Yankees in Cellar's Market

1966 was a horrible year for New York Yankees baseball. Their stars either retired early or had stayed too long. The Yankees finished 70-89 that year and in 10th place...which was out of 10 teams.

No one is saying 2012 holds the same fate for the Yankees, but the last time the Yankees and Boston Red Sox (who blew two final inning leads on Sunday) started the season with an identical 0-3 record was in that horrid 1966 season.

The Yankees pitching staff only allowed three runs on Sunday, but their bats were put to sleep by a near complete game shutout by Jeremy Hellickson. Only a two out walk to Nick Swisher in the 9th prevented the second year right-hander from finishing off a 3-0 Tampa Bay Rays win.

Phil Hughes made his first start of the season and took the loss. While he had effective stuff, he burned out early and was pulled after 99 pitches and 4.2 innings. Stuff will only get you so far, just ask A.J. Burnett.

The Yankees continued to make the mistake of pitching to Carlos Pena. Already leading 1-0 on a Matt Joyce 1st inning RBI triple, Pena double the score with his second home run and 7th RBI of the series. He later had a near home run turn into a ground rule double due to fan interference.

But the story of this game was Hellickson, who walked four batters, but limited the Yankees to just three hits. All three were doubles (Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Swisher), but the Yankees bats failed in the clutch, much as they did in the entire three game series. Pena's 24 home runs against the Yankees are his second highest total against any one team.

Series Notes

It's only the first series of the season, but a team should be embarrassed when Fernando Rodney saves two games against you.

The Yankees three starters in the series, CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Hughes, combined to allow 11 earned runs in 16.1 innings pitched. Mariano Rivera, Clay Rapada, and Boone Logan gave up a combined five additional runs out of the pen.

Eduardo Nunez' season got off to a rocky start in the field Saturday evening. After making an error on the very first ball hit to him in this year's Spring Training debut, Nunez repeated the feat when he started at shortstop behind Kuroda. Unfortunately for Nunez, Kuroda didn't pick him up and gave up a 2-run single to Luke Scott.

Kuroda fooled no one, except maybe his catcher Russell Martin, in his AL debut. The former Japanese star and LA Dodger mainstay, allowed six runs, four of them earned, eight hits, and walked four in just 5.2 innings.

Joe Girardi has fans and media scratching their heads already. He left southpaw Clay Rapada in to face right-handed hitters in Saturday's game despite the fact Rapada cannot get righties out. The result was a pair of extra runs that proved to be the difference in the ball game.

The Yankees had managed just one run off of starter David Price through 6-plus innings, but rallied against the Rays pen in the 9th. Swisher had the big blow with a 3-run home run to pull the Yankees to within two. But after a Robinson Cano walk, Rodney retired Rodriguez, who represented the tying run, with a bounce out to second to end the game.

The Week Ahead

The Yankees move on to Baltimore for a three game set with the Orioles before returning home for Friday's home opener with the LA Angels.

Baseball Digest | Beltre Powers Texas Back To ALCS

Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre was just 1-11 entering Tuesday afternoon’s ALDS Game 4 match with the Tampa Bay Rays, but by the time the game was over, Beltre had put his name alongside the likes of Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. Beltre became the sixth Major Leaguer to hit three home runs in a single playoff game to propel the Rangers to a 4-3 victory and a second consecutive trip to the ALCS.

The Rangers other run was their first run, a lead off home run by Ian Kinsler off of Jeremy Hellickson in the bottom of the 1st inning. One frame later, Beltre crushed one deep into the left field seats for a 2-0 Rangers lead. The Rays got the run right back in their half of the 2nd inning when Matt Joyce doubled off Texas starter Matt Harrison to score Sean Rodriguez from first base. Joyce was stranded in scoring position though when Harrison struck out Desmond Jennings for his third K of the inning. (Harrison would strike out nine batters in just five innings and earned the win.)

Read the rest of this free story at BaseballDigest.com.

Posada's Pinch Is A Clinch

He's had a miserable season. Benched, pinch-hit for, his position taken away from; publicly humiliated, some of it caused by his own actions. But through it all Jorge Posada never gave up and Wednesday night he was rewarded. Posada snapped a 2-2 tie with a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 8th to give the Yankees a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays that enabled them to clinch the AL East.

