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The start of baseball season not only indicates the beginning of warm weather across the country, it also means there is another sport to compete in daily fantasy.

With competitions just about every day of the regular season, Major League Baseball represents a fun way to compete and potentially make money on a consistent basis.

Of course, it takes a lot of work to be successful in this sport. Even the top hitters and pitchers can have bad games, so you have to figure out how to find players with the best chances to succeed while staying within your budget.

Each day will feature new possibilities, but here is a look at some of the most important factors to look for when filling out your team.

Note: Daily fantasy scoring based on DraftKings rules. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.

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Baseball has finally returned. With actual games—albeit ones that don’t count—in the books, it’s time for fantasy baseball players to buckle down for draft day.

While spring training shouldn’t drastically change anybody’s predraft outlook, ignoring the exhibition clashes altogether is also ill-advised. If you’re searching for the right things, March happenings can help in small doses.

The MLB season remains around a month away, but draft season kicks into high gear after a week of spring training action. For those searching for some guidance, here are tips consisting of general advice and focused policies on what’s worth watching in spring.

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Here’s the first look at the 2015 Lester’s Legends designated hitter rankings.

1. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays

Edwin Encarnacion has averaged 86 runs, 37.3 home runs and 104 RBI over the past three seasons. He’s a great bet for power, but as a .265 career hitter, he could hurt you in the batting-average category. Encarnacion also has first base eligibility.

2. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

David Ortiz just keeps raking. His averaged dipped to .263 in 2014, but Big Papi hit 35 home runs with 104 RBI. If he can match that home run total this year, he’ll reach the 500 mark.

3. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers

Victor Martinez turned in the finest season of his career in 2014 despite being 35. He set career highs by hitting .335 with 32 home runs. Martinez scored 87 runs and knocked in 103 RBI. It was the first time that V-Mart topped 25 home runs. V-Mart has first base eligibility as well, which helps his value.

4. Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners

Nelson Cruz hit .271 with 87 runs, 40 home runs, 108 RBI and four stolen bases in 2014. He will turn 35 this summer and has moved to Seattle, which should hurt his power numbers. Cruz has averaged 29.2 home runs over the past six seasons. Cruz has outfield eligibility as well.

5. Chris Carter, Houston Astros

Chris Carter will do some damage to your batting average. He hit .227 in 2014 to raise his career batting average to .222. Carter smacked 37 home runs and posted 88 RBI. His two-year averages for 2013 and 2014 are 33 home runs and 85 RBI. If you can offset Carter’s average, you’ll appreciate his power.

6. Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers

Shin-Soo Choo hit .242 in 2014 with 58 runs, 13 home runs, 40 RBI and three stolen bases. From 2009-2013, he hit .288 while averaging 80 runs, 17.4 home runs, 66.6 RBI and 19.2 stolen bases. Choo also has outfielder eligibility.

7. Billy Butler, Oakland A’s

Billy Butler hit .271 in 2014 with 57 runs, nine home runs and 66 RBI. He has hit .295 in his eight-year career while averaging 62.8 runs, 15.9 home runs and 78.5 RBI. He doesn’t excel in any category, but Butler is pretty solid in four. He also has first base eligibility.

8. Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees

Carlos Beltran hit .233 in 2014 with 46 runs, 15 home runs and 49 RBI while dealing with elbow issues. He underwent surgery and should return to form. From 2011-2013, he averaged 80 runs, 26 home runs and 88.3 RBI. Beltran also has outfield eligibility, which helps his value.

9. Kennys Vargas, Minnesota Twins

Kennys Vargas hit .274 in 2014 with 26 runs, nine home runs and 38 RBI in 53 games. That put him on a pace for 79 runs, 28 home runs and 116 RBI. He likely won’t reach those numbers, but he should be able to put up solid power numbers.

10. Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals

Kendrys Morales was limited to 98 games in 2014 and finished with eight home runs and 42 RBI. He averaged 22.5 home runs and 76.5 RBI in 2012 and 2013.

This article first appeared on LestersLegends.com.

Also check out:

• 2015 Fantasy Baseball First Basemen Rankings
• 2015 Fantasy Baseball Second Basemen Rankings
• 2015 Fantasy Baseball Third Basemen Rankings
• 2015 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings
• 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the top 150 fantasy baseball players all ordered and ranked on the initial 2015 Big Board, the individual position rankings are well underway. All told, there will be (count ’em) 300 players ranked.

