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Prospects are always a popular topic when Keith Law and I gather for a Baseball Today podcast, so here's what was on our minds for Tuesday!

1. Who is this Matt Adams guy on the Cardinals and what should we expect from him with Lance Berkman out?

2. What is the long-term prognosis for Rangers right-hander Neftali Feliz, and why can't Yu Darvish conquer the Mariners?

3. Aroldis Chapman is Cincy's closer, but is that really the best way to use him? Of course it isn't!

4. Our emailers want to know about the overlooked Chicago White Sox, bad managing and Independent leagues.

5. Our preview of Tuesday's schedule looks at the Diamondbacks, Angels and other matchups that matter.

So download and listen to Tuesday's fun Baseball Today podcast, and come back with us for Wednesday!

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

Both young and old players were on our minds as Keith Law and I gathered for Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast!

1. Brett Lawrie gets four games for his outburst and helmet throw, but is it enough? And what should happen to the umpire? Plus, are the Blue Jays collecting young players with reputations like Lawrie?

2. From young to old, Jamie Moyer continues to set marks each time he pitches, but isn’t that getting, ahem, a bit old? Plus, is WAR more valuable than wins?

3. The Angels switch hitting coaches, and of course Albert Pujols and Vernon Wells hit home runs. Do hitting coaches have much effect?

4. Seattle Mariners catcher Jesus Montero isn’t Gold Glove-caliber behind the plate, but what does KLaw think of his overall future, both offensively and defensively?

5. Thursday features a full slate of games, including the major league ERA leader on the mound, but will he continue his surprising success?

So download and listen to Thursday’s fun Baseball Today podcast and get ready for Friday’s show!

Forget Albert Pujols. There's another reason to watch the Los Angeles Angels, and his name is Mike Trout.

For all the hype Bryce Harper has rightfully received, it's time to start giving a few headlines to another rookie phenom, time to give the Left Coast a little love. Trout went 3-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base and three runs scored in the Angels' 4-0 victory over the A's on Tuesday. In 15 games since getting recalled from Triple-A, Trout is hitting .316 BA/.369 OBP/.561 SLG, reminding Angels fans what an All-Star batting line is supposed to look like and why a homegrown, five-tool rookie with young, fresh legs is a player to get more pumped about watching than a money-for-hire Hall of Famer you purchased on the free-agent market.

So while we wait for Pujols to get untracked, maybe the Angels' answer to their offensive prayers -- they've been shut out an MLB-leading eight times -- is a kid who doesn't turn 21 until August.

Against Bartolo Colon, he took a middle-in fastball and crushed it just to the right of center field, off the back wall behind the center-field fence in Anaheim. There aren't many leadoff hitters who can mash a pitch with that type of authority. The other day, he showcased his quick, compact swing, yanking a 2-1 fastball from Yu Darvish well over the left-field fence in Texas. His first home run came on a 1-0 fastball off Toronto's Kyle Drabek, a 93 mph heater low in the zone that Trout hit to left-center.

I think those returns are pretty clear: Trout can do some serious damage when he gets into a fastball count.

Trout is even faster than Harper and much more advanced defensively (although he lacks Harper's arm). And for all the awe for Harper's quick rise, Trout is only a year older. Like Harper, he debuted in the majors while still 19 years old. Like the previous two 19-year-old center-field phenoms -- a couple of guys named Andruw Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. -- Trout has that broad range of skills that should make him a franchise player as he matures.

My favorite aspect of the Trout/Harper comparisons is that the two will always be linked, even though they play in different leagues and cities three time zones apart. Just like we debated Rodriguez and Jeter and Garciaparra back in the late '90s, or like New Yorkers debated Mays and Mantle and Snider in the 1950s, I'm sure we'll be endlessly debating Trout and Harper for years to come.

The other highly rated prospects entering the season were Tampa Bay Rays lefty Matt Moore and Mariners catcher/designed hitter Jesus Montero. They aren't off to impressive starts like Trout and Harper, but let's take a closer look at them as well.

Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
I'll make this one brief. We've seen Harper's lightning-quick bat speed and raw power with his home runs in back-to-back games -- one blast to dead center and the one Tuesday to deep right-center. We've also seen a few misplays in the field, however, from losing a ball in the darkened skies Sunday to dropping a fly ball Monday.

And of course, we've seen the rocket arm and the top-grade athleticism. There's no reason to believe he can't be a superb fielder with more experience. I think the biggest positive is his strikeout rate hasn't been excessive, with 11 in 60 at-bats. Along with his ability to hit left-handers, that was the big concern of his premature call-up. While there were initial thoughts that his time in the majors would be temporary, his play and the Nationals' injuries mean he's here to stay.

Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays
When I polled the SweetSpot network bloggers before the season for their American League rookie of the year predictions, Moore came out on top, outpointing Darvish. I wasn't quite as optimistic, as I believed Moore's spectacular playoff performance against the Rangers raised expectations to unrealistic levels. The only rookie starter since 2000 to pitch at least 162 innings with an ERA less than 3.00 was Jeremy Hellickson, and his flukey .224 average on balls in play had something to do with that. With Moore, I still wanted to see a guy who had the consistent command needed to dominate in the majors.

