MLB

In most instances, a manager will focus on the opposing team’s starting pitcher when filling out his lineup card prior to a game.

With Shelby Miller preparing to make an impact at the major league level to start the season, the focus on prospects within the St. Louis Cardinals farm system will continue to shift toward the next generation.

A lot of questions confronted the Philadelphia Phillies as they headed into spring training.  Would their aging stars bounce back from long stints on the disabled list and regain their effectiveness?  Would those who had avoided the DL be able to avoid Father Time for one more year?  Would youngsters come up and fill voids left by core players departing?

There are some players in Major League Baseball who just won’t go down on strikes.

These players are a pitcher’s worst nightmare—the ones who foul off pitch after pitch, battling until they find a pitch they can put into play. The batter might ground out, fly out or line out, but he definitely isn’t going to strike out.

A little over a week from now, teams will be starting up the 2013 season and working toward the ultimate goal: claiming the title of World Series champions. Players have been working year round and spent this past winter trying to fine tune their craft and adding new dimensions to their game.

Four players have stood out so far this spring who have added to their skill set as a major league player and have already seen tangible results this spring.

With April 1st and the start of the 2013 baseball season just a few short days away, the Philadelphia Phillies have checked off quite a few items on their offseason to-do list and are closer to figuring out what their roster will look like for the regular season.

The team took care of a few housekeeping items by naming Cole Hamels the Opening Day starter, and by demoting Darin Ruf, it got a few steps closer to figuring out the outfield situation.

On Friday night, Stanford ace Mark Appel beat Utah in front of a contingent of eagle-eyed scouts who were closely watching Appel in preparation for the 2013 MLB draft.

With just over a week separating us from Opening Day, we're seeing rosters start to take shape as teams make their cuts and send promising prospects off to their minor league assignments.

There are a great deal of teams that have the potential to make a run at a championship in 2013, but some other teams aren't quite so lucky.

No one ever wants to be labeled a "bust" or a "flop", but each season there are a handful of players who come up well short of expectations and turn in a disappointing campaign.

In some cases, this signals the beginning of the end, but for others a bounce-back season is a reasonable expectation.

With that, here are the 2012 MLB busts that are in the best position to post better seasons in 2013.

If there’s one young hitter capable of making a successful jump from Double-A to the major leagues, it’s Oscar Taveras.