Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

In the midst of a disappointing season for the Twins, Jose Berrios put up some productive numbers. In his second season as a fulltime starter, he won 12, with a shutout among his two complete games and exceeded 200 strikeouts for the first time. I caught him in action March 9th in an exhibition game against the Rays in Port Charlotte.

From August 28th, 2018: Yankee DH Luke Voit chose not to swing. Take note of how the ball is clearly visible in the glove of White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez. Stitches, even part of the branding. Shooting from just behind section 216 at Yankee Stadium gave me just the right angle to capture the moment.

...to settle disputed plays than the current replay-review system? Forcing the umpires and the replay technician to huddle on the field and communicate with MLB headquarters takes time, and doesn't always work out best. Have you noticed in the NFL that the referee views challenged plays on a tablet? That might be a good alternative. And why can't the umpires ask the stadium video crew to rerun or even freeze frame a play on the big video board? All the parks -- even the century-old Wrigley and Fenway -- are so equipped. I respect the fact that technology can help provide more accuracy on determining close or disputed plays... but... When you heard talk about "speeding up the game" and making it more fan-friendly, perhaps an updated replay-review system could be incorporated. Hit the "comment" button below and leave your thoughts on whether the replay system needs some tweaks. ( My image of the pow-wow is from last the Mets/Padres game on July 24th. )...

Thursday's big free agent news was Nelson Cruz signing with the Twins. Now 38, Cruz has been a steady power source -- he's slugged 22 or more homers for 10 straight seasons, and 37 or more each of the last five. The "back of his baseball card" shows 360 career homers with no sign of slowing down. Cruz will also bring a veteran presence -- a bilingual big brother who can help younger Latino players assimilate into U.S. culture, as he did years ago.

Adeiny Hechavarria is almost a throwback, a defense-first infielder. Whether as a Blue Jay, Marlin, Pirate or Yankee, he's turned in solid glovework. That .980 fielding percentage speaks rather loudly. The Yankees brought him aboard late in 2018, to provide dependable late inning defense. You noticed that in both the Wild Card game and ALDS, he entered mid-game because Aaron Boone trusted his glove more than that of Miguel Andujar. With Didi Gregorius expected to miss roughly half of 2019, there's been buzz about the Yankees looking at Manny Machado as the short term replacement. But he'll cost a mountain of money. If the Yankees expoect Didi back, even by August, wouldn't a good glove man, who can easily slide back to a utility role, be easier on the wallet? Keep in mind, the Yankees come into 2019 with Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Aaron Hicks, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton and hopefully, a return to form from Gary Sanchez. They'll have no trouble sco...

With no movement involving baseball's two top free agents, you have to wonder if Giancarlo Stanton 's pricey presence in the Yankee lineup is holding Brian Cashman back from going after Bryce Harper... There's no doubt that in his first Yankee season, Stanton was productive, with 38 homers and 100 RBIs, but was he a game changer? What amount of fear he did he strike into opposing pitchers -- who struck him out more than 200 times? Did the Yankees other twin tower come up short next to homegrown star Aaron Judge? With all the new-age metrics being used, has anyone really determined a way to measure clutch? Or does that still fit under the heading of old fashioned subjective judgment? If Cashman could forsee Harper would still be a free agent at the tail end of 2018, do you think that he might have passed on that "too good to be true" deal with Miami that brought Stanton to the Bronx a year ago? ( My image of Stanton is from the Yankees/Phillies exhibition in ...

...you share it with the stolen base king and greatest lead off hitter of all time, Rickey Henderson ... and Phillies rookie pitcher Enyel de los Santos , who appeared in seven big league games during 2018 while posting some impressive Triple A numbers at Lehigh Valley. If you enjoy a little baseball numerology, try this: Henderson, who wore 35 and then 24 as an Athletic (as well as 24 during his Yankee days), only wore 25 -- matching his birthdate -- for 30 games over his 25 seasons. That was at the final stop of his career with the 2003 Dodgers. My image of Henderson is from the Yankees 2015 Old Timers Day; I was on hand at Citi Field July 10th, to see de los Santos in his major league debut against the Mets.

From the Twins/Rays exhibition game on March 9th, Brock Stassi  apparently didn't like the look of this pitch. Just the right angle to capture the threads on the ball and the Tampa Bay catcher Xorge Carillo preparing to grab it.

From August 11th at Yankee Stadium: Rangers righthander Drew Hutchinson works against the Yankees. Another of those fortunate moments: sitting in the field boxes behind home plate, I caught a look at the seams as the ball headed toward home plate.

I've attended Grapefruit League games since the mid-'80s, but it took until 2018 for me to get to Bradenton, the winter home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are traditions you love -- small, simple touches that sybolize the nature of baseball's pre-season. The handwritten lineups (for this game between the Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays) are a good example. The gift shop honors the great Pirate of the post-World War II era, the incomparable Roberto Clemente. A perfect Florida setting: the smaller ballpark, the close-in seating, the palm trees framing the grandstand. Just the right scale and, of course, the sun-splashed warmth.

