Preview/Prediction

In 2011, Sandy Alderson and the Mets have a lot of question marks when it comes to the team’s opening day roster when they take against Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins.

New York is in a bit of a rebuilding year in which expectations are not very high. There is probably more uncertainty going into this year than there has been before going into any other season in the past three years.

At this late date in spring training, the majority of teams across Major League Baseball have made most of their critical personnel decisions regarding who will be coming north with them once camps break and the regular season commences.

There are however, still important decisions to be made in Rangers camp, as the days dwindle and Opening Day rapidly approaches.

The Pirates are in the midst of 18 consecutive losing seasons, and that number will most likely hit 19 after this season. 

They scored the fewest runs in the NL last season, and also gave up the most.  That equaled to a minus-279 run differential.

There are glimmers of hope, and it starts with Andrew McCutchen, the best center fielder in baseball.  They also have some other young studs in Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata and Neil Walker.  

ALSO CHECK OUT

With only 10 days until Opening Day, the Mets will have some tough decisions to make as they narrow their active roster down to 25.

They still have not named a starting second baseman, for one. There is uncertainty around whether Carlos Beltran will be starting the season in right field or on the disabled list. 

I think that about 90 percent of the roster is set in stone, so I will try to fill in the blanks and predict the 25 men who will make the final cut come April 1st.

As Spring training winds down, and Opening Day creeps closer, it is time to close the book on the Giants' World Championship 2010 season, and focus on the Giants' 2011 season.

No doubt it was a amazing season filled with many more highs than lows.

It featured the coming out parties for Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. It saw Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain become practically immortal during the playoffs. And career resurrections for Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell helped bring the city of San Francisco its first championship since 1994 and the Giants their first ever by the Bay.

By now we've covered most of the important parts of the 2011 San Francisco Giants. For those of you who didn't read the first two parts of this preview, here are the Cliffs Notes...

Pitching = good

Aaron Rowand = bad

After years of the Mike Scioscia Angels maintaining a stranglehold on the AL West, things finally came together for the Texas Rangers in 2010, as they overcame their rivals from California on their way to their very first American League pennant.

Looking to maintain their place atop the division, the Rangers were quite active this Winter. Though key midseason acquisition Cliff Lee departed for Philadelphia, Jon Daniels was able to bring in Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli, Brandon Webb, and Arthur Rhodes.

Let me start by getting this out of the way: Despite the rumors, I don't think the Mariners are going to trade Felix Hernandez anytime soon.

Hernandez is the best pitcher in the American League and he's signed through 2014 at a rate that is reasonable for a player of his caliber. 

The Mariners are a well-supported team that is regularly in the top half of the league in team payroll and has no apparent need to cut salary.  There are no Mets-style financial problems here.

The Los Angeles Angels went just 80-82 last season, finishing third in the American League West. Los Angeles had been to the playoffs six times in the previous eight seasons, including each of the last three, but midseason injury to Kendry Morales really put them in a tough spot.

The Oakland Athletics haven’t been much a factor in the AL West the past few seasons, but are coming off a 81-81 finish where they ended the year second in the division behind the Rangers.