2012 MLB All Bust Team (NL)

C Brian McCann
2011:  51 runs  24 home runs  71 RBI  3 steals  .270/.351/.466
2012:  44 runs  20 home runs  67 RBI  3 steals  .230/.300/.399

1B Ryan Howard (dishonorable mention to Gaby Sanchez, Todd Helton, and Carlos Lee)
2011:  81 runs  33 home runs  116 RBI  1 steal  .253/.346/.488
2012:  28 runs  14 home runs   56 RBI  0 steals  .219/.295/.423

2B Dan Uggla
2011:  88 runs  36 home runs  82 RBI  1 steal  .233/.311/.453
2012:  86 runs  19 home runs  78 RBI  4 steals .220/.348/.384

3B Ryan Roberts
2011:  86 runs  19 home runs  65 RBI  18 steals  .249/.341/.427
2012:  51 runs  12 home runs  42 RBI  10 steals  .235/.296/.360

SS Troy Tulowitzki
2011:  81 runs  30 home runs  105 RBI  9 steals  .302/.372/.544
2012:  33 runs   8 home runs    27 RBI   2 steals  .287/.360/.486

OF Justin Upton
2011:  105 runs  31 home runs  88 RBI  21 steals  .289/.369/.529
2012:  107 runs  17 home runs  67 RBI  18 steals  .280/.355/.430

OF Chris Young
2011:  89 runs  20 home runs  71 RBI  22 steals  .236/.331/.420
2012:  36 runs  14 home runs  41 RBI   8 steals   .231/.311/.434

OF Logan Morrison
2011:  54 runs  23 home runs  72 RBI  2 steals  .247/.330/.468
2012:  30 runs  11 home runs  36 RBI  1 steal   .230/.308/.399

SP Roy Halladay
2011:  19-6  2.35 ERA  1.04 WHIP  220 strikeouts
2012:  11-8  4.49 ERA  1.22 WHIP  132 strikeouts

SP Daniel Hudson
2011:  16-12  3.49 ERA  1.20 WHIP  169 strikeouts
2012:   3-2   7.35 ERA   1.63 WHIP   37 strikeouts

SP Tim Lincecum
2011:  13-14  2.74 ERA  1.21 WHIP  220 strikeouts
2012:  10-15  5.18 ERA  1.47 WHIP  190 strikeouts

SP Randy Wolf
2011:  13-10  3.69 ERA  1.32 WHIP  134 strikeouts
2012:  5-10   5.65 ERA   1.57 WHIP  104 strikeouts

SP Jair Jurrjens
2011:  13-6  2.96 ERA  1.22 WHIP  90 strikeouts
2012:   3-4   6.89 ERA  1.86 WHIP  19 strikeouts

RP Fernando Salas
2011:  5-6  2.28 ERA  0.95 WHIP  75 strikeouts  24 saves
2012:  1-4  4.30 ERA  1.42 WHIP  60 strikeouts  0 saves

CL Heath Bell (also considered John Axford, Brian Wilson and Frank Francisco)
2011:  3-4  2.44 ERA  1.15 WHIP  51 strikeouts  43 saves
2012:  4-5  5.09 ERA  1.56 WHIP  59 strikeouts  19 saves

Scroll down to see the AL team. To see the 2011 NL team, go here.

2012 MLB All Bust Team (AL)

A look back at those who flopped in 2012, either due to injuries, bad performance, or a combination of both.  If you picked these guys on your fantasy teams, hopefully you cut bait before these anchors dragged your squad down into the depths of the rotisserie abyss. To see the 2011 version of the team, go here:

C Alex Avila
2011:  63 runs 19 home runs 82 RBI  3 steals  .295/.389/.506
2012:  42 runs  9 home runs  48 RBI  2 steals  .243/.352/.384

1B Eric Hosmer (also considered Carlos Pena and Casey Kotchman)
2011:  66 runs  19 home runs  78 RBI  11 steals  .293/.334/.465
2012:  65 runs  14 home runs  60 RBI  16 steals  .232/.304/.359

2B Jemile Weeks
2011:  50 runs  2 home runs  36 RBI  22 steals  .303/.340/.421
2012:  54 runs  2 home runs  20 RBI  16 steals  .221/.305/.304

3B Danny Valencia
2011:  63 runs  15 home runs  72 RBI  2 steals  .246/.294/.383
2012:  14 runs   3 home runs   21 RBI  0 steals  .188/.199/.299

