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Welcome to SportsNation! On Tuesday, ESPN.com MLB Insider Rob Neyer will drop by to chat some baseball.

Neyer's book, "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends," can be ordered now!

Send your questions now and join Neyer on Tuesday at noon ET!

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Dave (Sacramento)


Hi Rob, it's the most wonderful time of the year: HOF discussion season. So, who will be elected to the HOF this year?

Rob Neyer
  (12:15 PM)


I won't be surprised if Alomar's the only one, and I won't be shocked if nobody makes it.

mike (ny)


Why does no one today throw the screwball? One would think that a pitch that consecutively struck out Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, and Cronin would have a strong presence in today's game.

Rob Neyer
  (12:16 PM)


My simplistic answer is that the circle change-up obviated the need for a screwball, which for most pitchers is a difficult thing to learn.

Bret (Toronto)


If the Red Sox move Pedroia to SS, who plays 2B for them next year? Orlando Hudson?

Rob Neyer
  (12:17 PM)


Hard to say, but there are a lot more second basemen floating around than shortstops.

Josh (Lincoln, NE)


Has 2012 ever seemed so far away?

Rob Neyer
  (12:18 PM)


Heh. As I wrote in the blog yesterday, I'm not going to assume anything about 2012 until it actually happens.

Marcel (Orlando, FL)


In your opinion, does Major League Baseball seem to be lambasted more critically and arbitrairily in general by the sports media over issues such as (competitive balance, playoff schedules, etc.) compared to other American organized team sports, especially the "teflon" National Football League?

Rob Neyer
  (12:19 PM)


Of course. But as I've said many times, I'm actually glad that my favorite sport is held to a higher standard than the others.

Clint (Salt Lake City)


Will anyone manage to pry Brandon Wood away from the Angels this year? I realize he has not performed well in his very limited MLB experience, but I watch him play in triple AAA atleast 10 times a year and he can hit. Oakland would be well served to try and get him and give him an expanded audition.

Rob Neyer
  (12:20 PM)


I think the A's have settled on Dallas McPherson as Option B at third base (and with Eric Chavez as Option A, Option B will come into play quickly). Anyway, if Figgins signs with another team, Wood should get his shot with the Angels.

Matt (New Jersey)


Hey Rob, missed your take on the MVP results. Are you going to post on that? Question about the Braves...I know he's not THE answer, but how about a Lowe for Rowand swap? It would give us another right handed bat. I realize I'm reaching...

Rob Neyer
  (12:24 PM)


Yeah, that's a reach. I don't know that the Braves need another right-handed bat. What they need is a lefty-hitting outfielder to platoon with Diaz. And otherwise their lineup's close to set.

Seymour (NYC)


Rob, please help settle an argument I've been having with a friend of mine: Which player is more "legendary", Mariano or Cap'n Jetes?

Rob Neyer
  (12:24 PM)


I'm afraid it's the Cap'n.

Todd (Philly)


Rob - I agree with you on Alan Trammell on the HOF, but I never see anyone giving the "key" argument as to why he isn't fully considered - do you happen to know what his biggest criticism is?

Rob Neyer
  (12:27 PM)


You have to understand that it's often not about "arguments" so much as feelings. Because Trammell enjoyed his last big year at 32, the *feeling* is that he just wasn't a great player for enough years. I love how the BBWAA robbed him of the MVP Award he deserved in 1987 and has also forgotten how great a player he was.

Justin (Farmington, MN)


It seems like the Twins can't ever get out of the first round of the playoffs. What do the Twins need to get over the hump against the likes of the Yankees, Redsox, and the Angels?

Rob Neyer
  (12:30 PM)


They need to either get a lot better or a lot luckier. Which do you think is easier?

Mike (San Diego)


How sad is it going to be that 50 years down the road, most baseball fans will probably think Ryne Sandberg was a better fielder than Chase Utley because he will have double the gold glove total?

Rob Neyer
  (12:31 PM)


Nah. In 50 years the Gold Gloves will be viewed as irrelevant little baubles.

Justin (Nashville)


Would Dawson's defense in right field help make up for the low OBP? Are there any metrics to suggest he deserved the eight Gold Gloves he won?

Rob Neyer
  (12:35 PM)


I don't have his defensive stats handy, but I think if he gets any help, it's from his defense in center field, early in his career. I suspect that he was average (at best) in right field. Oh, that reminds me of something else I love: the argument that Dawson *would* have been a great player if he'd had good knees. O-kay...

Steve (Fleming Island, FL)


If Pedroia could handle shortstop adequately, how much more valuable would that make him? Multiple MVPs in his future?

Rob Neyer
  (12:36 PM)


Oh, I don't know. He handles second base far more than adequately, so a switch might not do a great deal for his overall value. That said, he's still young and I think he might win another MVP or two regardless of where he's playing.

Eric (Pennsylvania)


What is the difference between a #1 and a #2 starter? It seems so arbitrary the way people describe the differences between the numbers. I think someone should write a detailed article on this!

