AL East

With spring training just starting up, optimism about the upcoming season is at its highest. There is not a better time to make predictions about the upcoming season, which should be a great one.

The American League MVP award is awarded annually to the player who is considered most valuable to his team throughout the year. Recent recipients of the award include Josh Hamilton and Joe Mauer.

In anticipation for the 2011 season, I have decided to rank the five American League preseason MVP favorites.

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

Courtesy of Yankees 'n More

The New York Yankees might have an heir to aging star shortstop Derek Jeter.

The St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will miss the entire 2011 season. 

While this puts a major damper on the Cardinals playoff hopes, last year's Major League Baseball playoff participants are faced with questions of their own.

Whether it's the New York Yankees or the World Champion San Francisco Giants, each of these teams will have to address major concerns if they hope to play deep into October for consecutive seasons. 

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one by one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

I am uncertain what precise role it is that Hank Steinbrenner plays in the Evil Empire that is the New York Yankees, but I'm led to believe his duties are skill-free and singular in scope—be the blowhard son of George.

Or Boss Lite, if you will.

Hank is, of course, eminently qualified to perform this function because he is, in fact, papa George's boy, and he's doing a boffo job of being Boss Lite.

With all the talk surrounding King Albert this spring training and Jose Bautista signing a five-year extension, Bleacher Report has decided to look at the next group of MLB stars that are looking at potential long-term contract extensions.

With the economy not bouncing back like "experts" have said, teams are being more careful at handing out lucrative, long-term deals with their players and opting instead to spend money on player development. However, there are those players who are essential to their team's success and they will be paid accordingly. 

The New York Yankees are never short of drama, and at the start of spring training, ace CC Sabathia became the latest headline.

After finishing the 2008 season without making the playoffs, the Yankees went on an offseason spending spree. The team’s biggest purchase was ace Sabathia, who inked a monster contract worth $152 million to keep him in pinstripes for seven seasons.

There's nothing better than finding a pair of favorite sweatpants with a perfect fit.

Albert Pujols needs that. He's done all the Cardinals have asked and exceeded all expectations. In my eyes, I believe he deserves $30 million a season.

Look at what Alex Rodriguez does, and look at what Pujols does.

(Note: Rodriguez's stats are from 2001-2010 because Pujols entered the league in 2001)

I am in the midst of a series examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis. The players at each position are ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players.

Today, the series continues with a look at the No. 2 starters in each rotation.