Aroldis Chapman’s defection from Cuba made many Major League Baseball general managers very happy. The 21-year-old pitcher has a fastball that has been clocked at over 100 MPH. And to top it off, he’s a lefty.
After establishing residency in the tiny country of Andorra, Chapman is now a free agent. There has already been talk that a big league team may be interested in paying him upwards of $50 million. Which teams are possible destinations for Aroldis Chapman? Let’s take a look:
New York Yankees
The Yankees always like to spend money. Considering that starting pitching depth was their weakness this season, …read more

The Tampa Bay Rays don’t have the deep pockets of the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox. But when faced with a $10 million option on Carl Crawford, the Rays exercised the option to keep the speedy outfielder.
As it turns out, it wasn’t too difficult of a decision for the Rays. Last year, the 28-year-old left fielder had arguably his best season. He finished with a .305 batting average to go along with 15 homers, 68 RBIs, 96 runs and 60 steals. The 60 steals were a new career-high and he also posted a career-high on-base percentage of …read more

The New York Yankees are the 2009 champions of baseball. With a 7-3 victory in Game 6 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Yankees won the 27th World Series title of their history.
Hideki Matsui, who was named the World Series MVP, was the big bat in New York’s lineup in Game 6. He drove in six of their seven runs on the night. He started things off with a two-run blast in the second inning. In the third, he hit a two-run single. Finally, in the fifth inning, Matsui hit a two-run double.
Getting the win was Andy …read more

If you didn’t know Chase Utley before the start of the 2009 World Series, you know him now. The Philadelphia Phillies second baseman hit two more homers in Game 5 to power the Phillies past the New York Yankees by a final count of 8-6.
After Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees on the board first in the top of the first inning via an RBI double, Utley smashed a three-run blast in the bottom of the first inning. In the seventh inning, Utley hit a solo homer to give the Phillies a 7-2 lead.
Utley now has five homers in the World …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies really need to win Game 4 to have a chance to win back-to-back World Series championships. Unfortunately for the Phillies and their fans, the New York Yankees drew first blood by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
Derek Jeter began the game with an infield single. Johnny Damon then hit a double off of Joe Blanton. With runners on second and third, Mark Teixeira hit an RBI groundout. After Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pinch, Jorge Posada hit a sacrifice fly to left field to extend the Yankees lead to 2-0.
However, in the …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to strike first in Game 3 of the 2009 WOrld Series. In the bottom of the second inning, Jayson Werth hit a homer, Jimmy Rollins had a bases loaded walk and Shane Victorino had a sacrifice fly.
The New York Yankees could have easily folded but instead they battled back. Alex Rodriguez, who had been struggling during the World Series, hit a two run homer in the fourth to start the rally. Andy Pettitte helped his own cause with an RBI single, then Johnny Damon hit a two RBI double.
In the top of the sixth, Nick …read more

With the World Series tied 1-1 after the first two games in New York, the Yankees and Phillies travel to Philadelphia to play the next three contests. While the World Series is in its infancy, many experts are saying that Game 3 is a must win for both teams.
While I don’t think it’s literally a must win, there’s no doubt this is an important game. And, yes, chances are high that whichever team wins Game 3 will be the 2009 baseball champion.
For the Yankees, the reasoning is mostly related to pitching. In Game 3, they have Andy Pettitte on the …read more

For Game 4 of the 2009 World Series, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a dilemma. Should he start ace Cliff Lee on short rest or should he go with Joe Blanton? As it turns out, Manuel has decided to go with Blanton.
Lee has been very good in the postseason but he has no professional experience starting on only three days rest. Apparently, Manuel didn’t want to see whether or not Lee can be effective on short rest. Instead, Lee will get the baseball to start Game 5.
Going with Blanton isn’t without risk. Against the New York Yankees in four …read more

After the Philadelphia Phillies scored in the top of the second inning, the New York Yankees appeared to be in danger of losing their footing in the battle. But thanks to a pair of solo homers and a strong pitching performance by A.J. Burnett, the Yankees were able to battle back and top the Phillies by a final count of 3-1 in Game 2.
In the fourth inning, Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Hideki Matsui hit a solo blast to put the Yankees up 2-1. New York would …read more

The New York Yankees were the favorites heading into Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. However, the Philadelphia Phillies quickly showed that they are definitely for real. Behind Chase Utley’s power and Cliff Lee’s arm, the Phillies were able to win 6-1 and draw first blood in the World Series.
Lee, who the Phillies traded for during the middle of the season and quickly became the squad’s ace, was outstanding. He pitched all nine innings and didn’t give up a run until the ninth inning. When it was all said and done, Lee had given up six hits, no earned …read more