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Nobody likes to lose, even in spring training.

Sure, the games and the statistics don’t technically count, and those who put too much stock into what goes on during the preseason typically find themselves disappointed during the regular season.

But that doesn’t mean that we should completely discount the spring, which gives us the answers to some of the questions that we had heading into the exhibition season and presents us with winners and losers, both on the field and off of it.

With spring training all but complete and the regular season quickly drawing near, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from this year’s exhibition season.

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Superstars make a fantasy team good, but everyone else makes it great. That’s why nailing the middle and later rounds is just as important, if not more so, as nailing the first four or five rounds. 

Everyone knows that Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw and Andrew McCutchen are going off the board early. It’s the second- and third-tier players who get shuffled around that you need to know where and when to take. 

To save you the trouble of putting together an entire list of underrated gems, we have three for you to keep an eye on when you’re drafting your team. These players have the upside to become first-round superstars or are at an age of decline but still possess skills to be valuable for one more year. 

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals

2013 Stats: .302/.353/.448, 17 HR, 79 RBI, 86 R, 11 SB

There was a period of time, in 2012 and the first of 2013, when Eric Hosmer looked like the latest in a string of highly touted prospects who filled Kansas City with hope only to take it away in the blink of an eye. 

A funny thing happened to Hosmer after last year’s All-Star break, though—he found his swing. The 24-year-old hit .323/.379/.473 in 279 at-bats. That wasn’t by accident, either. George Brett and Pedro Grifol, Kansas City’s hitting coaches last year, identified a flaw with his hands that was corrected. 

Evan Tarracciano of RotoExperts.com sees big things in store for Hosmer this season: 

Some other predictions for 2014: Eric Hosmer of the #Royals will hit .300/22/85/13 this year. He’s going to have a monster season.

— Evan Tarracciano (@Roto_Wizard) March 27, 2014

The first base market has more depth this year than it has had in a long time, especially with Miguel Cabrera moving back to the position, so a player like Hosmer could end up sliding into the fourth or fifth round, depending on the size of your league. 

Expect a huge season for Hosmer and the Royals in 2014 following a breakout campaign last year. 

Michael Cuddyer, OF, Colorado Rockies

2013 Stats: .331/.389/.530, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 74 R, 10 SB

It’s rare that you struggle to name a batting champion, especially for a season that just ended a few months ago, but no one thinks of Michael Cuddyer as the type of hitter who will lead the league with a .331 batting average. 

There’s no secret to Cuddyer’s success last year—playing in Colorado and a .382 batting average on balls in play. He’s not going to hit .331 with a .530 slugging percentage again, but there is still value in adding the outfielder in the later rounds. 

Colorado or no Colorado, Cuddyer has been a solid .277/.345/.462 hitter with at least 20 home runs in two of the last three years. He’s also got value on the bases with 29 stolen bases since 2011. 

Another reason Cuddyer has good value is injuries. He hasn’t played more than 140 games in a season since 2010. That doesn’t help his fantasy stock when you draft him, though it makes him a valuable asset on draft day. 

Chris Archer, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

2013 Stats: 9-7, 3.22 ERA, 128.2 IP, 101 K, 1.127 WHIP

Sometimes, analysts and fantasy players get wrapped up in the success that a certain team has with players, overrating the name on the back of the jersey strictly because of the name on the front of it. 

The Tampa Bay Rays have had such incredible success with young pitchers since David Price debuted in 2008 that it’s only natural to assume all of them will be great. Matt Moore has had moments of brilliance, but he is still trying to find consistency. 

Chris Archer, following a very solid rookie season, is the next young stud in the rotation. He might actually benefit from not being great out of the box, or having one dominant playoff start like Moore did, because it will help him get drafted lower than the raw talent suggests he should. 

There are reasons to love Archer as a breakout candidate in 2014. He has a rocket that masquerades as a right arm, averaging 95 mph with the fastball last year, and a slider that generated a high volume of swings and misses in September and October. 

Archer’s control was a problem in the minors, but it didn’t seem to be an issue once the Rays brought him up. He walked just 2.66 per nine innings last year. As long as the right-hander continues to pump the strike zone, strikeouts will come because the stuff is so good. 

Using ESPN’s fantasy draft results, Archer is being taken 215th overall on average, later than Dan Haren, Jake Peavy and Dan Straily. He is a bargain in every sense of the word. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With spring training finally over (yay!), the 2014 regular season is about to get under way in full (double-yay!!). And with your fantasy baseball draft in the rear-view mirror (triple-yay!!!), it’s time to update the Big Board again.

On the pages that follow is a ranking of—count ’em—the top 150 players for the 2014 fantasy baseball season. With some circumstances and opinions changing since the last iteration, including transactions and injuries, a refreshing of the board is in order.