That's been a big issue with him so far, as he's walked 22 batters in 39 innings, a rate of 5.1 walks per nine. As Justin Havens of ESPN Stats & Info points out, Moore also has struggled with runners on base:


Justin also writes that Moore "continues to leave entirely too many balls up in the zone, ranking sixth out of 115 pitchers in percentage of total pitches 'up' in the zone." This ties into Moore having the third-highest walk rate (12.4 percent) among starters, behind only Ubaldo Jimenez and Drabek, and six home runs allowed in seven starts.

There are no major issues here, other than pointing out that most young pitchers do go through a learning curve. Hellickson -- who doesn't have the raw stuff Moore owns -- set the bar high with his own rookie campaign, but that type of season is the exception.

Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners
It's also a mixed bag so far with Montero. With five home runs, he's displayed the power stroke scouts projected. His overall batting line of .256/.285/.411, however, isn't much to get excited about, as the occasional long ball is marred by a poor 29/6 strikeout/walk ratio.

There are a few things going on here. He has expanded the strike zone, swinging at 36.2 percent of pitches outside the strike zone. That's not necessarily a career-killing attribute (Josh Hamilton currently has the second-highest rate in the majors), but it's among the 30 worst percentages so far. The bigger problem is he isn't making contract on those pitches and certainly not good contact. He's swinging and missing at those pitches 56.6 percent of the time, which again places him among the 30 worst rates.

When you dig deeper into the numbers, it's pretty clear what's happening. Check out the heat maps below. On the left, Montero against "hard" stuff, and on the right, Montero against "soft" stuff.



Against "hard" stuff, he's hitting .362 (25-for-69) with four home runs and five doubles. Against "soft" stuff, he's hitting .133 (8-for-60) with one home run and no doubles. So if pitchers get ahead in the count, they can get Montero to chase the offspeed stuff out of the zone.

A final issue is Montero's ability -- or lack of it -- to pull the ball. While he's known for his opposite-field power, I'm not sure you can live off that trait alone. Of Montero's five home runs, two have gone to right-center, one to center and two to left-center. His hit chart is littered with fly balls to right field and the right-field line. Frankly, he just hasn't shown the ability to pull the ball with any authority. To me, this reads like a guy who can be jammed inside and will chase pitches outside. Look, the pitch recognition should improve, but he's going to have to figure out how to do more damage to all fields.

The injury to Miguel Olivo also forced the Mariners to play Montero more regularly behind the plate. I haven't seen the defensive butcher advertised, but he's clearly a work in progress. A couple of starts ago, Kevin Millwood was constantly shaking him off. However, the two were on the same page in Millwood's win over the Yankees on Sunday. Opponents are 8-for-10 stealing bases off him.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

SweetSpot blogger Dave Schoenfield and I gathered for Monday’s Baseball Today podcast with our big top-10 lists of best teams and much more!

1. Seattle Mariners announcer Dave Sims talked about the Mariners, whether Ichiro will be in a Mariners uniform next season, Jesus Montero, cheering for the home team, the many young players on the horizon and ... hats.

2. Power Rankings day! Dave, Mark Simon and I each submitted our lists, with some similarities but alas, not all division leaders made it. And which NL team is best?

3. How do you pitch to Texas Rangers superstar Josh Hamilton? And how good are the Rangers? We discuss.

4. What has Detroit Tigers lefty Drew Smyly done that hadn’t been done ... ever?

5. We take a closer look at Monday’s schedule, from ESPN’s Cubs-Cardinals tilt to an important series for last season’s NL West champs!

So download and listen to Monday’s Baseball Today podcast and come right back with us Tuesday for me and Keith Law!

Random trade idea that popped into my head during Tuesday's chat: Brendan Ryan from the Seattle Mariners to the Milwaukee Brewers for George Kottaras and Taylor Green.

With Alex Gonzalez out for the season, the Brewers need a shortstop. Cesar Izturis can't hit and Edwin Maysonet is a Triple-A veteran who was hitting .214 at Nashville. Ryan is one of the best glove guys in the business; since 2009, he leads all fielders in Defensive Runs Saved. Even if you're not a big believer in defensive metrics, there is solid evidence that Ryan is a top-level shortstop.

Ryan is off to a slow start with the bat, but he's been better in recent seasons than Izturis. The Brewers improve their defense and don't lose anything at the plate.

With Jonathan Lucroy, backup catcher Kottaras is a luxury the Brewers could deal. Yes, the Mariners already have Jesus Montero, John Jaso and the currently disabled Miguel Olivo, but Montero will still spend a lot of time at DH and Olivo isn't any good. Kottaras does have a similar skill set to Jaso (left-handed hitter), but is maybe a little better. With Mat Gamel also injured, the Brewers may give Green playing time at first base or third base (with Aramis Ramirez moving to first), but if they're more committed to Travis Ishikawa, Green may be expendable. The Mariners get another first base/third base guy to throw into the Justin Smoak (starting to look like he can't hit)/Alex Liddi (we'll see if he can hit)/Chone Figgins (we know he can't hit)/Kyle Seager corner mix. Seager is probably stretched defensively at shortstop, but he can move over for now, at least until prospect Nick Franklin is ready in a couple years. The Mariners also have Japanese veteran Munenori Kawasaki who can play there.

You could actually argue that those two players aren't worth Ryan, who has accumulated 9.5 Baseball-Reference WAR since 2009. Kottaras is a solid backup while Green grades as a marginal corner guy. If you're looking at prospects, the Milwaukee system is pretty thin. You'd be looking at one of their Class A pitching prospects -- Taylor Jungmann or Jed Bradley -- but the Brewers would be unlikely to trade one of those two.

