5 NL Players to Watch in 2012

One thing I truly love about the game of baseball is the never- ending revolving door of new and upcoming talent the game has to offer.

Every few years, a new class of player comes in and takes the reigns from those that came before them. Often times we ignore their talent while still basking in the excellence of the previous class. Baseball is starting to catch up to the idea of drafting the young talent rather than paying for it at the end of its prime.

While I'm sure we will still see teams vastly overpaying for players as they head into the twilight years of their careers (much like the Yankees did with Alex Rodriguez; offering a 10-year contract that will take him into his 40's carrying an average annual salary of $27.5million) I'm certain that we will see other teams draft well and be competitive with their young crop of players. Here are five players to watch in 2012 in the National League:

Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates

The 25-year old center fielder for the Pirates has emerged as one of the finer young talents in the National League. He is currently pre-arbitration eligible and under team control through the 2016 season. He came in 4th in 2009 in Rookie of the Year voting and has made his first All-Star appearance in 2011, not too bad for someone making $453,000.

What I like a lot about McCutchen is his consistent production and tenacious play. While he has three years of Major League experience under his belt (420 games to be exact) he has managed to hit fairly consistently and see an increase in his power numbers. His career batting average is .276, taking a dip after a low 2011 season batting .259. However, his home run total in 2011 was 23, 7 more than in 2010 and 11 more than his rookie year in 2009. Defensively, in 2011 his range factor was a 2.73, first in the National League for outfielders .

Mike Stanton - Miami Marlins

The Marlins are making a lot of noise this Hot Stove season, but some of the largest grumblings could come from their existing outfield. Stanton is just 22 years old, pre-arbitration eligible earning $417,000 in 2011, and is under team control until 2017. Stanton has only played in 250 games in the Major Leagues, but I feel he is on the cusp of really breaking out in 2012.

Entering the Majors in 2010 at 20 years old, Stanton made an immediate impact, belting in 22 home runs and 59 RBI's in just 100 games. While his batting average was just .259 his OBP was .326 and he slugged .507, giving him an OPS of .833, pretty good numbers for a rookie, let alone one so wet behind the ears. In 150 games in 2011 his numbers increased across the board. His stat line looked like this: 34 HR, 87 RBI's, .262 AVG. His OBP increased to .356, SLG to .537 and his OPS to .893. I think he is positioned for a large breakout this season. If the Marlins miss out on Pujols or Fielder, but manage to bring in Reyes - the middle of their lineup will be scary, anchored by Stanton.

Hunter Pence - Philadelphia Phillies

When the Phillies pulled the trigger to land Pence in 2011 at the trade deadline, I thought the move was brilliant. They needed to get younger and managed to land a solid rightfielder in Pence. While he may not take the spotlight from the stars surrounding him on the Phillies, his contribution in 2012 will certainly be felt.

Pence is a 2-time all star and a career .292 hitter. He has a career OBP of .343 and SLG of .485 with a .828 OPS. In other words, you know exactly what you are getting from Pence. His numbers come from four and a half seasons in the Astros organization that really had no threats around him in the lineup. Being added to such a deep lineup as the Phillies, in a full season I feel that we are likely to see Pence's numbers go up across the board. Just looking at his splits from last season, in 54 games with the Phillies he hit as many HR's as he did in Houston (11 each) but his BA went from .308 to .324, his OBP from .356 to .394, his SLG from .471 to .560 and his OPS from .828 to .954. I think this trend is only going to continue with a full season in Philly. Pence is only 28 and is in the middle of his prime.

Freddie Freeman - Atlanta Braves

Obviously I am high on Freeman, he was my mid-season pick to be NL Rookie of the Year. The man can play and I firmly doubt we will see any type of sophomore slump from the Braves first baseman in 2012.

He is only 22 years old, making $414,000 in 2011 and in my opinion, is already a stud. He placed second in 2011 Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to his teammate, RP Craig Kimbrel. In 157 games for the Braves, Freeman's stat line looked like this: 161 hits, 21 home runs, 76 RBI's, .282 BA, .346 OBP, .448 SLG and a .795 OPS. Defensively, Freeman only committed 6 errors, posting a .996 fielding percentage. Solid numbers from your first year first baseman.

It appears he is quite comfortable facing Major League pitching. If his first full season was any indication of what may come from the man, 2012 should prove to be impressive.

Last, but not least...

Justin Upton - Arizona Diamondbacks

You can make the case that Upton is already a star, but I feel the younger Upton brother is just starting to show the flashes of brilliance he has to offer. At just 24 years old, the D'Backs were wise to lock Upton up with a 6-year/$50million contract to keep him in the desert through 2015. Upton is a 2 time All-Star and a Silver Slugger winner. In 2011 he finished 4th in NL MVP voting. In short, Upton is a beast.

In 2011, Upton posted career highs in HR's (31), RBI's (88) and OBP (.369); he also managed a .529 slugging and .898 OPS, both were the second highest numbers in his career. What I like about Upton as well is his speed, swiping 21 bags. I don't want to over-step any boundaries here, but looking at Upton's young career reminds me of Barry Bonds from 1987-1991. Now, before you harp on me for that, I am a huge Bonds fan, I am well aware of his numbers for that time, and while Bonds posted better numbers than Upton, I am just trying to point out the similarities between the two.

Who is to say that Upton, again just 24 years old, can't have an MVP caliber career from here on out? After all, Bonds didn't get his first MVP until he was 25 years old.