Opinion

Coming into spring training, Mookie Betts, the Red Sox's seventh-ranked prospect by Baseball America in 2014, was supposed to compete with Cuban signee Rusney Castillo for the starting center field job.

Suddenly, a prominent Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander is dealing with a shoulder injury that won't be going away for a while.

But don't worry. It's not that prominent Dodgers lefty. For that matter, this is a situation hardly worth worrying about at all.

Spring training is the perfect time of year for the little things to be absolutely blown out of proportion. This team is doing well and this team is struggling, which means the regular season will be like that.

Pedro Alvarez was a dynamic offensive force in the middle of the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup in 2013. Although he batted just .233 and led the National League with 186 strikeouts in 152 games, he blasted a career-high 36 home runs while driving in 100.  

Pitching depth is usually the key to success for fantasy baseball players, and the best way to compile depth is to take advantage of late-round sleepers with high upside.

Breakouts happen every year. Pinpointing the candidates isn't always easy, as any number of factors can go into the success of young hurlers. Several young arms are on the cusp of reliability from a fantasy standpoint this season.

Spring training is more than halfway through, and the New York Mets recently received terrible news that Zack Wheeler will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2015 season.

This, of course, could have a big effect on the Mets' season. But the fact that the regular season is only a few weeks away doesn't mean the Mets can't make moves right now.

To deem a young player or prospect as “untouchable” can sometimes backfire.

Injuries occur. Plateauing performances before hitting the majors happen more often than not. Other opportunities present themselves and make that player less valuable to an organization. Any number of scenarios can turn a once-untouchable player into a relative bust, or simply expendable. 

TEMPE, Ariz. — How did Mike Trout celebrate his Most Valuable Player award?

With a trip to the hospital and an IV hookup. Followed by a week on the couch, sick as he can ever remember.

Casey McGehee isn't Pablo Sandoval. He doesn't have a cute animal nickname, and he's never inspired anyone to wear a panda mask (that we know of).

Replacing Sandoval in the hearts and minds of San Francisco Giants fans is an impossible task. He was simply too big and beloved a figure in the Bay Area.

After going two decades without making the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Pirates have cracked the postseason in each of the past two seasons. Maybe it's not completely accurate to call them a team "on the rise," but they have the pieces to become a perennial powerhouse in the National League for years to come.