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As spring training draws closer and baseball aficionados dream of pitchers and catchers reporting, one begins to salivate as he or she await another season of 162 games.

During this long stretch into the spring, fans begin to dissect their rosters, and debate potential trades, signings, and call-ups. Due to the fact that it is impossible to compare pitchers to outfielders to infielders, the players will be listed in no order and by team.

Washington Nationals

1) Stephen Strasburg: Even though he won’t be playing this season, he deserves a spot on this list just by his young fame and his ability to sell Nationals’ tickets and jerseys—an almost impossible endeavor.

2) Ryan Zimmerman: Best third baseman in the NL East.

3) Jayson Werth: For mega-millions, he better produce. Has shown himself to be a five-tool player with Philadelphia.

Florida Marlins

1) Josh Johnson: Great young pitcher, battling for the second spot in the NL East with the newly reinstated Cliff Lee.

2) Hanley Ramierez: Hits for power, plays his position well when he wants to hustle and, overall, great player.

3) Mike Stanton: Rookie last year who showed a ton of promise. Will be a power hitter and will most likely wreak havoc in the NL East for years to come.

Atlanta Braves

1) Tim Hudson: Solid starting pitcher.

2) Brian McCann: Best catcher in the NL East.

3) Derek Lowe: Crafty veteran starter that has the potential to win 20 games this year.

4) Dan Uggla: Moving from Florida to the Braves, this power hitting second basemen should excel in a better line-up. Needs to improve defense, but still makes this list.

5) Jason Heyward: Rookie who was a definite threat out of spring training. Sophomore year should show that he continues to be a power hitter.

6) Tommy Hanson: Quality young starter.

NY Mets

1) Johan Santana: While he’ll be out a while with shoulder surgery, one of the best pitchers in the NL East and used to be the best in baseball.

2) Jose Reyes: After a rough year two years with not so great numbers, still a stellar talent that still has the chance to prove himself. Gifted with speed.

3) David Wright: Will lead the Mets in RBIs.

4) Jason Bay: Coming off a bad year, he is looking to bounce back at a huge Citi Field where he’ll have tons of room in those cavernous alleys.

5) Carlos Beltran: Should be completely recovered from his injury last year and put up numbers reminiscent of 2006.

6) Mike Pelfrey: This 6’7″ giant will be the Mets’ No. 1 until Johan comes back. In 2010, he had his lowest ERA in the pros thus far, at 3.66. He looks to go from 15 wins to over 20 in 2011.

Philadelphia Phillies

1) Roy Halladay: Best player in the NL East.

2) Cole Hamels: A left-hander that looks to bring the Phillies back to the playoffs for yet another season.

3) Cliff Lee: The Ace in the Hole that the Phillies are thrilled to acquire. A dominating playoff pitcher that hopes he can show off his playoff prowess with the Phillies.

4) Roy Oswalt: A right-hander who has found new life in Philadelphia. Rounds out the Phillies’ Fab Four.

5) Ryan Howard: Premier RBI guy in the NL East.

6) Jimmy Rollins: After injuries last year, he looks to get healthy this year and return to his MVP form.

7) Chase Utley: Best second basemen in the NL East.

8) Shane Victorino: A Gold Glove outfielder with speed and pop.

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It’s always sunny in Philadelphia recently, but the prediction in New York is stormy weather for the foreseeable future. There are a lot of holes in the Mets organization, and the fans are sick of being rained on, over and over again. This list encapsulates the top nine ten players, theoretically an entire team, that the Mets need to replace during the 2011 season.

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The Mets now have to contend with the quartet of pitching that is the Phillies. Not to mention a young Atlanta team that seeks revenge. Florida? We’ll see. And then, there are the up and coming Nationals, with a hot new pitcher, albeit hurt, a catcher quickly gaining attention, and a multi million dollar Jason Werth deal. Not to mention Nyger Morgan, who brings his quirky optimism, but also isn’t afraid to charge the mound. Count on them in the not-so-near future. So what do the Mets need to do to contend? Well…

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Perhaps it’s the beard.

He just didn’t want to shave it on someone else’s terms. Not even for all the extras the pinstripes were throwing at his wife…I mean him. Can you blame the guy?

Was Cliff Lee scared of New York? He says no, according to the New York Post. 

The New York Post quotes Lee: 

“There wasn’t anything that scared me away from New York,” 

“I wasn’t scared to play there. I wasn’t any of that. It was just I wanted to have all my options in front of me. Once the Phillies were there, it was relatively close to everything, it was a no-brainer for me.”

Plus, he was quoted on WFAN NY stating that Philly fans “don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to cheer.” This was probably more of a dig at the Ranger fans than the Yankees, but still. Lee has returned home. 

So where does that leave Philly? Well, let’s see. Roy, squared. Hollywood Hamels. Now Cliff Lee? It’s certainly going to be tough to be the number 5 in Philadelphia. 

As for NL East competition? Go ahead Metsies. Terry Collins, keep rebuilding. Maybe one day your Lego pieces will turn into big boy buildings. Until then, the Phillies architectural genius is dwarfing your childish abode. Perhaps it’s time to lose the “re” and just start building. And imitation is not offensive at this point. After all, the Mets built Citi Field in the shadow of Citizens Bank Park. Perhaps it’s time to take some lessons on how to build a team. 

Also, how is it that both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay prefer Philadelphia over New York? And both accept LESS money to come to the cheesesteak capital? Move over Miami, there’s a new Heater trilogy in town. The only problem is, there are four guys capable of the top three spots. Yikes.

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“The Heater from Van Meter,” as Bob Feller was commonly called, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 92 from acute leukemia.

This man is the definition of a true American. Born in the American heartland of Iowa, he went on to sign with the Cleveland Indians when he was 17 and stayed with the same team for the duration of his career.

But loyalty to his team wasn’t his only attribute. As a true American, he signed up for World War II right after Pearl Harbor, making him the first Major League Baseball player to do so.

After serving his country for four years in the Navy, he returned to Cleveland to have a stellar career. Even with his baseball hiatus, he still leads the Indians organization in shutouts, innings pitched, walks, complete games, wins and strikeouts, according to the Associated Press.

While his health deteriorated in recent years, he still managed to attend Cleveland games, hoping for a World Series. The last time the Indians won the World Series, Feller was on the team—in 1948. 

“Just a reminder, fans, comin’ up is our ‘Die-hard Night’ here at the stadium. Free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant.”—Major League

I met Bob Feller a few years back at a Charleston, South Carolina RiverDogs game that I attended with my dad and my grandfather, who was also in the Navy during World War II. They were having a special day where people got to attempt to hit against the great Heater. I was a little kid and didn’t remember much.

Then, last spring, I found myself traveling across the country in a Jeep. After leaving around five p.m. and driving all night, we found ourselves in Van Meter, Iowa as the sun started to rise on the American fields of gold. We saw the sign for Feller’s museum and decided that this would be our first roadside, unplanned stop.

Unfortunately, the museum was closed, but Feller became our unsung hero after that. We kept hearing his name everywhere. I’m sure his name will continue to live on, long after the heat has cooled down and the sun has set. 

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