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We're about a month out from the All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York, so it's a good time to take stock of how the All-Star rosters might be shaping up -- after all, the debate of who goes to the game is usually much more interesting than the game itself.

The most heated discussion in the National League might be at starting pitcher. New York Mets fans will undoubtedly be vociferous about hometown hero Matt Harvey deserving the start, but, as Bill Baer outlined here a couple days ago, the Cy Young race is crowded, which means the All-Star assignment is a crowded field. With apologies to Harvey and rookies Shelby Miller and Patrick Corbin, I think the starting pitcher should have a little longer track record than a couple good months. Harvey does have 23 career starts with a 2.35 ERA going back to his 2012 call-up, although we've seen some dents of late with 31 hits allowed in 26 innings over his past four starts.

With further apologies to Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright, right now I'd give the nod to Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, who pitched seven scoreless innings against the Twins on Sunday to improve to 9-3 with a 2.00 ERA. Some remain skeptical of Zimmermann's success because his strikeout rate -- 5.8 per nine innings -- doesn't match the elite starters in the league. But Zimmermann is a master of movement, location, command and deception. He doesn't second-guess his stuff; his fastball has averaged 93.7 mph, and the great sinking and cutting action he gets on it induces a lot of ground balls.

As ESPN Stats & Information's Mark Simon points out, Zimmermann limits hits not by generating strikeouts but by generating weak contact. His line-drive rate allowed ranks eighth among qualified starters, and batters have hit just .207 off that fastball, even though they often know it's coming.

He's also the master of efficiency, ranking third in the NL in innings even though he's topped 100 pitches just five times this season -- his 111 on Sunday was his season high. You hate to compare anybody to Greg Maddux, but Zimmermann is the most Maddux-like in the game today: He's walked just 13 batters in 13 starts and has allowed more than two runs just twice in those starts. He's consistent and very, very good. Don't be surprised if he's on the mound at Citi Field next month.

Here's how the rest of the roster is looking right now. All-Star rosters consist of 34 players, with the eight position starters voted in by the fans, eight backups chosen by the players and the first eight pitchers (five starters, three relievers) also chosen by player balloting. For the purpose of this run-through, I'll use the fan starters but ignore player voting, which is usually the part that messes things up the most (like voting in Bryan LaHair last year at first base because he had 70 hot plate appearances in April). My own personal philosophy is to factor in some combination of 2013 stats with previous track record; you need to weigh both.

Catcher
Fans: 1. Buster Posey; 2. Yadier Molina; 3. John Buck

Should start: Molina.
Automatic: Posey.

If you want to argue that Posey should start, I'm not going to put up a strong debate. They're close in hitting value, although they've done it in different ways, with Molina relying on a high batting average and Posey hitting more home runs and drawing more walks. But Molina's masterful handling of the St. Louis pitching staff has to be recognized.

First base
Fans: 1. Joey Votto; 2. Paul Goldschmidt; 3. Brandon Belt.

Should start: Votto.
Automatic: Goldschmidt.

Like the debate at catcher, this can swing either way. Goldschmidt has the huge edge in RBIs -- 58 to 29 -- and he has hit .431 with runners in scoring position (Votto has hit .333), so if you want to say Goldschmidt deserves the start, I'm not going to fight. But if the statistical record is close, I like to go with the guy with the longer track record, and that's Votto.

Don't fret, Diamondbacks fans, as Goldschmidt would get my starting nod at the designated hitter slot (which is now used in NL parks as well).

Second base
Fans: 1. Brandon Phillips; 2. Marco Scutaro; 3. Matt Carpenter.

Should start: Phillips.
Automatic: Carpenter.

Carpenter leads Phillips in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), but this is another track-record vote. But Carpenter has played so well -- including with the glove after playing little second base before this season -- that he should garner an automatic bid.

Third base
Fans: 1. Pablo Sandoval; 2. David Wright; 3. David Freese.

Should start: Wright.
Automatic: None.

Wright should be the obvious starter in another weird season at third base in the NL. Sandoval's numbers are mediocre, as are 2012 RBI champ Chase Headley's. Freese and Ryan Zimmerman have missed time with injuries, and Martin Prado hasn't hit. Todd Frazier is actually second in WAR, and he's hitting .250 with six home runs. If Sandoval holds on to his lead in the vote, it will probably be just him and Wright on the squad.

Shortstop
Fans: 1. Troy Tulowitzki; 2. Brandon Crawford; 3. Jean Segura.

Should be: Tulowitzki.
Automatic: Segura, Everth Cabrera.

Segura is a rookie, but he's been so good that he earns the backup slot. Cabrera is also a deserving All-Star, hitting .298 with a .374 OBP, leading the NL with 29 steals and playing solid defense. He's among NL leaders in WAR at any position. He might be the only Padres All-Star, but he's not a token rep.

Outfield
Fans: 1. Justin Upton 2. Bryce Harper 3. Carlos Beltran 4. Ryan Braun 5. Shin-Soo Choo 6. Hunter Pence

Should be: Carlos Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, Braun.
Automatic: Carlos Gomez.

Upton and Harper lead the fan voting due to their hot starts, but neither is a deserving starter at this time. Harper is on the DL with a knee injury, and Upton is hitting .206 with just two home runs in 36 games since April 28. I would go with Gonzalez, McCutchen and Braun as my starters -- three proven stars who rank second, seventh and eighth among NL outfielders in FanGraphs WAR. Gomez is the one must-be-there outfielder with his power/speed/defense combo giving him the top WAR among NL position players via both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.

Considering my three starters are different from the fan starters, and combined with the inclusion of Gomez, that's seven outfielders.

Starting pitchers
Starter: Zimmermann.
Automatics: Kershaw, Harvey, Wainwright, Shelby Miller, Patrick Corbin, Mike Minor, Cliff Lee.

Considering there are currently 17 starters in the NL with sub-3.00 ERAs, somebody is going to get the shaft. But the above guys have combined their low ERAs with low batting averages allowed and excellent strikeout-to-walk ratios.

Relief pitchers
Automatics: Jason Grilli, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman.

The rules state the players' vote will include the top three relievers. I'd go with the above three, and I'm guessing they'll win the player vote as well.

* * * *

Where does that leave us? With fan starters added to my should-be starters and other automatic selections, we're at 29 players.

We're going to need at least two more pitchers, since rosters usually include at least 13 pitchers; we also need reps from the Marlins and Cubs. But the first guy I want to add is Domonic Brown, who might be riding a hot streak, but what a streak. He leads the NL in home runs and ranks fourth in RBIs. Of the top six leaders in slugging percentage, he's the only one who doesn't get to play his home games in a hitter's paradise in Colorado, Milwaukee or Arizona.

We better do the Marlins and Cubs reps. With Giancarlo Stanton injured -- and as much as I would like to try, I couldn't really justify his inclusion since he hasn't played much -- the Marlins lack a good candidate. Their only two players with a 1.0 or greater WAR on Baseball-Reference.com are rookie outfielder Marcell Ozuna and starter Ricky Nolasco. We'll give the nod to Nolasco, although you could probably make a case for rookie Jose Fernandez being the team's best starter. For the Cubs, it's either Travis Wood or Jeff Samardzija. Wood is 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA while Samardzija is 3-7, 3.18 ERA with more strikeouts and a better K/BB ratio. Samardzija is my choice -- he was very good last season -- but if you want Wood, that's fine.

That leaves two spots to fill. Based on consistency of WAR across both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference, the top guys are probably Pirates catcher Russell Martin and Pence. Works for me -- especially Martin -- who also earns raves for the leadership he's brought to Pittsburgh. Relievers Edward Mujica and Sergio Romo have cases but get squeezed out. I'd love to add defensive whiz Andrelton Simmons, but it's tough finding room for four shortstops.

So, as of now, my 34-man roster would look like this:

C Buster Posey, Giants*
C Yadier Molina, Cardinals
C Russell Martin, Pirates
1B Joey Votto, Reds*
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
2B Brandon Phillips, Reds*
2B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
3B Pablo Sandoval, Giants*
3B David Wright, Mets
SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
SS Jean Segura, Brewers
SS Everth Cabrera, Padres
OF Justin Upton, Braves*
OF Bryce Harper, Nationals*
OF Carlos Beltran, Cardinals
OF Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
OF Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF Carlos Gomez, Brewers
OF Domonic Brown, Phillies
OF Hunter Pence, Giants

SP Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals*
SP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
SP Matt Harvey, Mets
SP Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
SP Shelby Miller, Cardinals
SP Mike Minor, Braves
SP Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks
SP Cliff Lee, Phillies
SP Jeff Samardzija, Cubs
SP Ricky Nolasco, Marlins
RP Jason Grilli, Pirates
RP Craig Kimbrel, Braves
RP Aroldis Chapman, Reds

Disagree? Debate below and then check back tomorrow for the American League.

 
When it comes to this year's rookies, as fans I think we sort of came into this season like the kid at Christmas the year after you got the bike and the pony, or the new car and the Red Ryder BB gun. Because, let’s face it, the year after Mike Trout and Bryce Harper arrived on the scene had to be something of a letdown, right?

Turns out, not so much, at least not in the National League. The difference is that this year the kids are all right on the mound. Hyun-Jin Ryu has been one of the few bright spots on a Dodgers team desperate for something worth bragging about beyond its price tag. But the Cardinals’ Shelby Miller just got his ERA down to 1.82, almost a full run lower than Ryu’s, while catching the Korean southpaw in the win column for at least a day, what with Ryu set to take the mound Sunday.

It’s a showdown between a pair of outstanding candidates who press many of the hot-button issues about Rookie of the Year voting every season. Some fans -- and perhaps more than a few voters -- might favor the future value they anticipate when they see Miller. Some might have qualms about voting for a foreign leagues veteran, MLB-rookie status or no. But as long as Miller keeps pitching like a man who belongs with teammate Adam Wainwright in the conversation on who the best pitcher in the league might be, two months into the season it’s Miller’s race to win -- if he pitches all year.

That said, it is a long season, and as the Nationals' decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg in 2012 reflected, pitchers might be excused for factors that have nothing to do with performance.

Happily, the NL field for first-year talent is wider than that tandem, even as Miller and Ryu contend for headlines. Just from among the hurlers, Jose Fernandez might have to labor in relative obscurity with the Marlins, marooned in the depths of a new-park hangover that has many Miami fans and voters asking themselves the coyote-ugly question about their franchise a year or two too late. But that has nothing to do with Fernandez’s talent, on full display as he mowed down Mets on Saturday. Like Miller, he’s striking out more than a man per inning, good enough to put him in the top 10 among NL starters in K/9. If it weren’t for Ryu and Miller, even in the spring of Matt Harvey, we’d be talking about Fernandez a lot more. So you can imagine how Julio Teheran, doing well as a rotation regular on a first-place Braves team, feels.

This year, you can really only say one NL rookie position player is generating anything like the same buzz. Atlanta's Evan Gattis deserves the love he’s getting, not for the backstory but for the production. This is not Chris Coste 2.0 -- not that a guy like Coste wasn’t as easy to root for as Gattis, but when you’re slugging north of .600 two months into the season, you’re not a passing fancy, you’re somebody hitting so well that demoting an eight-figure salary becomes something more than merely speculative.