Before getting to that, though, some housekeeping is needed, as this lengthy list of the top talents comes with a few key qualifications. First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5×5 rotisserie scoring for hitters (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB) and pitchers (W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV).

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 must have either played at least 20 games there in 2013 or be in line to start there in 2014.

With that out of the way, get ready to count down, starting with No. 150 and working all the way to No. 1.

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The best fantasy baseball owners are the ones who scour rosters to find the best under-the-radar talent.

Everyone can pick Miguel Cabrera, but it’s the ones who picked Chris Davis last year that are true fantasy geniuses.

This year is no different. Finding sleepers is paramount if you want to win your league.

So who are the fantasy baseball sleepers in 2014 that absolutely need to be on your team? We’ll break them down below:

Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox

Xander Bogaerts brings plenty of playoff experience into his rookie season.

In 12 postseason games, Bogaerts batted .296 with an impressive .412 on-base percentage.

Those around the Red Sox think Bogaerts is going to be an immediate star. As Adam Kaufman of the Boston Globe wrote:

Will he be as good as the still-waiting-to-be-signed Stephen Drew on defense? Unlikely. With the bat? Without question. Save for a serious injury derailing his season, this future, perennial All-Star will be the AL’s Rookie of the Year in 2014. He demonstrated a calm, cool, and collected nature when inserted for Will Middlebrooks in last year’s postseason and was completely unfazed by the astronomical pressure.

Bogaerts is going to be a force for the Sox. The only question is whether or not he will face some rookie growing pains.

It’s certainly possible, but he’s too talented to pass up. Draft him in the middle rounds and watch him become a mainstay of your team.

Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Batting in front of Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols is a good way to score a lot of runs.

That’s why Kole Calhoun needs to be on your fantasy radar.

The rookie outfielder shined in a brief call-up last season, batting .407 with four home runs in eight games and 27 at-bats.

“He has a short, compact swing, plays good defense, and he competes,” Mike Trout told Eric Karabell of ESPN.com.” I played with him through the minor leagues and know what he’s capable of doing. Right now I think he’s leading off. He works hard and is ready to go.” 

All Calhoun has to do is get on base. Luckily for the Angels, he’s pretty good at that. In Triple-A last season, Calhoun had a .431 OBP. He also batted .282. 

Calhoun has shown the ability to get on base, and given that the Angels score a lot of runs—last season they ranked seventh in runs scored, and that’s with down years by Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols—Calhoun will cross home plate a lot.

He’s a solid bench outfielder for your team. Don’t be afraid to use a late-round pick on him.

Danny Salazar, SP, Cleveland Indians

The Indians must think highly of Danny Salazar if they are willing to make him their starter for their home opener:

But given his talent, it’s not too surprising. As Jonah Keri of Grantland wrote:

Salazar’s inclusion shouldn’t be a surprise after last week’s offseason edition of The 30, in which I drooled over his filthy fastball-slider-changeup arsenal and the 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate he posted last season in his first 10 major league starts. He’s talented enough to make a Cy Young run, maybe even as soon as this year. And while individual talent is more important than teammate contributions, Carlos Santana’s move from catcher to third base could have a hugely positive impact on Salazar and the rest of Cleveland’s pitchers.

Salazar can reach 100 MPH and will be the fourth starter on the Indians, a team that is a legitimate contender for the playoffs. It would not be surprising to see Salazar reach 15 wins. He also has an outside shot of reaching 200 strikeouts. 

If you can get him, you must pounce on Salazar. The only limit on him is a potential innings count. But that shouldn‘t be too much of a concern. He’s too good to ignore.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Traditionally, Cubs fans don’t have a lot to look forward to with each new season. At least that has been the case on the north side for several years now and fans surely want to find some solace in different aspects of this year’s team. Unlike in the past few years, they can actually find a few things to give them comfort about the year to come and the next couple years of Cubs baseball.

There are several aspects of the 2014 Cubs team that should give fans more to watch this season as well as more to watch for in 2015 and beyond. In other words, the major league product should see an upgrade on the field while displaying some of what the future has in store. Really, 2015 is the first year that the Cubs realistically want to be competing for the playoffs and the progress they make in 2014 will go a long way toward determining whether that becomes reality or not.

Through offseason additions, spring performances and other things that have happened behind the scenes, expectations for the 2014 season are starting to take shape. While expectations aren’t sky high for this year’s team, these five things should give Cubs fans some hope in 2014 and beyond.

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Mike Trout, the Angels’ 22-year-old phenom, and arguably (OK, not so arguably, just fact) the best player in all of baseball, will be staying in Southern California for quite some time.

On the heels of an agreement to make $1 million for 2014, Trout will now receive $144.5 million over six additional years—according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.

