matchups did not favor Rasmus.

Top Offensive Player
For once, this award would not go to Albert Pujols.  Pujols did not hit .300 or drive in 100 runs for the first time in his career, though he did have one memorable October night deep in the heart of Texas.  However, Lance Berkman put up better all around numbers and was more consistent throughout the year.  With an offense that rated fifth in batting average, third in on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging throughout baseball, there were a number of players that had outstanding years at the plate, but Berkman topped them all.

Top Pitcher
You could consider players like Jason Motte and Fernando Salas, two parts of that overhauled bullpen, but there is really no doubt that this was Chris Carpenter’s team.  Carpenter was not perfect, was not the consistently dominant force that Cardinal fans saw in 2004-2006, but he still was able to come through when it mattered and his dominant, bulldog personality brought to mind another warrior in red that toed a different Busch Stadium mound.

Daniel Shoptaw
C70 At The Bat
@C70

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 Pirates ended 2010 practically on rock bottom with a 57-105 record. It was their worst season over the course of their 18 season losing streak. Management made a couple promising moves over the offseason, then entered 2011 hoping to rebound from an atrocious season. They started unusually strong and ended July not only above .500, but also in contention to claim the NL Central division. Optimism would be replaced by excitement when they acquired Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick before the trade deadline. Excitement quickly turned into the same despair which Pirates fans have experienced over the last two decades as they suffered from multiple injuries and fell to end the season 72-90. Although the Buccos clinched their 19th consecutive losing season, we saw a ray of hope which caused many fans to hop back on the bandwagon.

Rotation: C-
The opening day rotation consisted of Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and James McDonald. Ohlendorf strained his shoulder in April which moved Jeff Karstens up from the bullpen. Injuries in August to Correia and Maholm allowed Brad Lincoln and Jeff Locke to each make a few starts.

Correia was acquired over the offseason and signed to a two year deal. He did extremely well in the first half which earned him a questionable spot on the All-Star team, but was miserable after the break and while pitching at home. Maholm actually had one of his best seasons, though you wouldn’t realize it by looking at any conventional statistics. Karstens, Morton, and McDonald each had reasonable seasons, but they were unable to pitch deep into many games. Only McDonald managed a K/9 rate above the league average, but he was also inaccurate with a high BB/9 rate. These pitchers could blame the offense for their lack of run support, but I blame their lack of efficiency.

Bullpen: B+
Joel Hanrahan was the designated closer entering 2011 and he took over the role quite well. He earned his first All-Star selection and ended the season with 40 saves. Evan Meek was weighed down by shoulder tendinitis throughout the season.  Jose Veras, Chris Resop, Daniel McCutchen, Tony Watson, and Jason Grilli (obtained from Philadelphia) gobbled the most innings among the Buccos relief pitchers. Each of them posted a K/9 above 8 except Daniel. Amazingly, Resop, Grilli, and Veras were among the top 30 relievers in regards to their K/9 rates at 10.21, 10.19, and 10.01, respectively. Joe Beimel, Daniel Moskos, and Chris Leroux also made their share of appearances throughout the season, though Beimel was not very effective.

Insufficient outings by the Pirates’ starting pitchers inevitably overworked their young bullpen and caused the team to falter toward the end of the season.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: D+
The Pirates’ backstop position was plagued by injuries this season as they cycled through the use of Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, and Michael McKenry. McKenry was acquired from Boston in June and received the majority of the innings behind homeplate, which was disappointing considering Doumit and Snyder combined for a salary over $11 million, about 20% of the team’s payroll. Doumit provided the best offense among the three, which is typical for him, but he just can not stay healthy over long periods of time while playing as the catcher anymore.

Infield: C-
The Buccos were either injury prone or inconsistent across the infield for the majority of the season. Their only cornerstone was second basemen, Neil Walker, who had a decent all-around season. Ronny Cedeno had an average season at the plate by his standards, which is still quite bad, though his defense at shortstop did improve. Both players received nominations for a Gold Glove, though neither won.

Pedro Alvarez was dubbed the starting third basemen on opening day, but he just could not find his swing and spent the majority of the season struggling, hurt, or in the minors. In his absence, Brandon Wood and Josh Harrison each had equal opportunity in the hot corner. Wood provided better defense, while Harrison was a more consistent hitter. Chase d’Arnaud also logged some time to back them up as well as Cedeno, but he was equally disappointing both on and off the field.

Lyle Overbay and Garrett Jones platooned at first. Jones had a decent season and recorded the second most homers for the team. Overbay did a great job fielding at first, but had a poor year at the plate. He was released soon after Derrek Lee was acquired from the Orioles. Lee would have been the offensive power the Pirates were after, but he hit the DL and only played 28 games. His WAR was equal to Jones (0.9) even though he played a fraction of his season with the Pirates.

Outfield: B+
The situations in left and center field were originally handled by Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen, respectively, but Tabata spent nearly two months nursing an injured quad. Right field consisted of another platoon with Jones and Matt Diaz. McCutchen had another great season, even though his batting average did sink a little; Jones did fine filling in roles at first and right; Tabata did well while he was healthy; and Diaz left much desired offensively and on the field. He was eventually traded after acquiring Ryan Ludwick.

Ludwick hit the DL shortly after he was obtained and did not make the same impact as Lee. Xavier Paul and Alex Presley did their share of playing the corner outfield once it was realized Diaz could not play and Tabata was injured. Both played the field well, but Presley trumped Paul with better offense.

