Alex Rodriguez can no longer walk down the street right in the eyes of most fans, but can he be on your fantasy team? But we've seen comebacks before, and maybe we'll see one again.

Today I finished my work around 11AM.  As I thought about how my boss is flying from Albania back to New York, I realized I had time to kill and nobody to talk to in my lonely office.  So I put pen to pad and started thinking about players whom I should write about next.  I asked my friends in my league on Gchat for guidance, here were my suggestions:

• Jurickson Profar, one owner's keeper
• Randal Grichuk, a friend trying to lead me down a path no novice writer should go down
• CJ Cron, it's his birthday today 1/5/2015, Happy 25^th!
• Chris Sale, same first owners keeper, pitching yuck
• Mike McArdle, probably who I should have written about
• Alex Rodriguez, winner

First I'll quickly tell you the tale of Mr. McArdle, as told by himself.  Mike McArdle, the #1 ranked pee-wee football player who had his dreams crushed by a chop block.  He had his whole life ahead of him, stuffed into his oversized pads and bobbling helmet.  His eyes on his prize, he darted towards the ball carrier like a lion pouncing on its prey.  Then all of a sudden darkness, muffled screams, sirens whaling. He comes back, dazed and confused, the victim of a horrible illegal block in the back.  It was a vicious and illegal blow by Kyle Vercruysse, something Kyle still prides himself on to this day.  Years later Kyle, the illegal hitter, and Mike would become friends and live happily ever after.  It's a heartwarming story, one that has literally nothing to do with Alex Rodriguez, but hopefully one day, he can redeem himself, as Kyle did, years after being the epicenter of the biggest scandal to rock the Yorktown Athletic Club.

Alex Rodriguez used to seem like a nice guy, just like Kyle.  He came up as a young strapping lad who pounded 40HRs a year with ease as a SS, while easily chipping in another 20 or so stolen bases.  Then suddenly he became known for steroids, and being a narcissistic lowlife. He kept hitting, so Yankees fan's let it slide. "hey he wasn't as bad as Bonds", we told ourselves, and he admitted he was using them and had stopped. In early 2014 he reached his lowpoint, officially found to have continued to use steroids after saying he had stopped, he was given a 162 game suspension to serve.  He only received a plebian $2,868,852.00 for no services rendered, and had to go on with his business as a regular 38 year old, borderline unemployed, man in New York City, like Kyle, but older.

This year he comes back a man with a clean slate so to speak, ready to redeem himself.  But after serving his time, can you trust Alex Rodriguez again?

First lets take a look at some of his basic ratios, and see if there is anything to like.  Over the past 3 years, he's been a shell of his former past like Kyle, but he's managed to 21% strike out rate, and a 10.6% walk rate, those are both welcome numbers in this day and age.  His plate discipline numbers also showed that he expanded the zone far less than the average hitter in 2013, and even as a smaller Arod, he was still going to have his same eye as in the past.  The last time he played enough games to qualify for the homerun and fly ball leaderboard, 2012, he was averaging 291 ft, think Yoenis Cespedes or Jonathan Lucroy in 2012, and that's where Arod was as well.  Not bad at all.  Here are his chase rates going back to 2011, when his decline began, courtesy of BrooksBaseball.net

So I think it's fair to say, even with his diminishing skills, like Kyle, he still knows what he's doing at the plate, regardless of the fact that he no longer does what he does as well.  But maybe his spray charts would show us something to be scared of.  Here are all of his hits over 2012 and 2013.

So as you can see, he grounds out a lot, but manages to spray the ball around enough to not be a huge shift victim, and another piece of good news is that he still manages to hit homeruns to all fields, taking advantage of the short right field porch in New York, proving he can still drive the ball to all fields.

Next season Steamer projects him to hit .235/.317/.382, which would be a huge drop from his 3 season average from the prior seasons .269/.356/.441 (.796 OPS).  There is a glaring issue with the 3 year average.  When you break it down into a 162 game average, he would have been putting up 99R, 26HR, 85 RBI, 13SB seasons, the problem is he has only averaged 88 games over the past 3 years...

But What can we expect that the projection systems have no noticed?  First of all, there is no attention given to talent level with projections, they are simply a breakdown of your stats, your field, your team around you, and an aging curve.  So while missing an entire season is obviously a negative thing, missing it due to injury would be far worse, than simply not being allowed to play in most circumstances.  Unfortunately, we also have to assume that for the first time perhaps since 92 or 93, Alex Rodriguez may be playing clean, this may be true of Kyle as well, dating back to his toddler years.  So while he can post all the tweets and Instagram photos he wants about working out, and getting ready for the season, his body could potentially be producing testosterone naturally for the first time in decades, something that doesn't easily or quickly come back.  So I fear Steamer may be onto something when they think a steep decline is the realest possibility. But being likely may only be what he has a 51% chance of doing.

Alex, I'll leave you on a positive note, and hope you are reading this.  Everyone in New York hates you, not only because of your huge contract, lies, and drop in production, but also because of this horrible attitude and persona you give off.  Wouldn't it be nice that after all these years of cheating, injuries, and making over $356MM, you decided that in your year off you would completely devote yourself to rehabilitation and being completely healthy for the 2015 season?  I'd like to think that he has to care about his destroyed image and wanted to win someone back in his last 3 years in NY, just like Kyle has.  Hopefully he's been hard at work, getting himself not only ready, but also becoming more resilient for the end of what has been a career full of highs and lows.  So if Mike, the victim of perhaps most dishonorable move in the history of sports, can become friends with Kyle, shouldn't New York be able to forgive Arod?

Since this is a fantasy article, every pick after #200 is more or less, a gamble.  So wouldn't a man who was previously on a first ballot HOF track be worthy of a gamble one last time?  I think so.  Remember, my friends and I gambled on longshot Kyle and won, so why can't you with Arod.

Two small pieces of afternoon news on the first Monday of 2015.

The Yankeeshave re-signed oft-injured outfielder Slade Heathcott to a minor league deal. Heathcott was cut last month at the non-tender deadline, helping to clear him off the 40-man roster to make room for players that needed protecting from the Rule 5 draft. Slade played only nine games over the course of the 2014 season, coming down again with a bad case of constantly being hurt. He has only managed to top 80 games once since being drafted by the Yankees in the 2009 draft. Scouts have always loved the potential that Heathcott brings to the table, but without being able to showcase those skills on a baseball field, his value his extremely limited. Assuming he is healthy, the minor league deal will keep him off the 40-man roster while likely being stashed away at Double-A Trenton or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Heathcott does get an invite to spring training with his new deal, but the chances of him making the big league team are pretty non-existent.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Yankees interviewed Willie Randolph for an open coaching position at some point. Heyman doesn't note which position Randolph was interviewed for, but the team is currently looking for a hitting coach and first base coach after the departures of Kevin Long and Mick Kelleher. Since Kelleher also worked closely with the infielders, it's possible that Randolph might be a nice fit to fill that spot. It would be nice to have Willie back in the organization.

Are you happy to see the return of Heathcott? Will he ever stay healthy? What are your thoughts on Willie Randolph as a potential coach?

New statistics, such as measures Mets GM Sandy Alderson uses, are emerging into the mainstream that will change the way we evaluate players

Over the years of following baseball, new statistics have emerged that changed the way we viewed the game. Pitcher wins and RBIs were once valued statistics, but we’ve come to learn over time that those statistics are not good ways of measuring the skill level of a specific player.

New data is emerging in the mainstream recently measuring the quality of contact generated by hitters. The statistic is called hard hit rate, and it is provided by Inside Edge to MLB teams such as the Yankees. It is also available to mainstream media outlets and newspapers. The statistic is subjectively determined by a video review team using measures like exit velocity, trajectory and contact on the sweet spot of the barrel. ESPN’s Mark Simon popularized this statistic on twitter this year. I write about this statistic a lot because I foresee it becoming a big part of fantasy baseball in the future.

