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After an offseason of research and preparation, it’s finally here.

It’s time for your annual fantasy baseball draft, and what you need now is all of that offseason research and information at your fingertips in one easy, convenient article.

That’s exactly what you’ll find here in Bleacher Report’s 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheet.

What follows is a cornucopia of fantasy information, spanning from position-by-position rankings to sleepers to top rookies to notable players to avoid.

We hope this can serve as an invaluable tool during your draft and set you on the road to winning your league.

So without further ado, let’s kick things off with a fresh look at our positional rankings.

Updated Position-by-Position Rankings

Top 20 Catchers

1. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
2. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
3. Brian McCann, New York Yankees
4. Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
5. Travis d’Arnaud, New York Mets
6. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
7. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
8. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds
9. Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
10. Derek Norris, San Diego Padres
11. Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians
12. Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
13. J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
14. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
15. Welington Castillo, Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
17. Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
18. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates
19. Nick Hundley, Colorado Rockies
20. Miguel Montero, Chicago Cubs

Top 25 First Basemen

1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
4. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
5. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays
6. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
7. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
8. Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
9. Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers
10. Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers
11. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
12. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
13. Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants
14. Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
15. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
16. Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
17. Lucas Duda, New York Mets
18. Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles
19. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
20. Adam Lind, Seattle Mariners
21. Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers
22. Mike Napoli, Cleveland Indians
23. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
24. Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
25. Chris Colabello, Toronto Blue Jays

Top 25 Second Basemen

1. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
2. Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins
3. Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
4. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals
5. Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
6. Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers
7. Rougned Odor, Texas Rangers
8. Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
9. Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
10. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
11. Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals
12. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
13. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates
14. DJ LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies
15. Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals
16. Neil Walker, New York Mets
17. Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants
18. Starlin Castro, New York Yankees
19. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
20. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Dodgers
21. Brett Lawrie, Chicago White Sox
22. Logan Forsythe, Tampa Bay Rays
23. Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays
24. Cory Spangenberg, San Diego Padres
25. Jedd Gyorko, St. Louis Cardinals

Top 25 Third Basemen

1. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
2. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
3. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
4. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
5. Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox
6. Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
7. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals
8. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
9. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners
10. Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies
11. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
12. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
13. Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates
14. Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants
15. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates
16. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
17. Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota Twins
18. David Wright, New York Mets
19. Brett Lawrie, Chicago White Sox
20. Danny Valencia, Oakland Athletics
21. Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
22. Martin Prado, Miami Marlins
23. Yangervis Solarte, San Diego Padres
24. Chase Headley, New York Yankees
25. David Freese, Pittsburgh Pirates

Top 25 Shortstops

1. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
2. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
3. Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays
4. Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
6. Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
7. Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers
8. Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
10. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
11. Starlin Castro, New York Yankees
12. Ketel Marte, Seattle Mariners
13. Jean Segura, Arizona Diamondbacks
14. Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics
15. Asdrubal Cabrera, New York Mets
16. Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals
17. Erick Aybar, Atlanta Braves
18. Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals
19. Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds
20. Alexei Ramirez, San Diego Padres
21. Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees
22. Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers
23. Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds
24. Eduardo Escobar, Minnesota Twins
25. Andrelton Simmons, Los Angeles Angels

Top 50 Outfielders

1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
2. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
4. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
5. A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks
6. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
7. Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
8. Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners
9. Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
10. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
11. J.D. Martinez, Detroit Tigers
12. Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
13. George Springer, Houston Astros
14. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
15. Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
16. Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
17. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
18. Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
19. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
20. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
21. Carlos Gomez, Houston Astros
22. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
23. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
24. Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs
25. Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres
26. Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees
27. Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins
28. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants
29. Curtis Granderson, New York Mets
30. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
31. Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers
32. Ben Revere, Washington Nationals
33. Adam Eaton, Chicago White Sox
34. Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels
35. Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals
36. Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals
37. David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks
38. Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
39. Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
40. Michael Conforto, New York Mets
41. Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays
42. Dexter Fowler, Chicago Cubs
43. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
44. Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics
45. Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
46. Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics
47. Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
48. Billy Burns, Oakland Athletics
49. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
50. Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