Top Offensive Player
Andrew McCutchen easily led the Pirates offensively with a WAR of 5.7. He ended the season as the team leader in practically every offensive category: home runs, runs, RBIs, and stolen bases. Although his batting average was down and his strikeout rate was up compared to previous years, his on base percentage stayed about the same due to an increased walk rate. An increased slugging percentage and isolated power rating may indicate we could expect more homers from him in seasons to come.

Top Pitcher
This may be arguable, but I believe Joel Hanrahan had the greatest impact on the mound this year for the Pirates. Not only do the conventional statistics support his performance (40 saves, 1.83 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), but so do the advanced metrics (8.0 K/9, 3.81 K/BB, .282 BABIP, 2.18 FIP, 2.73 SIERA, 2.98 xFIP). His 2.0 WAR ranked 7th among qualified relief pitchers, 4th among team closers behind only Craig Kimbrel, Jonathan Papelbon, and Mariano Rivera.

Ryan Sendek
Analysis around the Horn

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.

I am all grown up now and sit in my very own big boy chair to watch the games these days.  Tears have been replaced by held breath and fear of a heart attack.  As game six of the 2011 World Series played out before my eyes, the story I was to write today changed rapidly.

There was a play at first base early on that involved Rangers starter Colby Lewis missing the bag.  At full speed, it almost seemed that the Cardinals received a call very similar to the one that Don Denkinger made in favor of the Royals in 1985.  In fact, Lewis missed the bag and the correct call was made.  The image it created in my mind made the night feel a little more magical already.

As the game came to the end of the ninth inning, I have to admit, I lost faith in my team.  I have never left a game early nor do I turn the television off, but the discussion that I had was centered around whether or not we could bare to watch the Rangers celebrate at Busch Stadium.  I wanted to continue watching, interested to see how Albert Pujols would handle walking off the field for possibly the final time as a Cardinal.  Interested as a baseball fan to see who would be named the World Series Most Valuable Player.  Willing to agonize that it was not my team, because I love this game.

Since the end of August, fans of the Cardinals have learned that this team simply will not die.  However, there has been this consistent uneasy feeling that the wheels could fall off of this thing at any given time.  It simply feels like the team is playing with fire, and the old adage goes, you’re going to get burned.  The Rangers took the lead in the 10th inning and the Cardinals came back to the plate.  More specifically, the Cardinals would send Daniel Descalso, Jon Jay, and the pitcher’s spot to the plate.  The situation was bleak.

But Descalso beat one out in the infield and Jay delivered his first hit in the World Series, allowing Kyle Lohse to approach the plate and bunt the runners over.  A run scoring ground out by Theriot yielded my immediate response “Albert is about to be walked”.  In baseball, if the other team’s best player wins the game, someone got out-managed.  If the guy behind him wins the game, that’s part of the game.

As Lance Berkman came to the plate, I honestly had hope.  At the same time, the discussion in the house turned to comments like “I really can’t say that I hate the Rangers” and “if you were going to lose, I cannot think of a better team to lose to.”  Ranger manager Ron Washington employed a “no doubles defense” for the Berkman at bat ensuring that a bloop single would tie the game.  Berkman delivered just that.  As Joe Buck stated about the Cardinals “they just won’t. Go. Away.”

Jake Westbrook put the Cardinals in line to win the ballgame by holding the Rangers scoreless in the eleventh inning.  It set the stage for David Freese to work his own brand of magic.  A hometown kid that grew up in St. Louis and had once walked away from the game completely stood in front of 50,000+ screaming fans with the opportunity to do something very special.  Then he did.

Magic led to more magic.  As the ball cleared the center field fence, goosebumps coming to surface all over my body, I heard Joe Buck channel his father.  In 1991, Kirby Pucket hit a walk off home run in game six of the World Series in front of the hometown Minnesota crowd.  Jack would make the call that day in an excited but deliberate delivery, “We will see you tomorrow night”.  Twenty years later, one day removed from the anniversary of that call, Joe Buck sat next to the same man who was in the booth for his father’s moment and delivered the exact same line.

As game six came to a close, David Freese touched home plate and was mobbed by his teammates.  I sat on the couch, unable to speak.  The only sound in the house came from the television.  The only words I could mutter for more than a few minutes were “one more game”.  It seemed to be the way most fans felt about the entire 2011 season.  One More Game.

As Joe Buck’s iconic call echoed through my mind, as I realized the historic moment I just witnessed, I sat speechless.

Just like that little kid in 1985, a tear rolled down my cheek.

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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With two teams stacked with pitching and offense, the World Series has offered one of the most compelling match ups in recent years.  Aside from the lopsided 16-7 score of Game 3, the two teams remaining have combined for a total of 18 runs in the other 4 games of the series.  Much of this can be attributed to the great pitching that has kept both of these teams in the series.  There are a pair of players, one of each team, that emphasis the importance and evolution of pitching, and they’ve played for both teams during their careers.

Darren Oliver has held the middle innings together for the Texas Rangers all season long.  Oliver’s dominance in the middle innings was not an overnight discovery, and his career is a terrific example of how the Rangers have evolved over the years.  When Darren Oliver’s career began in Texas during the early 1990′s, he was inserted into the rotation and had moderate success. Like many of the Texas Rangers rotations during the 1990′s, Oliver filled the role as an adequate innings eater supporting an offensive juggernaut that had lineups that included Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Dean Palmer.  In his(and the franchise’s) first postseason appearance, he threw 8 innings of 3 run ball in an ALDS loss to the New York Yankees in 1996.

