The defenseman’s goal gave Bryzgalov and the Coyotes the 1-0 win -- in the 15th shootout in NHL history to go at least 10 rounds. It was the 17th all-time shootout to decide a scoreless tie.

In allowing just one shootout attempt to cross the goal line, Bryzgalov showed why he has been one of the best this season when it’s one-on-one in a shootout.

Save Percentage Leaders in Shootouts, 2009-10
(minimum 15 shootout attempts faced)

Goalie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GA . . . . Att. . . . . .Pct
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit . . . . . .1 . . . . . 15. . . . . .93.3
Alex Auld, Dal. . . . . . . . . . . .2. . . . . . 15. . . . . .86.7
Semyon Varlamov, Was . . . . . 3. . . . . . 20. . . . . .85.0
Ilya Bryzgalov, Pho. . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . .34. . . . . .76.5
Johan Hedberg, Atl. . . . . . . .5. . . . . . .21. . . . . .76.2

No one who has faced more than 20 shootout attempts can top Bryzgalov’s save percentage. And his save rate would be that much better if not for the four goals allowed in eight shootout attempts in a Dec. 10 loss to the Los Angeles Kings—a game that tied the NHL record for most shootout goals scored (7). Take away that loss, and Bryzgalov is 22-for-26 in shootout saves (84.6 percent).

In Tuesday night’s win, Bryzgalov executed a pair of nifty poke-checks to thwart shootout attempts before a shot was made. Twice more a poke-check failed, but the Russian veteran made strong pad saves with lightning-fast V-drops that kept the puck out of the net.

When Nashville’s Shea Weber rifled the last shot of the game wide of the net, the Coyotes had won for the eighth time in their last 10 games. They had improved to 6-4 in shootout action this season.

Bryzgalov’s shootout record is 5-3. One of those losses was to the Kings on Dec. 10. In the other two shootout defeats -- in both ends of a home-and-home series with San Jose to close out December -- the Coyotes failed to score a shootout goal in nine attempts against the Sharks’ Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss.

The Predators’ Rinne wasn’t too bad himself on Tuesday night, allowing only two shootout goals in 10 attempts. He improved to 15-for-21 in shootout saves, good for a 71.4 save percentage.

The chart leader is Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and it’s no accident that the Penguins, at 7-0, are the only undefeated team in shootouts this season. Fleury has secured five of those victories, stopping all but one shootout attempt. The Penguins have made quick work of opponents in those five games, scoring on nine of 14 shootout attempts.

You probably wouldn’t think of Mark Hendrickson, the 6-foot-9 left-hander who was 6-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 11 starts and 42 relief appearances for the Orioles last season. The former NBA player was far more effective as a reliever, posting a 3.44 ERA and consistently retiring the first batter he faced upon entering a game.

Among relievers who pitched at least 40 games in 2009, Hendrickson allowed the lowest OBP to the first batter.

Lowest OBP Allowed to First Batter by Relievers, 2009
(minimum 40 first batters faced)

Reliever. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PA. . . . .H. . . . . .BB. . . . .OBP
Mark Hendrickson, Bal. . . . . .42. . . . . 3. . . . . . 1. . . . . .095
Alfredo Aceves, NYY. . . . . . .42. . . . . 4. . . . . . 1. . . . . .119
Joe Nathan, Min. . . . . . . . . .70. . . . . 7. . . . . . 5. . . . . .171
Andrew Bailey, Oak. . . . . . . 68. . . . . 8. . . . . . 4. . . . . .176
Dan Wheeler, TB. . . . . . . . . 69. . . . .11. . . . . .2. . . . . .194

For a reliever, retiring the first batter can go a long way in protecting a lead or snuffing out a rally. It’s something Hendrickson has done consistently throughout his career when working out of the pen. In 103 appearances as a reliever, he has allowed a .213 average (20-for-94) and .245 OBP to the first batter.

Even the first batters who have reached haven’t done much damage against the lefty. He’s given up just three doubles and two home runs in those 103 plate appearances, good for a .309 slugging percentage allowed. He was touched for one of those two homers in 2009, but he still limited the first batter to hitting percentages of .077/.095/.179 last season.

Over the last four seasons combined, Hendrickson has a 3.24 ERA, .245 OBA and 1.15 WHIP in 144.2 innings as a reliever. There are only 13 left-handed relievers who have worked at least 100 innings and posted a lower ERA during this span.

