Cole Hamels is one of the best starting pitchers in the game.  He ranks second in the Majors in strikeouts (133), innings pitched (150.7), and fourth in WHIP (1.01).  While Hamels should finish in the top-5 of the National League Cy Young Award vote, the other starters in Philadelphia’s rotation have not been good. 

Brett Myers, the Phillies’ Opening Day starter, has an ERA of 5.84 and had to be sent down to Triple-A.  Adam Eaton hasn’t been much better.  With the addition of Blanton, the Phillies are sending Eaton and his 5.71 ERA to the bullpen.  Second-year righty Kyle Kendrick is 8-4, but his ERA isn’t good either at 4.87.

45-year-old Jamie Moyer has been a solid sidekick to Hamels as he continues to get people out on very limited stuff.  He is 9-6 with a 3.90 ERA for the 2008 season.

Joe Blanton isn’t flashy.  He is a solid right-hander who throws just above 90 mph with an average breaking ball.  However, if Kyle Kendrick has won twice as many games as he’s lost in 2008, Blanton could be a great addition.  Blanton’s dependability could translate into several wins behind Philadelphia’s prolific offense.  He’s made at least 31 starts and logged at least 194 innings in each of his three Major League seasons.

Blanton is one of the original Moneyballers, drafted in the first round of out of the University of Kentucky in 2002.  He finished 6th in the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year vote by posting a 12-12 mark with a 3.53 ERA.  He won a career-high 16 games in 2005, though his ERA ballooned to 4.82.  Last season, Blanton took over duties as staff ace and logged a whopping 230 innings, but kept his ERA (3.95) under 4.00.  His career ERA is 4.25, just above the league average of 4.24. 

Joe Blanton is not yet arbitration eligible and made only $380,000 in 2007.  The Phillies will take no risk monetarily, and Blanton isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2010 season.  However, while Blanton’s durability almost guarantees that he is able to throw 200 inning annually, his rough 2008 season is concerning.  He is 27 years old and, although his MLB career is relatively short, his best years could already be behind him.  Plus, Oakland general manager Billy Beane seems to have a knack for trading away pitchers just as they begin the downside of their careers.  (See:  Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.)

Billy Beane is running laps around the rest of the general managers in Major League Baseball.  This trade is no blockbuster, but supply and demand ensured that Beane maximized Blanton’s value.  Adrian Cardenas was named the High School Player of the Year by Baseball America his senior season at a Miami, Florida high school and was the Phillies’ best position prospect.  Cardenas is a second baseman–obviously blocked at that position in Philadelphia by superstar Chase Utley–that will more than likely be a top-30 overall prospect going into 2009.  Since the Athletics drafted University of Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks last month in the first round, Cardenas may very well end up playing third base in the Major Leagues, but scouts believe his bat will be powerful enough to play at the hot corner.  The Athletics also received Josh Outman, a left-hander who ranked as the Phillies’ fourth-best prospect entering 2008.  He has moved to the bullpen and has a 3.20 ERA in Double-A.  Matt Spencer is a second-year outfielder who is struggling at Class High-A.

Cardenas is a prized hitting prospect, but Billy Beane was able to pry him away from the Phillies even though Joe Blanton is having the worst season of his MLB career.  Blanton is just 5-12 with 4.96 ERA in 2008.  While the National League will not be as strong as Blanton’s American League foes, Philadelphia’s park is grossly different than Oakland’s pitcher-friendly park.  Despite the poor numbers, Blanton was one of the best pitchers available in the trade market.  Beyond the supply and demand factor, the New York Mets have been on fire of late and are tied for the NL East lead, heightening Philadelphia’s urgency to acquire a starting pitcher.  Now Blanton is thrust in the midst of an exciting playoff race.  He will make his Philadelphia Phillies debut tomorrow in Shea Stadium versus Johan Santana and the New York Mets.