Rob Neyer
  (12:37 PM)


I think someone (maybe even me) did, last year. If only there was some way to find out!

Bob (Jersey)


Rob, your thoughts on Marvin Miller and the HOF?..mine are that he didn't care if the game of baseball went to hell if he didn't get what he wanted for the players.

Rob Neyer
  (12:39 PM)


I think that's quite possibly true; his job wasn't to worry about baseball's long-term fate. Is this a disqualifier, though? I don't know. I do think if Miller is elected, we have to start thinking about Scott Boras. Everyone okay with that?

Bryan (Normal IL)


Rob I saw your take on 87 NL MVP. In your opinion who should have won. As a cardinal fan (Ozzie is my fav. player of all time) I still think the award should have gone to Jack Clark even though he is the surliest player I have ever met.

Rob Neyer
  (12:40 PM)


Ozzie should have won. Great player enjoying his greatest season.

Jake (NYC)


Naw, the best Dawson argument is that it's okay for him to have such a low career OBP because he wasn't paid to walk -- he was paid to drive in runs!

Rob Neyer
  (12:40 PM)


Hmmm ... where have I heard that one before?

Carlos (CA)


When arguing against offering Chone Figgins a significant contract, folks love to point to Baseball Prospectus' comparable players list as proof he would simply tail off. The most contemporary (and relevant) names on that list include Bip Roberts, Jose Offerman, and Mark McLemore. Roberts hit for a better average but did not have his OB skills, Offerman peaked around the same age but then faded badly, but McLemore had a nice, slow decline, still got on base in his late 30's, and never matched Chone's speed. So do you think its worth investing 4 years in Chone with hopes hes a modern day McLemore? Or do you think he goes the way of offerman? Whats the upper limit a club should offer him?

Rob Neyer
  (12:44 PM)


I'm not convinced that "similar players" lists work as projection tools. I'm not saying they don't. I'm just not convinced because nobody's shown me they do.

Eric (Chicago)


Ozzie for MVP in '87 would have been a joke...Dawson was far superior...think in 1987 terms and not in 2009 terms there Neyer!

Rob Neyer
  (12:45 PM)


Have they changed the rules in the intervening years? Because I thought the point was still to generate runs, and to prevent them...

Gus (New City, NY)


To riff off the Dawson would have been great if he had good knees, then Mattingly would have been the greatest 1st baseman of the 20th Century if he had a good back.

Rob Neyer
  (12:46 PM)


Well, he wouldn't have. But he'd probably be in the Hall of Fame right now. So your point is well-taken.

Scott (Boston)


1987 VORP, per Baseball Prospectus: 1) Gwynn. 9) Smith. 18) Dawson.

Rob Neyer
  (12:47 PM)


Scott, VORP does not consider defensive skill (only position). But the Gwynn/Dawson difference is instructive.

Vin (New Jersey)


Frank Thomas, first ballot Hall of Famer?

Rob Neyer
  (12:49 PM)


Yeah, I think so. A lot of the same guys who will be voting (or not) for Thomas gave him two MVP Awards (and four more top-4 finishes).

sean (seattle)


marco scutaro: does toronto offer him arbitration? can they risk him accepting it now that he is their backup IF? if he's offered arbitration wouldn't that kill his value like it's done to relief pitchers? he's not exactly a guy you want to cough up a first round pick for...

Rob Neyer
  (12:50 PM)


Sure, I think they have to offer him arbitration. If he accepts, they can always trade him to one of the teams that needs a shortstop.

Davis (DC)


Rob- Can you explain to me why MLB continues to have 4 AL West teams and 6 NL Central teams?

Rob Neyer
  (12:50 PM)


Ask the Commissioner for Life. He's the only one who really knows.

Steve (Hamilton, NY)


Dawson was a poor MVP choice in 1987. But wasn't Kurt Gibson winning over Darryl Strawberry the next year a greater injustice.

Rob Neyer
  (12:51 PM)


It's Kirk, actually, and he was a solid choice.

Buff (Austin TX)


Please stop comparing Marvin Miller to Scott Boras. You need to read your comments more completely if you're bringing this up again.

Rob Neyer
  (12:52 PM)


It's true that I need to read more of the comments. But can't you give us the executive summary here? You've got a bigger audience!

Tom (Seattle)


The reason for the 4 AL West teams and 6 NL Central teams is because that gives an even number of teams in each league. Moving 1 team from the central to the west would give 15 in each league. Meaning they'd have to do an interleague games all the time.

Rob Neyer
  (12:53 PM)


Right. Would that be a terrible thing? I'm just asking. Anyway, there should be 16 teams in each league. Or 14.

Pat D (Belfast, PA)


Rob, expect to see anyone inducted in next week's manager/executive ballots? Also, any ideas as to why Charlie Finley, Buzzie Bavasi and George Steinbrenner weren't on that ballot?

Rob Neyer
  (12:56 PM)


Well, they had only so much room. I do think it's a shame that Bavasi wasn't there. And yeah, there will be someone elected. That process was set up to ensure that someone's elected.

