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 best thing we Rockies fans can do with the 2011 season is put it in the books and look ahead to 2012. The good news is, all hope is not lost!

Key Free Agents
The Rockies won’t lose any major pieces to free agency this offseason. Utility infielder Mark Ellis, who came to the club from the Athletics in a July trade, is already gone, signing a 2-year deal with the Dodgers. Aaron Cook had an option for 2012, but it was declined by the Rockies, meaning they won’t look to re-sign him unless he can be had for a very very low price. He was never able to make a comeback after undergoing surgery prior to the 2011 season, and he is a liability on the mound at this point. J.C. Romero, only so-so out of the bullpen in ’11, is a free agent and still under consideration by the Rockies. The free agent I’d most like to see the team re-sign is Kevin Millwood, who joined the team in August and was the most consistent member of the starting rotation from then till the end of the season. He’s getting old, and he gives up his share of home runs, but he knows how to make adjustments when he doesn’t have his best stuff, and his professionalism and experience are unmatched by any other pitcher currently on the roster.

Areas Needing Improvement
The Rockies simply must address the lack of consistency and offensive production from second and third base this season. Both of those positions were revolving doors of mediocrity, variously featuring Jose Lopez, Ty Wigginton, Ian Stewart, Ellis, Chris Nelson, Jonathan Herrera, and Eric Young Jr. None of them played well enough to be considered a sure solution for 2012, the way that Troy Tulowitzki is for shortstop and Todd Helton is for first base. Stewart is especially disappointing, given the promise he showed as a draft pick in 2003. He never got his batting average above the Mendoza line in 2011, and spent the better part of the season in AAA Colorado Springs. He will be tendered a contract for next year, and the prevailing opinion is that this is his last shot to prove he’s anything like the same player he initially appeared to be. With Ellis gone, the club is pursuing other free agents and possible trades in order to fill the hole at second.

The starting rotation also needs some work. There is a lot of potential talent, but most of it is very young. Jhoulys Chacin could be a future ace, though he is still inconsistent and his walks per 9 innings (4.04) was worst in the National League among those with as many innings pitched as he had. Juan Nicasio was brilliant in his debut, then had to sit out the last couple months of the season after breaking his neck. Word is he’s making incredible progress in his recovery, so with a little luck he’ll pitch for the Rockies in 2012. Alex White, in 7 late-season starts, gave up a home run nearly every three innings. He has a great splitter, but it remains to be seen whether it can be magic in mile high air. Drew Pomeranz, the pot of gold in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, showed a great deal of promise in his few major-league starts, so there’s some hope resting on his shoulders. It remains to be seen how high his ceiling is.

Then there’s Jason Hammel, who struggled so much in 2011 that he was demoted to the bullpen for a time. He has been a consistently acceptable back-end starter, but he needs to have a better year next year if the Rockies are going to improve in the standings. And then there’s Jorge De La Rosa, so good the first couple months of 2011 before being sidelined for Tommy John surgery. There’s no telling how much time it will take him to get his mojo back once he’s healed. What we have here is a large number of possibly great pitchers, but no clear 1-5 for 2012, and very little certainty on how any of these guys will perform. The front office is shopping for another solid starter, preferably a lefty, so that the structure of the rotation is a little stronger.

Pieces In Place
Fortunately, aside from a pair of infield positions and the rotation, the roster is fairly well set for 2012. Todd Helton is aging but brilliant, and he will get 120 starts at first base. The Rockies are unlikely to pursue a first baseman until next year, especially with so many utility infielders wandering the dugout who can spot Helton when his back is acting up. Troy Tulowitzki will play nearly every game at shortstop, probably to the point of aggravating one of his many aches and pains yet again. Regardless of what we actually get from him, though, he’s the best shortstop in the league and we’re very fortunate to have him. He’ll continue to hit in the clean-up spot.

At catcher, Chris Iannetta has another year till free agency, and hopefully Jim Tracy will show him enough respect to start him behind the plate most games. He’ll be backed up by Wilin Rosario, assuming Rosario makes the team out of spring training. Iannetta is solid enough, though, that the club isn’t in the market for a catcher right now. In the outfield, Carlos Gonzalez will be the starting right fielder and Dexter Fowler will start in center. Cargo struggled some early in 2011, but we can expect generally consistent offensive production from him, and he’s an excellent fielder. Fowler had a fantastic second half, so if he can find a way to play that way all season, he’ll be irreplaceable. In left field, it’s unclear who will play every day. If Seth Smith stays with the team, he will probably be platooned with a right-handed hitter, such as Ryan Spilborghs, like he was last season. He is a pretty ripe piece of trade bait right now, though, so there is a good chance we’ll see a lot of Charlie Blackmon in left instead. The Rockies have looked at obtaining outfielders with power, most notably Grady Sizemore, but I doubt they will make a major deal with anyone given who we already have.

Trade Bait
As I mentioned, Seth Smith is catching a lot of teams’ attention right now. I really like him and would hate to see him go, but I think he’s a talented enough hitter to play every day, and he might get the chance to do that with another team. The Braves like him, and if a deal can be worked out, the Rockies might get Martin Prado for him and a prospect. Speaking of prospects, Tim Wheeler’s name has also been mentioned in trade talks. He’s a power-hitting center fielder who showed a lot of improvement this past season at AA Tulsa, where he slugged .900. I’d like to see the Rockies hold onto him, because I think his bat will be valuable in years to come, but he may be just as valuable right now in a deal to bring a more immediate solution to the team. The other player who has received some attention from general managers is closer Huston Street. He can be erratic – he only allowed 10 home runs this season but it seemed like they always came in save situations – but he recorded 29 saves and he does have very good stuff. I’d be in favor of trading him away if a deal could be worked out, since Rafael Betancourt was so terrific closing games for the Rockies in the second half. He’s as bona fide a closer as Street, and since we only need one, that makes Street worthwhile in a deal to bring in someone who might fill a deficit elsewhere.

Moves Already Completed
The Rockies have done very little yet this offseason, besides picking up options (Jason Giambi) and out righting players (Kevin Kouzmanoff, Andrew Brown). Christian Friedrich and Edwar Cabrera were both given spots on the 40-man roster, so they’ll likely appear in spring training. The only free agent the club has signed so far is Brandon Wood, an infielder formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who was given a minor league contract. He will reportedly compete for the third base job, but there’s no telling how soon he’ll get a call-up.

A Rising Star
I would not be surprised in the least to see Nolan Arenado get some big-league time in 2012. He was just named MVP of the Arizona Fall League with an impressive .388/.423/.636 slash line. The interesting thing is that he didn’t lead the league in anything other than hits and doubles, though he finished in the top 3 in nearly every major category. To me this says that he’s a total package as opposed to a player who stands out in a particular way. He plays hard and smart, and is setting his own timetable for call-up to the majors. He’s also very solid defensively at third base (which, as previously discussed, is a trouble spot for the Rockies right now). He might need a little more time in the farm system to be completely ready, but he’s very promising.

Michelle Hoag
http://rockieswoman.com
Follow Michelle on Twitter

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.  

This was a tough year to be a Rockies fan. It wasn’t the team’s worst finish in their history; in fact, it was only their worst since 2005. But in terms of the expectations everyone had for the team going into the season and the end result, there’s never been a bigger disparity. The Rox were plagued with devastating injuries and a shocking trade that gutted the starting rotation, and the offense did not perform anywhere near its potential. However, that’s not to say the season was totally without hope. Numerous young prospects made their debuts in 2011, and they gave us reason to believe things might not be awful forever.

Rotation: D
If there’s a major league rotation that underwent more turmoil in 2011, I don’t know which one that could be. The Rockies were knocked on their backs time and again as Ubaldo Jimenez never got his feet under him and then was traded to the Indians at the end of July, Jorge De La Rosa went out in May for Tommy John surgery, and Juan Nicasio broke his neck after being drilled with a line drive in August. The only members of the rotation who pitched for the Rockies in April and were still with us in September were Jhoulys Chacin and Jason Hammel, and they were both wildly inconsistent all year long. It’s still unclear whether the Jimenez trade paid off, since Alex White had a really hard time adjusting to Coors Field and Drew Pomeranz has only pitched at the major-league level a few times. And Aaron Cook was terrible. The rotation’s ERA, 4.73, was second worst in the NL. So, there really isn’t anywhere to go but up.