I remember listening to an interview a few years ago with the outstanding former Baseball Prospectus writer Jason Parks, who is currently working in the scouting department for the Chicago Cubs, and he said something that really stuck with me. He talked about how professional talent evaluators inside baseball evaluate hitters based on measures similar to this stat; hitters will often get down on themselves when they hit the ball hard and it gets caught, but they shouldn't because quality of contact is exactly what progressive front offices are evaluating them on. The player evaluators are less concerned with the numbers on the stat sheet and more concerned with the process. If this is how the highly paid front offices are evaluating players, it makes sense that fantasy owners ought to start using a similar method of player evaluation.

One recent example of this is Sandy Alderson’s front office with the New York Mets. Alderson decided to keep Lucas Duda over Ike Davis based largely on measures such as exit velocity off the bat. Newsday's Marc Carig, one of the best beatwriters in the sport, wrote:

Lucas Duda hit the longest homer at Citi Field this season, a majestic shot that sailed toward the faraway SheaBridge.

Like most events that unfold on a baseball field, the home run was measured precisely, categorized and archived for future reference. The record shows that the pitch was a sinker that didn't sink, an 89-mph mistake that traveled 431 feet.

Yet even in this age of information, much of it remains shielded from public view. And in the case of Duda, this hidden data may provide the best explanation of why he's been given the chance to thrive as the Mets' first baseman.

"In some other measurements that we have, we felt that there was an edge there," general manager Sandy Alderson said.

For Duda, that edge involves his freakish knack for making hard contact.

According to metrics used internally by the Mets, the ball that Duda hit for his towering home run left the barrel of his bat at 109 mph. It's one of the fastest readings recorded this season.

Based on those same measures, Duda has ranked among the best in the game when it comes to the velocity of the ball off his bat, known as "exit speed."

That evidence proved compelling enough for the Mets to defy convention.

Ike Davis once hit 32 homers in a single season. And despite his recent struggles, some within the organization were hesitant to cut ties with him, a nod to his track record.

Duda, on the other hand, has never hit more than 15 homers in a season.

Yet it was Davis who was traded to the Pirates.

In hope of gaining insights on which players make the best contact, the Mets record the velocity of every batted ball hit during a game. Similar readings have been available in the past, but advances in technology have allowed for more precision.

Exit speeds around 90 mph are considered well above average. Those in excess of 100 mph are excellent.

Duda's towering Citi Field homer on April 23 -- measured off the bat at 109 mph -- is not far off the season-best 114 mph generated when the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton blasted a homer against the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg.

"He's right up there with the elite guys as far as the ball coming off his bat," Hudgens said of Duda.

For the Mets, exit speed is a critical measure because well-struck balls are more likely to turn into hits.

Of course, that's not always the case, thanks to the inherently fluky nature of the game. For instance, catcher Travis d'Arnaud hit one of the hardest balls of the season. Recorded at well over 100 mph, it was a one-hopper right at the shortstop, who started a double play. But over time, things even out.

"The harder a ball is hit, the more likely it is to be hit on the line, [to go] for distance," Alderson said. "It's just a more granular measurement of the process rather than the result."

The Mets noticed the trend playing itself out last season, when Alderson said Duda finished "in the upper echelon" of big-league hitters.

According to the team's internal metrics, the number of Duda's batted balls above 100 mph was more than double the league average. It was enough to make him second among National League first basemen in exit speed, behind only the Reds' Joey Votto.

Alderson was less concerned with the results on the stat sheet and more concerned with the process at the plate, or the type of contact the hitter was generating. This is the way I think fantasy baseball needs to go, too.

The decision by Alderson to keep Duda and trade Davis turned out to be a fantastic move. Duda had a breakout season, compiling a 136 wRC+ with 30 HR, while Davis produced a significantly lower wRC+ of 108 with only 11 HR.

Pitching and quality of contact

If hitting the ball hard is a good thing for hitters, it makes sense that giving up hard contact is a bad thing for pitchers.

That is why I think the theory that pitchers have little control over balls in play is very off base. Inside Edge has published data that supports the idea that pitchers do indeed have some control over the results on balls in play:

Batting average by batted ball type:

Hard: around .700

Medium: around .400

Soft: around .140-.150

% of _ that are hard hit:

Home runs: about 100%

Triples: over 80%

Doubles: over 70%

Singles: about 30%

Outs: about 7%

According to that data, pitchers who give up a greater degree of softer contact will have better results than pitchers who give up a greater degree of harder contact. That is why it is important to consider quality of contact when using FIP and xFIP.

Pitchers can control the quality of contact against them by throwing pitches with a lot of movement, by locating their pitches well, and by remaining unpredictable. Conversely, pitchers who throw flat pitches, locate their pitches poorly and remain predictable will give up a larger amount of harder contact.

The fantasy baseball writing team here at Fake Teams is currently working on bringing more access to hidden statistics such as hard hit rate. This is very exciting to me. Hopefully for the 2015 season we’ll be able to give our readers stronger access to this stat, because I think it will change the way we evaluate players in fantasy baseball.

New York Daily News | Christian Red:Pedro Martinez revealed in an interview that he wanted the Expos to trade him to the Yankees before he ultimately ended up in Boston. Oh, what might have been.

CBS Sports | Sean d'Oliveira: Even with Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela representing in house options for second base, the Yankees could still look to bring back Stephen Drew, per a report by Jon Heyman. Do we really need to re-live that experience?

NJ.com | Joe Giglio: Is former Yankee and soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee Randy Johnson the best left-handed pitcher in MLB history? He may have an argument for that distinction.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Brian Cashman has been busy with moving parts around via trade so far this offseason. Each of his moves opened the door for the subsequent move in some way.

NJ.com | Mike Vorkunov: Of all the former Yankees that appear on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, Randy Johnson is the only one likely to sniff Cooperstown this time around.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, we don't need a time machine to relive Pedro being Pedro.

This article originally ran at Old Time Family Baseball in early 2014, as part of a charity blogathon to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. As Over the Monster is for Red Sox fans and Pedro Martinez is hours away from induction into the baseball Hall of Fame, I figured you would all appreciate having it live here with some timely editing as well.

Election day for the baseball Hall of Fame is outright annoying to me these days, but this year is different. That's because, this time around, I get to read and write about my favorite subject in baseball: Pedro Martinez.

I'm not here to talk about his Hall of Fame credentials or his place in history or any of that, though. The first is obvious and the latter is a story for another time, and for the full effect you need Jonah Keri and myself to giddily describe Pedro anyway, telling tales of both his Montreal and his Boston achievements in tandem. No, the plan today is much more fun than that, for both myself and hopefully you, the reader, as there is no better way to experience Pedro than to watch him pitch.

Thanks to MLB finally opening up their vaults and placing loads of content on their official YouTube channels, we now have the ability to scratch our Pedro itch any time we need to. Their archives aren't as complete as I would like, but after imagining and remembering Pedro pitching for a while there, I don't have much room to complain. With that, let's enjoy a few of my favorite Pedro Martinez moments and games from his time in Boston.

Immaculate Inning vs. Mariners, 5/18/2002

This particular moment might not stand out if you forced someone to recall their favorite Pedro games, but it's a beauty nonetheless. Pedro, near the start of a phenomenal season that's often overshadowed by his earlier career work, manages to punch out the side in the first against the Mariners, and does so on just nine pitches to earn an immaculate inning. The third batter, Ruben Sierra, was nothing special that season - and looked appropriately foolish swinging at strike three to end the frame - but Mark McLemore was still a useful bat, and Ichiro Suzuki was, as always, difficult to strike out.

1999 ALCS Game 3, 10/16/1999

It wasn't Pedro's first great playoff game with Boston - more on that later - but there was a time when this was about the only thing Red Sox fans had to console them in the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. In the mid-to-late 90s, the Yankees were a powerhouse dynasty that owned the American League East and whomever they met in the World Series. The Red Sox couldn't stop them in ‘99, but thanks to Pedro's seven shutout frames and 12 strikeouts, they were able to ruin Roger Clemens' pinstriped return to Fenway Park.