Posada wasn't the only one dissed this season. The entire Yankees squad was dissed as it seemed 99% of the media picked the Boston Red Sox to win the division. But as Boston lost Wednesday night for the 14th time in 18 games, the Yankees knocked off the Rays for the third straight game, actually helping Boston out in the process. The Red Sox remained 2.5 games ahead of Tampa Bay in the wild card race, though the LA Angels are also back in the mix, just 2.5 back as well.

CC Sabathia hoped to earn his 20th win tonight and now will likely stay at 19 since his scheduled start on Monday will be a short one with Game 1 of the ALDS scheduled for Friday. Sabathia threw 127 pitches, but was pulled with one out in the top of the 8th after he walked Evan Longoria to load the bases. Sabathia got a no decision when David Robertson came on and induced an inning ending double play ball from Ben Zobrist.

With one out in the bottom of the 8th, pinch-hitter Nick Swisher hustled his way to a double when he dropped a fly in left-center field. Lefty Jake McGee retired Curtis Granderson on a shallow fly for the second out and then Rays manager Joe Maddon decided to mix and match. Right-hander Juan Cruz walked Mark Teixeira though and then after lefty Cesar Ramos couldn't get Robinson Cano to chase a pitch out of the zone, Maddon ordered an intentional walk to Cano to load the bases.

With righty Jesus Montero due up, Maddon went to the pen again for right-hander Brandon Gomes. That's when Girardi opted to pinch-hit Posada for the player who not that long ago seemed like a lock to play ahead of Posada in the post-season. Posada, who later admitted to Kim Jones that he thought it was the 9th inning, hit a rope to right to score pinch-runner Greg Golson and Teixeira to take the lead.

With Mariano Rivera unavailable after pitching in the day porition of the day-night twinbill, Rafael Soriano came on in the 9th for the save. He allowed a two out single to Casey Kotchman, but struck out Matt Joyce to end it.

Notes

After watching fellow rookie Ivan Nova toss a gem on Tuesday night, Rays rookie Jeremy Hellickson tossed a great game of his own. He limited the Yankees to just two runs and two hits over seven innings and lowered his ERA to 2.90.

The Yankees held a 2-1 lead on Robinson Cano's 27th home run and an a DP grounder by Jesus Montero that plated a run, but CC Sabathia allowed a solo home run to Sean Rodriguez in the 7th inning to tie the game.

Nova Ramps Up ROY Resume

After all the agita caused by A.J. Burnett's performance and subsequent tantrum, it was a pleasure to watch Sunday afternoon's outstanding performance by Ivan Nova. The result was a 3-0 win over the Minnesota Twins and concluded a 5-2 road trip. One of the leading candidates for AL Rookie of the Year, Nova was at his best in the 5th inning when the Minnesota Twins put two aboard with no one out.

After Jim Thome's lead off single, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher nearly collided and missed Danny Valencia's fly ball for a gift double. Nova, not a strikeout pitcher, needed one with two runners in scoring position. Not only did he get one, but he got two. First Nova threw one a third strike past outfielder Rene Tosoni and followed it up by getting Matt Tolbert to chase a pitch out of the strike zone. Drew Butera then hit a harmless grounder to Mark Teixeira and a fired up Nova came out of the inning unscathed.

Nova improved to 13-4, 3.97 and has won his last six starts. Nova picked up the win in his last start despite having allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. In the other five decisions, Nova has a 1.93 ERA, and has struck out 24 compared to seven walks. Overall, the rookie has won his last nine decisions, the first time a Yankees pitcher had done that since Whitey Ford was a pup in 1950. In doing so, Nova put himself at the forefront of the rookie voting along with Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo and Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

The Yankees wasted some early opportunities against Twins starter Nick Blackburn, who left the game in the 2nd inning with a forearm strain, but not before loading the bases. Lefty Andy Swardzak came back from a 3-0 count to strike out Eduardo Nunez and got Derek Jeter on a hard liner to right.

The Yankees finally broke through in the 6th when Robinson Cano doubled off Phil Dumatrait and came around on fly outs by Nick Swisher and Russell Martin. The Twins put two runners on in the bottom of the 6th, but Nova struck out Thome to strand them. And again the Yankees answered with offense in their half of the inning.

Curtis Granderson hit a deep drive off of Jose Mijares to right-center that appeared would be his 35th home run of the season. But the ball against one of Target Field's high walls and shot between centerfielder Ben Revere and right fielder Luke Hughes. Granderson raced around the bases and was waved home by third base coach Rob Thomson. Granderson slid in well ahead of the throw for an inside-the-park home run. The Grandy Man got his 35th after all to tie Jose Bautista for the MLB lead.