Gattis is doing for position players what Miller and Ryu have done for the pitchers in terms of sucking all the oxygen out of the room. As a result, Jedd Gyorko of the Padres might not merit more than a courtesy mention now, but I wouldn’t count him out over the next four months. Gyorko has the power to slug .450 or better despite having to call Petco Park home as a rookie; if he cranks 60 extra-base hits while helping the Padres finish around .500, that’s an amazing season.

You could say much the same for the pair of rookies starting up the middle for the Diamondbacks. However overmuch attention has been given to Kirk Gibson’s clubhouse makeover or the likely big-picture penalties for trading away Justin Upton, the work Arizona is getting from Didi Gregorius at shortstop (and A.J. Pollock in center field) has helped propel the Snakes to first place in the NL West. As easy as it might be to say Gregorius has been helped by the D-backs’ bandbox ballpark, three of his four homers have come on the road. If he starts slugging at home, too, how do you count out a slick-fielding shortstop with power on a first-place team?

Even with their delayed call-ups, by this time last year Trout and Harper had already been strutting their stuff. Trout was putting up an .887 OPS for an Angels lineup that needed all the help it could get overcoming Albert Pujols’ slow start. Harper was hitting .274/.357/.504 in a little more than a month. They might not have been brought up until the end of April, but you already knew we were in for something special. But this year’s class? Its players might not compare directly, but they’re doing more than enough to pay attention to, now and down the stretch.

The American League, on the other hand ... well, you have to give the Rangers some unexpected due. I don’t know if anyone really expects Justin Grimm or Nick Tepesch to still be in this conversation at the end of June, let alone September, but their contributions have clearly helped keep the Rangers' riding to the league’s best record. But Conor Gillaspie? Yan Gomes? That they're among the top WAR-generating rookies in the AL so far just means that nobody has shown enough, for long enough, with the expectation that he’ll still have a job at the All-Star break. I wouldn’t rule out Nick Franklin or Jurickson Profar in partial seasons. I also wouldn’t rule out that the eventual AL Rookie of the Year hasn’t been called up yet. Or possibly even drafted yet -- who said Christmas comes just once per year?

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

The Miami Marlins are bad. Really, very, super, mega bad. They're 13-40, having lost their eighth game in a row Wednesday night and are 5-21 in their past 26 games. Through an equal amount of games, they are two games worse than the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120, the most losses in a season since 1899. Home attendance has crossed the 20,000 threshold exactly once in May and four times in April, one of which was their home opener. Starter Jose Fernandez is a nice story, but without Giancarlo Stanton, there are exactly zero reasons to take time out of your day to go watch the Marlins. You will see higher-quality competition at a cheaper price going to one of the many minor league games scattered throughout the state.

Owner Jeffrey Loria was previously a 94 percent owner of the Montreal Expos and he completely wrecked that franchise. Local governments in Quebec wouldn't justify using taxpayer money on a new stadium for the Expos. In 2002, Loria sold the Expos to Major League Baseball for $120 million. Loria then bought the Marlins for $158.5 million, but it included an interest-free $38.5 million loan from MLB. In effect, Loria swapped the ailing Expos for the Marlins without ever losing a dime. Soon thereafter, the Expos would fold up shop in Montreal as they moved to Washington, D.C.

In 2003, the Marlins won the second championship in the franchise's 11-year history. What was Loria's reaction? He pawned off most of his club's key contributors. First baseman Derrek Lee went to the Cubs. Juan Encarnacion went to the Dodgers. Brad Penny went to the Dodgers and the Marlins got Encarnacion back in 2004. In 2005, the Marlins traded Carlos Delgado to the Mets, and on the same day sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox. Luis Castillo eventually went to the Twins. Paul Lo Duca went to the Mets. Juan Pierre went to the Cubs.

When the Marlins, cutting the tape on a brand new ballpark, opened up the 2012 season with a payroll north of $100 million, everyone thought prosperous times lay ahead for the club. They had signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell to rich multi-year deals. After a 3-0 loss to the Pirates on July 22, the Marlins fell to 44-51, 11.5 games out of first place. The next day, the Fish sent Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers. Two days later, they sent Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers. In October, the Marlins sent Bell to the Diamondbacks in a three-way trade. In November, they were part of one of the largest trades in baseball history, sending Reyes, Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck to the Blue Jays for a handful of hot garbage and Adeiny Hechavarria. One of the players acquired in the deal, Yunel Escobar, was flipped to the Rays two weeks later.

That ballpark they're barely filling to half-capacity on a good day? The $91 million loan on that park will cost Miami-Dade County $1.2 billion, another example of private business having their expenses subsidized by the government while hoarding any and all of the profits. Ostensibly, a county would want to have a professional sports team root in their area to create jobs as well as tourism revenue. That has apparently been the case, but the trends would have to grow at exponential rates to make up $1.2 billion.

When the stadium opened, the Marlins expected consistently high attendance, meaning they would have to hire more people to operate concession and merchandise stands, working as ushers, and so forth. Now that attendance projections are quite easy to make, they can lay off employees as necessary -- it is already apparent as they have closed the upper deck. So long as the Marlins project to be bad -- which is for the foreseeable future -- they will have little incentive to reopen any of those old jobs. In other words, residents of Miami-Dade county suffer, and subsequently, Miami-Dade county suffers.

Loria, though? Counting his money. The Marlins are worth $520 million according to Forbes. Remember, Loria paid $120 million for the franchise, which all came from the sale of the Expos.

Feel sorry for the kids who grew up Marlins fans, who are now raising their kids the same way. Feel sorry for fans of the other four NL East teams who, 19 times a year, have to watch their favorite teams play this sorry excuse for a franchise, one that would struggle to finish at .500 in the Pacific Coast League. This isn't the Astros sacrificing the present for a better future. Even after all the deals the Marlins have swung recently, they ranked just 16th on Keith Law's organizational rankings, which were posted before the season. The Astros, comparatively, ranked fourth.

Moreover, what incentive do Floridians have to get attached to the franchise? They have seen their team gutted of its best and most likeable players three times now in 15 years, killing any chance of a sustained period of success. If the franchise were to somehow, magically, fall into the hands of another owner, someone who legitimately cares about the team's ability to play competitive baseball games, I don't think you'd hear any complaints.

Bill Baer runs the Crashburn Alley site that covers the Phillies and is a regular contributor to the SweetSpot blog.

Yesterday, we looked at the last time each American League club drafted a player who became an All-Star -- whether for the franchise or another. The Cleveland Indians had the longest drought: CC Sabathia was the last All-Star they drafted and he was selected way back in 1998. Can any National League team match that stretch of futility?

Arizona Diamondbacks: Ryan Cook and Wade Miley (2008)
To show the unpredictability of baseball drafts, the D-backs' first-round pick that year was Daniel Schlereth. Miley was a supplemental first-round pick, going 43rd overall, but Cook was selected in the 27th round from USC after struggling with his control during his college years. He went to the A's in the Trevor Cahill trade.

Atlanta Braves: Craig Kimbrel (2008)
A third-round pick out an Alabama junior college, Kimbrel was the fourth pitcher the Braves drafted in 2008. So is it good fortune or skilled scouting that landed him? A little of both, I suspect.

Miami Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton (2007)
With the pick right before the Marlins selected Stanton in the second round, the Mariners selected another high school outfielder named Denny Almonte. Who is not to be confused with Little League hero/pariah Danny Almonte.

New York Mets: Scott Kazmir (2002)
They really shouldn't have let Mr. Met run their drafts all those years. OK, Matt Harvey is a good bet to end this drought this year, which would make him the first All-Star the Mets drafted to make an All-Star team with the Mets since David Wright in 2001. Before Wright, however, you go all the back to Bobby Jones, an All-Star in 1997 and drafted in 1991.

Philadelphia Phillies: Michael Bourn (2003)
Part of the Brad Lidge trade, the Phillies haven't produced a homegrown draft choice All-Star since Cole Hamels in 2002.

Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper (2010)
The 2009 Nationals finished three wins worse than the Pirates to get the top pick. The Pirates went 6-4 over their final 10 games; don't worry, Pirates fans I'm not setting you up -- the Nationals actually won their final seven.

Chicago Cubs: Geovany Soto (2001)
An 11th-round pick out of Puerto Rico, the Cubs are now the Cubs with good reason. In 2002, they had four of the first 38 picks, selected four pitchers, and none reached the majors. Their first-round picks from 2003 to 2010 were Ryan Harvey, Mark Pawelek, Tyler Colvin, Josh Donaldson (traded to Oakland in the Rich Harden trade), Josh Vitters (ahead of Matt Wieters), Ryan Flaherty, Andrew Cashner (who at least turned into Anthony Rizzo), Brett Jackson and Hayden Simpson.

Cincinnati Reds: Jay Bruce (2005)
Here's a fun one: The last starting pitcher the Reds drafted who made an All-Star Game with the Reds: Jack Armstrong, drafted in 1987, an All-Star starter in 1990 ... and out of the rotation by the end of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Braun (2005)
You're going to see this 2005 draft pop up a couple more times. Bruce was the 12th pick, Braun the fifth pick and the next guy was the 11th pick.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen (2005)
McCutchen is already fourth highest for most career Wins Above Replacement by a Pirates' first-round pick, behind some guy named Bonds, Jason Kendall and Richie Hebner. And just ahead of Bryan Bullington.

St. Louis Cardinals: Lance Lynn (2008)
Lynn is pitching even better than last season, when he made the All-Star team with an 11-win first half. A good selection for 39th overall, but the 2009 draft is shaping up even better for the Cards: Shelby Miller, Matt Carpenter, Trevor Rosenthal and Matt Adams. Miller was a first-rounder, but the other three went in rounds 13, 21 and 23. Jeff Luhnow, now the Astros' GM, was the scouting director those years.

Colorado Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki (2005)
If you had to re-do that 2005 draft, who goes first overall? Justin Upton again? Braun? McCutchen? Or Tulo?

Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (2006)
The seventh pick in the draft, the five pitchers selected ahead of Kershaw have combined for 4.9 WAR. Did we mention that the draft is an inexact science?

San Diego Padres: David Freese (2006)
This is how you build a consistent winner: The Cards acquired Freese for an aging Jim Edmonds. The last player to make an All-Star team with the Padres after getting drafted by them was Jake Peavy -- selected back in 1999. The last position player ... Tony Gwynn! Drafted in 1981. In fact, the Padres have drafted just four position players who made an All-Star team as Padres: Gwynn, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield and, of course, Johnny Grubb.

San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey (2008)
Giants' first-round picks, 2006-2008: Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey. That'll work.

There are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching Yu Darvish and Justin Verlander pitch. Especially if you're not at the ballpark and you can set up a laptop outside, put up your feet, soak in those first warm rays of early May and imagine what it's like to throw a baseball like these two guys.

