Rankings/List

The Red Sox have all the pieces necessary in order to boast the league's best offense. They have the speed demons in Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, they have the guys who seemingly always get on base in J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia and they have the guys to drive in these base runners in David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez.

The next step for the Sox is to strategically place these players in an order in which they will thrive. Before getting into the specifics of who should bat where, let us begin by establishing the 'definition' of a batting order.

Bubble bubble boil and rubble…Storied franchise in major trouble.

Former All-Stars missing games…Drama drives a coach insane.

Who will win the NL west? Is San Francisco still the best?

Who will rise and who will fall? Look inside my crystal ball…

As we explore what will unfold…When next year’s season’s story is told.

In the first installment we take a peek…At the AL west…Who’s strong?  Who’s weak?

Camps open up across Florida and Arizona in less than two weeks, and players and fans alike are anxious to get the 2011 MLB season underway.

But change continues to be a constant, whether it's in Texas, where Michael Young is expected to be traded sometime this week, or in St. Louis, where the Albert Pujols contract situation drags on, with each day that passes leaving the Cardinals one day closer to having to face the reality of a future without their superstar.

As we head toward the start of the 2011 MLB season, it’s time to start previewing the NL East.

Instead of just giving a projection for each team, I’ll rank all of the projected starters at every position, leading up to the final predictions.

The catchers are up first, and as with the division in general, the Braves and Phillies are battling for the top spot. Brian McCann and Carlos Ruiz were 1-2 in the National League in WAR for catchers this past season (and Ruiz actually had a higher wOBA), but who will perform better in 2011?

2011 offers a surplus of value pick closers.  Here are ten closers you need to eye in your fantasy draft for the best value for your pick, in no particular order. ADP statistics provided by www.mockdraftcentral.com.

In articles like this, many websites give readers a list of the best overall prospects at any given position, but the intention here is to focus on those prospects that are most likely to provide a significant fantasy impact in the 2011 season. Thus, a guy like White Sox prospect Dayan Viciedo—who should be beaten out by fellow prospect Brent Morel—is not on my list.

Ditto for Josh Bell in Baltimore, who has been blocked by the recent acquisition of Mark Reynolds.

I know that it is way to early to be thinking about the 2012 season, as the 2011 season has not even started yet, or is it? Some teams as of right now know that they will not have a chance for the World Series, and some of those teams are probably already eying players who are due to hit the free agent market after the conclusion of the current season. It is wise for all teams to look at this point in time at the holes that may be left in their current roster after this season and see who will fit into that hole.

Madison Bumgarner or Jonathan Sanchez?

Thankfully for the San Francisco Giants, the tough choice between the two does not have to be made, for now. However, the day may soon come in which a trade comes along that cannot be turned down and the Giants will need to make a decision; hopefully the core rotation will stay intact (cheers for Brian Sabean), but that day may be sooner than you'd think.

The Atlanta Braves have always prided themselves in having a great minor league system.

Unlike the Yankees and Red Sox, who just go out and buy other teams' players, the Braves consistently develop their young talent through their minor league teams.

Braves such as Jason Heyward, Brian McCann and Tommy Hanson are all examples of the quality training that players receive in cities such as Lawrenceville and Rome.

Ever wonder how you could spend close to a quarter billion dollars on a baseball team (assuming of course that you are not the New York Yankees)?

Try filling your roster with these players and you would have an excellent start.

Here's a quick run down of the highest paid player at each position entering the 2011 season.

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