Bullpen: B-
The bullpen had some great months and some awful months. Each relief pitcher really shone at one point or another, showing Rockies fans just what might be possible if the rotation could stabilize a bit. Huston Street is losing his luster as a closer, but Rafael Betancourt stepped up in the second half of the season and was almost perfect. As set-up men, Rex Brothers and Matt Lindstrom were solid, though Brothers got better as Lindstrom started to struggle. Matt Belisle recorded 10 wins on the season, more than all but one of our starters, but he tended to come in with men on base and allow them all to score. The pen isn’t perfect yet, but I think it did more than I thought it would do in 2011.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: B+
Chris Iannetta was so underappreciated by manager Jim Tracy this season, and that was criminal. Iannetta’s power numbers aren’t what they should be, but they’re good enough that slotting him in the 8-hole every single day made no sense. His OBP was .370, third best on the team, and he was among the best in plate discipline. He was also great behind the plate, committing just 2 errors all season. I am very pleased with what Iannetta gave us. The back-up position was very transitional, filled by Jose Morales, Matt Pagnozzi, Eliezer Alfonzo, and Wilin Rosario at various times. None measured up to Iannetta.

Infield: C+
Todd Helton had a terrific resurgence this season at first base. What a joy that was to watch. He’s in the twilight of his career, but he gave so much this year, and I hope the young guys were watching. His .385 OBP led the team, and his defense was flawless. All hail the Toddfather.

Troy Tulowitzki wasn’t quite the superstar we were hoping for, but he still performed serviceably, and he’s still undoubtedly the best shortstop in the league. He had his first 30 home run, 100+ RBI season and won another Gold Glove for his unparalleled defense. He needs to work on staying healthy and situational hitting, but if he can improve in those areas he’ll be unstoppable.

The beauty of first and short only highlighted the glaring deficits at second and third. General manager Dan O’Dowd signed Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton in the offseason and hoped they’d play every day, but neither proved up to the task. Wigginton wound up playing all over the field and Lopez was released. Ian Stewart, such a fantastic draft pick, was the biggest disappointment on the entire team. He will likely be back next year, but he’s already had more chances than he’s earned. Chris Nelson played some solid third in his few call-ups, though he didn’t get a very long look at the hot corner. At second, the mid-season acquisition of Mark Ellis was a good call, but he didn’t play consistently enough to make a difference. So for half the infield, a great year; for the other half, forgettable.

Outfield: B+
Any outfield that has Carlos Gonzalez in it is in good shape, though his aggressive play cost him quite a few games. He also struggled offensively in certain patches. Still, he contributed 26 home runs, second best on the team, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be a great asset going forward. Dexter Fowler was most frequently in center field, where his defense was often key. He became much more consistent offensively as the season went on, though his baserunning was just awful. Seth Smith should have been the everyday right fielder, and he did everything he could to show Jim Tracy that. But every time the Rockies faced a left-handed starter, Smith was on the bench. Ryan Spilborghs didn’t deliver on his promise this season, but Charlie Blackmon was a very bright spot when he made his debut in June. Of course, he broke his foot less than a month later and was out for the year. The bottom line on the outfield is that it needs the fewest changes going from 2011 to 2012, and that’s a really good thing.

Top Offensive Player
Even though we wanted more out of him, we still got a lot from Troy Tulowitzki. His .302 batting average, .544 slugging percentage, 30 homers, and 105 RBI carried the team far.

Top Pitcher
At the beginning of the season, there is no way I wouldn’t have singled out a starter as the Rockies’ potential best pitcher for 2011. But the rotation was pretty messy, and the star who emerged was none other than Rafael Betancourt. His 2.89 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings pitched went above and beyond.

Michelle Hoag
http://rockieswoman.com
@RockiesWoman1

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Done Deals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rumors

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update 7:20 PM

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

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

Long before that though, the future Hall of Fame member was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1890. He was a good athlete growing up and quit high school to play for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. He later played in the Northern Association and the Blue Grass League, but still studied to become a dentist.  Obviously, baseball won out and Stengel was chosen by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1911 draft. He appeared in 17 games for the Dodgers in 1912, hitting .316 with one home run and 13 RBI.

Stengel hit .284 in six seasons in Brooklyn (who were known as the Dodgers, Superbas, and Robins during that time; they didn’t become the Dodgers full time until 1931.), and helped lead them to the World Series in 1916. He was 4-11 (.364) in the Series, but the Dodgers lost to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox in four games. His final four seasons were in the tutelage of legendary manager Wilbert Robinson.

In 1918, Stengel was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a deal for another future Hall member, pitcher Burleigh Grimes. Stengel was dealt three more times in his career, to the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Boston Braves. One of his best seasons with the Giants was in 1922 when he hit .368/.436/.564 with 48 RBI in only 84 games. He also went 2-5 in that year’s World Series when the Giants topped the Yankees. One year later, he was on the losing end to the Yankees, but hit .417.

During his time in Pittsburgh, Stengel’s reputation for nutty/funny behavior was best exemplified when his Pirates team visited his old Brooklyn team. The fans booed Stengel mercilessly until he stepped into the batters’ box, doffed his cap, and a bird flew out.

Learn more about “The Old Perfessor” in Milton Richman’s 1957 profile in Baseball Digest. Click here to read all about it!

Stengel retired early in the 1925 season to become player/manager of the Worcester Panthers of the Eastern League. A year later he began a six year stint at the helm of the Toledo Mud Hens of the America Association. (He saw some playing time as well in five of the six years.) Then it was back to the Major Leagues and Brooklyn as a coach for two years before Stengel was named as the Dodgers manager. Unfortunately for Stengel, the Dodgers lacked talent and didn’t finish higher than 5th place before Stengel was fired after the 1936 season.

Stengel got another chance with the Boston Bees/Braves in 1938, but the talent level was no better than in Brooklyn. Boston had four seventh place finishes in Stengel’s first five seasons, but that may not have hurt as much as the broken leg Stengel suffered when a car hit him in April, 1943.  Casey missed 46 games, but the Braves continued their losing ways when he returned, though the  team moved up a notch to sixth place. With the Braves coming under new ownership prior to the 1944 season, Stengel decided to resign, saying he did not want to “embarrass the new stockholders…”.

Stengel’s best days were ahead of him though, as were many more games to manage. After one season running the minor league Milwaukee Brewers he returned to his roots as the skipper of the Kanas City Blues in 1945. Then it was three years at the helm of the Pacific Coast League’s Oakland Oaks before Stengel got the break of a lifetime. The Yankees and manager Bucky Harris agreed to a mutual departure after the 1948 season and Stengel was hired. He would wear the Yankees’ pinstripes and road greys for 12 seasons (Kind of sounds a little like the Joe Torre story, no?).

Stengel became one of the first managers to heavily utilize platooning. He inherited an aging DiMaggio, a young  Mantle, and stalwarts like Berra and Rizzuto. Though he would sometimes clash with veterans and maybe liked the attention he got a little too much, it’s hard to argue with “The Old Perfessor’s” success. 10 pennants and seven world championships, including five straight titles from 1949-1953. He was nearly fired after losing the 1957 World Series to the Milwaukee Braves and then fell behind three games to one to the Braves in the 1958 series. But the Yankees rallied to win three straight games and the Series. Among his memorable moments as Yankees manager was his 1958 anti-trust testimony in front of Congress, in which he had everyone in stitches with his rambling style.

Yankees ownership decided to go in a new direction after the 1960 season and let Stengel go. He would be out of the Majors for one season before accepting a job across town with the expansion New York Mets. The Mets were short on talent so they knew they needed a charismatic figure to help boost attendance. The 71-yr old Stengel was the perfect fit, it didn’t really matter what the Mets did on the field. Good thing too since they lost 120 games that first year and dropped over 100 in the next two seasons as well.

In July, 1965, the 75-yr old manager broke his hip getting out of a car and, on advice from his doctor, retired in August. A year later, the Veteran’s Committee selected Stengel for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Casey is the only person to wear the uniform of all four 20th century teams in New York and both the Mets (1965) and Yankees (1970) retired Casey’s #37.

The baseball world was saddened on September 29, 1975 when Casey Stengel passed away at age 85. He was married to his beloved Edna for 51 years.

