With the 2009 World Series well underway (split one game apiece between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies), let's take this opportunity to break down each club to see how, where, and when each club obtained its talent.

The Yankees organization has a long-standing reputation for "buying" its talent on the free agent market... but that really started about 15 years ago. Is that belief still true today? And how does the Philadelphia Phillies squad compare with the Bronx Bombers in terms of talent acquisition?

C.C. Sabathia, LHP
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1998- California HS)
Original Team: Cleveland Indians
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Milwaukee)
MLB Seasons: Nine

A.J. Burnett, RHP
Original Signing: 8th round draft pick (1995- Arkansas HS)
Original Team: New York Mets
# of MLB Organizations: Four
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Toronto)
MLB Seasons: Eleven

Andy Pettitte, LHP
Original Signing: Un-drafted amateur free agent (1991- San Jacinto JC)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Houston)
MLB Seasons: Fifteen

Alfredo Aceves, RHP
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (Mexico)
Original Team: Toronto Blue Jays
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Two

Brian Bruney, RHP
Original Signing: 12th round draft pick (2000- Oregon HS)
Original Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Six

Joba Chamberlain, RHP
Original Signing: 1st round supplemental (2006- U of Nebraska)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Three

Phil Coke, LHP
Original Signing: 26th round draft pick (2002- San Joaquin Delta JC)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Two

Chad Gaudin, RHP
Original Signing: 34th round draft pick (2001- Louisiana HS)
Original Team: Tampa Bay Rays
# of MLB Organizations: Six
How Acquired: Trade (from San Diego)
MLB Seasons: Seven

Phil Hughes, RHP
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2004- California HS)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Three

Damaso Marte, LHP
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1992- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: Seattle Mariners
# of MLB Organizations: Four
How Acquired: Trade (from Pittsburgh)
MLB Seasons: Ten

Mariano Rivera, RHP
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1990- Panama)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agent
MLB Seasons: Fifteen

David Robertson, RHP
Original Signing: 17th round draft pick (2006- U of Alabama)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Two

Jose Molina, C
Original Signing: 14th round draft pick (1993- Puerto Rico HS)
Original Team: Chicago Cubs
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Trade (from Los Angeles AL)
MLB Seasons: Ten

Jorge Posada, C
Original Signing: 24th round draft pick (1990- Puerto Rico HS)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Fifteen

Robinson Cano, 2B
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (2001- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Five

Jerry Hairston Jr., IF/OF
Original Signing: 11th round draft pick (1997- Southern Illinois University)
Original Team: Baltimore Orioles
# of MLB Organizations: Five
How Acquired: Trade (from Cincinnati)
MLB Seasons: Twelve

Derek Jeter, SS
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1992- Michigan HS)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Fifteen

Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1993- Florida HS)
Original Team: Seattle Mariners
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Trade (from Texas)
MLB Seasons: Sixteen

Mark Teixeira, 1B
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2001- Georgia Tech U)
Original Team: Texas Rangers
# of MLB Organizations: Four
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Los Angeles AL)
MLB Seasons: Seven

Melky Cabrera, OF
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (2001- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Five

Johnny Damon, OF
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1992- Florida HS)
Original Team: Kansas City Royals
# of MLB Organizations: Four
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Boston)
MLB Seasons: Fifteen

Brett Gardner, OF
Original Signing: 3rd round draft pick (2005- College of Charleston)
Original Team: New York Yankees
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Two

Eric Hinske, OF/IF
Original Signing: 17th round draft pick (1998- U of Arkansas)
Original Team: Chicago Cubs
# of MLB Organizations: Seven
How Acquired: Trade (from Pittsburgh)
MLB Seasons: Eight

Nick Swisher, OF/1B
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2002- Ohio State University)
Original Team: Oakland Athletics
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Trade (from Chicago AL)
MLB Seasons: Six

Hideki Matsui, DH
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (Japan)
Original Team: Yomiuri Giants
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Seven

Antonio Bastardo
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (2005- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agency
MLB Seasons: One

Joe Blanton
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2002- U of Kentucky)
Original Team: Oakland Athletics
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Trade (from Oakland)
MLB Seasons: Six

Chad Durbin
Original Signing: 3rd round draft pick (1996- Louisiana HS)
Original Team: Kansas City Royals
# of MLB Organizations: Five
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Detroit)
MLB Seasons: Ten

Scott Eyre
Original Signing: 9th round draft pick (1991- College of Southern Idaho)
Original Team: Texas Rangers
# of MLB Organizations: Six
How Acquired: Trade (from Chicago NL)
MLB Seasons: Thirteen

Cole Hamels
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2002- California HS)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Four

J.A. Happ
Original Signing: 3rd round draft pick (2004- Northwestern U)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Three

Cliff Lee
Original Signing: 4th round draft pick (2000- U of Arkansas)
Original Team: Montreal Expos
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Trade (from Cleveland)
MLB Seasons: Eight

Brad Lidge
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1998- U of Notre Dame)
Original Team: Houston Astros
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Trade (from Houston)
MLB Seasons: Eight

Ryan Madson
Original Signing: 9th round draft pick (1998- California HS)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Seven

Pedro Martinez
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1988- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
# of MLB Organizations: Five
How Acquired: Free Agency (from New York NL)
MLB Seasons: Eighteen

Brett Myers
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1999- Florida HS)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Eight

Chan Ho Park
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1994- Korea)
Original Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
# of MLB Organizations: Five
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Los Angeles NL)
MLB Seasons: Sixteen

Paul Bako
Original Signing: 5th round draft pick (1993- U of Louisiana-Lafayette)
Original Team: Cincinnati Reds
# of MLB Organizations: Eleven
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Chicago NL)
MLB Seasons: Twelve

Carlos Ruiz
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1998- Panama)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: International Free Agency
MLB Seasons: Four

Eric Bruntlett
Original Signing: 9th round draft pick (2000- Stanford University)
Original Team: Houston Astros
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Trade (from Houston)
MLB Seasons: Seven

Greg Dobbs
Original Signing: 10th round draft pick (1999- U of Oklahoma)
Original Team: Seattle Mariners
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Claimed on Waivers (from Seattle)
MLB Seasons: Six

Pedro Feliz
Original Signing: Non-drafted free agent (1994- Dominican Republic)
Original Team: San Francisco Giants
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Free Agency (from San Francisco)
MLB Seasons: Ten

Ryan Howard
Original Signing: 5th round draft pick (2001- Missouri State University)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Six

Jimmy Rollins
Original Signing: 2nd round draft pick (1996- California HS)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Ten

Chase Utley
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (2000- UCLA)
Original Team: Philadelphia Phillies
# of MLB Organizations: One
How Acquired: Amateur Draft
MLB Seasons: Seven

Ben Francisco
Original Signing: 5th round draft pick (2002- UCLA)
Original Team: Cleveland Indians
# of MLB Organizations: Two
How Acquired: Trade (from Cleveland)
MLB Seasons: Three

Raul Ibanez
Original Signing: 36th round draft pick (1992- Miami-Dade JC)
Original Team: Seattle Mariners
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Seattle)
MLB Seasons: Fourteen

Matt Stairs
Original Signing: Un-drafted amateur free agent (1989- New Brunswick, Canada)
Original Team: Montreal Expos
# of MLB Organizations: Eleven
How Acquired: Trade (from Toronto)
MLB Seasons: Seventeen

Shane Victorino
Original Signing: 6th round draft pick (1999- Hawaii HS)
Original Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
# of MLB Organizations: Three
How Acquired: Rule 5 Draft (from Los Angeles NL)
MLB Seasons: Six

Jayson Werth
Original Signing: 1st round draft pick (1997- Illinois HS)
Original Team: Baltimore Orioles
# of MLB Organizations: Four
How Acquired: Free Agency (from Los Angeles NL)
MLB Seasons: Seven

So let's do some comparisons between the two organizations and see how they both acquired the players on their World Series rosters:

New York
Amateur Draft: 7 (First Round Picks: 3)
Free Agency: 7
International FA: 4
Trade: 7
Waivers: 0
Rule 5 Draft: 0

Philadelphia
Amateur Draft: 7 (First Round Picks: 3)
Free Agency: 7
International FA: 2
Trade: 7
Waivers: 1
Rule 5 Draft: 1

Now let's see how well these clubs did signing their own amateur talent (amateur draft, international free agent) at each position:

Starting Pitchers

Well, there were a lot of good things and a few bad things from Draft Day 1, when looking at the prospect hauls that teams pulled in. Let's have a look at a few of them.

The Pirates' supplemental first round pick, Victor Black of Dallas Baptist, has a big fastball (up to 96 mph) but he's been good for only one season (2008-09) and he struggled as recently as last summer's Cape Cod League. It's a pretty risky pick with some safer picks still on the board. But I do agree that the club should have been looking for some advanced arms that could get to the Majors rather quickly.

Prep pitchers Brooks Pounders (2nd round) and Zack Dodson (4th round) will be tough signings as they are both committed to good schools: USC and Baylor. Dodson specifically has a seven-figure asking price but the Pirates organization made him its first pick on Day 2, so you have to hope that the club got a good read on his signability. Both pitchers will probably command above-slot deals to sign away from college so it's a head-scratcher when you consider the organization went cheap with its first-round pick.

Kyle Gibson was obviously a big gamble with the 22nd overall pick, but if he had been healthy he would have been a Top 5 selection. And his forearm stress fracture is not a long-term-injury concern. The club then took a college lefty (Matt Bashore) with a good fastball in the supplemental round a potential future closer (Billy Bullock) in the second round. Third-round pick Ben Tootle can hit the upper 90s with his fastball but his other pitches need a lot of work. Well, he's headed to the right organization to learn how to pitch.

OK, let's cheat a bit a talk a bit about Day 2, since I just mentioned it above...

So, what do you think? Are you happy with what your team did?

Interesting Notes:

Yesterday was a bit of a blur as the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft flew through the first three rounds. The first round of the draft was also aired on TV at the MLB Network, which was fun to watch even if we had to put up with MLB commissioner Bud Selig as the talking head announcing the picks.

There were some forgone conclusions (Stephen Strasburg first overall to the Nationals), as well as some surprises (like prep catcher Max Stassi slipping to Oakland on the second day in the fourth round or Baltimore going cheap at No. 5 with prep pitcher Matt Hobgood).

As you probably know (and can see below), Rich and I live blogged the first round of the draft and each player had a unique scouting report written by one of the many talented Baseball Analysts scribes. I'd also like to share with you some of the scouting reports for players who slide out of the first round and into the supplemental first round.

37th overall | Toronto Blue Jays

James Paxton, LHP, Kentucky

Height/Weight: 6-4, 215 | DOB: 11/6/88

2009 stats: 5-3 W-L | 5.86 ERA | 78.1 IP | 83 H | 115-20 K/BB

Paxton is a true dark-horse in the first round of the draft. The left-hander throws big-time heat (he can touch 98 mph), but his results - especially this year - have just not matched his stuff. The college junior is a native Canadian (British Columbia), so he does not have as much pitching experience as many of the players from the southern U.S. states. Regardless, his potential will tempt teams in the late rounds of the first round, and certainly in the supplemental round. Along with his fastball, Paxton also has a good curveball and changeup. There are some concerns that he's been plagued by minor injuries throughout his career, especially given the track record for health problems amongst Canadian big league pitchers (Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, Jeff Francis, Erik Bedard, etc.). Two teams tied to Paxton are Milwaukee and Toronto. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

39th overall | Milwaukee Brewers

Kentrail Davis, OF, Tennessee

Height/Weight: 6-1, 200 | DOB: 12/5/87

2009 stats: .308/.424/.528 | 214 AB | 66 H | 12 2B | 4 3B | 9 HR | 48-33 K/BB

Davis turned down big money ($1 million-plus) from the Rockies as a 14th round pick out of high school in 2007, after he slid in the draft due to signability concerns. He's also represented by Scott Boras. A draft-eligible sophomore, the thinking is that Davis will got back to college for his junior season in hopes of improving his stock, but it's a weak year for college players in 2009 and some team with multiple picks early in the draft could take a stab at him. He has both above-average power and speed, but the power could be limited by his 5-9 stature (He tends to over-swing as it is) and the speed is expected to diminish as he fills out (He's already 200 lbs). The left-handed hitter may age quicker than most due to his physical limitations. Davis can also rub opponents the wrong way as he's known to showboat a little bit. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

40th overall | Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Skaggs, LHP, Santa Monica HS (CA)

Height/Weight: 6-5, 180 | DOB: 7/13/91

2009 stats: 2-3 W-L | 1.60 ERA | 48.0 IP | 24 H | 76-11 K/BB

Skaggs stands tall on the mound at 6’5” and generates downhill plane on his 88-92 mile per hour fastball. He has a quick clean arm action and his main off-speed offering is a slow, looping curve ball of the Barry Zito variety. As a 17-year-old lefty who can already hit 92 on the gun with two solid pitches, he has potential to be a mid-rotation starter, but he remains the second best left-handed prep pitcher from SoCal behind Matzek. Earlier this month, Skaggs returned from a sprained ankle, but he should have alleviated most worries thanks to nine strikeouts in seven innings. Skaggs has committed to Cal State Fullerton. (Posted by Jeremy Greenhouse)

44th overall | Texas Rangers

Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints

Height/Weight: 6-4, 200 | DOB: 1/17/87

2008 stats: 8-2 W-L | 2.93 ERA | 70.2 IP | 54 H | 109-34 K/BB (Fresno State, NCAA)
2009 stats: 0-1 W-L | 3.32 ERA | 19.0 IP | 17 H | 20-11 K/BB (St. Paul Saints)

Much like Aaron Crow, Tanner Scheppers chose to enter independent baseball rather than go back to college for his senior year after failing to come to terms with the Pittsburgh Pirates after being selected in the second round of the 2008 draft. Prior to the 2007-08 season, Scheppers projected to be a top pick in the draft, but teams were wary of the right-hander's health after he suffered a stress fracture in his throwing shoulder. Despite being fully healthy before the 2008 draft's signing deadline last August, Scheppers and the Pirates could not come to a deal, although the former Fresno State pitcher told Baseball Analysts, in a recent interview, that he thought a deal was going to get done and it was the Pirates organization that pulled the plug. Scheppers has potentially the most powerful arm in the 2009 draft and he can touch 98 mph. He has also worked hard to improve his curveball and the changeup is a work-in-progress. Scheppers has been examined repeatedly, including by the highly-respected Dr. Lewis Yocum, and he is completely healthy. However, due to his long layoff while rehabbing and strengthening the shoulder, the right-hander's control and command has both been off during his appearances with the St. Paul Saints. Regardless, the team that agrees with the medical reports and pops him in the first round will have a talented arm. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

47th overall | Milwaukee Brewers

Kyle Heckathorn, RHP, Kennesaw State

Height/Weight: 6-6, 240 | DOB: 6/17/88

2009 stats: 4-1 W-L | 3.44 ERA | 86.1 IP | 85 H | 98-27 K/BB

Heckathorn has a pretty catchy name and you can't miss him on the field with his hulking size. He has a power fastball to boot. The heater is straight but it gets into the mid-to-upper 90s. Heckathorn also has a power slider and tosses in an occasional changeup. His college results have never matched his raw stuff. Control is not a strong suit for the right-hander but some team that loves the strong body and power fastball will snap him up in the first round and give him a shot at starting in the minors. He'd move quicker as a reliever, though, and is reminiscent of Kansas City's Kyle Farnsworth sans the spectacles. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

There were also some other players we thought would go a little sooner in the draft but they slid past the first and supplemental first rounds... including:

51st overall | Seattle Mariners

Rich Poythress, 1B, Georgia

Height/Weight: 6-4, 245 | DOB: 8/11/1987

2009 stats: .376/.468/.764 | 237 AB | 89 H | 17 2B | 0 3B | 25 HR | 39-42 K/BB

Jim Callis pointed out in his latest mock draft that Poythress saw his stock drop after tailing off at the end of the college season but still, the numbers above indicate the guy has a chance to continue to pound the ball at the professional level. Keith Law compares his body type to Jim Thome and Frank Thomas. Poythress knows that the only way he gets to the show is to hit and hit and hit some more. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)

54th overall | Baltimore Orioles

Mychal Givens, SS/RHP, Plant HS (FL)

Height/Weight: 6-2, 185 | DOB: 5/13/90

2009 stats: .389 AVG | 95 AB | 37 H | 9 2B | 1 3B | 4 HR

On the diamond, Givens has good actions and smooth range at shortstop. He has good speed, which helps him field his position, but he's more of a 20-25 stolen-base threat on the bases. At the plate, the switch-hitter shows a good stroke and should hit for a respectable average. Givens projects to have average power, at best. He is committed to Oklahoma State University.

