The first round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft is set

By D.J. ShortJan 20, 2011, 12:57 PM EDT
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Carl Pavano was the final Type A free agent left on the board. And now that he has re-signed with the Twins, the first-round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft is officially set.

Courtesy of Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, let’s take a look at the field:

1. Pittsburgh Pirates

2. Seattle Mariners

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

4. Baltimore Orioles

5. Kansas City Royals

6. Washington Nationals

7. Arizona Diamondbacks (for unsigned Loux)

8. Cleveland Indians

9. Chicago Cubs

10. San Diego Padres (for unsigned Whitson)

11. Houston Astros

12. Milwaukee Brewers

13. New York Mets

14. Florida Marlins

15. Milwaukee Brewers (for unsigned Covey)

16. Los Angeles Dodgers

17. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

18. Oakland Athletics

19. Boston Red Sox (from Tigers for Victor Martinez)

20. Colorado Rockies

21. Toronto Blue Jays

22. St. Louis Cardinals

23. Washington Nationals (from White Sox for Adam Dunn)

24. Tampa Bay Rays (from Red Sox for Carl Crawford)

25. San Diego Padres

26. Boston Red Sox (from Rangers for Adrian Beltre)

27. Cincinnati Reds

28. Atlanta Braves

29. San Francisco Giants

30. Minnesota Twins

31. Tampa Bay Rays (from Yankees for Rafael Soriano)

32. Tampa Bay Rays

33. Texas Rangers (from Phillies for Cliff Lee)

Because Barret Loux, Karsten Whitson and Dylan Covey were unsigned, there will be 33 selections in the first-round, the most ever.

Felipe Lopez, the final Type B free agent who was offered arbitration by his former club, has yet to sign a contract this offseason, so the supplemental first-round portion of the draft may still change.

Astros name Justin Verlander ALCS MVP

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By Ashley VarelaOct 22, 2017, 10:45 AM EDT
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Following the Astros’ decisive 4-0 shutout over the Yankees on Saturday night, the team crowned ace Justin Verlander the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series. Hall of Fame outfielder and former MLB manager Frank Robinson handed the award to Verlander, who was beaming as he thanked his teammates and members of the Astros’ organization.

“I’ve got to say, it came down to the wire, and one thing kept going off in my head was Dallas,” Verlander told the crowd gathered at Minute Maid Park. “When he called me, he said that I won’t regret my decision to join the Houston Astros. And here we are right now, it’s the best feeling in the world. We’ve got four more wins to win a World Series, and I do not regret my decision to come here. This is the best feeling a player can have. So, thank you.”

Among a cast that boasted the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Dallas Keuchel, among others, Verlander was spectacular. He locked down a complete game win in Game 2, holding the Yankees to one run on five hits and a walk and striking out a postseason-high 13 batters. In Game 6, he saved the Astros from elimination with seven scoreless innings, helping propel the club to their eventual 7-1 finish that set up their series-clinching finale on Saturday.

The 34-year-old righty also took his place among some postseason greats. Thanks to an eight-strikeout outing on Friday night, his collective 136 postseason strikeouts are good for sixth-most in MLB playoff history, just a smidgen shy of Tom Glavine (143), Mike Mussina (145), Roger Clemens (173), Andy Pettitte (183) and John Smoltz (199). He also joined Bob Gibson, Curt Schilling and Sandy Koufax as one of just four hurlers to strike out 20+ Yankees in a postseason series.