NL East

Spring training is almost over and I know you can’t read too much into players’ spring performances, but I though it would be interesting to compare the old Phillies right fielder against what appears to be his new replacement.

Jayson Werth has appeared in 14 spring games for his new team and has accumulated 39 at-bats with 10 walks for a total of 49 plate appearances, which averages to 3.5 trips to the plate per game.

In 2011, Sandy Alderson and the Mets have a lot of question marks when it comes to the team’s opening day roster when they take against Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins.

New York is in a bit of a rebuilding year in which expectations are not very high. There is probably more uncertainty going into this year than there has been before going into any other season in the past three years.

Philadelphia Phillies (2010 record: 97-65) The Phillies entered the new year as one of a handful of teams with a legitimate claim to the designation as the best team in baseball. They entered the free agency fray at the end of the process and lured southpaw Cliff Lee away from both the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.

With only 10 days until Opening Day, the Mets will have some tough decisions to make as they narrow their active roster down to 25.

They still have not named a starting second baseman, for one. There is uncertainty around whether Carlos Beltran will be starting the season in right field or on the disabled list. 

I think that about 90 percent of the roster is set in stone, so I will try to fill in the blanks and predict the 25 men who will make the final cut come April 1st.

Major League Baseball is a funny game, it's not like the NBA where guys can just play offense and win games.  Baseball requires a franchise to have dominant pitching that will shutdown the opposing offense players.  

A top of the line pitcher is one who'll take the rubber under his control and dictate what happens next through out the course of a game.

Sadly, there aren't quite as many of these guys out there as you would think.

So who are the top 10 franchise pitchers?

Atlanta Braves (2010 record: 91-71)

The Braves begin the new season without long-time manager Bobby Cox, who stewarded the team to a succession of 14 consecutive division titles (from 1991-2005, absent the strike-shortened 1994 season), five World Series appearances and a world championship in his 20-plus years at the helm. The 2011 season will usher in the Fredi Gonzalez era in Atlanta.

Those who were hoping for an Opening Day miracle in the form of a healthy Chase Utley are going to be sorely disappointed.  The signing of veteran second baseman Luis Castillo to a minor league deal means that Utley may be down for a long time.

Now that public enemies number one and two, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, have been shipped out, Mets fans will be ravenous for a new scapegoat to despise. Mets fans can be so harsh that if Mother Teresa was alive and she was invited to throw out the first pitch at Citi Field, we might boo her if she doesn’t paint the outside corner with 90 mph heat.

If the Phillies struggle with their health again this season, guys are going to have to step up besides Wilson Valdez.  A couple of prospects have shown some rather nice signs in camp. 

At the start of spring training, there were approximately 12 pitchers fighting for two to three spots in the bullpen.  A few have emerged.

Let's take a look at five prospects that have caught my eye in spring training.

If four different AAA players from four different major league organizations all have the exact same talent and equal potential, why would one be a better player to draft than the others?  

The same question could be asked of four current major league reserves. Opportunity would be the answer. Which player is blocked from the opportunity to get regular at bats at the major league level, and which player will be afforded the chance to play.