Bailey made his Major League debut on April 6, 2009 for the Athletics after struggling during the 2008 season with Double-A Midland of the Double-A Texas League. He went 5-9 with a 4.32 ERA in 37 games. But Bailey made the A’s roster out of Spring Training in 2009 and caught on quickly with the big club. He posted a 6-3 record with a measly 1.84 ERA in the Majors in 2009 in 68 games with 26 saves.

Coghlan debuted with the Florida Marlins on May 8, 2009 and never looked back, tearing through National League pitching staffs. Coghlan recorded a .321 batting average with nine homeruns and 47 RBIs in 128 games for the NL East club. Coghlan primarily was the club’s left fielder for the 2009 season but did play one game (seven innings worth) at second base for the Marlins.

On Tuesday, the American League Cy Young winner will be announced. Wednesday, the American and National League managers of the year will be announced. Thursday, the National League Cy Young winner will be announced. Monday, November 23, the American League MVP will be announced and Tuesday, November 24, the National League MVP will be announced.

If the Phillies think they will be fighting for another World Series title in 2010, the front office will need to improve three areas of the club. The three most glaring areas are at third base, the back end of the bullpen, and the bench. It did not take GM Ruben Amaro Jr. long to get working on the 2010 season. In fact, he informed starter turned reliever Brett Myers (Phillies 1999 1st round pick-12th overall) that he would not be offered a contract to remain with the club for 2010 only days after his team was eliminated by the Yankees.

1. Who’s on Third?

One of the most glaring problems that surfaced for the Phillies during their previous two playoff runs was the lack of offensive production from the third base side of the diamond. Pedro Feliz signed a two year contract with the Phillies prior to the 2008 season with a club option for a third season (2010), which was declined by Amaro on November 8, 2009. Feliz is one of the strongest third baseman in the National League defensively but his offensive numbers have declined since joining the Phillies in the 2008 season. Feliz previously played eight seasons for the Giants in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. From 2003-2007 Feliz hit 16, 22, 20, 22 and 20 homeruns for the Giants. Since joining the Phillies Feliz has hit 26 homeruns combined over two seasons in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. The problem with Feliz has been his offensive drop-off once the playoffs begin. In two playoff appearances with the Phillies Feliz has hit .250 in 2008 and .167 in 2009. He became an automatic out at the bottom of the batting order during the 2009 postseason, hitting ahead of the scorching hot Carlos Ruiz. In total, Feliz hit .204 over two postseasons with the Phillies with two homeruns and eight RBIs.

The Phillies have already said that they are still interested in resigning Feliz at a lower price. His option was for $5 million. On the team’s wish list for 2010 are Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre, Angels third baseman Chone Figgins, Cardinals third basemen Troy Glaus and Mark DeRosa, Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco (played in Philly from 2002-2005) and possibly Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada (who could move to third). Other options include trading for a third baseman. Amaro spoke with reporters at the GM meetings in Chicago and did not mention any players by name but Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche and Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff could also be available via trade. If the Phillies cannot land a third base free agent or trade for one they could reopen negotiations with Feliz.

2. Every Team Needs Relief

The old saying is that pitching and defense wins championships because good pitching beats good hitting any day of the week. That proved true during the 2009 World Series when the Yankee lefthanders (starters and relievers) stifled the left handed bats in the Phillies lineup. The Phillies bullpen struggled in 2009 after being nearly perfect when leading after seven innings in 2008. Brad Lidge, the closer, was 48 for 48 in save opportunities in 2008 but blew a league leading 11 saves in 2009. Ryan Madson struggled as a fill-in closer when Lidge was ‘removed’ from the role during the regular season and when Lidge was on the Disabled List in June.

One of the items on Amaro’s wish list for this off-season is the addition of one or two arms via free agency to the Phillies bullpen. One free agent said to be garnering interest from the Phillies is Tigers closer Fernando Rodney. Rodney converted 37 of his 38 save opportunities in 2009 for the Tigers and will likely not be resigned by the Tigers. Rodney could prove to be a shut down setup man for the Phillies and step in to the closer’s role if Lidge struggles or is placed on the DL with an injury. Lidge had successful elbow surgery on November 11, 2009 and is said to be ready for Spring Training. Another free agent reliever the Phillies could possibly target is Braves closer Rafael Soriano. Soriano converted 27 of his 31 save opportunities in 2009 for the Braves. The Phillies could also consider making a trade for an established reliever since they do not seem to be in the running for Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay this off-season, despite his asking value possibly being reduced.

