Preview/Prediction

The football season is over, the basketball season as it is midway point and the NCAA Tournament is still a month away. Yup, it's almost March and that means it's finally time for spring training baseball.

After an exciting offseason, fans everywhere are eager to get the 2011 season going. Pitchers and hitters are scheduled to report to their respective spring training facilities in Florida or Arizona over the next few days, and games will begin in a couple of weeks.

Opinions on Miguel Cabrera following his recent DUI arrest have varied widely. The media and fans have spun the situation as anything from a "boys will be boys" story to "take the season off for rehab."

We all know that alcoholism isn't something to laugh about and should be handled very delicately. What we don't know is the extent that alcohol has had a grasp on Miguel Cabrera.

Last week I received an intriguing e-mail from an avid reader of the site. Essentially, he asked me to choose between Nationals’ right fielder Bryce Harper and Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout in a keeper/dynasty format.

My initial reaction was Harper, without question. After a few days of thought, however, my answer became much more complicated…

Moving along in our breakdown of every Major League team and division, it's time to look at the NL Central. This is baseball's largest division with six teams and last season, the Cincinnati Reds were the winners, making the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

It's a division that has two teams looking for some kind of success after years of frustration in the Cubs and Pirates. Two of the teams will be fighting it out all summer, and the other two should be around .500.

Derrek Lee, 1B

The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2011 offseason with first base in their sights as a position that needed to be addressed for the upcoming season. After failing to lure Victor Martinez to Baltimore, the Orioles quickly took no chances and locked up first base by signing veteran first baseman Derrek Lee.

Let the record show, I am not a Dodgesr fan. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to say I don't see any of the NL West teams being relevant in the playoffs. That being said, everyone raves about the Giants rotation, and it is awesome, but I had a "that can't be right" moment when I was researching the Dodgers rotation.

It is time people took notice of the most deceptive rotation in baseball. 

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2. Nick Markakis, RF

In his first five years in the majors with the Orioles, Nick Markakis has become a fan favorite in Baltimore. The right fielder has been one of the Baltimore most consistent players, both in the field and at the plate the past five years.

Do not take this the wrong way, I still do believe the Phillies will win the NL East. But I also have a feeling it won't be as easy as everyone thinks. 

Remember last season? In the preseason the Phillies were picked to easily win the division and make it to the World Series. But what actually happened was much different. They were second in the division behind the Braves for most of the season and only took first place in September. 

The 2010 season was a one for Gordon Beckham and White Sox fans alike. After a stellar rookie year, expectations for Beckham's sophomore year were through the roof.

After all, Beckham was moving to his natural position of second base, he was going to have a full season under his belt and a full spring training with the club; the sky was the limit for Beckham in 2010.

Ahhh I can smell the clay already.

Pitchers and catchers have reported to camp, there is less than a week before the first Spring Training game and speculation about who will finish the 2011 season where in the AL East is already brewing.

The AL East has always been one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, divisions in baseball.

This year will be no different.

In fact, I expect it to be more competitive this season than it has been in a while.