Opinion

Lost in the hype of Jurickson Profar, Dylan Bundy and Wil Myers is St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras.

Actually, he's even lost in the hype of his teammate, fellow top-10 prospect Shelby Miller.

The Boston Red Sox endured a miserable 93-loss season in 2012, with starting pitcher Jon Lester being one of the players who struggled the most. However, in looking ahead, there are a number of reasons why Lester can bounce back in 2013.

When Bartolo Colon signed with the Oakland A's last year there weren't high expectations for him.  

Although he had won a Cy Young earlier in his career, he was expected to be an average middle-of-the-rotation starter in 2012.

Colon surprised everyone in 2012 as he went 10-9 with a nice ERA of 3.43.  

The infield shift is one of the most effective yet frustrating strategies used in sports. 

Originally used by Cleveland Indians Manager Lou Boudreau to halt Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams, the infield shift has given baseball fans fits.

It has done this because the infield shift is a self-licking ice cream cone, surviving only because of men's pride. 

One of the big question marks for the Detroit Tigers heading in to the 2013 season is exactly what role Rick Porcello will have with the team—if he is even still with the Tigers when the season starts.

The Tigers have tried the entire offseason to unload the 24-year-old pitcher, but have yet to hear an offer they are willing to take.

Small-market baseball franchises are often pigeon-holed into a compulsory allegiance to mediocre (at best) talent when it comes to filling out rosters. Second-rate ballplayers are relied on to be the leaders of teams that annually inhabit the bottom portion of the standings.

Anytime a young player makes his way toward his first crack at free agency, there is no doubt a sense of urgency about getting a big deal done.

San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley finds himself in that very situation right now, just a year away from free agency.

Headley has had a strong start to his career, and his productivity peaked this past season to the tune of 31 home runs and a league-leading 115 RBI.

Never mind what George would do.

George Steinbrenner is gone from this earth, and you can tell he's gone just by looking at his old team. The New York Yankees have changed, becoming more conservative and more business-minded than they ever were under The Boss.

This is not a bad thing. It's just a different thing.

Spring training is two weeks away. 

With the calendar turning to February, you can feel the palpable excitement among baseball fans. Maybe you can hear their hands rubbing together with anticipation. Winter is that much closer to being over. 

The Boston Red Sox recently had six players named to MLB.com’s list of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2013.