The rookie class of 2016 is an eclectic bunch.
Two of the notable rookies already have World Series experience: New York Mets left-hander Steven Matz and Kansas City Royals shortstop Raul A. Mondesi.
Two of the potential breakout stars are South Korean veterans: 33-year-old St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Seung Hwan Oh and 28-year-old Baltimore Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim.
Two were viewed as potential Rookies of the Year in 2015 but they still retain their rookie eligibility in 2016: Matz and Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton.
Regarded above all of them, though, is Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, who was an offensive force for Los Angeles after making his major league debut last September.
Here is a look at each team’s top rookie this spring, as assessed by The Sports Xchange’s national network of baseball correspondents.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
ROOKIE WATCH: Socrates Brito showed tools and aptitude during a September recall last year, and he appears to have the skill set to be a starting major league right fielder. All he needs is experience. He is capable of defending all three outfield spots and figures to open the season as the fourth outfielder. If Yasmany Tomas struggles, Brito, 23, will be the first man in. In 18 games for Arizona last year, Brito hit .303/.324/.455 with three doubles, a triple and one RBI. He batted .300/.339/.451 with nine homers and 57 RBIs in 129 games for Double-A Mobile.
COLORADO ROCKIES
ROOKIE WATCH: RHP Jon Gray made nine starts totaling 40 2/3 innings for the Rockies last year, giving him a combined 155 innings at Triple-A and the majors. That was his limit, since it represented an increase of about 20 percent from 2014, his first full professional season. The third overall pick in the 2013 draft, Gray, 24, went 0-2 with a 5.53 ERA for Colorado. He was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four starts on the road, and 0-1 with an 8.27 ERA in five starts at Coors Field, where the learning curve for young pitchers can be brutally steep.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
ROOKIE WATCH: The consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball entering 2016, Corey Seager was handed the shortstop job and the status as the front-runner for the NL’s Rookie of the Year award. The fact that he hit .337 with a .986 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 27 games with the Dodgers last September only solidified that standing. Seager, 21, hit a combined .293/.344/.487 with 18 homers and 76 RBIs in 125 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year before making his major league debut in September. He was a first-round draft pick (18th overall) in 2012 out of a North Carolina high school.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
ROOKIE WATCH: OF Hunter Renfroe, 24, was the Padres’ first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2013 draft. After hitting .259 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs in 112 games for Double-A San Antonio last season, Renfroe went 30-for-90 with six homers and 24 RBIs at the end of the 2015 season with Triple-A El Paso. He is in the Padres’ camp, but not on the 40-man roster. There is an opening in left field for San Diego, but it would take a great spring by Renfroe for the Padres to change their plans of having him at least start 2016 at El Paso.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
ROOKIE WATCH: C Trevor Brown goes to spring training a solid third on the Giants’ depth chart behind Buster Posey and Andrew Susac. However, his ability to play first and second base could get manager Bruce Bochy pondering the possibility of keeping three catchers. Brown, 24, hit .261 at Triple-A Sacramento last season before getting a taste of the majors, going 9-for-39 (.231) with three doubles in 13 games. Bochy isn’t likely to exhaust a roster spot on a backup for 1B Brandon Belt, so keeping Brown around could serve as a nice insurance policy.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
CHICAGO CUBS
ROOKIE WATCH: OF Albert Almora, 21, has been compared with young talents such as Kris Bryant and has worked his way through the minor league ranks since a rookie-league debut in 2012. Last year at Double-A Tennessee, he hit .272 with 20 homers and 148 RBIs. He is considered a solid potential big league center fielder. Almora was a first-round draft pick (sixth overall) out of a south Florida high school in 2012. He produced an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .795 and .842 his first two minor league seasons before slipping to .683 in 2014 and then improving to .727 last year.