Still, seems like a potential match here. Ryan is an underrated asset, but exactly the kind of player the Mariners should be looking to flip if they can find a team which values his defense.

First base: Trouble in Philadelphia. In Buster Olney's blog today , he quotes Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore, who emailed with Jayson Werth. "After walking off the field feeling nauseous knowing my wrist was broke and hearing Philly fans yelling 'You deserve it,' and, 'That's what you get,' I am motivated to get back quickly and see to it personally those people never walk down Broad Street in celebration again," Werth wrote to Kilgore. Look, I don't like to criticize fans of specific teams. I think most fans are pretty much the same: You support your team when it wins and you don't when it loses. Obviously, Philadelphia fans have a bit of a reputation. I've argued with friends who are Phillies fans that I was a little dismayed that fans apparently booed Ryan Howard as he lay in a crumpled heap after grounding out to end the Division Series loss to the Cardinals; they insist they were just booing the team. And maybe it was just a few bad apples yelling at Werth, and not fair to indict an entire fan base. And, yes, we've seen fans in ballparks across the country rip opposing players. I've seen Mariners fans boo A-Rod and toss dollar bills at him, years after he left Seattle. I've heard Yankees fans yell unmentionable things at opposing players. But ripping a player as he leaves the field with a serious injury -- a player who once helped you win a World Series! -- is pretty classless. Phillies fans do a great job supporting their team. I've never been to a park where so many fans wore team jerseys and shirts to the game. They've led the NL in attendance the past two seasons and lead again. Phillies fans are passionate and care. But that wasn't the best way to channel that passion.

On the field, the Phillies lost for the fourth straight game that Roy Halladay started, although Halladay pitched well and his velocity was up. They lost in the ninth when Jonathan Papelbon served up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin -- his first major league hit. That's the sixth game the Phillies have lost in the ninth inning or later, although the first of those that Papelbon actually pitched in. So at least the good news is that Papelbon at least entered in a close game.

Second base: Twin killing. It's hard to believe the Twins won 94 games just two seasons ago. At 7-21, they're bad and looking worse. After losing again to Jered Weaver, they've lost 12 of 14 and are hitting .112 over their past six games. Joe Mauer ranks just 10th among catchers in OPS, the staff ERA is 5.70, it's allowed the most home runs in the AL and the Twins have two home runs all season from their infielders. It's ugly. This looks like a team that could lose 110 games.

Third base: Matt mashes. Matt Kemp went 3-for-3 to raise his average to .406. With 12 home runs, he has as many as the Padres and nearly as many as the rest of his teammates combined (13). I wonder who the last player to outhomer an entire team was? When Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs in 1920, he famously hit more than each of the other seven AL team.

Home plate: Tweet of the day. The Mariners rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Tigers 3-2, ruining Doug Fister's fine performance as he returned from the DL with seven shutout innings (Jim Leyland removed him after 73 pitches). The Mariners are now 4-0 against the Tigers, leading to this tweet:

The Tigers must think the Mariners are the best team in baseball

— Jeff Sullivan (@LookoutLanding) May 8, 2012

While a lot of headlines in sports these days focus on the ugly side of things, there is still plenty of good to be found. My grandma, Ruth Bishop, passed away today. She was 103. I’m not going to claim that she was the biggest Mariners fan in the world, but she did love the team. For the last 10 years or so she lived in a dorm-sized room. While she had paired down her possessions over the years, a good quarter of the items she retained were Mariners related -- blankets, bobbles, a stuffed moose, pillows and an autographed poster of Edgar Martinez.

Our visits rarely focused on her aches and pains. We instead focused on what Lou Piniella saw in Bobby Ayala or if Heathcliff Slocumb would ever record an out. Even when my grandma’s vision started to fail, she would argue balls and strikes if Dave Niehaus hinted that the pitch looked good. Her passion for the team was pure, very similar to the passion many of us felt as youngsters watching our favorite team or getting your favorite player in a pack of baseball cards. Contract talks and scandals didn’t mean that much to me then.

I don’t know if my grandma’s rest home was unique or symbolic of similar retirement communities. But the seniors lived for Mariners games. They watched religiously and in the very end, Mariners game times were a big part of how my grandma kept time. And for that I say thank you to the Seattle Mariners. I’m fairly confident that following the team kept her mind sharp as a tack and added at least a couple years to her life. At the very least, it made her final years much more enjoyable.

And while these types of stories never make the news, the Mariners were nothing but first class in their treatment of Ruth. She attended her first game at Safeco last year and they treated her like royalty: Bag of goodies, picture on the big screen and all. And Martinez went even further, calling Ruth on her 100th and 103rd birthdays.

Thank you, Mariners. Thank you, Edgar.

Ted Bishop is a senior director of digital partnerships for ESPN.com.

There are days baseball makes me sad. Today is one of those days.

As most of you know, I'm a Mariners fan, and other than Felix Hernandez and a couple months of Cliff Lee's genius, it's been a miserable few years rooting for the M's. It's been a miserable half-decade to be honest.

