Boston Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia was named American League Most Valuable Player this afternoon by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. I really do not have a problem with it at all, though Kevin Youkilis was my pick in a recent awards article.

Pedroia had a great all-around season, playing excellent defense and providing plus offensive production for a second baseman. He tied for the league lead in hits (213) and paced the circuit in doubles (54) and runs scored (118). He also ranked second in batting average (.326) and 11th in on-base percentage, which enabled him to add another trophy on the award shelf next to his Rookie of the Year.

Pedroia came on strong in the second half as well, batting .345/.402/.547 to help guide the Red Sox to the A.L. Wild Card. As a 5-foot-7 slugger who swings out of his shoes, it was fairly easy to predict him as the eventual winner. The story, which has infatuated writers, came close to matching the on-field production. His excellent stretch in August, when Mike Lowell and David Ortiz were on the disabled list, also helped his case.

According to Jay Jaffe at Baseball Prospectus, Pedroia was the right winner.

Youkilis, the Hank Aaron winner, was more valuable offensively, though. He finished with a higher OBP and slugging percentage, and was also the most productive hitter with runners in scoring position out of the candidates who collected votes. In addition, he ranked among the majors' most effective defensive first baseman and filled in at third base admirably when Mike Lowell was on the disabled list.

Youkilis, though, finished a distant third, behind runner-up Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Morneau finished second in the league with 129 RBIs, but also came up to the plate with runners on base more frequently than any hitter in baseball. In reality, he was not even the most important player on his own team. That would be Joe Mauer, who provided top-notch defense at a premium position, catcher, won his second batting title and finished second in the league in OBP. He collected a pair of first-place votes, ending up fourth.

There was not a slam dunk case in the A.L, however, and I understand the arguments for the aforementioned position players. It was an interesting year, as two of the four playoff-bound teams lacked legitimate candidates and there was not a clear-cut player from a non-contending team. The best team in the league, the Tampa Bay Rays, did not have one player who stood out above the rest. Tampa Bay rode its excellent run prevention to a division title.

Carlos Pena finished ninth for the second consecutive year, but missed a lot of time and had a poor first half—.778 OPS before the All-Star break. Evan Longoria, the Rookie of the Year, finished 11th, but began the season in Triple-A and missed almost of month with a wrist fracture.

Heck, the local chapter of the BBWAA even selected Jason Bartlett as the Rays’ Team M.V.P. Bartlett anchored the most efficient team defense in baseball at shortstop, but posted an anemic .690 OPS and produced just 29 extra-base hits. (Quite amazingly, he even collected a fifth-place vote for league M.V.P., finishing ahead of Ichiro and Mark Teixeira in points.)

If Pena hit 46 home runs like he did in ’07 and posted a 1.000-plus OPS, perhaps things would be different. But the Rays did not have a real individual superstar performance.

The Los Angeles Angels won 100 games, but actually had a fairly middling offense. Teixiera had a great run, but came over to the team in a mid-season trade with the Atlanta Braves.

Fransisco Rodriguez received a few first-place votes, thanks to his 62 saves. Rodriguez, in reality, was not even the most valuable relief pitcher in the league (Mariano Rivera). His lofty saves total was the function of opportunity; he had 69 chances, also a record. He actually had one of his worst seasons, as his K/9, W.H.I.P. and average fastball velocity all dropped to career lows.

The Central champs, the Chicago White Sox, had a potential winner in Carlos Quentin. Quentin was perhaps the front-runner until an injury ended his season five weeks early.

Which leads us to Boston. And, yes, Pedroia is really a nice pick, though he hit only 17 homers and did not rank in the top 10 in OPS. Youkilis was as well, but he did have 100 fewer at-bats than his teammate, which helped his slash stats line.

All in all, there were not any egregious errors in the voting for the major awards. There was some faulty thinking behind some decisions, but the right winner won in every award category.

Longoria and Geovany Soto were the right picks for R.O.Y and Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum deserved their Cy Young awards. Ditto for Pedroia and Albert Pujols.


—Seriously, though, how did Bartlett receive more points than Ian Kinsler?

—Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left Pedroia off his ballot completely. Grant is pretty open minded in his analysis, but what was he thinking here? As expected, he has drawn the wrath of Red Sox nation; even Rob Dibble ripped into him, calling him a “####” on The Show on XM Radio. He apologized today, and offered his explanation. Apparently, Pedroia’s low home run total, the smallest number for an M.V.P. winner since the days of Nellie Fox, guided his thinking.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Ken Rosenthal, as usual, provides some great information from the rumor mill in his latest column.

Rosenthal says that the normally tight-fisted Oakland Athletics will have payroll flexibility this offseason. Billy Beane, great at finding players undervalued in the market, is reported to have around $40-million to work with, in fact.

With some money available, the report says, Oakland could be a sleeper candidate to land free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal. Furcal, who is rumored to be looking for a four-year deal, is injury prone, and is coming off a season in which he was productive, but played in only 36 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the regular season.

The switch-hitting shortstop, despite one rough inning in the NLCS, is a fine defensive shortstop, with a hose for an arm. For this reason, he would fit right in with the current mold of the A’s, who posted one of the highest defensive efficiency ratings and lowest staff ERAs in the majors after Beane built his 2007 roster, in a clear rebuilding year, with excelling at run prevention as his primary goal.

Beane, of course, is the face of the on-base percentage movement after the release of Moneyball. However, OBP is no longer an undervalued commodity, and its days of being a clear inefficiency in the market for the shrewd GM to exploit are long gone. Due to these reasons, Oakland actually ranked last in the American League in on-base percentage, which is not a reflection of a change in philosophy in the front office.

Furcal, 31, would help cure these woes, providing a solid leadoff hitter for an offense that finished 27th in the majors in runs scored. While it is a small sample size, he posted a line of .357/.439/.573 in 143 at-bats while carrying the Dodgers on his back in the month of April.

Beane would definitely welcome Furcal and his .352 career on-base clip with open arms, at the right price. The organization acquired a bounty of prospects after dealing away Dan Haren and Nick Swisher last winter, but the farm system is top heavy with strong pitching prospects.

Even with a short supply of impact offensive players, however, it would be surprising if Furcal does remain in the state to sign with the A’s. Beane is unlikely to meet his current asking price, in length of years, given the risk associated with locking an injury-prone player to a long-term deal.

The veteran executive will likely look to find cost-efficient, freely available talent to help alleviate the offensive issues in Oakland, rather than splurging on a Type A Free Agent and losing draft picks.