After inking that earlier one-year deal, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto mentioned how he knew he had a unique situation on his hands, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com:

There are players that force you to break rules. What he did for two consecutive years forced us to break our own rule. His performance certainly merited us to do differently than any of the others.

Well, Jerry, you certainly went on to break that very rule again in a big way.

This isn’t a question of whether Trout deserves the money. After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the AL MVP voting and a 19.7 WAR over that span, per Baseball-Reference.com, the Angels could have handed him a blank check, and no one would have batted an eye.

After all, the guy can really do it all—such as hitting for the cycle with ease if that’s something that you happen to enjoy:

The true question is why now? Fans and writers alike will point and say the Angels are paying too much for years they already had full control over. The problem is, these same folks are failing to look at the bigger picture.

Clayton Kershaw recently received $215 million over seven years in Los Angeles. Miguel Cabrera has a total contract value of $292 million over 10 years, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The concept of $30 million per year has gone from a fantasy to simply the next step, and Trout was a certainty to blow past that very number in free agency.

Another number he was set to blow by was Ryan Howard’s $10 million first-year salary-arbitration record from 2008.

In fact, the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin quotes sources familiar with the process that Trout would likely snag a total of $60 million over his three arbitration years.

The next step is to perform some very, very simple math. If we add that $60 million in expected arbitration salaries to the $90 million his first three free-agent years would inevitably have been worth, we arrive at a shiny new six-year, $150 million hypothetical contract.

At $144.5 million and their star guaranteed not to test free agency until three years later than usual, it suddenly looks like the “why now” question has been answered, hasn’t it?

What the Angels essentially just did is three-fold:

• They locked up MLB’s best player through the absolute creme de la creme of his prime years.
• They did so while not risking overpaying on the back-end of his prime through his decline (a la Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols).
• They ensured that Trout will avoid being tempted by the bottomless pockets of the Yankees or Dodgers before they have a chance to strike—giving them three extra years to figure things out.

Let’s be perfectly honest here, this is what you need to do in today’s MLB to lock up your young homegrown stars long-term.

The Rays did it with Matt Moore and Evan Longoria. The Cardinals did it with Matt Carpenter and Allen Craig. The Braves did it with, well, virtually their entire roster.

The contract values aren’t the same, but the principle is. You avoid arbitration headaches, you keep your best players in-house and you pay a premium in the process.

It’s always a risk to make a deal of this magnitude when you aren’t forced to, but Trout is a bet most would place any day of the week. He’s one of the game’s very few legitimate five-tool players, and his defense, speed and damage-causing contact will make him worth every penny.

Essentially what I’m trying to say is, even if his offensive output took a tiny dip, he would still keep doing ungodly things like this on a weekly basis:

Is he a lock for a 10.0 WAR every year? Will his higher-than-ideal strikeout rate eventually catch up to him a little bit? Regardless of the answers to these questions, what we do know is that Trout will be a perennial All-Star and the best player at a premier position for many years to come.

If the Angels wanted to give themselves the best possible shot of keeping what could be the best player to ever suit up for their franchise in town for his entire career, they just completed a massive step in that direction.

Kudos to you, Angels, you will not regret it.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Updates from Saturday, Mar. 29

Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area provides an update on Tim Lincecum‘s status:

So far, so good. Lincecum’s knee didn’t blow up overnight, and both pitcher and organization are confident that the right-hander will be able to make his scheduled start in Thursday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

“He’s doing fairly well so we’re pretty comfortable he’ll be OK to go,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

Original Text:

Tim Lincecum’s strong spring is coming to an end on a bad note, as the San Francisco Giants starter suffered a knee injury on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics, the team announced

The 29-year-old took a liner off his left leg and had to be helped off the field, per Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Andrew Baggarly of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area provides an update from Lincecum:

Baggarly initially reported Lincecum was pointing to the inside of his left knee before leaving the field:

This spring looked to be a step forward for Lincecum. After two disappointing seasons, he was showing signs of learning how to rely less on velocity and more on pitch placement.

Although Lincecum is coming off a bad outing less than a week ago, there was reason to hope for San Francisco fans that he would put it all together in 2014 and resemble something closer to the back-to-back Cy Young winner from 2008 and ’09.

While the seriousness of the injury is not yet known, it’s possible that Lincecum could miss some time, and that isn’t the way he or the Giants want to start the new campaign.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the last two seasons, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has played like one of the best in baseball.

Now he’s getting paid like one, the team announced:

According to MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez, the Angels and Trout have agreed on a massive new deal that pays the back-to-back MVP runner-up around $140 million over the next six years:

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the exact total is $144.5 million:

Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown clarifies the length of the deal:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports breaks down the details of the contract:

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan provides details on the negotiating process:

Contracts in baseball are typically half breathtaking, half obscene. But considering the kind of money that has been tossed around to players in the last couple of years, there is very little question that Trout deserves this monstrous raise.