That's one reason I fell a little bit in love with Michael Pineda last season. He was new and young, big and bulky and kind of inelegant on the mound, sort of a gangly mess of limbs and torso as he pitched. But, man could he could pitch. He threw hard, he threw strikes and there are few things in baseball as electrifying as a rookie pitcher who can ring it up into the upper 90s and has a clue where the ball is going.

He was dazzling to watch, that rare rookie in which you think the sky is the limit and believe it.

Yes, he wasn't as good in the second half, but that was of little concern. He got a little tired. He just needed to master his changeup for 2012. Then he'd be unhittable.

Then he got traded. I know Mariners fans who immediately said they hoped Pineda didn't do well in New York. "We want to win the trade," they said. What? Why does that matter? You hope Jesus Montero does well with the Mariners, but root against Michael Pineda? No way. I was hoping he'd take New York City by storm, become a fearsome twosome with CC Sabathia, let the rest of the baseball world see how good he was.

Then his velocity wasn't there in spring training. Then he had to leave a game early with a sore shoulder. He was despondent, a 23-year-old kid who had worked hard at his craft, had worked hard to learn English, a kid excited last April to pass his driving test to get his license. A kid with an electric arm and now a shoulder that wouldn't allow him to do his thing.

He's out for the season now as he'll undergo surgery for a torn labrum. It's a tough injury, maybe even tougher to come back from than Tommy John surgery. Curt Schilling and Chris Carpenter are two guys who've done it.

The Yankees may cry damaged goods, who knows. Maybe Pineda hurt his shoulder some time last season. Maybe he hurt it that first time out this spring, or maybe in a subsequent appearance as he tried to throw harder. At this point, it doesn't matter. The Yankees should be fine this season. Andy Pettitte makes another tuneup start in the minors on Wednesday night and will soon be ready. They have David Phelps, who can pitch in the rotation, and their own homegrown prospects, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, may be ready by midseason if Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia continue to struggle. And they're the Yankees, always ready and able to swing a deal if needed.

But the sad part is Yankees fans won't get to see Michael Pineda pitch this year. We can only hope they'll get to in 2013.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

SEATTLE -- For planning purposes, teams really should put perfect games on their pocket schedules. Like, "April 21: Mariners Military Coin Giveaway/Philip Humber Perfect Game Day."

I was in Seattle’s Pike Place Market on Saturday afternoon when an editor called and asked, "Are you watching this?"

Uh, oh. That was not a question I wanted to hear because I clearly was not aware of the "this" to which he was referring, though I assumed it involved the Mariners. Choosing whether to attend Seattle’s game against the White Sox on Saturday or Sunday, I had chosen Sunday. Bad call. "Phil Humber has a perfect game through eight," my editor said, asking whether I could get to the stadium for a story.

Well, I was only 1½ miles from the stadium but I was completely unprepared. I had no credential. I had no computer. I had no notebook and no pen. Much worse, I was 40 miles into a 60-mile bike ride and had no clothes beyond the sweaty black bike shorts, purple Husky bike jersey and bike shoes I was wearing.

But a perfect game is a perfect game, so I hopped on my bike and raced to the ballpark, hoping to catch the last inning. Being on a bike was actually a good thing because it allowed me to ride in the bike lanes past slow downtown traffic and through alleyways and side streets otherwise off-limits. Plus, with postgame traffic diversions outside the stadium already in effect, a car would have taken much longer.

Even so, as I rode the final blocks to the stadium, I found I had to fight my way through crowds of fans outside the park. Now, the majority of them were on their way to a motocross event at the football stadium. But enough were wearing Mariners shirts and jerseys that some had to have been coming from the baseball game, meaning they left with a perfect game intact. I was stunned. You can have a good debate about when it is acceptable to leave a game but I think we can all agree that you definitely cannot leave a perfect game in the eighth or ninth inning, no matter how much the babysitter charges.

I was so upset I even yelled at one. What are you doing!?!

The vast majority of fans had remained at the game, of course, and many cheered loudly for Humber, much to the annoyance of a friend who was appalled that anyone would root for an opposing pitcher to throw a perfect game against the local team. Which brings up another interesting debate topic: When is it allowable to root for the opponent?

Not often, but I definitely feel it was all right Saturday. The Mariners haven’t been to the postseason in 11 years and it’s very unlikely they will get there this year, either. The Mariners may be in the same division as the Rangers and Angels but fans realize they aren’t in the same league of talent. They also are tired of watching losing, last-place teams whose lineups have been near historic lows for offense (Seattle has scored fewer runs each of the past two seasons than the Mariners did in 1994 when the strike canceled the final 50 games of the season). Plus, the Mariners were already trailing 3-0 in the eighth. Given the choice between a perfect game and just another loss, fans understandably chose to root for history.

I arrived at the stadium just as radio announcer Rick Rizzs was describing the final pitch that bounced away from catcher A.J. Pierzynski but which umpire Brian Runge ruled that Brendan Ryan had swung at (he didn’t, but Runge was definitely not going to be Jim Joyce in such a situation). With only a trickle of fans coming out, I was able to pick up my bike and dash through a gate to the main concourse. Fans were still watching Humber and the White Sox celebrate -- and Ryan argue with Runge -- so I also was able to make my way to the press box surprisingly fast, even wheeling my bike.

The Mariners' media relations staff cleared my admittance without a credential but that brought up the awkward moment. I had to go into the clubhouses and interview players while wearing only my bike shorts and jersey. There is a new dress code for baseball writers this year and I broke every clause in it while dashing from the interview room to the Mariners clubhouse to the White Sox clubhouse. But what was I going to do? We needed the story.

