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Exactly one year ago, Buster Posey went from sure thing to question mark. It wasn’t because of anything he failed to do, it wasn’t because he hadn’t fulfilled every expectation for his greatness. If anything, it was a matter of professional hazard: He was a catcher protecting home plate, and when Scott Cousins took his shot at scoring, Posey was there, trying to make a play. Instants later, Posey went from the best young catcher in baseball to a young man in agony at home plate.

Giants fans were understandably devastated. Posey was the best thing to happen to catcher offense since Mike Piazza. His rookie-season performance -- hitting .305/.357/.505 with 18 home runs, gunning down 29 percent of stolen-base attempts and winning the National League Rookie of the Year award -- created a heightened expectation of what was to come. He was the new bright light on a defending champion; a first-rounder who hadn’t just lived up to his promise, he’d taken the Giants to the promised land. And then, one play at the plate later, Posey was dealing with a case of career, interrupted.

Now, one year later, we can say that interruption, however avoidable, however unfortunate, has cost Posey little in terms of what he’s able to do. One year later, and he’s hitting like the same kid catcher who provided so much joy in 2010: .297/.364/.473, not very different from the .297/.366/.479 line that ESPN Insider’s Dan Szymborski projected for him via ZiPS before the season. Posey is fourth in OPS+ and OBP among regular receivers, sixth in slugging, seventh in homers. Quibblers might note that Posey is throwing out just 22 percent of stolen-base attempts, but when people are testing you scarcely more often (0.77 attempts per nine innings) than they do Yadier Molina (0.69), that’s a sign of respect of what Posey is to this day: A big-league catcher.

Losing sight of Posey’s comeback might be easy, especially after the Dodgers’ torrid start. The Giants have had more than their share of problems beyond that: Brian Wilson’s broken beyond repair this season and Pablo Sandoval’s out with a broken hand for a few more weeks yet. Tim Lincecum has delivered just one quality start in 10 this season, and took another beating at the hands of the Fish Friday night. The long-standing Aubrey Huff versus Brandon Belt debate over who should be playing first base has been fairly pointless with both men’s bats missing in action.

But in the big picture, Posey is just the leading example of how much is going right for the Giants already. He joins Melky Cabrera’s crazy-good start, and Posey’s handling a pitching staff that, outside of Lincecum’s woes, may very well be the league’s best. In the two wild-card-team era, that’s something any skipper could work and win with.

You can consider me an interested party as an observer to Posey’s misfortune because, this time last year, I’d selected Posey in ESPN’s franchise player draft. I’d picked Posey before he suffered the injury, but the horror of this play at the plate came before we went to press. In an act of generosity, I was asked if I wanted to change my pick from Posey, taking anyone left on the board. I thought about it … and I said no.

I said no because I believed, or because I wanted to believe, not just in Posey’s promise of what could be, of what was supposed to be, but because I wanted to believe that he’d be back, that he would be every bit the player he’d already been and was always meant to be. I believed because I’m a fan, and in the way that every fan wants to see players play, I wanted to see Posey play again. Call it faith if you want, faith in a player, faith in the miracle of modern orthopedics, but I believed Posey would be back.

It wasn’t simple fandom on my part, and I don’t think any of us kid ourselves over the amount of work that went into his getting back on the field. Frankly, as a Northern Californian and an A’s fan in the late ’70s, I grew up hating the Giants, resenting the affection they received from a fawning press still buzzing off a contact high from Willie Mays, where Charley Finley’s franchise received -- and deserved -- derision. No, if I was a fan of anything, it was Posey’s game, a fan of what baseball deserves, of what he deserves.

So, seeing Posey take the field in Florida to face the Marlins on this unhappy anniversary, you can consider me guilty of a contact high of my own, one that comes from getting to say that this is one of those happy non-news stories: That Buster Posey remains the player he’s supposed to be. And whether you root for the Giants or against them, that’s a beautiful thing, all by itself.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