SS Jhonny Peralta (almost went with Yunel Escobar)
2011:  68 runs  21 home runs  86 RBI  0 steals  .299/.345/.478
2012:  58 runs  13 home runs  63 RBI  1 steal  .239/.305/.384

OF Brennan Boesch
2011:  75 runs  16 home runs  54 RBI  5 steals  .283/.341/.458
2012:  52 runs  12 home runs  54 RBI  6 steals  .240/.286/.372

OF Jacoby Ellsbury
2011:  119 runs  32 home runs  105 RBI  39 steals  .321/.376/.552
2012:    43 runs    4 home runs    26 RBI  14 steals  .271/.313/.370

OF Jeff Francoeur
2011:  77 runs  20 home runs  87 RBI  22 steals  .285/.329/.476
2012:  58 runs  16 home runs  49 RBI   4 steals   .235/.287/.378

DH Michael Young
2011:  88 runs  11 home runs  106 RBI  6 steals  .338/.380/.474
2012:  79 runs    8 home runs   67 RBI   2 steals  .277/.312/.370

SP Jon Lester
2011:  15-9  3.47 ERA  1.26 WHIP  182 strikeouts
2012:  9-14  4.82 ERA  1.38 WHIP  166 strikeouts

SP Ricky Romero
2011:  15-11  2.92 ERA  1.14 WHIP  178 strikeouts
2012:   9-14   5.77 ERA  1.67 WHIP  124 strikeouts

SP Ervin Santana
2011:  11-12  3.38 ERA  1.22 WHIP  178 strikeouts
2012:    9-13  5.16 ERA  1.27 WHIP  133 strikeouts

SP Dan Haren
2011:  16-10  3.17 ERA  1.02 WHIP  192 strikeouts
2012:  12-13  4.33 ERA  1.29 WHIP  142 strikeouts

SP Josh Beckett
2011:  13-7  2.89 ERA  1.03 WHIP  175 strikeouts
2012:  7-14  4.65 ERA  1.33 WHIP  132 strikeouts

RP Mark Melancon
2011:  8-4  2.78 ERA  1.22 WHIP  66 strikeouts  20 saves
2012:  0-2  6.20 ERA  1.27 WHIP  41 strikeouts   1 save

CL Francisco Cordero
2011:  5-3  2.45 ERA  1.02 WHIP  42 strikeouts  37 saves
2012:  3-8  7.55 ERA  2.01 WHIP  31 strikeouts   2 saves

2012 All Breakout Team (AL)

C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
In his age 27 season, Salty finally started to make good on the promise that made him a highly regarded prospect with the Braves and Rangers. The switch-hitting backstop posted a .232 ISO and crushed 25 home runs, a number topped only by A.J. Pierzynski and Wilin Rosario among big league catchers. No longer splitting time with Jason Varitek, Saltalamacchia settled in as Boston's everyday catcher and set career highs across the board. Incredibly, 24 of his 25 dingers came at the expense of righthanded pitching, which leads me to wonder why he doesn't bat from the left side every time.

1B Edwin Encarnacion
The 29 year-old finally broke out--Jose Bautista style--after teasing the baseball world with his power stroke for years. E-5 posted the best AB/HR rate in the American League, finished third in slugging (.557) and RBI (110) while his 42 big flies placed him fourth. Amazingly, he provided all that power without striking out 100 times. On an injury-riddled Blue Jays squad, Encarnacion was one of the few bright spots. Surely he would have placed higher than eleventh in the MVP race had Toronto won more than 73 games. As it is, I just can't get over the fact that he didn't make the All-Star team in a year when he was more valuable than Josh Hamilton, Adam Jones and Derek Jeter according to bWAR.

2B Jason Kipnis
The second-year second baseman tailed off in the second half but still finished his first full season with 14 home runs, 31 stolen bases and 3.7 bWAR. Kipnis isplayed good patience by drawing 67 walks to help compensate for his .257 batting average. He established himself as one of the better defensive keystones in the league, too. At 25, he's just coming into his prime and should be one of the league's best players at the position for years to come.

3B Kyle Seager
Seattle's second-year third baseman slugged 20 home runs, belted 35 doubles and knocked in 86 runs, leading the Mariners in all three categories. He also chipped in 13 steals and held his own at the hot corner, more or less replicating the annual value Adrian Beltre provided during his underwhelming seasons with the M's.

