MLB Game Picks - Sunday: July 27, 2014

I am writing this on Saturday night because we are heading on the road for a five hour drive at six in the morning to pick up a puppy. Scary stuff! So there will not be results in this post from Saturday. I can tell you that after four completed games, I'm already down 1-3, so that doesn't bode well. The only correct pick was the Blue Jays win.

Here are Sunday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: J.A. Happ has had a remarkably good season. That said, the Yankees are very familiar with him. On the other hand, Shane Greene is a bit of an unknown for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays broke the Yankee Stadium streak. But it lasts only a game.
• The Nationals over the Reds: This pick was wrong on Saturday as the Reds won, 1-0 behind Cueto. Mat Latos has been good for the Reds and his WHIP is much better than his results. The Reds, however, are not hitting and Doug Fister can shut them down.
• The Phillies over the Diamondbacks: It's not like I want to pick Roberto Hernandez to win. Ugh. No. But at the same time, I have watched a lot of Vidal Nuno this season and I certainly cannot pick him to win. Not many good options here.
• The Bay Rays over the Red Sox: Trading Jake Peavy told me all I wanted to know about where the Red Sox think they are. Allen Webster will probably be okay, but Chris Archer is the pick here.
• The White Sox over the Twins: This is another one where I pick the lesser of two evils...kind of like a Presidential election. Yohan Pino has been decent and fairly consistent. But he is nothing special really. Scott Carroll has been much better on the road than at home.
• The Royals over the Indians: Bruce Chen is such a smile machine. How does he get anyone out? But at home, something just happens. I'll never figure it out. Danny Salazar was fairly impressive in his first start back from the minors.
• The Astros over the Marlins. Tom Koehler didn't get it done for me, so I am hoping Collin McHugh does better. Jacob Turner was better his last time out, so this could be way wrong too.
• The Mets over the Brewers: Sometimes my picks are colored by my fan-heart falling for players that I root for. Jacob deGrom has become like that for me. So I am picking him to win. Will it be right? Well, I don't care. You take me as I am in this daily walk. Jimmy Nelson goes for the Brewers.
• The Tigers over the Angels: Hector Santiago pitched well his last time out. But he cannot be counted on to go more than five innings. That gives Rick Porcello more of an edge.
• The Orioles over the Mariners: Roenis Elias pitched well against Mets. But the Orioles are not the Mets. And the last time I picked against Miguel Gonzalez, he made me look silly.
• The Pirates over the Rockies: Who the heck knows what will happen in this game. Edinson Volquez and Franklin Morales are not exactly trustworthy. And at Coors Field, color that in spades. SO I don't know!
• The Braves over the Padres: Has there been a bigger disappointment than Mike Minor this season? I don't think so. And yet, I keep picking him. I might as well keep at it until it's right. Eric Stults has an outside chance at losing 20 games this season.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: Okay, Miles Mikolas pitched very well against the Yankees. But the team from the Bronx makes a habit out of making mediocre pitchers look really good. The A's are not such a team. Scott Kazmir all the way.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: What makes Jake Peavy think that he will get more run support in San Francisco than in Boston? I think he will pitch well. But Hyun-jin Ryu will pitch better.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Cardinals over the Cubs: Kyle Hendricks was quite impressive in his last start. And Adam Wainwright was quite a disappointment in his last one. But Wainwright has been at this a long time and the edge has to go to the ace.

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 19, 2014

Wow! I am in a slump. The last two days have gone 10-17. Yuck! I haven't been able to pick a duck from a goose these last two days. I made a joke about Jered Weaver throwing a gem. He threw a gem. I picked the Mets to win!? Really? Of course, had I know they would trade Ike Davis on Passover, I would have known maybe. I stole that joke from Wendy Thurm. Come on, William, buckle down and let's get this right.

