Verlander received all 28 first place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to defeat second place finisher Jered Weaver (LAA) by 63 points. James Shields (TB), CC Sabathia (NYY), and Jose Valverde (DET) rounded out the top five in the voting.

The 28-yr old right-hander’s season also included a no-hitter on May 5 versus the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the second no-no of his six year career. He topped double figures in strikeouts four times, including a season high 14 against Arizona on June 25, and averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings (second only to the 10.1 he averaged in 2009).

Verlander will most certainly garner a number of MVP votes when the BBWAA announces the results next Monday, Nov. 21. He’ll face stiff competition though from the likes of Curtis Granderson (NYY), Jose Bautista (TOR), Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), and others. (My vote goes to Granderson). 

MLB.com’s Ian Browne takes a look at the AL MVP race and Verlander’s chances. Click here to read all about it.

Here’s the complete AL Cy Young voting: 

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.

A ball signed by Ruth and other members of the 1928 World Series champions, wire-to-wire winners who validated what essentially the same squad had accomplished the year before, is one of the highlights among the 400+ pieces available.  Slices of bricks from the Monument Park “retired numbers”  of Ruth and Gehrig, authentic bats and ball signed by DiMaggio and Mantle and game-used items by Jeter and Rivera in their record-setting games are also among the more interesting pieces.

There is even a full, game-used uniform of David Price, the Tampa Bay Rays hurler who surrendered Jeter’s 3,000th hit, for bidders looking for a less glamorous piece of history, but valuable in its own right.

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.

Now that Sandman has entered the record books by eclipsing Trevor Hoffman’s previous mark of 601 saves, Steiner has created a series of memorabilia to mark the occasion, complete with a Mariano logo, an etching of the hurler in pitching motion. The Yankee icon and sure-fire Hall of Famer amazingly recorded all of the saves with the same team – the New York Yankees. The collection will include: hand-signed photographs from the monumental achievement against the Twins at Yankee Stadium, dated September 19, 2011; a plaque with featuring a capsule of dirt taken from the Stadium mound; replica lineup card plaque featuring an actual game ticket; game used mound, bases and home plate; a 14×18 Timeline collage; signed jerseys and cleats.

Steiner is offering 3,602 hand-signed baseballs with the 602 Record logo for $199, which is $200 less than the customary Rivera autographed baseball price.  In addition, collectors who purchase the ball will also receive a Stadium dirt capsule valued at $30.

“Mariano wanted as many fans as possible to participate in the collection,” said Steiner Sports founder and CEO Brandon Steiner.

Steiner Sports will also handle all Rivera licensed product which will be announced shortly.  For more information on the special offer or to order, fans can visit www.steinersports.com or call 800-759-7267.

“Mariano Rivera is a mega superstar,” added Steiner. “He is one of the five most popular players right now, and the record really hasn’t sunk in. We have a great pulse on the fans and collectors.  It’s right there with the Jeter milestone. The respect level for Mo is at the highest level. Everyone who is a fan of the game, who watches the game, or is in the game thinks he is the best in the game.  Off the field, it speaks even louder: Mo is an unbelievable family guy who is involved in the community, and a great teammate. His actions speak louder than words and louder than endorsements.”

The Mariano Rivera Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 by Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara.  Its mission is to help children grow and develop in communities where these seemingly simple goals are a challenge.  Over the years the foundation has provided scholarships, sponsored youth centers, as well as implemented educational programs in several churches.

During the 1995 season, the New York Yankees had made the playoffs as the first American League Wild Card winner, however, Rivera did not play a part in getting there. The then 25-year-old rode the bench, receiving rare chances while not taking advantage of the times he did.

His 5.51 ERA said it best — he was a failed starter, one who underwent elbow surgery just three years prior. Being sent to the bullpen was said to be his last chance or in his case, the place where he belonged.

He almost never had the chance to prove it.

There were trade rumblings that the Yankees were going to acquire a veteran shortstop and the price was parting with Rivera. However, the Yankees decided not to go ahead with the trade, a decision that would change the franchise’s fate over the next decade.

After the divisional round loss to the Seattle Mariners, Yankees management showed then manager Buck Showalter the door and hired a perennial loser named Joe Torre. Torre did not know it at the time, but the last member of his bullpen — the long man — was special.

Rivera would be called on to pitch in situations the starter faltered early, and Torre expected him to hold the fort. He did just that and soon pitched his way into a more prominent position, the role of the set-up man for closer John Wetteland.

The 1996 campaign was the debut of a formula, one that soon witnessed Wetteland being supplanted by Rivera the very next season. From then on, it’s history.

From the 1997 season to the present day, Rivera has been the best closer in all of baseball, a weapon no other team could match late in games. However, what is it that sets Rivera apart from the rest?

Simply put, Rivera changed the game of baseball like great pitchers before him. Bruce Sutter was also a struggling starter, one who was banished to the bullpen, but while there he developed a pitch that would change his career and many after him.

The pitch: a splitter. Sutter used the splitter to record 300 saves en route to a Hall of Fame career. The splitter helped pitchers lengthen their careers, most notably Roger Clemens. Rivera and his cutter have down the same.

The cutter is now an essential pitch to any pitcher’s repertoire. A fastball that moves at the very last second, darting away from the barrel of the bat and recording outs.

It can be argued that Rivera also made the Yankees. Many credit Derek Jeter and his clutch play during the playoffs as reasons they now have 27 World Series Championship flags lining their stadium, but would they have them without Rivera?

The answer is a resounding no.

Rivera’s dominance in the postseason has been well-documented and is stuff of legend. Elite players pick up their game when everything is on the line and his 0.71 ERA in 94 postseason appearances says everything.

When the final three outs needed to be recorded, Rivera is as close to unhittable in the playoffs as one can be. Being named the MVP of multiple playoff rounds shows the impact he can have.

When “Enter Sandman” blares over the speakers, 54,000 people erupt and the opposing dugout lets out a collective groan.

Rivera gives the Yankees a psychological edge, representing an aura of invincibility.

As Rivera recorded his historic 602nd save, one must realize his significance to the Yankees success. Without Rivera, the Yankees dynasty may never have been realized.

When he decides to retire, it will be a dark day for Yankee fans. Until then, sit back and watch history play itself in front of you, one pitch, one strike and one out at a time.

There will never be another like him. Enjoy his brilliance while you can.

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

Austin Romine – New York Yankees – The common belief was that Austin Romine should be out of Double-A where he’d spent 2010 and 2011. But Jesus Montero was blocking him at Triple-A Scranton. Montero got an anticipated call to the Bronx. Romine got an unanticipated call to the Bronx. After finally getting a promotion to Scranton on the final day of the Trenton Thunder’s home schedule, the reaction was that at least he’d get some Triple-A at-bats. But September 12th. he arrived at Yankee Stadium and made his major league debut. His first experience in Yankees pinstripes was catching Mariano Rivera’s 599th save. Romine isn’t the exciting bat that Montero is. What he has is a toolbox of skills that he has quietly developed over the past two seasons at Trenton. Those skills need even more polishing, and by getting behind the plate in the playoffs, he would get to improve upon an already excellent ability at his position. He gives the Yankees options. And he gets to show the Yankees (and fans) why he should be the catcher of the future.

Justin De Fratus- Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies bullpen is a weakness on a team that is being called the best in franchise history. Post-season baseball requires the services of the bullpen more than any other time of the season. Justin De Fratus arm could be immensely helpful to a pen that, like any, is feeling the wear and tear of the season. De Fratus split his time between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, finishing with a 2.99 ERA in 75 innings pitched.

Leonys Martin – Texas Rangers – His inspiring story has made the rounds and made his debut all the more special among this pack. Martin defected from Cuba and began the pursuit of his baseball dream. The twenty-three year old fully earned his call-up, hitting .348 at the time for Double-A Frisco. The outfielder is getting his opportunity due to Nelson Cruz going on the DL, but it would be a shock not to see him remain on the roster for post-season play.

Jacob Turner – Detroit Tigers – The Tigers 2009 first round pick has certainly made a fast trip to the majors. And he’s put a heck of a lot of work in during a short period. His first professional season in 2010 ended with a 3.28 ERA in 115 innings combined for Class-A West Michigan and Advanced-A Lakeland. He began 2011 at Double-A Erie, but ended it at Triple-A Toledo. Turner threw 131 innings, struck out a career-high 110 batters, and posted a 3.44 ERA. The Tigers plans appear to include him in the post-season, despite a rough start to begin his major league career. Turner has 9 innings under his belt, with a 7.45 ERA in two games. After all he’s accomplished so far, there’s no reason to count him out.

This season has certainly had its share of surprises: the Diamondbacks dominance in the west, Adam Dunn’s struggles just to get a glimpse of the Mendoza line and Jose Bautista proving that 2010 wasn’t a fluke, just to name a few.  On the other hand, some things have gone as expected: The Yankees and Red Sox will make the postseason, Mariano Rivera is still a dominant closer and Ozzie Guillen’s anger management classes haven’t had much of an effect, just to name a few.  Least surprising of all, though, may be the performance of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Most preseason predictions had the Phillies winning the NL East and it was easy to see why.  The group of starting pitchers was given all sorts of nicknames before even showing up to spring training.  The last time this happened was with the 1995 Mets and Generation K (which we all know didn’t go so well).  The question never seemed to be “would they win” but “how many would they win”.  So it’s easy to understand the lack of noise surrounding the team’s success so far this year.  A situation living up to expectations is rarely newsworthy.  What is surprising, however, is how little noise is being made about how good this team has actually been.

For starters (pun unfortunately intended), four members of the Phillies rotation boast ERA’s under 3 (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Vance Worley).  Halladay and Lee have also amassed over 200 strikeouts already.  Worley is 11-1 with a 2.85 ERA and he’s just a rookie.  Hamels is 14-7 with a 2.60 ERA and also has a WHIP under 1, yet he’s almost an after-thought…a very dangerous after-thought.  So even though veteran Roy Oswalt may not have lived up to what some had hoped for him, the team doesn’t seem to be all that affected.

The bullpen, a seemingly weak area for the Phillies coming into this season, has found a couple truly dependable arms.  Ryan Madson has been an effective closer, saving 29 of his 31 opportunities (through Friday, September 9).  Meanwhile, lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo has gone from specialist to just plain special in his first full major league season.  Bastardo has an ERA under 2, a 0.81 WHIP, 66 K’s in 54.1 innings and has kept opponents to a .119 batting average.

The Phillies are on their way to the best record in franchise history.  After Friday night’s win (their 5th straight) the Phillies have 93 wins, 8 short of the franchise best 101 (1976 & 1977) and there are still 21 games to go.  In other words, the Phillies have never been this dominant in the franchise’s 122 seasons (129 if you include their time as the Philadelphia Quakers).

