Last June, the Pittsburgh Pirates received a booster shot that they may reap the benefits from for years to come.  That insurance was the debut of the first pick in the 2011 amateur draft, starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.  

Hyun-Jin Ryu emerged as one of the top rookie pitchers in the National League in 2013, serving as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third starter for the entire season and making all but one scheduled start. 

The Detroit Tigers have won three straight American League Central titles, as they have sandwiched ALCS eliminations around an AL pennant in 2012 that saw them swept by the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

With the Detroit Tigers’ romp over Florida Southern, 12-0, on Tuesday, MLB spring training is officially under way.

Over the next month, MLB’s 30 teams will be split into either the Cactus League or Grapefruit League. Each team will battle it out, attempting to get its players into shape for the beginning of the season.

The 2013 St. Louis Cardinals scored 18 more runs than in 2012 despite hitting 34 fewer home runs. A season after being ranked No. 7 in homers in the National League, they plummeted to No. 13.

Five Cardinals blasted 20 or more long balls in 2012 compared to two last season. And one of them—Carlos Beltran—left via free agency.

There will be a familiar face with the San Francisco Giants this spring, as Barry Bonds is set to help out the squad as an instructor.  

Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News provides the details:

On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants agreed to a deal with outfielder Tyler Colvin, according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News.

From the beginning of the MLB offseason, Nelson Cruz seemed like a very good fit for the Baltimore Orioles, with their interest in Cruz reported early on. They weren't alone, however.

In the current era of free agency that sees players jump ship and move on to the highest bidder on a yearly basis, it's becoming more and more rare that a player spends his entire career with one team.

That said, there have been some terrific players who retired or are set to retire in recent years that spent the duration of their career with one club.

The New York Mets recently signed 40-year-old starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, and while he's always been a bit husky, it doesn't exactly look like he's in playing shape.

The Mets officially welcomed Colon with the following tweets from spring training. He's listed at 265 pounds, but he looks quite a bit larger judging from these pictures.