Top 75 Starting Pitchers

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
3. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs
4. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
5. David Price, Boston Red Sox
6. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
7. Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins
8. Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
10. Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
11. Matt Harvey, New York Mets
12. Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks
13. Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays
14. Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
15. Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
16. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
17. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
18. Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians
19. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
20. Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
21. Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs
22. Cole Hamels, Texas Rangers
23. Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals
24. Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians
25. Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants
26. Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays
27. Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals
28. Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates
29. Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels
30. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
31. Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees
32. Jordan Zimmermann, Detroit Tigers
33. Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks
34. Tyson Ross, San Diego Padres
35. Steven Matz, New York Mets
36. Luis Severino, New York Yankees
37. Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
38. Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox
39. Lance McCullers, Houston Astros
40. Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
41. Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals
42. Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
43. Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds
44. Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
45. James Shields, San Diego Padres
46. Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays
47. Jeff Samardzija, San Francisco Giants
48. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
49. Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox
50. Collin McHugh, Houston Astros
51. Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks
52. Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
53. Drew Smyly, Tampa Bay Rays
54. Nathan Eovaldi, New York Yankees
55. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
56. John Lackey, Chicago Cubs
57. Wei-Yin Chen, Miami Marlins
58. Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals
59. Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
60. Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
61. Joe Ross, Washington Nationals
62. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
63. Ian Kennedy, Kansas City Royals
64. Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians
65. Edinson Volquez, Kansas City Royals
66. Andrew Cashner, San Diego Padres
67. Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels
68. Mike Fiers, Houston Astros
69. Jason Hammel, Chicago Cubs
70. Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Dodgers
71. Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
72. Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles
73. Ervin Santana, Minnesota Twins
74. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
75. Alex Wood, Los Angeles Dodgers

Top 25 Relief Pitchers

1. Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals
2. Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
4. Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
5. Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
6. Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals
7. Ken Giles, Houston Astros
8. Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
10. Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
11. Jonathan Papelbon, Washington Nationals
12. Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs
13. Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
14. A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
15. David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
16. Drew Storen, Toronto Blue Jays
17. Shawn Tolleson, Texas Rangers
18. Andrew Miller, New York Yankees
19. Dellin Betances, New York Yankees
20. Sean Doolittle, Oakland Athletics
21. Huston Street, Los Angeles Angels
22. Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins
23. Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants
24. Will Smith, Milwaukee Brewers
25. Brad Boxberger, Tampa Bay Rays

Sleepers

Hitting on potential sleepers can be the difference between a good fantasy team and a championship-winning fantasy team. Here are 25 guys worth targeting in your draft as potential sleepers:

• RP Joaquin Benoit, Seattle Mariners
• 3B Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
• OF Michael Conforto, New York Mets
• SP Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks
• 1B/DH C.J. Cron, Los Angeles Angels
• SP Nathan Eovaldi, New York Yankees
• SP Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles
• SP Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels
• SS Ketel Marte, Seattle Mariners
• 1B/OF Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
• OF Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins
• OF Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
• SP Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks
• C J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
• SP Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
• SP Joe Ross, Washington Nationals
• 2B/SS Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
• SP Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
• 2B Jonathan Schoop, Baltimore Orioles
• SP Luis Severino, New York Yankees
• 3B Travis Shaw, Boston Red Sox
• RP Will Smith, Milwaukee Brewers
• C Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
• 1B/OF Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles
• SP Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners

“Do Not Draft” List

Earlier this offseason, we put together our “do not draft” list of players to steer clear of to avoid busts. Players earned a spot on that list for a variety of reasons, including regression, injury risk, average draft position, playing-time questions and moving from hitter-friendly to pitcher-friendly ballparks.

Here’s a look at three players from each position who earned the “do not draft” distinction, including their current average draft position and the reason for their inclusion.

Catchers

• Jonathan Lucroy, ADP: 97.8 (ADP)
• Stephen Vogt, ADP: 165.2 (ADP, regression)
• Matt Wieters, ADP: 183.2 (injury risk, playing time)

First Basemen

• Miguel Cabrera, ADP: 11.4 (ADP, injury risk)
• Albert Pujols, ADP: 85.6 (ADP, age)
• Mark Teixeira, ADP: 167.4 (age, injury risk)

Second Basemen

• Dee Gordon, ADP: 20.2 (ADP)
• Jason Kipnis, ADP: 86.8 (regression)
• DJ LeMahieu, ADP: 145.8 (regression)

Third Basemen

• Todd Frazier, ADP: 42.2 (ADP)
• Matt Duffy, ADP: 156.4 (regression)
• David Wright, ADP: 215.4 (injury risk, playing time)

Shortstops

• Troy Tulowitzki, ADP: 48.8 (ADP, injury risk)
• Francisco Lindor, ADP: 73.0 (regression)
• Jose Reyes, ADP: 179.6 (playing time)

Outfielders

• Nelson Cruz, ADP: 39.8 (regression)
• Billy Hamilton, ADP: 105.2 (playing time)
• Corey Dickerson, ADP: 124.6 (Coors Field effect)

Starting Pitchers

• Zack Greinke, ADP: 32.6 (ADP)
• Tyson Ross, ADP: 94.6 (ADP)
• John Lackey, ADP: 161.4 (ADP, regression)

Relief Pitchers

• David Robertson, ADP: 104.4 (ADP)
• Huston Street, ADP: 134.2 (ADP)
• Brad Ziegler, ADP: 183.4 (playing time)

Top 25 Prospects To Watch

Stud rookies are often overhyped when it comes time to draft, so it’s important not to get swept up in that hype.