Darvish faced the Red Sox and struck out 14 batters in his seven innings -- and in some ways this was a bad start for him, as he gave up two home runs and three runs. But he showed why he's been so tough this season: four strikeouts on his fastball, six with his slider, three on his curve and a 14th on a pitch classified as a splitter (a 93-mph pitch that David Ortiz swung through in the sixth inning). Who knows; it could have been a gyroball or some other exotic pitch Darvish made up on the spot. On his 127th and final pitch, he fanned Pedro Ciriaco on a 3-2 slider that moved wickedly away from the plate. Rangers manager Ron Washington took him out, and he ended up with a no-decision in Texas' 4-3 victory, but I have no doubt he could have pitched another inning or two.

Verlander, meanwhile, cruised through the Triple-A lineup known as the Houston Astros, taking a no-hitter into the seventh while rarely pumping up the velocity on his fastball. He didn't need to. He averaged 92.8 mph on his heater, but on this day that was enough. He pitched seven scoreless frames, allowing two hits and striking out nine.

With apologies to Clay Buchholz (great start but inconsistent career), Matt Harvey (too soon), Jordan Zimmermann (getting there), Adam Wainwright (amazing control so far) and a few others, the battle for best right-handed starter in baseball right now is between Darvish, Verlander and Felix Hernandez, who pitched his own must-watch gem on Friday, shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays over eight innings.

Let's take a quick look at how the three have fared in 2013.

The statistics
Darvish: 5-1, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 27 H, 15 BB, 72 SO, 3 HR, .169 AVG
Verlander: 4-2, 1.55 ERA, 46.1 IP, 38 H, 13 BB, 50 SO, 1 HR, .222 AVG
Hernandez: 4-2, 1.60 ERA, 50.2 IP, 39 H, 7 BB, 51 SO, 3 HR, .212 AVG

Hernandez has pitched the most innings; Verlander and Hernandez have the lower ERAs; but Darvish has been the most dominant, averaging 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings, a mark that would shatter Randy Johnson's record for starters of 13.4, set in 2001. Darvish has also been the toughest to hit with that .169 batting average against and has to pitch in the best hitter's park of the three. Hernandez, however, has faced a slightly tougher slate of offenses, mostly because he's had to pitch against the Rangers and Tigers while the other two haven't. All three started once against Houston ... and none allowed a run.

Edge: We can't put too much emphasis on ERA this early in the season. Hernandez has the edge in durability and command, but Darvish's strikeout rate has been off-the-charts phenomenal. Edge to Darvish.

Issues entering the season
Darvish: Command, especially of fastball; he must prove he can be a 200-inning workhorse (threw 191.1 in 29 starts last season).

So far, it's mixed reviews on this. His walk rate is down from 11.9 percent to 8.4 percent, so that's good. His percentage of fastballs in the strike zone, however, is actually just 42 percent, down 10 percent from last season. He has the killer wipeout pitches when he gets to two strikes -- 20 K's in 31 plate appearances ending with his curve, 29 K's in 69 plate appearances with his slider -- which makes it scary that he's been so good without consistently throwing his fastball for strikes. In part, this works to his advantage -- kind of an effective wildness that makes it hard for hitters to attack his fastball (or his cutter, which hasn't been a great pitch for him) but can lead to some high pitch counts and fewer innings.

Verlander: Durability after leading AL in innings the past two seasons and throwing 50 more in the postseason. Would there be a letdown after two great seasons?

I'd say a 1.55 ERA answers the second question. He hasn't pitched more than seven innings yet, which is unusual for him, but that's not just because of a tight leash. He's had games of 126, 116, 114, 111 and 111 pitches. He did throw 120-plus in nine regular-season starts in 2012, so Jim Leyland has maybe been a little conservative so far, but Verlander has also pitched in a lot of cold weather. Plus, Leyland may hold back a bit, trying to make sure Verlander remains stronger for a possible October run.

Hernandez: Concerns about declining fastball velocity and late slump last season (0-4, 6.62 ERA in six September starts).

So far, his average fastball is down one mph from last season (92.1 to 91.1), which, in turn, is down two mph from 2011 and down from the 93.9 he averaged in his 2010 Cy Young season. Put it this way: His fastest fastball this season was 94.1 -- pretty much his average just three seasons ago. That said, he's been as good as ever, thanks to that Wiffleball changeup and showing that whatever happened last September was an aberration.

Edge: Even though he doesn't throw as hard as he once did, Hernandez looks better than ever with one of the best stretches of his career. Sure, it helps pitching in the dead air of the West Coast ballparks, and maybe some day the lack of separation betweeen his fastball and changeup will catch up to him, but we're not there yet.

Stuff
Darvish: Off the charts. He is basically unhittable when he gets to two strikes, thanks to that curveball/slider combo. In 112 plate appearances with two strikes, batters are hitting .088 with 72 strikeouts, eight walks and two extra-base hits. Ouch.

Verlander: Speaking of fastball velocity, Verlander has yet to unleash one of his famous 100-mph heaters and has averaged just 92.2 mph with a peak velocity of 97.1. That doesn't mean it's been any easier to hit: Batters are hitting .192/.289/.256 against his fastball, which is actually worse than the .215/.291/.362 line in 2011.

Hernandez: There might not be a better pitch in the game right now than Hernandez's changeup, which moves away from lefties and jams righties. Batters are hitting .130 off it. He mixes in some sliders and curveballs, making him a four-pitch guy with great command of all four pitches.

Edge: It's hard to suggest somebody has better stuff than Verlander, but right now that's the case with Darvish's deep arsenal of weapons. Verlander doesn't necessarily have to crank it up 95-plus regularly -- we know that he's learned to conserve that until he needs it -- but until he does start doing that more often, nobody can match the electric arsenal of pitches that Darvish possesses.

Who is the best?
This is like picking between Mays and Mantle at their peaks. There's only one way to answer: If all three are pitching at the same time and you can watch only one -- and you don't have a rooting interest in one of the specific teams -- who are you watching? Right now, I'm watching Darvish. Put him in a neutral park and I think he's the best right-hander in the game.

But I might change my mind next week.

REST OF THE WEEKEND

Three stars

1. Marcell Ozuna, Marlins. A controversial call-up earlier in the week, considering he'd played just 10 games in Double-A (although he hit five home runs), Ozuna didn't look overmatched his first week in the majors, hitting .478 with five extra-base hits in his first six games. He hit his first home run off Cole Hamels in Saturday's 2-0 win -- a nice easy swing off a 92-mph fastball -- and then went 4-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and three RBIs on Sunday.

2. Jeremy Guthrie, Royals. Guthrie's three-year, $25 million free agent deal with Kansas City was widely panned, but so far, so great. Guthrie threw a four-hit shutout in Saturday's 2-0 win over the White Sox -- yes, a manager who let a pitcher go the distance in a close game! -- and improved to 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA.

3. Jon Jay, Cardinals. A few days ago, Jay was hitting .204 and he'd lost his leadoff spot in the lineup. Now he's had four straight two-hit games and is batting a respectable .252/.339/.393. He drove in two runs on Friday, hit a three-run homer off Yovani Gallardo on Saturday and scored two more runs on Sunday. The Cardinals won all four in Milwaukee.

Clutch performance of the weekend
Rangers pitching staff. The Red Sox entered the weekend leading the AL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and wOBA (weighted on-base average) -- in other words, the best offense in the league. Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando and Darvish held the Red Sox to four runs in 21 innings, striking out 27, as the Rangers swept. That's an impressive three starts against any lineup, but especially against a red-hot lineup in a pitcher's park like Texas'. The Rangers moved into a tie with the Red Sox for the best record in the AL, and it's been all about their pitching -- they've allowed the fewest runs in the AL. Kudos once again to pitching coach Mike Maddux for building a staff that appeared to have some holes entering the season (and especially when Matt Harrison underwent back surgery).

Best game
Giants 10, Dodgers 9, 10 innings (Saturday). On Friday night, Buster Posey hit a walk-off home run off Ronald Belisario on a 3-2 fastball to give the Giants a 2-1 win. On Saturday night, it was an unlikely hero for the Giants: Backup catcher Guillermo Quiroz lined a pinch-hit homer on an 0-2 pitch from Brandon League to give the Giants a 10-9 victory. The crazy game included the Giants blowing 5-0 and 6-1 leads, the Dodgers scoring seven runs in the fifth inning, the Giants tying it up, the Dodgers turning a 4-3 double play on Posey with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and then Quiroz hitting that sinker from League just over the fence in left for his third career home run and first against a right-hander. It wasn't a terrible pitch from League, as you can see from the pitch location map below; sometimes, the hitter just gets good wood on a good pitch.

As for the Giants, they continue to win despite poor performances from the rotation. Ryan Vogelsong was the victim in the seven-run inning, and he is 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA with just one quality start in six games. Matt Cain has a 5.57 ERA (lowered from 6.49 after Sunday night's win), thanks to nine home runs allowed. And Tim Lincecum has scuffled along with a 2-1, 4.41 ERA mark. Vogelsong and Cain should fare better -- their strikeout/walk ratios are good -- if they curb the home runs. But it's time to recognize that the 2013 Giants -- like the 2012 Giants -- are built as much around an underrated offense and bullpen (second-best ERA in the majors) as they are around their starting pitchers.

Hitter on the rise: Mark Trumbo, Angels
Miguel Cabrera had a monster RBI week (and even played some sweet D) and Ryan Raburn had an amazing three-game stretch during which he went 11-for-13 with two two-homer games, but we already know Miggy can hit and we know Raburn will revert back to being a role player off the bench. The Angels had another bad week, but don't blame Trumbo, who blasted five home runs. Importantly, he also drew six walks, a sign that perhaps he's gaining some respect (and that Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton have not been on base much in front of him) but also that he's laying off those pitches outside the strike zone. We know Trumbo has big-time power -- 29 home runs as a rookie in 2011, 32 last season -- but low on-base percentages have held down his value. He has too much swing-and-miss to ever hit .300, so he needs to draw some walks to increase his overall offensive value.

Pitcher on the rise: Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners
It's time to start believing in Iwakuma as the real deal. With wins over the Angels and Blue Jays this week (one run allowed in each game) he's now 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA and hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start. Since he joined Seattle's rotation on July 2, only Kris Medlen and Clayton Kershaw have a lower ERA than Iwakuma's 2.32 mark. Check out the heat map on his splitter -- hitters just can't distinguish from his two- and four-seam fastballs as they're 9-for-51 (.176) against it with 23 strikeouts, one walk and two extra-base hits.

He can't hit but, he sure can field
The obligatory Brendan Ryan defensive play of the week.

Team on the rise: Cardinals
The Rangers sweeping the Red Sox at home was big, I'll rate the Cardinals' four-game sweep in Milwaukee as the weekend's most impressive series. The Brewers are tough at home -- 9-6 before this series, 49-32 in 2012, 57-24 in 2011 -- so the Cards made a big statement by hitting .322 and scoring 29 runs and twice holding Milwaukee to one run. With the Braves just 3-7 over their past 10 games, the Cardinals have staked their claim as the NL's best team. Besides the NL's best record and best run differential, the Cards' bullpen is starting to sort itself out, with Edward Mujica as closer, Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth and Mitchell Boggs now back in the minors. Here's how good the rest of the team has been: St. Louis is 19-6 when the relievers don't get the decision.