The Yankees weren't done yet though. Mark Teixeira, hitting from the right side, smacked a laser into the left field seats for a 3-0 lead. It was Teixeira's 34th of the season. Nova tired, but finished seven innings before turning things over to the pen. There was some more excitement in the 9th when David Robertson did one of his high wire acts. The Twins put runners on the corners with one out, but D-Rob struck out Jason Kubel for the second out. A Thome walk loaded the bases, but Robertson retired Valencia on a harmless fly to Swisher in right to end the frame.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez was activated prior to the game and went 0-5 in his first game since July 7. Aaron Laffey was sent to the minors to make room on the roster.

Derek Jeter had an infield single his first time up and finished the road trip 14-31 (.452).

The Yankees had Monday off before starting a three game series at home against the Oakland A's.

Factoid from the YES Network; since 2002, playoffs included, the Yankees are 62-20 against the Twins.

You Can't Predict Baseball Suzyn

John Sterling is right again! Earlier this week Curtis Granderson got picked off to end a loss to the Angels with Mark Teixeira at the plate. The next night Granderson homered in the first inning and again later in the game in a Yankees win.

Friday night CC Sabathia got pounded by the Rays for a career high five home runs for his second straight loss. Then on Saturday Jorge Posada emerged from oblivion to hit a grand slam, collected three hits, and drove in six runs in the Yankees 9-2 pasting of Tampa Bay.

Phil Hughes also emerged from the shadows to throw six very effective innings to pick up his third win. The performance could have made Joe Girardi's decision regarding the rotation that much tougher, but for now Girardi is off the hook thanks to a cut suffered earlier this week by Freddy Garcia.

Girardi revealed the news during his post-game press conference. The cut won't allow Garcia to grip the baseball properly and he's out indefinitely. Weather permitting, A.J. Burnett will face James Shields in the series finale on Sunday before the Yankees embark on a seven game swing through KC and Minnesota.

Posada came up with the bases loaded his first time up and ripped a 2-run single to right. After Granderson took Jeremy Hellickson deep to tie Jose Bautista for the Major League lead with 33 home runs in the 5th, Posada broke the game open later in the inning with a slam off Brandon Gomes for a 7-0 lead. It would be all Hughes needed. With pressure on the 25-yr old to deliver, Hughes allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out six. He gave up both runs in his final inning, including a home run by Desmond Jennings.

Notes

Before the game, Derek Jeter was presented with several momentos for his 3,000th hit. Jeter gave his batting gloves and helmet to the Hall of Fame.

The Yankees brought back one of their own, signing Scott Proctor to a minor league contract.

Welcome To The Dunderdome

Baseball was meant to be played on grass fields in outdoor stadiums. Due to weather and financial restrictions, domes and artificial turf were introduced to the game beginning in the 1960's. But by no means was baseball ever meant to be played in a warehouse. A warehouse with poor lighting, poor acoustics, catwalks, hanging fixtures, wires, a fish tank (ok, rays tank) and other assorted paraphernalia. Ball parks can be quirky. There is nothing quirky about a puke green decorated warehouse that costs teams wins.

Minnesota did Major League Baseball a favor when it built it's new beautiful Target Field and abandoned the piece of garbage (and outfield fences made of garbage bags) known as the Metrodome. Now Tampa Bay needs to do the same and jettison the Trop. Heck if you have to screw and swindle the fans and voting public like Florida's slimy owner, Jeffrey Loria did. Perhaps owner Stuart Sternberg can ring Loria up for some pointers on bilking the constituency.

Why all the anger? All of the vitroile, as Michael Kay likes to say. Because when you see your team lose a game because of the Tampa Bay's excuse of a ball park, it pisses you off.

Bartolo Colon, who struggled with his confidence and control since returning from the DL, had gotten his mojo back (the Trop also caused me not to use an Austin Powers-Bartolo Colon photoshopped picture!) Tuesday night against the Rays. He struck out a season high nine batters and held a 2-1 lead in the 7th inning. Joe Girardi pulled him after 105 pitches and back to back one out singles by Robinson Chirinos and Sean Rodriguez. That's when the Trap Trop came into play.

Boone Logan got pinch-hitter Justin Ruggiano to hit a routine fly to center field, but Curtis Granderson lost sight of the ball in the ceiling and it dropped in for a single. Suddenly instead of two on and two out, the Rays had the bases loaded and just one out. Logan again made the right pitch, this time to Elliot Johnson, getting the pinch-hitter to hit a comebacker. But instead of a possible inning ending double play, the ball ticked off the glove of the 6'7" Logan for a game tying error.

