What makes a great leadoff hitter?

Getting on base at a high rate is a good start, but everyone in the lineup is expected to do that. A good eye always helps, but he shouldn't be afraid to swing. Speed is a bonus, but some of the fastest players in baseball hit in the bottom of the batting order.

The truth is that there's no formula for the perfect leadoff hitter. Every player approaches the game differently and every team has a different offensive style. But that doesn't diminish the importance of the leadoff man.

Every team enters every season with questions. 

The bottom line question for the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies is this: Can they live up to this unprecedented hype and bring home the franchise's third World Series?

I'm not going to go quite that far, but I'd like to give some evidence that, to me, suggests that there is absolutely no way that this Phillies team does not walk away with their fifth consecutive NL East Crown.

Carlos Marmol brings an exceptional strikeout rate to the closers role.  There is no arguing that fact, but that shouldn’t cause us to overlook the warts that do come with selecting him. 

Can he be one of the elite closers in the game in 2011?  Absolutely, but there is also the chance that he completely falls flat.  Which will it be?  Let’s start by taking a look at his 2010 performance:

Michael Brantley’s 2010 curse may be your 2011 blessing.

The young speedster had a hell of a time getting into any sort of rhythm last season. He struggled out the gate and battled a string of ailments, including shoulder, hamstring and ankle injuries.

And to rub salt in the guy’s wounds, the Cleveland Indians demoted the kid twice. His April and July numbers were deplorable.

However, all of that could be a good thing for fantasy savvy GMs.

Second baseman Chase Utley is a perennial All-Star and the best all-around player on the Phillies roster.  But recently, rumors have been flying about his physical condition.  Mentions of "soreness" in his knees and legs are raising eyebrows.  Utley missed both the exhibition game and the first official game this week after "intense workouts" during the first week of camp.  He may not play in the next game either.

Charlie Manuel is undoubtedly one of the Phillies' best franchise managers. He's brought the team one of two franchise World Series championships, and he's won the NL East division each of the last four seasons, making it to at least the NLCS in three of them. He's compiled a 544-428 record since becoming the skipper in Philly, which amounts to a .560 winning percentage. That is the third best all-time winning record for any Phillies manager.

The Texas Rangers already have a strong starting rotation. However, after missing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes and acquiring no other strong starter such as Lee, it raised the question of whether or not Neftali Feliz should be converted to a starter.

The clear answer to that is a simple "no."

Yes, I do understand that he posted great numbers as a starter in the minor leagues, which included a 3.49 ERA in 25 games (13 of which he started) at the Triple A level. 

Because they’re the Twins, people generally expect their rotation to come through as expected. 
But let's quickly run though their five projected starters:

This is the division that many regard as the most competitive in baseball.  I would say it is in a tie for first with the NL Central, but that's just me.  The AL east is a powerhouse, just as it is most years.  Some of the less relevant teams for the 21st century AL East have made moves during the offseason, and it should make for an interesting division race.

State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, the defending Florida State community college champions, fell victim to the surging Pittsburgh Pirates in a lopsided 21-1, 7 inning exhibition game.

The Pirates took an early 3-0 lead before giving up a run in the top of the second. Manatee CC, feeling confident, was quickly brought back down to the Earth by the Pirates' seven-run explosion in the bottom of the second.