Also Born Today:

Clint Hurdle (Big Rapids, MI 1953): Clint Hurdle was a Sports Illustrated cover boy in 1978 and was predicted to be a star in Major League Baseball. Though his time with the KC Royals and three other organizations never lived up to the hype, Hurdle has made a successful career for himself in post-playing days. He’s currently in his first year as manager of the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in the running for a division title for the first time in nearly 20 years. Hurdle previously managed the Colorado Rockies from 2002-2009 and took the team to it’s sole World Series appearance in 2008.

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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.

Aroldis Chapman, 23: The Cuban defector with the triple digit fastball is the most highly anticipated pitcher that baseball has seen in some time. Chapman started in one-third of his 39 minor league appearances (where he struck out 11.8 batters per nine innings) before the Cincinnati Reds recalled him last season, but he’ll strictly be a reliever for now. His 15 appearances in the Majors last season included 19 strikeouts in 13.1 IP. His pitching coach Bryan Price sums it up best:

“You don’t run across guys like this. His potential is off-the-charts in regards of what he physically can be able to do. The essential part of this equation is what he does mentally and emotionally. The way you evaluate all pitchers with great stuff is, where does their mental side of the game allow them to go? Randy Johnson was a wild, hard-throwing left-hander years ago, and he figured it out, and his temperament and mentality allowed him to be a dominant pitcher for a long time. But you have a laundry list of hard-throwing pitchers who struggled with command or haven’t taken the game seriously enough or didn’t have the competitiveness to be great. I don’t think Aroldis lacks any of those.

“He’s athletic, he’s bright, he’s aggressive and he doesn’t back to anybody. The sky is the limit. But time will tell. To say what he can do is unfair to all the guys who have done it and accomplished it. Let’s not reward someone for something they haven’t accomplished yet. But we have to honor the unbelievable talent level the kid has. It’s undeniable.”

Kyle Drabek, 23: The Toronto rookie made the jump from Double-A to the Majors this season and threw five no-hit innings in hist first Major League start against Minnesota. The son of former big league pitcher Doug Drabek, Kyle was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies prior to last season. Drabek is said to be one of the most fit mentally and physically among the current crop of kids and it takes a make up like that to make the jump in levels that he did. Drabek already had a fine reportoire of pitches, but he unveiled a nasty cutter in his start against the Twins. A one time emotional pitcher, Drabek has learned to control his game. His manager John Farrell had this to say about him after a spring training start. “What he showed in his last outing was very good emotional control. He didn’t show the tendency to over throw, he didn’t try to strike everybody out, he still maintained the same approach and I think that speaks volumes to what’s going on inside him. When you combine that harnessing of emotions with the physical abilities, we’ll be very pleased to have go to the mound every five days.”

Jhoulys Chacin, 23: The Colorado Rockies right-hander isn’t a rookie, he made 21 starts last year as part of 28 appearances, but he enters his second season at just 23 years of age. He had a 9-11 record last season despite a 3.28 ERA, a .224 opponents batting average, and 138 strikeouts in 137.1 innings pitched. The native of Venezuela was the 2008 Minor League Pitcher of the Year and put up excellent stats throughout his minor league career. His success has come from a low 90-mph sinker and a deceptive changeup. “From a scouting perspective, Chacin throws five pitches for strikes, including a low 90’s sinking fastball that has powered his GB/FB numbers.  The challenge for Chacin is that while he has generated swings and misses at lower levels, his stuff is not overpowering and if his command departs, it could get ugly in a hurry.”

Zach Britton, 23: The Baltimore Orioles top pitching prospect was expected to make an impact on the O’s rotation this season, just not this early. With another young stud, Brian Matusz, out with a strained oblique, Britton made his Major League debut on Sunday. He picked up the win over Tampa Bay after he threw six innings of 3-hit ball and allowed one earned run. Though he walked three, Britton also struck out six to make his first time out a success. Baseball America’s Jim Callis had Britton rated as the top left-hander in the minor leagues and felt (just as the O’s would) Britton would be best served by starting the season at Triple-A. But then Matusz’s injury came up and the O’s figured why go with anyone else.  ESPN’s Tim Kurkian recently spoke to Buck Showalter about his star of the future. “He (Showalter) likes him (Britton) a lot and not just his stuff. He likes his demeanor on the mound, which is half the battle for a young pitcher. All sorts of young pitchers have great stuff, more than don’t. But it’s the way you command it and the way you use it and react out there. He just looks a little beyond his years.”

Michael Pineda, 22: The Seattle Mariners right-hander struck out 396 batters in 404.1 minor league innings en route to be named the top pitching prospect in the organization. He had a good chance to make the club out of spring training and sealed the deal with an outstanding spring. His manager, Eric Wedge, had this to say after a late March performance by Pineda. “He (Pineda) was outstanding. You’ve seen him be very consistent all spring, but today I think he took it to another level. You look at the way he used his fastball and his secondary stuff was right there for him all day long and he pitched with it. He just really did a great job of commanding the ballgame.” Pineda’s fastball was clocked as high as 98 mph in 2010, which is pretty remarkable consider an elbow injury put a damper on his 2009 season. According to John Sickels, Pineda’s change up still needs work, but he has an effective slider and his command and control is a big plus.  Pineda made his season debut Tuesday night and took the loss despite a quality start.

Jeremy Hellickson, 24 (Apr 8th): The Tampa Bay Rays #5 starter showed what he could do in a short stint with the team last season. The Iowa native went 4-0, 3.47 in 10 appearances (including four starts) with 33 strikeouts and just eight walks in 36.1 innings pitched. Add to that a 12-3, 2.45 season in Triple-A with a 9:2 strikeout to walk ratio and you can see why the organization is excited. The favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year, Hellickson has a low to mid-90′s fastball, a plus curve and a plus changeup. His manager Joe Maddon is definitely a fan. “In spite of how he appears to be, there’s got to be some kind of nervousness going on inside. And I think having done what he did last year is definitely an aid to him mentally. I have a lot of faith in him. We all do.” Hellickson should more than make up for the loss of Matt Garza.

There you have it, just a handful of the pitchers that can have a major impact for their teams this season. Before the year is out Jake McGee (TB), Jordan Walden (LAA), Jenrry Mejia (NYM), Shelby Miller (St. L) and others may join them as the young guns take over.

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.

NL East

Atlanta: Superstar-in-the-making Jason Heyward returned to the Braves’ lineup yesterday after sitting out the the last four games due to a sore back. Heyward saw a specialist on Wednesday for further evaluation. “He told me it’s bone structure vs. muscle or anything like that, nothing to be torn,” said Heyward, who hasn’t played since his back stiffened Saturday in batting practice, a scheduled day off for him. “If I can’t tear anything or do anything worse, I’ll play, and that’s what I told Fredi (Gonzalez).”

Florida: The Marlins may have a makeshift outfield in their lineup on opening day. Another superstar in the making, Mike Stanton, has yet to play in a spring game after injuring his quad in an exhibition game against the U. of Miami. While he has taken some at-bats in minor league games, he’s been replaced by a pinch-runner each time he gets on base. On Thursday, Chris Coghlan was sidelined with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Manager Edwin Rodriguez has not ruled out Coghlan starting the season on the DL.

Free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez was scratched from a Tuesday start due to elbow soreness, but threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and felt fine afterwards. He’s scheduled to start against St. Louis tomorrow. Fellow starter Anibal Sanchez is expected to pitch in Sunday’s game after being out since March 10 after a comebacker bruised his shin. Their potential battery mate, John Baker, is day-to-day with a muscle strain near his right throwing elbow. He can swing the bat, but so far he has been prohibited from throwing.

New York: Things have been rough in Metsville and they may get rougher. Reports surfaced this week that ace Johan Santana was behind schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery. The Mets have denied the report, which specifically stated that Santana’s bullpen sessions were not going as planned. Whatever the case, Santana will be on the DL (as expected) to start the season. Carlos Beltran has been slowed by left knee tendinitis and might start the season on the DL. GM Sandy Alderson is contemplating not having Beltran play any additional spring games so that the DL time can be backdated.

