Preview/Prediction

Victor Martinez has huge shoes to fill behind home plate at Fenway Park. His predecessor was team captain, backstopped two World Series championship teams and is the only catcher in the history of the game to have caught four no-hitters.

With Jason Varitek now relegated to part-time duty, many pundits are wondering aloud whether Martinez will prove to be an adequate replacement with the bat and behind the plate.

For centuries in the United States, a certain groundhog has been granted the power of determining the birth of the spring season and the fate of the waning months ahead. 

However, fortunately for Hawks and Cubs fans alike, the Cactus League home opener has proven this devilish rodent wrong and introduced spring fever like no other can.

Seven former Hawks competed for a roster position against the Athletics Thursday, though Tyler Colvin (2006) made the most noise in route to a six-run win over Oakland.

In my last article, I looked at the Mariners bullpen candidates.

Continuing my tour of the AL West bullpens, here's a look at the following nine A's bullpen possibilities:

Andrew Bailey
Joey Devine
Brad Ziegler
Brad Kilby
Jerry Blevins
Jon Meloan
Michael Wuertz
Bobby Cassevah
Craig Breslow

Let's have a look!

Begin Slideshow

Spring Training is upon us, meaning another MLB season is on it's way. Every season a new crop of stars comes around and alters the balance of the league.

There are no sure things when dealing with prospects. Some "can't miss" blue-chippers never amount to anything (see: Brien Taylor). Other Players come out of nowhere and become Hall of Famers (see: Albert Pujols).

Last year we saw a wealth of NL rookies make an immediate impact on their respective teams.

Tommy Hanson got the call in June and pitched "lights out" baseball from then on.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division.

The lineups I provide will be what I predict to be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

The Kansas City Royals got off to a very good start in 2009. After 46 games last season, they had a record of 23-23, placing them second in the ultra-competitive American League Central.

That success quickly came to an end, and the Royals went 42-74 the rest of the way to finish 65-97, tied for last in the division with the Indians.

Despite a horrible finish, the Royals were able to hang their hat on Zack Greinke. Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA. He struck out 242 hitters and walked only 51 in 229.1 innings pitched.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

What would it take to pry Albert Pujols away from the St. Louis Cardinals?

Cardinals fans, put away your pitchforks and disband the angry mob. I am not in any way suggesting that Pujols, could, would, or should be traded. Such a deal would be monumentally stupid for St. Louis; in addition to being the team's best player since Stan Musial, Pujols is a fan favorite and a hometown hero.

But if the circumstances suddenly shifted? What if Pujols went on a Milton Bradley-esque rant about his hatred for the city of St.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

As the season approaches, I will pinpoint a few different aspects of fantasy baseball which  are overlooked by most managers. This edtion’s “overlooked aspect” has to do with high innings-pitched totals, particularly in the postseason.

Carlos Villanueva is in a very similar position to Manny Parra.

Both have the talent to be successful pitchers in the majors, but both are held back by either mental or physical roadblocks.

Part of Villanueva's problem has come from the rest of the pitching staff. He has bounced between the bullpen and starting rotation in each of his four seasons with the Brewers due to either injury orthe ineffectiveness of others.