According to Rawlings, the American League Gold Glover winners are as follows:

American League

P - Mike Mussina - Yankees

C - Joe Mauer - Twins

1st - Carlos Pena - Rays

2nd - Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox

3rd - Adrian Beltre - Mariners

SS - Michael Young - Rangers

OF - Tori Hunter - Angels

OF - Grady Sizemore - Indians

OF - Ichiro Suzuki - Mariners

…According to a report in USA Today, New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman confirmed that the team would like to have Andy Pettitte back in 2009. [USA Today]

…Speaking of the Yankees they seem to have their eyes on Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron, who just had his option picked up. The Yankees are prepared to offer Melky Cabrera and pitching to get Cameron. [New York Post]

…Buster Olney is reporting that the Washington Nationals are preparing to make a significant offer to Mark Teixeira, but they’re competing with the Angles, Red Sox, and Yankees in that department. [ESPN Insider]

…It looks as though Curt Schilling would be open to return to the Philadelphia Phillies next season. Though from the looks of it, it’s just Schilling doing the talking at this point. [Philadelphia Daily News]

…The Detroit Tigers are looking for a short term fix for shortstop in 2009, as they have a prospect who should be ready for the major leagues once 2010 rolls around. So you can most likely take Orlando Cabrera and Rafael Furcal off the list of potential free agents at the shortstop position for the Tigers. [Detroit Free Press]

…Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti said the door is open for pitcher Greg Maddux to return to the Dodgers if he decides he wants to pitch another year. Maddux’s agent Scott Boras recently told the press that Maddux is more than likely going to retire. [Dodgers]

…Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn will remain at San Diego State University as their baseball coach for the next three years. Known more as Mr. Padre, he is also Mr. Aztec as SDSU is his alma mater. [CBS]

“Now that the contract has been signed, we can move forward and concentrate on our aim of making Aztec baseball a perennial contender both in the Mountain West Conference as well as nationally,” Gwynn said in a statement released by the school Wednesday.

“I remain fully committed to my job here at San Diego State and look forward to working with my staff and players toward these goals.”

The other night, my company softball team was drowning its sorrows at a local public house after another crushing defeat (we’ve gotten pretty good at this). Perhaps it was the PBR talking, but a teammate whom we shall call “Andy” made the bold proclamation that Manny Ramirez is the best hitter going today. This is an oft-repeated sentiment, given Manny’s standing as a “hitting savant.”

Even so, I couldn’t sit idly by and let this statement go unchallenged. I put in a word for Albert Pujols, who will likely be the godfather of my child, whether he knows it or not. Andy would have none of it.

The problem with smoke-filled bars is that, while most are equipped with Golden Tee, few have easy access to the intrawebs and the resources contained therein. So I had to wait a while to do the research necessary to form any meaningful conclusion that didn’t involve fisticuffs.

To get as much data as possible, let’s look at career numbers rather than 2008 or 2006-2008. Keep in mind that we’re talking about batting, pure and simple. Fielding, baserunning, baseball IQ, and “Manny being Manny” are not on the table in this particular debate.

Looking at bare-bones rate stats, Manny checks in at .314/.411/.593. That’s not too shabby. Albert, though, clocks a .344/.425/.624 line. If you want to level the playing field a bit, look at Adjusted OPS (using Baseball-Reference.com’s calculations). The advantage still goes to Albert, 163 to 155.

“Hey,” you might say, “Albert’s only 28. You’re counting Manny’s decline phase against him. Isn’t it possible that Manny was as awesome as Albert (if not more so) at that point in his career?”

Fair enough. Albert debuted as a 21-year-old and played a full season. Manny debuted as a 21-year-old but didn’t play a full season until he was 23. So let’s throw in Manny’s age 29 season. From 1993-2001, Manny’s line is .312/.406/.594. His highest adjusted OPS during this time was 186 in 2000. Albert has two seasons better than that: 190 in 2008 and 187 in 2003. Also, Albert’s lowest +OPS is 151 (his  “sophomore slump” in 2002). Manny had four full seasons lower than that by the time he turned 30.

Let’s take a look at a couple other toys: Bill James’ Black Ink and Gray Ink tests. Again, I’m using the numbers freely available on Baseball-Reference.com, which is quite possibly the best thing since “The Humpty Dance.” Albert already leads Manny in these career-based metrics, even though he’s been playing for half as long. Albert rates a 24 on the Black Ink test and a 163 on the Gray Ink test. Manny, meanwhile, checks in at 21 and 154, respectively. You can argue about differences in league, competition, etc., but I don’t think those factors outweigh Albert’s utter dominance at the plate.

Remember, we’re just talking about hitting here. If we factored in baserunning and defense, I suspect (OK, I guaran-damn-tee) that Albert’s lead would be even bigger. But that’s not the point. I’m hesitant to call Albert Pujols under-rated, because that is often the first step toward over-rating a player. I just don’t think his greatness is fully comprehended.

Maybe it’s because he plays in St. Louis. Maybe it’s because he’s not a character. It doesn’t really matter, though. The numbers speak for themselves.