Preview/Prediction

Terry Francona has been given a Ferrari and is expected to drive it into the winner's circle. But to maximize the potential, he will need to take good care of it throughout the rigors of a 162-game schedule.

It would be hard to really screw up this lineup, as stacked as it is, but there are some changes that need to be made to make sure the team runs like a well-oiled machine. He's got the pieces, now its time to put them in the right places.

With Micheal Cuddyer, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau yet to see any spring training games, Jason Kubel has been getting his cuts in the three-hole so far this spring.

Kubel is making those spring at-bats count, hitting .545 with a home run and four RBI's and a 1.636 OPS after a week of games.

"Right now, I'm just happy with the way things are going so far this spring, just with the way I've started off, the way I'm swinging, the way I feel," Kubel said.

With spring training in full swing, it is time for predictions to be made, teams to be put up on pedestals, and others to either stay in or be thrown into the basement.  

Predictions will be done by division going West to East, and starting with the American League and then going to the National League.

It is not the season that will determine Scott Kazmir’s future with Anaheim, its Spring Training. That’s not easy for someone who is typically penciled into the starting rotation. 

So far he’s 50/50 on appearances which it a big improvement on last years numbers. I will not get into the specifics, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, baseball is about numbers.   

Jason Bay had a terrible season last year. He was injured and missed over 60 games. Even when playing, his slugging was way down and he finished with his lowest home run total since his rookie season—during which he played in only 30 games. Prior to 2010, Bay had been a borderline great player that you could count on for 30 HRs and 100 RBI:

We are all aware of the greatness that is the Cardinals' first baseman.  He's already won three National League MVP Awards, and there are some that would argue that he should have won one or two more.

As he is the perennial favorite for the NL MVP, let's take Albert out of the equation and focus on ten players that have a serious shot of taking home the coveted trophy in 2011.

The projections that I'll be giving for each player are just my own predictions for the coming year.  They are based on little more than the combination of my opinion and history.

In 2010, the Houston Astros played well enough down the stretch to finish a better than expected 76-86.  That was good enough to finish fourth in the NL Central.  This year, however, the Astros are younger and more inexperienced.

With every other team in the division improving its roster during the offseason, the Astros have not done much as they are about to be sold.  With so much uncertainty surrounding the team, can they do as well as they did last year?

Let's analyze each position and see if they can make a run for the Central.

The 2010 season was not what it was supposed to be for many major league baseballers. Remember the preseason hype? Kyle Blanks was supposed to hit 30 HR, even is spacious PetCo. Jonathan Broxton was supposed to save 50 with an ERA under one. 

This is a look at five of those disappointments who have a chance to surge in 2011, back to the upper echelon at their positions. 

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One of the major weaknesses of the Royals team last season was its lackluster bullpen.

This season, there promises to be many new faces in what should be a unit that will be a work in progress from the start of the season.

New additions such as Tim Collins and Louis Coleman should likely help bridge the gap to star closer Joakim Soria, and hopefully improve a 'pen that has been very inconsistent in recent years.

The following slides feature the players that I have predicted to make this 'pen in '11.

Enjoy.

The 2010 bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays was one of the best in the Majors, if not the best in franchise history. Now all the names that made that possible are gone, vanishing faster than you can say "Tropicana."

Now we step into 2011, with new and much less recognizable faces in the pen. There's a lot to be asked about this new bullpen, but not a lot to be expected of it.