In a July 2004 article in Baseball Digest, Troy Renck of the Denver Post wrote about pitchers like Darren Oliver reviving their careers by adding to their pitching repertoire. Click here to check it out!

Within two years of the postseason appearance, Oliver’s ERA rose to 6.73 during the 1998 season and he was shipped off to the St. Louis Cardinals, which started an seven team(eight, if you include his second tour in Texas) odyssey that lasted a decade and included missing the entire 2005 season. Upon his return to the big leagues in 2006, Oliver became a full time reliever and immediately became a huge component to bullpens in New York and Anaheim.  After three seasons in the Angels bullpen, Oliver joined the Rangers for his third tour. His season ERA has remained below 3.00 during his first two years in Texas, and for the last four years straight.

Darren Oliver’s transformation from mid-rotation starter to bullpen ace has played a role in shedding the long held theory that pitchers can’t succeed in the Texas heat. Despite giving up a home run during Game 3, Oliver remains a key factor in the series. For a half-season Cliff Lee continued to dispel the theory of pitching in Texas as well, helping the Rangers in 2010 to their first World Series berth. Despite Lee’s departure for Philadelphia, C.J. Wilson anchors a new era of pitchers who are defying the Texas heat and pushing the Rangers to the brink of their first title. Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando rounded out the rotation with regular season ERAs that sank below 4.00.

The St. Louis Cardinals know all to well about the importance of the relief pitcher, especially with Tony LaRussa at the helm. Aside from his Game 5 bullpen issue involving reliever Jason Motte, LaRussa has mixed and matched his bullpen like he has for his entire career, arguably being the first manager to make a bullpen a focal point of his roster.  One such key component of LaRussa’s bullpen is a player who has been around nearly as long as LaRussa, 42 year old Arthur Rhodes.

Rhodes was a long time member of the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners before becoming a journeyman reliever, logging time with 7 different teams over the last 8 years which included missing the entire 2007 season due to Tommy John surgery. Though he has spent 2 decades in the big leagues and reached the postseason four times before joining the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2011 World Series is a career first for the well traveled lefty.

In a June 2001 issue of Baseball Digest, Bob Finnigan of the Seattle Times wrote about pitchers like Arthur Rhodes dealing with injuries and playing through pain.  Click here to check it out!

His 2011 season may prove to be the most fascinating of his career. He began the season as a member of the Texas Rangers, and struggled mightily in July. He was put on waivers and passed through in mid-August. Just days later, the St. Louis Cardinals scooped up the veteran, who rebounded with a strong finish in August and September. He has seen action just twice, but has rose to the occasion for both batters he faced.  Tony LaRussa has used Rhodes primarily as a left handed specialist since he was acquired, and the choice has paid off nearly perfectly.

With Game 6 pushed back a day, there is little doubt that both Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver could see action as the Texas Rangers try to seal their first franchise championship against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that looks to even the series and prove the pre-season critics wrong in the best way possible, by extending the season by one more game.

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.

Napoli’s tomahawk in Game 4 of the World Series would make any Atlanta Braves or Florida St. Seminoles fan proud. Bat crushed ball on the first pitch Napoli saw from Cardinals’ reliever Mitchell Boggs and turned a 1-0 cliffhanger in a 4-0, 6th inning lead that would hold up. Monday night saw another nail biter, with the teams tied at two apiece in the 8th inning. That’s when Napoli came to bat with the bases loaded against reliever Mike Rzepczynski. With the hometown fans chanting “Nap-oli”, the guy who looks like a slow pitch softball player, hit a rope up the alley in right-center for a 2-run double and a 4-2 Rangers’ lead. It was the eighth and ninth RBI of the series for the former 17th round draft pick (2000) out of Charles Flanagan High School in Pembrook Pines, Florida.

The Rangers at one time hated Mike Napoli. Now they can’t live without him. Click here to read Stephen Hawkins’ article about Texas’ new favorite teammate.

Napoli hasn’t just done it with his bat though. His defense, which was maligned at times in LA, was a key to a Game 5 victory. Having already thrown out Allen Craig attempting to steal second earlier in the game, Napoli repeated the feat in the top of the 9th inning. With Albert Pujols representing the tying run, Tony LaRussa made the decision to run Craig on a 3-2 count despite being down two. The move backfired as Pujols whiffed at Neftali Feliz’s pitch and Napoli fired a strike to Ian Kinsler to nail Craig for the double play.

The team that selected him probably wishes they had Napoli back since Wells produced a paltry .660 OPS for the Angels while their former player produced career highs in home runs (30), RBI (75), and OPS (1.046). Napoli also helped eliminate his former team from a chance at the post-season with a pair of back to back two-home run games against Los Angeles on the season’s final weekend.

He may not be thinking about it right now, but Napoli should be in for a fine payday this winter after he avoided arbitration prior to the season by signing a one year, $5.8MM deal.  Based on both his regular and post-seasons, Napoli will be looking for a good bump up and a multi-year deal, though he doesn’t have the power of free agency.  Napoli can point not only to his World Series production, but his ALDS numbers as well.  The six year veteran posted a .971 OPS with a home run and four RBI in Texas’ first round knock out of the Tampa Bay Rays. Though Napoli’s catching was limited to 61 regular season games, he was ranked in the upper echelon in the American League by a number of defensive metric gurus.

