Phillies take a Halladay posted by David
After the way Cliff Lee pitched against the Yankees in the World Series six weeks ago, I would have been surprised to hear that the Phillies were even listening to offers for their ace. But when the chance to acquire Roy Halladay comes around, I suppose any team would be crazy not to listen. Before I knew it, Halladay was a Phillie and Lee was heading to Seattle, where he’ll join his third club in the span of four and a half months. How often does that happen to the defending Cy Young Award winner?
Mauer wins Triple Crown in my book
No major leaguer has won the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, but this year Joe Mauer did lead the American League in what should be the three Triple Crown categories: batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444), and slugging percentage (.587). Home runs are exciting and contribute to a higher slugging percentage, but if I were a manager, I’d much rather see my cleanup hitter go 3-4 than hit a solo shot and strike out three times trying to do it again. Reaching 100 RBI’s in a season is a nice accomplishment, but the stat itself is overrated. If all nine guys in the lineup are getting on base 40 percent of the time, it doesn’t matter who is driving them in; someone must be.
Granderson to patrol center in the Bronx
At the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis last week, the Yankees landed themselves a great centerfielder in Curtis Granderson. Many of Granderson’s fans – myself included – were disappointed that he will be wearing Pinstripes next season. Even so, I’ll keep rooting for him wherever he goes. Of all the people I met at the World Baseball Classic, he was the happiest to be there. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Curtis Granderson is the truest friend of the game.
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