Philadelphia: All-Star 2nd baseman Chase Utley continues to be bothered by patellar tendinitis and chondromalacia in his right knee and sought out assistance from a specialist on Thursday. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is hoping Utley can avoid surgery. “We’re doing everything we possibly can to have him not get into a surgery,” Amaro said. “Until we stop seeing progress, then we’ll continue to exhaust all those possibilities.”

Third baseman Placido Polanco had to leave Wednesday’s game after hyperextending the same elbow he had surgery on in November. He’s expected to be back in the lineup in a few days. Closer Brad Lidge is day-to-day with muscle soreness in his right bicep, but Amaro is not worried since Lidge has already thrown a good number of innings. Finally, prospect Domonic Brown was lost for the season after he broke the hamate bone in his right hand and underwent surgery.

Washington: Chien-Ming Wang continues to try to come back from 2009 shoulder surgery. He’s been limited to a pair of bullpen sessions, including one this past Tuesday, so the Nationals have not been able to set a timetable for his return. 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman strained his groin on Monday and has sat out since. He’s expected to return to action next week and said he would have played had it been during the regular season.

NL Central

Chicago: Angel Guzman will miss the start of the season and won’t be back until mid-April at the earliest, as he recovers from a tear in his throwing shoulder.

Cincinnati: Johnny Cueto had to leave his start last Friday with stiffness in his right bicep, but after having a throwing session yesterday, he’s expected to return to the mound on Saturday.

Houston: Earlier this month, the Astros lost their starting catcher, Juan Castro, for the year with torn ligaments in his knee. Infielder Jeff Keppinger is no longer hampered by the walking boot he’s been wearing since he underwent foot surgery to remove the sesamoid bone in his left foot. He’s hoping to be back in the Astros lineup in mid-May. Wandy Rodriguez, who signed a new deal this winter, has been bothered by shoulder tendinitis and was scratched from his last start. But the right-hander threw a side session this morning and is good to go.

Milwaukee: The Brewers were hoping to get off to a good start with their 1-2-3 punch of Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Yovanni Gallardo, but Greinke injured his ribs playing pick up basketball and is out until mid-April. Outfielder Corey Hart may miss opening day due to a strained rib cage. He took swings off a batting tee on Tuesday, but still doesn’t feel right. ”It’s still not coming as fast as I want it to,” Hart said. “It won’t go away. I still can’t go full-speed on anything. Hitting off the tee is fine, but I can’t amp it up the way I know I can. I can throw, but as soon as I have to do a quick move or let it go, it kills.” Catcher Jonathan Lucroy may or may not be ready to catch on opening day. He’ll undergo surgery on Monday to remove pins that were placed in his hand when he broke his pinky finger during a catching drill back in February.

Pittsburgh: Reliever Joe Beimel has been out since early March with pain in his left forearm, but has been cleared to pitch against the Orioles this coming Monday. Catcher Ryan Doumit has missed a week with a strained oblique, but is expected to be back in the lineup today.

St. Louis: Utility infielder Nick Punto underwent surgery in February for a sports hernia and is out until at least mid-April. The Cardinals’ most devastating injury was, of course, losing starter Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery.

NL West

Arizona: Infielder Geoff Blum will miss a few days with a swollen right knee that he strained earlier in the week.  Zach Duke, who was competing for the #5 spot in the rotation, is out until May after a line drive broke two bones in his pitching hand.

Colorado: Aaron Cook was already starting the season on the DL due to shoulder inflammation, but then slammed and broke his finger in a car door and is out until May. 3rd baseman Ian Stewart is day-to-day with a sprained right knee. Eric Young Jr. is back competing for the utility position after sitting out all spring with a broken tibia.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers were expected to be competitive  because of their starting pitching, but have suffered two injuries already. Jon Garland is out until mid-April with a strained oblique, and Vicente Padilla is lost until late April/early May with forearm surgery.

San Diego: Outfielder Kyle Banks returned from a 10-month absence after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he served as the DH on Monday. He is a certainty to start the season on the DL. Starter Tim Stauffer is still hurting from a strained hip flexor and missed his scheduled start today. He’s listed as day-to- day. Southpaw Joe Thatcher was scheduled to undergo an MRI today on his ailing left shoulder. Thatcher hasn’t appeared in a game this spring and is headed to the DL as well.

San Francisco: Starter Matt Cain returned from a nearly two-week absence caused by elbow inflammation to throw three scoreless innings on Monday. Just like their AL counterparts, the defending NL pennant (and World Series) champions are in good shape to start the season.

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

Starting Rotation

Ubaldo Jimenez entered last season with a 31-28 lifetime won-loss record, but improved on his ERA for three straight seasons (2007-2009), culminating with a 3.47 ERA in 2010. The Rockies knew they had a good pitcher on their hands, but the native of the Dominican Republic was the story of the first half of the 2010 campaign. Jimenez started the season as if he were shot out of a cannon, going 5-0 in April, 5-1 in May, and 5-0 in June. He had an unreal 0.78 ERA after his first 11 starts and stood 14-1, 1.83 when July began. But one game in June seemed to change Jimenez’s season. He waited out an hour and forty-five minute delay to start a game that would be called after six innings. Jimenez was wild that night (5 BB) and was shaky in five of his next seven starts. After winning his 12th game on the rainy night of June 11, Jiminez went 7-7, 4.14 the remainder of the season. The Rockies will need a repeat or near-repeat of his 19-8, 2.88 season if they are to compete this year.

The #2 man in the Rockies rotation got himself a nice new free agent deal this off-season. Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd knew he needed to bring back Jorge de la Rosa, who had won 16 games in 2009. Despite a season in which he only threw 121.2 innings and a career high 5.02 ERA, de la Rosa received a two year, $20.5MM deal with options for 2013-2014. Now he has to return to his form of two years ago, the only season in which he has thrown more than 130 innings.

Jhoulys Chacin was overlooked when the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year voting was announced. Though Buster Posey was clearly the winner, Chacin did not receive a single vote despite an 8-7, 3.28 record. The 6’3″, 215 lb right-hander averaged better than a strikeout per inning and gets a large number of ground outs with his hard sinker.

The key to the Rockies’ season will be their top three starters pitching up to their potential. But what of the back end of the rotation? Jason Hammel is a serviceable right-hander who won 10 games in each of the last two seasons, though his ERA was nearly 5 last season. Veteran Aaron Cook was already slowed down by injuries and was expected to not be ready for opening day. Then he slammed and broke a finger in a car door this past week, and will be out until May.That means that Esmil Rogers, John Maine (coming off shoulder surgery), and long-shot Greg Reynolds (the 2nd overall pick in the 2006 draft) will do battle in spring training for the #5 spot.

Bullpen

Huston Street goes into his third season as the Rockies’ closer after four seasons shutting the door for the Oakland A’s. Trade rumors have followed Street in each of the last two seasons, and though he’s under control through 2013, it would not be surprising to hear them again this year. It hasn’t helped Street’s cause that he’s gotten off to a slow start this spring, and the Rockies acquired fellow closer Matt Lindstrom from the Astros in December.  But Street told the Denver Post’s Troy Renck that he’s more concerned with getting his arm in shape. “Where I screwed up a year ago was going game speed in my first two bullpens. By the fourth day I couldn’t even raise my arm,” Street said. “This year, I am staying on my throwing program and taking care of my shoulder. Anytime you go through something like that, you always have to stay on top of it.”

Lidstrom, Rafael Betancourt, and Matt Belisle give the Rockies depth to  set up Street. Belisle was rewarded with a contract extension for 2012 after having outstanding 2010 season. He appeared in 76 games, pitched to a 2.93 ERA and struck out 91 batters in 92 innings. Franklin Morales is the lefty specialist, and will likely be joined by Felipe Paulino and Matt Reynolds. Veterans Sean White and Claudio Vargas are among those trying to displace one of them.

Infield

1st Base – Todd Helton begins his 15th season in a Rockies uniform, but he’s not the player he once was. One of the best hitters in the game from 1998-2004, age (37) and injuries have caught up to the player who had back-to-back 40-HR, 140-RBI seasons in 2001-2002. Helton can still field his position quite well, though. The Rockies signed free agent utility man Ty Wigginton this off-season, and he should get a good number of at-bats against left-handers.

2nd Base – After seven seasons in Seattle, newly-acquired Jose Lopez takes over the 2nd base spot. After putting up career highs in home runs (25) and RBI (96) in 2009, Lopez slumped badly last season. Perhaps it was the switch over to 3rd base to accomodate free agent Chone Figgins. No matter the cause, Seattle decided that with Lopez eligible for free agency in 2012, it was time to move him.

