When Randy and Alan Hendricks shopped Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman around the majors, they looked for a team willing to consider him for the starting rotation in 2010.

After spending $30 million to land this free-agent Cuban lefty, Cincinnati will put him right into the competitive mix. There is no reason not to.

He threw hard but lacked command during the World Baseball Classic. After moving into the Hendricks camp, he worked with instructors to iron out his mechanics.

“What we did was put Aroldis on a program for three weeks to build up to that period of time,” Randy Hendricks told MLB.com. “He was spectacular. In a mid-December workout where we said he'd be at 85 percent, his mechanics were better. He was coached to be more downhill and overly rotated. His last pitch was 97 mph. His slider was tighter than many people had seen before. He threw a changeup that looked good. Everybody walked away totally impressed."

Chapman is just one rookie capable of earning a big role at some point during the coming season. Here are some more:

Scott Sizemore, 2B, Tigers: With Placido Polanco off to Philadelphia via free agency, Sizemore is expected to start at second base this season. Despite suffering a broken ankle during Arizona Fall League action, he should be ready for spring training.

“Nothing has changed with that thought process,” Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski reported. “He should come back just fine. We're fortunate.” Sizemore hit a combined .308 with 17 homers and 66 RBI for Erie and Toledo last season. He batted .368 with two doubles, three homers and nine RBI during six games for Peoria in the AFL.

Kyle Drabek, SP, Blue Jays: Toronto intends to start him back at the Class AA level this season, but expects him to reach the majors this season. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarded him as the key to the Roy Halladay deal with Philadelphia. Drabek struck out 150 batters in 158 innings in Class AA last season.

Drabek, Anthopoulos said, is  “An intense, fiery competitor. That's something that you really need -- a tremendous will to win. I think that's one of those things that allows you to get to the front of a rotation. Being a real competitor is something that I think is going to separate Kyle Drabek from the pack.”

Buster Posey, C, Giants: Bengie Molina moved on as a free agent because San Francisco had this prospect in development. Posey, the fifth overall pick of the 2008, draft hit .328 at four minor league levels that year. Last season he rose to the Class AAA level, hitting .321 with five homers and 22 RBI in 35 games for Fresno.  During his September call-up, he went 2-for-17 in his first taste of major league pitching.

Austin Jackson, OF, Tigers: Detroit was sorry to lose fan favorite Curtis Granderson in that deal with the Yankees, but Jackson appears to be the real deal. He hit .300 with a .759 OPS at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, convincing the Tigers management that he will help them this season.

“We anticipate he'll be ready to play,” Dombrowski said this week. “There are a lot of guys that can play center field for us, but we anticipate he'll be ready.”

Juan Francisco, OF, Reds: He came up the organizational ladder playing third, but Scott Rolen blocks him in Cincinnati. So he saw some action in left field during winter ball and Cincinnati could use another outfield bat. Francisco hit a combined .295 with 27 homers and 93 RBI at the Class AA and AAA levels last season, then he hit .302 with 11 homers and 42 RBI for Cibao in the Dominican Republic.

During his brief call-up to Cincinnati last year, he went 9-for-21 (.429) with one homer and seven RBIs in 14 games. But Reds farm director Frank Reynolds sounded this warning: “Our plan is to start him at third base in Louisville, unless something happens during Spring Training with the big league club.”

Pedro Alvarez, Pirates, 3B: After his all-America career at Vanderbilt, he came to Pittsburgh’s organization as the second overall pick in the 2008 draft. He didn’t make his minor league debut until the next year, however, due to protracted contract negotiations.

In his first summer of minor league ball, he hit .288 overall. He hit.333 at the Class AA level with 13 homers and a .590 slugging percentage in 60 games. He got better as the summer progressed, batting .352 with four homers in 88 at bats in July and .368 with seven homers in 106 at-bats in August. The Pirates want him to work himself into better physical shape, but otherwise he is on pace to break in this season.

Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants: The big lefty made a cameo appearance at the end of last season, he pitched 10 innings over four appearances (including one start.) He struck out 10 hitters, allowed three walks, posted a 1.80 ERA and held hitters to a .229 batting average. He is working to improve his change-up and curveball.

“I love his makeup. He's a winner -- or he'll find a way to win,” Giants VP Dick Tidrow told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He could end up in the bullpen in the big leagues. He may be that valuable. Even if we do get a veteran starter. That's how some starters break in. But right now, he's it. It wouldn't hurt to go to Triple-A and pitch there, but I'm confident he could pitch in the big leagues.”

David Freese, 3B, Cardinals: He was supposed to fill the third-base hole last season with Troy Glaus injured, but nagging ankle troubles (relating to an off-season car crash) slowed Freese during the spring. After surgical repairs got him back onto the field, he hit .300 with 15 doubles, 10 homers and 37 RBI in 200 at bats at Class AAA Memphis. In brief stints with the Cardinals at the start and finish of the season, Freese hit .321 in 31 at bats.

Given their huge outlay for Holliday, the Cardinals would rather not spend money to replace the departed Glaus. Freese is a solid defensive player and he has enough pop to hit seventh. One warning: A series of DUI incidents hang over Freese’s head like a black cloud.

Mike Stanton, OF, Marlins: Florida drafted as a 17-year-old and watched him hit 68 homers in his first 1,003 minor league at bats. His vast power potential makes him a possible mid-season addition for the Marlins. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound slugger turned heads in the Arizona Fall League with an 11-for-23 surge.

Brett Wallace, 1B, Blue Jays: Toronto worked a three-way deal to get him out of Oakland in the Roy Halladay sell-off.  Last year Wallace hit .293 with 20 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .367 on-base percentage over 138 games with Class AAA Springfield, Class AAA Memphis and Class AAA Sacramento. In his final 44 games of the season, Wallace hit .302 with a .505 slugging percentage. He can rake.

Lyle Overbay blocks his path to Toronto, for now. But Wallace will get a long look in the spring. “Any time you go to a situation where you know they're trying to rebuild with youth, that's something that's exciting,” Wallace told MLB.com. “They're definitely not afraid to give young guys an opportunity, and I think my job now is just to go into camp, be in shape and be ready to play. Hopefully, I make it as hard as possible for them to send me to Vegas. If they do, I'll continue to do as well as I can there and try to put pressure on them to bring me up. Hopefully, I can get there and help that team as soon as I can.”