If you're into the Bill James' toy Game Score, this was Martinez's greatest playoff showing ever, coming in at 83.

2003 ALCS Game 3, 10/11/2003

Someday, if you get me very drunk, I will tell you a story about watching this game. For now, just enjoy the immediate hush that comes over Joe Buck and Tim McCarver when Pedro tries to avoid getting steamrolled by an old dude who should not have been charging at an opposing player.

Welcome to Fenway, NL All-Stars, 7/13/1999

The 1999 All-Star game was incredible, with the Home Run Derby showing off all the oddities of Fenway Park's design, the All-Century Team announcement that peaked when one of the greatest players to ever put on the uniform, Ted Williams, came on to the field and turned all of the modern-day players into excited children. Somehow, this might actually top all of that, as Pedro made five of the first six hitters he faced, six of the greatest hitters in the game at the time, look absolutely helpless.

Hall of Famer Barry Larkin spun in place whiffing at that incredible circle change-up. Larry Walker immediately knew he was watching an artist paint the corner, and began his walk back to the dugout immediately. Sammy Sosa, who had blasted 66 homers the year before and would finish this year with 63, took a mighty cut, but Pedro put it where Sosa's bat could not reach - this made Pedro the first ever pitcher to strike out the first three batters in an All-Star game, but he wasn't finished. Mark McGwire took a hapless cut to make it four in a row, and, after allowing a baserunner, Pedro ended the inning with a strike-em-out, throw-em-out that began on a wicked change that landed at Jeff Bagwell's ankles.

I could watch this again and again, but there are other strikeouts to watch.

Pedro's Greatest Start in his Greatest Season, 9/10/1999

This, shockingly, is not on MLB's YouTube page, but their actual website mercifully has it. This is Pedro Martinez striking out 17 Yankees in a September start at Yankee Stadium. He allowed one hit and one run in the outing - a solo homer to Chili Davis - but otherwise was completely untouchable. Pedro was so unbelievably filthy, and so ridiculously entertaining, that Yankee Stadium was eventually cheering for his strikeouts, even though they came at the expense of the team they paid to see. If not for one little appearance that we'll get to momentarily, this would easily be the greatest game that Pedro Martinez ever pitched.

Pedro beats the Indians in relief, 10/11/1999

Pedro Martinez pitched Game 1 of the 1999 ALDS against the Indians, but left after just four innings with an injury. Boston would drop the next game as well, putting them down 2-0 in this best-of-five. They would storm back with a 9-3 victory that was followed up by a 23-7 thrashing on the Boston leg of the series, though, bringing both clubs back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5. Pedro could not start the game due to his back, leaving Bret Saberhagen, owner of a mostly torn rotator cuff, to face off against Charles Nagy.

Saberhagen gave up five runs in an inning, and Derek Lowe fared no better in relief, allowing three of his own. With the game tied 8-8 after three frames, Pedro Martinez would enter the game in relief, and that was that. You could see it on the faces of the fans in the stands, on the faces of the Indians in the dugout: Pedro was in, and that meant trouble for Cleveland's chances to win this game, lead or no.

Pedro didn't have his typical velocity, but he still had the command that made the rest of the Pedro experience so devastating for opponents. He would walk three batters, but they were the only ones to reach base in his six innings of work, with Pedro striking out eight in the process. Powered by seven runs batted in by Troy O'Leary - who hit a grand slam and then a three-run homer following intentional walks to Nomar Garciaparra - and the relief work of Pedro, Boston would win the series.

The 1999 ALDS has been overshadowed over time by the 2004 ALCS, in which the Red Sox famously became the first team to win a series after being down three games to none, but this is special in its own way, even if the end to the season's story wasn't quite as storybook. This was Pedro's own Bloody Sock moment in a way, where he clearly wasn't healthy, and wasn't at his best, but was still just far too much for anyone. It served as a teaser for what he would eventually become on the mound, too, when injuries limited him and his velocity, but his pure stuff, smarts, and command allowed him to evolve and remain one of the best pitchers in the game.

If you want to experience the game as a whole, it's embedded above for you: there are no commercials, so it's a brisk 2.5 hour journey through the Pedro game that sticks out to this fan like no other.

The biggest issue with the offseason has always been waiting for the Yankees to further detail what they're planning. Waiting sucks. Pitchers and catchers arrive in 44 days.

As a wise man once stated, "The waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippo!" It's always nice when the Yankees make moves because we then have something to talk about. Not all of the moves make us happy, but they do keep us interested. Give us something, Yankees. Or are you waiting till Friday, because that's how you roll?

Comments of the Day

My comment describes Harlan's article. I still stand by it.

He still stands by it as well!

It's hard to fathom why the Yankees keep Thomson around. Especially over Willie Randolph. I think we all hope Willie gets some kind of coaching job with the Yankees this year.

Because it needs to be stated again...

GIF of the Day

Well done, Andrew! Well done!

Well, it's closer than the sun.

Honorable Mod Mention

Harlan wins the HMM Award for this glorious article detailing the majority of the myths about the Dynasty Era.

• What is the most unwatchable sport for you?
• What would you rather play: Board games, card games, or video games?

As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

It's still Classic Cheesy Techno Week here on Pinstripe Alley. If you have any good suggestions for these types of songs, please list them. You know you want to!

Do you think you're better off alone.

Do the 2015 Mets have it in them to finally win more games than their crosstown rivals?

Fifteen years. That's how long it's been since the New York Mets were able to edge out the New York Yankees in the win column during regular season play. Not that it mattered come World Series time that postseason, as the Yankees bested the Mets in the World Series four games to one. Still, it was a special time to be a Met fan prior to that beat down. It's not often the Mets have actually finished a season with more wins then their Bronx counterparts. In fact, they've only bested the Yankees in this fashion 13 times over the last 52 years the two teams have shared New York and only tied once, back in 2006.

The state of both teams' rosters going into the 2015 season should give Mets fans hope that their team is headed towards a winning season and that the Yankees may come up short. The Mets, after all, have a bright future of contention ahead of them, thanks to a young and talented pitching rotation and promising players like Travis d'Arnaud and Juan Lagares. The Yankees, however, will enter 2015 with a slew of aging players with massive, unmovable contracts that make it difficult to build a lineup or pitching rotation without dealing away prospects. The Yankees' 84 victories in 2014 were their fewest over a full season since 1992 and, thus far, they haven't made any improvements to their roster that would help them improve that win total. In fact, they look worse in some ways than they did last season.

The Yankees' pitching staff, for one, looks worse than the one they had at the end of the season. Hiroki Kuroda's announcement that he wouldn't re-sign with the team and instead go home to play in Japan was certainly a blow. The 39-year-old Kuroda, in spite of his age, was a consistently effective starter for the Yanks, averaging a 3.44 ERA over 207 IP during his three seasons with the team. Brandon McCarthy departing for the Los Angeles Dodgers is another blow given that he became the Yankees' de facto ace down the stretch after Masahiro Tanaka got hurt. Both pitchers would have been helpful to a pitching staff that now has a couple of large question marks starting in their place.

The Mets, in stark contrast, have a built an impressive young starting rotation that will only be better next season with the return of Matt Harvey. Also unlike the Yankees, their rotation has no real uncertain pieces. The Yankees are pinning a lot of their hopes on Michael Pineda staying healthy, Nathan Eovaldi adjusting well to American League lineups, and CC Sabathia having a huge comeback season. The Mets' only real pitching issue for next season is managing Harvey's innings and pitch counts smartly and knowing when to shut him down. That, and figuring out who will be the team's number five starter among Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee, and Rafael Montero. But that's what pitching depth will do for your chances of success. The Mets have it and the Yankees don't.