Surprisingly, not many people said anything. A few laughed or smiled but most appeared not to notice or care. Apparently, they are all too used to sportswriters looking like crap. Except, of course, for A.J., who yelled, "Now THAT’S a good look!'"

I’ve covered baseball 25 years and still have not seen a no-hitter. The closest I’ve come was Scott Erickson’s no-hitter in 1994 and Eric Milton’s in 1999. I was home each time when I received a call to alert me in the seventh inning. I dashed to the Metrodome in time for the final inning of each game.

It feels odd to write about a game you weren’t at, but you do what you have to in this business. I mean, it’s not like Woodward and Bernstein were at the actual Watergate break-in, either.

I rode to the game Sunday as planned, hoping for a repeat of the Ray Washburn/Gaylord Perry consecutive no-hitters in 1968. But for the sake of the players and staff, this time I brought a set of clothes to change into.

Don't count anybody out, ever. But perfect? Philip Humber was never supposed to be perfect, but on the 21st day of April he was exactly that: the 21st pitcher to deliver a perfect game and the first to throw one since Roy Halladay threw the 20th on May 29, 2010. It was also the first American League perfecto since Dallas Braden on May 9, 2010.

But he was never supposed to be perfect. After all, he had proven so very imperfect since being the third overall pick of the 2004 draft. Touted as a top Mets prospect, he blew out his elbow in 2005, and it wasn’t long before he was referred to as another example of a Rice pitcher who got hurt and hadn’t lived up to the hype. Unimpressed with his minor league performance after coming back from Tommy John surgery, the Mets bundled him into the four-for-one swap that brought them Johan Santana before the 2008 season.

But the Twins never let him start a single game in the majors after making 48 starts over two years at Triple-A, simply letting him slip away after 2009 rather than keep him on the 40-man roster. The Royals picked him up ... and they left him in Triple-A. However desperate the Royals were for pitching of any flavor, they lost him on waivers after the 2010 season to the A’s. They were just looking for a possible fifth starter. But the A’s lost him on waivers a month later when they decided they had a better way to use to spot on their 40-man roster, signing free agent Grant Balfour.

That is where the White Sox stepped in, grabbing Humber off waivers. Their goal for him wasn’t any higher than anyone else’s. He looked like a good guy to stash at the back end of a rotation -- a fifth guy, a bubble guy on an organizational depth chart, a guy only as good as his last start before giving him much thought. He was somebody who sticks only as long as he earns his keep and who won’t be forgiven a run of bad starts.

That was his due, because at no point did Humber dominate in Triple-A. Across four years bouncing among organizations, flitting from New Orleans to Rochester to Omaha, from the Pacific Coast League to the International League and back again, he posted a 4.67 ERA in Triple-A. His clip of 6.9 strikeouts and 2.7 unintentional walks per nine reflected a pitcher who had good command.

With heat that just bumps above 90 mph and good command of four pitches, he’s a finesse righty, and those don’t catch many breaks. But he promptly proved he belonged last season, getting that last slot in the White Sox’s rotation and keeping it, earning job security he’d probably only heard about happening to other people. And now, having achieved history as a strike-throwing machine, those days should be behind him for some time to come.

He’s not the first such find for general manager Kenny Williams, though. The White Sox have made a cottage industry out of giving second chances to other teams’ tarnished top prospects. Gavin Floyd looked like a Phillies flop after being the fourth overall pick of the 2001 draft; John Danks was the ninth overall selection for the Rangers in 2003, but they dealt him for Brandon McCarthy after seeing him deliver mediocre results at Double- and Triple-A. Good pitching might be hard to find, and not everything Williams touches turns to gold, but these are the benefits of betting on upside risk.

Humber might have had the good fortune to face the Mariners, a woeful lineup, in Safeco Field, a great place to pitch. But other people get those chances, and they don’t deliver perfection. It’s because of these finds that the Sox have the best rotation in the American League Central, and how they do will define how far the Sox might go this season. As Humber just showed, that might be a lot better than you ever expected.


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

First base: King Felix hates his teammates. Or should, anyway. At least on this night. Felix Hernandez was brilliant against the Indians, striking out 12 batters in eight shutout innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Jason Kipnis and then Shin-Soo Choo with a Niagara Falls changeup. He left the mound pumping his fist with the most emotion I've ever seen from him. But his position mates scored just one run and Brandon League -- who had been lights-out -- coughed up the lead. Indians 2, Mariners 1. A key to the game: The patient Indians did force Hernandez to throw 126 pitches, even if they drew just one walk. Josh Tomlin made it through eight on just 96 pitches for Cleveland. (Dave Cameron has a good take here on Felix's changeup.)

Second base: Upton returns to Rays. B.J. Upton is expected to be activated from the DL and return to Tampa's starting lineup on Friday. The Rays could certainly use a right-handed bat in a lineup that has been featuring Jeff Keppinger in the cleanup spot against left-handers. Scoring runs hasn't actually been an issue for the 7-6 Rays: Only the Red Sox and Twins have allowed more runs in the AL.

