Atlanta Braves

Baseball is fast approaching, and many pundits and fans are making predictions for how the divisions and teams will finish at the end of the 2011 season.

However, when it comes to their outlook on the Braves, I am surprised many do not have them making the playoffs or even winning 90 games. 

Yes, the team lost a legend in Bobby Cox and, yes, they lost some key bullpen members. But they also have added many new talented faces to the team that should help return them to the postseason. 

Jason Heyward and Buster Posey emerged as two of baseball's brightest stars. The 21-year-old Heyward and soon-to-be 24-year-old Posey are coming into their second seasons in the majors and both are already facing enhanced expectations.

They battled all year long for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Heyward was awarded Baseball America's award, while Posey received it from the majority of others. Both players were deserving of the award, so it's hard to complain on who won.

Jason Heyward started his Major League Baseball journey on Opening Day in 2010 with a home run on his first swing—at the age of 20.

He went on to have one of the better rookie years in recent memory, including ending up with the fourth highest on-base percentage (.393) in the National League.

When it's used to describe pitchers, the term "crafty" is a pretty subjective one. 

Does it apply to all soft-tossers who get results?  Or maybe it should only apply to pitchers with impeccable control and consistently low walk totals? 

Based on common usage patterns, you might assume that the term describes all pitchers who play or have played for the Oakland A's. 

While the Atlanta Braves didn’t win their division in the last year behind manager Bobby Cox, they were able to end the year second in the division and grab the wild card spot with a record of 91-71.

The Phillies staff this year—if they play the way sports commentators and analysts predict they will—will be great. I am not knocking on their 2011 pitching rotation. They have Roy Halladay (two Cy Young Awards), Cliff Lee (one Cy Young Award), Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels as their projected 1-2-3-4 starters.

If one of them does not win they Cy Young Award this year, then I will be shocked. They should be able to win many games and help the Phillies make the playoffs. 

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.

Question: Who leads second basemen in batting average since 2008?

Chase Utley? Robinson Cano? Dustin Pedroia?

Wrong times three.

It is official. Football season is over, the groundhog did not see his shadow, the snowy weather has been ushered out with warmer temperatures and spring training camps are opening.

All of this can mean only one thing: Baseball season is almost here.

With the beginning of baseball season comes the start of fantasy baseball drafts. Last year, I joined a fantasy baseball league called Strat-O-Matic Baseball (for the Richmond Strat-O-Matic Baseball League...find out more on www.rsbl.org).

Finally! Spring training has begun! 

Baseball is just around the corner, and that means that players will be preparing and warming up for the regular season.

Most players for the Braves have already reported, and today they fielded balls and had batting practice. 

Now spring training is not the most accurate way of seeing if a player is ready or not, but it certainly foreshadows their performance in the regular season. So I will look over how today went for everyone.

The NL East teams include the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals. 

All of these teams have had their fair share of prospects come through the systems, become big time prospects, and then become stars at the major league level. The division was led in 2010 by guys like Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg, and Mike Stanton.

This year's group has a little less fire power in it, but that doesn't mean that there isn't any talent on it's way.