MLB

Dmitri Young, a 13 year veteran and career .292 hitter with most of his success coming with the Detroit Tigers in the mid 2000s, has been named vice-president of the Oakland County Cruisers of the Frontier League.

“What you’re going to see is good old-fashioned baseball and people able to take their families to the baseball game,” said Young, who also signed autographs and answered questions from a number of youngsters in the gathering.

Paul Konerko gets little respect from fantasy owners, though as fantasy drafts have come upon us he has quickly become a player that I’m targeting.  No, not in shallower leagues, but if I’m in a league that requires a corner infielder he is one of the players on my list.  Why?  He’s a cheap source of power that no one else seems to care about.

First let’s look at his statistics from last season:

For years Major League pitchers have been cringing about taking the mound at Coors Field.

Gerald Laird might have been the best catcher in baseball in 2009—defensively.

But Detroit's catcher forgot to pack his bat when he left Spring Training.

His seventh campaign was his most disappointing at the plate. In 413 at-bats, Laird limped to a .225 batting average, four homers, and 33 runs batted in, all while providing top-notch defense. With an on-base percentage well-below .300 (.278), he was a major blockage in Detroit's light-hitting bottom of the order.

So the Tigers' backstop worked endlessly in the offseason to improve the weak point in his game.

As a fantasy baseball manager since 2003, I have experienced moderate success.

With the 15 teams I have managed, I have won the championship twice, while finishing in the top—three five other times. Both championship victories I have both came last season, because it was then I realized what the secret was.

Justin Upton has the all the makings of the next great baseball star. He plays right field for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's only 22 years old, but plays the game like a 30-year-old.

Upton, my early pick for 2010 National League Most Valuable Player, has baseball in his genes. His brother, B.J., currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rays. The Upton brothers were both first-round picks (B.J. 2nd overall in 2002, and Justin 1st overall in 2005).  And since his major league debut in 2007, Justin has appeared to overshadow his older brother.

For anybody who has ever thought through the process to becoming a Major League general manager, Step One is usually "Win a fantasy league."

Although it is considered "fake" and "not real" and "a waste of time" by many, fantasy baseball has its strong points in terms of strategy, team-building, and the mastering of witty team names, and message board zings.

Every year as a Phillies fan, I’ve grown accustomed to saying “wait until next year.”

Next year we’ll pick up a big-name player in free agency. We’ll overtake the Braves or Mets in the division race. We’ll get a couple of good breaks, stay healthy all season, and win it all.

Guess what?

It happened.

The greatest time of the year is upon us. As the weather warms up, so does that spot in our heart for baseball. Spring training is underway!

30 MLB teams now play their preseason games knowing that in under two weeks, it finally counts again.

So if your favorite team's dreams were crushed last season, you once again have reason to hope. Embrace this chance because, come October, you may just have to wait another year.

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan wrote an article about how the Cubs' roster may change if they don't win this year. While I usually find Sully's columns to be less than noteworthy, he has hit the nail on the head with this one.