Should pitchers win MVP?

My 2 partners and I disagree on this and I'm sure there's more out there.  I just want to give my reasons why I think pitchers can win MVP.

First my definition of an MVP.  A player whose team would not have won their division or finished as high as they did without a certain player.  Example:  1977 George Foster has a monster year for the Reds hitting 52 hr's and 149 RBI.  Reds finish 2nd.  The Reds still had Bench, Rose, Morgan, Griffey and also stole Seaver midway through the season.  My belief is the Reds would have still finished 2nd without Foster.  He didn't put them over the top.  Another is 1987, Andre Dawson had a career year for the Cubs, but the Cubs finished last.  I'm pretty sure the Cubs would still have finished last without Andre.

Examples of where a pitcher won MVP?  First one is 1963, the Dodgers would not have won without Koufax.  He was definitely the reason they finished first and they would not have without him.  While I'm at it, I'll add he should have won MVP in '65 and '66 also.  Another example involves Bob Gibson in '68.  Cards never would have reached the WS without Gibby.

Now let me conclude I'm all for Verlander winning MVP this year.  Tigers would have never won that division without him.  Anybody want to argue????

All-Time Team: Little League World Series Participants That Made it to the Bigs

There is something special, something sublime, about Little League Baseball. All of our parents bought the Picture Day packages that included the baseball cards made with our faces on them and many of us have even bought packages for our children and grandchildren. Little League baseball builds character, it expands horizons and, for many kids like me, it's where a child experiences his or her first career dream. Every young budding little leaguer dreams of playing under the bright lights and although the lights aren't quite as bright in Williamsport, PA as they are at Yankee Stadium, the Little League World Series (LLWS) is the goal for every Little Leaguer. Thousands of Little Leaguers have played in the LLWS since its inception in 1947 but very few have actually parlayed their Little League success into a Major League career so building an all-time roster from LLWS participants is a difficult task... But we never back down from a challenge and thought it would be fun to try. We checked into the Baseball Almanac archives and scoured the net for players that defied the odds and lived out the dream. Here's our list (we even found a relief pitcher with a 30 save season), enjoy!

C - Jason Varitek
1B- Boog Powell
2B- Ken Hubbs
SS- Larvell Blanks
3B- Carney Lansford
IF- Charlie Hayes
OF- Gary Sheffield
OF- Jason Bay
OF- Lastings Milledge
OF- Colby Rasmus
SP- Dwight Gooden
SP- Jason Marquis
SP- Rick Wise
RP- Dave Veres

Expert Interview and Analysis: Major League Farm System Part 2 of 2

This is the second part of our two part interview with James, Founder Phuture Phillies. 

QUESTION #5

OCP - Can you speak a little bit about the 20-80 scale and player projection?

James - The 20-80 scale is how scouts evaluate a player's individual tools and then his potential as a whole. It essentially is 20-80 because 50 is considered average, with 3 standard deviations to either side. 80 is the absolute elite, and is very rarely thrown around. An example of an 80 tool would be Justin Verlander's fastball or Mike Stanton's raw power. An example of a 20 tool would be Bengie Molina's running speed. Most MLB players have tools that grade one either side of 50. 60 is considered above average or "plus", as scouts say, and 70 would be considered well above average. On the other side, 40 is below average, and 30 is well below average. Scouts will rate each player's individual tools on the 20-80 scale and then come up with an overall score. Scouts also tend to give both present grades and projected grades, especially for younger players. For example, a 19 year old prospect in A Ball might be a physical specimen who hits moon shot home runs in batting practice to all fields, but during games, he struggles to make contact and his swing is more mechanical, cutting off his power. A scout may give his present power grade a 50, but note that his future power grade is a 70, if he is able to make adjustments to his swing and approach. For hitters, the 5 tools are: hit for average, hit for power, running speed, fielding ability, and throwing arm strength. For pitchers its less defined, but generally scouts focus on: fastball velocity + movement, breaking ball quality, changeup quality, how smooth/clean your delivery/mechanics are, and body projection. The last one is important for high school kids especially. If you're already 6'4, but very skinny and only throwing 88-90, a scout could project you to add 5 mph to your fastball after you add 30 pounds of muscle with a professional workout regimen. This doesn't always happen, which is another reason scouting is so damn difficult. 