Plus, incumbent starter Bobby Crosby is due to make more than $5-million in 2009, and offers a clear reminder of how injuries can devastate a club. Crosby, who (along with Eric Chavez), has been plagued by health issues himself since signing a lengthy contract with the club in the aftermath of his A.L. Rookie of the Year award back in 2004. He has been a major bust, due to injuries, and has a terrible career slash stats line of .239/.306/.380. The 28-year-old infielder is coming off a season in which he posted an awful .296 on-base percentage and .645 OPS.

Furcal, therefore, would clearly be an upgrade, but a deal remains unlikely given the organization’s track record and unwillingness to lock up multimillions into single players.

With that being said, Rosenthal is right. Beane is likely to make a rare splash in the free agent market—just not for such a high-profile player. The man knows what he is doing, though, and, with all of the prospects acquired in the past 12 months, the franchise seems poised to unseat the Los Angeles Angels as the team to beat in the A.L. West well into the next decade either way.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

According to the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies simply cannot afford to re-sign free-agent closer Brian Fuentes.

Fuentes, perhaps the premier relief pitcher available outside of Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels, is coming off a solid rebound season after regaining the closer role in Colorado. He picked up 30 saves in 34 chances for the Rockies, posting a 2.73 ERA and 82-to-22 K/W ratio and 1.10 WHIP in 62.2 innings pitched. The 33-year-old left-hander limited opponents to a line of .205/.273/.293 and .566 OPS, scattering only 47 hits.

The Angels, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, the report says, have all shown serious interest. The market for Fuentes will undoubtedly be affected by the status of Rodriguez, who set the all-time single-season saves record and is now looking to break the bank for his efforts.

Fuentes’ agent, Rick Thurman, is hoping to generate a four-year deal in the $40-million range. As expensive as that seems for a relief pitcher, the most fungible role on a major league roster, he will likely garner some serious offers. Thurman is also expected to meet with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers about his client.

There is a considerable drop off in the market for relievers after the aforementioned pair, and several teams are looking to address their bullpen needs. The Mets’ relief pitching struggles down the stretch, for example, shed light on a glaring weakness, since prompting the club to announce its plans to search for any ‘pen help possible this offseason. New York will be without Billy Wagner for all of 2009, and is linked to each pitcher.

Fuentes, though, may be the better, more cost-effective bet.

Rodriguez, 26, picked up 62 saves in 69 chances, breaking Bobby Thigpen’s previous single-season mark of 57. Lost in the media hype, though, he also set the benchmark for save chances, a function of opportunity. Due to the Angels’ weak offense and emphasis on small-ball, the right-hander was given a greater number of opportunities to hold a lead in low-scoring games than any other pitcher in baseball history.

While Rodriguez had a historic season, a lot of his current market value is derived from context. Some reports have stated that his asking price may reach around $75-million, and odds are there is a general manager out there who will be willing to meet his demands. However, saves aside, his 2008 campaign was actually one of the worst single-season performances of his career. His strikeout-per-nine innings ratio, which has steadily decreased every year since 2004, reached its full-season career low, 10.1. In fact, this was the first instance in which the total failed to crack 12 K/9.

Rodriguez also struggled with his control at times, walking 34 in 68.1 innings pitched. His 4.5 walks per nine innings, in fact, tied for the highest total of his career, as he also posted his worst K/W ratio (2.27, 77-to-34) since reaching the majors back in 2002.

Perhaps even more telling is this: among major league relievers who registered more than 40.0 innings pitched, Rodriguez did not finish in the top 15 in ERA (19th) or K/9 (19th), top 40 in opponents’ OPS (42), top 60 in WHIP (69) or top 100 in K/W ratio. The flame throwing right-hander, who posted an opponents’ line of .216/.314/.316, led the league in only two statistics, saves and save opportunities. While he grabbed headlines for breaking the record, it is worth mentioning that he was the only pitcher who was given enough chances to come within even four saves of the previous all-time mark—Jose Valverde finished second in SVO with 52.

Essentially, several other dominant closers—from Brad Lidge to Mariano Rivera—had much stronger overall finishes, but did not receive the press due to the severe gap in saves between the leader and every other reliever.

Rodriguez, it is worth pointing out, blew seven saves to finish behind several of his contemporaries in save conversion rate. If he posted a similar mark with fewer chances to shut the door with a lead in the ninth inning, Lidge, for his perfection, and Rivera, for his continued dominance, would have drawn more national publicity.

Rodriguez’s stuff declined as well, coinciding with his inability to throw strikes as consistently as he did in the past. His average fastball velocity, for a pitch that he threw 50.7 percent of the time, nearly fell two full ticks on the radar gun, from 93.4 MPH in 2007 to 91.9. His slider, one of the most devastating in the majors, was not as tight, either, according to numerous scouts. He still generated excellent movement on his pitches, but was not as difficult to hit against as he has been in recent years.

Rodriguez is still a dominant late-innings weapon, of course, and is obviously much more talented than Fuentes. He is likely to get overpaid, though, based on his misleading record-setting '08 campaign. Also, while he has not had any health problems in the past, there is always a serious risk for injury with hard-throwing relievers. Plus, there are a lot of more cost-effective, efficient ways for a baseball team to spend $15-million annually over five years. No reliever, perhaps outside of Rivera in his prime, is worth that kind of coin.

Which is why Fuentes may be the better investment, when taking into consideration price and length of any potential contract. Although he is older, he has a chance to provide better value in a shorter deal.

Either way, two clubs out there are within weeks from adding a new closer. It should be interesting to see which team ends up with the better investment in the long run.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

The World Series is over. The Philadelphia Phillies are champs.

But, now that Game 5 has finally ended, what are die-hard baseball fans going to do with their time?

Well, to some people, the season is only now beginning—the Hot Stove season, that is.

Several big-time players are available on the free-agent market, from sluggers Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira to record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez and stud left-hander CC Sabathia.

Here is a list of the potential Type A free agents, courtesy of Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors.

Bobby Abreu (Yankees) Milton Bradley (Rangers) Doug Brocail (Astros) A.J. Burnett (Blue Jays) Pat Burrell (Phillies) Orlando Cabrera (White Sox) Juan Cruz (Diamondbacks) Ryan Dempster (Cubs) Adam Dunn (Diamondbacks) Brian Fuentes (Rockies) Brian Giles (Padres) Orlando Hudson (Diamondbacks) Raul Ibanez (Mariners) Jason Isringhausen (Cardinals) Derek Lowe (Dodgers) Damaso Marte (Yankees) Jamie Moyer (Phillies) Mike Mussina (Yankees) Darren Oliver (Angels) Oliver Perez (Mets) Andy Pettitte (Yankees) Manny Ramirez (Dodgers) Edgar Renteria (Tigers) Francisco Rodriguez (Angels) Ivan Rodriguez (Yankees) C.C. Sabathia (Brewers) Ben Sheets (Brewers) Russ Springer (Cardinals) Mark Teixeira (Angels) Jason Varitek (Red Sox) Kerry Wood (Cubs)

Sabathia, it seems, is going to sell his services to the highest bidder, which will undoubtedly be the New York Yankees. The Yankees are moving across the street into New Yankee Stadium, which will generate even more revenue stream for the game’s ultimate financial superpower.