CINCINNATI REDS
ROOKIE WATCH: While RHP Robert Stephenson was rumored to be among the September call-ups last season, it never transpired for the 23-year-old. However, barring injury, it is almost a given that the Reds’ top prospect and his dynamite changeup will debut in the major leagues this season. Stephenson, the 27th overall pick in the 2011 draft, led the organization in strikeouts in 2015. He went 8-11 with a 3.83 ERA in 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A last year. With the Reds rebuilding around young pitching, now is the time for Stephenson to make his mark in the majors.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
ROOKIE WATCH: The Brewers will have plenty of rookies to keep an eye on this season, but the biggest star on the horizon will likely be in Milwaukee sooner than later. SS Orlando Arcia is by far the Brewers’ top prospect and one of the best in baseball overall. The 20-year-old was the Southern League’s Player of the Year last year after batting .307 with 37 doubles, 69 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Considered a defensive gem, Arcia will need some conditioning at Triple-A before the Brewers are ready to bring him up for good. But don’t expect the wait to be too long.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
ROOKIE WATCH: RHPs Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams figure to get a look this spring. Glasnow, 22, is considered the Pirates’ top overall prospect. He went a combined 7-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 22 starts in the minors last year. Taillon, 24, reached Triple-A in 2013, but the second overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft missed the last two seasons while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. Williams, 23 was acquired from the Miami Marlins in an offseason trade following a season in which he was a combined 7-10 with a 3.85 ERA in 25 games, including 24 starts, with Triple-A New Orleans and Double-A Jacksonville.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
ROOKIE WATCH: RHP Seung Hwan Oh, 33, is no fresh-faced youngster, but the Cardinals are counting on him to get leads to closer Trevor Rosenthal. Nicknamed Stone Buddha and The Final Boss, Oh notched 80 saves in two seasons with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, showcasing a fastball clocked as high as 97 mph to go along with a wicked slider. After bagging 277 saves during nine seasons in his native South Korea, Oh pitched to a 2.25 ERA in two Japanese seasons, helping Hanshin win the 2014 Japan Series. Should Rosenthal struggle or get injured, Oh could earn some save chances.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
ATLANTA BRAVES
ROOKIE WATCH: RHP Aaron Blair, acquired from the Diamondbacks as part of the Shelby Miller trade, could earn a spot in the starting rotation with an impressing spring. Blair, 23, was a combined 13-5 with a 2.92 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A a season ago, showing three above average pitches. He struck out 120 and walked 50 in 160 1/3 innings, and he limited right-handed hitters to a .220 batting average. Blair, the 41st overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Marshall University, has a 23-13 overall record with a 3.22 ERA in three minor league seasons.
MIAMI MARLINS
ROOKIE WATCH: A pair of 25-year-old rookie right-handers — Brian Ellington and Kyle Barraclough — could battle for the final spot in the bullpen. There is also a chance that both could impress enough in spring to make them major league teammates, just as they were late last season. Ellington, who made his major league debut on Aug. 3, was 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 23 games for Miami. Barraclough, who made his major league debut Aug. 7, was 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA. Neither pitcher had worked at a level higher than A ball before 2015. Ellington’s fastball ranges from 93-97 mph; Barraclough’s fastball runs from 94-98 mph.
