Rankings/List

When Bryce Harper dropped out of high school and got his GED after his sophomore year, many people called him crazy. Why would the youngster skip two of what many call "the best years of your life" to be draft-eligible a year early, especially when he was a practical lock as the first pick no matter when he was first eligible.

Looking back at it—while I don't agree with the choice—it was good decision for his future. Harper played for the College of Southern Nevada, a team in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.

Atlanta Braves (2010 record: 91-71)

The Braves begin the new season without long-time manager Bobby Cox, who stewarded the team to a succession of 14 consecutive division titles (from 1991-2005, absent the strike-shortened 1994 season), five World Series appearances and a world championship in his 20-plus years at the helm. The 2011 season will usher in the Fredi Gonzalez era in Atlanta.

There is one term that, if you're an athlete, you never wanted to be associated with. That term may not be what you think, though. It's not "bad," "out of shape" or even "a diva." The answer to that is, of course, being called a cancer in the clubhouse.

Being a team player may not help you get a contract worth $20 million a year, but being a cancer can absolutely prevent such a contract from materializing unless you happen to have multiple MVPs under your belt.

Every year, new players come into spring training with the hopes of making a team whether they are from the farm system or have bounced around the majors for their entire careers.

Some of those players stand out in camp, snatching up a roster spot by showing that they belong at the highest level. This year is no exception.

For the world champion San Francisco Giants, not much is needed to change for the team to have a chance at a repeat so expectations of non-roster invitees and minor leaguers coming into camp was low to say the least.

For those who fancy themselves baseball analysts, two teams have been thrown around as World Series favorites since the Hot Stove season started heating up.

With Philadelphia’s pitching making headlines and Boston’s offense creating water cooler conversation, many are hoping for an NL/AL super postseason pair up.

While anything can happen in a series, never mind during the season, let’s take a look at what team has the advantage on paper headed into April 1.

After a disappointing 2010 campaign, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed first-baseman James Loney only to a one-year deal.

With a decrease in home-runs and batting average each of the last four seasons, anything more than a one-year deal may have been questioned.

So, the question remains; Should the Dodgers give him one more year to get back on track, or put him on the trade block?

Well, here are some potential candidates if L.A. chooses the latter. 

Spring Training is primarily used to get the players ready for the season as well as allow players to battle it out for any open spots in the lineup. The Astros roster was pretty much set before pitchers and catchers showed up so this was a good opportunity for management to evaluate some of it's young talent.

Mark Rogers, Cody Scarpetta lead the way for Milwaukee's top prospects; what other prospects should we take note of?

By now, it should be no surprise to know that the Milwaukee Brewers have accumulated some of the most promising young stars via the draft over the past few seasons.

Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Yovani Gallardo and Rickie Weeks are just a few examples of Milwaukee's uncanny ability to recognize future difference makers within the organization.

In baseball, being able to hit for average—or better—isn't always enough.Having a flair for strikeouts and possessing the skill set to manage 7+ innings won't always suffice either. In fact, you could be the game's biggest and brightest prospect; ready for the bigs and it still wouldn't be enough.

Why? Well, how about the guy in front of you?

A simple situation, but one that all-too-often causes some prospects to wait longer than usual to get the nod and start contributing.

Let's take a look at some of those players in question, shall we?

There comes a time in every athlete's life when he must adapt or retire. Some players stubbornly fight on, maintaining the same style and insisting it still works.

We feel sorry for them (I'm looking at you, Mr. Favre).

These are players who are at this point in their careers. And we plead with them to change. 

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