Green Gets Going

It's been nearly two months since the Boston Celtics lost Rajon Rondo for the remainder of the season. At the time, Rondo's ACL tear seemed like a devastating blow for an aging Celtics team that had just lost six in a row and was going nowhere fast. But instead of folding without their star point guard as many (myself included) predicted they would, the resilient Green are 16-8 in his absence. Several Celtics have picked up the slack in Rondo's absence, but none have enjoyed a bigger turnaround than the much-maligned Jeff Green.

Yes, the same Jeff Green who couldn't do anything right his first two years with Boston is on the path to redemption. He hasn't played this well since his heyday alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Green's done his best to erase a dismal first half by stepping up when the Celts need him most. Since Rondo went down, Green has hiked his scoring to 15.5 points per game while maintaining stellar percentages: 50 percent from the floor, 40.7 percent from downtown and 84.8 percent from the charity stripe. He's also blocked 1.4 shots per game over that stretch. Not only has his success sparked the Celtics' recent surge, but it has also gone a long way towards silencing the fans and media that soured on Green and wanted him gone months ago.

Now, it's hard to imagine what Boston would do without the athletic swingman. It took time for Green to adjust to his bench role, and even more time to play his way back from heart surgery, but he's finally coming around. He seems to have settled down and started producing like he can and should.

That potential, which typically manifests itself in the form of monster dunks, was on full display Monday night when he erupted for 43 points.  The Celtics fell to the Miami Heat, 105-103 at the Garden, but Green was the talk of the town after torching the NBA's hottest team. Though he typically comes off the bench, Green started in place of Kevin Garnett and made the most of it. He nearly carried the Celtics to victory by drilling 14 of his 21 field goal attempts (including five three-pointers) and sinking 10 of 13 free throw attempts.  In a game loaded with future Hall of Famers, Green was the best player on the court that night save for LeBron James.

Look for Green to continue to play a key role for Boston down the stretch as one of the team's top scorers (arguably the best one not named Paul Pierce) and best reserve. He seems to be in a groove right now and is poised to finish the season strong. The Celtics need him to continue playing at a high level as they fight to improve their playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference, so expect Doc Rivers to keep leaning on the versatile 26 year-old, hoping his next big game is right around the corner.

Are the Yankees Doomed?

Jeter is one of many Yankees trying to overcome age and injury

The New York Yankees are have enjoyed 20 consecutive winning seasons and missed the postseason just once since 1995. No matter how old and banged-up they get, they always find a way to win 90+ games and get back to the playoffs.

That's about to change.

Opening Day is still three weeks away, and the New York Yankees are already decimated by injuries. A third of their lineup is wiped out--Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson will miss all of April, and Alex Rodriguez is not expected to return from his latest hip surgery until the All-Star Break. If the Yankees can't survive spring training, how in the world are they going to make it through a grueling six month regular season?

Last year New York featured one of baseball's most potent offenses. The Bronx Bombers hammered 245 home runs in 2012--most in the majors--but nine of its top-ten home run hitters will not be in the Opening Day lineup (the aforementioned trio plus free agent departures Nick Swisher, Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez, Raul Ibanez, and Russell Martin). Assuming everyone doesn't get old at once, New York still figures to feature one of the AL's better lineups, albeit one that's only one or two more bad breaks away from unraveling at the seams:

C Ian Stewart and Francisco Cervelli
Stewart can hit for power but has played just 103 games over the past two seasons. What's worse, he's batted just .183/.272/.289 in those games. Cervelli's a capable backup, but with just five career home runs his power is non-existent. The tandem is a far cry from Russell Martin and an even further cry from Jorge Posada.

1B Mark Teixeira
As if it wasn't bad enough that his OPS has declined in five consecutive seasons, a strained wrist will sideline him for two months and has the potential to hamper his swing when he returns.

2B Robinson Cano
A perennial MVP candidate, Cano is money in the bank for .300-30-100-100 with Gold Glove caliber defense. The 30 year-old is one of the few Yankees still in the prime of his career. Most importantly, he's durable, having missed only a dozen games over the past six years. If he suffers a freak injury this year a la Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees will be toast.