NEW YORK METS
ROOKIE WATCH: LHP Steven Matz, 24, didn’t appear to be a candidate for 2016 Rookie of the Year honors when he was recalled from Triple-A last June, but a lat injury sustained in his first big league start and aggravated in his second start ended up costing him nearly two months and preserving his rookie eligibility for another season. The Mets loved what they saw from Matz, who went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six regular-season starts before making three postseason starts, and showed what they expect out of him this season by trading LHP Jonathon Niese to the Pirates.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
ROOKIE WATCH: The Phillies are in rebuilding mode, and many of their prospects exceeded rookie limits last season, though a pair of Rule 5 draft picks figure to make the Opening Day roster: LHP Daniel Stumpf and OF Tyler Goeddel. Stumpf, 25, was 5-4 with three saves and a 3.57 ERA in 42 games, including one start, for the Kansas City Royals’ Double-A Northwest Arkansas farm club last season. The speedy Goeddel, 23, hit .279 with 12 home runs and 28 stolen bases in 123 games with the Tampa Bay Rays’ Double-A Montgomery affiliate.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
ROOKIE WATCH: The position rookie most likely to make the Opening Day roster is INF Trea Turner, a former North Carolina State standout who was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2014. He was acquired by Washington last June. Turner spent time at Double-A and Triple-A before he was called up to Washington in August. He has an elite speed and came up through the minors as a shortstop, though he did play second while hitting .225 for Washington in 2015. He appears headed to Triple-A Syracuse to start the year, but if Danny Espinosa or Stephen Drew gets hurts, Turner could be in Atlanta for the opener.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
HOUSTON ASTROS
ROOKIE WATCH: 1B A.J. Reed is the top prospect at his position in all of baseball after obliterating opposing pitching across two levels last season, leading the minors in home runs (34), RBIs (127) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (1.044) en route to being named Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year and ESPN.com Prospect of the Year. Reed will get a shot to break camp with the Astros. However, he hasn’t had a plate appearance above Double-A, and the Astros would prefer that Reed get more seasoning before making his big league debut. If Reed continues to excel, he might force the Astros’ hand come Opening Day.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
ROOKIE WATCH: 1B Ji-Man Choi and RHP Deolis Guerra have the best chance to make the roster. Both were chosen in the Rule 5 draft, and both must stay with the Angels for the entire season or be offered back to their original teams. The switch-hitting Choi, 24, posted a .302 batting average in six seasons in the Mariners’ system. Guerra will compete with RHPs Mike Morin and Al Alburquerque for the spot as the seventh-inning specialist. The 26-year-old Venezuelan compiled a 1.23 ERA, amassed 37 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings and held opposing batters to a .165 average while converting four of five save opportunities last year in Triple-A.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
ROOKIE WATCH: Hard-throwing LHP Sean Manaea probably will start the season with Triple-A Nashville, but manager Bob Melvin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of him winning a job in the rotation during spring training. The A’s acquired Manaea on July 28 from Kansas City, along with RHP Aaron Brooks, for UT Ben Zobrist. Manaea, 24, has 236 strikeouts in 196 minor league innings. After coming to the A’s, he went 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA in seven starts for Double-A Midland. Even if he doesn’t make Oakland’s Opening Day roster, the odds are high that he will join the team this year.
SEATTLE MARINERS
ROOKIE WATCH: SS Ketel Marte showed some promise as a leadoff hitter during a midseason call-up last season, and now he will get a chance to show what he can do over the long haul. The addition of OF Nori Aoki means Marte probably won’t be at the top of the batting order, but his place as the starting shortstop is all but cemented heading into the spring. Will he turn out to be the long-term answer, or just another flash-in-the-pan, like recent call-ups Brad Miller and Chris Taylor? Marte, 22, hit .283/.351/.402 with two homers and 17 RBIs in 57 games for Seattle in 2015.
TEXAS RANGERS
ROOKIE WATCH: LF Nomar Mazara or CF Lewis Brinson could battle for an Opening Day roster spot with LF Josh Hamilton heading to the disabled list. Mazara, 20, hit .290 between Double-A and Triple-A with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs in 2015. Brinson, 21, rocketed through three levels in the minors last year and finished 2015 by hitting .433 in his brief time in Triple-A. He is blocked in center by Delino DeShields, who had a breakout season as a rookie. But if DeShields falters, the only thing between Brinson and a shot in Arlington is light-hitting James Jones.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
ROOKIE WATCH: The White Sox don’t have many prospects close to contributing, but SS Tim Anderson has a chance to push his arrival date up with a good spring training. Anderson also could do himself another favor by getting off to a strong start with Triple-A Charlotte this season. Anderson, 22, hit .312 with a .350 on-base percentage, five home runs, 46 RBIs and 49 stolen bases for Double-A Birmingham last season, his first full season at that level. His biggest tool is his electric speed, which some feel might lead to him switching to center field. For now, he will remain at shortstop.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
ROOKIE WATCH: With OF Michael Brantley expected to start the season on the disabled list, CF Tyler Naquin could win a spot on the Opening Day roster. Naquin, 24, was the Indians’ first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2012 draft. Last year, he split time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, hitting .300/.381/.446 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 327 at-bats. He missed time due to a strained quad, hip soreness and a concussion. Naquin is an excellent defender with a strong arm, assets that will help his chances of making the team.
