10 Burning Questions Entering the 2012 MLB Season

Baseball is so close you can smell it.

After last year's historical regular-season ending, there are truly so many things to look forward to entering the 2012 campaign.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder have waged war within the American League.  Jose Reyes has brought his talents to South Beach.  Adam Wainwright, Buster Posey and Carl Crawford all have something to prove. 

Add to the mix the offseason drama surrounding Ryan Braun and the arrival of baseball's No. 1 prospect Bryce Harper, and the stage is set for seven months of fireworks.

But with potential and promise always comes doubt. 

How will these players truly stack up against their competition?  What key names will provoke MVP ballets?  How will current legends of the game sustain their greatness on the diamond? 

These are just a few backdrops surrounding baseball's April takeoff.  And while some carry more relevance and importance than others, it's always good to speculate.

Here's the top 10 burning questions entering the 2012 MLB season.

10. When Will Bryce Harper Make His MLB Debut?

This is one of the hottest questions surrounding baseball entering the upcoming season.

Bryce Harper is arguably the biggest prospect ever, resembling the hype that LeBron James received when he entered the NBA straight out of high school.

Still only 19, Harper has a chance to make the Washington Nationals' Opening Day roster, but it seems more likely that he starts the year in the minors.

With that said, the very second Harper approaches the plate in a Triple-A game, fans will be campaigning for his arrival to the bigs.

If the Nationals get off to a hot start, which is probable considering the health of Stephen Strasburg and the newly signed Gio Gonzalez, Harper may be called up as soon as May.

But don't be fooled.  Whether he makes his debut in one month or three, Harper has the raw talent to capture Rookie of the Year honors in a heartbeat.

9. What Will Andy Pettite Do for the Yankees?

It's no secret that the New York Yankees have struggled to solidify their starting pitching over the last decade.

Failed attempts with pitchers like Randy Johnson, A.J. Burnett, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Chien-Ming Wang have often left the Yankees scratching their head.  And after trading a budding-star in Ian Kennedy while keeping Phil Hughes, the pitching staff's misfortune has continued to spiral.

But following an offseason in which the Yankees traded away their best prospect in Jesus Montero to acquire a young hurler in Michael Pineda, as well as signing Hiroki Kuroda, the team finally has some depth to go along with CC Sabathia's dominance.

But consistent pitching is never a surefire thing.  Both Pineda and Kuroda could struggle out of the gate,  with one being a 23-year-old sophomore and the other being a 37-year-old fly-ball pitcher moving to a homer-friendly Yankee Stadium.  Simply put, things could get ugly.

That's where the newly re-signed Andy Pettitte comes into play.

Everybody knows how good Pettitte was for the Yankees in his heyday before calling it quits last year.  So to think that the 39-year-old can't recapture glory would be silly. 

It may take some time, but given a chance to pitch on a consistent basis for an offense-heavy Yankees squad, Pettitte will have plenty of opportunities to add on to his 240 career wins.

8. Who Will Make out in the Jesus Montero/Michael Pineda Deal?

Going along with the previous slide, a lot of questions are going to be answered regarding the New York Yankees, Jesus Montero and Michael Pineda during this upcoming season.

Because considering the Seattle Mariners possess no ability to consistently win baseball games, the offseason trade involving Montero for Pineda will solely revolve around the Yankees' newly acquired hurler.

New York will surely lose a big piece in their future offense in Montero, but with a bolstered offense already intact, they desperately needed a strong arm to match CC Sabathia's mound presence for the next five years. 

Pineda could be that guy.  But the true question is, at what price?

Montero projects to be a top-tier catcher for the next 10 years, offering a solid average to go along with his elite power.  Now while his defensive capabilities have been questioned in the past, Montero's raw talent supersedes any behind-the-plate faults he may have.

With all of that said, the "winner" of this offseason prospect swap will ultimately be figured out late into the 2012 season.  The Yankees didn't acquire Pineda to win games in April and May.  That's all good and well, obviously, but the team dished out Montero in order to bring in an arm that can compete in the playoffs.