On the mound, the right-handed pitcher can touch the upper 90s with his fastball, but his secondary pitches need a lot of work at this point. There are also some concerns over his stamina, as he currently projects as a late-game reliever. As such, most teams prefer Givens as a hitter at this point, but pitching could be a fall-back option if his bat stutters. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

55th overall | San Francisco Giants

Tommy Joseph, C, Horizon HS (AZ)

Height/Weight: 6-1, 210 | DOB: 7/16/91

2009 stats: .494 AVG | 77 AB | 38 H | 4 2B | 0 3B | 15 HR

Fifteen homers in 77 at-bats is impressive, and Joseph has the type of power that is rare coming from a premium defensive position. He has the arm to stay behind the dish, but this was his first year primarily donning the tools of ignorance having previously played first base and DH. It shows behind the plate as he has a lot of work to do with receiving, blocking and, obviously, game calling (since managers mostly call the pitches). As a catcher, his size hinders his quickness, and he’s far from fleet of foot running the bases. He's already starting to get thick in the lower half. His bat will play, but the difference between him becoming a Major Leaguer and a star is whether he can remain a catcher. Joseph is committed to Arizona. (Posted by Jeremy Greenhouse and Marc Hulet)

58th overall | Detroit Tigers

Andrew Oliver, LHP, Oklahoma State University

Height/Weight: 6-3, 212 | DOB: 4-24-1987

2009 stats: 5-6 W-L | 5.58 ERA | 81 IP | 84 H | 91-33 K/BB

Oliver's 2009 junior year was a bit of a disappointment based on expectations from his amazing sophomore year. Still he is considered one of the top college lefties in the draft on the strength of his fastball-changeup combo and good control. John Sickles notes that part of the problem in '09 was that he lost the plus curveball he had in '08. He is advised by Scott Boras. Oliver has already had quite an impact on the first-year player draft. The NCAA does not allow amateur players to be represented by agents who negotiate directly with professional teams. Thus, players drafted out of high school loss their eligibility to play college ball if their 'advisers' communicate directly with the MLB teams that drafted them. Oliver was selected in the 17th round of the 2007 draft by the Twins and his adviser at the time, not Boras, was present during his negotiations. He never reached an agreement and went onto play at OSU. The NCAA became aware of this and he was lost his amateur eligibility in May of 2008 just before the NCAA regionals. Oliver sued the NCAA and in February a Ohio judge ruled that the NCAA cannot restrict a player's right to have legal help when negotiating a professional contract and Oliver's eligibility was restored and he played the 2009 season. The NCAA is appealing the decision and sent potential high school draftees a memo saying that while the appeal was in process that restriction stands. Oliver's lawyer disagrees. (Posted by Dave Allen)

65th overall | Los Angeles Dodgers

Garrett Gould, RHP, Maize HS (KN)

Height/Weight: 6-4, 190 | DOB: 7/19/91

2009 stats: 0.82 ERA | 50 IP | 24 H | 107 K

Gould offers a projectable frame as a 6’4” right-hander who currently sits 90-92 with his fastball. In his senior year, he saw an increase in fastball velocity, which coincided with a rise in his prospect status. What sets him apart from other high school arms is his hard 12-6 curveball, considered a top pitch in this year’s draft. Gould mainly sticks to those two pitches as his third pitch, a changeup, has not yet been needed. Gould has a violent delivery that raises some concerns, but he’s at least athletic enough to repeat it. He was also a standout basketball and football player before giving up the sports to concentrate on baseball. Gould demonstrated his versatility on the diamond as well, posting a .493/.540/.893 line with the bat. Gould has committed to Wichita State. (Posted by Jeremy Greenhouse)

70th overall | Minnesota Twins

Billy Bullock, RHP, University of Florida

Height/Weight: 6-6, 225 | DOB:

2009 stats: 3-3 W-L | 2.64 ERA | 47.2 IP | 40 H | 50-22 K/BB

Despite his 6-6 frame, Bullock does not show consistent plus velocity as a starter. In the bullpen, though, he can touch 96-97 mph on a regular basis and a club in need of quick bullpen help could turn to Bullock early on in the draft. His repertoire also includes slider and an occasional changeup. It's possible that the team that selects the right-hander will try and move him back to the starting rotation. The Dodgers selected Bullock out of high school in the 20th round of the 2006 draft. (Posted by Marc Hulet)

91st overall | Kansas City Royals

Wil Myers, C, Wesleyan Christian Academy, North Carolina

Height/Weight: 6-3, 185 | DOB: 12/10/1990

2009 stats: .532 AVG | 62 AB | 33 H | 7 2B | 0 3B | 14 HR

Keith Law reported that Myers was slipping because scouts had reservations about his body type. Tall, lanky types tend not to stick at catcher. His bat is solid enough that even if he were moved off of catcher, he would still project as a Major League hitter but since there are all of about 4 or 5 catchers in the world that can hit at the Big League level, we all know that sticking behind the plate will be his ticket. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)

At the end of the first day of drafting (the conclusion of the third round), Baseball America - the leading draft experts - stated that a number of key draft prospects were still available in the coming day, beginning in round four. Here are the names that BA identified (The number represents the player's ranking amongst BA's Top 100 draft prospects list):

30. Max Stassi, c, Yuba City (Calif.) HS
38. Sam Dyson, rhp, South Carolina
41. Zack Von Rosenbuerg, rhp, Zachary (La.) HS
43. Brody Colvin, rhp, More HS, Lafayette, La.
45. Madison Younginer, rhp, Mauldin (S.C.) HS
47. Keyvius Sampson, rhp, Forest HS, Ocala, Fla.
55. Chris Dwyer, lhp, Clemson
59. Jeff Malm, 1b, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas
60. A.J. Morris, rhp, Kansas State
62. Jason Stoffel, rhp, Arizona
63. Kent Matthes, of, Alabama
64. Angelo Songco, of, Loyola Marymount
65. Brian Goodwin, of, Rocky Mount (N.C.) HS
68. Dane Williams, rhp, Archbishop McCarthy HS, SW Ranches, Fla.
74. Jacob Stewart, of, Rocky Moutain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.
80. Ryan Jackson, ss, Miami
81. Austin Maddox, c, Eagle’s View Academy, Jacksonville, Fla.
82. Brooks Raley, lhp/of, Texas A&M
83. Andrew Doyle, rhp, Oklahoma
90. Ryan Buch, rhp, Monmouth
92. Kendal Volz, rhp, Baylor
94. Matt den Dekker, of, Florida
96. Luke Bailey, c, Troup HS, LaGrange, Ga.

Of those players, we here at Baseball Analysts wanted to share a few more scouting reports, as well as the team that drafted them on Day 2.

4th round | San Diego Padres

Keyvius Sampson, RHP, Forest HS, Florida

Height/Weight: 6-1, 185 | DOB: 1/6/1991

2009 stats: 8-0 W-L | 0.83 ERA | 59 IP | 19 H | 113-14 K/BB

Sampson is known for his easy delivery and athletic frame, and there is even some question as to whether he will continue his professional career as a pitcher or position player. Given that he sits in the low-90's and touches the mid-90s, it looks like he will be pitching as a pro. He has a compelling personal story and extraordinary makeup. He is a Florida State commit. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)

4th round | Oakland Athletics

Max Stassi, C, Yuba City (Calif.) HS

Height/Weight: 5-10, 190 | DOB: 3/15/91

2009 stats: .538/.643/1.423 | 78 AB | 42 H | 11 2B | 1 3B | 11 HR | 23 BB | 8 SO

Stassi is likely the top rated catcher in this year's draft. Rated the #30 overall prospect by Baseball America, he has outstanding baseball makeup and is considered a gamer. His short, but powerful build allows him to hit with plus power, slugging 1.423 in his senior season. His defensive skills are also a plus - he has a decent arm and excellent footwork behind the plate. He missed time this season when he tweaked his shoulder, but appears to have recovered from the injury. The key concern about Stassi is his signability. He is committed to UCLA, making college an attractive option. He has said he is 50-50 on going pro. (Posted by Sky Andrecheck)

5th round | St. Louis Cardinals

Ryan Jackson, SS, University of Miami

Height/Weight: 6-3, 185 | DOB: 8/26/1990

2009 stats: .263/.362/.381 | 194 AB | 51 H | 9 2B | 0 3B | 4 HR | 33-32 K/BB

The numbers underwhelm, so let's let friend of Baseball Analysts Tony Sanchez take it away.

I have been watching him since we were 12 and I always knew he was going to be special. Guys like us don't necessarily impress everyone - like me, he has his critics. But he has that intangible that I think will help him become a Big League shortstop. Travel ball, high school ball and most recently in college I have watched him and he has it. His glove alone could probably make him a Big Leaguer and if he hits, sky's the limit. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)

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In a draft that has very little debate over who is going first overall, there are still many interesting stories to be found. One of the most intriguing story lines revolves around pitchers Tanner Scheppers and Aaron Crow, two first-round talents from the 2008 MLB amateur draft that failed to come to terms with the clubs that selected them.

Scheppers, who suffered a stress fracture in his pitching shoulder before last year's draft, slid to the second round where he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Crow, despite being selected ninth overall, could not agree on a contract with the Washington Nationals. Both pitchers chose not to return to their respective colleges for their senior seasons. Instead, they each headed off to play professional baseball in independent baseball leagues in hopes of improving their situations in the 2009 MLB amateur draft.

After making his second start of the year for the St. Paul Saints, of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, Scheppers was kind enough to speak with Baseball Analysts before taking to the field for a workout with The Saints. The night before his interview with us, Scheppers pitched four innings of two-hit ball. He did, though, struggle with his control. The right-handed starter walked five batters, although he also struck out six.

Fast-forwarding just over a week, Scheppers' statistics are still not matching the potential that he's shown. Despite some obvious signs of rust - which should be expected after such a lengthy layoff - the right-hander has wowed scouts and there is talk that on a pure talent level, he should go second overall. Some teams, though, will inevitably shy away from the Dana Hills High School alum because of the shoulder injury.

The Laguna Niguel, California native was born on January 17, 1987 to David (an accountant) and Ann (an interior designer) Scheppers. The younger Scheppers' hobbies include body-boarding and playing video games. He spent most of his prep career as a shortstop, but took to pitching in his senior year of high school. The Orioles drafted him as a pitcher in the 29th round of the 2005 draft, but he elected to play for Fresno State University.

In his freshman year, Scheppers appeared in just 12 games as a reliever and posted a 9.00 ERA. He eventually worked his way into the starting rotation in his sophomore year when he made 25 appearances and 15 starts. His ERA improved to 4.74 and he struck out 94 batters in 93 innings of work. Scheppers' game, though, really took off during his junior year before his shoulder problems, when he posted a 2.93 ERA and allowed just 54 hits in 70.2 innings of work. He walked 34 (4.3 BB/9) and struck out 109 (13.9 K/9).

Marc: So, how do you feel the game went last night?

Tanner: Ah, I've definitely had better days... that's for sure.

Marc: You did, though, allow just two hits over four innings, so that must be a positive.

Tanner: Yeah, there were definitely some positives. I mean, obviously when you have outings like that you learn a lot more than, say, if you go out there and do really well.

Marc: Can you put your finger on one thing that you learned last night?

Tanner: Yeah. Last night when things started to get a little out of control and things started hitting the fan, I really sped things up instead of going the opposite direction. I talked to Kerry Ligtenberg and sat down with him to just pick his brain and see what he had to say about the whole situation. He just said I was rushing things and falling forward a little bit. Those were all really good things to learn.

Marc: Have you had more than one opportunity to pick the brains of players like Ligtenberg and Mitch Wylie - guys that have played at a really high level?

Tanner: I actually room with Wylie so I can talk with him every day, which is really good. And Craig Brazell has taught me a lot about the hitter's aspect and what they're thinking up there and stuff.

Marc: And it must be nice not to have to face him. (Laughs)

Tanner: (Laughs) I'd love to face him. That'd be awesome.

Marc: What's the biggest difference between NCAA hitters and the professional hitters that you've been facing recently?

Tanner: So far what I seem to be noticing is that they're a lot more disciplined. They don't chase, really, anything. They have a lot better eyes. The wood-bat thing is a little bit different. You can pitch inside a little bit more. It takes some time to get used to that. Really, they're just more disciplined and developed hitters.

Marc: How else have you adjusted your game plan while pitching to batters now that they're using wood bats?

Tanner: Just pitching a lot more inside. I'm still learning. I've only had a few starts now and every start I'm learning something new. I'm starting to work in the changeup a lot more to keep the hitters off-balance a little bit.

Marc: How did it feel watching how your teammates were doing at Fresno State during the College World Series?

Tanner: It was good to watch; I was part of the team. We had a great run and I couldn't be more proud for them.

Marc: You made a lot of improvement between your sophomore and junior years at Fresno State. What do you attribute that improvement to? Was it just being able to pitch more and getting used to pitching full-time? I know you were recruited by Fresno as a shortstop out of high school.

Tanner: I think a lot of it had to do with repetition. I was getting out there consistently and feeling the game out. I was talking with my pitching coach and he really took me under his wing and helped me out there.

Marc: Do you ever miss playing everyday at shortstop?

Tanner: (Laughs) It's been so long... I love pitching.

Marc: Do you ever have regrets or second thoughts about signing with the Orioles out of high school?

Tanner: Oh, no. I was so young then. I didn't know anything about pitching. I only pitched like 30 innings my senior year. And that was all the pitching time I got. No real coaching at all. If I had signed, I would have been lost out there, I think. College was a good experience. I learned a lot from it.

Marc: Would you recommend, then, for kids - who are drafted out of high school - go and spend some time in college? Or do you think it depends on the kid and the situation?

Tanner: I think it definitely depends on the situation. I'm definitely more on the college side. You definitely don't often see high school players make it (to the Majors) in the first couple of years. To go straight to the big leagues is pretty rare for them. I think you gain a lot more experience by going to college and you get your education out of the way. You never know what can happen. An injury could end your career and then you don't really have any schooling. I have a back-up plan and I think it's a really good thing to have.

Marc: How's the shoulder doing?

Tanner: The shoulder's doing great.

Marc: Have you had any problems with it at all this year?

Tanner: Zero. All the hard work is paying off.

Marc: What sort of rehab did you do to get that shoulder back to where you're throwing like you were before getting hurt?

Tanner: I was at [the Athletes Performance Institute in Los Angeles]... and I worked out there for four months, strictly doing shoulder exercises to really build up the muscle around the [rotator] cuff. It was also about the arm, stretching it out. Ever since, it's been great.

Marc: Do you think the shoulder is stronger now than before the injury?

Tanner: Definitely. It's definitely stronger.