First base: G-G-great. That whole Gio Gonzalez won't pitch as well once he leaves the spacious confines of Oakland idea? I'm starting to think he'll be just fine in the National League. The Nationals kicked off a big week -- road trips to Philly and Atlanta -- with a 2-1 win over the Phillies as Gonzalez tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. His season numbers: 6-1, 1.98 ERA, .167 batting average, 69 strikeouts, 22 walks, one home run. Certainly, there are some areas that will bounce back to Earth -- the home run rate in particular will be next-to-impossible to maintain -- but his strikeout rate is up from 8.8 to 11.4 per nine innings while his walk rate has decreased a bit. As his 108 pitches in six innings on Monday showed, however, he still has room for refinement. Because of high pitch counts, he hasn't gone more than seven innings in a start. Unheralded Craig Stammen pitched two shutout innings in relief on Monday to help out Gonzalez's cause. If Gonzalez wants to move into that Clayton Kershaw-Cole Hamels-Cliff Lee class of left-handers and contend for a Cy Young Award, he needs to mix in some eight- or nine-inning outings.

Second base: Darvish's dud. Speaking of Cy Young contenders, Yu Darvish isn't there just yet. He was all over the place against the Mariners, walking six in four innings, throwing 96 pitches and earning an early exit as the intriguing pitching duel with Felix Hernandez turned into a one-sided contest. The Mariners were the first team to face Darvish a second time, so it will be interesting to see how batters adjust as they see him again. While he's 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA, the 32 walks in 56 innings is a big issue and the main reasons he's gone at least seven innings just three times in his nine starts.

Third base: Paulino power. Remember this name: Felipe Paulino. He began the season on the DL for the Royals with a sore elbow, but he's back and throwing heat, blanking the Yankees for 6.2 innings in K.C.'s 6-0 victory. His velocity is up there with any starter in baseball. His issue has always been control, which is how the Royals stole him a year ago from the Rockies (because the Rockies certainly don't need good arms). Through his first four starts, Paulino has a 29/7 SO/BB ratio and has now thrown 12.2 scoreless innings against the Yankees. After that dreadful 3-14 start, the Royals have gone 14-10. Don't count them out in the weak AL Central. As for the Yankees ... welcome to .500!

Home plate: Tweet of the Day. Giancarlo Stanton's second grand slam of 2012 was a monumental blast off Jamie Moyer that broke the scoreboard in left field at Marlins Park. Here's a pic of the scoreboard.

Stanton is to #Marlins what Hulk is to Avengers... I have expect him to hit a home run, break bat on his knee and floss his teeth w it.

— Troy Renck, Rockies (@TroyRenck) May 22, 2012

Happy Mother's Day?

Yes.

But I'll throw in this: Happy baseball day.

Joey Votto and Giancarlo Stanton hit walk-off grand slams on a day where players wore pink wristbands or pink shoes or used pink bats to celebrate mothers everywhere for breast cancer awareness. Seeing the Reds and Marlins in those joyous home-plate celebrations reminds us that grown men making millions can still be boys, jumping around in unpretentious bliss, just like the days when mom drove them to Little League games.

It was the first walk-off grand slams since 1998, when Steve Finley and Mo Vaughn did it for the Padres and Red Sox, and they capped off dramatic comeback victories.

Votto's grand slam into the grassy knoll in center field at The Great American Ball Park capped a three-homer day and should erase concerns about "What's wrong with Joey Votto?" Nothing was wrong, of course, even though Votto entered the day with just two home runs. He was hitting .296/.454/.491, leading the majors with 15 doubles and 31 walks. He simply hasn't been getting a lot of pitches to hit. Entering Sunday, fewer than 40 percent of the pitches he'd seen were in the strike zone. Votto is one of the most disciplined hitters in the majors and his chase percentage of 20.5 ranks among the best in baseball.

The Nationals challenged Votto on a wet, rain-delayed game in Cincinnati and showed why throwing him too many strikes can be a dangerous proposition. In the first inning, he hit a 1-0 fastball from Edwin Jackson six or seven deep into the left-field seats. In the fourth, he crushed a 3-2 changeup from Jackson over the 404 sign in dead center.

After the Nationals took a 6-3 lead, the Reds scored two runs in the eighth when Bryce Harper lost a Jay Bruce flyball in the dreary early evening gray sky. All that did was set up the dramatic bottom of the ninth, when Votto turned around a two-out, 2-2, 96-mph fastball from Henry Rodriguez to give the Reds a 9-6 victory.

Votto also doubled, and now his season line reads: .319/.466/.593, meaning he raised his slugging percentage 102 points in one day. What's wrong with Votto? Nothing.