Although Hendrickson’s first-batter specialty isn’t as glitzy or a game-changer as often as a slugger’s home run or a closer getting the final out, it’s a skill every team can use. Signing Hendrickson doesn’t require draft compensation or a significant salary commitment, so it’s surprising no team has secured his signature on a contract by now.

There currently are 15 free-agent starters who made at least 10 starts in 2009, and only six of them posted ERAs below the major league average of 4.31. Six others had ERAs higher than 5.00. The ERA leader of the group is the injury-prone Erik Bedard.

2009 ERA Leaders among Remaining Free-Agent Starters
(minimum 10 starts)

Free Agent. . . . . . .GS. . . . . W-L. . . . ERA. . . .WHIP
Erik Bedard. . . . . . .15. . . . . .4-3. . . . .2.82. . . . 1.19
Joel Pineiro. . . . . . .32. . . . .15-12 . . . .3.49. . . . 1.14
Jarrod Washburn. . . 28. . . . . .9-9. . . . .3.78. . . . 1.19
Jon Garland. . . . . . .33. . . . .11-13. . . . 4.01. . . . 1.40

Doug Davis. . . . . . . .34. . . . . 9-14. . . . 4.12. . . . 1.50
Bartolo Colon. . . . . .12. . . . . .3-6 . . . . 4.19. . . . 1.44
Mark Hendrickson. . .11. . . . . .6-5 . . . . 4.37. . . . 1.42
Vicente Padilla. . . . .25. . . . .12-6 . . . . 4.46. . . . 1.43

Bedard got off to a terrific start with the Mariners last spring, but a shoulder ailment surfaced during the first half and ended his season in July. The left-hander has failed to work 100 innings in each of the last two seasons. Most of the offseason news surrounding Bedard involves a possible return to Baltimore.

The starter of the group who produced the best 2009 campaign was Joel Pineiro, who has been wildly inconsistent over his career before posting a 2009 ERA of 3.49 for the Cardinals -- his best mark as an ERA qualifier since his first full season in the majors in 2002. The right-hander had posted ERAs higher than 5.00 in three of four years prior to 2009, so there’s a big risk in signing him to a multiyear deal based on last summer’s performance.

Southpaw Jarrod Washburn had been a disappointment in his first three seasons with Seattle, going 23-43 with a 4.55 ERA before executing a big turnaround with the Mariners in 2009. There was a big dropoff after an August trade to Detroit, at least partially attributable to a knee injury that required offseason surgery. Washburn is expected to be ready to go this spring, but at age 35, and with his so-so tenure in Seattle, it’s difficult to anticipate a repeat of his performance over the first four months of 2009.

Most of the remaining free-agent starters are more likely to be innings-eaters than key contributors. As a result, there remains interest in a number of elderly veterans and starters who have endured significant injuries in recent seasons.

There are probably rotations spots for guys on the downside, such as Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, if they choose to return. And others, including Ben Sheets, Chien-Ming Wang, Jason Schmidt, Noah Lowry and Shawn Hill, are likely to compete for jobs after lengthy stays on the disabled list.

Although plenty of teams are interested in Wang, he will draw more attention when he is ready to throw in front of their representatives. Reportedly he is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is already throwing. Wang's agent has said he may be ready to pitch again in May, which may be an optimistic projection.

Sheets threw for several teams on Tuesday. If they like what they saw, a bidding war may ensue.

In fact, there are 17 free agents who collected at least 400 plate appearances last season and remain unsigned at January’s midpoint. That’s after first baseman Adam LaRoche agreed to terms with Arizona on Friday. Another free agent in the group, catcher Bengie Molina, may be on the brink of a new contract with the Mets.

LaRoche reportedly turned down a more lucrative two-year deal from the Giants earlier in the winter before settling on a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks. He might have anticipated better offers, but the economic climate and the glut of first basemen and DH types in the free-agent market hurt his cause.

Those factors also may be working against Russell Branyan, another first baseman who is the leader among those 17 free agents in on-base-plus-slugging (OPS).

2009 OPS Leaders among Remaining Free Agents
(minimum 400 PA)

Free Agent. . . . . . . .PA. . . . . AVG-HR-RBI. . . . OPS
Russell Branyan. . . . .505. . . . . .251-31-76. . . . . 867
Johnny Damon. . . . . 626. . . . . .282-24-82. . . . . .854
Jim Thome. . . . . . . .434. . . . . .249-23-77. . . . . .847
Miguel Tejada. . . . . .674. . . . . .313-14-86. . . . . .795

Jermaine Dye. . . . . .574. . . . . .250-27-81. . . . . .793
Orlando Hudson. . . . 631. . . . . .283- 9-62 . . . . . .774
Adam Kennedy. . . . .587. . . . . .289-11-63 . . . . . .758
Hank Blalock. . . . . . 495. . . . . .234-25-66 . . . . . .736

Like Branyan, Jim Thome and Hank Blalock face the same overabundance of first basemen and DHs in the marketplace. The same is true for Mike Jacobs, Jason Giambi, Mike Sweeney, Kevin Millar and Carlos Delgado.

Jermaine Dye reportedly has been negotiating with San Diego, a signing that could give the woeful Padres a right-handed power bat to pair with left-handed slugger Adrian Gonzalez. How realistic that might be for the thrifty Padres is uncertain.

Johnny Damon remains unsigned as well, as his contract demands have exceeded what teams appear willing to pay for his services. Undoubtedly he can be a productive player, though another 20-homer season may not be realistic. He posted his highest slugging percentage since 2000 last summer, a stat greatly enhanced by the power-friendly nature of the new Yankee Stadium. Damon slugged .533 there, nearly 90 points higher than his road mark.

Two of the more intriguing free agents still available are infielders Miguel Tejada and Orlando Hudson. Tejada could be a good fit for a contending club like the Twins. Now that the Padres have dealt Kevin Kouzmanoff to Oakland, a player who had interested the Twins, Tejada is the best available option on the free-agent market. Despite an anticipated revenue jump by moving into a new ballpark this spring, the Twins may be as unwilling to spend on a free agent as the Padres.

Hudson would be a good addition for many clubs, but somehow remains unemployed. As a second baseman who draws walks and hits for average with doubles pop, he could be productive for such teams as the Cubs, Twins, Tigers, Nationals and the Dodgers, his former team. The Nationals are believed to be making a serious bid to sign him.

In 23 big league seasons, the right-hander was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA, an astounding 242 complete games and 60 shutouts. Among his 685 starts, 429 were quality outings.

The story goes that Blyleven finished on the wrong end of a large number of 1-0, 2-0 and 2-1 decisions, though those totals aren’t as substantial as one might expect:

His team lost 11 games by a 1-0 score when he was on the mound.
His team lost 20 games by a 2-1 score when he was on mound.
His team lost six games by a 2-0 score when he was on the mound.

Those totals also don’t tell the whole story. They don’t include the numerous games in which the score changed after Blyleven received little run support and left a low-scoring affair. Poor run support was a common occurrence for Blyleven, particularly during the 1970s, when he pitched mostly for mediocre teams.

For instance, Blyleven worked at least six innings and allowed fewer than three earned runs in 46 of his career losses. He pitched at least six frames and gave up no more than two earned runs in 58 of his career no-decisions. If one-third of those losses and one-third of those no-decisions had been victories, he would have finished with a 321-235 record.

A few more stray tidbits:

Among those 104 games in which he pitched at least six innings, allowed less than three earned runs and didn’t get a win, Blyleven gave up one or no earned runs in 43 of them.

Blyleven wasn’t touched for an earned run in 11 of those 43 starts. Nine of them produced no-decisions, including a pair of early-70s starts for the Twins in which he pitched 10 scoreless innings and departed before the game was decided.

Believe it or not, the year when Blyleven came up empty the most often in his stingiest outings was 1979, when he and the Pittsburgh Pirates won a dramatic World Series from the Baltimore Orioles. He was 12-5 for the world champions, but might have approached 20 wins with more support. Nine times he worked at least six innings and held opponents to fewer than three earned runs, but didn’t get a decision. Two other times he took losses.

Blyleven struck out 10 or more batters in 52 of his career starts. In 14 of them, he took the “L.” He didn’t get a decision in five others.

There’s little doubt that his nasty Uncle Charlie played a key role in all those double-digit strikeout performances. And on a number of teams for which Blyleven played, that kind of dominance wasn’t always enough to earn the “W.”

In Blyleven’s case, clearly wins don’t tell the whole story. That’s a fact baseball writers have slowly discovered as time has passed. A year from now, that realization should finally put Blyleven in the Hall of Fame.

If history means anything, the Angels have made the right move in adding Matsui. The former Yankee has enjoyed success in his new home park, with eight home runs and a .553 slugging percentage in just 28 games in Anaheim.

In fact, Matsui, who is a career .300 hitter in AL West ballparks, has been productive in all four AL West venues:

Hideki Matsui in AL West Stadiums, Career

AL West Park. . .G. . . . . . .PA. . . . .2B. . . . . HR. . . . . .RBI. . . . . .Hit Percentages
Angels. . . . . . . .28. . . . . .118. . . . . 3. . . . . . 8. . . . . . .19. . . . . . . .272/.350/.553
Athletics. . . . . .22. . . . . . .98. . . . . 5. . . . . . 4. . . . . . .17. . . . . . . .306/.367/.529
Mariners. . . . . .27. . . . . . 119. . . . 10. . . . . . 5. . . . . . .15. . . . . . . .312/.361/.541
Rangers. . . . . . 20. . . . . . .90. . . . . 9. . . . . . .4. . . . . . .14. . . . . . . .316/.422/.592

Even pitcher-friendly ballparks in Oakland and Seattle haven’t stifled Matsui’s West Coast production. The Angels still have work to do after losing two key players to free agency this month, but Matsui is likely to reach base consistently, show decent power and figure prominently in his team’s run production.

With all the recent movement, the available starting pitchers are a less attractive lot now. At this point in the offseason, there are just 17 starting candidates who have won at least 20 games over the last three seasons combined. Only five in the group have won as many as 30 games since the start of the 2007 season.

Most Wins by Free-Agent Starting Pitchers, 2007-09

Free Agent. . . . . . . . . . . W-L (ERA). . . . . . . . . . .2009 Season
Jason Marquis. . . . . . . . .38-31 (4.37). . . . . . . .15-13 (4.04) in 33 starts
Braden Looper. . . . . . . . 38-33 (4.76). . . . . . . .14-7 (5.22) in 34 starts
Jon Garland. . . . . . . . . . 35-34 (4.37). . . . . . . .11-13 (4.01) in 33 starts
Livan Hernandez. . . . . . . 33-34 (5.45). . . . . . . .9-12 (5.44) in 31 starts
Vicente Padilla. . . . . . . . 32-24 (4.92). . . . . . . .12-6 (4.52) in 25 starts
Joel Pineiro. . . . . . . . . . 29-24 (4.20). . . . . . . .15-12 (3.49) in 32 starts

Doug Davis. . . . . . . . . . . 28-34 (4.22). . . . . . . . .9-14 (4.12) in 34 starts
Chien-Ming Wang. . . . . . 28-15 (4.55). . . . . . . . .1-6 (9.64) (shoulder surgery)
Paul Byrd . . . . . . . . . . . 27-23 (4.70). . . . . . . . 1-3 (5.82) (unsigned until Aug)
Miguel Batista . . . . . . . .27-29 (4.84) . . . . . . . . 7-4 (4.04) as reliever
Ben Sheets . . . . . . . . . .25-14 (3.39). . . . . . . . .Missed 2009 (elbow surgery)
Eric Bedard. . . . . . . . . .24-12 (3.20). . . . . . . . .5-3 (2.82) (shoulder surgery)

Jarrod Washburn. . . . . . 24-38 (4.25). . . . . . . . .9-9 (3.78) in 28 starts
Jose Contreras. . . . . . . 23-36 (5.09). . . . . . . . .6-13 (5.14) in 23 starts
Todd Wellemeyer . . . . . 23-22 (4.55). . . . . . . . .7-9 (6.08) in 21 starts
Randy Johnson. . . . . . . 23-19 (4.17). . . . . . . . .8-6 (4.88) (shoulder injury)
John Smoltz. . . . . . . . . 20-18 (3.87). . . . . . . . .3-8 (6.35) in 15 starts (shoulder)

Only three pitchers on the list have a sub-4.00 ERA over the last three seasons, though all three -- Ben Sheets, Eric Bedard and 42-year-old John Smoltz -- have a lengthy history of battling injuries.

Among those on the list, Sheets, Bedard and Chien-Ming Wang are the only three with a .600 winning percentage since the start of the 2007 season. Of course, Wang, like both Sheets and Bedard, missed a majority of the 2009 campaign to injury.

It’s hard to comprehend Jason Marquis looking so attractive, but seeing his numbers next to those of the other free-agent starters will do that. To Marquis’ credit, he’s been a consistent performer, and his 4.37 ERA the last three seasons is very close to the major league mark for this stretch of years. Despite a big dropoff in his performance over the final five weeks of the season, his 2009 stats look pretty good coming out of Colorado. When spring training begins, Marquis is likely to be significantly overpaid for being a major league-average pitcher.

Free agent Braden Looper was 14-7 in 2009, but his 5.22 ERA is one sign of the progress opponents have made against the right-hander since he became a starter in 2007. The hitting percentages of opponents have steadily risen in those three seasons -- to .289/.344/.503 last summer. Looper’s 2009 record has more to do with the major league-leading 7.17 runs of support per nine innings he received from his Milwaukee teammates.

Among those free agents who were healthy last season, arguably the most attractive starter still available is Joel Pineiro, who seemed to benefit from working with Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan over his two-plus years in St. Louis. Pineiro is one of only two free-agent starters on the list who was healthy all year and posted a sub-4.00 ERA.

The other is Jarrod Washburn, who split the 2009 season between Seattle and Detroit and pitched poorly down the stretch for the Tigers. The left-hander was 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA for the Mariners before the July 31 trade, and 1-3 (7.33 ERA) after it. Washburn underwent knee surgery following the season. He downplayed the notion that the injury was a factor over the final two months, but it probably was. His 3.78 ERA in 2009 was markedly better than any he has posted since 2005, so even if he’s healthy next year, his ERA may jump back into the fours.

There are a few other free-agent starters who fell short of 20 wins the last three seasons and may look attractive to suitors. One is Brett Myers, who won 19 games over the last three seasons despite being Philadelphia’s closer in 2007 and battling an assortment of injuries last summer. He hasn’t been as effective as a starter since his move to the bullpen.

In Jackson, the Diamondbacks believe they get a solid No. 3 starter to follow Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. With the Tigers in 2009, the 26-year-old right-hander was 13-9 with a career-low 3.62 ERA as a starter. One question mark about Jackson going into 2010 was his second-half decline.

Edwin Jackson by Month, 2009

. . . . . . . . W-L. . . . . ERA. . . . . . . .GS. . . . .BB. . . .K. . . .OBA. . . . OOPS
April. . . . . 1-1. . . . . .2.25. . . . . . . . .5. . . . . .8. . . .21. . . .208, , , , , .616
May . . . . . 4-2. . . . . .2.34. . . . . . . . .6. . . . .10. . . .36. . . .222. . . . . .584
June. . . . . 1-1. . . . . .2.91. . . . . . . . .5. . . . .11. . . .27. . . .208. . . . . .623
July. . . . . .1-1. . . . . .3.16. . . . . . . . .5. . . . .16. . . .25. . . .252. . . . . .823
Aug. . . . . .3-1. . . . . .4.45. . . . . . . . .5. . . . .11. . . .22. . . .292. . . . . .844
Sep-Oct. . .3-3. . . . . .6.14. . . . . . . . .7. . . . .14. . . .30. . . .289. . . . . .845

Although Jackson has struggled mightily in September in three seasons as a major league starter, his monthly performance in those three years combined doesn’t follow the downward second-half trend of his 2009 campaign.

And despite the post-break fade, Jackson continued to show steady overall improvement statistically in 2009. He posted his best single-season numbers yet in Year 3, with his 214 innings pitched, 3.62 ERA, .247 OBA, .725 opponent OPS, 161-70 K-BB ratio, and his walk rate of 2.92 walks per nine innings. Still, the big right-hander will want to show his new employer that the first-half Jackson was a sign of things to come, not the second-half version.

There are Diamondbacks fans who simply don’t believe in swapping Scherzer for Jackson in the 2010 rotation -- and only time will tell who emerges as the better pitcher. There’s a chance Scherzer will end up a reliever, but he is still young and will get every chance to show he can excel as a starter. Another consideration is that Jackson leaves behind a spacious home park in Detroit for a hitter-friendly environment in Phoenix. Scherzer now pitches in the more forgiving building.

The key for Arizona, however, is getting another promising starter in Kennedy, who reached the Triple-A level and then New York at age 22 in 2007. He’s struggled with injuries the last two summers, including an aneurysm in his throwing shoulder. He returned late last season and pitched brilliantly for Triple-A Scranton and held his own in the Arizona Fall League. Kennedy struggled in a Yankee uniform during an extended look in 2008.

Schlereth is a 2008 first-round pick who has already reached the majors, and he will find a role in Detroit’s bullpen next season. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are looking for Kennedy to follow Webb, Haren and Jackson in the rotation, and it’s Kennedy who could make this trade a big winner for Arizona -- even if Scherzer blossoms with Detroit.

This year, the promising left-handed hitter added roughly 20 points onto each of his 2008 hitting percentages and was a far more consistent performer. He finished at .301/.355/.415 with 70 stolen bases and 94 runs scored in 153 games.

There is an uncanny stat hidden away in Ellsbury’s 2009 performance. Among all major leaguers, no one bounced back from an 0-2 count better than he did. In 123 plate appearances that started 0-2, he batted .319 with a .350 OBP. Both marks were the highest among players who went 0-2 at least 50 times last season.

Patience was the key, as only 53 of those 123 plate appearances ended on an 0-2 pitch. Ellsbury batted .275 with a .302 OBP when they did, but hit .354 when the count went beyond 0-2.

In 2008, Ellsbury batted .207 and had a .239 OBP after starting 0-2. Even those hitting percentages were better than the major league-wide numbers for either of the last two seasons, but Ellsbury excelled in those situations in 2009.

It’s difficult to say if there’s anything significant to the jump in two-strike performance. The difference may be little more than the luck of having a dozen extra balls fall in for him last summer. Turn a dozen of those base hits into outs and Ellsbury’s split after starting 0-2 drops to .233.

There’s an odd twist to all this, as well. Ellsbury hit for a higher average when he fell behind in the count. He drew an impressive percentage of walks when he started 2-0, 3-0 and 3-1, but after reaching those counts, he hit .253, .077 and .216, respectively -- numbers that are far below the major league norm. Yet, Ellsbury batted better than .300 after going 0-2 (.319) and 1-2 (.302).

Perhaps there’s nothing overly noteworthy about this dichotomy, though it’ll be interesting to see how Ellsbury did in two-strike counts a year from now. Regardless of the meaning of Ellsbury’s 0-2 success, one thing was obvious last summer: Ellsbury reclaimed his plate patience and his ability to work counts. He’s likely to build on that success as he enters his prime years, batting at the top of the Red Sox lineup.

Signing Figgins gives the Mariners a replacement at third base, the position occupied by another free agent, Adrian Beltre, the last five seasons. The acquisition also gives them one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.

Figgins, who led the AL with 101 walks last season, recorded the most free passes and plate appearances among all leadoff hitters. His .395 OBP ranked fifth among all players with at least 150 plate appearances in the No. 1 spot.

Highest OBP as No. 1 Hitter, 2009
(minimum 150 PA)

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA . . . . . .AVG. . . . . . . . . BB. . . . . . . . .OBP
Derek Jeter, NYY. . . . . . . . . 693. . . . . . .336 . . . . . . . . . 72. . . . . . . . .409
Kosuke Fukudome, ChC. . . . . 162. . . . . . .269. . . . . . . . . .30. . . . . . . . .404
Jason Bartlett, TB. . . . . . . . .256. . . . . . .303. . . . . . . . . .32. . . . . . . . .398
Chris Coghlan, Fla . . . . . . . . .493. . . . . . .336. . . . . . . . . .41. . . . . . . . .397
Chone Figgins, LAA. . . . . . . . 729. . . . . . .298. . . . . . . . . 101. . . . . . . . .395

By adding Figgins, the Mariners will have two leadoff men. Ichiro has filled the role in Seattle for nine years, posting a .377 OBP in 1,399 games at the top of the batting order. Figgins has a .367 mark in 644 games batting first for the Angels over parts of eight seasons. Over the last three seasons combined, however, Figgins (.386) has a slight edge over Ichiro (.381).

Regardless whether the incumbent or the new arrival mans the No. 1 spot, together they may give the Mariners the game’s best duos at the top of the order.

The former Jay posted a .379 OBP that ranked 17th in the American League in 2009. To demonstrate Boston’s awareness of OBP, Scutaro’s mark would have ranked fifth on the team last season, behind Kevin Youkilis (.413), Victor Martinez (.405 with Boston and .381 overall), J.D. Drew (.392) and Jason Bay (.384).

The question surrounding Scutaro is whether his ability to get on base in 2009 will become the norm. The 34-year-old veteran has a .337 lifetime OBP, and his .379 OBP last summer marked only the second time he posted an OBP higher than .333 in eight major league seasons.

As for 2009, he was one of the leaders in OBP among regulars who are now free agents. When the free-agent marketplace opened for business on Nov. 20, there were 51 with at least 300 plate appearances last season. Among this group of 51 players, Scutaro’s OBP ranked sixth.

The free agent among the group with the highest OBP was Nick Johnson at .426, the third-highest mark among all major leaguers behind MVPs Joe Mauer (.444) and Albert Pujols (.443). Getting a deal done with a team won’t come as quickly for Johnson, who has had a majority of his big league seasons sabotaged by injury. He reached 500 plate appearances for the first time since 2006 last summer, when he was an on-base machine for both the Nationals and Marlins.