Marc: Did they pinpoint what caused the injury? Was it a pitching injury or was it from lifting weights or doing something else?

Tanner: Ah, no it was pitching. It was over-work. I've seen Dr. [Lewis] Yocum and he said it was normal wear-and-tear on an over-worked arm. I threw a lot of pitches and a lot of games.

Marc: Have you gained any other valuable experiences from spending time with the club in St. Paul, aside from the in-game pitching?

Tanner: Overall, I've just learned more about the game.

Marc: And does that come from just being at the ballpark everyday and being around professional ball players?

Tanner: Yeah, exactly - seeing a ball game everyday. Different stuff happens every game. You can see the different things that happen and how to handle it. With all the different situations you're always learning.

Marc: Obviously this time last year, injury aside, you were a really highly-regarded pitcher. You were expected to go very high in the draft and you still went in the second round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Are you a better pitcher now than you were then?

Tanner: Definitely. I'm still working off a little bit of the rust, and I'm kind of getting my feet underneath me, feeling the field out there with the crowd. I'm just feeling the baseball game, really. I was a little more in control last year when I was in my prime. But I'm starting to come under my feet and get back into it. I'm starting to feel how I was last year and with the control part, which is nice. Once I get there, everything should fall into place.

Marc: Do you find the game is going really quickly when you're out on the mound right now?

Tanner: No, just in that last inning yesterday. Things sped up more for me a little bit. Other than that, not really.

Marc: What's been the most frustrating or challenging part of the last year?

Tanner: I dunno. It's just been a long period. It was just long.

Marc: What about the rehab? Was that challenging?

Tanner: No. The rehab was the easy part. Doing the work is the easy part... It was people not being able to see me.

Marc: What was the most rewarding part of the last year for you? Has anything positive come out of the injury?

Tanner: You know, I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot from the experience.

Marc: When you're on the mound, do you have a specific game plan, or approach when you're working? Do you try to pitch to contact or do you like to go for the strikeouts?

Tanner: I just try to fill up the strike zone. If they hit it, they hit it. If they don't then you just keep pounding the strike zone. That's what I just keep trying to tell myself.

Marc: Do you put much stock in statistics and in-depth analysis?

Tanner: Oh no, not at all.

Marc: Do you study a lot of scouting reports before your games?

Tanner: I just go over scouting reports on the hitters to see what tendencies they have and if they chase a lot of stuff or if they're a first-pitch hitter or do they hit the fastball... That sort of stuff. But I don't look at batting averages and that sort of stuff.

Marc: When you're facing a hitter for the first time, how do you attack them? Do you go away from their strengths or do you pitch to your strengths?

Tanner: I go with my strengths, because you want to be beat with your best stuff. You don't want to get beat by your second-best pitch. So definitely just attack it... If I get beat with my best, then I just tip my cap to them.

Marc: Then if you get beat with your best against a hitter, what approach do you take the second time that you face that same hitter?

Tanner: It's definitely a feel thing. You go with whatever approach feels right and what's going good for you that day. Every day is different. Some days the curveball is great. Some days it's just not doing that well.

Marc: You've mentioned the curveball. What other pitches do you throw?

Tanner: Fastball, curveball, slider, changeup.

Marc: And what do you feel is your best pitch?

Tanner: The fastball.

Marc: What has the heater been clocked at recently?

Tanner: Mid-to-high (90s) is what I've been clocked at. I've been 94-98 mph

Marc: Now, do you like to just go out and throw as hard as you can or do you try and take a little off to gain more command and control of the pitch?

Tanner: You know, I'm still learning. There are times when I think I'm over-throwing a bit and it causes me to be up in the zone. It's a feel thing and I am still learning a lot.

Marc: It's just two weeks before the 2009 MLB amateur draft. Can you give me a scouting report on Tanner Scheppers the pitcher? What is your biggest strength?

Tanner: I guess that I'm still young and I'm still learning. I have a pretty good fastball. The off-speed stuff is there... And I'm willing to get better, to work my ass off. (Laughs)

Marc: And if you were to highlight one thing that you need to work on to take your game to that next level, what would it be?

Tanner: Command. Command and consistency.

Marc: And what do you think can help you achieve improvements in those areas?

Tanner: Just more pitching.

Marc: Do you have any specific goals after signing. Do you think that far ahead or are you just taking things one day at a time?

Tanner: One day at a time, definitely... Pitch by pitch.

Marc: How close were you to signing with Pittsburgh last year?

Tanner: You know, I'm still confused by the situation. (Laughs) I don't really know exactly what happened there.

Marc: Did you think you were going to sign with them?

Tanner: Oh yeah, I thought I totally made it. But they told me it wasn't going to happen.

Marc: That must have been frustrating.

Tanner: It was definitely a big surprise.

Marc: So then what made you choose to go the independent league route, rather than return to Fresno State for your senior season?

Tanner: I'd rather not comment on that, if possible.

Marc: OK, not a problem.

Marc: So, the last mock draft I saw had you going fifth overall to the Orioles. Do you pay attention to that kind of lead-up to the draft, and the speculation?

Tanner: My teammates joke around about it and stuff but I really don't pay that much attention to it. You can't, really. I got caught up in it a little bit last year, you know, in the heat of everything. Being hurt and everything you realize that you just need to go and pitch and everything will sort itself out.

Marc: Are there specific teams showing more interest in you than others at this point, or are you getting interest from everybody?

Tanner: I think it's just in general.

Marc: Do you have a favorite team or a preference?

Tanner: Oh no, not at all. I'd be lucky to play for any one of them.

Marc: I take it, then, considering that you thought you'd signed last year, that you're looking forward to signing quickly and starting your career?

Tanner: I would love to sign as quickly as possible, get into the system and start off. Hopefully improve out there and just move up as quickly as I possibly can. I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can to make sure that happens.

Marc: Well, that's all my questions. I really do appreciate you taking the time, Tanner.

Tanner: Yeah, no problem.

Marc: And I wish you the best of luck for the season leading up to the draft.

Tanner: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Baseball Analysts would again like to thank Tanner Scheppers for speaking with us. As well, we'd like to thank the St. Paul Saints (and Sean Aronson) for accommodating the interview.

Credit to Keith Kountz for Fresno State photos of Scheppers in action.

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I had the opportunity to catch most of the first game of the 2009 Major League Baseball season when the Atlanta Braves defeated the reigning champion Philadelphia Phillies by the score of 4-1. Phillies starter Brett Myers did not look comfortable on the mound and he allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. The biggest issue with Myers appeared to be a lack of confidence in his fastball. The right-hander began to rely on his secondary pitches too much during the game. The fastballs came mostly early on in the at-bats. Myers favored his change-up as his out-pitch in the beginning, but switched to the curveball after giving up a home run to Atlanta catcher Brian McCann on the off-speed pitch.

It was only one game, but Jeff Francoeur looked much more comfortable at the plate. It also appeared like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders after he hit that home run; He can now hopefully put the demons to rest after a horrendous 2008 season. His home run, though, came on the first pitch he saw in 2009 so maybe he hasn't learned from his mistakes... or has he? Franceour then saw seven pitches in his second at-bat. That is actually more impressive than the home run.

The Toronto Blue Jays, considered perhaps the weakest team in the American League East this season, stomped on the Detroit Tigers on Opening Night 2009, by the score of 12-5. While it might be exciting to have such a powerful start to the year, it really doesn't change anything; it's still going to be a rough year for the Jays. The club was just lucky to match up with another struggling team during the first series of the year.

Ace - and perhaps the most consistent starter in the American League - Roy Halladay was on the mound for the Jays last night and he was dominant. He did not allow a hit until Detroit center-fielder Curtis Granderson led off the fourth inning with a solo home run. Halladay did not allow another run until the wheels fell off in the seventh inning and the Toronto right-handed hurler allowed another four runs. The most frustrating part was that I asked myself at the beginning of the half inning why Toronto was sending Halladay out for the seventh inning with the club already ahead 9-1.

It was the first game of the year, but for whatever reason Toronto managers (and they've all been guilty) leave Halladay in games when things are well-in-hand. Now, he was at just about 75 pitches at the beginning of the inning, but why not keep him fresh early in the year - on the outside chance that you might need him to throw a lot of key innings in the second half of the season? As it was, he ended up throwing 99 pitches, he allowed five earned runs, and he lost his quality start, when in fact he dominated for six innings. The club also still ended up using four relievers (Jesse Carlson, Brandon League, Scott Downs and Brian Tallet) over the final two innings.

Other Thoughts on the Blue Jays:

The good news, as a Jays fan, is that the club defeated the Detroit Tigers on Opening Night by the score of 12-5. The bad news was that it was the first time in my 32 years that I was ashamed to be a baseball fan. Last night's game in Toronto was delayed about 20 minutes when Detroit manager Jim Leyland pulled his players off the field when fans began throwing balls, paper and other items onto the field, which Leyland rightfully felt was putting his players in danger.

If the fans had not gotten themselves under control, a forfeit of the game could have occurred and the Jays - leading 12-5 at the time - would have been credited with the loss, according to the announcers Jamie Campbell and former MLB player Pat Tabler (KC, Cleveland, Toronto).

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I am not sure it was the Blue Jays fans that were throwing the items at the Detroit players. No. 1, a large number of Detroit fans had driven down to watch the game given the close proximity of the two cities and more than 48,000 tickets were sold. No. 2, why would fans of the winning team be throwing things when their club was leading by seven runs and also had runners on and were in the middle of threatening to score even more? That sounds more like a situation where the losing team's fans would be in an uproar. No. 3, Toronto fans have been lambasted in the media on more than one occasion by players on local teams who say Canadian fans are too quiet, too polite and need to be more vocal.

It really doesn't matter who it was; it may have been fans from both cities. It was inexcusable and embarrassing. What makes it even worse is that it happened during the first game of the 2009 season. I hope it was not a sign of things to come in Major League Baseball and professional sports, in general.

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As we saw last week in part one of Seasons of Change, MLB rosters can really evolve in 10 seasons. As fans, it's also fun to look back and remember some of the key moments - and players - that made 1999 so entertaining.

The Atlanta Braves | 103-59 (First)

The Braves club was a powerhouse 10 years ago, led by some excellent pitching, which included The Big Three of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux. Those three pitchers, combined, earned more than $25 million. The club also relied on two young, promising starters named Kevin Millwood, 24, and Odalis Perez, 22. Millwood went on to have a pretty decent career (until he hit Texas), while Perez never did realize his full potential. Millwood was actually second on the team in wins in 1999 with 18 (Maddux had 19) and led with 205 strikeouts. Chipper Jones led the club with 45 home runs and his 110 RBI total was second to Brian Jordan's 115. Chipper received all but three first-place votes to win the NL MVP. Has any (active) player in the last 10 years fallen further than Andruw Jones talent-wise? He hit .275/.365/.483 with 26 home runs at the age of 22 - and his offense was not even the best part of his game.

The New York Mets | 97-66 (Second)

Catcher Mike Piazza was the top salary earner for the Mets in 1999 at $7.1 million but he earned his paycheck by slugging 40 home runs and driving in 124 runs. Robin Ventura had his best season as a Met and hit 32 home runs with 120 RBI. He hit .301 in 1999 and never reached .250 again in his final five seasons. The third highest paid player on the club at $5.9 million was Bobby Bonilla, but he hit just .160/.277/.303 in 119 at-bats (60 games). The Mets' starting rotation was fairly old, with the top four pitchers aged 33 or higher, with No. 1 starter Orel Hershiser at 40. It's hard to believe the Mets won 97 games considering the top win total was 13 by both Hershiser and Al Leiter. The closer's role was shared by the Young n' Old combo of Armando Benitez, 26, (22 saves) and John Franco, 38, (19 saves).

The Florida Marlins | 64-98 (Fifth)

This club is famous for taking one step forward and two steps back. After winning the World Series in 1997, the club jettisoned most of its talent. In 1999, only four players made more than $1 million, including Alex Fernandez who raked in $7 million and earned seven wins in 24 starts. Fernandez earn more money than the next 13 highest paid players on the roster. The team lead in wins was secured by Brian Meadows with 11 (He also lost 15 and had an ERA of 5.60). Antonio Alfonseca led the club with 21 saves. Rookies A.J. Burnett and Vladimir Nunez appeared to have bright futures, while sophomore Ryan Dempster was also being counted on for big things. Offensively, not one hitter was above the age of 30 when the season began. Luis Castillo played his first full season as a regular and stole 50 bases. Preston Wilson, 24, hit 26 home runs and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. He also struck out 156 times, though. Mike Lowell also showed promise in his rookie season.

The Philadelphia Phillies | 77-85 (Third)

Paul Byrd and Curt Schilling led the Phillies in wins in 1999 with 15 a piece. Schilling was also tops with 152 strikeouts. Left-handed prospect Randy Wolf made his debut and posted a 5.55 era in 21 starts. Wayne Gomes led the club with 19 saves after veteran Jeff Brantley went down due to injury and appeared in just 10 games. The offense was led by catcher Mike Lieberthal, who hit 31 home runs and batted .300. Rico Brogna was first on the club in RBI with 102. Bobby Abreu, 25, had a breakout season that saw him hit 20 home runs, 11 triples, score 118 runs, steal 28 bases and walk 109 times. Oh, and he batted .335. Doug Glanville had 204 hits and also stole 34 bases.

The Montreal Expos | 68-94 (Fourth)

The now Washington Nationals organization had just five players making $1 million or more, and Rondell White was the top earner at $3 million. He had a nice season with a line of .312/.359/.505. The offensive leader, though, was Vladimir Guerrero, 23, who was in his third season. He hit 42 home runs and drove in 131 runs. Catcher Chris Widger was third on the club with 14 home runs. The middle infield consisted of Jose Vidro, 24, and Orlando Cabrera, 24, both of whom were promising young players. Michael Barrett was a rookie in 1999 and split his time between catcher and third base. Dustin Hermanson, a converted reliever, and Javier Vazquez, 22, both led the team with nine wins. Ugueth Urbina was the saves leader with 41. Left-hander Steve Kline appeared in 82 games, while Anthony Telford pitched in 79, which should tell you a little bit about the starting pitchers. A 23-year-old southpaw named Ted Lilly made nine appearances. The club had a ridiculous amount of young talent in 1999... it's too bad the club could not afford to keep all the players together for any significant period of time.

The Cincinnati Reds | 96-67 (Second)

Only one player hit more than 25 home runs and topped 100 RBI (Greg Vaughn at 45 homers and 118 RBI), but 10 players hit more than 10 taters. Sean Casey was second on the club in dingers, during a rare power display, with 25. Pokey Reese hit .285/.330/.417 with 38 steals and looked like he would man second base for quite some time, but he never reached those numbers again. Pete Harnisch was the staff ace with a record of 16-10 and 198.1 innings pitched. His 120 strikeouts were second only to Brett Tomko's 132. The Reds appeared to have a dynamic, young one-two punch in the pen with Danny Graves, 25, who saved 27 games, and Scott Williamson, 23, who had 19. Injuries ruined both careers - although both had limited success. Williamson pitched well enough to take the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1999. Ironically, the club traded rookie B.J. Ryan to the Reds after just one MLB game. He arguably has had a better career than both Graves and Williamson.

