Baseball

With the first Spring Training game later today, it is time to look at the last four non-roster invitees that the Braves have in camp with them.

These four players include two infield and two outfield prospects.

Brandon Hicks

Originally drafted in the third round back in 2007, Hicks hasn’t lived up to the promise that made Baseball America project him to be the starter at third base in 2012.

On the one hand, you have the throwing of the 1919 World Series by eight players, which acts negatively and selfishly toward the team, fans, and everyone surrounding baseball.

However, although the thought process of steroids could be to support one's team, in most cases it's just as selfish and used by ego-maniacs in search of personal glory.

On the other side of things, the White Sox were throwing a World Series for a bigger cause; to revolt against a cheap owner in the form of Charles Comiskey.

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects: No. 10, Adrian Salcedo

Position: Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Born: April 24, 1991 (Moca, Dominican Republic)

School: Not Available

Height:  6'4''

Weight: 175 lbs.

2009 Ranking: Not Ranked


Breakdown:

Thank you for checking back for part two of this six-part series.

The second installment entitled, "So THIS Is Why I’ve Heard So Much About This Guy!" is a set of players that were on our fantasy radar prior to 2009, performed better than expected last season, and that we should now target as fantasy studs.

Unlike the first installment in this preview, the following slides pertain to athletes we had heard of before that, prior to 2009, had yet to fulfill their potential.

Last week's relatively quiet announcement that the New York Yankees had signed Chan Ho Park to a $1.2 million, one-year contract raised some eyebrows.

If Park was willing to sign for such a meager sum and accept a bullpen role, why didn't the Phillies lock him up?

Throughout the offseason, indications had been that the pitcher was seeking an opportunity to be a starter and bigger dollars than the Phillies were willing to offer.

Perhaps that was true early on, but obviously neither of those desires was fulfilled with the Bronx Bombers.

Would McDonald’s ever toy with their Big Mac?

Would Burger King ever mess around with the taste of their Whopper?

Would Taco Bell ever transform into a vegetarian food chain?

Would the New York Mets ever do anything detrimental to the core of their team?

The answer to the first three questions is an almost laughable “no,” while unfortunately the answer to the final question is “yes.”

The Minnesota Twins had a great offseason .

Mike Lowell did not.

The Minnesota Twins revamped a previously punchless middle infield, added a big bat to an otherwise lackluster bench, retained an innings-eater for the rotation, and brought in a solid groundball specialist for the bullpen.

The Marlins have earned a reputation of making the most out of having the least.  The fact is that you don't win 87 games in the major leagues without some bona fide talent.  We all know the two stars, Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson, but where else can you find some impact fantasy players on this team?  The largest unknown this spring is how the pitching rotation will turn out.   Here is what you can expect from the Marlins pitching rotation.

Josh Johnson

Baseball dorks finally have made it to the Hall of Fame. Yes, they had to create their own: the Baseball Historian Hall of Fame, with an award named after Henry Chadwick.

The Hall was created by the good folks over at the Society of Baseball Research or SABR.  For those not in the know, SABR stats are the basis of sabermetrics. Without sabermetrics Billy Beane would only be recognized by a handful of people.

Without Billy Beane, Michael Lewis would, in 2003, have never written the best seller Moneyball . 

Like so many others across the country and around the world, for the Detroit Tigers’ superstar Miguel Cabrera, the first step was admitting he had a problem.

After a couple of embarrassing incidents involving alcohol at the end of last season, Cabrera underwent counseling this winter and is doing something that is really hard for someone in their mid-20s to do—quit drinking alcohol.