For the second consecutive year, the Hall Of Fame ballot will be looked at, player by player, right here on i70baseball.

There are 37 names on this year’s Hall Of Fame ballot, with 24 of those players appearing for the first time.  Dale Murphy, one of the thirteen hold overs from last year’s ballot, appears for his 15th and final time.

Below you will find the links to a brief run down of each of the candidates.  Each page is a virtual baseball card providing the reader with a few lines of highlights of the player’s career, a banner photo of the player, a table of statistics from the player’s career, and two sections of opinion on Why He Should Get In and Why He Should Not Get In to the Hall Of Fame.

The twenty four new players on the ballot are featured in articles written this year while the hold overs were written in 2012.  You can follow the links below to read about each candidate and their credentials for Cooperstown.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.

In this article, we take a look at Mike Stanton

Why He Should Get In
Stanton, while starting his career as a closer, established himself in the thankless role of being one of the best setup men in baseball.  His longevity, durability and stability in the bullpen has him as one of the best players to do what he did.

Why He Should Not Get In
Unfortunately, what he did was something that most writers brush aside.  He does not have the key numbers in wins, strikeouts, or saves to warrant his place in Cooperstown.  A pitcher in the middle of a baseball game that did not start or close the game, makes it hard to qualify his place in history.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

The fans who actually study the statistics and don’t just automatically punch out the boxes next to all of the players on their favorite team on the All-Star ballot are facing some tough choices this season.

With a couple of weeks left in the balloting for this year’s game in Phoenix, no position seems harder to pick than who deserves to be the three starting outfielders in the National League.

Consider that going into Sunday’s games, there were 11 NL outfielders who had played more than 40 games who were hitting better than .300; there also were 18 NL outfielders with more than 30 RBI, and 10 had 10 or more home runs — and you kind of get the idea.

The only outfielder who currently is ranked among the top three players in the league in all of the Triple Crown categories, and thus the only easy choice, is Matt Kemp of the Dodgers. He is tied with Prince Fielder for a league-high 19 homers, is third in the league with a .331 batting average and is second in RBI with 55.

Behind him, however, fans could build a case for any of six other outfielders who all rank in the top 10 in at least one of the three categories.

Cardinals fans, of course, are pulling for Lance Berkman, easily the top choice as the first-half comeback player of the year, and his credentials certainly are worthy of selection – 16 homers, tied for fourth in the league; a .317 batting average, seventh in the league, and 46 RBI, tied for sixth in the league.

Berkman’s competition, however, includes Jay Bruce of the Reds (17 HRs, .318 average and 48 RBI); Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (14 homers, .309 average and 48 RBI) LA’s Andre Ethier (a .321 average, fourth best in the league), Houston’s Hunter Pence (.318 average and 48 RBI) and Florida’s Mike Stanton (16 home runs).

This group does not include other players having solid seasons who will get a lot of support among their team’s fans – Houston’s Michael Bourne (leading the NL with 26 stolen bases); Cincinnati’s Drew Stubbs (tied for the league lead with 48 runs), New York’s Carlos Beltran, having a good comeback season of his own), Pittsburgh’s young star Andrew McCutcheon; San Diego’s Ryan Ludwick; Arizona’s Chris Young and B.J. Upton, and don’t forget last year’s batting champion, Carlos Gonzalez of Colorado, who is coming on after a tough start.

The group also does not include the Cardinals’ Matt Holliday, who appeared headed to a spot on the team before his latest injury landed him on the disabled list, which will keep his numbers below those of the other top contenders.

That’s a total of 15 players for two spots, which doesn’t add up. At least three more, and perhaps four or five, will be added as reserves, but there will be at least six deserving candidates who are not going to be able to find a spot on the team.

If the only tough choice on the NL ballot was in the outfield that would be one thing, but the competition is just as tough, if not even tougher, at first base.

That group of candidates, where only one player can start, includes the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols; Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder; Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, and Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard. Not to be excluded from the discussion, but most likely to find themselves on the outside looking in, will be Florida’s Gaby Sanchez, Colorado’s Todd Helton and Houston’s Brett Wallace.