Perhaps what’s most impressive about this accomplishment is that they’ve done it when virtually every offensive player (not named Shane Victorino) is having an down season.  Furthermore, many important pieces of this team have spent significant time on the disabled list at various points in the season.  Still, the Phillies have been able to sustain their dominance since April.  Credit their pitching.  Credit their manager, Charlie Manuel.  Credit their GM, Ruben Amaro, for making some key moves prior to, and during, the season.  Really though, credit the team as a whole, as they find ways to win on a daily basis.

Once October begins, the Phillies regular season accomplishments will cease to mean a whole lot.  Many teams have coasted through the regular season only to make a quick trip back home to join their lesser counterparts.  All season long though, something special has been going on in Philadelphia and it shouldn’t be ignored.

Around the Division:

Atlanta Braves -  Brandon Beachy’s 142 strikeouts give him the most ever by a Braves rookie pitcher.  Jair Jurrjens was the previous record-holder with 139 K’s in 2008.  More impressively, rookie closer Craig Kimbrel notched his 41st save on 8/31, breaking Neftali Feliz’s record (40) set just last season, for most saves by a rookie.

New York Mets - Johan Santana is getting closer to making an appearance for the Mets this season, just to prove to fans that he does still exist.  Second-year first baseman Ike Davis will not need ankle surgery after all, however Jay Horwitz, the team’s long standing VP of Media Relations, is out indefinitely with a broken ankle of his own (and that WILL require surgery).  Horwitz has been the Mets PR guy for over 30 years, has only missed 3 games during that time and hadn’t missed a game in 21 years.

Washington Nationals - On September 3, rookie Tom Milone became the first pitcher to hit a home run on the first major league pitch he faced since Adam Wainwright did it for the Cardinals in 2006.  Stephen Strasburg looked sensational in dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first major league start since last year’s Tommy John surgery.  Strasburg’s next start is Sunday, 9/11 against the Astros.

Florida Marlins - Hanley Ramirez will be out for the remainder of the season, closing the books on the young shortstop’s most disappointing season to date.  Ramirez will have surgery next week.  According to Larry Beinfest, the Marlins president of Baseball Operations, the surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews and will start out as arthroscopic surgery with a possibility that open surgery will be necessary.  Ramirez’s recovery time will depend on the type of surgery he ends up having.

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

There’s slightly less hair on top of the head, but his body looks the same, even after 16 seasons in the Major Leagues. He doesn’t hit 98 on the radar anymore, but he hasn’t needed to since the late 90′s. He still hasn’t developed a second pitch. And, you would think that he is nearing the end. Actually, he has been nearing the end for the past five years. Most 41 year olds are finishing up careers. But, it seems like Mariano Rivera just continues on. The role of the closer has evolved over the years, going from a time when a Sparky Lyle would come in during the fourth inning to save a playoff game to the one inning assassins that mark today’s game. And yet, even in that more limited, modern role, Mariano Rivera has done the job better than anyone ever has. It is no longer a question of whether or not he is the best of all time. It is now whether or not relievers, even relievers enshrined in Cooperstown, measure up to Rivera. The answer is no.

Mariano Rivera’s career is atypical, even when compared to the legendary closers of the game. All closers, even the great ones, have the arc of domination followed by a gradual decline. Rivera hasn’t had the decline. It would be an overstatement to say he is getting better. From age 26 through 34, Rivera saved 336 games while compiling a 2.12 ERA, a 218 ERA+, a 1.022 WHIP, 6.9 H/9, 0.4 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 8.1 K/9. Since turning 35, Rivera has saved 262 games while compiling a 1.91 ERA, a 233 ERA+, a 0.898 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 1.5 BB/9, and 8.6 K/9. He has been the same pitcher since he walked into the league. He has posted an ERA under 2.00 and an ERA+ over 200 in seven of the last eight seasons. In just a couple weeks, he complete his eighth in nine seasons. Today, pitchers collect saves quite easily given the liberal rule. But, Rivera’s 598 saved games seem different.

They aren’t different because of his playoff performance. His 42 post season saves and 0.71 ERA during 94 appearances are even more dominant than his stellar regular season record, but that isn’t why Rivera is different. Mariano Rivera is about a feeling. It is a feeling of certainty in the uncertain point of an uncertain game. Unlike any other pitcher, even Dennis Eckersley during his closer prime, Mariano Rivera is a certainty. The game is over once number 42 begins his trademark jog in from the bullpen. That is a feeling that no team other than the Yankees enjoy. There are some other very good closers. Some may even have better statistical seasons than Rivera. But, none match the consistent excellence that Rivera displays every day and every season.

As he ages, he continues to dominate hitters with his trademark cutter. Last season, he averaged 6.75 strikeouts per nine innings, his lowest total since 2006. But, his BABIP was only .222. Many will look at the .222 BABIP and believe that it was a product of luck. Sure, some pitchers can be lucky with BABIP, but BABIP is mostly a skill. While his cutter didn’t result in his usual strikeout numbers, it resulted in a different type of contact. The .222 BABIP was largely due to Rivera’s pitch location and resulting poor contact by batters. He still throws in the low 90′s, but he doesn’t have to blow the ball by anyone. His location is superior and he is making batters swing defensively. It is why he is able to maintain his status as the best closer in the game, even at 41 years old.

But, that has to do with his plan and approach. There is more of a feeling when it comes to Rivera. He isn’t brash like Muhammed Ali, shouting that he’s the greatest. He doesn’t have the marketing campaign like Michael Jordan once had with Nike and Gatorade. He doesn’t have people singing to be like Mo. He doesn’t even have the marketing appeal of his teammate, Derek Jeter. When people rank the best players in Baseball, his name is rarely mentioned as most gravitate towards the hitter. But, that feeling when he is on the mound is every bit as powerful as Ali in the ring hanging on the ropes right before he knocks out George Forman. It is every bit as powerful as Michael Jordan taking a jumpshot as the clock counts down to zero and his team down by one. It is the feeling of inevitability.

Inevitability is what separates the good from legend. It was inevitable that Ali would win. Michael Jordan was going to make the shot. We knew that going into the event. We watched anyway, getting a glimpse at a rare athlete in his prime able to control his opponents, himself, and the sport. That is Mariano Rivera, even at age 41. It is inevitable that Rivera will finish the game with the same pitch he has been throwing for nearly two decades. For a while, everyone was waiting for him to fail, to fall of that perch, and to become human. It happened to Ali. Even Michael Jordan looked human in Washington. Rivera is different. He isn’t slowing down; he doesn’t have any signs of being a mortal reliever. The only concessions to age have been a slower start in the Spring and less multi-inning appearances. Other than those, Rivera is still the standard.

This season has turned out to be just another of Rivera’s typically elite seasons. He’s appeared in 57 games. He’s saved 39 games. In 55 innings, he’s allowed just 44 hits, 13 runs, 7 walks, and has struck out 53. That strikeout pitch that seemed to disappear is back. His 2.13 ERA, 0.927 WHIP, and 205 ERA+ might be the worst marks he’s compiled in the past four seasons, but they are still elite level. At 41 years old, Rivera is still the standard. He isn’t slipping even if he went through a much ballyhooed slump last month.

Now, he is just four saves away from holding the all-time saves record. It is indeed fitting that the best reliever of all-time will hold the record. It is right just like it is right that Rivera will be the last player to ever wear the number 42. A legend holding the record during a time when record holders can be questioned is befitting. Yet, as Rivera approaches the record, there is no countdown. There’s no emblem on his glove or any merchandise. It is a quiet march; it is the same quiet march we’ve seen for the past 17 years.

And that may be why Mariano Rivera isn’t as celebrated like Ali or Jordan. There is no celebration or fist pump. There’s not even a glare before he pitches.The only emotion that he has ever displayed was when he dropped to the mound crying after Aaron Boone hit the game winning homerun to send the Yankees to the World Series. For the rest of the time, there is just that confident set of eyes that look through the hitter seemingly telling his opponent that he doesn’t have a chance.

And just like the great ones, he has experienced failure. He has blown a few saves every season. He was the losing pitcher in the 2001 World Series. He gave up that homerun to Sandy Alomar in 1997. Michael Jordan missed game winners. Ali lost fights. Like those legends, Rivera’s failures are few and his exploits are more than any other of his peers. The end is likely coming soon. Few pitchers can sustain an elite level well into their 40′s. Nolan Ryan did. Rivera is as well. But, make no mistake, the end is coming.

Mariano Rivera is rare because of his excellence on the field, but he is even more rare in that he will likely decide when to walk away, not a loss of talent forcing him from his job. He is the best closer of all-time and the present time. Few athletes—Jordan and Ali—get to hold that title. Mariano Rivera is one of the few special players in the game. He performs, he is dignified, and he inspires. He inspires the inevitability that few athletes are able to produce in us. We are watching someone special. We are watching someone rare. We are watching the unquestioned best.

The campaign will feature the hit song “Written in the Stars” by Tinie Tempah as the backdrop to signature Postseason highlights and memorable moments from the 2011 season. The Postseason heroics of Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, David Ortiz, Brian Wilson, Aaron Boone, Mariano Rivera, Luis Gonzalez and many more will be featured in the campaign.

“It’s an honor to have ‘Written in the Stars’ selected for the MLB’s Postseason campaign,” said Tinie Tempah. “The reception my debut album has received in America has been incredible. It doesn’t get any more American than baseball so what an honor to have my song be the soundtrack to the playoffs and World Series where legends are born.”

The first spot will debut on August 20 on FOX and Sunday, August 21 on TBS and ESPN and the series will continue with multiple TV and digital executions on FOX, TBS, ESPN, MLB Network, local MLB broadcasts, and in MLB ballparks through October.

The Postseason effort will have a major social media element designed to further engage fans. The hashtag #Postseason will be prominently displayed in the ballpark and on FOX, TBS and MLB Network throughout the Postseason.

Tinie Tempah

An infectious, message-driven song, “Written in the Stars” was Tinie Tempah’s debut single in the U.S. and went platinum before the release of his critically acclaimed debut album Disc-overy, making it clear that Tinie Tempah is on his way to becoming the first British rapper to achieve major stardom in the U.S. The charismatic 22-year-old artist is already a phenomenon in the U.K., where Disc-Overy debuted at number one, produced four Top Five singles, including two number ones, earned him two BRIT Awards, a Mercury Prize nomination and is the U.K.’s top-selling album by a British artist in 2010.

The campaign was created in a joint collaboration between MLB, Hill Holliday and Turner Sports. The 2011 MLB Postseason begins on Friday, September 30.