3B Kevin Youkilis
Youk turns 34 next spring and is just as injury prone as the man he's replacing at the hot corner. Over the past three years, Youkilis has averaged just 115 games played per season while his OPS has plummeted from .975 to .833 to .745. Youkilis is expected to move across the diamond while Teixeira is on the mend and could see more time at DH when Rodriguez returns this summer.

SS Derek Jeter
DJ led the major leagues in hits last year, but his defense has deteriorated to the point where any erosion in his offensive performance makes him a replacement level player. Given his advanced age (he'll be 39 in June) and bum ankle, he's a good bet to regress in 2013.

LF Curtis Granderson
Nobody's swatted more home runs than him since Opening Day, 2011, but Granderson seems to have fallen in love with the long ball per his all-or-nothing approach. As a result, the 32 year-old batted a career-worst .232 last year with 195 strikeouts last season. A broken forearm has him out until early May and might hinder his power.

CF Brett Gardner
At his best, Gardner is an on-base machine who helps win games with his legs. However, he missed most of last year with an elbow injury and will have to transition to center field.

RF Ichiro Suzuki
New York hopes a 39 year-old outfielder who's batted .277/.308/.361 over the past two seasons. On the bright side, Suzuki can still play everyday and provides speed for a lineup that relies on the long ball.

DH Travis Hafner
One of baseball's best hitters from 2004 through 2006, Pronk has seen his career ruined by myriad injuries that have prevented him from playing 100 games in four of the past five years. He's still an effective hitter when healthy (117 OPS+ over that span), but nothing close to the offensive force he was during the mid-aughts.

The starting rotation is only marginally better. CC Sabathia is a workhorse and the ace of the staff, but even he isn't immune to injury. The big guy made two DL trips last summer and could be at risk of breaking down after logging nearly 1,400 innings the last six years combined. Hiroki Kuroda is 38 and logged a career high 235 and two-thirds innings pitched last season (playoffs included). Andy Pettitte will turn 41 and has not pitched a full season since 2009. Phil Hughes has never thrown 200 innings in any season and started more than 29 games just once. Ivan Nova had an ERA north of five last year. Michael Pineda is still working his way back from labrum surgery and there's no firm timetable for his return. The bullpen is solid but will miss Rafael Soriano if Mariano Rivera is unable to rebound from the torn ACL that caused him to miss most of last season.

Add it all up and what do you have? A good-not-great team loaded with question marks trying to contend in what is arguably baseball's toughest division. For the first time in a long time, the Yanks need everything to break right in order to secure a postseason birth. The roster is devoid of upside and fraught with injury-risk, but it will have to do. Because Brian Cashman was forced to pinch every penny this winter, Joe Girardi does not have the depth nor the farm system to tap into should it need reinforcements.

Best case scenario: Granderson, Tex, and A-Rod all return strong, the pitching holds up, and most of the team eludes Father Time for another year. Worst case? The old guys break down, everything falls apart and the Yankees endure their first losing season since 1992.

I guess $208 million doesn't buy what it used to.

WBC Roster Roundup

Braun leads a versatile U.S. team against international competition

Here's a quick look at who's representing the United States in this year's World Baseball Classic:

Catchers
Joe Mauer--2009 AL MVP, five All-Star selections, four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves
J.P. Arencibia--41 home runs and .212 ISO since becoming Toronto's everyday catcher in 2011
Jonathan Lucroy--Batted .320/.368/.513 last year

Infielders
1B Eric Hosmer--Showed promise as a rookie in 2011, when he batted .293 with 19 homers and 11 steals at the age of 21
2B Brandon Phillips--Three Gold Golves, two All-Star selections, has averaged 20 homer and 21 steals per year starting in 2006
SS Jimmy Rollins--2007 NL MVP, four Gold Gloves, three All-Star selections, 2008 World Series champion
3B David Wright--Six All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves, best third baseman in National League
2B Ben Zobrist--2009 All-Star has been worth 26.5 bWAR over the past four years
U Willie Bloomquist--Veteran utility-man has played every position, minus pitcher and catcher, at the big league level

Outfielders
LF Ryan Braun--2011 NL MVP, 2007 NL Rookie of the Year, five All-Star selections and Silver Sluggers
CF Adam Jones--Two All-Star selections and Gold Gloves, a homeless man's Matt Kemp
RF Giancarlo Stanton--Led majors with .608 slugging percentage last season
RF/CF Shane Victorino--Three Gold Gloves, two All-Star selections