SS Alcides Escobar
After back-to-back disappointing seasons as an everyday player, Escobar broke out in his second year with Kansas City. The slick-fielding shortstop batted a rock solid .293 and went 35-for-40 in stolen base attempts to make up for his lack of power (.390 SLG). The Royals need him to carry his weight on offense if they're going to have any shot at competing this year.

OF Austin Jackson
One of the most underrated players in the game last year, Jackson (5.2 bWAR) led the league in triples, batted a career best .300/.377/.479 and scored 103 runs while providing plenty of RBI opportunities for Prince Fielder and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. Miggy plated Jackson with 38 of his 139 ribbies (27.3 percent) while Cecil Fielder's son drove Detroit's leadoff man home 22 times (approximately one-fifth of Fielder's 108 RBI). Since Jackson knocked himself in 16 times via the long ball, the Tiger center fielder can attribute 69 percent of his team-dependent runs total to the dynamic duo. With RBI machine Victor Martinez returning to Motown's top-heavy lineup this year, Jackson should rank near the top of the league in runs scored once again.

OF Alejandro De Aza
Carried over his strong finish (.920 OPS) to the 2011 season and had a good year hitting leadoff in Chicago's lineup. Posted a .349 OBP, stole 26 bases and scored 81 runs while setting the table for Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko and Alex Rios.

OF Josh Reddick
Was blocked by J.D. Drew in Boston but took off in Oakland after Ben Cherington traded him for Ryan Sweeney and Andrew Bailey. Reddick teamed up with rookie Yoenis Cespedes to supply the firepower in the heart of Oakland's lineup. Helped lead the A's to the division title by slamming 32 home runs, stealing 11 bases and accumulating 4.5 bWAR. To top it off, he won his first Gold Glove on the strength of his terrific glovework and powerful throwing arm in right field.  Another score for Billy Beane, who nabbed the long-haired outfielder just in time for his prime years.

DH Chris Davis
Much like Alex Gordon, Crush endured his share of disappointment in the majors before finally busting out in his fifth big league season. Picked up the slack for slumping infielders Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy by cranking 33 home runs and batting a respectable .270 despite fanning 169 times. To read more about his breakthrough, go here.

SP Chris Sale
Sale (5.7 bWAR) was nothing short of phenomenal in his first season in Chicago's starting rotation. After spending two years in the White Sox bullpen, the 23 year-old made a smooth transition to starting and formed a dominant 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Jake Peavy.  Sale etched his name into the AL leaderboards, ranking among the league's best in nearly every category. Made his first All-Star team, finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and helped keep the Sox atop the AL Central for most of the summer before they collapsed during the season's final two weeks.

SP Brandon Morrow
A strained oblique sidelined him for most of the summer, but in his 21 starts the budding ace compiled a 2.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and trimmed his walk rate for the third year in a row. If he stays healthy next year, he could wind up in the Cy Young discussion, but it's going to be difficult for him to stand out in a retooled rotation headed by Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.

SP Scott Diamond
Diamond was dismal when Minnesota brought him up for a cup of coffee in 2011 but emerged as the rotation's only bright spot last season. He began the season in Triple-A and didn't make his first start until May 8th, which he won by outdueling Dan Haren and shutting out an Angels lineup featuring Albert Pujols, Torii Hunter, Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout. He blanked the Blue Jays in his next turn and was off and running. He wore down a bit during the dog days of summer but still led the Twins staff in wins, ERA, starts, and innings pitched in hist first full season.  Diamond succeeded in spite of his paltry 4.7 K/9 rate by posting the lowest walk rate in the league and keeping the ball in the park, which isn't too difficult when you make half your starts at Target Field.

SP Chris Tillman
Came into 2012 with 36 starts under his belt, a 5.58 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and more than twice as many losses as wins in his first three seasons. To his credit, he did show signs of improvement in 2011 by cutting his home run rate in half, trimming his walk rate from and striking out more hitters. Even so, he began the year in the minors and spent the first half of the season there, but pitched well enough to get another shot with the big club. Tillman proved to be Baltimore's best starter down the stretch, going 9-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in his 15 starts. His Kris Medlen-esque impact helped the Orioles survive the loss of Jason Hammel (who was well on his way to a breakout year of his own) and get back to the postseason for the first time since 1997.

