Kuzul

Justine Siegal made MLB history Tuesday, as the Oakland Athletics announced she would serve as a guest instructor for their Instructional League club, making her the first woman to coach in big league history.

“It’s a dream come true,” Siegal said, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “The A’s are a first-class organization, and it will be an honor to wear their uniform.”

Siegal, 40, has completed the Major League Scouting Bureau school and has her Ph.D. in sport and exercise psychology. Her duties will include “a little bit of everything,” ranging from hitting infield practice to offering her knowledge in meetings, according to Athletics assistant general manager David Forst, per Slusser.

“As a rookie coach, I expect to hit a lot of fungos, throw a lot of batting practice and help out wherever they want me to help,” Siegal told Slusser. “And I do like talking about life skills—I like to help people achieve their life goals.”

Siegal’s hiring continues an upward trend for women in men’s professional sports. The San Antonio Spurs made history by hiring Becky Hammon as an assistant coach, and the former WNBAer led the Spurs’ summer league team to a championship in July. The Sacramento Kings followed suit by hiring Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman to serve as an assistant under head coach George Karl this summer.

Siegal’s situation is perhaps most comparable to that of Jen Welter, who served as a coaching intern with the Arizona Cardinals during training camp. Like Welter, Siegal was not hired for a permanent position but as temporary help during a time when a team needs all hands on deck.      

“Justine knows that nothing has been promised, but we’re not ruling that out,” Forst said of a full-time position.

That leaves the NHL as the only major professional sports league that has not had a female coach.

The Athletics previously employed Kate Greenthal in their scouting department from 2012 to 2014, and this hire shows they’re still among the most progressive organizations in baseball. Even if Siegal’s just a guest instructor, this is progress worth celebrating and, hopefully, a sign of things to come.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

An already frustrating season in San Diego took another hit earlier this month when Major League Baseball fined the San Diego Padres an undisclosed amount for holding an illegal international workout this summer, according to Bleacher Report sources.

Kim Ng, MLB senior vice president, declined to comment when reached Monday. Padres president Mike Dee also declined to comment, saying he considers it a “closed matter.”

The workout was held in Aruba in June, not long before the international signing period opened in July, multiple sources with knowledge of the workout told Bleacher Report. The Padres paid for flights for prospects from Venezuela and some of their parents, furnishing them with airfare, hotels and meals, the sources said.

According to MLB rules, it is forbidden to take prospects who are at an age level not yet eligible for that year’s international signing period out of their native country.

This is not the first time Padres general manager A.J. Preller has run afoul of MLB’s international rules. He reportedly was suspended for one month in the late 2000s for an incident in the Dominican Republic when he was working for Texas, a suspension that was reduced from three months after the Rangers appealed. The Texas club also reportedly paid a $50,000 fine.

Preller came to San Diego with a reputation for being highly successful in finding and acquiring international talent. The Padres said when they hired him last August that part of the reason they settled on Preller was because they wanted to aggressively pursue international talent.

Despite this summer’s infraction, sources say, Preller‘s job in San Diego is not in jeopardy. The Padres signed him to a five-year deal last August, and Padres sources reaffirmed the club’s intent to continue working hard to develop a fertile pipeline of talent internationally.

Ng declined to detail any investigation “of the Padres or any other major league club.”

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

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The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly considering several options for their 2016 coaching staff, including whether to retain manager Bryan Price. No final decisions are expected until after the regular season comes to a close.  

Continue for updates.

Team Legend Larkin a Potential Managerial Replacement

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Reds are discussing alternatives, which include keeping Price and altering his staff or changing managers and starting fresh. Barry Larkin, who made 12 All-Star teams during a nearly two-decade career with the organization, is viewed as a possible new manager.

Price joined the Reds in 2009 as the team’s pitching coach after filling the same role with the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He took over as manager following the 2013 season after the team decided to let Dusty Baker go.