Stanton gave the Marlins their own drama, after Heath Bell had pitched poorly yet again in blowing a 2-2 game in the top of the ninth. (Memo to Ozzie Guillen: Bell is unusable right now. How many games are you going to let him lose before he proves he can still get major league hitters out?)

Facing Frank Francisco, Emilio Bonifacio tripled, John Buck walked and Greg Dobbs singled in one run, forcing Mets manager Terry Collins to bring in Manny Acosta and leading Francisco to get ejected as he angrily confronted home-plate umpire Todd Tichenor. Jose Reyes hit a game-tying sac fly and Omar Infante popped out, but Acosta then walked Hanley Ramirez and hit Austin Kearns, to bring up Stanton.

Waving his pink bat, Stanton already had two base hits in the game. Marlins color guy Tommy Hutton had said earlier how Stanton was starting to spray the ball all over; that had helped him hit in 12 of 13 games entering Sunday, including four doubles and six home runs. But five of those home runs had come on the road.

Acosta knew he had to get ahead of Stanton. He fired a 95-mph heater at the knees, but it caught too much of the center of the plate. Stanton crushed it to left-center, 433 feet, just missing the art-deco monstrosity sculpture. It was the longest home run yet in the Marlins' new park.

For the Marlins, it was their fifth walk-off win at home and their fourth straight series win. After sitting 8-14 on April 30, the Marlins are 10-2 in May.

"That one was one of those no-doubters off the bat," Stanton said after the game. "First-pitch heater, right down the middle. I'm looking for a pitch that is going to get the heart of the plate." Stanton rounded the bases, flipped his helmet high in the air and joined the mob scene of his orange-clad teammates, where Logan Morrison lifted him high in the air, a bunch of boys celebrating a win.

Somewhere, their mothers smiled.

Welcome back, Giancarlo Stanton. You too, Jason Heyward.

I remember all those years ago when you were the new kids who caught our attention, the phenoms who seduced us with enticing numbers when you were just 20 years old. Einstein once said, "I never think of the future -- it comes soon enough." I suppose he's right. I mean, who can disagree with Einstein, right? But you guys were so talented that we dared to dream of greatness and trophies and monster numbers and national acclaim that might even get you a commercial televised on non-baseball sporting events.

Then ... well, Heyward, you kind of disappeared last season. And Stanton ... well, you changed your name and hurt your knee and maybe you got freaked out by that new park and you didn't hit a home run the first 19 games this season.

But you guys are back. I feel it. These new outfield phenoms -- Bryce Harper, Mike Trout -- sure, they look pretty good and they're getting a lot of pub, but I'm here to remind baseball fans that you two guys are just 22 years old.

* * * * The Miami Marlins have won seven in a row -- all on this current nine-game road road trip -- as they've climbed from an 8-14 start that bordered on disastrous to 15-14. Stanton has led the way on offense, hitting another home run in Monday's 4-0 victory over the Astros, his fifth on this road trip and sixth in nine games. No player in the game can match his raw power and his slow start nearly made us forget how good he was a year ago when his 34 home runs were the fourth-most ever by a 21-year-old, just one of 10 to hit at least 30.

The Marlins' pitching has been red hot on this trip, allowing just 17 runs in those seven wins for a 2.15 ERA. Granted, pitching staffs often get healthy on trips to San Francisco and San Diego, but they've needed to be stellar considering the offense is still struggling to score runs. While Stanton has heated up, many of his teammates are still struggling. Jose Reyes has a .317 OBP and .333 slugging percentage, a .650 OPS that is 227 points below his 2011 mark and well below his .782 mark entering the season. He's on pace for just 67 runs. Emilio Bonifacio doesn't have an extra-base hit yet. Hanley Ramirez hit his sixth home run Monday but is batting .228/.313/.439. Gaby Sanchez is hitting .202 with one home run.

For all the hype about signing Reyes and moving Ramirez to third base, it is Stanton that makes this offense. He's the guy Ozzie Guillen will soon move back into the cleanup spot, the guy to drive in Reyes and Ramirez, the one to strike fear in pitchers. If his knee holds up and he doesn't let the new stadium psyche him out, he's still a 40-homer guy in the making.