Two free agents, both who've primarily been 2nd basemen, came off the boards on Thursday:  Ian Kinsler   got a two-year deal with the Padres, while Daniel Murphy took his still-capable bat to the Rockies. Kinsler earned a World Series ring as a member of the 2018 champion Red Sox. Murphy also has World Series experience with the 2015 Mets, who came up short against the Royals. Can these two mid-priced players pay dividends for their new teams? Or has time taken a toll? Both Kinsler and Murphy are in their mid-30s, which for so many is no longer the prime but the twilight of a player's career. ( My image of Kinsler is from the Tigers/Yankees game on July 31st, 2017; I captured Murphy when the Nationals visited the Yanks on June 12th, 2018 .)

From August 21st, 2007: Aaron Rowand , with that very distinctive batting stance, faces the Dodgers' Mark Hendrickson at Citizens Bank Park. An all star and golden glove winner that season, Rowand batted .309, with 27 home runs, 89 runs batted in, and 6 stolen bases. Taking advantage of the Mets late-season collapse, the Phils made the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Rowand cashed in on his career season, signing a five-year free agent contract that winter with the Giants, while the Phils replaced him with Shane Victorino and went onto win the 2008 World Series -- and reached the post-season in 2009-2011 as well. Do you think Rowand ever had second thoughts on leaving Philadelphia? (Right: a giant baseball-card size poster of Rowand, posted just inside the left field gate of Citizens Bank Park, where "today's lineup" used to be displayed before games.)

There were times during Matt Harvey 's Mets tenure that he appeared ready to write his name in team history alongside such beloved Flushing names as Seaver, Koosman, Gooden and Darling. But his star-crossed history at Flushing produced flashes of brilliance, amidst career-changing injuries, bouts of ineffectiveness and occasional less than-Boy Scout grade behavior. After a stumbling start and off-field issues, the Mets traded him to the Reds last May. Pitching out of the limelight and New York's more aggressive media, the onetime Dark Knight found his footing again, finishing 7-7 and claiming a spot among the second-tier starting pitchers in this winter's free agent class. Now, he's on his way to Anaheim, having signed a one-year deal with the Angels, who will try again to build a contender around cornerstones Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the DH-only version of Shohei Ohtani. The money is relatively modest; the tenure short, as Harvey tries to work himself back int...

...you share it with the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. Ronald Acuna Junior got off to a fast start with the Braves -- with four multi-hit games out of six once the Braves recalled him in late April. He and Ozzie Albies look to be the top of the lineup cornerstones for Atlanta for years to come. As an aside, is he already baseball's best Junior since Ken Griffey?? He shares December 18th with: Chris Carter , who did one thing well: hit home runs. But he struck out every third at-bat (check the stats. 951 times in 2853 times up) while clearing the fences 158 times for the A's, Astros, Brewers and Yankees. Moose Skowron was born on this date in 1930. A steady Yankees contributor between 1954 and '62, he hit .294 and smacked 165 homers playing half his games in the Bronx with its then humongous "Death Valley" left- and center-field. I captured this image of Moose with Joe Pepitone, who took his place as the Yankee 1st baseman in 1963, a...

After weeks of rumors surrounding Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, the Mets new front office cast their eyes elsewhere. Sunday, came word that the talented but injury-prone Wilson Ramos had agreed to a two-year deal. A .273 lifetime batter, who hit over .300 and belted 15 homers while splitting 2018 between the Rays and Phillies, he looks like a good short-term solution for the "win now" Mets. A word of warning, he's had two major knee surgeries and lost a lot of time last year -- reducing him to just pinch hitting for a while -- due to nagging hamstring injury. Now 31, Ramos can be an impact player at Citi Field, as long as he can stay on the field and contribute. Still, he's a major upgrade over Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. And GM Brodie Van Wagonen didn't have to send any of his core homegrown players Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario, or soon-to-be pricey but ultra-talented Noah Syndergaard, to upgrade the catching position. ...

Here's a Subway Series Spring Training flashback from March 10th: Brandon Nimmo doesn't quite connect on a Luis Cessa pitch. That's Austin Romine catching. On the other hand, Jose Reyes decides it's best to keep the bat on his shoulder.

Did you read about Friday's trade where the Indians sent veteran 1st baseman Yonder Alonso to the White Sox? The Coral Gables, Florida product has remade himself into a power hitter the last two seasons, smacking 28 and 23 homers. But with Carlos Santana returning to the cost-conscious Indians, he became a fifth wheel. But there's another aspect to this move: Alonso is the brother-in-law and off-season workout partner of free agent Manny Machado. With the ChiSox among the clubs most aggressively pursuing the ex-Oriole and Dodger, could importing a pal and family member be a strong inducement to lure Manny to Guaranteed Rate Field? ( My image of Alonso is from the April 20th, 2016 A's/Yankees game in New York .)