Saturday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Nationals: I have the same situation as I had with Weaver yesterday. Jordan Zimmermann has been terrible thus far. If today is his discovery day, the pick is messed up. Lance Lynn goes for the Cards.
• The Indians over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays won yesterday and I think Jose Reyes comes off the DL today. But I like Corey Kluber at home over Mark Buehrle.
• The Tigers over the Angels: Mike Trout and Albert Pujols combined for ten total bases yesterday. If that happens again, the pick is dead. But again, I like Max Scherzer at home over C.J. Wilson.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: The Red Sox should jump all over Bud Norris (though he pitched well last time). My only concern is Felix Doubront who has been all over the place thus far.
• The Royals over the Twins: Bruce Chen at home? Oh yeah, that's a keeper. He has the most amazing home/road splits of all time. Kevin Correia doesn't scare me on this pick.
• The Reds over the Cubs: Tony Cingrani is pitching and I root for Italians. Hey, every prognosticator has their peccadilloes. Edwin Jackson is pitching for the Cubs and even if he does well, his team is not hitting.
• The Athletics over the Astros: Poor Brett Oberholtzer has been pitching so well and is 0-3. Oh, the plight of a pitcher for a bad team. Teams like the A's pick up guys like Scott Kazmir and they just work out. Pretty amazing that.
• The Brewers over the Pirates: This is another Jered Weaver situation. Wandy Rodriguez has not been able to put it together. He has looked terrible. Will today be the day he puts it together? The Brewers best hitters are right-handed, so I don't think it will happen. Matt Garza gets his first Brewers win.
• The Yankees over the Rays: This pick is totally based on the good Ivan Nova to show up. If the bad one shows up. Uh oh. Plus, Chris Archer has had the Yankees' number, but if I pick it that way, it will go the opposite way. Boy, two bad days really plays with your head.
• The Mariners over the Marlins: Roenis Elias will be pretty darned close to his Cuban home in Miami. He's been pretty good. Henderson Alvarez has not been good at all. The Marlins walked off yesterday. Today is a different day.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: The Rangers should have saved some of those runs. They will need them today. Jose Quintana is a good pitcher and Colby Lewis scares me to death.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Mike Bolsinger is making his first MLB start. I never like those situations. So I am going with Dan Haren and the Dodgers, especially at home.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: Jordan Lyles is inducing twice as many ground balls as fly balls. That is perfect for Coors. Kyle Kendrick at Coors doesn't sound fun.
• The Giants over the Padres: Tim Hudson was built to pitch in San Diego's park. Eric Stults is a mystery.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Braves over the Mets: Ervin Santana has been very good. Bartolo Colon has not been very good and his back hurts. Not good for the Mets.

Yesterday: 6-9, Games of the Day: 7-8, Season: 141-105

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: September 18, 2013

Although I had a decent picking day and am having a good picking week, a failure milestone was reached yesterday. I went past a thousand incorrect picks for the season yesterday. While I know from four years of experience that such a failure rate will occur, it is one of those numbers that brings reality home. I have been wrong a thousand times this season. I am pretty sure that this is the earliest I have reached the mark as this has been a difficult season.

It is hard to believe that there are only eleven days left in the season. Wednesday's picks:

• The White Sox over the Twins: The battle of bad teams continues and the White Sox have won the first two games of the series. A sweep is in sight in this getaway day game. John Danks should finally get a win and Scott Diamond has the bullpen lose it late.
• The Athletics over the Angels: A.J. Griffin at home is a really solid pick. Jason Vargas is capable of putting up a good game, especially in a big ballpark like the Coliseum. I expect low scoring and a tight game.
• The Braves over the Nationals: The Nats have won nine out of ten and are surging perhaps a bit too late to reach the Reds. They are still four and a half games out. While Ross Ohlendorf has been amazing, I think Alex Wood will be better.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: This is a battle of fringe Major League pitchers. Zach Minor has had several turns in the Majors but has never been able to stick. He has pitched thirteen times in relief for Philly, but this is his first start. Nathan Eovaldi has had a good game here and there with a bunch of mediocrity thrown in.
• The Pirates over the Padres: The Padres have beaten the Pirates two days in a row with some nice pitching. Either that or the Pirates bats have gone in a slump. The good news for the Pirates is that Tyson Ross is not nearly as good as the first two pitchers they faced in this series. Charlie Morton with the win.
• The Blue Jays over the Yankees: Have you ever watched Survivor and one of the challenges is trying to stack these wooden card pieces to a certain height? That reminds me of the Yankees season. The Yankees come to the next to last week with their cards stacked wobbly near the top only to all come crashing down before reaching the end.  J.A. Happ over Phil Hughes.
• The Tigers over the Mariners: Hisashi Iwakuma has had a very nice season. And he should do well in the Tigers' big ballpark. So the question remains of what Justin Verlander shows up. He looked much more dominant his last outing. I have to go with Verlander at the end of the season and the Tigers' lineup.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: I was wrong here yesterday and this pick is no guaranteed one either. Wei-Yin Chen has faltered this season after a strong debut season a year ago. I have to believe that he is not really healthy. Jake Peavy needs to prove his case for the post season. In my mind, he has not done that yet. I am still rooting for Chris Davis though.
• The Rangers over the Rays: This is one of those reverse logic picks. Derek Holland has not pitched well this season and even worse of late. So naturally, he is screaming for me to pick against him. But then he shuts down the Rays and the Rangers score a few off of Chris Archer and foul it all up. I got you.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: This is a battle for youngsters trying to make a mark in the Big Leagues. Tyler Thornburg has made a better impression so far than Chris Rusin has. So that is my pick.
• The Astros over the Athletics: This is my upset special of the day. Brad Peacock has won his last two starts and four of his last six decisions. He has elevated his K-rate while lowering his walk rate. Combine those facts with the A's starting journeyman, Greg Reynolds, and you have a recipe for an upset.
• The Royals over the Indians: These two teams beating each other up what I see. They have taken turns winning this series. Bruce Chen has a winning percentage at home over the years over .600 and that is too convincing for me to not pick him over Danny Salazar.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: Adam Wainwright did not pitch well the last time he was at Coors Field. He lives on the curveball and it will not curve as much in that park at that altitude. But the Cardinals are good enough to win a slugfest and I am still not convinced by Tyler Chatwood.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: A win here would clinch the division for the Dodgers. But that day will be postponed a day as Brandon McCarthy has a good game and the random sighting of Stephen Fife doesn't work this time.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Giants over the Mets: The Giants have had their way this series and I expect it to continue tonight. Aaron Harang has Citi Field to help him with dinger-control. But the Giants have Matt Cain on the mound and I think that trumps it.

Yesterday: 10-6

Week: 28-14

Month: 131-106

Season: 1273-1001

Games of the Day: 97-67

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: August 29, 2013

These game picks are laboring right into Labor Day Weekend. It was a struggle just to finish barely over the .500 mark. Of course, it did not help that some of the best pitchers in the league, Felix Hernandez, Hiroki Kuroda and Adam Wainwright all clanked yesterday and were hit hard. It also does not help that Kirk Gibson continues to place Heath Bell in meaningful situations. The Yankees have thrashed the Blue Jays all season, have many weapons back in their lineup and lost two of three in Toronto. Ah the life of a game picker. You cannot predict ball.

There are nine games on the Thursday schedule. Four of them are day games. And these are the picks:

• The Tigers over the Athletics: Okay, so I have picked the Tigers for each of these games and have been wrong for each. But there is a stubborn streak in me. Bartolo Colon is coming off the disabled list. That could be good news for the A's. Or it could be bad news. Max Scherzer should be bad news for the A's. But then nothing about this series has been in the should category.
• The Bay Rays over the Angels: At first, I thought that this was an easy Angels win as the Rays are starting Jake Odorizzi. But then I saw that the Angels were starting Jason Vargas. This will be a high scoring game with the Rays winning late.
• The Royals over the Twins: I do not know what I was thinking picking the Twins yesterday. That was dumb. Really dumb. I will not be dumb today (which means that I probably will be). Sam Deduno is the only Twins pitcher with some life in his arm. But he might not be enough. Bruce Chen has lost two in a row though. So who knows.
• The Mets over the Phillies: I will be honest. I have no idea which team is going to win this game. The Mets are starting Carlos Torres, a guy who has been in the bullpen for most of the season. The Phillies are starting Ethan Martin who has looked terrible at times and decent at times. I will go with the hometown Mets. But that is a poor reason and is all I have.
• The Nationals over the Marlins: Remember when Gio Gonzalez was going to be one of the pieces that drove the Nats to the World Series? Yeah, that did not happen. But he still has enough talent to beat the Marlins. Tom Koehler has been pretty good though.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: I hate to pick against Yovani Gallardo. He has been great since coming off the disabled list. But he is not at home and I think Gerrit Cole is going to shut down Gallardo's teammates. Marlon Byrd. Amazing.
• The Braves over the Indians: I am not a big believer in either Ubaldo Jimenez or Kris Medlen this season. That said, I have to go with the Braves at home because I think they are the better team.
• The Astros over the Mariners: Kyle Seager has been hot and hits better on the road. And I am not a fan of Jordan Lyles. But I am also not a fan of Erasmo Ramirez. The Astros have played with heart all season despite their record. I think they win here.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: You cannot stop these Red Sox. They are going to be hard pressed to beat before they get to the World Series. Jon Lester is peaking at a good time. The team is hitting well. Chris Tillman will not be able to stop them.

Yesterday: 8-7

Week: 30-25

Month: 211-165

Season: 1120-878

Games of the Day: 85-59   -1

MLB Game Picks - Friday: August 23, 2013

This week has looked a whole lot brighter since going 17-7 over the last two days with the picks. Short schedules like yesterday can be bothersome, but it was navigated with a 6-3 day. It helps when you have guys like Clayton Kershaw pitching. He is just about a lock for the CYA, it seems.

Of the three games that were incorrect, a very off-putting performance by Justin Verlander was puzzling as the Twins hit him hard and then the bullpen did not help. The Royals got swept by the White Sox. Whuh!? And after thinking Matt Cain was back to being Matt Cain, Cain was not Abel to get anyone out on the Pirates.

The Yankees are only three and a half back now on the wildcard. Can it be? If only they could play the Blue Jays every day the rest of the way. They are now 11-1 against that club.

Friday's picks:

• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: This pick is extremely tricky. Wade Miley is pitching much better these days. The Phillies do not have any significant split against left-handed starters. So that should not be a factor. Cole Hamels is pitching as well as Miley or better. The Phillies are playing better. Ugh. Still picking the D-backs.
• The Indians over the Twins: I was sort of amazed to see that the Indians are still in the wildcard hunt. Shows you what I know. Sam Deduno has been letting me down big time lately. Nick Swisher is showing signs on getting on one of his rolls. Ubaldo Jimenez has to pitch well though.
• The Orioles over the Athletics: Dan Straily is not quite the same on the road as he is at home. Bud Norris has not been spectacular, but he has been solid and that is all the O's need from him. The Orioles are home and they have fun there.
• The Marlins over the Rockies: This pick might be down right stupid. But the Rockies are really playing poorly. Jhoulys Chacin is very inconsistent and hard to count on. Tom Koehler deserves something good to happen. Giancarlo Stanton makes that home run sculpture dance? Am I the only person who likes that thing?
• The Tigers over the Mets: The Mets have signed and are starting Daisuke Matsuzaka (dormez-vous, dormez-vous). That, is...interesting. Doug Fister needs to pitch well to make this pick. The Tigers seem to struggle against bad teams. We will see what happens.
• The Reds over the Brewers: Two things about this game are troubling. First, Yovani Gallardo has come off the disabled list with a bang. Secondly, despite how talented Homer Bailey is, he still has a losing record.
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: If the Yankees can win in their own personal house of horrors, Tropicana Field, then they really are back in this race. If they cannot, then it is fools gold. Chris Archer made them look silly earlier in the year. Hiroki Kuroda has had a great season and needs to keep that up today.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: Yeah, I know. In a normal universe, this should not happen. But the White Sox are hot lately. And Chris Sale can beat anyone on any given day if he gets some run support. He should get it with a few runs off of Martin Perez.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: It is so difficult to pick the Blue Jays. They have found so many creative ways to lose this season. Todd Redmond, however, has pitched well and already struck out ten Astros in six innings the last time he faced them. Jordan Lyles and his country crocodiles goes for the Astros.
• The Royals over the Nationals: Bruce Chen has a .649 lifetime winning percentage at Cough-man Stadium. So this pick has a 65% chance of being correct. The other 35% depends on how well Gio Gonzalez pitches and he has not been quite right.
• The Cardinals over the Braves: This was supposed to be a big series. But the Cards have caught the Braves with their pants down. Justin Upton is hurting. Jason Heyward is out. Brandon Beachy is heading back to the doctor. Not good. Adam Wainwright over Kris Medlen.
• The Dodgers over the Red Sox: This is a cool game against two really good teams. John Lackey starts against the Dodgers. I wonder what he will think about Yasiel Puig? I picture a lot of ugly faces. Ricky Nolasco really mades a difference in this one I think.
• The Padres over the Cubs: Two of the most dysfunctional starting pitchers in baseball start against each other. Edwin Jackson goes against Edinson Volquez. Wow. Is this the island of misfit toys or what?
• The Giants over the Pirates: I was wrong with this pick yesterday and I do not seem to have much luck predicting when Madison Bumgarner will pitch well. But in a normal world, the Giants' pitcher is much better than Charlie Morton. Very few baseball games are normal though.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Mariners over the Angels: Felix Hernandez is better than Garrett Richards, especially when he is at home. It is that simple and that is that.

Yesterday: 6-3

Week: 39-28

Month: 175-122

Season: 1078-835

Games of the Day: 82-56   +2

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: July 28, 2013

Yesterday was a really bad day for batters in Major League Baseball. There were six shutouts in total. According to @dianagram, that was just off the single day record of eight recorded on June 4, 1972. Four of those shutouts yesterday were of the 1-0 variety. And that, according to the same wonderful source, ties a record that has only occurred two other times (9/18/1915 and 9/2/2002). On the latter date of those two, there were five shutouts total. So as you can see, it was a really bad day for batters.

And it was not just a bad day for batters either. It was also a bad day for game pickers. Let's just say the week ended with a resounding thud. We can call it a market correction. We can call it whatever we want. But one thing you could not call it was pretty. At least one of the very small selections of correct picks was the Game of the Day.

The batters and this picker can only hope that today is better. Sunday's picks:

• The Bay Rays over the Yankees: The Yankees are a bad team. There. I said it. Can anyone dispute it? Nevermind the won/loss record. They cannot hit. They have little zip behind them. They simply are not very good. Today, Derek Jeter returns. Will it make a difference? Will it last?  It does not matter. They will probably get shut out by Matt Moore. It will not matter what Phil Hughes does.
• The Indians over the Rangers: The Rangers are only slightly better than the Yankees right now. They cannot hit either. I do not care what anyone says, the A's are not that great a team. Yet, they will win this division uncontested. Alexi Ogando loses to Ubaldo Jimenez.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: This game is horrible to pick. The Blue Jays are another dysfunctional group. The Astros are the worst team in baseball. But Jarred Cosart is pitching well. Todd Redmond is not. I hate this pick and this match-up.
• The Tigers over the Phillies: Will the results of this series finally prove to the Phillies' GM that his team has no chance for the post season? Maybe. It should. It is kind of sad that the Phillies and the Yankees hit the wall in the same season. Rick Porcello over Jonathan Pettibone.
• The Marlins over the Pirates: Young guns on parade here as Jose Fernandez takes on Gerrit Cole. Both are going to be stars in this league for a long time. One thing I have learned this season is that Fernandez does not lose in Miami.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Jon Lester should be better than Jason Hammel right? Right? Oy.
• The Mets over the Nationals: Taylor Jordan has not pitched badly. He has only walked four batters. And yet, he is 0-3. I would pick him to get his first MLB victory today except that he is facing Carlos Torres. Torres has been lights out for the Mets since joining the rotation. Do you know that the Mets have a better record than the Giants?
• The Royals over the White Sox: Good golly, am I really picking Bruce Chen to win a start? This day has another disaster written all over it. But I cannot get myself to pick Hector Santiago and the White Sox. I just can't. When will pitchers smarten up and stop walking Adam Dunn? I just don't get why they do.
• The Athletics over the Angels: The bulk of Jarrod Parker's wins have come at home. He is at home. So that seems reason enough for this pick. The second reason is that Albert Pujols is now gone from the middle of the Angels' lineup and while he was not the same, he was at least a presence. The third reason is that Tommy Hanson has to be really fine to win.
• The Giants over the Cubs: Here I go continuing to blythely pick the Giants to win when they lose just about every day. And, I am picking Tim Lincecum to win. Egads, man! Have you no head? And Travis Wood is a good pitcher for the Cubs. I am still picking the Giants to win.
• The Reds over the Dodgers: This has been a fun series. These two teams might face each other again in the post season. They will be closely matched. I am picking the Reds today because I think Tony Cingrani will beat Chris Capuano. But this is far from a guaranteed pick.
• The Rockies over the Brewers: Donovan Hand is another guy who has not pitched badly and has nothing to show for it. But I do not see him succeeding today at Coors and Jhoulys Chacin should get the win.
• The Twins over the Mariners: I sort of like this Kyle Gibson kid. I think he has a good chance of winning today. On the other hand, I do not think much of Erasmo Ramirez despite him getting his first win during his last outing. His team is not always going to score so many runs for him.
• The Cardinals over the Braves: Either the Braves have pitched really well this series or the Cardinals' lineup has hit a wall of sorts. But the Cards can break away with a series split with a win today. I like Shelby Miller over Kris Medlen.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Diamondbacks over the Padres: No matter what else goes wrong for the Diamondbacks, every fifth day is Patrick Corbin Day. And that is a very good thing. Their batters need to be patient against Tyson Ross though because Ross will walk people.

Yesterday: 4-11  Ugh

Last week: 69-49

Month: 197-135

Season: 874-671

Games of the Day: 68-44

Tipping the Cap to Bruce Chen

After thirteen years in the big leagues, the Panamanian-born Bruce Chen finally got the payday of his life. Chen signed a two year deal with the Kansas City Royals valued at $9 million with another million and a half in attainable performance bonuses. Chen has been worth (according to Fangraphs) $12.4 million to the Royals over the last two seasons and though it was better for the Royals to get that kind of performance at a couple of million a season instead of perhaps five and a half, the Royals could still come out ahead in this deal so it's hard to fault the team for making it. After all, someone has to pitch for the Royals and Chen has gotten the job done for them over a two year span and while the Royals' line up has come alive with new blood, the rotation has continued to struggle. At least Chen gives them a decent chance to win on most nights.

And that's why you have to tip your cap to the guy. He's an anti-analyst hero. Again, just so this writer doesn't get into hot water, that isn't a slam on analysts, but a smile for a guy that just doesn't get his share of outs in the typically loved way. Chen will zip his two-seam fastball up to the plate at an 84 MPH clip. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys and he doesn't have pinpoint control. His homer per nine inning rate has never been pretty. Without the blow-them-away stuff, he doesn't induce a ton of ground balls. More of his batted ball are hit into the air. Several have compared Bruce Chen to Jamie Moyer (here's one) and the comparison is apt. Old school baseball folks would call him a "crafty left-hander."