SP Max Scherzer
Has been up and down during his career, but there's no denying his ability to dominate hitters on any given day. Last year he strung enough of those performances together to develop into a reliable number two starter behind Justin Verlander. Scherzer's 231 strikeouts placed second to Verlander's league leading total of 239 but his 11.1 K/9 rate ranked first in the majors. He's always going to strike out batters in bunches, but his inconsistency and inability to pitch deep into games (he's never gone the distance in any of his 133 career starts) stand in the way of acehood..  Nevertheless, with Anibal Sanchez back on board for 2013 the reigning American League champs have a formidable trio at the top of their rotation.

RP Jake McGee
Rebounded from a poor 2011 to become an elite reliever, limiting opponents to a .168/.213/.239 batting line. The Tampa Bay Ray maintained a sparkling 1.95 ERA and 0.80 WHIP over his 69 appearances. More impressively, he racked up 73 strikeouts while walking only 11, good for a ridiculous 6.64 K/BB ratio. Unfortunately Fernando Rodney's historic season overshadowed McGee's outstanding relief work.

CL Jim Johnson
In his seventh season working out of Baltimore's bullpen, Johnson emerged as one of the best finishers in the Junior Circuit despite his anemic 5.4 K/9 rate. He entered the season with just 21 saves to his name but Buck Showalter handed him the closing gig in the wake of Kevin Gregg's disastrous 2011 season (1.64 WHIP). Johnson shocked the baseball world by leading the majors with 51 saves, becoming just the tenth player in MLB history to record at least 50 saves. He bookended his marvelous season with an awesome start and even better finish, allowing just two earned runs in his first 23 innings and only one earned run in his final 25 innings. For his efforts he was selected to his first All-Star team, received the AL Rolaids Relief Man award, placed seventh in the Cy Young voting (ahead of Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison) and earned more MVP shares than Pujols, Joe Mauer and Ben Zobrist combined.

To see the American League 2011 breakout team, go here.

2012 All Breakout Team (NL)

A look back at some of the top breakouts in the National League from 2011.  Rookies are ineligible, so you won't find the likes of Bryce Harper, Wade Miley, Todd Frazier or Kris Medlen below. For the most part, I tried not to include guys who were already established big league stars that took their games to new heights, a la Buster Posey, Yadier Molina, and Matt Cain.

C Carlos Ruiz
The first time All-Star was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing year for the Philadelphia Phillies. At the ripe old age of 33, Ruiz rode a monster first half to a career year highlighted by his .Mike Piazza-esque 325/.394/.540 batting line. There were stretches early in the season when it seemed like he was the only Philly inflicting any damage with his bat.

1B Allen Craig
Craig's potential was on display during his injury-shortened 2011 season and again throughout the Cardinals' championship run. He missed more time in 2012--all of April and two weeks in May--but when healthy he was one of the better hitters in the National League. In just 119 games he belted 22 home runs, knocked in 92 runs and batted .307 while manning first base in place of a wounded Lance Berkman. Also gave some thought to Paul Goldschmidt here.

2B Jose Altuve
The diminutive second baseman makes Dustin Pedroia look big, but his lack of size didn't stop him from batting .290 and making his first All-Star team at the tender age of 22. Houston's leadoff hitter was also aggressive on the basepaths, stealing 33 bases to help make up for his lack of power (.399 SLG). The speedy keystone is a great building block for the 'Stros as they rebuild their team around young talent.

3B Chase Headley
Headley put together a monster offensive season not seen in San Diego since Adrian Gonzalez. The switch-hitting third baseman entered 2012 with just 36 home runs and a .392 slugging percentage to his name before morphing into Chipper Jones. Produced a six-win season on the back of his 31 home runs and league-leading 115 RBI. Won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger on his way to a fifth place finish in the NL MVP voting. If he could just get out of Petco (.695 OPS there compared to .836 everywhere else) he'd be a star. Honorable Mention goes to Pedro Alvarez, who launched 30 home runs in his first full season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

SS Ian Desmond
After a pair of disappointing seasons in 2010 and 2011, Washington's shortstop busted out this year. His power--25 circuit drives and a .511 SLG, both figures topped the position--developed to supplement his already solid defense and baserunning. Was one of three shortstops to go 20/20 this season, along with Jimmy Rollins and Hanley Ramirez. Expect another strong performance in 2013, his age 27 season. Jed Lowrie was headed for a breakout year as well before a sprained ankle cost him two months of games post-All-Star Break.

OF Garrett Jones
The quintessential late bloomer, Jones appeared in his first major league game at the age of 25 and didn't play his first full season until he was 29. While he's been a steady source of power during his time in the bigs, low batting averages and high strikeout totals cut into his value. In 2012 he managed to cut down on his whiff rate and boost his average to .274 while smacking a career high 27 home runs and tying his personal best with 86 RBI. Those numbers remind me of a typical Adam LaRoche season.