If Pineda's untested late-season arm lasts deep into October, then the Yankees come out on top.  If his ERA inflates down the stretch like it did last year and Montero cranks 25 homers with 90 RBI, then the Mariners come out on top.

One season isn't a significant chunk of time to depict trade winners and losers, but as it stands right now, that's all we have.  Stay tuned.

7. How Will Chipper Jones End His Legacy?

After stating he intends to retire following the 2012 season, Chipper Jones' borderline legendary career will ultimately come to an end come October.

Barring a disastrous link to steroids sometime in the future, Jones will no doubt reach the Hall of Fame once eligible.

But beyond his long-stay career with the Atlanta Braves, which has culminated into 454 home runs, 2,615 hits, seven All-Star games, one NL MVP and 13 postseason home runs, Jones' legacy over the past few seasons has been riddled with injuries.

The 39-year-old is currently undergoing his sixth career knee surgery, offering a time lapse between Opening Day and whenever he's healthy enough to man third for the Braves.

These surgeries, on top of Jones' recently declining numbers, may or may not play a major factor in how his legacy is depicted amongst fans and players.

If he's able to regain strength and end the 2012 season as a main offensive piece for a contending Atlanta franchise, then he'll be remembered as he once was.  Elite.

If he's unable to regain his old ways and putters around at the plate while diminishing the Braves' chance to supersede him at third base, then his legacy may be slightly tainted.

For what it's worth, I think Jones can pull it off.  But sometimes athletes just don't know when to hang it up.

6. How Will Ryan Braun Perform Following His Offseason Debacle?

At this juncture, it's pointless to sit here and argue whether or not the system failed Ryan Braun or failed us as fans in recognizing a player who has taken PEDs.

The fact of the matter is that Braun is cleared to play.  In the eyes of baseball, his team, his family and fans, the reigning NL MVP will be ready to dig in come Opening Day.

But despite all the legal aspects of Braun's offseason debacle, how is this going to weigh mentally on the 28-year-old's mind?

It depends.  Braun is a professional.  One of the best at that.  So to think he can't duplicate his numbers from last year, assuming those statistics weren't escorted by some type of steroid, seems ignorant. 

But just maybe, as it is for many players facing off the diamond stresses, Braun will be effected.  I think many times we forget that baseball is one of the most mentally challenging sports around. 

With 162 games on the schedule, flights in and out of dozens of airports, heckling fans holding up crude signs towards Braun and the pressure to carry a team who just let go of Prince Fielder, Braun may in fact be tested somewhere else besides the plate.

Physically, he's all there.  But mentally, his recovery time may be slow.

For what it's worth, if it is at all, he's currently hitting just .120 through 12 games.

5. Can Buster Posey Regain His Elite Status?

You probably knew from the main photo that Buster Posey was going to come up sooner or later.  Well, here you go.

It wouldn't really be a list of burning questions if Posey's long-awaited return wasn't part of it, now would it?

The San Francisco Giants are absolutely loving the idea of having their star catcher return from a season-ending ankle injury back in 2011.  Posey was, and still is, one of the best pure hitting catchers in the game.  Maybe the best if Joe Mauer's power continues to dwindle.

As it stands right now, Posey is healthy and ready to go.  He hasn't logged an official at-bat since May of last year, but a .333 average in 10 spring games suggests he's ready to take over where he left off, whether or not the Giants leave him behind the plate or slot him at first.

Remember, Posey is still only 25 years old.  He already won Rookie of the Year back in 2010 and sports a .294 career average.  Clearly, the sky is the limit. 

By the end of the year, Posey could potentially finish in the top five for NL MVP.

4. How Much Will Stephen Strasburg Be Limited?

Alongside handling Bryce Harper's MLB debut with care, the Washington Nationals will have to juggle Stephen Strasburg's innings limit throughout 2012

Strasburg is currently one of the most prolific pitchers in baseball, even though he is only 23 years old and fresh off Tommy John surgery in 2010.

For the Nationals, a team that has done enough this offseason to make significant noise in the NL Wild Card race, figuring out how to use Strasburg is the biggest question surrounding the team.