The Milwaukee Brewers | 74-87 (Fifth)

Hideo Nomo led the club with 12 wins and 161 strikeouts. The only other pitcher to approach triple-digit strikeouts was Steve Woodard with 119. Veterans Jim Abbott and Cal Eldred both made 15 starts and had horrible seasons with ERAs over 6.90. Former first round pick Kyle Peterson, 23, looked promising in 17 games but appeared in just three more MLB games in his career. Bob Wickman saved 37 games. Jeromy Burnitz was the leader in home runs with 33. Australian catcher Dave Nilsson had a nice season with a line of .309/.400/.554 and 21 home runs. Geoff Jenkins played his first full season and had 43 doubles and 21 home runs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates | 78-83 (Third)

The biggest earner in 1999 for the Pirates was Al Martin at $2.7 million, with Kevin Young second at $2.1 million. Martin hit .277/.337/.506 with 24 home runs and 24 steals. Young hit .298/.387/.522 with 26 homers and 106 RBI. Brian Giles was the offensive star, though, with a line of .315/.418/.614 to go with 39 home runs and 115 RBI. He earned just $1.1 million. Warren Morris, 25, had a solid rookie season at second base but was a one-year (maybe a two-year) wonder. The Pirates had a promising young pitching staff with the top four starters at or below the age of 27, including Todd Ritchie, Kris Benson, Jason Schmidt and Francisco Cordova. Mike Williams saved 23 games.

The Chicago Cubs | 67-95 (Sixth)

The year 1999 was not kind to the Cubs organization, which finished in last place in the Central Division. The only positive part of the season (at the time) was Sammy Sosa's race with Mark McGwire and his 63 home runs (as well as 141 RBI). Henry Rodriguez had a nice season with 26 home runs and a .301 batting average. Only one regular player was under the age of 30 - Jose Hernandez at shortstop. In the starting rotation, Jon Lieber led the way with just 10 wins. Steve Trachsel pitched 205 innings but managed a record of just 8-18. Terry Adams stepped into the closer's role and saved 13 games, after Rod Beck was ineffective despite saving 51 games in 1998. Rookie Kyle Farnsworth, 23, made 21 starts and looked loaded with potential thanks to a big fastball. Fifteen players made $1.1 million or more for the last-place Cubs.

The Houston Astros | 97-65 (First)

Remember when the Astros had good pitching (beyond Roy Oswalt?). I certainly had forgotten. In 1999 Jose Lima and Mike Hampton, both 26, won 21 and 22 games, respectively. Shane Reynolds won 16 games and led the club with 197 strikeouts. Sophomore Scott Elarton looked like he would move into the rotation in 2000 and thrive. Billy Wagner saved 37 games with a 1.57 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 74.2 innings. In the batter's box, Jeff Bagwell finished second in the MVP race after slugging 42 home runs, driving in 126 and adding 149 walks. Craig Biggio hit 56 doubles. Between the two players, they stole 58 bases. A rookie by the name of Lance Berkman appeared in 34 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals | 75-86 (Fourth)

Another Central League club had a disappointing season, but brought fans to the seats thanks to Mark McGwire's 65 home runs. Fernando Tatis, 24, hit 34 home runs in his second full season and drove in 107 runs. Rookie J.D. Drew began his career of disappointing people with a line of .242/.340/.424. League-average hurler Kent Bottenfield parlayed an uncharacteristic 18-9 season into a $4 million paycheck from the Angels in 2000 (and subsequently won just seven games). Once promising Jose Jimenez went 5-14 in his rookie season and never did reach his potential. Pitching phenom Rick Ankiel, who was 19 when the year began, debuted and had a 3.27 ERA in nine games (five starts). Ricky Bottalico saved 20 games.

The Colorado Rockies | 72-90 (Fifth)

Offense was the name of the game in 1999, obviously. Four players had 30 or more homers: Todd Helton, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, and Larry Walker. Walker's line was insane at .379/.458/.710, but he finished 10th overall in MVP voting. Terry Shumpert hit .347/.413/.584 as a part-time utility player. Promising rookies Ben Petrick and Edgar Clemente failed to develop. Four pitchers made 30 starts or more, but only Pedro Astacio had an ERA below 6.00 (at 5.04). He also led the club with 210 strikeouts. Brian Bohanon was second on the club with 12 wins despite a 6.20 ERA. Dave Veres saved 31 games. Young starters John Thomson, Jamey Wright, and Mark Brownson failed to realize their potentials.

The San Francisco Giants | 86-76 (Second)

Barry Bonds was not involved in the great home run chase of 1999, in part because injuries limited him to just 102 games. Regardless, he still hit 34 home runs. Ellis Burks carried the offense in Bonds' absence and hit 31 home runs. Rich Aurilia (making less than $1 million), Jeff Kent, and J.T. Snow also all had 20 or more home runs. Catcher Brent Mayne was the only regular to hit more than .300 (at .301). Pitcher Russ Ortiz went 18-9 with 164 strikeouts and 125 walks. Not bad for a guy making $220,000, eh? Robb Nen saved 37 games. A former catcher Joe Nathan, 24, made a successful conversion to pitcher and started 14 games.

The San Diego Padres | 74-88 (Fourth)

Trevor Hoffman saved 40 games for the Padres in 1999, but there wasn't much else to celebrate. Andy Ashby was tops in wins with 14. Sterling Hitchcock punched out 194 batters, which was his career high by an easy margin (36 Ks). Matt Clement, 24, had a promising rookie season and won 10 games with a 4.48 ERA in 31 starts. Outfielder Ruben Rivera inexplicably played 146 games despite hitting .195/.295/.406. Four regulars hit .248 or below. Reggie Sanders led the offense with 26 home runs. Phil Nevin drove in the most runs with just 85. Tony Gwynn hit .338/.381/.477 and was first in hits with 139. It was the last season he would play regularly and his third last overall. The club did have some speed, as four players stole 30+ bases. Shortstop Damian Jackson had 34 despite hitting just .224.

The Los Angeles Dodgers | 77-85 (Third)

Kevin Brown started off his Dodgers career pretty well in 1999 with an 18-9 record and 221 strikeouts. Ismael Valdes was second amongst the starters with a 3.98 ERA but he won just nine games. Jeff Shaw saved 34 games. Rookie relievers Jamie Arnold and Onan Masaoka were worked pretty hard and failed to have much success ever again. A young Canadian starter named Eric Gagne, 23, made his debut and posted a 2.10 ERA in five starts. On offense, Raul Mondesi, Gary Sheffield, and Eric Karros each passed the 30 home runs mark. Twenty-year-old third baseman Adrian Beltre played his first full season and hit .275/.352/.428. He looked like a superstar in the making. Eric Young stole 51 bases.

The Arizona Diamondbacks | 100-62 (First)

In just its second season, the Arizona organization finished first in the NL West (but lost to the Mets in the NL Division Series). The club was offensive-minded to say the least. Two outfielders (who - eyebrows raised - improved significantly as they entered their 30s) Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley had great seasons. Gonzalez hit .336/.403/.549 with 206 hits and 111 RBI. Finley slammed 34 homers and drove in 103 runs. Jay Bell (another eyebrow raise) and Matt Williams (clearing of throat) both joined the 30 homer club. Williams led with 142 RBI and finished third in the MVP race. On the rubber, Randy Johnson was king with a 17-9 record and 364 whiffs. He edged Mike Hampton for the NL Cy Young award. Omar Daal came out of nowhere to go 16-9. Matt Mantei saved 22 games and Gregg Olson had 14. Byung-Hyun Kim made his debut at the age of 20 and struck out 31 in 27.1 innings.

The game has changed a lot, but many still remain - most in different uniforms. It's also amazing to look back and see just how many players were hitting 30+ home runs with ease - well into their 30s. It will certainly be interesting to see what the 2009 season, as well as future years, have in store for baseball fans.

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What a difference 10 years can make.

We are not far from the beginning of spring training - which also marks the beginning of the 2009 Major League Baseball season - and this can be hard to fathom for those of us in the snowy, cold northern states and Canada. The baseball landscape has changed a lot since the Philadelphia Phillies organization put the final touches on its championship season at the end of 2008. Some rosters have had significant changes (Chicago NL, New York AL), while other clubs look (unfortunately) the same (Toronto, Pittsburgh).

As we all know, the days of a player staying with the same team for his entire career are all but over. In Oakland, players are lucky to remain with the organization through their arbitration years. With spring training almost upon us, let's take a look back at how each American League club's rosters looked 10 years ago in 1999.

The Baltimore Orioles | 78-84 (Fourth)

The opening day starter for the Orioles in 1999 was none other than Mike Mussina, who announced his retirement this off-season. Outfielder Brady Anderson led off the first game of the season for the birds. Albert Belle made $11.9 million, which led the club, and was about $6 million more than the second most expensive player, Mussina. Both Belle and B.J. Surhoff drove in more than 100 runs. Cal Ripken Jr. batted .340 at the age of 38, but played in just 86 games. Mussina led the team with 18 wins, and that was followed by Scott Erickson's 15. Mike Timlin paced the bullpen with 27 saves. A rookie pitcher by the name of B.J. Ryan caught everyone's attention with 28 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work. The club had some trouble developing hitting prospects, including Calvin Pickering, Ryan Minor, and Gene Kingsale.

The Boston Red Sox | 94-68 (Second)

Pedro Martinez was the face of the franchise in 1999 and was paid handsomely at $11.1 million, followed by... John Valentin (?!?!?) at $6.35 million. Martinez posted a 2.03 ERA that season and won 23 games. The only other pitcher with 10 or more wins was 35-year-old Bret Saberhagen, who went 10-6 in 22 games. He was out of baseball in 2000 after appearing in just three games that season. It was bullpen-by-committee for Boston with both Tim Wakefield and Derek Lowe picking up 15 saves. Tom Gordon compiled 11 game-stoppers. The Red Sox' global search for pitching was underway as the club tried rookies Jin Ho Cho (South Korea), Juan Pena (Dominican Republic), and Tomokazu Ohka (Japan) with varying degrees of success. Left-fielder Troy O'Leary led the club with 28 home runs and his 103 RBI total was second to shortstop Nomar Garciaparra who, in his third full season, looked like a future Hall of Famer. He led the club with a .357 average.

The Toronto Blue Jays | 84-78 (Third)

Pat Hentgen was the highest paid Jay at $8.6 million, while Carlos Delgado was the highest paid hitter at $5.075 million. Hentgen won just 11 games with a 4.79 ERA, in what would be his final season in Toronto. The former Cy Young winner (1996) spent 10 seasons in Toronto over the course of his career. Delgado led the club with 44 home runs and drove in 134 runs at the age of 27. In mid-season, the club stole infielder Tony Batista, 25, from the Arizona Diamondbacks, in a trade for aging LOOGY Dan Plesac. Batista hit 26 home runs in 98 games for Toronto that season and then went on to slug 41 in 2000. Former No. 1 draft pick Shawn Green had a breakout season and hit 42 home runs with 123 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a .300+ average. He was traded to the Dodgers prior to the 2000 season for Raul Mondesi. A 20-year-old by the name of Vernon Wells got his first taste of the Major Leagues.

The New York Yankees | 98-64 (First)

The Yankees had eight players making $5 million or more in 1999, with the highest paid player being outfielder Bernie Williams at $9.8 million, followed by pitcher David Cone at $9.5. Derek Jeter batted .349 and drove in 100+ runs for the only time in his career. Rookie Ricky Ledee was given an opportunity to seize an everyday role, but he failed to impress and was shipped off to Cleveland in 2000. Joe Girardi spent his final season in pinstripes as a player while backing up Jorge Posada behind the dish. Two young Dominican infielders - who were oozing with talent - made their MLB debuts in 1999: D'Angelo Jimenez, 21, and Alfonso Soriano, 23. Jimenez was considered by some to be a more promising prospect than Soriano. Mariano Rivera led the club with 45 saves (surprise, surprise), while both Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte had down years with ERAs of 4.60 and 4.70, respectively. They combined for just 28 wins (a low total for those two), but they still did better than every New Yorker's favorite player Hideki Irabu, who posted a 4.84 ERA.

The Tampa Bay Rays | 69-93 (Fifth)

The Devil Rays club has arguably come further than any other organization in 10 years. The 1999 season was just the second season in the brief history of the club. The organization received 34 home runs out of Jose Canseco and 32 bombs from Fred McGriff. Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs played his final MLB season and finished the year with a .301 batting average and a .328 career average. Closer Roberto Hernandez led the club with a salary of $6.1 million (Why does an expansion team need a top-tiered closer?). He did earn his money, though, by saving 43 games. Wilson Alvarez led the club in wins with nine. Bobby Witt threw a team-leading 180.1 innings and managed a record of 7-15. Thirty-five-year-old rookie Jim Morris made headlines by appearing in his first Major League game.

The Chicago White Sox | 75-86 (Second)

Frank Thomas led the club with a $7 million salary in 1999. But he managed just 15 home runs in 135 games, the lowest total since his rookie season, when he appeared in just 60 games. It was also the first full season in which he did not drive in 100 or more runs (breaking the string at eight seasons). Paul Konerko took over first base at the age of 23 and hit .294/.352/.511. Mike Caruso played his second full season at shortstop at the age of 22, but fell off the map in 2003. Rookie Carlos Lee, 23, hit .293 and drove in 83 runs. The pitching imploded with four starting pitchers posting ERAs above 5.10, including James Baldwin, Jim Parque, Jamie Navarro, and John Snyder. Neither Snyder nor Parque, former promising prospects, realized their potential. Bob Howry led the club with 28 saves.

The Minnesota Twins | 63-97 (Fifth)

The Twins had just seven players who made $1 million or more, led by closer Rick Aguilera ($4.3 million), who saved just six games and appeared in 17 games due to injuries. Mike Trombley picked up the slack and saved 24 games, which was the only time he reached double-digits in saves in his career. Brad Radke led the club in wins (12) and losses (14), but was tied in the latter category by LaTroy Hawkins. The Twins trotted out a slick-fielding, 21-year-old rookie shortstop by the name of Cristian Guzman. He showed promise in the field but hit just .226/.267/.276. The club also featured a rookie in center-field named Torii Hunter. Ron Coomer led the club with 16 home runs, Marty Cordova had 70 RBI, and rookie third baseman Corey Koskie led the club with a .310 batting average.

The Detroit Tigers | 69-92 (Third)

The Tigers paid a lot of money to Willie Blair ($3.75 million, third on the team) to win three games and post a 6.85 ERA. Dave Mlicki led the club with 14 wins. Promising lefty Justin Thompson had the last mildly productive year of his career before injuries ruined it. Rookie Jeff Weaver, 22, looked like the Next Big Thing in Detroit. Todd Jones saved 32 games, while keeping the closer's role warm for the Other Next Big Thing Matt Anderson, 22. Offensively, Dean Palmer led the way with 38 home runs and 100 RBI. Tony Clark slugged 31 home runs but drove in just 99. Back from the Mexican Leagues where he spent two seasons, Luis Polonia, 35, had the best average at .324, and was in fact the only hitter to bat above .300 that season. Karim Garcia hit 14 home runs at the age of 23 and looked like he might finally make good on his massive potential. Or not.

The Kansas City Royals | 64-97 (Fourth)

The Royals had just five players making $1 million or more, led by pitcher Kevin Appier and infielder Jeff King, both of whom broke the $4 million mark. Jose Rosado, 24, looked like a future pitching star after allowing just 197 hits in 208 innings in 1999. He also posted a 3.85 ERA, but injuries destroyed his career, which ended in 2000. Jeff Suppan, 24, also provided 200+ innings in 1999. Promising pitching prospects Dan Reichert, Jim Pittsley, and Orber Moreno failed to develop. Long-time Royals closer Jeff Montgomery faced the end of his pitching career after saving just 12 games and posting an ERA of 6.84. Rookie Carlos Febles looked like a long-term solution at second base after a solid debut, but he failed to make adjustments and regressed. Former catcher Mike Sweeney made good on his conversion to first base and hit 22 home runs, drove in 102 runs and hit .322. Carlos Beltran, 22, won the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .293 with 22 home runs, stealing 27 bases and driving in 108. Jermaine Dye, playing full-time for the first time in his career, led the club with 27 home runs and 119 RBI.

