NL West

A couple days ago, I took a look at the Giants non-roster pitchers that they invited to Spring Training, mainly because I believe that the lack of pitching depth is one of the biggest Achilles' heels of this team.

But as I stressed in the last post, there is always a possibility of someone making such a name for himself this spring that he works his way onto the Opening Day roster and contributes. Again, see Juan Uribe and Andres Torres.

Back on December 22nd, I wrote a post wondering who’s going to be in left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011.

Here is how I ended the post:

With the first Spring Training game just 39 days away, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies hosted a behind the scenes tour of their new Spring Training facility Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

When ground broke in November 2009, it was hard to imagine what the complex would look like.

Now, just 14 months later, the transformation is incredible.

Most of the heavy earth moving equipment has disappeared and all that remains is a few minor details and some cleanup.

In 2010, Brandon Belt (talk about a perfect baseball last name) went from being a virtually unknown prospect to being mentioned as one of the best players in Minor League Baseball.

Power hitters are always at a premium because of their ability to instantly change a game.

Here's a list of ten power hitters the Giants could acquire to improve their 2011 outlook.

And no, Prince Fielder is not on the list. He's too fat.

Oh, one other thing. It isn't cutesy or clever to say well what if Pablo Sandoval has a comeback year, or Brandon Belt breaks out.

They're already on the team, knuckleheads.

Feel free to add any suggestions in the comments section below.

The NL West was arguably one of the best divisions last season thanks in large part to the Giants bullpen and the Padres' early success.

With young talent running deep, the NL West looks to continue its exciting play and eventually sponsor a squad in a playoff run in October.

Let's look at 25 guys that could make that a reality, or a repeat.

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Capistrano can have its swallows, farmers can have their almanac, and Punxsutawney can have its groundhog, but baseball fans everywhere know that the surest sign that spring is in the air is when Cactus League and Grapefruit League tickets go on sale.

The mere mention of Spring Training will put most baseball fans into a trance. They are whisked away from the frozen landscape and accumulating snow and transported to places with perpetual sunshine and blue, cloudless skies.

There used to be a day when race stood in the way of athletes playing a game they were great at.

Athletes breaking down racial barriers were a huge part of the Civil Rights movement, but even after that there was still great discrimination in American sports until recent decades. 

Now there is a day in baseball where many of the league's players honor Jackie Robinson by wearing his No. 42. 

Most Colorado Rockies fans have heard the news. Jeff Francis signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals. He will receive $2 million guaranteed, with incentives that can double his earnings.

It was inevitable.

Spring Training is a time for hitters to get back into the swing of things, for pitchers to shake off the rust and for coaches and managers to figure out what their strategy for the upcoming year is going to be. 

Spring is also a time for non-roster invitees, mainly top prospects looking to make a splash and prove they can hit big-league pitching, journeyman major-leaguers looking to latch on with a team, or proven players coming back from injury.