Hanley Ramirez

Many of today's players do not hustle. Hanley Ramirez and Luke Scott are two players who recently demonstrated their values.

[Every day, stories spread throughout the sports world of another athlete or coach or team involving themselves in situations that inevitably need some PR spin.  Regardless of the severity of these issues, our very own Dr. Aaron Perlut will be there to analyze the situation and offer up some free professional advice.  Because if there is anything comparable to Dr. Aaron's knowledge of mustaches, it's his knowledge of public relations ]

We are all aware of the recent situation between Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez and Manager Fredi Gonzalez, and the good news is is that progress is being made as Hanley said to ESPNDeportes that he was willing to apologize to his team in order to move forward and get along with the season.

Henley's fight with Fredi left a lot of mixed feelings and confusion to the team and fans, and Hanley is doing what a true athlete and person should do and that is recognize their mistakes and move forward. 

So by now all you of you have heard or read of the terrible case of the Monday's Hanley Ramirez came down with during yesterday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

If not, read Dan's last post over at themarlinsblog.com . And appalled as I am that someone like Hanley would be perfectly fine with his public display of immaturity, I must say that I am not surprised.

By now, most baseball fans have seen the highlights of Hanley Ramirez lollygagging after a ball he literally booted down the left field line in Monday night's game between the Florida Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After Ramirez's snail-like retrieval of the baseball, during which he probably could have enjoyed a three-course meal, he was promptly benched by his manager, Fredi Gonzalez.

While last night's spectacle was as egregious as they come, it was only one glaring footnote in a growing trend around Major League Baseball.

The big story of the start of the baseball season would be the great starts by Tampa Bay, San Diego, Cincinnati and Washington.

The other big stories are off the field tales of Hall of Fame players napping and teens getting tasered.

The big debate is about parity. As of right now, there are fifteen teams that are .500 or better. That is great news for those who argue that parity does exist.

A review of each season's Most Valuable Player voting typically reveals the best players in the game at that particular time. Although each player's team's regular season success is a factor, the vote tally usually has a strong correlation to statistical leader boards.

Those players have almost always earned this recognition through quantifiable performance from RBI, HRs and batting average to wins and saves. Individual team MVP selections often mirror the same approach.

However, determining which players are most indispensable can often entail a much more complex equation.

I can’t believe it has already been a full month of baseball. Here are the guys who knocked the cover off the baseball this past week.

For all the nitty gritty, nuts-and-bolts of what to expect from shortstops and your upcoming fantasy baseball draft, you can check out our extensive shortstop composite and ADP rankings.

However, we know how valuable your time is. The significant other has a springtime honey-do list a mile long, and the MLB season is fast approaching. Don't worry, we have your back.

Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball. He has been an absolute machine since he entered the league in 2001. Have you never realized how good he is? Let me blow your mind with a couple of stats...