Apparently, he's only going to pitch 150 innings from Opening Day to whenever that number draws near.  But as it is in many cases surrounding growing franchises, the Nationals may decide to stretch him out if they find themselves in playoff contention.

Now, while that possibility sits in the distant future and may seem outrageous since we're talking about one of the most lackluster MLB squads over the past decade, it's still important.

Because if Harper is what everyone thinks he's going to be, alongside big years from Ryan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman, Strasburg's innings limit may become the biggest decision to date in Washington Nationals history.

3. Can Yu Darvish Translate His Excellence to the Majors?

Simply put, there's a ton of expectations that Yu Darvish needs to meet in 2012.

After signing with the Texas Rangers this offseason, the 25-year-old righty will attempt to bolster a starting rotation that let their ace, CJ Wilson, run off in free agency and that is testing the waters in trying to convert Neftali Feliz from closer to starter.

Those question marks alone, on top of his six-year, $60 million contract, aren't going to give the Japanese hurler a lot of room for error.

Darvish has all the talent in the world, but in the midst of signing a lucrative deal to be an instantaneous ace, can he translate his overseas success to the big leagues?

It depends.  It doesn't help that he pitches in Texas and the AL, but his youth and strikeout ability make him a good add no matter what.

With that said, it's been proven that many Japanese pitchers struggle when they come pitch in America.  Chalk it up to cultural differences, world-class hitting and year-to-year expectations.  Darvish could fall into this mold or he could escape the stereotype.

This will be one of the most intriguing questions surrounding the upcoming season due in part to Texas being such major players for another World Series appearance.

2. How Will Old Faces Adjust to Their New Teams?

There were three major deals that went down this offseason that could realistically reshape baseball.  Acquisitions that are borderline legendary.  Well, maybe just one, but you get my point.

Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes are all sporting new uniforms entering the 2012 season, with Pujols and Fielder moving from the NL to the AL.

That transition alone will ultimately armor the AL to be considered World Series favorites for nearly the entire season, barring any injuries of course.

But as far as expectations are concerned and burning questions for the upcoming season, no other names in the league carry more weight  than Pujols, Fielder and Reyes.

Pujols signed a 10-year, $254 million contract en route to making the Los Angeles Angels relevant contenders alongside Texas, New York, Boston and Tampa Bay.  The sky is obviously the limit for one of the greatest players we've seen over the past 50 years, but a change in leagues, lineups, locker rooms and atmosphere could trip up Pujols early in the season.

Fielder will travel to Detroit in order to form one of the best duos in baseball with perennial All-Star Miguel Cabrera.  Fielder may have trouble against stronger pitching, but there's no doubt he can hit 40 home runs with any squad.  He'll look to supersede his father, Cecil, as the man for the Tigers.

Reyes will stay put in the NL East but will hit and run for the rival Miami Marlins instead of trying to carry a lackluster New York Mets offense.  He'll tag team with Hanley Ramirez and Emilio Bonifacio to form one of the fastest lineups in the league.  If his legs stay under him and he can adjust to the new night life, Reyes should have no problem continuing his elite play.

These three names will be ridiculed and rewarded throughout the entire season.  They can reshape their new team's future or sabotage its chances with subpar play. 

Big contracts demand big play, so it's going to be worth watching how these new faces handle the pressure.

1. Can Justin Verlander Repeat as AL MVP?

Justin Verlander winning back-to-back AL MVP awards may not be the biggest concern entering the 2012 season, but it would certainly be the most impressive.

Verlander captured MVP rights last year on top of a CY Young award by dropping 24 wins with 250 strikeouts and a 2.40 ERA.

Entering this season, Verlander will have more offensive help by the way of the newly signed Prince Fielder.  That type of upgrade will no doubt translate into more wins, more possibilities of game-leading hits and a better chance to once again catch the American League off guard.

If Verlander was to win another AL MVP award, in the same league as Albert Pujols to boot, it would surely mark him as the best player in baseball.  Hitters or pitchers, bar none.

Now, while the 29-year-old ace would have to repeat his win total and pitch close to 250 innings again to capture votes in 2012, he's in the prime of his career, and Detroit's revamped run support makes it more than a possibility.

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