Kuzul

With Opening Day only a few hours away, the crack of the bat is soon to be heard. The eyes of the sports world will shift from the dreariness of winter sports, to the excitement of baseball and the thrill of the approaching summer months. 

Last season was a memorable one for Major League Baseball. There were numerous perfect games (and near perfect games), including a perfect gem in the playoffs by Roy Halladay; Ken Griffey Jr’s retirement; the surge and disappointment of Stephen Strasburg; and the resurgence of the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants.

This season will be no different. There will be thrills and disappointment. But first, here are some players who will make the most impact in their respective leagues. These are the pre-season all-star teams.

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After an amazing 2010 season last year, which included unforgettable moments like Armando Gallaraga’s near perfect game, Jose Bautista ripping a league-high 54 Homers, Roy Halladay’s playoff no-hitter and a perfect Mother’s Day for Dallas Braden, fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting 2011, which they hope will be even more special.  

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He’s the franchise now, at all of 25 years old, the all-American kid born in Downey, California, birthplace of the Apollo space program.

One thing is for sure: Evan Longoria‘s career has certainly taken off.

Longoria, or “Longo,” as all of us call him, is already becoming a bit of a legend in the Bay area. Many have already compared him to Brooks Robinson, the former Oriole great, who practically made third base the position it is today.

“E-Lo” has quickly become a top name in baseball conversations all across the nation. After all, Longoria is the only third baseman to make the All-Star team in each of his first three seasons in the league.

Not Robinson. Not Schmidt. Not Brett, or Matthews. Evan Longoria.

So with many considering him the best third baseman in the game right now, more and more pressure mounts on his shoulders to go along with the weight from the lineup that he’ll have to carry if the Rays wish to make the postseason again. You would think it would be too much for a 25-year-old to take.

But then again, it’s “Cool like Cali” Evan Longoria that we’re talking about here. He’s the face of the team, but he was born to handle the pressure. Only a few are like that. As his numbers grow, so will his expectations. It’s a natural occurrence, and Longoria continues to work hard to keep raising the bar.

He’s had to worry about other things recently as well. He’s had his 1969 Camaro (worth more than $75,000) stolen from a shop in Arizona and was also robbed when the rental house he, David Price and Reid Brignac were renting, was burglarized over the weekend.

None of that will make anything any easier for Evan, yet he seems to brush it off and keep going. Longoria came into the spring bulked up a bit from last season, looking in premier shape as he walked into the Port Charlotte training site, putting on some weight, ready to carry plenty of it this season.

His two Gold Glove awards have many coaches, players, writers and fans kicking up the Robinson comparisons. A Silver Slugger in 2009 and a spot in the home run derby his rookie year are just the start of his career offensive accolades and honors.

Longoria is looking to take the next step this season, going from a really good player to a great one. He’s averaged 40 doubles a season, which, if averaged over a 15-year span, would put him behind only  George Brett in terms of third baseman in that category.

With the numbers comes the endorsements that go with it. “That’s my cap!” has swept across America, with Longoria jumping on helicopters on televisions all around the USA. He donned the cover of one of the biggest video games, with 2K Sports plastering him on MLB 2K10.

To go along with that, Longoria also appeared in this year’s version of the Gillette “Young Guns,” pitting him in a commercial with the Rockies‘ Carlos Gonzalez, NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, NFL running back Ray Rice and quarterback Matt Ryan.

With the “Cali boy” look, the laid-back Longoria is just that way when it comes to pressure situations, but not at all when it comes to getting ready for a season. So while he may be living in the limelight, he’s also proving he’s more than worthy of it.

He wants to, realistically, be the greatest. Simple as that. That mentality will drive him to keep improving more and more. He may only be 25, but Evan Longoria is indeed on a quest to be the best.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This is the sixth offering in my series of All-Franchise teams. Since Tampa Bay along with Florida are relatively new franchises, I have relaxed the rules a tad for the two. There is no minimum requirement as to tenure with the franchise. Unlike most franchises you will not find any current Hall of Famers on this list.

