Preview/Prediction

In 2010, veteran closer Trevor Hoffman struggled following his brilliant 2009 campaign and rookie John Axford was promoted to fill his place. Axford experienced remarkable success in relief of Hoffman.

Can Axford carry over his success from last season? Brewers fans hope so, but to do so he will have to break a recent trend of one-and-done for Brewers closers.

The Red Sox had the most disappointing season of any team in baseball a year ago. 

General Manager Theo Epstein went out and was extremely aggressive in the offseason.  They went out and acquired Adrian Gonzalez via trade before the winter meetings.  Then they signed Carl Crawford to a seven-year $142 million contract.

Boston also made some under-the-radar signings to bolster the bullpen by signing Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Last Year: 61-101, fourth in AL West  

Manager: Eric Wedge

PROJECTED LINEUP 

C- Miguel Olivio (R) 

1B- Justin Smoak (S)

2B- Brendan Ryan (R) or Adam Kennedy (L)

3B- Chone Figgins (S) 

SS- Jack Wilson (R)

LF- Milton Bradley (S)

CF- Franklin Gutierrez (R)

RF- Ichiro Suzuki (L)

DH- Jack Cust (L)

Is this the year that Baltimore finally breaks out?

They have arguably one of the more dangerous lineups in the American League, but the pitching is young and unproven.  If the O's can get some solid production from the staff, it's a possibility that Baltimore can eclipse the .500 mark for the first time in 13 years.

Buck Showalter was brought in to become the new manager in August and did a remarkable job.  The O's went 34-23 under Showalter during August and September.

ALSO CHECK OUT

TAMPA BAY RAYS

Last Year: 96-66, 1st in AL East 

Manager: Joe Maddon 

PROJECTED LINEUP 

C—John Jaso (L)

1B—Dan Johnson (L) 

2B—Sean Rodriguez (R)

3B—Evan Longoria (R)

SS—Reid Brignac (L)

LF—Johnny Damon (L)

CF—BJ Upton (R)

RF—Ben Zobrist (S)

DH—Manny Ramirez (R)

I will begin this small piece by saying that I am not a Baltimore Orioles fan; but I'd like to give the perspective of an outsider to what should prove to be a very entertaining 2011 Baltimore Orioles ballclub.

About a month ago, I was discussing Mark Reynolds with a co-worker, who told me that he had moved to Baltimore. Nearly flabbergasted by this, I asked who else they had picked up, only to find that Reynolds was just the tip of this largely newly-acquired offense.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Last Year: 65-97, 5th in NL West 

Manager: Kirk Gibson

PROJECTED LINEUP

C- Miguel Montero (L)

1B- Juan Miranda (L)

2B- Kelly Johnson (L) 

3B- Melvin Mora (R)

SS- Stephen Drew (L)

LF- Xavier Nady (R)

CF- Chris Young (R)

RF- Justin Upton (R)

Preview

Chicago White Sox

Last Year: 88-74, Second in AL Central 

Manager: Ozzie Guillen  

Projected Lineup

C—AJ Pierzynski (L) 

1B—Paul Konerko (R)

2B—Gordon Beckham (R)

3B—Brent Morel (R) 

SS—Alexi Ramirez (R)

LF—Juan Pierre (L)

CF—Alex Rios (R)

RF—Carlos Quentin (R)

DH—Adam Dunn (L)

With Spring Training now fully underway, the 2011 Major League Baseball Season has officially begun. While we won't know much about the upcoming season until after Spring Training ends, there are five things that baseball fans can expect to hear about this year.

1. Derek Jeter's 3,000 hit.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS 

Last Year: 69-93, 5th in NL East  

Manager: Jim Riggelman 

PROJECTED LINEUP 

C - Ivan Rodriguez (R) 

1B - Adam LaRoche (L)

2B - Danny Espinosa (S) 

3B - Ryan Zimmerman (R) 

SS - Ian Desmond (R)

LF/CF - Roger Bernadina (L)/Nyjer Morgan (L)/Rick Ankiel (L)/Mike Morse (R)

RF - Jayson Werth (R)