Team on the fall: Phillies
Two losses to the Marlins can make a team look bad. First, rookie Jose Fernandez threw seven one-hit innings in a 2-0 win on Saturday for his first major league victory (tell him that pitcher wins don't matter). That was followed by Sunday's embarrassing 14-2 loss in which Roy Halladay got battered around by what is essentially another Triple-A lineup. Adeiny Hechavarria tripled to drive in three and then hit a grand slam (video review changed the call from a double to a home run), part of his seven-RBI day. Let's say that again: Adeiny Hechavarria knocked in seven runs against Roy Halladay. Halladay used to go entire months giving up seven runs. With his ERA at 8.65, it appears the shoulder is a problem and he may be headed to the DL. But, hey, Delmon Young is back, so that should fix the 14-18 Phillies.

Some quick reactions to Monday's fine major league baseball action ...

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  Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesThe Giants on Monday recorded their first win of the season in a game that Matt Cain started.
  The good news for the Giants: A 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks to snap a five-game losing streak and a win for the first time when Matt Cain started. The bad news: Cain scuffled yet again. Cain was sailing along until the fourth inning, when he served up home runs to Jason Kubel, Eric Chavez and Martin Prado. Cain left with a no-decision, and while he remains winless in six starts, it's not just poor run support that explains his 0-2 record. He's allowed nine home runs in his past four starts, including three in two of those. He'd allowed three in a game just twice in the previous three seasons. He also walked four against Arizona. Should the Giants be worried? Kubel and Prado hit fastballs that were both down and in, while Chavez hit a changeup off the plate out to left. Blame Cain for the first two, but give Chavez credit for his. Hitters have been doing a lot of damage off Cain's fastball, hitting .264/.354/.528, compared to a .255/.332/.429 line last year. I think he'll be fine but everyone seems to agree that his stuff just hasn't been as sharp. Keep an eye on his fastball next time out; as with nearly every starting pitcher, everything else plays off the fastball.
• The Matt Harvey-Jose Fernandez matchup kind of fizzled as Fernandez lasted just four innings and 81 pitches while Harvey was pulled in the sixth after laboring through 121 pitches. The game ended up going 15 innings, thanks primarily to the Mets going 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position. The game featured 512 pitches, 16 pitchers and last more than 5 hours. Not exactly one for the time capsule. Shaun Marcum, who had started and threw 70 pitches on Saturday, ended up taking the loss for the Mets, giving up two runs in the bottom of the 15th after the Mets had scored in the top of the inning. At 10-14, reality is starting to hit the Mets: They're not very good. As for Fernandez, after a dominating first two starts, he's been hit around a bit, primarily to hitters jumping on his fastball early in the count. They're hitting .367 off the pitch in his past three starts. He's going to be a very good pitcher but he's learning that it's a big leap from Class A to the majors.
• Giancarlo Stanton landed on the DL after the game with a strained right hamstring suffered in the 10th inning. A shame, especially considering he had homered three times in six at-bats entering the game and looked ready to begin a patented Stanton terror. He missed time last year with a knee problem and then a strained intercostal muscle and you have to start wondering if durability is going to be an issue with him.
• Indians 9, Royals 0. Takeaways: 1. Ubaldo Jimenez won a game! Don't count on this becoming a regular habit. 2. Jason Kipnis hit his first home run. Kipnis (.185/.260/.277) and Lonnie Chisenhall (0-for-4, .221/.254/.368) have to start producing if the Indians want to do anything. 3. Eric Hosmer, another doughnut; .250, three doubles, no homers now and the frustrations build. 4. The Wade Davis (4.2 IP, 12 H, 8 R) starter experiment is probably nearing its end. His stuff just doesn't play up as a starter. Move him back to the pen where he was so good last year with Tampa and give Bruce Chen or Luke Hochevar another shot at the rotation. Wait, did I just say to start Bruce Chen or Luke Hochevar?
• Props to the Brewers: After starting 2-8, they'll end up finishing April with a winning record after beating the Pirates 10-4 to go to 13-11. Starter Yovani Gallardo hit his second home run -- one of five the Brewers hit -- and gave up just three hits in seven innings. Jean Segura is really looking good for the Brewers, with three more hits to raise his average to .364.
• The Dodgers activated Hanley Ramirez from the DL but he didn't start, which seems a little strange. He pinch-hit and struck out in a 12-2 loss to Colorado. The Dodgers' 6-7-8 hitters: Skip Schumaker, Luis Cruz and Justin Sellers. Come on. In his second major league game, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado went 3-for-6 with his first home run. Welcome to the bigs, kid.
• Kevin Gregg picked put up his fourth save for the Cubs. KEVIN GREGG.
• A's fans chanting to Josh Hamilton: "Thank you, Josh. Thank you, Josh." (In reference to his dropped fly ball in Game 162 last year that helped the A's win the AL West.) Job well done, A's fans.

With apologies to the nice starts of the Pirates and Rockies, the most important story line of April has been the Braves' opening up a 3.5-game lead over the Nationals in the NL East.

Considering the importance of winning the division and avoiding the ridiculous wild-card play-in game, the last thing the Braves wanted to do was dig a hole and try to catch the Nats from behind. Atlanta's 16-9 start -- which includes a 3-2 win over Washington on Monday when No. 5 starter Julio Teheran faced off against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg -- is even more impressive when you consider everything that has gone wrong for the Braves so far:

• Six-time All-Star catcher Brian McCann hasn't played a game.
• First baseman Freddie Freeman missed 14 games.
• Jason Heyward is hitting .121 and is currently on the DL after an appendectomy.
• B.J. Upton is .146.
• Dan Uggla is hitting .177.
• Teheran scuffled through 5.1 innings on Monday but allowed just two runs -- lowering his ERA to 5.08.

Plus, they Braves had to play 16 of their first 25 games on the road. Of course, a lot has gone right, beginning with Justin Upton hitting .304 with 12 home runs, Andrelton Simmons playing Gold Glove defense at shortstop, Evan Gattis emerging from Double-A to his six home runs, drive in 14 runs and turn into a cult hero while filling in for McCann, and the bullpen going 5-1 with a 2.07 ERA.

Most importantly, the Braves are now 4-0 against the Nationals, which means the Braves earn an A as I hand out my grades for April in the National League. Justin Upton earns an A+ for his monster month -- only four players have hit more home runs in April (Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols share the April record with 14) and only Bob Horner (14 in July 1980), Andruw Jones (13 in June 2005) and Ozzie Virgil (13 in May 1987) have hit more in a calendar month in Atlanta Braves history.

The Nationals, meanwhile, earn a C- for a lackluster 13-13 start -- they're 5-1 against the Marlins and 8-12 against the other major league opponents on their schedule. The Nationals also reported that Strasburg experienced forearm tightness during Monday's game and will be examined on Tuesday. Strasburg walked four while allowing just two runs in six innings against the Braves, but he hasn't been the Strasburg of 2012, or at least the Strasburg of the first three months of 2012. His strikeout rate is down, left-handed hitters have a .391 OBP against him and his ERA is 3.13, ranking just 26th in the NL. Strasburg earns a C, but teammate Bryce Harper earns an A+.

Some other NL grades for April:

Pirates bullpen: A. A key to Pittsburgh's lead in the NL Central has been a pen that has gone 6-2 with a 2.59 while pitching the second-most innings in the majors and allowing a .202 average, second behind Kansas City's .201 mark. Closer Jason Grilli has gone 10-for-10 in saves and has allowed one run in 11 innings.

Matt Harvey, Mets: A. I'd give him an A+, but he actually allowed a run against the Marlins on Monday. Harvey is 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and has held opponents to a .153 average. He did throw 121 pitches in just 5.1 innings against the Marlins, but more than anything that serves to show that Harvey has room to get even better. Which is a scary idea if you're a National League hitter.

Marlins: D-. Last in the majors in batting average, home runs, slugging percentage, OPS and ownership.

Mat Latos and Homer Bailey, Reds: A. It seems like there's a perception that the Reds are an explosive offensive team, but that wasn't the case last year (ninth in the NL in runs scored despite playing in a hitter's park) and while the Reds are second in the NL in runs scored in 2013, they also rank ninth in slugging percentage. The Reds rotation, however, was terrific last year and has been terrific again, second to the Cardinals with a 2.97 ERA. Latos and Bailey remain two of the more underrated starters in the NL. Latos threw six shutout innings against the Cardinals on Monday, picking up his second win and lowering his ERA to 1.83. Bailey is 1-2 thanks to poor run support but has a 2.81 ERA. The two have combined for 69 strikeouts and just 17 walks, and when Johnny Cueto returns from the DL, he might give the Reds the best starting pitching trio in the league.

Cardinals bullpen: F. St. Louis starters are 14-6 with a 2.20 ERA. St. Louis relievers are 0-5 with a 5.89 ERA and .301 average allowed.

Pablo Sandoval's waistline: F.

Pablo Sandoval's bat: B.

The decision by the Brewers to sign Yuniesky Betancourt: D-. I mean, really ... Yuni was going to help the Brewers?

Yuniesky Betancourt: B+. He's hitting .286/.305/.532 and has five homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games, helping the Brewers to fight through injuries to Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart. Don't you love baseball?

Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: A. He's back, he's hitting, he's fielding and the Rockies are in first place. The Rockies have to hope that the strained shoulder Tulo suffered on Sunday isn’t serious (he sat Monday’s game, but there are no plans for a trip to the DL).

Matt Kemp, Dodgers: D-. Heading into Monday's games, FanGraphs rated Kemp 33rd among 36 full-time NL outfielders in WAR -- ahead of only Juan Pierre, Jon Jay and Ben Revere.

Starlin Castro, Cubs: C. I have to remind myself he's still just 23, but Castro is in his fourth season and just hasn't that much with the bat. He's hitting .271 with two home runs, but his approach -- just three walks -- is still limiting his upside. A hitter with an OBP under .300 just isn't that valuable.

Weather in Colorado: F. Please, baseball, don't play games when the weather is below freezing.

The final weekend of April is upon us and while it's still too early for most teams struggling in the standings to panic, that doesn't mean there won't be some panicking anyway. For example, big things were expected from the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels, but barring a big winning streak to close April those teams will start May with more losses than wins. This weekend the Blue Jays visit Yankee Stadium, while the Angels will be sleeping in Seattle, and the pressure is on. Here is what else you need to know for this weekend:

Revenge! Earlier this month defending division champs Cincinnati and Washington met in Ohio, and the Reds had the edge, taking the first game 15-0 and the third game 6-3, beating Stephen Strasburg. This series began on Thursday with a blowout Nationals win, and continues through the weekend. This could certainly be a playoff preview, but will the Nationals still be relying on Saturday starter Dan Haren by October? And what about the Reds with rookie lefty Tony Cingrani, scheduled to start Sunday? Haren hasn't retired a hitter in the sixth inning of any of his four starts, and while he searches for answers, don't be shocked when the Nationals upgrade as the year goes on. Cingrani has been terrific, and Sunday will be a test, but regardless of statistics he could be headed back to the minors soon when Johnny Cueto is healthy.