Here's a few other things the Mets have that the Yankees don't:

First Baseman

Why do the Mets have an edge at first base? It's because Lucas Duda's career is on the way up and Mark Teixeira's is on the way down. Duda's offensive ability clearly out shined Teixeira's last season as he bested his Yankee counterpart in multiple offensive categories. The 35-year-old Teixeira has clearly lost a step and no longer resembles the man who averaged 37 home runs and 114 RBI through his first three seasons with the Yankees. Part of this is health; Teixeira hasn't played a full season since 2011 thanks to crippling injuries that have forced him out of the lineup for weeks at a time. But even when healthy last season, the results weren't great: 22 home runs, 62 RBI, and a depressing .216/.313/.398 batting line. Duda, on the other hand, is 28 years old, in his prime years, and coming off a season where he finished third in the NL in home runs  with 30. While Yankees fans are hoping for a comeback season from Teixeira in 2015, clearly the advantage stands with Duda and the Mets at the moment.

Second Baseman

The Yankees, as of right now, do not have a second baseman. While making a trade or signing someone are still very much possibilities, it should be obvious that whoever the Yankees do end up putting at second will be inferior to Daniel Murphy. Murphy, while a disaster defensively, has earned his reputation as an solid hitter at a position where any type of offense is considered a plus. Since taking over as the Mets full-time second basemen in 2012, Murphy owns a 7.1 fWAR which is good for sixth among all NL second basemen during that period. He's averaged nine home runs, 38 doubles, 175 base hits, and a .288/.327/.407/.734 batting line over the last three seasons. And he's entering the final year of his contract and playing for a new one that will likely earn him around $10 million per year if he plays well. Murphy's future isn't set with the Mets and expecting a trade around midseason would be wise for fans, but he is still the superior option to anything the Yankees will have come Opening Day.

Third Baseman

David Wright and Chase Headley are about even in terms of ability at this point in their careers. Case in point: their bWAR is almost identical since 2009, 3.9 to 3.5 in favor of Wright. The advantage should go to Wright, however, mainly on the point of consistency. Wright may be on the down slope of his career, but Headley, with the exception of his breakout 2012 performance, has never appeared to be anything more than a mediocre offensive presence/excellent defender. Headley's a good player but the possibility of another breakout season from him is less probable than Wright merely shaking off his rough 2014 and playing better in 2015.

Give the advantage to the Yankees at shortstop, their bullpen, overall team defense, and a slight edge at catcher. The outfield positions seem about even between both teams in terms of talent and production. The Mets have the advantage in two other critical components, though: overall team youth and organizational depth. The Yankees, as previously mentioned, are being bogged down by a great deal of veteran players. It's in comparison with the Mets, however, where they really look old. The Mets' overall age of their players last season was 28.4 years old while the Yankees was 32.9. While replacing 40-year-old Derek Jeter with 24-year-old Didi Gregorious at shortstop will help with that average slightly, gaining Alex Rodriguez back won't. Older players are more susceptible to injuries, and this is where organizational depth becomes important.

The Mets have built an impressive farm system with a number of major-league ready players like Noah Syndergaard, Dilson Herrera, and Kevin Plawecki all available at a moment's notice. The Yankees have no such reinforcements. Their top prospect is pitcher Luis Severino, according to Baseball America, and he'll likely start the season in Double-A. Oufielder Aaron Judge and shortstop Jorge Mateo are also likely going to be, at least, two years away from joining the big club in the Bronx. The Yankees have a capable bench of veteran players like Garrett Jones and Chris Young who can step in in case of an injury, but obviously it's preferable to have someone with younger legs.

While the Mets now appear to be entering their first period of contention since 2008, the Yankees seem to have fallen farther and farther back from the playoff race over the last two seasons. The Yankees didn't even have business winning as many games as they did in 2014, seeing as they actually gave up more runs than they scored over the course of the season. The Mets, on the other hand, scored 629 runs and allowed only 618, but still somehow finished with a losing record at 79-83. Is it possible that some lucky breaks or unlucky breaks may reverse the fortunes of both teams next season? The Mets have the advantage of youth, depth, and oodles of pitching talent. Their team appears hungry to take the next step forward and, helpfully, the Yankees appear ready to take another step backward.

Back in 1984, the New York Mets won 90 games, the first of what was a string of winning seasons until 1991. During that period, the city was painted over from blue and white to blue and orange. It appears the Mets are ready to do again what they did twenty years ago and put together winning seasons. And it seems that the first of those winning seasons will be this year. They have the necessary pieces to contend and, more importantly, it seems that those pieces can win more games than the Yankees.

Some morning one liners:

• Bob Elliott's list of 101 most influential Canadians is out. At the top of the list? Edward Rogers, on the strength of trying to remove Beeston from his post, apparently. Number 2 is Justin Morneau. I have no idea how he comes up with this list each year, all I know is my name is never on it.
• Last year we used 7 different second baseman. If the over/under is 5.5 which would you bet? Lets have a poll?
• Going along with the last line, Munenori Kawasaki played the most innings at second, who gets the most innings this year?
• Does Jose Bautista add to his total of 37.1 innings at second?
• Why is it that my favorite teams always have trouble finding second basemen? My Expos had some terrible ones, over than a couple of good seasons from Delino DeShields. I mean, Rodney Scott? What were they thinking?
• Who's your bet for Jays surprise player of the season?
• With the Hall of Fame announcement coming soon, I've realized that the only one I'll be sad about is Tim Raines.
• Who else thinks that the reason Rogers wants to get rid of Beeston is that he keeps talking about real grass and Rogers has already decided that it can't be done, or that it can't be done for an amount of money they would be willing to pay?
• As much as real grass would be great, more beer choices at Rogers Centre is something that should be fixed right now.
• Would there be anything funnier than watching Dioner Navarro try to play first base?
• 4 years ago yesterday Roberto Alomar made the Hall of Fame. Time flies.
• I'm still debating: is it worth $150 to go to the luncheon in Calgary that is our little part of the Winter Tour?
• Speaking of spending money, i'm looking into flights to Montreal for the two Jays games there. Who else is going? Who would like to go for a beer night together after one of the games?
• I wish I could write a song as good as Cover Me Up, Jason Isbell.
• If you could have a no trade clause in your MLB contract, what team would you have on it? Me Yankees.
• Who would you be happiest to see make the All-Star team this year? I'd pick Drew Hutchison.
• Snow fall warning for Calgary. I should have stayed in the Bahamas.
• If there is former Blue Jay I wish I could go back in time and watch again, it would be Dave Stieb.
• That game last night must be in the top ten of the most exciting hockey games I've seen.
• When will the Jays give us some real news to write about again? Soon please Alex.

Congrats to these awesome players and better luck next year, Mussina and Raines.

After months of debate throughout the game, the Baseball Writers' Association of America has voted and officially announced the results of the 2015 Hall of Fame election. A quartet of tremendous players from the '90s and 2000s will be going into the Hall this summer, as Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio were all elected to join the greats in Cooperstown. For the second straight years, three first-year eligible players made the Hall in their first election, and after painfully falling a mere two votes short last year, the Astros legend and 3,000 Hit Club member Biggio made it on his third try. Here are the full results:

If you don't feel like trying to break through to the BBWAA site, here are the #HallofFame election results: pic.twitter.com/tkcxmjRdFv

— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) January 6, 2015

The four-player class is the BBWAA's biggest since 1955, and it was about time for the writers to induct such a big class. A remarkable number of writers maxed out their ballots at 10 players apiece, a sure sign that the maximum number of players to vote for needs to be either increased (the BBWAA will reportedly suggest to the Hall a bump up to 12) or changed entirely to a binary yes/no option, as suggested by Derrick Goold. Remember, PSA would have put in a seven-player class, and other non-voting blocs have also suggested larger classes.

