The series is tied 1-1 through two cold, rainy games of baseball. Anthony Reyes threw a gem in matchup of two rookies in Game 1, retiring 17 straight at one point. Then, the soon-to-be 42-year-old southpaw, Kenny Rogers, improved to 3-0 in the postseason with an eight-inning, two-hit masterpiece. No. 2 hitter Craig Monroe’s solo home run in the first proved to be the only offense Detroit needed. The series now shifts to St. Louis for three.

Once the World Series wraps up, the offseason will officially begin and regular season awards and free agency isn’t too far to follow. A ton of intriguing names will be available to seek new employment this winter. In this edition of Inside the Numbers, we’ll break down a bunch of players that will be exploring the possibilities of free agency and put a few of 2006’s top performers under the microscope.

2006-07 Free Agents
OF Barry Bonds, SF – Bonds made $19.1 million last year with the Giants. He’s 22 home runs shy of breaking Hank Aaron’s career record of 755, but San Francisco will not be willing to open their checkbooks nearly that wide again. He could examine the American League so he could DH – and that basically means the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and possibly Athletics (if he wants to stay in the Bay area). If he breaks Aaron’s mark, this will most likely be his final season in the bigs.

SP Mark Buehrle, CHW – The southpaw endured his worst season in his seven-year stint with the White Sox in ’06, finishing 12-13 with a 4.99 ERA. His strikeouts were dramatically down, his innings took a hit and his he registered his lowest win total since his rookie campaign. Despite the poor numbers, somebody is still going to pay the guy rather generously. He’s capable of being at least a No. 2 starter in just about any rotation.

SP Roger Clemens, HOU – The 43-year-old is still one of the best hurlers in the game. He finished with a MLB-best 2.30 ERA in pitcher-friendly Houston. However, the anemic offense behind him backed him to a paltry 7-6 record. That’s a horrible record considering the Rocket allowed two or less earned runs in 16 of his 19 starts. If he wants another shot at a championship, he could go back to Boston or New York. He’s got nothing to prove, so the main question surrounding him is his motivation.

SP Tom Glavine, NYM – There has been a lot of speculation recently that Glavine could return to Atlanta for his final season in the majors next year. He needs 10 wins to hit the amazing 300-win mark and might elect to return to the Braves for family reasons. He finished 2006 with a formidable 15-7 record, and is 48-48 in four seasons with the Mets.

SP Greg Maddux, LA – For a guy that throws in the mid-80’s normally, Maddux is a marvel on the mound. He’s won at least 15 games in 18 of the past 19 seasons, and enjoyed a rebirth in Los Angeles following a deadline deal. He’s 40 now, and believe it or not, that’s not really old for a crafty veteran pitcher like him. It would be interesting if Glavine and Maddux reunited in Atlanta in ’07.

SP Mark Mulder, STL – Mulder has been a forgotten man in the Cardinals march for a title. The lanky lefty finished his season with a horrid 6-7 record to go along with a mind-boggling 7.14 ERA. He went 1-6 in his final eight starts because of a shoulder injury and cut his season short in late August. He had successful arthriscopic surgery on his left shoulder and is expected to need 10-12 months of rehab. So in a best-case scenario, he’ll be back at midseason for the Cards. He’ll likely stay in St. Louis for a one- or two-year deal.

OF Gary Sheffield, NYY – With the return of Hideki Matsui, the addition of Bobby Abreu and the breaking-out of Melky Cabrera and the presence of Johnny Damon, there is just no room in the outfield for Sheff. He’s got a $13 option in 2007, so there’s a good chance the Bombers will let the 37-year-old walk. Wherever he lands though, expect strong production.

National League Rants

Ryan Howard hit 58 home runs for the Phillies this season, but just two in his final 20 games. He shattered Mike Schmidt’s team record of 48 that had lasted for 26 years. He hit .366 over the final two months and was named NL Player of the Month both times. After Philadelphia traded the late Cory Lidle and Abreu to New York at the deadline, the 23-year-old first baseman hit 23 HR to keep them in the race until the final day of the season. "Without him, we wouldn't be close to making the playoffs," teammate Chase Utley said. "Ryan carried us in the second half. They gave him the Barry Bonds treatment." But is it all enough to top Albert Pujols in the MVP race? Trivia: 1.) How many players have hit more home runs than Howard’s 58?

Brandon Webb was one of the most outstanding pitchers all season long. The sinkerball specialist started the season out with an 8-0 record through April and May with an ERA of 2.00. His 16 wins were a National League high, tying with Aaron Harang, Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Carlos Zambrano. Webb’s main competition for the award has got to be reigning winner Chris Carpenter (15-8, 3.09, 184) and Roy Oswalt (15-8, 2.98).

Freddy Sanchez led the National League with a .344 average. It’s scary to think that he spent most of April on the bench. Joe Randa was the starting third baseman initially, but an injury on May 1st, put Sanchez into the everyday role and he never looked back. He was one of only a few players that hit over .300 every single month of the year. Miguel Cabrera finished second in the race with a .339 clip. Sanchez also was named to the All-Star team and got his 200th hit on the final day of the season. Trivia: 2.) Who has won the most batting titles in each league since 1980?

American League Rants

David Ortiz went deep 32 times on the road this season, tying Babe Ruth’s all-time American League record (Bonds has the all-time record with 36). He finished the season with an AL-leading 54 HR and 137 RBI. Both were tops in the AL – Jermaine Dye was a distant second with 44 HR. The past three seasons the debate has increased each year; Can a DH win the MVP? Alex Rodriguez edged him in ’05 and Yankee teammate Jeter could do the same this year.

Derek Jeter (.343) finished second in the batting race to Joe Mauer (.347) with Robinson Cano (.342) a close third. Jeter swiped a career-high 34 bases, scored runs and helped lead the Yankees to their ninth straight division title. His presence in a Yankee uniform is not measurable in pure stats though. While Ortiz doesn’t play any defense, Jeter plays spectacular defense on one of the most difficult positions on the diamond for half the game. The “Defensive Spectrum,” invented by Bill James, orders the eight non-pitcher positions on the field from easiest to hardest: DH - 1B – LF – RF – 3B – CF – 2B – SS – C. The writers will have the final say in determining the winner, but the fact that Jeter plays twice as much baseball can speak volumes on his defense. Trivia – 3.) How many AL Catchers won a batting title before Mauer?

If Johan Santana doesn’t win his second Cy Young award, it will be a crying shame. The southpaw led the league in everything, including wins (19), strikeouts (245), ERA (2.77), WHIP (1.00), BAA (.216) and innings (233.2 IP). He’s 55-19 the past three years and his ERA has been below 3.00 each season. Chien-Ming Wang (19-6, 3.63 ERA) will get some votes, as will Roy Halladay (16-5, 3.19 ERA), but this Twin will soon have twin Cy Young’s to put on his mantle.

Answers: 1.) 5. Barry Bonds 73; Mark McGwire 70,65; Sammy Sosa 66,64,63; Roger Maris 61; Babe Ruth 60,59. 2.) NL Tony Gwynn 8, AL Wade Boggs 5 3.) zero – Mauer is the first

Questions, comments, quandaries? Contact me at tycoon4477@hotmail.com