OF Andrew McCutchen
'Cutch had already flashed the tools that alluded to his Matt Kemp potential, but he finally put them all together this year with an MVP caliber season. His 194 hits, 269 times on base and 7.5 Offensive WAR paced the NL, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. He ranked second in runs scored, total bases, batting average, and OPS+ while rating third in OBP and SLG, all while playing Gold Glove defense in center and keeping the Pirates in the playoff picture for most of the summer.

OF Dexter Fowler
Colorado's center fielder took a big step forward in 2012 when he batted a career best .300/.389/.474 with double digit totals in doubles, triples, homers, and stolen bases. Statistically speaking, he was the NL's equivalent of Austin Jackson (minus the superlative defense). Not as good as Carlos Gonzalez, but turns 27 this spring and could be in line for another strong season.

SP R.A. Dickey
Sneaky good in 2010 and '11 but became a household name and Cy Young winner in 2012. Made his first All-Star team following a dominant first half reminiscent of Ubaldo Jimenez's 2010. Matt Cain started the Midsummer Classic even though Dickey was 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP at that point. Predictably, he leveled off a bit in the season's final three months, but still pitched well enough to finish with outstanding overall numbers. He won 20 games while pacing the league in innings, shutouts, complete games, and strikeouts. Most impressively, the 38 year-old knuckleballer entered the season with a career 5.5 K/ rate but whiffed nearly a batter per inning in 2012 and fanned almost as many hitters as he did in his previous two seasons combined. It will be interesting to see how he fares against American League competition in 2013.

SP Gio Gonzalez
After a couple solid seasons with Oakland, Gonzalez emerged as one of the NL's top pitchers in his debut with the Washington Nationals. He finished third in the Cy Young race behind Dickey and Clayton Kershaw after leading the majors with 21 wins and his 0.4 HR/9. He also posted the best strikeout rate in the NL, outpitched Stephen Strasburg and helped lead the Nats to the best record in baseball.

SP Jonathon Niese
Was overshadowed by rotation-mates Dickey and Johan Santana, but was clearly the team's second best starter behind Dickey. Trimmed a full run of his 2011 ERA (4.40 to 3.40), posted a 1.17 WHIP and struck out more than three batters for every walk. With Dickey in Toronto and Santana in decline, look for Niese to step up and lead the rotation in 2013.

SP Lance Lynn
In his first year in the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation, the 25 year-old helped fill in the void left by Chris Carpenter by winning 18 of his 29 starts and making the All-Star team. Had 180 strikeouts in 176 innings, but will have to fight to keep his spot in a crowded rotation next season.

SP Homer Bailey
After several disappointing years, the former first round draft pick finally emerged as a reliable mid-rotation workhorse. He made all 33 starts, surpassed 200 innings for the first time in his career and maintained a 3.23 K/BB ratio. Was overshadowed by Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos, but he looks like a solid frontline starter for years to come.

RP Craig Stammen
His career got off to a rough start, but the Nationals reliver rebounded with a strong 2012. Struck out almost a batter per inning and went 6-1 out of Washington's bullpen with a 2.34 ERA.

CL Jason Motte
Tony LaRussa's retirement opened the door for Motte to be the Cardinals' regular closer, and he did not disappoint. Besides leading the National League with 42 saves, Motte posted a 0.92 WHIP and a 5.06 K.BB ratio in Mike Matheny's first year at the helm. Had all of twelve career saves prior to 2012.

CL Aroldis Chapman
Cincinatti's flamethrowing southpaw stepped into the closer's role to replace the departed Francisco Cordero. After two years of teasing the baseball world with his superhuman velocity, the Cuban Missile polished his shaky command (6.5 BB/9 rate entering the season) and challenged Craig Kimbrel for the title of baseball's best closer. Chapman dominated opponents, holding them to a .141 batting average and fanning 122 of them in his 68 appearances. The first time All-Star saved 38 games with his tidy 1.51 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while also picking up MVP and Cy Young consideration. He's the Justin Verlander of relievers.

To see last year's NL breakouts, go here

12 Best NBA Players of 2012

King James reigned in 2012

1. LeBron James
King James won his third MVP award in four seasons and continued to dominate during the playoffs, ultimately securing the championship that eluded him in Cleveland. Later in the summer he led Team USA to another Gold medal with his strong play. He was just named Sportsman of the Year by SI.