Franchise Player- Babe Ruth

While there are concerns about how the Babe’s skill set would translate to today’s game (after all, he sometimes enjoyed doing a Happy Gilmore impression that likely wouldn’t translate against the Lincecums and Verlanders of the world), this is an absolute no-brainer. You know about his career totals: .342 career BA, an otherworldly .474 OBP and, of course, his 714 career home runs.

But even more impressive is the extent of his dominance over the era, when no one could even approach his gaudy statistics. From Ruth’s first season with the Yanks following his (curse-inducing?) sale from Boston to his last in 1934, he blew away the rest of the Major Leagues in almost every statistical category. Over that time span, Babe hit 659 home runs—311 more than the next closest slugger, teammate Lou Gehrig (who we shall get to very shortly). Third was Al Simmons, who at 240 career jacks fell 419 HR short of the Babe’s unparalleled greatness. His OBP with the Yankees (an eye-popping .484) was forty points higher than sidekick Gehrig, who was once again second in the league during the same era. Most impressive, his .711 slugging percentage combines with the aforementioned OBP to create an OPS that not only blows second-place Gehrig away by more than a tenth of a point, but also is the highest in the history of the game. He was, by all accounts, a player with talents far above any of his peers, the proverbial “man amongst boys.” Perhaps that’s why he was able to get by on a training regiment fully sponsored by Sabrett and Anheuser-Busch.

Sabermetrically, the Babe’s Yankee WAR destroys second and third place Gehrig and Frankie Frisch by 60.3 and 80 wins, respectively; his career WAR is still the highest ever. Even with all those statistics, it’s difficult to put the Babe’s sheer dominance over all of his contemporaries in perspective. How about this: during his time in pinstripes, the Babe was worth more WAR than two entire major league teams, with the Phillies’ and Red Sox’ complete rosters exhibiting less value than the corpulent, jovial outfielder. He also hit more home runs than four clubs, blasting 106 more out of the yard than the most power-starved team in the league—the same team that had essentially given him away 15 years prior. Babe Ruth may not have left a curse in his wake following his departure from Boston, but there’s no doubt the team was inexorably destroyed by its complete lack of offense.

1B-Lou Gehrig

The Yankees are a team whose history is littered with more great players than any other, which would make one think that it will tough to be wean out the true cream from the rest of the stellar crop. In some cases, that might be true. In this case, it’s not even close.

Yankees fans adore Donnie Baseball. They love Tino Martinez. At one point, they were fond of Wally Pipp. And there had to be some moment early on when they even liked Jason Giambi.

It would be a disservice to any of those players to compare their achievements to Gehrig’s. Their impressive careers would be diminished as a result.

With some legends, it’s not worth going into much of their back-story given its prevalence in the average fan’s lexicon. If you’ve ever set foot in a major league ballpark (or even a second-grade classroom), there’s a good chance you know plenty about Gehrig’s historic battle with ALS, his famous speech at Yankee Stadium and his final submission to a disease that took from him his health, his career, and his life.

So let’s throw sentimentality to the side for now and discuss his achievements in the Majors, many of which were staggering. While the Babe was miles ahead of his contemporary competition, Gehrig was the same way, blowing everyone in the era away other than his life-loving, beer-guzzling, hotdog-hoarding counterpart. His career line of .340/.447/.632 paled in comparison to his playoff line of .361/.477/.731, compiled over 34 games. From the time Gehrig took hold of the first base job from Pipp until his final full-season in 1938, Gehrig led the Majors in HR, RBI (by more than 300), runs (ditto) and hits. Among first basemen during the length of his career, Gehrig’s 125.5 WAR was worth 34.1 wins more than second place Jimmie Foxx, 64.5 more than third place Bill Terry and 90.6 more than not-so-immortal Hall of Famer Jim Bottomley, who ranked fourth.

For those who manned his position on the right side of the infield, his career WAR is second only to Stan Musial. Among all time 1B, he’s sixth in home runs, 10^th in hits—and first in RBIs. Even with stats diminished at the hands of ALS, Gehrig’s place in history remains remarkably strong.

2B-Joe Gordon

Contrary to the beliefs of a vast majority of Hall of Fame voters, there’s definitely something to be said about the notion that four or five years of excellence from a baseball player is more valuable than seven or eight years of great, yet unspectacular consistency (the case for Don Mattingly’s enshrinement in Cooperstown, however, is still not strong). So one might want to make a case, built upon a foundation of the aforementioned belief, that Robinson Cano is deserved of this honor over Tony Lazzeri. And it seems that they’d be right—Lazzeri is not the best second baseman in team history. But neither is Cano. Yet.

Perhaps down the road, Cano—with a pure swing that might be the most gorgeous in today’s game—may reach that rarified air. For now, Joe Gordon holds a firm grip on the title of best second baseman in the history of the franchise. And for all the same reasons that Cano’s candidacy seemed worthy of such a bestowment.

Gordon, who late in his career was the first of his Indians teammates to embrace Larry Doby, was known as much for his amiable personality as he was for his immense talents. Over Gordon’s five complete years in New York he posted WARs of 7.3, 7.0, 6.8, 9.3, and 8.0—one of the greatest five year stretches for any second baseman in the history of the game. By contrast, Cano has topped 5.0 WAR once so far in his career. Lazzeri, over 12 complete big-league seasons, only reached that figure twice.

As the direct successor to Lazzeri and a huge reason for the old guard’s release prior to the ’38 campaign, Gordon was best described as a slick fielding second baseman who had unusual power for the position. He hit at least 24 home runs four times for the Yankees, drove in 100 runs in three different seasons and 97 in one other. He also slugged over .490 four times. Yet despite this superior run production, Gordon won the 1942 AL MVP even as voters saw a decline in his previously gaudy home run totals. During that defining season, he posted a stellar .322/.409/.491 line, hit 18 HR, drove in 103 runs and continued to play an outstanding second base. By the end of this decade, we may be discussing Cano with similar reverence. For now, let’s try to not forget the man they called, “Flash.” Unless we’re talking about John Flaherty.

SS-Derek Jeter

Many kids grew up telling everyone they would one day roam the position of their choice in Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, Jeter appears to be the only fantasizing child whose dreams came to fruition.

There is a certain allure and romanticism to this idea for the average fan. As a kid who grew up dreaming about hitting a game-winning home run in the World Series as a shortstop for the Yankees—then fulfilled his daydreams and promises to the tune of five World Championships and a career almost without rival—Jeter has led the kind of life that keeps the usually futile American Dream afloat.

Enough sentimentality, time for pure facts: say what you want about Jeter’s current struggles—and there are certainly plenty of things to say—no shortstop in Yankees history can hold a proverbial candle to his achievements. Some longtime Yankee fans like to believe that Phil Rizzuto deserves similar acclaim, but in reality their nostalgia appears to be particularly rose-colored; the facts not only don’t support this argument, they completely obliterate it. Yes, Jeter has appeared in almost 700 more games than the Scooter with more than 4000 more plate appearances, but his achievements are nonetheless extremely impressive.

He has almost 1500 more hits than Rizzuto, 200 more home runs, nearly 600 more RBI and, for good measure, 175 more stolen bases. His career WAR is more than 30 wins greater than Rizzuto’s. He’s also posted nine seasons of an over 4.0 WAR, something Phil did six times. In terms of qualitative stats in which Jeter’s advantage in longevity is nullified, Derek’s .313./.383/.450 line towers over Rizzuto’s fittingly diminutive .273/.351/.355.

Fangraph’s “Batting Value” stat involves a complicated formula that doesn’t warrant mention as the numbers speak for themselves: Rizzuto posted a 35.7 mark in that category over his entire career. Jeter has eclipsed that number in three separate seasons; more impressively, his career tally stands at 376.0, more than 10 times anything the Scooter could boast—or even dream—about.

Detractors will point to Jeter’s generally porous defense, and they do have a legitimate gripe. But Jeter’s place in the history of the game is no less impressive. His career WAR is tenth among all-time shortstops—even with defense factored in. His “Batting Value” stat is fourth all-time for shortstops and is the second-highest since the forties—with only a certain hot corner-manning teammate surpassing him…

3B-Alex Rodriguez

Some Yankees fans may lament this choice, deriding A-Rod for his solipsistic personality and his lack of true “Yankee-ness.” But in terms of sheer production, A-Rod is far and away the best player in Yankees history at a position that is surprisingly shallow.

There’s something to be said about Rodriguez’s steroid allegations. He claims that his PED usage ended prior to being dealt to the Yanks, but feel free to take such a claim with any size grain of salt that you wish. Steroid allegations will not be a deciding factor in this piece (and thus, A-Rod probably won’t be the last PED-tainted player on this list), so it’s particularly hard to even consider any other third baseman for this honor.

The player many baby-boomer Yankee fans would argue for would be Graig Nettles, a wizard with the glove who spent 11 seasons in the Bronx in the 70’s and early 80’s.  There is no arguing Nettles’ defensive capabilities, but his bat, while respectable, often left a bit to be desired. He posted a 46.8 WAR over his Yankees career, a figure that Alex will almost certainly pass by the end of 2011, his eighth year in pinstripes. A-Rod has been a six-win player four times during his Yankee career while Nettles only was that valuable twice; moreover, A-Rod’s two best Yankee seasons (9.4 and  9.2 WAR, an MVP trophy in both) are far better than his predecessor’s (8.3 and 6.4). Nettles had a decent but hardly Ruthian .253/.329/.433 line over his Yankee career. By comparison, A-Rod’s .295/.392/.556—well there really isn’t much comparison, is there?

C-Yogi Berra

Lawrence “Yogi” Berra received his endearing nickname from childhood friend Bobby Hofman, who remarked that his companion maintained a striking resemblance to an Indian snake charmer he had seen in a movie.

While Yogi’s status as the best catcher in team history may be a forgone conclusion for some, his candidacy receives a strong challenge from 11-time All-Star and Hall of Fame inductee Bill Dickey. Dickey is hardly a forgotten footnote in this history of the team, but he hasn’t gotten the fairest of shakes with what should be an enduring legacy. Beside his 11 All-Star appearances, he finished in the top eight of the MVP balloting on five different occasions and in the top 20 nine times. His career .313 average is third all-time for backstops; his .382 OBP ninth; his .486 SLG fifth; his 63.8 career WAR ninth all-time and the highest of any catcher who played before Berra.

So it’s not very difficult to make a case for Dickey, but Yogi is still the best catcher in the history of the franchise.

