Rankings/List

Over and over last season, baseball fans were told that having a pair of players explode into stardom the way Los Angeles' Mike Trout and Washington's Bryce Harper did doesn't happen all the time and that the duo's accomplishments should be celebrated.

Not to take anything away from those spectacular youngsters, but that's not entirely true.

Every season, a handful of players elevate their games to another level, seemingly becoming stars overnight. Sure, most of those players don't reach the level of superstardom that Trout and Harper have, but they become stars nonetheless.

Whether one is lost in the wild world of Westeros or perusing the latest MLB box scores, parallels can be drawn between the two distinctly different entertainment genres.

In the short span of two weeks, Yasiel Puig has become the hottest player in baseball, adding yet another top player to an already star-studded lineup.

We're now roughly a month away from the 2013 MLB All-Star break, and with that break comes what may be the most exciting display of skills in all of professional sports in the Home Run Derby.

Last year saw Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder beat out Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista for the crown. This season's rosters will be chosen by captains Robinson Cano and David Wright.

Teams will normally assess where they are in the standings much closer to the trade deadline on July 31st before deciding if they will be "buyers" or "sellers". Yet, here we are in June and there are a handful of teams that have to feel like they are heading in the wrong direction and it's getting close to "do or die" time. 

Electric pitching prospects like Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray may have headlined the 2013 MLB draft class, but that doesn't mean there was a complete shortage on big-time sluggers.

There are a few prospects from this year's class that have the potential to be stars at the plate. 

Some great players stay in baseball a little bit too long. I entirely appreciate wanting to play the best game on earth for as long as possible, but there does come a point where age begins to eat away at productivity.

Not everyone can be Julio Franco or Jamie Moyer.

I am going to point out five of these players for you today. Unfortunately, for each of these guys, 2013 has not been kind so far, and I am not sure that it is going to get better.

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A lot of the names have remained the same. Scott Feldman, Matt Garza, Lucas Harrell, Ricky Nolasco and Bud Norris have been identified as trade candidates since the start of the season. Why? Because they're pretty good starting pitchers on pretty bad teams. 

While those five remain strong candidates to be dealt by the July 31st deadline, there are sure to be some starters who will become trade targets because they are pitching better than expected and/or because their team's aren't in the playoff race.

While it’s only been a few days since the conclusion of the 2013 First-Year Player draft, some teams have already announced the signing of their early-round selections.