Good morning!
Here are several go-to links that will make the offseason a bit more bearable:
- Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranks his top 100 prospects.
- Tony LaRussa will manage the National League in this year’s All Star Game, making him only the second retiree to do so (John McGraw).
- Jason Wojciechowski of the Platoon Advantage examines the “Prince Fielder Logjam” that the Tigers now face.
- On a related note, Over the Monster’s Marc Normandin asks: “Carl Crawford or Prince Fielder’s Contract?”
It’s tough to be wholly optimistic about Crawford’s future, thanks to his 2011, but there are reasons to think he’ll bounce back and provide the value the Red Sox actually signed him for. Will he end up overpaid? Sure, but that’s the price of doing business on the highest end of free agency. And, if you’re comparing him to Fielder, there are plenty of reasons to prefer Crawford’s deal, even if, speaking in terms of total production, they are similar.
- What might 2012 bring for NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw? Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts suggests that history is not all that kind.
- Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says that Commissioner Bud Selig still hopes to add second wild cards to this year’s postseason but significant obstacles remain.
- Does the wins above replacement stat unfairly discriminate against just-retired Jorge Posada? FanGraphs’ Matt Klaassen says no, although he agrees that WAR is not always kind to backstops.
- Metstradamus owes an apology to former Reds and Mets bullpen ace John Franco.
Big League Stew’s David Brown introduces us to the only player reportedly to clear the fences during the Congressional Baseball Game.
That’s it, folks. And hang in there: We are mere weeks away from spring training!
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