OF Luis Robert, INF Carter Kieboom among rookies to watch

CHICAGO (AP) — New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso was the breakout star in an impressive group of major league rookies last summer. Now another wave of young talent is looking to leave its mark on the sport.

Here is a closer look at a handful of rookies who could play a starring role this year:

—OF Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox: The 22-year-old Robert joins a formidable White Sox lineup after agreeing to a $50 million, six-year contract in January — ahead of his major league debut. The athletic Cuban slugger batted .328 with 32 homers, 92 RBIs and 36 steals over three minor league stops last season.

—INF Carter Kieboom, Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon’s departure in free agency created an opening at third base for the Nationals, and the reigning World Series champions are looking to Kieboom to fill the role. Kieboom spent most of last year with Triple-A Fresno, hitting .303 with 16 homers and 79 RBIs in 109 games.

As always, it will be interesting to check in again in October to see how these predictions went.

Young pitchers form the core of Detroit’s rebuild

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Casey Mize was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 amateur draft, and Matt Manning was a first-round selection two years earlier.

Those two pitchers are the headliners of Detroit’s rebuilding process — and they aren’t the only Tigers prospects worth paying attention to this year.

“I think there’s some other names that probably should be involved in that as well,” Mize said. “We have a really good group, honestly. The more people we can attach to that headline, is probably for the better. That’s good news for Tigers fans, good news for the organization.”

The Tigers held their first workout for pitchers and catchers Wednesday, and while only the most optimistic Detroit fan would predict a great season, there are finally some signs of promise. Mize, Manning and Tarik Skubal are all in camp as non-roster invitees. Although none of them are expected to be in the big leagues on opening day, they could form the core of the Tigers’ rotation of the future.