Kuzul

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first day I opened my first pack of baseball cards. The pack was 1989 Topps. The first card I pulled was a Randy Johnson baseball card from when he was with the Seattle Mariners. I thought, “Sheesh, this man looks scary…I wouldn’t want to face him on a bad day.” Dante Bichette’s rookie card was also in this pack. It was significant because my dad said rookie cards were a baseball player’s most significant cards. But after looking at Bichette’s rookie card, all I could think was, “Who would want to play for a team that boasts pink colors?” (That was in reference to the pink banner at the bottom of the card that said Angels.) That was stupid of me, since it was just part of the Topps design. Little did I know at the time Bichette would go ...

Yankees' prospect Jose Campos had been nearly perfect prior to Saturday's start against Hickory.Through four starts (22 innings), Campos owned a 1.23 ERA to go along with 23 strikeouts and a 0.818 WHIP.He had allowed just four runs on the season, three of which were earned.Unfortunately for him, he allowed double that number of runs in just 2.2 innings of work in his most recent start.Through those innings, Campos allowed eight runs on seven hits. He walked three men—he had five total walks prior—and struck out three.Because of the bad outing, Campos' ERA jumped from 1.23 to 4.01.The River Dogs were down 8-4 early, but strong offensive performances from Tyler Austin (two home runs, seven RBI), Cito Culver (single, double, triple, three RBI, three runs scored), Mason Williams (two singles, double, two RBI, three runs scored) and Dante Bichette Jr. (single, walk, RBI, two runs scored) kept the game close.Charleston ...

According to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ryan Howard is starting to get back into the swing of things both literally and figuratively. The power-hitting first baseman has been cleared for baseball activities and will be heading to Florida on Sunday. Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that Howard will begin simply by fielding some ground balls and building up his strength. "He probably won't start hitting for at least a few days because he wants to get his legs under him and doesn't want to get in any bad habits." Nevertheless, this is an incredibly encouraging sign. Last season, Howard hit 33 home runs and drove in 116 runs. Over the six complete seasons that he has played in the City of Brotherly Love, he has averaged almost 133 RBI a year. Even though his batting average is not the greatest and he strikes out far ...

It's time for the Yankees to make a change on the team.I know it's only April, but Freddy Garcia needs to go, and needs to go now.His last outing on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers is just another example of why he can't cut it for the Yankees in 2012.On Saturday, 1.2 innings pitched, five hits, six runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Garcia's 2012 record goes to 0-2 and his ERA all the way up to 12.51That just won't cut it. Not in New York. Not on any major league team, and really, not in the minor leagues either.Garcia has yet to have one start where he lasted six innings and lately, every time he has pitched, he's getting chased out of the game so early, he's taxing the bullpen.The American League has figured out Garcia in 2012. Garcia was able to fool hitters in 2011 with his deceptive ...

You would've thought Freddy Garcia of the New York Yankees would be able to at least last until Andy Pettitte comes back, but he simply doesn't deserve to stay in the rotation after another horrible start against the Detroit Tigers.Garcia went 1.2 innings and allowed six runs on five hits, bumping his ERA to 12.51. The veteran starter looks like a shell of the pitcher Yankee fans saw in 2011.In turn, the Bombers are taxing their bullpen every time Garcia takes the ball and that's a problem even for a team with a solid bullpen. Starts like Garcia's wear down a 'pen and can turn the most effective relievers into jello arms.So what should the Yanks do?The most immediate solution would be to swap Garcia and David Phelps, the Yanks' current long-man in the bullpen. Phelps has been almost perfect out of the bullpen, with a few bad outings against the ...

The future of baseball has arrived.With the Saturday debuts of highly touted prospects Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, both the American League and National League are entering a new era.Obviously it's tough to put such lofty expectations on 19- and 20-year-old kids, but these are legitimately two of the best prospects in the last decade.Both are also charged with somewhat daunting tasks in 2012. Harper must keep the upstart Washington Nationals rolling, while Trout needs to provide a spark for the Anaheim Angels, who have limped out of the gate.With their immense talent level, both are capable of pulling off the feats. But how do the two wonder boys stack up against each other? Let's examine. HittingThe two bring different things to the plate, as Harper is a strong power hitter, while Trout torches pitchers by consistently knocking base hits.This season, Harper has struggled a little in Triple-A, hitting just .250 ...

By the end of this weekend, the baseball world will be swimming in highlights from 20-year-old Mike Trout’s call up in Cleveland and 19-year-old Bryce Harper’s debut in Los Angeles. Come Monday morning, fans will drag their bodies back to work, talking about these two future All-Stars over hot coffee and cubicles. “How awesome was the Dodgers-Nats game on Saturday,” the guy with a crooked tie will say to his co-worker checking his email. “Seeing Harper finally play on the big stage was off the hook!” “Never thought Trout would go hit-less in his call-up,” another will say to a fellow Angels fan lounging in the company’s kitchen. Meantime, in Lakeland, another 20-year-old will wake from slumber, the morning after raking more pitches . His name is Nick Castellanos. This 6 foot 4, 210 lb., power-hitting Florida native is considered to be the future face of the Detroit Tigers. Drafted (more like ...

The Oakland A's are one of the teams that are thankful for the extra wild-card spot in the playoffs.Although they are still long-shots to make the playoffs, a winning start has boosted fans' spirits as the season unfolds.Last season they began the season very similar to this year, by hovering around .500. Their downfall began after they were 27-27.In the following 14 games they lost all but one, including 10 in a row at one point. The season was all but lost after that run.This season they have a couple key pieces that might help them stay strong throughout the season.Bartolo Colon is shaping up to be the A's ace this season.Last year they were led by Gio Gonzalez, whose production dissipated after the All-Star break. He was the owner of a 2.47 ERA before the break and a 3.94 ERA after the break.They will rely on the veteran arm of Colon to stay strong throughout ...

Bryce Harper officially makes his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals, thus starting what many think will be a long big-league career.Some say that Harper should have started the season in Washington, while others believe he should still be in Triple-A to gain more experience.In 20 games with Syracuse, Harper hit .250 with one home run, three RBI and four doubles.Overall, Harper hasn't been that impressive in the minor leagues, with a .297 average last year, 17 home runs and 58 RBI.Nevertheless, he's in the big leagues now and is ready to make his much anticipated debut.But where does he rank when it comes to the most hyped MLB debuts?Here's a look at the top 10 most hyped debuts in MLB history.Begin Slideshow

Before the regular season began, I wrote an article examining the AL East contenders' April schedules and argued that, because the Blue Jays played a relatively weak schedule to open the season, they would have a strong first month. They've done well, but May will not be nearly as kind to them. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Yankees should breeze through a relatively weak May schedule, while the Orioles will run into some of the league's best teams over the next 31 days. Here are analyses of each team's May schedules, and arguments for why the Orioles probably won't be within a game of first place in the division when the calendar turns to June. Baltimore Orioles Opponents: at NYY (2), at BOS (3), vs TEX (4), vs TB (3), vs NYY (2), at KC (2), at WAS (3), vs BOS (3), vs KC (3) at TOR (3) Opponents' combined record (entering April ...