Kuzul

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) cast their votes for players eligible for induction into Baseball's Hall of Fame before January 1, 2012. Bleacher Report baseball writers cast their votes yesterday.The premise of the vote was exact, however. All candidates that appeared on the official 2012 ballot appeared on B/R's ballot, and writers were able to select a maximum of 10 candidates. For mock induction, a player needs to appear on at least 75.0% of the total ballots cast.The following slides reveal our voting results and some comments from various B/R baseball writers about why they chose or didn't choose players for induction.Begin Slideshow

With this being a weak crop of first-ballot candidates, this year gives some guys who have already been on the ballot previously a little extra boost to their chances.Former Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy is a player who fits that profile, being a guy who has been on the ballot for a while without making it.This article examines the reasons why Murphy deserves to make the Hall of Fame as well as the reasons he does not and will give my personal opinion on whether he's Hall of Fame material.Begin Slideshow

The New York Yankees have had their share of outstanding catchers over the past century, so where does Jorge Posada rank on that list?With the 40-year-old veteran reportedly set to announce his retirement in the next few weeks, let's count down the top 10 backstops in the storied history of this franchise...Begin Slideshow

Yankees C/DH Jorge Posada has decided that he will hang up his cleats and retire from Major League Baseball, ESPN reports. This is relevant to Red Sox fans, since Jason Varitek is currently in the same situation that Posada found himself in.Jorge Posada has been a staple in the New York lineup since being drafted in 1990. This past season, injuries and poor performance caused a shift in the starting catcher role, which was filled by Russell Martin. Posada only played the field in 16 games in 2011: 14 of them coming at first base, one at second base and only one behind home plate.The fact of the matter is that Posada was no longer in the Yankees' plans, and even though he is a New York icon, they couldn't really do much for him. They already have a starting catcher in Martin, and surging prospect Jesus Montero will fill ...

After reading the TMZ story of a paternal court judge telling former NFL star Terrell Owens that his career was over I couldn't help but think of former MLB star Barry Bonds and the similarities in the circumstances surrounding his exile from pro baseball.  Much like Bonds in his final season Owens was an extremely productive player. In 2010 he played to the tune of: 72 receptions, 983 yards and nine touchdowns.  Also like Bonds, Owens has been blockaded out of the league, by what any reasonable person would deduce is a sad display of collusion.  In an age when offense is so valued across sports, and stars that can sell tickets are as prized a commodity as a championship ring, it’s simply hard to believe that guys like Bonds and Owens could not find work after their respective final season of 2007 and 2010.   Both men are polarizing stars ...

It's obvious after the Minnesota Twins finished the 2011 season with the second-worst record since the franchise moved to the Twin Cities, the team has plenty of needs.The team needs a couple of solid starting pitchers, an effective reliever, a power-hitting corner outfielder and an effective middle infield combination.For general manager Terry Ryan, it appears that the wheeling and dealing is done, and from the looks of things, with no blockbuster deals, the team will be taking a long, slow ride to respectability.Ryan, taking no big swings to improve the Twins, is relying for the most part, on the current roster of players to improve over last season. The hopes on the 2012 season is that many of these players will return to form that had the Twins winning six division titles over nine seasons.The only changes to the lineup appear to be Ben Revere taking over one of the corner outfield positions, Josh Willingham ...

With so much going on in the shortened NBA season and the NFL playoffs kicking off, it's easy to get one's mind off of baseball. The smart fantasy baseball manager, however, is paying close attention to the MLB and planning accordingly.With any fantasy sport, it's easy to get caught up in the household names, but it's important to never forget the stats (especially in fantasy baseball). So without any more introduction, here are the five most important stats to key in on when drafting in the months to come.Begin Slideshow

The 2011 Colorado Rockies were a disappointment after finishing with a record of 73-89.That was good enough for a lowly fourth place in the NL West.The Rockies got off to such a promising and unusually fast start, finishing the month of April in first place, only to be derailed from there, going forward.Throughout a painfully arduous season, they ran out 13 different starting pitchers, including three, making career debuts.With the exception of a few additions to date, they will be running out a team this season, which in large part looks strikingly similar to that of 2011.Every team embarks upon a new season with question marks.Here are four questions facing the Rockies as they look ahead to the upcoming season.Begin Slideshow

The 2011 season appeared to have been the last for Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, as Sweeny Murti is reporting that Posada will officially retire within the next few weeks. While acting primarily as a designated hitter and bench player, Posada hit .235 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI in 387 at-bats during the 2011 season.This is certainly not surprising news. Posada has battled injuries for each of the last four seasons, only reaching 120 games played once in that stretch. At this point, his value in the field is nothing more than that of an emergency first baseman or catcher. If he even wanted to play, he would only be a truly valuable player in the American League as a designated hitter. Given his age (40) and the abuse to the body that catchers always take, it certainly makes sense that the market would be thin on him. Long gone are the ...

For the first few months of the Cubs new administration, it has been relatively quiet on the forefront despite being in the running for several free agents throughout the offseason. However, yesterday Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates, a 23-year-old pitcher from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Nin Ma according to MLB.com writer, Carrie Muskrat.Although this trade is not in the same league as signing Prince Fielder, nor does this mean that Rizzo will be the projected starting first baseman for the Cubs this season, but Rizzo is undoubtedly a promising prospect that will be a serious component in the Cubs future. It seemed evident Rizzo would be on his way out of Chicago after the Padres traded for Yondo Alonso. With this move, Epstein and Co. were able to jump and grab a premier prospect. Rizzo was called ...