In 2013, which was a near mirror image of his 2012 rookie season, Trout hit .323/.432/.557 with 27 home runs, 39 doubles, 97 RBI and 33 stolen bases. He led the league in runs scored (109) and walks (110).

If you want to gander at the advanced statistics, then his value only increases. He led MLB—by far—in WAR (10.4) and trailed only Miguel Cabrera in OPS+ (179). Defensively, Trout’s advanced numbers weren’t nearly as great in 2013 (UZR of 4.4) as they were in 2012 (13.3), but he’s still regarded as one of the premier defensive outfielders in the game.

He has been so transcendent that even the president of the United States, via the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin, talks about his talent:

Oh yeah, and he’s only 22.

The Angels’ 2014 media guide, via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, listed some of Trout’s particularly astounding achievements through two full seasons in the league:

In major league baseball history, only seven players have amassed 350 hits, 200 runs scored and 175 walks before their age-22 season. The list includes Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Ken Griffey Jr. and Trout.

Trout is one of only four players to bat .320 with a total of 50 homers and 200 runs scored in his first two full seasons. The others: Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Trout’s Angels teammate, Albert Pujols.

Last year, Trout was the first player to lead the AL in walks and runs scored since Chicago’s Frank Thomas did it in 1994. He also joined Ty Cobb of the 1915 Tigers and Lenny Dykstra of the 1993 Phillies as the third player in history to collect 190 hits, 100 walks and 30 stolen bases in a season.

Despite all he has done, and despite the fact that, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder, he was set to make less than $1 million this upcoming season, Trout was quick to shake off any talk regarding an extension.

“I’m here to get ready for the season,” he said, via Crasnick. “I don’t want to comment on the contract negotiations and stuff. I’m here to just get ready to prepare myself for the upcoming season.”

Nevertheless, the Angels decided to get negotiations out of the way now, making sure their superstar is around for a long time.

These particular contract talks never really turned into distractions, but now that there’s no chance they ever will, Trout can simply concentrate on further developing his game.

And the scariest part? When this new contract comes to an end, Trout will likely still be in his prime.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the 2014 MLB regular season approaches, teams begin to make calculated decisions regarding their rosters. Whether it’s deciding which pitchers will earn the right to make the rotation or which players will make the Opening Day roster, each are equally as difficult.

The news that surrounds teams at this point in the year is not always positive. Devastating injuries, unexpected trades and baffling roster moves plague the league.

Let’s take a look at the latest rumors—both good and bad—and news circulating around the majors.

Bad News for Diamondbacks

According to a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Arizona pitcher David Hernandez tore his UCL, via a statement from his agent:

Even though Hernandez is set to get a second opinion, things don’t look good.

This devastating news comes just days after fellow Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin was diagnosed with the same injury and was shelved for the season.

Arizona figures to lose two big cogs on the mound—a left-handed ace and a right-handed reliever.

Hernandez struggled early last season; however, when he was called back up in September, he looked sharp. This will be a major setback in his continued development.

These two are part of a laundry list of recent injuries suffered by the Diamondbacks.

Orioles Dump Aceves

Alfredo Aceves was brought to Baltimore in effort to build strength in the team’s bullpen. It appears he did not show enough over spring training, and the team has decided to cut him, according to a tweet from Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com:

Aceves will exercise his opt-out clause in his contract, effectively leaving the team. Ghiroli predicted which pitchers would make the bullpen this season on MLBlogs.com:

The move makes it likely Evan Meek will get the final bullpen spot, assuming there aren’t any other trades or waiver wire pickups. The Orioles came close to acquiring an unknown player on waivers on Wednesday. Zach Britton and Josh Stinson, who are both out of options, figure to make the bullpen as well. Meek has allowed one run on two hits over eight innings this spring.

After pitching 37 innings for the Red Sox in 2013, Aceves allowed 42 hits and 21 runs while walking 22 and striking out 24 batters for a 4.86 ERA. He could still provide some bullpen depth for any interested teams.

Schoop Makes Orioles’ Roster

The Orioles continued their roster moves on Friday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that 22-year-old Jonathan Schoop will make Baltimore’s Opening Day roster:

It appears as though the Orioles plan to use the youngster as a rotational piece on defense. This could be a great move considering what Schoop brought to the table in a small sample size last season.

In 2013, Schoop only had 14 at-bats with the club but managed to record four hits, including one home run, one RBI and five runs while only striking out twice. He finished with a .283 batting average.

If Schoop can continue to display his budding skill set this season, Baltimore will reap the benefits.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Mets‘ 2014 season is just days away from beginning, and the team is hoping to have a winning record for the first time since 2008. After making various moves, there is certainly reason to believe that this could finally happen.

Here are five big reasons why the Mets could have a winning record this season.

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