The Royals are Bruce Chen's tenth team. A little more than half of his 317 career appearances have been starts. Chen has never been spectacular. At times he's been absolutely brutal. He's pitched for Bobby Cox, Terry Francona and Bobby Valentine but he's never pitched in the post season. His career ERA+ is almost average. His career Game Score is exactly average. He's had four seasons where his fWAR was over one and four where it was in the negative category. He's the typical journeyman who has finally found a home with the Kansas City Royals and after a series of one year contracts, finally has a multi-year deal.

So yeah, Bruce Chen has defied the odds. He has hung in there and taken his lumps. He's never been great but has sometimes been pretty good. And after all this time and after all that moving around, Bruce Chen has found a home and will get paid a pretty good amount of money. Good for you, Bruce Chen. Good for you.

Comeback Players of the Year

One of the best awards in the post season is the Comeback Player of the Year Award. The award is one of the best because it celebrates the underdog, a player that overcame obstacles to have a season nobody expected. It's one of the bluest collar awards of them all and Fans dig that. We love those stories where a player overcomes and is again successful. Each league has two obvious choices this year. The National League has Pat Burrell and the American League has Bruce Chen. Let's start with Chen.

Bruce Chen capped off his year on Friday night with a 7-0, complete game shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays on a night when the Rays are fighting for the best record in baseball and the AL East title. Chen gave up two hits and two walks and struck out seven. The win finishes his season with a 12-7 record with a 4.17 ERA. It was only the second time in Chen's career that he won more than ten games. Chen's season wasn't ace-like in any shape or form. His WHIP is a hefty 1.4+. His BABIP (.289) suggests that he was a bit lucky. In eleven of Chen's starts, the Royals scored six or more runs for him and obviously, his record during those games was 8-0.

But that's not really the point. The point is that Chen has pitched for ten different major league teams. He pitched in five games in 2007. He was out of the major leagues the entire 2008 season. He pitched (badly) in just 17 games for the Royals last year and here he is making 22 starts and 32 overall appearances covering 140 innings and he won twelve of his nineteen decisions. After all these years, he gave the Royals a league average pitcher and there is a lot to be said for that. If the Royals had two or three more guys like him, they would have been a much better team. This is a guy who played for parts of 13 seasons in the minors and parts of 12 seasons in the majors and he never quit and he came from nowhere this year and gave the Royals their best pitching performance this side of Zack Greinke. That's your basic definition of a comeback player of the year.

Pat Burrell was famous once. He was the golden boy of the Philadelphia Phillies. His good looks combined with average seasons of 28 homers a year with 91 RBIs, a penchant for getting on base helped him become an idol in the city of brotherly love. His average numbers there would be even better if you threw out 2003 which was so bad it had to be an outlier. He hit .205 that year for gosh sakes. But he had a big contract with the Phillies. He never was much of a left fielder. There is no DH in the National League and the Phillies decided not to prolong their relationship after the 2008 title season.

Burrell signed with the Tampa Bay Rays who desperately needed a DH. Burrell seemed perfect. Everyone thought it was perfect. But Burrell just didn't perform. He had a horrid 2009 there and his OPS+ was 81, easily the lowest of his career (including that horrid 2003). He came back in 2010 with the Bay Rays and it was even worse. After 24 games, his OPS+ was down to 73 and the Bay Rays couldn't take anymore and they released him.

That was one of the best things to ever happen to the San Francisco Giants. Burrell's slash line with the Giants: .264/.364/.507. He's had a 130 OPS+ with the Giants. And he along with Buster Posey have completely changed the Giants' line up and it has carried the Giants on the brink of a NL West title. He has a 1.018 OPS when there are runners are in scoring position with two outs. Burrell has an .892 OPS in high leverage situations. His WAR is the highest he's had since is 2005 season.

Who knows why Burrell didn't hit in Tampa. Perhaps he never could get the handle on the DH thing. Perhaps he's a better player in the National League (sort of like Javier Vazquez). Whatever it is, he's been reborn in San Francisco and he's probably (almost certainly) going to the post season and may get to face his old team. Now won't that be fun? He is the NL Comeback Player of the Year.