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There are very few things in this world that can withstand the inevitable dilution upon aging. Everything has an expiration date and–aside from the Great Pyramids of Giza–nothing remains unscathed over time. With that being  the case, it is no wonder that Baseball’s Hall of Fame is not the mystical place it was when it was founded in 1936 and continued to be for many decades. It was inevitable, the way I see it. Baseball’s fans are too diverse and opinionated to agree upon a ‘one size fits all method’. For that reason, the voting process has received a great deal of flak in recent years. If you ask me, it’s a matter of human nature. Here’s an example of why, and it was the first example that popped into my head. Player One: .260/.299/.367 car...

Last time I checked in, I criticized the Mets for consistently finding reasons to not sign free agents. At the time it was warranted; GM Sandy Alderson would set a figure that he was comfortable with signing a player for, and he would not budge from that figure. From the outside, it was unclear whether he was given orders to not overpay for any player. They finally showed that they were willing to upgrade the team. While no team was willing to commit a fourth year to Curtis Granderson, the Mets knew he could certainly be signed if the team would just extend an extra year. It was a no-brainer, considering the quality of in-house candidates and the dearth of free agents willing to come to Queens. Granderson is coming off an injury-shortened seasoned, but it was no fault of his own. Basically...

Even the captain is getting impatientPhoto is credited to Corey Sipkin/Daily News “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson. Mets fans have been forced to remain patient over the past five seasons in which they have faded as the second half has begun. The one silver lining was always the company line of, “once we have money coming off the books we will spend.” Well, the time has come for the team to put their money where their mouth is. The problem is: with what money? Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel? In regards to the team’s finances, it remains a mystery. GM Sandy Alderson announced that the payroll will remain in the $85-87 million vicinity, or roughly $100 million less than the crosstown New York Yankees. Eve...

Photo credit: Kelly O Connor Keith Couch, a 24-yard old pitching prospect for the Boston Red Sox is putting himself on the national scene  for his increasingly dominant performances on the mound. He is coming off a tremendous season in which he compiled a record of 11-3 with a 3.47 ERA. He threw 129 innings, walked only 3.0/9 IP and struck out 6.4/9 IP. Despite the Red Sox being loaded with pitching at the upper levels, and especially coming off a World Series title, there is always a need for big league ready pitching. One injury by a member of the rotation could cause an immediate need. Look for Couch to be on the radar for a promotion at some point in 2014. 1) What do you feel like you did well in 2013?I feel like I was able to establish my 2 seam fast ball for strikes more and was able...

Photo credit: BronxBaseballDaily.com The transition from college to pro ball is not always an easy one. Plenty of players have seen their production drop considerably against elite talent, and in many cases it was due to a drastic life change such as being located across the country from their home. For Dillon McNamara, the transition was made much easier by the incredibly short distance he had to travel. Staten Island to Staten Island, to be exact. “I got crazy lucky,” said McNamara. “I got to have home-cooked meal and my mother did my laundry.” He grew up in Staten Island, played at Adelphi University in Garden City and was drafted by the New York Yankees and assigned to the Staten Island Yankees. Not much changed on the field either, from college to pro ball. Aft...

AL MVP: 1) Mike Trout .323 AVG, 27 HR, 97 RBI, 33 SB, .432 OBP, .557 SLG, 10.4 WAR 2) Miguel Cabrera  .348 AVG, 44 HR, 137 RBI, 103 R, .442 OBP, .636 SLG 3) Josh Donaldson  .301 AVG, 24 HR, 93 RBI, 89 R, .384 OBP, .499 SLG, 7.7 WAR NL MVP: 1) Andrew McCutchen .317 AVG, 21 HR, 84 RBI, 97 R, 27 SB, .404 OBP, .508 SLG, 8.2 WAR 2) Paul Goldschmidt .302 AVG, 36 HR, 125 RBI, 103 R, .401 OBP, .551 SLG, 6.4 WAR 3) Clayton Kershaw 16-9 W-L, 1.83 ERA, 236 K, 0.92 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9, 2.0 BB/9, 4.46 K/BB AL Cy Young: 1) Max Scherzer 21-3 W-L, 2.90 ERA, 214.1 IP, 240 K, 0.97 WHIP, 0.8 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9, 4.29 K/BB 2) Chris Sale 11-14 W-L, 3.07 ERA, 214.1 IP, 226 K, 1.07 WHIP, 1.0 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 4.91 K/BB 3) Hisashi Iwakuma 14-6 W-L. 2.66 ERA, 219.2 IP, 185 K, 1.00 WHIP, 1.0 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 4.4 K/BB NL Cy Youn...

