It took three weeks, but Carlos Beltran finally made his spring training debut for the New York Mets yesterday. The five-time All-Star has had three knee surgeries since October 2007, two being on his right knee, and the wear and tear prompted Beltran to volunteer himself for right field duty this season.

As a former boss of mine once said when I told him that I wanted a raise, "how does it feel to want"?

Well, Aramis Ramirez apparently wants something and that something is to swipe a few bags.

While I probably have a better chance of dating Keeley Hazell than Ramirez does of becoming a base stealer, it just goes to show you what passes for news in the spring.

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Here’s an early look at the A.L. Only 2011 Catcher rankings.

1.  Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins:  Hopefully, the power returns, but even if it doesn’t, his average, run total and RBI total make him the top fantasy catcher in baseball. He’s a strong bet to win another batting title.

Since 1995, the New York Yankees have been in the playoffs every year except one—2008.

As a result, the current generation of Yankee fans is spoiled. We, who are Yankee fans have lived the past 16 years watching players such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neil, Tino Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, etc.

We are all well aware that virtually no team goes through an entire season without injury, and very few can make it through 162 games without a major one.

With that in mind, my question is as follows: Do this year's Phils have enough in reserve to weather the inevitable injury bug?

Now, I'm not going to predict anywhere near the bad luck of last season.  Just about every regular position player suffered at least one physical setback last year, with every major contributor being out for at least a few weeks. 

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Here’s an early look at the N.L. only 2011 shortstop rankings.

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies: It’s really a toss-up between Tulo and HanRam. They are both five-category players. I prefer Tulo because of his ballpark and lineup.

At one time Brandon Phillips was considered among the cream of the crop of second basemen.  In 2007 he posted his only career 30/30 campaign.  In the two subsequent seasons he followed it up with 20/20 years, clearly keeping him among the elite at his position.

The 2010 season, however, saw him return to the leadoff spot to mixed results:

For a time, Jose Canseco wasn't one of the best players in Major League Baseball, he was the best player in baseball.

Canseco became the first player in history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. In the 1989 American League Playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays, Canseco blasted a 484-foot home run into the fifh level of Toronto's Sky Dome, which to this day remains the dome's longest home run. 

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Ask people who was selected right after Stephen Strasburg went first overall in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, and there's a good chance you're left with blank faces.

Dustin Ackley, the second overall selection, or rather, the player picked after Strasburg, was a highly touted selection from the University of North Carolina.