A lot has happened in Major League Baseball since the last Hanging Curve, including an injury to a future Hall of Famer (Mariano Rivera), the benching of another (Albert Pujols) and a career-week for a slugger (Josh Hamilton) on a path that could lead to Cooperstown.
If the Jays front office thinks they can form a starting rotation worthy of contending in the East in the next couple seasons, there is no reason to believe that they will not make a run at Prince Fielder.
Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki talked to RealGM about LeBron James and starting their own big three.
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Over the next few weeks as the NCAA Tournament and Spring Training dominate the month of March, we have combined the two for our own March Madness, which will determine who the readers of RealGM will select in the second edition of our 'Be The GM' series.
Though there are many different potential answers, the question is simple; If you were to start a MLB franchise from scratch and had the option to pick any player in the world, who would you pick?
The Marlins and Braves have been pushed to the side by the Mets/Phillies rivalry, but these two teams in the southeast have had a ton of talent come through their organizations.
Brian McCann, C, Atlanta Braves
Other players considered from the Braves: Jair Jurrjens, Jason Heyward
Why he's a franchise player: Since bursting onto the stage as a 22-year-old in 2006 when he slugged .572 with a .388 OBP, McCann has been one of the best offensive catchers in the game. Since 2006, McCann has a 125 OPS+ (.873), which trails only Joe Mauer and Jorge Posada.
He doesn't walk like Mauer, but has a low strikeout rate and easily the most pop at the position with about 22 homers per season and a ton of doubles.
Defensively, McCann is fairly average and allows a lot of stolen bases, but he is certainly more than adequate at this stage in his career.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins
Other players considered from the Marlins: Cameron Maybin, Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad
Why he's a franchise player: As I wrote in a piece this week, Ramirez has 40-40 potential due to his incredible combination of power and speed. Ramirez hit 29 homers in 2007 and 33 in 2008, while stealing 51 and 35 bases in each respective season. He has a lifetime career average of .308 and a slugging mark of .527 and he won't turn 26 until next December.
Ramirez made a huge jump in his K/BB rate in 2008, finishing the season with 122 strikeouts and 92 walks, which helped him get his OBP to .400. His 2008 numbers were very special despite struggling against lefties (.790 OPS) for the first time in his career (.978 career mark).
There is really no more dynamic young offensive player in the game and unlike Alex Rodriguez who competed for the title of best young shortstop in the world against Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra, Ramirez has no true peer at the position. But like Rodriguez, Ramirez will eventually move to third base, albeit for different reasons.