Starting Rotation
Ross Detwiler--Went 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA as Washington's number five starter last year
R.A. Dickey--2012 NL Cy Young recipient
Gio Gonzalez--Two All-Star selections, finished third in last year's Cy Young voting behind Dickey and Clayton Kershaw after leading the majors with 21 wins
Derek Holland--Led the American League with four shutouts in 2011
Ryan Vogelsong--2011 All-Star has won 27 games with 3.05 ERA over the past two seasons

Bullpen
Jeremy Affeldt--Won two World Series with San Francisco Giants
Heath Bell--Three straight All-Star appearances and 132 saves from 2009 through 2011
Mitchell Boggs--Solid setup man for St. Louis Cardinals posted 2.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 2012
Steve Cishek--Replaced Bell as the Marlins' closer last year, owns 2.57 career ERA
Tim Collins--23 year-old Royals reliever took a big step forward last year, posted 12.0 K/9 rate
Luke Gregerson--Has improved his ERA in each of the past three seasons
David Hernandez--J.J. Putz's setup man maintained 2.50 ERA and 12.9 K/9 rate last year
Craig Kimbrel--2011 NL Rookie of the Year, two All-Star selections, best closer in baseball
Glen Perkins--Stepped up as Minnesota's closer after Matt Capps got hurt
Vinnie Pestano--Dominant Indians setup man is one of the AL's best relievers

Coaches
Joe Torre--Manager, guided New York Yankees to four World Series titles in five years
Gerald Perry--Batting Coach, All-Star player serving as hitting coach for Tigers' Double-A team
Greg Maddux--Pitching Coach, won four straight Cy Young awards, possibly the best pitcher ever
Dale Murphy--First Base Coach, two-time NL MVP and borderline Hall of Fame candidate
Willie Randolph--Third Base Coach, six-time All-Star has 18 years of coaching/managerial experience
Larry Bowa--Bench Coach, five-time All-Star has served 23 seasons as a coach or manager
Marcel Lachemann--Coach, former A's reliever has 17 seasons of managerial/coaching experience under his belt

Best Rookie seasons of all time (Hitters)

A look back at some of the greatest rookie seasons of all time:

Shoeless Joe Jackson 1911 (9.0 bWAR)
More than a century later, Shoeless Joe still has a claim for what might be the most impressive rookie season ever. All Jackson did was bat .408, setting a rookie record that will never be broken. Incredibly, he did not win the batting title that season because some guy named Ty Cobb hit .420. Nevertheless, Jackson's obscene batting average is just the tip of the iceberg. The sweet swinging outfielder also posted a .468 OBP--tops in the majors--as well as a .590 slugging percentage, which adds to a 1.058 OPS (193 OPS+). For good measure, he scored 126 runs, amassed 233 hits (including 45 doubles and 19 triples) and stole 41 bases, but because of Cobb's career year none of those statistics were good enough to lead the league.

Dale Alexander 1929 (4.7 bWAR)
Alexander didn't reach the Show until he was 25 but raked from the start. Besides playing everyday and leading the American League in hits with 215, the slugging first baseman ranked second among AL position players in extra base hits (83) and total bases (367). He also produced a robust .343/.397/.580 batting line, scored 110 runs and drove home 137 runs for the Detroit Tigers.

Wally Berger 1930 (4.0 bWAR)
Berger set a rookie record for home runs--38--that lasted 57 years until Mark McGwire obliterated it. But Berger much more than hit the long ball--he batted .310/.375/.614 with 341 total bases as the biggest star on a sixth place Boston Braves squad. In spite of a lackluster supporting cast, Berger batted in 119 runs.

Hal Trosky 1934 (5.2 bWAR)
Only two players in baseball history have a season with over 160 RBI on their resumes but do not have a plaque hanging in the Hall of Fame. Interestingly enough, both did so with the Cleveland Indians. One is a household name--Manny Ramirez--while the other (Trosky) is merely a historical footnote. But two years before he led the major leagues with 162 RBI and 405 total bases, Trosky enjoyed one of the best rookie seasons a player ever had. The 21 year-old played every game, a feat that allowed him to rack up some impressive counting numbers such as 206 hits, 374 total bases and 142 RBI. He also scored 117 runs, batted .330/.388/.598, smacked 45 doubles and crushed 35 homers. Like most good hitters of the day, he finished the season with more walks than whiffs.