2. Kevin Durant
Durantala won his third straight scoring title, finished runner-up to LBJ in the MVP voting and led OKC to their first Finals appearance.

3. Kobe Bryant
Came back from experimental knee surgery in Germany to challenge Durant for the scoring title during the strike-shortened season. With all eyes on the Lakers, he's currently pacing the Association points and points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, which will set a new career high if he keeps it up.

4. Dwight Howard
Superman missed 18 percent of the strike-shortened season and still accrued more defensive rebounds, total rebounds and boards per game than anybody else. His production has sagged a bit with the Lakers but he's still averaging 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

5. Chris Paul
CP3 was phenomenal in his Clippers debut by averaging nearly 20 points a game, leading the league in steals and placing third on the MVP ballot. With Derrick Rose still out, Paul's unquestionably the NBA's premier point guard.

6. Kevin Love
K-Love averaged 26 points, more than 13 rebounds and nearly two treys per game last season. His shooting has been a little rusty after he missed the first few weeks of the season with a broken right hand, but it's only a matter of time before he rounds into form.

7. Russell Westbrook
A rare breed of point guards that can pour in points and still rack up high assist totals. The indestructible athlete fearlessly attacks the basket and is one of the game's best at getting to the charity stripe, where he's a career 81.5 percent shooter.

8. Carmelo Anthony
'Melo disappointed in his first full season with the Knicks as he struggled to coexist with Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. But with Lin on the Rockets and Stoudemire out with a knee injury, Anthony has regained his status as one of the game's elite players. His three-point production has tripled compared to his career average and his scoring has jumped from 22.6 points per game last year to 28.5 points per game this season.

9. Dwyane Wade
D-Wade has embraced his new role as Lebron's sidekick, the Robin to James' Batman. He's making more than half his field goals and has become a more efficient scorer. Not as explosive as he used to be, but still an incredible defender and superb all-around player.

10. Andrew Bynum
The oft-injured center managed to stay healthy during the abbreviated season and enjoyed a career year. Bynum set personal bests with 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game while displaying an improved post game and top notch defense. Since traded to Philadelphia, he's yet to make his Sixers debut as he recovers from a knee injury.

11. James Harden
Established himself as one of the top shooting guards in the NBA last season and was named Sixth Man of the year. Since being traded to Houston, he's become the focal point of the Rockets' offense and is putting up monster numbers as an everyday starter; 25.8 points, 5.3 dimes and ten free throw attempts per game.

12. Dirk Nowitzki
The lifelong Maverick posted his typically stellar all-around numbers last season despite averaging the fewest minutes per game since his rookie season. He missed the first third of this season recovering from knee surgery and struggled in his first two games back. Look for the German power forward to shake off the rust as he adapts to new teammates Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison.

Honorable Mention: Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo

12 Best Baseball Players of 2012

Trout was baseball's bast player in 2012 (ESPN)

1. Mike Trout

Unquestionably the most valuable player in baseball this year, the AL Rookie of the Year compiled 10.7 bWAR to join Barry Bonds and Adrian Beltre as the only players in this millennium to have a 10-win season.

2. Miguel Cabrera
The first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski has surpassed Albert Pujols as the best hitter in the game.

3. Ryan Braun
2012 was another banner year for Braun, who topped the Senior Circuit with 108 runs, 41 long balls, 356 total bases and a .987 OPS.

4. Buster Posey
The NL MVP led the major leagues in OPS+ and batting average, becoming the first NL catcher to win a batting title since Ernie Lombardi 70 years ago.

5. Andrew McCutchen
Emerged as a superstar last year by challenging Posey for the batting title, setting personal bests in almost every category and leading the National League in hits, oWAR and times on base.

6. Robinson Cano
Piled up 8.2 bWAR while setting or matching career highs in runs, doubles, homers, walks, slugging, OPS, OPS+, total bases, and extra base hits. In most years that performance would have been good enough to win MVP, but not in 2012.

7. Josh Hamilton
Hammered 43 home runs, knocked in 128 runs, slugged .577 and homered once every 13.1 at-bats, placing second among American Leaguers in all four categories.

8. Adrian Beltre
Batted .321, belted 36 home runs and received another Gold Glove for his defensive prowess at the hot corner.

9. Justin Verlander
The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner is still the best pitcher on the planet.

10. Prince Fielder
The power numbers weren't quite what we've come to expect from the hefty slugger, but he still batted a robust .313/.412/.528, walked more than he struck out and played all 162 games in his Detroit debut.