The Yankees’ rotation has some question marks, as Mike Mussina, who won 20 games, is expected to announce his retirement later this week, and the status of Andy Pettitte is unclear. Also, since the Phil Hughes/Ian Kennedy experiment did not go according to plan this year, the Yankees will almost certainly make a splash in the pitching market. Even if they fail to sign Sabathia, who was unbelievable for the Milwaukee Brewers down the stretch, count on them to make a solid push at several other Type A starting pitchers listed above.

The Yankees are also reportedly planning to pursue Teixeira as well. Jason Giambi’s stint in the Bronx appears to have come to an end either way, unless he decides to take a massive pay cut in a short-term deal.

Some other interesting names include Burnett, Burrell, Dunn and Lowe.

Burnett won 18 games, but his peripheral statistics all declined.

Burrell, who hit a huge double in the Phillies’ clinching Game 5 win last night, has excellent on-base skills and is coming off a decent season in which he hit 30-plus home runs. Although he has some deficiencies in his overall game, especially his poor defense and lack of speed, expect several organizations to make a serious run at him. He has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, but he seems ready to test the market, and it might not be in the Phillies' best interest to bring him back, anyway.

The Boston Red Sox have a big decision in regards to the status of Varitek, the captain. He had a down offensive season, posting a sub-.700 OPS, and was practically a guaranteed out in the second half. He is still a valuable defender behind the plate, however, and does a great job handling a pitching staff. A Scott Boras client, he will likely demand a lucrative, multi-year deal. There is no question that is value has diminished, though, and he may no longer be strong enough offensively to serve as a full-time catcher in the majors. If Theo Epstein can bring him back at a discounted rate, it would be wise for them to do so. He could share catching duties and help mentor a young backstop. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of catching depth in the Boston farm system, making it likely that Epstein will attempt to make a deal for a young catcher this offseason, regardless of what they decide to do with the veteran.

It is definitely going to be an exciting offseason, and there is no telling which players yet which uniforms several big-time stars will be wearing next season.

Two things are almost certain, though.

1. Boras, who represents Ramirez and Teixeira and several other stars, is only going to get richer, with a number of his clients due to receive lucrative deals.

2. The Yankees are going to reload by throwing big dollars at the best talent available, which is going to make the A.L. East all the more competitive.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Will Sabathia end up a Yankee?

Since I do not really want to focus on a particular subject right now, I am going to pull a Mark Kriegel, focusing on various random topics in the baseball world.

—According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the New York Yankees want to sign at least two of the three premier free agent starting pitchers on the market—A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe and CC Sabathia.

Although Sabathia has said that money will not be the ultimate factor that drives a decision for him, I have a difficult time taking him at his word. Sabathia has said all the right things to the local Milwaukee media, but he is going to follow the money. And, since the Yankees have unlimited financial resources to work with (especially when moving into a new ballpark), there is no team that can match them in a bidding war. Also, Sabathia recently shot down the rumors that he is interested in returning to California. He certainly could end up in a number of other potential cities, but New York—with the Mets as a slim possibility—seems like the best bet.

Lowe, a Scott Boras client, has had a nice season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 34 starts. Using his excellent sinkerball, the 35-year-old right-hander went 7-3 with a 2.38 mark after the All-Star break, limiting hitters to a .226 batting average in 87.0 innings. He has also pitched well in the postseason to this point, picking the right time, for Boras and his bank account, to find his groove on the mound.

Burnett has not told the Toronto Blue Jays if he will opt out of his contract—yet. Odds are, though, this will happen fairly soon, leaving him as a realistic option for Brian Cashman and the Yankees. He won 18 games in Toronto in 2008, but posted a higher ERA (4.07) than his career average (3.81). The 31-year-old right-hander is also always an injury threat, but can miss bats as well as anyone in the business—231 Ks in 221.1 innings pitched. If I were a betting man, I would say that he will be pitching in the Pinstripes next year alongside Sabathia, not Lowe.

—The Chicago Cubs picked up the option on Rich Harden’s contact yesterday. This was the right decision by the Cubs. While Harden is always at risk of injury, he is a dominant pitcher when he is healthy enough to pitch. Since coming over to Chicago in a midseason trade with the Oakland Athletics, he posted a 1.77 ERA while striking out 89 in 71.0 innings pitched. Jim Hendry was not left with a lot of time to make a decision, sure, but he made the right choice—a recent test showed that he had no structural damage in his right shoulder.

 
Stay away, Troy.

—There is a lot of talk about whether or not Troy Percival will be put on the Tampa Bay Rays’ ALCS roster. Well, if it were up to me, I would say, no. Percival is a veteran who has World Series experience, two factors which have led several mainstream analysts and writers to talk about how he is an essential piece to the puzzle and needs to be on the roster. To their credit, he certainly has had a tremendous positive impact on several of the Rays’ young talented arms, all while helping to instill a culture of winning in the clubhouse. However, based on his performance in the second half—6.11 post-All-Star break ERA, 16 walks in 17.2 innings pitched—and an obvious decline in his command and stuff, Joe Maddon can no longer trust him with a lead late in the game. Period.

The closer-by-committee group of Grant Balfour, who throws absolute smoke, Chad Bradford, one of the best groundball specialists in the games who practically never surrenders home runs, and Dan Wheeler has a better chance of getting the job done in the ninth inning with the game on the line. So, whoever says that this relief method does not work, think again—talent is the secret ingredient, though.

So while the talking heads will give the bullpen advantage to Boston, which does have a better pure closer in Jonathan Papelbon, not having a healthy Percival is not that big of a deal. Even if the veteran righty is healthy, he does not deserve to be pitching important innings at this stage of the season.

Picks for the upcoming series—

Although anything can happen in a short series, I will offer up my picks for the upcoming LCS in each league.

American League—

Throw the experience argument out the window right now. Despite what they say on TBS, the Rays will not be intimidated by the Red Sox. It really comes down to talent more than anything else, but all of the talk about heart and such makes for a more compelling story to some journalists.

If Tampa Bay could not handle the pressure, though, would they have won the AL East? Every time these two teams met up in the regular season, it seems, the same stories would show up about how the young, pesky Rays would fade under the pressure.