Joe DiMaggio 1936 (4.6 bWAR)
In 1936 the New York Yankees were desperate for new blood. Still reeling from Babe Ruth's retirement, New York was in a bit of a rut, having captured just one American League pennant in the previous seven seasons (despite averaging 93 wins per year). While their pitching had steadily improved under Joe McCarthy, an offense that plated 1,067 runs in 1931 had declined to 818 runs scored in 1935. A 21 year-old DiMaggio helped reverse that trend by batting .323 and stroking 206 hits, including an ML-best 15 triples. He also clubbed 44 doubles and 29 home runs on his way to compiling 367 total bases, which translated to a .576 slugging percentage. Batting third ahead of Gehrig and Bill Dickey, he scored 132 runs and knocked in 125. When it was all said and done, the Yankee Clipper led his squad to 102 wins and their first of four consecutive World Series titles.

Ted Williams 1939 (6.6 bWAR)
Teddy Ballgame burst onto the scene as a brash, cocky, loudmouthed youngster unlike anything baseball had ever seen before. Veterans dismissed his annoying attitude, only to soon find out that his bat talked louder than his words. Williams became the first rookie to lead the league in runs batted in by accumulating 145 RBI, a total that topped both leagues and set a rookie record that still stands to this day. His 86 extra base hits tied Johnny Mize for most in baseball that year, fueling his AL-leading 344 total bases. Williams also batted .327/.436/.609, scored 131 runs, and worked 107 walks in a stellar debut that placed him fourth in the MVP voting behind Joltin' Joe, teammate Jimmie Foxx, and Bob Feller. There was no official Rookie of the Year award yet, but Babe Ruth declared Williams to be the Rookie of the Year, to which Williams later said was good enough for him. In response to his immediate success, the Red Sox doubled his salary and constructed new bullpens in right field to bring the fences 20 feet closer to home plate.

Jackie Robinson 1947 (3.0 bWAR)
Numbers do not do Robinson justice, for statistics can't even begin to tell the whole story of what it was like for the man who broke baseball's color barrier. That said, he still put up some pretty impressive statistics. The ideal number two hitter, Robinson scored 125 runs, posted a .383 OBP, laid down an ML-best 28 sacrifice hits, and walked twice as often as he struck out. He was also aggressive on the basepaths, leading the Senior Circuit in steals with 29. In addition to leading the Brooklyn Dodgerst to the NL pennant, he was honored with baseball's first ever Rookie of the Year award and also finished fifth in the MVP voting.

Walt Dropo 1950 (2.4 bWAR)
Dropo was 27 years old during his rookie season, so it should come as no surprise that 1950 turned out as the best season of his career by far. Moose scored 101 runs, slugged 34 homers and batted .322/.378/.583. His 144 RBI tied with teammate Vern Stephens for most in the bigs. He also topped the Junior Circuit with 326 total bases while ranking second in extra base hits (70) and slugging percentage to Joe DiMaggio. Dropo started the All-Star Game at first base, finished sixth in the MVP voting and beat out Whitey Ford for Rookie of the Year honors.

Al Rosen 1950 (5.6 bWAR)
Like Averill and Trosky before him, Rosen is another Cleveland star who's gotten lost in baseball's rich history. Blocked in his early years by Ken Keltner, Rosen inherited the hot corner job after Keltner was released. Rosen seized the opportunity by ripping 37 home runs, most in the American League, while also posting the league's best AB/HR ratio. On top of that, the slugging third-sacker scored 100 runs, drew 100 walks, and knocked in 116 runs. Not too shabby.

Frank Robinson 1956 (6.2 bWAR)
Robinson was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year after matching Berger's freshman home run record with 38 big flies. The 20 year-old also batted .290/.379/.558 with 319 total bases and a NL-best 122 runs scored.

Vada Pinson 1959 (6.3 bWAR)
At the tender age of 20, Pinson produced one of the best-but-least-talked-about rookie seasons ever. For starters, Cincinnati's All-Star center fielder led the majors with 131 runs and 47 doubles. He batted .316/.371/.509 while racking up 205 hits and 330 total bases. Lastly, Pinson blended power with speed by going 20/20 with 20 bombs and 21 steals.

