MLB

Here are some pitchers whose name we all know, but who you may not realize as on the cusp of a tremendous 2010 season.  Let’s take a look at five of my favorite pitching sleepers for the coming year:

Marc Rzepczynski —Toronto Blue Jays
The left-hander made his Major League debut in ‘09, posting a 3.67 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 11 starts.  He was slightly lucky (.280 BABIP), but also struggled with his control (BB/9 of 4.40). 

During a recent "Saturday Night Live", comedian/host Zach Galifianakis did the mustache community proud by shaving his trademark bushy hobo beard down to a very handsome cookie duster.

Similarly, during last spring's World Baseball Classic, Kevin Youkilis abandoned his goatee and toyed around with a fu manchu that would make the likes of Luis Tiant and Hulk Hogan blush.

Unfortunately, the werewolf gene present in both "The Hangover" star and the Red Sox first baseman keeps them from donning just the lip sweater.

In my quest to post an article related to every Milwaukee Brewers player that I felt had a legitimate shot at making the 25-man roster to begin 2010, I knew this day would inevitably arrive.

It's tough to write about the New York Mets these days.

There hasn't been a whole lot of good news to write about when it comes to the Mets this spring. Actually, there hasn't been much good news to write about the Mets during this entire offseason, as anything positive that happens to the Amazin's, like signing Jason Bay, is followed by multiple negatives, like not being able to add any pitching, or the Mets continued injury problems.

The Reds have Scott Rolen locked in at third base which is the normal position for power-hitting youngster Juan Francisco .

Francisco gets a crack at joining the overcrowded group battling for left field on Tuesday. He has played third base and left field in his four-year minor league career.

The man can hit home runs, that is for certain. He hit two homers on Saturday against the Cubs and is batting .267 after wearing a size-three collar today against the Oakland A's.

As usual, Theo Epstein has effectively overloaded the 2010 Red Sox rotation with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and John Lackey owning the front end and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, Tim Wakefield, and maybe Boof Bonser competing for the final two spots.

The bullpen, led by the still largely dominant Jonathan Papelbon, is not quite so prohibitively predetermined but remains crowded. Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, and Daniel Bard have probably already locked up their spots if only due to their experience.

0-10 through 10 games.

Stinks, right?

To hear the Nationals' players talk about it, fans and writers should disregard the club's spring training record.  They have a list of reasons and excuses to forget about the record.

"We're just getting our work in."

"We aren't playing with our regular players."

"I just want to stay healthy for the season."

"I'm working on some new thing/adjustment."

On a freshly cut field in Sarasota, the sun is shining while four or five Orioles take batting practice. Adam Jones punishes room-service fastballs as Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis share a laugh. A new day shimmers as baseball is in the air. Little does this team know, they are the future.

The average baseball fan looks for success in their favorite team by simple facts. People want their stars to be home run hitters who hit 40 every season. They believe their relievers to be these fabulous athletes who can get 40 saves as well. A player is looked upon as a great hitter if he is able to hit 90 or more RBIs.

All those statistics that I just named are false tools. They ignore the true use of a baseball player and ignore what makes a star.