Surprises no more: A year ago today the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics seemed more likely to be last-place teams rather than playoff entrants, but the rest was history. Each team is off to a strong start and they'll continue their series, which also began Thursday (with an Orioles victory), in the Bay Area. Right-hander Bartolo Colon comes off a rain-shortened shutout (seven innings at Fenway Park) and is Sunday's scheduled starter. Colon, soon to be 40, is 3-0 already with a 2.42 ERA and he's issued one walk while striking out 17. How does he do it? Nine out of every 10 of his pitches are fastballs, and he's still hitting 90 mph on the radar gun, so give him credit for location, location and more location.

Bullpen follies: In one bullpen you've got the best closer in the business in Craig Kimbrel. In the other it's Jose Valverde, unemployed all winter, in Single-A ball when this week began and now closing again. It's quite the difference! The Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers are likely playoff teams no matter how their bullpens evolve (each bullpen will be fine) and face off in Detroit in the lone interleague series. The Braves have the pitching edge, as they avoid Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and their trio of Paul Maholm, Kris Medlen and Mike Minor bring a composite 1.65 ERA with them. The Tigers will send right-hander Rick Porcello to the mound Saturday, coming off an outing in which he was charged with nine runs in the first inning at Anaheim. Still only 24 but with a career ERA of 4.67 in more than 700 innings, those expecting Porcello to suddenly emerge as a star might be waiting a really long time. Minor and the worthy Doug Fister are scheduled to meet on Sunday night on ESPN.

Worst of the worst: Meanwhile, the battles aren't solely between contending teams. The Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins certainly aren't good teams, but that doesn't mean there isn't much to watch. For the dysfunctional Marlins, it's all about outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, off to miserable start. For those blaming the lack of offense around him I ask, who exactly protected Stanton in the lineup last year, Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio? For the Cubs, it's worth tuning in if they have a ninth-inning lead. Pick the over on potential Carlos Marmol bases on balls. Tune in to this series and get a few laughs.

From Cy to Sigh: Every R.A. Dickey outing is worth a look, just to see how the knuckleball will be floating, and so far it seems last season's NL Cy Young award winner is even less sure than normal where it's going. Dickey's numbers are a bit inflated (4.66 ERA, 1.45 WHIP), likely in some part due to neck and back stiffness that he says has affected the knuckleball's velocity. Dickey has never started a game at Yankee Stadium, and it's not exactly a great offensive squad he'll face (Jayson Nix! Lyle Overbay! Brennan Boesch!), but if the Blue Jays are going to contend in the AL East, they'll need better pitching than they’ve received.

Enjoy your weekend!

Thoughts on Tuesday's fun night of baseball ...

• Matt Harvey has deservedly been stealing all the headlines, but Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is quietly off to an amazing start. He pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win against the Nationals, improving to 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA. He also walked his first batter of the season -- he has 37 strikeouts -- and that was a careful pitch-around to the red-hot Bryce Harper with runners at first and third and two outs in the sixth. His 2-2, 94-mph four-seam fastball to then strike out Adam LaRoche was a thing of beauty. Good note from Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com on how catchers Yadier Molina and Tony Cruz arrived early to look at video from last season, when the Nationals twice scuffed up Wainwright, including knocking him out in the third inning in the postseason: "I don't want to say I don't do this every day, because I do," Molina said of the pregame video work. "But I was so focused to beat those guys, because I know last year [Wainwright] had a hard time facing the Nationals, so I wanted to do something different." Wainwright threw just one changeup and used his four-seamer more -- he had five strikeouts on fastballs after having just six in his first four starts.
• Big 6-4 win for the Diamondbacks against the Giants after Brandon Belt tagged J.J. Putz for a pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth to tie it. Didi Gregorius scored the go-ahead on a wild pitch, but the game's crucial play happened in the bottom of the 10th when Cody Ross threw out Pablo Sandoval at home plate -- by about 25 feet. Check out the jump -- or lack of it -- that Sandoval got on the hit, which wasn't even hit that hard. The Diamondbacks have to be a little concerned about closer Putz, who is now just 3-for-6 in save chances, although Arizona has managed to win all three of those games. And Matt Cain remains winless for the Giants in five starts.
• Speaking of winless starters: The Rays are now 0-5 when David Price starts after losing 4-3 to the Yankees. Price pitched into the ninth inning with the game tied, but left after Robinson Cano's leadoff single. Fernando Rodney couldn't contain the damage as Ichiro Suzuki eventually hit a soft liner to center with two outs to score two. Price pitched OK, but remember that the Yankees have been among the worst teams in the majors against left-handers.
• With a 4-3 win against the Blue Jays, ESPN Stats and Info reports that the Orioles have now won 100 consecutive games when leading after seven innings, the third-longest stretch in major league history (the 1906-07 Cubs won 121 and the 1998-99 Yankees won 116). The Orioles scored all four runs off R.A. Dickey in the second inning, with walks to Ryan Flaherty and Nate McLouth keeping the rally going.
• Oh, those Marlins. Here's a story from the Miami Herald on how Marlins players are upset that veteran Ricky Nolasco was made to start the night game of the doubleheader while rookie Jose Fernandez started the day game. Sources told Clark Spencer that the decision was made by management, not manager Mike Redmond and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. As for Fernandez, watched some of his outing; he has to stop throwing so many first-pitch fastballs. The Twins started jumping on the pitch, including three straight hits in the fourth, including Oswaldo Arcia's three-run homer, his first in the majors.
• Eric Karabell wants me to point out that the Phillies couldn't score off Jeff Locke. ... Mariners fans flooded Twitter with more disgust after yet another Raul Ibanez misadventure in left field. ... Jose Valverde is back with the Tigers and he'll be the closer. ... Watched Clayton Kershaw, and he scuffled through five innings, including a walk to Mets reliever Robert Carson that led to a two-out rally. The Dodgers won anyway as Mark Ellis hit two home runs. ... Howie Kendrick had the big walk-off homer in the 11th for the Angels. Curiously, Josh Hamilton was back in the cleanup spot. ... The Brewers won their ninth in a row even though Yovani Gallardo allowed eight hits and five walks in 6.2.

As you probably know, strikeouts continue to climb higher and higher.

In the chart at the right, are strikeouts per game:

As Dave Cameron wrote last week on FanGraphs,

Over the past 30 years, the strikeout rate in MLB has gone from 14.0 percent to the 20.0 percent it stands at today. It took 24 years to move from 14 percent to 17 percent, but it’s only taken six years to move from 17 percent to 20 percent. Those six years correspond perfectly to the PITCHF/x era.

Dave cites a piece from James Gentile that shows called strikes are rising much faster than swinging strikes, the suggestion that perhaps there is a relationship between the installation of the PITCHf/x cameras, their affect on umpires and thus the rapid growth in strikeouts in recent seasons.

Bill James also tossed out a theory that it's natural that strikeouts increase throughout history -- for pitchers, strikeouts are good, so it's a process of natural selection; but for hitters, strikeouts (to a point) aren't necessarily bad. You can strike out and still be a good hitter; but few pitchers succeed long term without striking out a certain percentage of hitters.

All this is very interesting and no doubt holds some truth. But maybe there is a simpler explanation: There are a lot of unbelievably talented young pitchers right now.

Look at the next generation of starters on the way, guys who have made fewer than 15 career starts: Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller, Julio Teheran, Hyun-jin Ryu, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Wily Peralta, Dan Straily. That's on top of last year's rookie group that included Matt Moore, Jarrod Parker, Wade Miley, Yu Darvish and Wei-Yin Chen.

Look at some other pitchers who debuted since 2008: Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, Jeff Samardzija, Mat Latos, Doug Fister, Madison Bumgarner, Jordan Zimmermann, Kris Medlen, Brett Anderson, Stephen Strasburg, Chris Sale, Alexi Ogando, Jeremy Hellickson, Brandon Beachy and Lance Lynn. Not to mention a plethora of relievers -- led by Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman -- throwing 95-plus mph.

Think of all the advancements that have helped pitchers over the past 20 years -- meaning tools or approaches this generation of young starters has benefited from:

• Arms are better protected, not just in the minors and early in major league careers, but on the high school and college levels.
• Better coaching, teaching proper mechanics, from the youth levels on up, including private pitching coaches.
• Advancements in medicine and injury rehab -- the success rate for Tommy John surgery, for example, has improved.
• Video technology. Once used mostly by hitters, now another weapon for pitchers to take advantage of.

Beyond that, these pitchers are bigger, stronger and throw harder than ever before. Consider Harvey, the Mets phenom who has a 2.21 ERA through his first 13 major league starts, with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. He's 6-foot-4, 225 pounds or so. Maybe 25 years ago he's playing basketball or packs on 50 pounds and becomes an offensive lineman in football. Now more guys like him are playing baseball.

Some of these up-and-coming stars take the hill tonight. The guy to watch is Fernandez, the 20-year-old rookie for the Marlins who was in high school two years ago. He's been terrific in his first two starts, throwing mid-90s fastballs and showing a good feel for pitching. (He opposes Reds rookie Tony Cingrani, just called up to replace the injured Cueto; in three Triple-A starts, he didn't allow a run and struck out 26 in 14.1 innings.) Teheran faces the Pirates. And then Friday we have must-watch TV: Harvey against Strasburg at Citi Field.

Eric Karabell and I discuss five of these guys in the video above. Here's how I would rank them:

1. Matt Harvey, Mets. After 10 successful starts last year, Harvey's first three outings have been pure domination. Right now, he doesn't look like a future ace, but is already an ace. His fastball averages 94 and hits 97. Now, he has faced the Padres (without their two best hitters), the Phillies and the Twins so far, so we should restrain our enthusiasm a little bit until he faces better lineups, but if his changeup continues to improve -- and batters are 0-for-14 against it so far -- watch out.

2. Jose Fernandez, Marlins. Despite the lack of experience, he pitches with the confidence of a veteran. He matches Harvey with his mid-90s velocity and relies on a curveball as his primary off-speed pitch. He's thrown his changeup only 16 times in two starts, but if he masters that pitch, well ... watch out.

3. Shelby Miller, Cardinals. He pitched Wednesday night, retiring 15 Pirates in a row at one point. He's another fastball/curveball guy, although his fastball is a tick below what we've seen from Harvey and Fernandez. After a rough first half at Triple-A in 2012, Miller seemed to put everything together down the stretch. His strong start -- .169 average allowed, 18 K's and 5 walks in three starts -- bodes well that his command continues to improve.

4. Hyun-jin Ryu, Dodgers. The rookie from Korea doesn't throw as hard as these guys, but has shown to be as advertised: A polished left-hander in the David Wells mode (which includes physique as well as stuff).

5. Julio Teheran, Braves. The one guy of these five who has struggled so far. He had a monster spring training (26 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 9 BB, 35 SO) but it hasn't translated to a successful start, as he still has issues commanding his off-speed stuff.

If you haven't seen any of these guys pitch, check them out. And you'll understand one reason why strikeouts are still on the rise.

Quick thoughts on Monday's games ...

