MLB

Carlos Beltran was able to play five innings in an extended spring training game today. This is another big step in his rehab. He got six plate appearances and played center field.

It appears Beltran is getting closer to starting a minor league rehab assignment. Once he is cleared by doctors, he can be in the minors for up to 20 days before he needs to be called up.

Jerry Manuel wanted to have Beltran back to DH against the Yankees this weekend, but that does not appear to be a possibility.

We were entertained by these kings of swing this week. They stepped up to the plate and forced the fans to stand. Here’s your standing ovation for a great week of production gentlemen.

After Washington Nationals’ rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg dazzled in his major league debut, people couldn’t wait to see what he would do as an encore yesterday against the Cleveland Indians. While Strasburg didn’t mow through the Indians like he did the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was still pretty effective.

One of the most interesting franchise histories in sports is that of the Colorado Rockies. Since 1993, when they joined the National League as an expansion franchise, Colorado has been known for its "Blake Street Bombers" attitude and for their horrifying home-road splits.

Playing in the thin air of Coors Field, good hitters such as Vinny Castilla were made to look like Hall of Famers. However, it may just be the thin air of Denver that keeps the black-and-purple out of Cooperstown.

The Case For

The Red Sox may have finally found the formula for letting John Lackey settle in on Friday evening: Put up a 10-spot in the first inning.

All kidding aside, though, Lackey has struggled to assimilate to the Red Sox pitching staff, be it because of nerves, traditional slow starts, or whatever.

I plan to write a more thorough run-down of the Giants’ minor league performers around the All-Star break, but I thought I’d give you a few of the highlights at the moment.

AAA Fresno Grizzlies: Now that John Bowker is safely back at AAA and playing every day, he’s thumping the ball again.  After eight games, he’s hitting .382 with a 1.023 OPS.

Team Power Rankings:
NOTE: Team W-L records and player statistics accurate as of Monday June 14, at 11:00 AM CT.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Team with the largest jump in the rankings over the week.
BUST OF THE WEEK: Team with the furthest drop in the rankings over the week.

1. New York Yankees (40-23)

You may think that June is too early to start ranking players for next season, but let’s face it—some of us have already fallen out of our leagues and are looking to deal for the future.

Obviously, depending on your league rules these may vary slightly, but let’s take an extremely early look at how I’d rank the top 15 catchers for 2011:

Dontrelle Willis was a young phenom with the Florida Marlins in 2002. Now, he is turning into a journeyman in the MLB.

Willlis was like Stephen Strasburg when he made his debut. He had a marvelous rookie year and was the ace of the Marlins' pitching staff.

In 2005, Dontrelle had 22 wins, but didn't win the National League Cy Young. He should have won though.

Then in 2007, Willis wanted to be traded from Florida. After that season he got his wish and was traded to the Detroit Tigers.

As we all know, 2010 is being called the "Year of the Pitchers." With names like Stephen Strasburg and Ubaldo Jimenez popping up all over the place, how are the Philadelphia Phillies pitchers stacking up?

Begin Slideshow