Forget comeback player of the year, Indians ace Cliff Lee would settle for nothing less than perfection. That is why Lee was awarded American League Cy Young Award last week, receiving 24 of the 28 first place votes.

Compiling a 2.54 ERA, Lee dominated opposing hitters all season long. Even more impressive than his miniscule earned run average, was his overwhelming 22-3 record for the losing Cleveland Indians.

After a disappointing 2007 season which he struggled to a 6.29 ERA, Lee had even the most optimistic Indians fans thinking his 2005 season was a fluke. He had to earn the respect of everyone from fans to teammates in ‘08 and work his way towards his spot in the rotation. He proved all doubters wrong, and now stands atop the ranks of American League starting pitchers.

While Lee ran away with the vote, the race probably should have been much closer than it was. Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay finished a distant second place with just four first place votes. His lack of votes does not fairly credit the season he had, however. Pitching to the tune of a 2.78 ERA and 206 strikeouts, the “Doc” was a workhorse for Toronto, as he stretched his arm to pitch 246 innings.

Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez finished a distant third place. The free agent set the Major League saves record at 62. While the Angels have admitted they will turn in another direction for the ninth inning role in 2009, several teams are hot on “K-Rod’s” heels, specifically the New York Mets.

Regardless of where Rodriguez lands, the potential Most Valuable Player candidate is sure to be carrying a much thicker wallet once he signs on the dotted line.

Before there were saves, five-man rotations, designated hitters, wild cards, steroids, multi-million dollar contracts, there was a pitcher who dominated the game of baseball like no man had ever done before. He did not tire after just 100 pitches, but pushed himself past 150 on a regular basis. In his 22-year career, Cy Young dominated Major League Baseball, setting an unbreakable record of 511 wins. While Young has long since past away, his legacy still lives on.

Major League Baseball has been awarding the Cy Young Award” since 1967 to the top pitcher in both the American and National League. Due to major midseason acquisitions, the Cy Young Award, along with MVP and Rookie of the Year Awards, have garnered much debate in 2008. Can a player acquired midseason be considered for MVP or Cy Young? Should Japanese players qualify for Rookie of the Year? Should a player win the MVP Award if his team did not make the playoffs? Where does a record breaking closer fit in the Cy Young race? Read more »

After nearly 5 hours and 15 innings, and in front of barely 20,000 fans, a clock crawling towards 2 a.m. and a very nervous Bud Selig, the American League finally won its 11th straight All-Star game Wednesday morning.

While much of the game had unprecedented defense, second-time All-Star Dan Uggla and first-timer Edinson Volquez turned in forgettable performances for the National League. Volquez gave up a game-tying home run to game M.V.P. J.D. Drew and Uggla committed an All-Star game record 3 errors and was overmatched at the plate, striking out 3 times and rolling weakly into a double play. Read more »

Following up our National League All-Star team, we now present our American League stars. Same deal as the NL, where preseason expectations factor into the nominations. A highly regarded player can still make our cut, but it takes a pretty special first half to do it.

Chances are, high draft choices who haven’t missed significant time with injuries are producing in the neighborhood of what you expected. The difference in a fantasy team’s fortunes come down to guys on this list, who are outperforming their preseason draft stock. Read more »

Cleveland Indians right-hander Fausto Carmona is overcoming surprising control lapses to find success in his second season as a starter. Carmona threw a five-hit shutout and walked four in the first game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, running his personal winning streak to three games and improving to 4-1 on the season.

It was the seventh time in eight starts that Carmona walked at least four batters. Rock bottom came in a home start against the Oakland Athletics on April 12, when he walked eight and was pulled in the fourth inning. Read more »

While Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is nearing his return from the disabled list (sprained ankle), three other players from the National League East, including teammate Chase Utley, are duking it out with Lance Berkman and Rafael Furcal for early NL Most Valuable Player honors. Rollins, last year’s MVP, went on the DL for the first time in his career with a sprained ankle, but looked plenty healthy in going 6-for-8 in two extended spring training games at Class-A Clearwater this week.

Rollins is expected to make his return to the parent club Friday in San Francisco. A native of the Bay Area, Rollins told the Philadelphia Daily News that he would like to play at AT&T Park on Mother’s Day. The Phillies have been cautious with Rollins so far, and a three-game weekend set in San Francisco would be an ideal time to return. Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb is scheduled to take the mound in Thursday’s series finale against the Phils, and Monday is an off day. Read more »

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury has just about put veteran backup Coco Crisp in his rearview mirror for good. He is in the same form now as when he burst onto the scene in 2007, igniting the Red Sox offense with an array of skills and carving out a huge piece of the team’s outfield time share.

First point in his favor over Crisp, Ellsbury is quickly becoming an adept leadoff man for the Sox. Look no further than his 12 walks and just four strikeouts in 43 at-bats to gauge that progress. For comparison’s sake, he had just eight walks and 15 strikeouts in 116 at-bats in his debut last season. The production results have been much the same; Ellsbury has scored 15 runs over the last 11 games, and Boston has been victorious 10 times over that stretch. Read more »