He’s failed to get the team back on the right track. The Reds finished in fourth place in the National League Central last season with a 76-86 record and currently sit in the division’s basement at 63-93 with six games left in the season.

Rosenthal stated the team’s current nine-game losing streak means the front office is “renewing the possibility” of moving forward without Price.

If Cincinnati decides against the managerial switch, pitching coach Jeff Pico headlines the list of staff members who could get dismissed, according to Rosenthal‘s report.

Hiring Larkin would probably do wonders in terms of energizing the fanbase, but his managerial experience is limited to working with Brazil for the World Baseball Classic. He also declined an interview with the Detroit Tigers in 2013, citing the time commitment the job mandates.

Regardless of who fills the manager spot, the Reds must get more production from hitters not named Joey Votto and more consistency from their starting rotation to find success. That onus lands just as much on general manager Walt Jocketty as it does on Price.

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As we enter one of the final weeks of the MLB regular season, the time is now to figure out which players are the best options for daily fantasy baseball. Tuesday’s MLB action features a full slot of games, which allows fantasy owners to make some tough decisions when setting a daily fantasy baseball lineup.

Below is a table featuring the top three players at each position to put you in the right direction, followed by five players to consider when attempting to balance your DraftKings budget.

Value Picks

Marcus Stroman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles ($7,700)

Stroman has been sensational through just three starts this season for the Blue Jays. While he lacks professional experience, he has recorded a 3-0 record and a 1.89 ERA in 2015.

What’s been especially impressive about Stroman has been his ability to get out of jams early and often in games. The former Duke standout has left 86 percent of runners on base this season. He will face an Orioles team that ranks 24th in MLB with a .248 team batting average.

The Blue Jays are on the brink of clinching their first division title since 1993, and Stroman will play a huge role in helping the team move closer to that goal. He’s on a hot streak through just three starts this season and is a steal because of his reasonable current value.

Dee Gordon, 2B, Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays ($4,200)

Gordon has been a pleasant surprise for the Marlins this season and has been one of the best hitters in baseball. The 27-year-old has recorded an impressive .371 batting average over his past 15 games and has carried the Marlins with star slugger Giancarlo Stanton sidelined with an injury.

Gordon has hit safely in seven of his past nine games played with three multihit games over the current span. The second baseman will aim to continue his hot hitting against struggling Rays starter Matt Moore, who has recorded a 2-4 record with a 6.48 ERA in 2015.

Gordon’s value has slipped dramatically since he suffered a thumb injury in mid-July, and it’s best to take advantage of his bargain price tag while you still can. His low value provides owners with budget flexibility and the ability to have an All-Star second baseman for a great asking price.

Adam Eaton, OF, Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals ($4,000)

Eaton has found a home with the White Sox and has played great since the All-Star break. The 26-year-old has recorded an astounding .355 batting average over his past 30 games played with a .381 batting average over his past 15 appearances.

The risk associated with Eaton has been his tendency to be too aggressive at the plate. The outfielder has struck out in nearly 20 percent of his at-bats this season while walking in just 9 percent of his plate appearances.

However, his aggressive hitting has paid off, as he has been arguably the hottest hitter for the White Sox as of late. Eaton and the White Sox will face Royals starter Johnny Cueto, who has struggled since joining the team at the trade deadline. Eaton’s low value makes him a bargain buy heading into Tuesday’s MLB action.

Kevin Pillar, OF, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles ($4,000)

The Blue Jays are stacked with offensive talent, and Pillar has been one of the players who have been talked about the least for Toronto. He has recorded a .392 batting average over his past 15 games played and leads all MLB positional players with a .520 batting average over his past seven appearances.

Pillar has also demonstrated great power hitting as of late. The 26-year-old has recorded a phenomenal .960 slugging percentage over his past seven games. He will have a great opportunity to continue his hot hitting against Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez, who has allowed 14 earned runs combined over his past three starts.

While Pillar’s recent streak may be an aberration, daily fantasy baseball owners should take advantage of his great offensive value as the postseason draws near.