Carlos Santana is about to begin his second act in Cleveland. Jeurys Familia is set to do the same in New York. Two of the more interesting transactions from baseball's just-concluded Winter Meetings involved the Mariners sending Santana back to Cleveland, with the less costly Edwin Encarnacion replacing him as Seattle's DH for 2019; and the Mets raising eyebrows by re-uniting with Familia, whom they'd traded to Oakland last summer. But their roles will be different this time around: Santana will be Cleveland's DH, while Familia after 123 Mets saves, will serve as Edwin Diaz's primary set-up man. Both clubs have post-season hopes for 2019, so there'll be plenty of pressure on both players. That pressure, however, will occur, in familiar settings. ( My image of Santana is from the Indians/Yankees game at Progressive Field on July 8th, 2016; I captured Familia on the mound during the Mets/Giants NL Wild Card Game in October that same year. )

Pretty impressive for a sport about to mark its 150th anniversary yesterday, when baseball had its first-ever.... Tanner for Tanner trade. The Nationals sent veteran righthander Tanner Roark to the Reds for rookie reliever Tanner Rainey . The trade makes sense for Washington, who just signed Patrick Corbin to a massive free agent contract to join Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg at the top of the rotation. Now a year away from free agency, Roark slumped to 9-15 last season. And shedding his expected $10 million salary from arbitration will help to balance the books with Corbin coming aboard. Rainey showed plenty of promise as a Triple A reliever in 2018, going 7-2 mostly in middle relief. So instead of letting Roark walk away in a year with no return, Nats GM Mike Rizzo lands a lottery ticket with payroll relief. ( My image of Roark is from the September 4th, 2016 Nats/Mets game at Citi Field .)

Were you surprised by the Phillies signing Andrew McCutchen as a free agent? Three years and $50 million for a 32-year old, 10-year veteran whose best days are behind him appears excessive, even in today's marketplace. Sure, the longtime Pirate brings skills, but he's gone three years since hitting .280 and his speed and range have diminished enough that he's now a corner outfielder. On the other hand, with Carlos Santana traded to the Mariners, the Phils needed a veteran leader -- and "Cutch" is widely admired for his clubhouse presence. And he still works walks -- his on-base percentage last year was .368 -- and well over .400 after being traded to the contending Yankees. With Rhys Hoskins moving back to 1st place, Gabe Kapler needed an everyday left fielder. So, he checks a lot of boxes. Having watched him up close in his 25 late season games with the Yanks, I thought McCutchen would wind up settling for two years and $25 million. To see him get an additi...

This March, the Red Sox featured a special display honoring the 100th birthdays of franchise icons Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr . Both born in 1918, and both starred in the late 1930s and '40s -- with their time in the majors interrupted by military service. Let's zoom in at Fenway South for the story and some of the photos posted by the team honoring two legendary Californians, who wrote their respective tickets to the Cooperstown in Boston.

...you share it with Padres outfielder and 1st baseman Will Myers . The 2013 AL Rookie of the Year with the Rays has emphasized power over average since becoming a Padre in 2015. He's hoping to bounce back in 2019, after missing nearly half of last season with various injuries including a bruised foot. He did produce one somewhat bizarre 2018 highlight: On July 7th, he belted three home runs in a game San Diego lost 20-5 to the Diamondbacks. ( My image of Myers is from the Mets/Padres game on July 24th, 2018. ) Also on today's cake and candles list: Nestor Cortes , a Yankee farm system lefty whom the Orioles took in last year's Rule 5 draft. After appearing in four major league games for Baltimore, they returned him to the Yankees, where he spent most of 2018 as a starter, going 6-6 for Triple A Scranton. (My image of Cortes is from July 2017, while pitching for the Yankees AA team in Trenton.) Luis Polonia , the speedy outfielder who twice stole 50 or more base...

Growing up in the early and mid-'60s, Yankee broadcasters, especially Red Barber, referred to Yankee Stadium as "the big ballpark." And while today's Stadium doesn't have the near-70,000 capacity of its hallowed predecessor, it is truly a massive structure. The deeper concourses and "people space" behind the seating bowl make a big difference. With the current grandstands sloping backward a bit more, its footprint is even larger.

