It’s a good thing White Sox manager Robin Ventura, pitching coach Don Cooper, general manager Rick Hahn and the rest of their respective staffs will be picking the Opening Day starter. If the decision was left to Jake Peavy and Chris Sale, the debate might linger right up until the first pitch on April 1.

In Miami, baseball fans have mourned the death of legendary University of Miami head coach Ron Fraser. The “Wizard of College Baseball” passed away last Sunday at the age of 79 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

John Mayberry is looking forward to being a part of a Phillies outfield with some new faces in 2013.

The pieces are in place for the Rays’ offense to be better than it was last year. And they’re still looking to add more. For all the talk about offensive woes, their offense — with or without Wil Myers — might be pretty good after all.

The pieces are in place for the Rays’ offense to be better than it was last year. And they’re still looking to add more. For all the talk about offensive woes, their offense — with or without Wil Myers — might be pretty good after all.

Michael Morse was flooded with memories Saturday as he set foot in Safeco Field for the first time since rejoining the club in a trade with the Nationals.

The weather was typical Northwest winter, but with the Safeco Field roof closed and an enthusiastic crowd, you could almost feel spring in the air at the opening day of Mariners FanFest.

Driving to Dodger Stadium on Saturday for the team’s first FanFest of the year, Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier wasn’t sure what to expect. What he found were droves of fans lined up for nearly a mile, waiting to get into the event.

The Cardinals’ Oscar Taveras, Rays’ Wil Myers and Reds’ Billy Hamilton are among the top outfield prospects who are looking to follow in the footsteps of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, last season’s Rookies of the Year.

The Cardinals’ Oscar Taveras, Rays’ Wil Myers and Reds’ Billy Hamilton are among the top outfield prospects who are looking to follow in the footsteps of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, last season’s Rookies of the Year.

Giancarlo Stanton’s mindset has been a prevailing topic surrounding the Marlins since they made a blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays on Nov. 19.

If not for the snow on the ground and the rock salt on the sidewalks Saturday at Comerica Park, it would’ve been hard to tell that baseball season is still more than two months away. Yet in some ways, TigerFest is more special than the season itself.

Last season, Joe Mauer only caught 74 games while serving as designated hitter in 42 games and playing first base in 30 games. So Mauer’s goal this season is catch more games, and general manager Terry Ryan says it’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to catch as many as 125 games this year.

The Nats enter the 2013 season as the defending NL East champions and one of the best teams in the Major Leagues. Yet, one of the highlights of NatsFest, was the introduction of William Howard Taft as the fifth member of the nightly Presidents Race.

One of Mets catcher Landon Powell’s twin 5-month-old daughters died on Friday night, the family announced on Saturday through its Facebook page.

Brent Morel told MLB.com at the end of November that his bothersome back, hampering him all of the 2012 season, felt as good as it had in more than one year thanks to his work at Sparta Performance/Science in California.

As far as internal left-handed-hitting help for the White Sox, don’t overlook Jared Mitchell, the team’s top pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, who received rave reviews for where he was offensively coming out of instructional leagues.