Lucas Duda, 1B, New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($4,700)

Duda has helped lead the Mets to a postseason berth for the first time since 2006. The first baseman has also performed admirably as of late with a .300 batting average and a .900 slugging percentage over his past seven games.

Duda is a well-rounded hitter who always seems to make an impact for the Mets. He has recorded a .836 OPS this season and will face struggling Phillies starter David Buchanan on Tuesday. Buchanan has been atrocious this season with a 2-9 record and a 7.96 ERA.

Duda’s recent hitting streak combined with his favorable matchup against Buchanan and the Phillies sets him up for a huge performance on Tuesday. His low value makes him a great pick in a crowded field of first baseman options.

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via FanGraphs.com and MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

Follow Curtis on Twitter: @CalhounCurtis

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The upcoming postseason may be the main focus of the baseball world right now, but as the regular season winds down, the debate over who should win each of the league’s major awards generally starts to heat up.

Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson look to be the front-runners to win their respective league MVP awards heading into the final week, but they are by no means the only candidates.

The following won’t focus on each league as a whole, though, but instead on who deserves team MVP honors for all 30 MLB franchises.

Position players generally tend to get the nod over pitchers when it comes to the league award, with Clayton Kershaw being a rare exception last season, but more than a few pitchers walked away with team honors.

The idea here was to find the player who has meant the most to the success of his respective team here in 2015.

Sometimes that was the player who led his team in WAR, but by no means was WAR the deciding factor in naming each team’s MVP.

Along with a focus on each team’s winner, a full ballot of the top five players was selected for each team to provide a few honorable mentions deserving of recognition as well.

Begin Slideshow

Being mentioned in trade rumors, much less traded from one team to another, can be a deflating experience for a player. On one hand, it’s disheartening to think your current team no longer wants you around. On the other, it’s flattering to know another team thinks you can help it win.

Yet when you get past the emotions and bruised egos, switching teams can sometimes be a blessing, as the legendary Joe Garagiola once noted: “Being traded is like celebrating your 100th birthday. It might not be the happiest occasion in the world, but consider the alternative.”

For the players involved in the trades that follow, the alternative isn’t something any of them should be interested in exploring. Instead, it’s a fresh start with a new club, a chance to prove their doubters wrong and—if everything goes right—potentially set themselves up for a bigger payday down the road.

Keep in mind these proposed deals are only ideas and pure speculation. Unless otherwise noted, there’s no indication any of them have actually been discussed.

Begin Slideshow

As the 2015 MLB playoff picture comes into focus, let’s take a moment to identify several injured stars whose health will be determining factors in October.

Over the next few slides, we’ll rank various postseason injury comebacks around the league in order of importance. What makes a player’s return more important than another? Talent is an obvious factor, but aspects like position depth, leadership and production prior to injury will all be taken into account. 

There is no shortage of compelling injury storylines to follow with just under a week left to play. Adam Wainwright, Yasiel Puig, Masahiro Tanaka, Troy Tulowitzki and a handful of other well-known players have various ailments to deal with in order to suit up when the postseason begins next week.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below. Which player on the list is the most important to his team? Which injured star is expendable in October? How effective can these players be coming off of extended time on the disabled list?

When players return from injury, there is often a bigger impact than on-the-field production. Let’s dive into eight names that could potentially alter October’s landscape.

Begin Slideshow

1. Washington Nationals: Fight Club

From the Stephen Strasburg Shutdown to naming a manager with no experience as a replacement for Davey Johnson, no organization has swaggered forward more cocksure while believing in itself than the Nationals.

Years from now, we will look back at the video of Jonathan Papelbon’s dugout choking of Bryce Harper as the overriding symbol of a 2015 season gone way off the rails.

The question is: Will it become the overriding symbol of an entire era of Nationals baseball that the franchise let slip through its grasp with no (where’s my) rings to show for it?