Berra played in over 300 more games than Dickey with about 1300 extra PAs, so his advantages in quantitative categories over Dickey should be taken with his longevity in mind. However, his 358 career homers constitute the fourth highest total in the history of the position. His 1175 runs are fifth and his 1430 RBI the most ever. His career .285/.348/.482 is quite impressive for any position, let alone for a catcher (a historically weak offensive position). According to Bill James’ “win shares” stat, Yogi is the most valuable catcher in the history of the game and the 52nd most valuable offensive player ever. His 71.4 WAR is fifth all-time amongst catchers (just 3.0 behind second ranked Carlton Fisk and 10.2 behind top-ranked Johnny Bench), joining Ted Simmons and Dickey as the only players in the top ten who started their careers prior to 1950.

Yogi’s greatness is often overlooked when one considers his numerous accolades. Berra won the AL MVP three times, finished in the top five seven times and in the top 30 in each one of his healthy seasons. He was so beloved by fans at the time that he made the All-Star team in 1962, despite the fact that he appeared in only 86 games and posted an anemic .224/.297/.388.

But Yogi more than earned that charitable contribution from the fans when one considers the “philanthropy” he accomplished over 18 marvelous and memorable seasons with the team. Beside his patented and now clichéd “Yogi-isms,” Berra contributed to endow the New York faithful with 13 World Championships, earning his status as baseball’s “De Facto Russell” in the process. Had Yogi had any success as a manager, writers would have jumped at the rare chance to update one of their most overused phrases: “This year with the Mets, Yogi will try to win one for the third thumb.”

LF-Charlie Keller

This isn’t an All-Star balloting, and thus there’s not going to be three greatest generic “outfielders.” If you want to claim the title as the best leftfielder in team history, you better not have spent too much time in center or right. Yes, Nick Swisher inexplicably managed to roam centerfield for Ozzie Guillen while with the ChiSox, but that certainly doesn’t make him a centerfielder. Ditto for Ruth, DiMaggio, Maris—and exactly why there may be outcry why a certain franchise icon won’t make this list.

For a team with a rich history of great outfielders, from all of the aforementioned HOFers to Bernie Williams and a pre-Steinbrenner-feud Dave Winfield, few great players have spent a large portion of their careers manning left field in the Bronx. So Charlie Keller’s name may come as a surprise; but in reality, there isn’t all that much competition. The only full time left fielder in the history of the franchise who had a WAR anywhere near Keller’s 49.2 was Roy White, who put up a 47.2—even though he played over 700 more games and had 3000 more PA than Keller.

Keller is a classic example of the value of a few great seasons over 10 or 11 solid ones. He managed to top White’s career WAR even though he only played 130 games five times in a season. White played in twice as many 130-game seasons, but his .271/.360/.404 line is wholly unimpressive when put against Keller’s .286/.410/.528.

Charlie Keller started his career marvelously, posting a WAR over 5.0 in each of his first five seasons, including a ‘41 season where he had an exemplary .298/.416/.580 line with 33 HR and 122 RBI, finishing fifth in the MVP balloting. He finished in the top-25 in the MVP and was an All-Star in four of those five seasons. But following the ’43 season, Keller was called on to serve with the United States Merchant Marines in World War II, and missed all of the 1944 campaign before returning for 44 games in ’45.

When he returned full-time in 1946, it appeared as if Keller had taken up just where he left off, belting 30 HRs and driving in 101 RBIs with a .275/.405/.533 line. However, perhaps as an omen of things to come, Keller became the first player in Yankees history to strike out 100 times in a season. He had never before struck out more than 65 times in one year.

Three injury-plagued years later, in which Keller appeared in just 43, 85 and 60 games, the Yankees cut ties with the player the papers referred to as “King Kong Keller.” He would never appear in more than 55 games again, and retired after one AB with the Yankees in 1952.

RF-See Ruth, Babe

CF-Joe DiMaggio

Surprised? Probably not.
Now think for a second…who’s missing from this list? (Waiting…Waiting…)

Now your brow is starting to furrow, no?

Let me take this space to preempt your outrage. There’s little debating Joe DiMaggio’s place in the Pantheon of Yankeedom. But leaving out Mickey Mantle—a man who was the favorite player of an entire generation of fans; whose performance at his peak may have had no rival in the history of the game—is bound to incur some rage from someone, somewhere, right?

Mantle’s legacy precedes him: his rare pre-injury combination of top end speed and raw power; his .298/.421/.557 line; his reputation as an all-time great who might have been the all-time great had one of his innately debilitated knees not exploded after a run-in with a drainpipe in the Yankee Stadium outfield. Choosing between him and Joe D—kind of like deciding between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis—is the kind of decision that will confound and divide: based entirely on personal taste and preference, it has no single right answer. That’s why I’m going to take this space to elevate DiMaggio’s achievements—not diminish the Mick’s.

In fact, let’s elevate the Mick’s first. In 1956, he put together what may be the greatest all-around season in the history of the game: 52 HR, 130 RBI, 132 R, 10 SB, a .353/.464/.705 line and a 12.2 WAR. He preceded that with a 10.1 WAR in ’55, and followed his Triple Crown ’56 season with a 12.0 WAR the next year. For good measure, he had an additional 11.1 WAR campaign in 1961.

To put that in perspective, six-time combined MVP winners Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols have never once posted a single season that topped 10.0 WAR.

But Joe D did, posting a 10.1 WAR in an insane 1937 sophomore season (46 HR, 167 RBI, .346/.412/.673) and a somehow-higher 10.6 in ’41. And while he may not have possessed the All-American Golden Boy mystique that Mantle did, his achievements may be even more impressive.

Forget the hitting streak, which carries a whole legend (or song, or article, or book) with it. It may be one of the most impressive feats in the history of American sports, but 56 games of one season does not define a career; nor does it distinguish one career from another.

Instead, DiMaggio’s longevity is both what he should be most known for and what separates him from Mantle. As for the aforementioned of value short-lived excellence over long-run consistency, DiMaggio is the rare exception. He not only had those two 10+ WAR seasons, but he remained a remarkably consistent and valuable player until the day he retired.

He never once posted a WAR under 6.0 in a full season, with his “lesser” seasons coming in a 1949 season in which he was a five win player despite only playing 76 games, and a career-culminating ’51 campaign where he still was worth 3.2 WAR. He only once twice batted less than .300 in a full season—with a .290 and a .263 in injury-plagued years. His career .325/.398/.579 line speaks words in and of itself.

Some remark at his relatively unimpressive home run totals, but this is somewhat of a moot point. DiMaggio played in the pre-renovation Yankee Stadium, where left-handed batters were given the gift of a short porch and righties received the death sentence of cavernous left and centerfields. Mantle, who was a switch hitter but batted primarily from the left side, received many of the benefits of the latter. DiMaggio was forced to cope with playing half of his games in a ballpark that would swallow up anything but his most crushing blast.

DH-Jason Giambi

It’s hard to be fan of Giambi, let alone a proponent of the idea that he belongs on a list with names such as “Ruth,” “Berra” and “DiMaggio.” But in reality there’s no one who even qualifies for this spot besides, as John Sterling so annoying referred to him as, the “Giambino.”

Here’s the top five (in reverse order) in WAR for any Yankees player who spent at least one season in pinstripes as a primary DH:

(WAR is for full Yankees tenure, NOT just DH)

5) Danny Tartabull: 7.8 WAR.

Spent just three and a half seasons with the team, never appeared in more than 140 games, single-season high WAR of 4.3.

4) Ron Blomberg: 9.5 WAR

The original “Boomer” and the original DH, Blomberg only appeared in 225 games with the Yanks after the DH was instituted in 1973.

3) Oscar Gamble: 11.7 WAR

By the time he made his second go around with the Yanks in the early 80’s as the not-so-primary DH, Gamble appeared in 384 games over five seasons, or about 77 games per year. 242 of those games were as an outfielder.

2) Hideki Matsui:12.8 WAR

The best player of the bunch, but only appeared as a DH in 248 games for the Yankees—with 116 of those games coming in 2009.

1) Jason Giambi: 24.4 WAR

Giambi appeared more frequently as a DH than as a first baseman over a single season only three times as a Yankee, and those were his final years before being jettisoned back to Oakland. But he spent 367 games in the DH hole, far more than any other candidate. That, by default, essentially makes him the winner of this dubious honor.

It’s not as if Giambi’s stats are that unimpressive. His 209 Yankee home runs, 604 RBI and .260/.404/.524 line with the club are hardly anything to scoff at. They’re also hardly anything to get excited over, especially considering Giambi’s inability to stay healthy, his nine-figure contract, his lucky golden thong, and the fact that he handled his steroid allegations with all the grace of a twelve-ton elephant in lead shoes.

This dearth of anything resembling competence out of the DH spot is quite a testament to how the Yankees management has handled the team over the last four decades. The Yankees have always seemed to be content throwing whatever they can find into the batter’s box as a DH. Whether that is a washed-up veteran, a mediocrity who was never good enough to have the “washed-up” moniker attached to him, or—in recent years—as a landing spot for overpaid veterans on their days off, the team has never committed to having a full-time DH who could give them consistent production. Most teams seem to subscribe to this mentality, treating the idea of a full-time DH as nearly taboo—which is why the Royals have constantly tried stone-handed Billy Butler at first base despite repeatedly poor results. It’s also partly why the Yankees are reluctant to admit that Jesus Montero will likely never pan out as a catcher and thus stick him at DH for his entire career. Ask the Mariners whether they regretted having Edgar Martinez in the lineup every day for the better part of a decade. Then ask the Yankees if they really want to have an 82-year old Giambi representing the DH position at the 2053 home opener, when they celebrate the best players in the 150-year history of baseball’s most storied franchise.

RHSP-Red Ruffing

For a team with 27 World Championships, 20 of which came before the free agency era, the Yankees haven’t had many all-time greats take the mound in the Bronx for an extended period of time. In fact, the team has only three 200 game winners, with Andy Pettitte joining the surprisingly exclusive club last season.

Strangely, of the top six winningest pitchers in the history of the club, only Ruffing and Bob Shawkey threw right-handed. That’s not to say there haven’t been quality righties in New York over the last century: Mel Stottlemyre, Herb Pennock, Allie Reynolds, Waite Hoyt, Jack Chesbro, Mike Mussina—among others—all won 100 games with the Yanks (or in Chesbro’s case, the Highlanders), but it’s hard to compare their achievements to those of Ruffing.

Red Ruffing started his career off extremely poorly, pitching under the strenuous conditions of the offensively anemic (yes, that’s a double entendre) post-Ruth Red Sox, who perennially finished last in the league in batting and averaged 35 HR a year during Ruffing’s tenure. He led the league in losses twice and finished with an ERA over 4.50 five times.