Tony Oliva 1964 (6.6 bWAR)
Oliva secured all but one possible first place rookie of the year vote after leading the bigs with 217 hits, 374 total bases (tying Trosky's rookie record), and 84 extra base hits. His 109 runs, 43 doubles, and .323 batting average topped the American League as well. He was the Junior Circuit's starting right fielder in the All-Star Game and finished fourth behind Brooks Robinson, Mickey Mantle, and Elston Howard in the MVP race.

Dick Allen 1964 (8.5 bWAR)
Allen nearly pushed his Philadelphia Phillies into the World Series with his phenomenal rookie season. The 22 year-old third baseman led the majors with 125 runs scored and 13 triples while topping the NL with 80 extra base hits and 352 total bases. He also notched 201 hits and batted .318/.382/.557. While he committed a whopping 41 errors at the hot corner, the Wampum Walloper did more than enough with the lumber to compensate for his defensive ineptitude. When the dust settled after Philadelphia's devastating collapse, Allen was named Rookie of the Year (receiving all but two first place votes) and earned himself a seventh place finish in the MVP voting.

Fred Lynn 1975 (7.1 bWAR)
Lynn became the first player to take home his league's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season, and he did so in a landslide. The Red Sox center fielder was voted first on every ROTY ballot (split one in a tie with teammate Jim Rice) and secured 22 of 24 possible first place MVP votes after sparking Boston to the World Series with his tremendous all-around play. Lynn whacked the most doubles--47--and posted the highest slugging percentage--.566--of anyone in baseball that year. He also paced the Junior Circuit in runs (103) and OPS (.967)  while ranking second in batting average (.331), extra base hits (75), runs created (120) and OPS+ (162). A graceful defender with great range, Lynn earned his first Gold Glove award. The 23 year-old also made his first of nine consecutive All-Star appearances.

Alvin Davis 1984 (5.7 bWAR)
Few players got off to better starts than Mr. Mariner, who homered in his first two games and cracked three doubles in his third. He also reached base safely in the 44 games that followed to set a record. Though he did eventually cool off, Davis still finished his freshman season with 27 home runs, 116 RBI, and 97 walks (16 of which were intentional). He made his only All-Star team, picked up some MVP consideration and breezed to the Rookie of the Year award by collecting all but three available first place votes.

Mark McGwire 1987 (4.8 bWAR)
Offense spiked in '87, helping Big Mac go yard 49 times to shatter the rookie record set by Berger and tied by Robinson. His .618 slugging percentage was tops in the majors, too, but he skipped the last game of the season to be with his wife for the birth of their first son, Matt, who later served as the Cardinals' batboy when his dad tracked down Roger Maris 11 years later.

Mike Piazza 1993 (6.8 bWAR)
The greatest offensive catcher in baseball history erupted in his first full season, batting .318/.370/.561 with 35 long balls and 112 RBI. For his efforts, Piazza placed ninth in the MVP race and won the Rookie of the Year award unanimously. He also received his first of ten straight All-Star selections and Silver Slugger awards

Nomar Garciaparra 1997 (6.5 bWAR)
Garciaparra's monster rookie season cemented his status as a member of the American League's "holy trinity" of shortstops along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox lost more games than they won in '97, but that didn't stop the Fenway Faithful from falling head over heels in love with their new star shortstop. Batting leadoff, Garciaparra scored 122 runs, stole 22 bases and led the American League with 209 hits and 11 triples. He also compiled 44 doubles, 30 home runs, and 365 total bases. Nomah won the Rookie of the Year award unanimously and placed eighth in the MVP vote. He also made the All-Star team and won his first Silver Slugger. He even strung together a 30 game hitting streak, an AL rookie record.

Albert Pujols 2001 (6.3 bWAR)
The 21 year-old Pujols kicked off his Cooperstown-bound career by batting .329/.403/.610 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI, helping St. Louis return to the postseason via the NL Wild Card. Prince Albert rounded out his stat line with 47 doubles, 360 total bases and 112 runs scored. In addition to winning the NL Rookie of the Year award unanimously, he also was voted to the All-Star team, received his first Silver Slugger and placed fourth behind the slugging trio of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Luis Gonzalez (194 home runs between them) in the MVP voting.

