MLB Stars on the Rise: Plenty of National League Rookies Will Shine This Season

The rookie class in the American League is stacked, but the National League’s crop may be even better.

Some will start the season with the big club; others will be called up midseason. But all will have the chance to make a considerable impact on their respective teams.

Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves right fielder

Heyward was named the starting right fielder by manager Bobby Cox after a superb spring. He’s only 20 years old and is built like a tank at 6′4″, 235 pounds. He is considered one of the best all-around prospects in years, with power to all fields and speed. His swing is smooth, but he has yet to develop a home run-hitting stroke. When he does, watch out.

He has "Rookie of the Year" written all over him.

He played in 99 minor-league games last season, spit between Single, Double, and Triple-A, batting .323 with 17 homers, 63 RBI, 69 runs scored, and a OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .968.

He batted .305 this spring with one homer, five RBI, 11 runs scored, and four steals.

Alcides Escobar, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop

Escobar, 23, spent six seasons in the minor leagues before being called up by the Brewers midway through last season. He has a tremendous glove but has possessed an even better bat. He hit .293 in the minor leagues and batted .304 with 11 RBI, 20 runs, and four stolen bases in his short 2009 stint with Milwaukee.

Like Heyward, he will start come Opening Day, and look for him to make the most of his first full season. He didn’t run all that much in his cup of coffee last season, but he should be let loose by the Brewers, a team without a considerable amount of speed.

He doesn’t have home run power, nor is it predicted that he will, but there is no doubt he will whack his fair share of doubles and triples in what’s sure to be a long professional career.

The Brewers traded shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Minnesota Twins in November, so the job is safely Escobar’s for the near and distant future.

Aroldis Chapman, starting pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization

It is not known when the 22-year-old Cuban, who signed a $30.25 million contract this offseason with the Reds, will be called up, but when he is, he will light up the radar gun and blow away more than just a few hitters.

He reminds me of Pedro Martinez, the ex-Boston Red Sox great and future Hall of Famer, with a whipping motion and gas that has reached 102 on the radar gun. He has a full repertoire and has clearly shown to be major league-ready.

Yet the Reds are hesitant to start his time clock, sending him down to Triple-A instead of putting him on the Opening Day roster. If they want to succeed this season, as nearly every expert has predicted, he has to be given a substantial amount of time to show what he’s made of.

There isn’t a downside I can find to his game, so in joining a young rotation that features Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Homer Bailey, Cincinnati could become a pitching power very soon.

He dazzled this spring, posting a 1.69 ERA and a 15/7 strikeout/walk ratio in 10.2 innings. There should be more of where that came from later in the year.

Stephen Strasburg, starting pitcher in Washington Nationals organization

Strasburg, who dominated in college with the San Diego State Aztecs, is a strikeout machine with a Chapman-esque fastball and a similarly fleshed-out repertoire. He was one of the biggest signings of the offseason, getting a ginormous contract with Scott Boras as his agent.

The attention he received and his lucrative deal was justified, as there is little doubt about his potential down the road and his potential to impact the Nationals immediately.

Strasburg, who struck out an amazing 375 batters in 243 innings over his three-year career with San Diego State, is considered to be major league-ready, but Washington has decided to start him in the minors.

He won’t be down long; he’s expected to make fewer than 10 starts before being promoted, a little more than Mark Prior did after he was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2001, and half the number made by Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander after he was selected in 2004.

When he gets the call to the big show, the young and talented Nationals will have yet another piece to add to their youth movement puzzle, and their fans will have yet another player to watch blossom.

Starlin Castro, shortstop in Chicago Cubs organization

Castro, at just 20 years old, is the Cubs' top prospect. He’s a slick fielder and can handle the bat well as a contact hitter. He has a cannon for an arm and lightning-quick speed. He may be ready to take the major leagues by storm, and the only one standing in his way is Chicago’s current shortstop Ryan Theriot.

He batted .429 this spring with seven runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, and two triples. He will be on the Cubs' major-league roster for Opening Day, and if Theriot goes down, his fluid stroke and defense will be sure to wow the crowds at Wrigley Field.

Even if Theriot stays healthy, it’s hard to see Castro not making an impact somehow, whether it be on the basepaths as a pinch runner, in the field as a defensive replacement, or at the plate as a pinch hitter.

Like Chapman, Escobar, and Strasburg, his prospects for contending for the Rookie of the Year title will depend on when the team feels it's time to give him consistent playing time.

I’ve only scratched the surface when talking about potential Rookie of the Year candidates.

There is third baseman David Freese, who will start for the St. Louis Cardinals at the hot corner, pitcher Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey in the San Francisco Giants system, outfielder Mike Stanton in the Florida Marlins system, speedy outfielder Desmond Jennings in the Tampa Bay Rays system, pitcher Drew Storen in the Nationals system, and power-hitting third baseman Pedro Alvarez in the Pittsburgh Pirates system.

There are more, but even if just a few of these players profiled excel, the National League will have an immensely talented crop of young hitters and pitchers that could turn many, many heads this baseball season.