Felix Hernandez stands as king

Hot Stove U., which runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. 18, taps into the vast knowledge of ESPN's diverse collection of contributors and presents 30 need-to-know topics for 2010.

JAN. 11

• Why MLB needs Joe Mauer in Minnesota
  
• Sidebar: Why the frugal Twins keep winning

JAN. 12

• Why the Cubs' contract situation is so bad

JAN. 13

• Why stat-oriented teams look "old-school"

JAN. 14

• Why Jeter is the second-best shortstop ever

JAN. 15

• Why the best pitchers hate facing Braun

JAN. 18

• Why there are rules that fans don't get

JAN. 19

• Why talent evaluators can thank Zduriencik

JAN. 20

• Why Pena is the game's purist slugger

JAN. 21

• Why pinch-hitting is often a bad idea

JAN. 22

• Why Yankee Stadium is a pitcher's park

JAN. 25

• Why the run is the most underrated stat

JAN. 26

• Why WAR is the best assessment stat

JAN. 27

• Why Boston has the most productive system

JAN. 28

• Why baseball is seeing prime catching talent

JAN. 29

• Why the Pirates have the best blueprint

FEB. 1

• Why MLB's competitive balance is better than you realize
• Sidebar: Why a radical idea on realignment is needed

FEB. 2

• Why Lee is the best fit for his new ballpark

FEB. 3

• Why Utley doesn't need to steal more often

FEB. 4

• Why Hernandez is king of franchise pitchers

FEB. 5

• Why Scioscia is the game's best manager

FEB. 8

• Why Damon would be good fit in Cincinnati

FEB. 9

• Why Nyjer Morgan is the best defensive OF

FEB. 10

• Why David Wright will get back on track

FEB. 11

• Why Jim Thome is as good as Eddie Murray was

FEB. 12

• Why middle men are so difficult to evaluate

FEB. 15

• Why Tim Lincecum's changeup is MLB's best pitch

FEB. 16

• Why young, elite pitchers start declining early

FEB. 17

• Why third base coaches are too conservative

FEB. 18

• Why Hit/fx and Field f/x will be baseball's next breakthrough

FEB. 19

• Why stress pitches matter more than pitch count