2006 Trenton Thunder ace Phil Hughes is this year's cover boy after dominating batters to the tune of a 10-3 record and 2.25 ERA, numbers that don't include a 13 strikeout performance over just six innings of work in his lone playoff start.

Hughes is a once-in-a-lifetime talent, poised to compete for a spot in the Yankees starting rotation in 2007. Neither the Thunder nor the league will have someone like him for quite some time, but here are a few players to keep an eye on this season:

Reimold was drafted in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2005, and impressed immediately during his professional debut with the Aberdeen Ironbirds of the New York-Penn League, hitting .294 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 50 games.

His batting average cooled off a bit last year at Single-A Frederick, but 19 home runs and 75 RBI are nothing to sneeze at.

Baseball America lists the 22-year-old as the Orioles third best prospect in the organization.

Johnson, a first-round pick of the Red Sox last season, has already made it to Fenway Park. During his first pro season, the Lowell Spinners starter got the nod for the inaugural Futures at Fenway doubleheader last season.

"It was nerve racking when I came out for the first inning," Johnson said last year in Brooklyn. "But just with the overall atmosphere with the fans and the excitement, it was pretty fun."

Listed as the number ten prospect in Boston's farm system by Baseball America, it would be unlikely that the 22-year-old southpaw gets to Portland before the All-Star break.

Masterson put up video game type numbers in his pro debut with Lowell last year, with a 3-1 record, 0.85 ERA and 33-2 K/BB ratio in 32 innings of work. Listed at 6' 6", 245 pounds, the righty clearly provides an imposing presence on the mound, but the 2006 second-round draft pick is a friendly face off of it.

The 21-year-old transferred to San Diego State during his college career, where his head coach was Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn.

"Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters," Masterson said last season. "If you can get into his head and see what he's thinking, as a pitcher you can get an idea of what these guys are thinking."

Masterson, rated the thirteenth best prospect in a deep Red Sox farm system by Baseball America, could get to Portland by the end of 2007 as well.

Baseball America's number one prospect in a decimated organization, 20-year-old right-hander Collin Ballester will look to build off a promising Double-A debut last year. He made just three starts for Harrisburg last season, but allowed only four earned runs in 20 innings pitched.

The Nationals have been operated by Major League Baseball for the past few seasons, and minor league development was at the bottom of their priority list.

That shows in Ballester's record, as the 2004 fourth-round pick is only one game over .500 over his three-year career.

Drafted 10th overall by the Tigers in 2005, the 19-year-old Maybin hit .304 with 9 home runs and 69 RBI during his first full season with Single-A West Michigan in 2006.

The free-swinging outfielder was selected to play in the Futures Game last year, Major League Baseball's prospect showcase during All-Star week. The youngest player on the U.S. team, he went 2-for-3 off of some of the game's elite arms.

Listed as the Tigers best prospect by Baseball America, Maybin and the Seawolves don't come into Trenton until late July.

20-year-old Andrew McCutchen was taken by the Pirates one selection after Maybin in the 2005 amateur draft.

A five-tool player, the center fielder is a .298 career hitter over two professional seasons. The Pirates haven't had an everyday player at that spot since Tike Redman, so there's nothing standing between McCutchen and PNC Park other than a year or two of developing at the minor league level.

The Curve will be loaded with talent this season, as number two prospect Neil Walker and possibly number three prospect Brad Lincoln will join number-one ranked McCutchen in Altoona in 2007.

Another player on this list taken 10th overall, Lincecum was taken there just last season by the San Francisco Giants. A power pitcher, the 22-year-old righty was the best player in all of college baseball last season, and he has the hardware -- the coveted Golden Spikes Award -- to prove it.

He made his professional debut shortly after being drafted, splitting the tail end of 2006 between Salem-Keizer and San Jose. He made eight combined starts, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

But his most impressive stat was that he held opposing batters to just a .127 average over those eight starts, amazing for a pitcher getting his first taste of pro ball.