Well, they did not, outlasting the Red Sox to win baseball’s most competitive division.

With that being said, too many people are also focusing on how the Rays won the regular season series, 10-8. Well, throw that argument out the window, too. This time last week, everybody in the media was talking about how the Los Angeles Angels dominated Boston all year as well, and look how that series turned out.

One thing is for sure, though. These teams have battled it out all year, and it is going to be an exciting series.

Boston has the better offense, in my opinion, and are always a threat to hang up a 13-spot like they did off of Scott Kazmir in September. They led the league with a .358 on-base percentage, meaning that they will force Tampa Bay pitchers to throw strikes. And they have so many guys—from MVP candidates Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilus to Big Papi—who can cause tremendous damage with one swing of the bat.

But the Rays’ pitching staff has shown that they are up to the challenge. James “Big Game” Shields will start Game 1 like he did in the Division Series. Shields is likely to last until at least the seventh inning, which will be good for his bullpen with Scott Kazmir—who labors and has had trouble making it through five lately—taking the hill in Game 2. If he can turn in a quality start—perhaps similar to his complete game shutout against Boston back in April—and the Rays can jump out to an early series lead, they may never look back.

Daisuke Matsusaka, similar to Kazmir, has not been efficient with his pitches. The Rays need to make him throw strikes, showing sound plate discipline, because when he does throw it over the plate, he is tough to hit (lowest opponents’ batting average in the majors).

The other pitching matchups are equally as intriguing. Which Kazmir will show up? The guy who was so dominant in June and July or post-All-Star break Kaz?

Jon Lester has been excellent in the postseason, and has really emerged as a frontline starter. Lester, in fact, seems to be the ace of the Boston staff right now. It will be tough for Tampa Bay to scrape runs across against him. Ditto for Josh Beckett, who had a down year but is still one of the best big-game pitchers in the game.

Matt Garza, though, can shut any offense down on any given night in his own right.

All-in-all, the pitching matchups seem pretty even—though Andy Sonnanstine is a better fourth option than Tim Wakefield.

The Rays have the better defense—having converted more balls put into play into outs than any other team in the majors—and I think the edge in bullpen.

So, while anything can happen (cannot stress this enough), I choose the Rays if they can continue to throw strikes, catch the ball and get the timely hits, from nearly everyone on the roster, like they have been doing all along.

The key for them, though, is to get into the Boston bullpen early and often. Papelbon is lights out, but the link to the controversial closer has been a problem at times. Manny Declaremen and Justin Masterson have helped a great deal in the second half, but the Rays will have an easier time scoring runs off the likes of Mike Timlin than a Beckett or Dice-K or Lester.

Another X factor to be considered is homefield advantage. Both the Rays and Red Sox are much better at home than on the road. Tropicana Field has been kryptonite for Boston in ’08, albeit in a small sample size, and the Rays had the majors’ best record at home. Still, the Red Sox were not too far behind, as they love playing in front of the hometown crowd at Fenway Park—a tough environment to play in for an opposing team.

Since the series starts at the Trop, where the Rays are 20-2 in games with 30,000-plus fans in attendance (the cowbell effect), they have the edge in this regard. But, though they took two out of three at Fenway in September, winning at least one game on the road will be quite a challenge.

It is going to be exciting, but, due to all of the factors and my tremendous bias for the new pride of St. Pete (though my cousin plays in the Red Sox organization), I am going with the Rays. In seven.

National League—

I am a bit lazy to make a case right now, after going on a seemingly endless tangent about the ALCS, but I think the Philadelphia Phillies will take the cake in the series.

Cole Hamels is a stud, though he does not have the mid-90s heat. Brad Lidge has been a stud all year, having converted 41 saves in 41 tries. And the Phillies also have a number of great relievers to bridge the gap to Lidge.

Plus, Ryan Howard has been on an insane tear since September. Howard, the NL leader in homers and RBIs, has posted a ridiculous .1000-plus OPS over the past 30 games, picking the right time to get hot while doing enough in 30 days to enter the MVP conversation.

Pat Burrell can mash as well. Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins do a nice job of setting the table. And, in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park, they are going to score some runs.

Sinkerball pitcher Lowe will negate some of that, but I like the Phils at home, and see them taking at least one game in Los Angeles.

Manny Ramirez is on fire, too, Rafael Furcal is back, the Dodgers’ pitching has been excellent and the matchups favor the flavor of the month in the NL. But I am not buying into them yet.

Sure,they made fools out of the best team in the NL last week, and Man-Ram is playing on a whole other level. The Phillies, however, were the better team all year, in a tougher division.

Phillies in six.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Grant Paulsen (right)

Grant Paulsen, who has been an accredited member of the national media since he was a teenager, has already made his mark in the broadcasting industry although he has yet to graduate from college and is not old enough to legally drink in this country. Paulsen, 20, is perhaps the Jay Bruce of sports journalism, having covered the Little League World Series and Super Bowl for ABC Sports on several occasions. He has also appeared on the David Letterman show six times. A student at George Mason University in Virginia, he is currently the host of Minors and Majors, a two-hour weekly show focusing on Major League Baseball and its minor league prospects on XM Radio.

Grant recently offered his opinions about the latest news and notes around the league in an interview with Tyler Hissey for Scout.com.

TH: Grant, thanks for finding the time to answer some questions about all that is going on in the Major League Baseball season. Let’s get to it.

The Los Angeles Angels are one of the best run-prevention clubs in the game, with an excellent defense and pitching staff. The Angels also have a strong bullpen led by K-Rod, who is on pace to set the single-season saves record. The offensive situation, on the other hand, has been a cause for concern, and the addition of switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira will undoubtedly help add another impact bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero. Does the trade make Los Angeles the favorite to win the AL?

Grant: Adding Mark Teixeira was monumental for the Angels. They desperately needed a bat - and preferably a big one - and they got it when they traded for him. Their deep pitching staff, ranked eighth in all of baseball, gives them a chance to win each night, and they are a top-10 team defensively as well. The only area in which they needed to upgrade was at the plate, and in getting Teixeira they were able to add power to a lineup that has hit 49 fewer home-runs than teams like the Marlins and Phillies have this season.

Even if Teixeira proves to be only a late-season rental, which I think could very well be the case, I won't disagree for a moment with what the Angels decided to do. He is a career .285 hitter who can hit his club 35-homers a season and play a terrific first base. With a team like Los Angeles for the long-haul I could see Tex becoming an annual MVP candidate in the American League. They gave up Casey Kotchman, who is a nice enough major leaguer, and a decent relief pitching prospect in hard-throwing righty Stephen Marek. But they got a guy back who makes them the number-one contender for the title (if I can use a wrestling term). That's what the Angels are now. They are the top contender in the AL, and I would be surprised if they aren't in the ALCS.

