Rolling into a relatively week NL Central that's mostly regressed this offseason, front-runners St. Louis and Milwaukee will hope they can get that extra kick with their young talent, while the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates hope they can show signs for the future. Here's an X-factor for each club:
Milwaukee Brewers - Mark Mathias
Brought over from Cleveland ahead of the 2019 Rule Five Draft, Mathias mostly spent 2020 at Milwaukee's Alternate Site, but came up late in the season and held his own with the bat. Injury issues saw him miss all of 2021, but he's back now and could make a Brewers roster that needs extra offensive help and could have some bench spots up for grabs. Mathias's versatility will help him here, and a career year in 2019 in Cleveland's system in his last full season of professional work shows his continued growth as a player.
St. Louis Cardinals - Juan Yepez
I'm not exactly getting in on the ground floor here with Yepez, but this still is a bit of a no-brainer. A breakout star in the Minors last season at 23, Juan crushed his first full look at AA and his first taste of AAA to the tune of a .286/.383/.586 slash line, then made St. Louis's Wild Card roster and starred again for Glendale in the AFL. A breakout power threat who hit 34 HRs between the Minors and the Desert Dogs after entering the season with just 26 HRs in the Minors in total, Yepez has the tools and the vote of confidence to start the season on the Cards roster and push for serious playing time with the Central contenders this season.
Chicago Cubs - Alfonso Rivas and Esteban Quiroz
I had to go with two players here because I didn't know which to select. Rivas is a more established player in Chicago's utility mix, having played for them last season, but Quiroz's age and lower prospect hype makes him a better sleeper. The former is on the club's 40-man and should be the first man up if Chicago wants a longer bench or deals with injury issues. Quiroz is a pure-er middle infielder with a long track record in the basepaths dating back to his early days in the Mexican League. Both have a shot to surprise this season for a Cubs team that hopes to contend this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Bligh Madris
Methodically climbing to AAA since being made a 9th round pick by Pittsburgh in 2017, Madris now is in position to make the jump to the Majors. With an uninspiring OF mix as of now and fungible pieces on the 40-man, Bligh could see MLB time early in 2022. Strong gap power is Bligh's game, as he slacked 25 doubles in just 104 AAA contests last season.
Cincinnati Reds - Cristian Santana
One of the biggest 6-year MiLB free agents last offseason and an inspiration for this list, Santana lands in as a Reds prospect to watch. The longtime Dodgers 1B/3B prospect landed Cincinnati following a strong debut at AAA last season at 24. An impressive hitter since his breakout 2017 campaign, Santana should have a shot to make a retooling Reds roster this season, especially with the DH available to make his defense less of a concern.
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