• Splashing Pumpkins takes a look back at some of the more notable home runs hit by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 thanks to information provided by Hit Tracker.  With sluggers like Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, and Pablo Sandoval, you will never guess who owns the year’s biggest bomb…

• These days I feel like most of us have forgotten how good Grady Sizemore was from 2005-2008.  Over those four seasons, Sizemore appeared in three All-Star games while playing in 639 of 748 possible games for the Cleveland Indians.  But after several injuries – the most recent being a microfracture in his knee – Sizemore has only played in 139 games over the last two seasons.  Now in the last year of his contract, Craig Calcaterra speculates whether the Indians will pick up his $8 million option for 2012.

• After the success of the HBO Series Hard Knocks and Penguins/Capitals 24/7 (although I am admittedly a bigger fan of the MLB Network’s programming), Showtime has decided to feature a similar, all-access show on the San Francisco Giants.  As if Brian Wilson didn’t already treat his life like it was a reality series…

• After being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, Ryan Theriot took several jabs at his former team and new rival, the Chicago Cubs.  More specifically, Theriot stated that he was, “Finally on the right side of the Cubs-Cards rivalry.” His former teammates, especially Koyie Hill, didn’t appreciate “The Riot’s” remarks.  He hinted that the Cubs will likely retaliate when Theriot comes to Wrigley, and even acknowledged that, “There’s probably a chance he’s going to feel how hard the dirt is around the home-plate batter’s box.”

• It’s ‘Hideous Ballplayer Week’ over at Diamond Hoggers, and they are gladly accepting any and all suggestions.  What is ‘Hideous Ballplayer Week,’ you ask? Well, I’ll let them explain it:

• “These guys don’t have to be the guy who failed to get a hit in 18 career at-bats. That’s almost not even having the chance to qualify for being hideous. If you’re thinking of the guy who constantly got on your nerves by having one horrible at-bat after another over the course of his career; you’re on the right track. If you have a story or anecdote that illustrates something surrounding the game of baseball that is completely inexcusable and awful, we need it.”

• Our noble leader of the General Chapter in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance wrote a compelling article that evaluates whether Andy Pettitte is a Hall of Famer.  By comparing his career numbers to several Hall of Fame pitchers, and some who are Hall of Fame hopefuls, Blogging From The Bleachers puts Pettitte’s great career in a new perspective.  Although his numbers and accomplishments place him in an elite group of pitchers, the fact that he used PEDs  (although I am able to look past it considering that he was one of the few who told the truth) will ultimately be the deciding factor in his Hall of Fame candidacy.

• As a Chicago White Sox fan, I was thrilled to learn that Joe Crede is back in baseball after signing a one-year, Minor League deal with the Colorado Rockies. Crede, who was an integral member of the 2005 Championship team, is my second-favorite White Sox third baseman of all-time – after Robin Ventura, obviously.  Many forget just how good Crede was (+57.9 career UZR) before an assortment of injuries derailed his career and nearly wiped him off the map.  This past weekend, while at the Missouri High School Coaches Conference, I talked with a coach who played against Crede in high school.  Without hesitation, he asserted that Crede was the greatest player he had ever seen, and his success in 2005 was a long time in the making.

Around The League is a series that highlights some of the baseball’s best articles and writers.  Have an article that you would like us to consider?  Be sure to either email us or send it our way on Twitter.



So much for it “being in the bag,” I guess.  As some of my readers may know (although most of you may not), I am a lifelong Houston Astros fan.  The first piece of sports memorabilia I ever had as a young child was a Colt .45’s jersey.  Having been born and raised in Houston for 10 years also helps.  I grew up watching baseball in the 8^th wonder of the modern world and learned quickly to despise the Cardinals.  More times than I can count I was fortunate enough to watch The Wizard himself perform on the Astroturf stage.

So what is the point of this rambling?  As an avid Astros fan, I feel that Jeff Bagwell should have been elected into the Hall of Fame.  As a matter of fact, I find it downright offensive to see that he only received 242, or 41.7% of the votes needed.  How could the writers not give one of the original Killer B’s his comeuppance?  I understand that some arguments will be made based on him playing in Houston, for a team that never seemed to find a way past the Braves.  But let’s just take a look at the stats and see what they have to say.

