2011 MLB Spring Training

While it seems inevitable that injuries occur in Major League Baseball, there have been quite a few players who have become the walking wounded already.

With just three weeks to go until Opening Day, many general managers are already busy on the phones, trying to come up with backup plans and alternative solutions in order to compensate for the loss of their star players.

Blessed with a solid core of dynamic hitters, talented pitchers and skilled defenders, the Texas Rangers possess an exciting, well-rounded team that will endeavor to defend their 2010 American League Championship. 

Stars like Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Adrian Beltre have track records to give an idea of what to expect from them in 2011. If health permits, the Rangers know what type of production they will likely receive from well-established players as they seek to return to the World Series.

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2010 regular season with a 91-71 record, which was good enough to claim the National League Wild Card. They lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in four games with every game being a one-run affair.

New manager Fredi Gonzalez replaces the legendary Bobby Cox and has a roster that should be in the playoff mix again.

Let's take a look at player-by-player projections for the 2011 Braves based on the probable Opening Day lineup.

A lot of questions surrounding the New York Yankees pitching rotation entering spring training are being answered half-way in.

The biggest question mark had to do with starting pitching.

Many experts felt as though after C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett, the Yankees really had no one one on their roster to fill the final two spots of the rotation.

Even if it's not as much fun as the actual season, there's nothing quite like the winter MLB Hot Stove.

Trade rumors, free agent gossip, blockbuster deals—there's always a major storyline to follow and speculation about the big names will be come Opening Day.

But for every major deal that creates a buzz throughout the game, there's at least a couple that just make people scratch their heads and arch their brows.

Jeff Suppan, a 36-year-old right-hander, is desperately trying to prove once again that he can help a major league team win. This time, it's with the World Series champs.

Suppan, now with his seventh team after 16 seasons in the majors, is trying to regain the pitching form that led him to back-to-back 16-win seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and 2005.

Spring training is under way, and we can now take a much more in-depth look at what the regular season holds in store.

Last season, we were fortunate enough to watch dominating pitching take over the landscape of Major League Baseball; and this season looks to be the same.

With ample amounts of solid arms in last year's playoffs, run production (believe it or not) was few and far between for some ball clubs.

However, for a vast majority of teams without such talent on the mound, last season was a forgettable one.

Spring training is a rite of passage for all of the greats. 

Some experience it when they're young, while others can take a while to break with the big league camp.

In 2011, as an 18-year-old, Bryce Harper is experiencing spring training for the first time.

Baseball's top prospect (or second best, depending on who you ask) is a transcendent talent. His ceiling is as high as any player throughout baseball. 

No matter their skill level, however, every player goes into spring training with certain expectations for the upcoming season.

Let’s face it: Not many players actually enjoy spring training.

Most say it’s too long, and they don’t particularly enjoy putting in all of the hard work without getting any real results in the win column.

But there are a handful of players who especially hate spring training.

Some former players that fall into this category are Matt Williams and Nomar Garciaparra. Both players experienced bad injuries during spring training that derailed seasons for them.

Here are five current players who especially hate spring training.

Mike Cameron’s first season with the Red Sox was not what he had hoped for. An abdominal injury last season put the former All-Star on the DL, and eventually required surgery. The injury cut his playing time to just 48 games, the fewest games he had appeared in since 1997.

After appearing in four games this spring, he is hitting .455 and ready to play again.