Rankings/List

Spring Training is here, and with it comes the best and worst of America's past-time.

The first games of a new season are chalk full of prospects hoping to make an impression on the big club, veterans looking for a final shot in the big leagues, and more than anything else, an abundance of hope that this might just be the year.

Unfortunately, a new season inevitably brings injuries.

Seasons, even careers, can be ruined in meaningless games. Championship hopefuls can find themselves on the outside looking in at a playoff race.

There are so many question marks going into the new 2011 season in the Bronx.  Here, you will see my predictions for the lineup, starting rotation, bullpen, and overall major league roster.  I will give predictions for statistics.  There will be stats for hitters in the lineup, starting pitchers, relievers, and the bench.

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Plenty of major leaguers lament the length of spring training. After all, with off season training programs and strength and conditioning coaches on the payroll for many players there often seems no reason to go through six weeks of laps, ground balls and batting practice to get to Opening Day.

But there are some major leaguers who need those six weeks and then some.

Anyone who's a baseball fan remembers the greatest pitchers of all time. Beyond the clear elites such as Walter Johnson,Lefty Grove, and others, people remember the intimidators, those who had no problem throwing inside to throw you off your game.

I remember the beasts from the 80s and 90s, such as Randy Johnson, Dwight Gooden, and others. Just who are the most intimidating pitchers of all time? A flat list has been done time and time again. Instead, this slideshow will list every team's most intimidating pitcher and ranks them accordingly.

Well we're now less than a month from Opening Day and we're starting to get a clearer picture of what each team looks like as we enter 2011.

Obviously, there's still a lot of time as we're just getting underway with the Grapefruit and Cactus League games. But already we're starting to get a clearer picture of the story lines that either are or will be surrounding each team as we inch closer and closer to the 2011 season. 

And with story lines come distractions. Every team has them, and they all can create some kind of damage.

Each year, a few rookies burst onto the scene for their teams and establish themselves as impact players.

Last year's Rookies of the Year, Buster Posey and Neftali Feliz, did just that and helped their respective teams reach the World Series.

The National League has a crop of young talent ready to rise through the ranks. Though some prospects may be brought along more gradually, a few have already been penciled into starting gigs.

Here are the top 10 rookies to watch this season in the National League.

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest


Here’s an early look at the A.L. Only 2011 Catcher rankings.

1.  Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins:  Hopefully, the power returns, but even if it doesn’t, his average, run total and RBI total make him the top fantasy catcher in baseball. He’s a strong bet to win another batting title.

The trading deadline can make or break a team. The right trade can lift your team to a pennant. A bad move can wreck your franchise for years to come.

Last season, we saw just how dramatic an effect a trade can have. The Cliff Lee-to-Texas trade propelled the Rangers to the World Series.

This year, as is the case every year, there will be players available on July 31, and there will be teams looking for that one missing piece which will land them a spot in the postseason. Here is a list of some of those who could find themselves in trade talks come the deadline.

We all know there are players who have their own specific quirks. Some players start slowly before erupting in May or June. Some players may start off sizzling before fading late in the season. There are probably even stats out there that tell us some people play better on the third Tuesday of every month.

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.