Yankee manager Miller Huggins saw potential in the fledgling hurler, and orchestrated a massive heist rivaling anything out of a George Clooney “Ocean’s” movie: the Sox agreed to sell Ruffing to the Yankees for the immortal Cedric Durst (15 career home runs, no relation to Fred) and a meager $50,000. Essentially, the Yankees ended up paying $216 for every one of Ruffing’s 231 wins. By contrast, they paid nearly $4.5 million for each of Carl Pavano’s nine victories.

The rest is, as they say, history. After a difficult ’31 debut season when Ruffing had a 4.41 ERA with the team, he settled in with his new team. Over the next 15 seasons, he would win 18 games six times, never once post an ERA over 3.95 and finish below 3.55 nine times.

Those aren’t necessarily mind-blowing statistics for an era in which ERAs were much lower than they are today, but Ruffing exhibited uncanny consistency over a decade and a half with the club. He would also win seven pennants and six titles in New York, setting a since-broken pitching record of seven World Series wins.

There’s also the case of military service. After a 1942 season in which Ruffing finished 14-7 with a 3.21 ERA, he spent the better part of three years away from the game. When he returned from the Army in 1945, he was never the same. He posted ERAs of 2.89 and 1.77 in 1945 and ’46, respectively, but made just 19 starts over those two seasons. By 1947 he was out of baseball.

In an interesting factoid that has little relevance to this debate, Red Ruffing was also one of the greatest hitting pitchers of all-time. Ruffing had a .269 career average, hit over .300 eight times, and had 36 career home runs. He also finished with a positive offensive WAR in twelve different seasons, despite the fact that he never had more than 150 PA in one season.

LHSP-Whitey Ford

Yes, most of the best starters in Yankees history were southpaws, but Whitey Ford undoubtedly reigns supreme over all of them. Andy Pettitte, Lefty Gomez and Ron Guidry were all successful in their very different respective eras, but it’s not even worth comparing them to the “Chairman of the Board.”

Ford, who grew up in a 1930’s Queens yet to be infected by the Mets, made his Major League debut in 1950, but lost the entire ’51 and ’52 seasons to military service during the Korean War. Unlike Keller and Ruffing, Ford came back from the military healthy and physically unimpeded.

As both Mickey Mantle’s resident wingman following the departure of Billy Martin and the Yankees’ ace for well over a decade, Ford endured a career without rival by any starting pitcher in the history of the franchise. His 236 wins and 1,956 K’s are the most in franchise history, as are his career innings pitched and total shutouts. Of the impressive club of Yankees pitchers who have tossed 1,500 innings with the team, Whitey’s 2.75 career ERA is second only to Jack Chesbro’s 2.58 with the dead ball era Highlanders. Only four times in his career did Ford post an ERA above 3.00, with the high-water mark of 3.24 coming in 1965, his fourteenth and final healthy year as a starter with the team. His career winning percentage is third all-time for qualifying Major League starters.

It’s hard to talk about Whitey Ford without mentioning the words “World Series,” considering his record-setting 10 wins on baseball’s biggest stage. He was also a six-time Series champ, had a 2.71 career World Series ERA and was an All-Star 10 times.

Closer-Mariano Rivera

Considering this is probably the least surprising decision since Donald Trump decided to continue running his own companies into the ground instead of attempting to be in a position to do the same to the country, this examination is going to take a bit of a different angle than previous ones.

Mariano Rivera has 572 career saves, obviously ranking first on the Yankees all-time list and fast-approaching Trevor Hoffman’s all-time mark. Second place for the Bombers belongs to Dave Righetti with 224 saves. It’s not worth wasting breath, time, or dexterity typing out 500 words on how Mariano is better than Dave Righetti.

How ‘bout the fact that he’s better than anybody?

The notion of Mo’s closing supremacy has gained credence in recent years, ever since the outrage over SI’s proclamation that Hoffman was the best closer in the relatively short history of the position. But here are a few quick statistics that should come damn close to solidifying this argument as “fact,” an attribute that is inherently paradoxical to the divisive notion of a debate.

Among relievers with at least 200 saves, Mariano’s 2.06 ERA is by far the best; ditto for his 0.71 postseason ERA and his 94 career playoff saves. For good measure, his 4.12 K:BB ratio is second only to Dennis Eckersley’s otherworldly 6.29 mark and his 0.97 career WHIP is the best of all-time.

Oh, and his career WAR is 32 percent higher—and rising—than any closer in the history of the game.

Manager-Joe Torre

“What, what, WHAT! Torre over Stengel? Joe Torre over the same guy who took the Yankees to 10 pennants and seven titles in just 12 years? That Joe Torre?!”

There’s a pretty good chance that was a rough paraphrasing of your thoughts when you saw Torre’s name in this article instead of the manager whom most consider the greatest in the history of the game. Perhaps it’s crazy, and perhaps it’s biased as a result of fresh memories of Torre’s tenure and an obvious lack of firsthand experience with the Stengel regime. But it would be remiss if it wasn’t recounted in gruesome detail why Torre’s achievements with the Yankees were more impressive than Stengel’s.

Torre certainly had his shortcomings as a manager, most notably his reliance on veterans and his propensity to ride any reliable middle reliever until they were so far underground there was no discernable chance of reemergence (see: Proctor, Scott; Gordon, Tom; Quantrill, Paul), but it’s quite likely that Stengel would have gotten his fair share of criticism had he played in this era of sabermetrics, super “Slo Mo,” and microanalysis.

At first glance, Torre’s .602 Yankees winning percentage and his six pennants and four World titles don’t appear comparable to Stengel’s .623 mark and his 7-3 World Series record. But Torre’s victories were compiled in a much different era. And while that may not seem important to some, era analysis is a crucial component to the evaluation of any baseball player, manager or executive.

Stengel managed in an era in which there were only eight teams in each league. All teams played an equal 22 games against each other every year.

Torre’s time in New York began after the inception of interleague play. At the beginning of his tenure (before unbalanced schedules) with the Yankees, teams played 12 games against each team in their respective division, 11 games against other teams in the same league and three or four games against four interleague teams.

For the sake of argument, let’s nullify the marginal difference of games against divisional and league teams. In Torre’s 114-win regular season of 1998, the Yankees’ average American league opponent (against whom they played 146 games of their season) had a combined winning percentage of .485. In Stengel’s winningest regular season (a ’54 campaign in which the team won 103 times but finished second), opponents had a combined .475 winning percentage.

This may not seem like a huge difference, but it does have a significant impact over a six-month regular season. The bigger change in circumstance with the two skippers, however, is the rise of parity in the Majors over the last few decades. In 1954, Stengel’s Yankees played 110 of their regular season games against teams that had a combined 308-462 record. This means that the Yankees played more than 70 percent of their games against five teams that won less than 70 games each and had a combined winning percent of just .400.

By comparison, Torre’s 1998 Yanks played just 39 games total against sub-70 win opponents.

If that’s not enough, there’s the institution of the entire playoff system, which was completely non-existent in Stengel’s day. When Casey managed in New York, he simply was required to finish ahead of the other seven teams in his league (with as many as five of them being complete non-factors) and the Bombers were catapulted to the World Series.

Torre first had to finish ahead of everyone else in the usually ultra-competitive AL East, then was required to win at least seven of 12 games against two of the best teams in the league. Then he was able to stake his claim at the top of the World Series, but not before his team knocked off the National League Champs despite carrying the burden of playing over 170 games in a seven-month span on their collective backs.

One last thing to keep in mind: the biggest knock on Torre’s success with the Yankees was that, as his detractors so eloquently put it, “Anyone can win with a nine-digit payroll and a roster full of superstars.” There may be a smidgen of truth to this (at the very least, talent certainly makes a manager’s job easier), but it’s quite easy to make the same damaging claim towards Stengel’s achievements. After all, this is the same man who managed the likes of Berra, Mantle, DiMaggio, Ford and many other all-time greats.

It may make sense then to look at Torre and Stengel’s respective managerial records with other teams. Like Torre, Stengel had little success with two different teams (the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves), compiling a 581-742 record and a .435 winning percentage before becoming a Yankee.

Over 14 seasons with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals prior to taking over in New York in ’96, Torre was 894-1003, good for a much better .471 winning percentage (and posted in a much more difficult era, no less). After leaving the Yankees, Stengel had just a .302 winning percentage with the admittedly unsalvageable expansion Mets, while Torre won more than 53 percent of games with the Dodgers. Take those records as you wish, as far too many variables are involved to put them directly against each other; nevertheless, they certainly are eye-catching.

There’s no doubt that both managers had exceedingly impressive tenures with the Yankees; it’s simply a matter of the eras in which each coached. Stengel may have had a higher winning percentage and more World Series appearances and titles than Torre, but he did so in an undoubtedly much easier era for long-run success.

Some may choose to adhere to their long-gestating biases and ignoring all of the aforementioned facts. But it appears that those same facts paint an exceedingly clear picture of one exceptional manager’s dominance over another.

Jesse Golomb researches and writes for BaseballDigest.com. He is also the creator and writer of SoapBoxSportsByte, a blog that incorporates statistical analysis as well as fan perspective into pieces on the MLB, NFL and NBA.   He can be followed on Twitter @SoapBxSprtsByte, or contacted by email at golombjesse@gmail.com.

Case in point, the Minnesota Twins where Joe Nathan is coming back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent back in March, 2010. Feeling healthy, Nathan proclaimed he was taking role his back from trade deadline acquisition Matt Capps. He recently told Kelly Thiesier of MLB.com that he’s pleased with his progress thus far. “The command has really been a pleasant surprise to this point, and I can’t ask for much more than what’s gone on out there now as far as life on the ball, movement on the ball, sharpness and stuff. Just keep moving forward and keep trying to improve and build arm strength, and I’ll be ready for April 1. I’m happy, very happy with how things feel right now.”

Seattle’s David Aardsma was a subject of trade rumors soon after the 2010 season ended, but then underwent hip surgery. He has yet to be cleared to throw which means he won’t be ready for opening day. Erratic set up man Brandon League is the favorite to fill the role, while former Orioles’ closer Chris Ray and reliever Manny Delcarmen are auditioning as well.

Jonathan Papelbon is the Red Sox closer to start the season, but the front office isn’t totally happy with the him or his $12MM salary. With former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks and closer in training Daniel Bard on the squad, the Red Sox could move Papelbon before the trade deadline.

Leo Nunez is the incumbent closer for the Florida Marlins, but by no means is his job safe. Should Nunez falter, Clay Hensley is more than willing to grab the job.

Brandon Lyon is the projected closer for the Astros. That doesn’t say too much for the Houston bullpen.

Fernando Rodney will start the season as the Angels closer, but anyone who has seen him pitch for LA (AL) or Detroit knows that may not last. Free agent pick up Scott Downs should definitely get some save opportunities as he did in Toronto.

