Despite a disappointing 2009 season, the Brewers confirmed Sunday that they will bring manager Ken Macha back in 2010 with a team option for 2011. In fact, most of Macha's staff will be back, with only interim pitching coach Chris Bosio and bullpen coach Stan Kyles not being offered contracts.
That's not the only news out of Milwaukee on the last day of the season. The Brewers are also apparently close to re-signing closer Trevor Hoffman, who pitched exceptionally well in his first season in Milwaukee, saving 37 games with a 1.70 ERA and a 4.27 K/BB ratio. He's 41, but the all-time saves leader certainly didn't pitch his age this year.
MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
The second half of the season is in full swing and lo and behold if capitalism hasn't reared it's ugly head once again. Billy Beane was spun off Matt Holliday (as expected of course) and the eleventy billion dollar payroll machine that is the New York Yankees are in first place in the AL East. (Of course, that can't explain why the Mets are horrible but that's a whole other thing.)
Will the Yankees' surge be enough to propel them into the critically important No. 1 slot of the FanHouse MLB Power Rankings? Find out after the jump.
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
Yes, the Dodgers' solar system revolves around Manny Ramirez. He's their star on the field and their main attraction.
But they wouldn't have Ramirez, nor many of the players who carried the team in his absence, were it not for a farm system that has been remarkably productive.
"It's nice that management kept us all here," ace Chad Billingsley told FanHouse. "There's some teams that maybe just start trading guys away. And believing in us, that's a huge thing."
In the 2002-03 drafts, Los Angeles took Russell Martin, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Kemp and Billingsley. Those five players made their big league debuts within an 11-month span, from July 2005 to June 2006.
ST. LOUIS -- Prince Fielder had plenty of good memories of the Home Run Derby.
Just not the one that he actually participated in.
Fielder had watched his father, Cecil, slug monster homers in the Derby in 1990, '91 and '93, including a memorable one off the glass at Toronto's SkyDome in 1991. When the younger Fielder grew up and got his first shot at the Derby, in 2007, he hit only three homers.
Now, he's got his own story. He hit a total of 23 homers, out-homering Nelson Cruz, 6-5, in the finals, to win the Home Run Derby championship on Monday night at Busch Stadium, with local favorite Albert Pujols failing to even reach the finals.
If one theme has emerged during the first half of the 2009 season in the National League, it's that it's Albert Pujols' world and we're all just living in it. After nine superb seasons in which he's only finished out of the top four in MVP voting once, he's somehow on pace for his best season yet.
With this year's Home Run Derby in St. Louis and Pujols making a point to perform in front of the home crowd, it's essentially him against the field Monday night. Do Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Joe Mauer, Nelson Cruz, or Brandon Inge stand any sort of chance of spoiling Pujols' parade?
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Brad Lidge has come back to Earth with a thud this season. On Saturday Lidge gave up a game-tying homer to Rafael Furcal in the ninth, despite the leaping effort of Jayson Werth, right. It was Lidge's second blown save in two days. After being perfect in converting saves to help the Phillies to the World Series title last year, Lidge now has six blown saves, three losses and a 7.27 ERA.
The nature of a closer's job is that a few bad breaks or bad pitches are magnified, but Lidge isn't simply shrugging off this season's struggles.
"The results are starting to frustrate me," Lidge said. "It just seems to be one thing. Tonight, it was the slider he hit. I don't know. I feel good, but I know something needs to change in terms of results. You've just got to get it done, and right now for whatever reason, it's not happening."
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel added a vote of confidence for Lidge: "He'll always be my guy."
For those of you who keep up with minor league prospects, you'll know the significance of the Brewers promotion of Mat Gamel yesterday. If his name is unfamiliar to you, familiarize yourself with one of the top 100 prospects (Baseball America #34, MLB #23 & Baseball Prospectus #58) in all of baseball.
Through 33 games (119 at-bats) Gamel is batting .336/.428/.647 for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He also has 11 doubles and eight home runs. This kid can really mash the ball and he's been doing it his whole career.
Since being selected in the fourth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Gamel has never hit below .288 for a season and has a career minor league batting average of .308. Last season he hit 20 home runs and 35 doubles while driving in 99. So, as you can see, Mat Gamel can hit the ball.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.
MLB Power Rankings:Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
Let me put this simply: you want no part of being No. 1 in the FanHouse MLB Power Rankings. It just brings discord, losing and possibly suspensions to your baseball team. Such was the case with the white-hot Dodgers and Manny Ramirez, who now have to deal with a 50 game-ban of their star slugger. Who's doomed this week? Let's just say that no one would be too shocked if they weren't there again next Wednesday.
Despite a disappointing 2009 season, the Brewers confirmed Sunday that they will bring manager Ken Macha back in 2010 with a team option for 2011. In fact, most of Macha's staff will be back, with only interim pitching coach Chris Bosio and bullpen coach Stan Kyles not being offered contracts. 
Starting Five
MLB Power Rankings
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in 
ST. LOUIS -- 
If one theme has emerged during the first half of the 2009 season in the National League, it's that it's 
Starting Five
For those of you who keep up with minor league prospects, you'll know the significance of the Brewers promotion of 