11. Joey Votto
Missed a third of the season with a torn meniscus but posted monster numbers when healthy. His 94 walks led the National League, as did his eye-popping .474 OBP, and his 44 doubles ranked second to Aramis Ramirez.

12. Yadier Molina
The best defensive backstop in baseball had a case for NL MVP after batting .315, slugging 22 home runs and leading his St. Louis Cardinals to within one game of their second straight World Series. It's close between him and Posey, really close, but I'd rather have Posey's bat.

Honorable Mentions: Clayton Kershaw, R.A. Dickey, Chase Headley, David Wright, Matt Kemp

Red Sox Nation Regroups

The 2012 Boston Red Sox season was an unmitigated disaster.

The Red Sox opened the season with a bloated $173 million payroll, third highest in the major leagues behind only the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. Boston ended the season with 93 losses and the third worst record in the American League.

They bottomed out. As an encore for their historic September flop, the Red Sox  finished last in the division and endured their worst season since the 1965 edition lost 100 games. From August 1st until the end of the regular season, Boston went 16-42 and had the worst record in baseball.

But what went wrong? How did a squad that won 90 games in 2011 tank so badly?

Tufts junior Josh Weiner blames Boston’s reckless spending habits. He believes the team invested “too much money on players who failed to deliver and failed to develop any kind of meaningful cohesion."

The lack of camaraderie that emerged during their collapse carried over into 2012. This team had zero chemistry, a far cry from the brotherhood so readily apparent on the 2004 World Series winners. When Buster Olney reported that Boston's dysfunctional clubhouse had become toxic in the middle of June, he merely confirmed the obvious.

Instead of bringing his fractured team together, Bobby Valentine drove them apart. The fiery skipper was at odds with his players and coaches from the start. He said all the wrong things and became a lightning rod for controversy. "Fire Bobby V" became the rallying cry of Red Sox Nation. The front office mercifully cut ties with Valentine as soon as the season ended.

"The fiasco that was Bobby Valentine's tenure as manager has now, smartly, been terminated," said Weiner.

Valentine made a bad situation worse, but he wasn't at fault for how Boston's season turned out. Injuries devastated his roster, and the players who stayed healthy underperformed. The outfield was so decimated that the front office resorted to bringing in the likes of Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik to plug the leaks. The Red Sox were never at full strength.

As the team faded out of the playoff picture in August, it became evident that some sort of drastic, sweeping change was necessary to revitalize the sagging franchise. So General Manager Ben Cherington pulled the trigger on the biggest move of his young career. With one blockbuster trade, he managed to reshape the roster and shed more than $260 million in future salary commitments. The Red Sox said goodbye and good riddance to Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto.

At the time, Cherington defended the trade by stressing the need for a more disciplined approach. This strategy Boston has prevented from entering the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes, but lifelong Massachusetts resident Glen Krebs is fine with that. “Making a run at Josh Hamilton would go against everything that Ben Cherington has tried to remake the Red Sox as," he said. "Their strategy this offseason should be to sign high-impact low-risk role players who can contribute immediately this season, along with continuing to develop prospects for the long term."

So far Cherington has kept his word. He's refrained from throwing money at pricey free agents. Instead, he's taken care of some team housekeeping by trading Mike Aviles for John Farrell, re-signing David Ortiz and filling out the coaching staff. Nothing splashy, but important moves nevertheless.

There is still plenty of work to be done, however, and Cherington has a busy winter ahead of him. Adrian Gonzalez left a gaping hole at first base that needs to be filled ASAP. The team has targeted Mike Napoli and seems likely to sign him within the coming weeks. He'd be a great fit because he's a right-handed slugger who can take advantage of Fenway Park's Green Monster. Cherington also has to decide who will play alongside Jacoby Ellsbury in the outfield next year. Ellsbury is fast, but he can't cover the entire outfield by himself. The Sox should bring back Cody Ross to play left and get a Nick Swisher type in right.

Starting pitching should be the top priority given how poorly the rotation performed last year; its 5.19 ERA was the worst in team history. Matt Prescott, a sophomore at St. Michael's. would like to see the Sox "model their team around the San Francisco Giants" because the World Series champs, led by Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong, "proved that pitching can carry a team to a championship."