Focusing on the matter at hand though, it's good that four players made it the Hall; they were all quite deserving. Johnson and Pedro garnered an amazing percentage of the vote, respectively, signs of respect for their unbelievable careers. Johnson has an argument as the best left-handed pitcher of all-time for his strikeout prowess (4,875 total, second only to righty Nolan Ryan), his unhittable repertoire, and five Cy Young Awards, and in addition to Pedro's long-term success, it will be hard for anyone to duplicate his eye-popping prime with the Red Sox from 1999-2003. Smoltz's case is probably, in fact, about the same as Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling's, but he was someone who deserved eventual induction anyway. Smoltz used his 3,084 strikeouts over an excellent 21-year-career to make it on over 75% of the ballots. As previously noted by Arun, Biggio's induction was a long time coming, even if it was just three years.

For a good chunk of the candidates, it's back to the drawing board. Mike Piazza did not miss induction by too much, and his high 69.9% percentage (nice) has set himself up nicely for next year, when he will have a strong shot at joining the near-lock first-ballot inductee Ken Griffey Jr. in Cooperstown. (Maybe Biggio's longtime teammate and equally deserving candidate Jeff Bagwell can make a jump too from 55.7% in a less-crowded 2016 ballot as well.) The always-controversial legends Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell below 40% of the vote again, but I have a feeling that will be a recurring theme throughout their times on the BBWAA ballot. I'd vote them in, but whatever. A couple former Yankees who I've greatly supported made gains as well. Tim Raines only has two years left on the ballot, but at least he jumped from just 46.1% last year to a 55% in 2015. Mussina also made a modest leap from the disappointingly low 20.3% margin in 2014 to 24.6% this year. Fingers crossed that some year down the line, Moose and Rock get their moments in the sun by Otsego Lake.

I'm certain a good chunk of Yankees fans will be disappointed that in his last year on the ballot, Don Mattingly barely garnered any votes, just 9.1% of the vote. Alas, as researched by Hall of Fame expert Jay Jaffe, a Mattingly fan growing up as well, "Donnie Baseball" is probably one of those talented players who fall in "Hall of Nearly Great" territory. He will always be a Yankees legend though; that fact will never change. That #23 in Monument Park isn't going anywhere.

What are your thoughts on the Hall of Fame voting results? I know I'm pleased with the four players going in, but I still wish they'd induct a few more and perhaps re-evaluate election standards.

The greatest pitcher you have ever seen received baseball's highest honors.

Even if you're a Red Sox fan who wants nothing to do with the Hall of Fame anymore, Tuesday is a special day. Pedro Martinez, a first timer on the ballot, has been elected to the baseball Hall of Fame after receiving 91.1 percent of the vote, and for that we can all be thankful.

Pedro is arguably the greatest pitcher ever, depending on your definition for such things. He didn't have the longevity of Roger Clemens or Greg Maddux, but his peak is without contest, in which he posted a 2.20 ERA over a seven-year period encompassing the greatest era for offense in the history of the sport. For context, that's more than half-a-run better than what Bob Gibson managed during the most pitcher-friendly era in the modern game -- the one that resulted in the lowering of the mound to make things fair for hitters again -- and it's why Martinez is the only pitcher since 1901 with a career ERA+ better than 150 over at least 2,000 innings.

So, even if Pedro didn't have the career value of some other arms, no one achieved more in the time they were given. He out-Koufaxed Sandy Koufax, made Boston forget about Clemens, and helped transform the Red Sox into the winners they're recognized as today. Hall of Fame honors were the least the sport could do for him.

Martinez was signed by the Dodgers in 1988, made it to the majors in 1992, and was dealt to the Montreal Expos after just three starts and 64 relief appearances. The Dodgers ended up with the useful but limited Delino DeShields, while Expos' general manager Dan Duquette ended up with a franchise-changing arm. Pedro would blossom as a starter, throwing nearly 800 innings with a 139 ERA+ in his four years there, before Duquette traded for him again. This time, Duke was at the helm of the Red Sox, and sent prospects Carl Pavano and Tony Armas to his former club for Pedro shortly after the righty had won his first Cy Young award. It turns out this was the start of a seven-year run where Martinez would throwing over 1,400 innings, strike out 1,761 batters while walking just 315. He allowed fewer than a baserunner per inning during the greatest offensive era in history, posted a 2.20 ERA and 213 ERA+ in that run, and did this despite having to pitch against the powerhouse Yankees and in Fenway Park during almost all of it.

Pedro won three Cy Young awards, finished in the top four for the Cy on seven occasions, and should have been the AL Most Valuable Player in 1999 if not for one writer leaving him off of his ballot entirely. His career was cut short by injury, with Martinez throwing just 314 innings from age 34 through age 37 before calling it quits, but what he accomplished before the health issues is legendary. There has only been one pitcher like him in the history of the game, and mere words do not do what he was capable of justice. To truly understand Pedro, well, you just need to watch him in action.

As for the other Red Sox on the ballot, Curt Schilling failed to reach the 75 percent threshold even though he's at least as good as John Smoltz, who was inducted with 240 more votes. You have to assume that eventually, maybe on a less crowded ballot, Schilling gets the enshrinement he deserves. Roger Clemens also didn't make the cut, though, given the contentious arguments surrounding whether his performance is overshadowed by PED controversy, that's not a surprise to anyone. Nomar Garciaparra just reached five percent of the vote, which is only delaying the inevitable. It mostly makes us wonder what could have been with him if he had just stayed healthy.

Regular offseason big spender Mystery Team strikes again with a massive contract offer. Should the Yankees be interested at this price?

For those hoping the Yankees pursue James Shields as a cheaper alternative to Max Scherzer, it might be worth noting that cheaper in this case does not mean cheap.

Ken Rosenthal reports that multiple executives have told FOX Sports that they expect Shields to ultimately sign for a deal north of five years, $100 million. Two executives believed that Shields already has an offer on the table for $110 million over five years; an average annual value of $22 million. This deal would make him the 11th highest paid pitcher in the league by AAV, a fraction behind Masahiro Tanaka for a spot in the top-10 at least until Scherzer commits. Shields is reportedly holding out for a higher offer.

For any team willing to commit nine figures to a pitcher, the appeal with Shields is obvious. In his eight full major league seasons Shields has averaged over 223 innings, never dropping below his 203 1/3 innings pitched in 2010. Despite pitching the bulk of his career in the American League East, his career ERA is a solid 3.62 and ERA- of 91. That number is backed up by solid peripherals as demonstrated by his FIP- of 93 and xFIP- of 86. James Shields has accumulated 31.6 career wins above replacement, putting him 13th in fWAR since 2006 and 12th since his first full year in 2007.

Of course, at 33 years of age and near 2000 innings pitched on his arm, betting on Shields to continue pitching at this level is risky at best. If you missed Matt Provenzano's analysis of the 23 pitchers over the last 25 seasons with the most similar workloads and performance levels heading into their age-33 seasons as James Shields, it did not result in a promising conclusion. On average these pitchers saw significant declines in both innings pitched and performance.

It's always possible that Shields could be an outlier who lives up to a mega-deal covering his age-33 to age-37 seasons. Otherwise, any team that signs him now might be looking for successful seasons over the next couple of years, willing to bite the bullet on league-average or worse pitching that awaits in the second half of the contract. The odds are that this contract will be a liability sooner rather than later; increasingly though, this appears to be part of the price of doing business with top-tier free agents.

Of course, Shields isn't the only elite pitcher available. The aforementioned Scherzer is 2.5 years younger, and has been a better pitcher over the last six seasons by any measure except innings pitched, even there Scherzer averages a respectable 197 innings a year. Also, with Cole Hamels potentially available via trade, there is yet another pitcher both younger and better than Shields that the Yankees might do well to look at, should they be interested in adding a top-tier starter.

FIP Comparison For Shields, Hamels and Scherzer across Age and Season. Courtesy of Fangraphs

If James Shields does sign for at least $22 million a year, Max Scherzer would likely command an AAV well north of that, and over 6-8 years. Perhaps his rumoured 8-year, $200 million target might not be so outlandish after all. Meanwhile while Hamels comes at a relative bargain, 4 years, $96 million with a vesting option for a fifth year, the real cost might be in the price Brian Cashman will pay from the prospect depth he has strengthened this offseason.