The baseball world was stunned this week by news that Jose Valbuena and Jose Castillo had died in a car wreck during the winter ball season in Venezuela. The story took a darker turn Friday as we learned the crash was no accident -- their car was sabotaged by a rock on a roadway, with the intention of stopping their car so they could be robbed. We've all read about the crime-ridden impoverished life facing many Venezuelans. But this is not a place for politics -- baseball should be our oasis from the uncertainty and tension that dominate the front pages. Instead, brazen criminals took the lives of two of the people who helped made our oasis; Valbuena played 11 seasons in the majors, Castillo, five. We mourn their lives cut short, we pray for their families. We're all reminded that even the space where we try and separate ourselves from ugly headlines can be invaded and soiled. ( My image of Valbuena is from the April 6th, 2016 Astros/Yankees game. )

Jonathan Schoop went from baseball's worst team, the Orioles, to one of the best, the Brewers, during 2018. But his numbers went the other way -- from disappointing to flat-out bad. That, from someone considered one of the game's rising stars the previous few seasons. He wasn't supposed to be part of this winter's free agent crop, but showed so little in his time with Milwaukee -- hitting .202 and striking out a third of the time -- that the Brew Crew non tendered him. The Curacao native will get his chance for redemption in Minnesota, where he signed a one-year contract on Thursday. He'll join C.J. Cron and new skipper Rocco Baldelli on a club that is looking to erase the collective disappointment of 2018. A year away from free agency, Schoop will get the chance to beef up his value and again prove he's one of the game's best middle infielders. ( My image of Jonathan Schoop is from the September 14th, 2017 Orioles/Yankees game in New York ....

While looking unsuccessfully for a photo of Patrick Corbin -- who signed with the Nats on Tuesday -- I found my image of a very young Didi Gregorius with the Diamondbacks. It's from the D'backs/Mets game on July 1st, 2013. It's hard to believe how ordinary he was in an Arizona uniform. Two years later, he was a Yankee, where by the end of 2015, he showed the skills that convinced Brian Cashman's analytics team to bring him to the Bronx. Following recent Tommy John Surgery, the Yankees are looking to fill his very large shoes for at least the first half of next season.

After looking through my archive, I realized that I've never seen Patrick Corbin pitch in person. So if I couldn't come up with an image of the pitcher who lands in Washington for a six-year, $140 million mega-deal, here's a look at the ballpark he'll call home.

On Players Weekend 2017, Jean Segura chose to go by El Mambo. Starting in '19, Phillies phans will know him as the club's everyday shortstop. Monday, in the latest step in Seattle's reboot, the Mariners swapped Segura and pitchers Juan Nicasio and James Pazos to the Phillies for veteran 1st baseman Carlos Santana and former top prospect, shortstop J.P. Crawford. With four years at roughly $17 million a season left on his contract, the Phils get a cost-certain .300 hitter to solidify shortstop for the first time since Jimmy Rollins' heyday. And they rid themselves of their biggest free agent mistake in recent years, the player whose arrival forced prized 2017 rookie Rhys Hoskins to make an unsuccessful switch to left field. Give Matt Klentak credit for admitting that having both Santana and Hoskins together on a National League club made no sense. And instead of just dumping the former Indian for another bad contract, he filled his hole at shortstop with a solid ve...

While we're still waiting to see here the top of free agent class goes, some notable trades were firmed up over the weekend: the Mariners sending Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the Mets; Jean Segura is apparently on his way to the Phillies; and the Indians swap Yan Gomes for Nats pitcher Jefry Rodriguez and a pair of prospects. Now 31, baseball's first Brazilian-born player -- who grew up in Miami -- has shown good power and an improved eye at the plate. But with the Indians looking to get younger and cheaper while remaining ahead of their weaker AL Central rivals, moving Gomes made sense. He's likely never to be worth more than he is right now, and catchers -- unless your name is Pudge Rodriguez -- tend to age more rapidly than those at other positions. So being locked into $9- and $11 million options for his age 32 and 33 seasons didn't make fiscal sense to Cleveland. The Nats, who've been hosting a catching carousel in recent seasons, feel Gomes and recent ...

Avisail Garcia and Wilmer Flores were two of the more surprising players let go by their teams Friday, the deadline for tendering 2019 contracts. With both players arbitration elligible, their respective clubs apparently decided that they no longer provided value from their expected salaries. An all star in 2017, Garcia battled injury problems this past season. Even though limited to 93 games, he smacked 19 home runs. But his strikeout numbers soared, as his batting average plummeted from .330 to .236. A Citi Field fan favorite, Flores never grabbed a fulltime job. A far more effective hitter against lefties with clear defensive limitations, he clearly didn't impress the Mets new front office leaders Brodie Van Wagonen, Ruben Amaro and Allard Baird. But he had a knack for coming through in big moments -- his four walk-off homers are the most in franchise history. And Mets fans will never forget the moment he cried when he thought he was about to be traded to the Brewers, in a ...

From August 28th at Yankee Stadium: after Aaron Hicks homered against the White Sox, he shares an elbow bump with teammate Giancarlo Stanton, whom he drove in with that 8th inning blast. Sitting in the bleachers, I had the perfect angle to capture their celebration.