As a rookie, in 1991, Bag Pipes ran away with the Rookie of the Year award after he hit .294 with 15 home runs and 82 RBI- not a bad start.  He never seemed to decline either.  In fact, Bags had nine seasons with at least 30 bombs, eight seasons with 100+ RBI, and nine seasons with over 100 runs scored.

Maybe you would rather hear about some speed.  How about being the first ever full-time first baseman to have a season with 30 SB’s and 30 Hr’s.  How about him having 202 SB’s in his career?  Still not enough?  Here’s one more; Jeff Bagwell is the only first baseman in the 400 HR/200 SB club.

How about the guy’s consistency?  He has at least 10 seasons where he played in 155 games or more, and in four of those seasons he played in all 162.

Oh yeah, he also broke his hand in three different seasons.

Bag Pipes has a career OBP of .408 and a SLG% of .540, giving him a career OPS of .948.   He only had two years where he had a WAR of less than 3.5 (and those were at the ages of 35 and 37).

As any analyst will tell you, you can find numbers to tell any story you want to on a player.  Jeff Bagwell was a Rookie of the Year, an MVP, a four-time all-star, a Gold Glove winner, a four-time Silver Slugger award winner, and he holds countless records within the Astros organization.  The numbers I can’t find are the ones that say Jeff Bagwell should not be in the Hall of Fame.  Bill James even wrote that Bagwell was the fourth best first baseman of all time.  Bags deserves to be in Cooperstown along with the likes of Cepeda, Foxx, and Gherig.  His portfolio of success speaks for itself.  Or at least I thought it did.

• There’s no better holiday present than the Chicago White Sox new ticket package, “The Ozzie Plan.” Better yet, there’s no better way to promote it than with a commercial featuring the man himself.

• I was happy to hear that the Reds’ decided to extend Jay Bruce’s contract, which of course means that Mevs was beside himself with excitement.  Be sure to read his sincere thoughts on the Bruce’s new contract and the impact it will have on the organization.

• Speaking of extensions, the folks at Splashing Pumpkins analyze the risks of locking up the Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, with a contract extension.  Although the idea is beyond tempting, it might be potentially detrimental to the development of the entire organization.

• The Hall of Very Good continues to deliver with their Cooperstown 2011 series, offering career profiles for all of the players on the current ballot.  If I had a say, I would undoubtedly vote for Barry Larkin…his resume is impressive.

• Apparently I wasn’t the only person who thought that Jose Canseco’s despondent tweets were rather concerning.  Craig Calcaterra is on board and I am therefore suggesting that he lead the intervention for Jose.

• Seamheads share their thoughts on the airing Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, footage that was believed to be lost until it was recently discovered in Bing Crosby’s wine cellar.

• If your career doesn’t take off as a position player, you can always try to be a pitcher…or so it seems. This week, the Boston Red Sox signed 26-year-old Ryan Harvey, who was the sixth overall selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 draft, to a minor league contract.  Harvey joins a growing list of position players who have re-invented their careers with a transition to the bump: Sergio Santos, Jason Motte, Randy Wells, Brian Anderson, and Matt Bush.

• In the wake of Bobby Jenks’ two-year/$12 million contract with the Red Sox, Sox Machine extols the big guy for his contributions to the South Siders over the last five seasons.

Adam Dunn, who was signed by Chicago White Sox last Thursday, was officially introduced to the media this past weekend. [MLB]

This afternoon, news surfaced that the Chicago White Sox had offered a “runner-up” package, centered around Gordon Beckham, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for slugger Adrian Gonzalez.  Um, wow.  [HardballTalk]

Chad Ochocinco and National League MVP, Joey Votto pose for photo…at Starbucks. [Diamond Hoggers]

December 5, 1990 was a historic day in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays, and possibly even “the turning point in franchise history.” [500 Level Fan]