Shortstop - Troy Tulowitzki wears #2 on his back for a reason. He looked up to Derek Jeter when he was growing up and has now become the Rockies’ version of the New York star. Tulo, when healthy, is among the best players in the game. Despite missing 40 games with a fractured wrist last season, Tulo still managed to hit 27 HR, drove in 95 runs, and batted .315. Tulo’s defense is just as sharp as his offense; he captured his first of what should be many Gold Gloves in 2010.

3rd Base – Ian Stewart will man the hot corner after hitting 18 HR last season in a part-time role he shared last season with Melvin Mora (departed via free agency). The 3rd baseman won’t hit for average, but he does have power and run-producing potential. Wigginton will see at-bats at 3rd base as well.

Outfield – Carlos Gonzalez showed some of his ability in two seasons with Oakland, but it’s doubtful anyone expected him to compete for the Triple Crown as he did in his first year with the Rockies last season. The now-25-yr old won the NL batting title, led the league in hits and total bases, slugged 34 home runs, drove in 117 runs and scored 111 runs. He finished third in the NL MVP balloting, and won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. Now, can he repeat it? Car-Go can also play all three outfield positions. In fact, he played 40 or more games in each spot last season.

Speedy centerfielder Dexter Fowler is an excellent defender, and led the NL with 14 triples last season. The Rockies would like to see him use his speed more efficiently on the bases. He stole 27 bags in 2009, but was thrown out 10 times. Last season he attempted just 21 thefts and was successful 13 times.

Right field may turn into a platoon situation between Seth Smith (left) and Ryan Spilborghs (right), who each brought something to the table last season. Smith struggled in the second half, but still hit 17 home runs in less than 350 at-bats. Spilborghs added 10 home runs and had a .903 OPS at Coors Field. Both will also see some time in left field when Gonzalez moves to center, and Spilborghs will occassionally spell Fowler in the middle.

Catcher – The Rockies are set up for another platoon situation behind home plate between Chris Iannetta and Jose Morales. Miguel Olivo got the bulk of the playing time last season, but hw was dealt away in November. The right-handed hitting Iannetta averaged 17 home runs in part time duty in 2008-2009, and although he hit 9 home runs last year, he batted just .197. Morales, a switch-hitter, was acquired from the Twins in December and has appeared in just 74 big league games. He’s mainly a singles and doubles hitter who has a .286 lifetime batting average in over 2,300 minor league plate appearances. Tracy will be happy if the duo puts up decent numbers and comes close to the defensive job Olivo provided last season.

In January, 2001, Baseball Digest’s John Kuenster profiled Todd Helton’s remarkable 2000 season when he led the NL in nearly every major offensive category.  Click here to read all about it.

Bench – Jason Giambi proved to be a valuable asset in a pinch-hitting role last season, and he will begin his 17th season in the majors. If the stress fracture in Eric Young Jr.’s leg is healed in time for opening day, he’ll likely back up Lopez at 2nd base. Young could be moved, though, since he was linked to the Michael Young trade rumors at one time. The Rockies also have Johnny Herrera, who has the capability of playing all three infield positions, in camp competing for a utility role.

Manager Jim Tracy will try to get the Rockies focused early so they don’t repeat the slow start of the prior two seasons. Edging out the Giants for the division will be tough, but Tracy should keep the team in playoff contention throughout the year.

Front Office – GM Dan O’Dowd has been the general manager of the Rockies since 1999 and has never been known to shy away from trade discussions or walk away from a player (e.g. Jeff Francis). Though he hasn’t been able to complete a deal up to this point, it would not be surprising if O’Dowd eventually landed Texas’ Michael Young to be the team’s full-time 3rd baseman. O’Dowd will also look to improve the back end of the rotation should Cook not get healthy, or if one of the youngsters does not perform up to par. O’Dowd will have to look outside the organization, though, since the Rockies’ top prospects are not ready for prime time (catcher Wilin Rosario could have pressed Iannetta, but he is recovering from ACL surgery).

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

For card collectors, Spring Training also means the best time to get autographs.  There are several reasons for this.  Fans have closer and longer access to the players, less time on the road means more time for responding to fan mail and through the mail requests. (TTM) Also players seem more open and accommodating to autograph requests in the spring.  The last reason coming from personal experience.

Just remember these simple rules when send a TTM request.  Keep your request letter short and simple.  Use “please” and “thank you.”  Only include a maximum of two cards per request to get autographed and ALWAYS include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.  (SASE)

Just use these simple rules and you are bound to see autographs filling up your mailbox this spring!  With that in mind I give you the mailing addresses of the Spring Training facilities of all 30 major league teams.

Spring Training Addresses

Arizona Diamondbacks, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Atlanta Braves, Champion Stadium, 700 S. Victory Lane, Lake Buena Vista, FL 34747

Baltimore Orioles, Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th Street, Sarasota, FL 34237

Boston Red Sox, City of Palms Park, 2201 Edison Ave., Ft. Myers, FL 33901

Chicago Cubs, HoHoKam Park, 1235 N. Center St., Mesa, AZ 85201

Chicago White Sox, Camelback Ranch, 10710 West Camelback Rd., Glendale, AZ 85037

Cincinnati Reds, Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338

Cleveland Indians, Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338

Colorado Rockies, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Detroit Tigers, 2125 North Lake Ave. Lakeland, FL 33805

Florida Marlins, Roger Dean Stadium, 4751 Main St., Jupiter, FL 33458

Houston Astros, Osceola County Stadium, 631 Heritage Park Way, Kissimmee, FL 34744

Kansas City Royals, Surprise Stadium, 15850 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise, AZ 85374

L.A. Angels of Anaheim, Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282

Los Angeles Dodgers, Camelback Ranch, 10710 West Camelback Rd., Glendale, AZ 85037

Milwaukee Brewers, Maryvale Baseball Park, 3600 N. 51st Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85031

Minnesota Twins, Hammond Stadium, 14100 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., Ft. Myers, FL 33912

New York Mets, Digital Domain Park, 525 NW Peacock Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 34986

New York Yankees, George M. Steinbrenner Field, 1 Steinbrenner Dr., Tampa, FL 33614

Oakland Athletics, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix, AZ 85008

Philadelphia Phillies, Bright House Field, 601 Old Coachman Rd., Clearwater, FL 33765

Pittsburgh Pirates, McKechnie Field, 1611 9th Street W., Bradenton, FL 34205

San Diego Padres, Peoria Stadium, 16101 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ 85382

San Francisco Giants, Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Seattle Mariners, Peoria Stadium, 16101 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ 85382

St. Louis Cardinals, Roger Dean Stadium, 4751 Main St., Jupiter, FL 33458

Tampa Bay Rays, Charlotte Sports Park, 2300 El Jobean Rd., Port Charlotte, FL 34948

Texas Rangers, Surprise Stadium, 15850 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise, AZ 85374

Toronto Blue Jays, Dunedin Stadium, 373 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, FL 34698

Washington Nationals, Space Coast Stadium, 5800 Stadium Parkway, Melbourne, FL 32940

Here is one of my favorite quotes that is fitting for this time of year.   “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” – Rogers Hornsby

Until next time, keep collecting, collect for the joy of the hobby and collect for the fan in all of us.

The official card trading site of Baseball Digest.com – Sports Card Forum

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During the SABR Seventh Inning Stretch, author Mark Armour (Joe Cronin: A Life in Baseball) will discuss the 2011 recipients of the Henry Chadwick Award, which was established in November 2009 by SABR to honor the game’s great researchers—historians, statisticians, annalists, and archivists—for their invaluable contributions to making baseball the game that links America’s present with its past.

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In the cleanup spot, Seth Stohs from SethSpeaks.net, will join the show to talk about the upcoming season for the Minnesota Twins, the shape of their farm system, and the outlook for first baseman Justin Morneau.

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Mets outfielder Jason Bay signed a huge contract last season and immediately struggled out of the gate. It didn’t help that the home run hitter had moved to a park with deeper fences either. But the worst came when he hit the outfield wall in Dodger Stadium last summer. A concussion and it’s symptoms followed and Bay’s season was done on July 25. He’s reported to spring training symptom free and is looking forward to a big year. “I just want to get back to the player I know I am,” Bay said yesterday after arriving in camp. “I kind of lost that a little bit last year.”

