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As expected, the Dominican Republic is in the 2013 World Baseball Classic final vs Puerto Rico. Raise your hand if you guessed it before the Classic started; I can barely see hands right now.

The powerful team of the Dominican Republic was one of the favorites to reach the final against two-time defending champ Japan. But the giant-killing machine from the 'Enchanted Island' had other plans.

If there is one thing we know about Major League Baseball, it is that trying to predict what will happen with teams and individual players from a year-to-year basis is a fool's errand. That goes doubly true when you are talking about prospects. 

One big reason that the minor leagues and prospects have exploded in popularity over the last decade, aside from being a cheap way to see the next great wave of players at a much cheaper price than when they make it to the big leagues, is because of the possibility of what could be. 

Every year it happens—one guy in your fantasy league is convinced he's had the most epic draft ever and brags about how stacked his lineup is or how deep his pitching rotation will prove to be.

And then it happens. A key player goes down to an injury. A guy here or a guy there turns out to be a bust. Before he knows it, your buddy has a team of chronic underachievers and a full disabled list.

The world doesn't stand a chance when Fernando Rodney brings his lucky plantain to the ballpark. 

The Dominican Republic moved past the Netherlands Monday night and will now play in the World Baseball Classic final against Puerto Rico. 

Sure, you could give some of the credit to the timely hitting of Moises Sierra and Robinson Cano, but the real reason the Dominican Republic took the semifinal was the undeniable power of Fernando Rodney's lucky plantain. 

Stephen Strasburg dominated hitters for five months in 2012. If he has his way, he'll have a chance to do it for six or seven months in 2013.

It always seems like the trades that make the most sense from both teams’ perspectives are the ones that rarely happen. Team A has bullpen depth and is looking for a right-handed hitting fourth outfielder. Team B has some outfield depth and would like to shore up their bullpen. Simple enough from an outsider’s point of view, right?  

As spring training begins to wind down, each organization continues to make rounds of cuts, as they option many of their roster hopefuls to either a specific minor league level or simply re-assign them to minor league camp.

For many of these players, it seems as though it will be only a matter of time until they either return to or reach the major leagues for the first time

A fantasy baseball draft is supposed to be fun. If you're not ready, though, participating in a draft can be a bit like taking a test without studying.

Whether you simply forgot to prep or just didn't have time to, you'd still prefer to avoid walking away from your draft feeling like a high-schooler who just failed a calc' final. Consider this five-minute guide your quick-and-dirty study session to help you cram for—and pass—that fast-approaching draft.

The Toronto Blue Jays have some of the biggest question marks in regard to positional battles. With such an influx of talent, many opening day jobs are up for grabs. But with such a vast amount of assets, it will be tough to sit a very skilled player. As my father would always say, "It is a good problem to have".

So who gets the nod?

Winning a division is simple.

On paper.

If it was just on paper, the Detroit Tigers could hoist their third consecutive American League Central Division Championship trophy right now.

But that's why they play 162 games over seven grueling months, and fight so hard to be successful.

Every team needs a blueprint to carving out their championship plan, and the Tigers have been pretty good at following their own blueprint the last two seasons.