Rankings/List

The plate has been brushed off, the hot dogs have been made and the 2011 MLB season is underway.

While there's a bunch of joy and hoopla that surrounds the opening week, there are some disappointed fan bases out there after their teams and/or favorite players got off to a rocky start.

There's no question we are all glad to see baseball back in action, but what are the 10 biggest storylines that have made us cringe so far?

One of the great characteristics about the game of baseball is that families enjoy it together, whether a father taking his son to his first big league game, or fathers, sons and brothers sharing baseball on the diamond.

A father's pride.  A son's rise to stardom in his father's footsteps.  Brothers bonding on the diamond.  These timeless themes have captivated baseball fans for generations.

Here now is a ranking of the greatest baseball families ever.

This past Friday, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/designated hitter Manny Ramirez abruptly retired.  He had been batting .059 in six games.  It was later revealed that he had once again tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was facing a 100-game suspension.  Instead of going through with the suspension, the controversial outfielder chose to end his career.

In their 49-year history, the New York Mets have had some success in developing minor league prospects. Though many of these players went on to play for other teams, the Mets still did their job of ensuring these players were as Major League-ready as possible.

Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Jose Reyes and David Wright all were drafted by the team and made an immediate impact for the big club.

Cold starts at the dish in April are nothing new to baseball. They are as old as the game itself. 

Opening a season poorly is difficult for a player to hide. Bury a two-week slump in the middle of July, and nobody will bat an eyelash.

Begin a new year with a couple of rough series, and those numbers out on the video board start looking awfully funny. 

After all of the preseason hype, largely due to the return of Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies have come out red hot in early April like a fox escaping a forest fire.

The Phils' are off to a 7-2 start, capped off by 2-1 series win over the Atlanta Braves who are thought to be their main competition in the NL East.

Only two weeks into the season, clubs should be starting to find out their team's weaknesses and strengths.

Before you know it, the August 31st trade deadline will be approaching and teams will be focused on improving their clubs. On the other end, poor teams will have fire sales for some of their top-notch players.

By August, teams should know whether they are in the playoff hunt or not.

Here are 13 players that could be on the market if their teams do not perform through the first half of the season.

With only three series completed in the 2011 MLB season, very few things are clear. You can tell what some of the strengths and weaknesses of some teams are going to be, but it's unclear how those will play out. There have been a decent amount of surprises so far this year, and it looks like it's going to be another great year of baseball.

30. Houston Astros (2-7) 

So the first 10 days of baseball season have come and gone. Many teams have been very impressive to watch and hear about (Rangers, Phillies, Reds). Others have had unexpected disappointing starts (Red Sox, Rays, Twins, Tigers) while others have been surprises (Indians, Royals, Orioles).

Though the season is less than two weeks old, the potential for midseason trades is always present.

For small-market teams, acquiring highly-touted prospects for players that will soon be free agents is customary.

The contenders will look to the small-market teams when trying to add some depth for a postseason run.

Here are 10 small-market players that may be on the move this season.

Begin Slideshow