NL Central

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.

Houston Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez had a decent rookie season, compiling a .274/.319/.423 slash average with six home runs and 35 RBI in 226 plate appearances after joining the team in late July. 

Though he's slated to be the Astros starting left fielder this season, Martinez wanted to be in great shape when he got to spring training. To achieve that, he wanted to be pushed hard. So hard that he'd leave his effort all over the training room. Literally. 

Heading in to the 2012 campaign, Chicago Cub fans should be excited about the talent they have at the minor league level.  They have a couple of top prospects who are already making a major impact in spring training, and Cub fans should not forget these names once the regular season hits.  

Last month I wrote a piece about Reds second base prospect Brodie Greene. This month, I'm bringing you another second baseman, Henry Rodriguez.

Spring training statistics are nothing to swear by, but it has been hard to ignore the impressive numbers Cincinnati Reds prospect Todd Frazier has been posting this preseason.

Through 25 plate appearances, the 26-year-old third baseman is leading Cincinnati in batting average (.280), home runs (three), RBI (eight), runs (eight) and stolen bases (two).

With the former kings of the National League Central departed for Anaheim and Detroit, now is the time for attention to be brought to the rising stars of the division. 

The Cardinals have a trio of arms that could rival the dominance of Lee, Halladay, and Hamels in the future. The Cubs have been stockpiling young talent since the arrival of Theo Epstein this winter. Can the Pirates finally climb over the .500 mark after countless losing seasons?

The last calendar year has been an eventful one for the St. Louis Cardinals.

This time last year, the Cardinals were being written off by many thanks to Adam Wainwright's elbow woes, which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. The team ended up flying under the radar for much of the 2011 season, only to get hot in September, finally clinching a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season.

Then they won the World Series.

Jay Bruce emerged as a bona fide slugger for the Cincinnati Reds last season, clubbing 32 home runs and racking up an impressive 97 RBI.

That said, the young outfielder still has plenty of room for improvement.

If Bruce can bolster these three aspects of his game this season, he could legitimately become an MLB superstar...

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Pete Rose had no choice. In the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star game, Rose bowled into American League catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run.

"He was doing his job but it was my job to score," Rose told reporters as he lay on the training table with his left knee packed in ice.

ESPN and the Associated Press are reporting that Corey Hart will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.