  Ten years from now, Justin Morneau will be the answer to a great trivia question.  He won the 2008 Homerun Derby, but it was Josh Hamilton who became the water cooler talk of the nation on Tuesday morning with his incredible first round performance.  Just over 24 hours later, Morneau would single to start the American League’s half of the 15th inning and later score the game-winning run of an epic All-Star Game.

The nearly five hour mid-summer classic had it all:  homers, strikeouts, diving catches, plays at the plate, and plenty of drama.

But the most impressive moment may have come before the game.  Major League Baseball has plenty of faults–most recently, taking 15 years before acknowledging there was a steroid problem–, but it sure knows how to celebrate itself.  MLB trotted out nearly every living Hall of Famer (Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax were nowhere to be found) by position with the All-Star starter from each league joining the legends.  Never before has the world seen such an accumulation of baseball talent.  The diversity of the players–from Juan Marichal, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ferguson Jenkins, Willie McCovey, George Brett, Bruce Sutter, Bob Feller, and Yogi Berra–was incredible because of their common bond as Hall of Famers.  The four living members who are in the Hall of Fame as New York Yankees–Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and recently-elected Goose Gossage–threw out the first pitch.  The baseballs they threw were delivered by long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who wept in emotion in his first public appearance in months and called the moment one of the greatest of his life.  Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame himself for his impact on and success in the game.

  Each starting pitcher–Ben Sheets for the NL and Cliff Lee for the AL–threw two innings and struck out three.

  After pitching dominated the first four innings (4 IP, 4 K for the NL; 4 IP, 3 K for the AL) Matt Holliday hit an opposite field homerun off Ervin Santana to open the scoring in the 5th inning.  J.D. Drew tied the game at two in the bottom of the 7th inning with a bomb off Edinson Volquez.  

Earlier in the week Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon claimed he should get the save opportunity in the All-Star Game, not Mariano Rivera.  Like a politician, Papelbon changed his tune a day later saying his true intentions were that Rivera should close all along and that his previous comments were misconstrued.  When Papelbon entered the All-Star Game in the 8th inning, Yankees fans in attendance booed him loudly.  When he gave up the go-ahead run (unearned), the fans razzed him as if it would be just fine if the American League took the loss, just so long as Papelbon was the game’s losing pitcher.

The fans voted rookie Evan Longoria into the final roster spot for the AL All-Stars and he delivered in the 9th inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner to tie the game at three.

It seemed everyone had planned a storybook ending of Mariano Rivera being on the mound to close the game, but he found himself in a first-and-third jam with only one out before Dan Uggla grounded into a double play.  It was Uggla’s only at bat that he didn’t strike out.  He also had three errors to go along with the hat trick and the double play in an RBI situation.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook worked out of a bases-loaded-with-no-outs jam following two of Uggla’s errors.

Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at home plate to save the game for the National League.

Ryan Ludwick made a diving catch.

Miguel Tejada made an incredible do-or-die play with two outs and a runner on third to extend the game.

For the American League, George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but struck out Ludwick to end the NL rally.

Ryan Dempster struck out the side in his inning of work, while Brandon Webb struck out two in an inning just two days after throwing 108 pitches.

The National League gave a valiant effort and had plenty of opportunities, but the American League prevailed once again as Michael Young delivered the game-winning RBI in the All-Star Game for the second time in the last three years.  The AL hasn’t lost an All-Star Game 1996, including the infamous tie in Milwaukee in the 2002 version of the mid-summer classic. 

J.D. Drew was named the 2008 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run scored.  Scott Kazmir, who also threw over 100 pitches on Sunday, was the winning pitcher.  Brad Lidge was the losing pitcher.

This epic game ended just in time, as the pitchers of record were the last pitchers used by managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle.  If you stayed up to watch all 15 innings, you saw a classic. 

The 2008 All-Star break began with Josh Hamilton becoming a household name on the national level.  Then after a parade through the Bronx, nearly every living Hall of Famer took the field.  Major League Baseball’s pomp and circumstance was a sight to be seen, celebrating not only the All-Stars of 2008, but the game itself.  Yankee Stadium, in all its grandeur, was the perfect venue.  Then, the All-Stars delivered one of the most-memorable All-Star Games ever. 