The Orioles have Kevin Gregg as the early favorite for closer, but could go back to Koji Uehara who did a fine job when placed in the role late last season.

Texas has yet to decide whether or not to keep 2010 AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz in the closer’s role or move him to the starting rotation. Beat writer Anthony Andro tweeted on Monday that Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels is expected to make a decision around March 22.

Clint Hurdle has named Joel Hanrahan as the Pirates closer to start the season, but give Hanrahan’s erratic performance as closer with Pittsburgh and Washington (in 2008), Hurdle could turn to Evan Meek.

The Atlanta Braves are looking for a closer after Billy Wagner retired following the 2010 season. Craig Kimbrel, Pete Moylan, George Sherrill, Scott Linebrink,  and Jonny Venters are all getting a look. It’s possible new manager Fredi Gonzalez will open with a closer by committee.

Tampa Bay lost a number of players to free agency including closer Rafael Soriano. Joe Maddon, like Gonzalez, may go with a committee at first until he can pick a clear cut closer. Rookie Jake McGee impressed Maddon immediately when he came out and said he wanted the job. Now he has to back it up. Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, Joel Peralta, Adam Russell, Chris Archer, and Cesar Ramos are among the pitchers looking for roles in the Tampa pen. Farnsworth is the only one with closing experience in the majors.

The Blue Jays shook up their bullpen and now must choose between three pitchers with closer experience- Frank Francisco (the favorite), Jon Rauch, and Octavio Dotel.

In non-closer news, Zack Greinke’s Milwaukee Brewers’ debut is on hold and the Brewers front office can’t be happy about it.Greinke fell hard to the floor while playing pick up basketball the first week of spring training and fractured a rib.

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.

On April 15th, 1997 Major League Baseball officially retired the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball fifty years earlier.  At the time of honoring Robinson, only active players wearing the number were allowed to continue wearing it. Entering the 2011 season Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees is the only remaining player wearing 42.  Beginning in 2007, MLB began honoring Robinson by allowing players to wear #42 on Jackie Robinson Day, which is on April 15th. By 2009, all uniformed players and coaches began wearing 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. The day recognizes not only a Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, and it recognizes more than just a Hall of Famer.  It recognizes the first of many great black ballplayers that would enter the major leagues.  Though April 15, 1947 is important, it was another 12 seasons before Major League Baseball was fully integrated.  The final installment of the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues features seventeen players to reach the big leagues, representing the integration of each team.

Jackie Robinson endured a great deal of personal trials and tribulations and excelled on and off the field with his ability to succeed in becoming not only the first black player in the big leagues, but paved the way for other players, teams and fans to open up and embrace the future of integrated baseball.  The future Hall of Famer established himself as a great player by winning the inaugural Rookie of The Year Award that was eventually named in his honor. In August of 1947, pitcher Dan Bankhead joined Robinson as a member of the Dodgers and they became the first pair of black players to play in a World Series.

In a July 1951 issue of Baseball Digest, Bill Dougherty wrote about “The Jackie Robinson of Today”. Click here to check it out!

Just eight weeks after Robinson’s debut, Larry Doby became the first black player in the American League when he appeared in a game with the Cleveland Indians.  Unlike Robinson, Doby played sporadically in his first season and  endured the same kind of torment that Robinson encountered in the senior circuit.

Doby and Robinson both quickly made their mark in postseason history. Robinson, capping off his Rookie of The Year debut, hit .259 in a losing effort against the New York Yankees in the 1947 World Series.  Larry Doby played a huge role with the 1948 Cleveland Indians, hitting .301 on the season and helping the team to a 97 win season and a trip to the World Series.  He became the first black player to homer in a World Series with a Game 4 home run off Boston Braves’ pitcher Johnny Sain. A seven time All-Star and 1998 Hall of Fame inductee, Doby’s career began with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League. In that same series, Negro League legend Satchel Paige became the first black player to pitch in a World Series.

Less than two weeks after Larry Doby’s entrance into the American League, Hank Thompson became the second black player in the AL and the first of the St. Louis Browns organization.  Two days later, Willard Brown was inserted into the lineup, the first time a lineup featured two black players at the same time. Brown had his own significant moment, becoming the first black player to homer in the American League; he cranked an inside the park home run off future Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser.  Thompson and Brown both began their professional careers with the Kansas City Monarchs, the same team where Jackie Robinson started his career as well.

For the next two seasons, no other teams integrated their rosters.  On July 8th, 1949, the New York Giants were next to break the color barrier, starting Hank Thompson and Monte Irvin on the same day. Hank Thompson is the only player in history to break the color barrier for two teams.  Irvin, a Newark Eagles teammate of Larry Doby and five time Negro League All-Star, wasted little time before having an impact.  He hit .312 in 1951 and led the Giants(along with Thompson and Willie Mays in the outfield) in the pennant race against the Brooklyn Dodgers.  He hit .458 in a losing effort against the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series.  Irvin, Thompson  and the Giants redeemed themselves as they defeated Irvin’s former Eagles teammate Larry Doby and the 1954 Cleveland Indians in the World Series. 1949 also featured the first time a black pitcher and hitter faced each other when Hank Thompson faced Don Newcombe. Newcombe(the 1949 NL ROY), Robinson, and Roy Campanella became the first black players to be named to the National League All-Star team.

Two years before Jackie Robinson debuted with the Dodgers, he participated in a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. A tryout that has long since been criticized as the team at the time were unlikely to integrate their roster, included two other players.  One of these players was Sam Jethroe, who went on to sign with the Dodgers and eventually reached the majors as a member of the Boston Braves on April 18th, 1950. Hitting .273, slugging 18 homers and leading the league with 35 stolen bases led the right fielder to earn the American League Rookie of The Year Award.

A year after Sam Jethroe’s debut, the Chicago White Sox were the next to integrate their roster.  Minnie Minoso played in a handful of games with the Cleveland Indians during the 1949 and 1951 seasons before being traded to the White Sox. He eventually became more well known for being the only player in history to play in a professional game in seven different decades.

In a July 1950 issue of Baseball Digest, Austen Lake wrote about the debut season of Sam Jethroe. Click here to read the full article!

More than two seasons passed before more teams began integrating.  In one case, it was a franchise changing decision.  On September 13th, 1953 the Oakland Athletics integrated their team with the addition of Bob Trice, who would go on to shut out the New York Yankees a year later.  Four days after the Athletics, the Chicago Cubs integrated their team with a 22 year old shortstop by the name of Ernest Banks. 19 years, 2 NL MVP awards, 512 home runs, and eleven All-Star nods later, “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks ranks among the greatest to ever play the game.

With the start of Ernie Banks’ career, the proverbial flood gates opened as black players entered the league and teams began to integrate with a greater pace.  Curt Roberts of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tom Alston of the St. Louis Cardinals became the first black players of their respective teams when they debuted on April 13th, 1954.  They later played against each other in a game on April 29th of that year. Four days later the Cincinnati Reds integrated their team when Nino Escalera and Chuck Harmon appeared in a game against the Atlanta Braves.  Escalera and Harmon both went on to become scouts with major league teams following retirement.

In addition to the integration of more teams in 1954, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first team to field a team with a majority of black players.  The influx of integration for 1954 concluded when Carlos Paula debuted with the Washington Senators on September 6th.  On April 14th, 1955, Elston Howard became the first African American to play for the New York Yankees. BaseballDigest.com Intern Simon Sharkey profiled Howard on his birthday, click here to read about the heralded rookie.

Though the Yankees were late to integration, there was a two year wait before the Philadelphia Phillies became the next team to integrate their roster.  The overall career of John Kennedy was brief, but on April 22nd, 1957 he became the first black player in franchise history. A year later, Ozzie Virgil Sr. broke the color barrier for the Detroit Tigers,  becoming the first player from the Dominican Republic to play in the major leagues.  On July 21st, 1959 the Boston Red Sox finally integrated their team with the addition of Pumpsie Green.  However, by 1966 the Red Sox roster included players such as Earl Wilson, George Scott, Felix Mantilla and Reggie Smith.

Since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, Major League Baseball has made strides to increase the number of players from all backgrounds within the league.  As recently as the 2010 season, 30% of the players that make up MLB were of a diverse background.

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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SI’s Jon Heyman reported tonight that the Yankees and reliever Rafael Soriano have agreed to a three year deal, worth approximately $35M. Cashman obviously felt he needed to make a statement to his team and, possibly, the Yankees fan base by making a big off-season move after failing to land Cliff Lee. Some will call it a panic move, but it undoubtedly makes the Yankees bullpen one of their strongest features.

Soriano is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he saved 45 games in 48 chances for the divisional rival Tampa Bay Rays. The hard throwing right-hander was looking for closer money, but evidently was not finding a team to give it to him. He’ll set up for Yankees eventuAl Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, at least for the next two seasons- that’s the length of Rivera’s new contract, and will be an insurance policy in case the 41-yr old Rivera is injured. Should Rivera retire after his current deal, Soriano could then step into the closer’s role.

It was just the other day on the hot stove that I discussed the potential injury risk that Soriano presents. He’s been DL’ed for long periods of time after his previous two sets of back to back seasons with heavy workloads. He’s coming off a third stint (141 innings in 2009-2010) on the heels of an elbow injury that caused him to miss most of the 2008 season (He also had Tommy John surgery in 2004).

But if he remains healthy, he’ll give the Yankees their best 1-2 punch out of the bullpen since Rivera set up John Wetteland in 1996. Brian Cashman is banking on it.

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.

I’m hear to say the Yankees would be better off working a deal with Kansas City for their stud closer, Joakim Soria. You are now saying, “Why would the Royals deal Soria? He’s young, he doesn’t make much money.” And I would have to tend to agree with you, however, he won’t be making little money for long. At least not KC’s version of little money. Also, the Royals aren’t going to be a strong team any time soon, so why hold on to such a valuable commodity? One that will have an impact in 60-65 games.

Soria, who will be 27 in May, is signed through this season with the team holding option on years 2012-2014. The closer made $3M in 2010 and gets a bump to $4M in 2011. After that is when Soria starts to come in to more money. $6M in 2012, $8M in 2013, and $8.75M in the final year of the deal. That is not the kind of money KC likes to pay out. The Yankees, obviously, don’t mind it. Soria has been relatively durable, making over 60 appearances in three of his four big league seasons. He missed part of 2009 with shoulder soreness, but bounced back in fine fashion.

Teams win with starting pitching and any team that has Bruce Chen in it’s rotation is going nowhere fast. With Zack Greinke gone, KC’s starting rotation at the moment is Gil Meche (only 190 IP over the last two years due to injuries), Kyle Davies, journeyman Vin Mazzaro, Sean O’Sullivan, and one time prospect Luke Hochever. That’s not an 80 win starting staff.

