Rankings/List

Last year, a player that emerged from obscurity in the Oakland Athletics farm system was third base prospect Stephen Parker.  

In 2010 he hit .296, with 21 home runs and 98 RBI, yet coming into 2011 he was still largely overshadowed by fellow prospects Grant Green and Michael Choice.  Despite his breakout 2010 campaign, he solidified his position as the team's third baseman of the future with his consistent and solid play last season.

Catcher is perhaps the hardest position to draft.  This year is perhaps one of the worst, with many of the big names having problems with injuries (Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Buster Posey) or stretches of mediocrity (Mauer again, Carlos Santana, Geovany Soto). 

Since 2002, the Minnesota Twins have made of habit of having their prospects making some sort of impact on Major League Baseball. While not all of them have panned out (and what team has?), there are always some diamonds in the rough that not only help the major league club but become household names across baseball.

Here’s the 2012 LestersLegends shortstop rankings for NL-only leagues.

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies 

My top-ranked shortstop last year holds onto the top spot thanks to a .302-81-30-105-9 line. I’d like to see 100 runs, but given his other numbers, it’s hard to complain.

2. Hanley Ramirez, Miami Marlins 

After the way last season ended, it's hard not to put "Boston Red Sox" and "disappointing" in the same sentence. 

Although, after one of the most historic collapses in baseball history at the end of the 2011 regular season, Red Sox Nation has plenty to be excited about with one of the most potent offenses in the majors and capable pitching.

With Major League Baseball still weeks away, those of us in warmer climates may enjoy checking out the following stars as they prepare to heat things up this season. The following are stars we'd pay to see in exhibition games. 

Albert Pujols

The MLB hot stove has been burning all season long, with big name free agents receiving hefty deals and GMs trying to strengthen their squads.

But what do the fans think of these moves?

We often hear the opinions of analysts, experts, fellow GMs and team brass about offseason acquisitions, but not much from fans.

Often diehard fans who watch every game and keep a close eye on their team are extremely knowledgable and insightful in regards to their team.

Well, here's to you, fans. It's your time to shine.

If you haven't looked at it yet, just know that the starting pitching pool is pretty deep this season. Fantasy junkies everywhere should be looking forward to their draft, if they haven't drafted already, of course.

There are some pretty good sleepers in the pool. I'm a big fan of Brandon Morrow and Brandon Beachy, and I'm of the mind that Madison Bumgarner could contend for the National League Cy Young this year. 

It's been a good start to spring training for the Boston Red Sox, winning every game they've played thus far with minor speed bumps along the way. 

This past offseason brought a lot of changes to Boston, including a new manager, a new general manager, a slew of new coaches, and, most significantly, some new players.

Nobody takes more time between pitches than Jose Valverde, but whatever he's doing is working.

Valverde converted all 49 save opportunities last season while posting a 2.24 ERA.  Jose's 49 saves led all of baseball and were a career high.

Valverde has been a consistent closer throughout his career, averaging 32 saves per season.

Honorable Mention: Joakim Soria, Kansas City

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