TH: The Braves certainly went for it all last year, giving up a promising package of prospects—including Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia—to make a run. However, they finished further out of the division than they were at the time of the acquisition, even though Teixeira put up some monster numbers down the stretch. In Kotchman and Marek, GM Frank Wren got about as much as he could have at this point, certainly more than the club would have received had it waited for the compensation picks. Still, it seems, they were burned in the long run. Do you agree? Will teams use this as a lesson before making similar deals at the deadline?

Grant: I think that teams might. I've always felt like GMs should ask themselves only one question before giving up multiple prospects who could eventually help their club for just one veteran major leaguer. If he (the guy they are trading for) comes over and plays like an MVP, can we win the World Series? If the answer is yes, then I am okay with those trades. If the answer is no, then I don't like the idea. Especially if a team is just renting a guy like the Braves were with Teixeira last year, and like the Brewers are this year with CC Sabathia. I didn't like the Teixeira deal last year, and I wasn't a huge fan of the Sabathia deal. If he pitches them into the playoffs, though, I will be okay with the fact that they parted with future All-Star Matt LaPorta.

TH: On an off note, what are the odds that some Angles fans make another Teixeira tribute video on YouTube?

Grant: I feel like another video is coming soon. From the same guys who brought us Mark Teixeira I, comes a second and even more epic offering! Haha. Perhaps the release date will be set for some time in late October.

TH: As of this writing, David Price is 9-0 combined between the Single-A Vero Beach and Double-A Montgomery. Do you see Price making an impact this season? If so, do you think he will turn into this year's version of Joba Chamberlain, coming out of the bullpen, or will he crack the Tampa Bay rotation should Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine falter?

David Price (AP)

Grant: Price is a stud. The guy is going to be 23 later on this month and he could have been getting big league hitters out as of halfway through his final college season at Vanderbilt a year ago. He popped at 99 in his first outing as a pro during spring training this season, and his breaking pitches are already big-league ready. He's going to be a star front-line arm for many years to come, and I could see him and Scott Kazmir being the game's top one-two punch in baseball in a couple years.

With that all said, I think that he will be used in the bullpen down the stretch this season. That will be the best way for Tampa Bay to get his feet wet against major league hitters. He also had a minor arm injury earlier this spring, which could make the Rays want to pitch him out of the pen as a way of keeping his innings count down a little more efficiently, all while still trying to get production out of his electric arm.

If he is used out of the pen, I could see him performing a lot like Joba Chamberlain did last season. His 2007 efforts were something of a once-in-a-decade time promotion, but if anybody could duplicate that type of start to a career, I think Price is that guy. I could see Price repeating that type of dominance down the stretch. He could fortify an already much-improved bullpen and be a big lift for Tampa Bay down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Rays, though, he isn't going to help them hit any better, which is the only phase of the game that they aren't very consistent with.

TH: I recently wrote a contenders piece for the American League. Which four teams from the league do you see making it to the postseason and why?

Mark Teixeira (AP)

Grant: At this moment I have the Angels, Red Sox, and White Sox winning the West, East, and Central, respectively. I rank them in that order because that is the order of my confidence in each of those teams to capture a division crown.

The Angels, with the acquisition of Teixeira and the re-emergence of Ervin Santana as a front-line arm, are my pick to represent the AL in the World Series.

I think Boston is better today than it was a week or two ago as well, though. Jason Bay will give them everything Manny Ramirez did offensively, more defensively, and he'll do it all without creating any problems or causing any headaches for his new coaching staff. I think that Jed Lowrie is an upgrade for them at shortstop as well, and I could see him becoming Boston's Dustin Pedroia of this year in the next couple of months.

The other kind of Sox get terrific pitching and have more power bats than they know what to do with. I just don't know how much I trust some of the unproven arms in that rotation (John Danks and Gavin Floyd among them) down the stretch. Getting Ken Griffey Jr. should provide them with a nice boost, though.

My wild card pick right now is the Rays. They have a deep enough rotation to win any series they play in, they play great defense and they can manufacture enough runs - as the AL leaders in thefts - to mask their anemic team batting average.

TH: Personally, going by their poor run prevention (inexperienced pitching staff and bad infield defense), I do not see the Florida Marlins making the playoffs out of the NL East. They have a negative run differential after all, and, though the Arizona Diamondbacks made it to the playoffs after scoring fewer runs than their opponents last fall, I just do not think it is in the cards for the Fish. Do you agree? If so, who do you think will come out the East?

Grant: I agree with you on the Marlins. The peripherals just don't add up to them being a playoff participant (but don't tell the 2007 Diamondbacks that). The best thing about the Marlins is that they aren't supposed to win right now. They are loaded for the future, thanks largely to the Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis trade this offseason, and they were able to hang on to most of their top prospects at the trade deadline. I'm a Gaby Sanchez guy, but he projects more as a backend-arm than an ace, and he was the only major subtraction from their future core. I think they could keep playing on the plus side of .500, but I don’t' see them doing much more than that the rest of the way. Then again, I didn't see them competing at all this year, so what do I know?

TH: There has certainly been a lot of attention centering around the Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisition of CC Sabathia, though the Brett Favre drama has taken away some of its thunder. Sabathia has energized that clubhouse, adds a legitimate ace alongside Ben Sheets at the top of the staff and is now the best-hitting pitcher in the league with Micah Owings’ demotion to the minors. With that being said, do you think the Brewers will make the postseason for the first time since the Robin Yount era?

Grant: The Brewers are my current pick to win the National League's wild card. Sabathia is one of those guys who can go seven-innings and give his team a chance to win on a bad night. That's the mark of a true ace, and he's proven to be just that over the years. He might be baseball's best pitcher if he ever played an entire season in the NL. The big fella would just be dominant. And Ned Yost will not have to pull him out of games for a pinch hitter, because he's proven that he can wield the wood.

Milwaukee is a better team than St. Louis and Florida, and they are better than any of the clubs in the NL West. With that said, they'll be contending with either Philadelphia or New York (whoever doesn't win the East) for the wild-card spot, at least in my insignificant and probably inaccurate projection. I think they stack up well with either of those two teams. The bottom line is that they had better get to the playoffs. If they don't, then I really don't like the trade at all. If they do I wouldn't be shocked at all if they got to the World Series, considering that they would have Sheets and Sabathia to throw at teams back-to-back. But they have to get there first, and in order to do that they need to start playing better defense (they are 11th in the NL in fielding percentage).

TH: Before we end the interview, give us the names of a few prospects to look for when rosters expand in September.