Let’s start the deal off with Joba Chamberlain. Many of you will scoff or laugh, but hear me out. Chamberlain would be closer to his home, to his father, to his son. The Royals could/should convert Chamberlain back into a starter. One that would no longer have to answer endless “what’s wrong?” questions from the  New York media or pitch in front of the scrutiny of an over expectant Yankees Stadium crowd. Still just 25, the right-hander with a multitude of pitches could still be a succesful middle of the rotation starter.

The Yankees would also have to include one of their bigger pitching prospects- A Dellante Betances or Manny Banuelos or Andrew Brackman (the least likely to be dealt) perhaps. Maybe one of the catchers from the multitude the Yankees now possess. Money of course is also always part of the picture and the Yankees could help things along by picking up Meche and the final year of his contract. At best he’s the number five starter. At worst, the Yankees try to swing him somewhere else for a low level prospect. Soria would set up Mariano Rivera, get occassional save opportunities himself and take over when the closer of all closers calls it quits.

Getting back to Rafael Soriano…I’ve said before he’s a great pitcher and would be a great pick up for most teams. But the Yankees are not one of them. To pay closer money for three years for Soriano to be a set up man does not make sense.  Soriano is 4 1/2 years older than Soria and had serious elbow issues in 2004 (Tommy John surgery) and 2008. Both injuries occurred after two straight years of heavy workloads. I’m not saying he will have any health issues in 2011, but Soriano has made 141 appearances over the last two seasons, the highest back to back totals of his career.

Right now age and durability makes a Sori  deal a better risk than a Soriano signing. Finally, Soriano would also cost the Yankees a draft choice in this June’s amateur draft, which is reportedly loaded with talent, and that is something Yankees GM Brian Cashman, for the moment, refuses to do.

The bottom line is one way or another the Yankees could come up with a deal suitable for KC and comfortable to Cashman.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Padres have signed recently acquired Jason Bartlett to a two year contract extension worth $11M. The deal also has a vesting option for 2013.

Pittsburgh proved once again they’ll just about signing anyone by re-signing much traveled Jorge Julio to a minor league deal.

The hip surgery for Mariners closer David Aardsma turned out to be more complicated than originally thought so he may not be ready for opening day after all.

Scott Schoenweis told the Boston Globe he’s going to try to make a comeback this season.

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.

As a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, Soriano held opponents to a .163 batting average and had a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio in 2010. He allowed just 36 hits and 14 walks in 62.1 innings pitched.  His numbers far outweigh those of other relievers already signed and is looking for money equivalent to a pitcher of his stature. Fellow free agent Mariano Rivera received $15M per season on a two year deal from the Yankees. With the Red Sox signing inconsistent closer Bobby Jenks to a two year, $12M deal (albeit to set up for now), Soriano’s money total should fall somewhere in between.

Soriano is just 31 years of age and has made 141 appearances over the last two seasons after missing most of 2008 campaign with an elbow injury. The time is now for him to grab major money, but who is left to give it to him?

AL East

There are a number of fans and members of the media who feel the Yankees will go hard after Soriano. Some think it depends on whether or not Andy Pettitte returns. Really one should have nothing to do with the other. Pettitte should affect the starting rotation and the rotation only. The Yankees would love to have Soriano to set up and serve as insurance for Rivera, but would Soriano be willing to take possibly a one year deal (not likely) and serve in a set up capacity (maybe)?

The Red Sox are the only other team that has the money to sign Soriano, but they’re big spending is done.

AL Central

The White Sox have spent a lot of money this winter, primarily on shoring up their offense. With Jenks gone, and no established closer, Soriano would be a good fit. But he may not be a fit for the payroll. Still, I can see Kenny Williams making Soriano an offer he can’t refuse.

Everyone else in the division has an established closer, can’t afford Soriano, and/or isn’t good enough to invest in him.

AL West

The Rangers have already said they’ll pass on Soriano, and they’ll stick to that answer. A’s GM Billy Beane makes some crazy signings/trades (Ben Sheets, Matt Holliday) in hopes of getting a huge return in a deadline deal, but that’s not happening this time around. The Mariners aren’t going to invest in a closer when they’re team is so mediocre.  That leaves the Angels who have not been able to spend owner Artie Moreno’s money this winter. It may not make a lot of sense for the Angels true needs, but the Halos could have a great one-two punch with Scott Downs, whom the Angels gave a three year, $15M deal, out of the bullpen. It would also mean guaranteeing Soriano at least three years.

NL East

The Phillies won’t say it, but if they could get a taker for Brad Lidge, they certainly would try to sign Soriano. If the Nationals have money left after Jayson Werth’s signing, I could see them making a strong bid so that a youngster like Drew Storen isn’t thrust into the closer’s role just yet. No one else in the division has the money to make this sort of move.

NL Central

Pirates? Not happening Reds? Unless they move Francisco Cordero, not happening. Astros? They need bats not arms. Cardinals? Ryan Franklin is the guy, though like the Angels they could make a good one-two punch.  But who would close? Cubs? Already set with Marmol and Wood.

NL West

The Giants are the kind of team that has the money to bring in Soriano, but with Brian Wilson the closer incumbent on a World Series winner, it’s not likely to happen. Though GM Brian Sabean could put some floaters out there to see if Soriano would set up for the right price.

The Rockies could certainly make a solid offer and combine him with Huston Street or possibly then move Street.

At some other point the Dodgers would certainly be contenders, but their too busy fighting over custody of 2nd base and the Padres don’t have enough in the collection basket.

Wild guess – Soriano ends up as a White Sox. Long shot- SF Giant.

Rumors, News, Transactions

Edgar Renteria’s hometown newspaper “El Heraldo” reports that the native of Barrinquilla, Colombia has signed a one year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. It will be Renteria’s 7th team in his 15 year career. The deal is said to be worth $3M plus incentives.

Jon Heyman reports the Yankees are willing to offer Andy Pettitte $12M or $13M to return in 2011. It may take more than that.

Another reliever still on the market is lefty Brian Fuentes, who has told teams he wants to close. Good luck with that.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that the Orioles, Angels, and Rays are interested in free agent Vlad Guerrero, and the Rays also have some interest in Manny Ramirez.

The Phillies have signed veteran Delwyn Young to a minor league deal.

Update 9 pm

In an update to today’s lead, agent Scott Boras told ESPN New York that Rafael Soriano would be open to being a set up man for the Yankees. Boras knows there’s nothing like a good old bidding war with the Yankees.

Ken Rosenthal hears that Carl Pavano and the Twins are close to reuniting with a two year contract.

Brian Bannister has signed a one year deal with the Tokyo Giants.

David Murphy and the Texas Rangers have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $2.4M deal.

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.

The Red Sox deal Jon Papelbon for a bat or a starting pitcher. The Red Sox had some discussion with Mariano Rivera then signed closer Bobby Jenks to a two year deal to set up (for now) Papelbon. It’s obvious the front office isn’t happy with Papelbon’s performance and would like to move him even though they insist otherwise. The Red Sox are still trying to sign Brian Fuentes, which would give them another closer/set up guy and plenty of depth to deal Papelbon.

How about a non-move? The Brewers, bolstered by Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Yovani Gallardo, hold on to Prince Fielder for the entire season.

The Yankees, in need of starting pitching, decide to go all out to land Joakim Soria from the Royals.  Soria sets up Rivera as a prelude to taking over as closer one day.

The Mets deal Carlos Beltran and cash to the Brewers  as Milwaukee goes all out for a shot at the World Series.

The Mets tire of Jose Reyes‘ inconsistency and work out a mega deal with the Angels. Among the players the Mets receive are Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood, and prospect Garrett Richards.

The Astros continue to clean house and deal Carlos Lee, not getting too much in return, but not having to pay out the entire remainder of his contract either.

The Yankees are rebuffed in numerous attempts to acquire Felix Hernandez or Justin Verlander, and overpay to acquire Fausto Carmona from the Indians.

Derrek Lee has a tremendous comeback season with the Orioles, who then flip him at the deadline for several prospects.

Okay, time for things that are more likely to happen…

Rumors, News, and Transactions

A’s beat reporter Joe Stiglich reports the team is among six clubs interested in reliever Chad Qualls.

According to the Centre Daily Times, the Metrodome roof won’t be fixed until March. That means hundreds of college baseball games will be affected and the Twins annual fan festival will have to find another venue.

Cuba is considering letting some ball players sign with teams in the US in exchange for some money… a lot of money.  First things first though, the U.S. would have to lift the embargo on such a maneuver.

AOL Fanhouse has named 19 year outfielder Mike Trout as the top MLB prospect of the year.

SI’s Jon Heyman said the Yankees “checked in” on Rafael Soriano, which just sounds like due diligence.

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.

Drafted in the second round of the 1975 amateur draft, Smith reached the majors on September 1st, 1980. By 1983, he had entrenched himself as one of the premier closers in baseball when he led the National League with 29 saves and earned his first of seven trips to the All-Star Game.  Between 1982 and 1987, Smith notched 179 saves with an Earned Run Average of 2.85 while averaging nearly 100 innings pitched.

At 29 years old, it seemed Lee Smith’s star was on the rise.  The Chicago Cubs opted instead to trade their All-Star closer to the Boston Red Sox for Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper. Though he left following 1987, Lee Smith remains the Chicago Cubs’ All-Time leader in saves 23 years later.

In ’88 Lee Smith turned in another great year as he shored up the Red Sox bullpen and locked down 29 saves as he kept his ERA under 3.00.  Though he helped Boston to the 1988 postseason, he became expendable by 1990 when the team acquired Jeff Reardon.  He was traded early in the 1990 season to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tom Brunansky.

Coming off his 1991 season with 47 saves, Rick Hummel featured an article on Lee Smith in the June 1992 issue of Baseball Digest about the “Pitcher With An Identity Crisis”. Click here to check it out!

In St. Louis, Smith experienced a resurgence, saving 27 games and logging an ERA of 2.10 in his first season with the team.  It turned out to be just a glimpse of what Smith had to offer.  He surpassed the 40 save mark in each of the next three seasons, leading the league twice.  Over the 3+ seasons with the Cardinals, Smith earned 160 saves with a 2.90 ERA.  With the team out of contention by the end of 1993, he was traded to the New York Yankees in late August of that year.  For thirteen years after his retirement, Lee Smith was the all-time leader in saves for both the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Smith’s departure from St. Louis kicked off an odyssey that started with the New York Yankees, led to the Baltimore Orioles, and westward to the then-named California Angels. The Angels traded Smith to the Cincinnati Reds and his final season in the big leagues came with the Montreal Expos in 1997.  Despite the shifting around the leagues, he had two 30+ save seasons including an American League leading 33 saves in 1994.