That being said, we saw last season with the likes of Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Noah Syndergaard and others the type of impact a first-year player can make.

So here’s a look at the top 25 rookies to watch, based solely on their expected impact during the upcoming season. This is more about opportunity than potential, so keep that in mind.

1. SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. SP Steven Matz, New York Mets
3. OF Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
4. 1B A.J. Reed, Houston Astros
5. SP Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
6. 1B/DH Byung Ho Park, Minnesota Twins
7. SS Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies
8. OF Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians
9. 3B/OF Hector Olivera, Atlanta Braves
10. SP Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins
11. SP Lucas Giolito, Washington Nationals
12. SP Tyler Glasnow, Pittsburgh Pirates
13. SS Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
14. SS Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers
15. SS J.P. Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies
16. 3B Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers
17. 2B Yoan Moncada, Boston Red Sox
18. SP Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies
19. OF Hyun Soo Kim, Baltimore Orioles
20. OF Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
21. OF Nick Williams, Philadelphia Phillies
22. SP Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers
23. OF Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers
24. OF Lewis Brinson, Texas Rangers
25. 2B/OF Jose Peraza, Cincinnati Reds

And there you have it—Bleacher Report’s 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheet, with everything you’ll need laid out in one convenient place.

Happy drafting!

All average draft position figures come courtesy of FantasyPros.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Few things get baseball fans more excited than the prospect of, well, prospects.

Last season gave us Kris Bryant. Carlos Correa. Francisco Lindor, Miguel Sano and Noah Syndergaard. Two years ago, it was Jose Abreu, Dellin Betances, Jacob deGrom and Masahiro Tanaka. Three years ago? Try Chris Archer, Nolan Arenado, Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller and Wil Myers.

Year after year, Major League Baseball is flooded with rookies, and the 2016 season will be no different.

Hundreds of rookies will take the field this season, some more notable and talented than others. Take 2015, for example, when 254 players with rookie eligibility appeared in at least one game. Yet there are only a handful that stand out as truly exciting players.

In order to whittle down such a huge field of candidates, we’re going to limit our selections here to players who are either expected to start the season in the majors or have an estimated time of arrival right around the All-Star break. Past performance, potential and available playing time were taken into account as well.

Keep in mind that this is not a ranking of baseball’s best prospects. I cannot emphasize that enough. These rankings are truly subjective, as the list of rookies we’re most excited to watch in 2016 could be completely different from your list. There are no right or wrong answers here.

So take a deep breath, count to three, and let’s take a look at the 15 rookies we can’t wait to see do their thing.

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We’ve been told for years that spring training stats don’t matter, that buying in to the hype they produce only leads to disappointment once the regular season gets underway. More often than not, that tends to be the case.

Yet there are always a handful of players who prove that theory wrong, and we’ve honed in on five of the spring’s biggest stars—four position players and a pitcher, listed in no particular order—who are poised to do just that.

Aside from outstanding performances this spring, their past performance and potential impact at the game’s highest level make this select group stand out from the rest of the crowd.

They’re all within the first few years of their big league careers, and not all of them are locks to break camp with their respective clubs. But no matter their estimated time of arrival in the majors, one thing is for sure: They’re all going to be difference-makers for their respective clubs in 2016.

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Gaudy spring training statistics are like finding the car of your dreams at an absurdly low price. Everything looks great until you pop the hood and find an empty void where the engine should be.

Yet that doesn’t stop us from dreaming big and hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, our favorite team has struck oil and stumbled upon a game-changing talent who flew under the radar, or that a perennial underachiever has finally figured things out.

That’s not to say that every player having a torrid spring won’t carry that momentum into the regular season—a handful do every year—but by and large, what happens during exhibition play has no impact on a player’s regular-season performance.

Keep that in mind as we take a look at nine players who have wildly overachieved this spring. Some are locks to break camp on a 25-man roster, while others are either destined for the minor leagues or still battling for a roster spot on Opening Day.

What they all have in common, however, is that none of them will look nearly as good a month from now.

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Established veterans shaking off the rust and heralded prospects trying to make an impression alongside big league talent—that’s generally the storyline during spring training.