Grant: Dave Price is the main guy to look out for. He could very well change the American League East landscape, not just this season but over the next several years.

In addition to him, the guy I am most excited about seeing is Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh. He's going to get a chance at some point in August, or maybe September, to roam the outfield at PNC Park. He's got more tools than Tim Allen and he's been making his way up through the ranks in a "Jay Bruce" kind of way since the two were drafted real close to each other out of high school back in 2005. I can't wait to see what he does in his first dose of action with the Pirates. He's an electrifying talent who can contribute in a plethora of different ways and baseball fans in the Steel City are in for a treat.

Cameron Maybin is another guy I want to get another look at. I liked what I saw from him in Detroit last season, but I didn't get enough of him. Maybin getting sent to Double-A this year was like dangling candy in front of me and telling me I couldn't have it.

Matt LaPorta and Travis Snider could both also get late-season calls in Cleveland and in Toronto, respectively. I'd be giddy to get a first-glimpse of either of those two slugging outfielders in 2008. Both project as lineup-altering boppers and each should one day find their way onto an All-Star team.

TH: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule, Grant. Keep up the excellent work on XM Radio.

For more info on Grant and his work on XM radio, click here.

(milb.com)

Wade Davis was selected by the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the third round of the 2004 First-Year Draft out of Lake Wales High School in Florida.

Davis, 22, has come along way since then, forming one of the top pitching duos in the minors alongside left-handed Jake McGee. In fact, the two top prospects are frequently mentioned as a pair, because they have risen through the Rays’ system together as teammates since they were each selected back in ’04.

That took a turn for the worse this spring, however, as McGee tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and is out indefinitely. Davis, on the other hand, continued to impress in the Southern League before his recent promotion to Triple-A Durham.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander made his mark in the professional ranks in the Midwest League back in 2006, posting a 3.02 ERA, 165-to-64 K/W ratio and 1.29 WHIP for Southwest Michigan. He even tossed a complete game, seven-inning no-hitter and finished second in the league, behind McGee, in strikeouts. Since then, he has been considered one of the flagship pitching prospects in the deep Tampa Bay farm system, as his mid-90s fastball and improving curveball left scouts drooling at times.

Davis' next stop took him to the Florida State League, where he went 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA, 88-to-21 K/W ratio and sub-1.00 WHIP (0.96) in 13 starts for the Vero Beach Devil Rays to begin the 2007 season. Again pitching alongside Davis in one of the circuit’s strongest starting rotations—as was the case in Michigan the summer before—he was named FSL Pitcher of the Week three different times and was elected to the league All-Star team.

Davis then forced a promotion to Double-A, where he made the transition with ease. He continued to make strides with his improving command while looking comfortable against older, advanced hitters to turn into a force at the top of the Biscuits’ staff. He finished 7-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 81-to-30 K/W ratio in 14 starts down the stretch to help push his club into the postseason.

Overall, Davis ended up 10-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 169-to-51 K/W ratio in 27 starts between the two levels, increasing his status as a prospect. In fact, while many analysts and scouts differ over who is the better long-term prospect, he was featured in nearly every prospect publication’s Top 20 prospect list, including Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Milb.com and Scout.com.

Davis, who began the season back in Montgomery, has lived up to the hype yet again. He was elected to the Southern League All-Star team two weeks ago after a nice first half, finishing his stay as a Biscuit with a 9-6 record, 3.85 ERA and 81-to-42 K/W ratio in 19 starts. The organization, which generally takes its time grooming young arms, was curious to see how he well he could handle Triple-A, promoting him a few days later.

On July 20, he made his International League debut—an impressive one at that— tossing seven shutout innings while consistently sitting around 95 with his heater. He struck out six while surrendering only three hits to earn his first win with the Bulls. He won his next outing as well, allowing three earned runs in six solid innings on July 25. The former third-rounder, 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 12-to-6 K/W ratio at Durham, is 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 21 total starts this year.

Davis’ name has shown up in numerous trade rumors lately, but has remained focused on his pitching and has continued to shine. The Colorado Rockies turned off the Rays in the Brian Fuentes talks by asking for him or Montgomery right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, a ridiculous asking price for a brief rental of only a decent reliever. He has also recently been linked to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are reportedly asking for him in a deal for outfielder Jason Bay. As is the case with David Price, though, he is untouchable in the eyes of Tampa Bay Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

Davis, who has the potential to turn into a front-line starter in this league for years to come, will perhaps compete for a rotation spot in spring training next March—though some analysts see his future as a dominant, late-innings reliever. So, the short- and long-term consequences of dealing him for a rental—even Bay, who would not become a free agent until the end of ’09—are too severe, and he will not get shipped.

In addition to his mid-90s fastball and hard hammer, Davis has been working hard to continue the development of a changeup and cutter, which he has made tremendous strides with and have the chance to turn into plus pitchers for him. With his size and dominant stuff, it is not hard to picture him pitching at Tropicana Field in the near future. Thus, as far as the trade talks, Davis is untouchable.

This article was originally posted on Scout.com.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Mark Teixeira (AP)

The Los Angeles Angels acquired the services of Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. The Braves dealt Teixeira, a free agent following the season, in exchange for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek.

Although the Angels will only get two months of the switch-hitting slugger, they were in desperate need of adding another bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero in a lineup that has struggled to score runs. In fact, despite being 11.5 games up over the Texas Rangers in the American League West, the club has a lower run differential than the third-place Oakland Athletics.

The first team to win 65 games, Los Angeles has relied on its excellent starting rotation, a solid bullpen led by closer Francisco Rodriguez, who is threatening to break the single-season saves record, and an above-average team defense.

The Angels’ offensive attack, on the other hand, has been a major weakness, as the club ranks in the back of the pack in nearly every statistical category, including runs scored (474), on-base percentage (.322) and OPS (.721).

Howie Kendrick, Guerrero and Torii Hunter have made an impact, but are currently the only regulars on the 25-man roster who have posted an OPS above .800.

Guerrerro, who has rebounded from a poor start, is leading the team with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs. Still, he is not 100 percent healthy, which remains a cause for concern.

Several other starters have struggled mightily, though. The group of disappointments is highlighted by free agent bust Gary Matthews Jr., who has posted the lowest OPS total among all qualifying left fielders in the majors and is batting only .234/.313/.346 with seven homers. Veteran Garret Anderson, who has posted a .309 on-base percentage and has seen his bat speed drop off dramatically, has also struggled.

Teixeira, who is batting .283/.390/.512 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs, will undoubtedly provide a major boost to the L.A. lineup. One of the most productive hitters in the majors, he will also help provide protection for the aforementioned core. Also a solid defensive first baseman, he has a career .909 OPS and will be the premier free agent available this offseason.