No matter how much he makes, you can bet the fans in Arlington, Texas will be singing out for Napoli.

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.

Holland had shown glimpses of star potential in his three year Major League career- he threw three complete game shutouts in July- but had come up small in the playoffs thus far. His last two starts came in the ALCS vs. Detroit and lasted only a combined 7.1 innings with seven earned runs allowed. So there was no reason for Texas fans, or Ron Washington for that matter, to have a lot of confidence in their 25-yr old left-hander.

But after a couple of pep talks from Washington, Holland went out and threw the game of his life. Eight and one-third innings of shutout baseball to enable the Rangers to even the series at two games apiece. It was only fitting that Holland’s battery mate, Mike Napoli, provided the big blow on offense with a 3-run home run.

Texas had plenty of opportunities off of Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson, who walked seven hitters in 5.1 innings, but could only manage one run through the first five innings. You had the feeling that at any moment the Cardinals would break through with a run or two and the Rangers would be in trouble. But just the opposite happened. Holland allowed just two hits on the night, and after Lance Berkman’s double in the 2nd inning, didn’t allow another Cardinals’ base runner to reach second base.

Jackson’s walks eventually caught up to him when his final free passes put two aboard in the 6th and Napoli smashed reliever Mitchell Boggs’ first pitch into the left field seats for a back breaking home run. The Cardinals mounted a minor threat in the 9th with walks off Holland and closer Neftali Feliz, but the hard throwing right-hander struck out Matt Holliday on a 3-2 fastball to end the game.

If Derek Holland were 13 and Jewish, he would be told, “Today you are a man.” Well, at least he has the mustache of a 13-yr old and a game he’ll never forget. Should a Game 7 occur in this World Series, Holland will be the man on the mound in St. Louis and the Texas faithful will have a renewed faith in him.

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.

While rumors persist that the Rangers will throw a boatload of money at CC Sabathia, if the pitcher opts out of his current deal witht the New York Yankees, and the team already is loaded with hitters, they could go after Pujols. Texas’ principle owner Nolan Ryan surely had to be wishing Pujols was on his side as he watched the St. Louis Cardinals destroy his team in Game 3 of the World Series last night. Pujols had five hits, three home runs, and six RBI to help boost the Cards to a 16-7 win and a two games to one advantage over the Rangers.

Pujols is in the final year of an eight year, $116MM contract, with deferred money, that makes him only the 35th highest paid player in baseball. The Cardinals offered the 11 year veteran a nine year, $195MM deal last winter, but, to no surprise, Pujols turned it down. He is said to be looking for a deal similar to that of Alex Rodriguez (10 years, $275) and Joe Mauer (10 years, $230). But can the Cardinals pony up the money, and if not, who can?

The number of teams that can fulfill Pujols’ wishes are limited. The Yankees, always players for big time players, should not be involved. The Angels are always mentioned when it comes to high salaried players, everyone was sure that they would sign Carl Crawford last off-season, but the Angels haven’t been throwing money around lately for outside free agents. The Red Sox saw this season (Crawford, Lackey, Gonzalez) that big money moves doesn’t even translate to a playoff spot. Other teams you will surely hear mentioned are the SF Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Nationals.

The Rangers 2011 salary was $91,885,265, the 13th highest total in all of baseball. The Rangers top priority will be to bring back their #1 starter, C.J. Wilson, who will be a free agent after the World Series. If Ryan is able to accomplish that feat, and unable to bring in Sabathia (there are no other top-line starting pitchers available via free agency), the Rangers should be able to add a Pujols type contract to their payroll.

The Rangers added Adrian Beltre to any already strong lineup last off-season and Texas scored the third highest total runs scored (855) in all of baseball, but imagine what they could do with Pujols? Even more protection for Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and Beltre. It would also free them up to deal Mitch Moreland and prospects for pitching. The downside of signing Pujols would be that Michael Young could be the odd man out, just as he nearly was this season.

You Better Be Better, You Bet

Derek Holland needs to pitch the game of his life in Sunday night’s Game 4 of the World Series. It’s the pivotal game of the series with Texas either tying things up at two games apiece or the Cardinals just one game away from their 11th title. Holland has struggled in his three playoff starts, particularly his two ALCS appearances against the Detroit Tigers. Holland lasted just 7.1 innings in his two starts and allowed seven earned runs. He appeared in two World Series games last season and allowed three earned runs in one inning.

Pujols Makes History

Pujols’ three home run night was the second of this post-season, joining Nelson Cruz who had a hat trick in the ALCS. Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson are the only other players to hit three home runs in a single World Series game.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, last night was just the second time in WS history that players from both team had at least four hits in the same game. Pujols and Beltre were the first players since Enos Slaughter, Whitey Kurowski and Joe Garagiola of St. Louis had four hits for the victorious Cardinals in Game 4 of the ’46 Series, while Wally Moses had four for the Boston Red Sox.

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 is the slogan that Major League Baseball has used through most of the postseason.  Commercials that recount no hitters, hitting performances, great plays and moments that echo through baseball fans’ memories for all their lives.  It was a marketing ploy inspired by Cliff Lee’s dominant performance in the 2010 postseason.  Network broadcasters FOX and TBS were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and, to most, they found their thunder strike during game three of the World Series.