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(52-44) The Phillies need to deal for some starting pitching help because Cole Hamels (9-6, 142.7 IP, 126 K/34 BB, 3.15 ERA, 1.023 WHIP) can only pitch every fifth game.

(51-44)  Earlier in the season, Mike Pelfrey lost six straight starts.  Now he has won six straight and on the year he is 8-6 with a 3.64 ERA.

(50-45) Ricky Nolasco is on fire.  The 25-year-old right-hander went 11-11 in 2006, was hurt last season, and has come back in the first half of 2008 to post a 10-4 with a 3.70 ERA, including winning five straight decisions.

(45-50)  The Braves sent down Jeff Francoeur to Doube-A, but have since recalled him.  He called it a slap in the face by the organization, but his numbers are not encouraging.  He’s hitting .234/.285/.375 on the year.  His lack of plate discipline will mean his 2006 will be his best MLB season.

(36-60)  Odalis Perez hasn’t won since May 28, but he’s having a solid year.  His record is only 2-7, but his ERA is 3.71.

NL CENTRAL

(57-38)  It was a great move by Cubs’ management to allow (or force, probably) Carlos Zambrano to miss two starts with a sore shoulder while the team remained in first place.  He’s won each of his two starts since returning from the DL and his start on Wednesday was the highest game score he has logged this season (81).

(53-43)  Remember the Cardinals traded Dan Haren to get Mark Mulder.  In his first start (third appearance) of 2008, he lasted just one third of an inning before leaving with a hurting shoulder.  He’s pitched 12.7 innings since the beginning of 2007.

(52-43) C.C. Sabathia is giving the Brewers instant results since being traded, winning both of his starts.  In yesterday’s win, Sabathia threw all nine innings and hit a homerun.

(46-50)  It just goes to show you never can tell.  Homer Bailey was recalled to start yesterday and didn’t throw badly (5.7 IP, 2 ER), but he was a can’t-miss prospect who now is 4-5 with a 6.11 ERA in his short MLB career.  There is still time for Bailey to figure out how to pitch, though, since he is only 22, but the early trial does not look great.

(44-50) Paul Maholm’s claim to fame may be that he struck out Billy Crystal in spring training this year, but the lefty is 4-0 in last 8 starts with a 2.67 ERA.

(44-51)  After a hot start in the National League, Miguel Tejada is hitting only .206/.268/.326 since June 1.

NL WEST

(47-48)  At the All-Star break, the Diamondbacks cling to the NL West lead even though they are under .500.  Their lineup is not very good and they have three players at the break who have more than 95 strikeouts:  Mark Reynolds (111), Chris Young (95), and Justin Upton (97).

(46-49)  Andruw Jones is off the disabled list, but his swing isn’t any healthier.  On Saturday, he went 0-5 with 5 strikeouts.

(40-55)  An organization might need more pop in its lineup when rookie John Bowker leads the team in homeruns (9) and slugging percentage (.449).

(39-57)  Clint Barmes has played at second base, shortstop, and third base this season for Colorado.  Injuries forced his versatility, but his bat has kept him in the lineup.  He’s hitting .295/.337/.477 on the year.

(37-58)  The end could be near for Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.  The all-time saves leader (541) is just 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA in 2008 with three blown saves.

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NL EAST

(48-41)  The Phillies called up 25-year-old left-hander J.A. Happ from Triple-A to take Brett Myers‘ spot in the rotation.  Happ threw 4.7 innings and allowed 2 runs in his 2008 debut.

(45-43)  Starting National League shortstop Hanley Ramirez has 21 homers and 21 stolen bases through 87 team games.  30/30 looks inevitable, but can he go 40/40? 

(44-44)  The Mets were worried that John Maine might have dead arm, but he appears to be ok.  His 8-6 record with a 3.91 ERA is solid, but it’s not the breakout year that many expected.

