Rankings/List

With the Minor League Baseball season now underway, prospect hounds will finally have a chance to observe the game’s top pitching prospects on a regular basis.

At the top of everyone’s “get” list is Dylan Bundy, and with good reason. After opening the 2013 season at Low-A Delmarva, the now-20-year-old right-hander enjoyed a meteoric rise through the Orioles’ system, which concluded with two appearances out of the major league bullpen in September.

With the regular season underway, the free-agent market has understandably cooled down and is not something that will be talked about much over the next several months.

That said, last season saw veterans Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Roy Oswalt all find homes after Opening Day.

Here are my rankings of the top 15 MLB free agents still up for grabs.

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The 2013 Major League Baseball season is finally underway, and the Seattle Mariners have one series under their belt. In the first two games of the opening set with the Oakland Athletics, the Mariners looked like the hot team of 2013.

In the second half of the series, fans were reminded why this team has struggled over the last few seasons.

New York Mets fans have adopted patience during this period of rebuilding. Actually, there has been no choice but to be patient, considering the plan the organization has implemented. To be fair, it has begun to yield results. 

In recent weeks, several teams have locked up franchise icons, including the Giants' Buster Posey, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and the Tigers' Justin Verlander. Without these key players hitting free agency in coming years, teams will have to work with what remains. 

A few players stand to gain tremendously from these signings, but will need to put up good numbers this season if they want to cash in on long-term deals this offseason. Here are my top five free agents in need of a strong 2013 campaign.

So another spring training is drawing to a close. That means Opening Day is just around the corner, and teams are in a frenzy trying to finalize their 25-man rosters before the March 31 deadline. 

Managers and general managers are reviewing the performances of players who are on the cusp of a minor league assignment and a trip to the big leagues. Finishing touches are being put on before the big show, and there are still a lot of questions to be answered.

After hitting 27 home runs over his first three minor-league seasons, Wil Myers exploded for 37 home runs last year in 134 games between the Royals’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Although he had always showcased plus raw power to all fields with a quick, explosive swing and exceptional extension after contact, his mature plate discipline prevented its utilization.

The start of a new season does not mean that MLB managers gets a fresh slate. Many of them have to worry about their job security based on their team's performance from the previous years.

Other managers know that they have job security unless their team's season goes horribly awry.

With Opening Day quickly approaching, only three National League teams have a better winning percentage than the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, they sit in the middle of the Cactus League standings. Wins say a lot during the regular season, but we need to look deeper to find meaning in those numbers during spring training.