It's one thing to BE one of baseball's top prospects.
It's quite another to actually have an opneing to play in the majors some time this season.
Ask Phillies star first baseman Ryan Howard who was clearly ready for action at the start of the 2005 season but had to wait for incumbent Jim Thome to get hurt before finally getting the nod.

Don't think these kinds of decisions don't have major implications in the long run.
Those 2005 Phillies paid dearly for delaying the inevitability of the right side of their infield.
Holding back on the insertion of Howard and early on Chase Utley left the Phils on the edge of the post season.
They finished a mere two games out in the National League East and worse still, one game out in the wild card race.

With that in mind, here is a list of prospects and young players not only with talent but also with a chance to either play every day or crack their teams starting rotations.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore - Starting Pitcher Matt Albers, shortstop Luis Hernandez and OF Adam Jones
Boston - Starting Pitcher Jon Lester
Yankees - Pitchers Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy
TB Rays 3B Evan Langoria and Starting Pitcher Matt Garza
White Sox -2B-Danny Richar, Starting Pitcher John Danks and Starting Pitcher Gavin Floyd
Cleveland -Starting Pitcher Aaron Laffey
KC - DH-1B Billy Butler, Starting Pitcher Luke Hochevar
Twins - CF Jason Pridie or Denard Span, Starting Pitchers Kevin Slowey, Phillip Humber and R.A. Dickey
Angels - Catcher Jeff Mathis
Oakland - RF Ryan Sweeney, 1B-Daric Burton, CF-Chris Denorfia and Starting Pitcher Dana Eveland
Seattle - Starting Pitcher Brandon Morrow
Texas LF David Murphy, Starting Pitchers, Kason Gabbard, Kameron Loe

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Marlins - Catcher Matt Treanor, OF Cameron Maybin and SP's Andrew Miller and Rick Vanden Hurk
Nationals - Outfielder Lastings Milledge
Cubs - C atcher Geovany Soto, CF-Felix Pie and Japanese newcomer Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome
Reds - 1B Joey Votto, CF's Norris Hopper or Jay Bruce, Starting Pitchers Edinson Volquez and Homer Bailey
Houston - Catcher J.R. Towles and CF Michael Bourne (No mystery here)
St Louis - CF Colby Rasmus
Arizona - RF-Justin Upton
Colorado - 2B Jayson Nix
Dodgers - Staring Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda
Giants - 1B Dan Ortmeier and Closer Brian Wilson

Phillies third baseman Greg Dobbs was on the list but fell off when the team signed Pedro Feliz away from the Giants.
That and the cautionary tale of Ryan Howard are just a pair of indications of what changes could take place with our list before players settle in for the 2008 season and the mistakes teams make in hanging on to contracts.

The old - "We've got to pay him so we might as well play him" sometimes comes back to bite you in the ass.

That there are no Pirates on this list tells you all you need to know about David Littlefield's regime as G.M. with the Bucs and how much work newcomer Neal Huntington has in front of him.