(42-47)  He’s no longer hitting over .400 and the guy can barely walk, but Chipper Jones can still rake.  He’s leading Major League Baseball with a 1.125 on-base plus slugging percentage.

(34-56)  Collin Balester, the number three prospect in the Nationals’ organization, made his MLB debut last week, losing one start and winning the other.

NL CENTRAL

(53-36)  In Ted Lilly’s  first four starts, he was 0-3 with a 9.16 ERA and barely throwing 85 mph with his fastball.  In 15 games since then, his velocity is back and so are the numbers Cubs fans expected:  he’s 9-2 with a 3.52 ERA.

(50-40)  It looks as if Rick Ankiel will someday win a Gold Glove award, but this middle-of-the-field defender may hit 30 homeruns this year as well.  He has 18 right now, and has hit 3 so far in July.

(49-39) J.J. Hardy is probably the hottest hitter on the planet.  Since the beginning of June, he’s hitting .385 with 22 extra-base hits.

(43-47)  The Reds were supposed to have one of the better starting rotations in the NL Central, but only newcomer Edinson Volquez (11-3) has a winning record.

(41-48)  Roy Oswalt will miss a few starts because of a hurting hip.  Maybe that’s why the pitcher who had more victories than anyone from 2001-2007 is only 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA in 2008.

(40-47)  Jason Bay is having a good year after a bit of a disappointing 2007.  He’s hitting .285/.389/.526 in 2008 with 17 homeruns.  Teams needing a right-handed power bat will be asking the Pirates about him soon.

NL WEST

(44-45)  Yesterday Randy Johnson dominated by throwing 6.1 innings, striking out 10 and walking no one.  The win break an ugly streak for Johnson.  He had lost six consecutive starts before yesterday.

(43-45)  Chan Ho Park’s contract with the Texas Rangers (5 years, $65 million) was a terrible one, but he has resurfaced where he began his MLB career and provided very good relief for the Dodgers, owning a 2.36 ERA in 61 innings.

(39-50)  Tim Lincecum (10-1, 115.7 IP, 122 strikeouts) should be the National League’s starting pitcher in this year’s All-Star Game.

(37-52)  Last year’s NL MVP Runner-up Matt Holliday hit .429 with 3 homers in the last week, while last year’s NL Rookie of the Year Runner-up Troy Tulowitzki went back on the disabled list.

(35-54)  Scott Hairston is showing some power in 2008.  He’s second on the Padres in homeruns (12) and slugging percentage (.470).

  How often does a division leader send its Opening Day starter down to the minors?  The Philadelphia Phillies have done just that, sending down Brett Myers to Triple-A.

Of course the Phillies will recall Myers sometime in the second half of the season, but it was a mistake by manager Charlie Manuel to choose the veteran Myers to start the club’s first game of the season over rising star Cole Hamels.  The Phillies lost that first game of the year and have not fared much better in Myers’ starts since, compiling just a 4-13 record when he pitches.  But this team leads the National League East, meaning Philly is 41-26 when their supposed ace does not pitch.

Myers has been terrible in 2008.  He is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA.  His WHIP is a whopping 1.564 and he leads the National League in homeruns allowed (24) as well as earned runs (66).  Batters are hitting .284 off Myers this season–which is not outrageous–but these hits aren’t only singles.  Hitters are slugging a powerful .551 off Myers.

After early struggles as a starter in 2007, Myers became the Phillies’ closer and notched 21 saves for the NL East winners.  However, that is not an option this season as offseason acquisition Brad Lidge has thrived in the closer’s role.  Lidge has already saved 19 games in the first half of 2008 and owns a 0.82 ERA.

The Phillies say that Brett Myers simply needs to work on the mechanics of delivery.  Triple-A will give him more time to play practical jokes and beat his wife.  It’s interesting that the Phillies don’t necessarily need Myers to win the division.  They won it in 2007 with Myers pitching in relief.  His production has been so bad this year that whoever replaces him could do no worse.  Besides, they are in first place right now.  So who will Myers’ replacement in the Phillies’ rotation be?  One option is Philadelphia’s number one prospect Carlos Carrasco, who is in Double-A.   While the 21-year-old Carrasco is known to be pretty inconsistent, scouts believe his stuff is adaquate for the Major Leagues right now.

