Preview/Prediction

Week three of this big thing of a season should be another whirlwind tour of the hard-hitting storm called Major League Baseball in the United States, circa 2011. 

If you followed my advice from earlier in this series, then pitchers and hitters like Starlin Castro, Lance Berkman, Josh Beckett, Mariano Rivera and Pedro Sandoval panned out for you so far.

I'll keep the hits, WHIPS, RBI, strikeouts, runs, steals, saves and low ERA coming for you all season long.  Stay tuned for more secret advice to get your opponents in the flux.

This weekly column focuses on guys who are out there to be had for nothing in most leagues that can help your team, even if only as a short-term fill in.

If you have injuries, like that of an owner who will go unnamed, which includes Josh Hamilton, Matt Holliday, Zack Greinke, Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Mauer, and you have not quit yet, then these are some guys who may help to ease the pain.

In his contract year, Prince Fielder will be looking to make a big impression on potential suitors this year.  He signed a $15.5 million dollar contract with the Brewers for 2011, but it is likely he will land elsewhere before the year is up as the Brewers probably cannot afford to sign him.

Also, the Brewers have been bit by the injury bug early, losing star pitcher Zack Greinke to a cracked rib shortly after they traded for him.  Another example is slugger Corey Hart, who has not played yet either after a strained oblique.

Aaron Rowand has been a certified pariah since his first season in San Francisco.

His performance at the plate has not endeared him to the fans or management, and it showed with his reduced role in the latter half of the 2010 season.

They haven’t even played more than a dozen games yet, but this season’s successful start by the Colorado Rockies is important.

With Thursday’s doubleheader sweep of the host New York Mets, the Rockies have posted a 10-2 record, which is the best start in Colorado franchise history and is the best record in Major League Baseball.

Tonight, the Milwaukee Brewers (7-5) come into Washington, D.C. to face off against the Nationals (5-7).

Now two weeks into the 2011 season, it is time for Dodger fans to look down on the farm and analyze the development of Dodger prospects.

After a disappointing 2010 season and a 2011 offseason in which the Dodgers did not spend as much money on free agents as some fans would have liked, it is up to the growth and production of homegrown talent to bring another World Championship to Los Angeles.

With general manager Ned Colletti at the helm, the Dodgers minor league system has faltered, but thanks to scouting director Logan White the system has been propped up for now.

With much publicity surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets have the opportunity to sneak up on the perennial division winners and catch them off guard, assuming certain players on their roster step up and rebound from tough, even dismal 2010 seasons.

With that in mind, here is a list of those five players that the Mets most need to overachieve this season.

The Boston Red Sox are indeed struggling, but their matchup on Friday against Brett Cecil could be exactly what they are looking for. 

Brett Cecil, the Jays’ team leader in wins last year with 15, is a major cog in the “Hustle and Heart” campaign the club is running with, yet Cecil is struggling mightily with no explanation as to why. 

I wrote the article below a few months back as part of my application to Bleacher Report. I predicted that Troy Tulowitzki and Adrian Gonzalez would win their league's respective MVP awards. The Boston Red Sox have gotten off to a horrid start, but it's still April.

Are my points still valid? What new factors support or contest my AL MVP prediction? You be the judge.

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