There will be a minor increase in the price of White Sox tickets in 2011…..prices and promotions will still be aimed to draw families to the ball park…..chief marketing officer Brooks Boyer says that there will be even more “Value Mondays.” [ESPN Chicago]

Ken Davidoff believes the White Sox are still the leading candidate to sign closer Rafael Soriano……all of their attention is on landing Adam Dunn…..looking like Matsui is still the backup plan if Dunn doesn’t work out…..Matsui wants to play for a team whose home games are on grass. [Newsday]

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Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I went strong for a little over an hour. Topics for discussion included but weren’t limited to:

-Thoughts on the Justin Upton trade rumors
-We skim through the free agent class and the moves that have taken place thus far around baseball
-Thoughts on the NL Rookie of the Year
-Thoughts on Felix Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young Award
-Final thoughts on the AL/NL MVP awards

In his first televised professional at-bat, 18-year old Bryce Harper ripped an RBI single to put the Scottsdale Scorpions ahead 2-1, in the Arizona Fall League Championship.  Harper came to the plate in the bottom of the second inning with one out and Diamondbacks outfielder Marc Krauss on second base.  Harper got straight to business, ripping Kyle Greenwalt’s first pitch fastball past an outstretched Jose Iglesias at shortstop.

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Bryce Harper will finally make his highly anticipated television debut on Saturday afternoon, as the Scottsdale Scorpions take on the Peoria Javelinas for the Arizona Fall League Championship.  The Scorpions will attempt to derail the Javelinas, who are seeking their second consecutive title and are lead by the 2^nd overall pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, Dustin Ackley.

In a game that is loaded with some of the most exciting young players in all of baseball, all eyes will inevitably be on the 18-year old Harper, who is now in today’s starting lineup. Despite the skepticism surrounding the Nationals’ decision to send their 1^st overall selection in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft to the AFL, Harper has continued to show that he can handle virtually every situation, on and off the field.

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Both the Chicago Cubs and their fans have a lot to look forward to in 22-year old outfielder, Brett Jackson.  Since being drafted 31^st overall by the Cubs in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, Jackson has rapidly ascended through the minor leagues thanks to a combination of power and speed.  Baseball America ranked him as the 74^th best prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2010 season, and needless to say, Jackson exceeded the expectations.

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