Preview/Prediction

Spring Training is underway for the 2011 Major League Baseball season and fans of teams everywhere couldn't be more excited.

A new season means a new slate for each team. Whether you're a diehard fan of the perennially poor Pittsburgh Pirates or a fan of the re-loaded Red Sox, each club begins exactly the same.

With a fresh start and pine tarred bats, all 30 clubs are hitting the ground running in the hopes of bringing home a World Series trophy.

Who are the early favorites to secure a postseason berth?

The Chicago Cubs’ dugout was the scene of another intrasquad scuffle today, courtesy of starting pitcher Carlos Silva.

Silva, who was shelled for six runs (three earned) in his one-inning start against the Brewers, blew up at his teammates and had to be physically restrained.

With the caveat that spring training has a long ways to go yet, this incident could have a substantial effect on the Cubs’ choices for the back of the starting rotation.

As spring approaches, baseball fans all across the nation become giddy with anticipation. New acquisitions have us all looking at our respective teams and wonder what may be.

Still, there are inevitabilities in every season.

There is at least one guy out there who, looked at as a random scrub today, will be a star in the coming months. A minor league player hoping to make the big club will become an integral part of their success.

At 28 years old, Jorge Vaquez seems like an unlikely candidate to break the Yankees' big league lineup, but with the way he performs, I would not be surprised to see him as a backup corner infielder and all-around utility man.

Vazquez has been a member of the Yankees since 2009 when New York found him hanging around the Mexican League playing for the Quintana Roo Tigers where he was dominating the competition, posting a .313 batting average over eight seasons.

Following the most successful season in franchise history, the Texas Rangers have had an eventful off-season as they prepare to defend their 2010 American League Championship.

From feuds with rival franchises to dramatic encounters with their own players, the winter months have been anything but boring as the Rangers have thrust themselves into baseball's spotlight with on-field success as well as off-field controversies. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks are not an expansion team. But this franchise certainly has the look of one starting from scratch. That is clearly not a good sign for the present, but there’s no question in my mind that things will soon improve for Diamondbacks' fans. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to suffer through at least one more very rocky campaign before things turn around.

The National League Central has picked up steam in the offseason.

Last year, it was touted as one of the worst divisions in baseball. Now, the Cubs have picked up pitcher Matt Garza, the Brewers got Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum and the young Reds have a year of experience.

Has anyone added enough to overtake the Reds?

Let's take a look and find out.

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Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the Yankees made a huge splash in free-agency by landing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. They won 103 games and the World Series. Looking back, the Sabathia signing sent shock waves, but nothing like the Cliff Lee spectacle this past offseason.

The Phillies won a MLB high 97 games a year ago, and it was a down year. Players were falling down like flies, and many fans were doubting if the team could even make the postseason. During the summer, the Braves held a large lead in the NL East.

Justin Upton and the Arizona Diamondbacks had a rough go in 2010. Plagued by a historic case of strikeout fever—the batters whiffed 144 times more than any other club in the National League and the pitchers struck out the third-fewest opponents on the senior circuit—and a poor defense, the team lost 97 games.

Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes got the axe, and have been replaced by Kirk Gibson (in the dugout) and Kevin Towers (in the front office).

With spring training now at its peak and Cactus League play in full gear, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the national spotlight of the sports media in regards to a number of popular storylines.

Team ownership is obviously at the forefront, as Frank McCourt was anticipating a $200 million cash advance from Fox until the transaction was blocked by MLB commissioner Bud Selig late last week. It's unclear exactly where the overall finances of the club lie, but the fact that McCourt was involved in plotting such a deal doesn't sound encouraging.