A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I thought the Washington Nationals would send phenom Stephen Strasburg down to the minors to start the season. Now, it’s looking more and more likely that thought is going to come true.

A few years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a superstar outfielder named Jason Bay and a very questionable pitcher named Oliver Perez, while the Mets had a promising, if undeveloped, outfielder, Lastings Milledge, whom they traded to the Washington Nationals for Ryan Church.

Now the Pirates have both Milledge and Church, while the Mets have Bay and Perez.

Neither the Pirates nor the Mets have outfielder Xavier Nady, who was the consideration for Perez (and reliever Roberto Hernandez, who lasted only two months with the Mets).

How much stock should we take into performances from the off-season winter leagues?

I think it becomes a question of merit when you have someone that is downright dominating. For instance, take someone like Mike Maroth, who is currently in camp with the Minnesota Twins.

Going into this season, there is a list of top caliber baseball studs who are leadoff hitters or should be leadoff hitters.

Some have more power than others, some hit for a higher average, some are faster than others, and some have higher on-base percentages than others.

Let's take a look at the best leadoff hitters or some who are not leadoff hitters who should be hitting leadoff.

The Reds beat up the Diamondbacks today, 13-7, while collecting 14 hits. Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, and Miguel Cairo had two hits each, while Bruce and Paul Janish each contributed his second homer of the spring.

The Good

The neon baseball-themed clock at Miller Park reads 2:30 on a warm July day in Milwaukee. At this time, most of the players are either reporting to the stadium or in the clubhouse or batting cages, taking a few swings.

But the oldest of them all is out on the field, shirt off, and iPod on full blast, undergoing intense abdominal and strength workouts that most of us could not do at the age of 26.

In the spectrum of not-so-breaking news, Tampa Bay Rays ownership is not a huge fan of their team playing at Tropicana Field, America’s favorite giant warehouse. Owner Stuart Sternberg said they’ve done all that they can to make the facility adequate, but it just does not invoke an ideal baseball atmosphere.