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 13 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(44-39)  Is Brett Myers (3-9, 5.84 ERA) in jeopardy of losing his spot in the Phillies’ rotation?

(42-39)  Dan Uggla is having a monster year (.289/.375/.620), but will miss at least one series with a sprained ankle.

(40-41)  Mike Pelfrey has a 3.06 ERA in 8 home starts, but is only 2-4;  he has a 6.38 ERA in 7 road starts, but he’s 3-2, another example of how a starting pitcher’s record can be misleading.

(40-43)  Mike Gonzalez is the Braves’ newest in a long line of attempted closers for the 2008 season.  He has two saves in two opportunities so far.

(33-50)  Cristian Guzman may be the Nationals’ lone All-Star representative.  He currently leads the National League with 110 hits.

NL CENTRAL

(49-33)  Alfonso Soriano’s 15 homeruns is tied with Derrek Lee for the team lead.  However, Soriano has played in 30 less games due to two stints on the disabled list.

(47-36)  Albert Pujols went 4-4 with a walk in his first game off the DL last Thursday.  He hit his first homer since returning yesterday.

(44-37)  Russell Branyan has always been known for his power surges.  He’s hit 11 homeruns for the Brewers in just 86 at bats in 2008.

(39-43)  Journeyman Brian Moehler has filled in nicely for the Astros, compiling a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts since joining the rotation.

(38-43)  Zach Duke has thrown well lately, going 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in five June starts.

(38-45)  Bronson Arroyo is having an awful 2008 season.  His opponents are hitting .316/.374/.539 against him.

NL WEST

(41-41)  Dan Haren is having an excellent first season in Arizona, leading the National League in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.05-1) and WHIP (0.967).

(38-43)  Chad Billingsley is only 7-7, but the 23-year-old is much better than his record indicates.  He has a 3.38 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 96 innings for the 2008 season.

(36-46)  Omar Vizquel began the season injured and now he is struggling mightily, hitting just .156/.234/.180.  It may be time for the 41-year-old to call it a career.

(32-50)  Brad Hawpe had a monster month of June, hitting .319/.417/.681, including 7 homeruns.

(32-51)  Adrian Gonzalez already has 21 homeruns in 83 games this season, making it a near lock that he breaks his career high of 30 set in 2007.

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 12 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(42-35)  What’s wrong with Chase Utley?  He’s hitting just .229 with seven extra base hits in June.

(40-35)  Outfielder Cody Ross is hitting just .218, but he is slugging .491 because 20 of his 36 hits have been for extra bases.

(37-37)  Minor offseason acquisition Ryan Church is still the only hitter in this supposed powerful Mets lineup hitting over .300 and slugging over .500, but he hasn’t even played in two and a half weeks due to a concussion.

(38-39)  Chipper Jones is finally hitting below .400, but .393 is not too shabby.  His switch-hitting partner Mark Teixeira had his second career three homer game on Sunday.

(30-47)  Jesus Flores is only 22 and hitting .306/.370/.516 and will soon put Paul LoDuca out of a job.

NL CENTRAL

(48-28)  Aramis Ramirez hit four homers this weekend in a sweep of their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox.  Ramirez is one of the most underrated hitters in the game having posted four consecutive seasons with an OPS over .900.  He is well on his way for a fifth, as he currently is at .934.

(44-33)  Troy Glaus has popped seven homers in June.  St. Louis will need him to drive in runs in Albert Pujols‘ absence.

(41-34)  Milwaukee is going to be in this thing for the long haul.  Well, as long as Ben Sheets can stay healthy.  He’s 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 2008 for the Brew Crew.