It’s been a tumultuous off-season for Texas Rangers 3rd baseman Michael Young. Trade rumors came and went, Texas signed free agent 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre and then traded for Mike Napoli to DH, leaving Young wondering what his future held. He then lashed out at management and demanded a trade. Things have settled down now and Young just wants to focus on baseball. ”I’m here to get ready for a baseball season,” Young said during a news conference shortly after his arrival at the Surprise Recreation Campus. ”After all this stuff is done, there’s a season to be played. My job in spring training is to go out and play as well as I possibly can.” You can bet Texas will continue to look for a buyer.

Sources have indicated that Baltimore Orioles reliever Alberto Simon will be cleared of a shooting death that occured in his native Dominican Republic over New Year’s. A ballistics report had shown that the fatal bullet had come from a fun owned by Simon.

Derek Jeter held court over the weekend for the NY media. He talked about his new stance- which is just a subtle change to increase his bat speed. “Right now my mind-set isn’t on ‘well, what’s going to happen if I don’t do my job,’” said Jeter, who is fresh off the worst offensive season of his career. “I think that’s pretty difficult to do. I’ve never prepared for a negative. I think you always have to stay positive and try to do your job.”

Injuries and a bad relationship with Mets manager Jerry Manuel led to John Maine’s exodus from New York. He’ll try to find his game again with the Colorado Rockies.

MLBPA Union head Michael Weiner is hoping Collective Bargaining Agreement talks start sooner rather than later. The current CBA expires in December.

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.

Aaron Cook was born on February 8th 1979 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, but spent his high school years in Ohio. He dominated the high school hitters, and allowed just one home run during his four years.  Coincidentally enough, the only home run he allowed was to the future Boston Red Sox infielder(sometimes outfielder) Kevin Youkilis.  More than a decade later, they’d meet again.

Aaron Cook has spent his entire career with the Colorado Rockies. In an August 2008 issue of Baseball Digest, George Vass wrote about other players who have spent their entire careers with one team. Click here to check it out!

Cook was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round of the 1997 June Amateur Draft from Hamilton High School and spent the better part of five seasons climbing the minor league ranks alongside future MLB players like Chone Figgins, Juan Pierre, Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins. He first reached the big leagues in 2002 and stayed for most of 2003 with the club in the bullpen and making occasional starts.

By August of 2004, Cook had established himself as a solid major league pitcher before experiencing dizziness during a start against the Cincinnati Reds. Doctors discovered he had blood clot in his pitching shoulder and he subsequently missed the rest of the season.  Following surgery and his road to recover, he returned to the mound almost a year later. Down the stretch in 2005, Cook won 7 games and had a 3.67 ERA in 83.1 innings over thirteen starts.

Over the next three seasons, Cook performed well enough to dispel any concerns about his health. He averaged 11 wins with an ERA around 4.10 during 2006-2008. His peak came in 2008 when he had a sub 4.00 ERA and 16 wins.  That same year he threw three scoreless innings in the All-Star Game, his only appearance in the mid summer classic to date.

During the 2007 season, Cook and Youkilis faced off again. In their first official at bat since their high school days, Youkilis hit a grounder back to him. In their second match up on June 17th, 2007, Youkilis roped a double to drive in Julio Lugo in a tight scoreless game.  The run was key, as the Red Sox went on to win 2-1.  Cook struck Youkilis out in his next at bat and finished 1 for 4 against the right handed pitcher.

Cook pitched against the Red Sox again in the 2007 World Series, but didn’t face Youkilis.  He pitched well enough to win, but was on the losing end of a 4-3 series ending Game 4.

With 69 wins in nine seasons with the Rockies, Cook is number one all time for franchise victories. He ranks among the best for many franchise records, trailing only Ubaldo Jimenez in several categories.

Also Born Today:

Walter “Hoot” Evers(b. 1921) played 12 seasons in the big leagues with five different teams. He appeared in one game during the 1941 season before leaving for a four year tour with the military during World War II. He returned in 1946 and played a half season before breaking his ankle.  He recovered by 1947 and had his greatest stretch with the Detroit Tigers from 1948-1950.  He passed away in 1991 at the age of 69.

James “Bug” Holliday(b. 1867) played for the Cincinnati Reds for a decade between 1889 and 1898. His career began in 1885, however, as he became the first player in history to make his major league debut during the postseason.  He played the outfield after the White Stockings needed another player during the World Series against the St. Louis Browns, which ended in a tie. In 2006, more than 100 years later, Mark Kiger of the Oakland Athletics became the second player in history to make his debut during the postseason.

Michael Maher is a senior writer for BaseballDigest.com.  He can be reached at MinorLeagueSpotlight@Gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter @BD_Maher.

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Giants: San Francisco got to celebrate their first championship in 56 years thanks to the young pitching they had developed. Starting pitchers Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner were drafted (all but Sanchez were first round picks) and developed by the Giants farm system.  Now the Giants can turn their attention to developing some offense- 1st baseman Brandon Belt is the top prospect in the organization. Belt was actually a three time draftee. He passed on the Red Sox (11th round) in 2006 and the Braves (11th round) in 2007. It took a 5th round selection by the Giants in 2009 for Belt to leave the University of Texas and sign a major league contract. Last season he played at three different levels of the minors, including 13 games at Triple-A.  Combined he posted a 1.056 OPS, belted 23 home runs and drove in 112 runs. He also stole 22 bases and drew 93 walks. He will need to keep his strikeouts under control, though 99 whiffs isn’t bad considering the numbers he put up.

Baseball analyst John Sickels had this to say about Belt, ranked as the 26th prospect in baseball by MLB.com, “One of Belt’s advantages is that he has an uncanny way of keeping his bat in the zone for pitches, making him able to turn on fastballs but do a good job of hitting the other way. His speed is not going to be a big part of his game. He himself said that when pitchers start getting wise, the stolen bases will stop.”

Belt will begin the season in Triple-A after destroying Single- and Double-A pitching. He won’t join the Giants until 2012 unless injuries should strike or Aubrey Huff struggles, or the Giants perform poorly, which is not likely to happen.

Dodgers: Current LA shortsop Rafael Furcal is always a stolen base threat and has a little bit of pop to boot (though not as much as when he played for the Braves). His eventual replacement looks to be even more of a threat on the bases and still has time to develop some power. But right now Devaris “Dee” Gordon is content to be a table setter and base thief. Since being drafted in the fourth round out of Seminole (FL) Community College in 2008, Gordon has played at one level in each of his three seasons in the minors. He swiped 73 bases in ‘A’ ball in 2009, posting a .362 OPS.  His number dropped last season at Double-A Chattanooga, but he still got on base at a .332 clip and stole 53 bags.All told, Gordon has swiped 144 bases in 194 attempts (74%) in his three seasons in the minors. He’s ranked 44th on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospect list.

The son of former big league pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon didn’t start playing baseball until his senior year of high school and at times it shows. But new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had this time say about him. “He reminds me of a young [Omar] Vizquel. You look at him and think you can knock the bat out of his hands, but he just gets better and better. You see the tools, but he has to go out and play and continue to get better so he’ll be ready to play when he gets here.” With the guaranteed portion of Furcal’s deal up after the 2011 season, Mattingly could very well be managing Gordon next year.

Rockies: Colorado set a club record ($3.9M) to sign high schooler Tyler Matzek, their first round pick (11th overall) in the 2009 draft. The two sides didn’t come to term until mid-August so Matzek didn’t make his professional debut untl 2010. Playing for Asheville (SAL), Matzek struck out 88 batters in 89.1 innings while posting a 2.92 ERA. On the downside he walked 62 hitters, walked four more, threw seven wild pitches, and committed three balks. In other words, Matzek’s season was the life of a young pitcher in a nutshell.

Rockies player development director Marc Gustafson had this to stay about his prospect: “He can get up to 97 mph on his fastball, but his comfort zone is 92-93. With the slider, curve and changeup that he has, those can complement his fastball. He doesn’t need all that velocity, but he can go get it if he needs it.”  Scouts like Matzek’s mound presence and feel he has the make up to be a legitimate major league starter. MLB.com’s #33 prospect will start the year in Double-A Modesto of the California League.

