MLB

If all the prospect reports and estimated times of arrival had been right, we wouldn't be asking whether Taijuan Walker can step up to be a legitimate "2" to Felix Hernandez's "1" atop the Seattle Mariners starting rotation.

In 2016, baseball fans can still think about Giancarlo Stanton the way basketball fans thought about Stephen Curry circa 2012: With talent like that, just imagine what he might do with good health.

Basketball fans have certainly gotten their answer. But as for us baseball folk, Stanton's if-healthy potential is still a topic for the imagination.

Johnny Cueto, one of the San Francisco Giants' two big offseason acquisitions, is recovering from a possible concussion after being hit with a line drive on Monday.

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Jonathan Lucroy has remained a trade chip for the Milwaukee Brewers all offseason, and the Texas Rangers may be interested in the All-Star catcher, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.   

Continue for updates. 

"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.

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 that 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 entire National League Central has a vested rooting interest in the Cardinals' misfortune.

It’s hard to blame it.

What has four legs, six rings and the undying affection of the City by the Bay?

That'd be the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey, hands down the best battery in baseball and, in fact, the best pitcher/catcher pairing the sport has seen in decades.

San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is set to miss one or two starts with minor injuries, according to Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area.

Continue for updates.

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.