(36-40)  Opening day starter Tom Gorzelanny had a 3.88 ERA in 201.7 innings in 2007, but so far in 2008 he’s been nearly three runs worse with a 6.59 ERA.

(35-41)  The Astros have decided to move struggling Shawn Chacon (2-3, 5.04 ERA) to the bullpen.

(35-42)  Jay Bruce has struggled a bit since his amazing start, hitting only .176 in the last two weeks.

NL WEST

(39-37)  Since winning his first nine starts, Brandon Webb is just 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA in seven games.

(35-40)  The Los Angeles Dodgers could hang around and win the NL West, but they won’t do it without shortstop Rafael Furcal, who hasn’t played since May 5 because of an injured him.  Look for him to come back in the second half and for the Dodgers to accordingly make a push for the playoffs.

(32-44)  Effectively wild:  Tim Lincecum leads the National League in wild pitches (10) and is second in strikeouts (103).

(32-44)  After missing nearly two months, Troy Tulowitzki is back in the Rockies’ lineup.  He had three hits on the weekend and should quickly improve his dismal .162 batting average.

(32-45)  Jake Peavy was lights out in his first start back from the DL, throwing six shutout innings in a home start versus the Dodgers.  He wasn’t so good in his first career start in Yankee Stadium, giving up three earned runs in four innings and taking the loss.

  It shouldn’t be that surprising that the New York Mets waited until the conclusion of Monday night’s game in Anaheim to fire manager Willie Randolph.  The announcement came when the majority of the country was asleep, but the Mets did hold a press conference the following day:  again, in Anaheim and avoiding the oftentimes brutal press corps of New York City.  The Mets actually won Randolph’s final game Monday night and the decision regarding his employment was one that had been in question for weeks.  So when exactly did General Manager Omar Minaya realize he had had enough?  Maybe the timing of firing Randolph while on a west coast road trip was not coincidental.

Owner Fred Wilpon said on an ESPN Radio affiliate that the decision was Minaya’s.

Since Randolph took the Mets’ managerial position in 2005, there have been questions on who was in control:  Randolph, a prodigy of Joe Torre who waited to choose a job that he could succeed at; Omar Minaya, one of the highest-profile GMs in the game; or owner Fred Wilpon.

The New York Mets have quickly become one of the most dysfunctional organizations in baseball.

The classic defense of managers is a good one for Randolph as he made no errors, allowed no homers, and never struck out. 

It was Jose Reyes who hit .205 last September when the Mets blew the division lead to the Phillies. 

Carlos Delgado is aging drastically.  In his prime, he was one of the most-feared left-handed hitters alive, but in 2008 he’s not even hitting his weight (.238 batting average and listed at 265 lbs.).

Moises Alou began 2008 on the disabled list after hernia surgery.  He returned to the lineup and suffered a calf strain that caused him to miss 19 games.  In his first game back, he injured the calf again and has returned to the DL.

Carlos Beltran is a heck of a player, but certainly not a $119 million type of player.  His first year with the Mets was his worst MLB since his injury-shortened second full season back in 2000.  Beltran rebounded to collect back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in ‘06 and ‘07, but there will not be another in 2008 as he is hitting just .270/.372/.475 this season. 

Pedro Martinez chose the Mets over Boston because New York offered a fourth season in their contract.  In his first season with the Mets, he showed the Red Sox what they missed out on by recording his sixth season with a WHIP under 1.00.  That year he made 31 starts, but has only made 32 starts in the three years since, showing why Boston didn’t offer that fourth year.

David Wright had a monster 2007 season, going 30-30, winning a Silver Slugger, winning a Gold Glove, and finishing 4th in the NL MVP voting, but so far in 2008, he’s having his worst MLB season. 

Johan Santana has been good, but not spectacular in his debut season in the National League.

Oddly enough, it seems closer Billy Wagner is the team’s spokesman.  But the fact that he is a pitcher–and a reliever at that–is a problem.  Wagner himself knows that problem as he recently blasted reporters for asking him questions about a loss in which he did not play, instead referring them to those players who did participate in the questioned game.

