The Seattle Mariners signed 16-year old Alex Liddi as a non-drafted free agent in September, 2005.  Hailing from Italy, Liddi was the first Italian-born position player to play in the United States and now, at 22, has a shot at cracking the Mariners’ 2011 line-up.

In his first professional season, Liddi posted slashes of .291/.329/.450 with 14 doubles, six triples, and three home runs, and 27 RBI while splitting time between the Peoria Mariners and Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  While playing for Peoria, Liddi hit safely in 34 of 47 games, recorded eight three-hit games, and had an eight game hitting streak.

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For those who might not know, The Golden Sombrero is a proud member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, an organization that has taken all of the great baseball blogs in existence and united them under one, all-inclusive roof.  Well, it just so happens that today marks the first-annual Baseball Bloggers Alliance Day, so we thought that we would take a few minutes to familiarize everyone with the BBA.  Here are a couple quick facts to get things going:

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• The Mourning Journal is reporting that the baseball world lost yet another legend on late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, as Bob Feller has passed away at the age of 92.  Earlier in the day it was reported that Feller had been moved into hospice care in Cleveland, and now comes the potentially heartbreaking news of the Hall of Famer’s death several hours later. *I am still seeking further confirmation on this story, check back for updates* [Mourning Journal]

• I’m sure that Atlanta Braves’ fans had a good laugh yesterday after learning that the Kansas City Royals had signed both Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera.  If the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox made a splash in the free agent market, then one would have to assume that the Royals are floating face down. [MLB Trade Rumors]

• The always bat-shit-crazy Luke Scott took the time to give David Brown another candid interview on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings.  It turns out that the gun-toting, buck hunter is also a “birther.” I know, shocker. [Big League Stew]

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On July 28, 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies gave their fans a taste of the future when they called up 22-year old outfielder Dominic Brown to play right field.  The move was a result of Shane Victorino’s trip to the DL, and the subsequent decision to shift their usual right fielder, Jayson Werth, over to center field.  Although Brown’s playing time drastically decreased after Victorino’s activation, he showed the baseball world that there is a lot to look forward to in 2011.

Ranked by Baseball America as the 15^th best prospect headed in the 2010 season, Brown began the year at Double-A Reading of the Eastern League where he played in 65 games as the team’s right fielder.  There he slashed .318/.391/.602 with 16 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 47 RBI.  Brown also managed 29 walks and struck out 51 times in 236 at-bats.  Although the 6’5” outfielder has tremendous speed, he has not yet mastered the art of stealing a base, as evidenced by his 12 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

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Yesterday it was reported that talks between Paul Konerko and the Chicago White Sox had hit a standstill, and that Kenny Williams was exploring other options at first base.  On Wednesday morning, the speculation and doubt regarding Konerko’s return to the South Side was laid to rest as the free agent first baseman inked a 3-year deal worth $37.5 million.

While Paulie did not receive as much money as he had hoped, and not nearly as much as the 4-year, $56 million contract that they offered Adam Dunn, his desire to return to the Chicago White Sox obviously played a key role in his re-signing.

When asked about his thoughts and emotions regarding today’s big announcement, Konerko proclaimed: