Adrian Beltre

Saturday was not a good day to be an All-Star third baseman in Major League Baseball. Ryan Zimmerman, Adrian Beltre and Kevin Youkilis either did not start or were pulled from their games due to injuries.

The Texas Rangers have looked unstoppable while sweeping the Boston Red Sox under the mat in opening weekend. People were still skeptical and said the bottom half of the Rangers rotation consisting of Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando would falter. The duo stunned everyone and had arguably better outings than C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis.

We now know that cheating was a part of baseball for the last two decades. There are legitimate reasons to believe between 50 percent and 80 percent of players were using some form of performance enhancing drugs. For many, the improvements flew under the radar, preventing suspicion.

But in a few belligerent examples of perceived immunity, players exploded for other-worldly numbers. These are a few of the most glaring examples of such seasons.  

Following the most successful season in franchise history, the Texas Rangers have had an eventful off-season as they prepare to defend their 2010 American League Championship.

From feuds with rival franchises to dramatic encounters with their own players, the winter months have been anything but boring as the Rangers have thrust themselves into baseball's spotlight with on-field success as well as off-field controversies. 

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

2. David Wright, New York Mets

3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

4. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

5. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

6. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

7. Jose Bautista*, Toronto Blue Jays

8. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates

9. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

10. Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers

11. Martin Prado*, Atlanta Braves

12. Michael Young, Texas Rangers

Michael Young has told Texas he wants out. He told the press he wants out.

One would think he has earned the right to leave with dignity after Texas told him they wouldn't try to deal him, as they were trying to, and then told him they would deal him, after they had severed negotiations. 

That being said, this isn't the NBA. No player has ultimate power over ownership. Young will stay in Texas, and will play the season out like the consummate professional that he is. 

But why does Texas need him? 

Like most people, as soon as the season ended, I made my free agent predictions for the top free agents from Cliff Lee, to Aubrey Huff.

My predictions are not wild, or bold, but were based on which teams needed key players, and which teams would retain some of these players.

Throughout the 2011 Off Season, we've seen big free agent acquisitions from teams we would never guess would be in the running, and some teams who seemed to have been hibernating through the Winter Meetings, and beyond that.

The last time he demanded a trade he got denied.  But now, I think he's really on his way out.

After the Adrian Beltre signing, Michael Young was moved from third base over to the DH spot.  Now, with the acquisition of catcher/first basemen/DH Mike Napoli, Young has been relegated to a backup infield/DH role.

The Rangers currently have insane amounts of depth, and Michael Young has requested to not be a part of it.

The Boston Red Sox and their fans have had a pretty rough go of it lately.

Not only did the squad fail to qualify for the postseason in 2010, but the franchise also lost Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez over the winter.

Beantown's had to watch a different team hoist the World Series trophy for three consecutive years, a run that includes a crown for their revolting rivals to the south, the New York Yankees.

Now it's down two key contributors from an underachieving '10 roster.

Of course, you could point to the bigger picture.

It seems that almost every day a new list of strongest arms in the MLB is published. The problem with almost all of these lists is that they only include outfielders.

There is definitely some logic behind this, because in general outfielders do have stronger arms than infielders, and get to show them off more.

But, believe it or not there are infielders who have great arms too, and for once they are going to get the recognition they deserve.