• The Blue Jays' lineup on Monday included just three players who finished the game with an OBP over .300, and one of those was ex-Mariners backup infielder Munenori Kawasaki, playing shortstop for the injured Jose Reyes. Sure enough, with J.P. Arencibia hitting third, Mark DeRosa sixth, Emilio Bonifacio leading off and Kawasaki playing, the Jays beat the White Sox 4-3 as Mark Buehrle delivered his first good start. The Jays are still missing Brett Lawrie and Jose Bautista was unavailable for this one, but how did the Jays get into a situation where they have to use Kawasaki (.459 OPS with the Mariners last year) and DeRosa (.578 OPS over the past three years)? Contending teams need better emergency plans than this.
• With Giancarlo Stanton out with a sore left shoulder, the Marlins fielded this lineup: Juan Pierre, Chris Coghlan, Placido Polanco, Greg Dobbs, Justin Ruggiano, Rob Brantly, Adeiny Hechavarria, Donovan Solano. I mean ... the Marlins are 2-11, are hitting .203 and have two home runs while averaging fewer than two runs per game. In case you're wondering, no, the Marlins don't play the Astros this year.
• Catch of the day and maybe the season so far: Ben Revere with a diving catch in right-center. Later in the game, he did this.
• It was up to 38 degrees in Minnesota! Hometown hero Joe Mauer wasn't bothered by the cold and lashed out four hits in the Twins' 8-2 win over the Angels. Joe Blanton struggled again, dropping to 0-3 with an 8.59 ERA. Blanton just isn't very good; he had a 4.79 ERA the past three seasons in the National League. That translates to something over 5 in the AL. Yes, he throws strikes (he walked just 34 in 30 starts last year), but he gives up hits and home runs. We'll give him a reprieve on this one with a 16-mph wind blowing out to center, but I suspect the Angels will be looking for a rotation upgrade at some point.
• Carl Crawford had three hits to bring his average to .396. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .396. Matt Kemp had two hits in the Dodgers' 6-3 loss to the Padres, but that only raised his average to .196 and he's still looking for his first home run of the season. When Kemp had his monster April last year -- .417/.490/.893, 12 HRs, 25 RBIs -- he was showing good selectivity at the plate (he drew 13 walks against 21 strikeouts). This April he has three walks and 15 K's. In April of 2012 he swung at 43 percent of all pitches and had a chase percentage of 22 percent on pitches outside the zone. This year, those figures are 49 percent and 28 percent entering Monday's game. That's not the entire reason for his early struggles (and no doubt he started getting pitched around last April), but keep an eye on Kemp's discipline.

The Atlanta Braves sent a message this weekend: Don't forget about us.

We all know the Washington Nationals were prohibitive favorites to win the NL East -- 38 of 43 ESPN.com experts picked them -- and only five picked the Braves. I think the Braves' impressive sweep over the Nationals this weekend, culminating in Sunday's 9-0 shutout, did more to showcase the talents of the Braves than to expose any particular weaknesses in the Nationals.

"We know the Nationals are supposed to be pretty good, so it was good to make a statement early," Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons said after the club won its ninth game in a row. "Let them know we're going to be tough to beat."

Nationals manager Davey Johnson took the more experienced response of a manager who knows pennants aren't won in April: "We should have won the first one. We were right there on the second. We just got waffled today. I don't put too much stock in it."

The most impressive thing about the Braves is -- like the Nationals -- they're a team constructed not just for 2013 but for the long haul. What's really impressive is how the Braves have built this team. Astute draft picks, player development, great trades, obscure pickups and, rarely, an impact free-agent signing.

Unlike the Nationals, who benefited from years of losing records that resulted in high draft picks (especially lucky enough to own the No. 1 overall pick the years Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were in the draft), the Braves developed young talent without the benefit of all those high picks. In fact, in the past 20 years, they've had just two picks in the top 15 -- Mike Minor, No. 7 overall in 2009, and Jason Heyward, No. 14 overall in 2007. Minor was a polished college left-hander who some felt the Braves overdrafted; Heyward was a local high school kid who fell to 14th in part because he was pitched around so much as a senior that he had just 52 at-bats.

Credit the Braves scouting staff for not missing those guys. Roy Clark, the scouting director for the Braves when they drafted Heyward and Minor, is now the assistant general manager to Mike Rizzo in Washington. But beyond those first-rounders, the Braves have found talent later in the draft:

• Simmons was a second-round pick out of Western Oklahoma State Junior College in 2010 and his meteoric rise to reach the majors was remarkable, considering few teams believed in his bat and some even projected him as a pitcher.
• Closer Craig Kimbrel was a third-rounder in 2008, another junior college pick.
• Starter Kris Medlen was a 10th-rounder, yet another junior college pick, and like Kimbrel is a short right-hander (both are under 6 feet tall).
• First baseman Freddie Freeman, currently on the disabled list, was a second-round pick in 2007, and like Heyward reached the majors at age 20.
• Brandon Beachy, also on the DL after last year's Tommy John surgery, was primarly a third baseman at Indiana Wesleyan and went undrafted. Braves scout Gene Kerns saw him pitching in relief in a college summer league and recommended the team sign him.
• And then there's the quickly growing legend of Evan Gattis, who less than three years ago was a 23-year-old playing for the University of Texas-Permian Basin after having quit baseball for five years. The Braves drafted him in the 23rd round, and now he's a 26-year-old rookie catcher filling in for the injured Brian McCann, batting cleanup and hitting .324/.385/.724. Gattis, who knocked in two runs in Sunday's win, has 10 RBIs and four home runs in nine games this season.

All that young talent means the Braves had an Opening Day payroll just under $90 million -- 16th-highest in the majors and less than half of the Yankees and Dodgers.

Then, of course, there are the Upton brothers. Instead of re-signing speedster Michael Bourn, the Braves signed the younger B.J. Upton to add more power to the offense. Then came the blockbuster deal to acquire Justin Upton. All he's done is club seven homers -- his seventh came on Sunday off a Gio Gonzalez 2-2 curveball that Upton hit out to right-center.

Sunday's pitching star was veteran lefty Paul Maholm, another astute Braves pickup, acquired last summer from the Cubs for Arodys Vizcaino, a youngster who missed all of 2012 because of Tommy John surgery. Maholm is a cost-effective mid-rotation starter making $6.5 million this year, the kind of pitcher who is underrated because his stuff isn't overpowering. He'd had a good year with the Pirates in 2011 and was pitching well for the Cubs. He's added a slow curve to his repertoire this year and hasn't allowed a run in three starts.

Maholm will give up a run eventually and the Braves' winning streak will end soon. Right now they're playing the best of any team in baseball, a fun team to watch that does everything -- play defense, pitch, hit for power and then hand the ball to Kimbrel. And the scary thing: B.J. Upton is just finally starting to hit -- he had three on Sunday to raise his average to .163 -- and Heyward is hitting .103 with just two extra-base hits.

Consider the message received.

REST OF THE WEEKEND

Three stars
1. Clay Buchholz, Red Sox. Took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Sunday against the Rays, finishing with 11 K's over eight scoreless frames in Boston's 5-0 win. Buchholz had a dominant spring training and it's carried over into April as he's 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA.

2. Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners. Outpitched Yu Darvish in a 3-1 Seattle victory on Friday in a matchup that was certainly huge in Japan. Through three starts Iwakuma is 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA, .129 average allowed and 16/1 SO/BB ratio.

3. Matt Harvey, Mets. Can't avoid another pitcher, but Harvey was dominant once again on Saturday against the Twins, pitching through a start-time temperature of 35 degrees. In three starts he's 3-0 with two runs allowed and six hits in 22 innings.

Clutch performance of the weekend
Albert Pujols, Angels. Trailing the Astros 4-1 in the eighth inning on Saturday, and staring at an embarrassing 2-9 start, the Angels rallied for two in the eighth and then Pujols doubled home Luis Jimenez and Mike Trout with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. A win on Sunday pushed the Angels to 4-8; not good, but not yet a complete disaster.

Best game
Braves 6, Nationals 4, 10 innings (Friday). The Nationals led 4-0 after two innings and starter Ross Detwiler departed after seven innings with a 4-1 lead. But the Nationals bullpen struggled yet again, the Braves tied it in the ninth off Drew Storen, and then backup infielder Ramiro Pena hit a two-run homer off Craig Stammen in the 10th.

Hitter on the rise: Evan Gattis, Braves.
What does it say about the confidence Fredi Gonzalez has in Gattis to hit him cleanup after just a few games in the majors? If Gattis is this good, it's going to create a good kind of problem when McCann and Freeman return from the DL. What do you do with him? He's catching now and started one game at first, but you can't really hide him anywhere else.

Pitcher on the rise: Jose Fernandez, Marlins
The 20-year-old rookie had his second straight solid outing, with six scoreless innings against the Phillies on Saturday. That's two starts and one run allowed, although he hasn't earned the W yet.

Move I can't understand
Oh, Dusty Baker, how we love to analyze your moves. On Sunday, the Reds led the Pirates 6-4 entering the bottom of the eighth (and had led 5-0 entering the bottom of the seventh). Aroldis Chapman hadn't pitched in ... well, a week. Neither had setup man Jonathan Broxton, who came in and promptly gave up a walk and home run to Michael McKenry. And then after a groundout, another walk. But it wasn't a save situation so Chapman remained in the bullpen. Starling Marte then homered. Broxton then gave up a walk (to pitcher Jonathan Sanchez) and a single. And was still in there to give up a sac fly. (Baker blamed rust for Broxton's stuggles. OK.) Chapman was finally summoned from the pen. So Baker managed to go an entire week without getting Chapman into a meaningful situation. Meanwhile, Johnny Cueto left Saturday's game with right triceps pain and Shin-Soo Choo continues to hit but struggled defensively in center field.

Team on the rise: Pirates
The Pirates entered the weekend hitting .153 and had scored 21 runs in nine game. They swept the Reds to improve to 6-6, one game behind St. Louis in the NL Central.

Team on the fall: Twins
The Twins have lost five in a row and got snowed out on Sunday, which maybe was a good thing. Rookie center field Aaron Hicks may find a trip to Triple-A in his future, as after a big spring training he looks completely overmatched, hitting 3-for-43 (.047) with 20 strikeouts. And yet Ron Gardenhire continues to hit him leadoff.

NEW YORK -- In April of 2012, I traveled to South Jersey to catch a low Class A game between the Lakewood BlueClaws and the Greensboro Grasshoppers. On the bump for Greensboro was 19-year-old Cuban flamethrower Jose Fernandez. On Sunday, Fernandez made his major league debut at Citi Field against the Mets. Miami's top prospect, Fernandez impressed with an upper-90s fastball and a filthy breaking ball en route to a five-inning, eight-strikeout performance.

"No, I wasn't surprised," Marlins skipper Mike Redmond said. "He's got a great fastball. For a 20-year-old kid he's got some great secondary pitches. ... I think that was obviously a huge test for him and a great first outing."

Fernandez's promotion to the major leagues was the object of much derision when the Marlins released their Opening Day roster. The Marlins are undeniably in rebuilding mode; they've traded away most of their major league talent since things went sour in 2012. Furthermore, Fernandez wasn't exactly knocking on the door. Last season was his first full season as a professional baseball player, and a midseason promotion brought him only to high-A. Why rush a prospect -- and begin his service time clock towards free agency -- when the team isn't in a position to win now?