DETROIT TIGERS
ROOKIE WATCH: RHP Michael Fulmer, 22, has a shot to win a spot in the Detroit bullpen, but the Tigers see his future as being an upper-echelon starter. The club’s top prospect was acquired from the Mets as part of the trade-deadline deal for OF Yoenis Cespedes. He was 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 15 starts for the Mets’ Double-A club and 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts at the same level with the Tigers last year. He could be an effective midgame stopper who could work multiple innings before transitioning back to the rotation next year.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
ROOKIE WATCH: SS Raul A. Mondesi won’t break with the club, but the 20-year-old made his big league debut in the World Series. The Royals played him some at second base last season in the minors, and if that position is not shored up this season, Mondesi could force his way onto the roster during the season if he starts well with Triple-A Omaha. In 81 games last year for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Mondesi hit .243/.279/.372 with six homers, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He is the son of 1994 National League Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi.
MINNESOTA TWINS
ROOKIE WATCH: CF Byron Buxton debuted in the majors in 2015 and retained his rookie status by just two at-bats. Once the top prospect in the game and still a consensus top-three prospect, Buxton will try to be better the second time around. Over his first 46 games in the big leagues, Buxton hit just .209/.250/.326. Perhaps most disappointing, Buxton stole just two bases and struck out 44 times with drawing only six walks. Buxton, 22, has electric speed and is already a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center field, but he must find a way to get on base more often.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
ROOKIE WATCH: OF Hyun Soo Kim is a rookie, but not the typical first-year player. He is 28 years old, and he inked a two-year, $7 million deal this year after being a star in the Korean Baseball Organization. How fast can he adjust to American baseball and life in the United States? If Kim can do it quickly, he would fill a big hole from 2015 (left field), and give the Orioles more punch in their lineup. If he takes longer to fit in, it could cause the Orioles more trouble in the outfield for a second year in a row.
BOSTON RED SOX
ROOKIE WATCH: With the rotation still having question marks after LHP David Price, LHP Brian Johnson will be looking to force his way into the picture. A sore elbow ended his season early last year, but he was 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA in Triple-A Pawtucket and had an audition in the majors before getting hurt. In his lone major league start, he gave up four runs on three hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. Johnson, 25, struck out 132 and walked 32 in 96 innings for Pawtucket last year. He and Henry Owens join Eduardo Rodriguez to give the Red Sox three quality young left-handed starters.
NEW YORK YANKEES
ROOKIE WATCH: C Gary Sanchez signed with New York as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and showed a productive bat. But other things got in the way, such as suspensions in 2011 in Class A and in 2012 in Double-A. Last year, Sanchez seemingly put it all together when he hit 18 home runs and drove in 62 runs while splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A. Then he led the Arizona Fall League with seven home runs. Sanchez will not be handed the job as Brian McCann’s backup, but the Yankees sent John Ryan Murphy to Minnesota as an incentive for Sanchez to win it.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
ROOKIE WATCH: LHP Blake Snell, 23, was tabbed as Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season by many national outlets. He went 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA while pitching at three levels, with three times as many strikeouts (163) as walks (53). The fiscal-minded Rays will likely hold off on his debut until late April, knowing it gives them another year before arbitration kicks in, but it would be a surprise if he isn’t in the rotation by June. Snell was the 52nd overall pick in the 2011 draft out of a Washington state high school, and he has a 2.75 ERA in 94 minor league games (89 starts).
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
ROOKIE WATCH: RHP Joe Biagini was selected in the Rule 5 draft, so if he does not make the 25-man roster, he would have to be offered back to the Giants. The 25-year-old can get his fastball up to the high 90s on occasion. He was 10-7 with a 2.42 ERA with Double-A Richmond in 2015 in 23 starts, walking 34 against 84 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings. He has a curveball and changeup to go with the fastball. If he makes the major league team, it most likely would be in the bullpen, though he projects to be a starter eventually.