The perennial choices, Pujols and Howard, might lose out to Fielder this year, who is tied for the league lead in homers with 19, leads in RBI with 58 and has raised his average to .305 – 31 points higher than Pujols and 67 points higher than Howard.

Votto, the reigning MVP, has hit only eight homers but has driven in 39 runs and posted a .339 average. Sanchez, the most unknown player in the group, has 11 homers, 41 RBI and a .312 average.

It is not likely that any more than three out of this group, or perhaps four at the most, can earn a spot on the team.

At catcher, second base and shortstop, there is a clear-cut leader at each position, with a strong runnerup choice too. The Cardinals’ Yadier Molina, combining his defensive skills with a better offensive output this season, would appear to be the choice ahead of Atlanta’s Brian McCann, thanks to the injury to Buster Posey. At second base, Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks should come out ahead of the Reds’ Brandon Phillips, and at shortstop, the choice should be the Mets’ Jose Reyes with Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki as the backup.

The lost position in the NL is third base, where there really is nobody having an All-Star caliber season, thanks in part to injuries to players like Ryan Zimmerman and Pablo Sandoval. Only seven third basemen have more than 200 at-bats. Ryan Roberts of Arizona is the only third baseman with more than six home runs, and the only two with more than 28 RBI are the Phillies’ Placido Polanco and Atlanta’s Chipper Jones. Polanco is the only one hitting better than ,283.

There is a chance, of course, that somebody will got hot in the next two weeks and put some distance between themselves and other candidates, at any of the positions, but if not, good luck to the voters.

When it comes to picking the pitchers, some might not want to go to the game after what has happened since last year. Six of the nine pitchers who worked in last year’s game for the NL have been on the disabled list during this season – Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Hong-Chih Kuo, Adam Wainwright, Brian Wilson and Jonathon Broxton. The only three who have managed to avoid the DL are Heath Bell, Roy Halladay and Matt Capps, but he was traded to Minnesota.

Changes in the draft coming?

There is a belief around the major leagues that some changes will be made to the amateur baseball draft when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is approved. Proposals include making the draft worldwide, having a much more rigid pay scale for draft picks, and the possibility that a team could trade its picks, as happens in the NFL and NBA.

What should be discussed, however, is a plan to come up with some other way to compensate teams for losing free agent players other than awarding them extra picks between the first and second rounds of the draft.

This year, there were 27 extra choices between the first and second rounds. The Pirates were “rewarded” with the top overall pick in the draft for finishing last in 2010 but did not get to choose their second player until the 61^st overall pick. It does make sense to give teams an extra pick if they don’t sign their first-round pick the previous year, but all of those extra picks totally affect the spirit of the draft.

Tampa Bay, for example, received the 42^nd overall pick in the draft for losing free agent Grant Balfour. Arizona got the 43^rd overall pick for losing Adam LaRoche. The Orioles, who finished with the second worst record in the AL, got the fourth pick in the draft – and then didn’t pick again until the 64^th pick. In between those two picks, their division rivals Tampa, Boston and Toronto picked a total of 19 players, 10 by the Rays, four by the Red Sox and five by the Blue Jays, all for having lost free agents to other teams.

While teams that lose premium free agents such as Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Victor Martinez and Rafael Soriano should be entitled to compensation, it hardly seems fair that teams which lost players such as Octavio Dotel, Jesse Crain, Randy Choate or Chad Qualls should be rewarded with one of the first 60 picks in the draft.

Head on over to RobRains.com and read the rest of Rob’s Inside Baseball this week as he talks about a connection to a past St. Louis Browns famous player and takes a look around MLB and MiLB.

Some think a .281/.314/.489 line with 20 home runs and 66 runs batted in equals $18million over three years. It does if you’re a catcher in the major leagues. John Buck of the Florida Marlins could not be happier. Those are the career best numbers Buck, the only major leaguer born in Wyoming, put up last year with the Toronto Blue Jays. Those numbers earned John a spot on the 2010 American League All-Star team, where he went 1 for 2 with a double, and a 3 year contract with the Marlins.

