Opinion

Through the first nine games of spring training at Camelback Ranch, it’s clear that the Los Angeles Dodgers are beginning to shake off the winter rust.

Most of the players are, anyway.

Some members of the team have yet to find their rhythm on the mound and in the batter’s box. While the sample size is small, these players will need to turn things around if they have aspirations of making the 25-man roster when camp breaks in less than three weeks.

Spring is the perfect time for young, inexperienced players to take that next step forward into one of the game's elites. With the importance of the games, and thus the pressure on the players, decreased compared to that of the regular season, it is a time for youth prospects to thrive.

The American League Central has been dominated by the Detroit Tigers over the last 4 seasons. With the emergence of the Kansas City Royals and the improvements of the Chicago White Sox, the AL Central should see a very competitive race this season. 

The Toronto Blue Jays had every reason to be excited about not just what Marcus Stroman could do on the mound in 2015, but what he could do for their chances of winning their first division title since 1993.

But sadly, the key word is "had." Whatever hopes the Blue Jays had for Stroman in 2015 are gone now.

Straight from the Blue Jays themselves, here's the bad news:

At the center of the latest controversy for Major League Baseball is an aging, embattled, injury-prone, high-priced former MVP. And for once, it isn't Alex Rodriguez.

Uncertainty surrounds the Detroit Tigers. 

1. Masahiro Tanaka: Do We Really Know the Percentages?

TAMPA, Fla. — Every single Masahiro Tanaka pitch is being watched closely this spring, and surely the bad news involving Yu Darvish out of Texas' camp over the weekend didn't make the Yankees feel any better about the whole situation.

Let's preface this by stating the obvious: It's really early. This isn't going to be a piece making outlandish declarations from a handful of spring training games. Instead, we'll simply look at which Boston Red Sox players are making notable impressions in the early stages of baseball's return. 

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Cliff Lee's left elbow made it through just one spring training start—and all of two innings—last Thursday before he was shut down the following day with another bout of elbow discomfort in the same spot that plagued him for much of 2014.

Despite not being as well-known as some of his peers, Toronto Blue Jays prospect Miguel Castro is quickly climbing up the organizational depth chart and could be knocking on the door to the major leagues soon.

Signed as an international prospect in 2011, Castro had a breakout season in 2014 during which he moved up three different minor league levels and posted a 2.68 ERA in 80.2 innings pitched.