Rankings/List

When a player gets drafted by a Major League Baseball team, by no means does it ensure that he will ever play on the biggest stage.

In fact, many players never even get close.

These 10 guys were all supposed to be the next big thing for the franchises that drafted them, only to turn out to be bigger duds than the ones that were drafted 40 (or more) rounds later.

These guys got all the hype and plenty of attention though.

Unfortunately for them, it was because they all really stunk.

MLB Hot Stove has slowed a bit since the free agency boom has passed. The long shadow cast by the college football season, the NFL stretch run/playoffs, and the NHL and NBA seasons has also contributed. 

But along several fronts there are many changes ahead for teams and the whispers regarding many of those teams and their players are growing louder. Here is some buzz:

Like an active squirrel storing away acorns for winter, I was scurrying around my secluded mountainside homestead preparing for a small snow storm headed in our direction. Somewhere between refurbishing our trusty snowblower and splitting logs for our woodstove, I found myself daydreaming of spring.

Warmer weather. Green grass. Baseball. Fantasy baseball.

Manny Ramirez is without a doubt one of the most powerful and productive hitters to ever play the game of baseball.  Manny has a career average of .313 and has hit 555 home runs in his colorful career.  Manny is a 12-time All-Star and has won the Hank Aaron award twice.  He has won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox (2004,2007) and was the World Series MVP in 2004.  

Make no mistake about it—there are still some Major League Baseball trades and free agent signings forthcoming, but the Hot Stove has ended. That means it is not too early to release the MLB 2011 Offseason Power Rankings.

See who still has some moving and shaking to resurrect themselves from the cellar, and see who can sit back and wait for something to fall into their lap, secure in the knowledge they have already had a successful offseason.

The 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants are the class of Major League Baseball until enough games are played in 2011 to argue otherwise. That is the reality created by winning the Fall Classic—everyone else is a paper tiger while San Francisco is the real McCoy.

Everyone else must speak in conditionals; the Giants get to use the present tense while wearing a winner's smile. 

Of course, don't try to convince Philadelphia, Boston or New York of this fact.

1. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

4. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies

6. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

7. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

While Adrian Beltre is the last big name free agent off the market, that doesn’t mean all the talent is gone. There are still a good number of players on the market that could help a team this season. As it stands now, teams are scrambling to try and address their needs before the available talent pool has dried up.

Some teams will get healthier than others, other teams will suddenly have more to spend, and it could lead to some players in some interesting places. Here is a look at some of the latest rumors involving potential baseball free agent signings. 

1. Kyle Drabek

On January 4th, Baseball America released its top 10 prospect rankings for all 30 MLB teams for the upcoming season.

For the Cubs, only four players from last year's list returned to the list in 2011, with Starlin Castro and Andrew Cashner now members of the MLB team.

Not only does the list have a different look, it also has a new No. 1 prospect, and it is someone who did not even crack the top 10 last season.

So here is a little closer look at the Cubs' top 10 prospects for the 2011 season, according to Baseball America.