Speaking of Wagner, reporters questioned Randolph’s tactics in bringing in the Mets’ closer in the middle of the 9th inning in the game on June 11.  Mike Pelfrey convinced his skipper to let him try for a complete game, although he had thrown 111 pitches through 8 innings.  Pelfrey gave up a hit to lead off the 9th inning and Randolph brought in Wagner.  If the Arizona Diamondbacks go three up three down in the 9th, Ranolph is viewed as a players’ manager.  Instead Wagner came in and blew his second consecutive save opportunity (and would also blow his next chance).

Jerry Manuel has taken over as Mets manager.  While he is obviously compotent for the job, it is interesting to note that when Jose Reyes limped in the first inning of Manuel’s first game the new manager removed the star shortstop from the game and Reyes was visably unhappy with Manuel’s decision.

Willie Randolph is certainly not free from all blame.  The Mets have clearly underperformed under his reign.  The stakes were high, of course, but that just goes with the territory with a high-priced roster in New York City.  The Mets paid their players $120,900,000 in 2007 for 88 wins while NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies won the division spending around $30 million less.  As for 2008, the Florida Marlins will probably end up with MLB’s lowest payroll but are currently beating the Mets by 3.5 games in the NL East standings.

Clearly a change was necessary.  The clubhouse seemed on the brink of mutiny or worse a civil war, so maybe Randolph’s departure will help the Mets players.

So whose team is the New York Mets?  There have been reports that Minaya’s job is in jeopardy as well, so maybe the ousting of Randolph was a self-preservation move by Minaya to avoid Wilpon’s wrath.  As for the clubhouse, which of the mix of up-and-coming and aging stars can provide the leadership necessary to guide this club through the grind of a 162-game season to a division title?

The reality is that if Omar Minaya believes the 2008 New York Mets is a championship-caliber roster, he is wrong.  While it is a roster full of great players, most are well past their primes.   The New York Mets’ farm system–also Minaya’s responsibility–is well below average.

They did not know it at the time, but Yadier Molina’s tie-breaking homerun in the top of the 9th inning of game 7 of the 2006 NLCS off Aaron Heilman to propel a mediocre Cardinals team to a World Series title was more than just an ending to the Mets’ season.  It also marked the end of a window of opportunity for this franchise. 

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CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 11 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(41-30)  Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell have a combined 57 homers and 166 runs batted in in Philadelphia’s 71 games.

(37-32)  Jorge Cantu had to earn his roster spot in spring training, but he has played well for the Marlins, hitting .288/.336/.509 in 2008.

(34-36)  Brandon Jones (ranked as the Braves’ 4th-best prospect coming into 2008) is getting a shot in the Big Leagues and playing well in his first week, going 6 for 13 with a homer.

(33-35)  Billy Wagner’s save yesterday broke an awful streak of three blown saves in three consecutive appearances.

(29-42)  Elijah Dukes is only 24 and still has plenty of tools, but his character continues to be a major problem.  He’s had several opportunities and even a change of scenery, but he’s hitting just .235/.360/.353 in 2008 and went nose to nose with manager Manny Acta this week.

NL CENTRAL

(45-25)  Ryan Theriot is a tough out.  His on-base percentage is .388 and he’s walked more times (32) than he’s struck out (23).

  (42-29)  The next month is key for the St. Louis Cardinals:  can they stay afloat or will they faulter while Albert Pujols heals?

(36-33)  Journeyman reliever Solomon Torres is 4-1 and has eight saves for the Brewers as the team’s new closer.

(34-36)  Ryan Doumit (1.006), Jason Bay (.932), and Nate McLouth (.952) all have an OPS over .900.

(33-37)  Carlos Lee is a solid slugger and having a solid year, hitting .273/.318/.504, but he’s definitely not a 6-year, $100 million player the Astros made him before the 2007 season.