Personally I would not be at all surprised to see James Shields defy the aging curve and post another two or three solid seasons. I simply don't think a five year deal is worth the risk though, and certainly no where near $22 million a year. I'd rather the Yankees pursue Max Scherzer if he could be signed for around 7 years and $180 million, and even then I'm uncomfortable with the decline curve and risk involved. Of course, the Yankee ownership has the financial muscle to swallow the risk with a large pitching contract for either Shields or Scherzer.

What do you think about this offer? Are you hoping that the unknown team here is in fact the Yankees, or would you like the organisation to stay well away at this price?

While premium prospects get all the attention, role players and back-end pitchers deserve some as well.

While excitement continues to build as spring training draws near, top prospect lists have begun to be released by various outlets. Aaron Judge, Luis Severino and Gary Sanchez, among others will dominate the prospect coverage over the coming weeks and rightly so. They’re the high profile players that are reaching the upper levels of the minors and nearing ever closer to contributing in the Bronx. What about the underdog? What about those in the system that aren’t garnering the praise or media attention, yet have a shot to contribute to the Yankees in the future? The fact of the matter is that while growing future aces and dynamic offensive players is important, so are those that can fill the back of the rotation, middle relief or bench roles. Here are four players that are currently on track to providing value to the Yankees in those types of roles in the future.

Ramon Flores

While Flores isn’t blessed with any tools that scouts salivate over, he does hold fourth outfielder potential, with a solid bat and adequate defense. A nasty ankle injury in June cost Flores most of the 2014 season, limiting him to only 235 at-bats at Triple-A Scranton. Flores spent time playing in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, where he tore up opposing pitching to the tune of a .347 batting average with five home runs and 29 runs batted in. The likely scenario has Flores headed to Triple-A, but he could put himself in position for a quick call-up to the majors when the inevitable injury occurs.

Taylor Dugas

If you’re not a diehard prospect follower, it’s very possible that you may not know very much about Taylor Dugas. Let’s paint the picture of what Dugas is: He’s an on-base machine that has excellent plate discipline and contact skills, with little power and above-average speed. Defensively, he can cover all three outfield positions, increasing the chances that he could reach his ceiling as a fourth outfielder.  With the big league outfield situation likely set entering the season, it’s most likely that Dugas heads to Scranton with Flores, awaiting his opportunity to contribute.

Brady Lail

Drafted out high school in the 18^th round of the 2012 draft, Lail isn’t the type of pitcher that will light up scout’s radar guns with huge upper-90’s velocity. What he does offer though, is a four pitch repertoire that he can locate with impressive accuracy. Brady Lail was good as a starter for both Charleston (Single-A) and Tampa (Advanced-A), pitching to a 3.62 ERA, to go along with a respectable 7.8 K/9, in 134.1 innings pitched. While he’s still young and doesn’t carry the ceiling of a Severino or a Clarkin, he could possibly be a back-end starter in the future.

Nick Goody

One thing that the Yankees continue to do well is draft and develop relievers. Goody has the chance to continue the trend, after returning from Tommy John surgery in 2013. Armed with a devastating fastball, he dominated opposing batters, striking out 46 batters in 31.1 innings. With the ceiling of a late-inning reliever, Goody could be a quick mover in the system.

While these four players aren’t going to get any of the press or the hype of any top prospects, their roles are still important in respect to building a team. These options would not only provide additional youth, but would give cost certainty as well.

Did ya enjoy the Stephen Drew Experience in 2014? Well tough luck, because he's coming back. Yippie.

So did you enjoy the results of the Hall of Fame election? Did you enjoy not thinking about the 2015 Yankees for a little while? Well the Yankees' front office did not take the afternoon off. Just a little before 10:00 Eastern Time, Jon Heyman, who always seems to get these sudden Yankees scoops, revealed that the Yankees came to terms with Stephen Drew to bring him back on a one-year contract:

yankees will have deal with stephen drew. deal expected to come in at about $5M plus incentives to bring it to $6-7M.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 7, 2015

Idea is Drew will play 2B against at least RHs, serve as insurance at SS if Gregorius can’t handle being Jeter’s replacement

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 7, 2015

Well, it will certainly be fun to see the response from Yankees fans to this move. The Yanks of course traded for Drew at the Trade Deadline in 2014, and unlike the moves to acquire Brandon McCarthy, Chase Headley, and Martin Prado, this one blew up in their face. All Drew had to do was out-play the meager performance of Brian Roberts, struggling in what would be his final career season. After sitting out spring training and the first two months of the season, Drew was poor with the Red Sox, batting only .176/.255/.328 in 39 games. Somehow, he was even worse than both Roberts and first-half Drew, as over the season's final two months, he hit a dismal .150/.219/.271 while spending time at second base and shortstop. Overall, his 2014 season produced a 51 OPS+. Sterling.

Nonetheless, we will get the Stephen Drew Experience again in 2015. The Yankees likely feel cautious about turning second base over to rookies Robert Refsnyder or Jose Pirela without any competition, and I'd always felt that they would bring a veteran in to compete with them for the job. I just didn't expect them to bring Drew back after his poor season. Oh well.

I suppose it's always possible that should Drew struggle and Refsnyder excel, they hearken back to 2005 and cut him or heavily reduce his time like they did with Tony Womack when Robinson Cano was tearing up Triple-A. Who even knows at this point. (It would seem that Brendan Ryan has no spot on the team now, but I guess we'll see.) I generally don't oppose one-year contracts, so in the end, I'm not going to get too riled up about this, but given how poor Drew looked last year (no spring training aside), I don't have much confidence he'll resdiscover his 2013 form. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.

The Yankees will add to their, um, uninspiring middle infield situation.

The New York Yankees and free-agent infielder Stephen Drew have agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

Drew will return to the Yankees after posting a .150/.219/.271 line in 155 plate appearances in the Bronx last season. He was acquired by New York from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in exchange for Kelly Johnson.

Though he's only a year removed from posting a 111 OPS+ and winning a World Series in Boston, Drew has had only four above-average seasons at the plate in nine years. He spent more time at second base than at shortstop for the first time in his career last season, and he could do that again in 2015 with recently acquired Didi Gregorius currently slated as Derek Jeter's replacement.

Drew joins Gregorius and Brendan Ryan as New York's current middle infield options with any significant big league experience. Those three players finished 2014 with respective OPS+ of 51, 81 and 18. Jose Pirela, a 25-year-old rookie, could also compete for a job. He hit .333/.360/.542 in 25 plate appearances with the Yankees last season after managing a .305/.351/.441 line in his first full Triple-A campaign.

The veteran will look to improve offensively after struggling with the Red Sox and Yankees last season.

The Yankees have agreed to re-sign infielder Stephen Drew to a one-year, $5 million contract, as first reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the deal includes $1.5 million in incentives that could push its total value to $6.5 million.

Drew, 32 in March, returns to the Bronx after hitting just .150/.219/.271 with three home runs and 15 RBI for the Yankees in 46 games after being traded by the Red Sox at the trade deadline. He is signing his third consecutive one-year contract after inking $9.5 million and $10 million deals with the Red Sox for each of the last two seasons, and was thought to be on the radar of multiple teams looking for infield help due to his defensive ability and relatively low cost.

For the Yankees, Drew will likely see significant playing time at second base, with Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela also in the mix following the trade of Martin Prado to the Marlins. Didi Gregorius is slated to be the team's shortstop with Brendan Ryan as a backup, but Drew will probably see some time at short as well.

