Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist had to battle emotions last December. He was born and went to high school in Eureka, Ill., a small town about 120 miles southwest of Chicago and about 180 miles northeast of St. Louis, in the part of Central Illinois where that Cubs-Cardinals rivalry creates heated debates.

Which hitters are poised to rebound in 2016? We used Statcast to identify three sluggers who had seemingly down seasons, but showed enough signs of life to remain confident in for the season ahead.

The Rangers and free agent Ian Desmond completed a one-year, $8 million contract on Monday, a day after they came to an agreement on a deal.

Jake Odorizzi will start the Rays’ Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals on Wednesday at Charlotte Sports Park.

Orioles starter Chris Tillman, who was scratched from Sunday’s intrasquad outing with a hip flexor injury, took Monday off in hopes of a quick return.

An extra day means extra time for awesome baseball highlights.

Take a leap into some MLB trivia.

The Pirates, Cardinals and Indians may not have made the biggest offseason splashes, but their roster additions should make an impact.

Players are no longer in workout mode. It’s time to play ball in the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League, and after a light Monday that features a few games against college teams, Tuesday gives us Major League matchups for the first time since the Royals closed out the Mets in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.

In honor of Leap Day, MLB.com lead fantasy writer Fred Zinkie took a look at 10 players who could take massive steps forward in 2016.

Not bad.

From across the diamond, Don Mattingly was victimized by Giancarlo Stanton’s game-changing power. Now, the first-year Marlins manager is glad to have the three-time All-Star right fielder on his side.

Sixteen years before Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Piazza came to the Mets in the midst of a postseason run, a mercenary who fell in love with New York City and stayed. Few people could ever understand Cespedes’ situation better than Piazza, who will officially become a Hall of Famer in five months’ time.

Joey Butler was not sure how Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco would react upon seeing him for the first time this spring. When they finally crossed paths in the training room, Butler kept his eyes low and offered a quiet greeting as he walked by the big right-hander.

Last spring, Joe Maddon told Kris Bryant how good he could be, and the Cubs’ third baseman won the NL Rookie of the Year Award. This spring, when they met for their annual pre-Spring Training talk, the discussion was more about their offseason adventures and Maddon’s recreational vehicle. Their relationship has grown, and that’s vital to Bryant’s — and any young player’s — development.

When Chip Hale took over as manager of the D-backs last season, he knew the first thing he had to change was what was then a losing culture. It’s the same for Andy Green, a Hale acolyte and Arizona’s third-base coach last season, who’s now taking that same approach in his first year managing the Padres.

The Giants’ Gregor Blanco has provided stability that few role players — or regulars — can match. Only 21 outfielders have played in more Major League games than Blanco’s 543 from 2012-15. Among that group, just seven have done so with the same team.