Some question whether the 1998 7th round draft pick of the Houston Astros, who came to the Kansas City Royals in the Carlos Beltran trade, has finally come into his own or if his season was merely the result of 437 plate appearances in a hitter’s ballpark in Toronto in a line up with fellow All Stars Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista. Buck, who turns 31 in July, will be starting his 8th season in the big leagues when he steps onto the field as the opening day starting catcher with the Marlins. His first 6 years in the majors, were spent with Kansas City before leaving for Toronto prior to the 2010 season. He was a career .235 hitter through 2009 with a career high of 18 home runs in 2007 and 50 rbi’s in 2006 with the Royals. Buck has not been in the majors because of his hitting. He has never shown much plate discipline, striking out 23.9% of the time while walking just 6.5% of the time. But with Victor Martinez out of the Marlins price range, it’s assumed they put a premium on Buck’s intangibles and leadership qualities he’d shown in Kansas City.

But Marlin fans are hopeful Buck can help fill the void created when secondbaseman Dan Uggla took his 33 home runs and 105 rbi’s to Atlanta in the off season. Early projections has put John batting seventh in the Marlins lineup ahead of rookie thirdbaseman Matt Dominguez, the 12th overall pick in the 2007 draft. Rightfielder Mike Stanton, who hit 22 homeruns in only 100 games last year as a rookie, is believed to be the cleanup hitter in the revamped Marlin lineup. Make no mistake, the key to the Marlins offense is shortsstop Hanley Ramirez and his .300 batting average, 21 home runs, 92 runs, 76 runs batted in and 32 stolen bases, hitting third. Chris Coghlan coming back from injury and putting up similar numbers he produced in his rookie season of 2009 when he hit .321 in 504 AB’s with 31 doubles and 6 triples but in the leadoff position in 2011 would be everything the Marlins could hope for. But if Buck can show the power he displayed last year in Toronto, there is definitely room in Florida for John to move up into the heart of the lineup.

Even if John can put up similar numbers to his 2010 season, I don’t think they will earn him an appearance in this years All-Star game, nor will they vault the Florida Marlins any higher than another 4th place finish in the powerful National League East. But coming from Toronto, Buck knows all about playing in a tough East division. If my projection of 70 Marlin victories for this season comes to pass, John Buck might even think he’s back in Kansas City. But this time, he’ll have an $18mm contract, the memory of a positive experience in the 2010 All-Star game and another year in the big leagues……and that would make anyone happy……no matter where you’re from.

Each fall, while most fans are busy following the MLB Playoffs along with college football and basketball, one of the most underrated sporting events takes place. Starting on Tuesday, October 12^th, the Arizona Fall League will kick off their 19^th season.

For those not familiar with the Arizona Fall League (AFL), it is a league designed to improve, refine, and develop young Minor League players. The 210 players that participate are many of the top prospects in baseball, and they will get their chance to perform in front of hundreds of scouts, coaches, and executives.

Each Major League club is required to send seven Minor Leaguers to fill six 35-man teams. Most of the players are from the Triple-A and Double-A levels, but all teams are allowed to send two players from below Double-A.

It is a league built to showcase the top young talent from around the world. This year, 30 former first-round picks are included in the rosters and two of 2010′s top five picks will play. Current MLB stars such as David Wright, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Braun all spent time in the AFL and went on to have extremely successful careers in the bigs.

Last fall, players like Ike Davis, Jason Heyward, Chris Heisey, Mike Leake, Buster Posey, Mike Stanton, Drew Storen, Stephen Strasburg, and Jose Tabata took part in the one-month-long season. Now, only a year later, those are household names.

This year, the St. Louis Cardinals representatives will make up part of the Surprise Rafters along with Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers prospects. Let’s take a look at what exactly each of the seven Cardinals will bring to the table for the Rafters.