3. A Strong Bench Wins Games

Aside from pitching and defense, a strong bench is also a staple to a championship winning club. Just as the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were single handedly defeated by the Phillies in game four of the 2008 NLCS by a strong bench. The Phillies had acquired Matt Stairs on August 30, 2008, one day prior to the playoff roster deadline. Stairs hit a two-run pinch hit go ahead homerun off of Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning of game four in 2008. The Phillies would win game five and then go on to win the World Series in five games against the Rays. Stairs struggled mightily as a bench player in 2009, hitting .194 with five homeruns and 17 RBIs in 103 at-bats. His performance in the post-season was even worse, hitting .100 with one RBI in 10 at-bats.

Other weaknesses for the Phillies on the bench this year was a viable right handed hitter off the bench to face a lefty late in the game. The Phillies began the year with Miguel Cairo, Eric Bruntlett, and Chris Coste as right handed hitting options off the bench. They also used Lou Marson, John Mayberry Jr., and Ben Francisco. Their left handed hitters off the bench aside from Stairs were Greg Dobbs, Paul Bako, and Andy Tracy (when rosters expanded on September 1st).

The sad truth of 2009 for the Phillies was that their bench did not perform as well as it did in 2008, during the regular season or the playoffs. More than likely Stairs will not be back with the Phillies in 2010 unless he signs a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Dobbs will be back as possibly the lone left handed bat off the bench but he hit only .247 with five homeruns and 20 RBIs during the regular season and went a combined zero for four in the playoffs. Eric Bruntlett, in his two seasons with the Phillies, has only been useful as a defensive replacement for manager Charlie Manuel. Bruntlett was primarily used as a late inning defensive replacement for former left fielder Pat Burrell in 2008 and all throughout the team’s World Series run. Bruntlett hit .171 in 2009 with seven RBIs and zero homeruns. He has hit .202 during his two year stay in Philadelphia.

The other problem with the bench from 2009 that must be fixed in 2010 is the need for a backup catcher. The Phillies traded prospect Jason Jaramillo to the Pirates in the off-season for Ronny Paulino. Paulino was then shipped to the San Francisco Giants for lefty reliever Jack Taschner at the end of Spring Training. Paulino would be traded right away to the Marlins, were he spent the 2009 season. In season the Phillies traded catching prospect Lou Marson with three other prospects to Cleveland for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco. When Brad Lidge was on the DL in June Paul Bako was called up and the Phillies went with three catchers, signaling the end of Chris Coste’s time in the City of Brotherly Love. Coste was claimed on waivers by the Astros on July 10, 2009. The Phillies were happy with Bako’s ability to handle the pitching staff and at the plate (.224, 3 homeruns, 9 RBIs) but he is a free agent and the team would like to improve in that area as well.

The Class of the NL for a Third Straight Season?

Not many people will be surprised if the Phillies return to the World Series for a third straight season in 2010. If they do so by winning the NL East then it would be the first time in franchise history that the team has won four consecutive division crowns, which would cement Charlie Manuel as the best manager in team history as he climbs towards the top of the team’s all-time wins list. If GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and his staff can improve the bench, the bullpen, and the situation at third base, or even two of three, then this club will be in line for another title run in 2010 and maybe even 2011.

“College players are a better investment than high school players by a huge, huge, laughably huge margin. The conventional wisdom of baseball insiders-that high school players were more likely to become superstars-was also demonstrably false.”

The book was written by Michael Lewis discussing Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane.  No matter how long someone has served as general manager of a club, it is their responsibility to make the final decision on who to draft and where.  The GM uses a staff loaded with scouts who scour the nation looking for the perfect collegiate or high school player who could be with the big club in record time.  Since the inception of the draft in 1965, there is one glaring trend that has changed as the years have rolled on by; collegiate players have slowly become the more popular player to be drafted into the professional level.

