Fan News

Opening Day baseball is only a week away.

Let that sink in for a minute: There's only seven days until we can watch our beloved Baltimore Orioles play meaningful baseball games once again.

When the Orioles open the season in Tampa Bay next Tuesday, I'll be there. My dad and I are planning on making the drive from Orlando to attend our first Opening Day baseball game.

The competition to become the No. 5 starter for the Kansas City Royals in 2013 began with five names: Luke Hochevar, Bruce Chen, Luis Mendoza, Will Smith and Yordano Ventura. With less than a week before Opening Day, the team has announced a winner.

With Opening Day just five days away, fantasy baseball players are busy studying mock drafts and figuring out who they should select with their picks. However, there are certain players that look good to the eye, but who simply cannot be trusted to perform well on your fantasy team. 

SP James Shields

The Yankees search for veteran help continues.

After trading for Vernon Wells, who will be the team's starting left fielder at the start of 2013, they are now looking at a potential first basemen.

According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, the Yankees are looking into Lyle Overbay.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis is a vital cog in the lineup for a team coming off a 93-win campaign and a postseason appearance.

Yet his career is an enigma.

After being offered to anyone that wanted to pay the right price this offseason, Rick Porcello has won the fifth spot in the Detroit Tigers' starting rotation over left-hander Drew Smyly.

Matthew Mowrey from The Oakland Press tells us more:

By this time next week, MLB will have thrown their first pitch. Before that, they'll pitch several players on to the DL. Injuries often become the deciding factor in many of those last-minute roster decisions. A player may be healthy now, but might have missed opportunities to impress the coaching staff earlier in the spring due to even minor injuries.

The Yankees are in major need of offense for 2013.

It's the reason why they have traded for Vernon Wells and have picked up $13 million of the remaining $42 million left on his contract.

He'll be the starting left fielder until Curtis Granderson returns from the disabled list.

One position that the Yankees could still look to improve on is catcher.

Coming into spring training, the Kansas City Royals had very few position battles to work out as the 2013 season approached—which is remarkably odd for a team coming off a 72-win season.

Other than the perennial lobbying for bullpen spots, the Royals were primarily focused on who would be the team’s No. 5 starting pitcher and who would emerge as their starting second baseman.

It really depends on who you talk to when the topic is Spring Training.

Many believe that it means nothing. Many believe it can be a sign of things to come.

Many believe that they don't know what to believe.

Spring training to me is completely unique to the player. There are some players who always struggle in spring training only to come out and have a great year. For example, Tim Lincecum has a career 5.59 spring training ERA.