The Cleveland Indians | 97-65 (First)

The veteran powerhouse had 15 players that made $1 million or more in 1999. Offense was the name of the game in Cleveland in 1999, with three players slugging 30 or more home runs, including Manny Ramirez (44), Jim Thome (33), and Richie Sexson (31), in his first full season. Roberto Alomar and David Justice also had more than 20. Rookie Einer Diaz took over behind the plate for the aging Sandy Alomar Jr., who was injured. Bartolo Colon, 26, led the club in wins with 18 in just his second full season. Veteran Charles Nagy was next with 17, in what would be his last productive season at the age of 33. Former rookie phenom Jaret Wright, 23, imploded with an 8-10 record and ERA of 6.06. Mike Jackson led the club with 39 saves.

The Seattle Mariners | 79-83 (Third)

Ken Griffey Jr. was still "The One" in Seattle in 1999, but Alex Rodriguez was hot on his heels. Griffey hit 48 home runs with 134 RBI, but Rodriguez matched him in average (.285) and trailed him with 41 home runs and 111 RBI at the age of 23. It was, though, Griffey's swan song in Seattle, as he was moved to Cincinnati prior to the 2000 season. Other key offensive contributors included Edgar Martinez (.337 average), David Bell (21 homers), and Brian Hunter (44 stolen bases). On the mound, Freddy Garcia came in second in Rookie of the Year voting after winning 17 games, to lead the club. Gil Meche was another budding superstar with an 8-4 record in 16 games at the age of 20. Jamie Moyer, 36, and surely at the end of his career, was second in wins with 14. Jeff Fassero posted a hideous 7.38 ERA in 30 games (24 starts). Jose Mesa led the way in the 'pen with 33 saves.

The Los Angeles Angels | 70-92 (Fourth)

Known as the Anaheim Angels, the club struggled mightily in 1999. The club was old - especially in the pitching department. The five starters that made 20 or more starts were 31 or older. Chuck Finley, 36, led the club with 12 wins, followed by reliever Mark Petkovsek with 10 and starter Omar Olivares with eight. Two young hurlers under the age of 25 got their feet wet: Jarrod Washburn made 10 starts and Brian Cooper made five. Troy Percival anchored the bullpen with 31 saves. Offensively, Mo Vaughn slugged 33 home runs and drove in 108. Tim Salmon was bitten by the injury bug and had his first unproductive season with just 17 home runs and 69 RBI. Troy Glaus provided hope for the future by slugging 29 home runs in his first full MLB season.

The Oakland Athletics 87-75 (Second)

The A's were still bashing away in 1999 with five players slamming 21 home runs or more. Matt Stairs, back from Japan, led the way with 38 dingers, followed by scrap heap recovery John Jaha with 35. Jason Giambi also broke the 30 mark by three. Top prospect Eric Chavez spent his first full season in the Majors with modest results. Left-fielder Ben Grieve slammed 28 home runs and looked like another homegrown star-in-the-making. In the beginning, the Big Three began with the appearance of Tim Hudson, who went 11-2 in 21 games in his debut season at the age of 23. Veteran Gil Heredia led the club with 13 wins and 200 innings. Billy Taylor, 37, led the club with 26 saves. Rookie Chad Harville and Luis Vizcaino were seen as potential replacements.

The Texas Rangers | 95-67 (First)

The Texas Rangers club powered its way to an AL West title and bested the club's Pythagorean record by seven wins. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez won the AL MVP award after hitting 35 home runs, driving in 113 and batting .332. Rafael Palmeiro slugged 47 home runs and drove in 148. Juan Gonzalez had 39 home runs and drove in 128. Four regulars batted .300 or better. Mark McLemore and Rusty Greer each scored 100 runs or more. Superstar-in-waiting Ruben Mateo made his Major League debut and appeared in 32 games with a .238 average and five home runs. The pitching was not as pretty as the hitting, although Aaron Sele won 18 games despite a 4.79 ERA. Rick Helling won 13 games with a 4.84 ERA and Mike Morgan won 13 with a 6.24 ERA. Mark Clark made 13 starts despite an 8.60 ERA. John Wetteland, 32, led the club with 44 saves and no one thought that he would retire after just one more season. Jeff Zimmerman and Dan Kolb were expected to anchor the bullpen for years to come.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check back next week for a look at the National League teams from 1999.

With spring training almost here, it also means that Fantasy Baseball season is heating up. If you're looking for some great advice throughout the season (as well as the pre-season), be sure to check out John Burnson's Heater Magazine, which provides weekly statistical analysis from some of the smartest minds from across the Internet. The magazine is introducing a new, weekly feature this spring called Radar Tracking, which helps track each team's moves and ever-changing rosters and player roles to help you prepare for the 2009 Fantasy Baseball season. Each team is being analyzed by writers and bloggers who regularly follow the clubs. Here is a sneak peek at some of the first week's Radar Tracking.

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The National League teams likely headed for the 2008 playoffs do not feature as many key young players on their rosters as their American League counterparts. That said, there are still a handful of young National League players who could impact the playoffs. Earlier this week, on Wednesday, I took a look at the American League.

The New York Mets are a veteran-heavy team thanks to a number of key free agent and trade acquisitions made in the last couple of seasons by general manager Omar Minaya. The young offensive superstars - David Wright and Jose Reyes - currently qualify as "veterans," at least in this instance.

Mike Pelfrey RHP
Experience: 1.5 seasons
Age: 24

Only Johan Santana has given the Mets more innings or recorded more wins. Mike Pelfrey, whose secondary stuff is still lacking compared to his fastball, will be relied on heavily if the Mets make the playoffs, which is not a sure thing at this point. Of his fellow starters beyond Santana, John Maine has healthy issues, Oliver Perez is continually inconsistent, and Pedro Martinez is... not the Pedro of old. The Mets must be cautious with Pelfrey, though, as his numbers have slipped a bit in September - especially his control (11 walks in 25 innings, and just 10 strikeouts) which could suggest he's a little tired after recording a career high in innings pitched.

Joe Smith RHP
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 24

In just his second Major League season, Joe Smith is already an iron man, having appeared in 133 games for the Mets. In 79 games this season, he has thrown just 61.1 innings but wear-and-tear can also come from warming up on multiple occasions before coming in to a game. The Mets will want to watch him carefully, and also avoid the righty-lefty match-ups as left-handed batters are hitting .340/.456/.489 against Smith. He does a nice job of keeping the ball on the ground with a 62.1 GB%.

Others: Outfielders Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy could see some significant playing time in the outfield, with Murphy currently swinging the hotter stick.

The Chicago Cubs, like the Mets, rely heavily on veteran players, with the exception of catcher Geovany Soto, who is very well on his way to winning the National League Rookie of the Year title.

Jeff Samardzija RHP
Experience: 0.3 seasons
Age: 23

It's hard to know what to expect from Jeff Samardzija. His Major League numbers have been good, but not spectacular enough to guarantee the unproven rookie a spot on the post-season roster. He's limited hitters to a .232 average and has recorded 8.33 K/9. That said, Samardzija has walked five batters per nine innings and has throw just 58 percent of his pitches for strikes. I wouldn't count him out, though, from having an excellent post-season, as the former college football star has a true gamer mentality.

Geovany Soto C
Experience: 1.2 season
Age: 25

Soto has had a great offensive season for a young backstop but the long year may be catching up to him (pun intended) as his numbers have dipped in September after a monster August. It will be interesting to see if the long season (He's started 130 games behind the dish) takes a toll on the catcher in the playoffs, whose conditioning has been questioned in previous seasons. His power (23 homers, .219 ISO) and run producing ability (86 RBI) will be invaluable for the Cubs this fall.

Micah Hoffpauir 1B/OF
Experience: 30 games
Age: 28

It has to feel pretty good to finally make the Major Leagues after seven long Minor League seasons at the age of 28. It has to feel even better to have a major impact on a club's late-season playoff hopes and play well enough to earn post-season roster considerations. Micah Hoffpauir has made the most of his chances and is heading into the final weekend of the season hitting .387/.441/.613 with two homers (hit last night) and 13 runs scored in 30 games (62 at-bats). His left-handed bat could be quite valuable coming off the bench for the Cubbies.

As our theme continues... the Los Angels Dodgers also have a fairly veteran roster, with few spots open for players with less than two years of Major League experience. However, players like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and James Loney did not miss the cutoff by much.

Blake DeWitt 3B
Experience: 1 season
Age: 23

Nobody expected Blake DeWitt to play in the Majors in 2008 - at least not for any significant period of time. But due to injuries, he has appeared in 113 games for the Dodgers at both second base and third base, providing solid defence. DeWitt's power is seriously lacking for the hot corner (.116 ISO, .722 OPS) but he is back hitting for average after a terrible June and July. He won't be an impact player in the playoffs, but he'll be solid.

Clayton Kershaw LHP
Experience: 0.75
Age: 20

Clayton Kershaw has been in the prospect spotlight ever since high school and made it to the Majors in his third pro season. The talent is obvious to everyone who sees him pitch, but there are still a few rough patches, which could get magnified in the playoffs. He has a walk rate of 4.30 BB/9 and has allowed more hits than innings pitched. On the plus side, the Dodgers organization has done a nice job of controlling his innings, which should help keep him fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

Cory Wade RHP
Experience: 1 season
Age: 25

Who saw this coming? Cory Wade has been brilliant out of the bullpen for the Dodgers after finally settling in the bullpen after years of bouncing around in various roles. His 2.19 ERA looks nice, but the .199 average and 49 hits allowed in 70 innings is even more impressive. He also has a WHIP of 0.90. On the downside, Wade has a strikeout rate of just 6.43 and his BABIP is really low at .222, suggesting some luck has been involved with his numbers.

Like the Dodgers, the Phillies do not have a lot of inexperienced players on the squad, but they are not an overly old team with young stars such as Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Kyle Kendrick RHP
Experience: 1.75 seasons
Age: 24

Kyle Kendrick is definitely not one of the Phillies top starting pitcher options and he could find himself in the bullpen for the playoffs. This season, he has allowed 190 hits in just 151.2 innings. He has also struck out just 3.98 batters per nine innings. Kendrick has also allowed a line drive rate of 27.3 percent. He has been dismal as of late, having posted ERAs of 6.08 in August and 19.89 in September.

Others: Left-hander J.A. Happ could make the post-season roster due to his ability to throw multiple innings and because he could be thrown up against a difficult left-handed hitter.

Manny Parra LHP
Experience: 1.2 seasons
Age: 25

A former Minor League phenom, Manny Parra has battled back from serious injuries to realize his potential. The 25-year-old lefty allowed a lot of hits (180 in 164 innings) and walks (75, 4.12 BB/9) this season but has shown improvements despite fading late in the season. Parra has also fallen victim to a rather high BABIP at .336. If Parra can learn to limit his walks and improve on his secondary pitches (He has an above-average fastball), he could be a dangerous real weapon.

Ryan Braun OF
Experience: 1.8 seasons
Age: 24

I'd say this guy is pretty good, wouldn't you? Along with having an outstanding bat, Ryan Braun has also made a successful transition from third base to the outfield. His average has slipped a bit from his breakout rookie season, to no one's surprise, but the rest of his offence has held pretty steady with two straight 30-plus homer seasons (and a .266 ISO in 2008). Braun has also been a major run producer for the club with 104 runs driven in.

Others: Mark Difelice and Mitch Stetter have both pitched well out of the bullpen for the Brewers, despite possessing average stuff and little hype. Difelice made it to the Majors this season for the first time in his 11th minor league season, and at the age of 31.

Hanging on by a thread, this veteran club has been aided in its late-season push for the playoffs by a couple of young outfielders.

Hunter Pence OF
Experience: 1.8 seasons
Age: 25

Hunter Pence does a little bit of everything (except perhaps show patience at the plate, with a 6.4 BB%). He has hit 24 homers, driven in 80 runs, stolen 11 bases and plays good defence. If Pence is going to hit for more power, though, he needs to hit some more balls in the air (51.2 GB%). He also has a low line-drive rate at 14.2 percent. If Pence is going to keep the ball on the ground as much as he has, he should improve his base running (10 caught stealing in 21 attempts).

Michael Bourn OF
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 25

Michael Bourn is pretty one-dimensional as a player with a great set of wheels. He has hit just .225/.285/.295 in 454 at-bats (His ISO is a paltry 0.70), but with 41 stolen bases in 51 attempts. Bourn could benefit from walking a little more with a 7.5 BB% to help offset the poor batting average.

OK, so is it time for the playoffs yet?

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The 2008 Major League Baseball playoffs are just around the corner and most of this year's participants are now known, with just a couple playoff races still to be decided. What we also know, is that rookies and other young players will be playing key roles on each and every team that appears in the 2008 playoffs.

During the 2008 playoffs, the Tampa Bay Rays will go as far as the club's young pitching will take it. The club could feature as many as eight young pitchers on the staff with less than two years of Major League experience. Starter Matt Garza, obtained from the Minnesota Twins last winter for outfielder Delmon Young, will help anchor the starting staff, along with "veterans" James Shields and Scott Kazmir. Evan Longoria, also in the hunt for the Rookie of the Year title, will be making his first playoff appearance in his Major League debut season.

Matt Garza RHP
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 24

After spending parts of two seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Garza finally established himself in the Major Leagues. He has worked 179.1 innings this season and has allowed 166 hits and 57 walks. Garza has also fanned 125 batters and done a reasonably good job of keeping the ball in the park with a rate of 0.90 HR/9. Garza has been helped by a low BABIP of .279.

David Price LHP
Experience: 3 games
Age: 23

David Price could be this year's Francisco Rodriguez (who had a major impact on the 2002 playoffs despite not making his MLB debut until mid-September of that year). After beginning the year in A-ball and zooming through the minors, Price has looked like he belongs in the Major Leagues. In three appearances, he has allowed eight hits and three walks in 11.1 innings of work, including Monday's start against Baltimore when he allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings of work. Of the balls put in play against Price, 58.8 percent have been on the ground.

Andy Sonnanstine RHP
Experience: 1.8 seasons
Age: 25

Andy Sonnanstine may not have the pure stuff to rival Kazmir, Garza or Price, but he gets by on pure guile and command. He is also tied for the team lead in wins. In 187.2 innings this season, Sonnanstine has allowed 207 hits, but just 34 walks. He has the potential to provide some valuable innings for the club, as more than one historical playoff series has been decided on a long extra inning game.

Evan Longoria 3B
Experience: 1 season
Age: 22

Longoria began the year in the minor leagues and will end it in the Major League playoffs. The rookie currently has a line of .276/.345/.534 with 25 homers and 82 RBI in 115 games. The right-handed batter has struggled to hit for average against southpaws this season with a line of .243/.328/.532. His lack of patience (9.5 BB%) may be exploited in the playoffs, especially considering the amount of nervous energy that will be flowing.

Others: Jason Hammel, 26, J.P. Howell, 25, could also play valuable roles out of the bullpen for the Rays, with Hammel coming at hitters from the right side, and Howell coming in from the left.

Boston is traditionally known as a veteran club, but the organization has received some outstanding performances from young players this year, and there is no reason to suspect that those contributions will end with the regular season.

Jon Lester LHP
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 24

Jon Lester has returned from a battle with cancer to solidify himself as a reliable Major League starter. The lefty has won 15 games in the regular season and allowed 200 hits and 65 walks in 204.1 innings of work. He has also struck out 148 batters. Lester has done a nice job of limiting walks (2.86 BB/9) and keeping the ball in the park (0.62 HR/9). His playoff experience in 2007 (1.93 ERA with six hits allowed in 9.1 innings) should benefit him in 2008.

