Jason Heyward

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2010 regular season with a 91-71 record, which was good enough to claim the National League Wild Card. They lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in four games with every game being a one-run affair.

New manager Fredi Gonzalez replaces the legendary Bobby Cox and has a roster that should be in the playoff mix again.

Let's take a look at player-by-player projections for the 2011 Braves based on the probable Opening Day lineup.

Jason Heyward and Buster Posey emerged as two of baseball's brightest stars. The 21-year-old Heyward and soon-to-be 24-year-old Posey are coming into their second seasons in the majors and both are already facing enhanced expectations.

They battled all year long for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Heyward was awarded Baseball America's award, while Posey received it from the majority of others. Both players were deserving of the award, so it's hard to complain on who won.

With the recent passing of Duke Snider, I started to wonder if our generation has an equivalent to the triumvirate of May, Mantle and Snider in the 1950s. 

Granted, no city has three teams any more, but are there three outfielders playing today that are/will be considered all-time greats that are great on defense, at the plate and/or have great speed like Willie, Mickey and The Duke?

With fantasy baseball drafts in full swing, here are 50 fearless fantasy predictions to consider for the 2011 season.   

50. Derek Jeter is your number three fantasy shortstop after Hanley and Tulo —Look for a bounce back year aimed at proving he’s still earning his money.

49. Ubaldo Jiminez will undoubtedly be overvalued in your league—Remember his 2^nd half?

Jason Heyward started his Major League Baseball journey on Opening Day in 2010 with a home run on his first swing—at the age of 20.

He went on to have one of the better rookie years in recent memory, including ending up with the fourth highest on-base percentage (.393) in the National League.

With all the talk surrounding King Albert this spring training and Jose Bautista signing a five-year extension, Bleacher Report has decided to look at the next group of MLB stars that are looking at potential long-term contract extensions.

With the economy not bouncing back like "experts" have said, teams are being more careful at handing out lucrative, long-term deals with their players and opting instead to spend money on player development. However, there are those players who are essential to their team's success and they will be paid accordingly. 

It is official. Football season is over, the groundhog did not see his shadow, the snowy weather has been ushered out with warmer temperatures and spring training camps are opening.

All of this can mean only one thing: Baseball season is almost here.

With the beginning of baseball season comes the start of fantasy baseball drafts. Last year, I joined a fantasy baseball league called Strat-O-Matic Baseball (for the Richmond Strat-O-Matic Baseball League...find out more on www.rsbl.org).

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.

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.

Young players, whether they be mid-season call-ups or rookies who make the team out of spring training, tend to have a massive impact on their team's success.

From players like Buster Posey and Jason Heyward to Neftali Feliz, more and more are young stars expected to produce immediately upon their arrival in the majors. 

Let's take a look at who we can expect to have some of the biggest impacts on their team's success in the 2011 season...