QUESTION #6

OCP - you have seen and met a lot of prospects; are there any common traits that you've noticed that distinguish the prospects that make it and the ones that don't?

James -  I've done a lot of thinking about this question over the past 5 years. There is no secret formula for what makes a good prospect. Most MLB stars are excellent athletes who possess well above average raw ability. Raw athleticism is important, but I believe the two things that ultimately separate the guys who go on to have successful big league careers and those that never make it are injuries and the ability to make adjustments. Some players bodies are apparently not made for the rigors of playing professional baseball. Lots of guys who were considered elite prospects in high school/college get to the minors and struggle with one injury after another. In some cases this may be because of their conditioning program or lack of one, but in a lot of cases, it may just be that their body can't handle the wear and tear. Some guys break down easier than others. The second part, the ability to make adjustments, is what I think really separates the talent though. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to play baseball, but its a game of patterns. Pitchers need to learn how to "set up" hitters by using different pitches at different locations. Batters have to understand how a pitcher is trying to attack them. When you see a pitcher throw 2 straight inside fastballs, as a hitter, you can probably guess that a breaking ball away is coming. But it seems some guys aren't able to make this recognition in real time. No one will ever tell you they think Manny Ramirez could have been an astro-physicist, but his preparation and practice is legendary, and one of his biggest strengths was the ability to recognize patterns. Some guys, both hitters and pitchers, are never able to make these adjustments. Some players don't take well to professional coaching. Some guys refuse to make swing adjustments or pitching mechanics adjustments. In short, it's just a really difficult game, and a lot of things have to go right for you to make it to the majors and then succeed in the majors. 

QUESTION #7

OCP - I'm going to put you on the spot with a quick piece of trivia... honor system applies… who is the first draftee to sign a total contract (signing bonus + salary) worth over $1 million?

James -  I know Brien Taylor, the Yankees prospect who got hurt in a fight and was never the same, was the first player to receive a million dollar signing bonus. The first MLB player to make $1M in a season was the Cobra, Dave Parker. I know this because I remember doing a lot of research on signing bonuses for my draft preview work this year. 

CORRECT ANSWER:

In 1986, Bo Jackson became the first draftee to earn $1 million (salary plus signing bonus).  Cobra was the first major league player to surpass the million dollar mark in 1979 but he earned that with his 1978 MVP award.  Jackson got his million via first year player draft (that's the answer I was looking for).  James also earned a bonus point for pointing out Brien Taylor.

Expert Interview and Analysis: The Major League Farm System with James (Founder, Phuture Phillies) Part 1 of 2

Today, I'm excited to present you with an FBJ first- our first expert interview.

For our first interview, we picked a topic that most casual fans don't typically understand; the inner workings of a major league farm system.  The expert we called on for this is James, Founder of Phuture Phillies.  In my opinion, Phuture Phillies is the preeminent web site for all things concerning the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league teams.  I've been a fan of Phuture Phillies for years so I reached out to James to see if he would answer some questions that I felt like our readers might have about how the farm system works.  James replied almost immediately and I must say that he really hit the ball out of the park.

I think this two part series will give you some great insight into how the minor leagues' work. In order to keep it to a reasonable length (recognizing that many of you will be reading this on Monday morning amidst all of your weekend email) I will post it in two parts so check back in tomorrow for the conclusion.  Enjoy.

Top Ten Baseball Video Games

RBI Baseball - OCP Fav and Chris Getz' Walk-Up Music

First off, this is not necessarily a list of the most realistic, deepest simulation, or best graphics. Certainly, games of today would destroy their previous generation counterparts in those categories. Top ten lists are about opinions, and although I'm satisfied this list is a good one, it represents my opinions alone. This list is about the impact these games had on me when I was playing them, and the utility I got out of them at the time. Enclosed are my favorites with a couple of highlights about each game and why I loved them so much.

10. Color Baseball (RadioShack Tandy TRS-80)
I was probably about 8 or 9, and I think this was the first computer (if you could call it that) my family ever owned. It had some cool games, none better than Color Baseball. The TRS-80 had a one button joystick, and I remember it was the first game I saw where you could create the lineups. The only problem was they couldn't be saved, so you had to create them every time you turned on the game. I must have created the 1986 Mets 200 times. That's probably why I'll always have that team memorized including batting order.

Feliz Navidad from Senor Octubre

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