I'm not one to get caught up in all the internet hyperbole that's thrown around, calling everything that's great 'THE BEST EVAHHH!!!' without a second of thought, but this grab by Lower Columbia College's Derrick Salberg has to be up there as one of the best catches ever made -- certainly one of the best I've ever seen -- especially once you consider the circumstances.

With his team clinging to a 4-2 lead with two outs and one on in the ninth inning of a first round game of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament, Salberg went up and robbed a deep fly:

The images captured help give justice to just how incredible this catch really was: 

Not to take anything away from Salberg, some credit has to go to the extremely short fences, which allowed Salberg to propel himself over it like a high jump competitor. The effort itself would've been remarkable, but the fact that he managed to also make the catch is, well ... just amazing. 

Last year for the White Sox, Adam Dunn was left for dead in the gutter. He only hit 11 homers. His OPS for the year was just .569. His batting average, which normally is low to begin with, was only .159. He was worth -2.9 fWAR, one of the worst totals I have ever seen. This year, it's a whole new season for Dunn. He's already hit 15 homers. His OPS is nearly 400 points higher, logging in at .963 this year. His .239 batting average doesn't look like much, but it's 80 points higher than last season. His value? 1.4 fWAR, a near 4.5 win improvement over last year in just six weeks. Dunn has been one of the best hitters in the AL this year, ranking third in OPS and tied for second in homers. Finally, the White Sox are getting what they expected from him.

Game of the Night: Angels 6, Mariners 4. All of a sudden, the Los Angeles Angels are on a roll, with a four game winning streak, a neutral run differential, and just a half game out of second place in the AL West. The Mariners took a 4-0 lead over the first five innings of the game, with all of the runs being driven in by struggling first baseman Justin Smoak. Then, the Angels struck. Their own struggling first baseman, Albert Pujols, hit a three-run homer in the sixth to make it a 4-3 game. Then in the ninth, with Seattle clinging to a one run lead, the Angels took three off of Mariners closer Brandon League, with the tie being broken by a Howard Kendrick two-run single. Closer Scott Downs finished the Mariners off with only seven pitches in the bottom of the inning, and that was that.

Pitching Lines of the Night: Despite a terrible beard, Dillon Gee was great for the Mets last night. In seven innings against the Padres, Gee allowed one run on four hits and three walks, and struck out nine in the process. It's difficult to find other good pitching performances from last night, but Jason Hammel went six shutout innings for the Orioles, allowing five hits and one walk, striking out seven. It wasn't a great night for pitching.

Hitting Lines of the Night: Nelson Cruz of the Rangers beat the hell out of the Blue Jays. He went 4/5 with two runs, EIGHT RBI, a double, and a homer. The double and homer both came with the bases loaded....so there's seven of his RBI right there. AJ Pierzynski of the White Sox had a good game, going 2/3 with three runs, two RBI, a walk, a triple, and a homer. Jeff Francoeur of the Royals showed signs of breaking out of his season-long funk as well, going 3/4 with two RBI, a double, and a homer.

Spotlight Series: The Nationals went into Turner Field, and punched the Braves in the nose, in the game I thought Atlanta would win no less. The Nats won the first game of the series 7-4, and put four runs on the board in the first inning courtesy of a two-run single by Ian Desmond and a two-run triple by Rick Ankiel (a former Brave). The Braves struck back by scoring three total in the third and fifth innings, with all runs being driven in by Matt Diaz. But with two outs in the seventh and the bases loaded, Fredi Gonzalez kept Tim Hudson in to face Ryan Zimmerman...who doubled into the right center field gap, clearing the bases and giving Washington a 7-3 lead. Jason Heyward added a homer in the eighth to make it 7-4, but the Braves couldn't rally any further, and that was that. Washington's bullpen went 4 2/3 in relief of Ross Detweiler, and allowed just four hits and one run, walking none and striking out three. At the end of the day, that would be your difference maker: the Braves just couldn't do anything against Washington's relievers, and when you consider one of them was Chien-Ming Wang...that's not a good sign.

Other Games: The Orioles continued to roll and beat the Royals 8-2 in a game that outdrew all of the Red Sox and Yankees games this season at Oriole Park. One run was all the Pirates needed, as they beat the Cubs 1-0 and gave them their tenth straight loss. The Rays beat the Red Sox 7-4 in a game that degenerated quickly into beanball warfare. The Rockies managed to solve to Cincinnati Reds puzzle, winning at Great American Ballpark 6-3. The Rangers pounded the Blue Jays 14-3. The Mets shut down the Padres 6-1. The White Sox crushed the Indians 9-3. The Marlins edged the Giants 7-6, withstanding a late rally. The Tigers offense showed up in a 10-6 win over the Twins. The Yankees beat the A's 6-3 in a three homer barrage. The Phillies edged the Cardinals 5-3 in ten innings on a Hunter Pence homer. The Brewers beat up the Diamondbacks 7-1. The Astros beat the Dodgers 3-1, and Lucas Harrell outdueled Clayton Kershaw despite not striking a hitter out.

Today's Games: Johan Santana starts for the Mets against the Padres. Madison Bumgarner takes on Mark Buerhle in Miami. The Royals only pitching hope, Felipe Paulino, takes on Wei-Yin Chen in Baltimore. CC Sabathia takes on former Yankee Bartolo Colon in the Bronx. Derek Lowe and Jake Peavy will duel in Chicago. David Price will take on Josh Beckett in Boston. Felix Hernandez starts against the Angels. Zack Greinke will start against Wade Miley and the Diamondbacks.

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The never-ending rash of extensions for young players continues with Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, who has signed a five year extension with the club worth $60 million in total. The news was first reported by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports. The deal is $15 million less overall than Yadier Molina's extension signed this spring, who is a year older than Montero and has a good 400 more games than him in the majors. Montero was making $5.9 million this year, and was scheduled to hit free agency after the season.

Last year for the Diamondbacks, Montero played in 140 games, and had a banner year, posting an .820 OPS an 18 homers. Montero is a very good defensive catcher in addition to being good offensively. GM Kevin Towers can now add Montero's bat to his long-term lineup that already includes Justin Upton, Chris Young, and Jason Kubel in the outfield, as well as Trevor Cahill and cost-controlled Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson in the rotation. It's obviously a great strategy for the Diamondbacks, who are inking their best players (aside from maybe Kubel, but that's a whole different topic) to long-term, below market deals.

What this signing does is also sets the market for soon-to-be free agent Braves catcher Brian McCann. The 28 year-old McCann is under contract this year for $11.67 million, and has a club option for next year for $12 million. It appears other teams were modeling the average annual value of their catcher contracts to that of McCann's final two seasons, guaranteeing that the Braves will have to pay him a mint to keep the Georgia native a Brave for the rest of his career. Another guy to keep an eye on is Matt Wieters of the Orioles, a blossoming superstar and probably the best catcher in the AL this year. Wieters still has three arbitration years left, so it's not urgent for Batlimore to get a deal done with him...but following today's Adam Jones extension, it would do a lot towards cementing the Orioles as a possible contender in the AL East over the next few seasons.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com

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The Home Run Derby contest has gone much the way of the NBA Slam Dunk contest or the NFL Pro Bowl.  It's losing its popularity that it once so gloriously carried in the 1990's.  Thankfully for Major League Baseball, once every few years, they get an unforgettable performance from someone like Josh Hamilton that revives the luster of this once great exhibition of herculean power.  I mean no offense when I say that a home run contest between Matt Holliday and Rickie Weeks would hardly bring out the best in media ratings, attendance or entertainment in general.  It's about time Major League Baseball gave its fans yet another night to remember in the 24 hours leading up to the Midsummer Classic.  There are two players that can do such a thing and even elevate this event to a place it has scarcely been before: Giancarlo Stanton and Mark Trumbo.

These two players can hit a baseball further than anyone in the game.  In the post-steroid era, they are the marquee power hitters of the up and coming generation.  This doesn't necessarily mean that Stanton and Trumbo are going to steal any headlines from Matt Kemp or Albert Pujols, but it terms of ability to hit the ball 450+ feet, they have no equal.  And essentially, that's what this event needs.  The Home Run Derby has turned into two-hour long charade of good players but not necessarily great power hitters goofing off to the tune of 20+ 420 foot homeruns.  What Mark Trumbo and Giancarlo Stanton can bring is the same thing, plus a dozen more moonshots that will travel to depths of Kauffman Stadium that have never been graced by a flying baseball before.

This will be the first matchup all season between the two top teams in the NL East. The Nationals are currently at the top of the division by a game over the Braves, and are coming off of a series win in Philadelphia, while the Braves went to Cincinnati and got swept by the Reds in a Cincy homer barrage. This series won't decide the division for the season, but it WILL cast the first stone in a battle that will rage over the entire season.

The pitching matchups in this series immediately favor the visiting team, as they start their two best pitchers, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, over the final two games of the series. Ross Detweiler, who's put together a good season himself thusfar, will start game one. The Braves counter with veteran Tim Hudson tonight, the struggling Mike Minor in game two on Saturday, and their best starter, Brandon Beachy, on Sunday's primetime game three. Out of the six starters in the series, only Minor has a FIP above 3.50, or an ERA above 3.65. But while the Braves other two starters are good, neither can compare to Gonzalez and Strasburg, who are in both in the top three in the NL in fWAR and FIP this year, and are 1-2 in strikeout rate among National League starters. Yeah, they're kind of good.

Offensively, the Braves have a distinct advantage over the Nationals, who have been beat up with a variety of injuries. Former Brave Adam LaRoche leads Washington's offensive charge with eight homers and a .933 OPS. Leadoff hitter Ian Desmond is also having a breakout year, tying LaRoche with eight homers, but being beset by just a .299 OBP for the year. And how could I not mention rookie sensation Bryce Harper, who has an .817 OPS in 24 games in the majors. The banged up Nationals are without starting catcher Wilson Ramos, and starting outfielders Jayson Werth and Michael Morse, creating a situation where 1/3 of their offensive starters are backups. That overall setup creates little room for error among the normal starters.

The Braves offense started off like a house of fire this year, but has slowed in the last week without veteran Chipper Jones in the lineup. Jones's replacement, Juan Francisco, has provided power, homering five times in only 84 plate appearances. However, he has just a .226 OBP and is draining the life out of the lineup, so much so that he's been bumped to the eighth spot in the lineup recently. Struggling catcher Brian McCann has also missed games recently due to a virus, while Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward have also sat out lately. The Braves offense has actually thrived at the top of the lineup, with center fielder Michael Bourn and left fielder Martin Prado setting the table perfectly for the meat of the order. Prado has a .399 OBP and an .884 OPS after an offseason where he was shopped heavily, and Bourn has a .366 OBP and .808 OPS in the season before he hits free agency. The pair has also combined for 19 stolen bases, with Prado's six already eclipsing his total of four from 2011. But the heart of Atlanta's order really hasn't delivered this year. Heyward, Freeman, and McCann have all struggled getting on base (McCann's .333 OBP is the highest of the bunch), and while Dan Uggla is getting on base at a .362 clip, he only has a .165 ISO, far and away the lowest of his career.

Atlanta's bullpen hasn't seen any turnover this year, with the same seven relievers making up the squad all year. Closer Craig Kimbrel remains one of the best in the league, and setup man Jonny Venters has also been dominant, despite allowing a couple more runs early on this year. The big surprises have been Kris Medlen, a year and a half removed from Tommy John surgery and showing a propensity for getting hitters out on weak contact, and veteran Livan Hernandez, thriving in his first career bullpen stint despite having nothing in the tank. Eric O'Flaherty, so good over his career with the Braves, is hitting his first roadblock in Atlanta, as he has struggled terribly against righties, which was a downvote on him from his years in Seattle.

Washington's bullpen doesn't have names as sexy as Atlanta's, but they've been pretty damn good themselves. Tyler Clippard continues to be dominant, and might finally be the team's closer after Henry Rodriguez's continued struggles. Craig Stammen is an under the radar name, but has a 1.44 ERA this year while striking out a batter per inning, and going for more than just three outs an appearance. There's also Sean Burnett, a largely situational guy who has a strikeout rate comparable to Clippard's while only allowing one run in 12 2/3 innings this year. Even without closer Drew Storen, and the injury to veteran Brad Lidge, the Nationals' bullpen has held strong this year.

Now, a pick....which I have proven to be absolutely awful at, and proves that you totally shouldn't trust me for baseball gambling advice. I think the pitching advantage presented by the Nationals in the final two games of the series is too much for the Braves to overcome after winning the first game of the year. I think the Nationals take two out of three, and show the Braves that they're a force to be reckoned with in the NL East this year.

Photos courtesy of Daylife.com

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The extension that Brian wrote about this morning between the Baltmore Orioles and Adam Jones is apparently just about done. CBS's Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal will be for six years and a whopping $85.5 million.

My initial thought about the deal is "wow, that's a lot of money". An average of $14.25 million a year for Adam Jones? That's crazy. While Jones has had a great six weeks to kick off his season, tallying 2.8 fWAR, a .958 OPS, and 14 homers, his career has been largely a disappointment. That 2.8 fWAR is already the second highest total of his career, which was 2.9 last season. He has a career walk rate under 5%, and has largely middling defensive numbers in center field.

Compare this extension to that signed by Andrew McCutchen in March, who signed for six years and $51.5 million along with an option year. McCutchen's average salary is just a hair over $8.5 million, and he is by far the superior player, at a little over a year younger than Jones. In 200 games fewer than Jones, McCutchen has been worth 14.9 fWAR, or 2.9 more than Jones's career mark of 12.0 fWAR. McCutchen's career OPS is also 61 points higher than Jones's (.832 to .771).

The Jones extension also has far-reaching implications for a pair of other players: free agents to be Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino. While both players are older than Jones (Bourn is currently 29, Victorino is 31, and both men have a birthday in the offseason), they're the premier names among center fielders on the market this offseason, and agents Scott Boras (Bourn) and the Levinson brothers (Victorino) will likely use the Jones and McCutchen deals to set the market for their clients.

As for the implications for the Orioles, it's good for them to sign a player who doesn't appear to be fatally flawed (like say, Nick Markakis or Brian Roberts) long-term. Unfortunately for Baltimore, Roberts is still locked up at eight figures a year through 2013, and Markakis is signed (also for eight figures) until 2014. Neither of those extensions has really panned out for the team, with Roberts playing in just 98 games in two plus years since signing the extension, and Markakis failing to hit 20 homers or have a three win season since signing his.

If the Jones extension works out well for the Orioles, they'll be in solid shape. However, if they're paying eight figures to a guy who can't crack three wins like Markakis...well, it really won't look very good for them at all.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com

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Chicago White Sox

Hitters: C-. It is a minor miracle that this team has scored 193 runs.  For most of this season, they've had two full-time starters, Brent Morel and Alexei Ramirez, who currently have sub.500 OPS.  And then there is Gordon Beckham and Dayan Viciedo who play almost everyday with OBPs well under .300.  Yet, they lead the division in runs scored.  You can credit Paul Konerko and the rejuvenated Adam Dunn for pretty much all of that.

Pitchers: B-. Jake Peavy looks like he has found the fountain of youth and is an early contender for Comeback Player of the Year, assuming he can stay healthy.  The emergence of Chris Sale in his first year as a starter, not counting his weird temporary shift to the bullpen, has given Chicago one of the best top two starting pitchers in all of baseball.  After them though, things get ugly.  Gavin Floyd continues his streak of having an ERA much higher than his peripherals suggest it should be.  John Danks has been miserable and Philip Humber's perfect game early in the year might be the only reason he is still in the rotation.  When Robin Ventura isn't playing musical chairs with the closer role, the White Sox have gotten quality from the bullpen.

Intangibles: F. This is all about manger Robin Ventura.  He was hired despite no managing experience and it has showed.  In particular, his lineup construction, bizarre flip-flopping with naming a closer and the strange way in which they have handled Chris Sale have raised a lot of eyebrows.  The team is winning, but it seems like it is doing so in spite of Ventura's machinations sometimes.  However, it might actually be a good sign because it could lead to the team improving once Ventura gets comfortable in his role and gets out of his own team's way.

Overall: C. It is hard to imagine that their offense won't crater soon with all the out machines they have surrounding Konerko and Dunn, so South Side fans should enjoy this squad being over .500 while they can.  If Jake Peavy comes back to earth too, things could get real bad in a big hurry for the Pale Hose.

Cleveland Indians

Hitters: B-. If you thought Asdrubal Cabrera's breakout 2011 season was a fluke, so far you are very wrong.  Believe it or not, he has been even better this year with a .913 OPS and looking every bit like a franchise player.  Lump him in with young catcher Carlos Santana and even younger second baseman Jason Kipnis and the Tribe has a great core up the middle of he diamond.  What they don't have is a lot to surround them with.  Shin-Soo Choo is getting on base, but showing almost no power.  But what really seems to be hurting the lineup is the total lack of balance seeing how the only true right-handed batter that gets significant playing time is Shelley Duncan, and he's been totally unproductive.

Pitchers: C+. The rotation has been a mixed bag for Cleveland with their best performers being the most unlikely ones.  Derek Lowe looked like he was pitching with a fork in his back for Atlanta last season, but he has a sparkling 2.15 ERA for Cleveland thus far.  Behind him, Jeanmar Gomez has found a lot of early success as well, which is good news because the guys who were supposed to front the rotation, Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson have been bitter disappointments, both with ERAs just above 5.00.  What has been a major factor in the Indians' overachieving in the first part of the year is their strong relief work.  As maligned as he is by his home fans, Chris Perez has posted strong numbers and blow just one of his 16 save chances.  But what has made life really easy for Perez is that the trio of Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Nick Hagadone have all been fantastic in middle relief to get Perez all those leads to protect.

Intangibles: D. Perhaps even more than the Orioles, the Indians seems like the AL division leader most poised for a fall.  This is not a deep team but, with the constant exception of Grady Sizemore, they haven't really had to deal with many injuries yet.  When they do, they could be in trouble as they have already shown how desperate tehy are to add talent when they signed Johnny Damon.  Even if the injury bug continues to avoid them, the unbalanced lineup seems like it will continue to hold back the offense and the rotation will start dragging the whole team down if/when Derek Lowe remembers that he is 39 years old and supposedly washed up.

Overall: B+. The Indians have been a pleasant surprise to start the year, just like last season, but look like they could be come back to the pack pretty quickly, just like last season.  They may be eight games over .500 but they are also sitting on just a +1 in run differential.  That is a bad omen for their continued success, but for now, it is good enough to lead the AL Central.

Chicago Cubs
Hitters: C-. OK, I can't completely pan the Cubs offense, despite them having the third fewest runs in the NL. Bryan LaHair has been AWESOME at first base, hitting ten homers and OPSing 1.020 in his first extended stint in the major leagues. There is a little bit to be afraid about with him, notably the 30% strikeout rate and .405 BABIP. Starlin Castro is doing his thing at the top of the order, but absolutely doesn't walk at all. The rest of the lineup....uh, yeah. Alfonso Soriano has a .291 OBP. Aside from LaHair, the next highest homer total on the team is four (Soriano and Ian Stewart). Only LaHair and bench players Joe Mather and Jeff Baker are walking over 10% of the time. This is not a pretty offense aside from LaHair and Castro.

Pitching: B. The Cubs rotation has actually been pretty damn good. Jeff Samardzija's transition to the rotation has been a complete success, as he is striking out a batter per inning, walking under three per nine, and has an ERA of 3.00 on the dot. Ryan Dempster has a 2.28 ERA and is striking out close to a batter per inning. Matt Garza has been worse than both Samardzija and Dempster, but has still been solid. Chris Volstad and Paul Maholm though...yeah. The bullpen has been largely ugly, Carlos Marmol lost his closer job after walking more than a batter per inning, and new closer Rafael Dolis has walked more hitters than he's struck out this year. The Cubs have also used 18 pitchers this year, which seems wacky.

Intangibles: C. Coming into the year with a new regime in place, Cubs fans expected this to be a rough year. It hasn't affected attendance, which is static from last year. New manager Dale Sveum has earned his share of criticism from fans due to his erratic managing style. Some moves the team made coming into the year have worked great, like starting Samardzija in the rotation and giving LaHair a shot at first base. But others, like not trading Marmol, bringing back Kerry Wood, and using Volstad and Maholm to fill out the rotation, have flopped.

Overall: C-. It's odd that I'm giving the Cubs an average grade despite them having the worst record in the league, but I'm sure many expected them to have no bright spots whatsoever, as opposed to the couple that they have so far this year.

Last week, I wrote about how Dan Haren couldn't buy a win for the Angels, despite being one of their most effective starters. Last night, Haren only got three runs of support, but he threw the team on his back and earned his second win of the season. Haren threw a complete game shutout against the Mariners, and in typical Haren fashion, was dominant. He allowed four hits, didn't allow a walk, and struck out 14. His game score of 93 is in the top five for the year for all pitchers, and is just two points behind Jered Weaver's no hitter against the Twins a couple weeks ago.

Game of the Night: Phillies 10, Cardinals 9. This was crazy. Joe Blanton and Jake Westbrook were both coming into this game with solid numbers, and both got shelled, combining to throw eight innings and allow 18 hits and 13 runs. Yeah, one of THOSE games. After five, the slate was essentially clean with a 7-7 score. The Phillies took a 9-7 lead in the sixth, and the Cardinals cut it to 9-8 in the seventh. Philly got an insurance run in the eighth to make it 10-8, and the Cardinals answered with one of their own to make it 10-9. But the Cardinals couldn't break through against Jonathan Papelbon, and that was a wrap. The teams combined for 33 hits, and perhaps more amazingly, the Phillies only had one homer. They had a .459 BABIP on the night. Yeah.

Pitching Line of the Night: Haren was pretty much the only amazingly good pitcher on the day. I'll give some love to Justin Verlander (as usual) who went eight in Cleveland, and allowed two runs on six hits, walking one and striking out seven. 

Hitting Line of the Night: Justin Morneau has risen from the dead, going 3/5 with three runs, three RBI, a double and two homers. Melky Cabrera continues his great year, going 3/5 with three runs, four RBI, a pair of doubles and a stolen base. Yadier Molina went 4/5 with three RBI and a homer for the Cardinals.

Spotlight Series: New series writeup coming...today!

Other Games: The Indians edged the Tigers 2-1 to complete a sweep. The Reds beat the Braves 6-3 to finish off a four game sweep. The White Sox bats went nuts and they beat the Twins 11-8. The Padres had a rare offensive breakout in an 11-5 win over the Mets. The Giants offense went bonkers, and they beat the Marlins 14-7.

Today's Games: Jason Hammel starts for the Orioles against the Royals. Ryan Dempster and AJ Burnett will duel in Pittsburgh. Johnny Cueto goes for the Reds against the Rockies. Brandon Morrow and the Blue Jays takes on the Rangers. Tim Lincecum and Josh Johnson will go at it in Miami. Ross Detweiler and Tim Hudson will duel in Atlanta in the battle for first place in the NL East. Cliff Lee takes on Kyle Lohse in St Louis. Ervin Sanatana starts against the Mariners. Clayton Kershaw will face off against the Astros.

Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi are reporting on Twitter that the Baltimore Orioles are close to inking outfielder Adam Jones to a long-term deal. While the terms of the deal are not known, Rosenthal believes that they will be "well north" of the free agent deal Miguel Tejada (6 years, $72 million) and Nick Markakis (6 years, $66.1 million) signed. 

Jones is earning $6.15 million this year and has another year of arbitration available before becoming a free agent in 2013.

Jones is in the midst of a career year, hitting .311/.357/.958 with 14 home runs in 196 plate appearances. Before this season, his best year was arguably 2009 when he hit 19 bombs and had an OPS of .792. That year, he had a slash line of .344/.398/1.005 with 11 home runs through the first two months of the season, but he hit just .229 the rest of the season.

I don't think there's any doubt that Jones is a guy the Orioles want to lock up long-term, but it's likely Jones' recent hot start is hurrying the O's into an investment of a player who may never materialize into a star like his early numbers might indicate. Solid player and fun to watch, but not a star. We'll obviously know more once the deal is done, and it is close.