Greatest Hits

Every spring, there are a handful of questions that each team faces and must resolve before the start of the regular season.

Often these questions revolve around how to set the lineup and many times start with who will be the team's leadoff hitter.

For the teams that had the 10 guys that follow on this list, that was never an issue, as you could pencil them in atop the lineup and count on them to be a catalyst for your team.

I have chosen who i feel are the top 10 leadoff hitters in baseball history.

The New York Mets were blessed with one of the best defensive players to ever pick up a glove when they traded Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey to the St. Louis Cardinals back in 1983.

More than a decade after the last Major League Baseball game was played in the Astrodome, the "Eighth Wonder of the World" still elicits memories from countless Astros fans who found their way to Houston's groundbreaking stadium.

The 'Dome never hosted a World Series, but it was the site of two All-Star Games, two emotionally draining National League Championship Series, and a cavalcade of remarkable pitching performances.

The New York Mets have a history of over-evaluating prospects, of hyping up their rookies and top draft choices.

The franchise, especially back in the 80s, loved the "can't miss" studs coming up out of high schools and colleges, and just when they looked to be ready for the next big step, they exploded under the lights of New York City.

There are so many players in Mets history that were destined for greatness. Destined to lead the club for years to come.

Bleacherreport.com tasked me with ranking the top 10 pitchers in Athletics history. Considering the Athletics' considerable history, it was quite daunting. Who are my top 10? What order do I rank them? There's the obvious inclusions of Hall-of Famers Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley. Everyone else had success with the A's more recently or required research.
You're not a diehard fan unless you know ALL of your team's history. As an A's fan, you must culture yourself if you've never heard of Eddie Plank.

While the signings of guys such as Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley are in the forefront of Cubs fan's minds, there have still been a number of great moves made by the front office throughout the years. This article will look at the ten best free agent signings in team history.

First, a few ground rules. I have only included signings made from the beginning of free agency in 1975 on, since prior to that the only free agent signings were ametuer free agents, as the draft did not exist yet.

Established in 1977, the Seattle Mariners have competed in three complete decades: the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

The Mariners have featured few true "franchise players," who could be instantly noticed as the face of the franchise. Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ichiro Suzuki have all had a turn, but other prominent players, such as Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, and Tino Martinez, have come and gone.

Saying you watch the New York Yankees for their defensive prowess is like saying you watch Jersey Shore for the thoughtful and intelligent dialogue.

In other words, you're not kidding anybody.

Defense is baseball's subtle art form, and the Yankees have made their mark on the sport by being the opposite. They are the Bronx Bombers, after all, and they didn't get that moniker for their soft hands and adroit use of the crow hop.

That said, you don't win 27 World Series titles with a team full of Giambinos bumbling around the field.

The long running debate among baseball fans is just who has the best, most committed, smartest, (add superlative here) fan base. The fans of all 30 teams vary in commitment, knowledge, participation and attendance, but only one fan base can sit atop the list. Behind that fan base are 29 other groups who all jockey to separate themselves from the pack.

So let the debate, the hate and the trash talking commence with the power ranking of all 30 MLB fan bases.

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Home runs have been ingrained in baseball. We watch balls fly out of yards at high rates and multiple times per game. The balls have been made tighter, the fences built closer, and the bats lighters. All have combined for home runs to be an important part of a club's success. What also plays a factor is one's park. We saw how Yankee Stadium launched balls out into the seats at an eye-popping rate in 2009. That goes us thinking about which parks are the easiest and the hardest to hit a ball out of.