Ichiro Suzuki 2001 (7.5 bWAR)
Suzuki became an instant sensation as well as the second player to be named Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Batting leadoff for a Seattle Mariners team that won 116 games despite losing Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in previous years, Ichiro scored 127 runs while igniting the most prolific offense in baseball that year. Suzuki piled up 242 hits--a rookie record--along with 56 stolen bases, both best in the bigs. With his .350 batting average, Suzuki won the batting crown and became the first player to lead the league in hitting and steals simultaneously since Jackie Robinson turned the trick in 1949. Immensely popular in his home country as well as the United States, Suzuki became the first rookie to lead the sport in All-Star votes.  Suzuki received the first of ten straight Gold Gloves in right field after it became evident that he was a defensive wizard on par with Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline. He also won a Silver Slugger even though no one in his right mind would ever refer to the slap-hitting Suzuki as a quote-unquote slugger.

Ryan Braun 2007 (1.8 bWAR)
Though Braun was not called up until May 24th and missed nearly 50 games, he still bashed 34 home runs, knocked in 97 runs and stole 15 bases. Even more impressive was his .324/.370/.634 batting line which included the National League's top slugging percentage. He narrowly beat out Troy Tulowitzki (6.5 bWAR) for Rookie of the Year in what was the closest vote since 1980.

Mike Trout 2012 (10.7 bWAR)
Where to begin? For starters, Trout's rookie season has to be considered the greatest of all-time, or at least the best season any  20 year-old has ever had  He paced the major leagues in runs (129), stolen bases (49) and bWAR (10.7) something no rookie had ever done before. He became the first rookie to go 30/30. He became the first player to score at least 125 runs, bash 30 homers, and swipe more than 45 bases in the same season. He took home the AL Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote, as expected, and would have captured the MVP had Miguel Cabrera not won the Triple Crown.

Honorable Mention:
Earle Combs 1925 (3.5 bWAR)
Midway through the 1925 season, Yankee manager Miller Huggins installed Combs as New York's leadoff hitter. An ideal table-setter with phenomenal on-base skills, Combs built a Hall of Fame career batting atop the Yankees' thunderous lineup for more than a decade. The Kentucky Colonel finished his first full season with 203 hits, 117 runs, and a Derek Jeter-esque .342/.411/.462 batting line. Even though the Yanks sunk to 16 games below .500, Combs still picked up some down ballot MVP votes.

Lloyd Waner 1927 (2.5 bWAR)
Paul Waner's younger brother, nicknamed "Little Poison," batted leadoff for Pittsburgh's pennant winners and paced the Senior Circuit with 133 runs scored, a rookie record. He also totaled 223 hits and a .355 batting average, but neither figure is particularly impressive considering that 198 of his 223 base knocks (88.8 percent) were singles. Though the Pirates were swept by the mighty New York Yankees in the '27 Fall Classic, Waner scored five runs and batted .400/.471/.600 in a losing cause.

Earl Averill 1929 (3.8 bWAR)
Averill broke into the bigs at 26 but still managed to put together a Hall of Fame career. Though his name has been largely forgotten, his impressive batting record still sparkles eight decades after he played his last game. In his first big league season he amassed 321 total bases and 198 hits, 74 of which went for extra bases, while batting .332/.398/.538. He also walked more than he struck out, scored 110 runs and batted in 96.

Rudy York 1937 (3.3 bWAR)
York played just 104 games during his rookie season but made the most of them, batting .307/.375/.651 with 35 dingers and 103 RBI. The hard-hitting catcher inflicted most of that damage during the dog days of August, when he slugged went deep 18 times and drove home 49 runs. His defense, however, was another story. He was so poor with the leather that manager Mickey Cochrane had no choice but to move York off third and bench him before sticking him behind the plate.