Speaking of the Blue Jays, they traded Shaun Marcum to the Milwaukee Brewers for 20-year old prospect Brett Lawrie.  It’s a good move for both organizations, but in the end, I think the Brewers win considering that Marcum is only 29 and that both his velocity and mix of pitches are best suited for the National League. [The Flagrant Fan]

There are many impressive names on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2011.  Yet, one that continues to be overlooked is Harold Baines… [The Hall of Very Good]

A lot of people have been trashing the St. Louis Cardinals signing of Lance Berkman.  Although it may not be the best idea to play him in the outfield, Lance Berkman for $8 million is a pretty nice, off-season acquisition. [Seamheads]

Tracy Ringolsby posted on his Twitter account that in return for starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, the White Sox were asking for both Ian Stewart and Dexter Fowler.  He declared such a proposition to be “silly.” [Inside the Rockies]

There should be an announcement either today or tomorrow regarding Alexei Ramirez and his 2011 contract.  The White Sox shortstop will either be offered a contract extension or exercise his player option and opt out of his $1.1 million salary for 2011.  If he chooses to opt out, the White Sox can either exercise their $2.75 million club option, or take their chances in arbitration. [Chicago Breaking Sports]

Have ten free minutes today? If so, why not spend it ranking every trade that Kenny Williams has made since assuming General Manager duties in 2000.  Jim Margalus has listed all 55 trades made by KW and wants his readers to vote on them.  Votes are cast on a 1-10 scale, with 1 representing “most embarrassing,” and 10 “most impressive.”  It’s both an exciting and aggravating trip down memory lane…so be prepared! [Sox Machine]

Catcher A.J. Pierzysnki appeared on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000 on Tuesday, and mentioned that he has been in touch with several teams.  However, he did speak about returning to the White Sox in an encouraging manner, “Everyone knows the White Sox would be right up there as my first choice, with all that I’ve been through in the city and with the people and everything, so hopefully we can get something worked out. But we’ll see what happens.” [ESPN Chicago]

Tim “Rock” Raines will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the 4^th time after receiving 22.6% of votes in 2009, and 30.4% of votes in 2010.  In order to be inducted into the Hall, a player must receive at least 75% of the vote.  “Rock” has put together an impressive resume over the course of his 23-year career: 2,605 hits, 1,571 runs scored; seven time All-Star; 2 World Series titles; fifth all-time in stolen bases; 1986 batting champion. [MLB.com/Scott Merkin]

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick eloquently details the heartbreaking story of the death of Trevor Correia, and the subsequent grieving process of his brother, Kevin.  “I would quit baseball right now to have [Trevor] back.  Nothing will be able to compare to that,” said the Padres starting pitcher.  Without a doubt, this is one of the best articles that I have read in some time. [Jerry Crasnick, ESPN]

With all of the ongoing hoopla regarding Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees, the folks over at Climbing Tal’s Hill decide to take a look at four different Astros players who spent their entire career playing for the organization. [Climbing Tal’s Hill]

Last year, former second baseman Roberto Alomar received 73.7% of votes for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.  Unfortunately for Robbie, a player needs to 75% to officially qualify.  However, Alomar is confident that this will be his year. [MLB.com]

On Sunday and Monday, we learned that the Chicago Cubs are looking at both Carlos Pena and Lance Berkman to fill the void at first base.  But would those players be a good fit? [Pro Rumors]

With the winter meetings steadily approaching, Southside Showdown explores whether the Chicago White Sox would trade their emerging star, Gordon Beckham.  For what it’s worth, Beckham is the type of player that the organization should continue to build around, not ship out. [Southside Showdown]

Last week on The Baseball Show, Clint[Diamond Hoggers] and I discussed whether or Derrek Lee might have overstayed his welcome in the National League.  However, we might have overlooked a few of Lee’s options… [Rum Bunter]

With set-up man extraordinaire Joaquin Benoit off of the market, there are only a few remaining relief pitchers who have proven that they can control the late innings of the game.  One name that continues to surface is former Minnesota Twin, Jesse Crain. [MLB Trade Rumors]

I remember exactly where I was when Tony Gwynn ripped hit #3000.  To honor him, here are Gwynn’s appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated:

July 28, 1997                                                July 25, 2007