For those of you that are living under a rock and have no idea what happened in game three, Albert Pujols stepped onto baseball’s greatest stage and wrote himself into the game’s lore.  The run down of his single game:

• Five Hits (ties Paul Molitor for most hits in a World Series Game)
• Three Home Runs (ties Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth, who did it twice)
• Six Runs Batted In (sets a World Series Record)
• Fourteen Total Bases (sets a World Series Record)
• Totaled line is considered the greatest offensive performance in the history of the Fall Classic

Legends are born in October.

Are they, though?  For eleven years, Albert Pujols has defied logic.  His career has been littered with “first player ever to…” footnotes.  The Cardinal first baseman has become known around the league, nation, and possibly world as the “best player in the game”.  Many have questioned if his career is on the decline after the 2011 season closed.  The slugger produced career lows in runs batted in, triples, doubles, hits, walks, on base percentage, total bases, and slugging percentage.  His home run total was the third worst season he has produced.  He grounded into a league high 29 double plays.  All of that considered, he was still one of the best players in the league.  If his 2011 stats are a player on the decline, it simply reveals just how high he has set the bar.

Albert Pujols may be the only player in Major League Baseball, possibly in the history of the game, that could take the field and have a game similar to the performance he turned in during game three of the World Series and not become a legend.

Legends are made in October.

Albert Pujols was a legend before he even took the field this October.  On October 22, 2011, he simply reminded the world that he was still here and still a force to be reckoned with.

Rounding Up Game Three
Some of our favorite blogs and sites were eager to write about the man that MLB.com has dubbed “Mr. Octo-bert”.

Former Baseball Digest Content Editor Aaron Hooks weighs in here.
Friend of the site Mike Metzger checks in on his site, Stan Musial’s Stance.  Read it here.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch caught up with Reggie Jackson, who says he is honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Pujols.  Read the thoughts of the original Mr. October and about the conversation he had with Pujols by clicking here.

Series Far From Over: Game Four Lies Ahead
Game three was far from a must-win game for either team in this series and a two-games-to-one  series lead hardly buries one team or the other.

The Cardinals will send trade deadline pickup Edwin Jackson to the hill to face off with Rangers lefty Derek Holland.  Jackson is regarded as a fly ball pitcher and if game three was any indication, that could mean another high scoring affair and a struggle to keep the ball inside one of the most hitter friendly parks in the game today.  Neither pitcher has faced the opposing team in his career.

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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But, that mindset negates one of the most fascinating aspects of all sports, the journey. Becoming a Major League player isn’t an instant thing. Instead, it is about years of honing the craft, years of perseverance, and a little luck in getting noticed. Not everyone can step foot off of a high school or college baseball field and become a Major Leaguer. The Ken Griffey Jr.’s of the world are rare. Most players who are lucky enough to get drafted toil in the Minors for years. Most don’t even get to the show. Of the lucky ones who get to step foot on a Major League field, one a smaller few last more than four or five seasons before being pushed out. The journey to get  to the top of the Baseball world is only matched in difficulty by the journey to actually stay on top of the baseball world.

The stars of the sport know about this journey. It is difficult for anyone. But for the every-player, Baseball’s form of the common man, each day is a struggle to keep one of the precious few jobs. It is why someone like Arthur Rhodes making his first ever World Series appearance is something special. He has made that journey and he epitomizes the plight of every athlete who has struggled to make it. It took Rhodes 20 years to get to a World Series. It has been a 20 year journey filled with success, struggle, lowlights, and remarkable achievements. There may be a year 21, but year 20 will be special no matter how it ends.

Arthur Lee Rhodes is a World Champion. Although this is his first World Series appearance, Rhodes is guaranteed a World Series ring no matter the outcome. Signed this past winter by the Texas Rangers, Rhodes appeared in 32 games for the Rangers before he was officially released on August 8th after the Rangers revamped their bullpen with a flurry of deadline deals. Rhodes didn’t last long on the free agent wire as the St. Louis Cardinals signed him three days later in an effort to bolster their floundering bullpen that was still struggling to find definitive roles for its members. Because of his service time with the Rangers he will receive a World Series ring if they beat the Cardinals. Obviously, Rhodes would like his own team to win, but a 20 year veteran who is making his first World Series appearance will gladly accept the ring he spent two decades finding.

There is something about all of this that seems so fitting.

Arthur Rhodes made his Major League debut on August 21, 1991 as a flame throwing left handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. He would continue to struggle as a starting pitcher for the next five seasons, compiling a 17-24 record with a 5.70 ERA in 69 appearances (59 starts). He would struggle with his control, walking 4.9 batters per nine innings and giving up 1.2 homeruns per nine. The struggle against his control would mark the next 15 years of his career. When Rhodes was able to throw strikes on a consistent basis, he would put together an above average season like he did in 1997 when he posted a 10-3 record with a 3.02 ERA in 95 innings. He allowed 7.5 H/9, 2/5 BB/9, and 9.6 K/9. He finished 20th in the MVP voting that season. It would be the last season Rhodes would get any sort of national attention until 2010 when he was named to his first All-Star team at the age of 40.