In nine major-league seasons with the Diamondbacks (2006-2012), Athletics (2012), Red Sox (2013-2014) and Yankees (2014), Drew is a lifetime .256/.322/.425 hitter with 97 home runs and 442 RBI. Before his rough offensive performance last year, he posted a .253/.333/.443 line with Boston in 2013.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Willie Randolph was interviewed back in November after the dismissal of Mick Kelleher as a potential first base coach replacement. Brian Cashman previously put the search for new coaches on the back burner until the holidays were over.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Randy Johnson's Yankee career will be remembered for how it began and how it ended more than everything in between. It's safe to say that he won't be wearing an interlocking NY hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

Amazin' Avenue | Mike Pisciotta: It's been 15 years since the last time the Mets won more games than the Yankees. Will 2015 be the year that streak is snapped?

SB Nation | Marc Normandin: The Yankees might choose to not dump another big contract onto their payroll this season with David Price set to hit free agency next year if they are looking for a high-priced ace starting pitcher to add to their staff.

Wednesday morning's baseball features Hall of Fame reactions, a Brett Lawrie care package, and what the Mariners should do with their money.

Listen, we know it's tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day, and trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk isn't easy. It's OK, though, we're going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end.

★★★

The Hall of Fame election has come and gone in 2015, and Cooperstown will have four new members because of it: Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio and John Smoltz. The proper first thing to do is celebrate these four who made it in: two of them have claims to being the best ever at their position, while the other two are certainly worthy inductees in their own right. The Hall of Fame is a stronger place with their presence, and that's the goal, yeah?

After that, continuing to follow the plan detailed by Grant Brisbee, you can start to wonder why others didn't make it. The 10-vote limit was a hindrance for many, to the point the BBWAA voted to increase it to 12 in the future, but the average voter used just 8.4 spots on their ballot: there are still a whole lot of voters out there who don't see an obvious backlog even as it repeatedly hits them over the head. Why did Smoltz make it on his first ballot, but Curt Schilling, who was at least as good, receive 240 fewer votes? Why did Mike Mussina, who is the equal of each of those arms, get even fewer? At least players like Mike Piazza made positive gains, suggesting that people no longer buy-in to the steroid myth surrounding him, and giving him and his fans hope for the future. Maybe the same will happen for Jeff Bagwell soon, before it's too late.

As for Barry Bonds ... well, it might never happen. Who needs a detailed account of history, though?

• Craig Biggio ended up making the Hall of Fame because of a significant choice in his young career: getting out from behind the plate.


• Pedro Martinez is retired and voted into Cooperstown, but you can still watch video of him pitching in his prime. Really, you should watch video of him pitching in his prime, because there is no one like him.


• Ryan Howard has a limited no-trade clause, because what any attempt at dealing him needed was an additional stumbling block.


• Kolten Wong is going to be under pressure to perform in 2015, since the Cardinals' lineup isn't quite what it used to be.


• The Mariners don't desperately need pitching, but it's the one place they have room left to spend on, so maybe they should.


• The Yankees have missed the playoffs two years in a row, are setup for a potentially rough 2015, and the Mets are loaded with youth and prospects. That has Mets fans wondering if they can snatch New York back from the Yankees.


• David Price might not have an extension to look forward to, but he will likely set a record in his fourth and final year of arbitration.


• Randy Johnson owns a photography company. The logo is a dead bird.


• Remember when Brett Lawrie brought his 6-year-old superfan out for pizza as an apology for being traded to the A's? The A's sent her a care package stuffed with team gear so she could appropriately follow her favorite player's career.

Pedro was living history. He also pitched lobster rolls.

Baseball fans grow up hearing about forever unattainable past, whether it's a generation of New Yorkers sermonizing on Mickey Mantle or, in my case, a neighbor in Maryland dreaming of a new Bob Gibson. Born in Boston and a self-declared Red Sox fan, I pushed my family to move back to Massachusetts at age 11 to chase the ghosts of Sox past. I wanted to live in a place where the names weren't Mantle or Gibson but Williams and Yaz. Shockingly, it worked, and we moved back to Mass., where I studied Sox history and waited.

Pedro was my reward; he was the one I was waiting for. He is the one about whom so much will be written and so much will be said, today and hereafter, and it will never be enough. I can talk about him today as if he was pitching yesterday. The same will be true 40 years from now. On Tuesday, he was officially elected to the Hall of Fame. The stories will reach a fever pitch, but that doesn't mean they will have been told for good and ready to be packed away. They will mature and change over time, until the moment we stop telling them, and only his and our words are left.

He was the best pitcher of his generation, depending on how you measure it. To what has been lovingly called "Gammons Youth" by Bill Simmons -- the generation of sportswriters who reached adulthood in the late 1990s and early 2000s, having feasted on Peter Gammons' full-page Sunday baseball notes column -- he was and remains a singular muse figure. There will never be another like him for me, because we no longer have enough to give to anyone else. He took our love of sports and made it complete, aches and pains and all. He was more real than real life, and we loved him for it.

He had skill and style, but there was always a note of fatalism in the air when he took to the mound -- the fear that he'd give up one run, strike out 17 and still lose. I saw him pitch exactly once in Fenway Park, and that's precisely what happened. The opposing pitcher? Steve Trachsel. His only other 17K game was That Game Against The Yankees, which the Sox won, but this one was more typical of pre-Fenway Sports Group Pedro, when he was at the top of his game and still couldn't win. To paraphrase Gisele, he could not throw the ball and hit the ball at the same time, just single-handedly push them into the ALCS with a bad arm. (Okay, Troy O'Leary helped.)

By the time he had real help, in 2003, his velocity had come down a touch, but his personality was bigger than ever. When Grady Little became a pariah for leaving Martinez in versus the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS -- an ALCS that earlier saw Pedro toss Don Zimmer to the ground by his cue-balled head -- Martinez responded by literally letting his hair down, focusing not on the past but enjoying the insane present with which he was presented. Fun fact: I was at that game too. It is the only pre-title-run memory of which I'm willing to let go. It still hurts, even if it shouldn't, because of 2004, 2007 and 2013.

Of course, the Sox won the whole thing the next year in a season that itself will be rehashed ad infinitum; I watched Four Days in October just this weekend, and not a drop of drama has been lost in 10 seasons, especially not Pedro's joy in beating back his daddy on his way out of town. He went to the Mets, and I was a reporter for the Queens Chronicle at the time, and attended the press conference. I didn't say anything, because I was a cub reporter standing before God, but he brushed past me on his way to the podium, and that was good enough and had to be, given that I basically became paralyzed with excitement.

That was not the end, of course: Pedro fought the good fight in his golden years, even taking on the Yankees in the World Series in the playoffs for the Phillies and holding his own, John Olerud be damned. But my favorite Pedro story has nothing to do with baseball. My favorite Pedro story is about lobster rolls.

When I was younger, there was a McDonald's commercial that featured Pedro giving a press conference and fielding fake questions from the audience -- Could he win 30 games? Could the Sox win it all? In the spot, Pedro gave quick answers to the first two. The third question came from a guy dressed in a lobster suit. He asked "Pedro, the lobster roll is back at area McDonald's for a limited time? How does that make you feel?" To which Pedro responded only: "Hungry."

The video isn't available anywhere online that I can find, as a friend and I have searched off and on for years. Google it, and you'll mostly find me swearing about not being able to find anything. I did just find a screenshot, though:

But that's not the story.

A few years ago, Pedro briefly participated in one of those "Hollywood is calling" type services, where he'd record messages. It was called EGraphs, and my brothers got him to make one for me. They said I was a huge fan, which was true, but that I only ate lobster rolls from McDonald's, because of his commercial. This was not true -- I've never had one, and never will -- but it made for a funny message.

Talking into his cellphone, he laughed and talked to me like you'd talk to a simple person. He said I had to go to Revere Beach in Boston to get the real good lobster rolls, and that I should really stop going to McDonald's. He couldn't stop laughing as he did it, because who only eats McDonald's lobster rolls? He really believed that I did. It was a perfectly executed prank, and on the day of his election to the Hall of Fame, it still makes me laugh. That's my Pedro story, but I'll always want more. I'm still hungry. We all are. And that is why he's the best.