Dustin Pedroia 2B
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 25

Dustin Pedroia has been good enough to earn MVP talk thanks to a ridiculous offensive season that has seen him record more than 200 hits, as well as 52 doubles and 17 homers. The well-rounded hitter has also walked 50 times, equaling his strikeout total. He has also stolen 19 bases. Pedroia, who played in the 2007 playoffs, struggled in the Division Series with a .154 batting average but picks things up with a .345 average in the League Championship Series and a .278 average in the World Series (as well as four RBI and a homer in four games).

Jacoby Ellsbury OF
Experience: 1.3 seasons
Age: 25

Jacoby Ellsbury has had a bit of an inconsistent season with a slow June and July, but the speedy outfielder has hit .315/.351/.466 in September. His overall season numbers are OK at .274/.332/.381 in 533 at-bats. Ellsbury has also contributed solid defence, as well as 49 stolen bases - and speed can be a valuable tool in the playoffs. The left-handed batter has held his own against southpaws with a .281 average. Ellsbury makes up for his lack of power (.107 ISO) by keeping the ball on the ground (51.5 GB%).

Others: Jed Lowrie, 24, will offer flexibility at a number of positions for the Red Sox and has looked better at shortstop than many scouts thought he would. Justin Masterson will provide options of Boston has he can start in a pinch or pitch multiple innings out of the pen. The sinker ball specialist could also be called on in a key situation where a fly ball could mean certain doom.

The White Sox club will need key contributions from two young starters if it hopes to make it out of the Divisional Series. The club's home run leader, Carlos Quentin, is currently on the disabled list and no one is certain exactly when he'll be able to play again.

Gavin Floyd RHP
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 25

Gavin Floyd, a highly-regarded prospect who was drafted out of high school by the Phillies, finally had everything click in 2008. He has pitched in 194.2 innings this seasons, more than his previous four part MLB seasons combined. Chicago must hope that Floyd has something left in the tank after pitching more innings than he ever has before. A couple warning signs for Floyd include a high home runs ratio (1.39 HR/9) and a low BABIP at .257. As well, after posting ERAs in the 3.00s in the first four months, Floyd has posted ERAs of 4.29 in August and 5.20 in September.

John Danks LHP
Experience: 1.8 seasons
Age: 23

The young lefty, like Floyd, has had a breakout season. John Danks, who was obtained two years ago from pitching-starved Texas, has pitched better against right-handed batters, than left-handers (.240/.370/.296 versus .272/.372/.328). Danks has done a nice job keeping the ball in the park with a HR/9 of 0.64. His innings total is also lower than Floyd's, which could help explain his late-season surge (2.42 ERA in September).

Carlos Quentin OF
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 26

It is safe to say Quentin has been a key cog in the White Sox offence this season after he slugged 36 homers, drove in 100 runs and posted a line of .288/.394/.571 in 130 games. Quentin went down with a broken wrist in early September but there is hope that he will be able to return for some or all of the playoffs.

The Angels had a playoff spot wrapped up in the American League before any other club, and the club did it by relying on a solid mix of veterans and young players.

Joe Saunders LHP
Experience: 2
Age: 27

Joe Saunders is tied for the club lead with 16 wins in just his first full season. Saunders won't overpower anyone (He has just 94 strikeouts in 192 innings, 4.41 K/9) but he knows how to mix his pitches to keep batters off balance and he takes advantage of the defence behind him. After a bumpy August, where he posted an ERA of 6.93, Saunders has turned things around just in time for the post-season, which will be his first.

Jose Arredondo RHP
Experience: 1 seasons
Age: 24

Jose Arredondo has done a nice job of helping to solidify the Angels bullpen this season, even if all the press goes to Francisco Rodriguez. The 1.54 ERA and nine wins are impressive, but he has also done a nice job of limiting home runs (0.31 HR/9 and a ground ball rate of 51.9%). Arredondo has held batters to a .196 average, thanks in part to a low BABIP at .254. Left-handed batters have a particularly tough time against the right-hander and are hitting just .155 against him.

Erick Aybar SS
Experience: 2 seasons
Age: 24

Erick Aybar has done a nice job at shortstop for the Angels. He is not flashy with the bat, but his approach is solid and he has batted .276/.314/.382 with three homers and six stolen bases in 330 at-bats. The switch-hitter is equally effective against both right-handed and left-handed pitchers. He may be a little tired right now with both his average and slugging percentage taking a hit in August and September. Aybar could stand to be more patient at the plate as he has walked just 14 times (4.1%) this season.

Others: Both Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez have a chance of seeing playing time during the playoffs. Neither player has performed overly well with the bat, but both have been highly-thought-of prospects and the potential is there for one or both of them to get on a hot streak.

Currently outside looking in, the Minnesota Twins face a bit of an uphill battle to secure a playoff berth, but the club has the talent to do just that. And the young players will be counted on heavily should the club secure a spot in the fall series.

Nick Blackburn RHP
Experience: 1
Age: 26

With just 11.2 innings of MLB experience under his belt prior to 2008, Nick Blackburn has led the young starting pitching staff with 182 innings. He hasn't overpowered anyone with 212 hits allowed and just 91 strikeouts (4.50 K/9), but Blackburn has been steady up until September. This month, Blackburn has looked tired and has allowed 26 hits in 19 innings of work, with a 7.58 ERA.

Francisco Liriano LHP
Experience: 1.8 seasons
Age: 24

The promising southpaw is finally looking like the Francisco Liriano of old, post Tommy John surgery. After a horrible beginning to the year (11.32 ERA and three losses in three starts), Liriano has returned from a stint in the minors to post a 1.23 ERA with four wins in August and a 3.28 ERA with two wins in September to help lead the Twins' late-season charge for a post-season berth.

Carlos Gomez OF
Experience: 1.4 seasons
Age: 22

Part of the reward from the Mets for star pitcher Johan Santana, Carlos Gomez has had a solid first full season in the Majors. His overall approach at the plate needs work (4.3 BB%, 24.5 K%), but he brings an energy to the club that can be absolutely magical in the playoffs. Gomez will keep pitchers on the edge of the rubber after stealing 32 bases in the regular season.

Others: Control artist Kevin Slowey, and left-hander Glen Perkins could also play big roles in the playoffs for the Twins. Perkins has experience in the bullpen and he could head back there if needed, despite making 25 starts this season. Alexi Casilla should see significant time at second base.

Up Next on Friday: The NL's young playoff hopefuls

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Yesterday I took a look at the top rookie pitchers in the American and National Leagues so far this season. Today is a perfect opportunity to view some of the young hitters who are terrorizing the pitchers in Major League Baseball. The National League certainly seems to have a slightly more impressive crop of offensive rookies this season, led by the Cubbies' backstop.

National League

Geovany Soto, C, Chicago Cubs
2008: .283/.368/.517 | 230 AB | 11 HR | 42 RBI

At the age of 25, it has taken Geovany Soto a little bit longer to establish himself in the majors, having been drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2001 (in the 11th round). As soon as he began to take the game - and his conditioning seriously - good things began to happen. Soto plays a premium position for a first-place club and he is an offensive force with 11 homers in 226 at-bats. He also has a nice line-drive rate at 22.5 percent. One downside to his game is that he has struck out at a rate of 26.5 percent.

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
2008: .279/.349/.487 | 226 AB | 11 HR | 36 RBI

Joey Votto is looking to join the Dodgers' Russell Martin as one of the most impressive, young Canadian players in the National League. He has played well enough this season to put veteran Scott Hatteberg out of a job in Cincinnati and he has shown good power with 11 homers and 14 doubles. Unfortunately, the converted catcher has struggled at first base and has committed eight errors in 63 games. Votto should be looking over his shoulder as teammate Jay Bruce could very well pass him in the Rookie of the Year race in the second half of the season.

Gregor Blanco, OF, Atlanta Braves
2008: .263/.375/.323 | 167 AB | 1 HR | 11 RBI

Gregor Blanco has never gotten much love as a prospect but he has put up some solid numbers in the minors, as long as you remember he is not the type of player who is going to be a superstar. Blanco is an excellent example of a solid, supporting cast member. He gets on base, can run and has good range in the outfield. What he doesn't do well is hit for power and he has also struck out a little too much this season (23.6 percent).

Blake DeWitt, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
2008: .278/.345/.405 | 205 AB | 5 HR | 29 RBI

By all rights, Blake DeWitt should probably be playing in Double-A right now. But you have to give the kid credit for seizing the opportunity after both of the Dodgers' third base options, Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche, went down with injuries at the beginning of the season. What appeared to be a huge weakness, turned into a massive organizational strength, and LaRoche has even been tried out at a different position in the minors. DeWitt has not hit for the power one would like from the hot corner and he has not walked much (nine percent). On the plus side, he has had a solid average and he has not struck out too much (17.4 percent).

Kosuke Fukudome, OF, Chicago Cubs
2008: .296/.403/.432 | 243 AB | 5 HR | 29 RBI

Kosuke Fukudome offers Soto some rookie companionship on the Cubs and the duo goes a long way to explaining the team's 2008 resurgence. Like your typical Japanese player, Fukudome really is not a true (or deserving) rookie, having played eight seasons in the Japanese Central League. A power hitter in Japan, Fukudome has played more like Ichiro Suzuki this season with limited power (five homers) and a high average (.296). Fukudome is perhaps a bit overrated as he does not steal many bases or hit homers, so his value is tied to his ability to get on-base (which he has done very well so far this season).

American League

David Murphy, OF, Texas Rangers
2008: .279/.314/.464 | 280 AB | 10 HR | 48 RBI

A former first round draft pick of the Red Sox, David Murphy had a less-than-spectacular minor league career. He also came within three at-bats of expiring his rookie eligibility last season after hitting .343/.384/.552 in 46 games. Murphy has carried that momentum over to 2008 and has 10 homers and 48 RBI to go along with another solid average. On the negative side, his rates are not that impressive: 5.8 walk percentage and 18.8 strikeout percentage.

Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
2008: .249/.329/.484 | 213 AB | 11 HR | 33 RBI

Evan Longoria, like Murphy, is a former first round draft pick but he made noise all the way through the minors and has found the majors to be a little more of a challenge. Everyone expects him to pick up his game in the second half of the year and improve upon his .249 batting average. His BABIP is only .298 so Longoria can expect that to improve and help things along.

Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Boston Red Sox
2008: .283/.366/.404 | 223 AB | 5 HR | 23 RBI

Jacoby Ellsbury really made a name for himself in the 2007 playoffs and he has had a solid, albeit unspectacular, 2008 season. The most impressive part of Ellsbury's game this season has been his work on the base paths, as he has stolen 33 bases in 36 attempts which leads Major League Baseball. Ellsbury does not walk a ton (11.2 percent), but he also does not strike out much (13.5 percent).

Daric Barton, 1B, Oakland Athletics
2008: .225/.336/.333 | 222 AB | 3 HR | 22 RBI

Daric Barton, a former St. Louis Cardinals' catching prospect, raised the bar last season by hitting .347 in 18 games. He has struggled so far this season but his advanced approach should help him turn things around sooner rather than later. Barton will not hit for a ton of power, but he will improve upon the .338 slugging percentage. The 14.1 walk rate is pretty good, but he needs to tone down the strikeouts with his rate currently at 26.9 percent.

Ryan Sweeney, OF, Oakland Athletics
2008: .307/.367/.421 | 140 AB | 2 HR | 23 RBI

It is obvious (and had been for at least a year) that Ryan Sweeney needed a change in scenery. He received that change with a winter trade from the White Sox to the Athletics. Sweeney, 23, has not hit for a ton of power but he has played good defence and has gotten on base with an on-base percentage at .367. He has also shown good versatility by playing all three outfield positions. He likely will never hit for the power the White Sox expected after taking him in the second round out of high school.

Thanks for stopping by to read up on this year's exciting crop of youngsters in the Major Leagues. As always, we appreciate your thoughts and comments.

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Now that we are at the midway point in June, it is the perfect time to take a look at how the Rookie of the Year races are shaping up in both the American League and the National League. Today we'll take a gander at the pitchers and I'll come back on Wednesday with a look at the hitters.

National League

On the heels of an off day, it's time to talk about news outside the world of the playoffs. Two days ago, Bill Stoneman stepped down as the Angels general manager. Stoneman, 63, had served as GM for eight years. Tony Reagins, formerly director of player development, was hired as the team's new GM.

The Angels advanced to the postseason four times under Stoneman. The organization won its only World Series championship in 2002, Stoneman's third year on the job. He signed Bartolo Colon in December 2003 and Vladimir Guerrero in January 2004. Guerrero won the AL MVP in his first season with the Halos. Colon won the league's Cy Young Award the following year.

Stoneman becomes the fourth successful GM to depart a high-profile job in recent weeks. Terry Ryan, 53; Walt Jocketty, 56; and John Schuerholz, 67, had previously announced their resignations. The GM position is becoming more and more a younger person's job. The number of 20- and 30-somethings with corner offices is not a coincidence. Look for this trend to accelerate into the future.

- Rich Lederer, 10/18, 7:45 AM PT

After last night's defeat I am not sure I have a whole lot to muster. At this point all I can say is that Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo, and more specifically their .198/.228/.252 performance thus far in the post-season (136 PA's), have just about done me in.

Paul Byrd offered the blueprint for beating the Red Sox these days - just throw strikes. Boston's hitters are patient, and excellent when they get ahead in the count. It's a whole other story when they get behind. This is true of most hitters, but then most hitters are not as patient as Boston's. The difference for the Red Sox over and above most teams is not necessarily in hitting ability (save Ortiz and Manny) but rather approach. Take their ability to sit dead-red up in the count and Boston's hitters turn to...well...they hit like so many of them did last night.

- Patrick Sullivan, 10/17, 8:32 AM EDT

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We're going blog style today and although it seems wrong not to lead with the Colorado Rockies, this is fanboy season and I am hung up on this Boston-Cleveland series. Besides, considering his great work yesterday on Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales, isn't Rich the guy to tackle the National League?

Anyway, the Red Sox outplayed Cleveland in every measure I can think of last night except for two, double plays grounded into and runs scored (not trivial items). Here is how the two teams performed last night:

       AVG   OBP   SLG   SO   BB   GIDP
BOS   .226  .294  .355   4    3     3
CLE   .200  .273  .300   10   3     0

Adding to Boston's frustrating night was the atrocious home plate umpiring of Brian Gorman. While there were some notable missed calls that fell Boston's way, two critical erroneous strike calls were especially painful for the Red Sox. With one out and men on first and second in the visitors' half of the sixth, Manny Ramirez took what absolutely should have been ball 4 on a 3-0 pitch. This would have loaded the bases for Mike Lowell but instead, three pitches later, Ramirez scorched a two-hopper to Jhonny Peralta for an inning-ending double play.

The other came the following inning. Coco Crisp followed Jason Varitek's two-run home run by working a 3-1 count on Jake Westbrook (who was excellent by the way). The fifth pitch had to be 10 inches off the plate but was called a strike by Gorman. Crisp, as he is wont to do, capped the at-bat by striking out.

I am hoping for better umpiring, a steadier starting pitching performance from Tim Wakefield and much timelier hitting from a lineup that just kinda fell asleep for a night.

- Patrick Sullivan, 10/16, 8:21 AM EDT

IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   HR   W-L    ERA
56  61  44   44   29   51    9   2-5   7.07

Cleveland Indians (first place, AL Central, #2 seed) vs. the Boston Red Sox (first place, AL East, #1 seed)

There's some history here. For the fourth time in the last thirteen seasons the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox square off in post-season play. This is the first time the two have played in the ALCS but not the first time the teams have played winner-take-all for the America League. In 1948, Boston peculiarly decided to hand the ball to Denny Galehouse for the first time that season in a one-game playoff after the clubs tied for the AL title. The Tribe won decidedly.

