Baseball

The Houston Astros finished fourth in their division last season with a record of 76-86, it marked the first time Houston finished two straight years with a losing record since the 1990 and 1991 seasons (74-88, 2009). While Houston traded away Roy Oswalt to the Phillies last year, they still expect a strong season from this year's starting rotation.

I am a Barry Zito fan.  He is not worth his $126 million contract. He is a competent starter. Replacing him would be expensive and ineffective.

Point Proven.

Just kidding.

San Francisco Chronicle writer Bruce Jenkins has stirred up a bit of controversy over his article claiming inside sources are fed up with Barry Zito to the point of releasing him or attempting to buy out his contract prior to opening day.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are not an expansion team. But this franchise certainly has the look of one starting from scratch. That is clearly not a good sign for the present, but there’s no question in my mind that things will soon improve for Diamondbacks' fans. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to suffer through at least one more very rocky campaign before things turn around.

For as long as most of us can remember, the Dallas Cowboys have been America's Team. 

A lot of that has to do with the teams locale, the dearth of professional teams that existed in America's heartland when the 'Boys broke onto the expansion scene in 1960.

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest


Justin Smoak clubbed 62 home runs for the University of South Carolina in 739 at-bats, prompting the Texas Rangers to select him with the 11th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft.

It's too early in Spring Training to presume anything yet, but it's no secret that the New York Yankees are hosting some very important pitching auditions down in Tampa, Florida.
 
The fourth and fifth spots, basically the back-end of the starting rotation, are empty and look to remain so right up until Opening Day on March 31st.
 
The Yankee bats still remain strong and easily one of the most lethal line-ups in baseball.
 

To help keep fantasy managers on top of injuries this spring, Fantasy Baseball Insiders has launched a team-by-team injury report. This list will be updated every night so you can stay up to date on current injuries. Bookmark this page for an easy return. This is a must have as you prepare for your upcoming draft!

If I missed any significant injuries, please let me know in the comment section below.

Last updated March 2, 8:00 a.m. CST.

Baltimore Orioles:

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.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve announced the top 60 players on our 2011 big board. Click on each player’s name for a more in-depth analysis, including 2011 projections!

As Barry Zito made his first Spring start on Monday and, true to form, Zito was completely off. You never know what you're going to get from Zito, and it seems to have been his persona since coming to the Giants after signing a 7 year / $128M deal.

The fans are tired of this guy, and in all respect, you can't blame them. When it comes to the extent of keeping a job, everything is serious, and is the case for Zito right now.

Small market teams don't trade away a player that they control with two years to go before free agency.  Most teams would try to get the most out of him before trading such a player away. 

Which leaves me to the Twins floating around Francisco Liriano's name out in trade winds and more than likely trading him away this season.