Fan News

Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher on the National League's best team. After a 92-win season, trip to the NLCS and Cy Young campaign for the dominant southpaw, expectations were set to be sky high for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.

There's a moment in every player's career he dreads: Walking into the locker room after a game and being called into the manager's office to be told you didn't make the 25-man roster—either resulting in a trip to the minors or being released from the club. 

Most players on thin ice probably act like Willie Mays Hayes in Major League on cut-down day. He walks into the clubhouse fearing a red tag is in his locker, so he cautiously opens it up and can't bring himself to look inside. 

Barring major spring training injuries, the 2014 Detroit Tigers profiled as the team to beat in the American League Central. Yet, if Jose Iglesias—last year's AL Rookie of the Year candidate—misses significant time, the Tigers actually could be an even bigger lock to reach the postseason.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias could miss "half the year or more," reports Jon Heyman of

The Chicago Cubs' future is bright, but spring training has produced mixed results in 2014. They have seen performances they didn't expect on opposite ends of the spectrum. Some players have been better than expected, while others have flopped and lowered expectations. 

With spring training about halfway over (yay!) and your fantasy baseball draft getting ever closer if you haven't had it yet (double-yay!), it's time to update the Big Board again.

The future of baseball has been on display this spring, with countless top-ranked prospects opening eyes with their performances on a daily basis.

However, with the start of the regular season around the corner, teams have started to trim their rosters by optioning prospects to a specific level or reassigning them to minor league spring training. This past week, Byron Buxton, Oscar Taveras and Francisco Lindor were the biggest names among prospects to be cut from big league camp.

Let's flashback one year. After only 11 starts in Double-A, the Marlins announce that a 20-year-old named Jose Fernandez will break camp with the big league squad. Most had predicted perhaps a late-season call-up for Fernandez as the extent of his time spent in Miami for the 2013 campaign. 

Bryce Harper never stops working.

We knew that the Washington Nationals outfielder gives 100 percent on the field, but now we see that he is willing to help out whenever possible off the field as well.

A shorter lady needed help getting something off the top shelf at a grocery store, so Harper played the role of the perfect gentleman and helped her out. Luckily, his girlfriend was there to capture the great moment.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as spring training is in full swing and young prospects are getting their chances to wow managers in an effort to make the 2014 Opening Day roster for their teams. 

For Pittsburgh Pirates' manager Clint Hurdle, there will be many difficult decisions to make when it comes time for the final cuts.  Here is a look at the top performers for the Pirates so far this spring.