Matt (Cincinnati)


As a Reds fan, and admittedly biased, I grew up thinking that Barry Larkin was the superior player over Ozzie Smith. And yet Ozzie Smith is in the HOF, and Larkin is not projecting to be a first ballot HOFer. Where has my bias led me astray? Should Larkin have spent more time practicing flips?

Rob Neyer
  (12:57 PM)


Larkin takes a hit for doing many things well, but no particular thing brilliantly. And also for all the injuries. But he's a fine candidate and will eventually be elected.

Jim (Denver)


Rob, would you be against having two wild cards in each league play a quick best of 3 with the winner playing team with the best league record? I like it rewarding best record and punishing wild cards.

Rob Neyer
  (1:00 PM)


How about a quick best of 1 on Monday?

ryan b (lancaster)


But if you had 14 or 16 teams in each league, you would still have uneven divisions, assuming 3. are you advocating 2 divisions in each league? or maybe 4?

Rob Neyer
  (1:00 PM)


Eight four-team divisions. I've been suggesting this for 10 years.

Buff (Austin TX)


Marvin Miller changed Major League Baseball in a fundamental way. Scott Boras is simply very good (arguably the best) at doing what hundreds of other men have done, in essentially the same way.http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/1322/wednesday-wangdoodles-31

Rob Neyer
  (1:04 PM)


Hmmmm ... Okay, but my point is that if you're going to enshrine a man whose sole aim was to enrich the players, should we stop with just him? Your point, I think -- and the point of many others -- is that Miller's historical significance is overwhelming. True. So was Joe Jackson's. And Scott Boras's might someday be seen as overwhelming, too. My point is that nobody like Miller has ever been elected, and when setting a precedent it's worth taking a deep breath, first.

Luke (Saint Paul)


Whats your realignment for the 8 four team divisions, and who gets the new teams? If you don't feel like doing the legwork now you should make it a blog. Could be an interesting read

Rob Neyer
  (1:05 PM)


Sounds like fun, Luke. I'll do it this winter.

Matt (New Jersey)


Hey Rob, after reading your blog on the Negro Leagues HOF, why not move it to Cooperstown and opening up a special wing? Since that is always going to be where the HOF is located, and a ton of those players deserve to be there, why not eventually make that home? From a business standpoint, I'm sure it would generate more revenue than it is now.

Rob Neyer
  (1:07 PM)


Matt, there's no such thing as a Negro Leagues Hall of Fame. There are many Negro Leagues players in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, as there should be. The Negro Leagues Museum is in Kansas City. Maybe that should be in Cooperstown, too, but a lot of people in Kansas City invested a great deal of political and emotional capital to get it done there.

Dan (DC)


Rob - the tough part I have with Tim Raines' candidacy is that I think he had a tough time staying on the field. Is this reasonable?

Rob Neyer
  (1:09 PM)


I don't know if this answers your question, but Tim Raines reached base more often than Tony Gwynn. I'm not talking percentages here. Raines actually touched first base safely more times than Gwynn. Does that seem to you like a guy who couldn't stay in the lineup?

Mr. SKIA (MrSportsKnowItAll.com)


If you could put only one player on the current ballot in the HofF, who would it be? Raines or Blyleven, I'm guessing...

Rob Neyer
  (1:09 PM)


Of course. And I would hate to have to choose just one of them.

Ryan (Hoboken, NJ)


You seem to have a lot of negative sentiments towards Selig. I recognize the potential for change in 2012, but do you feel he has been overall a positive influence on the game, negative, or pretty much neutral?

Rob Neyer
  (1:11 PM)


It's complicated, Ryan. But I think some negative things have happened because of him, and I think the positive things would have happened without him, and probably sooner than they did. Generally speaking.

Matt (New Jersey)


Sorry, I'm at work and misspoke...but I think what I meant to say is that having something similar in Cooperstown would be attractive and successful.

Rob Neyer
  (1:13 PM)


Well, there are displays about the Negro Leagues in Cooperstown. The problem for any museum is that there just aren't the number of artifacts available, for various reasons.

Tarek (NYC)


Rob to you agree with Bill Simmions that Rose should be in the HOF and it should say under his name "Bet on baseball while a manager and disgraced the sport"? I think that sounds fair.

Rob Neyer
  (1:15 PM)


Sure, once he's been un-banned from Baseball. That would be great.

Matt (New Jersey)


Last one Rob, seriously...but I really wanted to see what you thought about Mauer not being a unanimous selection. And did we ever hear the justification of such from that sports writer?

Rob Neyer
  (1:16 PM)


I was out of touch last week ... Cabrera got the other first-place vote, right? Presumably from one of the Detroit voters? I don't think we need to think real hard about this one.

Doogie (Hauser, PA)


Please don't stop chatting: then I will be exiled to the land of Productive Use of Time.

Rob Neyer
  (1:18 PM)


Sorry, but the blog never sleeps (unless I am). See you next week, same Bat Time, etc.

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