Listing baseball's winners and 'non-winners' of '07

What kind of baseball year was it when the biggest winner was the fellow who investigated the sport's steroid past, and the biggest losers were the best pitcher and hitter of the entire era? (That might well be the case even though Roger Clemens set a record for pitchers' pay in a four-month Yankees cameo and Barry Bonds broke baseball's most coveted all-time record.) Not a very good one.

Still, in the spirit of the recently concluded holiday season, I've chosen to focus on positives by singling out the game's 50 biggest winners from the past year, and even upgraded the 25 losers to "non-winners."

Winners

Jimmy Rollins led the Phillies to their first NL East title since 1993. John Iacono/SI

1. George Mitchell, steroid investigator. Without subpoena power, Sen. Mitchell still came up with more than 50 new names of baseball cheaters, and close to 90 names overall. It's true he couldn't have done it without the considerable help of the feds. But he did get their help. And he did do it.

2. Bud Selig, commissioner. No one batted an eye when it was revealed that Selig made $14 million in 2007 and a couple stray media calls for his resignation following Mitchell Report's release were ignored. He may have presided over the Steroids Era, but he also has led the game into its true Golden Era, with baseball setting a new attendance record at 79 million.

3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies shortstop. Predicted in spring that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East, and he was right. Also won the NL MVP in the process, thanks to 20-plus home runs, doubles, triples and steals, plus a superb job at shortstop.

4. Theo Epstein, Red Sox GM. Put together a wonderful young team of execs, featuring Jed Hoyer, Allard Baird and Ben Cherrington, and remade his team yet again, resulting in a second World Series title in four years.

5. Frank Thomas, Blue Jays DH. His Hall of Fame candidacy was solidified when he hit his 500th home run, and so was his reputation, when he was the one active player to voluntarily speak to Mitchell.

6. Josh Beckett, Red Sox pitcher. Cemented himself as one of the great clutch pitchers ever.

7. C.C. Sabathia, Indians pitcher. He won 19 games, earning the Cy Young award and untold future millions when he becomes a free agent after next season, but the Indians, who have been superb at keeping young stars on under-market contracts, are privately expressing pessimism regarding their chances to afford him.

8. Josh Hamilton, Rangers outfielder. Overcame an awful drug habit to put together a sterling season out of nowhere in Cincinnati. The ultimate comeback kid.

9. Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees general partner. After staying for decades in the stalls of his dad's Florida horse farm, he emerged to help bring back Alex Rodriguez and dominate the New York tabloids for two months.

10. Jon Lester, Red Sox pitcher. Being offered to the Twins in Johan Santana trade talks can't faze this fine young man who overcame a 2006 diagnosis of lymphoma to come back and win the Game 4 World Series clincher for Boston.

11. Torii Hunter, Angels center fielder. Posted perhaps his best season in Minnesota at age 32 to win a $90 million deal with the perennially-contending Angels.

12. Dontrelle Willis, Tigers pitcher. His awful season excused by his spot on an awful Marlins team and generally unworkable surroundings, he was rewarded with a trade to the potent Tigers (who instantly became even more potent as hitting prodigy Miguel Cabrera went with him), then quickly given a three-year, $29 million extension.

13. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies shortstop. Poised shortstop spent his rookie season being compared to Derek Jeter. Not bad.

14. Joba Chamberlain, Yankees reliever. So good they had to make Rules for him.

15. David Soares, Albany D.A. Became a big player in baseball's steroid scene, nabbing more cheaters than the sport's newly beefed-up steroid tests.

16. Matt Holliday, Rockies outfielder. Slugger put up huge numbers, then strutted his stuff on the national stage come playoff time.

17. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox second baseman. Nearly lost his job in April to career journeyman Alex Cora. Emerged in October as a World Series hero and trade untouchable.

18. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers outfielder. In most any other year, he's AL MVP.

19. Jorge Posada, Yankees catcher. Putting together perhaps his finest year, at age 36, earned him a four-year, $52 million contract to stay in the only place he would ever consider playing anyway.

20. Ryan Braun, Brewers third baseman. Young hitting savant posted an OPS that exceeded 1.000 and ranked him with A-Rod, Ordonez, David Ortiz and Barry Bonds.

21. Pedro Martinez, Mets pitcher. Returned sooner and better than anyone expected after serious shoulder surgery, garnering his 3,000th strikeout, providing the Mets a rare late-season bright spot and giving them a continuing excuse not to try harder to land the young ace they so desperately need.

22. Tom Glavine, Braves pitcher. Won his 300th game with the Mets and managed not to let one awful inning spoil his mood, or his move back to his beloved Braves.

23. Prince Fielder, Brewers first baseman. Became the youngest player, at 23, to hit 50 home runs, while showing his youth by dissing his estranged dad, Cecil.

24. Dan O'Dowd, Rockies GM. Through trial and error, plus considerable smarts, he finally found the right formula to win in Coors Field: youth and a humidor.

25. Fausto Carmona, Indians pitcher. Turns out there is life after flaming out as a flame-throwing closer. Reinvented as a starter, he finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

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