Despite his career longevity and status among all time greats, Lee Smith remains outside of the honor that recognizes the greatest of all time. Though eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2003,  Smith has never received more than 47.3% of votes by the Baseball Writers Association of America.  The voting record to date for Lee Smith’s chances at induction to the Hall of Fame is well short of the 75% threshold. On January 5th, 2011 the BBWAA will announce this year’s Hall of Fame class, perhaps with news that Lee Smith will finally join the ranks of the greatest to play the game.

Also Celebrating A Birthday Today:

Hall of Famer Jesse Burkett was born on December 4th, 1868. He had a career average of .338 and had back to back seasons hitting better than .400!

Bob Shawkey pitched in five World Series for the New York Yankees, and was born on December 4th, 1890. He won 195 games in 15 years!

Michael Maher can be reached at MinorLeagueSpotlight@Gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter @BD_Maher.

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But before you say something to the effect of “That’s crazy money”, keep in mind that Rivera is still considered tops in his field.  At age 40 (he turns 41 at the end of November) he showed some chinks in his armor and he doesn’t bounce back from injuries as quicly as he once did. But he still saved 33 games, posted a 1.80 ERA and had a career best 0.833 WHIP (Walks and Hits per inning).

The Yankees would love for Rivera to sign just a one year deal, but eventually a two year deal will/should get done.  For his part Rivera may lower his monetary demands, but he is not likely to accept an option rather than a guaranteed second year. Update – The Yankees declined arbitration to Rivera Tuesday evening.

As for Jeter, the Yankees decided against offering him salary arbitration.  The Yankees did make one move yesterday, signing left-hander Neil Cotts to a one year minor league deal.  Cotts missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Aubrey Huff was instrumental in helping the Giants win their first World Series title in 56 years and he will remain a Giant for the next two years.  That according to Jon Morosi, who reported a short time ago that Huff and the Giants agreed to a two year, $22M deal.

The Tigers decided not to offer salary arbitration to veteran free agents Johnny Damon, Jeremy Bonderman, Magglio Ordonez, Gerald Laird, and Bobby Seay.  According to ESPN Deportes and Ken Rosenthal have reported that the Tigers and free agent catcher Victor Martinez have agreed to a four year, $50M deal.  The Red Sox reportedly would not go higher than $42M for four years.

The Mets have offered arbitration to free agent left-hander Pedro Feliciano.

Despite all of the trade rumors, Diamondbacks head honcho Derrick Hall expects Justin Upton to start the 2011 season with Arizona.  Former little league standout and San Diego Padre Sean Burroughs signed a minor league deal with AZ in an attempt to make a comeback.

Looking for some pitching depth the Dodgers signed Dana Eveland to a split minor/major league contract.

Update 7 p.m.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees really are playing hardball with Derek Jeter.  Cashman told Wally Matthews of ESPN New York, “We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account. We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That’s the way it works.” The Yankees offer is thought to be three years, $45M.

Arbitration Updates

It appears Jason Varitek’s time in Boston is coming to an end; the Red Sox today did not offer arbitration to the 14-yr veteran who has spent his entire career in Boston.  Mike Lowell, who is set to retire, and Bill Hall were also not offered arbitration.  The Red Sox did offer arbitration to Adrian Beltre, Felipe Lopez, and the soon to be departed Victor Martinez.

Former Red Sox Manny Ramirez along with veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski were not offered arbitration by the White Sox, who did extend arbitration to Paul Konkero and J.J. Putz.

Other offered arbitration – Jayson Werth (Phillies), Javier Vazquez (Yankees), Adam Dunn (Nats), Koji Uehara (Orioles), Jorge De La Rosa and Octavio Dotel (Rockies).

Another notables not receiving arbitration offers were the Braves’ Derrek Lee and the Yankees Kerry Wood.

Update 10 p.m.

The Yankees may be playing hardball with Derek Jeter, but SI’s Jon Heyman is hearing that the Yankees still plan on “sweetening” the original offer.

A source has told the NY Daily News’ Mark Feinsand that the reported six year, $140M offer made by the Yankees to Cliff Lee is completely false and in fact no offer has been made as of yet.

Jayson Stark of ESPN says that Javier Vazquez’s reps are having heavy talks with the Marlins front office.  Vazquez is said to be wanting just a one year deal and has reportedly turned down an offer of two years, $20M.

More Arbitrations News

Offered Arbitration - Trevor Hoffman (MIL), Carl Crawford, Randy Choate, Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Chad Qualls , Brad Hawpe (TB), Juan Uribe (SF), Cliff Lee, Frank Francisco (TEX), Aaron Heilman, Adam LaRoche (AZ)

Not Offered Arbitration –  Carlos Pena, Dan Wheeler (TB), Hideki Matsui (LAA), Bengie Molina, Vlad Guerrero  (TEX), Kevin Millwood (BAL), Troy Glaus (ATL)

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.

That ball has made it through the past 60-plus years in excellent condition, and it’s one of the highlights of Steiner Sports’ first Catalogue Auction, now through Nov. 18.

Another one-of-a-kind piece among the hundreds of entries is the old Yankee Stadium bullpen phone, signed by Mariano Rivera with the inscription “Enter Sandman,” the title of his famed entrance theme song.  Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Paul O’Neill and the rest of the present and recent Yankees championship teams are also well represented.

Items bearing the likenesses and signatures of dozens of other Hall of Famers are included in the auction, which is heavy with Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs memorabilia through Steiner’s partnerships with those clubs, as well as football, hockey, basketball and boxing pieces.

Where to begin? From the beginning of course.  That would be one week ago (11/1) when the San Francisco Giants polished off the Texas Rangers in five games.  That’s when the official free agent filing period began and 142 players became eligible for free agency.  It ended yesterday as did the exclusive negotiating rights between teams and their current free agents.

Before looking at what’s going on with the players themselves, let’s take a look at some other important dates to remember for November:

11/16 – 11/17 – the General Managers’ meetings take place in Orlando, Florida. Though deals don’t necessarily get done then, the seeds of many trades are planted.  Overlapping the GM’s meetings are the Owner’s meetings on the 17th and 18th of November.   The major topics of the owner’s meetings are likely to be the addition of a second wild card to the post-season and the increased use of instant replay.

11/23 will be the final day for teams to offer arbitration to their free agents.  The players will then have one week (11/30) to accept or decline the arbitration offer.

The biggest names that are likely to land the biggest free agent pay days are Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, and Rafael Soriano. Below is the complete list of the current MLB free agents, courtesy of ESPN.com:

Oakland - SI’s John Heyman reported on Twitter this morning that the A’s have won the exclusive rights to bid on Japanese free agent pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. The 29-yr old is the ace of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and won Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young award in 2008.

Rays: The AL East champions face a tough winter with a number of potential free agents including two that will be very much in demand, Carl Crawford and Rafael Soriano.  In fact, the Rays entire bullpen may have to be remade with Joaquin Benoit, Randy Choate, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Grant Balfour all having filed for free agency.  It’s a given that Crawford will not return and the Rays must decide whether or not they want slugging first baseman Carlos Pena back as well.

Yankees: Turned down options on Kerry Wood ($11M), Lance Berkman ($15M), and Nick Johnson ($5.5M), allowing the three to become free agents.  Wood is the only one of the three the Yankees would be interested in having return.  The Yankees have some big decisions ahead with mainstays/ faces of the franchise free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, as well as their longtime teammate Andy Pettitte.   Coming off a less than stellar season, Jeter’s negotiation will be the trickiest of the the three.

Red Sox: The biggest thing the Red Sox need to do in 2011 is stay healthy.  Injuries decimated the ball club and never allowed them to tighten up the AL East race as much as they could have.  The team’s MVP in ’10 was likely Adrian Beltre, who re-emerged as an offensive threat in hitter friendly Fenway Park.  Beltre immediately turned down his player option for ’11, opting instead for free agency.  Joining him are the good bat/shaky defense of Victor Martinez.  To avoid any additional hits to their offense, the Red Sox immediately picked up the 2011 option on potential free agent David Ortiz.  GM Theo Epstein must also decide if it is finally time to part ways with captain and emotional leader Jason Varitek.

Blue Jays: First year manager John Farrell may have some retooling to do of his own for Toronto’s bullpen.  Closer Kevin Gregg, who had his option turned down, and set up men Scott Downs and Jayson Frasor could all walk.  Downs will be high demand as a potent lefty threat who can retire right-handers as well.  Catcher John Buck, coming off a career offensive year, is in good shape for a new long term deal and is likely expendable with the acquisition of Miguel Olivo.

Orioles: The Orioles free agency list consists of seven veterans, none of which may be back in an O’s uniform next year.  Utility man Ty Wigginton played the second highest number of games in his career and enjoyed a productive season, and is the most likely candidate to return.  But at 33 years of age he may not find desirable money despite playing three of the four infield positions.  Koji Uehara was a late addition as closer and fared well.  He’s not the pro-typical closer, but the Orioles may have found a good set up man whether it be for another team or themselves.

Tomorrow’s column will feature the other beasts of the east, the NL East.

Update 11/8  7 p.m.

The Yankees wasted no time over the weekend in their attempt to land top free agent prize Cliff Lee.  The Yankees weren’t the only team though to contact Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, who made it clear getting Lee signed was going to be a slow process.

FoxSports reported that the Cincinnati Reds are close to a two year extension for pitcher Bronson Arroyo.  The deal would include an option year as well.

According to Adam Rubin, New York Mets new GM Sandy Alderson has asked DeMarlo Hale, Don Wakamatsu, and Clint Hurdle to interview for the Mets managerial position.  Wakamatsu, fired during the season by Seattle, has the Toronto bench coach job to fall back on.

Jarrod Washburn, who sat out the entire 2010 season, is considering making a comeback in 2011.

Free agent 1st baseman Derrek Lee underwent surgery on his right thumb Monday to repair torn ligaments.  According to Yahoo Sports, the injury occurred in April and was the major reason that Lee’s offensive output suffered.  He hit just .260 with 19 HR and 80 RBI with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves.

Update 11/8  10 p.m.

Sources have told ESPN New York’s Wally Matthews that the NY Yankees plan on offering Derek Jeter a three year contract valued between $45M and $60M. “The Yankees are going to overpay him,” said a source with intimate knowledge of the discussions between the team and Casey Close, Jeter’s agent. “The question is, how much are they going to overpay him?”

San Francisco Giants World Series star and free agent Edgar Renteria told ESPN Deportes that he would be willing to move to 2nd base next season to continue his career.

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.