Christian Villanueva

Villanueva spent much of the decade as a promising prospect in first the Rangers' and then the Cubs' system. But as he approached the majors, Villanueva was first blocked by Kris Bryant and then, last year, hampered by a season-ending broken leg. The Padres signed Villanueva as a free agent, and he rewarded them by destroying opposing pitchers in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Villanueva significantly improved upon his first Triple-A stint back in 2015, as he showed improved plate discipline and power. He was explosive in 12 games for the big club, too, as he mashed four homers and a double over just 32 at-bats. The Padres have a few options at third base, including Cory Spangenberg and Chase Headley, but with a strong spring training, Villanueva could force his way into the Opening Day mix.

Once the 2017 season rolls around, more than a year will have elapsed since Villanueva last took the field. However, he'd shown improvement in his last minor league showing, which came at Triple-A Iowa in 2015. Although his .259 batting average comes off as underwhelming to some, it was a drastic improvement over 2014's dismal mark of .211. Largely due to newfound power that resulted in 43 extra-base hits over 123 games, his wOBA also trended in the right direction and rose to .330, up from .315. Unfortunately, while his batting improved his fielding regressed to the tune of a .931 fielding percentage, making him a liability at the hot corner. At 25 years old, Villanueva has never taken a major-league at-bat and has filled the job of organizational depth up to this point. His chances of contributing in 2017 improved after he signed a minor league deal with the Padres during the offseason.

Kris Bryant zoomed past Villanueva on the organizational depth chart, but that doesn't mean there aren't some interesting things in Villanueva's skill set. The 24-year-old third baseman hit just .257 in the minors last year, but he drove in 95 runs - including 88 for Triple-A Iowa - and had a much-improved 39:85 BB:K in 2015. His home-run power abandoned him in an injury-plagued 2014, but he bounced back with 20 home runs last year. No, he's not going to supplant Bryant, but the Cubs might find some use for him, either as a backup corner infielder or a decent trading chip.

With 19 home runs and a .786 OPS with Double-A Tennessee in 2013, Villanueva came into 2014 with optimism. Unfortunately, his bat abandoned him at Triple-A Iowa, as he struck out 64 times and hit just six home runs in 64 games. He was sent back down to Tennessee and didn't fare much better, hitting four home runs in 234 at-bats. With Kris Bryant about ready to start his major league career at the hot corner, Villanueva will need to find another position - or organization - if he wants to make an impact in the big leagues.

Villanueva spent the year with Double-A Tennessee and had 62 extra-base hits, but his 34:117 BB:K ratio indicates he still has some work to do at the plate. There are a lot of options for the hot corner in Chicago, and Kris Bryant is definitely the future at the position, but Villanueva could get to the majors first and might be able to find some success if he works on his batting eye.

Villanueva made the Sally League All-Star team in his full-season debut, hitting .278/.338/.465, and is expected to play at High-A Myrtle Beach in 2012. He could switch positions, as Texas is well-stocked at third base with Adrian Beltre and Mike Olt.