Padres: San Diego’s top prospect wasn’t even in their system when the 2010 season ended, but Casey Kelly was part of the package sent to the left coast by Boston to acquire 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez in December. Kelly was the 30th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, plucked out of Sarasota (FL) High School. This past year was the first full season in the minors as a pitcher for Kelly, who strictly played shortsop in 2008 and split his time between the two positions in 2009. He had previously put up solid pitching numbers between ‘A’ and advanced-’A’ ball, but regressed a bit last year at Double-A Portland as his full focus was on pitching.

Kelly throws his fastball consistently in the low 90′s and he can reach the mid 90′s as well. The command of his fastball and curve is something he needs to work on, but scouts are impressed with his changeup and his composure on the mound. It’s why he’s been projected as a top of the rotation starter. The destination for the #22 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com, will be determined during spring training.  The thinking here is that the Padres won’t be as aggressive with Kelly as the Red Sox were and will have him start the season once again in Double-A at their affiliate in San Antonio.

Diamondbacks: Despite missing all of the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Jarrod Parker finds himself in the #1 position among Arizona’s prospects. Parker made 16 of his 20 starts at Double-A in 2009, putting up very respectable numbers, including 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The former 9th pick in the 2007 amateur draft (Norwell HS in Indiana), had four pitches he could throw for strikes prior to having surgery. Whether he can still hit his targets remains to be seen.

Parker’s surgery and rehab have gone well. He threw in some instructional league games in the fall and  began bullpen sessions in late Janaury.  Diamondbacks’ GM Jerry DiPoto told Paolo Bovin of the Arizona Republic, “We do want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for his future. We’ll bring him along a little more slowly than would normally be the case, but . . . “.  By not finishing his thought, DiPoto intimated that if Parker is healthy the team might be a little more aggressive than originally planned. That being said Parker will most likely pick up where he left off in Double-A Mobile.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

In case you missed it over the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles came to terms with Vladimir Guerrero on a one year, $8M deal ($3M of which is deferred). The O’s were hoping to pay about half of that, but Guerrero’s representatives won out in the end.  Francisco Liriano and the Twins avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $4.3M contract.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are at a standstill in discussing a new contract.

Former Pirate pitcher Ian Snell has inked a minor league deal with the Cardinals that includes an invite to the big league camp.

Talks broke down between the Rockies and Rangers regarding Michael Young, but the Rangers still expect to deal the 3rd baseman within the next few weeks. How much of Young’s contract the Rangers are willing to pick up will help determine how quickly a deal gets done. The Rockies wanted Texas to pay out $20M of the $48M owed Young.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo hears the Red Sox are interested in former Yankee reliever/spot starter Alfredo Aceves.

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.

Alan Embree was born on January 23rd, 1970 in The Dalles, Oregon. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 1989 Amateur Draft. His professional career began as a starting pitcher and after two successful years in the minor leagues, was given a shot with four starts with the Indians during the 1992 season.  In his first start, he allowed a home run to to Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.  His 7.00 ERA during his cup coffee resulted in a return to the minor leagues for the 1993 season.  He sustained a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entire ’93 season aside from one appearance.

Following a sub par performance as a starter in 1994, Embree began the transition to a relief pitcher. With a 0.89 ERA out of the bullpen in 1995, he was summoned to the big leagues in July of that year. Though his ERA was north of 5.00 for in both 1995 and 1996, Embree had reached the big leagues for good. Embree helped the Cleveland Indians to the postseason during the late 1990′s, pitching in the 1995 World Series against the Atlanta Braves.

Prior to the 1997 season, Alan Embree was included in the trade that sent Kenny Lofton to the Atlanta Braves for David Justice. The trade was the first of several in Embree’s future, and he thrived while pitching with the Braves.  He had a 2.54 ERA and made one appearance in the 1997 National League Championship Series.

Between 1997 and 2002, Embree had an ERA of 4.09 with six different teams.  During this time he was traded four times and reached the postseason for the fourth time in his career with the 2000 San Francisco Giants.  The June 26, 2002 trade from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox for two minor leaguers proved to be a key pickup for the Red Sox.

Alan Embree’s longest tenure with any team was the four seasons he spent with the Boston Red Sox. Though the team missed the 2002 playoffs with a 93 win season, Embree maintained a sub 3.00 ERA down the stretch.  Despite a season ERA above 4.00 in 2003, Embree was pivotal to the Red Sox postseason run with an impressive September, allowing just 3 runs in 15 appearances. In 8 games through the 2003 ALDS and ALCS, Embree didn’t allow a single run.  He improved upon his game in 2004, maintaining a sub 4.00 ERA through the middle summer months and a sub 3.00 ERA during the final month of the season. His postseason dominance continued, as he allowed just 2 runs in 11 appearances over the three series.  He may be best remembered for being on the mound when the Red Sox completed their improbably come from behind series victory over the New York Yankees.

Alan Embree played a role in altering the Red Sox – Yankees Rivalry forever, Jeff Stone wrote about the historic rivalry in a July 2004 issue of Baseball Digest. Click here to read the article!

Embree started the 2005 season with the Red Sox, but struggled mightily.  For the first time since his 2001 season, his ERA was nearly 8.00. The Red Sox released the World Series hero in July of that year and he was picked up by the New York Yankees less than two weeks later.  He was unable to shake his struggles and became a free agent at the end of the season.  He returned to the San Diego Padres for the 2006 season and drastically improved his numbers. His 3.27 ERA was the lowest of his career since 2002.   He spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Oakland Athletics and notched 17 saves in his first career stint as an every day closer, filling in for the injured Houston Street.

Embree’s final season in the big leagues was with the 2009 Colorado Rockies. In an interesting twist, Embree had a better ERA at home(4.91) compared to his road games(7.20).  Prior to the 2010 season, Embree signed with the Boston Red Sox. He had a brief stint with the Pawtucket Red Sox and was even called up to the big leagues, but never appeared in a game.  Released by the Red Sox on May 1st, he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox.  He struggled in eight games, and was not recalled by the team.  He is currently a free agent as the 2011 season approaches.

Also Celebrating A Birthday Today:

Mark Wohlers, born on January 23rd 1970, played 12 seasons in the big leagues and may be best remembered for his 9 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.  He allowed a pivotal home run to New York Yankees’ Jim Leyritz in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series.  Wohler’s battled control problems towards the end of his career, leading observers to diagnose him with baseball’s “Steve Blass Disease“.

Kurt Bevacqua, born in 1947, was primarily a back up with six teams over 15 seasons. He may be best remembered for his game winning home run in Game 2 of the 1984 World Series against the Kansas City Royals while a member of the San Diego Padres.

Frank Sullivan, born in 1930, played eleven seasons in the big league, mostly with the Boston Red Sox. He was a two time All-Star while with Boston and won at least 13 games between 1954 and 1958. He led the American League in victories with 18 in 1955. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.

Michael Maher is a Content Editor and contributing writer for BaseballDigest.com.  He can be reached at MinorLeagueSpotlight@Gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter @BD_Maher.

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Ubaldo Jiménez was signed by the Colorado Rockies as  a 17 year old amateur free agent in 2001 and after a brief struggle during his first year as a professional, he began to climb the ranks of the minor leagues.  Though he spent more than five seasons in the minor leagues, Jiménez was just 22 years old when he made his major league debut on September 26, 2006.  By July of 2007, Jiménez was inserted into the rotation where he has remained since.

In September of 2007, Jiménez put his name in the records forever as Barry Bonds crushed a pitch from the rookie that turned out to be Bonds’ 762nd and final career home run.  Despite his early connection to Bonds and playing in a homer friendly ballpark, he has ranked among the top 6 for fewest home runs allowed per nine innings in the National League over the last three seasons.

2008 was Ubaldo Jiménez’s first full season in the big leagues, and he responded with just the 6th sub 4.00 Earned Run Average season in Rockies history while leading the NL with 34 starts.  Entering the 2011 season, he now holds three of the nine sub 4.00 ERA seasons in the team history.

Though Jiménez has just three full seasons under his belt, he has already set a new standard for pitching in Colorado, quieting proving that it is possible to succeed at Coors Field. He currently holds the all-time franchise lead in career ERA, WHIP and WAR for pitchers.  If he continues his upward trend, Jiménez will soon become the franchise leader in most of the pitching categories. He displayed his dominance during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, when he struck out 10 of 13 batters he faced while pitching for the Dominican Republic.