But what about the guys who fall somewhere in between?

Each team has a handful of players fighting for a spot on the 25-man roster, and mixed in with those bubble guys there are always at least a few former top prospects who are still trying to break through.

Not all highly touted prospects pan out, but the flops don’t simply disappear either.

Even if a former top prospect doesn’t live up to his lofty billing, he’s still capable of carving out a role at the MLB level and enjoying a productive career.

With that in mind, what follows is a look at 10 former big-name prospects who are making waves this spring.

In order to qualify for inclusion, a player had to have appeared at some point among the top 10 prospects in an organization, according to Baseball America.

Since the focus here is on post-hype guys, they must also no longer appear among their team’s top 10 prospects heading into the 2016 season.

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It’s not just his unreal knack for swiping bags that earns Billy Hamilton the title of best natural base stealer in MLB. It’s also the fact that the king of thieves almost never gets apprehended.

In the process of drawing up the rankings of the 10 purest base stealers in the game, let’s focus on two key factors:

1. The total number of steals that the given player piled up
2. How efficient he was in stealing those bags

The major emphasis was placed on 2015 numbers, but larger track records were also part of the equation—especially when trying to differentiate between similarly talented base robbers.

There was a flood of players under consideration for these rankings, but that didn’t stop a pair of Kansas City Royals outfielders from snatching spots in the top 10.

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With the halfway point of spring training upon us, the time to take a look around baseball at each team’s most pleasant surprises and biggest disappointments has arrived.

Every team has its own needs and expectations of the players it invites to camp, and how those individual storylines play out ultimately helps those clubs make their final roster decisions before Opening Day.

From highly touted prospects to established veterans and, in some cases, players most fans have never heard of, there’s a wide variety of talent that has helped to change the narrative in their respective camp, for better or for worse.

One thing to keep in mind: Injured players were not eligible to be deemed disappointments. It seems incredibly unfair to blame a player for something that is largely out of their control. So while Jhonny Peralta’s thumb injury is disappointing, you won’t find him as St. Louis’ biggest disappointment.

Who has impressed—and depressed us the most thus far? Let’s take a look.

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“Do we really need another updated MLB power rankings here in the middle of spring training?”

Absolutely.

“Has anything really changed?”

Of course it has.

Midway through the spring slate, teams are closing in on roster-cutting time as they look to trim things down to the best 25 guys with which to break camp.

Injuries, troubling or encouraging individual performances and one writer’s ever-changing opinion all played a role in any shifts you may see in the rankings this time around.

The goal as always with preseason rankings is to position all 30 teams based on how they are expected to stack up when Opening Day rolls around.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, folks. Regular-season baseball is a few short weeks away.

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Being labeled a top prospect in any sport, especially baseball, doesn’t guarantee success and stardom at the game’s highest level. Those who develop into Bryce Harper- or Mike Trout-like superstars are the exception, not the rule. 

That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of young star power on the horizon, whether it be a player who’s just getting his major league career started or a prospect who has yet to make his big league debut. But only a select few have the total package to become baseball’s “next big thing.”

The criteria for inclusion, which we’ve used in previous versions of this list, remains the same, but we’ve added a fourth prerequisite to make entry a bit more difficult:

• The player cannot have completed a “full season” in MLB (400 or more at-bats or 150 innings for starting pitchers).

• Each player must be under the age of 25 as of Opening Day 2016.

• The player must be expected to play at the MLB level during the 2016 season (whether all year long or as an in-season call-up).

• The player cannot have appeared in an All-Star Game or won any individual MLB awards.

Aside from that, the selection process came down to my own projections and expectations for each player, based on past performance (both in the majors and minors) as well as whether there was a clear path to playing time.

That last part is why you won’t find Texas’ talented trio of Lewis Brinson, Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara on the pages that follow, while players like the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant and Houston’s Carlos Correa were eliminated by one (or more) of our four selection criteria.

But nobody would argue that Bryant and Correa didn’t emerge as their respective division’s next big thing in 2015. The six players we’re about to take a look at are poised to follow in their footsteps this season.

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It would be easy to scan the spring training leaderboards, find the player with the best numbers at each position and slot them into a spot on our 2016 All-Spring Training team. But sitting among the league leaders alone doesn’t land a player on our squad.

While the numbers matter, we set out to fill this year’s squad with players who have taken advantage of their opportunities in spring training. The roster includes prospects who weren’t expected to contribute this early, players who have surged ahead in position battles and veterans chasing a chance at redemption.

Which players have stood out from the rest through the first two weeks of spring training? Let’s take a look.

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