Opinion

Of all the positions in baseball, the pitcher can be most closely compared to being on the front lines of battle. The mentality a pitcher must possess is one of great confidence and composure. To be a closer, you have to have all that and then some; after all, you inherit the situation be it good, bad or ugly.

Tim Lincecum dazzled us with his meteoric rise to super stardom. The 5’10”, 170 pound kid from Bellevue, Washington proved to the Giants and the rest of the world that not only was he ready to play in the bigs but that he was ready to dominate.

Earlier this offseason, the Royals made headlines when they traded away former Cy Young award winner and ace Zack Grienke, along with 2010 starting shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

In return, they were able to get four prospects, including the Brewers' starting shortstop Alcides Escobar.

While the other three players could make an impact on this team down the road, Escobar is the only one that is a sure bet to start at his shortstop position on opening day next month.

We are just a few days away from pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training.

The 2011 baseball season is getting closer and closer each day, but one thing hasn't changed yet.

The Yankees need for starting pitching.

Last week, the need got even worse when Andy Pettitte decided to retire from baseball, ending his 16-year career with the Yankees to spend more time at home with his family.

With every passing day that the St. Louis Cardinals and their star slugger remain far apart in contract extension talks, speculation grows as to where the future Hall of Famer will take his talents next season.

Yes and no. 

There are still plenty of players left on the free agent market that could improve a major league club. What if it was decided there would be a new expansion team? The team would have to assemble itself by whoever is left, and this is what I believe this team would look like. A team filled with former all-stars, and overlooked players.

Begin Slideshow

There is a new wave of talent arriving in Atlanta with optimism.

Fredi Gonzalez returns to Atlanta as manager, replacing legend Bobby Cox. The Braves made a trade for Dan Uggla, the former Florida Marlins All-Star second baseman. Freddie Freeman will attempt to fill the void at first base and capture the same thrill Jason Heyward supplied last season as a rookie.

Chipper Jones will provide leadership and balance for a young and transforming team. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Jones has been injury-prone.

Who said the New York Mets don't know how to have a little fun?

In one of the funnier and more frivolous moves this offseason, the Mets' Class A Short-Season affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones have invited Super Bowl scapegoat Christina Aguilera to have a National Anthem do-over at MCU Park this season.

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.