Sunday’s Papelbon-Harper dust-up was disgusting and repulsive not simply because two teammates went at it, which, believe it or not, occurs from time to time. Don Sutton-Steve Garvey with the Dodgers, Barry Bonds-Jeff Kent with the Giants, Keith Hernandez-Darryl Strawberry with the Mets; stuff happens. Even on winning teams. Sometimes especially on winning teams.

No, what was most disgusting and repulsive about Papelbon-Harper is that the episode crystallized the underachievement by, and lack of accountability from, an organization that thinks it has all of the answers but has yet to win even one series in October.

The Nationals compiled the best record in the majors in 2012, shut down Strasburg in early September while watching his innings and were bounced from the NL Division Series by St. Louis. The vibe: Our window is just opening, we’ll have plenty more chances.

Their encore in 2013, the first season in which they had a target on their backs after surprising everyone in ’12, was to wilt and not even make the playoffs. They were back last year as NL East champs but never recovered from losing the 18-inning Game 2 epic in the NLDS against the Giants, when manager Matt Williams hooked starter Jordan Zimmermann with a lead and two outs in the ninth.

The first-guessing on that move at the time was ear-splitting, and now it turns out that it was only a precursor to a summer stocked with questionable bullpen usage. By the end, according to longtime Washington Post baseball writer Barry Svrluga the other day, the manager had lost the clubhouse.

“It’s a terrible environment,” one unnamed player told Svrluga. “And the amazing part is everybody feels that way.”

That was after Papelbon drilled Baltimore’s Manny Machado last week, after which Harper complained that now he will “probably get drilled tomorrow,” per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

But it was before Papelbon attacked Harper on Sunday and then, inexplicably, Williams sent Papelbon out to pitch because, well, it was the ninth inning and the game was tied, so of course they had to stick with their closer.

Rarely is a manager as obviously tone-deaf as Williams has been this year. But the problems with this organization lie far deeper than the manager’s seat.

Who hired the manager who ultimately made this club less than the sum of its parts, not more?

Who traded for Papelbon, a well-known baseball miscreant who had helped torpedo the goodwill of clubs in Boston and Philadelphia before egging Harper into a fight? And who signed Rafael Soriano before that?

General manager Mike Rizzo has collected some impressive talent in D.C., but this unsightly mess is not just Williams’ fault. From ownership to Rizzo, some key people running this organization need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. “Natitude” has morphed from a marketing slogan to a running joke across the game for an organization that has left itself open to it, too often behaving as if it’s accomplished something.

Right now, after four full seasons of Harper (including this year’s likely MVP campaign) and 131 regular-season starts from Strasburg, the Nationals are sitting on zero postseason series wins. These are years from elite players that you don’t get back.

Throw in Zimmermann, who is expected to leave as a free agent this winter, Doug Fister, the veteran savvy of Jayson Werth and more, and few clubs have wasted as much talent as these Nationals.

You wonder if Tanner Roark is ever going to develop into the starting pitcher he should, given the way the club has bounced him back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen. You wonder why Drew Storen hasn’t been moved after the Nats twice have pulled the rug out from under him as a closer, first with Soriano then with Papelbon.

For next year, they surely are going to have to hire a new manager and revamp the bullpen entirely. They have decisions to make on free-agent shortstop Ian Desmond (hello, Trea Turner) and center fielder Denard Span. And, oh yeah, they must find a taker for Papelbon and the $11 million he is owed.

That’s a lot of work for one winter for a team that thought a couple hundred million for Max Scherzer was the final piece on the road to the World Series. But this is a bad clubhouse culture, and a significant overhaul is needed.

2. Boston Red Sox: Don’t Feed the Panda

For the second time in three years, the Red Sox were going to attempt to perform the unthinkable: leap from last place to the World Series. It worked beautifully in 2013. Not so much in 2015.

So the Red Sox paid $183 million for Hanley Ramirez and Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval last winter, and all they got was Ramirez’s butchery in left field and Panda hitting the “Like” button on a pretty lady on social media in the middle of a game.