Third base: Kid power. Remember when the Braves were 0-4 and everybody was already calling for manager Fredi Gonzalez's head? Since then they've won eight of nine, including a 10-2 thrashing of the Diamondbacks. Jason Heyward had two more hits to raise his average to .348 and Freddie Freeman slugged two home runs and drove in five runs. Meanwhile, Mike Minor pitched eight strong innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Josh Collmenter allowed four runs in 5.1 innings, his third straight poor start, putting more pressure on the Diamondbacks to recall Trevor Bauer or one of their pitching prospects.

Home plate: Tweet of the day.
Speaking of King Felix, a factoid on his no-decision ...

This will be Felix's 16th no-decision in a start where he pitched at least 7, gave up no more than 1 run. Most in MLB since he debuted.

— Andrew Simon (@HitTheCutoff) April 20, 2012

I can imagine a secret society of Jack Quinn fans, holed up in an Elks Lodge somewhere ready to pop bottles of champagne with each Jamie Moyer loss or no-decision. You know, sort of like members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins when an undefeated NFL team finally loses late in the season.

Quinn, of course, was the oldest pitcher to win a major league game, 49 years old and change when he pitched five scoreless innings of relief for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Sept. 13, 1932, to pick up the victory in a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Those imaginary bottles can be permanently put to rest now. Moyer pitched seven brilliant innings on Tuesday night at Coors Field -- well, as brilliant as a Moyer outing can be -- allowing only two unearned runs as the Colorado Rockies won 5-3. It was career win No. 268 for Moyer, tying him with Jim Palmer and more victories than Bob Feller or Carl Hubbell or Bob Gibson or Juan Marichal. And at 49 years and 150 days, he surpassed Quinn in the record books.

Things got dicey when Troy Tulowitzki booted a routine double-play ball in the seventh inning, leading to the two unearned runs and making the score 3-2. After the Rockies scored two more runs, things got dicey again in the ninth when Rafael Betancourt allowed a run and had the go-ahead run at the plate. But he fanned Yonder Alonso on a 3-2 changeup. The cameras panned to Karen Moyer, Jamie's wife, hugging two of the couple's eight kids and raising her first in excitement.

Jamie? Nowhere to be found. Hopefully he was hiding out in the clubhouse having a little sip of champagne.

* * * *

Moyer's first win came in his first major league start on June 16, 1986. Pitching for the Cubs, he allowed five runs but defeated Steve Carlton, who was making his next-to-last appearance in a Phillies uniform. Fred Mitchell's lede the next day in the Chicago Tribune: "The most comforting thought for Cub fans after rookie Jamie Moyer's first major-league win Monday is that the best is yet to come."

Moyer was a 23-year-old who had moved quickly through the Cubs' farm system after being drafted in 1984. "Maybe when I sit down and really just think about it, think back to what happened today, beating Steve Carlton will just add to this day," he said.

Even back then, Moyer wasn't exactly a flamethrower. "This kid knows how to change speeds, and today he was just behind hitters and he was in trouble. But he was lucky enough to get through it," Cubs pitching coach Billy Connors said. "He usually has great command of his pitches and can get everything over. He was behind every hitter today, and that's not Jamie Moyer."

Sound familiar? And then Connors delivered the money quote, one reason why 26 years later, Moyer is still hanging around. "But he can compete in the major leagues because he is the kind of kid who doesn't panic. He's a tough kid, and he kept his composure."

But the best didn't come right away. The Cubs eventually traded him to the Rangers, who would release him after the 1990 season. He signed with the Cardinals. On May 21, 1991, he got knocked out in the third inning as Barry Bonds hit two home runs off him, the second one a long three-run blast to right field that Bonds "watched longingly," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Rick Hummel. It was the last batter Moyer faced in the game -- and in the majors that season. He was 0-5 with a 5.71 ERA. "'He gets so pumped up, he loses control of himself," Cardinals manager Joe Torre said after the game.

What happened to the composed rookie, the kid who knew how to pitch? Torre complained about a high changeup to Jose Lind. A couple days later the Cardinals sent him down to Triple-A. At that point, Moyer was 34-54 in his career with a 4.56 ERA. He was 28 years old, didn't throw hard and was pitching for Louisville. Career crisis? Moyer barely had one. The Cardinals didn't bother calling him up in September. The Cubs cut him in spring training in 1992. He was asked to become a pitching coach. He declined and signed with the Tigers in May, but spent the entire season in the minors even though Detroit had the second-worst pitching staff in the American League. The Tigers let him go after the season. He was now 30 years old and threw 85 mph. Career crisis? His career was over.

Oh yes, a story of perseverance. A story of a guy who obviously loves the game. But somebody had to give him one last chance. The Orioles gave it to him after he went 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA at Rochester. Maybe it was general manager Roland Hemond who liked Moyer. Maybe it was an assistant to Hemond named Gordon Goldsberry, who had been the Cubs' scouting director when the club drafted Moyer. Maybe it was assistant GM Doug Melvin who made the recommendation. Moyer replaced a young left-hander named Arthur Rhodes on the roster. He lost his first start but pitched well, although Orioles manager Johnny Oates hardly seemed impressed. "He threw the ball OK," he told the Washington Post. "That's what you're going to get from Jamie."

Four starts later he won his first major league game since 1990. "This has been a tough road for me the last couple years -- battling back, people saying I'm too old, everything negative. I've tried hard to remain positive. ... Now I know I can pitch at this level," Moyer said.

