Here are the players who had breakout seasons, yet received little attention from the National Media.

Ricky Nolasco - Of the three Cy Young candidates (Santana, Lincecum, Webb), Nolasco had the fewest walks and best WHIP among those pitchers. In his last 20 starts, he walked more than one batter just once. Despite pitching less innings than Webb, he had more strikeouts and had a better Batting Average Against than Webb. For a pitcher who went 15-8, he flew under the radar this season.

Grant Balfour - 6-2 with 4 saves and an ERA of 1.54 with a 0.89 WHIP helps explain why the Rays bullpen was so good this season. Despite pitching less innings, he had more strikeouts than Mariano Rivera and K-Rod.

Dioner Navarro - Who saw a .295 average coming? He didn't hit for much power, but he had timely hits and did a great job with the young pitching staff.

Scott Downs - In 70 innings, had a 1.78 ERA and held opponents to just 3HR.

Alexei Ramirez - His clutch grand slam aside, Ramirez had 20HR and 73RBI for the White Sox. Ramirez was a relative unknown before the season, but that's not the case anymore. His versatility is also a plus.

Jose Arredondo - Who? His first year with the Angels, he went 10-2 (all in relief) with a 1.62 ERA. That's pretty darn impressive.

Mike Aviles - I've already hyped him this season, but this kid can hit. Don't listen to those "experts" who call him a possible fluke. His minor league numbers DO suggest that he hits at every level. A .325 average with 419 at-bats is no fluke.

Joey Devine - 6-1 with a 0.69 ERA? With him and Zeigler, it's no wonder Huston Street is as good as gone.

Jose Lopez - Playing for lowly Mariners, he hit 17HR and had 89RBI. Who knew?

Hong-Chih Kuo - 80IP, 96K's and a 5-3 record. Kuo is a valuable pitcher in the Dodger bullpen.

Martin Prado - Little power, but a .320 batting average made him a super-sub.

Greg Dobbs - It would be interesting to see what he can do if he were a regular. In just 228 at-bats, he hit 9HR and knocked in 40RBI while hitting over .300.

Mike Fontenot - Stats almost identical to Dobbs...9HR 40RBI and a .305 average. He's the Cubs super-sub.

Skip Schumaker - Power numbers were nothing to write home about, but a .302 average and 87 runs scored speaks volumes.

Clint Barmes - Up one year, down the next...but this was a good year for Barmes who hit .290 and had 44RBI in limited at-bats.


Court Adjourned!