So what did Logan do? He made another good pitch. Johnny Damon hit a shallow fly that normally would not allow a runner to score from third base. But the ball was too deep for either shortstop Eduardo Nunez or second baseman Robinson Cano to reach. Instead Granderson made a sliding catch that enabled Ruggiano to get a good jump off third and score easily ahead of the wild throw home.

The Yankees only put one base runner on in the final two innings, but that was erased when Cano, who supplied the Yankees runs with a 2-run homer ended the 8th by grounding into a double play.

Starter Jeremy Hellickson held the Yankees to five hits over seven innings and picked up the victory (9-7). Reid Brignac, who was hitting .192 at the time, singled in the Rays first run in the 5th inning.

Notes

Brett Gardner swiped two more bases (the Yankees had four steals in all) to take over the AL lead with 29, one more than Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and Texas' Elvis Andrus. Gardner has been successful in 14 consecutive steal attempts.

Joel Peralta earned his first save of the season and the third of his career by pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Prior to the game the Yankees put Sergio Mitre on the disabled list with a sore shoulder and called up left-hander Steve Garrison from Double-A Trenton.

Since the 5-5 day that enabled Derek Jeter to reach 3,000 hits and beyond, the Yankees captain is in a 5-26 slide.

Young, Armed, and Dangerous | Baseball Digest

Young, Armed, and Dangerous | Baseball Digest

Due to league expansion over the last 20 years, younger and younger pitchers have made Major League rosters as starters or relievers before they were ready. But a new trend has grown over the last few years where young pitchers have not only made the roster out of spring training, but have excelled as well. Here’s a look at the youngest and brightest in the big leagues right now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BD Hot Stove: AL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: AL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

The Hot Stove turns to the the beasts of the east today with a look at the AL East prospects. The division produced three Rookie of the Year winners in the last decade – Eric Hinske (2002), Dustin Pedroia (2007), and Evan Longoria (2008).

Yankees: From the moment George Steinbrenner and company signed Jesus Montero out of Venezuela at age 16, Yankees fans have been drooling at the prospect of seeing Montero reach the majors. The $2M bonus baby is a presence behind the plate at 6’4″, 225 lbs, a factor that has many scouts wondering if that’s where his future lies. Early in this off-season Montero was nearly guaranteed a chance to prove himself at the majors in 2011, but then the Yankees signed Russell Martin and told the former Dodger that he would be the starting catcher. That left Jorge Posada as the full-time DH/part-time catcher and Montero wondering what the immediate future holds for him. GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office must decide whether to let Montero be mentored at the major league level by Martin, Posada, and coach Tony Pena or have him start the season at Triple-A Scranton. Montero’s spring training performance will certainly have an impact on that decision.

The Yankees aren’t too concerned with the hard hitting catcher’s bat, but know he needs to prove himself defensively. In his four seasons in the minors Montero has a .314 career batting average and .882 OPS. He has also averaged 19 home runs over the past two seasons. The now 21-yr old was nearly dealt at last season’s trade deadline for Cliff Lee, but instead remained in the organization and caught fire at the plate. His hitting coach Butch Wynegar told the NY Times, “Initially it bothered him. He didn’t come out and say it exactly, but I could tell it in his demeanor. He wants to be a Yankee, and I think that did motivate him a little bit, knowing that nobody’s untouchable around here. It kind of shook him up a little bit, like, ‘I’ll show them.’ ”

“Monty was a joy to be around, and he’s still raw and growing,” said Wynegar. “That’s why I call him a beast. That’s why I think he can be a monster.” Ranked the ninth best prospect by MLB.com, the Yankees hope 2011 is the arrival of the monster.

Red Sox: When Casy Kelly and a package of prospects were sent to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Jose Iglesias became Boston’s number one prospect. The Red Sox have had stalwarts at all infield positions, but shortstop since the team traded Nomar Garciaparra during the 2004 season. Marco Scutaro, in his second season in Boston, holds down the position for now. Jed Lowrie has also seen time there, but the long term plans for him in the organization are unknown. GM Theo Epstein is hoping that Iglesias, a native of Cuba that signed in 2009, will be the shortstop for many years to come. The 21-yr old played the majority of his first season at Double-A Portland, but missed a substantial amount of time after being hit on the right hand with a pitch. His return from injury included a 13 game stint in the New York-Penn league (rookie ball).