Pedro's dominance on the mound was one thing, but his joy in the game was everything.

Gerald Williams was leading off, and I couldn't feel my fingers. It was early April in Boston, and I was sitting in the wind tunnel of the right-field grandstand, sharing a blanket with a good friend, neither of us old enough to at least warm our bones with an overpriced beer. The sky promised only sleet and wind, and the glorious green of Fenway's wall was muted in the mist. Three pitches later, Williams struck out, and I wouldn't care about my fingers, the sky, or the wind for another eight innings. Pedro Martinez was on the mound, and nothing else mattered.

Williams would be Pedro's first strikeout victim that day, but far from the last. The first six Tampa outs were all via strikes, five of them swinging. Nothing left the infield until a leadoff single by Felix Martinez in the sixth, to audible disappointment. There wouldn't be a no-hitter that day (which was greedy, given Hideo Nomo's debut a few days before), we'd have to settle for the everyday miracle that was a Pedro start. As his strikeout total rose from six to ten to ultimately sixteen, a chant went up after every final swing. "Uno! Dos! Tres! Cuatro! Cinco..." Every strikeout, counted out in Spanish by the Dominican segment of the bleachers. And counting right along, enthusiastically if less confidently once things got past ocho, was the rest of the crowd.

It's difficult to convey the experience of being a Sox fan during Pedro Martinez's prime. The numbers help a bit, at least as a way to start. Of course, every time I look, even having watched the games, I still briefly wonder if Baseball-Reference has suffered some sort of glitch. His numbers go beyond impressive and well into the realm of cheat codes. In seven seasons with Boston, Pedro went 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 1,683 batters at a 10.9 K/9 clip. A 190 ERA+ and 53.8 WAR at Fenway Park in the greatest offensive era since the late 1920s. Utter, total, and unequaled dominance. But more than dominance, Pedro's time in Boston was characterized by joy.

To be a fan of the Boston Red Sox, traditionally, was seen as being part of the most ascetic of baseball orders, devoted to sacrifice and mortification of the flesh. That famed Marty Nolan quote, "The Red Sox killed my father, and now they're coming after me," was less gallows humor than it was an article of faith for many New Englanders. It infected everything associated with the team, to the point where optimism was proof that you weren't a real fan. The Boston Red Sox lost. Eventually. It was only a matter of when and how brutally. Wade Boggs could bat .350 every year, Roger Clemens would win 20 games and a Cy. Didn't matter in the end. And the guys writing about the team would never, ever let us think otherwise.

Pedro arrived in 1998 and gave nary a single crap about that. Legacy of failure? Complete lack of backup in the starting rotation? Left field wall brushing the elbow of the shortstop? The hell with all of that, watch this pitch. And the pitches were glorious. Every curve falling to the outside corner, every high inside fastball turning a slugger away in terror, every change twisting the best the AL had to offer into corkscrews, was a reminder of the pure joy that baseball can bring. The moment Pedro stepped on the mound, we anticipated a no-hitter. We didn't expect it, and were only mildly disappointed when it didn't happen. We just saw the possibility, and knew it could happen.

There were dozens of signature Pedro moments, and they're etched on our memories forever. Bringing the house down at the All-Star Game. Turning the Yankees into Little Leaguers on their home grass. No-hitting the 1,000 run Cleveland Indians in relief with a destroyed back and shoulder to send Boston to the ALCS. And those were just in one year, his should-have-been MVP 1999, and hell yes I'm still bitter about that. But really, the purest of all Pedro moments as far as his importance to this city's relationship with baseball was the interview in 2001 where he exhorted a reporter to "wake up the Bambino. I'll drill him in the ass."

Because none of the accumulated shit mattered. What mattered was the game on the field, and the pure artistry that Pedro was giving us every five days. Every five days, we knew the Red Sox could win. And the other four days, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro's partner in brilliance and the man who in a juster universe would be joining him in the Hall of Fame, would do his damnedest to pick up the slack. And perhaps more important than our delight in Pedro's games was the delight he took in them. He was the best on the field and he knew it, reveled in it, and compelled us all to watch. Whether you were a devoted fan or a newcomer to the game, you couldn't take your eyes away when Pedro pitched.

Boston was, to put it politely, an imperfect fit for Pedro Martinez. A young Dominican pitcher with the arrogance of pure talent, in a city not known for its friendliness to anyone not plausibly from Savin Hill. And indeed he took more than a pitcher of his skill might otherwise have. Still does, in fact, given the response of our local talk radio luminaries to his Hall of Fame election. And still it didn't matter. The talent, the charisma, the sheer force of his presence commanded the respect and eventually love of the fans. Five thousand Irish guys from Southie chanted in Spanish for a skinny dude from the Dominican on a cold day in April. That is not a normal occurrence, but then Pedro made a habit of making the amazing commonplace.

That roar, that immense exultation knowing that our guy is kicking ass. That is Pedro's legacy. The knowledge that baseball is fun. That even if your team loses, you've seen something great, and maybe even extraordinary. That his last year here ended with the first championship in 86 years is oddly less important to me, although that's clearly biased by three titles in a decade. Pedro didn't need a title to cement his legacy here, and yet he still got one.

If you want to truly appreciate the legacy of Pedro Martinez, think of the joy that springs from a Papi bat flip, or the memory of Pap dancing about after a save. Think of the cheer that rises out of you when Pedey lays out for a liner, or Koji threads that last pitch. JBJ hitting the wall, Mookie turning a groundout into a double, everyone tweeting SHANF after a routine double. The beautiful, inexplicable happiness that comes from seeing talent on a baseball field, with no worry that it's meaningless, or not done how Stan Musial would have done it.

Pedro Martinez was an absolute marvel on the mound, and every start brought joy to houses from Bar Harbor to Boston to Burlington. That's what matters. The plaque in Cooperstown is terrific, and well-earned. The starts, the duende, the celebration. That's what each of us can carry forever. Gracias para todos, Pedro. You reminded us that baseball, whatever else surrounds it, is a game of beauty, talent, and perfect joy.

Yo listen up, here's a story about a little guy that lives in a Drew world. Okay, I'll stop now. The Yankees have signed Stephen Drew for one year and $5 million dollars. Woo. Pitchers and catchers report in 43 days.

And all day and all night and everything that we see is just Drew like him, inside and outside.. okay now I'll stop. You should at least be able to guess the Song of the Day by now. The Yankees have signed Stephen Drew, yes that very same Stephen Drew you were so fond of watching last year, to a one year, $5 million dollar deal. On the one hand, this really didn't cost that much. On the other hand, he's Stephen Drew. Let the Blue comments commence!

Comments of the Day

It's really funny that these two comments were the first Blue'd comments of the day. Foreshadowing.

Oh Amaro...

I don't think we could handle another thrashing.

Oh yeah, the Hall of Fame votes were in today. That seems so long ago.

Preach it, Harlan!

Prof. Farnsworth has the right idea.

Billsing does get painful to watch after a while.

To alcohol. The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!

Well this might not be a problem shortly.

That is quite the ugly picture.

Pretty much this.

/violently shudders

Gotta agree with Katara here.

Prove me wrong, Yankees. Prove me wrong!

No Refsnyder and no Pirela make Yankee fans something something...

GIF of the Day

We have a bunch coming! All of them are reaction GIFs to the Drew signing.

So yeah, we signed Stephen Drew.

Honorable Mod Mention

Tanya wins the HMM award due to the awesome cheesy music party time we had last night. Nelly was involved at one point.

• What's your ideal situation at second base for the Yankees this year?
• Name some your favorite sci-fi/superhero/fantasy main theme songs (Batman theme, opening to Game of Thrones, etc.)

What's really funny is that this was going to be today's song even before the Yankees signed Drew. I guessed it worked out. Yay. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Well, I think we all know the topic of discussion. Discuss away. If you have any more classic cheesy techno songs, feel free to list them.

Da Ba Dee Da Ba Die