Rankings/List

Second basemen have been easier to come by in recent seasons, but very few have sustained consistent production.

Top-tier talents such as Chase Utley (86 games), Dustin Pedroia (123), Ian Kinsler (150) and Rickie Weeks (204) have all missed significant time due to injury over the last four seasons. Heck, even the likes of Brian Roberts, Aaron Hill, Freddy Sanchez and Carlos Guillen have missed time in recent seasons.

The only stalwart?

The prizes of the 2011 offseason were Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth as far as position players, and Cliff Lee on the pitching side, in what was for the most part a very weak free agent class.

The 2012 class, on the other hand, could be one of the most interesting to come around in years, and you can bet that the Albert Pujols saga will continue on into the season and into next offseason.

Beyond Pujols, however, there are a number of difference makers in this class, and many teams could build for a championship run in 2012 with the guys they sign following this season.

The 2011 MLB season is just about to get underway. Rest assured you will be swearing at your computer, TV, phone or maybe even the radio.

It seems that every year there are certain players that aren't able to shift gears until after March and April. Whether you root for their team or have them in a fantasy league or two or 12, you need to relax. They do it EVERY year. Why should this year be any different?

So far, our 2011 fantasy baseball composite rankings ( Top 50 | C | 1B | 2B

Third base isn't exceptionally deep, but a couple of solid options (Boston's Kevin Youkilis and Seattle's Chone Figgins) will earn eligibility at the position in April.

Here are our top 15 fantasy third basemen for 2011:

This is the first in a series of probably twenty-some lists. I doubt some letters, such as I, Q, U, Y and maybe Z, will be able to field a team. I may be wrong, we shall see. You may want to argue about some selections; as always, that is your prerogative. I have started this list out in a quasi-1959 Topps look, but will probably change it with each new letter.

This should be fun. Let's get started.

Begin Slideshow

Before the start of the season, I wanted to see which pitchers statistically had the best fastballs, curveballs, sliders, cutters, changeups and splitters of the 2010 season.

Here are a look at the top curveballs of the 2010 season. A few notes:

The Pitch Value data was created by Fangraphs.com. I will be using the statistic, wCB, which denotes the runs above average for a particular pitch—in this case a curveball.  

When it comes to the craziest men in all of sports, Jose Canseco has to top the list.

From attempting an acting career, to challenging former athletes to boxing matches, to taking the infamous baseball off the head in a 1993 regular season game against the Cleveland Indians, Jose Canseco always seems to capture the media spotlight in the biggest of ways.

The former Oakland A's slugger's' most recent debacle came just this past week when he sent his twin brother Ozzie to fill in for him in a scheduled fight at a Hard Rock nightclub on Saturday night.

The first month of the fantasy season is perhaps the most crucial. 

Getting off to a good start is very important for postseason seeding.  A manager with the top fantasy seed in Yahoo! formats, for example, normally need to win only one game to make it to the finals. 

I'll show you how to make the finals and get in the money by getting your team cracking early.  The fantasy picks in this slideshow, though, could hinder your start.

Let’s stop the hindrance.  Start the show...

Before the start of the season, I wanted to see which pitchers statistically had the best fastballs, curveballs, sliders, cutters, changeups and splitters of the 2010 season.

Here is a look at the top cutters of the 2010 season. A few notes:

The pitch value data was created by Fangraphs.com. I will be using the statistic "wSL," which denotes the runs above average for a particular pitch—in this case, a slider.