While ace Josh Johnson has been terrible, Carlos Zambrano has provided a huge lift at the back of the rotation. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his six starts and Monday's three-hit shutout -- his first since Sept. 25, 2009 and just the fifth of his career -- lowered his ERA to 1.98.

This is what makes the Marlins worth paying attention to once again: They're suddenly over .500 even though Johnson is winless, closer Heath Bell has been demoted after blowing four saves and the lineup has yet to live up to its potential.

Hey, there's a reason the NL East is looking like the division of death in the NL.

Heyward is a key reason the Atlanta Braves have been the one team in the division to score runs. While the Chicago Cubs' Jeff Samardzija shut down the Braves on Monday with seven strong innings, the Braves lead the NL in runs scored. Their 163 runs are 51 more than the Phillies, the No. 2 run-scoring team in the division.

After posting a .393 on-base percentage as a 20-year-old -- the only guys ahead of him: McGraw, Ott, Williams, Kaline, Rodriguez and Mantle -- expectations were enormous for Heyward in 2011, but injuries affected his swing and he slumped to .227 with a .319 OBP. Heyward belted his fourth home run on Monday and is currently hitting .269/.376/.473, similar to the production he generated as a rookie.

Heyward gives the Braves three left-handed power bats in the lineup, joining Brian McCann and Freddie Freeman (plus switch-hitter Chipper Jones). In a division full of dominant right-handed starters, that southpaw pop gives the Braves a big edge over their division rivals.

Anyway, it's just a little reminder: Have fun watching Harper and Trout show flashes of brilliance this season; but don't forget about those grizzled veterans in the division of death.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

First base: Here come the Marlins. The Marlins won their sixth straight game to improve to .500. All six wins came on the road, in San Francisco and San Diego, with four of the wins coming by one run and two in extra innings. The key battle in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Padres came in eighth inning with the game tied, the bases loaded, two outs and Giancarlo Stanton facing reliever Andrew Cashner. Stanton saw eight high-octane fastballs from Cashner -- seven at 101 mph, one at 102 mph. Stanton missed the first pitch, later fouled off two pitches and then drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to give the Marlins the lead. With Cashner perhaps rattled by the bases-loaded walks, the Marlins proceeded to add three more runs on a John Buck passed ball, a Gaby Sanchez single and another passed ball.

"I saw 102 (mph) but you can throw 120 and without command you are going to get hurt," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's all about command and making good pitches. It was a hell of an at-bat." Stanton is also getting locked in. After going homerless for 19 games, he's hit five in his past eight games. Ricky Nolasco also pitched well again, improving to 4-0 with a 2.72 ERA. He's allowed 12 runs in his start, relying on control (nine walks) and keeping the ball in the park (one home run). The Marlins finish their road trip with three games in Houston. Could this be a 9-0 trip?

Second base: Let's settle this on the playground. You have to love Jamie Moyer and Chipper Jones getting into a little squabble over stealing signs. Kids will be kids, I guess. Moyer accused Jones of relaying signs while on second base. But what's odd is Chipper's response: "Any time a grown man gets his integrity questioned, they're going to take it seriously and I'm no different. If he wants to discuss it, we'll discuss it, but he's wrong, plain and simple," he said. But haven't we been led to believe that stealing signs is, you know, part of the game? A sort of legal way to cheat, as opposed to, oh, let's say performance enhancing drugs. Yet Chipper acts like his his very manhood was thrown in the gutter. Could it be that stealing signs is considered an immoral way to victory?

Third base: Mixed messages. Two pitchers in need of positive returns also delivered on Sunday, as Cleveland's Ubaldo Jimenez threw seven shutout innings against the Rangers while Mat Latos struck out 11 in six scoreless frames. However, let's not get too excited just yet. While Jimenez allowed just two hits, he also walked five against six strikeouts, a sign that his control issues remain an issue (25 walks, just 20 strikeouts on the season). Latos' game came against the Pirates; still, that's two scoreless outings in his past three starts. While I'd still be concerned about Jimenez, maybe Latos is finally showing the talent that made him so effective with the Padres.

Home plate. Tweet of the day. Bryce Harper stole home. On a pickoff throw to first base by Cole Hamels. After reaching when Hamels hit him with a pitch. Which Hamels admitted after the game he did on purpose. As Joe Sheehan tweeted ...

Bryce Harper is going to end up as one of those barometers, where you divide humanity into the people who like him and the ones who don't.

— Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) May 7, 2012

Yes, they're still letting us shoot these videos! I even bought a new shirt for this one. Eric Karabell and myself argue about the NL East: Are the Nationals for real? Are the Braves now the team to beat? Will the Phillies ever score enough runs to be a contender? Check it out.

It was another eventful chat session as we discussed Albert Pujols' homerless April and asked readers to project his final numbers. We discussed many things about the Minnesota Twins, gave a shout-out to the awesome Jose Altuve, tried to figure out what the Angels should do with Mark Trumbo, wondered who the first manager to be fired will be (yes, once we again Dusty Baker's name came up!), wondered how much bad defense has to do with the poor starts by Max Scherzer and Josh Johnson, wondered how much good defense is helping Jeremy Hellickson, debated the Nationals' attendance issues and pointed out that Pujols' slow start is stealing attention away from Jose Bautista's slow start. All that and more! Check out the transcript here.

First base: Well, it was about time a slugger got off the schneid, especially at home, and especially after all the fuss made over his slow start. Naturally, we’re talking about Giancarlo Stanton. Who else could we be talking about? But after having to hear all of the complaints about park dimensions in the Marlins’ new discotheque, aquarium, entertainment complex, and less-than-ordinary baseball venue decorated in the electric boogalloo end of the color palette, the good news is that whatever its other distractions, Marlins Aquarium Park is not a venue that will forever defy Stanton’s fence-busting power. As for the unfortunate detail that he jacked an Earl Weaver special for three runs in the ninth inning down by seven off “why’s he here?” D-backs southpaw du jour Mike Zagurski, well, that’s for the accountants and the bitter few in the stands waiting to see it to quibble over.

Second base: What can you say about the toxic cleanup site found on the mound in Camden Yards after the A’s went China Syndrome and totally melted down in the bottom of the ninth against the Orioles? The O’s are newsworthy enough for their “yeah, we matter too” start, but c’mon. A’s manager Bob Melvin leaving Bartolo Colon out there in the ninth against the heart of the Orioles order when the Beefy One is just weeks shy of his 39th birthday seemed like carelessness at best. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity ... for the second coming of Luis Tiant? Regardless, Colon was gassed, and once the Orioles lit a match, something was bound to combust, in this case, Grant Balfour.

Third base: Has anybody had a quieter great April than the Cubs’ Bryan LaHair? The journeyman hasn’t just gotten his first big break in the big leagues as a 29-year-old, he’s delivered the best first-month OPS of any first baseman in the majors (1.197). As good a prospect as Anthony Rizzo is and as good a career as you can expect him to have, LaHair’s making it easy for the Cubs to leave Rizzo in corn country while he makes the most of his first real opportunity. Is it really any surprise that a guy born on Guy Fawkes Day (that’s Nov. 5 for all of us from everywhere else but Great Britain) would explode once he was finally given the chance?

Home plate: The tweet of the night goes to Stephanie Liscio of It’s Pronounced ‘Lajaway’, when she noted:

Time to play "guess the subsequent roster move" with Damon joining the team Tuesday. I'll take "DFA of Jose Lopez" for $100!

— Stephanie Liscio (@stephanieliscio) April 30, 2012

Keith Law and I gathered for Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast in which we took a closer look at Monday’s games and previewed what should be an exciting Tuesday night as well!

1. Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy shut out the Athletics on Monday, and he used a different repertoire than we’re used to.

2. The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a seemingly great start, but remove Matt Kemp from this offense and it’s not special. We discuss outfielder Andre Ethier and prospect Alex Castellanos.

3. Jair Jurrjens pitched badly against the Dodgers on Monday and got demoted to Triple-A. What’s his future, and how do the Braves compensate?

4. Our emailers have questions about Diamondbacks prospect Trevor Bauer and how the Mets, Padres and Nationals seek their first no-hitters!

5. Our look at Tuesday’s pitchers centers on Josh Johnson, Yu Darvish and Adam Wainwright.

So download and listen to Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast, because Aubrey Huff played second base the other day and we think it’s funny.