Miami seems to feel that Fernandez is legitimately ready for an assignment to the majors, and on Sunday the 2011 first-round pick passed his first test.

There's an old adage that the jump from Class A to Double-A is the second most difficult leap for a player to make, behind only Triple-A to the majors, which really puts Fernandez’s debut in perspective. Early in the game, Fernandez pounded the strike zone and retired the first 10 hitters, striking out five of them. He hadn't thrown more than 66 pitches in a game in spring training, and he began to tire as his outing went on. The Mets got to Fernandez with a hit in the fourth inning, then got on the board in the fifth. The right-hander was done after that, having thrown 80 pitches.

"My job is to give the team a chance to win. We didn't win this time, next time we will," Fernandez said. Before Sunday's game, plenty of people spoke about the rookie's confidence and maturity on the mound. Fernandez said he felt a little nervous as he warmed up in the bullpen, but that nerves weren't an issue when he got on the mound. "He's got pretty good mound presence," catcher Rob Brantly said.

No one guessed that Fernandez would have made this team out of spring training, but Brantly was prepared for his arrival. "I caught him as much as I could," he said. "Any time he had a bullpen I'd work my way over there to make sure I could get familiar with him, just in case." The extra preparation worked in favor for the Marlins, as Brantly and Fernandez looked comfortable together.

Fernandez didn’t get the win as the Mets rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but he did set a franchise record with eight strikeouts in a major league debut. It's not clear what's going to happen with Fernandez as this season unfolds. He's set the bar high for himself, but expectations aren't through the roof just yet. When asked whether he thought he would be in the big leagues for the rest of the season, he said, "I expect to have a next start."

There’s no shortage of uncertainty in Miami, but we know that Jose Fernandez will attempt to pick up where he left off next time out.

Hudson Belinsky is a writer at Halos Daily and also contributes to Baseball Prospectus.

Mark Simon wraps up the struggles of the aces on Sunday. Here are some more quick thoughts on Sunday's action.

• OK, Matt Cain. He matched a career-worst with nine runs allowed. Even stranger, they all came in one inning and at home -- where he allowed just 26 runs in 15 starts last year. I wasn't watching the game, but went back and watched that fourth inning, which Cain had entered having retired nine in a row. Here's what happened:
  -- Jon Jay, soft liner to left center, reaches second on Angel Pagan bobble.
  -- Matt Carpenter, hard line single to right.
  -- Allen Craig, sac fly to right.
  -- Carlos Beltran, four- pitch walk.
  -- Yadier Molina, groundball single into left field to load the bases.
  -- Matt Adams crushes 1-0 90-mph fastball into Triples Alley for ground-rule double.
  -- Ty Wigginton lines 0-1 slider into left for RBI hit.
  -- Pete Kozma, bloop base hit to right.
  -- Adam Wainwright pops out bunting.
  -- Jay, walks.
  -- Carpenter, soft liner to right on 3-2 pitch. Couple borderline calls went against Cain. Anyway, Jose Mijares came in and two more runs scored. Other than the Adams double, nothing was really hit that inning. But only Kozma's bloop was a true gift. Just one of those innings that can happen even to the best of 'em. The bigger first-week issue for the Giants: They scored just 15 runs in six games.
• Will Middlebrooks slugged three home runs as the Red Sox routed R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays. This one traveled a very far distance. Middlebrooks flew out to the warning track in a bid for his fourth home run. "I was blowing on it running down the line but it didn't have enough steam," he said. And, no, I'm not worried about Dickey. It's two starts. He had a 5.71 ERA after three starts last year with the Mets.
• Besides Middlebrooks, another young AL third baseman to watch is Lonnie Chisenhall, who slugged a laser beam home run off David Price in Cleveland's 13-0 romp (Carlos Santana went 5-for-5). Price allowed only three homers to left-handed batters in 2012. Like Middlebrooks, Chisenhall's control of the strike zone will go a long ways to his future. He's yet to draw a walk (Middlebrooks has two).
• Caught a little bit of Marlins' rookie Jose Fernandez's debut. The 20-year-old looked impressive in his five innings, showing a nice out-pitch curve and striking out eight while allowing one run. The kid isn't exactly lacking in confidence, nicknames his curve The Defector (Fernandez escaped Cuba in 2008). After the game he said, "I was more nervous watching five through nine than when I was pitching. It didn't feel any different. It was more like a spring training game." Well, when you're facing Collin Cowgill, Mike Baxter and Anthony Recker, it probably did feel like a spring training game. The Mets got the last laugh, however, scoring two runs off Steve Cishek in the ninth to win 4-3.
• The White Sox wore the 1983 AL West champion throwback uniforms -- and they looked just as bad as they did 30 years ago. But Dayan Viciedo did his best Greg Luzinski impression and hit a walk-off home run off Kameron Loe in the 10th.
• The Pirates are hitting .119.
• The Astros have nine walks and 74 strikeouts in six games. My lord are they awful.

When I'm not watching baseball, you can probably find me playing Scrabble. I combine my love of these two seemingly disparate interests by tracking down those players whose names are also valid words in Scrabble. I present to you now the Scrabble-acceptability of the names on the Opening Day 40-man roster for each team.

If the player's first or last name can be found in the "bible" of organized Scrabble, the Official Tournament and Club Word List, it will be listed in CAPS here (thus, no Rzepczynski). The number after the player's name is the total Scrabble score, excluding the possibility of double and triple-letter and double and triple-word squares. The score for each player is based upon the tile distribution in a standard English Scrabble set. If the player's name is seven letters or more and a valid Scrabble word, the score increases by 50 (otherwise known as a "bingo"). If the name cannot be formed without the use of a blank (such as "BOBBY"), the score represents the actual tally (in the BOBBY example, that would be 11, not 14). The numbers next to the team name gives the team's tally of qualifying names and total points.

There appears to be a West Coast bias in the Scrabble-playability of the rosters, as the Padres and Athletics each have an MLB-best 23 players with a first and/or last name that is acceptable. The luxury tax-pinched Yankees seemingly can't buy the right letters, as they have only 12 such players, worst in the majors. The Rockies accrue the highest point total, with 523 from their 18 qualifying players, with an MLB-leading six "bingo names." The Red Sox' Franklin Morales is the "Most Scrabble-valuable Player" as both his first and last names are acceptable Scrabble words, good for 124 points (a "franklin" is a medieval English landowner of free but not noble birth). The Yankees' Joba Chamberlain possesses the longest acceptable Scrabble word on anyone's 40-man roster, as a "chamberlain" is an officer who manages the household of a sovereign or noble.

Angels (17, 366): David CARPENTER 63, Ryan BRASIER 59, Scott COUSINS 59, TOMMY FIELD 21, HANK CONGER 20, MARK LOWE 17, MIKE TROUT 15, j.b. SHUCK 14, JOHN Hester 14, JOSH Hamilton 14, Jered WEAVER 12, TOMMY Hanson 12, NICK Maronde 10, MARK Trumbo 10, JOE Blanton 10, Scott DOWNS 9, PETER Bourjos 7

Astros (16, 310): BRAD PEACOCK 74, Justin MAXWELL 69, JOSH FIELDS 24, JIMMY Paredes 19, JAKE Elmore 15, JARRED Cosart 14, JORDAN Lyles 14, JOHN Ely 14, Wesley WRIGHT 13, HECTOR Ambriz 11, Alex WHITE 11, RICK Ankiel 10, Chris CARTER 8, MATT Dominguez 6, BUD Norris 6, Chia-Jen LO 2

Athletics (23, 293): a.j. GRIFFIN 64, JERRY Blevins 15, COCO CRISP 14, JORDAN Norberto 14, JOSH Stinson 14, JOHN Jaso 14, JOSH Donaldson 14, JOSH Reddick 14, GRANT GREEN 12, Jarrod PARKER 12, JESSE Chavez 12,TOMMY Milone 12, Jemile WEEKS 12, Seth SMITH 10, Ryan COOK 10, Chris YOUNG 9, PEDRO Figueroa 8, Bartolo COLON 7, GRANT Balfour 6, Brandon MOSS 6, PAT Neshek 5, DAN Otero 4, DAN Straily 4

Blue Jays (15, 215): JOSH JOHNSON 73, JOSH THOLE 22, r.a. DICKEY 16, COLBY Rasmus 12, Brandon MORROW 11, HENRY Blanco 11, MARK Buehrle 10, CHAD Jenkins 10, MARK DeRosa 10, DREW Hutchison 8, Esmil ROGERS 7, BRAD Lincoln 7, Sergio SANTOS 6, Moises SIERRA 6, Aaron LOUP 6

Red Sox (20, 507): FRANKLIN MORALES 124, Ryan DEMPSTER 63, Allen WEBSTER 62, ALFREDO Aceves 61, JOHN LACKEY 29, BROCK HOLT 20, MIKE CARP 18, KOJI Uehara 15, Steven WRIGHT 13, DAN BUTLER 12, RUBBY De La Rosa 12, Andrew BAILEY 11, DRAKE Britton 10, MIKE Napoli 10, CLAY Buchholz 9, Andrew MILLER 8, PEDRO Ciriaco 8, Stephen DREW 8, Daniel BARD 7, WILL Middlebrooks 7

Braves (15,428): REED JOHNSON 72, Chris JOHNSON 67, David CARPENTER 63, Freddie FREEMAN 62, Jonny VENTERS 60, MIKE MINOR 17, Brandon BEACHY 16, JORDAN Walden 14, JORDAN Schafer 14, CORY Gearrin 9, CORY Rasmus 9, KRIS Medlen 8, David HALE 7, Gerald LAIRD 6, DAN Uggla 4

Brewers (21, 324): ALFREDO Figaro 61, SCOOTER Gennett 59, JOSH PRINCE 24, JOHNNY Hellweg 19, JIMMY Henderson 19, MARK ROGERS 17, JOHN Axford 14, Rickie WEEKS 12, BURKE Badenhop 11, JEAN Segura 11, NICK Bucci 10, MIKE Fiers 10, WILY Peralta 10, MARTIN Maldonado 8, Corey HART 7, Taylor GREEN 6, LOGAN Schafer 6, SANTO Manzanillo 5, ARIEL Pena 5, TOM Gorzelanny 5, MAT Gamel 5

Cardinals (18, 458): Adam WAINWRIGHT 70, MATT CARPENTER 69, Adron CHAMBERS 67, Chris CARPENTER 63, Sam FREEMAN 62, JOE KELLY 22, JAKE Westbrook 15, Jon JAY 13, VICTOR Marte 11, RANDY Choate 9, Keith BUTLER 8, Shelby MILLER 8, MARC Rzepczynski 8, LANCE Lynn 7, Jason MOTTE 7, TONY Cruz 7, MATT Adams 6, MATT Holliday 6

Cubs (12, 134): JUNIOR LAKE 21, SHAWN CAMP 21, JOSH Vitters 14, BROOKS Raley 12, HECTOR Rondon 11, Darwin BARNEY 11, Scott BAKER 11, Travis WOOD 8, BRENT Lillibridge 7, LOGAN Watkins 6, MATT Garza 6, MATT Szczur 6