Johnson, who recorded a .477 OBP in 35 games after joining Florida in a July 31 trade, reportedly has sparked interest from a number of teams. There’s a glut of first basemen available this winter, however, so Johnson, with his injury history, may not be at the top of many teams’ shopping lists.

At the core of Johnson’s success reaching base is his patience. Among those 51 free agents, he saw the most pitches per plate appearance last season, averaging 4.36 pitches per trip to the plate. He was third among all major leaguers who had at least 300 plate appearances in 2009, trailing only Jayson Werth (4.51) and Kevin Youkilis (4.41).

Johnson’s patience also worked for him when he fell behind the count. No one with at least 300 PA in 2009 could match his .375 OBP in two-strike situations.

And who was second in the majors in those situations? It was Scutaro at .366.

Minnesota’s Joe Mauer became the first American League catcher to win a batting title in 2006, his second full season in the majors. He claimed his third title in four seasons in 2009, and now has added an MVP award to his trophy case.

Mauer led the AL in all three hitting percentages this season, something no one has done since George Brett in 1980. His .365 average was a career high, and despite missing the first month of the season, Mauer also posted career bests in hits (191), homers (28) and RBIs (96). He becomes a free agent at the end of the 2010 season, and a big payday awaits.

The Cardinals’ Albert Pujols won a unanimous National League vote en route to his third MVP award in his nine-year career. In each of those nine seasons, Pujols has batted higher than .310, reached triple digits in RBIs, stroked more than 30 home runs and posted slugging percentages higher than .550. Only once has he failed to score 100 runs or record an OBP lower than .400.

In repeating as the NL’s winner, Pujols became just the 10th player to win MVP honors three times, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Roy Campanella, Mike Schmidt, Yogi Berra and Stan Musial. Only Barry Bonds, with seven awards, has more.

Something else stands out about both award winners. They’re so young for what they’ve accomplished. Mauer is just 26 and Pujols has yet to turn 30, a milestone he reaches in January. They follow a recent trend.

Alex Rodriguez, who won AL honors in both 2005 and 2007, is the only MVP as old as 30 since Bonds won four consecutive NL awards -- the last one in 2004, a few months after his 40th birthday.

Both winners a year ago were a year younger than this year’s. Pujols was 28, and Boston’s Dustin Pedroia was 25 and playing just his second full season in the majors. In 2007, when A-Rod was the AL MVP, the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins claimed the NL prize within days of his 29th birthday. The year before, it was 25-year-old Justin Morneau of the Twins and 27-year-old Ryan Howard of the Phillies. And in 2005, Pujols won his first award as a 25-year-old.

Most of these guys remain in their prime, and any one of them could be honored again a year from now. The odds-on favorite, of course, is Pujols, who’s in a class by himself as a hitter. With three trophies in less than a decade, and not yet 30 years old, Pujols could make a run at Bonds’ unprecedented total.

With 10 points separating the top three vote-getters, Giants ace Tim Lincecum repeated as the NL winner in one of the tightest races between three pitchers in the history of the award. The San Francisco right-hander finished second to the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright in first-place votes, but in the final tally, Lincecum, with 100 points, won Cy Young honors over both St. Louis right-hander Chris Carpenter (94 points) and teammate Wainwright (90).

With a 15-7 record and 2.48 ERA, Lincecum posted the smallest win total ever by a Cy Young Award winner, and both Wainwright and Carpenter won more games in 2009. The previous low mark for a Cy Young recipient was 16 wins, a total matched by Greinke in claiming AL honors on Thursday.

There was a time when the win totals of this year’s Cy Young winners might have kept them from claiming the award. Wins were the most important number to many writers for many years.

For instance, Oakland right-hander Bob Welch claimed AL honors in 1990 after going 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA. The second-place finisher, Boston’s Roger Clemens, was 21-6 with a major league-leading 1.93 ERA that was a run better than Welch’s. Clemens also posted a markedly better WHIP (1.08 vs. 1.22), 82 more strikeouts than Welch in 10 fewer innings, and lower numbers in both opponent batting (.228 vs. 242) and opponent slugging (.306 vs. .391).

A new generation of statistics has worked its way into the consciousness of baseball fans and the writers who cover the game. It’s likely a few of them figured far more prominently in the decision-making for this year’s winners.

Let’s take a look at some of the numbers that distinguish Lincecum, Carpenter and Wainwright as the National League’s best pitchers in 2009.