(33-38)  Jerry Hairston, Jr., a third-generation Major Leaguer is a having a nice season as a part-time outfielder, hitting .336/.382/.480 with 12 stolen bases.

NL WEST

(37-33)  After a career year in 2007, Eric Byrnes is hitting just .219/.285/.388 with only 4 steals (he had 50 in 2007).

(31-38)  Andy LaRoche was supposed to push Nomar Garciaparra for the third base job before his spring training injury.  Now that he’s back in the lineup, what will the Dodgers do with Blake Dewitt?

(31-40)  The Padres have finally called up top prospect Chase Headley.

(30-40)  Little-known Japanese import Keiichi Yabu is having a nice season as a reliever.  He has a 1.93 ERA in 37.3 innings pitched.

(28-41)  Matt Holliday returned to the lineup this week and went 6 for 22, but will the last place Rockies trade their star hitter?

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NL EAST

(39-26)  Ryan Howard continues to struggle, hitting .214/.317/.458 on the season, but his Phillies lead the NL East.  Maybe Howard’s performance on Sunday (3 doubles, 4 RBIs) will get him going.

(34-28)  Hanley Ramirez is starting to heat up.  He had two multi-homer games last week.

(32-32)  Rafael Soriano has returned from the disabled list and has already recorded two saves.  The Braves will need him in their bullpen, especially now that John Smoltz looks finished for 2008.

(30-32)  Pedro Martinez has returned for the Mets, but he just doesn’t have it anymore, giving up 17 hits in 11 innings so far.

(25-39)  Ryan Zimmerman is on the disabled list with an injured shoulder, but the Nationals’ franchise player is struggling mightily, hitting only .257/.291/.427 on the 2008 campaign.

NL CENTRAL

(40-24)  The Cubs have found a recipe for success (first NL team to 40 wins).  Their starters are averaging five and two-thirds innings per start, then give the ball to Michael Wuertz for an inning (2.89 ERA), then onto Carlos Marmol for four outs (2.25 ERA), and finally to Kerry Wood to close it (NL-leading 18 saves).

(38-27)  Yadier Molina came into the Big Leagues as a classic all defense/no offense catcher.  While he’s still more than likely the best defensive catcher on earth, he’s becoming a very tough out:  Molina is hitting .295 with only 9 strikeouts in 212 plate appearances in 2008.

(33-30)  Don’t count out the Brewers just yet.  They are back over .500 and rookie Manny Parra has won three decisions in a row.

(32-32)  Houston has struggled of late, but Lance Berkman is still in the running of a Triple Crown.  Though he leads none of the categories, he’s second in average (.372), third in RBIs (51), and second in homeruns (18).

(30-33)  The Pirates traded lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez and a shortstop prospect Brent Lillibridge for Adam LaRoche before the 2007 season in which he hit 32 homers and had an OPS of .915 for Atlanta.  He’s been a bust since and he’s hitting just .221/.299/.364 in 2008.

(30-34)  Aaron Harang impressively threw four innings in relief on May 25 on just two days’ rest and struck out nine.  However, he’s 0-3 and given up 30 hits in his last three starts.  Did his extra session in an extra inning game cost the Reds long term?

NL WEST

(34-29)  He had the best opening week in baseball, but Justin Upton has done nothing but struggle since.  He hit 3 homers that first week of the season, but has only hit 2 jacks in the last month and his average is just .129 over that month.

(30-33)  After a 5-2 start, Brad Penny is 0-6 in his last 7 starts with a 7.71 ERA.

(28-35)  Randy Winn is having a solid year, hitting .301/.350/.459 with 10 stolen bases.

(28-37)  Tony Clark is no longer a regular, but yesterday’s pinch hit, game-winning homer off Mets closer Billy Wagner shows the power that will keep him employed a few years longer as a viable bat off the bench.

(24-39)  Clint Barmes burst onto the scene with a hot start in 2005 before a broken collarbone sidelined him.  His career stagnated for two years, but he’s received another shot in the 2008 season, hitting .343/.376/.582 in 39 games.