Over the last 45 years the first-year amateur draft has netted teams plenty of players to build a franchise around like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins in Philadelphia and Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada New York (Mariano River and Andy Pettite were signed as amateur free agents).  The draft has also produced players who have been drafted several times before deciding which team to sign with.  For example, J.D. Drew was drafted three separate times by the Giants, Phillies, and finally the Cardinals.  There have only been two members of baseball’s Hall of Fame taken in the first round of the amateur draft.  In 1973, Robin Yount and Dave Winfield were chosen third and fourth overall by the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres.  Yes, in one of the most productive drafts in professional sports, there have only been two Hall of Famers taken in the first round of baseball’s amateur draft.

So how has the amateur baseball draft changed over the years in terms of who gets drafted and why?  Well it starts out with the development of players at both the collegiate and high school levels throughout the country.  The numbers have been in favor of collegiate players so much that in the 2005 draft, 35.2% of all the draftees were from high school.  This is the highest percentage of players coming from high school in the past ten years according to an article published on the Baseball Hall of Fame’s website.

Since the inception of the draft in 1965, general managers have become increasingly more reluctant to draft players out of high school because of various reasons as explained by former Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ed Wade.

“There is always a debate over the sensibility of taking a high school player in the draft, particularly in the upper rounds.  Some organizations favor the college player because he is probably more polished than the high school prospect.”

On the other hand though, Wade says that there are some reasons a high school player could be drafted in the early rounds.

“At the same time, the high school player may present a higher ceiling, meaning that once his skills mature, they will surpass those of the polished college player.”

Many players coming out of high school are too immature in two ways; talent and attitude.  The players that most GM’s are weary of coming out of high school are pitchers because their arms may be too weak to handle the grit of a full minor league season. When high school pitchers are taken in the draft, many of them begin their careers in Class A ball, or sometimes even the rookie league so that they can strengthen their arm throughout extended spring training and then their team’s shortened season.

The article on the Baseball Hall of Fame’s website stated some comparisons between players at the collegiate level and in minor league baseball.  Author Paul D. Staudohar, remarks that players who perform in college at the College World Series (CWS) are playing at a level that is similar to AA baseball while collegiate players who simply play ball in college for two to three years play at a level similar to class A baseball.  Staudohar stats that it is much easier to determine how high a player’s ceiling of talent will be if they are drafted following a stint at the collegiate level.

There are other factors contributing to the reasons why collegiate players get drafted at a higher rate than high school players.  In the past few years, colleges have become easier for students to attend in terms of financial aid and scholarships.  Another reason is that more and more players coming out of high school are grabbing at the opportunity to play at the collegiate level and less are accepting offers from Major League franchises to sign with after being drafted.  Athletic scholarships have become more and more lucrative and beneficial to players because they can attend schools that may have programs that can compete for a national championship like Rice and Vanderbilt.  Not only does playing for a college or university help a player develop academically but it also provides the player with valuable experience on and off the field playing with teammates from all walks of life.  Wade gives examples of what types of questions a scouting staff has to answer about a potential draft pick.

“Teams have to look at the economic side.  Is the player signable?  Who is his agent?  Is school a viable lever for the player?  Is he a multi-sport athlete who may walk away from baseball for football or basketball?  Then, you get into the intangibles.  Is he healthy?  Is he durable?  What is the player’s intellect?  Will he be able to handle being away from home, toiling in the lower minor leagues?  What’s his makeup?  Are there off-field issues to be considered?”

Players that attend college today for baseball strengthen their arms, bat speed, and fielding while still learning the intricacies of the game. Like any other venture into the professional world, someone is always affected by the decisions of management.  The obvious people affected from this trend are the high school baseball players; ones that don’t have a national ranking from Baseball America or haven’t been scouted.  They have to play their way onto a college team or earn an athletic scholarship to a high-profile program.

The Amateur Baseball Draft is the youngest of all the major sports drafts yet it has been the most productive and will remain to be one of the hardest ones to predict in terms of who will go where and what level of education they will be coming from.

