Rankings/List

Today, baseball fans view the American League as the tougher league, due to its usage of the designated hitter.  Within the American League, the Eastern division is regarded as the most talented and toughest division to play in.  It has been this way for a long time.  

So, when you have a division with such a notoriety, there had to have been a plethora of amazing players to give it that notoriety.  That is what I will be examining today; the greatest of those amazing players that gave (or are still giving) the AL East the reputation it has today.  

About a month ago, I wrote about some bold predictions for this upcoming Mariners season. In it, I said that Ichiro will win a batting title.

It really isn't an insanely bold prediction since this is something entirely possible in any given season with Ichiro. That doesn't make it something that is a lock, though, either.

I'll expand on that prediction a bit, and give five reasons that show he can still do it.

Every MLB franchise has its great moments, and behind every great moment is a great pitcher.

Say what you want about the myth of clutch or the randomness of small sample sizes, but if you had to pick someone to take the mound for your favorite team in Game 7 of the World Series, you'd have a hard time being fully objective.

In this slideshow are the best big-game pitchers in the history of each MLB team, from the young hurlers who stepped up under pressure to the grizzled veterans who made careers out of excelling under pressure.

Most Milwaukee Brewers fans were thrilled with the offseason acquisition of former American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke. Following the trade for Toronto ace Shaun Marcum, the move helped address the Brewers' biggest weakness from 2010.

There were concerns regarding the trade. The Brewers sent two starters and two top prospects to the Royals in exchange for Greinke, leaving the farm system depleted and creating some depth problems on the big league club.

The position in which hitters hit in a lineup can be determined by many different factors. Some of these are speed, power and on-base percentage or a combination of the three. 

Every manager looks at the way he draws up the lineup card differently, and you can really see the difference in managers by looking at these factors.

There are some players that are put into a spot based off pedigree and some off perception, while some are even in the lineup due to their salary, even though there maybe a better player on the bench.

Adrian Gonzalez is one of the top first basemen in baseball. He is just entering his prime at 28 years old and has surpassed 30 home runs and 100 RBI in each of the last four seasons—an accomplishment reached in Petco Park, a pitcher’s paradise.

Gonzalez is poised for a monster season in Fenway Park’s cozy confines with protection and run-producing opportunities he never had in San Diego.

Yet his contract is still an issue. While much of the groundwork for an extension was done before the Red Sox dealt for Gonzalez, nothing is in writing as of yet.

Heath Bell and the San Diego Padres are reportedly discussing a long-term extension. Bell has made it known that he wants to stay in San Diego for as long as possible. Still and all, fans around the big leagues keep sending in questions to their teams' beat writers asking what it would take to get Bell away from the Padres.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Closers are the most overrated players in fantasy baseball.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Aaron Hill ascended into the elite ranks of second basemen in 2009, posting a ridiculous line of: 103 runs, 36 HRs, 108 RBI, six steals, .286 batting average.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Billy Butler regressed to just 15 HRs in 2010 after whacking 21 the season before. His ISO power also dropped from .191 to .151, fifth-lowest among qualified first basemen.