Fan News

At the center of the latest controversy for Major League Baseball is an aging, embattled, injury-prone, high-priced former MVP. And for once, it isn't Alex Rodriguez.

There's nothing wrong with looking forward to watching the usual suspects in an upcoming baseball season. Indeed, why would there be anything wrong with champing at the bit for some Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw or Andrew McCutchen?

1. Masahiro Tanaka: Do We Really Know the Percentages?

TAMPA, Fla. — Every single Masahiro Tanaka pitch is being watched closely this spring, and surely the bad news involving Yu Darvish out of Texas' camp over the weekend didn't make the Yankees feel any better about the whole situation.

Uncertainty surrounds the Detroit Tigers. 

Let's preface this by stating the obvious: It's really early. This isn't going to be a piece making outlandish declarations from a handful of spring training games. Instead, we'll simply look at which Boston Red Sox players are making notable impressions in the early stages of baseball's return. 

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As all (or most) people reading this are well aware, spring training began last week—and the Los Angeles Dodgers have already tied twice. And while seven games is neither enough to be a validation of existing ideas or to justify an opinion reversal, it is worth taking a look at some of the top performers thus far.

Cliff Lee's left elbow made it through just one spring training start—and all of two innings—last Thursday before he was shut down the following day with another bout of elbow discomfort in the same spot that plagued him for much of 2014.

Soon the exhibitions will cease.

Soon the games will matter. 

Soon you won't have to read another article (like this one) about why or why not your team won't compete in 2015. 

Soon we will have baseball: real, meaningful, beautiful baseball. 

But we're not there yet. And as much as we would all like to be, we still have a little under a month to wait for Opening Day. 

Perhaps the most difficult struggle throughout winter 2015 in Chicago is not the frigid cold, but instead the anxious await of the return of baseball to Wrigley Field. As the Cubs get into the full swing of spring training, fans of the Lovable Losers can't help but become even more excited about the upcoming season.

Despite not being as well-known as some of his peers, Toronto Blue Jays prospect Miguel Castro is quickly climbing up the organizational depth chart and could be knocking on the door to the major leagues soon.

Signed as an international prospect in 2011, Castro had a breakout season in 2014 during which he moved up three different minor league levels and posted a 2.68 ERA in 80.2 innings pitched.