After providing some sequencing to the third basemen last time out, next up are the starting pitchers, an impossibly deep position.

As such, rather than waste any time here going through the tiers, it’s better to just get right down to it. Here, you can peruse the top 85 overall fantasy starters, as well as a few others you should watch, including potential impact rookies.

The only point to make before getting to that: Fantasy owners won’t have a problem piecing together a pitching staff filled with fantasy-friendly arms, even if they grab just one in the first 10 rounds or, frankly, wait that long to take their first. Yes, the position is that deep.

These rankings consider three factors:

First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5×5 rotisserie scoring (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB for hitters; W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV for pitchers).

Second, lineup construction accounts for 22 active-roster positions consisting of: one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

And third, to be eligible at a particular position, players either must have played at least 20 games there in 2014 or be in line to start there in 2015.

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With the top 150 fantasy baseball players all ordered and ranked on the initial 2015 Big Board, it’s time to get into the individual position rankings. All told, there will be (count ’em) 300 players ranked.

After providing some sequencing to the outfielders last time out, next up is third base, a position where the talent is rather clumped together, making it difficult to parse these players.

The hot corner arguably is the one fantasy position that lacks a definitive best player. Is it Anthony Rendon or Adrian Beltre or Josh Donaldson? Those three are the top candidates, but a strong case could be made for any one of them. 

And even the tiers seem to bleed into each other without many easy-to-spot cutoffs. Is it so crazy to think that Chris Davis or Carlos Santana could outperform Kyle Seager or Evan Longoria? Not at all.

The point, then, when it comes time to draft a third baseman, is either 1) target one or two that you like in particular, regardless of the general consensus, or 2) aim for value by letting other owners snatch up the initial bunch, knowing there will still be a few very quality options from which to choose.

And while you could look to land two hot cornermen, one of which for your corner infield spot, chances are you’ll go with a first baseman for that, anyway.

Let’s run down the top 25 overall fantasy third basemen and a few others you should watch, including potential impact rookies.

These rankings consider three factors:

First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5×5 rotisserie scoring (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB for hitters; W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV for pitchers).

Second, lineup construction accounts for 22 active roster positions consisting of: one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

And third, to be eligible at a particular position, players either must have played at least 20 games there in 2014 or be in line to start there in 2015.

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Spring training is underway, which means two things above all: One, the weather is bound to warm up (eventually); and two, fantasy baseball owners are prepping for their drafts and warming to the idea of another long, challenging, daunting—and yet oh-so-fun—season of player selection, trade talk and lineup decisions.

While we unfortunately can’t do anything about the weather, we can make your fantasy baseball planning and picking a heck of a lot easier.

That’s where the Bleacher Report Fantasy Baseball 300 comes in. This draft season, we’re ranking that many players overall to provide some clarity to a process that often can be rather foggy. To help keep things simple, each of the individual position rankings is listed below.

Consider the hyperlinked tables below your one-stop shopping for fantasy baseball goodness.

See? Things are warming up already.

Hitter Rankings

Pitcher Rankings

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter:@JayCat11.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the top 150 fantasy baseball players all ordered and ranked on the initial 2015 Big Board, it’s time to get into the individual position rankings. All told, there will be (count ’em) 300 players ranked.

After providing some sequencing to the first basemen last time out, next up is second base, which has one longtime star (Robinson Cano) and one new fantasy darling (Jose Altuve) at the top.

After that duo, the next tier is headed by the still-solid Ian Kinsler, who is followed by a batch of wild-card types, like Jason Kipnis, Brian Dozier, Dustin Pedroia and Dee Gordon, each of whom has been both good and bad in recent years.

There are more starter-worthy second basemen after that group, but only a few, and Kolten Wong is the only one of the bunch with upside.

In leagues that go deeper than 10 teams, one or two owners (or more) will come up short at this position, but later-round fliers could provide a solid bang for the buck. The trick is choosing the ones who will go bang.

Let’s run down the top 25 overall fantasy second basemen and a few others you should watch, including potential impact rookies.

These rankings consider three factors:

First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5×5 rotisserie scoring (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB for hitters; W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV for pitchers).

Second, lineup construction accounts for 22 active roster positions consisting of: one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

And, third, to be eligible at a particular position, players either must have played at least 20 games there in 2014 or be in line to start there in 2015.

