John's Big League radio Show

John's Big League radio Show

Top 25 Tigers Minor League Players for 2011

For those of you who follow the Detroit Tigers, here's a great article by my friend Austin Drake of the Detroit Tigers Scorecard.

Tigers All-Minor League Team 

The prize possession in the Tigers system is Jacob Turner, who, at age 19, is the Tigers prized future on the mound, and a player who was very sought after in the off season by several big league clubs in trade talk.

The Tigers turned away anyone wanting Turner in any trade, and look at the young man they drafted with the 9th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

John's Big League Baseball Blog Announces Top Big League Catcher Award

Starting with the 2011 big league baseball season I am proud to announce that I will be awarding the top catcher in both the American and National Leagues with the 1st Annual Bill Freehan Award, given to the best catchers in baseball.

Bill Freehan was a 11 time All-Star catcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1963-1976, and was the first catcher to win five consecutive Gold Glove Awards as the best defensive catcher in the American League, in 1965-66-67-68-69.

When Freehan retired following the 1976 season, his .993 lifetime fielding percentage was the highest in baseball history.

Freehan was runner up for the MVP Award in 1969, finishing behind teammate Denny McLain, who went 31-6.

Each week we will ask our readers to nominate a catcher from each league who they feel had the week behind the plate, and @ the plate.

We will use those votes, along with my pick, to determine who the A.L. and N.L. catchers of the week will be.

We will also name a catcher of the month, and name the catchers we believe should start in the All-Star Game, all leading up to our awarding of the 1st Annual Bill Freehan Award @ the end of the 2011 big league baseball season.

Jack Morris, Alan Trammell still not in Baseball Hall of Fame | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Jack Morris, Alan Trammell still not in Baseball Hall of Fame | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Blyleven, Alomar voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

For 14 years Bert Blyleven, the winner of 287 big league games, 3,701 strikeouts, and owner of one of the nastiest curve balls in baseball, waited for the call that he had been elected into the Baseball Hall of fame, and for 13 years that never came.

Today, year 14, that call came, and now Blyleven is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joining Blyleven is Roberto Alomar, the 10 time Gold Glove All-Star shortstop for the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.

Blyleven, who finished just 5 votes short last year, received 79.7% of the votes, and Alomar, who came within 8 votes in 2010, finished with a whopping 90% of the total vote.

Blyleven and Alomar will be joined by former Blue Jays and Phillies executive Pat Gillick, who was voted in by the post expansion Veteran's Committee in December of 2010.

Last month I was privileged to be asked to recommend  players who I believed belong in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

My votes can be found here.

I voted for both Blyleven and Alomar, and both were recommended by the BBA to the BBWAA for induction.

Here's to all the voters who finally got it right and voted in Blyleven and Alomar.

I hope next year they do the right thing and  put both Barry Larkin and Jack Morris in as well, and I sincerely  hope the Veteran's Committee rights another wrong and inducts the late Cubs 3rd baseman Ron Santo.

Live BBA chat on Hall of Fame

Tonight on The Hall of Very Good 

We are having a live chat about the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot before tomorrow's announcement of the 2011 inductees.

Join us for a great debate about the grand old game of baseball.

BBA Baseball Talk Radio

Join Steve Keane tonight @ 11 PM on BBA Baseball Talk

Topics will include the off season for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Hall of Fame voting by the members of the BBA, and tomorrows Hall of Fame announcement.

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance is a collection of baseball bloggers who cover baseball from nearly every aspect of the game, including blogs on current big league teams, general baseball coverage, and the history of the game.