“Trends are also cyclical.  Philosophies change with changes in GMs and scouting directors.  It’s like trying to reinvent the wheel.  No matter how many people have convinced themselves that it’s doable, you always come back to ‘round,’” Wade explains.

The League Championship series was added to baseball’s post-season play in 1969. That meant that the top two teams in each league had to play a best of five series before advancing to the World Series. Since the addition of the Wild Card team in each league the Championship Series has been changed to a best of seven format and the Division Series was added to the playoff roster. This new round (in 1995) is a best of five series.

What does all of this mean for the sport of professional baseball? Well, for one, it gives more teams the opportunity to continue playing baseball once October rolls around and it creates more revenue for the sport in general. Since the addition of the Wild Card team and the Division Series to post-season play there have been more than enough sweeps in the first round of play. Has the Wild Card Era lessened baseball with all of these first round sweeps? Or, has the Wild Card Era provided enough thrill and excitement towards the end of the regular season to keep baseball fans happy?

Since the advent of the Wild Card team in postseason play and the onset of the Division Series in each league, first round sweeps have become all too common and many baseball experts and former players claim that the first round should also be a best of seven format, not a best of five format. I tend to agree. As much as I like to see certain teams swept out of the postseason in the first round, if you play a 162 game season you should have more of an opportunity in the first round with a best of seven series. A best of five series is not the greatest measure of a ballclub. A best of seven series is the best measure of a ballclub.

Since 1995 there have been 60 Division Series to take place, two in each league. A handful of those series ended in a sweep, more often then not, for the same team. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been swept from the first round of the MLB playoffs twice, both times by the Boston Red Sox.

Other sweeps, but not all of them, in the first round have come at the expense of the Red Sox, the Padres, the Dodgers (1995 and 1996), the Giants and the Astros. The Chicago Cubs, including 2008, have been swept in the first round of the postseason a total of three times. This season they were knocked out by the Dodgers, last season by the Diamondbacks, and in 1998 by the Braves. The first round of the playoffs needs to be expanded for the sole purpose that there have been too many sweeps in the best of five format.

The Major League Baseball playoffs have lacked excitement for at least the last few seasons because of the sweep. Seeing a team sweep another team during the regular season is nice, especially when the sweeping team needs every win they can get during a pennant race. But all of these sweeps during the postseason are becoming a little old.

Take for instance the 2007 playoffs. The first round saw three sweeps and only one series went four games when the Yankees lost to the Indians 3 games to 1. Then, in the League Championship round, one of the two series ended in a sweep. To make matters worse, the World Series ended in a sweep for the third time in four years. A total of five sweeps occurred during the 2007 playoffs out of the seven series played.

The 2009 playoffs were not much better, especially in the first round, with three of the four series ending in sweeps once again. The only series that did not end in a sweep was the Phillies and Rockies, which went four games, with the Phillies winning the series 3 games to 1. The other three series saw the Dodgers sweep the Cardinals, the Yankees sweep the Twins, and the Angels sweep the Red Sox. The League Championship Series were a little bit better this time around, most notably in the American League, as the Yankees knocked off the Angels 4 games to 2. The NLCS was exactly the same for the second consecutive year as the Phillies eliminated the Dodgers 4 games to 1, this time in Philadelphia instead of Los Angeles.

With the debacle of the 2008 World Series looming large over the heads of Major League Baseball, changes need to be made to the playoff format. World Series game five was suspended because of inclement weather and resumed two days later. The Phillies eventually won the game, 4-3, and took the World Series 4 games to 1 over the Rays. But other than the late-inning dramatics of a continued game five, there wasn’t much excitement outside of Tampa Bay and Philadelphia during the playoffs. Bud Selig and the rest of baseball’s administration need to figure out how to bring the excitement back into the game. Now, with the World Baseball Classic causing the 2009 season to begin a couple of weeks later than normal, the World Series was played into the month of November for the first time since 2001 (9/11 attacks suspended the sport).