Huh?

With his club out of the race nearly by Patriots’ Day, Ramirez turned into as bad a left fielder as anyone in Fenway Park could remember, and he hasn’t played in a game since Aug. 26 because of what the club is calling “shoulder fatigue” (wink, wink).

Sandoval is hitting .245 with 10 homers and 47 RBI and will not be an October hero this year.

Then there was the rotation. The Sox recalibrated last winter after missing out on free-agent Jon Lester, veering toward starters they viewed as innings-eaters rather than aces.

Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Co. rank 12th among AL rotations with a 4.35 ERA. Justin Masterson was released, pitching coach Juan Nieves was fired, general manager Ben Cherington resigned after Boston hired Dave Dombrowski as the new president of baseball operations and then, salt in the wound of a season gone horribly wrong for Sox fans, came word that popular broadcaster Don Orsillo was let go.

With Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rusney Castillo and Brock Holt, some quality pieces are here for a fairly quick bounce-back. And with Dombrowski in charge (he recently hired Frank Wren and Mike Hazen as his right-hand men), expect a quick fix, starting with the rotation. Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox take a hard run at ace David Price on the free-agent market this winter.

3. Seattle Mariners: Still World Series-less

Turns out, 2014 was a mirage. The Mariners did not take enough steps forward to contend in 2015. They were not positioned as a surprise World Series team.

They weren’t even positioned to keep their general manager.

On Monday, the Mariners named Jerry Dipoto as their new GM, replacing Jack Zduriencik, who held the post from 2009 until Seattle fired him last month. Before him, Bill Bavasi was the GM from 2004-08. Bavasi replaced Hall of Famer Pat Gillick.   

What all of this means is that the Mariners have whiffed on their past two GM hires, fallen into a 14-year playoff drought and remarkably remain the only American League team never to have played in a World Series.

What’s worrisome now is that while Dipoto arrives, and he is very capable, CEO Howard Lincoln remains, and you have to wonder how much of the dark period is his responsibility. The common thread running through different areas, you know?

Though they have Nelson Cruz (better than expected in 2015) and Robinson Cano (worse than expected) in the middle of their order and King Felix Hernandez (sublime, as ever) atop their rotation, the Mariners have to do a better job of developing their own players. Dustin Ackley? Mike Zunino? They even have the wrong Seager in Kyle, not brother Corey (Dodgers).

One thing to look forward to: You know how humans supposedly can do Herculean things in times of crisis and desperation, like a mother lifting a toppled refrigerator off her child after, say, a train crashes into their apartment building? That will be Dipoto after resigning from the AL West-rival Angels on July 1. What fun it will be watching him go to work to take down Mike Scioscia’s club.

Biggest immediate question: Will Dipoto opt to keep Lloyd McClendon as manager? Or will he seek his own guy? If the latter, one strong possibility is Buddy Black.

4. San Diego Padres: Where’s the Beef?

Time was, former Padres closer Goose Gossage, angry that the late, former owner Joan Kroc had removed beer from the clubhouse, griped about it by saying that she was “poisoning the world with her [McDonald’s] hamburgers” yet won’t let the Padres have beer.

Ah, if that were all that went wrong this summer after a gung-ho ownership group still retaining that new-car smell swung for the fences and wound up popping to shortstop. Suddenly, “rock star GM” A.J. Preller has been demoted to “elevator music GM.” They’re not selling T-shirts.

Matt Kemp had a bad first half but, like last year, woke up in the second half and has shown that maybe he can still be what the Padres hope he can be. If he ever grows into a leadership role, that would be good, too.

Justin Upton was mostly worth it but will depart via free agency. The Padres were burned by giving $75 million to free agent James Shields, who has pitched like a No. 3 and not an ace in too many starts. And Ian Kennedy and Andrew Cashner sleepwalked through the first half, when the one strength the Padres counted on, their rotation, sabotaged the summer.   