Teixeira was a monster for Atlanta after being acquired from the Rangers for four minor league prospects in the blockbuster deal of ’07 deadline season, hitting 17 home runs and posting a 1.019 OPS in 54 games. The Braves, however, were 2.5 games out in the National League East when they acquired the switch-hitting slugger. They then finished six games back, despite a monster performance from their new acquisition. This is a different situation right now, however, as the Angels are already a lock for the postseason, sitting as the runaway favorites in the AL West.

Therefore, Teixeira has a realistic chance to make a huge difference, adding the bat that has been missing for Los Angeles, which even considered signing Alex Rodriguez to fill the void this offseason, over the past two years.

In return, Atlanta is getting a nice player in Kotchman, who has above average contact and defensive skills. His offensive output, however, leaves a bit to be desired. He does not hit for the power normally associated with a corner infielder and has shown decreasing on-base skills in 2008. More of a contact hitter, he has posted a line of .287/.327/.448, for a low .774 OPS for a first baseman, with 12 homers and 54 RBIs. To his credit, the former first-round pick out of Seminole High School in Florida—which had a record amount of players drafted during his senior year back in 2001—has been great with runners in scoring position and two outs, posting a line of .357/.426/.429 in a small sample size of 42 at-bats.

Marek has come out of nowhere to emerge as one of the premier relief pitching prospects in the minors. A 40th-round pick back in 2004, he went to San Jacinto Junior College and then signed as a draft and follow. He is 2-6 with a 3.66 ERA, .223 opponents’ batting average and 57-to-21 K/W ratio in 34 appearances at Double-A Arkansas. Look for him to make an impact out of the Braves’ bullpen in 2009.

Considering that Teixeira is a brief rental who will play in only around 50 more games, is a Scott Boras client and is expected to fetch around $20 million, Frank Wren deserves credit for pulling the trigger. Wren, the longtime right-hand man under John Schuerholz, received more value—in the short- and long-term—by dealing the soon-to-be free agent than the organization would have would have gotten had it waited to receive a pair of compensation picks when he bolted for free agency.

Still, the Angels are to be applauded as well, because Teixeira is perhaps the missing link in their quest to win a title.

To contact Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

YouTube Tribute In The Works? Last time Tex was traded, a few Braves fans came up with one of the most popular YouTube sports-related videos of the year, providing a tribute to their new slugger. So, I ask again, is another video in the works, Angels fans?

To contact Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

This article was originally posted on Scout.com.

The roster for the USA Olympic Team was announced earlier this week. The following minor leaguers will travel to Beijing to represent their country at the 2008 Olympic Games. The group is filled with an interesting mix of stud prospects and career minor leaguers, all of whom have one goal: to take home the gold.

To find out more on a certain prospect, click on the corresponding scouting reports from Scout.com. Each prospect is listed next to the organization that they play for.

Brett Anderson: LHP, Oakland Athletics—

Anderson, 20, came over to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that sent Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. The southpaw, one of two Oakland prospects headed to Beijing, threw a scoreless inning in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. He has been effective since joining the deep Oakland farm system, going 9-4 with a 4.14 ERA, 80-to-18 K/W ratio and opponents’ batting average of .238 in 13 starts in the California League before getting promoted to Double-A. He is now pitching for Midland in the Texas League, where he is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts.

Anderson, selected by the Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2006 First-Year Draft, has shown strong command over a fastball that sits in the low-90s, in addition to a slow curve ball, his strongest offering, and a changeup. He is the son of Oklahoma State head coach Frank Anderson, who has an excellent track record of developing college pitchers.

Click here for a full scouting report on Anderson, courtesy of Melissa Lockard, who ranked him the third-best prospect in the Athletics’ farm system in her pre-season rankings.

Jake Arrieta: RHP, Baltimore Orioles—

Arrieta, 21, was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 draft out of Texas Christian University, where he went 23-7 over his final two seasons and was twice named an All American. As a Scott Boras client, he scared off several organizations with his high asking price, dropping him several rounds. He has produced in the minors for Baltimore, though.

Arrieta, in fact, is enjoying a fine campaign in his first professional campaign, earning an invitation to the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. In 20 starts for the Frederick Keys in the Carolina League, he is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 120-to-51 K/W ratio. The right-hander, who has earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Week twice already this season, is leading the circuit in innings pitched (113.0) and WHIP (1.16). For his stellar first half, he was elected to the league All-Star team. He has a fastball in the 88-91 range, topping out at 93, which he can paint the corners with.

Arrieta is no stranger to international competition. While in college, he posted a 4-0 record and 0.27 ERA for the Gold-Medal winning national team in the ’06 World Championships in Cuba.

Click here for a Q&A with Arrieta, courtesy of Michael Hollman of InsideTheWarehouse.com.

Brian Barden: INF, St. Louis Cardinals—

Barden was one of two players selected from the St. Louis farm system, though top outfield prospect Colby Rasmus will miss the Olympics due to a knee injury. The 27-year-old shortstop has been a key offensive player for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, batting .292/.358/.436 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 95 games. He was acquired off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected him out of Oregon State in the 2002 draft, last August.

Barden is clearly too old to be considered a “prospect,” and actually made the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster out of spring training in 2007. The veteran minor leaguer, who has a career OPS of .804 in seven professional seasons, also has the versatility to play three infield positions. He had an excellent May, earning organizational player of the month after hitting .377 with a .460 on-base percentage in 27 games.

Click here for an old scouting report on Barden.

Matthew Brown: INF, Los Angeles Angels—

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled to score runs at times. Angels’ third base prospect Matthew Brown, though, has done nothing but hit this season, posting a line of .331/.381/.603 with 20 homers, 63 RBIs and a .985 OPS at Triple-A Salt Lake City in the Pacific Coast League. The 25-year-old infielder, who has played nearly every position on the field, is ranked by Scout.com as the seventh-best third base prospect in the minors.

Trevor Cahill: RHP, Oakland Athletics—

Cahill is a polarizing prospect. He has posted strong numbers since the Athletics selected him out of a California high school in the 2006 draft, but does not have an overpowering fastball. In fact, the young right-hander, who gave up an academic scholarship to Dartmouth to sign with Oakland, relies more on his pitching intelligence and excellent command.

Cahill was a force in his first full campaign in ’06, going 11-4 with a 2.73 ERA and 117-to-40 K/W ratio in 105.1 innings pitched in the Midwest League. He picked up where he left off this spring after beginning the season in the California League, where he went 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA, 103-to-31 K/W ratio and .174 opponents’ batting average in 87.1 innings pitched. Cahill, selected a CAL Mid-Season All-Star, was then promoted to the Texas League, where he has flourished alongside Anderson in the Midland starting rotation. The 20-year-old has continued to impress, posting a 5-1 record and 2.25 ERA in his first six starts.