We haven’t seen a thrilling (all seven games played) World Series since 2002, when the Angels beat Barry Bonds’ Giants 4 games to 3. The 2009 World Series, between the Yankees and Phillies, went six games, with the Yankees winning their 27th title 4 games to 2. This was the first World Series to go past five games since the 2003 World Series, which saw the Florida Marlins knock off the Yankees 4 games to 2 for their second title in team history.

Baseball is in need of another change, this time to make the playoffs a little bit more exciting, by expanding the first round series to best of seven. If we have to suffer through another first round of sweeps in 2010 the game might lose more fans. Possibly the most exciting game of the season was game number 163 for the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. It was a one game playoff to determine the winner of the American League Central, which went to the Twins by a score of 6-5 in 12 heart racing innings.

The company plans to sell the Cubs to the family of billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade. Tribune Co. also plans to sell Wrigley Field and related properties of the club to the Ricketts family. The Cubs filed for Chapter 11 to protect the club’s new owner from any creditors of the Tribune Co. Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy protection in December of 2008 but did not include the Cubs at the time.

The Tribune Co. will sell 95 percent of the Cubs to the Ricketts family while keeping the remaining five percent of the franchise, which was purchased from the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. in 1981 for $20.5 million. The Wrigley Co. is a candy maker. The first plans announced for the sale of the Cubs came in 2007 but the recession and the crumbling credit markets put the sale on the back burner. The deal with the Ricketts family will top the record deal of $660 million for the sale of the Boston Red Sox in 2002.

• Matt Purke did not sign with the Rangers and will attend TCU
• The Mariners have signed Dustin Ackley but terms have yet to be disclosed
• Alex White signs with the Cleveland Indians for $2.25 million
• Tyler Matzek signs with the Colorado Rockies for $3.9 million bonus
• Kyle Gibson signs with Twins for $1.8 million
• Grant Green and the Athletics came to an agreement
• LeVon Washington was one of only three first round picks not to sign
• Aaron Crow did not sign with Royals but has until May of 2010 since he has no college eligibility remaining.

It has been reported that the deal for Strasburg is for $15.67 million over four years.

“We have identified a need for athleticism, particularly in the outfield, when playing at PETCO Park,” said executive vice president/general manager Kevin Towers. “In signing Donavan Tate, we have acquired an excellent ballplayer and one of the premier athletes available in this year’s draft.”

The deadline for Major League teams to sign their 2009 draft picks has come and gone (12 Midnight) and Number One pick Stephen Strasburg has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals. He was not the only round one pick holding out as long as possible as the deadline approached. The Detroit Tigers signed Jacob Turner for a reported $5.5 million prior to the deadline. The Giants also flew right under the deadline by inking Zach Wheeler prior to midnight for $3.3 million. Other first rounders yet to sign include the following:

• Dustin Ackley (Mariners)
• Donavan Tate (Padres)
• Tyler Matzek (Rockies)
• *Aaron Crow (Royals)
• Grant Green (Athletics)
• Matt Purke (Rangers)
• Alex White (Indians)
• Kyle Gibson (Twins)
• LeVon Washington (Rays)

Supplemental First Rounders yet to sign with their teams are James Paxton (Blue Jays) and Tanner Scheppers (Rangers).

It was announced earlier on Monday that the Tampa Bay Rays do not expect to sign Washington and second rounder Kenny Diekroger. Many in baseball feel that is Strasburg does sign with the Nationals he will be in the Majors by September 1, when rosters expand to 40 players.

*Aaron Crow does not have to sign by the deadline because he does not have any college eligibility remaining.

Garko was hitting .285 with 11 homeruns and 39 RBIs in 78 games. Garko spent the past five seasons in Cleveland, hitting .283 overall with 53 homeruns and 235 RBIs. Garko will hopefully provide some much needed pop to a lethargic Giants offense that has gotten excellent pitching performances from Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain all season long.

Barnes was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA at Single-A San Jose with 99 strikeouts in 98 innings. All 18 games he has pitched in have been starts. The Indians will recall third baseman Andy Marte from Triple-A Columbus to replace Garko on the 25-man roster. Marte was hitting .327 with 18 homeruns and 66 RBIs for the Clippers.