Firing Black in June when the club was 32-33 was defensible, but installing a Triple-A manager (Pat Murphy), who needed a program just to identify rivals, as “interim for the year” was not.

Now Preller heads into his second winter with as much to do as in his first. The Padres’ shortstop situation has been a season-long embarrassment (where have you gone, Trea Turner?). They need to address that and rebuild practically their entire bullpen. They also need an influx of young players, so don’t be surprised if Shields, closer Craig Kimbrel and even catcher Derek Norris are on the trade block this winter.

One positive that not enough people remember: This was the first time in several years that the Padres, starting with ownership, actually tried to win. I mean, really tried. So at least that bodes well for the future.

5. Detroit Tigers: Who’s the Manager Again?

Yes, yes, I know: It’s Brad Ausmus. And at the risk of making Tigers fans even more angry than they already are, I support that decision.

Look, it wasn’t Ausmus’ fault that Justin Verlander opened the season on the disabled list. It wasn’t Ausmus’ fault that Victor Martinez had a knee injury, and he and Miguel Cabrera hardly were in the lineup together until the Tigers were taking on serious water.

And it sure in blazes wasn’t Ausmus’ fault that all season his bullpen was more flammable than lighter fluid on the face of the sun. That’s been an ongoing issue in Detroit that the Tigers inexplicably have not been able to fix.

So while everyone had Ausmus out the door (yes, me too), and while several Detroit media outlets cited sources that he would be fired, he instead becomes Survivor of the Year.

One other thing: It is to fired president Dave Dombrowski’s credit that he pulled the trigger on the Price and Yoenis Cespedes trades at midseason. Those were two of the only real trade chips the Tigers had to acquire much-needed young talent, like Daniel Norris, the starter they received from Toronto in the Price deal.

But in removing those two players, the Tigers took a short-term hit. Understand, Price likely is going to win the AL Cy Young Award, and Cespedes has stirred debate that he should be considered for NL MVP.

The Tigers currently have the worst rotation in the AL, checking in with a 4.78 ERA. That’s with Price gone, Anibal Sanchez injured (shoulder) and Alfredo Simon and (especially) Shane Greene volatile from start to start. New GM Al Avila’s first task this winter is clear: get some pitching.

6. Chicago White Sox: Where Have You Gone, Ozzie Guillen?

The Sox are the American League Siamese twins of the Padres in 2015. Win the winter, go plop in the summer.

There wasn’t a baseball soul alive who didn’t like what this club did last winter, trading for starter Jeff Samardzija, adding closer David Robertson and acquiring first baseman/DH Adam LaRoche.

Reminder for this winter: For teams that appear to make good moves, remember to immediately question whether the players will play up to expectations and whether the chemistry will be all messed up.

Samardzija has been one of the most disappointing players of the season, going 10-13 with a 5.04 ERA. Center fielder Adam Eaton hurt the Sox early with his painfully slow start. Offensively, the Sox currently rank 14th in the AL in home runs, last in runs scored and last in slugging percentage.

This is the third losing season in the past four under manager Robin Ventura, which is leading to intense speculation as to whether he will return. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf is spectacularly loyal to his people, so there’s that. Right now, it’s a coin flip. But whatever happens, GM Rick Hahn needs to fix the offense.

7. San Francisco Giants: No October Plans This Year

You take the rings any way you can get them, but here’s an odd trend the Giants probably could do without: Three times in the past five years now, they’ve followed up a World Series season by not even qualifying for the playoffs the next year.

So October will be Madison Bumgarner-less, mostly because the Giants couldn’t find enough starting pitching to surround him. Jake Peavy missed much of the year, Tim Hudson wore down and Matt Cain didn’t rebound from elbow surgery as expected.

It wasn’t a total loss in that second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Matt Duffy emerged. Who needs Panda Sandoval, anyway?

Biggest challenge next year? Keeping Hunter Pence and others healthy, and finding enough starting pitching.