Overall, Cahill, who also was added to the US roster for the Futures game, is 10-5 with a 2.64 ERA and .178 opponents’ batting average in 119.1 innings pitched.

Click here for a scouting report on Cahill, courtesy of Melissa Lockard.

Jeremy Cummings: RHP, Tampa Bay Rays—

Cummings, a career minor leaguer, has one goal left in his professional career—to reach the majors. Cummings, who began the 2008 season in Taiwan, is perhaps inching closer to that dream with every start. After signing with Durham as a minor league free agent in May, he has been one of the most effective starting pitchers in the International League over the past two months, going 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 63-to-20 K/W ratio in 76.1 innings pitched.

Cummings has come a long way since the St. Louis Cardinals selected him out of West Virginia University in the 1999 draft, but if he can continues to pitch effectively, his dream of the reaching the majors may just come true after all; if not with Tampa Bay, an organization stacked with pitching prospects, then perhaps another franchise in the future.

Jason Donald: INF, Philadelphia Phillies—

Jason Donald (AP)

After a solid but unspectacular collegiate career at the University of Arizona, Donald has shown some surprising power since the Phillies selected him in the third round of the 2006 draft. He has built off a nice performance in the Florida State League—.300/.386/.491—at the end of last season, proving that he is a legitimate prospect by performing in Double-A. He has perhaps exceeded expectations with Reading in ‘08, posting an .884 OPS with 14 homers and 53 RBIs through his first 84 games in the Eastern League.

It remains to be seen if Donald—who has a rocket arm—is athletic enough to remain at shortstop at the highest level, because his range is below-average. Nonetheless, he is an intriguing prospect who has made marked improvements to his game and may turn into more than just a utility player in the majors if he can continue to produce.

Click here for a scouting report on Donald, courtesy of Chuck Hixson, who named him the 11th-best prospect in the Phillies’ farm system.

Brian Duensing: LHP, Minnesota Twins—

Duensing is command specialist who does not blow scouts away with his stuff. He has effectively gotten hitters out, though, since the Twins selected him out of the University of Nebraska—where he missed two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery—in 2005. Although he has been consistent at nearly every stop along the way, he had his finest campaign in '07, going 15-6 with a 3.07 ERA and 124-to-37 K/W ratio combined between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester.

Duensing is 5-10 in 22 International League starts in ’08, as opposing hitters are batting .270 against him. The record is still a bit misleading, however. The crafty southpaw has registered a 4.18 ERA—while not spectacular, it would perhaps be good enough to put him among league leaders in wins in the IL if he was afforded Livan Hernandez’s run support—and has posted a high BABIP and a decent K/W ratio.

Duensing has battled through several up and downs already, at 25 years old. So, although he does not have a high ceiling and profiles more of a back-end starter in the majors, it would not be a surprise to see him make his debut in the near future.

Brad Weiss ranked him as the 33rd-best prospect in the Twins’ organization in his pre-season top prospect list this November. Here is an old scouting report on him, courtesy of Weiss.

Dexter Fowler: OF, Colorado Rockies—

Fowler broke his wrist last year, ending his campaign 65 games into his season in the California League. The speedy outfielder, who has plenty of tools but needs needs to cut down on his strikeouts, has made a full recovery and is enjoying a fine campaign in the Texas League. He is batting .331/.427/.505, for a .933 OPS for the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers. The 22-year-old Atlanta native has even flashed some surprising power—he had combined to hit only 14 homers from ’05 through ’07—by hitting nine balls into the seats. He currently ranks second on the circuit in walks, third in on-base percentage, fifth in batting average, sixth in OPS and ninth in stolen bases.

Fowler, who was elected as Mid-Season All-Star by Baseball America, is a potential star who will benefit from playing in Coors Field when he reaches the show. Like many of his teammates on the US roster, he played in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

John Gall: OF, Florida Marlins—

Gall is 30 years old, so the prospect label clearly does not apply to him. In fact, he was a College World Series hero at Stanford before the turn of the century. A Triple-A mainstay, he was elected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team following an excellent first half at Albuquerque. He is currently batting .313/.370/.496 with 12 home runs. The journeyman has been clutch as well, posting a .384 batting average and .987 OPS in 112 at-bats with runners in scoring position. With his prolific production and the opportunity to hit with runners on, it is no surprise that he is among circuit leaders with 74 RBIs.

While Gall is a nice organizational bat, he is most likely not going to have an impact on the Marlins’ march towards the postseason.

Mike Hessman: INF, Detroit Tigers—

Mike Hessman (AP)

Hessman is a big, burly third baseman who is having a monster season for the Toledo Mud Hens. The 30-year-old infielder, in fact, is leading the International League with 30 homers, sitting fourth in the circuit with a .958 OPS as well. He is batting .264/.394/.567, was elected to the league All-Star team and is coming off an ’07 campaign in which he won the league’s Most Valuable Player. Regardless, it is unlikely that he will stick in the majors for good—he has eight career homers in the bigs in a brief cup of coffee with the Atlanta Braves and Tigers— in the future, though he will get a shot if he continues to mash.

Mark Anderson of TigsTown.com decided to give Hessman another look in this article.

Kevin Jepsen: RHP, Los Angeles Angels—

Drafted out of a Nevada high school in the 2002 First-Year draft, Jepsen was one of the most effective closers in the Texas League before earning a recent promotion to Triple-A. The 24-year-old right-hander racked up 11 saves, striking out 35 while posting a 1.42 ERA in 25 appearances. For his performance, he was named to the league’s All-Star team.

With Salt Lake City, Jepsen has limited hitters to a .211 batting average, posting a 2.79 ERA in 12 appearances. However, he did not even crack the top 20 in nearly every Angels’ pre-season prospect list.

Brandon Knight: RHP, New York Mets— Knight is another journeyman, hanging onto the dream at 32 years old. He nearly retired at the end of 2006, has spent three seasons in Japan and was drafted (’95) long before steroids were on the radar as a major issue in baseball. Through it all, though, he has remained effective at the minor league level, currently sitting with a 5-1 record and 1.60 ERA in 39.1 innings since he signed with Triple-A New Orleans on May 21. Still, his claim to fame is perhaps being included in a trade for former major leaguer Chad Curtis, making it unlikely that he will ever latch onto to a consistent role in the majors. However, a Gold Medal in the Olympics will make all of the struggles worth it, he says.

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