Photo Credit: Matt Slocum/AP For every Bryce Harper or Mike Trout that become superstars in the Major Leagues before they can legally have a celebratory drink, there are a bunch of Matt Daley types. While everyone dreams of signing a lucrative seven figure contract before their first professional game, there are people that are forced to do it the hard way. Of all those who are lingering in the minor leagues for years, most never fulfill their childhood dreams of playing in a big league uniform. Only a handful will be given the opportunity. Daley is living proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Growing up in Flushing, Daley was a fan of the Mets. That was during the time the team was in a renaissance period after the acquisition of Mike Piazza. The team ultimately lost to the ...

One of the things I’ll never forget about my dad was his way of motivating me to be the best baseball player I could be. Among his most common phrases was, “If you wanna be the best, you gotta beat the best!” To me, there was no doubt he was referring to Marcus Stroman when he said “the best.” His name was the one in almost every conversation regarding the best players around when I was playing. He was ahead of the competition when he was as tall as everyone, and still was ahead of it even when his height put him at a considerable disadvantage. The 5’8″ native of Medford won the Carl Yastrzemski Award in 2008, which is awarded to the top baseball player in Suffolk County and followed that up by winning the Paul Gibson Award the following year which...

The NL MVP has no clear-cut winner, with most of the favorites either succumbing to injuries, being a part of a mediocre club or lack of standout statistics. Here is my top three for this week, which could change significantly in a week. 1) Andrew McCutchen Stats: 127 G, .321/.399/.507/.907 OPS,  17 HR, 73 RBI, 60 BB, 81 K, 26/35 SB After years of elevating his level of play despite suffering through a string of sub .500 seasons in Pittsburgh, McCutchen has finally taken the Pirates to the level of a legitimate championship team. He is their most versatile player by a wide margin and is an outstanding defensive center fielder. The only knock is that his offensive numbers are not as gaudy as some of the other contenders, but I give him the nod because he is the closest thing to a complete p...

With about six weeks remaining in the MLB season, most of the key awards are becoming extremely tight. This will add intrigue to a season that will feature little-or-no-drama in many of the division races unlike the past two seasons. Here is my take on the AL MVP. AL MVP: 1) Miguel CabreraStats: .360 AVG, .452 OBP, .689 SLG, 40 HR, 120 RBI, 89 R, 306 TB, 72 BB Cabrera looked at his 2012 numbers and scoffed at it. He took a phenomenal season and added creatine to it. He does it with hand-eye coordination that is equivalent to Albert Pujols which enables him to swing at pitches on his fists and deposit it into the left-field bleachers. I have been a huge Trout supporter because of his superior all-around skills but if you take Cabrera off the Tigers they are not nearly the team they are. He ...

Seven years since the apex and five years into the stadium the fans have yet to experience anything close to prosperity, aside from Johan Santana’s no-hitter on June 1, 2012 and Matt Harvey’s All-Star Game start on July 16 of this year. While not all teams are able to create a new identity immediately as the 2008 Rays did by changing their name, logo and uniform, it was realistic to expect a competitive team in the near future. Fans have even lowered their expectations considerably during this time. No longer is the playoffs the only satisfying result, now simply fielding an “exciting .500 team” is worth it to the Citi faithful. It appears, however, that good fortune is just around the corner.  With a rock-solid ace like Matt Harvey under control the team can build ...

In a move that is sure to bring mixed feelings to Yankee fans in the area, the Boston Red Sox have signed Bobby Lanigan to a minor-league deal. Of course, a great deal of pride comes along with having a graduate of Adelphi University given the opportunity to further advance his career after stalling in the Minnesota Twins organization. At the same time, however, Yankee fans would prefer not to root for their most-hated rivals in Boston. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old native of Staten Island appeared to be on the fast track to the big leagues in 2011 when he began Spring Training with the big league club. Unfortunately, he struggled and spent the season with Double-A New Britain while posting a record of 8-9 with a 4.45 ERA. The Twins organization has long been respected for their developmen...