8. Cleveland Indians: Jinxed by Sports Illustrated, Again

Yeah, the magazine picked the Indians to win it all again, featuring 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and outfielder Michael Brantley on the cover, and you know what that means. Fizzzzz.

The same thing happened in 1987.

The Indians started slowly, Carlos Santana has not hit as well as expected and the club probably is going to have to trade pitching this winter to get better. Trevor Bauer, anyone?

Thank goodness for shortstop Francisco Lindor.

9. Baltimore Orioles: No Jake Arrieta Here

Following a happy, brief renaissance under manager Buck Showalter in which the Orioles advanced to the postseason twice in the past three seasons, ominous signs are everywhere.

Only the Tigers have a worse rotation ERA than the Orioles (4.57). Baltimore’s starting pitchers worked the third-least number of innings (885.2) in the AL.

Meanwhile, Jake Arrieta, handed to the Cubs along with reliever Pedro Strop for Steve Clevenger and Scott Feldman on July 2, 2013, has developed into one of the best pitchers in the majors.

And the Orioles were not able to suitably replace outfielders Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis this season.

While the Orioles fade, there are reports, via Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, that Showalter and GM Dan Duquette are clashing. Duquette was interested in Toronto’s opening for a club presidency last winter, but Baltimore owner Peter Angelos refused to grant him permission to speak with the Blue Jays.

This winter, things will get more interesting with first baseman Chris Davis, catcher Matt Wieters and lefty Wei-Yin Chen all eligible for free agency. All are clients of Scott Boras, as well, which means they almost certainly will find more money elsewhere.

9a. Weekly Power Rankings

1. Pope Francis: As he left the United States, he asked citizens to pray for him and Jonathan Papelbon.

2. Jake Arrieta: Now 15-1 with a 0.89 ERA in 19 starts since June 21. Has hit as many homers (two) as he’s allowed (two) during this stretch.

3. Yogi Berra: Always remember, you can observe a lot just by watching.

4. Trevor Noah: New Daily Show host and the Cubs’ Kris Bryant stepping onto their first autumn big stage at the same time.

5. Minnesota Twins: Given how miraculous it is that Paul Molitor’s club still has a chance at the wild card, don’t be surprised if Pope Francis returns soon with to canonize the Twins manager.

9b. Rock ‘n’ Roll Lyric of the Week

“Summer has come and passed

“The innocent can never last

“Wake me up when September ends

“Ring out the bells again

“Like we did when spring began

“Wake me up when September ends”

—Green Day, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Three years ago, the Houston Astros lost 107 games, and the Chicago Cubs lost 101. The Kansas City Royals were finishing their fourth straight 90-loss season, their eighth in nine years. The Pittsburgh Pirates were making North American sports history with their 20th-straight losing season.

And the Toronto Blue Jays were finishing double-digit games out of first place for a 12th-straight year.

Three years ago.

Nobody was calling Kansas City a great baseball town. Nobody had trouble getting Blue Jays tickets. Everybody knew PNC Park looked nice, but nobody had any idea it could sound great, too.

Los Angeles Dodgers fans were wondering how long it would take to undo the damage done by Frank McCourt. New York Mets fans were wondering when they’d stop hearing about Bernie Madoff.

The San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Three years ago.

It’s not fair to say that baseball has been turned on its head in the last three years (the Giants won again last year, after all). What is fair is to note that the road from terrible to terrific can be shorter than ever, and we now have some new names at the top.

If the Royals aren’t the best team in the American League this season, then the Blue Jays are. That’s the Royals, who just won their first division title since 1985, or the Blue Jays, on the verge of clinching their first division title since 1993.

The Mets will be in the playoffs (for the first time since 2006), the Cubs are in the playoffs (for the first time since 2008) and the Astros still have a real shot to be in the playoffs (for the first time since 2005).

Look, it’s true that the St. Louis Cardinals will be playing in October for the fifth straight year and that despite their absence from this tournament, the Giants’ three World Series titles in five years qualify them as a powerhouse franchise until proven otherwise.

