Baseball

In March, it's common to introduce an opinion of a player or performance by reminding readers that it's very early, spring training statistics don't count and the real games are about a month away from reality.

With New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, that edict isn't just necessary—it's vital.

Spring training statistics can be horribly misleading. With so many young, inexperienced prospects in big league camp, it’s imperative that all numbers be analyzed within context. At the same time, it’s hard not to get excited when a prospect makes an immediate impact.

The Minnesota Twins got the news they were dreading Saturday morning. Their top prospect, Miguel Sano, will have Tommy John surgery and miss the 2014 season, as reported by ESPN.com.

The New York Mets will host the split-squad Miami Marlins at Tradition Field Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Mets starter John Lannan faces Kevin Slowey of the Marlins. Lannan is one of several candidates for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

All eyes were on Jose Abreu Friday afternoon, as the Cuban slugger made his highly anticipated White Sox debut after signing a four-year, $68 million contract during the offseason.

Updates from Saturday, March 1

LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has the latest on Sano and the news isn't good:

The highly-touted third base prospects has a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and will need Tommy John surgery. Sano will fly to Minnesota next week to have the surgery.

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Entering the official start of spring training 2014, one thing is clear: the New York Yankees are Major League Baseball's most talked about team.

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered spring training on the short list of World Series favorites following a 92-win campaign and a trip to the National League Championship Series in 2013. Last year’s success has led to heightened expectations for the 2014 MLB season. However, there’s already cause for concern coming out of the Dodgers camp in Glendale, Ariz.

Here are five storylines from the first two weeks of spring training that Dodgers fans should pay close attention to.

The New York Mets have finished below .500 in each of the past five seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2006, but hope springs eternal as a new crop of stars prepares to make an impact in 2014.

The Arizona Diamondbacks don't necessarily have to trade either one of their two young shortstops currently battling for the starting job. 

Both Didi Gregorius and Chris Owings, the two talented players involved in the aforementioned battle, have minor league options and could be sent to Triple-A to start the season. They might even benefit from the experience.