Top Three Finishers in NL Cy Young Vote, 2009
(NL rank in parentheses)

. . . . . . . . . . . . .Lincecum. . . . . . Carpenter. . . . . . . Wainwright
Wins. . . . . . . . . . .15 (4t). . . . . . . . .17 (2). . . . . . . . . . .19 (1)
ERA. . . . . . . . . . .2.48 (2). . . . . . . . 2.24 (1). . . . . . . . . 2.63 (4)
WHIP. . . . . . . . . .1.05 (5). . . . . . . . 1.01 (2). . . . . . . . .1.21 (10)

Opp BA . . . . . . . .206 (2). . . . . . . . .226 (7). . . . . . . . . .244 (16)
Opp OPS . . . . . . .561 (1). . . . . . . . .581 (2). . . . . . . . . .646 (8)
HR/9 IP. . . . . . . .0.40 (3). . . . . . . . 0.33 (1). . . . . . . . . 0.66 (11)

Strikeouts. . . . . . 261 (1). . . . . . . . 144 (27). . . . . . . . . 212 (4)
K-BB Ratio . . . . . 3.84 (7). . . . . . . .3.79 (8). . . . . . . . . .3.21 (12)
Quality Starts . . . .26 (1). . . . . . . . . 22 (11t). . . . . . . . . 25 (2t)

Using this collection of stats, there’s little doubt Lincecum and Carpenter deserved to finish 1-2 in the vote. Both were deserving candidates, and it was Lincecum who came away with his second straight Cy Young Award.

The old mentality about Cy Young winners might have given the award to Wainwright, the league leader in wins with 19. Wainwright had a terrific year, easily the best in his three full seasons in the majors, but both Lincecum and Carpenter were better pitchers in 2009.

The 26-year-old right-hander was 16-8 for the last-place Royals, who lost 97 games and shared the AL Central cellar with Cleveland. Greinke also posted a major league-leading 2.16 ERA, despite pitching in a home park that was the majors’ fifth most-friendly venue for runs scored in 2009, according to park factors at ESPN.com.

Greinke finished second in the AL, third in the majors, with 242 strikeouts, trailing only Detroit’s Justin Verlander (269) and San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum (261). Neither league leader, however, could match Greinke’s 4.75 strikeout-walk ratio. The Royals ace walked only 51 batters in 229.1 innings, and among ERA qualifiers, he finished fourth in strikeout-walk ratio behind only Toronto’s Roy Halladay (5.94), Dan Haren of the Diamondbacks (5.87) and Atlanta’s Javier Vazquez (5.41).

As for those 16 victories, Greinke easily could have been a 20-game winner with a little more run support. In eight of his 33 starts, he allowed two or fewer runs but finished with a loss or a no-decision. Greinke gave up a total of eight runs in those eight outings, but was 0-2 with a 1.29 ERA in them.

In fact, among all ERA qualifiers in the AL, Greinke ranked fourth for the lowest run support per nine innings.

Lowest Run Support per 9 IP among AL Pitchers, 2009
(ERA qualifiers only)

Matt Garza, TB. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.68
Jarrod Washburn, Sea-Det . . . . . 3.94
Edwin Jackson, Det. . . . . . . . . . 4.04
Zack Greinke, KC. . . . . . . . . . . .4.20
James Shields, TB . . . . . . . . . . .4.42
Mark Buehrle, CWS . . . . . . . . . .4.43

Greinke easily won the Cy Young vote over the runnerup, Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. The 23-year-old right-hander was 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA that was second in the league only to Greinke’s mark. Hernandez posted his impressive ERA based out of Safeco Field, which ESPN.com ranked in the lower third of all major league parks for runs scored.

Like Greinke, Hernandez didn’t get the support that most of his AL peers received. The Mariners ace was ninth in the league for lowest run support, as he was given an average of 4.71 runs per nine innings, roughly a half-run more per nine than Greinke.

The hitting percentages allowed by Hernandez were ever so slightly lower than Greinke’s, but it was a matter of just a few hits. They finished 1-2 among their AL peers in both opponent batting and slugging, with Greinke posting the lowest opponent OBP in the league.

Greinke received 25 first-place votes from the writers to prevail over the league’s three 19-game winners. Hernandez garnered two first-place tallies, and Verlander, who was 19-9 (3.45) and finished a distant third in the balloting, had one. Yankees ace CC Sabathia, at 19-8 (3.37), was fourth in the vote.