MLB

Every season, a handful of players punch in the right coordinates and make the light speed-esque jump from promising up-and-comer to genuine star.

Arguably the most important challenge for fantasy owners is to identify those players early and snatch them up before their stock soars into the firmament.

As the exhibition slate rolls forward and we edge closer to the start of games that count, here's a look at 10 bust-out fantasy candidates.

A couple of notes before we proceed:

The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins will play their July 3 regular-season matchup at a newly constructed ballpark at Fort Bragg Military base in North Carolina, MLB and the MLB Players Association said in a joint release Tuesday.  

Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech is on the shelf with an uncertain timetable for his return after injuring his hand in an altercation with a teammate.

Continue for updates.

St. Louis Cardinals star catcher Yadier Molina had thumb surgery on Oct. 15 to repair a partially torn ligament originally suffered on Sept.

The Miami Marlins will be without one of their top relievers for the entire 2016 season, as Carter Capps is set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Continue for updates.

The Houston Astros and manager A.J. Hinch reached an agreement this week on a new contract. 

Spring training offers fans and teams alike a chance to get a glimpse into the future, with some of baseball's top prospects putting their skills on display for all to see. We've heard the hype; now we finally get to see what it's all about.

Not all top prospects are created equal, of course. Some look like they're ready for prime time, while others leave little doubt that, while talented, there's still lots of development left before they can be considered major league-ready.

Yo definitely knows baseball. Through that and his larger-than-life personality, Yo has also come to know what it's like to be a superstar athlete in New York.

But there's a dark side to that, you know. It's how quickly New York fame can turn into New York infamy, and the New York Mets must hope Yoenis Cespedes doesn't come to know that too.

It's important to balance risk and upside when it comes to assembling a fantasy baseball roster, and one way to do that is by looking for signs of regression.

Production relative to players' previous track records, second-half declines and telling advanced statistics like batting average on balls in play (BABIP) can all help forecast player regression.

So who are the guys to avoid this year?

They signed within days of each other last December for more money per year than any pitcher had ever received. They left first-place teams but didn't leave their division, both joining sub-.500 clubs itching to win.