Apps: Dial into baseball action, stats

Opening day for Major League Baseball is just around the corner. There are dozens of grand slam apps available that let you watch and listen to all the games, manage your fantasy rosters, and get news and statistics focused on your favorite team and players.

ESPN Fantasy Baseball 2012
iPhone, iPod Touch, Android; free
Thanks to fantasy sports, you don't have to be a professional athlete or coach to participate in opening day. Free to download, ESPN Fantasy Baseball has all the tools a virtual general manager will ever need, from the draft through the postseason. Yahoo Sports just released an assortment of free and paid apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices focused on the 2012 season as well.

MLB.com At Bat
iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; free with $14.99 subscription or $2.99 per month;
Android, Android tablets, BlackBerry; free with $14.99 subscription
MLB.com At Bat is a first-ballot Hall of Fame app for any category and a must-have piece of software for any baseball fan. Sure, the app is pricey and will cost you about 15 bucks for the full season (the iOS version also has a $2.99-per-month option). But fans will get a lot of value for their money. For starters, the app includes live streaming for virtually every Major League game (including spring training and the playoffs). MLB At Bat also offers great highlights, oodles of statistics and news about your favorite teams. Furthermore, app owners who also subscribe to MLB.TV can also watch just about every game of the season on their mobile devices. The video service includes camera angles and footage not available on regular broadcasts. This means Chicago Cubs fans can have their hearts broken from multiple vantage points.

Team Stream
iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android; free
If you are mostly interested in news about your favorite ballclub, Team Stream is a comprehensive and free resource. Powered by the popular site Bleacher Report, Team Stream lets users create customized feeds around their favorite teams in all the major professional and college sports. Receive push notifications every time there is noteworthy news about your team, and enjoy the app's beautiful layout.

FanGraphs Baseball
iPhone, iPod Touch; $2.99
Thanks to the book and feature film "Moneyball," sabermetrics and deep statistical analysis is now a major part of the game. Even if you are not paid to monitor the fastballs and on-base percentages of baseball players, sabermetrics can be an addictive hobby. FanGraphs allows you to track every play of every game, and it provides neat visuals that make everything more understandable and user-friendly. Think of it as a 21st-century way of keeping score.

Baseball Superstars 2012
iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android; free
When your team is not on the diamond and you still need a baseball fix, this quirky game is there to help you in a pinch. Give yourself a little bit of time to get used to the controls. Just like actual hitting, pitching and fielding, it takes a lot of practice to master.

With reports from Appolicious.com and Tribune Media Services.