Opinion

Andy Pettitte, who announced his retirement from baseball on Friday, pitched 15 seasons in the major leagues for the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. With New York, in stints spread from 1995 to 2003 and 2007 to 2010, he won five World Series championships.

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.

Besides the relatively rosy picture Cubs management paints, described in Part I, there is another view as to why the Cubs lost last year. The bottom line is that one really doesn’t have to buy into the bad luck or underachievement excuses.  There are legitimate doubts about the steps that have been taken to improve the team.

In 2010, Matt Kemp had a -15 DRS. Before I define and explain, let me put in perspective, if only for shock value.

In 2010, Juan Rivera had a -8 DRS.

Yes, the same Juan Rivera who attacks fly balls with the same ferocity that Dodger fans chase beach balls with on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Nationals have a lot riding on the upcoming season. Though 2012 is supposed to be the beginning of the team’s window of contention, a bad 2011 would be devastating. Every last bit of fan good will—if any remains—would be forever lost.

Six years of losing ugly is too much. A seventh year would end the Miracle in Washington before it ever started.

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.

Since his major-league debut in 2006, Dan Uggla has made a living hitting home runs.

He wasn't the next Mickey Mantle. He wasn't as talented as Bobby Bonds, the man he was once traded for. And he'd be surpassed as a ballplayer by a young kid named Mattingly, whom he once made room for on the Yankees roster by graciously retiring from the game of baseball.

Andy Pettitte will not, and should not, become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jim Clancy, Doyle Alexander, Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay. 

Whether by accomplishment or leadership attributes, when one thinks of the all-time Toronto Blue Jays starters, they usually top anyone’s list. 

When Bud Selig decided to introduce the wild card to MLB's playoff system in 1994, many people thought it was a blemish on baseball's tradition and history. Fast forward to the modern day, and you would be hard-pressed to find any baseball fan who does not appreciate what the wild card system has done for the game. It has benefited the league from an economic standpoint, it has created a more competitive and balanced league and it has created a better experience for baseball fans.