Brian Broderick, Starting Pitcher
Brian was one of the best pitchers in the system in 2010, and will look to keep that going in the next several weeks. He is a very efficient pitcher that has great control, but lacks over-powering stuff. What I want to see Broderick do is work on his secondary pitches. 90% of Minor League pitchers have a decent fastball, but Broderick will have to use his off-speed pitches next year and beyond. His fastball will not fool hitters at a higher level. Having great control is irreplaceable, but for Broderick to make it as a big leaguer, he must improve his repertoire.
2010 stats: 14-7, 3.66 ERA, 92 SO, 150 innings in A+/AA

Blake King, Relief Pitcher
Blake King is literally the opposite of Broderick in every way imaginable. King spent the entire 2010 season in Double-A Springfield where he led the team in strikeouts per nine innings with a mark of 11.1. And while Broderick is all about control, King doesn’t even bother with it. Not only did Blake lead the team in strikeouts, he also led the team in walks per nine innings with 6.4. The 23-year-old fire baller absolutely must work on his control, because it appears non-existent. I advise King to ask Francisco Samuel; just throwing the ball hard will not get you where you want to go.
2010 stats: 4-3, 2.91 ERA, 84 SO, 68 IP in AA

Jordan Swagerty, Pitcher
I said it a couple months ago, and I will say it again. I honestly think Swagerty will have a better career than former ASU teammate and Cardinals first-round draft pick Seth Blair. I took a lot of heat for it, but I am very high on Swagerty. He resembles Jess Todd, but could develop into a starter. He has three great pitches and exceptional command of the strike zone. His best pitch is his 12-6 curve ball that is a true 70-75 on the 20-80 scouting scale. I project the organization to try him out as a starter, but due to his size and pitching style, I believe his future lies in the bullpen. Look for him to move up the ranks very quickly.
2010 stats: 14 saves, 2.19 ERA, 48 SO, 37 IP in NCAA

Tony Cruz, Catcher
Here is one of the legit underrated catching prospects in the Cardinals system. The 23-year-old spent most of his 2010 in Palm Beach and Springfield, but did play a few games in AAA as well. He comes across as a very raw hitter to me. He has plenty of potential there, but it needs refined. Fortunately for him, that is what the AFL is all about. The big thing he needs to work on is plate discipline. He’s known to swing at a lot of bad pitches, but still managed to hit above.280 in A and AA with a .352 OBP. That’s very promising. If he can tweek a very things at the plate, I believe Cruz can be a great hitter.
2010 stats: .282 BA, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 344 AB in A+/AA/AAA

Zack Cox, Third Base
Here’s what Cardinal Nation is most interested about. How will the first-round draft pick fair against top-talent pitchers? We saw him perform very well down in the Gulf Coast League, but this is an entirely different situation for him. Instead of going up against rookie pitchers, he’ll be hitting off of some of the best Minor League pitchers in the game. Cox was the best hitter in the 2010 draft not named Bryce Harper, but still has some things to work on. Defensively, there are some concerns. If the Cardinals plan on keeping him at third base, Zack needs to work on his arm strength and overall fielding ability. Other than that, power is a big thing to keep an eye on. All of the scouts say that he has 20+ home run potential, but Cox barely managed that in his two-year collegiate career.
2010 stats: .429 BA, 9 HR, 48 RBI, 238 AB in NCAA

Pete Kozma, Shortstop
While Cox will have most Cardinal fans on him, I’ll be watching this guy. I’ve had a man-crush on Kozma ever since he was drafted, and even though some have given up on him, I still believe he’s one of the top prospects in the organization. If he can adjust his hitting approach, and eliminate some of those strikeouts, Kozma may become St. Louis’ starting shortstop sometime in the future. I think there is a ton of potential in him, and the AFL seems like a perfect place for him to show that. Don’t give up on the former first-rounder just yet, because I think he has something very rare.
2010 stats: .243 BA, 13 HR, 72 RBI, 503 AB in AA

Adron Chambers, Outfield
Here’s one of the fastest players in the Minor Leagues, and easily the fastest in the Cardinals system. For some reason, neither Springfield or Memphis decided to take advantage of that as much as Palm Beach did in 2009, but Chambers has 40+ steal potential. He has been compared by many to Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings, and if you keep up with prospects outside of the Cardinals organization, you realize that’s a comparison that says a lot about Chambers. What I noticed from Adron in 2010 is his newly found ability to hit the home run. In his MiLB career, he never hit more than three home runs in a season. However, this year he managed six home runs in Springfield and Memphis.
2010 stats: .283 BA, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 321 AB in AA/AAA

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blog, Rising Redbirds, that is also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system. You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.