But like any reliever, Rhodes would be prone to the disastrous season such as his 1999 season when he averaged a whopping 7.5 walks per nine innings and finished with a bloated ERA of 5.43. That season would mark his final one in Baltimore and begin his journey across the Major Leagues that saw him pitch for eight different organizations in 11 different seasons. Since 2003, Rhodes has only worn the same uniform in consecutive seasons just once, pitching for the Reds in 2009 and 2010. During his journey, he has pitched for the Seattle Mariners, Oakland A’s, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, and, finally, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now 41 years old, Rhodes is no longer the flame throwing left handed reliever that he was with the Orioles and Mariners. He’s evolved into what most southpaws evolve into, a traveling specialist who can probably still find work as long as he can still get the ball to the plate and be a threat against left handed batters. This season, he is struggling with his command, walking 5.02 batters per nine innings when facing left handers. But, since joining St. Louis, Rhodes has appeared in 19 games, pitching 8.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and striking out 6. He earned enough of Tony LaRussa’s trust to have a role in the post season. Through the first two rounds, he appeared in 5 games, amassing 1.2 innings of work. He didn’t allow a hit, walked just 1, and struck out 3 of the 5 batters. In his own specialized role in the suddenly hot Cardinals’ bullpen, Rhodes helped a team reach the World Series for the first time in his career.

Rhodes is no stranger to the post season. He has appeared in 28 post season games, spanning 19.2 innings of work. His 4.12 ERA is a bit misleading as 8 of the 9 post season runs he has allowed came against the Yankees during the 2000 and 2001 ALCS. Those runs still count, but outside of facing the Yankees, Rhodes has pitched 15.2 career post season innings and has allowed just 1 run. The post season is all about small sample size. Rhodes had one terrible post season in 2000 when he allowed 7 earned runs in 2 innings of work against the Yankees. Otherwise, he has been an above average reliever.

You won’t find any arguments that Arthur Rhodes should be in the Hall of Fame. But, that doesn’t make is career less important. He has pitched for two decades in the Major Leagues. As a reliever, he has appeared in 841 games, pitching 865.2 innings. He’s allowed 697 hits, 343 walks, and has struck out 899 batters. His 3.43 ERA, 1.201 WHIP, and 33 saves are marks of a pitcher who has spent a lifetime in the game and has met with success. Those statistics aren’t all-time great, but they have been good enough to continue to get another job.

And, that is what marks Arthur Rhodes’ career. He’s pitched well enough to continue to get a job. For 19 of the past 20 years–he sat out the 2007 season–, Arthur Rhodes has been in a Major League uniform. That is something to be celebrated in an industry where most pitchers who aren’t elite level talents usually last four to five seasons before fading away into the depths of being organizational players at triple-A or filling the independent leagues. There is something to be admired for the type of perseverance. Since 2003, Rhodes has never had a guaranteed job. Yet, he’s continued to win a role in a Major League bullpen.

Now, after 20 years, Rhodes has reached the World Series. He’s reached a World Series that involves two teams that he played for this season. No matter the outcome, Rhodes will cap his career with a World Series ring, something many players, especially relief pitchers, will chase for their entire careers. Having pitched for nine different organizations during his two decade career, he’s more than earned it, even if the team he currently pitches for doesn’t.

Prior to the series Washington admitted he couldn’t match wits with his counterpart, Tony LaRussa. That may be the understatement of the year.

The Cards had jumped out a 2-0 lead on Lance Berkman’s single in the 4th, but Rangers’ catcher Mike Napoli tied the game with a 2-run shot off of Cardinals’ starter Chris Carpenter in the top of the 5th. St. Louis took the lead again when pinch-hitter Alan Craig, whose been clutch all season, stroked an RBI double in the 6th, just out of the reach of right fielder Nelson Cruz.

Texas once again had a chance to answer right back when they put two aboard in the 7th with just one away. But that’s where Washington’s decision making came into question. With lefty David Murphy due up and the pitcher’s spot to follow, LaRussa went to the pen for left-hander Mike Rzepczynski. Washington had four right handed bats on the bench- Yorvit Torrealba, Craig Gentry, Matt  Treanor, and Estaban German. None are stellar, but Torrealba is the best of them.

Washington went for a straight outfielder for outfielder switch instead and chose to send up the light-hitting Gentry. He struck out looking. The inning was still salvageable had Washington gone with Torrealba to bat for pitcher Alexi Ogando, but once again Washington defied logic and batted German. The veteran utility man had not swung a bat in a big league game since September 25 and had only 11 MLB at-bats all season. German at least swung the bat when he struck out. Never mind that the pitch was in the dirt.

Texas has plenty of talent to win the World Series, but if the series comes down to a chess match, LaRussa will be the only playing the role of Bobby Fischer.

Replay, Replay

Had last night’s game been in Texas, a chant may have gone up from the crowd for a change to instant replay. With one out in the top of the 9th and his team trailing by one, Texas’ Adrian Beltre fouled a ball off the front of his shoe and immediately got knocked off balance. The ball bounced to third baseman Daniel Descalso, who threw across the diamond to easily record the second out of the inning. Beltre stood in the batter’s box in amazement until Washington came out of the dugout to argue to no avail.

Once again, Major League umpires failed on baseball’s biggest stage. We see it year after year in the post-season, from phantom tags to fair balls called foul. There’s no saying that Beltre would have done anything positive with his at-bat, but home plate ump Jerry Layne, and the other members of the crew in the infield, Greg Gibson, Alfonso Marquez, and Ron Kulpa made sure he didn’t get the chance.