Unlike Ubaldo Jiménez’s career numbers, pitchers have long struggled in Colorado.  In a June Baseball Digest article in 1998, Mike Klis of the Denver Post wrote about Darryl Kile’s decision to embrace the challenge by signing with the Rockies prior to the 1998 season. Click here to check it out!

Early in the 2010 season, Jiménez offered a glimpse into what fans can expect as he enters the prime of his career. In the third start of the seasons, Jiménez threw the first no hitter in team history in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.  He continued his scoreless inning streak in April, keeping the offense scoreless for three starts and more than 25 innings.  He ran off another stretch of holding hitters scoreless when he threw 33 scoreless innings in May.  For such a hot start, Jiménez was named the National League Player of The Month for both April and May, the first pitcher named for April and May since Pedro Martinez in 1999.  He was also selected to his first All Star Game, and made the start for the NL squad.

Ubaldo Jiménez finished the 2010 season with 19 wins and a 2.88 ERA, the highest win total in a single season for the franchise and the lowest ERA for a Rockies pitcher since Marvin Freeman’s 2.80 ERA in 1994.  With the 2011 Spring Training less than a month away, there’s no doubt we’ll continue to hear about the future of Ubaldo Jiménez.

Also Celebrating A Birthday Today:

Chone Figgins, born in 1978, has played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners during his nine years in the major leagues.  During his career, he has reached the postseason six times and has swiped 322 bases.  Figgins is currently the Angels’ franchise leader in stolen bases and ranks among the top ten in many more categories.

Mike Caldwell, born on January 22 1969, spent the majority of his 14 big league seasons with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers. He may be best remembered for his runner up finish to Ron Guidry for the 1978 American League Cy Young Award.

Michael Maher is a Content Editor and contributing writer for BaseballDigest.com.  He can be reached at MinorLeagueSpotlight@Gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter @BD_Maher.

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I left my pine tar in San Francisco: The Giants did lose a veteran on the left side of the infield- Juan Uribe, who departed for the Dodgers, and could lose a second in Edgar Renteria. GM Brian Sabean went low price/veteran shopping as a replacement and signed Miguel Tejada, who split last season between Baltimore and San Diego. Sabean’s biggest move was re-signing 1st baseman Aubrey Huff, who helped energize the team on and off the field. The Giants also re-signed outfielder Pat Burrell and took a risk by signing Dontrelle Willis to a minor league deal. Now if they can get Brian Wilson to lose that beard.

Welcome to Divorce Court: On this week’s episode the McCourts continue their battle over ownership of this long storied franchise while first year manager Don Mattingly waits to see who gets custody. In addition to Uribe, GM Ned Colletti made a shrewd move in signing veteran starter Jon Garland to a one year, $5M deal. Another good signing was steady set up man Matt Guerrier. With Russell Martin departing for the Yankees, the Dodgers kept Rod Barajas and brought back former Dodger Dioner Navarro. The team also re-signed starters Vincente Padilla and Hiroki Kuroda, and outfielder Jay Gibbons. Colletti also inked Tony Gwynn Jr. for some outfield depth.

Won’t you take me to Friar town: The Padres spent 131 days in first place last season, but September 25th was the final time as the team swooned down the stretch. The Padres made one of the biggest splashes at the winter meetings, dealing stud 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for four prospects. Time will tell if the move was a good one, but the Padres did know they wouldn’t be able to re-sign Gonzalez when he became a free agent after the 2011 season. The Padres have been one of the busiest teams this off-season. They re-made their infield with a trade for shortsop Jason Barlett , and inked 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson and outfielder/1B Brad Hawpe to free agent deals. They also dealt for centerfield prospect Cameron Maybin who may be getting his final chance to prove himself at the major league level. The Pads added starter Aaron Harang and swingman Dustin Moseley through free agency. In addition to Gonzalez, gone are Garland, Gwynn, catcher Yorvit Torrealba (TEX), relievers Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb (Maybin deal), starters Kevin Correia (PIT) and Chris Young (team declined option), and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs.

Like a Rock: Colorado made a late surge under replacement manager Jim Tracey to make the playoffs in 2009 and for a time it looked like they would repeat that feat in 2010. The club brought back starter Jorge De La Rosa with a two year deal, but parted ways with long time Rockie Jeff Francis.  The team also got younger by saying good bye to 3rd baseman Melvin Mora, 2nd baseman Kaz Matsui, who returned to Japan, and reliever Octavio Dotel. 1st baseman Jason Giambi will most likely also join the list. To replace Mora the team acquired Jose Lopez from Seattle and also signed versatile infielder Ty Wiggington via free agency.

Last and Least: The Diamondbacks have fallen a long way since their World Series title in 2001. The team won just 70 games in 2009, firing manager Bob Melvin in the process. They followed that up with a 65 win season in 2010, which cost Melvin’s replacement, A.J. Hinch, his job as well. Interim manager Kirk Gibson didn’t have a much better record than Hinch in the 83 games he had to work with, but he’ll get to start from scratch this year. The Dbacks dealt away home run hitting/baseball whiffing 3rd baseman Mark Reynolds to the Orioles and got a good prospect in starter David Hernandez in return (along with pitcher Kam Mickolio). AZ also made a low risk deal in acquiring one time prospect Zach Duke from the Pirates for a PTBNL. Reliever J.J. Putz was given a two year deal to be the new closer and Mora and Geoff Blum were signed to take over Reynolds’ spot. Xavier Nady was also inked to play 1st base. Veteran catcher Henry Blanco was signed to work with the young pitching staff.  Gone are pitcher D.J. Carassco (NYM) and 1st baseman Adam LaRoche.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

SI’s Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox are looking to strengthen their bullpen even further and are considering a run at Brian Fuentes.

The Orioles are talking contract with Kevin Gregg to become their new closer.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  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.

Kile broke into Major League Baseball in 1991, four years after being drafted by the Houston Astros.  Over the next seven years for the Houston Astros, he would be an up and down pitcher, winning as many as 15 games and losing as many as 12 while pitching for the franchise.  He would compile a respectable 3.79 earned run average during his time in Houston.  A ground ball pitcher with a dominant curveball, he would parlay his career 71-65 record for Houston into a multi-year, high dollar contract with the Colorado Rockies.

Kile was profiled in the June, 1998 issue of Baseball Digest in an article by Mike Klis.  You can read that story by clicking here.

The Rockies quickly learned that curveball pitchers do not always work out in the thin air of Colorado as Kile experienced his worst two years of his career.  His two year stint with the Rockies would mark the only team that he would post a losing record for, going 21-30 with a horrendous 5.84 earned run average.  The Rockies quickly looked for a way to rid themselves of a cumbersome contract and looked for some young players in return.  In a seven player deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Rockies sent Kile and his inefficiency away.  The Cardinals landed the player that would become a mentor and a staff ace.

The first season (2000) that Kile would wear the birds-on-the-bat, he would win 20 games and obtain his third All-Star Game appearance.  He would follow that season with a 16 win showing in 2001 and begin to become known as a mentor to young pitchers on the staff, none more than Matt Morris.  Morris would become the perfect protege in 2001, winning 22 games behind Kile.

On June 22, 2002, a tearful Joe Giradi, then catcher for the Chicago Cubs, would address the crowd at Wrigley Field during an unexplained delay.  He would tell the crowd, “I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has canceled the game today. Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals’ family.” Later that day, reports would surface that Darryl Kile had been found dead in his hotel room.  Detailed reports later would officially diagnose the cause of death as a heart attack.

The Cardinals, Rockies and Astros display “DK 57″ signs in their ballparks to this day.  The Cardinals and Astros give an award annually to a player that displays the traits of  “a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man.”  He is survived by his wife, Flynn, and his three children, Sierra, Kannon and Ryder.

Other Players Born on December 2:
Julio Cruz, the speedy second-baseman for the Mariners and White Sox was born December 2, 1954.  He would go on to steal 343 bases in his career.

Current free agent outfielder/first-baseman Mark Kotsay, who has spent time with the Athletics, Marlins, Padres, White Sox, Braves and Red Sox, was born on December 2, 1975.

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.