That was 19 years ago. He's been winning ever since. Since turning 30 he's won 234 games, with a winning percentage better than .600. He doesn't throw 85 mph anymore.

As I watched the game, I realized I've probably seen Moyer pitch in person or on TV more than any other pitcher, considering the 11 seasons he spent with the Mariners.

I've never ceased to be amazed at his ability to confound and confuse big league hitters. What can you say about one of the most unique players in history, other than: I hope to see him for at least another decade or so.

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

Adam Rubin of ESPNNew York had a story the other day about the Mets fielding an all homegrown lineup (at least before David Wright went out with his fractured pinkie). In that piece, Rubin had a note that Seattle Mariners organization had produced the most players on Opening Day rosters (including disabled lists).

The Mariners?

After all, this isn't actually a franchise known for producing stellar drafts over the past 15 years. But the Mariners had 36 players originally drafted or signed by them on Opening Day rosters, three more than the Rangers. The only other franchises with at least 30 players were the Twins with 32, and the Braves with 31.

So who are those 36 players? Let's take a look.

1. Omar Vizquel: Signed as amateur free agent out of Venezuela, 1984.

Traded to the Indians for Felix Fermin and Reggie Jefferson, Dec. 1993.

Vizquel hit .311 in 15 games for Butte, Mont., that summer and made five errors. Vizquel was the only Copper Kings player to eventually play in the major leagues. And if you run into somebody from Butte who said they saw Vizquel play, they're probably lying. Butte averaged about 800 fans per game.

2. Derek Lowe: Eighth-round pick, 1991.

Traded to Red Sox with Jason Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb, 1997

3. David Ortiz: Signed as amateur free agent out of Dominican Republic, 1992.

Traded to Twins for Dave Hollins, Aug. 1996.

Yes, Dave Hollins. Not even a July trade. A late August trade. Hollins did drive in 25 runs in 28 games, but Mariners missed the playoffs anyway.

4. Raul Ibanez: 36th-round draft pick, 1992.

Signed as a free agent by Kansas City, 2001.

Originally a catcher, Ibanez was never a top prospect for Seattle, although he did become a bench player for them. He didn't get a chance to be a full-time player until he was 30 years old with the Royals in 2002. Later returned to Seattle and had some years there.

5. Alex Rodriguez: First-round pick, 1993

Lost as free agent after 2000.

6. Brian Fuentes: 25th-round pick, 1995.

Traded to Rockies in Jeff Cirillo deal, Dec. 2001.

I remember being very excited when the Mariners acquired Cirillo.

7. Rafael Soriano: Signed as amateur free agent out of Dominican Republic, 1996.

Traded to Braves for Horacio Ramirez, Dec. 2006.

A trade that made no sense at the time and proved to be a terrible one.

8. Matt Thornton: First-round pick, 1998.

Traded to White Sox for Joe Borchard, March 2006.

Borchard played six games for the Mariners and was released.

9. Scott Atchison: 49th-round pick, 1998.

Lost as free agent after 2006 season.

10. Willie Bloomquist: Third-round pick, 1999.

Lost as free agent after 2008.

11. J.J. Putz: Sixth-round pick, 1999.

Traded to Mets in a three-team deal with Indians in Dec. 2008. Mariners received Franklin Gutierrez, Mike Carp and Jason Vargas.

12. Shin-Soo Choo: Signed as amateur free agent out of South Korea, 2000.

Traded to Indians for Ben Broussard, July 2006.

The first of two horrible deals then-GM Bill Bavasi made that summer for an ill-fated run at the playoffs.

13. Jose Lopez: Signed as amateur free agent out of Venezuela, 2000.

Traded to the Rockies for Chaz Roe, Dec. 2010.

14. Ichiro Suzuki: Signed as free agent out of Japan, 2001.

He's a free agent after this season. He's now 38 and still more than 500 hits from 3,000. Do the Mariners bring him back?

15. Greg Dobbs: Signed as amateur free agent, 2001

Selected by Phillies on waivers, 2007.

16. Felix Hernandez: Signed as amateur free agent out of Venezuela, 2002.

Reached the majors after just 48 minor-league starts.

17. Asdrubal Cabrera: Signed as amateur free agent out of Venezuela, 2002.

Traded to Indians for Eduardo Perez, June 2006.

At the time of the deal, Cabrera was a 20-year-old infielder who had already reached Triple-A. He was hitting just .236, but had skipped Double-A after hitting .295 in Class A. Perez retired at the end of the season. Ouch.

18. Luis Valbuena: Signed as amateur free agent out of Venezuela, 2002.

Traded to Indians in the three-way deal with the Mets in 2008.

19. Bryan LaHair: 39th-round draft pick, 2002.

The Mariners didn't re-sign him after 2009, after a couple cups of coffee.

20. George Sherrill: Purchased from Winnipeg of independent Northern League, 2003.

Back with the Mariners after playing for the Braves in 2011.

21. Adam Jones: First-round pick, 2003.

Traded to Orioles in Erik Bedard deal, 2008.

22. Eric O'Flaherty: Sixth-round pick, 2003.

Placed on waivers after 2008 season.

This was an odd move at the time. O'Flaherty had pitched well as a 22-year-old rookie in 2007, but got bombed in seven appearances at the start of the 2008 seasons, battled some injuries and they let him go. He's been a quality reliever the past three seasons with the Braves.