Statistics are accurate through the 2014 season and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Here’s the first look at the 2015 Lester’s Legends third base rankings.

1. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

Anthony Rendon hit .287 with 111 runs, 21 home runs, 83 RBI and 17 stolen bases last year. Rendon’s main position is third base, but he played 28 games last year at second base to give himself positional eligibility and additional flexibility.

2. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays

Josh Donaldson has averaged 91 runs, 26.5 home runs, 95.5 RBI and 6.5 stolen bases over the past two years. Those numbers were attained while playing in Oakland. Look for his power numbers to increase in Toronto. His .268 lifetime batting average keeps him just out of the top spot.

3. Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds

Todd Frazier hit .273 with 88 runs, 29 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2014. He has averaged 22.3 home runs over the past three seasons.

4. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

Adrian Beltre hit .324 last year with 79 runs, 19 home runs, 77 RBI and one stolen base. He’ll turn 36 in April, which makes him a little riskier than the top three choices. At what point does age catch up with him?

5. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

Evan Longoria hit .253 with 83 runs, 22 home runs, 91 RBI and five stolen bases last season. In seven years, he has averaged 79.1 runs, 26.3 home runs, 90.7 RBI and six stolen bases while hitting .271.

6. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners

Kyle Seager hit .268 with 71 runs, 25 home runs, 96 RBI and seven stolen bases in 2014. Over the past three years, he hit .262 while averaging 70.7 runs, 22.3 home runs, 83.7 RBI and 9.7 stolen bases.

7. Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox

Pablo Sandoval hit .279 with 68 runs, 16 home runs and 73 RBI in 2014. The move to Fenway Park should pay dividends for the Kung Fu Panda.

8. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

Nolan Arenado hit .287 with 58 runs, 18 home runs, 61 RBI and a pair of stolen bases last season. Already a two-time Gold Glove winner, look for him to take a step forward offensively.

9. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

Carlos Santana played 26 games at third base last year, giving him positional eligibility (along with first base). He hit .231 last year with 68 runs, 27 home runs, 85 RBI and five stolen bases. You’ll have to live with the .248 lifetime batting average, but he has averaged 23 home runs and 78.5 RBI over the past four seasons.

10.  David Wright, New York Mets

David Wright hit .269 last year with 54 runs, eight home runs, 63 RBI and eight stolen bases in 134 games. Staying healthy has been an issue the past few seasons, but when he is healthy, Wright is a five-category contributor.

This article first appeared on LestersLegends.com.

Also check out:

• 2015 Fantasy Baseball First Basemen Rankings
• 2015 Fantasy Baseball Second Basemen Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Steer clear of fantasy baseball players coming off career years.

That thinking appears to contradict the goal of detecting the most production possible on draft day, but chasing the previous year’s stars rarely provides anyone with proper value. When paying for a player’s peak, there’s nowhere to go but down.

Chris Davis won myriad 2013 leagues with his 53 home runs, but he cost just as many gamers the following year by hitting .196 as a first-round selection. Last year’s leader in homers won’t attract the same price tag this spring, but he’s also in line for a course correction. 

Be careful, however, not to treat this as a “Do Not Draft” list. Everyone has his price, and it’s possible all other drafters have adjusted their rankings for expected deflation. In that case, consider zigging as everyone else zags.

Just don’t expect a repeat of 2014, which will motivate eager players to overpay for outlier seasons. The goal is not to snatch up last year’s breakouts, but rather to identify the next batch.

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Congratulations, it’s officially close enough to MLB‘s Opening Day to start studying for fantasy baseball drafts without feeling like a weirdo.

Well, probably. This is coming from someone sifting through numbers since October. Either way, everyone is collectively opening the doors to their fantasy baseball preparation. Slowly but surely, rankings and mock drafts will emerge, and your time will be consumed.

With any preseason prep comes sleepers. Not everyone can agree on what defines one, but who doesn’t love identifying unheralded gems? 

To get back into the swing of things, none of these 10 players is super-deep lottery tickets. Chances are serious researchers will get sick of seeing some of these guys routinely touted before draft day rolls around.

These picks are tailored for standard mixed-league gamers who are careening back into baseball mode after closing shop on their fantasy football squads. Not everyone can dive into the cold water after a long winter of inactivity.

Just in case these guys are not on your radar yet, remember their names when assembling preliminary cheat sheets for 2015 drafts.

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