Starlin Castro

Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro exited Tuesday's game against the National League Central division rival Milwaukee Brewers with an ankle injury.

CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney provided the details on Castro's condition:

Let me begin by assuring you all I am not totally crazy. Partially crazy, perhaps, but not totally. But what I am about to suggest may actually be a reasonable and logical step for the New York Mets to take in order to hep get them to (and keep them in) relevancy once again in the National League.

Chicago general manager Jed Hoyer and his counterpart in Oakland, Billy Beane, proved on Friday night that fireworks on the Fourth of July don't only explode overhead, completing a massive six-player swap that has wide-sweeping ramifications on the playoff picture in both leagues.

The Chicago Cubs' collection of top prospects is among the best in baseball, with four players who will rank in next week’s top 50 prospects update and a few more who would land in the top 100.

Leading the pack is shortstop Javier Baez, who is arguably the most exciting offensive prospect in the game. Last season, the now-21-year-old posted a .920 OPS with 37 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 537 plate appearances between High-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee.

For a Chicago Cubs team that will be continuing their rebuild in 2014, the starting lineup presents a major question mark at several different positions. While prospects will be coming up sporadically through the minor leagues this season and next, the Opening Day lineup figures to be full of fill-in players or players looking to bounce back from last season.

In January of this year, the New York Times ran a story that said the Yankees are saving now for a potential free-agency splash next winter.

Starlin Castro has quickly established himself as one of the best shortstops in the league.

He led the National League in hits (207) and at-bats (674), and also popped 10 home runs while collecting 66 RBI. His slash line of .307/.341/.432 was also very impressive.

Early in this season, Castro is putting up great numbers.

He's played in all 17 games, while driving in eight runs and posting a line of .358/.389/.478.

The Chicago Cubs poured it on the Reds 6-1 today as their bats finally came alive to end their losing streak at six.

Paul Maholm earned his first victory in a Cubs uniform, and the Cubs were finally able to prosper with runners in scoring position.

Here is what we learned from this Cubs win.

Major League Baseball is filled with young talent.

Some of these men have been highly touted, while some of them are still flying under the radar. As they continue to fill up the sheets, fans will recognize their talents by late September. 

There are a couple stipulations to this list: 

1. They made "The Show" no earlier than the 2010 season.

 2. They have played a game for their respective club already.  

These next 25 guys are the new generation and future of baseball.

This year, like every other, will provide us with season-ruining busts and the championship making prospects. To help you out, the following are the top five players you should, and still can target to ensure success in your fantasy league. Note: the following rankings and stats are based off of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports Leagues. For a more complete ranking of fantasy players go to Jackman Sports' Rankings found here.