But in baseball as it works today, the Cardinals’ consistency is an anomaly. The new norm is that each new year brings with it a team ending a long October drought, a town previously thought of as dead for baseball proving that folks just about anywhere can get caught up in the excitement of watching a winner (anywhere but Tampa Bay).

And just as the Pirates have built on what they did in 2013 and the Royals used last October as a springboard into this outstanding season, there’s every reason to believe the 2015 newcomers could do the same.

The Mets were a surprise division champion this year, but their young rotation means they’ll likely begin next year as the NL East favorite. Heck, after facing the Mets’ four young guns in order over the weekend, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier told reporters the Mets are “the team to beat” this October.

The Cubs and Astros made good use of their 100-loss seasons. The Astros had the first overall draft pick in 2012 and used it on Carlos Correa. The Cubs had the second overall pick the following June and used it on Kris Bryant. Both could win Rookie of the Year (although Francisco Lindor, who the Cleveland Indians picked eighth overall in 2011, has made a strong late run at Correa in the American League).

The draft seems to be serving its intended purpose better than ever, distributing the best talent to the teams most in need. Baseball’s increased revenues, and increased revenue sharing, mean more teams than ever can retain their stars, and more than ever can bid on the few stars who become free agents.

There’s a big premium on smart front offices making good decisions and a great reward for general managers like Toronto’s Alex Anthopoulos for moves like adding Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin in the winter, and Troy Tulowitzki and David Price in July.

There’s a real payoff for general managers who aggressively pursue success at the right time, the way Kansas City’s Dayton Moore did when he traded for James Shields in December 2012, or the way the Mets’ Sandy Alderson did when he acquired Yoenis Cespedes at the non-waiver deadline this past July.

The Mets, 13th in the National League in attendance the last two years, have had big crowds since Cespedes arrived. The Blue Jays, middle of the pack in attendance the last few years and worse than that from 2009-11, have sold out 20 of their last 21 games at the Rogers Centre.

The Royals set a franchise attendance record this season. Baseball is alive again in Kansas City, just as it is in Pittsburgh and in Toronto and in Queens.

No one would have said that three years ago.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Quick, who won last season’s Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award? No fair looking it up.

If your answer was, “I had no idea that award existed,” you aren’t alone. Despite increasing acceptance of advanced defensive metrics and a league-wide emphasis on glove work and run prevention, baseball still doesn’t have a defensive prize on par with the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards.

Yes, Gold Gloves are handed out at each position. And while there have been some epically head-scratching past winners, they’re still shorthand for exemplary leather.

But the Gold Gloves are akin to doling out nine MVPs. It dilutes the honor and fails to pinpoint the overall best defender in both leagues—the Goldest of Gloves, if you will.

Into that void, allow us to introduce Bleacher Report’s 2015 American League and National League Defensive Players of the Year.

To determine the winners, plus a slate of runners-up and honorable mentions, we’ll weigh three factors, presented here in descending order of importance:

• Defensive statistics: This is the big one, and it will account for the bulk of our decision-making. We’ll focus on the aforementioned advanced metrics—including ultimate zone rating (UZR), defensive runs saved (DRS) and defensive wins above replacement (dwAR)—rather than more archaic measures like fielding percentage, using data from FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference. (See the next slide for a breakdown of the stats and what they mean.)
• Difficulty of position: Slick fielding is a plus anywhere on the diamond, but certain positions—catcher, shortstop and center field, to name the big three—are more difficult and, simply put, more important.
• Star wattage/eyeball test: This will be used sparingly, but it matters a little. As FanGraphs puts it in the explanation for UZR, “You might be able to judge a single play better than the metrics (although that’s debatable), but your ability to recall every play and compare them is limited.” Therefore, no one will cruise on his reputation or a few highlight-worthy plays alone. But every award has to allow for a dash of gut feeling and subjectivity.

Proceed when ready, and feel free to vehemently disagree—and offer your own selections—in the comments.

Begin Slideshow