Lewis and Start

Colby Lewis will try to even the series tonight when he face’s St. Louis’ Jaime Garcia. Lewis was outstanding in the division series when he limited Tampa Bay to one hit over six innings in the Rangers 4-3 win. He came back down to earth though in Game 3 of the ALCS when he allowed four runs in 5.2 innings in a 5-2 Tigers’ victory.

Lewis has faced the Cardinals just once, and it was a relief appearance he’d like to forget. While a member of the Oakland A’s in 2007, Lewis gave up four runs on four hits in one inning, including a 3-run home run to then Cardinal Ryan Ludwick, and was the losing pitcher.

He’s faced five members of the current Cardinals team with mixed results- Lance Berkman (0-7) and Nick Punto (0-1) are hitless, while Albert Pujols (1-1) and Ryan Theriot (2-2) are batting 1.000. Cardinals back up catcher Gerald Laird has just one at-bat in two games this post-season, but is 4-8 lifetime against Lewis with a home run and four RBI.

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.

Playoff Baseball is a completely different game from the 162 game grind that is the regular season. The regular season allows for long term evaluation. It allows for patience and for the natural ebb and flow of a baseball season. Each baseball season is a unique novel filled with twists and turns that make for excellent reading. The post season is that final chapter that races through the pages with a frenetic climax. There isn’t as much structure like the rest of the book. It is simply a short period where the action is more intense, the strategy gets more aggressive, and the stage gets big enough to include the unlikeliest of heroes. The 2011 Post Season has been no different as there have been upsets, pitching changes like no other post season, the emergence of unlikely heroes.

The Cardinals’ magic run began nearly two months ago and continued with their upsets over the Phillies and Brewers. They are, despite public perception, a team of stars. Albert Pujols is the best hitter in the league. Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday are stars. Chris Carpenter can still throw a dominant game and the revamped bullpen now has enough parts for Tony LaRussa to do his bullpen magician act, getting outs with a multitude of relievers. The post season was made for stars to shine, but that stage also opens up to include players like David Freese, who was named the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player. The Cardinals count on their stars and the offensive stars largely delivered to mask some poor pitching throughout the series. But, it was Freese, the oft-injured third baseman who galvanized the lineup and made Ron Roenicke pay whenever he passed over the big stars.

Freese was acquired from the San Diego Padres in December of 2007 when the Cardinals sent fan favorite Jim Edmonds to the San Diego in an even exchange. Freese, a Missouri native, was coming to his hometown team. Now, he just had to make the team.  It wasn’t that Freese was expected to be a star, but more of clearing the aging Edmonds off the roster and getting something in return. Freese, however, had different plans. After spending two-plus seasons in the Padres’ system and never rising above Single-A, the Cardinals placed him at Triple-A to start the 2008 season. Almost immediately, he became the Cardinals’ third baseman of the future. He hit .306/.361/.550 with 29 doubles, 26 homeruns, and 91 RBI. Suddenly, the Cardinals had a player.

In a sign of things to come, Freese would spend 2009 fighting injuries before winning the Major League job in 2010. He played in just 70 games that season, but he did hit .296/.361/.404 with 4 homeruns and 36 RBI. A torn tendon in his right ankle would force him to miss most of the second half of the season. He would make it back for Opening Day, but he’d last just one month before missing time, this time a hamstring injury forced him to miss all but one day of May. In all, he’d appear in 97 games and compile a .297/.350/.441 batting line with 10 homeruns and 55 RBI in 333 at bats.

At 29 years old, David Freese has established himself as a solid regular third baseman. He may not have a high ceiling at this point, but if healthy, he can be an above average contributor a key position. Add in the fact that most defensive metrics rate him as slightly above average and the Cardinals have one of the better options at third base in the National League. He won’t likely be a star, but he has the ability to be one of the better offensive third basemen in the sport. Only health can prevent that.

And, as the stage has grown bigger, Freese has found himself ready to claim part of it. In the Divisional Round, Freese was typical. He went 5 for 18 with 2 doubles and a homerun, driving in 5. That performance will serve notice that the big stage doesn’t bother him, but it won’t garner National attention. The NLCS was a far different story as Freese got hot and hit in all six games. Only ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz would produce more. He would get 12 hits in 22 at bats, including 3 doubles and 3 homeruns. He scored 7 times and drove in 9 runs.

The hometown boy made good on the biggest stage. All athletes dream of putting together that kind of performance. David Freese has done just that. And, he realizes just how special it really is. “Yeah, I think not too many people get a chance to do this in their hometown. And it’s an unbelievable feeling. To be a part of this team, this group of guys, this organization, means a lot. Mo went to San Diego, Edmonds kind of wanted to go back out West, and we flip flopped. It’s a dream come true to be a part of this organization,” said Freese.

You never know it at the time, but a seemingly innocent trade can result in something big. The Cardinals weren’t supposed to be in the World Series. David Freese was a 9th round pick of the San Diego Padres; he was hardly a sure thing to be in the Major Leagues. Yet, four years later, Freese was the Cardinals’ best hitter in their most important series. And, he kept it going in the first game of the World Series, hitting a double and scoring the difference making run. Sometimes those innocuous trades can result in something special. Something special is David Freese’s Post Season. He is actually quite symbolic of this Cardinals team. Nobody expected them to be here and certainly nobody would’ve picked Freese to be their best hitter during the NLCS. The Major League Baseball Post Season is the best championship in sports because of its drama and unpredictability. David Freese is just the latest example.