Johnny Pesky 1942 (5.2 bWAR)
Pesky hit the ground running by putting together one of the more under-appreciated rookie campaigns of all time.  Sox skipper Joe Cronin penciled his fiery rookie in at the two-hole from day one, letting the 22 year-old shortstop use his remarkable bat control to spray line drives all over the field.  "The Needle" scored 105 runs and paced the majors with 205 base knocks.  He batted .331/.375/.416, helping spark Joe Cronin's second place Red Sox to 93 wins and earning a third place finish in the AL MVP balloting behind Joe Gordon and Ted Williams.  He finished second to Williams, winner of the major league Triple Crown that season. in the batting race and laid down a major-league best 22 sacrifice hits.  What a teammate!

Tim Raines 1981 (3.4 bWAR)
Raines was well on his way to baseball immortality before a player's strike wiped away two months of ballgames. Even so, he still stole 71 bases in just 88 games and would have blown past 100 had the season continued uninterrupted.

Vince Coleman 1985 (2.3 bWAR)
Despite pedestrian offensive numbers, Coleman ran away with the Rookie of the Year award (and into the record books) by obliterating the rookie steals record with 110 thefts. Only Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock have over stolen more bags in a single season.

Carlos Beltran 1999 (4.5 bWAR)
Beltran was just 21 when he became the regular center fielder for the Kansas City Royals, but he could do it all. He hit for power (22 home runs), had speed (27 stolen bases) and played tremendous defense at a premium position. He also scored 112 runs, knocked in 108, and rung up 301 total bases on his way to capturing 26 of 28 first place votes for Rookie of the Year.

Hanley Ramirez 2006 (4.6 bWAR)
Originally the most coveted prospect in the Red Sox farm system, Ramirez was traded to the Florida Marlins along with Anibal Sanchez for established big league talent in the form of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Just 22, HanRam won the starting shortstop job and immediately became a star. The Marlins' leadoff man scored 119 runs, roped 46 doubles, stole 51 bases and batted .292, flashy numbers just good enough to edge Ryan Zimmerman in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Also considered: Charlie Keller, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Rico Carty, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Derek Jeter, Tim Salmon, and Scott Rolen, among others

The Plight of Mike Trout

Mike Trout's salary for the 2013 season is $510,000. That's 20 grand above the league minimum, considerably less than what Alex Rodriguez, Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano, and a bunch of other players will take in this year.

Thing is, Trout was more valuable than all of them last year. He may not have the American League MVP award to prove it, but he has the numbers. In baseball, numbers are everything (well, almost everything).

Here's one: 10.7--that's how many wins above replacement Trout was last year, most in the major leagues by a wide margin.

Here's another: 0--that's how many players scored at least 125 runs, swatted 30 homers and stole more than 45 bases in the same season before Trout came along.

Here's one more: 21--that, of course, is Mike Trout's age in human years.

In a fair, just world, Trout is rewarded handsomely after committing his historic season to memory. His income skyrockets into the same stratosphere as A-Rod, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton. The Angels hand him a blank check, build a statue of him outside their stadium, and give him the moon while they're at it.

Unfortunately, the world we live in is neither a fair one nor a just one. The 2012 AL Rookie of the Year doesn't yet have enough service time under his belt to command more money via arbitration. He has the ability to do anything he wants on the baseball diamond, but when it comes to contract negotiations he is powerless. Hamstrung by his youth and inexperience, Trout has no leverage at the bargaining table.

He is at the mercy of his team, a team that went 6-14 while Trout languished in Triple-A last spring but posted the best record in baseball after promoting him to the Show.

But the Angels have already committed more than $147 million to this year's roster, of which Trout's cut accounts for less than half a percent--a drop in the bucket. Trout deserves a bigger slice of the pie, and he is mad. So is his agent, Craig Landis. More importantly, they want us to be mad, too.

I am not. Trout is getting shafted, yes, but that's just a function of how baseball contracts are structured. Players are vastly underpaid during their early years but eventually become drastically overpaid in the second half of their careers. In the end, everything evens out.

Trout can't complain. While most kids his age are surviving college on a shoestring budget, he'll make more than half a million dollars playing major league baseball this year and is only going to get richer. He'll have to settle for being baseball's best bargain today, but he can sleep easy knowing that he's in line for a windfall tomorrow. Barring an unforeseen career-ending injury, he's slated to become a free agent at 26 and could score the biggest sports contract in history if he keeps playing like he did last year.

Sorry I'm not sorry that you got screwed over, Mike Trout. Just be patient--your day will come.