The season is young, but never too young to raise a few issues we've seen so far. Here are 10:

1. Yu Darvish's control
In Japan, Darvish was known not only for his terrific stuff but his ability to throw it with precision. In 2011, he walked just 36 batters in 232 innings. Through three starts with the Rangers he's walked 13 in 17.2 innings. I've watched all three of those starts and there's no denying his ability, with good movement on his fastball and a sharp-breaking curve. The command hasn't been there, however, and I do see some Dice-K syndrome: Nibbling at the corners, not pitching inside, not trusting the quality of his stuff. It's early and I do think he'll be fine in the long run, but there is at least a little reason to doubt he'll be the No. 1 many projected.

2. Adam Wainwright
Wainwright has had a tough start this season as he dropped to 0-3, 9.88 after a five-inning outing against the Reds on Thursday. He gave up fourth-inning home runs to Brandon Phillips and Ryan Ludwick, giving him five home runs allowed in just 13.2 innings. One positive sign is that he has 14 strikeouts, an indication that the stuff is still there. From the heat map below, we have his curveball location in 2012 on the left versus 2010, when batters hit just .170 against it. He's only thrown it 45 times so far, but it appears the command in that lower quadrant of the strike zone isn't quite there yet.

3. Marlins' defense
I was worried about Miami's defense before the season and so far that's a legitimate concern, as entering Thursday the Marlins ranked 29th in Defensive Runs Saved at minus-13 runs (only the Rockies ranked worse). The biggest holes so far? Jose Reyes is at minus-6 runs and Hanley Ramirez is at minus-2. Factor in Logan Morrison's plodding defense in left, Emilio Bonifacio's inexperience in center and Giancarlo Stanton's testy knee and this could be a season-long issue.

4. Angels' plate discipline
Entering Thursday's games, the Angels ranked 27th in the majors in walk percentage, ahead of just the Pirates, Royals and Phillies. The Angels also ranked second behind in the Phillies in percentage of pitches outside the strike zone they've swung at (33.1 percent). No matter how many home runs you hit, it's difficult to string together some rallies without drawing a few walks. The major culprits: Kendrys Morales (no walks in 42 plate appearances), Peter Bourjos (no walks in 32 PAs) and Vernon Wells (one walk in 47 PAs).

5. Tampa Bay's bullpen
As bad as Boston's bullpen has been (6.63 ERA), Tampa's has struggled even more with an 8.64 ERA. The Rays pieced together a decent pen a year ago from the likes of Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta, Juan Cruz and others. That pen benefited from having to throw the fewest innings in the majors. With Farnsworth on the DL, Fernando Rodney has been getting the save opportunities and he's done the job, but the rest of the pen has been shaky. Of concern: While Boston's relievers have 31 strikeouts and 12 walks, Tampa's have 26 strikeouts against 20 walks.

6. Josh Johnson
For all the concern over Tim Lincecum's drop in velocity and unsightly 10.54 ERA, the ace pitcher I'd be most worried about is Johnson. While Lincecum has 16 strikeouts and four walks in 13.2 innings, Johnson doesn't have any positives on his ledger: 16.2 IP, 28 H, 6 BB, 8 SO. Both have been burned by high BABIPs (.444 for Johnson) and Johnson hasn't allowed a home run, but the low strikeout rate is a big concern and his fastball velocity is also. Like Wainwright, Johnson is coming off an injury, but you have to hope the shoulder is OK.

7. Phillies' lineup
No surprise here with the absence of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, but it doesn't help that Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have combined for just one home run. Even when Howard and Utley return, the Phillies will need a lot more production from Rollins and Victorino.

8. Scott Rolen
The Reds were counting on Rolen to hit cleanup, but Dusty Baker has already moved him out of that spot after his .171 start through 13 games. Considering his long injury history and struggles in 2011, the end of the line may be approaching for the 37-year-old third baseman. The Reds may eventually have to turn to Todd Frazier, but his minor league track record suggests bench player, not starting third baseman on a playoff team.

9. Brent Morel and Gordon Beckham
The White Sox have a solid rotation, a solid bullpen and ... well, they'll need offense and they were counting on these two infielders to improve from 2011. But Morel is hitting .103 with 18 strikeouts in 39 at-bats and Beckham is hitting .152 with 12 strikeouts in 33 at-bats. Neither has homered.