Wednesday night the Rangers face the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. It’s Texas’ second straight trip to the final series, which makes them just the third team (joining the Yankees of 1998-2001 and Philadelphia Phillies of 2008-2009) since 2000 to make back to back series appearances.  The Yankees mini-dynasty at the turn of the decade, the ’76-’78 Bronx Bombers, the ’72-’74 and ’88-’90 A’s, and the ’69-’71 Orioles are the only teams in the last 42 years to win three consecutive pennants. To put it simply, Texas needs to take advantage of their opportunity, because you never know when you’ll get another chance.

The Rangers won 96 regular season games despite the loss of ace Cliff Lee to free agency. They have a #1 starter who is really a #2  in C.J. Wilson, an adequate remaining rotation, a dynamite bullpen, and a fearsome lineup. Their manager, Ron Washington, can be both a plus and minus. He makes some of the oddest in-game decisions, but his team loves him and will do anything for him. Can they win him a World Series? That remains to be seen.

Last year the Rangers were considered a Cinderella team. A team that won despite financial issues and an on-going sale. This year the team with the glass slippers are the St. Louis Cardinals, the NL representatives who should not have even been in the playoffs. At least that’s the way it looked on September 1 when Atlanta had a huge lead in the NL wild card only to see it evaporate on the final day of the regular season. The Cardinals have taken full advantage of their place in history, beating the league’s winningest team in Philadelphia and the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. Like the Rangers, their starting rotation has not been superior (outside of ace Chris Carpenter), but the bullpen, defense, and lineup has gotten the job done.

In other words, both teams are vulnerable. The Rangers take a lead and their bullpen says, “game over”. The Cardinals never say die and fight to the final out.

So what do the Rangers have to do to win?

1. Get much better starts out of Wilson; the left-hander has allowed 14 earned runs in 15.2 post-season innings thus far. Washington needs his top starter to step up since Derek Holland has made it through the fifth inning in only one of his three starts and Matt Harrison has only worked five in each of his two starts. The bullpen has been fantastic for Texas, but you can’t keep taxing it.

2. Keep the top of the Cardinals order off base so Albert Pujols comes up with no one on. After a slow start to the season, Pujols is tearing things up again and can single-handedly man handle any opponent. Don’t let the big man beat ya.

3. Keep scoring. Sounds silly; okay, really silly. The Rangers lineup can make up for any mishaps that occur during a game. They averaged 5.3 runs per game in the division series and 6.5 in the ALCS (4.8 in games other than Game 6).

4. Don’t overtax Neftali Feliz. The second year closer is outstanding, but is still learning the ropes and can be shaky times. Washington should limit Feliz to one inning saves.

5. Wednesday, 8:05 ET in St. Louis. Show up.

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’s the number the Cardinals are focused on.  It has become the marketing ploy of their front office.

You see, the team has ten World Championships.  If they can win eleven postseason games in 2011 to raise their eleventh championship banner.  The team is hoping that numerology can come up with an assist.

The Rangers are hoping it will not.

The Fall Classic is upon us and two franchises will collide for the right to hoist a trophy.  On one side is one of baseball’s most historic franchises.  On the other is a younger franchise that is showing staying power by arriving at this point for the second straight year.

Keep your browser pointed right here at BaseballDigest.com as Drew Sarver will bring you everything Rangers throughout the World Series while I keep you up to speed with the Cardinals.

It has been a historic and interesting road for the St. Louis Cardinals.  A road paved with irony throughout the National League playoffs.  You see, it was the Philadelphia Phillies that defeated the Atlanta Braves the final day of the regular season, helping the Cardinals qualify for postseason play.  The Phillies were rewarded by a classic game five in the Division Series that sent them home, ending their quest for a title.  The Brewers meanwhile stood in the way of the Cardinals making it any further.  It was Prince Fielder that hit the deciding home run in this season’s Mid Summer Classic, the All Star Game, and effectively won home field advantage for the National League in the World Series.  As a special thank you to Prince, the Cardinals ended the NLCS in Miller Park, giving him the opportunity to acknowledge the Brewer faithful during what might have been his last game with the franchise.

Carpenter looks to be okay
The words “dead arm” and “Chris Carpenter” have had St. Louis fans bustling for a few days.  As of the night before the game the Cardinals are saying that there is no concern about their ace and Carpenter is set to oppose C.J. Wilson of the Rangers in game one at Busch Stadium.

Roster Adjustments
It appears that Kyle McClellan and rookie Adron Chambers will be left off of the World Series roster in exchange for a healthy Skip Schumaker and Jake Westbrook.  Westbrook has yet to appear in a postseason game this season.  Schumaker, in his walk year with the Cardinals, will experience his first World Series.

A Ring No Matter Who Wins
It is a rare situation, having only happened twice before, that a player ends the season playing for a World Series contender against the team that he played with earlier in the year.  It results in a guarantee – no matter who wins the World Series, Arthur Rhodes will win his first Championship Ring after 20 years in baseball.  The feat has only been accomplished by Lonnie Smith and Bengie Molina previously.

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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