Baseball

In 2009, it took the Colorado Rockies nine games before they recorded their first win of the spring.

Tim Marchman of Sports Illustrated recently ranked the 30 general managers in baseball and the Yankees GM Brian Cashman ranked pretty high at No. 3 behind Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Rays and Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox.

3. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees

Spring Training for a Colorado Rockies fan represents more than just the end of a long offseason. It also offers an opportunity to get away from the cold weather that Colorado offers in February and March.

The offseason is over and the Yankees roster is pretty much set, but since they signed relief pitcher Chan Ho Park there has been a glut of relievers and something has got to give. Whether it be an injury or two that solves the logjam or even a trade—that has yet to be seen.

If Daniel Murphy was not nervous about his job as he packed his cleats and headed into Port St. Lucie last week, he should be a little more concerned now that Ike Davis is up and running.

Davis is seen as the first baseman of the future for the Mets, but he is looking to fast-track his route to Citi Field in an attempt to see time in the Major Leagues in 2010.

While it’s Murphy’s job to lose right now, Davis is certainly making a strong case for playing time—or at the very least an extended look—in the first week of training.

The Rangers have the right guy at the right time to lead this team into bigger and better things.

With Nolan Ryan finally getting to be the captain of the Rangers' ship, after a mutiny of former owner Tom Hicks, they can step into a future that is bright and full of contending years. Something this city hasn't seen in quite some time.

They have youth, along with veteran experience, just about everywhere you look.

They have pitching, they have hitting, but the one thing the Rangers have is the ability to hold on to a lead when they have one.

The San Francisco Giants found an unlikely enforcer willing to play the role of the old-school tough guy on Thursday.

Remember Prince Fielder's September 2009 walkoff home run that beat the Giants? How Fielder and his teammates enjoyed a choreographed celebration as Fielder crossed the plate?

The Giants, particularly Zito, remember well.

Don’t pay for saves.

Now that I got that out of the way, we can turn our attention to the relievers.

Amazingly, there are a lot of relatively stable bullpen situations across the league. Houston and Pittsburgh are the only teams that don’t have a clear-cut closer, although there are other teams with guys on shorter leashes and a few teams with setup men waiting in the wings.

Spring Training is upon us, meaning another MLB season is on it's way. Every season a new crop of stars comes around and alters the balance of the league.

There are no sure things when dealing with prospects. Some "can't miss" blue-chippers never amount to anything (see: Brien Taylor). Other Players come out of nowhere and become Hall of Famers (see: Albert Pujols).

Last year we saw a wealth of NL rookies make an immediate impact on their respective teams.

Tommy Hanson got the call in June and pitched "lights out" baseball from then on.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division.

The lineups I provide will be what I predict to be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.