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The most common phrase in professional sports (also the most overused phrase) that players and coaches use to describe a recent transaction is “it’s a business.” As a student of business, I can confidently confirm this brilliant diagnosis.

As a business, the Tampa Bay Rays must first outline their goal for the 2011 season. A successful season would entail making the playoffs, most likely as the American League wild card, and compete in the postseason. Check that off.

Next, they must begin basic preparation. This is primarily training employees and allowing managers to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their people, i.e. Spring Training. Check that off, too.

Finally, the club has to analyze its environment for the 2011 season. The most common tool to assess a given business at any time is with a Five Forces Analysis.

The Five Forces are: supplier power, buyer power, substitutes, rivalry, and competition, but for the sake of relevance, buyer power and substitutes have been omitted. Ticket sales and the NFL and NBA don’t seem to have much say in the success of the 2011 Rays.

If baseball teams truly are businesses, grading and understanding the Three Forces will lead to accomplishing the 2011 Rays’ playoff goal.

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This year’s American League East is going to be a very hotly contested division. With all five teams easily capable of putting together .500 or above seasons, the order of finish could be dictated by just a few games.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, the new look of the franchise gives them a new set of advantages and disadvantages over their division rivals. While the other teams within the division spent big bucks this offseason, the Rays were able to cut their payroll from over $70 million to approximately $42 million without sacrificing a tremendous amount of production.

While this is a great feat in terms of business, the results on the field will determine how smart the Rays really are. Here are some of the big matchup advantages and disadvantages the Rays have going into the 2011 season.

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The Rays’ journey to becoming a constant playoff-contender took awhile, but came all of sudden when it finally happened.

Contending with the power-house teams of the AL East—the Yankees and Red Sox—is the toughest thing to do for any team to have to do. It’s makes it even tougher when you can’t spend half the money of the those two teams.

But the Rays haven’t used any excuses, rather using lower-risk, high-reward pickups and their minor league system to create a nucleus for a championship-caliber squad.

Two division championships and an American League pennant in three years is good for any team (except maybe if your from the Bronx), but under the circumstances of being a small-market club, it’s amazing what the Rays have been able to accomplish.

Here’s a list of five things you may or may not expect, but have kept the Rays at, or near the top of the tough AL East.

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With spring training just starting up, optimism about the upcoming season is at its highest. There is not a better time to make predictions about the upcoming season, which should be a great one.

The American League MVP award is awarded annually to the player who is considered most valuable to his team throughout the year. Recent recipients of the award include Josh Hamilton and Joe Mauer.

In anticipation for the 2011 season, I have decided to rank the five American League preseason MVP favorites.

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1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

2. David Wright, New York Mets

3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

4. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

5. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

6. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

7. Jose Bautista*, Toronto Blue Jays

8. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates

9. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

10. Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers

11. Martin Prado*, Atlanta Braves

12. Michael Young, Texas Rangers

13.Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs

14. Chase Headley, San Diego Padres

15. Mark Reynolds, Baltimore Orioles

16. Ian Stewart, Colorado Rockies

17. Miguel Tejada*, San Francisco Giants

18. Michael Cuddyer*, Minnesota Twins

19. Johnny Peralta*, Detroit Tigers

20. Chris Johnson, Houston Astros

*Not their normal position but still eligible for 3B.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

David Wright will set the tone for third basemen during the 2011 Fantasy Baseball season, but he’ll have some competition for the top spot from Alex Rodriguez, Evan Longoria and Ryan Zimmerman.

The biggest story to watch is Jose Bautista. Can he repeat his Major League leading 54 home runs from 2010?

If he shows that last year wasn’t a fluke, he’ll vault into the ranks of the other “elite” third basemen.

Kevin Youkilis is also an interesting option. He played first base for most of last season, but will move to third base to make room for Adrian Gonzalez. That adds some much-needed depth to the third base position in fantasy baseball.

Though it’s a pretty thin position aside from the top five, there are still some decent options to be had in later rounds.

Here are the top 10 third basemen for the 2011 Fantasy Baseball season.

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