Signed to a massive seven-year, $42 million contract in late June, there was widespread uncertainty as to what the Dodgers were getting in Yasiel Puig.

After Tuesday’s 4-for-4 performance that included a long home run in his first at-bat, Puig is now batting .500/.489/.804 with three home runs, four stolen bases and 10 RBI through 21 games this spring.

While he’s obviously yet to be tested against consistent, big league-caliber pitching, the 22-year-old has quickly proven to be more advanced than anyone (including the Dodgers) expected.

With Carl Crawford’s elbow still enough of an issue that he’s limited to a role as the team’s designated hitter, Puig has been the recipient of extended playing time at both corner outfield positions this spring. The 22-year-old has clearly made the most of the opportunity, as he continues to thoroughly impress the organization and is yet to be cut from big league camp.

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With spring training slowly winding down, prospects continue to be cut from big league camp on seemingly a daily basis. While players already on their teams' 40-man rosters have been optioned to a specific level, a majority of prospects have received an assignment to minor league spring training.

However, there’s still a large contingent of young talent still active in major league spring training. Although only a select few of them will crack their teams' Opening Day rosters, it seems as though they will at least force their respective organizations to make a difficult decision.

Here's a look at the 10 hottest prospects at spring training.

*All stats courtesy of MLB.com and reflect all games through March 18, 2012.

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Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. may not be in the Boston Red Sox's immediate plans this year. That doesn't mean he isn't ready to make an impact in the big leagues. 

While the Red Sox front office has yet to make a decision on where Bradley will start 2013, all signs point to a trip starting at Triple-A Pawtucket. It's not Bradley's fault—the front office added too much outfield depth in the offseason, so someone has to pay the price. 

The additions of Shane Victorino (who signed a three-year deal as a free agent this winter) and Jonny Gomes (who signed a two-year contract), along with a healthy Jacoby Ellsbury gives the Red Sox their starting outfield. 

Daniel Nava, who has a .352 career on-base percentage in 148 games, will be the backup outfielder. So Bradley becomes an unfortunate victim of circumstance, because he is entering his second full season in professional baseball and never played above Double-A. 

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According to Eric Fisher of SportsBusiness Journal, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association could reach an agreement to implement some form of a global draft as early as June 1.

Since its introduction in 1965, the Rule 4 draft, held annually in June, features amateur players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, while international players outside those countries are eligible to sign as a free agent on their 16th birthday.

As part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and MLBPA implemented prior to the 2012 season, new restrictions were enforced to limit the amount a team can spend on the Rule 4 draft selections in June, as well as international free agents during a specific, designated signing period beginning in early July.

While the amount allotted to spend on draft picks is determined by a team’s number of selections in the first 10 rounds, international spending was capped at $2.9 million for the 2012-2013 signing period. In both scenarios, teams that spend more than the allotted amount are subject to financial penalties, ranging from additional taxation to loss of future draft picks.

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If there is one thing we know about Major League Baseball, it is that trying to predict what will happen with teams and individual players on a year-to-year basis is a fool's errand. That's doubly true when talking about prospects. 

One big reason that the minor leagues and prospects have exploded in popularity over the last decade—aside from being a way to see the next great wave of players at a much cheaper price than when they make it to the big leagues—is the possibility of what could be. 

At this point in spring training, all of the big talent-evaluating sources have unveiled their Top 100 Prospect lists for the 2013 season. Fans and analysts have devoured that information, trying to determine how long it will be before the hottest prospects are in the big leagues. 

But all of those evaluations describe what a prospect did last year. It is time to start looking ahead at what the cream of the prospect crop are going to do as they make their way closer to the big leagues in 2013. 

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As spring training begins to wind down, each organization continues to make rounds of cuts, as they option many of their roster hopefuls to either a specific minor league level or simply re-assign them to minor league camp.

For many of these players, it seems as though it will be only a matter of time until they either return to or reach the major leagues for the first time

However, in some cases, it’s worth questioning whether the organization may have been better off breaking camp with the player on the Opening Day roster.

Wil Myers, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

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For all the prospects who enjoy breakout campaigns in the minors or make their major league debuts, there are just as many players whose seasons are cut short due to injury.

Headed into the 2013 season, prospects coming off injury-plagued years, such as Travis d’Arnaud and Anthony Rendon, are using the spring to showcase their proximity to the major leagues. Other players, such as Sammy Solis, who is busy recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, are simply hoping to return as soon as possible.

Here’s a look at the progress made by prospects who were injured in 2012.

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In addition to improving their standing with the parent club, a few prospects’ strong performances this spring have also raised their perceived trade value.

While all these players have been deemed capable of contributing at the major league level in the near future, each of them is also blocked at his respective position for the foreseeable future.

Therefore, don’t be surprised if these five prospects are dangled as trade bait over the course of the upcoming season.

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