J.P. Ricciardi, the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays, recently said that he will set a deadline for other teams to piece together a trade for star pitcher Roy Halladay. The date? July 28th — or a day prior to Halladay’s start on July 29th.
As of late, Halladay has been the hottest name in the trade rumor mill. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Halladay started for the American League in this year’s All-Star game.
On the season, Halladay has an 11-3 record to go along with a 2.73 ERA. The 6-foot-6 22-year-old is coming off of a season in …read more

To begin the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Roy Halladay will be on the mound for the American League and Tim Lincecum will be on the mound for the National League.
Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays has recently been the subject of trade rumors. Considering how talented he is, that’s of little surprise. On the season, Halladay has a 2.85 ERA, a record of 10-3 and a WHIP of 1.10. He’s on his way to winning 16 or more games for the fourth straight season.
Lincecum is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. In 2009, he’s threatening to …read more

Roy Halladay, who may very well be the best pitcher in baseball, has been placed on the trade market by Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi. Halladay, who has a no trade clause in his contract, doesn’t seem upset about the possibility of being traded.
Said Halladay: “I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate. I’m really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying ‘Do I want to do …read more

Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays aren’t loving life right now. Roy Halladay, the best pitcher on the Blue Jays and perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, hurt his groin in the fourth inning of his start against the Florida Marlins.
His first pitch of the fourth inning went as planned. However, his second pitch left Halladay grimacing. He was soon removed from the game.
Halladay is having a fantastic season. He has a 2.53 ERA with a record of 10-1. The 32-year-old pitcher was 7-0 in his last nine starts before getting hurt on Friday.
Once removed from the …read more

Cliff Lee, a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, has been named the American League Cy Young Award winner. Lee, who just last season was sent down to the minors due to ineffective pitching, bounced back in a big way in 2008.
When looking at Lee’s numbers, it’s difficult to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. He had a record of 22-3 to go along with a 2.54 ERA and a microscopic WHIP of 1.11. He also had 170 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 223.1 innings pitched.
The 30-year-old Lee had by far his best season in 2008. In 2007, …read more

5) Mike Mussina, New York Yankees
Although he doesn’t have a legitimate chance to win the award, Mike Mussina has pitched well enough in 2008 to be an American League Cy Young favorite. While many Yankee fans were ready to bury him coming into the season, Mussina responded with a vintage season. He currently has an ERA of 3.57 to go with a record of 18-9.
4) Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Another year, another Roy Halladay great season. Perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the entire major leagues, Halladay currently has a 2.81 ERA and a 19-11 record. It took the Blue …read more

Previously…

#91-100
#81-90
#71-80

#61-70
#51-60
#41-50

I think 1998 is right around when I first started to realize how difficult it is to develop a big-league catcher. Five backstops made Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects that year, and none of ‘em did much. Still, this latest batch includes a former home-run champion and a Cy Young Award winner…