It’s no secret the Red Sox need more frontline starters to bolster their thin rotation. The team lacks a true number one starter to lead the staff, and elite pitchers don't grow on trees. The only bona fide ace on the market is former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, but he figures to command something close to the seven year, $161 million contract CC Sabathia inked with the Yankees in 2008. Beyond Greinke, there's a bevy of solid veteran starters with proven track records such as Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Jackson, Dan Haren, Kyle Lohse, and Ryan Dempster. Sanchez is too pricey, but the others should be affordable.

Regardless of how the Red Sox fill out their roster, they will be hard-pressed to contend next year, The AL East is shaping up to be the most competitive division in baseball. The Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Baltimore Orioles all won at least 90 games last year, plus the Toronto Blue Jays just raided the Miami Marlins for a trio of All-Stars in Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson. It's going to be a crowded field next year.

Though their competition looks formidable, the Red Sox still have enough talent to contend.  Their core of Ellsbury, Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Andrew Bailey, John Lackey and Daniel Bard remains intact (for now). With a restocked farm system and the right moves to complement this nucleus, Boston could be a dangerous team in 2013. Weiner is optimistic that the Red Sox “are poised to learn from their mistakes” and will “once again become the surefire playoff contender we all expected.”

It's too early to tell. Championships aren’t won on paper in December. They’re won on the ballfield in October.

But for now, Red Sox fans can take solace in the fact that their team has nowhere to go but up.

Tricky Dickey, Price is Right

Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw replicated their numbers from 2011, when both won their league's pitching triple crowns and Cy Young awards, except in one important category.

Wins. Both won seven fewer games than they did last season.

C'mon guys. I thought we were past this. Didn't the 2009 and 2010 awards (when Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum won despite less than stellar win totals) prove anything?

Guess not. This time around, the decidedly old-school BBWAA went with the traditional stats and compelling narrative.

Suddenly, Verlander wasn't even in the conversation for his second AL MVP despite accruing 7.5 bWAR, third most in the baseball behind Mike Trout and Robinson Cano (he finished eighth in the voting behind Josh Hamilton, Adam Jones and Derek Jeter, who combined for 8.9 bWAR). Neither was Kershaw, who finished 16th even though his 6.6 bWAR put him in the same ballpark with Buster Posey, Ryan Braun, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina, Chase Headley, and David Wright.

R.A. Dickey, at the ripe old age of 38 became the first knuckleballer to win the award by capturing 27 of 32 possible first place votes. He joined Dwight Gooden and Tom Seaver as the only players in the 50 year history of the New York Mets to win the award.

Dickey had been sneaky-good in 2010 and 2011, but unless you're a die-hard Mets fan or had him on your fantasy team I doubt you noticed. This year, he became a household name. He won 20 games despite playing for a bad team. He led the league in innings, shutouts, and complete games. He paced the league in strikeouts.

Dickey won largely on the strength of his dominant first half. Prior to the All-Star break he went 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while fanning more than a batter per inning. Predictably, he leveled off a bit in the season's final three months, but still pitched well enough to finish with outstanding overall numbers. That Matt Cain, not Dickey, started the All-Star Game remains a mystery.

Choosing between him and Kershaw was splitting hairs. But Dickey had such an incredible backstory, and Kershaw just won last year, so the voters favored Dickey.

Perfectly understandable, even though Kershaw was better by the slimmest of margins.

Never mind the fact that Kershaw posted the best ERA in the major leagues for the second year in a row. Or that he was literally the most unhittable pitcher in baseball (his 6.7 H/9 led both leagues). Or how about the fact that he had the best WHIP in the NL?

Impossible to go wrong with either candidate here. I prefer Kershaw, but have no issue with Dickey winning. Both deserved it, just like Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera both deserved to win the AL MVP award. Somebody had to lose.

The wrong man lost in the American League. Verlander was once again the best pitcher in baseball. He deserved to become the first AL hurler to win consecutive Cy Youngs since Pedro Martinez was at the peak of his powers at the turn of the century. JV paced the majors in strikeouts, innings, batters faced, and ERA+. He also had the most adjusted pitching runs, adjusted pitching wins and situational wins.

David Price, my preseason favorite for the award, tied Jered Weaver (who finished third) for the league lead in wins with 20. He also posted the best winning percentage (.800) and ERA (2.56) in the Junior Circuit. But when you consider that wins are dependent on factors outside of a pitcher's control, and that Verlander's 2.64 ERA was actually more impressive according to ERA+, then the basis of Price's candidacy falls apart.

That Verlander finished four spots higher on the AL MVP ballot should tell you all you need to know.