10. Kids running out on the field
What kind of example is this for the adults?

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

You know when you shake hands with a former catcher. It’s like having an overstuffed bag of walnuts put in your palm and then having it squeeze the circulation out of your mitts. It’s the fingers, of course, broken so often that they seem as though somebody had stomped out a tango on each and every knuckle. The toll on each catcher’s hands, not to mention his knees, is tremendous. The workload and the toll it takes seems almost cruelly balanced against the near-absence of glory at a position where, often as not, you get to take the statistical rap for something gone amiss because of a pitcher’s errant throw home or his poor move to first base. You admire catchers, even if you wouldn’t want to be one.

But even among that small fraternity of catchers hardy enough to make it to the majors and stick around and take the daily beating that regular receiving requires, there are those very few who stand apart because of their ability to endure. It’s part of the reason why we mourn Gary Carter (fourth all-time in games caught) now, beyond The Kid’s natural ebullience. And it’s why we respect the catchers who didn’t last that long because they hit well at the position or provided “above replacement value,” but who lasted that long because they could catch: Bob Boone and Brad Ausmus and Jim Sundberg. Easy guys to root for, if long-suffering.

None of that matches the magnitude of what Pudge Rodriguez did during his career, the value he delivered, the greatness that was manifest from his first day behind the plate in the major leagues, all the way back in 1991 as a 19-year-old catching his first game for the Texas Rangers as the other half of a battery with Kevin Brown.

It might surprise in today’s all-media environment in which prospects get to spring with few surprises for us, but even back then, thanks to Baseball America and the like, the legend of how good Ivan Rodriguez was behind the plate was spreading. From the squat behind the plate he was as nimble as a cat despite the gear that goes with the trade of framing and catching pitches day after day, and throwing better than anyone ever has as an everyday regular, before, since, and likely ever.

It’s well he’s calling it quits as a Ranger, because nothing else would have made sense. In the ’90s he was one of those players worth the price of admission all by himself, like Jim Abbott on the mound or Frank Thomas digging in at the batter's box or even Ken Caminiti’s kamikaze glove work at third. For 12 years in Texas, he was as close to a signature star as the franchise had ever had to that point, outshining even sluggers Rafael Pameiro and Juan Gonzalez in that performance-enhanced era.

The great novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald said that, “There are no second acts in American lives,” and maybe there’s something to that, but it certainly wasn’t true about Pudge Rodriguez in his career. After a dozen seasons in Texas, the man moved on to the Marlins to help lead their other, less notorious “bought” World Series in 2003, a single-season temp who was just getting started at proving he had plenty left in the tank on the back slope of his career. He was a key player on the 2006 Tigers team that upset a few apple carts by winning an American League pennant.

That sort of second wind propelled him to the elder statesman stints that seem to reflect the end of more than a few great catchers’ careers. After a pre-free agency trade to the Yankees, he’d move from Houston to Texas to Washington, an extended victory lap on a career that had seen its share of winning.

There was a special kind of agony associated with watching Pudge at the end of his career that took me back to watching the previous "Pudge," Carlton Fisk, catching games for the White Sox at the end of his career, as he set the games caught record that had been, briefly, Boone’s. As catchers, both Pudges had probably taken more pounding behind the plate than anyone else to don a uniform, let alone take up the tools of ignorance.

At the end, there was something both poetic and sad about the contrast between the tremendous young catchers who stood ready to replace them -- Ron Karkovice with the White Sox and Wilson Ramos with the Nats -- and their own diminished skills. Draw whatever broad-strokes image about the passage of time in baseball that you care for, but the handoff from an all-time great to a ready kid with skills is the epitome of following teams and players over time. It’s why we ache for the ones who have to let go, and root for the ones ready to step in. It’s a big part of why we watch.

There’s nothing poetic or sad about watching Rodriguez choose to walk away now, though. His greatness is a matter of record. The 14 All-Star appearances, the 13 Gold Gloves, the MVP award or the ring, all of it was his due because he could do what no one else could, catching longer than anyone else has or will, better than anyone ever has, or will. Here’s looking forward to seeing Pudge in Cooperstown on the first ballot. It, like so much else, is what he has earned.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

On Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast I’m joined by Keith Law, and starting pitching is clearly on our minds from Monday night.

1. Tim Lincecum is not off to a very good start, but is there truly cause for concern? And what does Lincecum’s future have to do with Madison Bumgarner’s new contract?