23. Mark Lowe: Fifth-round pick, 2004.

Traded to Rangers with Cliff Lee for Justin Smoak, Blake Beaven, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson, 2010.

24. Michael Saunders: 11th-round pick, 2004.

Once-touted prospect has .198 career average in majors. Getting a chance to play with Franklin Gutierrez on the DL.

25. Michael Pineda: Signed as amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic, 2005.

Traded to Yankees with Jorge Campos for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi, 2012.

26. Alex Liddi: Signed as amateur free agent from Italy, 2005.

Viva Italia!

27. Justin Thomas: Fifth-round, 2005.

Claimed by Pirates on waivers, 2009. Made Red Sox roster.

28. Anthony Varvaro: 12th-round pick, 2005.

Claimed by Braves on waivers, Jan. 2011. Opened season on DL.

29. Brandon Morrow: First-round pick, 2006.

Traded to Blue Jays for Brandon League and Johermyn Chavez, Dec. 2009.

30. Adam Moore: Sixth-round pick, 2006.

Opened season on Mariners' DL.

31. Doug Fister: Seventh-round pick, 2006.

Traded to Tigers in July 2011 with David Pauley for Francisco Martinez, Chance Ruffin, Casper Wells and Charlie Furbush.

32. Erasmo Ramirez: Signed as amateur free agent from Nicaragua, 2007.

The youngest player in the majors, Ramirez opened season with M's despite posting a 4.83 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2011.

33. Dustin Ackley: First-round pick, 2009.

34. Kyle Seager: Third-round pick, 2009.

35. Munenori Kawasaki: Free agent out of Japan, 2012.

36. Hisashi Iwakuma: Free agent out of Japan, 2012.

So there you go, 36 players, with a heavy international flavor. If the Mariners had kept all these guys, would it actually be much of a team? Here is a 25-man roster:

2B Dustin Ackley
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
RF Shin-Soo Choo
3B Alex Rodriguez
DH David Ortiz
CF Adam Jones
1B Bryan LaHair
LF Ichiro Suzuki
C Adam Moore

Bench -- Kyle Seager, Willie Bloomquist, Michael Saunders, Raul Ibanez

SP Felix Hernandez
SP Doug Fister
SP Brandon Morrow
SP Michael Pineda
SP Derek Lowe

RP J.J. Putz
RP Matt Thornton
RP Rafael Soriano
RP Eric O'Flaherty
RP Mark Lowe
RP Erasmo Ramirez
RP Hisashi Iwakuma

That's a pretty good team, no? OK, Fister and Pineda are currently on the DL, but we can temporarily move Ramirez and Iwakuma into the rotation. The bullpen is terrific at the back end, and the first six guys in the lineup are going to put some runs on the board. This team needs a catcher. Maybe Ibanez can still play there.

Let's put it this way: It would be a much more exciting team than the real 2012 Mariners.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

Stuff ...

• Baseball America has lists of the 10 youngest players in each full-season league. Mariners pitcher Erasmo Ramirez was the youngest player to make a major league roster, with a May 2, 1990 birthdate. Giancarlo Stanton is still one of the 10 youngest players in the National League.
• Walkoff Woodward looks at what happened to Justin Verlander and the Tigers in Wednesday's ninth inning.
• Neftali Feliz used his changeup a lot in his first start and he was pretty awesome.
• Dodger Thoughts author Jon Weisman has a piece in Variety exploring how TV networks can justify bidding billions to broadcast baseball games.
• Tristan Cockcroft has a fun look at early season paces. Yes, small sample size. It's still a fun to read.


• ESPN Insider Dan Szymborski looks at which closers are used most effectively -- ie, in high-leverage situations -- by their managers. Kudos to Mike Scioscia and Bruce Bochy.
• Franklin Rabon examines Dan Uggla's reverse-platoon split. Since 2009, Uggla is slugging nearly 50 points higher against righties.
• Our new Blue Jays blog looks at J.P. Arencibia's pitch-framing abilities. Pitch-framing is sort of the new trendy thing in defensive analysis, a big reason the Rays signed Jose Molina this offseason. Obviously, baseball people have always talked about this, but pitch f/x data allows catchers to be studied in this skill.
• One scout still believes Daniel Bard belongs in the bullpen.
• The Padres recalled Joe Wieland and Insider Eric Karabell looks at whether he can help the Padres (and fantasy owners).
• The Brewers have broken off talks with Zack Greinke about a contract extension.
• Will Freddy Galvis become a good player for the Phillies? Or is he ultimately just a younger version of Wilson Valdez? Michael Baumann ponders the question.
• Danny Duffy had a nice start for the Royals on Tuesday. OK, it was against the A's, but there many positives signs for the young left-hander.
• Jon Shields thinks the Mariners should start playing John Jaso more instead of Miguel Olivo. Jaso has yet to appear in game. The knocks against Olivo? He has trouble catching the ball and getting on base. Otherwise ... he's awesome!
• Nick Faleris looked at Brian Matusz's first start of the season for the Orioles. Remember, this is a guy everyone was calling a future ace after 2010.
• Baseball Prospectus has a list of 10 players who should receive contract extensions.
• Jorge Posada will throw out the first pitch at the Yankees' homer opener on Friday.
• Finally, Miami columnist Dan LeBetard was on ESPN Radio talking about the Ozzie Guillen situation.