The ALCS pits arguably baseball's two best teams. The two tied for the AL's best record, and both clubs feature exceptional, balanced attacks that should make for great drama. When going right, Boston's offense functions better but Cleveland's top-heavy starting rotation might just make up for whatever edge Boston holds over a 162 game season. The importance of pitching depth matters less in the playoffs and Cleveland hopes to ride their two aces to a World Series slot.

Game 1: Friday, 10/12, 7:07 PM ET - CLE (Sabathia, 19-7, 3.21) @ BOS (Beckett, 20-7, 3.27)
Game 2: Saturday, 10/13, 8:07 PM ET - CLE (Carmona, 19-8, 3.06) @ BOS (Schilling, 9-8, 3.87)
Game 3: Monday, 10/15, 7:07 PM ET - BOS (Matsuzaka, 15-12, 4.40) @ CLE (Westbrook, 6-9, 4.32)
Game 4: Tuesday, 10/16, 8:07 PM ET - BOS (Wakefield, 17-12, 4.76) @ CLE (Byrd, 15-8, 4.59)
Game 5*: Thursday, 10/18, 8:07 PM ET - BOS (TBD) @ CLE (TBD)
Game 6*: Saturday, 10/20, TBD - CLE (TBD) @ BOS (TBD)
Game 7*: Sunday, 10/21, TBD - CLE (TBD) @ BOS (TBD)

             W   L   PCT   HOME   ROAD   RS   RA 
Cleveland   96  66  .593  52-29  44-37  811  704
Boston      96  66  .593  51-30  45-36  867  657

The Red Sox won 5 of 7 contests against the Indians this season.

Colorado Rockies (wild card, NL West, #4 seed) vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks (first place, NL West, #1 seed)

Colorado vs. Arizona. Both teams hail from the NL West. Both teams are expansion franchises from the 1990s. Both teams hold spring training in Tucson. Both teams met to open the season and split their first 16 meetings before Colorado won the last two games of the season-ending series after Arizona secured the division. Both teams lost 76 games last year and tied for last place. Both teams won 90 games this year. Both teams are made up of homegrown talent. Both teams are chomping at the bit to represent the NL in the World Series.

Game 1: Thurs., 10/11, 8:37 PM ET - COL (Francis, 17-10, 4.22) @ ARI (Webb, 18-10, 3.01)
Game 2: Fri., 10/12, 10:18 PM ET - COL (Jimenez, 4-4, 4.28) @ ARI (Davis, 13-12, 4.25)
Game 3: Sun., 10/14, 8:30 PM ET - ARI (Hernandez, 11-11, 4.93) @ COL (Fogg, 10-9, 4.94)
Game 4: Mon., 10/15, 10:00 PM ET - ARI (Owings, 8-8, 4.30) @ COL (Morales, 3-2, 3.43)
Game 5*: Wed., 10/17, 8:30 PM ET - ARI (TBD) @ COL (TBD)
Game 6*: Fri., 10/19, 8:30 PM ET - COL (TBD) @ ARI (TBD)
Game 7*: Sat., 10/20, TBD - COL (TBD) @ ARI (TBD)
* - if necessary

             W   L   PCT   HOME   ROAD   RS   RA 
Arizona     90  72  .556  50-31  40-41  712  732
Colorado    90  73  .552  51-31  39-42  860  758

The Rockies won 10 of 18 meetings against the Diamondbacks this season.

Hi, I'm Bryan Smith, the co-creator of this here site and now a writer for Baseball Prospectus. Not many of you have seen me write about the Majors too often, but after watching most of the Cubs’ season, I jumped at the opportunity to write this preview when Rich asked. While I won't live and die by this team like I did in 1998 and 2003, the latter of which left me irrationally upset, I'll feel as if I have something invested as long as the Cubs still have Kerry Wood. Ron Santo deserves this.

Hi, I’m Marc Hulet and I dabble in writing about the minor leagues for Baseball Analysts and I am also a newspaper editor in Ontario, Canada. Despite my northern location I have been a huge fan of the Diamondbacks since the team’s inception (although my favorite D-Back, Orlando Hudson, is on the disabled list). I even had the pleasure of spending two weeks at spring training in Arizona this past March and saw the Diamondbacks play, along with a handful of other teams. I can honestly say I love the state as much as the ball club, especially with another Canadian winter looming just around the corner. I am also honored to be sharing this preview with Bryan, who just happens to be one of my favorite writers. Now, on with the show…

Catcher:
Chris Snyder (.252/.342/.433, 13 HR, 47 RBI) was beginning to look like a bit of a bust earlier this year, highlighted by a .192/.283/.385 line June. But he turned things around in the second half of the year and hit .301/.393/.519 after the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he still struggled against right-handed hurlers and hit more than .100 points higher against southpaws.

Jason Kendall (.241/.298/.308, 3 HR, 41 RBI) has had an ironic mini-resurgence in his return to the Junior Circuit, as it took an exit from Moneyball Oakland to get him walking again. While Tim McCarver will have you believe Kendall's leadership and experience is a feather in the Cubs' cap, former broadcast partner Lou Piniella would be much better off playing Geovany Soto.

Marc says: Even. Snyder is a little bit better offensively but I have to give Kendall credit for his veteran experience, leadership and solid handling of pitching staffs.

Bryan says: It's even or a slight Cubs advantage if Soto plays often, a slight edge for Arizona if it's all Kendall.

First base:
Tony Clark (.249/.310/.511, 17 HR, 51 RBI) spent most of the season as a bench player but manager Bob Melvin started the veteran over sophomore player Conor Jackson a significant portion of the time when the season was on the line. Will this continue into the playoffs? My guess is yes, even though Clark’s one season of playoff experience was ugly: .143/.143/.190 in 21 at-bats for the 2004 New York Yankees during the League Championship series. Clark has game-changing power, which is something the more consistent Jackson lacks.

Derrek Lee (.317/.400/.512, 22 HR, 82 RBI) worried Cubs fans when he returned from last season's season-ending injury to hit just six home runs in the first half, but Lee clubbed 16 in the second half, including seven in September, to push this team to the playoffs. Lee is the team's best fielder, second-best hitter, and nicest guy. Dads, you want your daughters after men like Lee.

Marc says: Edge to Chicago, regardless of who is manning first for Arizona.

Bryan says: Lee is a better player than what you could produce by melding Clark and Jackson together.

Second base:
Augie Ojeda’s (.274/.354/.354, 1 HR, 12 RBI) name looks pretty silly here, especially when Arizona has arguably the National League’s best defensive second baseman in Orlando Hudson. But Hudson is out for the season with a hand injury so the second base duties fall to 32-year-old minor league veteran Ojeda, who did not play in the majors at all in 2005 or 2006. On the positive side, he has shown a pretty good stick down the stretch, although he possesses little power or stolen base speed. Alberto Callaspo could also see some time at second base, but he struggled this year and hit only .215/.265/.271.

Mark DeRosa (.294/.373/.422, 10 HR, 72 RBI) was the center of much criticism against Jim Hendry after his spend-happy winter, but DeRosa's value in 2007 far exceeded his $2.75 million salary. DeRosa is an old-school, double-switch loving manager's best friend, and you won't see Piniella hesitate to move DeRosa to right field or third base if needed. Minor worrisome trend: the DeRosa that slugged .520 in April has moved on, as he's been reduced to a far more middle infield-like .092 Isolated Power in the second half.

Marc says: Edge to Chicago with O-Dawg on the shelf.

Bryan says: Augie will got a lot of cheers in Wrigley, but he's just not DeRosa's, even second-half DeRosa's, caliber.

Third base:
Mark Reynolds (.279/.349/.495, 17 HR, 62 RBI) is the beneficiary of veteran Chad Tracy’s bad luck. Tracy is out for the year (and possibly part of 2008) after microfracture surgery on his knee. Reynolds was a bit of a sleeper early on in his minor league career as a 16th round draft pick out of the University of Virginia in 2004. But his power is legit (He hit 31 minor league homers in 2006). Reynolds still has work to do and he is going to struggle to hit .270 in the future if he does not improve his approach at the plate (37 walks compared to 129 strikeouts in 366 at-bats). On the plus side, he has shown the ability to make adjusts and, after hitting below .200 in June and July, hit more than .300 in both August and September.

Aramis Ramirez (.312/.367/.552, 26 HR, 101 RBI), for my money, is the best pure hitter in Chicago since Frank Thomas, and one of the National League's most dangerous hitters. While Lee doesn't walk enough, his ability to make consistent hard contact is as good as anybody in the game. With the game on the line, Cubs fans want Ramirez at the plate.

Marc says: Edge to Chicago (Is there an echo in here?).

Bryan says: Reynolds isn't the hitter his numbers suggest, and Aramis might be better than his. Cubs.

Shortstop:
Stephen Drew (.238/.313/.370, 12 HR, 60 RBI) had a disappointing first full season in the majors. Unlike Reynolds, Drew has yet to show that he is making adjustments in The Show, as he has been consistently mediocre throughout the season. He needs to step up his game in the playoffs to help compensate for the loss of Hudson and Tracy.

Ryan Theriot (.266/.326/.346, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 28 SB) has oddly become the favorite player of manager Lou Piniella, which has allowed him to exceed his destiny as career utility infielder for an everyday shortstop job. While Theriot is powerless at the plate, his baserunning does make him the most likely member of the team to replicate a Dave Roberts in 2004 type stolen base. Is that a backhanded compliment?

Marc says: Slight edge to Arizona

Bryan says: I agree, largely because Drew has the *potential*, but it's closer to even than I would have ever imagined three years ago.

Left field:
Eric Byrnes (.286/.353/.460, 21 HR, 83 RBI, 50 SB) is playing like a man on a mission, or more accurately a player in a contract year, which is great for Arizona’s playoff hopes (but bad for their checkbook). Byrnes should be a force to be reckoned with in the field (he may run through a wall or two in this series alone), at the plate and on the base paths. He has the ability to change the tone of a ball game with one play.

Alfonso Soriano (.295/.334/.550, 32 HR, 67 RBI, 19 SB), like the rest of the team really, recovered from a horrible April (.270/.308/.392) to validate his huge offseason contract. While like no other leadoff hitter in the Majors, Soriano is completely at home in the top spot, leading off multiple September games with a solo shot. Defensively he takes horrible reads on balls, but the Diamondbacks would be fools to underestimate his arm, as it's among the most accurate of any Major League outfielders.

Marc says: As much as I love Byrnes, I think Soriano has the edge here with his excellent finish to the season… but it’s close.

Bryan says: Despite Byrnes' big season, edge to the Cubs and their September MVP.

Center field:
Chris Young (.237/.295/.467, 32 HR, 68 RBI, 27 SB) is going to make the White Sox rue the day they included him in the Javier Vazquez trade, if he hasn’t already. There are not many players that combine defensive prowess and home run power like he does… and at the tender age of 24. On the downside, though, Young is still prone to poor plate discipline (141 Ks in 569 at-bats) and does not get on base enough (.295 OBP).

Jacque Jones (.282/.333/.395, 5 HR, 65 RBI) smiles a lot. There, I said something positive. Cubs fans took a dislike to Jones around his .176/.250/.275 June, calling for him to be traded in July, and not even forgiving him after an .818 OPS in the second half. In reality, Jones is a decent asset, a slightly above-average outfielder (prone to stupid mistakes) and a decent bat against right-handed pitching (while prone to looking stupid).

Marc says: Despite the low batting average and on-base percentage, Young takes it. He’s going to be a monster with a little more experience under his belt.

Bryan says: Arizona wins a category outright!

Right field:
Jeff Salazar (.277/.340/.394, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and Justin Upton (.221/.283/.364, 2 HR, 11 RBI) could both see time in right field for Arizona. Unfortunately, combined, they have only 234 career MLB at-bats. Upton is also questionable for the opening series after taking Ubaldo Jimenez' 96-mph fastball off his wrist on Sunday. Salazar has an interesting combination of speed and power.

Cliff Floyd (.285/.372/.423, 9 HR, 45 RBI) will most likely get the most time in right field during this series, but like the catching position, the team would be better off using the younger player, in this case Matt Murton. While the two might still be a wash at the plate, Floyd is among the worst defensive outfielders in the playoffs, and a far better fit at his old home at first base. So, I suppose, this makes him the most likely Cub to jump up and down pouting if a fan steals a ball from his glove.

Marc says: Something tells me, if healthy, Upton could have some sort of magical October rookie performance ala Bobby Jenks or F-Rod, but maybe I’m just crazy. If not, the edge goes to Chicago.

Bryan says: I would have never guessed the Cubs could have an edge in right field, but they do, albeit a slight one.

Off the bench:
Miguel Montero (.224/.292/.397, 10 HR, 37 RBI) is a nice complement for Snyder, although he does not offer the veteran experience a young pitching staff might need in a stressful playoff series. His power potential off the bench is a plus.

Conor Jackson (.284/.368/.467, 15 HR, 60 RBI) is a great player to have on the bench, if Melvin does in fact favor the veteran Clark in the playoffs. Jackson has the ability to hit for average and even has a little pop (although it is below average for a first baseman).

Jeff Cirillo (.200/.273/.300, 0 HR, 6 RBI) did not have a great regular season but he is an experienced bench player who has come up with key hits in the past.

Carlos Quentin (.214/.298/.349, 5 HR, 31 RBI) has yet to show Arizona fans just how good he really is, thanks in part to a shoulder injury earlier in the season. If truly healthy, Quentin could be a force off the bench and he should be an above-average regular for years to come.

Geovany Soto (.404/.448/.692, 3 HR, 8 RBI) is no .404 hitter, nor even the hitter his Triple-A numbers (.349/.418/.648) would suggest. But he's got some pop and he can throw a runner out, so at this stage, he's five times the catcher Kendall is.

Mike Fontenot (.283/.339/.409, 3 HR, 29 RBI) seemed destined to be a footnote in history when he was tossed into Sammy Sosa's boot from the south side, but Theriot's old college teammate has made a career for himself. As a pinch-hitter against right-handed pitchers, and DeRosa's double-switch partner, Fontenot has solid bench value.

Matt Murton (.283/.355/.422, 8 HR, 22 RBI) either needed more consistent playing time, or the kick-in-the-ass demotion to jump-start his season, as he was gangbusters after returning from Iowa in August, hitting .316/.381/.553 the rest of the way. My ridiculous prediction is a home run off Doug Davis in this series.

Craig Monroe (.220/.268/.371, 12 HR, 59 RBI) hasn't looked great since Jim Hendry traded for him, and he didn't look great in Detroit before that, but as a Jones platoon-mate, late inning defensive replacement, and all-or-nothing pinch hitter, I have seen why the Cubs made this move.

Marc says: Edge barely to Arizona on the strength of pinch-hitting experts Cirillo and Clark, as well as Chicago’s inexperience.

Bryan says: Completely even from where I'm sitting. I hope, as a Cubs fan, Bob Melvin has as much faith in Cirillo as Marc.

Starters:
Brandon Webb (18-10, 3.01) is Mr. Diamondback. Webb has gone from unheralded eighth round draft pick to underrated prospect to unquestionable ace of Arizona’s playoff-bound staff. The sinkerballer combines the rare ability to induce grounders (career 3.25 groundball to flyball ratio) AND strikeout a significant number of batters (194 in 236.1 innings), which should serve him well against Chicago’s big boppers.

Doug Davis (13-12, 4.25) continues to plug away as one of baseball’s most underrated left-handed starters (wouldn’t Texas love to have him back?). He allows his fair share of baserunners (95 walks and 211 hits in 192.2 innings) but he always seems capable of wiggling out of jams. However, the lefty will face a Cubs’ lineup heavy with right-handed batters.

Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93) could prove to be one of the most valuable pitchers on the Diamondbacks’ staff this October. Why? He is the only starting pitcher with playoff experience. He has pitched in two World Series (Florida, 1997; San Francisco, 2002) and overall he has a 3.99 ERA and a 6-2 record in 10 postseason appearances, including eight starts. The one downside to Hernandez circa 2007 is that he has fringe stuff. I watched him pitch in spring training this year and thought he was done.

Micah Owings (8-8, 4.30) is currently scheduled to appear in Game 5 of the series, if necessary, according to MLB.com. The rookie hurler has looked absolutely dominant in a handful of starts this season. On the downside, he has also looked positively terrible in a number of starts this season, especially in June and July. Owings, though, has some added value. With a .333/.349/.683 line in MLB 60 at-bats and his reputation as a great two-way player in college, I would personally favor him as a pinch hitter over anyone else on Arizona’s bench late in the game, save perhaps for either Jackson or Clark.

Carlos Zambrano's (18-13, 3.95) fist-pumping is likely to be featured heavily on FOX's pregame over-dramatic montages, but he is the face for playing baseball with emotion. It took Michael Barrett's fists to provoke the Cubs ace to starting to pitch like one, and save a bad August, he's been great ever since. Zambrano will make his mistakes with command, but expect Rich's favorite, a lot of groundballs and strikeouts in Big Z's start(s).

Ted Lilly (15-8, 3.83) has, for years, been considered on the cusp of major success, and he found it with a return to the National League. The Cubs certainly overpaid for Lilly, but given the attendance numbers in Wrigley this season, I don't think anyone minds the few extra million it cost for the team's most consistent starter. Lilly hit a career high in strikeouts and a low in BB/9 in his finest season, and while he might give up a few home runs, expect a quality start when he takes the mound.

Rich Hill (11-8, 3.92) is similar to Lilly in a way, what with his gopherball tendencies and big, slow curveball. However, while Lilly used better command to post slightly better numbers, no one will deny Hill gets points for better stuff. Hill's inconsistency should be nerve-wracking to Cubs fans, but like the start that clinched the Cubs postseason berth, he's a threat to have no-hit stuff with every start.

Jason Marquis (12-9, 4.60) is the reason it's imperative for the Cubs to win a game in Phoenix. While the right-hander had a fantastic season after a disastrous 2006, his 5.36 second half ERA is most indicative of his talent level. On a good day Marquis stays down in the zone and gets his groundballs, letting the Cubs steady infield defense do the work. On bad days he hangs that slider, loses command and gives up a run per inning. The less the Cubs depend on Marquis' start, the better their chance to win the series.

Marc says: Edge Chicago, although I might give the edge to Arizona’s third and fourth starters. Zambrano and Webb are close to a wash and Lilly trumps Davis in a battle of the lefties.

Bryan says: I agree Chicago gets it, but just by a nose, because I'll be afraid in both Webb’s games as well as Owings' start.

Relievers:
Jose Valverde ( 1-4, 2.66, 47 SV) finally broke through to be the closer that Arizona thought he could be, and he ended up leading the majors with 47 saves in 54 opportunities. One of the big reasons for his success has been the confidence he has shown after limiting his repertoire to his fastball and splitter. The big question, though, is how well he’ll handle the postseason pressure.

Tony Pena (5-4, 3.27, 30 HLD), like his counterpart Carlos Marmol is new to the role of late-game reliever so it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. Brandon Lyon (6-4, 2.68, 35 HLD) has a little more experience in the high-pressure role so he could get the call in the playoffs, but Pena has better stuff and a wider margin for error. Pena was formerly known as Adriano Rosario, before his true identity and age (he was three years older) were discovered during a Major League Baseball investigation in 2004.

Ryan Dempster (2-7, 4.73, 28 SV) is, when pitching well, the Cubs fifth-best reliever. However, when healthy this season, no one else gets consideration in close games in the ninth inning. Dempster has neither knockout stuff nor pristine command, so like the days of Rod Beck in 1998, every save comes with a good dose of sweat -- and Dempster is neither as good or as entertaining as '98 Beck!

Carlos Marmol (5-1, 1.43, 16 HLD) is the star of the show. It looked for awhile like Marmol would never give up a run this season, and while he hung a few sliders along the way, he's been as valuable as anyone during this run. Marmol is a converted catcher that seems to sling the ball with everything he has, touching 96 mph and then dropping a nasty slider that he tends to command well. Cubs fans can only pray that in the highest leverage situations, it's Marmol (and not Bobby Howry, though he has been good) that gets the ball.

Marc says: Edge to Arizona on the strength of Valverde’s season and Dempster’s inconsistencies.

Bryan says: Arizona has both the edge in depth and closer, so they win this big category.

Predictions:
Marc: As much as I would love to see the Diamondbacks’ youngsters advance to the next round of the playoffs, I just can’t see them overcoming the odds. Chicago has a much more well-rounded roster, as well as a collection of veterans with playoff experience, something that is sorely lacking in the desert. Arizona is also already spread thin depth-wise due to injuries. That said, the 2007 playoffs should be an extremely valuable experience for the likes of Upton, Young and Webb and could help create a juggernaut club within three to five years. I think the D-Backs’ youngsters will make the series interesting and will by no means roll over and play dead; Chicago in five.

Bryan: The three most important people for this series are all on the Cubs, in my mind: Soriano, Lee and Ramirez. If Webb and company can minimize their damage, they will absolutely win the series, as the Cubs have little else offensively. However, all three are running into October on a hot streak, so I'm picking the Cubs. It may take all five games, but Zambrano on Game 5 fumes is an even better bet than the Cy Young runner-up Webb, in my mind. Like Marc, Chicago in five.

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The Detroit Tigers club is not a one-year wonder.

After 12 years of mediocrity and sub-.500 ball, one of baseball's oldest and proudest franchises is back on top. Despite a solid 95-67 record in 2006, there were still those who did not buy into the Tigers' success, especially with the likes of the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox hanging around the American League Central.

I started my obsession with baseball in the midst of the Tigers' 11-year run of .500-plus baseball in the mid-to-late 1980s, so I vividly remember the last time the Tigers were good (and it was an embarrassment to admit you were an Atlanta Braves fan).

One of the last things my father told me before he passed away was to get to Detroit to see a game at old Tigers Stadium before it closed, because as he said, "It's the greatest place in the world to watch a baseball game." Unfortunately, I never made it... but one of these days I'm going to get to Comerica Park, where fellow scribe Al Doyle recently had the opportunity to visit.

Ah, Comerica Park. One of the reasons why the Tigers have gone from utter failures (43-119) to American League champs and improved every year since the fateful 2003 season is that the organization has done a better job of building the team around the stadium. When Comerica Park opened in 2000, the club was not built to succeed in its home park - it consisted of slow, one-dimensional sluggers. The team was on a modest upswing at the time of the opening, but the new, spacious park quickly put an end to that.

Old Tiger Stadium - especially the short porch in right field - was geared for the home run. But the outfield in Comerica Park - even more so before the fence was brought in in left-center - is where fly balls go to die. Don't get me wrong - the Tigers still have sluggers and more than one player who likes to swing for the fences - but they are much more balanced with the offence - as well as the entire club from top to bottom.

YEAR         RECORD           CHANGE
1998  |  65 - 97 (.401)  |     ---
1999  |  69 - 92 (.429)  |  plus 4 wins
2000  |  79 - 83 (.488)  |  plus 10 wins
2001  |  66 - 96 (.407)  |  minus 13 wins
2002  |  55-106 (.342)   |  minus 11 wins
2003  |  43-119 (.265)   |  minus 12 wins

The evolution of the Tigers:

Jeff Weaver was as good as it got in the starting rotation - and he threw more than 200 innings - but the motley crew behind him consisted of Hideo Nomo, Brian Moehler, Dave Mlicki, and Steve Sparks. Todd Jones (42 saves) and Matt Anderson were a pretty good one-two punch at the back of the bullpen.

When the fresh blood in your starting rotation includes Chris Holt, Jose Lima and Nate Cornejo, you should know you're in trouble. It also did not help that both Jones and Anderson regressed significantly.

For a team in a "pitcher's park" things just were not improving for the Tigers on the mound. Sparks, Weaver and Lima were still playing key roles and Mark Redman, Adam Bernero and Mike Maroth did not offer much upside or hope for the future. Journeyman Juan Acevado was brought in to act as a stopgap at the back of the bullpen after Jones and Anderson were jettisoned.

A funny thing happened on the way to the 2003 season for the Tigers. The organization committed highway robbery on the Oakland Athletics organization when it traded for 20-year-old phenom Jeremy Bonderman. He had a rough debut season, but it was clear to everyone who saw him pitch that he had a bright future. The usual collection of B-grade arms surrounded Bonderman in the rotation. Franklyn German, part of the Bonderman trade, fell flat on his face when the closer's role was gift-wrapped for him.

Bonderman showed signs of improvement but had a 4.89 ERA in 2004. Nate Robertson had a respectable season and showed that he had the potential to be a solid No. 4 starter. Slowly but surely, the rotation was taking shape. Ugueth Urbina was good, but not great, in the closer's role.

Injury-prone, but talented, outfielder Magglio Ordonez was the next player that Dombrowski was able to sign for a little extra moola and Tigers had a fairly decent nucleus of veteran players to work with. But the lineup still needed a spark plug and depth.

The best thing about 2005 pitching-wise was that Bonderman and Robertson continued to gain experience by taking the ball every fifth day. No one on the club saved more than nine games.

Catcher-turned-third baseman Brandon Inge had a career year in 2006, as did outfielders Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames, but it was the addition of Placido Polanco and Curtis Granderson to the top of the order that helped to set the table for the run producers like Ordonez. The loss of Polanco to injury coincided with a late-season swoon by the club. Luckily, he was able to return for the playoffs.

Two very different pitchers made huge impacts on the rotation in 2006, sandwiched in between Bonderman and Robertson. Veteran Kenny Rogers proved to the amazement of most that he was not washed up. And top pitching prospect Justin Verlander showed he was not as raw as many thought, after being taken second overall in the 2004 draft. Both Rogers and Verlander won 17 games in 2006. Zach Miner performed adequately as the No. 5 man (which is pretty much all you can hope for in this day and age). Jones made a triumphant return to Detroit, saved 37 games (with smoke and mirrors) and proved to the baseball world that he, like Rogers, was not ready for retirment.

I guess the key philosophy in the resurgence of the Detroit Tigers is "Slow and steady wins the race." As we can see above, the Tigers did not improve over night - things really began to head in the right direction in 2004. Far too often, teams do a complete overhaul during the course of one off-season (the Rockies seem to do it every year) and it rarely works, because it takes time for players to become comfortable with each other and to learn teammates' strengths and weaknesses. The fact Dombrowski realized this, is just one more reason why he is one of the best general managers in the game today.

2007: The Hitters
C - Ivan Rodriguez: His patience at the plate has dropped off significantly, but there are a lot of teams in baseball that would love to have a catcher that can hit .300 and be of value in the No. 2 hole in the lineup. Behind the plate, Pudge remains one of the best, even at the age of 35.

1B - Sean Casey: With only one home run on the season, Casey is probably one of the weakest starting options at first base in the majors. But he still maintains a solid batting average and rarely strikes outs. That said, this is the one area on the club that needs upgrading but it will likely have to be done via a trade because the options on the farm are limited.

2B - Placido Polanco: He lacks power, but Polanco can handle the bat and does all the little things like the true professional that he is. Offensively, he is hitting more than .330 this season and has walked more than he has struck out. He uses the entire (spacious) field better than any other player on the team. Defensively, he offers a steady glove.

3B - Brandon Inge: Inge has regressed a bit this year, but he offers steady defence and some power. He also won't clog the bases.

SS - Carlos Guillen: He doesn't get as much press as other (over-hyped) shortstops in the game, but Guillen is the heart and sole of the club offensively and in the field. He has power, hits for average and plays steady defence. The only real question marks with Guillen are his health and how long he can remain at shortstop.

OF - Curtis Granderson: Granderson is the guy the Tigers front office was looking for when it was sifting through Cedeno, Sanchez and Nook Logan. Granderson strikes out too much but he has explosive speed and an always-improving bat. His power is really starting to develop (22 doubles, 12 triples, 9 homers this season) and he could soon develop a Carl Crawford-type of reputation. Granderson, like Polanco, is perfectly suited for the spacious outfield.

OF - Gary Sheffield: Sheffield was the Tigers' big off-season acquisition and they gave up three promising, young arms to bring him over from New York. He started off the season slowly, but has raised his average to .295, added 17 homers, and walked more than he has struck out.

OF - Magglio Ordonez: Ordonez is having an absolutely ridiculous season and anyone who criticized the seemingly inflated contract Dombrowski gave him as a free agent should bow down to the GM. Ordonez has a major league leading 34 doubles (two more than he hit all of last year), 12 homers and is second in the majors with 66 RBI. He has also walked more than he has struck out and he is leading the majors with a .377 average. Do you smell a MVP?

OF - Craig Monroe: Monroe is probably the weakest member of the starting nine. He doesn't walk enough, has a low batting average, strikes out too much and hasn't shown enough power this year. That said, this lineup can more than make up for one player having an off first half.

2007: The Pitchers
It would have been easy for the Tigers to go into panic mode when Rogers went onto the disabled list and missed most of the first half of the season. But they found a way to stay afloat.

RHP - Justin Verlander: You'll have to look elsewhere for a sophomore slump. Almost all his numbers have improved this year - save perhaps for his walks per nine innings. Verlander has stepped up his game and been the No. 1 starter the Tigers needed. He leads the club in wins and innings pitched.

RHP - Jeremy Bonderman: Bonderman has yet to truly breakout and become the perennial CY Young candidate that everyone predicted for him. Even still, he is very, very good and a perfect No. 2 starter. If Rogers comes back at full strength and pitches like he did in 2006, Bonderman becomes the best No. 3 starter in the game.

LHP - Mike Maroth: Maroth has been bouncing around the Tigers' rotation for years, without ever seizing a permanent spot. Regardless, he has been invaluable to the club this year in terms of depth and could be a valuable chip and the trading deadline if Rogers is healthy. His stuff is probably better-suited for the National League.

RHP - Chad Durbin: The former Kansas City Royals' prospect finally found some consistency and has been better than anyone thought he would be. At this point, he doesn't really have much more upside than Maroth, but Durbin and his six wins in 14 starts (tied with Verlander for tops on the club) has helped to keep Detroit at the top of the AL Central.

LHP - Nate Robertson: The lefty has probably had the most disappointing season of any of the starters, not counting the injured Rogers. His ERA is above 5.00 and he has allowed 11.65 hits per nine innings, while striking out only 4.65 batters per nine innings.

Closer - Todd Jones: His season has been up-and-down. He has 17 saves in 21 opportunities, but his ERA is hovering near 6.00. He has allowed 35 hits in only 27.2 innings but he has only been taken out of the yard once all season. A late-season return to health by Joel Zumaya could give the bullpen a much-needed boost.

As mentioned above, the Tigers are now built to win in their home ball park. There are still holes on the club and areas that could be improved, but they are a much more well-rounded team than they were five or six years ago. They have steady defence up the middle, speed on the bases and in the field and some power from multi-dimensional hitters. The pitching, when healthy, is solid one-through-three and there is a proven, battle-tested closer in the bullpen. Zumaya, when healthy, offers hope for the future.

If the club can acquire another veteran starter by the trade deadline and a Scot Shields-type reliever, the club may be unstoppable in its quest to win the World Series this season. Even without significant upgrades, it has an outstanding shot at the title.

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