Rankings/List

Forget which players are the best and which would be your fantasy players.  The real question is what would be the best lineup you could make from all of the players in MLB?  You are trying to make a team that can hit, run, play defense, and pitch.  Which twelve guys would you want to win a ballgame:  eight position players, a starting pitcher, a setup man, and a closer... Here is mine. 

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Here’s an updated and expanded look at the 2011 closer rankings.

1.  Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants:  Wilson led the Majors in saves (48) last year while posting a 1.81 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 93 Ks.

Pittsburgh Pirates

(2010 record: 57-105)

Notable additions: SP Kevin Correia, LF Matt Diaz, SP Scott Olsen, 1B Lyle Overbay

Notable subtractions: SP Zach Duke

While teams throughout the Major Leagues monitor their rosters this spring, there are a number of players who are taking the field with a certain level of uncertainty.

Relief pitchers are an integral part of any team's successes. They enter games in tight spots and are counted on to shut out the competition when it counts.

If that's not enough pressure, a number of pitchers in team's bullpens are playing with the possibility of being pulled into a new role, that of a starting pitcher.

Most teams have that one special player who stands out.  Fans recognize them, and teammates count on them to come through in tough situations.

Some players become popular just because they have been around a long time.  Others are appreciated for their great play and many accolades.  And others encompass the total package with great offense, defense and a good public image.

Albert Pujols is a great example of a franchise player.  After 10 years in St. Louis, multiple honors and awards and his overall performance, Pujols represents Cardinals baseball.

It sounds weird, but there is an air of finality about the start of the Oakland A’s 2011 season.

Whether it be free agency, trades or the inability to sign draft picks, all 30 teams, at some point in their history, have made mistakes with regards to who could have been on their team. This segment will look at the history of all 30 major league teams and the players who "left" their team either by not signing, being traded, leaving via free agency or in some cases, death. Hopefully, there will be some lively debate and disagreements with the people I have selected, so fire away. 

Unlike my recent attempt to rank the 25 craftiest pitchers in baseball, it's a lot easier to quantify the best strikeout pitchers in the game.  One statistic in particular, the K/9 rate (strikeouts per nine innings), will get us most of the way there.

That doesn't mean this will simply be a list of the 25 pitchers with the best K/9 rates in 2010, though.  A couple other factors will also be at play.

During this last off-season, the Red Sox made major moves to put the team in a better position as World Series contenders. 

The release of third baseman Adrian Beltre and the signing of all-star outfielder Carl Crawford headline an array of changes in Boston.

However, none may be bigger than the acquisition of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres.

Gonzalez brings a powerful bat and reliable glove to the Red Sox along with a reputation as one of the league’s premier first basemen.

The Grapefruit and Cactus circuits are both well underway and prospects all over the league are starting to establish themselves while others have watched their stock slip.