Diamondbacks (22, 387): a.j. POLLOCK 65, ALFREDO Marte 61, Miguel MONTERO 59, JOSH PARR 20, HEATH BELL 17, j.j. PUTZ 15, JOSH Collmenter 14, JOSH Wilson 14, CLIFF Pennington 13, Charles BREWER 11, CHASE Anderson 10, Eric SMITH 10, JOE Paterson 10, Wil NIEVES 9, WILLIE Bloomquist 9, MARTIN Prado 8, WADE Miley 8, TONY Sipp 7, BRAD Ziegler 7, Aaron HILL 7, TONY Campana 7, MATT Reynolds 6

Dodgers (17, 226): Justin SELLERS 57, JOSH WALL 21, MATT KEMP 18, NICK PUNTO 17, JERRY Hairston 15, JOSH Beckett 14, SHAWN Tolleson 11, CHAD Billingsley 10, Stephen FIFE 10, MARK Ellis 10, SKIP Schumaker 10, Brandon LEAGUE 7, MATT Guerrier 6, MATT Magill 6, CARL Crawford 6, TED Lilly 4, DEE Gordon 4

Giants (17, 217): JAKE DUNNING 74, HUNTER PENCE 18, ANGEL PAGAN 14, MATT CAIN 12, HECTOR Sanchez 11, JEAN Machi 11, CHAD Gaudin 10, NICK Noonan 10, SANDY Rosario 9, BUSTER Posey 8, TONY Abreu 7, ANGEL Villalona 6, ROGER Kieschnick 6, Brandon BELT 6, Brett PILL 6, Joaquin ARIAS 5, DAN Runzler 4

Indians (19, 252): NICK SWISHER 73, JOE SMITH 20, RICH HILL 16, JOSH Tomlin 14, David HUFF 13, FRANK Herrmann 12, NICK Hagadone 10, Bryan SHAW 10, MIKE Aviles 10, MIKE McDade 10, MARK Reynolds 10, t.j. HOUSE 8, Blake WOOD 8, DREW Stubbs 8, Michael BOURN 7, TREY Haley 7, CORD Phelps 7, MATT Albers 6, Chen-Chang LEE 3

Mariners (15, 353): FRANKLIN Gutierrez 65, CHARLIE Furbush 62, Jesus MONTERO 59, Kendrys MORALES 59, JOSH Kinney 14, CHANCE Ruffin 13, KELLY Shoppach 12, HECTOR Noesi 11, BOBBY LaFromboise 11, JOE Saunders 10, Yoervis MEDINA 9, CARTER Capps 8, Jason BAY 8, Michael MORSE 7, TOM Wilhelmsen 5

Marlins (14, 225): Chris HATCHER 65, ALFREDO Silverio 61, BRAD HAND 15, JOHN Maine 14, MIKE Dunn 10, CHAD Qualls 10, JOE Mahoney 10, WADE LeBlanc 8, Jacob TURNER 6, Donovan SOLANO 6, LOGAN Morrison 6, TOM Koehler 5, ROB Brantly 5, DAN Jennings 4

Mets (17, 244): Zack WHEELER 63, JOHN BUCK 26, HANSEL ROBLES 17, Daniel MURPHY 16, JOSH Edgin 14, David WRIGHT 13, Zach LUTZ 13, FRANK Francisco 12, Greg BURKE 11, BOBBY Parnell 11, MIKE Baxter 10, Gonzalez GERMEN 9, KIRK Nieuwenhuis 7, Justin TURNER 6, MATT Harvey 6, Scott RICE 6, Dillon GEE 4

Nationals (17, 144): JORDAN Zimmermann 14, Bryce HARPER 11, HENRY Rodriguez 11, Ryan PERRY 10, Corey BROWN 10, CHAD Tracy 10, Nathan KARNS 9, SANDY Leon 9, Zach DUKE 9, Yunesky MAYA 9, DREW Storen 8, Jhonatan SOLANO 6, ROGER Bernadina 6, COLE Kimball 6, MATT Purke 6, Denard SPAN 6, DAN Haren 4

Orioles (13, 312): Jim JOHNSON 67, Steve JOHNSON 67, Danny VALENCIA 63, TOMMY HUNTER 21, PEDRO STROP 15, JAKE Arrieta 15, j.j. HARDY 12, Adam JONES 12, MIKE Belfiore 10, NICK Markakis 10, TROY Patton 7, l.j. HOES 7, MATT Wieters 6

Padres (23, 358): JOE THATCHER 76, Jason MARQUIS 68, JOHN BAKER 25, BRAD BRACH 19, Jaff DECKER 13, Kyle BLANKS 12, Casey KELLY 12, TOMMY Layne 12, YONDER Alonso 10, CHASE Headley 10, NICK Vincent 10, NICK Hundley 10, MARK Kotsay 10, JOE Wieland 10, CORY Luebke 9, Cody RANSOM 8, MILES Mikolas 7, BRAD Boxberger 7, WILL Venable 7, Huston STREET 6, LOGAN Forsythe 6, Anthony BASS 6, DALE Thayer 5

Phillies (21, 323): Zach COLLIER 59, Tyson GILLIES 58, JIMMY Rollins 19, CLIFF LEE 16, JAKE Diekman 15, BEN REVERE 14, JOHN Lannan 14, JOHN Mayberry 14, CHASE Utley 10, Domonic BROWN 10, MIKE Adams 10, CHAD Durbin 10, JOE Savery 10, Laynce NIX 10, Michael YOUNG 9, Delmon YOUNG 9, Ethan MARTIN 8, Mauricio ROBLES 8, Jeremy HORST 8, ENDER Inciarte 6, COLE Hamels 6

Pirates (19, 302): CHARLIE Morton 62, STARLING Marte 59, JERRY SANDS 21, JOSH Harrison 14, JOHN McDonald 14, Neil WALKER 13, Vic BLACK 13, Garrett JONES 12, Jordy MERCER 10, CHASE d'Arnaud 10, MARK Melancon 10, GABY Sanchez 10, DUKE Welker 9, Bryan MORRIS 8, Russell MARTIN 8, PEDRO Alvarez 8, Travis SNIDER 7, TONY Watson 7, TONY Sanchez 7

Rangers (22, 323): Michael KIRKMAN 62, Derek HOLLAND 61, COLBY LEWIS 20, CORY BURNS 16, David MURPHY 16, JOSH Lindblom 14, MATT WEST 13, Jeff BAKER 11, Craig GENTRY 10, MIKE Olt 10, JOE Nathan 10, JOE Ortiz 10, Justin MILLER 8, MARTIN Perez 8, Leonys MARTIN 8, ROMAN Mendez 7, LANCE Berkman 7, Wilmer FONT 7, Derek LOWE 7, TANNER Scheppers 6, NELSON Cruz 6, MATT Harrison 6

Rays (14, 208): KELLY JOHNSON 79, JAKE McGee 15, JAKE Odorizzi 15, JOSH Lueke 14, Jamey WRIGHT 13, FRANK De Los Santos 12, Chris ARCHER 11, Alex COBB 10, MIKE Montgomery 10, David PRICE 9, MATT Moore 6, MATT Joyce 6, BEN Zobrist 5, Hak-Ju LEE 3

Reds (19, 387): Aroldis CHAPMAN 66, Sean MARSHALL 63, ALFREDO Simon 61, JOSH RAVIN 22, HOMER BAILEY 21, JOHNNY Cueto 19, JACK Hannahan 17, JOEY Votto 14, Donald LUTZ 13, JAY Bruce 13, j.j. HOOVER 12, HENRY Rodriguez 11, MIKE Leake 10, NICK Masset 10, Bronson ARROYO 9, PEDRO Villarreal 8, TONY Cingrani 7, LOGAN Ondrusek 6, MAT Latos 5

Rockies (18, 523): REX BROTHERS 73, Ryan WHEELER 63, Tim WHEELER 63, CHARLIE Culberson 62, CHARLIE Blackmon 62, Jon GARLAND 59, DEXTER FOWLER 26, JOSH OUTMAN 22, JORDAN Pacheco 14, JOSH Sullivan 14, JOSH Rutledge 14, JOE Gardner 10, Eric YOUNG 9, DREW Pomeranz 8, TROY Tulowitzki 7, Chris NELSON 6, MATT Belisle 6, ROB Scahill 5

Royals (18, 417): Elliot JOHNSON 67, Greg HOLLAND 61, James SHIELDS 61, Tim COLLINS 59, JOHN LAMB 22, JOHNNY Giavotella 19, BILLY BUTLER 18, Donnie JOSEPH 18, WILL SMITH 17, KELVIN Herrera 13, Justin MARKS 11, MIKE Moustakas 10, David LOUGH 9, Aaron CROW 9, WADE Davis 8, Lorenzo CAIN 6, LOUIS Coleman 5, NOEL Arguelles 4

Tigers (16, 336): QUINTIN BERRY 76, PRINCE FIELDER 71, Omar INFANTE 60, DON KELLY 16, TORII HUNTER 14, MAX Scherzer 12, VICTOR Martinez 11, Danny WORTH 11, Duane BELOW 10, Andy DIRKS 10, Phil COKE 10, RICK Porcello 10, Darin DOWNS 9, DREW Smyly 8, MATT Tuiasosopo 6, AL Alburquerque 2

Twins (18, 224): Scott DIAMOND 61, Brian DOZIER 16, Aaron HICKS 14, JOSH Roenicke 14, JOSH Willingham 14, MIKE Pelfrey 10, JOE Mauer 10, JOE Benson 10, Kyle GIBSON 9, Jared BURTON 8, PEDRO Hernandez 8, PEDRO Florimon 8, Tim WOOD 8, DREW Butera 8, Trevor MAY 8, Josmil PINTO 7, COLE De Vries 6, GLEN Perkins 5

White Sox (20, 257): Tyler FLOWERS 63, JAKE PEAVY 28, BRENT MOREL 14, JORDAN Danks 14, JOHN Danks 14, JOSH Phegley 14, JESSE Crain 12, Nate JONES 12, HECTOR Santiago 11, HECTOR Gimenez 11, Deunte HEATH 11, Donnie VEAL 7, Dewayne WISE 7, NESTOR Molina 6, SANTOS Rodriguez 6, ANGEL Sanchez 6, MATT Lindstrom 6, MATT Thornton 6, Addison REED 5, Chris SALE 4

Yankees (12, 233): Joba CHAMBERLAIN 70, Brett MARSHALL 63, CORBAN JOSEPH 28, SHAWN Kelley 11, MARK Teixeira 10, Jayson NIX 10, Adam WARREN 9, Vernon WELLS 8, Ivan NOVA 7, Boone LOGAN 6, Melky MESA 6, BEN Francisco 5

My thanks to Ken Arneson for help with the rosters.

Diane Firstman runs the Value Over Replacement Grit blog. She previously wrote the all-Haiku season preview and the Opening Day crossword puzzle for the SweetSpot blog. She's on Twitter @dianagram.