Preview/Prediction

It would be easy to overlook Mike Aviles.

After all, he plays in Kansas City, who are down to two fantasy mainstays (Billy Butler and Joakim Soria) now that Zack Greinke is with the Brewers.

The 2011 season is almost here, and as spring training begins, the offseason ends.

Teams will inevitably look slightly to substantially different on opening day then they do now, but we at least have a pretty good idea of each teams 40-man roster and ideal depth chart.

I have graded each team's projected 25-man roster in terms of starting pitching, bullpen, infield/catcher, Outfield/DH, and coaching. For infield and outfield grades, offense and defense are equal factors.

In preparation of the 2011 MLB Fantasy Baseball season, The Fantasy Fix team will preview a team's pitching rotation each day.  

In his third pitching preview of the American League West, Chris Summers looks at the King, Felix Hernandez and his supporting cast.

With all the hype and hope the Blue Jays injected into their fans with their play of last year, there is one thing everyone is forgetting when looking forward to this year. The simple way of putting it: they are going to fail this year.

Generally, I'm one to stick to the team and players and project big years from all involved. However, it seems like the doom and gloom media and fans have all either had a change of heart with Anthopoulos' steady hand at the helm, or they have all finally given up.

All eyes will be on Albert Pujols for the next few days until he reports to Spring Training.

If his self-imposed deadline for a new contract comes and goes without an extension being reached with the St. Louis Cardinals, he will rule the headlines for the duration of the season.

Everywhere the Cardinals go, the top questions asked will be, “Where do you see yourself playing next season?” and “is your contract status a distraction?”

Yeah, I've heard it on many occasions. And it's true, the Baltimore Orioles have been truly awful as of late.

But when you take a look at their off-season activity and what talent they've added, you might wanna consider the possibility that the Orioles could have a strong team this year.

I'm not going to go as far as to say they can hold their own against the likes of teams like the Yankees or the newly-beefed up Red Sox, but they have a strong chance of making a significant improvement from the years past.

Here's why...

While spring training is still almost a week away, it's never too early to take a peek at which players have the best chance of playing at an MVP level in each league.

Obviously injuries can play a factor, but in the absence of them I have chosen 10 players from the AL and NL that I believe have legitimate shots at carrying their respective teams.

A lot of these guys will be no-brainers as they are legit candidates every year. There may be a few players who have flown under the radar, but I feel are ready to take their games to another level in 2011.

Now that the previews for the American League is complete, it's time to start breaking down the National League. We'll start off with the NL East, which on paper, looks over before it even begins.

It may be a silly statement to make, as there are other teams that can play well in the division, but who really thinks the team with four aces won't run away with things?

It'll be an interesting season for this division as it appears the team that's always been on the bottom is making some nice improvements.

Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes are just two of the many stars who could be testing the free-agent waters upon the completion of the 2011 season. And in scanning the list of potential free agents, it suffices to say there are plenty of other stars that could be had for the right price.

Make no mistake, Pujols would be the biggest catch of the bunch. A guy like Reyes, on the other hand, is a little harder to figure. He could command a fortune if he has a big 2011, but some team might pony up a king's ransom for him even if he doesn't.

Though among the league's worst last season, Kevin Millwood is among the top pitchers still available on the free agent market. He posted an atrocious 4-16 record coupled with an awful 5.10 ERA last season with the Baltimore Orioles. 

Aside from the previously mentioned facts, Millwood's WHIP last season was 1.51 and his 16 losses were the highest in the AL and tied for most in the majors with Rodrigo Lopez.