2. Justin Verlander tossed a whole lotta pitches to win Monday’s game, but at least he earned his first win! Keith talks pitch counts and what they mean.

3. An emailer asks about pitch counts for younger fellows like Stephen Strasburg, and whether they are necessary. Also, why were the stands so empty for Strasburg’s Monday outing?

4. Speaking of the fans, which teams have the best ones? Our answer might surprise you.

5. We take a closer look at Tuesday’s schedule, including the real reason why people should be watching the Miami Marlins, plus the old guy in Coors Field and why is Tyson Ross a starter?

So download and listen to Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast. There was bias, but no bias cat. Meow.

Monday’s Baseball Today podcast was taped with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays playing a morning game in the background, but the big story in Beantown wasn’t the game, as Mark Simon and I discussed.

1. What was Bobby Valentine thinking calling out Kevin Youkilis? You know, I still can’t figure it out, but it doesn’t bode well for the future. Plus, we analyze the Jacoby Ellsbury injury and Cody Ross filling in. Can the Red Sox overcome?

2. It’s Power Rankings day! Are the Red Sox in the top 10? Are the Phillies? And where will Mark jump the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers?

3. How can the San Francisco Giants lose an All-Star closer and still be contenders? We explain, but we believe.

4. Mark gets us going with the first Leaderboard of the Week segment discussing an unlikely power source pacing the league in well-hit average.

5. Our emailers want to talk about the best announcers, Miguel Cabrera and the chalk line, and intentional walks!

So download and listen to Monday’s excellent Baseball Today podcast, and get ready for another fine show on Tuesday!

Inside Edge, which does video tracking for us, has a stat it likes to promote called "well-hit average," which is the percentage of balls that were "hard hit" (based on observation by their video-tracking group).

The MLB leaders in this stat are typically the best hitters in baseball -- Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Joe Mauer, etc. Ryan Braun led the majors with a .327 well-hit average last season, four points better than Cabrera.

The fun of small samples is that early in the season you might get an unusual leader. In this case we do -- Marlins infielder Omar Infante. Through nine games, Infante is hitting .343 with four home runs, six RBIs and one strikeout (in other words, he’s on pace to finish with 72 home runs, 108 RBIs and 18 strikeouts).

Infante has only hit double figures in home runs once in 11 seasons. He had 16 home runs for the 2004 Tigers. His well-hit average has trended upwards over the past few seasons, but never to this level.

One of the keys for Infante is that he’s only struck out once in 35 at-bats. Infante entered this season averaging a strikeout for every 6.2 at-bats. He struck out nine times in 52 spring-training at-bats.

I reached out via email to Marlins hitting coach Eduardo Perez for a quote on Infante’s performance.

"His hands are a bit lower and he is staying tall throughout his swing," Perez said. "He also has less movement at the plate. Plus he is swinging at strikes."

Perez is correct about Infante's patience. Our Inside Edge video tracking has Infante chasing only 24 percent of pitches outside the strike zone. Last season, his chase rate was 31 percent.

Omar Infante: Well-hit average since 2009
2009 -- .187
2010 -- .197
2011 -- .230
2012 -- .371

Highest well-hit average 2012
Omar Infante: .371
Elvis Andrus : .361
Alex Avila: .360
Giancarlo Stanton: .343
Ian Kinsler: .341

On a packed Friday Baseball Today podcast with Mark Simon we exchanged thoughts on many pertinent topics, from struggling players to a weekend preview to former All-Star Jason Dickson (yep, he was an All-Star!).

1. From Thursday, was Zack Greinke really that bad, should Matt Garza have gotten the chance to finish his gem and what did the middle of the Twins order do that was so rare?

2. We take an in-depth look at the weekend schedule, with Albert Pujols at Yankee Stadium the headliner, but also it’s always about the Red Sox and which pitchers could be next to throw no-hitters?

3. When can we really start looking at sample sizes in baseball? Mark talks to a former manager and we each share thoughts.

4. Is there a legitimate statistical concern for Jose Reyes and Alex Rodriguez? Mark thinks so!

5. Our emailers have opinions on the quality starts stat, bunting, Dusty Baker’s style and much more!

So download and listen to Friday’s expertly produced Baseball Today podcast (by Frank Dale!) and please have a great weekend. Sunday night baseball is Angels-Yankees!