Rankings/List

In the over century-long World Series drought the Cubs are currently experiencing, they've had their fair share of heartbreak. Sometimes they've been downright bad, but sometimes they've actually had reason to get excited. Such is the case for the Cubs right now as they are building up a solid hitting farm system with potential future stars like Javier Baez, Albert Almora, Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates are set to take on the New York Yankees this weekend for the first time since the 2008 regular season.  

Pittsburgh crushed New York by a score of 12-5 in the first game of the two-game series before being shut out 10-0 in the second game six years ago.    

This is an old rivalry that will be renewed when the Pirates play in their first series at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  

With the 2014 MLB Rule 4 draft less than a month away, it’s time to take a look at the top prospects in this year’s class.

The noticeable lack of impact hitters on board (especially from the college ranks) highlights the pitching-heavy nature of this year’s class, as teams will have an endless list of promising arms to choose from in the early rounds.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have failed to live up to expectations so far in 2014, owning an overall record of 16-21.  

However, the team has won four of its last five games, as its batters begin to heat up.  

Let's take a look at each player on the active roster and the grades they've earned after the first quarter of the 2014 regular season.  

This list of grades includes only players on the active 25-man roster.  

There's no shortage of ways to determine who the face of a franchise is in baseball.

For some, the face of a franchise is simply the best player on the team, the guy who consistently puts up the most impressive individual numbers on a yearly basis. Others may look to the player that's most quotable, the guy who stands in front of the cameras and answers the questions his teammates avoid.

Another week of the MLB season has passed, and along with it, a new set of potential trade opportunities has emerged.

In the past seven days, there have been key injuries on contending teams, rumors of relief pitchers being made available and the constant din of a starter leaving the city of Chicago.

The world champion Boston Red Sox stumbled out of the gate this year, posting a 13-16 record through May 1.  Since then the Red Sox have won six of their last eight games and all three series they've played.

Now 19-18, Boston owns a winning record for the first time in nearly six weeks, and is only 1.5 games back of the division lead.

Many of us knew and expected the Miami Marlins to be better in 2014.

But many of us couldn't have predicted the Marlins to be five games over .500, have the best home record in the majors, the second-best run differential in the National League and be on top of the NL East division at this moment.

Baseball enthusiasts can become obsessed with prospects. For every group of fans, regardless of payroll or market size, the idea of a special young player making the jump to the big league club is tantalizing. Despite the number of prospects that flame out on a yearly basis, the pursuit of the next Mike Trout or Bryce Harper is never-ending.

Teams that feel they are close to being championship-caliber will occasionally take the risk of trading away young talent in exchange for one year, and sometimes only two to three months, of an impact player.

While sacrificing the "future"—players with impact potential who will be under team control for several years at a team-friendly rate once they reach the majors, if they're not there already—to give the big league team a better chance to advance to the playoffs and beyond for the current season has been known to backfire, it can also be great for business.