Iglesias’ time in Portland showed that his bat still needs work. Though he hit .285, he posted just a .695 OPS- nearly 80% of hits were singles and he lived up to his reputation as a free swinger by drawing just eight walks. Iglesias’ glove work is well ahead of his bat though. He’s got very good range, an excellent arm, and soft hands. Despite the missed time, Iglesias was still ranked the #42 prospect for 2011 by MLB.com. Spring Training will determine whether Iglesias starts the season in Portland or Pawtucket (Triple-A).

Rays: Tampa Bay lost many players via free agency this winter and dealt others, but this is an organization stocked with very good prospects. One of them is outfielder Desmond Jennings, who is the heir apparent to Carl Crawford. But the name on everyone’s lips after his brief 2010 stint in the majors is right-handed pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. The fourth round pick in the 2005 amateur draft (Hoover HS- Des Moines, IA) has got the goods. Only Mike Trout is rated as a higher prospect in Major League Baseball.

Hellickson throws a steady fastball that hits the mid-90s and can throw both his curve and changeup for strikes. He has excellent composure on the mound and is aggressive in his approach towards hitters. The Iowa native averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings at Triple-A Durham last season while posting a 1.173 WHIP. He made his Major League debut on August 2, holding the Twins to two runs and three hits over seven innings to earn his first win in the bigs. Hellickson allowed just three earned runs in his first three starts, all of which he won. The Rays monitored his innings, however, and of his seven additional appearances, just one was as a starter.

With nothing left to prove in the minors, Hellickson will go to spring training trying to win the final spot in the rotation. If he doesn’t, the Rays will then have to decide whether to use him out of the pen or send him back down to Triple-A.

Blue Jays: Another right-handed pitcher with tremendous potential is in the #1 spot for the Toronto Blue Jays. Kyle Drabek, acquired in the Roy Halladay deal, is on the precipus of what many feel should be a long and illustrious career. Drabek’s big pitch is his nasty curveball. Padres pitcher Mat Latos had the chance to play with Drabek earlier in his career and had this to say, “It’s (Drabek’s curveball) pretty filthy. I’ve seen a lot of curveballs and some nasty sliders, but not a curveball like that. All I could think was, ‘I’m glad I’m not a hitter.”’

Drabek’s four seam fastball is in the low 90′s, while his two-seamer is is around 88-90 mph and has plenty of movement. Like Hellickson, Drabek has receivEd High mark for his mound composure. He’ll need it since he should be in the Blue Jays starting rotation opening day and facing the best the AL East has to offer.

Orioles: The Orioles have developed some fine young talent of late- catcher Matt Wieters and pitcher Brian Matuz immediately come to mind. Shortstop Manny Machado was rated the best pure hitter and defensive infielder in the O’s organization by Baseball America and the 24th best prospect by MLB.com. He’s the highest pick by the Orioles since they draft pitcher Ben McDonald out of LSU in 1989.

Just 18 years old, Machado was the 3rd overall selection in last June’s amateur draft from Brito Miami (FL) High School. He didn’t sign until mid-August though, so the Orioles got to see him play just nine games, seven of which were for Aberdeen of the NY-Penn League. In that short stretch, Machado impressed with 10 hits in 29 AB (.345) and an .855 OPS. Being from Miami and having a 6’3″ frame, Machado has already drawn comparisons to fellow Miami native Alex Rodriguez. There are some in the organization who feel Machado, like A-Rod, will eventually move to 3rd base once his body matures.

The comparisons to A-Rod end there though. Machado is expected to hit for average with some power. He gets high marks for his fielding ability and for his hard work. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has known Machado since he was 10. “He’s hungry. (Machado) wants to be good. … I’ve see this kid prove himself day by day, week by week, year by year, to get better. I never thought he would be this good.” Machado will start the season in ‘A’ or Advanced ‘A’ ball.

Rumors, News, Transactions

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and Fox’s Ken Rosenthal have reported that the Cleveland Indians and infielder Orlando Cabrera have agreed to a deal. Rosenthal expects Cabrera to compete for the 2nd base job.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told reports that 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez is ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery.

The Texas Rangers and centerfielder Josh Hamilton have agreed to a new two year, $24M deal.

The Angels Jered Weaver lost his arbitration hearing and will “only” make $7.37M this season. He had been asking for $8.8M.

Rumors are spreading that the Twins are thinking of dealing lefty Francisco Liriano, though they have him under control through 2012.